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Упражнения по теме City / Город

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Письменные и устные упражнения по теме City / Город

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«Упражнения по теме City / Город»

1. City vs. Town

You definitely know both of these words, which we translate in Russian as “город”. But what is the difference between them? Some dictionaries translate “city” as “a big, more or less significant settlement”, but how to define this “more or less”?

Isn’t it easier to ask a native speaker? And here you are, telling your foreign friend about the place you were born at: “Yeah, we have the beauty in Urjupinsk, that’s my home town ... or home city?” “How am I supposed to know?” – he answers you quite seriously. – “Is there a cathedral?” A cathedral?! Actually, atheism has been our state religion for last 70 years. What does this have to do with the question?

It turns out directly one. There is a church – it’s called “a city”, there is no church – “a town”.

Of course, at present this criterion is somewhat outdated, and a small settlement with a population of several hundred thousand people would be called «a town». At the same time, if there is at least some more or less significant production in it, then it will be called “a city”.

In America, town is somewhere between the city and the village. The latter is translated into our language as “деревня”: to be so called in the USA, a settlement must have less than 1000 inhabitants (or occupy no more than 13 km2 of area), most of which are engaged in agriculture. In the town there are from 1,000 to 30,000 inhabitants, while there are practically no multi-storey houses – mostly single-storey ones. However, this distinction is very conditional, since the status of a city is often determined by state laws with regard to financial considerations, since, from a legal point of view, the town and city differ in the type of city management: city is a legally defined entity with all the powers that follow.

What should we do? Both in our cities and in towns there may be multi-storey buildings, therefore it is worth focusing on the population size and the development of the settlement. And if we are talking about a regional center – we should use the word “city”, and if you need to emphasize the compactness – “town”.

There are also a number of phrases in which the words town and city are not interchangeable. Here are some of them:

a town house – таунхаус

one-horse town – городишко, захолустье

the City – Сити, деловой центр Лондона

capital city – столица

city lights – огни большого города.

2. Read the text and write out the English equivalents for the following Russian words:

центр города

пригород

окраина

район

улица

проспект

авеню

бульвар

переулок

площадь

сквер

парк

сад

общественное место


Of course, we all have smartphones with Internet access, and we can easily find our way in an unfamiliar city using Google maps. However, imagine that charging on the phone is over, and you get lost. What will you do? The introvert’s bad dream becomes a reality: you have to ask the stranger for directions. How to do this effectively?

The structure of European, American and Russian cities is not much different. There is always a downtown (or a center) in the city and its outskirts (where it is better not to go, unless, of course, you are not a risky guy). The city is divided into districts or neighbourhoods (this word is mostly used in Am. E.; in Br. E. it means «окру́га»; also in New York there are boroughs), some of which are notorious, and some – are famous in the whole world as a symbol of luxury and success.

There are streets in all the cities. A street is a road combined with a sidewalk for pedestrians or a cycle path. The central street of the city with shops and developed infrastructure is usually called main street (главная улица). This is accepted in almost all cities of the world, so if you do not know the exact name of the main street or simply cannot pronounce it correctly, ask a passer-by about main street and he will understand where you want to go.

For the average Russian tourist who knows only basic English it won’t be particularly important, a boulevard is in front of him or an avenue. When asking for directions, he will usually use the word “street”. But what is the difference?

Avenue is a wide road, usually with several lanes for driving cars. It is interesting that in order for an ordinary street to turn into an avenue, it must have green plantings on its sides (trees or bushes). Therefore, sometimes an alley in the park or driveway to the house is also called avenue. True, in New York this word has a special meaning. So, in the Manhattan area, all the streets that go from the southwest to the northeast are called avenues, while the thruways perpendicular to them are streets. Each of them has its own serial number. The word “boulevard” came to English from French. Unlike avenue, boulevard means a more busy street with heavy traffic, the traffic lanes of which are separated by green areas. Sometimes a busy city street, regardless of whether it is a street, a boulevard or an avenue, is called a single word “thoroughfare”. It can be translated as “the main artery of the city”.

Another kinds of thruway are alley and lane. An alley is a narrow and small lane between houses or rows of houses. In addition, this word can call the paths in the city park, which in turn can be numbered or even have names mapped for easy orientation. In a city, a lane usually means the passage connecting two parallel streets. As we know from criminal films about New York, various unpleasant events take place in these lanes: thefts, assaults and other crimes. By the way, the word lane is also used to name road lanes, separated by markup. So, on the same road there are usually several lanes. We can also use words “side street”, “alleyway” and “backstreet” to name this passage. But they have their own specifics. For example, the last word is used to denote a very specific place for Britain: a narrow passage between the backyards of terraced houses. In Russian, it can be translated by the word “задворки”.

And what about our word “проспект”? Never translate it with the word “prospekt”! Most often it is translated by the word avenue (whether there are trees on it or not) or the “broad street”.

In addition to various kinds of roads with sidewalks, on which a pedestrian can walk, there are various public spaces in the city: squares, parks, gardens and public gardens, walking areas and just recreation areas. Have you ever wondered what the public garden is different from the park? I have. But let’s talk about it in the next text.


3. Answer the following questions:

1. What is the correct word to name Russian “проспект”?

2. What is the main criterion to name some street “an avenue”?

3. Why should we use the word “backstreet” with wariness?

4. What expression can we use if we want to find the central city district?

5. What is the main difference between avenue and boulevard?


4. Look at the pictures of these famous city districts. Can you name them? What cities they are located in?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8


5. Look at the list of the words and expressions you are given. Divide into groups. Find the following places on the map and describe how to get there. Do not forget to use prepositions of place learnt before.

bank, chemist, cinema, post office, newsagent, church, supermarket, railwaystation, internet café.

6. Make up a dialogue as long as you can using the phrases from the list.


7. Read the comics about Richard. Fill in the gaps with the following words:

bridge, building, road, steps, taxi, airport, statue, stairs, park, and river



8. Read the text and answer the questions below.

In the text above, we asked about the differences between the park and the square. So what are they?

Both of them are the favorite places of rest for the citizens who are tired of the endless streams of cars, street noise and fuss. But if you look at the dictionary, you can read the following: a park is “a green open area for recreation”, and a public garden is a “green landscaped territory inside an industrial or residential building”.

Square, like a park, is an object of city landscaping. It is a plot whose size in most cases does not exceed two hectares. Squares are often located at the crossroads of streets, on the square or in residential areas. Their planning usually includes grounds, flowerbeds, paths, lawns, separate groups of shrubs and trees. These are peculiar oases within the city boundaries, intended for short-term rest. The so-called aesthetic center of the public garden is decorated with sculptures or a fountain. This is a great place for walks with children and a fleeting rest in the process of moving around the city.

Parks occupy an impressive area – often their size reaches 10 hectares – and represent the entire architectural and landscape objects. In addition to green spaces, alleys, landscaped paths, benches and arbors, the park implies the presence of various elements of decoration. These include monuments, fountains, sculptures, etc.


1. What are differences between park and public garden?

2. What are the main small architectural structures we can see both in park and in public garden?

3. Can you name some parks or public gardens in your home town?


9. Let’s learn some traffic (and some other) rules. Look at this signs. Which ones can you see:

1.In the street? 2. In a park? 3. At an airport?

4. In a hospital? 5. In a museum?


10. Look at the signs again and fill in the gaps using the words in italics: have to, don’t have to, can or can’t.

1.Dogs___________go here.

2. You ___________play football here.

3. You____________take photos.

4. Adults and children over 5_____________pay, but children under 5_____pay.

5. You_________use this toilet.

6.You___________use Visa or Mastercard but you ______use American Express.

7. You___________show your passport.

8. You ____________use a mobile in here.

9. You___________walk on paths, but not the grass.

10. You_____________smoke in this area.


11. Read the text about transportation in London.

A. Answer the questions:

1. What should the foreigner remember about British traffic?

2. Is there public transport in London?

3. What is the most popular way to see all the London sights using public transport?

4. Does a tourist have an opportunity to see the London sights taking a boat?

5. What is the best and the cheapest way to visit all the London sights in one day or a week?


B. What kinds of transport are mentioned in the text? Are there these kinds in your hometown? Describe the transportation in your home town.


C. Find the information about London underground and write a short essay or FAQ.


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