William Shakespeare.
Nowadays people seem to read newspapers mostly. Many people are fond of reading detective stories or spy thrillers. I myself prefer books about politics, history.
I enjoy reading books by such English writers as Charles Dickens, Walter Scott. My favorite writer is William Shakespeare, one of the outstanding personalities in the world literature.
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon not farm from London. His father, John Shakespeare , came to Stratford from a village and opened a shop there. He never became a rich man but at one time he was an important official in the city. William Shakespeare lived in Stratford until he was twenty-one. He got married and had three children. At the age of 21 William left Stratford for London to join a company of actors. William Shakespeare lived and worked in London for 25 years.
In all William Shakespeare wrote 37 plays, 2 long poems, a sonnet cycle of 155 small pieces.
William Shakespeare had a natural gift for comedy. In his comedies William Shakespeare describes the adventures of young men and women, their love, friendship, happiness.
In England and other countries it is the highest honor for an actor to be invited to play in a comedy or tragedy by William Shakespeare. In the last 35 years all the plays by William Shakespeare have been filmed. Since 1879 Shakespeare’s Festival has been held every year at Stratford-upon-Avon.
1. Decide True or False
1) I read books about love and adventures.
2) I enjoy reading books by such English writers as A. Pushkin.
3) My favorite writer is William Shakespeare.
4) William Shakespeare lived in Stratford until he was twenty-six.
5) William Shakespeare lived and worked in London for 25 years.
6) William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon not far from Moscow.
2. Make the right order
1) He got married and had three children .
2) Since 1879 Shakespeare’s Festival has been held every year at Stratford-upon-Avon.
3) His father, John Shakespeare , came to Stratford from a village.
4) He never became a rich man but at one time he was an important official in the city.
5) In the last 35 years all the plays by William Shakespeare have been filmed.
3. Translate into Russian
1) Many people are fond of reading detective stories or spy thrillers.
2) My favorite writer is William Shakespeare, one of the outstanding personalities in the world literature.
3) William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon not far from London.
4) He got married and had three children.
5) In his comedies William Shakespeare describes the adventures of young men and women, their love, friendship, happiness.
A Dangerous Place
Paula had always wanted to go to New York and now she had the chance at last. She was a journalist, and her newspaper was sending her there to do a series of articles on the city. But before she left her home in London, several friends warned her to be careful and not to go out alone at night in New York. “It’s a dangerous place. People get robbed or even killed on broad daylight!” they told her.
But when she got there, the only thing she was afraid of having exhaustion. It was such an exciting city that she never got any sleep. It took her two weeks to do the articles and she had to interview a lot of people but she enjoyed every minute of it. She completely forgot all her friends’ warnings until the day she went back to London. It all began in a bar.
She was having lunch there when she suddenly felt someone watching her. She looked up and noticed a man sitting at a table opposite her. He was staring at her, but looked away. She noticed that he had a scar on his cheek. He was about 30 and had short, curly hair. Paula was not worried at all. She had to go to an airline office to rebook her flight home. She wanted an afternoon flight instead of a morning one, as originally planned. On her way there, she stopped to look at something in a shop-window. To her surprise she saw the man follow her. She could see his reflection in the glass. He had stopped just behind her. Suddenly she felt afraid. She walked on. Then she stopped and looked behind her again. But this time she could not see him.
Just then she noticed she had come to the airline office. She went in and after she had finished her business, decided to phone a friend from a telephone booth there. She was carrying a small, portable but very expensive tape-recorder. It was in a black case in which she kept her money and passport as well. But the booth was so small that she had to leave the case outside. When she came out, it had disappeared. Then she saw the red-haired man hurrying out of the office. He had the case in his hand. She shouted but it was too late.
1. Read the text. Are the following statements about the text true or false? Change the false statements to make them true.
Paula was sent to New York by her newspaper to do a series of articles on the city.
Several friends advised her to go out at night in New York because it is a wonderful city.
Paola was afraid of being robbed.
It took her two weeks to do the articles.
It all began in a hotel.
When she was having lunch, she felt someone watching her.
The man with a scar on his lips was staring at her.
The second time she saw the man with the scar in a shop-window.
After she had finished her business, she decided to phone a friend from a telephone booth.
She took her case with money and her passport to the booth.
The man with the scar had her case in his hand.
2. Answer the questions
1) Why was Paula sent to New York?
2) Why was NY so dangerous for Paula’s friends?
3) Why was she afraid of having exhaustion?
4) How did a stranger who Paula had met in the bar look like?
5) How did she realise that the man was searching her?
6) What did Paula have in her case?
7) What’s happened with her case all in all?
3. Translate into Russian
1) She was a journalist, and her newspaper was sending her there to do a series of articles on the city
2) It was such an exciting city that she never got any sleep.
3) She completely forgot all her friends’ warnings until the day she went back to London.
4) On her way there, she stopped to look at something in a shop-window
5) She was carrying a small, portable but very expensive tape-recorder in her black case in which she also kept her money and passport as well.
In the Lift
Once, I came home from school and got in the lift and about half way up it suddenly stopped. There was no one in with me. I was terrified. It just stopped with me inside. I felt so stupid. I felt as if I was hanging miles up in the air in a box tied by strings. I didn’t know what to do. I looked at the buttons.
I began by pressing all the numbers. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. No good. Then I looked at the other buttons. One said, “STOP”. I didn’t bother to press that one. Another said, DOORS OPEN”. I didn’t dare to press that. Imagine the door opening and me stepping out and falling down four floors.
I shouted out, “Help!”
No one answered. I shouted again.
“Help! Help! Get me out. I’m stuck in the lift.”
There was a switch at the bottom of the buttons. So I pressed it down. Nothing happened.
Then the light went out.
I started to cry and scream at the same time. I screamed and screamed. In the end I couldn’t scream any more. But I could keep on crying and I did. I don’t think I’ve ever cried as much in my life.
I sat down on the floor and pressed myself against the back wall. I don’t know, It felt safer, as far away from the door as possible. I kept thinking, “They’re going to open soon and I’ll fall out.”
If only I could get a light. Then I could, perhaps, try to escape. If I could see. Maybe that switch, I thought, was really the light-switch even though the light hadn’t gone off when I’d pressed it.
I slid myself round and stretched up my arm to feel for the buttons. I got my fingers on the switch and pressed it back up. Nothing happened. I screamed out, “Help! Please! Help! Get me out! Mum! Mum! Mum!” And I banged my hand against all the buttons; I banged and pressed them all.
Then I heard a bell ringing. It was just like the electric bell we had at our school. But it didn’t stop. It just kept on ringing and ringing.
“It’s an alarm bell,” I thought. “The building must be on fire.”
“Please, God,” I said, “Please get me out. I’ll do anything. I’ll be better. I really will. Please get me out.”
It was hot. It was getting really hot in the lift. I was sweating. I knew that I would soon be able to smell the smoke.
And then – the lift moved.
I screamed as loud as I could, though I knew no one would hear me. The lift was moving. The fire must have burnt through the cables. I was scared stiff but then I realized that the lift was moving very slowly as if someone was carefully lowering it down.
Very gently, down we went – me and the lift, together in the dark.
It stopped. I pressed myself against the steel wall. And the door opened. There was a man standing there. I couldn’t see his face against the light. He stepped towards me.
“Right, love,” he said. “Let’s have you out.”
1) Put these sentences in the correct order.
The building was on fire and it was getting hot in the lift.
Once, I came home from school and got in the lift. The lift stopped half way up.
“Please, God,” I said, “Get me out. I’ll be better.”
There was no one in with me.
I shouted out, “Help!” No one answered.
I started to cry and screamed at the same time.
Then the light went out.
I pressed all the buttons. No good.
Then the lift moved down very slowly.
Then I heard a bell ringing. It was an alarm bell.
The lift stopped, the door opened. There was a man standing there.
2) Choose true or false
1. The storyteller stuck in the lift
2. The hero felt as if he was hanging miles up in the air in a box tied by strings.
3. The first button which the teller pressed was STOP
4. When the light went out the hero started laughing and mewing
5. The teller stood up from the floor and pressed himself against the back wall
6. In the dark the hero continued looking for the buttons and pressing and banging them all
7. Suddenly he heard an alarm system
8. There was a great fire in the house
9. At last, the hero managed to get out of the lift
3) Find the right translation
Нажать на кнопку, застрять в лифте, выбраться из лифта, электрический звонок, протянуть руки, на полпути, выпасть из лифта, выключатель, опускаться вниз
5 680
9 361 
