V. Speaking. 5.1*. Read and translate the following statements and jokes about English5.1*. Read and translate the following statements and jokes about English. Whose opinion do you appreciate best? Why? 1. He who knows no foreign language does not know his own 2. German and Spanish are accessible to foreigners: English is not accessible even to Englishmen (George Bernard Shaw). 3. Writing in English is like throwing mud at a wall (Joseph Conrad). 4. The most known dead languages are Old Greek, Latin and literary English (Unknown Author). 5. Making English grammar conform to Latin rules is like asking 6. I am is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. Could it be that «I do» is the longest sentence? (George Carlin). 7. The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: «I’m from the government and I’m here to help» (Ronald Reagan). 8. My English is a mixture between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Archbishop Tutu (Billy Wilder). 9. When I read some of the rules for speaking and writing the English language correctly, I think any fool can make a rule, and every fool will mind it (Henry David Thoreau). 10. I speak twelve languages. English is the bestes (Stefan Bergman). 5.2. Read and dramatize the interview given by the experienced linguist from the Moscow State University to the reporter of the journal FOREIGN LANGUAGES and formulate the main matters were discussed. What other questions could you ask? R.: Is there an ideal method of learning languages? L.: Unfortunately, there is no universal or ideal method of learning languages. Everybody has his own way. Sometimes it is boring to study grammar or learn new words. But it is well known that reading books in the original, listening to the BBC news, communicating with native spea-kers will help a lot. When learning a foreign language one learns the R.:When do children usually start learning foreign languages in L.: Much depends on the parents. Some children start to learn foreign languages very early, in kindergartens for example. They are taught ABC English there: they sing songs, recite nursery rhymes and learn to construct some phrases. Others start learning languages at school. At some specia-lized schools foreign languages are taught from the second to the eleventh class. But generally pupils learn foreign languages from the fifth to the eleventh class. R.: Are foreign languages included in entrance exams? L.: Many Universities include foreign languages in entrance exams. Students who specialize in humanities, such as History, Sociology, and Philosophy need to know foreign languages for their professional career. R.: Why do people learn foreign languages in Russia? L.: Russia is integrating into the world community and the problem of learning English for the purpose of communication is especially urgent today. In Russia people learn English to be able to exchange the latest information concerning science, technology and commerce with their colleagues; to be able to read foreign newspapers and books. Learning foreign languages is especially popular among young people. For them English is a way of exploring a completely new world. A person who travels a lot also needs English. Even in the countries where English is not an official language people will generally be able to understand it. R.: What is a distinguishing feature of English? L.: English belongs to a group of Germanic languages. Thus German is relatively close to English. At the same time England had numerous contacts with France, so French had tremendous influence on English. Today a person who knows both English and French will easily find numerous similarities in these languages. Those who already know English will have less difficulties learning French. R.: Is English an easy language to learn? L.: Yes, it is. Basically English is an easier language to learn than R.:What do you think is the most difficult about English? L.: The richness of the vocabulary makes English a difficult language. Moreover, spelling and pronunciation make trouble. Another thing is that Russian and English are very different. It is not easy for a Russian to learn how to use definite and indefinite articles properly because there are no articles in Russian. In this context it should be said that the Germans and the French have less difficulties with English. R.: Why are foreign languages important for specialists? L.: Specialist should know foreign languages to communicate with their colleagues at the conferences, through books and journals or the Internet. Today it is not enough for a professional to know only one fo-reign language. That is why many young people who begin to think about their future early start learning several languages. For Russian specialists it is good to know not only English, but German and French as well. R.:What kind of foreign language do specialists have to know? L.: Specialists have to know that kind of English which will help them to solve their professional problems. They need English for specific purposes. It has been established that there are important differences between, say, the English of commerce and that of engineering. That is why a great deal of English courses for specific groups of learners have been developed. The discovery that language varies from one situation of use to another allowed to determine the features of the specific situations making them the basis of the learners course. Today specialist of different branches of sciences and professionals can learn English for their specific purposes. Nowadays there are English courses for Biology, Geography, Law, History, Mathematics, Medicine, Economy, and other sciences.
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