Assignments. (a) Say what the text is about in (i) a short phrase; (ii) an extended sentence

 

(a) Say what the text is about in (i) a short phrase; (ii) an extended sentence.

(b) Quickly look through the list and mark, the lettered phrase nearest in meaning to the word or phrase tested.

1. Estimate character: (i) find out a person's true worth; (ii) see the difference between people's characters; (iii) form an opinion of a person's character.

2. Personal appearance: (i) the way a person looks; (ii) the way a person dresses; (iii) the way a person walks and talks.

3. Physical features: (i) the size of a person's hands, feet; (ii) the parts of the face (forehead, nose, etc); (iii) the colour of the hair.

4. Stature: (i) a person's health; (ii) state of mind; (iii) the natural height of a person.

5. Build: (i) the shape and proportions of the body; (ii) the look in a person's eyes; (iii) the way a person laughs.

6. Missing person: (i) somebody who has lost his way; (ii) a person who is lost to others; (iii) a person who is absent.

7. Habit: (i) (an example of) usual behaviour; (ii) a family tradition; (iii) a national holiday.

8. Suggest: (i) describe directly; (ii) indicate indirectly; (iii) express one's opinion.

9. Good-tempered: (i) very temperamental; (ii) calm and pleasant; (iii) honest and kind.

10. Mannerism: (i) a peculiar way of behaving, speaking, etc, that has become a habit; (ii) the way in which anything is done or happens; (iii) a person's manners.

(c) Two of the words in each group below are similar in meaning. Check the word which does not belong.

 

1. appearance; look; manner. 2. character; feature; characteristic. 3. stature; statue; height. 4. build; habit; shape. 5. indication; index; description. 6. kind; sort; mannerism. 7. methodical; analytical; systematic. 8. clean; tidy; neat. 9. careful; exact; accurate. 10. denote; explain; indicate; 11. temper; intelligence; intellect.

(d) Choose the answer that expresses most accurately what is stated in the passage. Only one answer is correct.

 

The idea behind the sentence " Yet we cannot say that a person is wholly good or bad, any more than we can say that a high forehead always denotes intelligence or a big chin indicates a strong will" is that: (i) there is as little connection between a high forehead and intelligence, or a big chin and strong will, as there is between the kind of character a person has and his appearance, habits, mannerisms, etc; (ii) the goodness or badness of a person is in direct proportion to the height of his forehead and the size of his chin; (iii) it is as impossible to decide whether a person is wholly good or bad on the basis of his appearance or character as it is to say that a person is intelligent because he has a high forehead, or has a strong will because he has a big chin.

(e) Pick out all the words from the text relating to: (i) appearance; (ii) character.

(f) Complete the following list.

 

Character shows itself through:

1. clothes (the kind of clothes people wear, and how they wear them).

2. appearance (features, stature; the interest a person takes in his or her appearance),

3. habits (neatness, tidiness accuracy, cleanliness).

4. temper....

5. mannerisms...., etc.

 

(g) Name the traits of character suggested by the following. Say which, in your opinion, are good, and which are bad, and why.

A person: 1. takes little interest in his or her appearance; 2. shows great interest in one's appearance; 3. is always well-dressed; 4. wears loud clothes; 5. has neatly-parted hair and clean shoes; 6. works carefully and accurately; 7. never leaves a job half-done; 8. works hard; 9. never lies; 10. hardly ever lies but never tells the truth; 11. never speaks the truth; 12. thinks of nobody but himself; 13. secretly believes that he is better than others; 14. is always glad to help others; 15. knows all the answers and therefore never asks for advice; 16. gladly takes advice; 17. thinks carefully before taking a decision; 18. is cold and unfeeling; 19. does the most unexpected things; 20. is bright and pleasant; 21. enjoys discussing other people's personal matters.

(h) Briefly state the four ways of describing character. Say which method the author finds the more satisfactory, and why. Express your agreement or disagreement.

(i) Discuss some popular beliefs about character, eg that handwriting, the lines on your hand, or certain physical features indicate special types of character.

(j) Explain why it is useful to be able to estimate and describe character.

(k) Read the text critically, * and state your criticism of the author's arguments or conclusions. Express your own opinion on the matter.

Ex 57 Read the text, consulting the dictionary, if necessary. Pick out the sentence which, in your opinion, expresses the main idea. Make a list of examples the author quotes to prove his main thesis. Write a summary of the passage, in your own words as far as possible.

 

WHERE CRIME STEADILY DECLINES

 

During the first weeks of our stay in the USSR, when after a late show or visit we would be walking homeward on Pravda Street which is usually empty by eleven, my wife and I were naturally inclined to watch for anything moving in the bushes lining the sidewalks.** In most parts of a US city such late walks on empty streets are hardly advisable. But we soon got over that habit and thought nothing of such walks at midnight or even later.

In view of the extremely serious crime situation in the United States, we often questioned people on crime conditions in the many USSR cities we visited. The usual reply would be something like, " Oh, yes we have crime." Asked if that meant murders, kidnapping, narcotics pushing, organized syndicates in gambling and prostitution, bank holdups and such, the answer with a loud laugh, would be, " Oh, nothing like that! " If you press the question, they may recall some rare serious crime that once attracted public attention. But crime, as we know it in the United States, does not figure much in Soviet public interest. And when you tell Soviet people a little of America's crime situation, they look at you in disbelief, like something from another world.

(After " Where Human Rights Are Real" by George Morris)