III. Let’s talk about Great Britain.
№ 6
I. 1. Read the magazine article and say in 2-3 sentences what it is about.
Christmas Tree
Just before Christmas in 1944, a letter arrived at our house in Philadelphia. The postmark was from Tuskegee, Alabama, so we all knew who it was from. We excitedly gathered around Mother as she opened it.
My Dear Mother,
I did not get the leave I expected for Christmas. I will miss all of you. Please leave the Christmas tree up until I make it back. I hope to be home by March.
Love from your son,
Clifton.
I was 17 years old at the time. My heart sank. I felt a deep sadness that my favourite brother would not be home for Christmas. He was one of the Tuskegee Airmen1 and was responsible for maintaining2 the airplanes flying off to fight in World War II. My mother, being the optimist, said, “Well, it looks like we’ll get to have two Christmases this year!” After Christmas, my sister and I worked together to make sure we kept that Christmas tree looking as pretty as possible. This was no easy feat.
By midJanuary, the branches dropped so low to the ground that they became a sliding board for the decorations. Each day, ornaments would come crashing to the ground and there were brand new pine needles3 all over the wooden floor. My sister and I took turns sweeping them up. We moved the ornaments to the stronger branches on the tree, hoping they would stay on.
Each time we freshened that tree up, my sister and I were full of thoughts about Clifton and how happy we would be to see him again. It made us feel that he was close by, even though he was hundreds of miles away. On March 5, the doorbell rang. We ran to the door and gave Clifton a big hug. As he hugged Mother, I could see him looking over her head at the Christmas tree.
“It’s beautiful,” he said. “Thank you.” Clifton opened his presents and told us all sorts of stories about his work in Tuskegee. That night as we slept, we heard a crash in the living room. We all ran to see what had happened. The tree had toppled4 onto the sofa and there were needles and broken ornaments everywhere.
We all had a good laugh. It was fortunate that Clifton got!
1Tuskegee Airmen [tʌsˈkiːgiː ˈeəmən] пилоты из Таскиги
2to maintain [meɪnˈteɪn] обслуживать, готовить
3a pine needle [ˈpaɪnˌ niːdl] сосновая иголка
4to topple [ˈtɒpl] опрокинуться, свалиться
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2. The family got a message from Clifton. Find the extract which says about it and read it aloud.
3. What was Clifton’s job?
4. What facts show that all the family loved Clifton very much?
II. Listen to three teenagers talking about homework and answer the questions below.
1. Why does the first speaker dislike doing homework?
2. What does the second speaker regrets about?
3. What are the benefits of doing homework according to the third speaker?
Script:
Speaker 1
Homework affects my family. Whenever we want to go out as a family, we can't because I have my homework to do. And it just puts us in a bad mood. Nobody likes to help me with my homework. When I get home I want to relax instead of having to work in my spare time. I wish I could see the day when there is no homework. I hope to see such a day.
Speaker 2
In high school I did very little homework, except right before tests. I usually copied homework. I graduated and got into a really good college: now I'm dying. I can't do my homework properly just because I have huge amounts of it. I practically have no time to finish it all even though I have no job, not to mention that I never party or go out. It's a pity that I haven't got used to doing homework.
Speaker 3
Everybody hates homework at some point just because we get too much of it. I used to hate the idea of homework, but within the last years I realised that any school wants what's best for your own future. You may be young, and you really don't understand what homework does, but it develops a sense of logic. Not only does it make you more intelligent, but it also enhances* your personality. It makes us more disciplined and ready for future working obligations*.
*to enhance[ɪn'ha:ns] развить, развивать
*obligation [ɒblɪ'geɪʃən] обязанность
III. Let’s talk about science and modern technologies.
№ 7
I. 1. Read the magazine article and say in 2-3 sentences what it is about.
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The Condemned Room1
Dear Mom,
I am working very hard on cleaning my room. But I want to go to Katy’s this afternoon to work on our Halloween costumes. Can I finish tomorrow? I would get up early and do it before breakfast and I’ll do a good job. Please, w rite back. Love, The Prisoner in Tower # 3
Dear Prisoner, No.
Love, Mom.
For days Sam’s mother never came up to her room. And then one day Sam would come home from school and find the Condemned sign on her door. Her mother had made the sign. It said: “The room is condemned. Its owner may not go anywhere or do anything until the area is restored”. In other words, Sam was to stay in until she cleaned her room.
It wasn’t fair. She was always getting the Condemned sign. Her brother hardly ever did. And his room was really disgusting, with posters of rock stars and basketball stars and movie stars wearing tiny bikinis covering every inch of his walls. But, her mother pointed out, his floor was clean and his desk as well. That was all she cared about.
Sam had been in her room for three hours now. She sat on the floor, looking at everything she was supposed to be putting away. It was possible she might be there all day. There were her clothes, lying high on her chair and overflowing onto the floor. Dirty shoes. An umbrella from when it rained on Tuesday. Library books. Magazines with pictures of cool teenmovie stars that Rebecca had given her. Her piano music from yesterday’s lesson. And different little things: nail polish remover, cotton balls, a tennisball, a note pad from Katy, rocks from rock collection they were making for science, pencils, chewing gum. And about twelve dirty handkerchiefs.
The thing to do, Sam decided, was sort everything into piles. A pile of dirty laundry, a pile of her dresser drawers, a pile to throw away. That was how her father, the organization man, would do it. She sighed. It was impossible to imagine she couldn’t leave her room all weekend. She decided to paint her finger nails instead.
1 condemned room [kənˈdemd ˈruːm] комната, признанная небезопасной для проживания
2. The author tells us about her brother’s room. Find this extract and read it aloud.
3. What made Sam’s Mum write a message?
4. Is Sam going to clean the room? Why do you think so?
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