Учебник для 6 класса

Английский язык

Let Us Read

18. Read the dialogue and give it a title, 52.

Ann: Hi, Susie, haven’t seen you for a long time! What have you been doing? Where have you been hiding?

Susie: I’ve been working on my talk about Wales for the last week and spent many hours in the library.

Ann: Wales? What can be interesting about that part of Britain? No big cities, no picturesque scenery, no interesting facts on the history of the country.

Susie: Aren’t there? You can’t imagine, Ann, how wrong you are here. The book I’m reading says: “Though visitors don’t need passports to cross the border from England into Wales, they soon realize that they are entering a country with its own geography, culture, traditions and language.”

Ann: What do you mean? Don’t the Welsh speak English?

Susie: They do. But the Welsh language is spoken widely, especially in the north of the country and it is still the first language for many people. By the way English is taught side by side with Welsh in schools.

Ann: Is Welsh different from English?

Susie: Very much so. Welsh is one of the Celtic¹ languages, like Scottish and Irish Gaelic.² Even if your English is fluent you won’t be able to understand Welsh.

Ann: Interesting. And what about the cities? I hear³ that Wales is agricultural, there are few cities there, rather small and unimportant.

Susie: Let’s not argue, but look it up in the book I’m reading. I know at least one big city in Wales. It’s Cardiff, the capital and the main port.

Ann: (looking through the book): You are right. It says: “Cardiff is an industrial city, which also has a castle, a cathedral, a university. There are other big towns in Wales too, Swansea and Newport among them.” OK. But what about the scenery, the history, the culture?

Susie: The west coast, mid Wales and North Wales are wild and beautiful. Wales has high mountains, including Snowdon, the second highest mountain in Britain.

Ann: I have always thought that Wales is a land of green fields, forests and farms.

Susie: And you have been right. But it is also a land of mountains and valleys, streams and waterfalls. In North Wales you can follow mountain paths for miles and miles.

Ann: Tell me a few words about Mount Snowdon.

Susie: Got interested? OK. In summer, when the sun is shining, Snowdon looks very peaceful and beautiful. A little train runs to the top and the walk is not at all hard. But in winter the mountains can become very dangerous.

Ann: But do climbers go there?

Susie: They do, but every year climbers get lost in bad weather or fall and injure themselves. When this happens, the Mountain Rescue Service⁴ has to go out to look for the climbers.

Ann: I see. And what about Welsh traditions and the history of the country?

Susie: Sorry, Ann. I’ve got to run. Here are my notes. I made them during the lecture by Mr Roger Davis, a visiting professor from Wales. If you’re really interested you can look through my notes. They are all on Welsh traditions and culture. Though they are very brief you can find them useful.

19. Remember who said that.

1. “I spent many hours in the library.”
2. “Don’t the Welsh speak English?”
3. “The Welsh language is spoken widely, especially in the north of the country.”
4. “The English themselves do not understand Welsh.”
5. “Wales is agricultural.”
6. “I know at least one big city in Wales.”
7. “Cardiff is an industrial city, which also has a castle, a cathedral, a university.”
8. “Snowdon is the second highest mountain in Britain.”
9. “Climbers get lost in bad weather.”
10. “I’ve got to run. Here are my notes.”

20. These are the notes Ann made after her talk with Susie. Was Ann attentive? Did she remember everything right? Read Ann’s notes and correct them if necessary.

Wales — an industrial country. No big cities, except Cardiff, its capital. You need a passport to travel from England to Wales. The Welsh speak two languages (English and Welsh), especially in the south. English is taught in schools, Welsh is not, though the two languages are very much alike. The English can easily understand Welsh. Cardiff is an agricultural town. The scenery in Wales is picturesque and wild, especially in the south. There are few mountains, which are rather low and not dangerous. Climbers seldom visit these places. Mount Snowdon, situated in Wales, is the highest mountain in Britain. Wales is a land of valleys, streams and waterfalls.

* * * * * Let Us Talk * * * * *

21. Prove that Wales is an interesting place to visit.
Speak on:

1. its scenery
2. its cities
3. its language

22. Imagine that your friend has got a letter from his/her Welsh friend inviting him/her to visit Wales. He is not sure that he would like to go. Prove that Wales is an interesting place to visit. Work in pairs.

23. Say what you think is most interesting about Wales and what places there you find most attractive.

24. You are going to give a talk about Wales in your geography class. Get ready with interesting facts about this part of Britain. Don’t forget to mention: its symbol, its saint, its location, its language, its capital.

25. You are going to give a talk about the place you live in. Get ready with some facts about it. (Ex. 24 can help you.)

* * * * * Let Us Write * * * * *

26. Do ex. 1, ex. 2, ex. 4, ex. 5, ex. 11 in writing.

27. Look through ex. 18 and write what Ann wanted to know about Wales (10 pieces of information).

Example: Ann wanted to know if climbers went to Snowdon in winter.

28. Complete the text using the prepositions at, for, through, after, up, in.

Doctors say that happiness is the secret of good health. This means we all have to look ... ourselves. When we lose some things we shouldn’t get angry but just look ... them trying to find them. If we don’t understand some words people use, we should look them ... ... the encyclopaedias¹ and we shouldn’t get angry either. We should also remember that praise is good for us, too. Look ... your friend and say how wonderful he is. Then he will believe he is wonderful. Look ... your little sister’s copybook and say she is a good child. She will certainly be one. So remember, if we want to be happy and healthy, we need people around us who keep telling us how wonderful we are.

29. This is a traditional Welsh story, a) Open the brackets to make it complete, b) Give the story a title, c) Expand² the story in writing to make it more interesting.

This story is (set) in Wales in the Middle Ages. There was a prince whose name (be) Llewellyn [lut'ehn]. He (live) in the valley. He (have) a baby son. He also (have) a dog called Gelert. One day the prince (go) hunting. He (leave) the dog (look) after the baby. Some wolves (come) out of a wood. They (run) to the cottage. The dog (see) the wolves and (hide) the baby. Then he (run) outside and (fight) the wolves. He (kill) two but was wounded. He was tired and (lie) down to sleep. The prince (return). He (see) the dog all in blood. He (notice) that his son’s bed was empty. He (take) his sword³ and (kill) the dog while it (sleep). Then he (hear) the baby (cry) and (find) him. Through the window he (see) the two dead wolves. Then he (understand). He (carry) the dog to the top of a hill and buried it. He (collect) a lot of stones to mark the grave. You can still (see) it today at Bedgelert.

30. Look at the words again and get ready to write a spelling quiz on them.

* * * * * Let us listen and Discuss * * * * *

31. a) Make sure you know this expression:

weak point — слабое место, слабость

b) Listen to the tape, 53, and explain the title of the story.

32. Listen to the story “Three Answers” again and complete these sentences.

1. Ed was a ... and worked for a ... .
2. He wrote about his travels in his ... .
3. Ed had one weak point: he liked to ... very much.
4. Stupid people sometimes said ... things.
5. Once a man said something which Ed couldn’t ... .
6. “There are always three answers to every question: ... .”

33. Tell the story “Three Answers” on the part of Ed.