Level: pre-intermediate, intermediate.
Integrated skills: reading, speaking, listening, writing.
I. Аудирование
1. Перед прослушиванием учащимся предлагается ответить на вопросы:
- What are the most famous British hobbies?
- Why do we say that the Englishman is a countryman at heart?
- Can you be fined in Britain if you have an unmown lawn?
How the British relax…
Gardening – is a well- known favourite. As the weather in Britain is mild, British manage to do gardening almost all the year round. Sometimes this can be just doing a bit of weeding and sometimes, serious vegetable and fruit growing. In fact, regardless of the size of the garden, the British can always find plenty to do in it. Mowing grass is also very important. Every Sunday morning (except for winter) they come out to mow their lawns. The British see an unmown lawn not only as a sign of laziness, but also as disrespect to others. To outsiders, it almost seems like an obsession but to a British person it is an important social duty. The grass has the impression to be made of velvet, it looks like the painted floor.
Walking is also very popular. Ask any British person if they have a pair of walking boots and the answer will probably be «yes». Except for dry summer days, the beautiful British countryside is pretty muddy, so you need a good pair of walking boots or «wellies» to enjoy your walk. Walking as a leisure activity has a long tradition in England. You can buy a variety of maps and guides to walking routes. Organized walking is also popular and is a good way to discover local sight of interest with a group of like- minded people and a good guide.
Cycling is another popular activity. Unfortunately, many British roads are very busy and don’t have cycling paths, so cycling can be a bit dangerous in Britain, many people find great country roads and spend their whole holidays exploring their homeland on their bikes. More extreme sports like rock climbing also attract people.
2. Задание по прослушанному тексту
Выберете правильный ответ: а- True, b- False, c- Not stated.
1. Gardening is one of the most favorite’s pastimes in England.
2. The British like listening to birds.
3. You can buy a variety of maps and guides to walking routes.
4. Mowing grass is not very important.
5. British roads have a lot of cycling paths.
II. Чтение
Прочитайте текст
The history of gardening in England goes back for many centuries. The Romans laid out classical gardens on their conquered territory of Albion, although some believe that when the conquerors left, they took the art of gardening with them. Gardening was reborn with the arrival in England of another invasion, led by William the Conqueror, who enjoyed hunting and building castles. Both these activities were directly linked with the construction of gardens and parks.
Gardening was not an exclusively English occupation and for many years they were under the influence of the Italians, the French and, for a short period, the Danish gardeners, all of whom were the unsurpassed masters of gardening. However, the English soon found their own style and the English were able to add their share to this wonderful occupation. Furthermore while in Romance countries the gardens and parks were works of art, the creation of selected artists, in England they became part of life and today, as one hundred years ago, anybody who possesses a scrap of land is not only its owner but also the creator of his own, though small, garden.
English gardens are the greatest of the national pastimes. You only need to look at the faces of the English as they walk around garden-museums busily discussing the features of various flowers and making comments like “What beautiful hydrangeas! I should plant some in the porch straight away” or “I’ve got the same begonia, but it’s faded” to which the reply comes “Ah, well you probably planted it in the sun.” Each estate which is open to the public will have its own unique garden and park, otherwise the number of visitors would drop rapidly. Furthermore, since the English do not like simply to admire these items but also like to have them, practically everything that is growing in this or that museum can also be bought and then planted at home under your very own window.
Выберите правильный ответ:
1. Who laid out classical gardens in England?
a) William the Conqueror b) the Russians c) the Romans
2. What was linked with the construction of gardens and parks?
a) climbing mountains b) hunting and building castles c) discussing news
3. The gardens in England …..
a) grew very quickly b) became part of life c) were not planted
4. When the English admire beautiful flowers, they…
a) want to pick up b) want to plant them in their garden c) water them
5) What is one of the greatest English pastimes?
a) playing football b) collecting stamps c) gardening
III. Грамматика
1. Прочитайте приведенный ниже текст. Преобразуйте слова, напечатанные заглавными буквами в конце строк, так чтобы они грамматически соответствовали содержанию текста. Заполните пропуски полученными словами.
English gardens are a constant game with space and (1) ______. NATURAL
They are the (2) _____ to make the small big, the wild tame, and the regular complicated. In the same way that tea is more than just a drink to the English, so a garden is not simply a (3) _____ of plants. POSSIBLE, COLLECT
Sometimes gardens are called the (4) _____ of English passions. GREAT
It is hardly (5) _______ that there is now a fashion for old, nice (6) ______ gardens, which are being recreated all over the place. SURPRISE, TRADITION
2. Прочитайте текст с пропусками и выберите правильный ответ
Gardeners also A_____ enthusiastic about complex combinations of flowers. There was a fashion, for example, for the so- called flower clocks: flowers were planted in beds, so that they opened in B _____, each at its own time of day. So that people did not make a mistake, C _____ guide books were published showing the name of the flower and the times when it opened and closed. Simple and complicated, flowerbeds were accessible to people at all levels of D _____, and became an omnipresent and pleasant decoration in English homes. Nowadays, all you E _____ to do is go F _____ through one of London’s central parks on a Spring day and you will be left in G _____ than the art of planting flowerbeds is alive and flourishing in the country.
A 1) belonged 2) came 3) became
B 1) turn 2) time 3)outside
C 1) two 2) various 3) no
D 1) marks 2) knowledge 3) society
E 1) must 2) have 3) can
F 1) shopping 2) skating 3) for a walk
G 1) no doubt 2) no smoking 3) no turn
Ответы к грамматическим тестам
1.
(1) nature
(2) possibility
(3) collection
(4) greatest
(5) surprising
(6) traditional
2.
A 3) became
B 2) time
C 2) various
D 3) society
E 2) have
F 3) for a walk
G 1) no doubt
IV. Письмо
Напиши о своем хобби, используя как можно больше слов и фраз из списка.
- There is nothing like + ing for me …..
- I’m absolutely crazy about ….
- I adore + ing ….
- I’m rather keen on + ing ….
- I’m very good at ….
- What I’m fond of is ….
- I enjoy + ing ….
- I relax by + ing ….