книги / Модели речевой коммуникации. Устная речевая практика английского языка для студентов-переводчиков

Vocabulary:

Story 2: The Weight of the Glass

Once upon a time a psychology professor walked around on a stage while teaching stress management principles to an auditorium filled with students. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the typical “glass half empty or glass half full” question. Instead, with a smile on her face, the professor asked, “How heavy is this glass of water I’m holding?”

Students shouted out answers ranging from eight ounces to a couple pounds.

She replied, “From my perspective, the absolute weight of this glass doesn’t matter. It all depends on how long I hold it. If I hold

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it for a minute or two, it’s fairly light. If I hold it for an hour straight, its weight might make my arm ache a little. If I hold it for a day straight, my arm will likely cramp up and feel completely numb and paralyzed, forcing me to drop the glass to the floor. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it feels to me.”

As the class shook their heads in agreement, she continued, “Your stresses and worries in life are very much like this glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and you begin to ache a little. Think about them all day long, and you will feel completely numb and paralyzed – incapable of doing anything else until you drop them.”

Vocabulary:

Task 3. Get familiar with different styles of clothes and discuss with your groupmate the situations when certain styles of clothes

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are appropriate and when not. Does the way a person gets dressed influence his/ her life? Are dress codes important today? What is your style?

Preppy fashion style: The college look would be another appropriate name for the preppy look. The collared blouses and A-line skirts are matched with girly cardigans, lined up neatly in their wardrobe. For girls, a cute little headband and glasses can accompany this style. - whether she really needs to wear glasses or not! For men, it is defined by smart crewneck sweaters, oxford button-down and polo shirts, chinos, navy blazers and refined accessories. The preppy look is about as unapologetically allAmerican as it gets.

Casual fashion style: This style is a combination of elegance and comfort. This simple style has held up well over time. None of the exotic and bold items will be in the wardrobe of a woman who follows casual fashion. She would prefer to put on a white T-Shirt and black pants over tight and uncomfortable “high fashion” any day. She tends to keep it simple and match the accessories with whatever simple clothing they are wearing. Men’s casual wear translates to style with comfort. These are clothes that are ideal for everyday wear, when durability and fit are key; therefore, casual clothes for men tend to lean towards the absolute wardrobe basics.

Business professional attire is the most conservative type of business wear. It's what you'll be expected to wear in the office if you work in accounting, finance, or other conservative industries. For women, this means a business suit or pants suit, or dress and jacket. For men, professional dress means a business suit or a blazer, dress pants and a tie.

Business casual attire is a more relaxed version of "Professional Dress", but it doesn't mean you're actually going to be "casual"! This is likely going to be your office dress code if you work in a

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semi-conservative workplace, but some interviews and events may also call for business casual. Basically, business casual is a shirt with a collar and/or a sweater, khakis or dress pants, and nice shoes for women. Women can also sometimes wear a moderate-length dress or skirt (knee-length or longer!). For men, business casual is a polo shirt or shirt with a collar and/or sweater, khakis or dress pants and dress shoes. No tie is required.

Artsy style: Artsy, as the names suggest, invokes the independent creativity of the person. Artsy dressers are usually the ones who want to make a statement with the clothes they wear. Most of the times, they are the creators of their own fashion style. They do not follow the traditional norms and make a path for themselves. Unconventional art leads to innovation with very many interesting styles that are not restricted by the usual textbook nature of creating fashion.

Women and men who enjoy the artsy style tend to stay away from the traditional ‘trends’ of the fashion world and love to make a statement with their clothing. Each artsy style will be different, as everyone has their own idea of what ‘art’ truly is. That’s what makes this particular fashion style so unconventional.

Vintage style: Vintage style is definitely a blast from the past: for women it can range from flapper dresses to retro swimwear. For men, it could be dirty denim jeans with a white T-shirt and a leather jacket, a vintage polo shirt or a 1970’s vintage tie. The vintage look is could be any fashion from the 20’s to the 70’s. It is the one trend that overcame the test of time.

Bohemian style: The best way to describe bohemian would be to use the word non-traditional. A style which is similar to artsy, bohemian style uses extravagant and wild patterns and exotic textures. It is inspired by hippie looks. It is more commonly referred to as ‘Boho’.

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[All passages adapted from: https://blog.stylewe.com/10-types-of-fashion-styles/; https://www.herinterest.com/types-of-fashion-styles/; https://www.collegefashion.net/fashion-tips/how-to-dress- professionally-business-dress-code-basics/; https://theidleman.com]

Vocabulary:

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Task 4. Describe the qualities of introverts and extroverts. What kinds of jobs are suitable for each? How can an introvert/extrovert find success? Do you believe in human characteristics related to the zodiac? Do the signs reflect the personality of a person?

Vocabulary:

“Someone who is introverted/extroverted is…”

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Talking about the signs of the Zodiac (Gemini, Virgo, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Cancer, Leo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius):

Task 5. Read the essay «Are we introverts or extroverts or a little bit of both?» by Connor S. Odekirk. What do you think of the essay? What is the main idea? Write your own essay about different kinds of personalities and share it with your group mates.

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Essay: Are we introverts or extroverts or a little bit of both?

When I consider myself, I think I tend to be rather quiet. I also think I’m an extrovert – a quiet extrovert. A friend once told me that she considers herself an outspoken introvert. Perhaps we’re all a little bit of both – both introvert and extrovert. Perhaps we all have our own peculiarities and idiosyncrasies that define us and, thus, determine the ways that the rest of the world perceives us. Moreover, I think the shapes that our personalities take depend on the different kinds of personalities we surround ourselves with; though I also think that we all have genetic predispositions towards certain personalities (i.e. – we all are naturally one way, quieter or more outgoing for example). I have friends with whom I’m the loudest, most energetic and outgoing person in the room. I also have friends with whom it’s much easier for me, personally, to take a back seat and quietly observe their loudness and “extrovertedness.” Just like anything else, it really is all relative. Of course, people have tendencies, people have dispositions towards being quieter or more outgoing, but the environments in which people exist do a lot to highlight and maximize the effects of those dispositions. Speaking of such environments, I believe that the family contexts in which individuals are raised plays just as much of a role in determining their personalities – whether or not they are introverts or extroverts and just what kind of introverts and extroverts they are. In my experience loud, outgoing parents and families, for example, breed loud and outgoing children, and vice versa.

Speaking about Zodiacs, I certainly think they’re fun. I think they’re interesting. I think it’s entertaining to look at and read and occasionally identify with (because zodiacs are a kind of minor identity – i.e. Are you a pisces? A virgo? A leo, etc.?); however, I

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don’t think zodiacs have any relevance at all in determining personality or making someone quieter or more outgoing.

Vocabulary:

Some useful essay phrases:

To highlight – bring out/ to make stand out/ to distinguish

To be relative (People’s problems are relative to their situations)

To be genetically predisposed (to be genetically predisposed to liking risky things, i.e. hang gliding, parachuting, skydiving, bungee jumping, etc.)

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To reflect the behavior of parents

People person – a person who loves people and is loved by people To tend to be (there tend to be rainbows after it rains)

To influence something, to have an influence on somebody/ something

Task 6. Discuss with your groupmates what kinds of hobbies people prefer with different character features.

Some useful phrases to run discussion:

How to ask:

"What do you do for fun?"

"What do you do on the weekends?" "What do you do in your free time?" "What do you like doing?"

"What about you" --> response to one of the above questions + answer to the question (i.e. -- In my free time, I like to play tennis. What about you?)

How to answer:

"I like to ___________ in my free time/In my free time, I like to

____________" "I really like..." "I love going..."

"I (absolutely) hate..."

"I'm not much of a _________ person" "You should try it. You may find you like it" "(My friend) got me into _________"

"We should hang out together sometime"

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