Английский язык для студентов университетов. Чтение, письменная и устная практика (стр. 15 из 42)
8. У кассира не было сдачи с крупной купюры, и пришлось ждать, пока расплатится следующий покупатель.
9. Лучше не покупать продукты по сниженной цене: они могут быть просрочены.
10. Мой сосед — старый холостяк. Он всегда покупает одно и то же: буханку хлеба, десяток яиц, пару килограммов картофеля и пару банок мясных консервов.
11. Когда есть деньги, я покупаю что-нибудь повкуснее — хороший кусок мяса, салями, банку шпрот, кусочек ветчины, коробку шоколадных конфет, банку болгарских огурчиков. Потом устраиваю пир.
12. Больше всего я не люблю стоять в очереди, поэтому стараюсь пройти через экспресс-кассу.
13. Уже стоя у кассы, она вдруг вспомнила, что забыла купить молока, и пошла назад к прилавку с молочными продуктами.
14. Кассир сидела за кассовым аппаратом и наблюдала за тем, как покупатель выкладывал продукты на ленту конвейера.
15. Очередь двигалась очень медленно, потому что у всех были груды покупок.
Exercise 24
In five minutes write what you buy often and seldom. Compare what you have written with the lists of other students. Discuss the results and try to classify your classmates by putting them in certain categories of shoppers. You can give the names to these categories yourselves.
►Patterns: 1) I often buy bread, ... I seldom buy caviar, ... 2) In my opinion, Kate is a careless shopper, because ...
Exercise 25
Work in groups. Each group should make up a list of products which people usually buy at the age of ten. fifteen, thirty, fifty, seventy. Compare your lists and discuss them agreeing, adding details or criticizing.
► Use:
I completely agree that.. I'm not sure that...
There is no doubt that... I really doubt that...
I also have the idea that I utterly disagree that
Who would argue that... I don't think that...
Exercise 26
Discuss the following points in class.
1. What is preferable for you — to buy food in a big supermarket or in small shops? Why?
2. Where are the best shops for food in your city or town?
3. Speak about foodstuffs sold in your shops. Say whether they are shipped in or grown locally; say which are expensive and inexpensive; say what foodstuffs which you might have seen in the shops abroad are not sold in this country.
4. Do they sell foodstuffs under the counter nowadays? What kind of goods can those be?
5. Do you pay attention to the brand name when you buy food? If not, how do you make your choice?
6. What is your personal style of shopping for food? Do you buy at once or do you take your time to look around for lower prices?
7. How often do you buy very expensive foodstuffs? What kind of products are those? When does it happen?
Exercise 27
Match the English idioms in the left columnn with their Russian equivalents in the right column.
1. to put a hole in one's pocketbookА. любой ценой
2. to go to potВ. сбыть с рук
3. to go for a songС. ни за какие деньги
4. at all costsD. обойтись в копеечку
5. to jack up the priceЕ. вылететь в трубу
6. to flood the marketF. пойти за бесценок
7. to feather one's nestG. быть не по карману
8. not for love or moneyН. платить втридорога
9. to cost a pretty pennyI. нагреть руки
10. to pay through the noseJ. наводнить рынок
11. to get something off one's handsК. набить цену
Exercise 28
Highlight the meanings of the English proverbs and make up situations to illustrate them.
1. Forbidden fruit is sweet.
2. Tastes differ.
3. Honey is sweet but the bee stings.
4. Take it or leave it.
Exercise 29
Translate the following quotations into Russian and comment upon them.
'The public buys its opinions as it buys its meat, or takes in its milk, on the principle that it is cheaper to do this than keep a cow. So it is, but the milk is more likely to be watered.'
Samuel Butler
'Creditors have better memories than debtors.'
Benjamin Franklin
'Necessity never made a good bargain.'
Benjamin Franklin
'England is a nation of shopkeepers.'
Napoleon I
'If a continental greengrocer asks 14 schillings (or crowns, or franks..., or whatever you like) for a bunch of radishes, and his customer offers 2, and finally they strike a bargain agreeing on 6 schillings, francs, roubles, etc., this is just the low continental habit of bargaining.'
George Mikes
Exercise 30
Role Play "Organising a Party".
Setting: 1) A university refectory, where the students distribute duties to make purchases.
2) A supermarket.
Situation: You decide to celebrate some holiday or just organise a party at someone's home. Everyone will have to bring something for the table and later you'll cook together. Enact buying things in a shop. Elaborate the situation yourselves. Fancy that you've left money at home or there are no goods you need on sale or you forget something at the last instant.
Characters:
Card I — Molly, the girl, who is going to organise it all. She decides who should buy things and says what you will need them for.
Card II — Sally, the assistant who serves you in the shop you choose.
Card III—IV — Bob and Rob, boys who will buy heavy things in the shop.
CardV-X - Nelly, Kelly, Dolly, Polly, Lilly, Tilly, tree pairs of students who walk around the supermarket and discuss what they have to buy.
Card XI — Penny, the cashier at the till.
WRITING
Exercise 1
Learn the spelling of the italicized words from Introductory Reading and the words from exercise 1 on page 120. Prepare to write a dictation.
Exercise 2
Translate into English in writing.
A.
Мы быстро привыкли к нашей новой жизни. Всё так просто в этом микромире! Не надо ходить в магазин и стоять в очередях — здоровенная женщина в белом фартуке, которая могла бы сойти за английскую бонну, если бы не вес под сто килограммов, каждый день разгружает на кухне огромную корзину со свежайшими продуктами.
(...) Поскольку мне очень неловко жить за счет советской власти (...), я решаю ходить за покупками сама.
В первый же день я обалдеваю от выбора продуктов в ближайшем магазине. Сначала я даже подумала, что это случайный завоз или что директор устроил спектакль для ревизора. Но и через неделю выбор оставался таким же богатым. Каждый день я нахожу в магазине свежие яйца, колбасу, вполне приличное мясо на котлеты, копченую рыбу, даже крабов.
В.
У меня возникает мысль заглянуть в продуктовый магазин. Во-первых, мне надо пройтись, а во-вторых, я хочу купить кое-какие продукты — хлеб, сыр, масло, а может, мне повезёт, и по счастливой случайности здесь окажутся апельсины, какие-нибудь перемороженные куры или даже батон колбасы с чесноком, которую ты так любишь и которую вдруг выбрасывает на прилавки Главное управление торговли, когда у хозяек не остается ничего, ну буквально ничего, что бы можно было подать к столу.
(...) Этот магазин самообслуживания совсем новый, но полки уже в безобразном состоянии, а у корзин осталось по одной ручке. Редко лежащие продукты завернуты в противную толстую серую бумагу, на которой фиолетовыми чернилами помечена цена. Это — мой первый поход в магазин в новом районе.
Я покупаю кое-что из продуктов и становлюсь в очередь в кассу. У меня пять пакетов разных размеров. Я плачу и собираюсь уже уходить, но тут контролёрша на выходе заставляет меня открыть сумку, вынимает оттуда все мои покупки и потрясает каким-то свёртком. Какой ужас — у меня оказался лишний кусок сыра на двадцать восемь копеек, который кассирша не пробила! (...) Я робко говорю, что кассирша забыла пробить, что ничего страшного не произошло, я сейчас доплачу... (...) Женщин это приводит в бешенство.
(М. Влади. «Владимир, или прерванный полет»)
Exercise 3
Write a short essay on one of the following topics.
1. Buying Delicacies Gives the Greatest Pleasure When One Hasn't Got Enough Money.
2. Shopping for Food — a Boring Routine or a Revealing Experience?
3. Why I Always Buy Food in the Same Place.
4. The Main Principles I Observe When I Shop for Food.
5. Why Men and Women Have Different Styles of Shopping for Food.
Note:
Punctuation (continued from page 82).
A colon is put:
1) before an enumeration (e.g. The reasons are as follows: we haven't prepared well enough, the circumstances are unfavourable and there is no help);
2) between clauses when the second clause is an explanation or an extension of the first one (e.g. Some things we can, and others we cannot do: we can walk, but we cannot fly);
3) before a short quotation (e.g. Always remember the ancient maxim: Know thyself).
A semicolon is put:
1) between asyndetic coordinate clauses in complex sentences (e.g. He was the only guest present who had never met her; he decided that matters would be easier if he walked up and introduced himself);
2) between extended homogeneous parts of the sentence, particularly if there are other punctuation marks within them (e.g. I thought that we had to act quickly; that we had to do something, to get the information). (to be continued on page 198).
Lesson 6 SHOPPING FOR CONSUMER GOODS
INTRODUCTORY READING AND TALK
Shopping is a very important part of life, but shoppers arc faced with a confusing and rapidly changing situation. The confusion arises from the claims made by advertising, a wider choice of goods than ever before, and new places to shop. The prices of clothes, shoes, and make-up have gone sky-high, so it's vital that you do not waste your money and that you shop carefully for value.
Be sure of what you want — never shop vaguely, because when you get home your purchase may not match anything else you've got.
Shop around for the best price and quality. Start with a department store, where they stock a wide range of goods and souvenirs. There you can find many departments: haberdashery, hosiery, drapery, millinery, ladieswear, menswear, and footwear. If you are looking for a skirt and a top to go with it, you'll need "Separates". You'll find shorts or T-shirts in "Leisurewear", jumpers in "Knitwear", and a nightdress in "Nightwear". In "Accessories" they sell belts, gloves, and purses. Try on all the trousers or dresses they have in the line although it may be quite boring to wait if the changing room is occupied. Check out the racks with the sign "sale". Although it usually seems to be the small sizes that are offered in sales, you can sometimes find some super buys.
Feeling cheered up by your new purchase, don't foiget to keep the receipt, in case an item turns out to be faulty. You'll need the receipt if you want to exchange the item or have your money refunded. If you are a bargain-hunter, try clothes markets. They often don't have the high overheads of town shops and can therefore keep prices lower, though they can stock substandard goods. Flea markets are not the best place to buy anything. The prices are low, but the quality is, too.
Don't put off the purchase of festive gifts until there are only two days left before a holiday. Department stores are swarming with last-minute shoppers, so you may haveto queue for half an hour at the checkout till. From everywhere you can hear people swapping rumours, 'They have sold out all the scarves', 'They have run out of that cream'. You inevitably get involved in exchanging remarks with other people in the queue or with salesgirls. Sometimes the talk gets so interesting that the cashier's question whether you want to pay in cash or by credit card takes you by surprise. Anyway, you pay and feel happy that you have made a bargain, which puts you in a good mood.
Dear friends, make shopping entertaining. Shop together with your friends. Enjoy attractively designed displays and well-dressed shoppers browsing through trendy items. Then you will definitely like it.
1. Look at the picture below and name all departments. Say what one can buy there.
2. Where can you buy the following items?
jewellery a pair of shoes
stockings buttons, zips
fabrics a suit
a swimsuit pyjamas
a hat a cardigan
3. What can you buy in the following shops?
an antique shopan art shop
a bookshopa boutique
a florist's/flower shopa furniture shop
a gift shopa hi-fi store
an ironmonger'sa jeweller's
an optician'sa pet shop
a photographic shopa radio shop
a record shopa sports shop
a stationer'sa toy shop
4. Describe the best-known department store in your city. What does it sell? Do you like it? How do you get there? What attracts you and what annoys you in a big department store? Take the following points into account:
convenience choice service quality price
5. What would you personally never buy in a department store — and why?
○ TEXT
A Devoted Shopper
(Extract from the book by Sue Townsend "The Queen and I". Abridged)
Sayako came out of the changing room in Sloane Street1 wearing this season's suit, as featured on the cover of English Vogue.2 Last season's suit lay on the changing room floor in an untidy heap. She surveyed herself in the full-length mirror. The manageress, svelte in black, stood behind her.
'That colour's very good on you,' she said, smiling professionally.
Sayako said, 'I take it and also I take it in strawberry and navy and primrose.'3
The manageress inwardly rejoiced. She would now reach this week's target.4 Her job would be safe for at least another month. God bless the Japanese!