Раздел 7.2.

7.2.1. Отработайте произношение данных слов, уточнив их транскрипцию по словарю.

7.2.2. Просмотрите данный текст и дайте ответ на вопрос “What are the main peculiarities of pubs?”

PUBS – TOWN AND COUNTRY

Every country has its drinking habits, some of which are general and obvious, others most peculiar. Most countries also have a national drink. In England the national drink is beer, and the “pub”, where Englishmen (and women to a lesser extent) go to drink it, is a peculiar English institution. The word “pub” itself, of course, is an abbreviation of “public house”.

A bright introduction to any self-respecting pub is the sign outside it. The sign might hang from a wrought-iron bracket, or be mounted on a post, or be fixed to the wall above the door. On it will be the pub’s name – “The Pig and Whistle” for example, or “The Three Mariners”. Push open the door and you will be met by a rush of warm air and a bubble of voices. At tables round not a very large room people will be sitting and in front of each person you will see a pint or half-pint mug of beer, or a smaller glass of a “short” drink – whiskey, gin and tonic, or fruit juice. This room is called the “bar”, but, confusingly, the same term is used for the great counter of polished wood which dominates one end of the room. At this bar people will be standing with a drink either in their hands or on a “beermat” at their elbow. From time to time they will take a sip – for Englishmen sip their drinks – and then put down the mug to continue the conversation. There is a general atmosphere of warmth and cosiness. Most pubs favour the traditional image – a roaring log fire, old oak beams supporting a low ceiling, and brass ornaments on the walls. Comfort is essential, for people do not drop in for a quick drink and then go; they tend generally to” make an evening of it”.

To describe one particular kind of pub is to oversimplify my account, since there are many, many variations on the theme. Indeed, pubs are everywhere in England; a small town of, say, 50 000 inhabitants will have between 50 and 100 pubs, each with its own character. Each tiny village has its pub. Sometimes a pub will stand in solitude on a country road over the moors, far from any village or town, a relic of days when traveling was mostly a matter of making stops for refreshment or lodging; and even today, in outlying districts as well as in towns, the pub often serves as a small hotel, or “inn”. There is a good deal of folklore behind the names which pubs bear. The derivation of some names is obvious; often animals figure in the title (The Fox and Goose); often an element of history enters with the name of a local noble family, (The Tatton Arms). Jokes, too, abound. A late-night traveler knocked at the door of the George and Dragon. From an upstairs window a female head appeared, and in vigorous terms told him that all sane folk were already in bed by that hour, and what was he doing making all that noise in the middle of the night? The traveler looked at the inn-sign and said, “Could I speak to George, please?”

There are two important peculiarities about pubs. One is that they have striсktly limited hours of opening, which vary in length in different areas, each local government authority having power to fix its own “licensing hours” as they are called. It is almost impossible to get strong drink in the early morning, in the middle of the afternoon, or at midnight or later. The second peculiarity is that most pubs are divided into at least two separated bars: the public bar and the saloon bar. The differences between the two are that the saloon bar is less uncomfortable, it has chairs and linoleum, whereas the public bar will have wooden benches and perhaps a floor sprinkled with sawdust, and the beer costs a penny or two more in the saloon bar than in the public bar.

7.2.3. Найдите в тексте ответы на следующие вопросы.

1. What is the national English drink?

2. What is a peculiar English institution?

3. Why is a pub a peculiar institution?

4. Can you describe in short an English pub?

5. Why are there so many pubs in England?

7.2.4. На сколько логических частей можно разделить данный текст? Озаглавьте каждую часть.

7.2.5. Составьте план текста на русском языке.

7.2.6. Переведите составленный план на английский язык.

7.2.7. Напишите краткое изложение текста на английском языке.

7.2.8. Прочитайте данный диалог. Выучите его и разыграйте по ролям.

A: What is RP?

B: Well, it’s an abbreviation for Received Pronunciation, a non-regional accent of standard British English, often regarded as a prestige form. It is traditionally called “Received” in the sense “accepted as standard”.

A: Is it the same as BBC English?

B: Well, very much so. BBC English is a traditionally correct English, especially as formerly spoken by BBC announcers and news readers.

A: Which part of Britain has contributed most to the prestigious accent?

B: The southwest, it’s there that Britain’s best universities, Oxford and Cambridge, are situated/