Can You Speak Over the Telephone. Как вести беседу по телефону

Mr Ward: Good morning. This is Ward of the Australian Embassy speaking.

Mr Orlov: Good morning, Mr Ward. Orlov speaking. Can I be of any help to you?

Mr Ward: I am calling to confirm our visit to the Moscow Cardiological Centre. Any changes in the schedule of the visit, Mr Orlov?

Mr Orlov: No changes so far. The visit is arranged for the heads of staff and other members of foreign missions and embassies in Moscow.

Mr Ward: The date and time remain as mentioned in the memo?

Mr Orlov: Yes, next Tuesday, 11 a.m.

Mr Ward: Thank you. Are we supposed to go to the Cardiological Centre on our own?

Mr Orlov: No, Mr Ward, we invite you to come to the Foreign Ministry first, and then we’ll proceed to the Centre in buses.

Mr Ward: That’s a good idea. Any chance of seeing you, Mr Orlov, at the Ministry?

Mr Orlov: Of course, I’ll be accompanying you to the Cardiological Centre.

Mr Ward: Fine. See you next Tuesday, then. Good-bye.

Mr Orlov: Good-bye, Mr Ward.

WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS YOU MAY NEED

to call to confirm звонить по телефону для того, чтобы подтвердить

to arrange a visit организовать посещение

proceedv зд. продолжить путь

EXERCISES

I. Summarize the dialogue in a talk of 2-minutes duration.

II. Make arrangements through the Protocol department over the phone about a visit of Soviet diplomats to the English parliament or the US Congress.

Dialogue 2

At the Cardiological Centre

The General-Director of the Centre: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. You are welcome to our institution.

A voice: As guests or as patients?

The Director: As guests, of course.

First Secretary of the US Embassy: Will you kindly tell us a few words about your celebrated establishment, sir?

The Director: The Centre was constructed in 1975 with money raised by Soviet people through voluntary work during a Communist Subbotnik.

Second Secretary of the Mexican Embassy: Without any subsidies from the Government?

The Director: No subsidies from the Government. The Centre comprises three institutes of Clinical Cardiology, the Experimental Cardiology and the Institute of Heart Disease Prevention.

The Indian Ambassador: We presume that the medical personnel is staffed with experienced scientists?

The Director: Not only. A quarter of the Centre’s scientific staff of 500 are young researchers.

The First Secretary of the Ecuadorian Embassy: All equipment and medicines you are using here is of Soviet manufacture?

The Director: Not necessarily. We have scientific exchange agreements with a number of foreign countries and they supply us with some of their advanced equipment.

Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy: Cardiovascular diseases are known to affect people of all ages, especially the elderly. Do you work out recommendations for the people of this group?

The Director: Yes, we study the causes and focus the attention on heart disease prevention.

Ambassador of Nigeria: From what we see here it’s obvious that your Government considers people’s health a matter of state importance. Do you share your rich experience in this field with the less developed countries?

The Director: Yes, we do. Apart from the theoretical aspect of research and the results of the experiments which are open to any state, we helped in equipment of hospitals in some countries.

Ambassador of Ecuador: Namely?

The Director: In Ethiopia, Angola, India, to mention only a few.

Ambassador of Madagascar: I think that the Cardiological Centre is a spectacular example of the great attention your Government is paying to public health.

First Secretary of the US Embassy: Somebody asked at the beginning of our visit whether you, sir, welcome us here as your guests or patients. I for one don’t mind if I ever have a heart attack to be admitted to your Centre as a patient.

The Director: I am sure you won’t have it.

The Ambassador of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria: Allow me, sir, on behalf of the diplomatic corps and on my own behalf to express genuine satisfaction with the results of our visit to the Centre. We wish the staff of the Centre further success for the benefit of mankind. Thank you.

The Director: Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. The pleasure is ours.