Разговорный английский

We must not forget, too, the growing of fruit. There are few leveller sights than the cherry orchards of Kent or the apple, pear and plum blossom of Hereford, Devon and Somerset in early spring. There are,

too, valuable quantities of “soft” fruits, raspberries, strawberries, etc., grown, and the jam-making and fruit-preserving industries that have grown up in these districts are important.

Finally, in discussing the harvests of the country we must not forget “the silver harvest of the sea,” its fisheries. The east coast fisheries are the most valuable, and three quarters of the fish landed in England come from there.

Adapted from “Essential English for Foreign Students”by G. E. Eckersley

3.      TIME

A year is the average time it takes for the earth to go once round the sun. There are 12 months or 52 weeks or 365 days in a year. Every four years there is a leap year. This has 366 days. We all know the names of the months, but not all of us can quite remember how many days there are in each month. Here is a little poem that will help us in that respect.

Thirty days has September, April, June and November. All the rest have thirty-one, Excepting February alone, Which has but twenty-eight days clear, And twenty-nine in each leap year.

There are 7 days in a week, 24 hours in a day, 60 minutes in an hour and 60 seconds in a minute.

The sun rises in the east in the morning. The beginning of the day is daybreak or dawn. Then comes morning, noon, afternoon, evening and night. We tell the time by means of watches and clocks. Watches are small. We might carry them either in our pockets or wear them on our wrists. The former are called pocket watches and the latter — wrist watches.

A clock is bigger than a watch; it usually stands on the table or hangs on the wall in the house. There are figures on the face of the clock or watch to mark the hours, minutes and seconds. The hands of the clock or watch point to the figures telling us the time.

There are three hands altogether. The biggest hand shows the minutes, the smaller — the hours, and the smallest — the seconds.

Adapted from “Essential English for Foreign Students ” by G. E. Eckersley

4.      THE WATCH

G. What time is it by your watch, Tom?

T. What time? Well, it’s ... it’s 5 minutes past 4.

G. Five past four?

T. Yes. What surprises you? And what time do you make it?

G. Well, by my watch it is 5 to 4. Either your watch is fast or mine is slow.

T. Yours is slow, of course. Didn’t you hear the tower clock strike four a few minutes ago?

G. No.

T. My watch is right on the dot. I checked the time by radio this morning.

G. I just wonder what could have happened to my watch. It was such a good time-keeper.

T. Perhaps it needs winding up?

G. Think so? Well, it might be. I can’t quite recollect whether I wound it up this morning.

T. Well?

G. No, it doesn’t seem to be run down. There’s something wrong with it, after all.

T. Well, let’s drop in at a watchmaker’s. There’s one at the comer of N. and M. Streets.

G. Do you think we have time?

T. Why, yes! It won’t take him long to “diagnose the case.”

G. I hate taking my watch to the watchmaker, but nothing can be done, I suppose.

T. Why don’t you like to deal with watchmaker’s?

G. Well, it might be a kind of prejudice but I can’t help feeling that my favourite watch will never keep good time any more.

T. Nonsense! Get it out of your head. Well, here we are.

G. Good afternoon, sir.

WATCH­

MAKER. Good afternoon, gentlemen. What can I do for you?

G. I would like you to have a look at my watch. There’s something wrong with it.

W. Let me see it, please.

G. Yes. What a nuisance these straps are. Here it is, please.

W. Nothing much the matter with it. Needs cleaning, that’s all.

G. Yes? How long will it take to have it cleaned?

W. Well, a couple of days, I suppose. Will you leave it?

G. I think I will.

W. Your name, please.

G. Hamilton. George Hamilton.

W. {giving the receipt). Here you are, sir.

G. Thank you. Goodbye.

CONTENTS

ОГЛАВЛЕНИЕ

Предисловие       3

PART ONE

I.      Man and His Family            7

1.      Name       7

2.      Age       8

3.      Origin and Nationality.... 10

4.      Appearance       10

5.      Character       16

6.      Language       17

7.      Marriage       19

8.      Family       20

II.      Meeting People       22

1.      Forms of Address       22

2.      Some Possible Answers to

Greeting       24

3.      Remarks about the Weather 27

4.      Remarks about the Ap­pearance        27

5.      When People Meet They May Say       28

6.      Acquaintance       29

a)      Introducing People.... 29

b)      Recognition       31

c)      Degree of Acquaintance 32

d)      Breaking off an Ac­quaintance        33

7.      Visit       34

a)      Invitation to Come... 34

b)      Bell       35

c)      Receiving Guests       35

d)      At Home       36