Exercise 7C, page 2 - English File Studetn's book, pre-intermediate, Oxford

2 READING

a Are people from your country good at learning languages? Why (not)? Do you think British people are good at learning your language?

Topic sentences

Paragraphs usually begin with a topic sentence. This tells you what the paragraph is about.

b Read an article about a language learning experiment. Complete each paragraph with a topic sentence, A–F.

A So what happened after four weeks?

B But what happens when a Brit tries to learn a new language after leaving school?

C Max decided to learn Spanish.

D Motivation is obviously a problem.

E The British are famous for being bad at learning languages.

F The situation in British schools doesn't help either.

c Read the article again. Answer the questions with a partner.

1 What two examples does the writer give to show that the British are bad at learning languages?

2 Why does he / she think that British people aren't motivated to learn languages?

3 What reason do many schoolchildren give for not wanting to study a foreign language?

4 How did a British newspaper try to find out if the British really are bad at learning languages?

5 Why did Max decide to learn Spanish? How did he learn?

6 What did he do when he finished the course?

Por favor, una cerveza y ...

Are the BRITISH really so bad at learning languages?

1 E That's been true for a long time. In any city around the world you can hear British tourists asking for the restaurant menu in English. Sometimes they try to say a couple of phrases in the local language, but they stop making an effort as soon as they discover that the waiter knows a little English. Some British people who live abroad often spend all their time with other Brits, and never learn the language at all.

2 Many British people think 'I don't have to learn a foreign language because everyone speaks English nowadays'. This is partly true. In many multinational companies, for example, employees have to speak English as it is the company's official language of communication.

3 Children only have to learn a language until they are 14. After that, they don't have to continue if they don't want to. Thirty per cent of young people say that they don't want to carry on with a foreign language because 'it's too difficult'.

4 A newspaper decided to find out by sending Max, one of its journalists, on an intensive language course. He then had to go to the country and do some 'tests' to see if he could 'survive' in different situations.

5 'I'd like to visit Spain and Latin America in the future. If I go, I don't want to be the typical Brit who expects everyone else to speak English.' He did a one-month intensive course at a language school in London.

6 When his course finished he went to Madrid for the weekend to do his tests. A teacher called Paula met him there and gave him a mark out of ten for each test and then a final mark for everything.

Adapted from the British press

с. Прочитайте статью еще раз. Ответьте на вопросы.

1. Какие два примера приводит автор, чтобы показать, что британцы плохо изучают языки?

Ответ: The writer gives two examples: British tourists asking for the menu in English, and British people who live abroad but only spend time with other Brits, never learning the local language. (Автор приводит два примера: британские туристы, которые просят меню на английском языке, и британцы, живущие за границей, но проводящие время только с другими британцами и никогда не изучающие местный язык.)

2. Как вы думаете, почему британцы не мотивированы изучать языки?

Ответ: He thinks that British people aren't motivated because they believe they don't have to learn a foreign language as everyone speaks English nowadays. (Он считает, что британцы не мотивированы, потому что они верят, что им не нужно учить иностранный язык, так как в наши дни все говорят по-английски.)

3. Какую причину называют многие школьники, не желая изучать иностранный язык?

Ответ: Many schoolchildren say they don't want to carry on with a foreign language because 'it's too difficult'. (Многие школьники говорят, что не хотят продолжать изучение иностранного языка, потому что «это слишком сложно».)

4. Как британская газета попыталась выяснить, действительно ли британцы так плохо изучают языки?

Ответ: A newspaper sent one of its journalists, Max, on an intensive language course and then had him go to the country to do 'tests' and see if he could 'survive'. (Газета отправила одного из своих журналистов, Макса, на интенсивный языковой курс, а затем отправила его в страну, чтобы он прошел «тесты» и чтобы посмотреть, сможет ли он «выжить».)

5. Почему Макс решил выучить испанский? Как он его учил?

Ответ: He decided to learn Spanish because he wanted to visit Spain and Latin America and not be a typical Brit who expects everyone to speak English. He learned by doing a one-month intensive course at a language school in London. (Он решил выучить испанский, потому что хотел посетить Испанию и Латинскую Америку и не быть типичным британцем, который ожидает, что все будут говорить по-английски. Он учился на месячном интенсивном курсе в языковой школе в Лондоне.)

6. Что он делал, когда закончил курс?

Ответ: When he finished his course, he went to Madrid for the weekend to do his tests. (Когда он закончил свой курс, он поехал в Мадрид на выходные, чтобы пройти тесты.)