Exercise 1. Put the verbs in brackets into the Present, Past or Future Progressive Tense:
1. Where is Ann? She (to play) tennis at the stadium.
2. Please, don’t make so much noise. Father (to work) in the study.
3. Don’t disturb me. I (to watch) the interesting program.
4. I (not to laugh) at you.
5. What journal you (to read) when I came to the library?
6. The whole family (to have) dinner when the telephone rang.
7. We (to ski) the whole day yesterday.
8. When I came to the party all guests (to dance).
9. She (to learn) English the whole day tomorrow.
10. The children (to play) when we returned home.
11. Look! It is getting dark. It (to rain) in a minute.
12. Where he (to go) when the rain started?
13. She (to listen) to a very interesting lecture at 5 o’clock tomorrow.
14. While my mother was cooking dinner I (to lay) the table.
15. They won’t go on excursion with us. They (to have) a lecture at 2 o’clock.
16. He is not learning new words, he (to recite) a poem now.
17. Mother (to make) a cake in the kitchen at the moment.
18. My brother (to take) a bath now. Wait for him.
19. The students of our group (to write) a dictation now.
20. Sophie is busy. She (to knit) a sweater for her grandson.
Exercise 2. Put questions to the sentences:
1. The children are reading the interesting book.
2. We will be listening to Petrov at the concert.
3. We were waiting for our friends.
Exercise 4. Translate into English:
1. Неопаздывай! Я буду ждать тебя у кинотеатра.
2. Что делал твой брат, когда ты пришел домой?
3. Вы спешите на занятия? Да, в 11 часов у нас лекция (tohavealecture).
4. Куда она идет? Она идет в библиотеку.
5. Отец дома? – Да, он работает в саду.
6. Кому вы пишете это письмо?
7. О чем вы думаете?
SEASONS
There are four seasons in a year: spring, summer, autumn and winter. Every season is beautiful in its own way.
When spring comes nature awakens from its long winter sleep. The days become longer and the nights become shorter. The ground is covered with emerald-green grass and first flowers. The air is fresh, the sky is blue and cloudless, and the sun shines brightly. The trees are in full blossom. The nightingale begins to sing its lovely songs, and sweet melodies may be heard from every wood and park. The days are warm and everything is full of life and joy.
Spring is followed by summer. The weather is usually fine in summer, but it can be very hot, especially in July. Sometimes there storms with thunder and lightning. In summer people try to get away from the city noise and spend more time in the open air. They pick mushrooms and berries in the forest, swim in the rivers and lakes, go fishing and boating. Most people prefer to have their holidays in summer.
Autumn begins in September. The days become shorter and the nights become longer. The leaves turn yellow, red and brown and fall to the ground. Most birds fly away to warm countries. There is a short spell of dry sunny weather in September which is called Indian Summer. It is a beautiful time when the sky is cloudless, the trees around are golden, the air is transparent and it is still warm. But gradually it gets colder and colder. It often rains in October and November which makes autumn an unpleasant season.
In winter the sun sets early and rises late. The rivers and lakes are frozen over. Everything is covered with snow. Sometimes it is very cold, about 25-30 degrees below zero. Going out in such weather isn’t very pleasant. Winter is a good time for sports. People go in for skating and skiing. Tobogganing is also popular, not as a kind of sports, but rather as fun.
As for me, I like all seasons, but I think there is nothing like late spring.
THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
English is one of the most speaking languages in the world. It has become a world language during last few centuries and now over 350 million people speak it. It is the official language of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, Australia and New Zealand. It is also one of the official languages in Canada, Irish Republic and the Republic of South Africa. As a second language it is spoken in Pakistan, India, Singapore and many other countries of Africa and Asia which are former colonies of Great Britain.
Besides, millions of people in all parts of the planet speak English as a foreign language.
The English language developed on the basis of the dialects of Angles and Saxons who invaded British Isles in the fifth century. Later it was influenced by the language of Scandinavian Vikings and by the Norman French. Many Latin and Greek words came into English during the Renaissance.
English has become the language of science and technology, literature and education, commerce and business. It is one of the official languages of the United Nations and of many other international organizations. This makes it one of the main languages in politics. Millions of books, magazines and newspapers are printed in English and read all over the world. It is the language of modern music, cinema and theatre as well as of the international tourism.
English is widely taught in Russia now. The integration of Russia into the world community makes it necessary for all people to know English, the main language of international communication.
LONDON
London is the capital of Great Britain, its political, economic and commercial centre. It is one of the largest cities in the world and the largest city in Europe. Its population is about 9 million people.London is one of the oldest and most interesting cities in the world.
Traditionally it is divided into several parts: the City, the West End, the East End and Westminster. They are very different from each other. The heart of London is the City, its financial and business centre. There are some famous ancient buildings heresuch as St.Paul’s Cathedral, the greatest of English churches. It was built in the 17th century. The Tower of London was used as a fortress, a royal palace and a prison. Now it is a museum.
Westminster is the historic, the governmental part of London.
Nearly all kings and queens were crowned in Westminster Abbey. Westminster Palace or the Houses of Parliament is the seat of the British Parliament. The Clock Tower of the Houses of Parliament is famous for its big hour bell, known as “Big Ben”. Buckingham Palace is the official residence of the Queen.
The West End is the richest and the most beautiful part of London. It is the symbol of wealth and luxury. The best hotels, shops, restaurants, clubs and theatres are situated there.
The East End is now considered a bohemian district. It houses the highest population of artists in Europe. The ugly docks, factories and workshops are now closed and new hotels, stadiums and apartment houses are being built.
In fact London has become a multinational metropolis, being inhabited by people from all over the world.