Файл: Angl_yaz_praktikum.doc

1. When do Belarusians celebrate "Kalyady"? 2. What do people say about "Kalyady"? 3. What are the typical entertainments during "Kalyady"? 4. How long do "Svyatki" last? 5. What do amateur actors wear? 6. How are three ritual suppers at "Kalyady" called? 7. Our forefathers believed that "Kuttzya" was sacred food, didn't they? 8. What is "Kuttzya" made of? 9. What do Belarusians like to do during "Kalyady"? 10. What do you know about "Batleyka"? 11. What is the main purpose of "Kalyady"?

XIII. Agree or disagree with the following statements:

1. In Belarus Catholics celebrate "Kalyady" in February. 2. During "Kalyady" a lot of young b6ys and girls dressed in rags go from house to house and beg for food and drink. 3. Each person in the processions of "Kalyadouschchiki" bears a star and is disguised as a Goat. 4. Amateur musicians play the piano/5. People in the street give money to these amateur actors. 6. In every Belarusian family three ritual breakfasts are cooked during "Kalyady." 7. The ritual food is called "Kalyadny Kulesh". 8. On "Kalyady" the Belarusians like to organize family dinners and invite their relatives. 9. The main purpose of "Kalyady" is to get rid of the old furniture.

XIV Put in the right prepositions where necessary:

1. As ... Orthodox Christians and the old calendar, the mysterious time . . . the year comes ... a bit later it continues ... January, 7 ... January, 19. 2. ... Russia, all ... these days and nights ... Christmas ... Epiphany are called "Svyatki"(Sacred Evenings) and ... Belarus –"Kalaydy." 3. ... "Kalyady", groups . . . merry young boys and girls ... smart clothes go . . . house . . . house . . . Belarusian villages and towns. 4. ... many countries ... the world, people have carnivals and masquerades to see the New Year ... .5. The pagan holiday ... "Kalyady" coincided later... Christmas, which was celebrated ... Christians. 6. The main purpose ... "Kalyady" is to get rid ... everything bad ... one's life and to begin a new life cycle ... joy and optimism.

XV. Choose a word from the box to put into each gap:

1. If you want ... real joy, you should come to Belarus when "Kalyady" is being celebrated. 2. During "Kalyady" groups of merry young boys and girls in ... clothes go from house to house in villages and towns. 3. Hosts and hostesses usually ... them to delicious things and thank them for well-wishing and carol-singing. 4. "Kalyady" is the time when three ... suppers are cooked in every Belarusian home. 5. Our... believed that "Kuttzya" was sacred food which could save and protect people's lives. 6. On "Kalyady" the Belarusians like to visit each other, celebrate weddings and ... .7. The main purpose of "Kalyady" is ... of everything bad in one's life and to begin a new life cycle with joy and optimism.

treat, arrange fairs, to get rid, to experience, ritual,

smart, forefathers

XVI. Fill in the table:

Dates
Clothes
Masks
Musical instruments
Food
Purpose

XVII. Work in groups. Find out from your partners:

– what holiday is celebrated in Belarus from Christmas till Epiphany;

what they know about the origin of this holiday;
what is prepared for ritual suppers and why;
whether they have such suppers in their families;

– whether they take part in "Kalyady" and what they do during this holiday.

XVIII. Prove that:

– "Kalyady" is a jolly time:

– our theatre has some roots in the holiday of "Kalyady".

XIX. Comment on:

– the behaviour of young boys and girls in the streets during "Kalyady";

the origin of the word "Batleyka'";

– the purpose of "Kalyady".

XX. Imagine that:

– You are preparing for "Kalyady". Your friend from America has come to visit you. It goes without saying that he knows nothing about this holiday. You want him to take part in the procession of "Kalyadovschchiki." Role-play a dialogue with your partner.

– You are an organizer of "Kalyady" in your class. Try to talk your friends in taking part in the celebration. Then distribute the roles among them. Role-play a dialogue with your partners.

XXI. Comprehension check. Choose the best alternative according to the text;

1. Orthodox Christians celebrate "Kalyady"

from December, 25 to January, 6;
from January, 1 to January, 7;
from January, 7 to January, 19.

2. People consider that "Kalyady " is

a dull holiday and never celebrate it;
is a holiday for small children only;
a merry holiday and celebrate it with pleasure.

3. During "Kalyady", groups of merry young boys and girls

organize rock music concerts in Belarusian villages and towns;
go carol-singing in Belarusian villages and towns;
make snowmen in Belarusian villages and towns.

4. Each of the carol-singers

has a present for passers-by;
suggests his project of this holiday;
plays a part according to his personality.

5. Amateur actors

are disguised or wear masks;
treat hosts and hostesses to delicious thing;
cook "Kuttzya" and treat passers-by to it.

6. Amateur musicians

play the accordion or beat the tambourine;
thank hosts and hostesses for carol-singing;
teach passers-by to play the accordion.

7. The host and the hostess usually treat "Ka/yadovschchiki"

with suspicion;
to tasty things;
as if they were mad.

8. Three ritual suppers are prepared in every Belarusian home

during "Kalyady";
on the New Year Eve;
on Christmas Eve.

9. Our ancestors were convinced that "Kuttzya " was sacred food which

could protect people from the evil eye;
was necessary for people to live long;
was blessed food.

10. So "Kuttzya" was

a symbol of rich life;
served in the morning;
a symbol of everlasting life.

On "Kalyady" Belarusians

never celebrate weddings because of the superstitions;
like to entertain themselves and celebrate weddings;
like to stay at home and cook "Kuttzya" every evening.

12. The pagan holiday of "Kalyady " coincided later with

Christmas;
Epiphany;
New Year.

13. The main purpose of "Kalyady" is

to organize the processions of "Kalyadovschchiki";
to do away with bad things and to start a new period of life cheerfully;
to demonstrate national Belarusian traditions to people all over the world.

Youth and its place in modern society

What is youth?

This question can be answered in different ways.

Youth is spring. Youth is love. Youth is the joy of fatherhood and motherhood.

Youth is quest, quest for new ways in science, revelations in art, roads in life. Youth is daring and implacability, rejection of everything old and moribund. All this is true.

Generation Gap

I. Pay attention to these words. Pick out sentences with these words from the text and translate them into Russians:

Generation gap — проблема «отцов и детей», разрыв между поколениями;

the awkward age - переходный возраст;

juvenile [´dƷu:vənail] delinquency [di´liŋkwensi] - подростковая преступность;

out of sheer boredom - от (всепоглощающей) скуки;

the smart set - законодатели моды;

gilded youth - «золотая» молодёжь;

to live below the poverty line — жить за чертой бедности.

II. Read out the following words and memorize their meaning:

vagary (n) [´veigəri] причуда, каприз, чудачество

coin (v) [kכin] создавать новые слова

insatiable (adj) [in´sei∫əbl] ненасытней, жадный

аре (v) [eip] подражать, обезьянничать

adolescence (n) [´ædə´lesns] подростковый возраст, юность

adolescent (n) [ædə´lesnt] подросток

cool (adj) [ku:l] крутой

clumsy (adj) [´klmzi] неуклюжий, нескладный

elation (n) [i´lei∫n] приподнятое настроение

despair (n) [di´speə] отчаяние, безнадёжность

jealousy (n) [´dƷeləsi] зависть

acute (adj) [ə´kju:t] острый

inhibit (v) [in´hibit] сдерживать, тормозить

impressionable (adj) [im´pre∫ənəbl] впечатлительный, восприимчивый

arrogant (adj) [´ærəgənt] нахальный, самонадеянный

harsh (adg) [ha:∫] жестокий

lenient (adj) [´li:njənt] мягкий, снисходительный

annihilation (n) [əֽnaiə´lei∫n] истребление, уничтожение

shed (v) [∫ed] отбрасывать, оставлять

III. Read out these phrases several times till you remember their meaning:

in a fearful hurry страстно жаждущие;

to grow up повзрослеть

twice their age два раза старше их;

to get through a confusion преодолеть неразбериху, замешательство;

to get into a bad company попасть в плохую компанию;

to become stratified расслаиваться (на классы);

to bring about приводить;

under the constant threat of под постоянной угрозой;

to question the wisdom подвергать сомнению

and sanity of their elders мудрость и здравомыслие старших (старшего поколения).

IV. Read the text and get ready to speak about the problems of teenagers: generation gap

Old people are always saying that the young are not what they were. The same comment is made from generation to generation and is always true. It has never been truer than it is today.

These days grown-ups describe children as «difficult», «rude», «wild» and «irresponsible». Only some people say that they will grow up to make our country a better place.

For kids from 8 to 14 a new term «teens» has recently been coined. They are no longer children nor yet teenagers, just between - teens. They are said to be a generation in a fearful hurry to grow up. Instead of playing with Barbies and Legos they are interested in the vagaries of love on TV serials. Girls wear provocative make-up. At this very age kids start pairing off. Teens have got an insatiable desire for the latest in everything - from jeans with labels so that everyone will know that they've got the latest stuff - to CDs. Kids at their age desperately need to belong and that's why everything comes down to appearance. They think that having the right «stuff» is the quickest way to acceptance. For parents and teachers they can be a nightmare, aping the hairstyle, clothes and make-up of celebrities twice their age. Experts say that the rush to grow up is due to the mass media. Being raised by single-parent families as well as watching TV, which sucks up most of their free time, can also accelerate the desire of children for being independent and creates behaviour problems.

But the most painful part of childhood is the period when they begin to emerge from it: adolescence or the awkward age. There is a complete lack of self-confidence during this time. Adolescents are overconscious of their appearance and the impression they make on others. They feel shy, awkward and clumsy. Feelings are intense and hearts - easily broken. Teenagers experience moments of tremendous elation or black despair. And besides, friends are becoming more and more important these years. At schools there are cliques who decide what is «cool». Adolescents may rebel violently against parental authority, but this causes them great unhappiness. And they are not always helped to get through a confusion of life in a steady, productive way. But even teenagers with sympathetic and supportive parents can fall in with bad company.

Most children don’t belong to any clubs and they just start roaming the street after school out of sheer boredom. A lot of them become addicted to drugs and/or alcohol because their life is hollow and they don't think of life-long goals. They have nothing to fill the emptiness of their souls with. They demand to have all that they see, and regard it as their right to be entertained every waking moment.

And besides our society is becoming more und more stratified. There has appeared a class of rich people and a class of poor people (to be more exact - people leaving below the poverty line). Children of well-off parents consider themselves «the smart set» or «gilded youth». Their parents give them every material benefit, pocket money any time they ask. A lot of these children have their own brand-new cars and personal computers. It goes without saying that it causes jealousy and the desire to possess the same things on the part of children whose parents are poor and cannot afford it. Such feelings can push teenagers to committing a crime and it leads to a wide spread of juvenile delinquency.

Nowadays children start using computers very early. Teens are so fascinated by them that they spend hours and hours at their personal computers or at computer clubs. The electronic universe replaces their contacts with friends and dominates their life completely. Obsession with computers brings about a mechanical, disillusioned mentality and inhibits their emotional development.