How do people usually start a conversation with friends or colleagues in Russia? ‘How are you? OK?’ or ‘How’re you feeling?’ and about feelings people talk readily and always. Not only this, but they start to share their problems, and the conversation can stretch on until dinner, starting with analysis of the problem, cigarette breaks and heaps of advice from personal experience or the experience of a friend. But with strangers…no, nobody has any dealings with strangers; everybody has ‘distressing deep thoughts’ about tomorrow’s day. For some: ‘What fur coat to wear — mink or fox?’, for others: ‘To buy a litre of milk or is it better two loaves of bread?’

So, this kind of communication and start of a conversation I am, of course, used to, for me it was civil to ask about mood. Once, when I was in college in England, where I taught language, I asked the students about their

moods, in answer I heard ‘deadly’ silence. I was lost for some seconds but recollected the advice of our lecturer in foreign languages. His main advice comprised — when entering an auditorium you need to consider yourself an actor who has walked out on stage, and be prepared for all the surprises of stage life. In his words — be spontaneous!

I immediately started talking about the weather, and it helped. I saw puzzled faces, trying to translate my questions about the weather. The English people were in a familiar situation!

From time to time I asked myself — well, from idleness of thoughts, I supposed ‘Hmm, why are English people so worried by the weather? Maybe, it’s because the weather changes several times a day?’ You can experience, in the course of one day, all the seasons of the year, depending on which sea the wind is blowing in from. The position of the sun in this does not play a significant role. It can be shining, and even brightly, but the wind from the North Sea brings to nothing all the sun’s efforts. Or in January, for example, you can get a tan and even sweat somewhere in a corner sheltered from the wind by the sea.

I think that the initial reason for the ‘passion’ for talking about the weather was precisely this bottom line. ‘No matter how you look at it’ the theme in discussion is broad; anyone and everyone can ‘blaze’ about it.

However, I came to the conclusion that there are also at least two more reasons for this chattiness.

One of them, I speculate, is hidden in the extraordinary / traditional / genetic politeness of the English. If they need to find something out then firstly they will cautiously utter one or two phrases about the weather and only after will present the question they crave to ask. Also, they consider it unbearably awkward to stand with ‘puffed out cheeks’ at the bus stop in the company of two or three people. And… they start to twitter about the weather.

The other reason again leaks from my observations — they tried to avoid gossip. They don’t like over-the-fence talk. Praise to you English! Likewise they don’t like to give advice and take upon themselves the heaviness

and responsibility of other people’s problems. In Russia, you just murmur your problem and you receive 33 happy answers and assurance that there are no unsolvable problems.

И так далее -and so on

Кроме того -besides

Завязать разговор -start a conversation

Никто не имеет дел с незнакомцами -nobody has any dealings with strangers

Избегать сплетен -avoid gossip

Давать советы и взваливать на себя груз чужих проблем -give advice and take upon themselves the heaviness of other people’s problems.

Личный опыт -

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personal experience

Действуйте по ситуации -be spontaneous

Это сработало -it helped

Сводить на нет -to bring to nothing

Не имеет значения -does not play role

Я пришла к выводу -I came to the conclusion

Невыносимо неловко -unbearably awkward
Задание 7. (максимальное количество баллов – 4 балла)

Составьте письменное высказывание на тему «Лондон-столица Великобритании» на английском языке. Высказывание должно содержать не менее 10-15 предложений.

London is a capital of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland or simply Great Britain. It’s a very big city with the population over 9 million people. London is located on the banks of the river Thames close to the North Sea. It was founded approximately in 43.

The capital of Great Britain is one of the most famous cities in the world. It’s a popular place for tourists, for shopping, for cultural and political events. A lot of exhibitions, performances, concerts, fashion show and other events take place here.

London has soft weather just like the rest of Europe thanks to the Gulf Stream, so the winter is very soft and summer is warm and it has approximately the same amount of rain all year around. The maximum temperature registered is 37.3 degrees and the maximum low temperature is 16.6 degrees.

There are 56% of the white Brits, 22% of Asians and 12% of black population. Around 48% of them is christian, 12% is muslim and 16% is atheists.

The main sights of the capital are Buckingham Palace, the Palace of Westminster, Tower Bridge, London eye, Big Ben, the Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral, the British museum, Trafalgar Square, 30 St Mary Axe skyscraper and so on. I would also add famous double-deck buses and telephone booths.

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