Text 8 Great grandad
Study and learn by heart!
approach from (the/a)– подойти с
cope with – справиться с
flat (зд.)– плоский
mazes – лабиринты
take apart - разделить
three-dimensional – трехмерный
cope with – справиться с
flat (зд.)– плоский
mazes – лабиринты
take apart - разделить
three-dimensional – трехмерный
I. 1. Read the article and say in 2-3 sentences what it is about.
It was a funny, surprising thing that brought Grandad back to me. It was algebra. I couldn’t cope with algebra in my first year at secondary school, and it made me mad. “I don’t see the point of it,” I screamed. “I don’t know what it’s for!”
Grandad, as it turned out, liked algebra and he sat opposite me and didn’t say anything for a while, considering my problem in that careful expressionless way of his.
Eventually he said, “Why do you do PE* at school?”
“What?”
“PE. Why do they make you do it?”
“Because they hate us?” I suggested.
“And the other reason?”
“To keep us fit, I suppose.”
“Physically fit, yes.”
He reached across the table and put the first two fingers of each hand on the sides of my head.
“There is also mental fitness, isn’t there? I can explain to you why algebra is useful. But that is not what algebra is really for.”
He moved his fingers gently on my head.
“It’s to keep what is in here healthy. PE is for the head. And the great thing is you can do it sitting down. Now, let us use these little puzzles here to take our brains for a jog.”*
And it worked. Not that I fell in love with algebra. But I did come to see that it was possible to enjoy it. Grandad taught me that maths signs and symbols were not just marks on paper. They were not flat. They were threedimensional, and you could approach them from different directions. You could take them apart and put them together in a variety of shapes, like Lego. I stopped being afraid of them.
I didn’t know it at the time, of course, but those homework sessions helped me to discover my Grandad. Algebra turned out to be the key that opened the invisible door he lived behind and let me in.
Now I learnt that Grandad’s world was full of miracles and mazes, mirrors and misleading signs. He was fascinated by riddles and codes and labyrinths, by the origin of place names, by grammar, by slang, by jokes — although he never laughed at them — by anything that might mean something else. I discovered My Grandad.
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1. *PE [ˌpiːiː] физкультура
2. take our brains for a jog [ˈteɪk əʊə ˈbreɪnz fər əˈdʒɒɡ] шевелить мозгами
2. The author says she had problems with algebra. Find this extract and read it aloud.
3. How did the girl's Grandad help her understand the subject?
4. What else did the author learn about her Grandad?
II. Listen to the member of the Greenpeace organisation telling a story about whales and answer the questions below. (28)
1. How did Uncle Roger explain to the boy why the whales were on the beach?
2. How did the people help them?
3. How did this event affect the story-teller’s life?
1. How did Uncle Roger explain to the boy why the whales were on the beach?
2. How did the people help them?
3. How did this event affect the story-teller’s life?
Script
One night there was a big storm with huge waves. It stopped only in the morning.
We were having breakfast when we heard somebody screaming “Whales!” We ran to the beach. I will never forget what I saw that morning. Two whales were lying on the beach, they were so helpless. “Are they dead?” I asked Uncle Roger. “One is dead, but the other is still alive,” he answered in a sad voice. “Why did they do it?” I continued asking him. “Nobody knows for sure but many people believe that whales sometimes throw themselves on the beach. They sort of go crazy. Dirty water makes them that crazy. As you know plants and factories throw rubbish into the water,” he added angrily.
There were a lot of people on the beach. Some people brought ropes* and we began to pull him into the water. It was hard as he was very heavy. I will never forget the moment when the whale began moving in the water and a fountain of water came out of it. We all felt happy.
The whale disappeared but the memory stayed in my heart forever. I think it is the main reason why I decided to study the ocean and protect animals. Now I am a member of Greenpeace and my priority is to protect whales both from hunting and the many other daily threats they face.
We were having breakfast when we heard somebody screaming “Whales!” We ran to the beach. I will never forget what I saw that morning. Two whales were lying on the beach, they were so helpless. “Are they dead?” I asked Uncle Roger. “One is dead, but the other is still alive,” he answered in a sad voice. “Why did they do it?” I continued asking him. “Nobody knows for sure but many people believe that whales sometimes throw themselves on the beach. They sort of go crazy. Dirty water makes them that crazy. As you know plants and factories throw rubbish into the water,” he added angrily.
There were a lot of people on the beach. Some people brought ropes* and we began to pull him into the water. It was hard as he was very heavy. I will never forget the moment when the whale began moving in the water and a fountain of water came out of it. We all felt happy.
The whale disappeared but the memory stayed in my heart forever. I think it is the main reason why I decided to study the ocean and protect animals. Now I am a member of Greenpeace and my priority is to protect whales both from hunting and the many other daily threats they face.
- What profession appeals to you?
- Who or what has been an influence on you in choosing your future career?
- What questions will you ask a person who is satisfied with his/her professional life?
- What advice will you give to your friend who is looking for a job.
- What do you think is more important: to have a good salary or to love your job?
possible response
1. Nowadays there is a great variety of jobs to any taste and it is really not an easy task to choose the right one.
I began to think about my future profession at the age of 15. My favourite subjects at school are Mathematics and English. And I know well what I'm going to do after leaving school. I am interested in business economics. I came to this decision little by little. It was my father who aroused my interest in that field. You see, my father is working for an international company as a chief economist and I am often at his office where I watch him working and discussing business matters with his colleagues. So I’ve learnt a lot about this profession. Economists study our everyday life and the system, which affects it. To become a good specialist in economic and business I must know many sciences, such as business economics, finance and credits, statistics, history of economic theory and philosophy, mathematics, as well as economic management, etc.
If I pass my entrance exams successfully and enter the University I'll try to do my best to achieve my life's ambition and to justify the hopes of my parents. I also hope that I'll never regret my choice and get a well-paid and interesting job afterwards.
2. It was my father who aroused my interest in that field. He is working for an international company as a chief economist and I am often at his office where I watch him working and discussing business matters with his colleagues.
3. Is it important to get satisfaction from your job?
Is the size of your salary important?
What is more important for you: to love what you do or to have a good salary?
How much time do you spend at work?
Would you like to change anything?
4. Finding a great new job can be very challenging. So I’d recommend my friend to work with a recruiter. As staffing experts, they can offer excellent career advice, resume assistance and interview tips. This is the best way to find a great new job in no time at all!
5. Steve Jobs said “The only way to do great work is to do what you love.” I think he is the best example of a successful man. He wasn’t rich at the beginning of his career but he always did what he loved and became a business magnate. So, if you love what you do, you will be happy and wealthy.
I began to think about my future profession at the age of 15. My favourite subjects at school are Mathematics and English. And I know well what I'm going to do after leaving school. I am interested in business economics. I came to this decision little by little. It was my father who aroused my interest in that field. You see, my father is working for an international company as a chief economist and I am often at his office where I watch him working and discussing business matters with his colleagues. So I’ve learnt a lot about this profession. Economists study our everyday life and the system, which affects it. To become a good specialist in economic and business I must know many sciences, such as business economics, finance and credits, statistics, history of economic theory and philosophy, mathematics, as well as economic management, etc.
If I pass my entrance exams successfully and enter the University I'll try to do my best to achieve my life's ambition and to justify the hopes of my parents. I also hope that I'll never regret my choice and get a well-paid and interesting job afterwards.
2. It was my father who aroused my interest in that field. He is working for an international company as a chief economist and I am often at his office where I watch him working and discussing business matters with his colleagues.
3. Is it important to get satisfaction from your job?
Is the size of your salary important?
What is more important for you: to love what you do or to have a good salary?
How much time do you spend at work?
Would you like to change anything?
4. Finding a great new job can be very challenging. So I’d recommend my friend to work with a recruiter. As staffing experts, they can offer excellent career advice, resume assistance and interview tips. This is the best way to find a great new job in no time at all!
5. Steve Jobs said “The only way to do great work is to do what you love.” I think he is the best example of a successful man. He wasn’t rich at the beginning of his career but he always did what he loved and became a business magnate. So, if you love what you do, you will be happy and wealthy.