3. How are children taught to think?
4. Why do we need philosophy?
№ 17
1. Read the article and say in 2—3 sentences what it is about.
CULTURE SHOCK
Are you sure that you are a polite person? Good manners are important across the globe, but that doesn't mean they are the same all over the world. That's what Marta Ingram, who is English, understood when she married Alexander, who is Russian.
When I first met Alexander and he said to me, in Russian, "Naley mne tchai — pour me some tea." I got angry and answered, "Pour it yourself." Translated into English, without a 'Could you?..' and a 'please', it sounded really rude to me. But in Russian it was fine — you don't have to add any polite words. However, when I took Alexander home to meet my parents in the UK, I had to give him an intensive course in pleases and thank yous (which he thought was completely unnecessary), and to teach him to say sorry even if someone else steps on his foot, and to smile, smile, smile.
Another thing which Alexander just couldn't understand was why people said things like, "Would you mind passing me the salt, please?" He said, "It's only the salt, for goodness sake! What do you say if you want a real favour?" He watched in amazement when at a dinner party in England we had to eat some really disgusting food and I said, "Mmm... delicious." In Russia people are much more direct. The first time Alexander's mother came to our house for dinner in Moscow, she told me that my soup needed some flavouring. After that when we argued about it my husband said, "Do you prefer your guest to lie?" Alexander complained that in England he felt like a 'village idiot', because in Russia if you smile all the time people think that you are mad. In fact, this is exactly what my husband's friends thought of me the first time I went to Russia because I smiled at everyone, and translated every 'please' and 'thank you' from English into Russian. At home we now have an agreement, if we are speaking Russian, we can say "Pour me some tea", and make just a noise like a grunt when I get it to him. But when we are speaking English he has to add a 'please', a 'thank you', and a smile.
2. What did Marta Ingram understand when she met Alexander? Read aloud the extract which says about it.
3. Can you prove that the Russian and the English ideas of good manners are different?
4. What sort of decision did Marta and Alexander make?
№ 18
1. Read the article and say in 2—3 sentences what it is about.
THE ELDERLY
Being old is when you know all the answers, but: nobody asks you the questions.
My grandmother moved into an old people's home when she was 80 and I visited her there when I was in Britain. She was sitting in the living room with about fifteen other residents, mostly women, half of them asleep. The room was clean and warm and the care assistants were kind and cheerful. 'The News' was on the television, and the only other sound was snoring*. People only moved when they needed to be helped to the bathroom. It was depressing. I wanted to leave. So when I came across a newspaper article about a new type of old people's homes in France, I felt happy. The idea is simple, but revolutionary: combining a residential home for the elderly with a nursery school in the same building. The children and the residents eat lunch together and share activities such as music, painting, gardening and caring for the pets. In the afternoons, the old people enjoy reading or telling stories to the children and, if a child is feeling sad or tired, there is always a kind adult to talk and help. There are trips out and birthday parties too.
The advantages are enormous for everyone concerned. The children are happy because they get a lot more individual attention and respond well because someone has time for them. They also learn that old people are not different or frightening in any way. And of course, they see illness and death and learn to accept them. The residents are happy because they feel useful and needed. They are more active and more interested in life when the children are around and they take more interest in their appearance too. And the staff are happy because they sec an improvement in the physical and psychological health of the residents and have an army of assistants to help with the children. If older people can understand and accept the youth of today, and vice versa, there will be less conflict in a community. In a world where the number of old people is increasing, we need as much understanding and tolerance as possible.
Snore - храпеть
2. The author's Granny lived in an old people's home. Read aloud the extract which describes the atmosphere there.
3. What is the concept of a French old people's home?
4. Why do people feel happy there?
№ 19
1. Read the article and say in 2—3 sentences what it is about.
IS SMOKING VERY BAD?
Peter: I am an athlete. Growing up I was constantly around cigarettes, so you guessed it, I started smoking too. But as a few years passed it became more difficult to do my sports. Although 1 didn't see a change at the beginning I definitely did later. Even now, I still have breathing problems even though I have given up smoking. I understand that everyone wants to experiment, but I can say to all of you — don't make the mistake I made. Don't be stupid guys, you're better than that!
Kate: In my opinion, smoking should be banned in public places because nonsmokers shouldn't breathe the smoke of smokers. For example, at the disco, smokers don't respect nonsmokers and dance in smoke. It's dangerous. Kids also have to be protected from smokers with a smoking ban.
Mike: Why is it that people always mention peer pressure as a big reason for people to start smoking? I started smoking to protest against my parents. Because of the simple fact — I wasn't supposed to.
Jane: Now, some people say that smoking is done for a sense of relaxation. Let me tell you one thing, folks: I seriously think that the relaxation some of you use as an excuse for smoking comes from the movements performed by your lungs, certainly not the tobacco! Just go out and take a deep breath!
Joe: One person stated that smoking was the number one cause of death therefore it should be illegal. Actually car accidents kill more people per year. So I guess we should make driving illegal. The truth is we all need to stop screaming for everything we disagree with to be illegal. I own my body so I SHOULD have the right to do with it whatever I see fit. This includes drugs. Prohibition doesn't do anything positive. Education is the only answer.
Sam: I understand that tobacco is addictive and very difficult to stop using later in life, but I will stand by my statement that anybody (who starts smoking today and lives in the U.S. or another developed country where the harmful effects arc clear) either has lived under a rock his whole life or is just plain stupid.
