Сборник учебных текстов по развитию английской устной речи для студентов неязыковых специальностей



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5.18 Resources

About 25 percent of the land in row crops in the United States produces exports. Also, the country is able to satisfy much of its gigantic demand for industrial raw materials domestically. The United States has the potential to be a major supplier for a few nonagricultural raw materials internationally and is the world's leading exporter of coal.

Although the U.S. population is predominantly urban, the extrac­tion of natural resources from its abundant base requires a large nonurban labor force. Furthermore, particularly for agriculture, the development of these resources often involves a substantial land area. As a result, the relationship between the physical environment and human adaptations to that environment are clearly visible. Government plays an important role in this relationship by establish­ing controls on land use and agri­cultural production and by regulating the development of many resources. It is partly because processes inherent in urbanization and industrialization lead to high demand for raw materials that the

United States has become depen­dent on imported raw materials in spite of great natural resource abundance.

High Income and High Con­sumption. The high U.S. national income is achieved through high worker productivity, which requires a significant use of machines. And modern machines are fueled by inanimate energy sources. Mobility also implies heavy use of energy resources. High income spread somewhat evenly among a large share of the population will gener­ate high product demand. All this increases energy consumption.



Americans consume about 25 per­cent of the world's total energy pro­duction. The United States imports half the petroleum it consumes, an increasing share of the iron ore and natural gas used, nearly all of its tin and aluminum, and large quantities of many other mineral ores.

High income also affects diet. Americans eat far more meat prod­ucts and have a substantially more varied diet than most of the world's population. Beef and dairy produc­tion are, therefore, especially impor­tant in the agricultural economy.
5.19 Environmental Impact

One consequence of high consumption combined with resource abundance and dependence is a strong disrup­tion of the physical environment. Resources seldom can be removed from the natural landscape without some impact, and the manufacture and use of these resources often harm the air and water. The increased severity of such environ­mental impacts has enlivened the argument between development and conservation—an argument that has stimulated greater governmental intervention in both processes in an attempt to establish a middle ground. As domestic resources become increasingly scarce and their costs of extraction and production increase, the importance of this conflict will grow.

Political Complexity: The United States has a complex politi­cal structure, with jurisdiction over an activity or state divided among many different decision-making bodies, some elected and some appointed.



Below the state level, the complex­ity of the political structure can pre­sent a major problem in the effective and efficient distribution of govern­mental services. Counties, town­ships, cities, and towns are all gov­erned by their own elected officials. Many special administrative units oversee the provision of specific ser­vices, such as education, public transportation, and water supply. The resulting administrative pattern is often nearly impossible to com­prehend, because many overlapping jurisdictions may provide one ser­vice or another in a given area.

Cultural Origins: The United States has grown from a diverse cul­tural background. African Americans have made important contributions to the national cul­ture. A distinctive cultural region has developed in the Southwest, with an admixture of Hispanic Americans, American Indians, and European Americans. The Chinese contributed to the life of such cities as San Francisco and New York. This cultural diversity is an important element in the distinctive character of the country.


5.20 American weddings.

There are many different kinds of weddings in the United States, reflecting the different religious and ethnic backgrounds of the American people. Weddings may be large or small, religious or civil, formal or informal; it all depends on the wishes and personal situations of the man and woman who are getting married. An overwhelming majority of today's couples, however, choose to marry in a traditional religious ceremony.

The Wedding Ceremony. There are several customs Americans follow when a man and a woman have a traditional wedding. One of the oldest customs is for the bride to wear "something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue." When the bride enters the church or synagogue, everyone stands up. The processional music starts and the bride walks down the aisle, accompanied by her father. At the end of the aisle, she meets the groom and the officiate (priest, minister, or rabbi) who makes some introductory remarks on marriage. He asks if the couple marries freely, and they answer affirmatively. The bride and groom join hands and declare their vows. After they say their "I do's," the groom puts the wedding ring on his bride's finger and he kisses her. Then the officiate gives the couple his blessings-they are now officially married. The bride and groom come back down the aisle, followed by their attendance and families. This completes the ceremony. Outside the church or synagogue, the guests rush up to congratulate the couple and wish them well.

The Wedding Reception. After the wedding ceremony, there is usually a reception at a hotel, restaurant, or private club. The wedding reception is a festive celebration that gives family and friends an opportunity to share the joy of the bride and groom. As with any other special occasion, there is food, drink, and music to make everyone relaxed and happy.

Dancing. If there is dancing at the wedding party, the first dance is reserved for the bride and groom. After the bride dances with her new husband, the rest of the bridal party joins in and the guests may follow. Music During the formal dancing is soft and romantic. Once the main meal is completed and the cake is cut, the musicians can pick up the tempo.

Cutting the Cake. One of the wedding's most precious and memorable moments is the cutting of the wedding cake. The bride and groom together make the first cup, his hand over hers. She takes the first bite of cake and offers him the second. This act of sharing symbolizes their lifetime of sharing ahead.

Tossing the Bouquet. At the end of the celebration, all the unmarried women gather for the tossing of the bouquet. Traditionally, the bride turns her back to the women and tosses the bouquet over her shoulder. Today she may face them. Supposedly, the one who catches it will be the next married.

Taking Leave. After the bouquet is thrown, the bride and groom leave the reception to begin their honeymoon. The guests throw rice at the couple as they leave the party. They drive off in the groom's car, which is often decorated with streamers and flowers.

Modern couples may or may not choose to follow the traditional customs mentioned above, but (here is one thing they all have in common: they want their marriage to be successful and their wedding to be as lovely and memorable as they can make it.


5.21 American Press.

Because of the great size of the USA, local newspapers are more important than local ones. Only the New York Times, the Chicago, the Tribune, the Wall Street Journal are read all over the country. But there are other newspapers that have a wide interest and influence; they include the Washington Post, the popular Daily News, the Baltimore Sun, the Philadelphia Inquirer and others.

The USA press plays an important part in the business of government; the press conference is an American invention.

In the 20th century newspapers have ranged from tabloids featuring pictures and sensational news to, “responsible journals”. There pages are varied and include columns devoted to news, editorials, letters to the editor, business and finance, sport entertainment, art, music, books, fashion, food, society and others.

As the great newspaper chains and news agencies grew, American’s press lost its individualistic character; many features are common to newspapers all over the country, which therefore have a uniform appearance.

Although there are no separate Sunday papers as there are in G.B., US daily papers do have special Sunday additions. Many of these are remarkable in size; the New York Times Sunday edition regularly has over 200 pages, and has had 946.

Almost all American newspapers carries comic strips, usually at least a page of them.

In contrast to daily newspaper, many magazines in the USA are national and even international. Those which the widest circulations are Time, Reader’s Digest, TV Guide, Woman’s day, Better homes and Gardens, Family circle, the National Geographic magazine.



5.22 Women’s Issues in American Politics.

The role of women's issues on the political agenda of contem­porary America is a product both of the changing politics of the women's movement and the general character of the American policy environment in the 1990s.

The climate for the promotion of women's issues in American politics at the opening of the 1990s could thus be said to be mixed. Although the overall picture remained bleak for reasons which had as much to do with the economic state of the country as with the political strengths of the women's movement, there were reasons for guarded optimism.

Two factors in particular gave the advocates of women’s interests and the feminist movement reason for believing that the tide of opinion had turned. First, there was increasing evidence of greater equality of access for women to education. Over the period 1960—1980 the percentage of women with a college degree in the United States more than doubled from 6 to 13 percent and this trend seemed set to continue. Of particular interest in 1990 was the increased access which women were getting to graduate education, especially to the law schools and medical schools which constituted the key channels to America's professional elite Secondly, while the women's organizations, like other participants in the liberal civil rights coalition, had found little sympathy in the federal government during the Reagan Presidency, they had participated in the spectacular and symbolic defeat of the 1987 Bork nomination to the Supreme Court. And although President Bush's veto of the Civil Rights Act of 1990 effectively killed legislation which would have made it easier for women to sue their employers for discrimination (and would have allowed extensive damages to be awarded where discrimination was proved) as with child-care legislation, the 1990 midterm elections produced a better political context for the successful reintroduction the legislation. While it would be impossible in an essay of this length to do justice to all of these themes, the outlines of the story can be told here.



6 My University. My future profession.
6.1 My University

I am very happy that I study at this University. It is one of the finest country’s higher educational institutions. Many famous people have graduated from my University. Studying at our University gives a solid background in all spheres of knowledge and prepares for practical work.

Our University is quite large but not very old. It was founded in the beginning of the 20th century. In 1915, during the World War I the University of Warsaw was evacuated here. First it had only three faculties, but later in became the largest University in the region and it gave birth to other Institutions in the region. Nowadays it is a large school where more than 18000 students are currently enrolled.

The course of study at my University lasts five years. There are many faculties at my University. Here are some of them: the faculty of banking and finance and, the faculty of management, the faculty of business law and the faculty of accounting.

Our University is large and we have several buildings. One of the buildings is for lectures and seminars only. There are many large halls there so that students of 3-4 groups together can fit in there. We have two other buildings for library, computer centre, gym, and other facilities. Many students from my group want to do their own research work in the future and these facilities will certainly help them.

There are several cafes at the University. The food there is tasty and very affordable.

There are also several dormitories or hostel buildings where students from other cities countries live. I don’t live in a dormitory – I rent an apartment.

6.2 Pavlodar State University

The Toraigyrov Pavlodar state university was founded in 1996, on the basis of Pavlodar industrial institute, which in its turn, was founded in 1960. There were only 400 students who studied at 3 faculties. The lessons were conducted by 16 teachers, and only one of them had an academic status of docent.

Today the Toraigyrov Pavlodar state university is a multiple-discipline higher educational institution, which realizes educational programs along 2 specialties of doctorate, 17 specialties of post-graduate course, 34 specialties of graduate school and 114 specialties of higher professional training, including 54 specialties of baccalaureate and 21 secondary professional education specialties. More than 15 thousand students study at the university. There are many faculties at our university: the faculty of Finance and Economics, Faculty of Philology, Journalism and Art, History and law faculty, faculty of Physics, Mathematics and Information Technologies, the faculty of metallurgy, machine building and transport, the faculty of foreign languages, Biology and Chemistry faculty, Power Engineering faculty, Architecture and Construction Engineering faculty, Distance Learning Faculty.

Many famous people of our country have graduated from PSU, the former Prime-Minister of the Republic D. Akhmetov, the Senate deputy S. Esimhanov, V. Bobrov, S. Aliguzhinov, N. Chmyh and others.

The university has a well-developed material and technical basis: 6 educational buildings, a scientific library with 6 reading halls, 4 subscription departments and 1 million specimen book resources, a museum complex consisting of 6 museums: museum of Science History of Pavlodar oblast; museum of Kazakh ethnography; museum of Technics History; geological museum; archeological Museum named after A.Margulan; PSU History Museum, plenty of laboratories, including modern computer classes, professional graphics workstation for architecture and design, media library and Internet-café.

The educational process is realized by the teaching staff of the university: 46 professors, 156 candidates, 52 doctors of science and 94 dotsents work at 40 departments and 12 scientific practical centers.


6.3 World of jobs

We spend great part of our lives at our jobs, so choosing a right career is one of the most important decisions you will make in your life. Many students finish high school and begin college without a clear idea of what they want to do in future. Part of the problem is the size of the job market itself. With so many kinds of jobs (2000) how can you tell which will interest you? Some of occupations are already overcrowded. In old industries there may be little need for new workers, while new and growing industries will offer jobs now and in the future. Therefore, it is extremely important to explore your choice of occupations from every angle, collect as much information as you can. But above all you must evaluate yourself. Find out where your interests and talents lie. Postponing a decision is an error people make. "I'll get started tomorrow or next week, or next year," - many people think. These people refuse to face the problem, hoping it will go away. But if you don't take the first step now, how can you plan for the future, how can you take the right way? Such people miss many opportunities. First start with yourself, make a list of your interests, talents and abilities. Most people have a lot of these, but at the beginning they are undeveloped and may not seem outstanding. By concentrating on a few, or on one you may surprise yourself at how good you can get. The interest inventory that follows covers the major fields in which most people find careers: science, art, social service, business, sales and so on. Sometimes we say that someone we know is 'a square peg in a round hole'. This means that person we are talking about is not suited for the job he is doing. Unfortunately, many people in the world are 'square pegs'. But to be a 'square peg' is not a real problem, a real problem for millions of people is to be unemployed.



6.4 Problems of unemployment of young people

I think that the problem of youth employment is very actual and must be solved as quick as possible. Most of young people in Russia nowadays get higher education chiefly because it is in basion now. They all go to institutes or universities and even academies. But the quality of education nowadays leaves much to be desired. As a result the country will have a lot of specialists especially doctors, managers and lowers. But their quality will be very low. It is one problem. The other problem is that of finding working places for such a great number of specialists. The Federal Government should do something about this problem. Creating those places for young people is the burning question now. There must be a lot of new plants, factories, hospitals and other enterprises to give jobs to all the graduates. But there is one more problem when people who leave one or institutions are not satisfied with the working conditions and work as other specialists. As a result they have only their diplomas but they do not work according to their professions. And it is also very bad. The government should provide good working conditions for some spheres, which are not popular (for example give more money and so on). In Russia young people are still a little suppressed, they have complexes but abroad the life is quite different. Young people begin to work very early from the point of view of age, get more and more experience out of their work and have more possibilities to realize themselves.


6.5 I have a dream

There are a lot of noble and important professions. One can hardly make up his mind which to choose.


I want to be a doctor. I began to think of my future profession when I was 12. You see, my father is a doctor. He is a qualified and experienced surgeon in emergency surgical department of a military clinic. I like my daddy's profession and I am eager to get a medical education and work at a hospital. Day by day my father takes care of his clinic patients and I know, he treats them well. He is very attentive. Every morning he comes to the wards asking about complaints. He wants all people to be able-bodied and he tries to make his in-patients well again. Now there are a lot of wounded soldiers and officers from Chechnya and Bosnia. To operate on them and sometimes simply save their lives is his main task. After each operation he takes care of them. Day by day he helps them to recover and he is very happy and proud when he says, "My in-patient is quite recovered today and he is off. Sometimes he advises them to go to sanatoriums or mineral resorts after leaving the hospital. He instructs them in detail what they can and can't do and eat after their operations.
6.6 What makes a good journalist?

What makes a good journalist? Many things. But first of all, a deep and genuine interest in people. A person who has no interest in other people will never make a good journalist. So if you are not very interested in other people and think that most people are a bit of nuisance and you prefer not to have anything more to do with them than is necessary, journalism is not for you.


Hand in hand with this interest in people, should go qualities of sympathy, open-mindedness and an inquiring mind. Sympathy: so that you can see the other side of an issue even you disagree with the person who holds it. Open-mindedness: so that you do not make hasty ill-informed judgements. Inquiring-mind: so that you can really get to the bottom of the thing you are asking about.

So these are the basic qualities for a journalist, but the officially required qualifications are very different. Obviously a journalist must be well enough educated to be able to write fairly clearly in whatever language it is he hopes to work in.

What about the rest of the educational qualifications for a journalist? Often it is the pupil who was fairly good at five or six subjects, and not brilliant at just one, who makes the best journalist. These sorts of people are rather balanced for the sort of life a journalist leads.

But of course, nobody can say exactly what the best qualifications for a career in journalism are. They will vary enormously according to the individual.



6.7 Computer engineer

I am very proud to study at the faculty of information systems and want to tell a few words about my speciality. I was always good at mathematics and physics. My parents bought me a computer and since then I knew that I would become a specialist in computer technologies – a computer engineer.

Computer industry is developing so fast, that it comprises all spheres of professional life. No business now is possible without computers. Computer control of automated production opens new horizons for the cheap and quality production of goods.

Computer engineering is a general field. It deals with both electric and electronic industries. Engineers in the field of electric and electronic engineering are concerned with all aspects of electrical communications, from fundamental questions such as “What is information?” to the highly practical, such as the design of telephone systems. In designing communication systems, engineers rely on various branches of advanced mathematics, such as linear systems theory, linear algebra, differential equations, and probability theory.

Engineers work on control systems which are used extensively in automated manufacturing and in robotics. The field of computer science is closely related to computer engineering; however, the task of making computers more “intelligent” (artificial intelligence), through creation of sophisticated programs or development of higher level machine languages or other means.

One current trend in computer engineering is miniaturization, to fit greater and greater numbers of circuit elements onto smaller and smaller chips.

Another trend is increasing the speed of computer operations through the use of parallel processors and superconducting materials.

So, as you see, there are a lot of employment opportunities in my field. I don’t worry about finding a job. The most important thing for me is now to study well and to graduate from the University successfully.


6.8 Lawyer

I am a fourth year student of Pavlodar State University. I study at the Law Faculty. In a year I’ll graduate from the University and become a professional lawyer. To become a good lawyer one must know much. So at the University we are taught various general and special subject: Roman Law, Labour Law, Family Law, Constitutional and Administrative Law, Civil Law, Criminal Law, Law of Procedure, etc.

The profession of a lawyer is quite diversified. The graduates of our faculty can work as investigators, judges, defence counsels, legal consultants. I’d like to be a judge and to work at a People’s Court. My friends will work at the Procurator’s Office, Militia, Legal Aid Offices.

I think that now the profession is one of the most important in the law-governed state which we are creating now. Lawyers have to solve many problems that still exist in our society. The duty of lawyers is not only to punish people for various crimes: hooliganism, stealing, murder, traffic violation and so on but they must do their best to prevent crimes, to fight against evil in our society. They should help those people who committed an error to find the right road in their life. The lawyers protect the rights and legal interests of citizens, institutions and organizations. All the citizens are equal before the law. Judges are elected for a term of 5 years. Not only professional lawyers but the representatives of the population hear all criminal and civil cases having equal authority. The defendants are guaranteed the right to defense.

In our country justice is exercised on the principles of equality of citizens before the law and the court, regardless of social position, property or official standing, nationality or race. The court’s mission is not just to meter out punishment, but rather to educate people in the spirit of strict observance of all laws, of labour discipline, appreciation of their duty to the state and society, respect for the rights and integrity of fellow citizens and of the norms of behaviour.

Proceedings of all courts are open. All people before the court are presumed innocent, until the court, having observed all procedural guarantees, finds them guilty. Only then is the sentence pronounced. An appeal can be made against the ruling to a higher court, right up to the Supreme Court.



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