- •Introduction
- •Unit I. Rule of Law
- •1. Focus on Vocabulary
- •1.1. Choose the best variant and translate the italicized parts.
- •1.2. Fill in the blank spaces to complete the news stories. Do not use the prompts unless necessary.
- •1.3. Translate the following phrases using the words in bold type.
- •1.4. Translate the following sentences into English. Use the functional vocabulary where possible.
- •2. Focus on Texts
- •2.1. Do the following before you read the piece.
- •Freedom and rights
- •Constitutional rights
- •Personal freedoms
- •Legal rights
- •2.2. Suggest the English equivalents.
- •2.3. True or false.
- •2.4. Discussion points.
- •2.5. Using the italicized parts, summarize the articles to follow.
- •1.6. Identify the major human rights issues in the 2.5. Stories. Discuss in groups.
- •3. Focus on Rendering and Translation
- •3.1. Translate the following brief news items paying attention to the italicized parts.
- •Дума предлагает упростить процедуру ликвидации сми
- •Милошевич назвал Гаагский трибунал судом Линча
- •Молдаване не хотят становиться русскими
- •Оон: теракты 11 сентября стали поводом для нарушения прав человека
- •Арабские правозащитники: Израиль "затыкает рот арабскому меньшинству в кнессете"
- •22.10.2002 14:44 Http://lenta.Ru/mideast/2002/10/22/knesset/
- •3.2. Translate the following brief news items into English paying attention to the italicized parts. Новы праект беларускага закону
- •Жаночае лідэрства ў Беларусі
- •За Мікалуцкага просяць15 гадоў турмы
- •25.09.2003 Http://press.Promedia.By
- •3.3. Render the following article into English. Россия и права человека в странах снг
- •3.4. Render the following article into English. В современном Китае лишь несколько идеалистов-правозащитников живут воспоминаниями о трагедии 1989 года
- •3.5. Render the following article into English.
- •3.6. Render the following article into English. Новы закон аб смі заклiканы стаяць на варце iнтарэсаў грамадства I асобы
- •Unit II. Elections
- •Focus on Vocabulary
- •1.1. Explain the meaning of the following words and expressions.
- •1.2. Paraphrase the following expressions, using different glossary items.
- •1.3. Read the article below and decide which phrase from the box best fits each space.
- •Tories Face Test on Cow Disease
- •1.4. Piece the phrases together to make complete stories.
- •1.5. Paraphrase or explain the italicised parts of the following sentences.
- •1.6. Translate the following sentences paying special attention to the italicised words.
- •1.7. Translate the following sentences using the functional vocabulary where possible.
- •2. Focus on Texts
- •2.1. Read the article and complete the exercises that follow. Elections to Parliament The Electoral System
- •General Elections
- •2.2. Explain the meaning of the following word combinations in English.
- •2.3. Find the words or word-combinations which collocate with the following.
- •2.4. Questions and points for discussion.
- •2.5. Read the article and complete the exercises that follow. Electoral shock
- •2.6. Find words or word-combinations which mean the same.
- •2.7. Explain the following phrases and translate them into Russian.
- •2.8. Questions and points for discussion.
- •2.9. Read the article and complete the exercises that follow. Busting Turkey’s grey male monopoly
- •2.10. Translate the following word combinations into English.
- •2.11. Questions and points for discussion.
- •2.12. Read the article and complete the exercises that follow.
- •2.13. Translate the following word combinations into Russian and Belarusian.
- •2.14. Points for discussion.
- •3. Focus on Rendering and Translation
- •3.1. Render into English the following brief news items.
- •3.2. Render the following article into English. Казахстан: на выборах все определят колеблющиеся
- •3.3. Render the following article into English. Літва змяніла прэзідэнта
- •3.4. Render the following article into English. Літва ўступае ў ес
- •Revision Test 1
- •Match the words on the right with the words on the left.
- •2. Find the synonyms (left-hand column) and the definitions (right-hand column) of the words in the middle column.
- •3. Correct errors or inaccuracies.
- •Unit III. Visits. Talks. Agreements
- •1. Focus on Vocabulary
- •1.1. Give English equivalents to the following.
- •1.2. Give Russian equivalents to the following geographical names.
- •1.3. Paraphrase according to the model.
- •1.4. Paraphrase or explain the italicised parts of the following sentences.
- •1.5. Choose the best variant and translate the italicised parts.
- •1.6. Complete the table.
- •1.7. Translate into English paying attention to the italicized parts.
- •Focus on Texts Cook warned on Israel visit
- •2.1. Translate the following word combinations into English.
- •2.2. Answer the following questions.
- •2.3. As the article to follow is rather long, read the following questions first to give you an overview of the piece. Then try to answer them.
- •India and Pakistan end summit with pledge to hold more talks
- •2.4. What is the meaning of the following words and word combinations as used in the text?
- •Iraq talks “close to collapse”
- •2.5. Translate the following word combinations into English. Reproduce the situations in which they are used in the text.
- •2.6. Answer the following questions.
- •3. Focus on Rendering and Translation
- •3.1. Translate the following brief news items paying attention to the italicized parts.
- •3.2. Render the following article into English. Нажим приносит плоды Индия согласилась не проводить ядерных испытаний
- •3.3. Render the following article into English. Когда друг в беде
- •3.4. Render the following article into English. Теплые встречи в эмиратах
- •3.5. Render the following article into English. Россия остается в Совете Европы
- •3.6. Render the following article into English. Намёк прэзідэнта Пуціна
- •Unit IV. International Organizations
- •1. Focus on Vocabulary
- •1.1. Paraphrase the following sentences using words and expressions from the glossary.
- •1.2. Fill in the blanks with correct prepositions.
- •1.3. Piece the phrases together to make complete stories.
- •1.4. Translate from English into Russian/Belarusian.
- •1.5. Translate into English.
- •1.6. Fill in the blank spaces to complete the news story. Do not use the prompts unless necessary. Annan says world leaders aren't living up to their millennium pledges
- •1.8. Read the 1.6. Text again and identify major international concerns. Rate them in the order of importance. Explain your choice.
- •2. Focus on Texts
- •2.1. Before you read the following text, do a quiz on the un.
- •How the un Works
- •The General Assembly
- •The Security Council
- •The Economic and Social Council
- •The Trusteeship Council
- •The International Court of Justice
- •The Secretariat
- •The un system
- •2.2. Give English equivalents.
- •2.3. Translate the following word combinations into Russian.
- •2.4. Which statement goes with which un organ? Which un organ is left out?
- •2.5. Go back to the pre-reading quiz and check your answers against the facts in the text.
- •2.6. Points for discussion.
- •2.7. Read the extract from the Official Yearbook of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and complete the exercises that follow.
- •International organisations European Union
- •The Commonwealth
- •North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
- •Group of Eight
- •Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe
- •Council of Europe
- •Other International Bodies
- •2.8. Translate into English.
- •2.9. Make the following statements more factually correct.
- •2.10. Below you will find excerpts from the mission statements of four prominent international non-governmental organizations. Discuss the pieces and suggest what these organizations are.
- •Defending press freedom… every day
- •2.11. After-reading tasks and discussion points.
- •3. Focus on Rendering and Translation
- •3.1. Render the news stories into Russian, paying attention to the words in italics. Amnesty Slams un
- •Lebanon Gets Tough
- •Un Help in Congo
- •Kosovo Worries Ivanov
- •3.2. Translate the following brief news items paying attention to the italicized parts. Ультиматум Буша Совбезу оон
- •Мид России поднял грузинский вопрос на уровне оон
- •Кофи Аннан: с терроризмом мы будем воевать, но только вместе
- •Сша передали Совбезу оон новый проект резолюции по Ираку
- •Миротворцев оон в горячих точках заменят на наемников
- •3.3. Translate the following brief news items paying attention to the italicized parts. Падпісаны мемарандум
- •Заява Прэс-сакратара мзс Беларусі ў сувязі з прыняццем Саветам Бяспекі аан рэзалюцыі 1373 аб барацьбе з міжнародным тэрарызмам
- •3.4. Render the following article into English.
- •Оглашены имена злостных неплательщиков всемирного кооператива
- •3.5. Render the following article into English. Оон не избежать перестройки
- •3.6. Render the following article into English. Комиссар берет на прицел Чечню
- •3.7. Render the following article into English. Вопыт Беларусі вывучаюць у Жэневе
- •3.8. Render the following article into English. Прадухілім ядзерную небяспеку
- •3.9. Render the following article into English. Вайна ці мір?
- •Revision test 2
- •Match the words on the left with the definitions on the right.
- •Unit V. Economy Matters
- •1. Focus on Vocabulary
- •1.2. Paraphrase or explain the italicised parts of the following sentences.
- •1.3. Translate the following from English into Russian/Belarusian paying attention to the word combinations in italics.
- •1.4. Translate the following sentences using your topic vocabulary.
- •2. Focus on Texts
- •2.1. Read the following article and complete the exercises that follow. Growth Is Forecast in Rest of Eastern Europe
- •2.6. Read the following article and complete the exercises that follow. Canada Forges Trade Pact With Chile
- •Mexico’s decision to devalue the national currency triggered a political crisis in the usa and turned many of the senators against the very concept of free trade.
- •3. Focus on Rendering and Translation
- •3.1. Render into English the following extracts paying attention to the italicized parts.
- •3.2. Render into English the following extracts paying attention to the italicized parts.
- •3.3. Render into English the following article.
- •Китай не высказывает беспокойства по поводу сохраняющегося отрицательного сальдо в торговле с Беларусью
- •3.4. Render into English the following article. Древние американские законы всем надоели Европейский союз выступил против антидемпинговых процедур
- •3.5. Render into English the following article. У Беларусi I Масквы ёсць усе магчымасцi для паспяховага супрацоўнiцтва
- •3.6. Render into English the following article. «Белрасбанк» павiнен быць карысным для эканомiкi Беларусi
- •Revision test 3
- •Match the words in the left-hand column with the definitions on the right.
- •Translate the following into Russian.
- •Translate the following into English.
- •Unit VI. Natural Disasters
- •1. Focus on Vocabulary
- •1.1. Give the definitions to the following extreme weather events. Add other words you know referring to the topic.
- •1.2. Explain the meaning of the word-combinations.
- •1.3. Translate into Russian/Belarusian paying special attention to the italicized expressions.
- •1.4. Choose the best variant and translate.
- •1.5. Translate into Russian/Belarusian paying special attention to the italicized expressions.
- •1.6. Translate into Russian/Belarusian using the vocabulary from the previous exercises.
- •1.7. Read the four texts to follow and identify the natural disasters discussed. Write out the words and phrases that helped you identify the phenomena.
- •40,000 Evacuated by Denver _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
- •1.8. Translate into English using the following words and word combinations.
- •1.9. Translate the following news briefs paying attention to the italicized parts. Спасательные работы в Северной Осетии приостановлены до 6.30 утра
- •В Гватемале селевым потоком смыто 60 домов
- •На Сахалине произошло землетрясение
- •1.10. Translate the following news briefs paying attention to the italicized parts. На Алтаі адбылося новае землетрасенне
- •Ахвяры ліхаманкі заходняга Ніла
- •2. Focus on Texts
- •2.1. Read the following article and complete the exercises that follow.
- •333 Confirmed dead in Mexico floods
- •2.2. Suggest the Russian/Belarusian equivalents.
- •2.3. Reproduce the situations in which the words and phrases from the above exercise are used.
- •2.4. Work in pairs. Write a summary of the article leaving out the insignificant details (from your point of view). Compare with the summary of your group-mate. What are the differences? Why?
- •2.5. Read the following article and find the English equivalents to the following Russian expressions in the text.
- •2.6. Reproduce the article using the phrases from exercise 2.5.
- •2.7. Read the article and complete the exercises that follow. Etna's plume traced from space
- •2.8. Suggest the English equivalents to the following Russian expressions.
- •2.9. Insert prepositions and particles where necessary, then read the text and check your answers.
- •2.10. Answer the following questions.
- •3. Focus on Rendering and Translation
- •3.1. Render the following article into English. Турецкое эхо Может ли наука предупредить о грозящем землетрясении?
- •3.2. Render the following article into English. Тайфун в Японии: город Нагоя затоплен, 5 человек погибли
- •Render the following article into English. Итальянский остров Стромболи стал необитаемым
- •3.4. Render the following article into English. Павадак у Мексіцы: больш за 600 чалавек загінула
- •3.5. Render the following article into English. «Майсей» уратуе Венецыю
- •3.6 Render the following article into English. Як выжыць ва ўмовах клiматычнага «экстрыму»?
- •Final test
- •Match the beginning of the expression on the right with its end on the left.
- •Appendix 1. Glossary Civil Rights Core Vocabulary
- •Visits. Talks. Agreements Core Vocabulary
- •International Organizations
- •Vocabulary
- •Elections Core Vocabulary
- •Additional Vocabulary
- •Trade Relations Core Vocabulary
- •Natural Disasters Core Vocabulary
- •Appendix 2. Abbreviations
- •Table of Contents
2. Focus on Texts
2.1. Read the article and complete the exercises that follow. Elections to Parliament The Electoral System
Each of the 659 Members of Parliament, or MPs, in the House of Commons represents a particular part of the United Kingdom called a constituency. The country is divided into areas of roughly equal population (about 90 000 people). Cities have several constituencies. MPs are expected to be interested in the affairs of their community and to represent the interests of local people, their constituents, in Parliament. Many hold regular surgeries, sessions at which they are available for local people to talk to them. People may also write to their MPs if they want to protest about something.
Anyone who wants to become an MP must be elected by the people of a constituency. Before an election one person is chosen by each of the main political parties to stand for election in each constituency. People usually vote for the candidate who belongs to the party they support, rather than because of his or her personal qualities or opinions. Only the candidate who gets the most votes in each constituency is elected. This system is called first past the post.
In a general election, when elections are held in all constituencies, the winning party, which forms the next government, is the one that wins most seats in Parliament, even though it may have received fewer votes overall than the opposition parties. A proposal that Britain should use a system of proportional representation, whereby seats in Parliament would be allocated according to the total number of votes cast for each party, has been put forward on various occasions.
General Elections
By law, a general election must take place every five years. The government decides when to hold an election, and the Prime Minister may decide to go to the country earlier than is legally necessary if there seems to be a good chance of winning.
General elections are always held on Thursdays. After the date has been fixed, anyone who wants to stand for Parliament has to leave a deposit of £500 with the Returning Officer, the person in each constituency responsible for managing the election. The local offices of the major offices pay the deposit for their own candidates. If a candidate wins more than 5% of the votes, he or she gets the deposit back. Otherwise candidates lose their deposit. This is intended to stop people who do not seriously want to be MPs from taking part in the election. Sometimes people who feel very strongly about an issue, e.g. protecting the lives of unborn babies, become candidates and campaign specifically about that issue. A few people become candidates for a joke, especially in the constituency which the Prime Minister is defending, because they know they will get a lot of publicity.
Before an election takes place candidates campaign for support in the constituency. The amount of money that candidates are allowed to spend on their campaign is strictly limited. Leading members of the government and the opposition parties travel throughout the country addressing meetings and “meeting the people”, especially in marginals, constituencies where only a slight shift of opinion would change the outcome of the voting. Local party workers spend their time canvassing, going from house to house to ask people about how they intend to vote. At national level the parties spend a lot of money on advertising and media coverage. They cannot buy television time: each party is allowed a number of strictly timed party political broadcasts. Each also holds a daily televised news conference.
By-elections
If an MP dies or retires, a by-election is held in the constituency which he or she represented. By-elections are closely watched by the media as they are thought to indicate the current state of public opinion and the government’s popularity.
Voting
Anyone over the age of 18 has the right to vote at elections, provided that they are on the electoral register. This is a list of all the adults living in a constituency. A new, revised list is compiled each year. Copies are available for people to look at in local public libraries. Voting is not compulsory but the turnout at general elections is usually high, about 75%.
About a week in advance of an election everyone on the electoral register receives a polling card. This tells them where their polling station is. One the day of the election, polling day, voters go to the polling station and are given a ballot paper. This lists the names of all the candidates for that constituency, together with the names of the parties they represent. Each voter then goes into a polling booth where nobody can see what they are writing, and puts a cross next to the name of one candidate only, the one they want to elect. Polling stations, often local schools or church halls, are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. to give everyone an opportunity to vote. During a general election, people leaving the polling station may be asked by professional analysts called pollsters how they voted. Similar exit polls taken all over the country are used to predict the overall election result.
After the polls close, the ballot papers from all the polling stations in a constituency are taken to a central place to be counted. In most constituencies counting takes place the same evening, continuing for as long as necessary through the night. If the number of votes for two candidates is very close, the candidates may demand a recount. Several recounts may take place until all the candidates are satisfied that the count is accurate. Finally, the Returning Officer makes a public announcement giving the number of votes cast for each candidate and declaring the winner to be the MP for the constituency. On general election night, television and radio keep everyone informed of the results throughout Britain and make predictions about the overall result and the size of the winning party’s majority in Parliament.
Oxford Guide to British and American Culture. 1999