Country Life versus City Life

The recording is taken from Cool English, № 14

 

I. PRE-LISTENING TASK

Look up the meanings of these words and phrases in a dictionary to understand the recording better.

the pros and cons out of town

a puppy cool

I mean you know

easy fun

a movie gonna

wanna kind of

I guess sort of

to be into sth scenery

II. LISTENING AND COMPREHENSION TASKS

 

Listen to the conversation between Mary and Jean and mark the statements below as True or False.

1. Mary (the first person speaking) is going to buy an apartment of her own.

2. Jean thinks that living in the city is cool.

3. Mary is sure that the city isn’t very loud and there’s not much pollution.

4. Jean has got a chicken.

2.2. Answer the questions:

1. What does one of the speakers like about living in the city?

2. What does the other speaker like about living in the country?

 

III. AUDITORY MEMORY CHECK

Fill in the gaps with the words from the recording.

1. I can have a little puppy ___ myself.

2. You can go ___ anytime you want, come ___ and not have to worry about ___.

3. I like having my ___, and like having, I don’t know, just having my ___ but in the middle of all the ___.

4. But, you know, you can come to my ___ and experience the ___ and beautiful ___ and….

 

IV. FOLLOW UP ACTIVITY

· Speak about the pros and cons of living in the country and in the city. What is the most important thing for you?

 

Joke Time

Arriving home one evening a man found the house locked up. After trying to get in through the window on the first floor he finally climbed upon the shed roof and with much difficulty entered through the second-storey window. On the dining room table he found a note from his wife: “I’ve gone out. You’ll find the key under the door mat.”

w

Lady: How do you like the room as a whole?

Visitor: As a hole it’s fine, as a room not so good.

As a whole – в целом

Hole – нора

w

Tenant: This roof is leaking so badly that the rain comes through. How long is this going to continue?

Landlord: I don’t know. I never was much good at forecasting the weather.

w

- Hello, I’m a piano-tuner.

- We didn’t send for the piano-tuner…

- I know it, your neighbours did it.

&

MEALS

Active Vocabulary

table d’hфte (Sg, n) а la carte (adj., adv.) hors-d’њuvre(s) to feel like eating/drinking sth to eat up (in, out) to eat like a bird/like a horse to order sth for the main/first course a three-course meal to lay (set) the table to clear the table dessert (C, U) to choose sth to one’s taste to be under-, over-, half-done to taste (tastes differ), tasteless to make one’s mouth water to make/brew tea (coffee) to feel hungry (thirsty) to be starving (spoken) to prefer (sth to sth) to prefer sth for (the main course) be good/bad for health junk food health food to eat right (AmE) to fall into the habit of drinking coffee eatable (uneatable) edible (inedible) to treat sb to sth cuisine (U)

to be full (up) (BrE inf.) to do sth on a full stomach to be off alcohol to be on a slimming diet to be on a diet (to go on a diet, to keep to a diet of fish etc) a balanced/healthy diet to recommend sth to sb speciality (Br)/specialty (Am) drinks (soft, hard) beverage (formal) cereal marmalade porridge clear soup broth to be particular about food vegetarian substantial delicious fattening fatty calorific to count your calories a hard-boiled egg to go down well/nicely to do the cooking to have a sweet tooth helping, to help sb to sth a huge helping of sth self-service restaurant (canteen)

 

Text I

My Meals

We eat various foods: meat, fish, poultry, vegetables, fruits, eggs, bread, etc. Before having our meals we must cook food. We put salt, sugar, pepper, mustard and various spices into our food to make it salted, sweet or sour. When dinner is ready we set the table. I always help my mother to cook and serve at table. If mother is busy, I do the cooking myself.

Dinner is a substantial meal with us. At home we usually have a three-course dinner. For the first course we have cabbage soup or noodle soup. If there is chicken soup I usually have another helping of it. For the first/main course I prefer meat with vegetables. I don’t like fish, though sometimes I have it just for a change. My favourite dish is roast(ed) meat. It smells so appetizing and is very tasty. For dessert we have stewed fruit or some kind of jelly. Besides, I am fond of strawberries with cream which is delicious. I never eat much at supper. If feel hungry late in the evening, I take a cup of tea and a small slice of bread and butter.

When the meal is over we get up from the table and clear the table. We clear away the dirty cups and plates and wash them up.

Usually I have meals at home. But sometimes when I stay at the University after classes for a long time I have my midday meal at our University refectory/cafeteria. It’s a self-service refectory, so there are neither waiters nor waitresses there. The refectory is rather big and it is always crowded with students, especially during the intervals. So we have to stand in a queue for 5-10 minutes to take something.

First of all I select the dishes on the menu. They cook rather well in our refectory. We are quite satisfied with our dishes. Sometimes they have very tasty pies and cakes there. It makes your mouth water just to look at them.

If we do not want a substantial meal we have snacks: various salads or dairy products such as curds, sour milk, sour cream, etc. Sometimes we prefer this kind of meal as it costs very little.

If you are not very hungry or can’t afford a substantial meal you can have a bite (to eat). There is always a great choice of chips, crisps, biscuits, rolls and buns on sale on the ground floor. If you are thirsty you can choose either some fruit juice or Pepsi. Many students prefer to buy a banana or an apple or any other kind of fruit.

Students are not very particular about what they eat as long as it is eatable.

 

1. Give a title to the text and retell it.
2. Explain the difference between the words below:

Snacks – refreshments – hors-d’oeuvres

Chips – crisps

 

Text II

Meals in Russia

We have three meals a day: breakfast in the morning, dinner between 1 and 2 p.m. and supper in the evening. Before having our meals we must cook our food. There are different ways of preparing it. We boil eggs, meat, fish, vegetables, water, milk, etc.

We roast meat. We say that the meat is underdone or overdone when it is too little or too much roasted (boiled). We fry eggs, meat, fish, and vegetables. We cook soup, rice, dry fruit and vegetables. We make breakfast, dinner, also tea, coffee, cakes. We bake bread. Food may taste good or bad, it may be tasteless. Before having a meal we lay the table. We spread the table cloth and put on napkins (serviettes) – one for each person. If it is breakfast, we take cups, glasses, saucers, teaspoons, forks and knives and bread plates out of the sideboard. We cut the bread into slices and put the slices on a dish. We put some butter into the butter dish and some salt into the salt cellar. If there is ham or sausage or cheese for breakfast we cut them into slices and put them on plates. If it is dinner we put the knife and the spoon on the right hand side and the fork on the left. We put soup plates/soup bowls and dinner plates before each of the diners. The wine glasses are on the right, and the salt cellar, the pepper pot and the mustard pot are in the middle of the table. When people are at table, they may ask their neighbour for something they cannot easily reach. In this case they say: “Pass me the salt, please.”

The hostess may want to help you to something. In this case you are asked: “What shall I help you to? ” When you accept something that is offered you say: “Yes, please.” When you refuse something you say: “No, thank you. No more, thank you.” When we want to praise the food we say: “It’s delicious.” When the meals is over we clear the table. We clear away the plates, dishes, and cutlery and wash them (wash up) in the kitchen.

 

1. Explain the italicized words and word combinations in sentences of your own.
2. Explain the difference between the words below:

At table – at the table

To clear – to clean

To offer – to suggest

 

Text III

Meals in England

 

The English are very particular about their meals and strictly keep to their meal times.

Breakfast is from any time until 8 o’clock in the morning, lunch is between 12 and 2 p.m., afternoon tea is between 4 and 5 p.m. and dinner between 7 and 9 p.m.

The usual English breakfast is porridge or cornflakes with milk or cream and sugar, bacon and eggs, marmalade with buttered toast, rolls, tea or coffee. For a change you can have a boiled egg, cold ham, or perhaps fish.

The English often serve tea with milk. English tea is so strong that pouring it out into a cup together with a little milk you get a brownish liquid looking like weak coffee with milk.

Most English people put milk in their coffee too – this is known as “white” coffee. Waiters will ask you if you want your coffee “black or white” rather than “with or without milk”.

At lunch time they usually have cold meat and salad or fish served with potatoes or other vegetables, fish and chips, sausages and a sweet dish (an apple pie, a hot milk pudding, cold fruit salad, or ice cream).

Those who work have their lunch in a cafй or a restaurant, cafeteria or a factory canteen. It never happens that they miss a meal or put it off until a more convenient time.

From four to five they have a very light meal called afternoon tea. You can hardly call it a meal. It’s rather an occasion in the late afternoon at which they have a cup of tea and a cake or a biscuit.

Some people have the so-called “high tea”. It’s a meal taken between five and six (in the early evening) if dinner is not taken in the evening. Usually it’s a more substantial meal than afternoon tea – a meal of cold food, cakes etc.

Dinner is much like lunch and is in many families the last meal of the day. But sometimes when they have guests, dinner is the biggest meal and they may have some roast beef, roast chicken, boiled or roast potatoes, vegetables and fruits. Soup is a dish of minor importance.

Almost every meal finishes with coffee, cheese and butter.

 

Text IV

Meals in the USA

 

Americans usually have three meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. All these three meals are served almost at the same time as in Britain.

Usual breakfast in the United States is orange juice, toast and coffee, or juice and dry cereal with milk, or eggs.

Lunch is usually a small meal – a sandwich, salad or soup, hamburgers and sausages.

Brunch in America is a combination of breakfast and lunch that many Americans enjoy on Sunday. It is usually served at about eleven in the morning. Scrambled eggs or omelets (omelettes – BrE) are often served along with other regular luncheon dishes. In many restaurants brunch is served from around 10 a.m. until midday.

Dinner usually includes a main course of meat or fish accompanied by side dishes such as soup, salad and vegetables.

There are two main types of restaurants in the USA – fast food and full-service restaurants. A fast food restaurant is much like a cafeteria. Items such as hamburgers, hot chicken sandwiches, pizza, and salads are typical of a fast food restaurant. Eating in a fast food restaurant takes less time and is less expensive then in a full-service restaurant.

1. Compare the meals in Russia, England and the US. What dishes are typical of each cuisine?
2. Which cuisine do you prefer and why? Give your reasons.

 

Listening Practice

British Food

The recording is taken from Cool English, № 14

 

I. PRE-LISTENING TASK

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