Arguments:

For:

Against:

1. Even on holiday: cable railways, ski-lifts,

1. Foolish to climb a mountain when there's a railway

roads to tops of mountains.

or road up it

2. When travelling at high speeds present means

2. Travelling at high speeds is a pleasure in itself.

nothing: life in future.

3. Traveller on foot: lives constantly in present

3. Travelling on foot: exhausting: you get nowhere fast

4. Typical twentieth-century traveller: "I've been

4. It's now possible to see many countries, meet people

there." Italy, Delhi, Irkutsk; through at 100 miles anof all nationalities.

hour.

2. Think of some other arguments and counter-arguments to carry on the discussion.

(See "Classroom English", Section IX.)

XIV. A. Do yon know how to act sensibly when out in the wilds? If not, the text

below might help you:

If you are setting off on a walking tour, take a compass, a map and first-aid equipment with

you. Even the most experienced can lose their way in the vast uninhabited areas. If you get lost don't

lose your head. Instead be sensible, try to give some indication of where you are and keep yourself

warm. And remember: never go off alone, and inform someone at your point of departure where you

intend to go, and what route you intend to take.

B. Describe the pictures. Use the suggested phrases.

С See if the travellers have acted sessibly. Support your idea.

a) give me a walking tour every time; you can't beat (hitch-) hiking; need you take so much

luggage? b) to get to wild, uninhabited places; to be hardly able to go on; to be nearly drowned in a

swamp; unimaginable hardships; to overcome the obstacles; c) there was a turn in the weather, it

was pouring; flashes of lightning, rolls of thunder, I wish I were in a railway carriage now!; d) to

climb the steepest rocks; to face the danger of...; to get to places where no man's foot has ever

stepped; e) to reach the top in safety, to be hardly able to believe one's eyes; you could knock me

down with a feather.

STUDIES OF WRITTEN ENGLISH

VIII

Different patterns of writing (see "Studies" in Unit One) seldom occur alone, more often they

blend into one another, especially in letter writing.

Letter is a specific kind of written composition involving a concrete writer, message and a

concrete reader. In many ways it is a free composition. A letter is in a sense, a theme, governed by

the same rules of writing that govern every other kind of composition. It must be clear, well

organized, coherent. And it should be interesting.

But a letter is also governed by certain other laws, or conventions of usage, which the letter

writer cannot ignore.

These are the parts of a letter: the heading, the inside address, the greeting, the body of the

letter, the complimentary close, the signature.

For each of these parts usage has prescribed certain set forms depending on different types of

letters — personal or business letters, informal or formal social notes.

The heading. The parts of a heading, written in the following order, are the street, address,

the name of a city or town (the name of the state in the U.S.A.), the date, е.g.

Vine Cottage Oxford Road Abingdon-on-Thames 13 May 19...

N о t e: In Great Britain very often the house is not numbered but has a "proper"

name, like "Vine Cottage",

The inside address. In a business letter the inside address is the address of the person

written to. In personal letter the inside address is usually omitted.

In a business letter it is always correct to use a personal title with the name of the person

addressed. A business title should not precede the name. Correct personal titles are: Mr., Mrs., Miss,

Dr., Professor, Messrs., е.g.

Dr. Т. С Howard

Superintendent of Schools

The Greeting. The following forms are correct for business and professional letters:

Gentlemen:

Ladies:

Dear Sir:

Dear Madam:

My dear Sir.

My dear Madam:

Dear Mr. Warren:

Dear Miss Howard:

In personal letters either a colon or a comma may be used after the greeting. A comma is

considered less formal. In personal letters the range of greetings is unlimited and informal, like " My

own Lovey-Dovey" of Judy's "Dear Daddy Long-Legs".

The Body of the Letter. A good letter should be clear, direct, coherent, dignified and

courteous.

The Complimentary Close. Correct forms for business letters are:

Yours truly,

Yours very truly,

Very truly yours,

Respectfully yours,

Faithfully yours.

Sincerely yours,

Yours sincerely,

Cordially yours.

The Signature. Some of the conventions should be observed: a) neither professional titles,

nor academic degress should be used with a signature; b) an unmarried woman should sign herself as

Miss Laura Blank, but she may place Miss in parentheses before her name if she feels that it is

necessary for proper identification; c) a married woman or a widow signs her own name, not her

married name. For example, Diana Holiday Brown is her own name; Mrs. George Brown is her

married name,

Here is an example of a business letter:

Dear Miss Carnaby,

Allow me to enclose a contribution to your very deserving Fund before it is finally wound

up.

Yours very truly,

Hercule Poirot.

Assignments:

1. Go over the letters (see Unit Five) and copy down the samples of the complimentary

close.

2. Write a reply to Judy's letter as if you were the person she wrote her letter to.

3. Write a letter to a friend sharing the memories of your holiday trip and your feelings

at the station on the day of departure.

4. Write a letter to your dean in which you request permission to stay at your parents'

several days more. Give your reason clearly and convincingly.

XV. Film "Mr. Brown's Holiday". Film Segment 8 "Caught in the Rain" (On the Way

to Yeovil). a) Watch and listen, b) Do the exercises from the guide to the film.

LABORATORY EXERCISES (II)

1. Listen to the text "Different Means of Travel", mark the stresses and tunes. Repeat it

following the model.

2. Listen to the conversation "At the Station", mark the stresses and tunes; repeat after

the tape, learn the text by heart.

3. Listen to the dialogue "A Voyage Round Europe", mark the stresses and tunes.

Repeat the text following the model and record your variant. Compare your variant with the

model and correct your pronunctalion mistakes.

4. Write a spelling-translation test: a) translate the phrases into English; b) check them

with the key.

5. Listen to some text on the topic "Trawelling", Retell it in class.

6. Listen to some anecdotes. Put down the word combinations you find useful. Act them

out in class (oral and written work).

7. Listen to the poem "From a Railway Carriage". Mark the stresses and tunes. Repeat

after the tape. Learn it by heart.