Продолжая разговор, начатый О.А. Дудочкиным в статье «Примеры работы с лексикой в 10-х классах гуманитарного профиля» в журнале «АЯШ/ 3 (15) за 2006 год, хочу предложить ещё один вариант закрепления лексики в устной и письменной речи при работе с учебником "New Millennium English 10-11”.  По окончании изучения цикла на основе текстов и упражнений учебника и рабочей тетради, а также  дополнительных учебных пособий, в частности «Ideas and Issues» авторы Olivia Johnston, Mark Farrell., «Титул», я составляю текстовые диктанты, в которые стараюсь включить максимальное количество  слов из данного цикла. Диктант рассчитан на один урок. После проверки учащиеся делают работу над ошибками и заучивают диктант наизусть как вариант монологического высказывания по  изученной проблеме. Таким образом, достигается систематизация изученного лексического материала, практически всех новых слов, устойчивых выражений и фраз. Ниже даны примеры таких диктантов к некоторым циклам учебника 10 класса.

Traditions and holidays (Unit 3)

Traditions can be regarded as passing down beliefs, practices and customs from the past to the present. It is a very important way of defining who people are. Some countries, i.e. Britain, are unique in having such a link with quite ancient traditions. It’s important that traditions should survive and people should remember certain customs and certain holidays which have been in existence for a long time in the country. It makes people proud inwardly; moreover, they are proud that they are a little bit different.

Most long-standing traditions coincide with holidays, especially religious that date back to ancient times and are associated with natural phenomena, historic or religious dates and events. Easter, i.e. is an annual festival commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It’s the principal feast of the Christian year. Traditions associated with the festival survive in the Eastern rabbit, a symbol of fertility, and in coloured Eastern eggs, representing the sunlight of spring and used as gifts.

Regarding family traditions we must say that they bring relatives together, provide inspiration, give birth to memories and establish the uniqueness of the family. Each family creates traditions in its own peculiar way. It can be passed on for generations or it can be established the year the first child is born. A strong sense of family in which rituals and traditions abound is one of the most evident traits in healthy families. It gives the family a frame. Irrespective of what people observe or celebrate they can incorporate into each gathering the gift of a tradition passed down from parent to child.

In some families the table has long been the meeting place of minds and affection. Eating together not only on special occasions but every day forms a strong part of bringing up children and their education. For children the happiest memories are long evenings with their parents sitting round a dinner table talking about everything from the weather to politics. Admittedly it gives children a chance to air their views in a safe and sociable environment. As a result, children feel pretty equipped for anything in life.

Some countries have become especially attractive because of their unique exotic celebrations, festivals, carnivals, parades and festivities when tourists can see brightly decorated streets and vehicles. Great emphasis is placed on fantastic costumes, folk music, exotic foods and crafts which are essential elements in these festivities. Here we should mention St Patrick’s festival in Ireland, Thanksgiving in the USA, Rice festival in Japan, Moon Cake and Dragon boat festivals in China, Octoberfest in Bavaria, Notting Hill carnival in London, Holispring festival in India.

Some people say that traditions are rooted in prejudices and superstitions, some consider them to be fairy-tales for children, others believe that there is no room for traditions in modern life; they are merely a tribute to the past. Despite all these negative standpoints we must appreciate national traditions and consider them to be an inseparable and essential part of our lifestyle and our history.

Poverty and other social problems (Unit 4)

Nowadays the world suffers much from acute social problems such as inflation, homelessness, unemployment, crimes, local conflicts, pollution and, of course, poverty, which is in most cases a result of a great number of economic and political problems. Russia is not exclusion. We observe a rapid increase of unemployment. Production is being reduced and workers are dismissed. Among the unemployed but not unemployable people there are workers of low qualification, elderly people and women. We also observe a growth of criminals among young people and teenagers. The state suffers from corruption of any kind of power. The steady process of inflation hurts retired people and budget workers. Alcohol and drugs are becoming main occupations of some groups of people and the trouble is that many of them die of it.

But fortunately in the last months there have emerged essential changes connected with the realization of four national projects: "Education”, "Health care”, "Building” "Agriculture”. Our country is eager to become a welfare state that helps its old, sick, disabled, and unemployed. In such a state elderly people receive a pension; people with low revenue who cannot afford to buy or rent decent accommodation are given houses or flats with subsidized rents. Sick people get free treatment. Mothers of small children are provided with special financial benefits. Physically disabled and mentally handicapped people receive special equipment and other assistance. Those who are out of work are given unemployment benefit (the dole). Regarding the latter some citizens believe that it’s the best way to eliminate poverty, others consider it to be very harmful as it corrupts the poor: instead of looking for a way out they rely only on the state dole.

All these measures are supposed to improve the situation with poverty which is really very acute all over the world and in our country as well. According to the statistics 20 % of children live in poverty. Every year one million people in Africa die of measles though a vaccine costs only 15 cents. In a word, poverty takes over the whole life of the poor that suffer much from diseases, malnutrition, the lack of good leisure, nervous breakdowns. Debts, unemployment, imprisonment for unpaid fines result in homelessness and suicidal mood. Children in poor families also have educational needs as education is a vital tool in the fight against poverty. So pre-schooling for the children of illiterate and badly-housed parents must have priority. Poor people are forced to rely only on charity which supports such families. They are humiliated, they are called underclass, and they are underestimated and undervalued.

Diligence, good education, responsibility, striving for success are sure to help you avoid such dreadful consequences of poverty. You should be able to change easily to suit to any situation. You should be capable of making decisions quickly and with confidence.

Family as a top social value (Unit 5)

Leo Tolstoy once said: "One is happy who he is happy in the family”. And we can’t but agree with him. There is nothing more considerable in our life to be compared with this small unity of human-beings – a family.

A family is a big part of our life. It has a strong impact on everything, in determines our future life.

All that has just been said concerns only a good family. Having discussed much we gain understanding in creating the image of a good family. Here it is:

• ·         In such families there are no endless arguments between children and parents ending in quarrels
• ·         There is no everyday lecturing children on different things such as marks, school, household duties, lifestyle, fried, acquaintances, hairdos, gear, language, food interests, addictions and hobbies.
• ·         A good family excludes numerous cavils, punishments, deprivations and other kinds of humiliation
• ·         Both children and parents have a similar sense of humour, the same things seem funny to them
• ·         Parents in such families are good about avoiding problems as they remember what it was like to be seventeen
• ·         They rarely lecture on family values as they can impart these values clearly enough in everyday conversations
• ·         They do not force children to do something, they try to convince them
• ·         All members in such families like being together, having great dinners, taking at least one family vacation every year
• ·         Parents and their immature children trust each other; children can discuss such delicate problems as sex, love, relationships with girl- and boy-friends with their mothers or fathers.
• ·         Everybody misses each other in these families
• ·         In a good family everybody takes into consideration each other’s interests, inclinations, dates, engagements, schedules and itineraries.

Sometimes children suffer from negative consequences of living together with their parents, brothers and sisters. One of the worst things about it is lack of privacy. Children sometimes are treated like babies or unpaid slaves. Parents don’t pay attention that their children tease each other, spoil things, go through each other’s stuff, that nothing is safe in their rooms. Furthermore, parents themselves keep nagging teenagers about their friends, homework, looks, studying. Responsibilities are not distributed fairly in the house; children and parents don’t do their fair share. It’s extremely offensive. No wonder that children in such families are eager to become older and leave their parents as soon as possible.

But we shouldn’t forget that there are foster parents, foster children and children’s homes, where you are surrounded by strangers, where you are compelled to share a room with some disagreeable people and where you will be always jealous of children having their own rooms and parents. What shocks you most is that they do not appreciate it and keep complaining all the time about some problems of their relationships in the families. If they knew what it is to be alone in the world, they would never say even one bad word about their families and homes.  

Irrespective of some disagreements and misunderstanding remember that your home and your family is your shelter in this enormous world. Everybody needs caring, sharing, security, respect and comfort that one can find only in the family.

Подобные тексты разработаны для всех тем из учебников "New Millennium” для 10-х и 11-х классов.

Штинова Г.А., учитель английского языка