Suport de Curs

Tenses of the Indicative - Exercises
Universitatea “Dunărea de Jos” din Galați

Facultatea de Litere
Practica limbii engleze

conf. dr. Steluţa Stan
Developing Skills for Language Acquisition 5

“Dunarea de Jos” University of Galati

Faculty of Letters
Developing Skills
for
Language Acquisition
(A Practical Course in English Language
for 1st Year Students)
Course tutor:
Associate Professor Steluta Stan, PhD
Galati
2016
6 Developing Skills for Language Acquisition
CONTENTS
Learning Unit no. 1

TENSES OF THE INDICATIVE ..................................................................... 8
Learning Unit no. 2
READING COMPREHENSION AND/OR WRITING .................................... 22
2.1. Romanian Sources ........................................................................... 22
2.2. English Sources ............................................................................... 28
2.2.1. Lyrics .......................................................................................... 28
2.2.2. Issues of Today’s Society ......................................................... 31
2.3. Text Correction................................................................................. 39
Learning Unit no. 3
LISTENING COMPREHENSION AND/OR SPEAKING ............................... 41
3.1. Topics for Conversation .................................................................. 41
3.2. Documentaries and Films ................................................................ 43
FINAL TEST ................................................................................................ 45

Learning Unit no. 1

TENSES OF THE INDICATIVE
I. Rewrite each of the following sentences so that the meaning stays

the same; use Present Tense Simple and/or Continuous.
James has the irritating habit of borrowing money from people and never
returning it back. James is..............................................................
.......................................................................................................................
I have made arrangements to eat out with my office mates tonight. I...
.......................................................................................................................
We are forced to use only cold water today as the hot water pipe in the
basement is being fixed. We...............................................................
.......................................................................................................................
My cousin is used to driving to school as she really hates public
transportation. My cousin usually...............................................................
.......................................................................................................................
What about celebrating our deal? How .............................................
.......................................................................................................................
I really have no clue whose car this is. I really have no clue who........
.......................................................................................................................
The eldest son starts mowing the lawn whenever I drop by my
neighbour's.
Whenever......................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................
My family are planning to spend this summer vacation in Austria. My
family.....................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................
She is at the doctor to have her tonsils removed. She
is..............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
Your entire house smells of fish. There..............................................
.......................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
II. Circle the underlined phrase which best completes each sentence.
Tills gibbets soup tastes/is tasting delicious but mother is tasting/tastes it
again just to make sure it is not too salty.
I love/am loving spending my free time partying and as far as this party is
concerned I love/am loving every minute of it.
He is so weird; he hears/is hearing, things day and night but when I send
him on an errand he doesn't hear/is not hearing me.

The judge hears/is hearing the key; witness tomorrow morning and I don't
see/am not seeing why, as to my mind, it's not the right time.
I hear/am hearing from Tim a lot these days and he is keen on learning
whether Mary sees/is seeing his father.
Thalia thinks/is thinking it right not to sell her car yet but her father thinks/is
thinking of doing it behind her back.
My little son looks/is looking at that clown and is telling me that he looks/is
looking very funny.
Jane smells/is smelling the roses her boyfriend has just given her and she
is happy as they smell/are smelling very nice.
I don't mind/am not minding if your sister minds/is minding our little
daughter while we are away as we've got nobody else to do it.
Janice considers/is considering moving into a new flat this winter but her
parents don't consider/are not considering it prudent to let her do as she
wishes.
III. Rewrite each of the following sentences so that the meaning stays
the same and use Past Tense Simple/Continuous, Past Perfect
Simple/Continuous. Do not alter the capitalized words in any way.
Terry would ride to the lake every summer to meet her boyfriend! TO
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
My cousin had the irritating habit of borrowing our car and returning it with
no gas. ALWAYS
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
When the team arrived at the hotel they learnt that their rooms had been
cancelled. BY
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
I had been in front of the cinema for two hours when he finally arrived.
WAITING
.......................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................
Food in Romania wasn't always as expensive as that. USE
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
Last year we intended to spend our New Year's Eve in Vienna but
something unexpected came up and we had to cancel. WERE
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................

We haven't seen our neighbours so happy for quite some time. SINCE
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
Terry locked the front door and then left for school. BEFORE
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
Mary said, "It isn't my fault that he has lost his money gambling”. THAT
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
He had planned to take his wife out on her birthday. WAS
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
They came to Israel in 1990, and five years later the bombing raids
started. FOR
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
They haven't visited Egypt since 1998. LAST
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
The little girl started feeling sick when she was two years old; ten years
later she was not cured. BEFORE
.......................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................
In 1990 they were having a new house built. UNDER
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
Sheila was playing in the sandpit; a stranger came and threatened her.
WHILE
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
IV. Put each verb in brackets into a suitable past tense form.
And yet it (be) perfectly true that she (have) a dreadful night. Even after
Mrs. Penniman (leave) her she (have) no sleep; she (lie) staring at the
uncomforting gloom, with eyes and ears filled with the movement with which her
father (turn) her out of his room, and of the words in which he (tell) her that she
was a heartless daughter. Her heart (break); she (have) heart enough for that.
At moments it (seem) to her that she (believe)'him and that to do what she (do)
a girl must indeed be bad.
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
..............................................................

V. Rewrite each of the following sentences, so that the meaning

stays the same and use Present Perfect and/or Past Tense. Do not change
the words in capitals in any way.
1. The last time I saw a good movie at the cinema was a few years ago.
FOR
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
2. The door bell has just rung. NOW
.......................................................................................................................
3. Yesterday he was in the swimming pool for two hours. FOR
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
4. She has got accustomed to being driven to school lately. USED
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
5. They have never left their children alone at home. FIRST
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
6. They arrived from the airport 30 minutes ago. BEEN
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
7. It is six days since I last heard from my children who are in Brazil. FOR
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
8. This couple got married in the registry office not long ago. RECENTLY
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
9. My teacher hasn't seen her daughter since her marriage. SINCE
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
10. They say they will never pay for a package tour again. LAST
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
11. This is the first time I have visited Buckingham Palace. BEFORE
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
12. The boy has eaten all the food in his plate. HAS
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
13. They spoke only English from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. yesterday. FOR
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
14. I got beeped just now. JUST
.......................................................................................................................
15. Yesterday she was hospitalized as she was ill. BEEN

...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
VI. Rewrite each of the following sentences so that the meaning
stays the same. Pay attention to ail means of expressing future time. Do
not alter the capitalized words in any way.
1. They have arranged to meet their son's teachers tomorrow. MEETING
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
2. John intends to get a scholarship next year. IS
.......................................................................................................................
3. When this academic year ends, our principal is already 50. HAVE
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
4. The family living next door are on the point of leaving on a trip to the
mountains. VERGE
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
5. She is about to get married to the man of her dreams. TO
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
6. They have made arrangements to sell this flat by the end of the month.
ARE
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
7. Next week Tom is sure to be driving about Paris to clinch some deals
for his company. BE
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
8. The plane is scheduled to take off at noon. OFF
.......................................................................................................................
9. My cousin has arranged to leave by the 10:15 train tomorrow morning.
IS
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
10. If you look at the clouds in the sky you can tell that rain is close.
GOING
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
11. Will the writer finish his novel by Christmas? WRITING
.......................................................................................................................
12. The coach with Romanian tourists is bound to reach Budapest
tomorrow evening. DUE
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
13. Her intention is to become the manager of her department this year. IS

...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
14. Next week I will be sent to the construction site to interview people. BE
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
15. She is having an appointment with her lawyer tonight. IS
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
VII. Correct any mistakes you find in each of the following sentences.
Tick the correct ones.
1. When I will finish my homework J will go out and play.
2. Before she will take pills she goes to the doctor.
3. By the time they will have retired they have worked in this office for 25
years.
4. Look at the dark clouds! It is going to rain!
5. Next week I'll be looking for this book in all the bookshops in the town, I
promise.
6. It isn't long before the boy's parents will realize that he is a drug addict.
7. By the time she has taken the entrance exam, she has studied
everything she needs.
8. Some friends of my brother's spend this weekend with us.
9. You will be having to improve your drawing skills if you really want to
become a designer.
10. The students finish their projects by mid July.
11. The new academic year is starting on September 15 th.
12. Unless she will not stop lying to people, she will soon feel rejected.
13. If you will be in her shoes what do you do?
14. She will be driving her Mercedes while he will be walking to work this
time next year.
15. By the time the train will pull in at this platform all of us will have
arrived.
Translation exercises
I.
1. Ploua. ................................................................................................
2. In Anglia ploua des. .............................................................................
3. Ploua de doua ore. ...............................................................................
4. A plouat. ............................................................................................
5. A plouat de la 3 la 5. ............................................................................
6. Ploua cind am ajuns la Ploiesti. .............................................................
7. Plouase cind am ajuns. .......................................................................

8. Ploua de trei zile cind ne-am intors de la munte. ...................................

.......................................................................................................................
9. Credeam ca a plouat. .........................................................................
10. Credeam ca ploua. ...........................................................................
11. Eram sigura ca va ploua. ...................................................................
12. Sora mea mai mare e cu patru ani mai in varsta decit mine. ................
..............................................................................................................
13. Ai citit ultima carte a lui Fanus Neagu? ..............................................
...............................................................................................................
14. Ultimul roman al lui Sadoveanu se numea "Cantecul Mioarei". .............
...............................................................................................................
15. Nici nu apucasem sa ma dezbrac ca m-au si chemat inapoi la birou.
.................................................................................................................
16. Nici nu terminase bine de gatit ca a si intrat sotul ei pe usa. ...............
.............................................................................................................
17. Nici nu apucase sa se culce ca si-a adus aminte ca nu si-a facut lectia la
engleza. .............................................................................................
..............................................................................................................
18. Mi-a spus ieri ca azi implineste 30 de ani. ..........................................
..............................................................................................................
19. Profesorul spunea ca vineri s-au implinit 100 de ani de la moartea
scriitorului. .............................................................................................
..................................................................................................................
20. Cand trebuie sa-ti inapoiez cartea? ....................................................
21. Cu cat mai curand, cu atat mai bine. ...................................................
22. Cine mai vine la ziua ta? .....................................................................
23. Ion si cu fratele lui cel mai mare, care e foarte nostim. .........................
................................................................................................................
24. Cu cit vom fi mai multi, cu atat ne vom distra mai bine. ......................
................................................................................................................
25. Pe masura ce inaintam in padure ni se facea tot mai frica. ....................
.......................................................................................................................
26. Mie imi place foarte mult James Joyce. .................................................
...............................................................................................................
27. Si mie la fel. .......................................................................................
28. La ce distanta de Bucuresti este Lacul Snagov? ..................................
................................................................................................................
29. Sunt vreo 40 de km pana la Snagov. .....................................................
..................................................................................................................
30. A venit cumnata ta de la Cluj? ...............................................................
31. A venit ieri si a stat la mine intre 3 si 7. ...............................................
32. Petrica e la tine? ...............................................................................
33. Da, e (aici) la mine de la ora doua. ......................................................
.................................................................................................................
34. Nu, a venit la mine pe la doua, dar a plecat in citeva minute. ................
...............................................................................................................

35. A spus ca se va tntoarce cel mai tarziu pana la ora 7. .........................

................................................................................................................
36. Si-a scos palaria din cap si si-a pus-o pe masa. ..................................
................................................................................................................
37. Paltonul de pe pat e al tau? ...............................................................
38. Ia-1 de aici si du-1 dincolo. ...................................................................
39. la florile de pe masa. ..........................................................................
40. Si-a scos cheia din buzunar si a bagat-o in broasca. ............................
...............................................................................................................
41. Stinge lumina in dormitor. ..................................................................
42. Azi dimineala erau 4 grade sub zero. ..................................................
43. Pe la zece erau 2 deasupra lui zero. ...................................................
44. Sunt zece km de la ferma lui pana la gara cea mai apropiata. ..............
...............................................................................................................
45. Cate minute mai avem/au mai ramas pana la statia urmatoare? ..........
.......................................................................................................................
46. Sedina a inceput la 12 noiembrie 1980, ora 11 fara un sfert dimineata.
................................................................................................................
47. Eram foarte grabit in dimineata aceea. ................................................
...............................................................................................................
48. Universitatea din lasi e mai veche decat cea din Cluj. ..........................
................................................................................................................
49. Sa fi stiut cine suna la usa, nu deschideam. ........................................
................................................................................................................
50. Daca nu ma gaseste acasa, va reveni pe la 9. ......................................
...............................................................................................................
51. Mi-a spus ca daca va citi cartea pana luni mi-o va inapoia chiar in ziua
aceea. ......................................................................................................
................................................................................................................
52. Sa fi stiut/ Daca stiam ca nu vine cu trenul acela, nu-l asteptam ieri degeaba
trei ore la gara. ............................................................................
...................................................................................................................
53. Nu e film in oras pe care sa nu-l fi vazut. ...............................................
..................................................................................................................
54. Nu-mi aduc aminte daca ne-am cunoscut. .............................................
.................................................................................................................
55. Indiferent ce (va) spune el, eu tot plec la munte. ...................................
..................................................................................................................
56. Daca n-as fi uitat cum il cheama, m-as fi adresat lui. ...........................
.................................................................................................................
57. M-a intrebat daca stiu cand s-a nascut Obama. .....................................
................................................................................................................
58. Isi aduce cineva aminte cand a murit Jerome K. Jerome? ...................
...............................................................................................................
59. Desi pare atat de tanar, trebuie sa stii ca a implinit ieri 90 de ani. .........
...............................................................................................................

60. Vorbea de parca ar fi fost englez. ........................................................
II.
1. Desi de obicei George merge cu tramvaiul la serviciu, astazi merge cu
masina lui, caci are o intalnire importanta si vrea sa se asigure ca nu va
intarzia. ..................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................
2. Fluviul Dunarea isi are izvorul in Germania si se varsa in MareaNeagra.
...............................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................
3. Autorul spune despre personajele sale ca sunt copii fidele ale diferitelor tipuri
de oameni din societatea anilor '90.
.......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
4. Pentru a face acest tort trebuie sa aveti: oua, faina, fructe, stafide, frisca,
zahar. Spargeti ouale, separati galbenusul de albusuri, amestecati zaharul cu
galbenusurile pana obtineti o pasta omogena apoi adaugati cacao, etc.
................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................
5. Va dam cuvantui nostru ca acceptam oferta dv. chiar daca el zice ca nu
facem bine si ca avem numai de pierdut prin semnarea acestui acord.
...............................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................
6. Regele intra in sala insotit de regina si de suita acesteia; cei doi se asaza la
cate un capat al mesei, iar damele de/companie ale reginei raman undeva in
fundal. ..........................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................
8. Pentru a pune masina in miscare calci ambreiajul, scoti din viteza si pornesti
motorul; apoi bagi in viteza intaia cu ambreiajul calcat si ridici progresiv piciorul
de pe ambreiaj, in timp ce accelerezi putin. .....................
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................
9. La fizionomie seamana din ce in ce mai mult cu mama sa, desi,
comportamental tinde sa-1 copieze pe tatal sau. .......................................
...............................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................
10. Baietelul lor intotdeauna da de bucluc atunci cand tatal sau nu poate sa
vina sa-1 ia de la scoala si vine acasa singur pe jos. ..............................
...............................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................
III.

1. Va veni cu siguranta si ziua in care cei asupriti se vor rascula impotriva

asupritorilor. .............................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
2. Va fi oare timp sa vizitam tot Muzeul Britanic cat si Galeria Nationala? ..
...............................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................
3. In aceasta seara, participantii la raliu si vor conduce masinile timp de opt ore
fara intrerupere. ..........................................................................
................................................................................................................
4. Pana se va pensiona la anul in iunie, domnul Smith va fi lucrat 35 de ani in
acest birou si va fi economisit peste 20 000 de dolari. ............................
...............................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................
5. Cei doi tineri indragostiti planuiesc sa se casatoreasca civil in vara aceasta,
iar religios in toamna. ................................................................
..................................................................................................................
6. Te rog sa nu atingi stiva de carti de literatura, caci se misca si vor cadea
toate pe podeaua care nu a fost inca spalata. .................................
...............................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................
7. Diseara plec la Milano cu avionul de 8:30, iar seful meu pleaca maine
dimineata cu masina la Budapesta, caci are rau de inaltime. .....................
...............................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................
8. Mai bine nu ai iesi din casa, caci se vede clar ca se apropie furtuna, iar daca
nu ma asculti te vei imbolnavi in mod sigur si'vei fi nevoit sa nu iesi din casa
cateva zile bune. .........................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................
9. In seara asta o sa-mi scot sotia la restaurant si o sa ne distram caci
aniversam cinci ani de la nunta. ..................................................................
...............................................................................................................
10. Saptamana viitoare pe vremea aceasta voi zbura spre Atlanta, unde
urmeaza sa vorbesc cu editorul meu despre cartea pe care am de gand sa o
public la anul. ........................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
IV.
1. In prima jumatate a lunii acesteia m-am intalnit cu John cand se ducea la
spital cu bunica lui, iar in a doua jumatate a lunii m-am intalnit cu fratele sau
care venea de la-aeroport. ................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................
2. Telefonul a sunat adineauri, dar n-am apucat sa raspund, caci am ajuns la el
prea tarziu. ......................................................................................

..................................................................................................................
3. Varul nostru tocmai s-a mutat in casa noua si ne-a dat aceasta veste
adineauri. ...............................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
4. leri am scris la noul meu roman sase ore dar nu am terminat inca capitolul
respectiv. ....................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
5. Il cunosc de zece ani si in tot acest timp nu m-a dezamagit niciodata, dar ieri
mi-a facut bucata. ........................................................................
................................................................................................................
6. — L-ai auzit vreodata pe ziaristul acesta spunand gogomanii? — Da, l-am
auzit chiar de curand, dar aseara la emisiunea lui Tuca a spus cele mai mari
prostii pe care le poate spune un om. ..........................................
...............................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................
7. N-am fost niciodata la Paris, dar mi se tot repeta in ultima vreme ca daca ai
fost o data, sigur vei merge si a doua oara. ....................................
..................................................................................................................
8. Tocmai am terminat de ascultat CD-ul pe care il ascult de 50 de minute; este
pentru prima data cand ascult un CD de la un capat la altul fara sa-1 intrerup.
...................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................
9. Este pentru ultima data cand iti spun sa te apuci de invatat; iti tot spun lucrul
asta de la inceputul semestrului. .......................................................
.......................................................................................................................
10. Adevarul este ca el nu si-a vazut sora de cand aceasta s-a maritat si s-a
mutat la Toronto cu sotul si cu socrii ei. ...............................................
...............................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................
V.
1. — Cunosti de mult membrii familiei Smith? — Nu, ii cunosc cam de o luna si
ceva si mi-au facut o impresie buna pana in prezent, deci nu cred ca e cazul sa
ne facem griji. .....................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
2. Locuim in Londra de 25 de ani si trebuie sa ne mutam intr-un oras de
provincie, caci preturile au crescut foarte mult in ultimul timp, iar noi fiind
pensionari cu greu facem fata cheltuielilor lunare. .......................................
...............................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
3. In ultimul timp a fost o epidemie de rubeola printre colegii de clasa ai copiilor
mei, dar acestia nu sunt expusi riscului de a contacta boala, caci ambii au avut-
o deja. ...............................................................................

...............................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................
4. Nu a vazut in viata ei un concert de Craciun asa de minunat si de aceea sper
din tot sufletul ca acesta sa nu fie unica ocazie cand vede asa ceva.
...............................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................
5. Cineva le-a spart casa vecinilor nostri, iar ei nu s-au dus inca la politie sa dea
declaratie. .....................................................................................
................................................................................................................
6. Zona este supravegheata de politie de cateva zilevpentru ca s-a primit un
telefon anonim amenintand ca in ambasada este o bomba. ...................
...............................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................
7. Inca n-am citit toate piesele lui Harold Pinter caci nu le-am gasit, si de aceea,
de cateva zile le caut pe la toate librariile. ......................................
...............................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................
8. Centralista incearca sa-mi faca legatura cu Madridul de azi diminea si nu a
reusit inca, pentru ca liniile sunt ocupate. ..........................................
...............................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................
9. Vecinul de deasupra bate cuie in pereti de azi dimineata, astfel innebunindu-
si vecinii care tocmai au hotarat sa-i faca reclamatie la primarie pentru
deteriorarea avutului public. ..............................................
...............................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................
10. Mike mananca de jumatate de ora si nu s-a oprit inca, si spune ca va
continua sa manance pana se va satura. ..................................................
...............................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
VI.
1. Monica avea ora de dans impreuna cu prietenele ei, iar Doru isi facea.temele
la limbi straine ieri dupa amiaza. ...........................................
...............................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................
2. Din masina vedeam cum picura apa din copacii care margineau drumul catre
cabana. ..........................................................................................
................................................................................................................
3. Poteca pe care mergeau turistii serpuia printre copacii inalti si desfrunziti de
la capatul padurii si se intersecta cu un parau a carui apa cristalina curgea
clipocind la vale. .............................................................
...............................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................

4. Domnul Smith dormea bustean cand a fost trezit brusc de taraitul telefonului;
asta l-a speriat nespus, caci tocmai visa ca este pe malul marii Mediterane
stand.la soare. ......................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................
5. Cand eu eram student mergeam sa studiez la biblioteca si stateam cate 8
ore pe zi, caci acasa nu aveam materialele necesare pregatirii examenelor.
..............................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
6. In anul 1993, sora mea se pregatea pentru examenul de admitere la ASE si
rezolva cate 70 de probleme la matematica pe zi. ..........................
...............................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
7. Joi, cand m-am intalnit cu Marius din intamplare.se ducea grabit la banca sa
ceara un imprumut pentru ca avea de gand sa-si cumpere o masina de spalat.
.....................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................
8. - M-ai chemat?
- Da, ma intrebam daca ai putea oare sa-mi tii locul maine, pentru ca trebuie sa
stau acasa sa am grija de copil.
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
................................................................................................
9. Cand eu eram inca la liceu, el lucra ca hamal in gara sau era zilier pe unde
putea. ............................................................................................
.................................................................................................................
10. Copii dormeau si parintii lor citeau si se uitau la televizor, cand brusc cineva
le-a sarit in casa pe geam. ................................................................
.................................................................................................................
VII.
1. Marcel s-a alaturat demonstrantilor care marsaluiau deja de trei zile numai
atunci cand a fost intru totul de acord cu cererile lor. .......................
...............................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................
2. Ciocnirile dintre palestinienii si israelienii din fasia Gaza incepusera cu mult
inainte de intalnirea presedintelui american cu primul ministru israelian.
...................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................
3. Bombardierelor americane li s-a cerut sa loveasca numai tintele dinainte,
alese inainte ca trupele britanice si franceze sa le promita ajutorul.
...................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................

4. Maiorul american conducea raiduri aeriene de trei ani, cand, dintr-o data, i s-
a spus ca altcineva va comanda atacul din noaptea aceea. ..........
...............................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................
5. Violentele dintre cele doua grupari adversare au inceput numai dupa trei luni
de amenintari cu bomba din partea grupului militant islamic, desi in decursul
acestor trei luni avusesera loc convorbiri pentru rezolvarea sjtuatiei de criza.
..........................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................
6. Numai dupa ce a stat trei ani in inchisoare in tara sa, s-a hotarat sa ceara azil
politic, in Franta. ......................................................................
..................................................................................................................
7. Locuia intr-o zona in care se patrula zi si noapte, pentru ca toata lumea se
astepta ca acel loc sa se transforme in zona de lupta dintr-o clipa in alta.
..........................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................
8. Se faceau presiuni asupra inamicului pentru a depune armele de doua
saptamani, cand acestia au fost incoltiti si in cele din urma fortati sa se predea.
..................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................

Reading Comprehension and/or Writing
Learning Unit no. 2

READING COMPREHENSION AND/OR
WRITING
2.1. Romanian Sources

A. Fuga de realitate – din istoria pacientului roman –
1. Grandomania si victimologia
Cele doua deliruri coautoare ale iluziei colective romanesti au un
adversar foarte incomod: istoria. Nu reusim, adica, sa desfacem, rational,
suma evenimentelor trecute, in istoria binelui si in istoria raului romanesc.
Izbutim, in consecinta, altceva: sa ne plasam intr-o zona pur fantasmatica,
intr-un romanism inventat care reclama un destin superior, dar e vulnerabil
in fata istoriei reale, si la bine si la rau. Lucram cu ideea generala si
nediferentiata de „istorie“, pe care am convertit-o intr-un recitativ nevrotic,
intr-un fel de a vorbi obsesiv si circular despre patimile romanilor. In
aceasta formula, totul e cunoscut si adjudecat, surprizele sint imposibile,
revizionismul critic (atitudine sau actiune care are drept scop revizuirea
unei legi, a unui tratat) e un pacat capital care duce, direct si prin huiduieli,
la excluderea din fraternitatea sentimentala romana. In acest univers
straniu si compact, societatile romanesti succesive intra in sala si vad
acelasi film, o coproductie culta si populara care ruleaza fara intrerupere si
isi impinge audienta spre confortul mistic al citorva concluzii uluitoare.
Intre ele, convingerea ca lumea e fixa sau, mai bine zis, e fixa de cind au
aparut in istorie romanii. Caci ei si numai ei au parte de repetitia eterna a
schemei istorice fixe in care: vecinii sint invidiosi, rivnesc si trec, inevitabil,
la rapt, strainii mai departati nu ne inteleg si rateaza, astfel, sansa de a se
umaniza, iar oamenii locului pregatesc, intre agresiuni si injustitii fara
comparatie, un model de viata ca un ospat cumpatat, pe care lumea il va
descoperi cindva, spre propria izbavire. Cu alte cuvinte, nu sintem
intelesi, desi lucram, dezinteresat si din vechime, la binele lumii.
Fuga de si din realitate e primul indiciu al tulburarilor de
personalitate. In istoria grupurilor sociale si nationale, acelasi
comportament semnaleaza o nemultumire profunda, o constiinta incarcata
sau incapabila sa se mai exercite. Ce avem, deci, sa ne reprosam, ce ne
irita, de fiecare data cind ne grabim sa consimtim, ajutati de istorici sau
intr-o discutie de terasa, ca: romanii au stat in calea barbariei, s-au
deprins cu vitejia in singuratate, au ramas in urma, pentru ca au pus
pieptul in apararea Occidentului nerecunoscator (care a profitat, spre a-si
inalta catedralele), sint un popor talentat cum putine altele (caci au dat
marile scoli de medicina, actorie, inginerie petroliera si altele), fara a primi
recunoasterea cuvenita?
Read and write a 1-page comment.

Choose two sentences and translate them.

2. 1850–2007: Loteria Nationala cu noroc

Obisnuiti sa repetam recensamintul caragialesc al ciclurilor de
nenoroc istoric (cinci secole – la turci, trei – la unguri, unul – la fanarioti),
ratam priza directa a situatiilor frecvente si fecunde in care romanii nu au
fost perdantii, ci beneficiarii istoriei. Intre 1850 si 2007, istoria binelui
romanesc e foarte activa. In numai 150 de ani, istoria lucreaza cu o
acceleratie suspecta de pro-romanism. Statul roman apare (tirziu, dar nu
mult mai tirziu decit constructiile politice belgiana, italiana, germana),
devine stat national integral, supravietuieste catastrofei comuniste si e
reintegrat in marele circuit occidental, prin admiterea in NATO si in UE. Ce
ne scapa, in analiza acestui segment istoric de modernizare abrupta, e
gradul de participare extraordinar al istoriei, uluitoarea ei amabilitate
constructiva, favoritismul desantat cu care imprejurarile fac jocul romanilor
si al aspiratiilor lor latente (daca nu cumva dau nastere, macar partial,
acestei agende). Fortele istorice, pe care ne-am obisnuit sa le blestemam,
lucreaza de 150 de ani, virtos, in folosul Romaniei. In fiecare din aceste
momente, centrul de densitate istorica, motorul schimbarii de epoci si
institutii, se deplaseaza spre Est, suficient de aproape de bazinul national
romanesc. Astfel, la jumatatea secolului al XIX-lea, „chestiunea orientala“
devine prima problema a Europei. Razboiul Crimeii (1853–1856) aduce
Occidentul in mijlocul atelierului istoric romanesc. Primul Razboi Mondial
incepe foarte rau si ameninta cu dezagregarea statului roman. Insa noua
gravitatie istorica europeana (care impune suflul democratiilor nationale,
de mase, si sfarima imperiile multinationale) intoarce din drum
degringolada romaneasca. Razboiul sfirseste neverosimil si teatral, cu
alinierea unei constelatii suta la suta favorabile Romaniei. Acest final
socant pare ilogic numai pentru ca ascunde noua logica plurala si
democratica a istoriei europene. Epilogul sadeste, intr-un spatiu germanic
frustrat si surclasat de modernizare, saminta din care vor incolti, dupa 20
de ani de fermentatie, resentimentul si catastrofa nazista. La celalalt capat
al Europei, sfirsitul razboiului desfigureaza grav ierarhia de stat rusa si
elibereaza, in plin haos, energia criminala a bolsevismului.

Choose one sentence and translate it.
3. Prea mult est, prea mult vest, prea putin centru

Statul national roman e, deci, in acelasi timp consolidat si fragilizat
de efectele Primului Razboi Mondial. Epoca politica de aur a natiunii
romane incepe si continua intr-un amestec de exuberanta si anxietate.
Statul e masiv, dar ramine prins, alaturi de intreaga Europa Centrala si de
Est, in clestele ruso-german. E o presiune insuportabila pentru un stat
constituit prin ricoseul fericit al istoriei si aproape lipsit de crestere
organica interna. Rezultatul e o slabiciune constitutiva care se hraneste,
asa cum ghicise Caragiale, din „moravuri“ (adica din principala forta de
manifestare pre-politica, acumulata de romani, ca populatie intirziata in
subjugare) si avanseaza, sub forma coruptiei politice, intr-un cadru de stat
imitativ si improvizat. Faimoasa si glorificata perioada interbelica e un
interval istoric mult mai nesigur decit se crede si are, de fapt, datele de
baza ale unei crize in dezvoltare. La capatul ei, Romania atinge abisul
istoric, in imprejurari, din nou, mult mai complicate decit variantele
prezentate de istoria oficiala comunista sau de primul val istoriografic

postcomunist. Ambele discursuri vad in invazia sovietica si in dictatura

impusa ulterior principalul agent si principalul eveniment istoric. Ceea ce e
exact, dar incomplet. Caci esecul statului roman democratic si caderea in
comunism au fost insotite de un fenomen care a lucrat la mare adincime si
a impus o regresie istorica grava, inca neincheiata. Pe scurt, dezvoltarea
istorica a Romaniei a revenit la stadiul prepolitic, intoarsa din drum de
vechea noastra problema culturala. Astfel, Romania a intrat in al Doilea
Razboi Mondial cu handicapul unei fracturi nevindecate. Modernizarea nu
a reusit sa atenueze sau sa resoarba falia care trece prin centrul
teritoriului national si desparte provinciile romanesti in doua mari zone
atasate de polaritati diferite: est si vest. Transilvania si arcul intracarpatic –
in zona de presiune culturala germana. Moldova si spatiul extracarpatic –
in zona de interes si presiune rusa. In momentul in care aceste doua forte
s-au ciocnit, Romania a pierdut si a avut, apoi, de recuperat teritorii pe
ambii versanti (german si sovietic). Plasata, practic, intr- un cumplit mat
istoric, Romania intra in razboi, alaturi de forta germana, pentru a
recupera teritoriile rapite de forta rusa. Agenda e in mod fundamental
contradictorie. Sfirsitul razboiului surprinde Romania in pozitia complet
inversa, alaturi de forta rusa, in incercarea de a recupera teritoriile rapite
de forta germana. Episodul e adesea folosit pentru a ilustra
„inconsecventa“ tipic romaneasca, iar memoria istorica germana il rumega
si azi ca proba definitiva a nefericitei lipse de caracter estice. Poate ca e
asa. In orice caz, altceva e infinit mai important. Odata cu episodul amintit
reapare, devastator, in istoria noastra marele handicap de dezvoltare
national-politica.

B. Ca la noi, la nimenea
(sau istoria Romaniei prin straini, pentru copii)
1.
E Romania, intr-adevar, o tara de neinteles? Asa se zice. Aceasta
plingere transanta bintuie cu o frecventa folclorica si domina, de fapt, din
capul mesei, o dezbatere pe care o invita la disparitie. Ideea dupa care
Romania nu poate fi descifrata e un bun egal impartit de „gura lumii“ si de
opinia educata. Studiile academice ale ONG-urilor, editorialele grele ale
presei cotidiene si vorba din popor sint de acord: Romania e ceva de
pomina si inexplicabil. Asa e Romania: fara sens si fara leac. Multiplicata
in nenumarate variante si drapata in cele mai surprinzatoare camuflaje,
ideea e asezata solid in gindirea publica. Exemplele vin unul dupa altul.
Iata, de pilda, studiile docte care masoara datele si evolutiile politico-
economico-electorale ale tarii. Aproape toate reclama declinul, scandalul
si contradictiile necontenite ale unei lumi pe care nu indraznesc sau nu
reusesc sa o explice. Concluzia implicita a acestei literaturi stimabile si
perplexe e, bineinteles, zadarnicia. Tiparele de vot, nivelul coruptiei de
stat, preferintele de consum radio-tv, lipsa desavirsita de interes pentru
cultura inalta si deruta scolara, toate aceste date circula cu girofar si
sirena prin sondaje si rapoarte. In lipsa unei explicatii minime, ele conduc,
prin repetitie persistenta, la impresia de stagnare, de realitate data si
incurabila. Citeva din temele de mare frecventa ale editorialelor sint parte

a aceleiasi miscari spre concluzii inutilizabile. De aproape 20 de ani,

comentariile de presa si opiniile comentatorilor tv acuza regulat si martial:
instabilitatea politica, scandalul politic asurzitor, lipsa de preocupare
pentru problemele „reale“ si convergenta tuturor partidelor si a politicienilor
care sint, in cele din urma, „o apa si un pamint“. Intonatia difera: e mult
mai teatrala. Dar concluziile observatiilor de presa repeta, practic, ideile
generale ale studiilor academice: Romania e in ghearele citorva procese
statice. Nimic nu e nou, nimic nu se schimba si nimic nu explica aceasta
predilectie nationala spre paralizie. Romania e locul unei catastrofe si nu
duce lipsa de fotografi.
Read and write a half-page comment.

2. Blestemul nu da rau
Interesant, acum un an, toata aceasta enorma presupozitie pesimista
a fost pusa in dubiu de ipoteza si de speranta intr-un moment istoric de
ruptura. Romania urma sa fie admisa in UE si toata lumea s-a grabit sa
presupuna sau mai degraba sa invoce prefacerea miraculoasa a
Romaniei. Ce nu s-a putut face cu mijloace interne se va putea, desigur,
cu mijloacele din afara, ne-romanesti. Dupa primul nostru an european,
aceasta forma de speranta superstitioasa a cazut, iar concluzia sceptica
despre unicitatea negativa a Romaniei a reaparut, intarita: o tara cu doua
fete, locul unui paradox insuportabil, in care „una vorbim si alta facem“,
spatiul in care, asa cum se stie, „avem“ toate cite sint necesare vietii
democratice dar nimic „nu merge“. Tot e adjudecat si tocmai acest lucru
demonstreaza ca Romania e asa cum e: o tara ciudata si, in cele din
urma, de neinteles. Nimic nu se misca si, fiindca nimeni nu stie sau nu
poate afla de ce, concluzia e ca avem o tara fara egal. De doua ori, fara
egal: o data prin damnatie, caci Romania, spre deosebire de aproape
orice alt loc pe pamint, e o soarta, nu un stat, si isi confirma traiectoria
transformind fiecare clipa viitoare intr-un prezent asemanator pina la
identitate cu trecutul. Lumea de miine are toate sansele sa fie copilul
demult infiat de lumea de ieri. A doua oara, Romania acestor observatii e
unica prin caracterul ei special: ceva, nu se stie ce, a dat romanilor un fel
de a fi cu totul si cu totul aparte, o capacitate de a fi altfel si deosebiti, un
„mister“ pagubos si, in acelasi timp, innobilat de splendoarea citorva
kitsch-uri care vor sa inchipuie o traditie ilustra: doina, dorul, risu’-plinsu’,
latinitatea intr-o mare slava. Sintem deci, damnati, dar speciali. Purtam un
blestem care doare, dar nu da rau. Sintem pierduti si, in acelasi timp,
daruiti. Defecti si fascinanti. Cum am ajuns la aceste concluzii istorice si
de ce intirziem in ele? De unde scepticismul si de unde atit agnosticism
declarat si suficient? De unde aceasta credinta difuza si solida in filozofia
lui „ca la noi la nimenea“?


3. Invatati engleza prin revolutii

De ce aceasta comparatie imposibila? Foarte pe scurt, pentru ca in
ciuda diferentei categorice de dezvoltare politica si profunzime
democratica, cele doua cazuri au puncte comune si spun ca procesele
istorice nu sint privilegiul unei natiuni. Oricit de mare distanta care separa
flancul vestic de flancul estic al Europei, deosebirile sint numeroase si
evidente, asemanarile sint mult mai putine, dar revelatoare. Mai intii
faptele, intr-un rezumat extrem de schematic. Istoria secolului al XVII-lea
englez e, de la un cap la altul, istoria disputei intre doua formule de
guvernare, intre doua regimuri si cai de evolutie istorica, intre Monarhie si
Parlament. Conflictul de principii opune ideea primara de libertate
individuala si absolutismul monarhic. E, bineinteles, o ciocnire irezolvabila,
care conduce, din 1639, la razboaie civile neinchipuit de singeroase.
Armatele Parlamentului si ale Coroanei se ciocnesc in batalii si campanii
numeroase si schimbatoare. Rebeliunea parlamentara e, insa, implacabila
si, in 1648, doboara monarhia, scurtindu-l de cap pe regele Charles I.
Oliver Cromwell devine conducator absolut (Lord Protector) si instaureaza,
practic, un regim sever de dictatura parlamentara. Pina in 1660, cind
monarhia revine si Charles al II-lea (fiul lui Charles I) urca pe tron. In
sfirsit, in 1688, secolul marii tulburari engleze se incheie cu invazia lui
Wilhelm de Orania, care apare din Olanda, preia tronul si stabileste
cadrele inca in vigoare ale monarhiei britanice si protestante. Ce e de
retinut din aceasta suita de evenimente cruciale? In primul rind, jocul de
sisteme. Simplificind mult, Parlamentul se opune absolutismului monarhic,
invinge, monarhia revine si rezultatul e Marea Britanie asa cum o
cunoastem astazi: o monarhie parlamentara. Numai ca aceasta notiune
duala nu e ce pare. Monarhia si parlamentul guverneaza simultan si
inegal. Evenimentele care au decis, intre 1631 si 1688, acest aranjament
au un inteles in istoria formala si un cu totul alt inteles in istoria de facto.
Monarhia a fost practic sterilizata in cursul razboaielor civile ale secolului
al XVII-lea. Chiar dupa restauratia care a adus-o, iar, la putere, monarhia
a trebuit sa accepte situatia creata anterior. Ideea dupa care Anglia putea
fi, din nou, o monarhie absoluta nu mai avea nici o sansa. Monarhia a
revenit, dar nu a mai putut opera nici o modificare intr-un sistem politic si
de drept deja decis in cursul razboaielor civile anterioare. Monarhia nu
avea cum sa mai dicteze si a trebuit sa se adapteze. In esenta, rezultatul
acestui compromis este aliajul constitutional britanic de astazi: un sistem
cu aparenta formala a unei monarhii si cu baze legale republicane. O
republica parlamentara care prefera sa nu isi spuna pe nume, dar
functioneaza fara rival in interiorul unei monarhii. In citeva cuvinte: un stat
cu „dubla cetatenie“, o tara cu doua regimuri simultane – unul aparent si
unul functional. Aceasta situatie derutanta nu a impiedicat exercitarea
directa si continua a democratiei. Important e, insa, cu totul altceva. Cazul
englez ajuta neasteptat de mult la cercetarea istorica a statelor cu
probleme de vizibilitate si identitate constitutionala, a acelor state care
traiesc realitati simultane si contradictorii. Romania e un exemplu tipic, iar
raportarea la Anglia lamureste citeva din problemele puse, indeobste, pe
seama caracterului ultralocal al mentalitatilor si institutiilor. Ce e, deci, de
retinut din comparatia aparent absurda cu istoria secolului al XVII-lea
englez?

4. Ce nu ne pindeste
Asadar, nimic nou in destinul aparent special al lumii romanesti.
Ceea ce nu vesteste un armistitiu si nu promite calmul istoriei viitoare.
Problemele ramin si cea mai serioasa dintre ele e rezultatul direct al lipsei
de substanta a revolutiei formale din 1989 si al excesului de succes al
revolutiei comuniste. Enuntata in citeva cuvinte, aceasta problema suna in
felul urmator: istoria viitoare a Romaniei nu e pindita de nici o rasturnare
sociala. Nici o acumulare de energie colectiva, nici un curent de opinie,
nici o colectie de idealuri coerente si subversive nu a incoltit si nu creste
pentru a pune, la un moment dat, in dubiu cursul vietii interne a Romaniei.
Nici o clasa, nici un grup, nici o suita de convingeri nu si-a pierdut
rabdarea. In viata de zi cu zi, aceasta absenta e marcata de lipsa
exasperanta de evenimente care stabilesc sau fondeaza ceva insemnat si
transmisibil. Durata medie a evenimentelor e sub-orara, iar intinderea
intentiilor si rezistenta proiectelor bate, arareori, un sezon. Cind ati avut
ultima oara senzatia ca asistati la aparitia unui lucru pe care il vor intelege
si apara copiii dumneavoastra?

C. Suntem din ce în ce mai tâmpiţi

Nivelul IQ-ului scade cu repeziciune, din cauza şcolii, societăţii şi
mass media.
Lucrul este observat chiar de unul din intelectualii români, Andrei
Cornea, chiar din turnul de fildeş unde vieţuieşte elita; deci fenomenul este
atât de răspândit, încât a ajuns până-n stratosfera intelectuală.
Citiţi-i articolul şi daţi-i dreptate lui Simone Weil, care scria în
„testamentul” ei, L’Enracinement, că trăim „une époque dont le caractère
dominant est la bêtise” (pentru anglofoni: „o epocă al cărei caracter
dominant este prostia”).
Nu e vorba de a nu fi citit nişte cărţi, de a nu avea o minimă cultură
generală, de a nu înţelege o aluzie la Hegel sau un cuvânt rar – nu.
E vorba de operaţiuni raţionale elementare, de bază, pe care tinerii
noştri nu mai sunt capabili să le facă. Şi nu e vorba de tânărul „de rând”,
ca să zic aşa, deşi şi acela ar putea fi mult mai destupat decât este. E
vorba de posesorii de licenţe, şi chiar de masterate sau de doctorate. Şi
nu e vorba numai de un fenomen endemic, românesc. Se pare că e
ceva… „globalizat”.
Citiţi forumurile şi blogurile şi plângeţi… Sau râdeţi de nivelul scăzut
până la inexistenţă, al ideilor şi preocupărilor.
Se pare că e o problemă cu capacitatea noastră de a abstractiza, de
a gândi abstract. Suntem prea literalişti. Nu suntem în stare să înţelegem
decât imediatul concret. Nu putem trage o concluzie mai generală, sau
aplica o teorie. Un eveniment „la ordinea zilei” ne absoarbe complet, până
la următorul eveniment, care-i ia locul. Trăim intelectual literal de pe o zi
pe alta.
E interesant cum fenomenul e sincron creşterii explozive a
posibilităţilor de memorare şi comunicare. Acum putem comunica mai bine
şi mai mult ca oricând, dar nu mai avem ce.

Şi mai e interesant titlul articolului lui Cornea: „Sensul fals al

realităţii”. Contează forma, „patalamaua la mână”, nu fondul, capacitatea
intelectuală. Şi se simte…
Nu mai vorbesc de potenţialul uriaş de manipulare oferit de această
prostie generalizată…

2.2. English Sources
2.2.1. Lyrics
"Life Is Wonderful", Jason Mraz
It takes a crane to build a crane
It takes two floors to make a story
It takes an egg to make a hen
It takes a hen to make an egg
There is no end to what I'm saying
It takes a thought to make a word
And it takes some words to make an action
It takes some work to make it work
It takes some good to make it hurt
It takes some bad for satisfaction
La la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Al la la la la
It takes a night to make it dawn
And it takes a day to make you yawn brother
And it takes some old to make you young
It takes some cold to know the sun
It takes the one to have the other
And it takes no time to fall in love
But it takes you years to know what love is
It takes some fears to make you trust
It takes those tears to make it rust
It takes the dust to have it polished
Ha la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life is so full of
Ah la la la la la la life is so rough

Ah la la la la la la life is our love

Ah la la la la la
It takes some silence to make sound

It takes a loss before you found it
And it takes a road to go nowhere
It takes a toll to make you care
It takes a hole to make a mountain
Ha la la la la la life is wonderful
Ha la la la la la life is meaningful
Ha la la la la la life is wonderful
Ha la la la la la life it is...so... wonderful
It is so meaningful
It is so wonderful
It is meaningful
It is wonderful
It is meaningful
It goes full circle
Wonderful
Meaningful
Full circle
Wonderful
“Wonderful World”, Louis Armstrong

I see trees of green... red roses too
I see ‘em bloom... for me and for you
And I think to myself... what a wonderful world!
I see skies of blue... and clouds of white
Bright blessed days... dark sacred nights
The colors of a rainbow... so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces... of people going by
I see friends shaking hands... saying ‘how do you do’
They’re really saying... ‘i love you.’
I hear babies cry... I watch them grow
They’ll learn much more... than I’ll never know
The colors of a rainbow... so pretty in the sky
Are there on the faces... of people going by
I see friends shaking hands.....saying ‘how do you do’
They’re really saying ‘I love you.’
I hear babies cry... I watch them grow
You know their gonna learn
A whole lot more than I’ll never know
Yes I think to myself... what a wonderful world!

“Youth of Today”, Amy Macdonald

Maybe if you were some spearheaded guy
I would listen to what you have to say
But you're just some incapable figure
Thinking you're bigger than me, but you're not
Yet you don't know a thing about the youth of today
Stating your opinion making it ring in my head all day
And you say,
"My children weren't the same"
"My children's children they're the ones to blame"
And you say,
"In my day we were better behaved"
But it's not your day no more...
And we are the youth of today
Change our hair in every way
We'll say what we wanna say
Don't care what you have to say at all
And maybe if you had a true point of view
I would listen to you
But it's just your one sided feelings
They keep getting in my way
And you don't know a single thing about the youth of today
Stating your opinion making it ring in my head all day
And you say,
And you say,
And you say,
And you say,

2.2.2. Issues of Today’s Society
Legalization or decriminalization of prostitution

http://liberator.net/articles/prostitution.html
Introduction
Women have not always been able to escape the role of housewife
or gain a political voice. Only in recent human history have women been
able to obtain relative equality. They have been able to make great gains
through a considerable amount of achievements, no need to list here. Yet
to this day, men and women have specialized roles within societies,
differing only slightly in some countries and greatly in other countries.
Cultural Differences
Each culture deals differently with heterosexuality. Most cultures
encourage monogamy, while countries like Saudi Arabia have adopted
polygyny. Even within societies that safeguard or promote monogamous
relations, there are allowances for citizens to have many types of sexual
relations. People can remain monogamous to one person at time or date
multiple partners simultaneously. People can have open marriages (a.k.a.
swinging) or exist within monogamous relationships and be covertly
promiscuous (Hughs, 1990). There are also people who frequent
prostitutes regardless of the law.
When we examine sex as a trade, the combination of philosophy,
cultural precedence, religious influence and politics made each country
select how to handle it in its own way. In Singapore, sex for money is open
and commonplace. Denmark women can be legal prostitutes so long as it
is not their sole means of income. Canada, France and Mexico allow it.
Prostitutes must be contained within brothels in the Netherlands, unlike
within England and Wales where prostitution is limited to individual
providers. Israel, the historical stage for the Bible, allows it, too.
Meanwhile, the United States has made prostitution illegal (misdemeanor)
in all states, except certain counties of Nevada (Decriminalize Prostitution
Now Coalition, 2000).
Sex Within Monogamous Societies
Sex sometimes becomes a bartered service even within the sanctity
of marriage. One provides sex for love, while another provides love for
sex. Someone else finds warmth and attention within the act of sex. Like
ants who send chemical messages to each other to convey both intricate
and basic messages, sex becomes part of that type of communication
even within civilized relationships (Pines, n.d. & Malick, n.d.). It is also a
healthy outlet, too. We may not be animals who forage in forests but our
desire for sex, or at least the actions, thoughts and feelings that come with
it, are deeply part of whom we are.
A primal desire must not be ignored or suppressed, but instead
managed. Within the sanctity of marriage, balancing acts must be
performed to ensure each member of the team is getting what he or she
needs. From cleaning the house, buying new furniture, displaying one's
affection and releasing stress, sex gets caught up in the mix and can
sometimes become a bargaining chip. It is as normal as doing a favor or

performing an act of kindness, when one is not in the mood. Much like
when a chore must be done, one may choose or not choose to do it,
depending on extenuating circumstances or immediate pressing demands.
Sex, like everything else, is up on the table for 'sale' within marriage
and other relationships. It is not a foreign concept to anyone who has ever
been in a sexual relationship over an extended period of time. Usually
there is no direct exchange of money, but natural exchanges in a give-
and-take situation do occur when things are normal and healthy. So long
as there are no heavy demands and freedom of choice exists, sex is a
commodity of sorts.
Benefits of Legalization
Currently most everywhere in the United States, our legal system
penalizes prostitutes and their customers for what they do as consenting
adults. Money is still spent on law enforcement efforts to catch prostitutes
and their customers. Once caught, justice departments have to process
these people through very expensive systems.
What are the end results? Police personnel and courtrooms are
overburdened with these cases, having little or no impact on prostitution.
The prostitutes and their customers pay their fines and are back to the
streets in no time in a revolving door process. Catch and release may
work for recreational fishing but it has no deterring affect on prostitution.
Making prostitution legal will allow the act to be managed instead of
ignored. Pimps and organized crime figures, who regularly treat their
workers on subhuman levels, would no longer control women. In some
countries, prostitute rings buy and sell women on the black market, force
their women to comply through violence and create unhealthy working
conditions. When prostitutes operate independently and in secret, many
times they become abused by their own customers.
Legalizing prostitution would prevent underground prostitution that
occurs today. When men want to pay for sex, they find prostitutes. These
people work in massage parlors, escort services, strip bars and modeling
agencies or still work corners as traditional streetwalkers. There are
legitimate parlors, dating services, bars and agencies but of the hundreds
that exist within newspaper classified advertisements and telephone
directories, there are a large number that provide sexual services. A
routine search through Google's Internet news engine for 'prostitution'
routinely reveals connections between prostitution and these falsetto
agencies (Google, 2004).
It is estimated that 100,000 to 3 million teens are nearly invisibly
prostituted per year in the United States (Walker, 2002). If we allow
prostitution to remain hidden from view and basically invisible to the law as
it is today, we allow a number of teens to be swept up into prostitution
every year. When adult women decide to exchange money for sex, it is a
personal choice open to them under the philosophy of a free, democratic
society. When troubled minors who do not yet have the social survival
skills decide to prostitute, they are often manipulated by opportunists who
exploit these teens, typically leading to horrific ends. Legalizing prostitution
will help prevent these instances through regulation.
Legalized, regulated prostitution has many benefits. Encounters can
happen within controlled environments that bring about safety for both the
customers and the prostitutes. Prostitutes would no longer be strong

armed by pimps or organized crime rings. Underage prostitution would be

curtailed. There would also be health-safety improvements.
[Return to top.]
Government can help its citizens. It makes practical sense to monitor
prostitution and what better way is there to monitor it than by legalizing it
and regulating it? Legalization would require prostitutes to undergo regular
medical examinations. STDs would be prevented from being spread as
well as other communicable ailments like hepatitis and tuberculosis. It
would also reduce gender violence, allow women to escape prostitution, if
they so choose, and prevent women from becoming infertile as a
consequence to obtaining certain STDs (Gavin, 2001).
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/13505/how_the_legalizatio
n_of_prostitution.html?cat=9
One problem in criminal justice today is prostitution, a crime that is
only illegal because of the Victorian aged puritanical values of the nation.
Since people are free to do whatever they wish with their bodies as long
as it doesn't involve money for sexual activities, it makes for prostitution to
be illegal. A primary goal of laws against prostitution is to deter women
from becoming prostitutes but though the criminalization of the act is an
attempt to punish prostitutes, it overlooks the reasons why some women
go into such a dangerous type of work or lifestyle. If prostitution was
legalized, it could be regulated, which would help the women immensely.
The women who work the streets usually do it out of desperation, and the
least that the government can do is to help them stay safe. Since
prostitutes are socially and legally required to hide their activities,
determining the number of American women who engage in prostitution is
not easy.
Most calculations range between 230,000 and 350,000, but numbers
as high as 1,300,000 have been estimated. Either way, a significant
number of women currently engage in various forms of prostitution. There
are different levels of prostitution, from higher class call girls to
streetwalkers. Call girls tend to have higher levels of education, more
control over their lives and usually come from privileged backgrounds.
They also make substantially more money than streetwalkers.
Streetwalkers are the lowest form of prostitution and the women are likely
to be controlled by pimps as well as be subjected to violence more so than
other classes of prostitutes.
It is painstakingly clear that there is a need for regulation of
prostitution. Most people see decriminalization, rather than legalization, is
for the most part the correct approach. Legalization usually means some
form of state-regulated prostitution, while decriminalization means the
removal of laws prohibiting prostitution. Some opponents of prostitution
advocate decriminalization for prostitutes, but continued laws against for
pimps and johns (Lucas, 1995). Arresting prostitutes is definitely an
ineffective way to halt prostitution. It also victimizes women. Since most
streetwalkers do it out of desperation, putting them behind bars doesn't
provide them with the help they need at all.State and local governments
have spent thousands of tax-payer dollars in law enforcement efforts to
eradicate it with little success. If prostitution is decriminalized, those tax
dollars could be put towards something better for the community, or to
help prostitutes and other people in need. Also, it would curb the

harassment, stigmatization, and violence against prostitutes.

Decriminalization of prostitution and the regulation of pimping and
pandering offers a chance for the women to gain some control over their
work. It would make it easier to prosecute those who abuse them, and with
the stigma against prostitution lifted, they may have an easier time getting
health care and bargain for the rights that they deserve. Decriminalization
allows for the possibility to reduce the level of danger that is prominent in
the lives of prostitutes (Meyer, 1993).
Legalization of prostitution would take the above further a step. Not
only would innocent women who desperately need help stay out of jails,
the government may help them out greatly with regulation requirements.
They can help the women stay safe, and rates of violence and sex crimes
against prostitutes can decrease dramatically. Many things can be
implemented to help these women, such as licensing for both the women
and the pimps, mandatory STI checks for both prostitutes and their
customers, health care services or insurance, and brothels. The licensing
should be fairly strict and have many regulations of things such as pay,
screenings of customers and the prostitutes, as well as hygiene and other
mandatory business guidelines. Also the brothels would have to register
every prostitute who was working there, and be susceptible to random
check ups by the government or local officials. In essence, it should be run
just like any other business.
Homosexuality and gender identity

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality
Homosexuality refers to romantic or sexual attraction or behavior
among members of the same sex, situationally or as an enduring
disposition. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is considered to lie
within the heterosexual-homosexual continuum of human sexuality, and
refers to an individual’s identity based on those attractions and
membership in a community of others who share them.
Homosexuality is widely encountered in the animal kingdom. Among
humans, the prevalence of homosexuality is difficult to determine
accurately; studies suggest between two and twenty percent of the
population exhibit some degree of homosexual sensibility, though in many
earlier cultures homosexual relations were prevalent. Throughout history,
individual aspects of homosexuality have been admired or condemned
according to various societies' sexual norms. When praised, those aspects
were seen as a way to improve society; when condemned, particular
activities were seen as a sin or a disease, and some homosexual behavior
was prohibited by law. Since the middle of the 20th century homosexuality
has been gradually delisted as a disease and decriminalized in nearly all
developed countries. However, the legal status of homosexual relations
varies widely by country and there remain jurisdictions in which certain
homosexual behaviors are crimes with severe penalties including death.
Many homosexual people hide their feelings and activities out of fear
of disapproval or aggression; they are commonly said to be closeted.
Disclosing one's homosexual or bisexual orientation is known as coming
out (of the closet). Efforts toward emancipation of homosexuality as it is
currently understood began in the 1860s; since the mid-1950s there has
been an accelerating trend towards increased visibility, acceptance, and

civil rights for lesbian, gay and bisexual people. Nevertheless,

heterosexism and homophobia persist, and in particular young people
subjected to it are at greater risk of socialization difficulties including
suicide. Currently the most common adjectives in use are lesbian for
women and gay for men, though some prefer other terms or none at all.
Choice vs. innate

The American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric
Association, and National Association of Social Workers stated in an
amicus brief presented to the Supreme Court of the State of California:
"Sexual orientation has proved to be generally impervious to interventions
intended to change it, which are sometimes referred to as “reparative
therapy.” No scientifically adequate research has shown that such
interventions are effective or safe. Moreover, because homosexuality is a
normal variant of human sexuality, national mental health organizations do
not encourage individuals to try to change their sexual orientation from
homosexual to heterosexual. Therefore, all major national mental health
organizations have adopted policy statements cautioning the profession
and the public about treatments that purport to change sexual orientation."
The Royal College of Psychiatrists stated that it "shares the concern of
both the American Psychiatric Association and the American
Psychological Association that positions espoused by bodies like the
National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality
(NARTH) in the United States are not supported by science. There is no
sound scientific evidence that sexual orientation can be changed.
Furthermore so-called treatments of homosexuality as recommended by
NARTH create a setting in which prejudice and discrimination can
flourish," and added that "The best evidence for efficacy of any treatment
comes from randomised clinical trials and no such trial has been carried
out in this field."
The APA also writes that "most people experience little or no sense
of choice about their sexual orientation". In a joint statement with other
major American medical organizations, the APA says that "different people
realize at different points in their lives that they are heterosexual, gay,
lesbian, or bisexual".
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has stated "some people
believe that sexual orientation is innate and fixed; however, sexual
orientation develops across a person’s lifetime". A report from the Centre
for Addiction and Mental Health states: "For some people, sexual
orientation is continuous and fixed throughout their lives. For others,
sexual orientation may be fluid and change over time".
Gender identity
The earliest writers on a homosexual orientation usually understood
it to be intrinsically linked to the subject's own sex. For example, it was
thought that a typical female-bodied person who is attracted to female-
bodied persons would have masculine attributes, and vice versa. This
understanding was shared by most of the significant theorists of
homosexuality from the mid 19th to early 20th centuries, such as Karl
Heinrich Ulrichs, Richard von Krafft-Ebing, Magnus Hirschfeld, Havelock
Ellis, Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, as well as many gender variant

homosexual people themselves. However, this understanding of

homosexuality as sexual inversion was disputed at the time, and through
the second half of the 20th century, gender identity came to be
increasingly seen as a phenomenon distinct from sexual orientation.
Transgender and cisgender people may be attracted to men, women
or both, although the prevalence of different sexual orientations is quite
different in these two populations (see sexual orientation of transwomen).
An individual homosexual, heterosexual or bisexual person may be
masculine, feminine, or androgynous, and in addition, many members and
supporters of lesbian and gay communities now see the "gender-
conforming heterosexual" and the "gender-nonconforming homosexual" as
negative stereotypes. However, studies by J. Michael Bailey and K.J.
Zucker have found that a majority of gay men and lesbians report being
gender-nonconforming during their childhood years. Richard C. Friedman,
in Male Homosexuality published in 1990, writing from a psychoanalytic
perspective, argues that sexual desire begins later than the writings of
Sigmund Freud indicate, not in infancy but between the ages of 5 and 10
and is not focused on a parent figure but on peers. As a consequence, he
reasons, homosexual men are not abnormal, never having been sexually
attracted to their mothers anyway.
Social construct
Because a homosexual orientation is complex and multi-dimensional,
some academics and researchers, especially in Queer studies, have
argued that it is a historical and social construction. In 1976 the historian
Michel Foucault argued that homosexuality as an identity did not exist in
the eighteenth century; that people instead spoke of "sodomy", which
referred to sexual acts. Sodomy was a crime that was often ignored but
sometimes punished severely (see sodomy law).
The term homosexual is often used in European and American cultures to
encompass a person’s entire social identity, which includes self and
personality. In Western cultures some people speak meaningfully of gay,
lesbian, and bisexual identities and communities. In other cultures,
homosexuality and heterosexual labels don’t emphasize an entire social
identity or indicate community affiliation based on sexual orientation.[36]
Some scholars, such as David Green, state that homosexuality is a
modern Western social construct, and as such cannot be used in the
context of non-Western male-male sexuality, nor in the pre-modern West.
The Equality of the Sexes. Different but equal

http://chestofbooks.com/religion/christianity/Science-Life-Living/IV-
The-Equality-Of-The-Sexes.html
"The masculine and feminine elements, exactly equal and balancing
each other, are as essential to the maintenance of the equilibrium of the
universe as positive and negative electricity or the centripetal and
centrifugal forces, the laws of attraction which bind together all we know of
this planet whereon we dwell and of the system in which we revolve."
(Elizabeth Cady Stanton)
"The inequality of the sexes in the human race is a disastrous
anomaly in creation due to the artificial barriers against the full and free
development of woman's moral and mental powers." (Emily P. Collins)

No one can dispute the fact that the position of woman has changed
very decidedly in the English-speaking countries of the world, in the past
twenty-five years. While many will declare that she has gained materially
in all things which go toward a more advanced civilization, there are others
who look upon the changes with disfavor, not to say antagonism,
unfavorable opinions coming at times from quarters least expected. Nikola
Tesla, in an article in The Century, deplores the condition arising from the
new order of things:
"Society life, modern education and pursuits of women, tending to
draw them away from their household duties and make men out of them,
must needs detract from the elevating ideal they represent, diminish the
artistic creative power, and cause sterility and a general weakening of the
race."
It is singular how advanced a mind may be in one direction and how
behind the times in another. The statement made by Tesla in his otherwise
remarkable article seems born of a prejudice coming from the belief in
man's superiority over woman. Notwithstanding my great admiration for
the writer, I must say this statement is weak in the extreme, if not
absolutely false. One naturally expects a judicial utterance from a scientific
mind that is supposed to weigh the evidence in the case. In viewing any
subject from an impartial standpoint, one must look beyond the present
conditions and consider the case in all its bearings.
Suppose great wrong and injustice are found; in the righting of those
wrongs, in abolishing the injustice, there must inevitably follow a certain
amount of friction and discord until society has readjusted itself to the new
conditions. And the more complex the wrongs the greater will be the
temporary disturbance of social conditions; but the final outcome is no less
sure and no less to be desired. The onlooker who sees nothing except that
which has taken place on the surface, and compares that with previous
conditions, may find apparent reason for believing the old order of things
better than the new. Nevertheless, in the most highly civilized countries,
women enjoy the greatest amount of freedom. Would the United States or
England care to go back and take lessons from Turkey or Persia in regard
to women? Are the women of England and America any the less womanly
because of their greater freedom and their consequent greater
intelligence? If, therefore, we acknowledge a little liberty as a good thing,
why should not more of it be still better?
The Master said, "the truth shall make you free." Was this freedom meant
for man alone, or was woman to have some share in it?
The Declaration of Independence affirms that all are born free and
equal. If there is any truth in this statement, why should men turn later and
repudiate it, denying to women equality and the same rights and privileges
that men enjoy. No, gentlemen. The day is certainly coming when no right
or privilege looked upon by man as his sole prerogative shall not be as
fully and freely enjoyed by woman. Some day in a free country right not
might shall prevail. In the meantime, unrest and controversy must
engender friction and disorder until the new order becomes thoroughly
established.
But should the social friction of a generation be allowed to stand in
the way when we are trying to work out the highest welfare of the human
race? In the larger freedom which has come to woman there can be
nothing which in the end will prove in any way detrimental to the well-being

of the race. The highest development on any plane of life is attained only
when there is perfect freedom. Resistance offered to freedom of natural
thought and action in the life of man hinders and dwarfs growth and brings
about abnormal conditions of mind and body. And that which in any way
retards the highest development of woman interferes to exactly the same
degree with the natural growth and development of man. The sinner and
the one sinned against are both made to suffer because of the violation of
the law of growth.
The conservative mind considers any innovation which sets aside the
old order of things as being contrary to the law of orderly progression; but
if the opinions of the conservative mind were considered as final there
would be neither growth nor development, simply stagnation - inaction -
death.
Let us point out a few instances in which the new order of things is
preferable to the old, and which will in the end prove beneficial to men and
women alike. Not only this, but it will have a very decided effect on the
generations to come. Just a word as to former conditions and the belief
still retained in the minds of many people of the present day.
The Bible student will quote the Apostle Paul to make good the old
order; the scientific mind will dwell on the physical limitations and put
forward the thought that the principal office of woman is the reproduction
of the race; while the mind that is neither Biblical nor scientific will try to
show that there have been but few great women in original or creative
thought in the world, and therefore a great woman is an abnormal
production of Nature. All this is on a par with nine-tenths of the reasoning
that is now in vogue in opposition to the continued advancement and
freedom of woman. But these arguments, and a thousand more like them,
would not be sufficient to justify the slavery of woman from time
immemorial to the present, for we can not in all truth and candor say that
woman has been, or is, free. Granting that a greater degree of freedom
has come to her, we still contend that nothing short of absolute equality of
the sexes will fulfill the eternal law of right. When men pride themselves on
intellectual development, do they realize that a development of heart is
quite as important as a development of head? Is not he who has
developed both head and heart a more complete man than the one who
has developed only the intellect? And if this is true of a man is it not
equally true of a woman? It would be true of woman to-day if the
advantages so freely given to the men had not been withheld from her. In
spite of opposition and all the disadvantages women labor under, they are
insisting on rights and privileges denied them in the past. In this they are
not always successful. The chivalry of many of our college undergraduates
is far from what it might be. Coeducation is frowned upon by nearly all
young men in college who are yet in their adolescence, and who have not
yet lived out the savagery of bygone ages; but why the heads of colleges
and universities should be dictated to by the students is more difficult to
explain, save on the ground that many college men, through having
formed the habit of drawing their opinions from the subconscious mind -
the storehouse of accumulated knowledge - are sometimes prone to see
the vital questions of the day in the light of past conditions, therefore in
only a partial way, because of the automatic action of their minds.

2.3. Text Correction

Identify and correct the mistakes in the following texts:
1
Perhaps the most important person in his life was his mother. A
beautiful woman who devoted her life to her family. She had married his
father when she was quiet young. Not quite eighteen. And hardly out of
high school. As a result, her plans too enter college had to be deferred for
a while. « It’s all a metter of priorities, » she said. Filling that she was in
love and wanted to start a family. « I’ll get back to my schooling one day, »
she told her friends. She did. Allthough it took over fifty ears.
2
There are some people who cant seem to concentrate in a quiet
room. « Its too quite, » they complaint. They seem to thrive on some level
of noice, and so while theyre studying, they turn on the radio or the
television set. Theyre parents, not understanding the situation, may ask,
« Whats going on here ? Youre never going to be able to do your
assignment with all that noice ! » Yet its precisely the « noice » that helps
them to do the homework. A radios music provides the accompaniment to
start the days work. As my friends brother once said, « Everyone has the

right to choose his own place to work. Whats important is that the
professors assignment gets completed. »
Their are many reasons for students to go too college. First of all,
college has a definite effect on our lifes, since its a place were we are
exposed to people of diverse backgrounds and also too many different
branches of learning. Then too, at college students have a choise of
extracurricular activities to attend and to farther they’re interests and
abilities. All considered, people should follow the advise of those who
advocate a college education.
We have been told that there has always been a generation gap
between the old and the young. As a result, communication between
children and parent is at best difficult. My own mother often tell me that
when she was young she could not discuss many important subject with
hers parents and so she relied on her few close friend for these
discussion. Yet today she does not fully understand why it so difficult for
me too bridge this gap and communicate openly. She fill that now it
diffrent, and she is more understanding than either of her parents was. Oh
well, let see what happens when I have childs.

Listening Comprehension and/or Speaking
Learning Unit no. 3

LISTENING COMPREHENSION AND/OR SPEAKING
3.1. Topics for Conversation
It is better to build bridges not walls. Figure out the message and
share it with your team.
It’s better to know something about many things than everything

about one thing only.
If you have enough will, you can move the mountains but if you’re
smart, you leave them there. Illustrate with examples.
If you are used to thinking that stress is something that makes you
worry, you have the wrong idea of stress. Stress is many different kinds of
things: happy things, sad things, allergic things, physical things. Many
people carry enormous stress loads and they do not even realize it!
When you take responsibility for another person’s actions,

CHANGES occur in your life over which you have little or no control.
Taking responsibility for another person’s actions is a major stressor. Find
an example to illustrate.
Describe the role model person for you, the person you are trying to
be. Do not ignore the flaws that are part of anyone’s charm.
People say it’s hard to do the right thing. Others say that what is hard
is to know what the right thing is, and once you know it, it’s hard not to do
it. If you agree, find an example to illustrate. If not, do the same.
How and to what extent do you think that money and power influence
people? Do you have such an example?
Is knowledge enough to make a good professional or it takes more

than that? If yes, what? If no, why not?
Which do you think are the most relevant traits of character that
make a person accepted by the smaller or larger community s/he is part
of?
You see a man and a woman, about the same age, sitting on a
bench, each at one end of it. What kind of story does this trigger in your
mind?

What do you think stimulates young people nowadays? What

principles regulate their attitude toward life and work?
Is there anything left for the new generation to say, do or decide? Do

they even think of it or they are just trying to adjust the best they can to
what the previous generations have created for them?
Do you think that communication is really necessary or it has become

only a cliché? In either case, give arguments to support your answer.
Comment on: “Take advantage of/ Seize every moment in your life
as if it were the last.” Give pros and cons.
What are the main objectives that the educational system in Romania
has in view, and to what extent do you consider them appropriate for the
demands of the labour-market? Were you to have the power to change
something, what would you change?
“Some day, I’ll…” List some of the plans you have made for yourself
and name the methods you think you will use to accomplish them.
Suppose you had the chance of having three wishes fulfilled. Which
were those?
If you were to change something in your life, what would you change
and why?
We all have pecadillos/small faults that our intimate friends tolerate.

What are yours?
Name three qualities you think a successful career would require and
three flaws that one should avoid so as to succeed.
Remember one instance when you had to make an important

decision. What was it and what helped you make the right one?
People say it is of utmost importance to always tell the truth. If you

agree to that, give reasons. Could you name at least one instance when
telling the truth would have been worse than not telling it or telling a lie?
“I wish the world were a better place” is something you have,

probably, heard at least once in your life. If you had the divine power of
changing three (since this is said to be a magic number) things (courses of
events, political decisions, etc.), which would be those?

3.2. Documentaries and Films

A. Zeitgeist is a documentary film about (alleged or not) “social
myths”, in 3 parts:
“The Greatest Story ever told”, questioning religions as original god-
given stories, and arguing the Christian religion is mainly derived from
other religions, astronomical facts, astrological myths and traditions, in
turn derived from or sharing elements with other ones;
“All the World’s a Stage”, about several 9/11 conspiracy theories
(either orchestrated or allowed to happen attacks in order to generate
mass fear, initiate and justify the “war on terror”, provide a pretext for the
curtailment of civil liberties, and produce economic gain) and
“Don’t Mind the Men Behind the Curtain” arguing that three wars of
the USA during the 20th cent. were waged purely for economic gain by
“international bankers”
Choose any one part of the documentary and contradict or reinforce

1 of the author’s lines of arguments.
B. Freedom Writers is the story of a young, new and excited

schoolteacher and a new integration program that puts “at-risk” and
“unteachable” students, of all backgrounds and races, in classes together.
It is also about doing the right thing. What the students begin to write in
their diaries is an odyssey against ignorance, intolerance and negative
forces present in their own lives, which is meant to open their eyes and
teach them how to become the heroes of their own stories.
Choose any one narrative element (Erin’s or any of the students’

actions/reactions, word/s) and elaborate on it.


Final Tests
FINAL TEST
I. Choose the most suitable option:
1. The Smiths … for Brasov by the 9 o’clock train as they have already made plans
for that.
a) are leaving b) are going
c) will go d) will be leaving
2. By the time they … their destination, their grandson … last week.
a) reach/will have been born b) reached/has been born
c) reach/will be born d) reached/had been born
3. Your daughter … so shy if you … the time to talk to her along the years.
a) wouldn’t be/found b) weren’t/would find
c) wouldn’t be/would find d) wouldn’t be/had found
4. If you repeatedly … their offer, of course they … .
a) will reject/will give up b) are rejecting/give up
c) would reject/ would give up d) have rejected/have given up
5. It was not until he … that she … on him that he left her.
a) had realized/has been cheating b)has realized/has cheated
c) realized/ had been cheating d) had realized/had been cheating
6. Not until …, … taken to the hospital.
a) had the police arrived/was the victim b) arrived the police/the victim was
c) the police arrived/the victim was d) the police had arrived/was the
victim
7. By the time the writer … 50, he … famous.
a) turns/will have become b) will turn/will become
c) has turned/has become d) will have turned/has become
8. Unless you … learning English and computer operating, you … to get a well-paid
job.
a) don’t start/will not be able b) start/don’t be able
c) start/will not be able d) don’t start/don’t be able
9. She told me that she … on us when they came to town if they … enough time.
a) would call/had had b) will call/had
c) will call/will have d) would call/ had
10. He … for Timisoara as soon as he … his project.
a) is leaving/will finish b) is leaving/will have finished
c) was leaving/ had finished d) leaves/had finished

Final Tests
11. Unless you … my advice, you … your way.

a) don’t follow/don’t find b) follow/won’t find
c) won’t follow/won’t find d) will follow/won’t find
12. She has just told me that she … him for two months now but she … to marry him.
a) is seeing/isn’t meaning b) has been seeing/hasn’t meant
c) has been seeing/doesn’t mean d) saw/didn’t mean
13. As soon as I … the paper, I promise I … it to you.
a) finished/will send b) have finished/will send
c) will have finished/will send d) will finish/will send
14. He has told me that he … me the paper as soon as he … it.
a) will send/will finish b) would send/has finished
c) will send/has finished d) has sent/will have finished
15. He let me know that he … me the first draft as soon as he … it.
a) will send/has had b) would send/had had
c) will send/has had d) would send/would have
16. If it … for his determination and hard work when he was only a poor boy, his
family … so rich today.
a) weren’t/wouldn’t be b) hadn’t been/wouldn’t have been
c) hasn’t been/wasn’t d) hadn’t been/wouldn’t be
17. The students said that unless some teachers … their way of seeing things, there
… any notable progress.
a) will not change/won’t be b)didn’t change/wouldn’t be
c) changed/wouldn’t be d) will change/won’t be
18. No sooner … from the serious illness she … for ten years, than her husband
died.
a) had she recovered/suffered b) did she recover/has suffered
c) had she recovered/had suffered d) did she recover/suffered
II. Comment in a 3,000-word paper upon:
Each human being is born as something new, something that never existed before,
and yet as something following a pattern. They are born with all they need to win at life.
Each person in their own way can see, hear, touch, taste and think for themselves. Each
has their own unique potential – their capabilities and limitations. Each can be a
significant, thinking, aware and creatively productive person in their own right – a winner.
The words “winner” and “loser” have many meanings, but few people are one hundred per
cent winners or one hundred per cent losers. It’s a matter of degree.
(Muriel James and Dorothy Jongeward – Born to Win)
III. Choose any of the three issues illustrated by the texts in 2.2. and write a
2,000-word essay.
IV. Choose any one of the conversation topics suggested in 2.3 and write a
1,000-word essay.

Suport de Curs

Hochgeladen von

Dokumentinformationen

Originaltitel

Copyright

Verfügbare Formate

Dieses Dokument teilen

Dokument teilen oder einbetten

Freigabeoptionen

Stufen Sie dieses Dokument als nützlich ein?

Sind diese Inhalte unangemessen?

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Suport de Curs

Hochgeladen von

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Tenses of the Indicative - Exercises

Universitatea “Dunărea de Jos” din Galați

Practica limbii engleze

Developing Skills for Language Acquisition 5

“Dunarea de Jos” University of Galati

Learning Unit no. 1

Developing Skills for Language Acquisition 7

Learning Unit no. 1

I. Rewrite each of the following sentences so that the meaning stays

8 Developing Skills for Language Acquisition

Developing Skills for Language Acquisition 9

10 Developing Skills for Language Acquisition

V. Rewrite each of the following sentences, so that the meaning

Developing Skills for Language Acquisition 11

12 Developing Skills for Language Acquisition

Developing Skills for Language Acquisition 13

8. Ploua de trei zile cind ne-am intors de la munte. ...................................

14 Developing Skills for Language Acquisition

35. A spus ca se va tntoarce cel mai tarziu pana la ora 7. .........................

Developing Skills for Language Acquisition 15

60. Vorbea de parca ar fi fost englez. ........................................................

16 Developing Skills for Language Acquisition

1. Va veni cu siguranta si ziua in care cei asupriti se vor rascula impotriva

Developing Skills for Language Acquisition 17

18 Developing Skills for Language Acquisition

Developing Skills for Language Acquisition 19

20 Developing Skills for Language Acquisition

Developing Skills for Language Acquisition 21

Learning Unit no. 2

2.1. Romanian Sources

Read and write a 1-page comment.

22 Developing Skills for Language Acquisition

2. 1850–2007: Loteria Nationala cu noroc

Read and write a 1-page comment.

3. Prea mult est, prea mult vest, prea putin centru

Developing Skills for Language Acquisition 23

postcomunist. Ambele discursuri vad in invazia sovietica si in dictatura

Read and write a 1-page comment.

24 Developing Skills for Language Acquisition

a aceleiasi miscari spre concluzii inutilizabile. De aproape 20 de ani,

Read and write a half-page comment.

Read and write a 1-page comment.

Developing Skills for Language Acquisition 25

3. Invatati engleza prin revolutii

26 Developing Skills for Language Acquisition

Read and write a half-page comment.

C. Suntem din ce în ce mai tâmpiţi

Developing Skills for Language Acquisition 27

Şi mai e interesant titlul articolului lui Cornea: „Sensul fals al

Read and write a half-page comment.

2.2. English Sources

28 Developing Skills for Language Acquisition

Ah la la la la la la life is our love

It takes some silence to make sound

“Wonderful World”, Louis Armstrong

Developing Skills for Language Acquisition 29

“Youth of Today”, Amy Macdonald

30 Developing Skills for Language Acquisition

2.2.2. Issues of Today’s Society

Legalization or decriminalization of prostitution

Developing Skills for Language Acquisition 31

32 Developing Skills for Language Acquisition

armed by pimps or organized crime rings. Underage prostitution would be