Why Foreign Languages Learning is Important for Us

Nowadays it is very important to learn foreign languages. You can't imagine an educated person, who doesn't know any foreign language. Some people learn languages because they need them in their work; others travel abroad; for the third studying languages is a hobby. Every year thousands of people go from one country to another either on business or for pleasure and the knowledge of languages helps them to communicate with people and understand them.

English occupies a special place, as it is a language spoken by many people and used in various spheres of life. English is very important for the development of international contacts. More and more contacts are established with the countries of Europe, with the USA and other English-speaking countries. Our foreign partners need specialists who have a command (to know) of one or more foreign languages and can speak them fluently.

A real professional can't do without knowing foreign languages, especially English as it is an international language. Hundreds and hundreds of books, magazines and newspapers are printed in English and read all over the world. Half of the world's scientific literature is written in English. It's the language of progressive science and technology, trade and cultural relations, commerce and business.

English is the language of international communication. The majority of international telephone calls are made in English. More than seventy per cent of international mail is written and addressed in English.

Eighty per cent of all computer texts, including all web sites, are stored in English.

English is a world language. It's the most widespread language on earth, and it is second only to Chinese in the number of people who speak it. It's spoken in the British Isles, the USA, Australia, New Zealand and much of Canada and South Africa. English is also a second language of another 300 million people living in more than 60 countries. English is indeed a world language. English is spoken by more than 400 million people. It is the official language of the UK, the USA, Australia and New Zealand. In our country English is very popular. It is studied at schools, colleges and universities.

At our university the course of English runs for three years. During the course students read and translate texts on their specialty, make up different topics and dialogues, learn professional vocabulary and study English grammar.

Learning a language is not an easy thing. It's a long and slow process that takes a lot of time and patience. But it's a must (necessity).

 

Exercise 1

Find in the text English equivalents of the following words and word combinations:

иностранный язык; общаться с людьми; развитие международных контактов; говорить бегло; самый распространенный язык; отнимать много времени и терпения; необходимость.

Exercise 2

Complete the following sentences:

1. Some people learn languages because…

2. Every year thousands of people go from one country to another either…

3. English is very important for…

4. It is the official language of ...

5. During the English course students …

Exercise 3

Answer the questions:

1. Why do people learn foreign languages?

2. Is English important for the development of international contacts? Why?

3. Where is English used?

4. Why is English called a world language?

5. How is English taught at universities?

6. Is it easy to learn a foreign language?

 

HOW TO LEARN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

The importance of foreign language study is quite obvious. There are different ways to improve your command of a foreign language. First of all you should work hard every day. You are to work systematically.

Learning a foreign language is a hard job. But this hard work can nearly always bring success, when you do your best in learning the language.

First of all you are to have a desire to learn the language; otherwise you can't be successful. Learning a foreign language requires a lot of mental and physical activity. You should learn different aspects of the language - phonetics, grammar, vocabulary. Besides you should acquire habits and skills in hearing (listening comprehension), speaking, reading, and writing.

To master a foreign language means to learn and know how to ask questions and answer them on a topic, a text or a picture (orally and in writing); to make up a story on a picture, to speak about a topic; to understand tape recorded texts, dialogues, songs; to read aloud the text correctly and understand new texts based on the language material already learnt; to divide texts into logically connected units, entitle the units and retell the texts with the help of the titles used as a plan. The most important thing is to learn a foreign language as a means of com­munication and a means to acquire cultural background information. In order to know a foreign language well you are to work with a dictionary, reference literature, tape recorder, videos; you need to train your memory. To achieve this you are to learn by heart as many words, word combinations, colloquial phrases, dialogues and mini texts as you can.

To know a foreign language you are to learn grammar structures and substitute them with different proper words; to apply your knowledge of grammar and vocabulary in talking, reading books, doing various exercises, that is to develop practical skills and habits.

You are to be active in a foreign language learning. Collecting stamps, post-cards where English is used, learning English songs, reading books, listening to tapes, translating, carrying on conversations on different topics and so on may increase your vocabulary and speaking practice. Try to test your knowledge of grammar and vocabulary. In short, you are to master the language while reading, listening, writing and speaking. You need practical knowledge of the language. Don't be afraid of making mistakes. Try to repeat everything while listening. Learn a foreign language through practice and you'll be successful.

Exercise 1

Find in the text English equivalents of the following words and word combinations:

совершенствовать уровень владения языком; приобретать навыки и умения; устно и письменно; работать со словарем и справочной литературой; тренировать память; учить наизусть слова и словосочетания; расширять словарный запас; проверять знания; делать ошибки.

Exercise 2

Complete the following sentences:

1. Learning a foreign language is…

2. Learning a foreign language requires…

3.To master a foreign language means…

4. In order to know a foreign language well you are…

5. You are to master the language while…

Exercise 3

Answer the questions:

1. What are theways of improving your command of a foreign language?

2. What should you do to be successful in foreign language learning?

3. What aspects of the language should you learn?

4. How can you develop your practical skills and habits?

 

English in My Future Career

Nowadays we can’t imagine a highly qualified specialist without any knowledge of a foreign language. Foreign languages are required in all spheres of our life. And the profession of biotechnologist is not an exception.

Biotechnology is a branch of science that is rapidly gaining significance and opportunities for youngsters who want to explore the new frontiers of science are immense. Modern biotechnology commonly utilizes genetic engineering, the modification of genetic material to achieve specific goals. People who are involved in this profession read a lot, make scientific discoveries, and have a lot of scientific publications. To be successful in this profession and to achieve greater progress, one needs to get international experience. That’s why if these specialists want to communicate with other scientists, to exchange ideas or to obtain an international experiment, first of all they have to improve their English.

Knowing English can make communication easier. English is official language in 53 countries, and it is one of the official languages in many important international organizations such as UN, EU and WTO. It is also one of the working languages at most international business and meetings.

If you want to know more about the world and modern technology, English is a great bridge. Most of books, magazines, newspapers and movies are in English. Going online, most of the world's stored information and web pages are in English. English is also the most commonly used language in the sciences. In 1997, the Science Citation Index reported that 95% of its articles were written in English, even though only half of them came from authors in English-speaking countries.

In a word, English is very important in our life and in our future career. Therefore, learning English is essential in today’s Global World. If a person wants to succeed in his chosen field he has to know English, so start to improve your English as soon as possible.

 

Exercise 1

Find in the text English equivalents of the following words and word combinations:

высококвалифицированный специалист; отрасль науки; генная инженерия; достигать особых целей; делать научные открытия; преуспевать в ч-л; совершенствовать свой английский.

Exercise 2

Complete the following sentences:

1.We can’t imagine a highly qualified specialist without…

2. Foreign languages are required…

3. People who are involved in the profession of biotechnologist…

4. To be successful in this profession…

Exercise 3

Answer the questions:

1. Is English required inthe profession of biotechnologist?

2. What is Biotechnology?

3. What should biotechnologists do to be successful in their profession?

4. Where is English used?

5. Why is it necessary for biotechnologists to know the English language?

 

Discussion

Do yon agree or not? Comment on the following statements.

1. If we speak a different language, we would perceive a somewhat different world.

2. Practice makes perfect.

3. To have another language is to possess a second soul

4. A different language is a different vision of life.

5. Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going.

6. There is no royal road to learning.

 

Role-play

Learning English

Setting:At the Conference

Situation: Discussion of the problem ”English at school: the process of teaching English and the best age for starting it“.

Characters:

Card I — Helen Sotnikova, aged 22, a language teacher, just graduated from the University. Very energetic, full of modern approaches for teaching English. She is sure that the best age for starting English is the age of the kindergarten. Exaggerates the role of English in modern society.

Card II — Anna Plavskaya, aged 49, teacher of English. Sticks to the idea that the most important things in teaching English are reading and writing.

She doesn't like the latest tendencies to teach English in primary school. Anna is sure that not everybody has the ability to learn a foreign language, that's why she pays her attention mostly to the advanced pupils.

Card III — Oleg Zubin, aged 36, a director of the English club. Interested more in money received from his students than in the quality of the knowledge given by his club. He is sure that the effective way to learn language is the accelerated courses (his programme is called ”English in Two Months“). Believes that English is worth paying money for.

Card IV — Andrey Izmailov, aged 40, teacher of English in the University. Tried many methods in teaching English. Believes that speaking is the main aspect of English; gives interesting lessons, full of discussions, problematic questions. Uses a lot of video and audiomaterial at the lesson, provokes students to speak and take part in different discussions. He is against accelerated courses and shares the idea of gradual material presenting. He thinks the best time for starting English in the form of games and plays is primary school.

Writing

Write an essay on one of the following topics:

1. The role of television in learning English.

2. Internet as a means of learning English.

3. Learning English… What for?

4. Success doesn't come to you…you go to it.

 

 

Unit 4