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| The History of Entertainment
Nearly everyone enjoys entertainment. The beginning of it goes back to prehistoric times, when dance, music and story-telling were very important. Its traditions rise to ancient Greece about two and a half thousand years ago with the development of drama. In those days festivals were organized to celebrate Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and new life. Later poets began to write stories for a large group of performers (a chorus and an actor to recite). Then another actor was introduced which made a dialogue between characters possible. There were two forms of classical drama – tragedy and comedy. The Romans continued the traditions of Greece and developed other kinds of pastime as well. The appearance of the circus is connected with gladiators fighting in public arenas. In the Middle Ages the church considered it wrong to go to the theatre, but by and by it reappeared in the time of Renaissance with religious and moral plays. But common people preferred comedies performed by a travelling group of actors, which were called miracle plays. The Golden Age of Theatre began in the seventeenth century. The first one was opened in London in 1652. Soon a few others including the famous Globe Theatre started functioning. Among the writers who worked for these theatres was William Shakespeare, one of the greatest playwrights. He gave his audience not only great literature but popular entertainment as well.
Dictation 33 A Visit to the Bolshoi Theatre Last autumn my cousin invited me to the Bolshoi Theatre. I had never been there before and was extremely excited when Alec told
me we were going to see "Swan Lake", the famous ballet by P.I.Tchaikovsky. When we arrived at the theatre, we left our coats in the cloakroom. Our seats were in the pit stalls. I had a look at the tickets. They were not very expensive but we could see the stage very well. Alec bought me a programme and gave me his opera-glasses. Soon the lights dimmed and the curtain was raised. The scenery was fantastic. Its red and golden interior impressed me very much. During the interval we walked around the foyer. I told Alec how much I liked the ballet. It was really splendid. I said I would love to see another ballet some day. So we went to the box-office and bought two tickets for "The Nutcracker". Then we had ice-cream and coffee in the refreshment room. When at last the ballet was over, there was a storm of applause. I applauded loudly as I had enjoyed it greatly.
Topic Fourteen: Appearance Dictation 34 Returning Home I spent two years of my life in Portugal, in Lisbon. I worked in the embassy and finally the expiry date of my contract came… I landed safely at Heathrow airport and forty minutes later I stood facing the house of my childhood. When I entered the drawing room I saw two women sitting in the dim light of the fireplace. They were my Mom and Aunt Diana. Unnoticed I studied them as they talked. How different they were in appearance, these two women of middle age. Mom was all blonde curls and fair skin, with delicate, perfectly sculptured features. She was a very pretty woman, a cool Nordic type, slim and lissome with some special kind of elegance. Diana was much darker in colouring, with a lovely golden complexion and straight silky auburn hair, pulled back in a ponytail. Her face was broader, features more boldly defined, and large luminous eyes were blue so pale and transparent that they seemed almost grey. She was not quite as tall as my mother. Diana's appeal was in her warm looks; she was a handsome woman by any standard, who like my mother, carried her sixty-one years well, seeming years younger. Their characters and personalities were totally unlike. Diana was a much more serious woman than my mother was, more studious and intellectually inclined. And the worlds they occupied, the lives they lived, were not remotely similar. Diana was something of a workaholic, running her antique business and loving every minute of it. My mother was a social butterfly who did not care to work, and who fortunately did not have to. She was actually somewhat quiet and shy. My aunt was much more spontaneous and outgoing, filled with joys of life that were infectious. I always felt happy when Diana was around, as she had that effect on everyone. All of a sudden Diana's eye caught the sight of me, she cried out, sprang to her feet and rushed towards me. The mystery of the moment had gone but an overwhelming feeling of happiness came instead…
Dictation 35 The Engagement This was the occasion of celebrating the engagement of Miss June Forsyte, old Joylon's granddaughter, to Mr Philip Bosinney. In the bravery of light gloves, feathers and frocks, the family were present – even Aunt Ann, who now but seldom left the corner of her brother Timothy's green drawing room. Against the piano a man of bulk and stature was wearing a waistcoat on his wide chest and a ruby pin instead of a diamond one of more usual event, and his shaven, square, old face, the colour of pale leather, had its most dignified look. This was Swithin Forsyte. Close to the window the other twin, like the bulky Swithin, over six feet in height, but very skinny, as though destined from his birth to strike a balance and maintain an average, brooded over the scene with his permanent stoop. Not far off, listening to a lady in brown, his only son Soames, dark-haired, rather bald, poked his chin up sideways. Seated in a row close to one another were the three ladies — Aunts Ann, Hester (the two Forsyte maids) and Julia. With her elder and younger sister she lived now in the house of Timothy, her sixth and youngest brother, on the Bayswater Road. In the centre of the room, under the chandelier, as if a host, was the head of the family, old Joylon himself. Eighty years of age, with fine white hair, dome-like forehead, little dark grey eyes and an immense moustache, which drooped and spread below the level of his strong jaw, he had a patriarchal look, and in spite of hollows at his temples, seemed master of perennial youth. Philip Bosinney was known to be a young man without fortune, but Forsyte girls had become engaged to such before, and had actually married them…
SECTION 2 NARRATIVE DICTATIONS
Dictation 1 Good Advice Once early in the morning a farmer arrived at the nearest town to sell some eggs and butter. He stayed at a small hotel. The charge for a single room was not very high. It suited the farmer as he was planning to stay in the town only for two days. In the afternoon when he sold his goods he decided to have lunch at a café, where people were talking about a lawyer who was very clever and gave everybody good advice. The farmer decided to go and see him. "I've heard a lot about you. Could you advise me anything?" said the farmer. "What advice would you like to have?" "Any," replied the farmer. The lawyer smiled, took a piece of paper and wrote something on it. The farmer thanked him and left his office. The next day he went to purchase some presents for his family. When he bought everything he went to the station, got on the train and came back home. It was broad noon. He was going to read a newspaper, but his wife told him to gather the hay. The farmer was exhausted and desired to put off the work. But suddenly he remembered that he had the lawyer's advice. He took the paper and read: "Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today." "All right, let's gather the hay," said the farmer and all his family began working. In the evening it started raining heavily.
Dictation 2 The Witty Farmer Sam was an old farmer. He was born on his farm and lived on it all his life. He married his neighbour's daughter, and they grew fruit and vegetables. Sam got up at five o'clock every morning to gather them and take a load off to the market in his truck. There were few vehicles on the country roads at that time of the morning, and Sam knew how to get to the market perfectly well, so as he was going along, he was always thinking about everything except his driving. One morning his mind was engaged with the ideas what crops to plant for the next year's harvest, and whether to try something else. A lot of other farmers were cultivating the same things which he produced, so the prices in the market were coming down and he was getting less money. After a few kilometres, Sam came to a place where a small road which went in the direction of the market crossed a bigger one, and he continued over it without stopping. He always crossed the place like that, because there was never any traffic on. So there was no fear of having an accident, and anyway he was regularly in a hurry, because he wanted to get to the market in time for its opening. But that morning a young policeman whom he had never seen before signalled to him to stop a hundred metres beyond the crossroads. Sam stopped beside the man, and the latter enquired, "Didn't you know that there was a sign telling you to stop at the crossroads before going over the main road?" "Oh, yes, «answered Sam, "I knew that it was there, because I go to the market along this road every morning. But what I unfortunately was not aware of was the fact that you were hiding there". Dictation 3 Dutch Cigarettes One day a Frenchman went abroad for his holiday. He had an opportunity of visiting some countries and stayed a few weeks in Holland. He went sightseeing a lot and liked Dutch towns very much. The country impressed him immensely. Although the weather was not very good, as it often rained, he enjoyed his stay. He lived in one of the best hotels and was satisfied with everything. Once he met a man who knew Dutch meals very well, so he was invited to a restaurant where they served national dishes. The Frenchman liked them very much and they spent an unforgettable time there. But what he liked best of all were Dutch cigarettes. He smoked them daily. After a fortnight he went back to France. He bought a lot of cigarettes for his own use and put them into his suitcase. When he arrived at the border, he was to go through the Customs. He found out that cigarettes were liable to duty, but he didn't want to pay, so he took some of them and put them into his hat, which he had on. He thought that nobody would notice that and asked the porter to take his luggage to the Customs House, where the clerk was to inspect it. The Frenchman was about to go through the Customs when he learned that the Director of the Customs House was his old friend whom he had not seen for ages. The Frenchman went to him, and they were very glad to see each other. They had a nice talk and drank a few toasts to their companions. Some time later they went up to the Customs officer, and the Director said, "Let this gentleman pass. Don't examine his luggage." The Frenchman was so excited that he took off his hat to thank his friend forgetting about the cigarettes, which fell on the floor.
Dictation 4 A Present from the Son Long ago there lived an old woman in England. She had a son who was a sailor. He went to different countries and always brought gifts for his old mother. Once he went to China and bought some tea. At that time tea was very expensive and only rich people could buy and drink it. So the old woman was very happy to have such a nice present. But she didn't know what to do with it as she had never purchased tea before. She thought it was a vegetable. She told her friends about the tea and invited them to try it with her. At last the day of the tea-party came. The woman called her guests to the dining-room and put a big dish of tea leaves on the table. The guests began to eat them with salt. Nobody liked them but didn't tell the woman about that. Some time later the sailor came into the room. When he saw everybody eating leaves, he smiled. "What are you doing? Why are you eating them? Where is the tea?" "Here it is, my son," answered the old woman. "And where is the water in which you have boiled the leaves?" asked the man laughing. "I threw it away, of course," answered the woman.
Dictation 5 |
