Беликова Е.К., Саратовская Л.Б. - The United Kingdom and United States of America in Past and Present (1268141), страница 15
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The adaptation of Pygmalion is avery popular musical “My fair lady”, successfully staged in Broadwayand many Europeans theaters.William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) is considered to be the bestshort-story writers in English. Many of his stories,together with novels and plays have been dramatized andbecame very fashionable and successful. AgathaChristie, the world’s most successful and best-knowndetective writer, occupies a special place in Britishliterature.
During her long writing career she wrote over83 books. Her detective novels were translated into everymajor language and tens of millions of her books weresold. Her little Belgian detective became as popular asSherlock Homes by Arthur Conan Doyle. Poirot andher other detectives have also appeared in many of the popular films,radio programmes and stage plays, based on her books. Her play TheMousetrap has been running continuously in London since 1952.In the late 1950s John Osborne, one of a group of so-called AngryYoung Men, achieved fame as an author of tough realistic drama aboutworking class life.
Iris Murdoch gained an international reputation forher “psychological detective stories’. Sir Arthur Clarke created anumber of science fiction books but probably became best known for hisbook. A Space Odyssey which was made into an extremely popular and58English literature influenced the literatures of America, Europe, Russiaand many other world countries. It also gave rise to the young literaturesof former British colonies. For example, Paul Scot’s novels show the lastyears of the British presence in India, Alan Paton, Jack Cope, Alex LaGuma wrote about the racial relationships in South Africa. ChinuaAchebe described the tribal life in Nigeria.
Nadina Gordimer, a whiteauthor from South Africa, was rewarded the Nobel Prize in 1991 as thegreatest English writer of her time.1. Answer the following question: 1. What century do scholars begin tocollect and study the national folklore in? 2. The influences of which cultures theBritish folklore is known to have? 3. When the term ballad was used in itspresent sense? 4. What are the main classes of ballad? 5. What is one of theoldest printed fairy tales in England? 6.
What important information does theBritish folklore contain? 7. What English fairy tales and legends do you know?2.Translate the following sentences into English:1.Главная причинауникальности культуры Великобритании, очевидно, лежит на поверхности.2. Большинство английских сказок существовали только в устной форме. 3.Сказки с одинаковыми сюжетамии героями можно обнаружитьпрактически во всех европейских культурах.4.Баллады можно считатьбогатым источником информации об истории, общественной жизни,чувствах и ценностях англичан. 5.
Фольклор является неотъемлемойчастью британской культуры. 6. Легенды о короле Артуре началипоявляться в 12 веке и, возможно, в их основе лежат предания опредводителе кельтов 5 или 6 веков, защищавшего страну от саксонскогонашествия . 7.Самые древние баллады о Робин Гуде относятся к 15 веку.Его имя впервые упоминается в английской литературе в поэме ВильямаЛэнгланда, написанной в 1377 году, и позже в 18 веке в правительственныхдокументах.
8. Можно с уверенностью сказать, что Робин Гуддействительно был похож на человека, описанного в старинных балладах.9. Великий шотландский поэт Роберт Бернс любил свою родину, своихсоотечественников и писал, в основном, о них.10. В 1718 году, когдаанглийскому писателю Даниэлю Дэфо было уже около 60 лет, он встретилморяка, который пробыл много лет один на необитаемом острове околоЧили. 11.Необычные приключения моряка Селкирка захватили еговоображение, и Дэфо написал историю человека, потерпевшегокораблекрушение. Он выбрал остров в другой части мира и создалвымышленный образ своего героя, Робинзона Крузо.12.
Мастерствожурналиста позволило Дэфо создать очень правдивую и увлекательнуюисторию.Книга имела грандиозный успех.3. Tell about your most favourite English writers.59SECTION II. THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICAIt is common to say that the USA is the country with a short history butvast, abundant geography and diverse population. Only five hundredyears ago the USA was a wilderness, inhabited by Indian tribes. After thediscovery of America by Europeans the immigrants from Europe andthen almost all over the world streamed to the new continent seekinghappier life and so-called “American Dream.” As a result of the massimmigration, the struggle of the young nation for independence fromformer motherland Britain, formation of the new country with democraticrights and great opportunities, the acquisition of the new territories, fastdevelopment of industry and agriculture, the USA turned into asuperpower with the strong economy, the most advanced and innovativetechnologies, diverse national culture and arts, influencing the othercountries of the globe.
The life of the USA is so complex, controversial60and dynamic that it would be impossible to present all its aspects in everydetail. However, we hope that the materials collected from many differentsources and included into this textbook may help the students see theAmerican historical formation and political structure, education andscience, cultural and lifestyle peculiarities with better understanding.CHAPTER 1.
SOME FIRST SIGNIFICANT STAGES of HISTORYPart I. The First Explorers and Settlers of America.Read the following words and word combinations:To establish settlementsto be bound to- быть вынужденным/обязанным уз To be far-flung-from-быть отдаленнымHostility - враждебностьto share the pie- поделить пирогDecline - упадокto buy for trinkets –покупать за безделицуTo squat - самовольно селитьсяunobvious -неясный, неочевидныйTo be doomed to…- быть обреченнымoutright - целеустремленныйTo cede a territory - уступать территориюbarren land –бесплодная земляIndentured servitude - соглашение о наемной работеTo enact a law - вводить закон в действиеTo be recaptured- быть пойманнымTo be ill prepared – плохо подготовленныеrugged -нищенскоеTo engulf - поглощатьTo be distressed-терпеть бедствияA joint-tock company – акционерное общество;to beset-осаждать“White elephant”-невыгодная.
сделка;forced relocation-насильственноеперемещениеA nightmare - кошмарto thrive –процветать, преуспеватьA drifter - (Ам.) бродягаa mutiny бунт, мятежPart 1. How did American history begin? For thousands of yearsAmerica lay unknown to Europeans beyond the Atlantic Ocean. The veryfirst discovery of the continent is supposed to have been made byNorsemen from Greenland who reached the New World and encampedthere. The actual material on the voyages is very small and covered withmystery.
But the voyage of Thor Heyerdahl’s papyrus craft, Ra 11, diddemonstrate that ancient sailors could have crossed the Atlantic Oceaneven before the Christian era. Both archeological evidence and ancientsagas do reveal the activities of courageous Norsemen who reached NorthAmerica around year 1100. An old Scandinavian saga tells that theNorsemen found there a lot of grapes and grape vines. They filled theirships with grapes and a cargo of timber and sailed away, naming the61country Vinland.
Another saga tells about a group of the Vikings whospent a winter in Vinland but failed to establish peace with the nativesand returned to Greenland with their son, the first European born in whatis now America.It is well known that the Italian navigatorChristopherColumbus(1451-1506)rediscovered the “New World” in 1492 byaccident while looking for a shorter route tothe spice places in Asia. An all-water routeto the Indies might reduce the cost ofOriental products, inflated by variousmiddlemen along the traditional land-seaway. Finally the queen of Spain Isabellaof Castile sponsored Columbus to sailwestward with the fleet of three small ships.A navigational genius, Columbus made four successful voyages fromSpain to the islands now called West Indies and claimed the land in theNew World for Spain. The continent America however was named foranother Italian explorer – Amerigo Vespucci (1454-1512) who completedmany voyages to South America and was the first to understand that hehad reached India but a new continent – the New World.
AfterVespucci’s accounts, published in Europe, geographer MartinWaldseemuller produced a world map (kept in the Library of Congress)on which he depicted the new continent and named it America afterVespucci’s first name.After Columbus’ voyages, Italian, Spanish, French and Englishexplorers continued European expansion of the continent looking forriches and land to claim for their countries. Italian explorer John Cabotcommanded the first European ship to reach the shores of North America.Like Columbus, Cabot hoped to reach Asia by sailing west.
LikeColumbus, Cabot had unsuccessfully offered his service to severalcountries before finding financial support from England’s port Bristol andformal authorization of King Henry Y11. In May 1497 Cabot sailed fromBristol with two small ships and made a remarkably quick journey to thecoast of Newfoundland. He spent a month there exploring Americanwaters.A lot of brave and skilled adventurers repeated the initial contacts withthe New World, driven by a search for personal glory as much as by a62desire for wealth. Cabot’s attempt was followed in 1524 by anotherItalian seaman Giovanni Verrazzano who sailed in the service of the kingof France and reached the eastern coast of North America.In 1528 five Spanish ships under the command of Panfilo Narvaezreached the west coast of Florida, staying on the continent in search ofgold for several years.In 1539 Spanish legendary explorer Fray Marcos de Niza was sent toAmerica and described a “very beautiful city” as one of the “Sevencities”.
His report stimulated further explorations into the area.In all areas of Spanish exploration, settlement and colonization soonfollowed and before long the Spanish Empire was far-flung-from Floridato California to Central and South America. It was an Empire based onSpanish culture, the Catholic Church and exploration of the native tribes,but eventually Spain found the task of mastering and controlling twocontinents too much for her resources.
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