A brief History of Time

1. 
   How is your first impression of people’s characters formed?
   
2. 
   List any factors which may interfere with a first impression, or make one difficult to get.
   
3. 
   The following factors can contribute towards a first impression. Assuming that none of them is extreme, select three of the most important and three of the least important to you. Discuss your answers with your partner.
   

• 
  what they say
  
• 
  their clothes
  
• 
  their eyes
  
• 
  their hair
  
• 
  their face
  
• 
  their teeth
  
• 
  their accent
  
• 
  their posture
  
• 
  the context in which you meet
  
• 
  their reputation
  
• 
  anything else
  

A Brief History of Time

1. 
   The writer suggests that a Great Unified Theory
   

1. 
   is only of interest to scientists.
   
2. 
   is a mirage that will never be reached.
   
3. 
   was formulated by Einstein.
   
4. 
   may force people to re-evaluate their values and beliefs.
   

2. 
   The writer was shocked because
   

1. 
   he had thought there was no one in the wheelchair.
   
2. 
   the professor’s hands were very thin.
   
3. 
   the professor had a very strange dress sense.
   
4. 
   Hawking was very alert.
   

3. 
   Hawking wants a van that
   

1. 
   is practical and functional.
   
2. 
   is fast and powerful.
   
3. 
   is full of gadgets.
   
4. 
   has two shades of colour.
   

4. 
   The writer suggests that a full explanation of the universe
   

1. 
   will be produced by scientists other than Hawking.
   
2. 
   is most likely to be found, if at all, by Hawking.
   
3. 
   will almost certainly not be found before the end of the century.
   
4. 
   will be too complex for most people to understand.
   

5. 
   According to the article, Hawking’s disease
   

1. 
   began as a result of a fall.
   
2. 
   has left him unable to move his head.
   
3. 
   has had a detrimental effect on his capacity to think.
   
4. 
   has affected him physically but not mentally.
   

6. 
   The people who are discussing equations
   

1. 
   are arguing about Hawking’s theories.
   
2. 
   work in Hawking’s office.
   
3. 
   work in the same department as Hawking.
   
4. 
   ignore Hawking completely.
   

• 
  Steven Hawking – one of the greatest physicists.
  
• 
  Steven Hawking – a profoundly disabled man.
  
• 
  Gadgets in the life of Steven Hawking.
  

1. 
   The cat chased the mouse but could not catch it.
   
2. 
   I cannot relate those two ideas.
   
3. 
   Men have been trying to lay bare the secrets of the Universe since primitive times.
   
4. 
   Motherhood is a profound experience.
   
5. 
   He attached a wire to the radio.
   
6. 
   I am very attached to my grandmother.
   
7. 
   It was pure coincidence that she called the school looking for a teaching job the very day that one of their teachers had announced she was quitting.
   
8. 
   Two antennae projected from the robot's head.
   
9. 
   The thought of visiting a cemetery at night filled her head with vi­sions of ghosts emerging from their graves.
   
10. 
    The baffled child looked everywhere but still could not find the source of the strange noises.
    
11. 
    Her kitchen is equipped with an egg-slicer, garlic press, corkscrew and dozens of other labour-saving gadgets.
    
12. 
    Soap powder manufacturers often use gimmicks such as free give­aways to increase their sales.
    
13. 
    I am sorry, sir, those shoes are not available in your size.
    
14. 
    It is impossible to estimate his abilities yet.
    
15. 
    We substituted red balls for blue to see if the baby would notice.
    
16. 
    After her husband died, she was sustained by the memory of the wonderful life that they had shared together.
    
17. 
    The doctors are concerned that there has been a noticeable deterio­ration in the patient's condition.
    
18. 
    First-year algebra students are taught how to solve simple equa­tions.
    
19. 
    The students found the physicist’s article totally incomprehensible be­cause of all the technical language the writer used.
    
20. 
    The article on recent developments in nuclear physics was so clearly written that even a layman could understand it.
    

1. 
   Невзирая на глубокое знание предмета, он совершенно не подходил на должность заведующего отделом, и поэтому его заменили хорошим организатором.
   
2. 
   Он вызывает слова на дисплее компьютера, а затем они проецируются на экране для всей аудитории.
   
3. 
   Лохнесское чудовище изредка появляется из глубин, чтобы ошеломить редких свидетелей и поддержать веру человека в существование непостижимых тайн природы.
   
4. 
   Все имеющиеся технические новинки будут продемонстрированы на выставке и их значение и функции будут объяснены публике языком, понятным даже непрофессионалам.
   
5. 
   Хотя ему часто приходилось замещать учителя он оставался полным профаном в предмете, так как не проявлял интереса к учению и не придавал большого значения своей работе.
   
6. 
   Когда секрет был обнаружен, все были ошеломлены тем, что ей удавалось скрывать эту страшную тайну даже от самых близких родственников.
   
7. 
   Охота, преследование добычи всегда были его любимым спортом, так как только в этом он мог проявить мужественность и физическую силу. Он никак не мог понять, что поддерживало ее веру все эти годы.
   
8. 
   На первый взгляд, происшествие казалось чистой случайностью, но когда он сопоставил все факты, он был ошеломлен, осознав, что против него был организован тщательно подготовленный заговор.
   
9. 
   По оценке его лечащего врача ухудшение его состояния неизбежно, и через несколько лет он станет инвалидом.
   
10. 
    Автора книги попросили заменить уравнения и математические формулы объяснениями, понятными широкой публике.
    
11. 
    
    

1. 
   Please don't worry about painting the house - I promise I will do it at some time when it is convenient.
   
2. 
   We were afraid we might miss our flight, but we got to the airport with only seconds to spare.
   
3. 
   I'm afraid I can’t talk to you at the moment. I'm in a bit of a hurry.
   
4. 
   He’s fairly rude and aggressive in favourable circumstances, but now that he's under so much stress, he's quite unbearable.
   
5. 
   This is a very inconvenient moment to decide that you don't want to get married – your husband-to-be is waiting in the church.
   
6. 
   The plane was not due to leave for another six hours, so she decided to pass the time by wandering around all the duty-free shops.
   
7. 
   I often get to work late because the trains never seem to arrive punctually.
   
8. 
   I doubt very much whether the cheque really is in the post; I should think they're just trying to delay things.
   
9. 
   Your office won't be ready until next week, so could you use Room 11 as a temporary measure?
   
10. 
    I really don't know what's the matter with him - I've told him repeatedly not to leave his car unlocked.
    

1. 
   Now's a fine time for the phone to ring, just as I am lying here re­laxing in the bath,
   
2. 
   Do not worry about my messy room. I will tidy it up all in good time.
   
3. 
   The lesson will start on time, at 8 p.m. Please be there a few min­utes early.
   
4. 
   I have told you time and time again not to put your feet on the couch. When will you learn?
   
5. 
   Sorry. I cannot talk now. I am a bit pressed for time as I have got a train to catch.
   
6. 
   At the best of times John never had enough money. Now that he has lost his job, who knows how he is going to manage?
   
7. 
   She had an hour before her next lesson, so she decided to kill time by making a few phone calls.
   
8. 
   I am not finished with the report yet. To buy time, I will just have to call the office and tell them I am too sick to go to work today.
   
9. 
   The police pulled up to the house as the burglar was running out-just in the nick of time!
   
10. 
    The painters are painting your office today, so for the time being you can share John's office.
    

1. 
   Самое время заболеть гриппом! У тебя экзамен на следующей
   неделе.
   
2. 
   Ухудшение состояния дорог приводит к тому, что поезда
   никогда не приходят во время.
   
3. 
   По его оценке человечество найдет ответы на
   животрепещущие вопросы в свое время.
   
4. 
   По невероятному совпадению мы сталкиваемся с ним снова и
   снова.
   
5. 
   Печатая свой доклад он неистово стучал по клавишам так как
   у него было мало времени.
   
6. 
   В лучшие времена Мухаммед Али был боксером номер один в
   мире, а сейчас он инвалид.
   
7. 
   Он не хотел придерживаться диеты и мне постоянно
   приходилось напоминать ему о неумолимом ухудшении его
   здоровья.
   
8. 
   Я ремонтирую свою машину. На данный момент езжу на
   отцовском микроавтобусе, оборудованном по последнему
   слову техники.
   
9. 
   Если бы в последнюю секунду он не придумал оправдание,
   осложнение в его семейных отношениях было бы неизбежно.
   
10. 
    Нашла время разбирать эту груду одежды. Ее и в лучшие времена никто не носил, а теперь ее и подавно пора выбросить.
    
11. 
    Он был ошеломлен поступившим предложением и старался протянуть время, обдумывая ответ.
    
12. 
    Он временно заменяет начальника и, по оценкам его коллег, у него неплохо получается.