First Impression
Diana Weston from Brooklyn, New York
«My first impression of Britain is that people are much more formal. For example, in the States we use first names almost immediately but here I have to be more careful. And British people are generally more polite.
A New Yorker says: “Give me the check, will you!” when he finishes a meal but here in Britain they say: “Excuse me. Do you think you could give me the bill?”
I don’t find a lot of difference in prices. They’re about the same as in the States. It’s the same with accommodation. I think it’s a bit cheaper in London than in New York but there’s not a lot of difference. One thing is clear, London is not as violent as New York. Some friends of mine who live in the Bronx have four locks on their door became they don’t feel safe even at their homes.
I prefer the subway here. It’s cleaner and quieter. On the whole I think London is more polluted than New York.
When it comes to work and business, my impression is that the British are much less hardworking than Americans. Sometimes I think the British don’t know what a day’s work means.»
Mr Yama from Osaka
«The prices here are about the same as in Japan, except for accommodation. In Japan the cost of accommodation is very high, much higher than in Britain. You also get more for your money here. For example, the houses, the flats and the gardens are much bigger. There is more open space here, too. In London there are lots of parks and the city isn’t as polluted as Tokyo. However, I think society here is more violent. You read every day in the newspapers about some violence on the streets.
As for the people, I think the British are less formal, not only in the way they behave, but also in the way they dress. People wear much more informal clothes here than in Japan.
When it comes to business, the Japanese work longer hours than the British, often twelve hours a day. But the interesting thing is that the British change jobs much more frequently than we do. In Japan you usually stay in the same company for your whole working life.»
Слова к тексту:
1. impression (n) [ım´pre∫n] – впечатление
2. formal (adj) [fכ:ml] – официальный, правильный
3. careful (adj) [kεəfl] – внимательный, осторожный
4. price (n) [praıs] – цена
5. about (prep) [ə´baut] – примерно, приблизительно
6. violence (n) [´vaıələns] – насилие, жестокость
7. violent (adj) [´vaıələnt] – жестокий, склонный к насилию
8. a bit [bıt] – немного
9. polite (adj) [pə´laıt] – вежливый
10. Brooklyn, Bronx (n) – Бруклин, Бронкс –
районы Нью-Йорка
11. lock (n) [lכk] – замок, запор
12. subway (n) [´sLbweı] – метро
13. hardworking (adj) [hα:d´wə:kıη] – трудолюбивый
14. except for [ık´sept] – за исключением, кроме того
15. society (n) [sə´saıətı] – общество
16. behave (v) [bı´heıv] – вести себя
17. frequently (adv) [´frı:kwəntlı] – часто
18. attitude (n) [´ætıtju:d] – отношение
19. bill (n) [bıl] – счет
Заполните таблицу, используя информацию текста, и сравните впечатления двух людей: в каких областях они имеют одинаковые или различные точки зрения на жизнь в Великобритании.
| Britain | An American view | A Japanese view |
| 1. People 2. Clothes 3. Prices 4. Accommodation 5. Violence 6. Pollution 7. Business attitude | more formal | less formal |