wrz
05
2009
1
Z zamiłowaniem obserwuję ludzi. Nie raz i nie dwa mogłam za to oberwać gapiąc się nieustannie na pasażerów w pociągu, na nerwowych pacjentów w poczekalni u dentysty, zwykłych pijaczków. Tak mam. Obserwacje te traktuję hobbystycznie, umilają czas spędzany jałowo w oczekiwaniu na ekstrakcję zęba bądź na komunikat na dworcu z charakterystyczną, nie-wiem-skąd melodią „ Pociąg osssobowy, z Kluczborka do Wrrrocławia Głównego wjeżdża na torrr pierwszy przy peronie pierrrwszym…..”. Zamaszysta ta zapowiedź, jakbyśmy mieli co najmniej 3 perony i choćby jeszcze jedną trasę jazdy, inną niż Wrocław-Kluczbork.
Tak więc, dziś lekcja zainspirowana zwykłą, codzienną czynnością. Oto krótkie charakterystyki typów ludzkich wzbogacone o słownictwo które fajnie jest znaćJ Prototypy naszych bohaterów można znaleźć w każdej pracy, szkole czy rodzinie. Read and enjoy!
Peter Postponer
Many people think of bad habits mainly in terms of smoking, drinking and taking drugs, but one can become addicted to a great many things: certain foods, being plugged into a mp3 player, a fixed routine or a certain way of acting. Peter is the consummate procastinator. His normal reaction is to delay, postpone and stall for time. No matter what he is asked to do, he tries to put it off untill later. He does not do his maliciously. With him it has simply become a kind of conditioned reflex similar to that of Pavlov’s* well-known dogs. When his parents ask him to empty the rubbish bin, tidy his room or exercise the dog, Peter says ‘in a little while’ and then… forgets. When a friend asks him to pay back a loan he says he hasn’t got the money but he’ll pay it back tomorrow. When tomorrow comes round, Peter again says ‘tomorrow’. It’s the same story when someone lends him a CD or book.
Peter is a good sort, generous at hart, but rather than following through, he stalls for time. He does not see himself as a liar, because her really intends to do whatever he has promised at some future time. He may promise a friend to drop round and help him mend his bike, but then pulls a no-show and says he’ll be there on Saturday.
Ultimately, Peter is the real loser. Nobody believes him anymore and nobody ever wants to lend him anything. He also misses out on a lot of things, because even when someone invites him to a party, his first impulse is to say: ‘No thanks, maybe next time’
*Ivan Pavlov – a Russian scientist known for his experiments with conditioned reflexes. In one classic experiment, dogs were fed every time a bell sounded. After his routine had become second nature, they could salivate whenever they heard the bell, even though no food was provided.
VOCAB
consummate-perfect
procastinator – one who delays, keeps postponing actions
stall for time – say things in order to gain more time
put off- postpone, delay
maliciously – with the desire to harm others
drop round – to pay a visit
pull a no-show – fail to keep an appointment
impulse – sudden urge to act
salivate – produce a lot of saliva
Nancy Nicotyne
Altough she scrubs her hands several times a day, the index and middle finger of Nancy's right hand show ugly yellow stains. Anyone who chats with Nancy is appalled by her strong, foul-smelling cigarette breath. Her clothes and hair are also permeated with the stench of tobacco smoke. At 13, Nancy thought she was really 'cool' when she became one of the first girls in her class to start smoking. At 16, she is a slave to her habit.
Once, older boys used to treat her to cigarettes and she would smoke mainly at parties. But nicotine is very habit-forming. Now she cannot live wothout smoking and often goes through wo packets a day. If ever she is without her cigarettes, she becomes crabby and nervous. Her boyfriend Thomas, a non-smoking athletic type, broke off with her because she seemed to love her cigarettes more than him.That depressed her so much that she began smoking even more. Now she frequently has a cigarette cough and wakes up with a rotten taste in her mouth. She gets tired easuily and cannot run and swim as fast as her non-smoking friends.
Actually, few non-smokers want to be her friend, because they don't fancy being round someone who smokes like a chimney and constantly exudes an unpleasant odour. But we must not laugh or poke fun at nancy - we may well know others in the same boat. She certainly deserves our sympathy. Her few true friends and her parents have discreetly tried to urge her to kick the habit, but until she herself musters the necessary will-power, she will never be free of her enslavement.
VOCAB
scrub - to clean by rubbing hard
appaled - very shocked
foul-smelling - with a very bed smell
permeate - spread into every part of sth
stench - horrible smell
treat - supply at sb's own expense
go trough - here: consume until finished
crabby - irritable, bed-tempered
rotten - very unpleasant
exude - come out
poke fun at sb - laugh at, ridicule
to be in the same boat - in the same bad situation
urge - to try to persuade
kick the habit - to give up a bad habit
muster - to collect, gather together
temat / lokalizacja
Dodano 1 komentarz
...a kim jest zwykły
Wysłane przez anja_zan w 6. Listopad 2009 - 15:47
...a kim jest zwykły pijaczek? Może, gdy przykleimy już mu etykietkę, nie zauważymy pod nią Nie-Zwykłego Człowieka?