New Home Theater System

Derek: Would you like to see my new home theater system?
Ken: I'd love to. I'm an audiophile - and I love HD TV.

Derek: Then you're going to love my system. I've got surround sound speakers, an incredible receiver, and a 52-inch flat screen LCD.
Ken: I'm green with envy! Put something on!

Derek: How about a movie? Something with lots of action. Let me just turn up the volume a bit...there. What do you think? (watching the movie)
Ken: That's amazing. The picture is so clear! Even when there is a lot of movement, the picture is hardly pixelated at all.

Derek: I know. Isn't it great? How do you like the sound?
Ken: Pretty good. It seems a bit muffled in the bass, though.

Derek: Just a second, I'll tweak the balance.
Ken: Ah, that's better. The bass is much more distinct now.

Derek: Isn't the color saturation superb?
Ken: I'll say it is. I bet golf looks incredible on this TV.

Derek: Ah, you appreciate golf do you?
Ken: I love watching golf on TV. Especially in high definition.

Derek: I think there may be a tournament on now. Just a sec, I'll switch to cable.
Ken: I think it's on channel 806.

Derek: Nope, not there. Let me change channels.
Ken: There, on 808. Wow! You can see the blades of grass.

Derek: I love this system!
Ken: What do you do if it's late at night? You can't listen to this system if your children are sleeping.

Derek: That's not a problem. I just plug my headphones into this jack. Problem solved.
Ken: Speaking of headphones, I bought a pair of earbuds for my mp3 player last week.

Derek: How are they?
Ken: Pretty good. The bass isn't too bad, but the treble is crystal clear.

Derek: I need to get a new CD player for my system.
Ken: Why? You can just put your CDs onto the DVD player, they'll play.

Derek: Really? I didn't know that.
Ken: Come on, you're the proud owner of the latest home stereo system and you didn't know that?

Derek: I'm embarrassed.
Ken: You should be!

1. Which type of TV did he get?

A surround sound TV
A flat screen LCD
A flat screen plasma

2. What does Ken say about the picture?

It's muffled.
It's very clear.
It's fuzzy.

3. What does Derek do if he wants to watch a movie late at night?

He plugs the earbuds into the jack.
He plugs the headphones into the jack.
He doesn't watch movies late at night.

Fox (Лиса )

Cunning beautiful fox is a favorite character of many Russian folk tales. You probably can’t find a single animal that wasn’t tricked by this scamp. It managed to eat even elusive Kolobok that was chased by all the forest creatures. Bus is a fox really so cunning?

(Хитрая красавица-лиса — любимая героиня многих русских народных сказок. Наверно, не найдется ни одного зверя, которого бы не сумела провести эта плутовка. Ей удалось съесть даже неуловимого колобка, за которым не могли угнаться остальные лесные жители. Но так ли хитра лисица на самом деле? )

It is really one of a kind animal when it comes to dexterity. It has well developed brain and can easily track down its victim, even if it is a field mouse hiding under thick snow, a fox can hear the noise a mouse makes. When a fox understands where exactly a mouse is, it jumps right there and gets back with the prey in its mouth.

(В ловкости ей действительно нет равных. Имея развитый интеллект, лиса с легкостью выследить свою добычу — полевую мышь даже под толстым слоем снега, ориентируясь на звуки, издаваемые грызуном. Поняв, где находится зверек, она делает мощный бросок в нужном направлении, а затем выныривает из норы уже с полевкой в зубах. )

It is hard to catch a fox even for predators that hunt it. Impressive hearing and keen sense of smell warn an animal that the danger might be near and its fast paws helps it to run away. When a fox runs away from its stalker it seems like it literally flies above the ground. If this scamp feels that a predator is stronger than him then it hides in one of the digs it finds on the way.

(Поймать лису хищникам, охотящимся на нее, также совсем не просто. Чуткий слух и острое обоняние вовремя предупреждают ее об опасности, а быстрые ноги уйти от погони. Когда лисица убегает от преследователя, кажется, что она буквально летит над землей. Если же эта плутовка чувствует превосходство противника, то тогда она прячется в одну из нор, попавшихся ей на пути. )

Frequently those digs are not abandoned. Badgers, white foxes and woodchucks may live in there. However, a fox doesn’t ask their permission to become a neighbor and just stays in there as an uninvited guest. That’s probably why a fox takes hosts off their homes and stays to live in there alone in most of the folk tales.

(Зачастую такие норы оказываются вовсе не заброшенными. В них могут обитать барсуки, песцы или сурки. Но лиса не спрашивает у законных хозяев, нужно ли им такое соседство, а попросту остается жить в приглянувшейся норе незваной гостьей. Вероятно, именно по этой причине во многих сказках лисица обманом выселяет героев из дому, становясь полноправной хозяйкой новых владений. )

Folk tales often make hares look like they are foxes’ main enemy but it is not always the case. Foxes hunt hares very rarely and they don’t ravage chicken coops in villages either.

(Народное творчество часто делает лис главными врагами зайцев, но на самом деле это не совсем правда. На зайцев эти животные охотятся крайне редко, так же, как и разоряют курятники в деревне.)

They actually benefit people a lot. They kill a lot of field mice and bad insects which help to preserve crops. That’s why farm owners are not in a hurry to get rid of them and set up traps if foxes decided to live near a farm, other way around, people are happy to have such guests.

(А вот пользы людям лисы приносят немало. Истребляя полевых мышей и насекомых-вредителей, они сохранить урожай зерна. Поэтому, если лисы поселяются вблизи фермы, хозяева не спешат избавляться от них и ставить капканы, а, напротив, с благосклонностью относятся к таким гостям.)

МОЖЕШЬ ОБРЕЗАТЬ ПО ЖЕЛАНИЮ

I 1)am thinking (think ) about visiting Jane this afternoon.

I would it bother. I 2)(think) she is away on holiday.

Mr Jones 3) (has) a telephone message from his wife.

Can it wait?

He 4) (is having ) a business meeting and I don't want to disturb him.

The police 5) (are still looking) for fingerprints left in the room.

It 6) ...(looks) as if they won't find the criminal.

I 7) (love ) breathing in clean, country air. - So do I.

I ( 8) (love ) every minute of this walking trip.

I ( 9) ( see ). That's why you're wearing a suit and tie.

I(10) (am seeing) my boss about a pay rise this afternoon.