Английский язык. Практический курс. Уровень Intermediate

Министерство транспорта Российской Федерации 

Федеральное государственное автономное образовательное учреждение 

высшего образования 

«Российский университет транспорта»  

 

Институт управления и цифровых технологий 

Кафедра «Иностранные языки ИУЦТ» 

 
 
 
 

Ю.А. Сахаров,  Е.В.  Кудрявцева  

 
 
 
 

Английский язык. Практический курс. 

Уровень Intermediate 

 
 
 
 
 

Практикум 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Москва – 2020 

 
 

Министерство транспорта Российской Федерации 

Федеральное государственное автономное образовательное учреждение 

высшего образования 

«Российский университет транспорта» 

 

Институт управления и цифровых технологий 

Кафедра «Иностранные языки ИУЦТ» 

 
 
 
 

Ю.А. Сахаров,  Е.В. Кудрявцева 

 
 

Английский язык. Практический курс. 

Уровень Intermediate 

 
 
 
 
 

Практикум  

для студентов Института управления и цифровых технологий всех 

направлений и специальностей подготовки 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Москва - 2020 

 

УДК 42 
С 22 
Сахаров Ю.А., Кудрявцева Е.В. Английский язык. Практический курс. Уровень 

Intermediate: Практикум. – М.: РУТ (МИИТ), 2020. – 94 с. 

 
Практикум предназначен для развития речевой компетенции по темам, содержащимся 

в рабочих программах по курсу «Иностранный язык» (английский язык). Цель практикума: 
научить студентов самостоятельно строить высказывание по известным темам 
страноведческого и лингвокультурологического характера, совершенствовать навыки 
письменной речи и устной монологической и диалогической речи, и, в дальнейшем, 
применять их при осуществлении профессионально-ориентированной коммуникации. 
Активизация навыков устной речи происходит на практических занятиях при обсуждении 
тем, ответах на вопросы, высказывании своего мнения, а также при подготовке письменных 
работ вне аудитории.  

Практикум включает в себя 5 модулей, 14 тем, блок дополнительных текстов и 

приложение. Текстовый материал подобран и адаптирован для достижения уровня 
Intermediate. 

Практикум 
«Английский 
язык. 
Практический 
курс. 
Уровень 
Intermediate» 

предназначен для студентов неязыковых вузов, изучающих английский язык. 

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
           

                                                                                            © РУТ (МИИТ), 2020 

CONTENTS 

Module I. Introduction 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5 

Unit 1. Nice to meet you 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5 

Text 1. About myself 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5 

Unit 2. Foreign language 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
8 

 
Text 1. English as a global language 
 
 
 
 
 
 
8 

Module II. My day  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          12 

Unit 3. My workday  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          12 

Text 1. Everyday routine 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          12 

Text 2. Shopping 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          15 

Unit 4. Pastimes 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          19 

Text 1. Pastimes of teenagers in Great Britain and Russia 
 
 
          19 

Unit 5. Books and films 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          22 

 
Text 1. How to choose a book to read 
 
 
 
 
 
          22 

 
Text 2. Moving pictures. The history of cinema  
 
 
 
          25 

Unit 6. Keeping fit  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          29 

Text 1. Healthy lifestyle 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          30 

Unit 7. Youth Problems 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          33 

 
Text 1. Problems of youth  
 
 
 
 
 
 
          33 

Module III. Education 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          37 

Unit 8. My study 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          37 

Text 1. Russian University of Transport  
 
 
 
 
          37 

Unit 9. International education 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          40 

Text 1. Educational System in Russia 
 
 
 
 
 
          40 

Text 2. Educational System in Great Britain 
 
 
 
 
          44 

Module IV. Discover countries 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          48 

Unit 10. Travelling  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          48 

 
Text 1. Benefits of travelling 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          48 

Unit 11. The Russian Federation  
 
 
 
 
 
 
          50 

Text 1. Moscow 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          50 

Unit 12. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland  
 
          53 

Text 1. London 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          53 

Module V. Mass-media 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          57 

Unit 13. TV. Radio. Press. Internet 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          57 

 
Text 1. British mass-media  
 
 
 
 
 
 
          57 

 
Text 2. Internet in our daily life 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          60 

Unit 14. British culture 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          63 

 
Text 1. Holidays and festivals in Britain  
 
 
 
 
          63 

Additional texts 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          67 

 
Text 1. Learning Foreign Languages 
 
 
 
 
 
          67 

 
Text 2. Leisure time  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          67 

Text 3. Sport and Fitness in Russia and Britain  
 
 
 
          68 

 
Text 4. Film genres  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          69 

 
Text 5. Time management  
 
 
 
 
 
 
          70 

 
Text 6. Youth culture 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          71 

 
Text 7. The importance of higher education 
 
 
 
 
          72 

 
Text 8. 10 reasons for studying in a foreign country 
 
 
 
          73 

Text 9. Higher Education in Great Britain 
 
 
 
 
          74 

Text 10. Higher Education in United States 
 
 
 
 
          75 

 
Text 11. Russian Federation 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          76 

 
Text 12. The United States of America 
 
 
 
 
 
          77 

 
Text 13. Scotland 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          78 

Text 14. Wales 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          79 

Text 15. Northern Ireland  
 
 
 
 
 
 
          79 

 
Text 16. The British Commonwealth 
 
 
 
 
 
          81 

 
Text 17. Canada 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          82 

 
Text 18. Australia 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          83 

 
Text 19. New Zealand 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          84 

 
Text 20. Types of mass media 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          85 

 
Text 21. London museums and art galleries 
 
 
 
 
          86 

 
Text 22. Theatre in Great Britain  
 
 
 
 
 
          87 

 
Text 23. Holidays in the United States 
 
 
 
 
 
          88 

Appendix 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          90 

Module I. Introduction 

Unit 1. Nice to meet you 

 

Before reading 
1. In pairs, discuss these questions. 
 
1. Can you introduce yourself? 

 
2. Why do you choose study here? 

 
3. Where would you like to work after graduating? 

 
2. Pay attention to these words and word combinations. 
united – дружный
best-paid – высокооплачиваемый

handsome – симпатичный (о мужчине)
a great variety – многообразие

sporty – спортивный
rich – богатый

fair hair – светлые волосы
railway operation – эксплуатация 
железных дорог 

slender – худой
to graduate – окончить учебное заведение 

caring – заботливый
bachelor’s degree – степень бакалавра

accountant – бухгалтер
to enable – позволить

drawing – черчение
field – сфера (деятельности)

 
3. Read the text. 

About myself 

Let me introduce myself. My name is (…). I was born on the (date)th of (month) (year) in 

(place of birth). I am (…) years old.  

Our family is very united. We help each other in difficult situations and discuss all family 

problems together. I have got a father and a mother. Their names are Sergey Ivanovich and Marina 
Petrovna. My father is 49 years old. He is a very handsome, sporty, tall man with fair hair and 
green eyes. He is very serious and reliable. He works as an engineer in the Russian Railways. In 
his free time, he likes fishing. My mother is 2 years younger than my father. My mother is a pretty, 
slender woman of medium height. She has long brown hair and blue eyes. My mother is a very 
kind and caring woman. She works in a hospital as an accountant.  

At school, I started thinking of my future. My parents wanted me to make the right choice 

in regard of my future profession, realize my abilities. At school, I was good at mathematics, 
physics, drawing. I really liked these subjects, so I decided to become an engineer/ manager/ 
computer programmer. Nowadays qualified engineers/ managers/ computer programmers/ are in 
great demand all over the world and are among the best-paid professionals.  

Thus, after leaving secondary school, I entered Russian University of Transport, which is 

the oldest higher education institution of its profile in Russia with a rich history and traditions. The 
University provides education for a great variety of professions. I study railway operation/ 
computer programming/ logistics in the Institute of management and digital technologies.  

The life of a student is not easy; we have to study a lot. When I have some free time, I go 

swimming at the swimming pool. I like sport very much. I go in for basketball and always take 
part in sports competitions. I am also fond of reading interesting books. Among my favourite 
writers are Charles Dickens and Mark Twain.  

When I graduate from the university, I will have the Bachelor’s Degree/ Specialist’s Degree 

in railway operation/ computer programming/ logistics. That will enable me to start working in my 
chosen field. 
 

After reading 
4. Answer these questions. 
 
1. Where and when were you born? 

 
2. What do your parents do? 

 
3. What did your parents want you to do? 

 
4. Why did you decide to study at your specialty? 

 
5. Which educational institution did you enter? 

 
6. How is your institute called? 

 
7. What do you study? 

 
8. How do you like spending your free time? 

 
9. What degree will you obtain after graduating? 

 
10. What will it enable you to do? 

 
5. Explain the meaning of the following words and word combinations. 
 
1. Engineer 

 
2. Drawing 

 
3. Manager 

 
4. Best-paid 

 
5. Bachelor’s degree 

 
6. Fill in the gap. 
 
1. Our group is very … 

 
2. He is the … student in our group. 

 
3. Engineers are always occupied by … . 

 
4. … means obtaining of some kind of degree. 

 
5. General Certificate of Secondary education … me to enter the university. 

 
6. Engineers are one of the … jobs. 

 
7. We have to study a lot and I have a little … . 

 
8. Our university provides education for … of specialties. 

 
9. My friend is … of watching documentaries. 

 
10. Many higher education institutions award … instead of Specialist’s degree. 

 
7. Translate these phrases from Russian into English. 
 
1. Мой отец работает инженером в компании «РЖД». 

 
2. Мой друг хорошо разбирается в математике и черчении. 

 
3. В своё свободное время он читает книги и изучает иностранный язык. 

 
4. Он сделал правильный выбор и поступил в Российский университет транспорта. 

 
5. Высококвалифицированные инженеры востребованы во всём мире. 
6. Российский университет транспорта – старейшее высшее учебное заведение, 

предоставляющее образование для сферы транспорта. 

7. Он недавно окончил школу и поступил в университет. 
8. Степень бакалавра позволит начать работать по специальности. 

 
9. На занятиях по математике мы часто обсуждаем задачи вместе. 

 
10. Он изучает программирование со школы. 

 
8. Using the following scheme describe the appearance of one of your family members or 
groupmates. 

General impression → height → constitution → hair → eyes 

 

Model: My mother is a good-looking tall slender woman with fair hair and blue eyes. 
 
 

Общее впечатление
General impression

красивый, интересный, приятный (о внешности)
красивый, статный (о мужчине)
некрасивый
очаровательный
привлекательный
хорошенькая, приятная, миловидная (о женщине)

good-looking
handsome
ugly
charming
attractive
pretty, pleasant-looking

Рост
Height

высокий
ни высокий ни низкий
низкий
среднего роста

tall
neither tall nor short
short
of middle height

Комплекция
Constitution

крепкий, хорошо сложенный
обладать хорошей фигурой
полный, тучный
упитанный
спортивного телосложения
статный
стройный
тощий
широкоплечий

well-built
to have a good figure
stout (plump, obese)
well-nourished
sporty
stately
slim, slender
skinny
broad- shouldered

Волосы
Hair

блондин
брюнет
густые
редкие
длинные
короткие
лысый (лысина)
кудрявый, вьющийся, волнистый
прямые
каштановые
рыжие
рыжевато-каштановые
светлые, русые
седые
темные
черные, как смоль

blonde
brunette
thick
thin
long
short
bald (patch)
curly (wavy)
straight
chestnut
red
auburn
fair
grey
dark
jet-black

Глаза
Eyes

глубоко посаженные
голубые
карие
зеленые

deep-set
blue
hazel
green

серые
grey

 
Speaking 
9. Read and translate this dialog. 

Is it worth going to university? 

S h e l d o n : You know, guys, something that’s really annoying me is that now, everyone’s got 
a degree. You know... it is like they don’t mean anything anymore.  
K i e r a : Yeah, I think you are right. I think, everyone’s coming out of university now, and there 
aren’t really enough jobs. And, in a way, having a degree doesn’t always help you in your life.  
S h e l d o n : Yeah. What do you think, Nate? I mean... I feel like we have degrees everywhere.  
N a t e : Do you wish you had a higher lever degree?  
S h e l d o n : Maybe! But, even if I had a PhD, I’ve got a couple of degrees, but... You know, I 
feel like every man and his dog has got a degree, and if had a PhD, it wouldn’t make much 
difference.  
K i e r a : I don’t know. I think, sometimes it is the experience of what you study rather than the 
piece of paper that you get in the end.  
S h e l d o n : Yeah, that’s true. I enjoy studying. Well, I don’t enjoy studying, but I... I enjoy 
knowing that I’m studying. 
N a t e : Do you think people with further degrees earn more money?  
S h e l d o n : Probably on average, right?  
K i e r a : I think they probably do. I’m sure I’ve heard that. I’m sure they do earn more money, 
if they can get a job in the first place.  
S h e l d o n : But if you’ve got a PhD in Philosophy...You’re going to be a rich philosopher?  
N a t e : Exactly! Are you going to earn more money than a person with only a Bachelor’s degree 
in another field?  
S h e l d o n : Exactly. I mean, do you guys like studying? Did you study? You got university 
degrees? 
K i e r a : Yeah! I studied. It wasn’t really something that gave me a good job at the end. But as I 
say, the experience was brilliant and I wouldn’t swap that for anything. I’m glad I did it.  
S h e l d o n : What about you, Nate?  
N a t e : Yes, I’ve got a degree, and I really liked studying. But once you start to earn a little bit 
of money, it’s very difficult to continue studying, and not have a job.  
S h e l d o n : Exactly. Yeah, it’s worth it, but yeah... in the end it’s not worth it. 
 
10. In pairs, create your own dialog and present it to your groupmates. 
 
Writing 
11. Write a text about yourself (use a text «About myself» as an example). Prepare it for 
presentation. 
 
 

Unit 2. Foreign language 

 

Before reading 
1. In pairs, discuss these questions. 
 
1. Is it important to know any foreign languages? 

 
2. How many foreign languages do you speak? And your parents and friends? 

 
3. Why do so many people learn and speak English? 

2. Pay attention to these words and word combinations. 
to refer – относиться к…
exciting – захватывающий, увлекательный

widespread – широко распространённый
various – разный

major – главный, основной
native speakers – носитель языка как 
родного

dominant – преобладающий
to allow – позволять

throughout the world – по всему миру
authentic – подлинный, истинный

all kinds of… – всевозможные
subtitles – субтитры

to communicate – взаимодействовать, 
общаться

to participate – участвовать

world trade – международная торговля
to afford – позволять

 
3. Read the text. 

English as a global language 

Because English is so widely spoken, it has been referred to as a «global language». While 

English is not an official language in many countries, it is the language most often taught as a 
second language around the world. Its widespread acceptance as a first or second language is the 
main indication of its worldwide status. 

The English language is now the first language of about 400 million people, official 

language in over 60 countries, and is represented in every continent and in the 3 major oceans. 
That means one in every seven people in the world speaks English. Now English is the dominant. 
English is the first language in the UK, the USA, Australia, New Zealand. For the other 600 million 
it’s either a second language or a foreign language. As a second language, it is spoken in India, 
Singapore, Russia, China and other countries throughout the world. 

English is so widespread nowadays because it has become the standard language for all 

kinds of international communication: 80% of all information in the world’s computer is in 
English; nearly 50% of all the companies in Europe communicate with one another in English; 
75% of all international letters are in English. English is also the international language of business 
people, pilots, diplomats and politicians, sportsmen and scientists, doctors and students, musicians 
and singers. Obviously, English is going to become even more important as a global language, 
dominating world trade, computers and media.  

Today learning English is becoming more and more exciting. Students can enjoy any kind 

of pronunciation and various accents listening to recordings read by native speakers. Watching 
video films allows students to see authentic movies with or without subtitles. The online-courses 
will help you to learn new words and grammar, to participate in different activities, forums and 
chats. And finally if you can afford it, go abroad and learn English with native speakers in an 
English-speaking country. 
 
After reading 
4. Answer these questions. 
 
1. Why is English called a «global language»? 

 
2. How many people speak English? 

 
3. Where is English spoken as the first language? 

 
4. Where is English spoken as the second language? 

 
5. Why is English so widespread nowadays? 

 
6. In what domains is English considered an international language? 

 
7. Where does English dominate? 

 
8. How can students train their pronunciation? 

9. What can you do on online-courses? 

 
10. What are other ways to learn English? 

 
5. Explain the meaning of the following words and word combinations. 
 
1. Global language 

 
2. Official language 

 
3. Communication 

 
4. Native speakers 

 
5. Subtitles 

 
6. Fill in the gap. 
 
1. Many people speaks English, so it has been … to as a «global language». 

 
2. English is often taught as a … in schools and universities. 

 
3. About 400 million people speak English as the … language. 

 
4. English … in the UK, the USA, Australia, New Zealand. 

 
5. English is … language for all kinds of international communication. 

 
6. For English business people, diplomats, politicians, and many other professionals 

English is the … language. 
 
7. Learning English is becoming … activity. 

 
8. Students love watching video films with … . 

 
9. New lexis and grammar can be learnt on … . 

 
10. If you can’t afford going abroad for learning English, you can communicate with … 

through the Internet. 
 
7. Translate these phrases from Russian into English. 
 
1. Английский язык широко распространён в мире и тем самым относится к 

международным языкам. 
 
2. Английский язык – главный язык в Великобритании и США. 

 
3. Английский язык является иностранным языком для более, чем 600 миллионов 

человек по всему миру. 
 
4. Английский язык изучают в школе в качестве иностранного языка. 

 
5. Многие торговые компании в Европе взаимодействуют друг с другом на 

английском языке. 

6. Бизнесмены и специалисты говорят на английском языке, поскольку он является 

официальным языком в многих странах. 

7. Английский язык преобладает в сфере мировой торговли, СМИ и 

информационных технологиях. 

8. Изучение иностранного языка становится всё более увлекательным. 

 
9. Общение на форумах и в чатах помогает выучить новые слова и изучить 

грамматику. 
 
10. Поездка заграницу для изучения английского языка с носителями языка может 

быть дорогой. 
 
8. Prepare a retelling of the text «English as a global language». 
 
Speaking 
9. Read and translate this dialog. 

Languages 

S a r a h : So tell me, what languages do you speak? 

T o d d : Well, I speak two languages. I speak Thai and I speak Japanese. But my Japanese is not 
so good and my Thai is just okay. Now, I live in Japan so I study Japanese and I use Japanese 
everyday. I can speak Japanese at the supermarket. I can use Japanese at a hotel or with a taxi 
driver, but I cannot have a long conversation. And you, what languages do you speak? 
S a r a h : Well, I speak English, of course. And I speak Spanish and Japanese. 
T o d d : Wow. Spanish. 
S a r a h : I lived in Ecuador, and so I spoke Spanish everyday. I used to think I was fluent. Maybe 
I forgot some Spanish now. 
T o d d : Oh, so you can read, speak, write everything? 
S a r a h : Yeah. In Ecuador, I did everything. I spoke Spanish all the time. But my Japanese is like 
yours. I can speak only enough to go to the grocery or ask when the bus leaves or buy a train ticket. 
T o d d : It’s hard to have a good conversation in Japanese. My reading is okay, but my speaking 
is just really bad. I have bad pronunciation. So because my Japanese pronunciation is not very 
good, Japanese people don’t like to speak Japanese with me, I think. 
S a r a h : What about Thai? 
T o d d : I can speak Thai. My Thai pronunciation is okay. I lived in Thailand when I was young. 
So I studied it and I like Thai. 
S a r a h : Ah. Do you have any Thai friends? 
T o d d : I do have some Thai friends. And now, I study Thai on Facebook. So everyday, I check 
my friends’ messages on Facebook. And then I use Google translate to learn new words. So it’s 
very good.  
 
10. In pairs, create your own dialog, describing language skills, discussing difficulties and giving 
advices. Present it to your groupmates. 
 
Writing 
11. Is it important to speak foreign languages? How many foreign languages should anyone 
speak? Answer these questions in a short essay (200-250 words).