Листок из альбома

 

 

Министерство просвещения РФ 

Федеральное государственное бюджетное образовательное учреждение 

высшего образования 

"Липецкий государственный педагогический университет 

имени П.П. Семенова-Тян-Шанского" 

Институт филологии 

Кафедра английского языка 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Е.Ю. Вовк 

 

Spotlight on Communication 

 
 
 
 

Учебное пособие 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Липецк - 2020 

 
 
 
 

 

 

 

Министерство просвещения РФ 

Федеральное государственное бюджетное образовательное учреждение 

высшего образования 

"Липецкий государственный педагогический университет 

имени П.П. Семенова-Тян-Шанского" 

Институт филологии 

Кафедра английского языка 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Е.Ю. Вовк 

Листок из альбома 

 
 
 
 

Учебное пособие 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Липецк   

2020 

 
 

   Рекомендовано к печати 
  кафедрой английского языка 

УДК 811.111 
ББК 81.432.1 
В 611   
      ЛГПУ имени П.П. Семенова-Тян-Шанского. 
      Протокол № 4 от 21.02.2020      

Вовк, Е.Ю. Листок из альбома: Учебное пособие / Е.Ю. Вовк. – Липецк: 
ЛГПУ имени П.П. Семенова-Тян-Шанского, 2020. – 82 с. – Текст 
непосредственный. 

ISBN 978-5-907335-27-1 

      Данное пособие представляет собой сборник статей, посвященных 
различным аспектам человеческого общения: от языка жестов до проблем, 
связанных с использованием социальных сетей и всемирной паутины.  
      Каждая статья сопровождается рядом упражнений коммуникативного 
характера, которые способствуют развитию профессионально-педагогических 
компетенций будущих учителей английского языка. 
     Пособие предназначено для студентов 2 курса направления подготовки 
44.03.05 «Педагогическое образование». Иностранный язык.  

УДК 811.111 
ББК 81.432.1 
В 611 

Рецензенты: Н.В. Барышев, кандидат филологических наук доцент 

ЛГТУ 

Н.А. Сушкова, кандидат педагогических наук, доцент 

ЛГПУ имени П.П. Семенова-Тян-Шанского 

ISBN  978-5-907335-27-1
   © ФГБОУ ВО "Липецкий государственный 

     педагогический университет имени 
    П.П. Семенова-Тян-Шанского", 2020 
 © Е.Ю. Вовк, 2020 

UNIT I 

 WHAT IS COMMUNICATION?  

In  small groups discuss these questions: 

What forms of communication do you know? How many different ways of 

communication  can you think of? What can be communicated using these 

methods? 

Read the passage below. Answer the questions choosing the correct answer. 

Ever since humans have inhibited the earth, they have made use of various 

forms of communication. Generally speaking, this expression of thoughts and 

feelings has been in the form of oral speech. When there is a language barrier, 

communication is accomplished through sign language in which notions stand for 

letters, words, and ideas. Tourists, the deaf, and the mute have had to resort to this 

form of expression. Many of these symbols of whole words are very picturesque and 

exact and can be used internationally; spelling, however, cannot. 

Body language transmits ideas or thoughts be certain actions, either intentionally 

or unintentionally. A wink can be a way of flirting or indicating that the party is only 

joking. A nod signifies approval, while shaking the head indicates a negative 

reaction. 

Other forms of nonlinguistic language can be found in Braille (a system of 

raised dots read with the fingertips), signal flags, Morse code, and smoke signals. 

Road maps and pictures signs also guide, warn, and instruct people.  

While verbalization is the most common form of language, other systems and 

techniques also express human thoughts and feelings. 

FOCUS ON VOCABULARY 

1. Transcribe and read out  the following words. 

barrier, accomplishment, resort, transmit, verbalization, nonlinguistic, picturesque, 

technique, sign, signify 

2. Explain what is meant by: 

Morse code, Braille, signal flags, smoke signals, sign language, body language 

3. SayitinEnglish: 

1) использовать различные формы общения; 

2) языковой барьер; 

3) осуществлять общение посредством знаков; 

4) прибегать к языку телодвижений; 

5) невербальное общение; 

6)глухонемые. 

 

4. Which of the following best summarizes the passage? 

A) When language is a barrier, people will find other forms of communication. 

B) Everybody uses only one form of communication. 

C) Nonlinguistic language is invaluable to foreigners. 

D) Although other forms of communication exist, verbalization is the fastest. 

5. Which of the following statements is not true? 

A) There are many forms of communication in existence today. 

B) Verbalization is the most common form of communication. 

C) The deaf and the mute use an oral form of communication. 

D) Ideas and thoughts can be transmitted by body language. 

6. Which form other than oral speech would be most commonly used among 

blind people? 

A) picture signs 

B) Braille  

C) body language 

D) signal flags 

7. How many different forms of communication are mentioned here? 

A) 5 

B) 7 

C) 9 

D) 11 

8. Sign language is said to be very picturesque and exact and can be used 

internationally except for ____. 

A) spelling 

B) ideas 

C) whole words 

D) expressions 

 

READING 

Skim this passage. Summarise the main topic or point of each paragraph in a 

single sentence.  

The Complexity of Animal Communication 

A Communication is by no means a human monopoly, although our languages make 

possible by far the most detailed and subtle forms of communication that we know of. 

Most vertebrates (that is, mammals, fish,birds, reptiles and amphibians) can 

distinguish the sounds made by different individuals, so they are able to tell whether a 

sounds is made by a parent or offspring, another member of their species, or a 

stranger. Virtually all owners of cats and dogs can provide evidence of their pet's 

skills at communicating6 not just with their own species - to warn off an intruding cat 

or dog, say - but also with their owners6 demanding food, asking to be let out, 

greeting them when they return home. 

B Apes, monkeys and many other primates have evolved fairly elaborate systems of 

calls for communicating with other members of their species. These sounds can be 

placed in three main categories: food calls, warnings of the presence of predators, and 

calls for help. The 'vocabulary' of most species amounts to only a handful of distinct 

sounds. However, the vervet monkeys of the Rift Valley in Kenya appear to have 

developed many more calls, each with its own meaning, making theirs by far the 

most complex communication system of any animals other than human beings. 

C The monkeys spend most of their time in the treetops, where they are generally 

safe from predators. However, every morning at first light they climb down to search 

for food at ground level. Here they are far more exposed, and so at greater risk from 

predators. In order to minimise that risk, one of the vervets acts as a guard. 

D If the guard sees a leopard approaching, it emits a loud barking call and the 

monkeys run into the trees, where the leopard can't follow them. When an eagle is 

sighted, the warning is a double-syllable cough. Other vervets respond by looking up 

into the air, then seeking shelter among the dense branches of trees or bushes, where 

the eagle won't follow them for fear of damaging its wings. The warning that a snake 

is approaching is a noise which the researches who first studied vervet 

communication called a 'chutter' sound (apparently from the noise made by a 

motorcycle engine that is getting a lot of fuel). The monkeys stand up on two legs and 

look in the grass, then run to safety. 

E Each sound is only used in its own precise situation. In effect, it means 'There's a 

leopard -or eagle, or snake - coming.' Experiments using recordings of the alarm calls 

when no predators are present show the same responses. The monkeys understand 

and respond to the call itself. 

F Young vervets imitate the calls, and, like young children, at first overgeneralise its 

meaning. A toddler brought up in an English-speaking environment will come to the 

conclusion that the past tense of all verbs ends in -ed, and will use goed and runnedas 

the past of go and run, before discovering that not all verbs follow that 'rule'. 

Similarly, infant vervets also use the leopard warning when they see various other 

mammals, the eagle alarm for other birds, and the snake cry for anything similar to a 

snake As they mature and gain experience, they begin to use the calls correctly. 

G Eagles are not only a danger to vervet monkeys: they also prey on small birds, such 

as the superb starling. This species has  its own alarm call for eagles, which vervets 

recognise. When a starling squeaks the warning 'danger in the air', nearby monkeys 

repeat it - translating it into their own term - and all the birds and monkeys rush for 

safety. 

 

The passage has seven paragraphs labelled A-G. Which paragraph contains the 

following information?Write the correct letter A-G. You may use any letter 

more than once. 

Example: how a species organises protection for itself 

Answer: C (the relevant section of text is underlined) 

1) evidence that animals react to warnings even when they are not in danger; 

2) why animals place themselves in a dangerous position; 

3)  examples of communication between animals and human beings; 

4) an account of different reactions to different sounds; 

5) an instance of one non-human species understanding sounds made by another; 

6) a classification of all animal sounds according to their function; 

7) an explanation of the reason for using a particular term; 

8)  a comparison between the numbers of sounds used by different species; 

9) a classification of sounds according to who produces them; 

10) evidence of a learning process in animals. 

Read the article “The First Four Minutes” and comment on the headline. 

THE FIRST FOUR MINUTES 

When do people decide whether or not they want to become friends? During 

their first four minutes together, according to a book by Dr. Leonard Zunin. In his 

book, “Contact: First Four Minutes”, he offers this advice to anyone interested in 

starting new friendship: “Every time you meet someone in a social situation, give him 

your undivided attention for four minutes. A lot of people’s whole lives would 

change if they did just that”. 

When we are introduced to new people, the author suggests, we should try to 

appear friendly and self-confident. In general, he says “People like people who like 

themselves”. 

On the other hand, we should not make the other person think we are too sure of 

themselves. It is important to appear interested and sympathetic, realizing that the 

other person has his own needs, fears and hopes.