Time for speaking

1. Work in pairs and answer the questions:

1. Do you agree with the stereotype of the typical Englishman?

2. What is the stereotype of Russian people in the West? Comment on it?

Think of the following:

• What are the Russians like?

• What do they look like?

• What do they like doing in their free time?

• Do they have a good/poor reputation abroad? Why?

2. Work with a partner:

1. Here are some statements about the British. Read them and say what stereotypes of the British are. Give reasons for your choice.

• When two Englishmen meet, their first talk is about the weather.

Samuel Johnson, English poet, critic and lexicographer

• The Englishman who visits Mount Etna will carry his tea-kettle to the top.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, American philosopher and poet

• Every Englishman is convinced of one thing, that to be an Englishman is to belong to the most exclusive club there is.

Ogden Nash, American humorist

• In Britain you need four 'thank yous' to buy a bus ticket.

Beppe Severgini, Italian writer

• Not only England, but every Englishman is an island.

Novalis, German poet and novelist

• What defines Britishness are the shared values of tolerance, fair play, and decency.

Tony Blair, Prime Minister