Английский язык: Экспресс-репетитор для подготовки к ЕГЭ, «Говорение».
Урок 4: «Англоговорящие страны. Диалоги. Задание 2».

Task 2

You and your friend are going to make a project for your English class. You want your project to be interesting and exciting. Discuss the following options and choose the one you would both like to write about:
• The Grand Canyon
• Loch Ness
• Stonehenge
• Uluru

’We have to make a project for our English class. Have you got any ideas what to write about?’

’We may write about the Grand Canyon in Arizona, which is one of the true natural wonders of the world. It makes up most of the Grand Canyon National Park and millions of tourists visit it every year.’

’But what is it famous for? We must make our project interesting and exciting.’

’First of all, the Grand Canyon is very long and deep. It is so deep that the top and the bottom of the canyon have very different weather and vegetation. In fact, going from the top to the bottom is somewhat like going from Canada to Mexico. We could find photos of different plants and make a project on its vegetation.’

’I don’t think it’s exciting. Our classmates may get bored listening to the story about different plants. We need something extraordinary!’

’Well, there are signs that people lived in the Grand Canyon 4,000 years ago. We could write about these ancient people.’

’I’m afraid we won’t be able to find any interesting material about these people. Why don’t we write about Loch Ness? It is one of the lakes in Scotland, where some people think a large monster lives. Besides, the lake itself is very beautiful. I visited it last year and 1 have wonderful pictures of it.’

’Do you believe in monsters? I don’t think this monster is real. In my opinion, the British people talk about it so much just to make tourists buy their souvenirs.’

’Who knows? The first recorded sighting of Nessie was in the sixth century. But despite scientific expeditions, underwater exploration and millions of tourist photographs, the monster has resisted all attempts to prove or disprove her existence. We have a real opportunity to make our own investigation.’

’It’s not a bad idea but I don’t think we’ll find something new and interesting because we may rely only on the information from the Internet and they usually publish old photos and old stories. And what about Stonehenge? It is also one of the most famous and mysterious archaeological sites of Great Britain but unlike the Loch Ness monster, it’s real.’

‘Stonehenge? But it’s only a group of huge stones. What can be interesting there?’

’You see, these huge stones were transported from Wales and set up in a circle on Salisbury Plain. One of the mysteries is how it was ever built with the technology of that time. Another is its purpose. It appears to function as a kind of astronomical clock and we know it was used by the Druids for ceremonies marking the passing of the seasons. I’m sure we can find lots of interesting information about it on the Internet.’

’Of course we can find lots of information about Stonehenge because the British speak too much about it. I even have a picture of Stonehenge on my computer desktop. I think all our classmates know about Stonehenge so they might get bored with our project. Besides, there was a project on Stonehenge last year, wasn’t there?’

’Yes, you are right! We must write about something that nobody has heard of. By the way, have you heard of Uluru?’

’Uluru? What is it?’

’It is one of the most recognizable Australian icons. Uluru is notable for changing colour as the different light strikes it at different times of the day and year. The most remarkable sight is at sunset when it briefly glows red. What is more, during wet periods the rock acquires a silvery-grey colour, with streaks of black algae forming on the areas that serve as channels for water flow. I have lots of beautiful pictures of Uluru and there are lots of articles about the structure of this monolith.’

’Is there any mystery associated with this place?’

’Of course there is. The results of the latest studies show that Uluru has long been a sacred site for Aboriginal people because they believe that it is hollow and there is an energy source there. I think everybody will be interested to learn about this place.’

’So, which do you think we should choose?’

’If you don’t mind, let’s write about Uluru because I’m sure that our classmates know nothing about it.’

‘I agree with you. It will be interesting to learn about this mysterious place.’