Живой английский в рассказах. Рассказы и задания для уровней A2–B1

What questions can you ask a new colleague?

What helps a person feel welcome?

A New Colleague

Maya works in a small travel agency in the city centre. She enjoys her job because she likes helping people plan their holidays. She usually works with two colleagues, Tom and Olivia.

On Monday morning, their manager comes into the office with a young man.

«Good morning, everyone,» she says. «This is Leo, our new colleague. He is going to work with the customer service team.»

Leo smiles and says hello, but he looks a little nervous. He is wearing a dark blue suit and holding a new notebook in his hands.

Maya wants to make him feel welcome.

«Hi, Leo. I’m Maya,» she says. «Is this your first job in a travel agency?»

«Yes, it is,» Leo replies. «I worked in a hotel before, but this is quite different.»

«Where are you from?»

«I’m from Brighton, but I live here now.»

«Do you know the city well?»

«Not really. I moved here only two weeks ago.»

Maya shows Leo around the office. She shows him the kitchen, the meeting room, and the desk where he is going to work. Then she introduces him to the rest of the team.

At lunchtime, Maya notices that Leo is sitting alone at his desk.

«Do you usually bring lunch from home?» she asks.

«Sometimes, but I didn’t have time to prepare anything this morning.»

«We usually go to a café around the corner. Would you like to come with us?»

«Yes, please. That sounds great.»

At the café, Leo begins to relax. He tells his new colleagues about his previous job at the hotel. He often helped foreign visitors and answered their questions about the city. He can speak English, Spanish, and a little Italian.

«Why did you leave the hotel?» Tom asks.

«I enjoyed working there, but the working hours were difficult,» Leo explains. «I often worked at night and on weekends. I wanted a job with a more regular schedule.»

«Do you like travelling?» Olivia asks.

«I love it. Last year, I visited Italy and Spain. Next summer, I’m planning to go to Greece.»

When they return to the office, Leo looks much happier. During the afternoon, Maya helps him learn how to use the company’s booking system. At first, Leo makes a few mistakes, but he learns quickly.

Before going home, Leo speaks to Maya.

«Thank you for helping me today,» he says. «I was very nervous this morning.»

«You’re welcome. Starting a new job is never easy.»

Leo smiles.

«It’s easier when you have friendly colleagues.»

New Words and Expressions

travel agency — туристическое агентство

to plan a holiday — планировать отпуск

manager — руководитель

customer service team — отдел обслуживания клиентов

nervous — взволнованный, нервничающий

to make someone feel welcome — помочь кому-либо почувствовать себя желанным гостем

previous job — предыдущая работа

to show someone around — показать кому-либо помещение

meeting room — переговорная комната

to introduce someone to — представить кого-либо

the rest of the team — остальные члены команды

around the corner — за углом, совсем рядом

to relax — расслабляться

foreign visitor — иностранный посетитель

working hours — рабочие часы, график работы

regular schedule — постоянный график

booking system — система бронирования

at first — сначала

to make a mistake — совершить ошибку

to learn quickly — быстро учиться

friendly colleague — дружелюбный коллега

Grammar Focus: Questions

Questions with to be

Если в предложении есть am, is или are, ставим этот глагол перед подлежащим:

You are new here.

Are you new here?

Leo is nervous.

Is Leo nervous?

Where is Leo from?

Questions with do/does

Если в Present Simple используется обычный глагол, вопрос образуется с помощью do или does:

Do you know the city?

Does Maya work in a travel agency?

После does глагол используется без окончания -s:

Does Leo speak Spanish?

Не: Does Leo speaks Spanish?

Exercise 1. Answer the Questions

Ответьте полными предложениями.

Where does Maya work?

Why does she enjoy her job?

Who is Leo?

Where did Leo work before?

When did he move to the city?

Why is Leo sitting alone at lunchtime?

How many languages can he speak?

Why did he leave his previous job?

Where is Leo planning to go next summer?

How does Maya help him in the afternoon?

Exercise 2. True or False

Определите, верны ли утверждения. Исправьте неверные.

Maya works in a large hotel.

Leo joins the customer service team.

He moved to the city two months ago.

Maya shows Leo around the office.

Leo brings lunch from home.

He worked with foreign visitors at his previous job.

Leo speaks four languages fluently.

He left the hotel because he disliked the guests.

Maya helps him use the booking system.

Leo feels happier at the end of the day.

Exercise 3. Choose Is, Are, Do or Does

______ Leo a new employee?

______ Maya work in a travel agency?

______ Leo nervous on his first morning?

______ Tom and Olivia work with Maya?

______ you usually bring lunch from home?

______ the café near the office?

______ Leo speak Spanish?

______ his working hours regular now?

______ Maya enjoy her job?

______ the new colleagues friendly?

Exercise 4. Make Questions

Составьте вопросы из данных слов.

you / are / from / where?

Leo / does / where / live?

this / is / first job / your?

know / do / city / the / you?

Maya / does / where / work?

Leo / does / languages / what / speak?

café / is / where / the?

he / does / travelling / like?

working hours / are / his / regular?

Maya / does / how / help / him?

Exercise 5. Complete the Dialogue

Используйте следующие слова и фразы:

Are you, Do you, How long, What do, Where are, Would you like

Maya: Hello! ______ our new colleague?

Leo: Yes, I am. My name is Leo.

Maya: Nice to meet you. ______ you from?

Leo: I’m from Brighton.

Maya: ______ have you lived here?

Leo: For two weeks.

Maya: ______ know the city well?

Leo: No, not yet.

Maya: ______ you usually do for lunch?

Leo: I’m not sure. It’s my first day.

Maya: ______ to come to a café with us?

Leo: Yes, that would be great!

Exercise 6. Match the Questions and Answers

Where are you from?

Do you know the city well?

Why did you leave your previous job?

Would you like to have lunch with us?

What languages do you speak?

Is this your first job in a travel agency?

a. English, Spanish, and a little Italian.

b. Because the working hours were difficult.

c. Yes, it is.

d. I’m from Brighton.

e. Yes, please.

f. No, not really.

Exercise 7. Translate into English

Это наш новый коллега.

Ты хорошо знаешь город?

Где ты работал раньше?

Майя показывает Лео офис.

Хочешь пойти с нами?

Почему ты ушёл с предыдущей работы?

У меня был сложный рабочий график.

Начинать новую работу всегда непросто.

Сначала Лео совершает несколько ошибок.

С дружелюбными коллегами всё становится легче.

Speaking Practice

Представьте, что вы знакомитесь с новым коллегой. Задайте ему вопросы:

What’s your name?

Where are you from?

Where do you live?

What did you do before this job?

What languages do you speak?

What do you usually do at lunchtime?

Do you like travelling?

What do you do in your free time?

Затем расскажите о себе, отвечая на эти вопросы.

Writing Practice

Напишите короткое сообщение новому коллеге объёмом 8—10 предложений.

Начните так:

Hi! My name is… and we are going to work together. Welcome to our team!

Можно использовать фразы:

I work in…

I usually help…

Our working day starts at…

We normally have lunch…

If you have any questions, you can…

I hope you enjoy…

See you on Monday!

Answers

Exercise 1

Maya works in a small travel agency in the city centre.

She enjoys her job because she likes helping people plan their holidays.

Leo is Maya’s new colleague.

He worked in a hotel.

He moved to the city two weeks ago.

He is sitting alone because he did not have time to prepare lunch.

He can speak three languages: English, Spanish, and a little Italian.

He left because the working hours were difficult.

He is planning to go to Greece.

She helps him learn how to use the company’s booking system.

Exercise 2

False. Maya works in a small travel agency.

True.

False. He moved to the city two weeks ago.

True.

False. He did not have time to prepare lunch.

True.

False. He speaks English and Spanish, as well as a little Italian.

False. He left because the working hours were difficult.

True.

True.

Exercise 3

Is

Does

Is

Do

Do

Is

Does

Are

Does

Are

Exercise 4

Where are you from?

Where does Leo live?

Is this your first job?

Do you know the city?

Where does Maya work?

What languages does Leo speak?

Where is the café?

Does he like travelling?

Are his working hours regular?

How does Maya help him?

Exercise 5

Are you

Where are

How long

Do you

What do

Would you like

Exercise 6

1 — d

2 — f

3 — b

4 — e

5 — a

6 — c

Exercise 7

This is our new colleague.

Do you know the city well?

Where did you work before?

Maya is showing Leo around the office.

Would you like to come with us?

Why did you leave your previous job?

I had a difficult working schedule.

Starting a new job is never easy.

At first, Leo makes a few mistakes.

Everything becomes easier with friendly colleagues.

Lesson 4. Dinner for Two

Уровень: A2—B1

Тема: продукты и приготовление еды

Грамматика: исчисляемые и неисчисляемые существительные; some, any, much, many

Before You Read

Ответьте на вопросы:

Do you enjoy cooking?

How often do you cook dinner?

What dish can you cook well?

Have you ever cooked for a special occasion?

Dinner for Two

Sophie rarely cooks complicated meals. After work, she usually makes a salad, cooks some pasta, or orders food online. However, today is special: her best friend, Emma, is coming for dinner.

Emma recently moved to another part of the city, so the friends do not see each other very often. Sophie wants to prepare a delicious meal and make the evening memorable.

In the morning, she finds a recipe for vegetable lasagne. It does not look too difficult. According to the recipe, she needs some pasta sheets, two tomatoes, an onion, a courgette, some mushrooms, cheese, milk, butter, and flour.

After work, Sophie goes to the supermarket. She puts the vegetables and a packet of pasta sheets into her basket. Then she walks to the dairy section.

«Do I have any butter at home?» she thinks. «And how much milk is there in the fridge?»

She cannot remember, so she buys both. She also chooses an expensive piece of cheese because she wants the lasagne to taste perfect.

When Sophie gets home, she puts the shopping bags on the kitchen table and checks the time. Emma is arriving in an hour and a half.

«There’s plenty of time,» Sophie says confidently.

She starts cutting the vegetables. Unfortunately, there are more mushrooms than she expected, and it takes a long time to prepare them. Then she makes the sauce. She adds some butter to a pan, but she uses too much flour. The sauce becomes very thick.

Sophie adds a little milk. Then she adds some more. Finally, the sauce looks better, but now there is not much milk left.

Next, she puts everything into a baking dish and covers the lasagne with cheese. It looks wonderful. She places it in the oven and begins to clean the kitchen.

A few minutes later, Emma sends her a message: «I’m outside!»

Sophie looks at the clock. Emma is thirty minutes early.

«Come in!» Sophie says when she opens the door. «Dinner isn’t ready yet.»

«That’s all right,» Emma replies. «Can I help?»

«There isn’t much to do. Could you prepare the salad?»

«Of course. Do you have any cucumbers?»

Sophie checks the fridge. There are some tomatoes and a lot of lettuce, but there are not any cucumbers.

«We can make a salad without them,» Emma says.

While Emma is preparing the salad, Sophie takes the lasagne out of the oven. The cheese is golden, and the kitchen smells amazing.

The friends sit down at the table. Sophie puts a large piece of lasagne on each plate.

Emma takes one bite and smiles.

«This is delicious! You should cook more often.»

«Thank you,» Sophie says proudly. «But next time, let’s order pizza.»

New Words and Expressions

complicated meal — сложное блюдо

to order food online — заказывать еду через интернет

memorable — запоминающийся

recipe — рецепт

pasta sheets — листы для лазаньи

onion — лук, луковица

courgette — кабачок, цукини

mushrooms — грибы

flour — мука

dairy section — отдел молочных продуктов

shopping basket — корзина для покупок

plenty of time — много времени

confidently — уверенно

to cut vegetables — нарезать овощи

sauce — соус

thick — густой

baking dish — форма для запекания

to cover something with cheese — покрыть что-либо сыром

oven — духовка

lettuce — салатные листья

golden — золотистый

to take a bite — откусить, попробовать кусочек

proudly — с гордостью

Grammar Focus

Countable Nouns

Исчисляемые существительные можно посчитать:

one tomato — two tomatoes

an onion — three onions

a mushroom — some mushrooms

С ними употребляются a/an, many, a few:

We need an onion.

How many tomatoes are there?

There are a few mushrooms.

Uncountable Nouns

Неисчисляемые существительные обычно не имеют формы множественного числа:

milk

butter

cheese

flour

pasta

С ними употребляются much, a little:

How much milk do we need?

There is a little cheese left.

We don’t have much flour.

Для указания количества можно использовать:

a bottle of milk

a piece of cheese

a packet of pasta

a cup of flour

Some and Any

Some обычно используется в утвердительных предложениях:

There are some tomatoes.

We need some milk.

Any обычно используется в вопросах и отрицаниях:

Do we have any butter?

There aren’t any cucumbers.

Exercise 1. Answer the Questions

Ответьте полными предложениями.

Why is Sophie preparing a special dinner?

What does she decide to cook?

Where does she go after work?

Why does Sophie buy milk and butter?

What happens when she adds too much flour?

How early does Emma arrive?

What does Emma offer to do?

Which vegetable is not in the fridge?

How does the lasagne look when Sophie takes it out of the oven?

Does Emma enjoy the meal?

Exercise 2. True or False

Определите, верны ли утверждения. Исправьте неверные.

Sophie cooks complicated meals every evening.

Emma is Sophie’s best friend.

Sophie decides to make vegetable lasagne.

She remembers exactly how much milk she has at home.

Sophie uses too much flour in the sauce.

Emma arrives thirty minutes late.

There are some cucumbers in the fridge.

Emma prepares a salad.

The cheese on the lasagne is golden.

Sophie wants to cook lasagne again the next day.

Exercise 3. Countable or Uncountable?

Напишите C для исчисляемых и U для неисчисляемых существительных.

tomato

milk

mushroom

cheese

onion

flour

cucumber

butter

recipe

pasta

Exercise 4. Choose Some or Any

Sophie buys ______ vegetables.

Does she have ______ butter at home?

There is ______ milk in the fridge.

Emma does not bring ______ food.

Are there ______ mushrooms in the basket?

Sophie adds ______ flour to the sauce.

There are not ______ cucumbers in the fridge.

Emma prepares ______ salad.

Would you like ______ more lasagne?

We do not need ______ more cheese.

Exercise 5. Choose Much or Many

How ______ tomatoes do we need?

There isn’t ______ milk left.

Sophie buys too ______ mushrooms.

How ______ cheese should we add?

There aren’t ______ vegetables in the fridge.

Sophie does not have ______ time.

How ______ onions are in the basket?

Emma does not eat ______ pasta.

How ______ flour is in the sauce?

Sophie does not cook ______ complicated meals.

Exercise 6. Complete the Sentences

Используйте следующие слова:

baking dish, bite, flour, golden, oven, recipe, sauce, shopping basket

Sophie finds a ______ for vegetable lasagne.

She puts the vegetables in her ______.

Sophie adds too much ______.

The ______ becomes very thick.

She puts the lasagne in a ______.

Then she places it in the ______.

The cheese becomes ______.

Emma takes one ______ and smiles.

Exercise 7. Correct the Mistakes

В каждом предложении есть одна ошибка.

We need an cheese.

How many milk is there?

There aren’t some cucumbers.

Sophie buys two butter.

There is too many flour in the sauce.

Do you have some mushrooms?

I would like a pasta.

There are a little tomatoes in the fridge.

Exercise 8. Translate into English

Нам нужны две луковицы и немного грибов.

В холодильнике есть молоко?

У нас не осталось масла.

Сколько сыра нужно для лазаньи?

Софи добавила слишком много муки.

В холодильнике нет огурцов.

У нас ещё много времени.

Кухня пахнет потрясающе.

Эмма откусила кусочек и улыбнулась.

В следующий раз давай закажем пиццу.

Speaking Practice

Ответьте на вопросы:

What ingredients do you always have at home?

Is there any food you never eat?

How much time do you usually spend cooking?

How many meals can you cook without a recipe?

What dish would you prepare for a friend?

Have you ever made a mistake while cooking?

Do you prefer homemade food or takeaway food?

Writing Practice

Напишите рецепт простого блюда на английском языке.

Укажите:

название блюда;

необходимые продукты;

количество каждого продукта;

последовательность приготовления.

Используйте следующие фразы:

You need…

First, cut…

Then add…

Mix everything together.

Put it in…

Cook it for…

Serve with…

Answers

Exercise 1

Sophie is preparing a special dinner because her best friend is coming to visit.

She decides to cook vegetable lasagne.

She goes to the supermarket.

She buys them because she cannot remember whether she has any at home.

The sauce becomes very thick.

Emma arrives thirty minutes early.

She offers to prepare the salad.

There are not any cucumbers in the fridge.

The cheese is golden, and the lasagne looks wonderful.

Yes, she does.

Exercise 2

False. Sophie rarely cooks complicated meals.

True.

True.

False. She cannot remember how much milk she has.

True.

False. Emma arrives thirty minutes early.

False. There are not any cucumbers.

True.

True.

False. Sophie suggests ordering pizza next time.