LESSON SIX

WEATHER

People everywhere enjoy talking about the weather, “Isn’t the weather nice
today?” or “Hasn’t the weather been awful lately?” are excellent beginnings for informal
conversations.
Weather conditions across Romania are varied but generally speaking it is a
temperate continental climate.
The year is divided into four seasons: spring which begins officially with the
equinox in mid March and then summer, autumn and winter.
Temperatures in Romania are measured according to Centigrade not like in
England and in the United States where they are measured according to the Fahrenheit
scale, on which 32 degrees is the freezing point of water and 212 degrees the boiling
point. Fahrenheit temperatures can be converted to Centigrade, and vice versa by the use
of simple formulas that may be found in any general reference book.
Winter weather varies widely: with severe conditions in the northern parts of the
country and milder conditions in the southern areas. In the mountains, sub-zero
temperatures are common and there is much snow. In the south there are fewer days with
freezing temperatures.
Spring is a delightful season. The temperatures are moderate, and the blooming
trees and flowers make the city and the countryside bright with colour.
Everyone longs to get outside and enjoy the new season. Many students find it
hard to concentrate on their work and we jokingly refer to this condition as “spring
fever”.
Summer is longer and hotter in the southern part than in the northern one. The
mountains and the sea coast generally enjoy moderate temperatures. Summer is the great
season for all sports in the open air. Most people take their vacations during summer, and
the highways are crowded.
Autumn, like spring, has many mild days and comfortable temperatures. Nature
puts on its second display of colour, with the red and yellow of the leaves and the bright
fall flowers. Toward the end of autumn, there is abundant rain, as the weather gradually
gets colder and winter sets in.
Scientific weather forecasting is a serious matter and the concern of the Romanian
Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. The weather reports and prediction are printed
in most newspapers and are read regularly over the radio and TV.

***

A: Do you think we’ll be able to go to the beach tomorrow?

B: Why not? Have the plans changed?
A: No, but I’m worried about the weather. It might rain.
B: It certainly seems fine now. There’s not a cloud in the sky.
A: Yes, but you know how quickly the weather can change around here.
B: Not a chance. The Weather Institute has announced fine weather.
A: What time shall we be on the beach?
B: Any time after day-break. Would seven o’clock do? Or perhaps you want to make it
even earlier?
A: Seven o’clock is all right with me.

VOCABULARY
awful – groaznic
climate – climă
equinox – echinox
solstice – solstiţiu
degree – grad
to freeze – a îngheţa
to convert – a transforma
mild – blând
delightful – încântător
lately – în ultimul timp
informal – neoficial
accuracy – exactitate
flood – inundaţie
high wind – vânt puternic
boiling point – punct de fierbere
to be converted – a fi transformat
reference book – carte de referinţă
weather forecasting – timpul probabil
according to – în conformitate cu
to long – a năzui din tot sufletul, a dori fierbinte / cu pasiune, a tânji
display – expunere, expoziţie, prezentare, etalare

GRAMMAR
THE PAST TENSE
(Timpul trecut)

Affirmative Negative Interrogative Interrogative-

Negative
I visited I did not visit Did I visit? Did I not visit?
You visited You did not visit Did you visit? Did you not visit?
He, she, it visited He,she,it did not Did he,she,it visit? Did he,she,it not
visit visit?
We visited We did not visit Did we visit? Did we not visit?
You visited You did not visit Did you visit? Did you not visit?
They visited They did not visit Did they visit? Did they not visit?

The use of the Past Tense

 Rules
1. Past Tense exprimă o acţiune trecută
terminată care nu are legătură cu prezentul.
2. Exprimă o acţiune care are loc într-un
moment precis în trecut.
3. Exprimă o acţiune care are loc în cursul
unei perioade terminate, exprimată prin
adverbe de timp definit ca: yesterday, last
night, last week etc.
4. După „when” se foloseşte întotdeauna
Past Tense când acţiunea are loc în trecut
5. Pentru a exprima o acţiune repetată
în trecut folosim used + infinitiv, would +
infinitivul scurt
Examples
They asked me to come earlier.
I met him at a concert two weeks ago.
We spent our vacation at the seaside last
year.
When did they graduate from the institute?
He used to come and see us every week
end.
She would walk about the garden for hours.

ADJECTIVES – DEGREES OF COMPARISON

( Adjectivele – gradele de comparaţie)
Comparaţia sintetică
pozitiv comparativ superlativ
1. Adjective monosilabice tall taller the tallest
2. Adjective bisilabice terminate în:
-y pretty prettier the prettiest
-ow narrow narrower the narrowest
-er clever cleverer the cleverest
-ble able abler the ablest

Adjective plurisilabice Comparaţia analitică

interesting more interesting the most
interesting
Comparativul
a) de superioritate taller than, more interesting than
b) de egalitate as tall as, as interesting as
c) de inferioritate not so tall as, less tall than, not so interesting as,
less interesting than
Superlativul
a) absolut very tall, very interesting
b) relativ the tallest, the most interesting
c) de inferioritate the least tall, the least interesting
Când se compară două lucruri sau
fiinţe se foloseşte în general John is the taller of the two brothers.
comparativul precedat de articolul
hotărât, iar când se compară trei sau John is the tallest of his classmates.
mai multe lucruri sau fiinţe se
foloseşte superlativul.
În limba engleză există comparative
duble care denotă o intensificare ce
se redă prin:
a) repetare (din ce în ce mai, tot
mai)
b) cu ajutorul unor astfel de cuvinte
sau expresii ca: far, still, ever,
much, a great deal etc.
Pentru a reda „cu cât mai...cu atât
mai” se folosesc două comparative
precedate de „the”
The days are getting shorter and shorter.
The problems to solve are more and more
interesting.
His exercise is far better than hers.
We attach ever greater significance to this work.
The longer the days the shorter the nights.
The more you study the better you know your
lesson.

Superlativul absolut se mai poate This is an extremely attractive book.

forma cu ajutorul următoarelor
adverbe: extremely, terribly,
exceedingly, quite.
Most se foloseşte numai în cazul
adjectivelor cu comparaţie analitică.
Superlativul relativ al tuturor
adjectivelor poate fi accentuat prin
far şi by far.
They lived in a terribly noisy street.
It was a most beautiful day.
This homework is far more difficult than the
previous one.
Yesterday’s trip was less enjoyable than we
expected by far.

EXERCISES
I. Enlarge on:
a) The weather conditions in Romania.
b) The four seasons and their main characteristic.
c) Your favourite season.

II. Give the comparative and superlative degrees of the following adjectives:
Sad, grey, dry, lovely, heavy, simple, mild, few, bright, hard, hot, yellow, abundant,
serious, dangerous, dull, fresh, thick, cool, severe.

III. Change the following sentences into the past:

1. Weather conditions change quite often. 2. The day is rainy and we can’t go on the trip.
3. I like to watch the snowflakes fall from the grey sky. 4. The streets are slippery and we
have to be careful. 5. Towards the end of autumn the temperature grows colder. 6. Snow
begins to melt under the bright sunrays. 7. Everything looks fresh, new and joyous. 8. We
listen to the weather forecast on the radio.

IV. Use the adjectives in brackets in the proper degrees of comparison:

1. Winters are (mild) in the southern areas of our country. 2. In the south there are (few)
days with freezing temperatures. 3. Last year we had (heavy) snowfalls than usual. 4. In
September we may have some of (lovely) autumn days. 5. The sky is cloudless and if the
heat wave lasts, we might have (hot) month. 6. I feel (good) in spring than in any other
season. 7. Yesterday we had a very cold day but today it is much (cold). 8. It isn’t any
(warm) today than it was yesterday, is it? 9. Which is the part of our country with
(abundant) rainfall? 10. In spring flowers have (bright) colours. 11. In winter we have
(low) temperatures with few days above the freezing point. 12. Summer is (good) season
for outdoor sports. 13. Today it is (little) windy than yesterday. 14. I am sure my exercise
is as (good) as yours.

V. Fill in the blanks with the suitable forms of the adjectives or adverbs in brackets:
1. (soon, good) The…the rain stops the…2. (strong) The wind gets…and…3. (much,
good) The…he worked the…results he obtained. 4. (early, good) The…we start the…5.
(little) He seemed to get…and…interested in the subject. 6. (high, cold) The…we
climbed the…it became. 7. (much, rich) The…you read the…becomes your vocabulary.
8. (fine, much) The…the weather the... agreeable our stay in the mountains. 9. (few)
There are…and…mistakes in your exercises.

VI. Translate into English:

1. Anul trecut am avut o iarnă aspră. 2. Noaptea trecută vântul a suflat foarte puternic. 3.
Când a început să plouă? 4. Încercau să se concentreze asupra subiectului. 5. Merge la
munte în fiecare vacanţă de iarnă. 6. Buletinul meteorologic a anunţat timp frumos. 7. A
plecat ieri cu trenul şi se întoarce peste două săptămâni. 8. Nu am urmărit explicaţia. 9.
Am hotărât să-mi schimb proiectele de vacanţă. 10. Luna trecută am făcut o excursie
foarte frumoasă în nordul ţării. 11. Nu i-am recunoscut după atâţia ani. 12. În fiecare an
merge în Deltă pentru câteva zile. 13. Când aţi vizitat Nordul Moldovei? 14. S-au hotărât
în legătură cu data plecării. 15 Clima unei ţări depinde de poziţia sa geografică. 16. În
România găsim o climă temperat-continentală caracterizată de existenţa a patru
anotimpuri. 17. Vremea se schimbă odată cu schimbarea anotimpurilor. 18. În ţara
noastră avem ceaţă destul de rar, dar în Marea Britanie sunt multe zile cu ceaţă.
 LESSON SEVEN
MEALS
As a rule we have three meals a day: breakfast in the morning, lunch in the middle
of the day, and dinner in the evening.
Breakfast is a frugal meal; nevertheless it means laying the table, boiling eggs,
preparing tea and coffee to be served with rolls, toast, butter, marmalade, cheese, ham
and some dairy products. Lunch usually begins with some appetizers such as a glass of
plum brandy, some olives, then, comes a cold or warm hors-d’oeuvre followed by a soup.
We, Romanians, are fond of clear soups, consommés, bouillons, meat ball soups,
dumpling soups and chicken borsch.
For the main course we may usually have some grilled, roast, boiled or fried fish
or meat with plenty of vegetables or rice, some fruit, fresh or stewed, a cake, some ice-
cream, a pie and a cup of black coffee to finish with. We generally have water or mineral
water for lunch, but on special occasions we may have wine or beer.
The Romanian dinner may be a light meal consisting of a glass of tea or milk and
some sandwiches or it may be a big meal with cold meat or roast poultry, an omelette, a
salad, and a pudding followed by some sweets.
In England, meal-times differ from ours. The English have their breakfast
between seven and nine in the morning, lunch between twelve and two in the afternoon,
tea between four and five o’clock and dinner at seven in the evening. They may also have
supper, a light meal at about 10 or 11, at home or at the restaurant.
English breakfast is generally a more substantial meal than in our country. It
consists of fruit juice, corn flakes with milk, cream and sugar or porridge, followed by
fried bacon and eggs. Some marmalade made of oranges maybe spread on the toast.
Sometimes they may have a boiled egg, cold ham and black or white coffee.
English food is rather plain compared to ours. They are not very fond of soups
and they prefer warm consommés, beef, chicken, oxtail soups or cream soups. Fish, meat
or poultry which comes next is generally fried or roasted. The favourite meal with the
British is mutton and lamb with a mint sauce and all sorts of sautéed vegetables and
mixed salads.
As for supper they may have fish, cold veal, pork or a steak and chips with some
vegetables.
Before having a meal we lay the table, we spread the table cloth and put on
glasses, napkins, the salt cellar, the pepper box, the mustard pot, the bread basket. If it is
breakfast we take the sugar-basin, cups, saucers, teaspoons, forks and knives out of the
side-board. We cut the bread, the ham, the sausages and the cheese into slices and put
them on a dish. For dinner we put soup plates and dinner plates before each person. The
soup is brought in a soup-tureen and the other courses on dishes and plates.
 When the meal is over, we clear the table. We clear away the plates, dishes and
cutlery and wash them up in the kitchen.

***

Alice: What are we going to have for lunch today?

Mother: Well, we have soup, beef steak and chips and an apple-pie. But are you already
hungry? It’s rather early for lunch. I was just baking the pie.
Alice: All right. I’ll wash my hands and set the table until everything is ready.
Mother: Lunch is ready now. You may go and call the others.
John: Steak and chips! That’s my favourite meal!
Mother: Help yourself until they are still hot, but remember we have apple-pie for
dessert.

VOCABULARY
frugal – frugal, cumpătat
roll – chiflă, corn
appetizer – aperitiv
hors-d’oeuvre – gustare înaintea mesei propriu-zise
consommé – supă
bouillon – ciorbă ţărănească, bulion
course – fel de mâncare (ca ordine)
to grill – a frige la grătar
to broil – a frige la grătar
to boil – a fierbe
to roast – a (se) frige, a (se) prăji
to fry – a (se) prăji
pickles – murături
poultry – carne de pasăre, păsări de curte
pudding – budincă
porridge – griş de ovăz fiert în lapte (terci de ovăz)
plain – fad, fără gust
mutton – carne de oaie
lamb – carne de miel
steak – friptură la grătar
sideboard – bufet (cu veselă)
soup-tureen – supieră
dish – 1. platou de servit, farfurie; 2. fel de mâncare; pl. vase (de bucătărie)
cutlery – tacâmuri
helping – porţie
dairy products – produse lactate
plum brandy – ţuică
meat ball soup – ciorbă de perişoare
dumpling soup – supă cu găluşte
stewed fruit – compot
oxtail soup – supă de coadă de vită
to lay the table – a pune masa
to set the table – a pune masa
to spread the table cloth – a întinde faţa de masă
to clear the table – a strânge masa
help yourself to… - serviţi-vă cu …

GRAMMAR

THE PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE

(Trecutul Continuu)

Affirmative Negative
I was coming I was not (wasn’t) coming
You were coming / You’re coming You were not (weren’t) coming
He, she, it was coming He, she, it was not coming
We were coming We were not coming
You were coming You were not coming
They were coming They were not coming

Interrogative Interrogative – Negative

Was I coming? Was I not coming? / Wasn’t I coming?
Were you coming? Were you not coming?
Was he, she, it coming? Was he, she, it, not coming?
Were we coming?
Were you coming? Were we not coming?/Weren’t we
Were they coming? coming?
Were you not coming?
Were they not coming?

Se formează din verbul TO BE la timpul trecut şi participiul prezent (-ing) al

verbului de conjugat: WERE / WAS + Ving

The use of the Past Continuous Tense

Rules Examples
1. Trecutul continuu exprimă o acţiune în
desfăşurare la un moment dat în trecut.
Acest moment poate fi indicat de: This time yesterday I was preparing lunch.
a) o expresie adverbială: at...o’clock, at
that time, this time yesterday I was just having breakfast when you
b) o altă acţiune: came.
2. Pentru acţiuni paralele în trecut, forma
continuă se poate folosi atât în propoziţia While we were having dinner we watched
principală, cât şi în cea secundară. De TV.
obicei, se evită folosirea formei continue în sau
ambele propoziţii. While we had dinner we were watching
TV.
3. În vorbirea indirectă în locul prezentului Vorbire directă: She said: ”I am cooking
continuu. lunch just now”.
Vorbire indirectă: She said she was
cooking lunch just then.

REFLEXIVE AND EMPHATIC PRONOUNS

(Pronumele reflexive şi de întărire)

Pronume reflexive Pronume de întărire

myself I cut myself (m-am tăiat) I did it myself (eu însumi
yourself He enjoys himself (se am făcut-o)
himself distrează)
herself She came by herself (a He himself cooked the meal
itself venit singură) (el însuşi a gătit mâncarea)
ourselves See for yourselves
yourselves (convingeţi-vă singuri) We prepared everything
themselves To be by oneself ( a fi ourselves (am pregătit totul
oneself singur) singuri)

Rules Examples
Pronumele reflexiv, se aşează după verb şi I cut myself while I was preparing soup.
se foloseşte:
1. când acţiunea verbului se răsfrânge You wash (yourself) in the morning.
asupra subiectului. Tendinţa actuală este de
eliminare a pronumelui.
2. în diateza reflexivă. He enjoyed himself at the party.
3. în expresii idiomatice precedat de „by”, I was all by myself when it happened.
„of”, „for” (cu sensul de singur) The plate fell of itself.
You must see for yourself.
4. în comparaţii după „like”, „than”, „as” în He is a better cook than herself.
locul pronumelui personal.
Pronumele de întărire se aşează în general He himself has made the layer cake.
după substantivul sau pronumele pe care îl He has made the layer cake himself.
întăreşte sau la sfârşitul propoziţiei.

EXERCISES I. Translate the following questions and answer them:

a) 1. What does your breakfast usually consist of? 2. Is there any difference between
Romanian and English breakfast? 3. Do you generally have lunch at home or at a
canteen? 4. What is your favourite sweet dish? 5. Why do the English pour milk in their
coffee? 6. What are the English meals? 7. What are their favourite dishes? 8. How do you
lay the table for two?
b) 1. Care sunt principalele mese ale zilei? 2. Obişnuiţi să luaţi o masă copioasă seara? 3.
Preferaţi apă minerală sau vin la masa de prânz? 4. Ajutaţi vreodată pe părinţi la strânsul
mesei? 5. Vă place cafeaua neagră sau o preferaţi cu lapte? 6. Vă place mâncarea mai
gustoasă sau mai fadă?

II. Answer the question using the Past Tense Continuous of the underlined verbs in
your answers:
Model: Why did you put salt in your coffee? (to read at breakfast time) I put salt in my
coffee because I was reading at breakfast time.
1. Why didn’t you buy anything for lunch? (to rain when I wanted to go out). 2. When
did you learn that wonderful recipe? (to live with my aunt). 3. Why did the coffee boil
over? (not to watch it). 4. When did you get the bad news? (to have lunch). 5. Why is
your cake burned? (to do several things at a time). 6. When did you break the plate? (to
try to dry it). 7. When did you cut yourself? (to sharpen the knife). 8. Why didn’t you
help the guests to some cake? (just to bake it).

III. Fill in the blanks with the suitable reflexive or emphatic pronouns:
1. Don’t eat too much or you’ll make…ill. 2. I tried to cook the meal…3. Make…at home
and tell me what’s all about. 4. I can only speak for…5. he is a much better cook than…6.
Go and see for…7. Help…to some more ice-cream. 8. We enjoyed…at the party last
night.

IV. Link the sentences in each pair using the words in brackets; make all the
necessary changes.
Model: (While) The phone rang. We had breakfast. The phone rang while we were having
breakfast.
1. (while) I prepared dinner. The children laid the table. 2. (just as) The lights went off.
The guests arrived. 3. (as) I remembered I was short of flour. I prepared the vegetables
for the pudding. 4. (while) I dropped too much salt in the salad. I dress it. 5. (while) I
dropped a plate and broke it. I cleared the table.
 LESSON EIGHT
AT THE LIBRARY
A library is a building with a large collection of books where you can borrow
books free of charge. You have only to know your way around a library and you can
easily find any fact or idea you are looking for.
There are all kinds of books: novels, short stories, plays, books of reference such
as dictionaries, biographies, then scientific books, historical books, collection of poems,
periodicals, magazines, etc.
The library has a system: each book that the library owns is listed on an index
card catalogue. The card catalogue can tell you immediately whether the library owns a
copy of the book you want. The librarian, on the other hand, will tell you whether the
book is in the library or has been lent.
For each book in the library the card catalogue contains an author card, a title card
and a subject card. On the upper left hand corner of each of these cards is the call number
by which you can find the book. If you want a book or a magazine you need an admission
card issued by a member of the staff of the library. Then, you pick up an application slip,
you look up the title of the book in the alphabetic or subject catalogue, you fill in the slip
by entering the title of the book, the shelf mark and the author’s name.
The book will be delivered to you by a member of the staff.
Moat public libraries have reading rooms provided with tables at which you may
sit and read.
If you want to take books for home reading you may do so by going to the lending
department which runs a loan service. You may borrow one or two books at a time and
you may keep them for a week or more. If by the end of this period you have not finished
reading the book, you may renew it.
While reading a book, make note of your thoughts and feelings as you go along.
Reading is not only a pastime and a mean of education, it can lead you to a richer
understanding of yourself as well as of the life around you.

***

Jane: I say Allan, can you give me some advice about reading, please?
Allan: As you well know, reading is an essential part of your university life. Since all
knowledge cannot be obtained in the classroom alone much of it must come from reading
textbooks, reference books and other materials. The library of our Academy is well
provided with a large stock of books, both in Romanian and in foreign languages.
Jane: So, do you think I could find there some specialized books recommended in the
bibliographies to our courses?
Allan: Of course you could, there are latest editions published in our country and abroad.
Jane: And what can you recommend me for my spare time, I mean something to improve
my English?
Allan: Try things that don’t make difficult reading: short-stories, novels, plays, some
modern authors who write in a simple straightforward style. So, start with Oscar Wilde,
then G. Green, S. Maugham.
Jane: Thank you very much. I shall follow your advice.

VOCABULARY
to borrow – a lua cu împrumut
to look for – a căuta
novel – roman
short-story – nuvelă
periodical – publicaţie periodică
abroad – în străinătate
to lend, lent, lent – a da cu împrumut
to issue – a emite, a publica, (aici) a elibera o legitimaţie
textbook – manual
index card – fişă de cartotecă
card catalogue – cartotecă, fişier
author card – fişier pe autori
title card – fişier pe titluri
subject card – fişier tematic
call number – cota (cărţii)
admission card – legitimaţie de intrare
shelf mark – fişier pe rafturi
lending department – secţie de împrumut
well provided – bine aprovizionat
spare time – timp liber
straightforward style – stil direct
book of reference – îndreptar, carte de consultat
to fill in a slip – a completa un formular
statistical year book – anuar statistic
the book is sold out – cartea este epuizată

GRAMMAR

1. THE PAST PERFECT TENSE

( Mai mult ca perfectul)

Mai mult ca perfectul se formează din forma de Past Tense a verbului TO HAVE şi
participiul trecut (forma a treia) a verbului de conjugat: HAD + V3

Affirmative Negative
I had stopped / I’d stopped I had not stopped / I hadn’t stopped
You had stopped You had not stopped
He, she, it had stopped / He’d stopped He, she, it had not stopped

We had stopped We had not stopped

You had not stopped
You had stopped / You’d stopped They had not stopped
They had stopped
Interrogative Interrogative-Negative
Had I stopped? Had I not stopped? / Hadn’t I stopped?
Had you stopped? Had you not stopped?
Had he, she, it stopped? Had he, she, it not stopped?
Had we stopped? Had we not stopped?/ Hadn’t we
Had you stopped? stopped?
Had they stopped? Had you not stopped?
Had they not stopped?

Rules
- Exprimă o acţiune trecută, terminată
înaintea unui moment dat din trecut.
- Exprimă o acţiune trecută, terminată,
anterioară altei acţiuni trecute.
- Se foloseşte în propoziţii secundare
temporale pentru a exprima o acţiune
anterioară unui moment viitor (sau viitor
faţă de trecut).
- Exprimă o acţiune începută înaintea unui
moment trecut şi care se continuă până în
acel moment.
Examples
By seven o’clock I had translated the
article.
When she had finished the book, she
returned it to the librarian.
I shall lend you the book after I had read
it.
He promised he would lend me the book
when he had read it himself.
She told me that she had been busy since
she came back from school.

2. THE GENITIVE CASE

(Cazul Genitiv)

Rules Examples
Genitivul prepoziţional: the colour of the wall.
-se foloseşte cu substantivele care the city of London.
denumesc lucruri sau noţiuni abstracte. the 23rd of May.
Genitivul Saxon:
- se foloseşte cu substantivele care the pupil’s room
denumesc fiinţe, persoane.
the student’s library
Peter’s mother
Burns’(s) poems
- cu substantivele care denumesc noţiuni de
timp, de distanţă sau greutate (şi cu a minute’s silence
substantive care denumesc zile, a two miles’ walk
anotimpuri) today’s program

- cu substantivele care denumesc fenomene the night’s coolness

naturale, aspecte din natură. the ocean’s roar
London’s parks
- cu substantive care denumesc continente, Romania’s economy
ţări, oraşe şi cu substantivele: city, country, our country’s natural wealth
town.
the car’s performance
- cu anumite substantive ca: the sun, the the sun’s rays
moon, the earth, car, ship, boat, vessel, the ship’s crew
body, mind, science.
for goodness’ sake
- cu câteva substantive comune urmate de for mercy’s sake
sake. - în expresii consecrate. at her heart’s desire

at one’s fingers’ ends

- substantivele house, shop, store, office, St. Paul’s (cathedral) was rebuilt by Sir
cathedral sunt adesea omise după Christopher Wren.
substantive aflate la genitivul sintetic. We buy bread at the baker’s (shop).

EXERCISES
I. Answer the following questions:
1. What is the library meant for? 2. What is a card catalogue? 3. What does a card
catalogue contain? 4. What do you have to do if you want to read a book in a library? 5.
Can we take books for home reading? 6. How long can you keep them? 7. Describe a
reading room in the Faculty of Economic Studies.

II. Supply the Past Perfect of the verbs in brackets:

1. Undergraduates could use the library after they (to register) as readers and (to get) an
admission card. 2. He (to finish) just the books borrowed from the library when he went
to take some new. 3. I read the book after I (to finish) my work. 4. My friend (not to read)
an English book for years. 5. There were plenty of books that (to be rewritten) in simple
language. 6. He told me he preferred to read a more difficult book that one which (to be
made) simpler. 7. I (to finish) reading the story when he promised me an amusing novel.
8. By that time I already (to go through) half of the play.

III. Change the following sentences so as to use a negative Past Perfect instead of the
Past Tense. Make all the necessary changes:
Model: I read a very interesting novel last year. I had never read such an interesting
novel before.
1. It was the first time I read an English book. 2. There were many people in the reading
room that day. 3. I often borrowed books from the library as a student. 4. This was the
first dictionary I consulted. 5. While reading, I looked up the unknown words in the
dictionary. 6. The book was first published in 1980. 7. I renewed the book for another
week. 8. The writer signed the book with a pseudonym.

IV. Substitute synthetic genitive forms for prepositional genitive forms:

1. He arrived at the library with a delay of a few minutes. 2. There is nothing like a
holiday of a week in the company of a good book. 3. He promised to leave the place
within a time of six weeks. 4. What is the point of view of the author? 5. Here is the news
in the newspaper of yesterday. 6. You may find him I the office of the editor-in-chief. 7. I
had to borrow the dictionary of Jane to look up some unknown words. 8. The book dealt
with the economic development of Romania.

V. Translate into English:

a) 1. Care este programul zilei? 2. Performanţele maşinii lui sunt într-adevăr neobişnuite.
3. Cumpăr pâine la brutărie şi carne la măcelărie sau îmi fac toate cumpărăturile la
supermarket. 4. Orice student de limbă engleză ar trebui să aibă dicţionarul de pronunţie
al lui Daniel Jones. 5. L-ai cunoscut pe bunicul Anei şi al lui Paul, cel care era pasionat
după romanele ştiinţifico-fantastice? 6. Sala de lectură a bibliotecii noastre este o
încăpere mare şi luminoasă.
b) 1. Învăţasem deja câte ceva despre felul de viaţă al englezilor când m-am dus la
Londra. 2. Săptămâna trecută am împrumutat o carte de la bibliotecă; nu am mai
împrumutat niciodată o carte până atunci. 3. Când am ajuns în sala de lectură toate
locurile erau deja ocupate. 4. Bibliotecara mi-a spus că împrumutase cartea cu câteva zile
în urmă. 5. Până la începutul anului universitar a făcut rezumatele tuturor cărţilor citite în
timpul vacanţei. 6. La librărie am aflat că manualul fusese retipărit. 7. Mi-am amintit că
am mai citit această carte cu ani în urmă. 8. Cartea fusese deja tradusă în mai multe limbi
când am cumpărat-o.
 LESSON NINE
WHAT’S YOUR JOB?
Maggie: Jenny, this is my friend Liz Taylor. She’s my next door neighbour …
Jenny: Is this Taylor or Gaylor?
Liz: Taylor. T A Y L O R. Hello! Nice to meet you.
Jenny: Hello! Pleased to meet you, too. Where are you from?
Liz: I’m from Scotland. From Edinburgh. What’s your nationality? Are you British, too?
Jenny: No, I „m from Canada, from Toronto. What’s your job?
Liz: I’m an art student, a sophomore, but I’m a sales-assistant in the holidays. What about
you? Are you a student in the University, too? If not, what’s your occupation?
Jenny: I’m studying in London University College. I’m a fresher.
Liz: I’m glad to have you as a neighbour. But isn’t this flat too expensive?
Jenny: Oh, yes, it is. I’m moving to a hotel.
Liz: I’m sorry. I like it here. I’m used to living in a house. In Edinburgh I live in a small
house with my family, in a suburb, at 10 Cherry Tree Lane.
Jenny: What’s Edinburgh like?
Liz: It is the capital of Scotland, which is part of Great Britain. With half a million
inhabitants, it is situated on the Firth of Forth, in the south-east of the country, but it is
not very big. You can see green hills from its centre. There are thousands of tourists in
Edinburgh every summer, especially during the International Festival of Music, Drama
and the Arts, in August and September. It is a beautiful and historic city, with large
avenues, like Paris. There are lots of interesting buildings: the Edinburgh Castle is in the
centre of the city on a high hill. From the Castle to Holyrood House (the former residence
of Scottish Kings) there’s a very old street, the Royal Mile. There are also beautiful parks
and Botanical Gardens. It is also an industrial city and a busy port.

EXPLANATORY NOTES
fresher – student în primul an
sophomore – student în anul doi
junior – student în anul trei
senior – student în anul partru (terminal)
Ei sunt numiţi în general “undergraduates” sau “undergraduettes”. După absolvire ei sunt
“Bachelor of Arts (or Science)” – BA sau BS/BSc. Următorul grad este cel de “Master of
Arts (or Science)” – MA/MSc. Cel mai înalt grad este cel de “Doctor in Philosophy” –
PhD, or “Doctor of Science” – DSc.
Other jobs are:
architect – architect
air-hostess – stuardeză
barber – bărbier, frizer
carpenter – tâmplar
clerk – funcţionar
doctor – medic, doctor
dress-maker – croitoreasă
electrician – electrician
hairdresser – coafeză, frizer
journalist – journalist, ziarist
mechanic – mechanic
model – model
pilot – pilot
postman – poştaş
photographer – fotograf
secretary – secretară
shop-keeper – negustor
taxi-driver – taximetrist, şofer de taxi
teacher – învăţător, professor (în învăţământul preuniversitar)
vet – veterinar
waitress – chelnăriţă
waiter - chelner

GRAMMAR

THE PAST PERFECT TENSE (Continuous Aspect)

Mai mult ca perfectul (Aspectul continuu)

Este alcătuit din forma de Present Perfect a verbului TO BE urmată de participiul

prezent (-ing) al verbului de conjugat: HAD BEEN + Ving

Affirmative Form Negative Form

I had been working / I’d been working I had not been working/I hadn’t been
You had been working You had not been working
He, she, it had been working He, she, it had not been working

We had been working We had not been working

You had been working You had not been working
They had been working They had not been working
Interrogative Form Interrogative-Negative Form
Had I been working? Had I not been working? Hadn’t I been
Had you been working? ...? Had you not been working?
Had he, she, it been working? Had he, she, it not been working?
Had we not been working?
Had we been working? Had you not been working?
Had you been working? Had they not been working?
Had they been working?

Rules Examples
1. Timpul mai mult ca perfect-aspectul When you came, I had been writing letters
continuu arată o acţiune începută înaintea for an hour.
unui moment trecut care continuă şi în acel
moment.
2. O acţiune repetată exprimată prin timpul He had tried five times to get her on the
mai mult ca perfect-aspect comun, poate fi phone.
uneori exprimată şi prin timpul mai mult ca He had been trying to get her on the
perfect-aspect continuu. phone.

EXERCISES
I. Complete the answers to the following questions about your job:
1. What’s your job? / I’m a(n) … (office-worker / engineer / economist / lawyer / doctor
/secretary /nurse /worker / research worker)
2. Where do you work? / I work in a(n) … (office / factory / research centre / hospital)
3. How far is it from your house? / It is a … from my house. (20-minute walk / car drive /
bus ride).
4. How long have you had this job? / I’ve had this job for…years.
5. What are the working hours? / I work from…a.m. to…p.m. every day.
6. How many weeks’ holiday do you have? / I have a…holiday every year. (two-week /
three-week / four-week).
7. What training do you have? / I went to the… (Polytechnic / University / Vocational
school).
8. What are your prospects? / I can become a…in…years’ time. (senior clerk/ deputy
manager / top executive / general foreman /(chief) supervisor)

II. Now, you formulate the questions necessary to interview someone about his/her
job. Refer to his/her: job, workplace, distance from home, working hours, holiday,
seniority in the job, training, prospects.

III. Read this passage:

My Job
My name is Sandra Vlad, I’m 29, I’m married and have two children.
I work in an office in a big shoe factory, as a secretary to the deputy factory manager. It
is a half-hour bus ride from my house in the suburbs to the factory which is situated in the
industrial district of the town. I have worked here for the past five years.
My working hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., five days a week. A ten-hour day is not unusual
when there are important management meetings.
Every day I open the manager’s letters, take them to him, write down the answers and
then type and send them.
I also answer incoming phone calls, dial some outgoing ones – to other shoe
manufacturers, to raw material suppliers or to important customers - , take messages
when the manager is away and handle routine enquiries.
I greet the visitors and take down notes in shorthand at important executive meetings.
I earn quite a good salary and have a two-week holiday every year, as I have not worked
long enough to be entitled to a longer holiday.
I finished a secondary school ten years ago. There I learned shothand and typing as part
of the school’s programme of vocational training. After graduation I became a telephonist
and did several months’ training with the Central Post-Office for which I worked for
three years. Then I had a two-year break for children. I returned to work five years ago,
and took the job I’m still having.
I enjoy my job, although it may be very tiring sometimes. I feel I play a responsible part
in the factory’s life, I am the first contact anyone has with the management. I like to be
friendly and to meet lots of people.

IV. Write about: Sandra Vlad’s job; the ideal job.

V. Fill in the blanks with little, a little, few, a few, much, many:
1. I have…pens; I can give you one. 2. I have…pens. I need them. 3. There are…sheets
of carbon paper there; you may take two or three. 4. There are…sheets of carbon paper
there; you may not take any. 5. There isn’t…time left before office-hours are over. 6.
There are…clerks in our office. 7. …care should be taken when writing a report. 8. There
are…mistakes in this typed letter; please, re-type it.

VI. Use the verbs in brackets in the Past Perfect or Past Perfect Continuous Tense:
1. When I met him he (work) in the enterprise for 10 years. 2. When I finished writing the
minutes, I realized I (make) some mistakes. 3. When I passed by the office-building
under construction, a man told me they (work) on it for three months. 4. When he finally
arrived at the office, his colleague (wait) for him for an hour. 5. When you entered my
office, I (prepare) my speech for 2 hours. 6. When the head of the department came in, I
(file) papers for an hour. 7. When the office-hours were over, I (work) for 8 hours. 8.
When he finished his speech, we (listen to) him for half an hour.

VII. Translate into English:

a) 1. Ştiam să bat la maşină şi să stenografiez de 10 ani când am venit în acest birou. 2.
Scriam un referat de 2 ore când a intrat directorul şi mi-a cerut să adaug o nouă problemă.
3. El lucra de 20 de ani în industrie cân a devenit şeful secţiei. 4. Am încercat să te găsesc
la telefon toată dimineaţa înainte ca în sfârşit să-mi răspunzi. 5. Negocierile au durat 2
săptămâni înainte să se semneze contractul. 6. Eram obosită când ai venit, pentru că
făcusem 4 ore de traducere simultană în sala de conferinţe. 7. Scrisorile au putut fi
expediate pentru că le bătusem la maşină în ziua aceea.

b) – Cu ce te ocupi Jane?
- Sunt stenodactilografă la o intreprindere de comerţ exterior din Bucureşti.
- Îţi place meseria ta?
- Da, foarte mult. De aceea am urmat cursurile şcolii de stenodactilografie. Acum, după 5
ani de experienţă, redactez 50 de cuvinte pe minut şi stenografiez 100 de cuvinte pe
minut.
- Care este partea cea mai interesantă a muncii tale?
- Faptul că tot ce fac îmi oferă sentimentul răspunderii. Atunci când redactez o scrisoare
comercială, ştiu că orice greşeală poate face o impresie proastă asupra partenerului străin
şi, în consecinţă, fac toate eforturile ca scrisoarea să arate ireproşabil. Acest lucru este
valabil şi pentru celelalte activităţi ale mele: imaginează-ţi ce s-ar întâmpla dacă aş
îndosaria greşit documentele!
- Întrucât eşti atât de conştiincioasă, bănuiesc că eşti apreciată în întreprinderea unde
lucrezi.
- Sper că da!
 LESSON TEN
AT A PUBLIC MEETING
There are different kinds of public meetings.
Members of parliaments and other similar national assemblies are summoned to
sessions and sittings. Delegates of the political party gather for their regular conferences
or congresses. Meetings and conventions are held also by trade unions, women’s
organizations, artists, journalists, businessmen, etc. Sometimes men and women come to
spontaneous rallies to protest against armaments drive, deployment of missiles, race
barriers, etc, or to express their solidarity with the peoples fighting colonialism, for peace
in the world. Scientists are convened to national and international symposia.
The meeting can be ruled by its own “standing orders”, unwritten regulations and
customs. These “rules of procedure” have been designed to enable any official gathering
to be effective and legally correct.
Any meeting is presided over by the chair (or the chairman), whose main duty is
to conduct the meeting taking decisions on particular problems of the proceedings. He
announces what the business is, gives members permission to speak, calls for a vote on a
motion, announces the results of a vote and generally preserves order. All speeches or
remarks of those present are addressed to the chair.
The relator (raporteur)’s duty is to give the required explanation. The secretary’s
duty is taking minutes.
As soon as a person takes up chairmanship he calls the meeting to order and asks
the secretary to read the minutes of the last meeting. When they have been read, he asks
“Are there any omissions or errors?” If the minutes are correct, a member moves that
they should be adopted. This is seconded by another member. The chairman puts the
motion to a vote. If there is an error or an omission, a member moves that a correction be
made. After the minutes have been discussed and approved the meeting proceeds then to
“Business Arising From the Minutes”. Members may ask for explanations why certain
steps have not been taken or taken in the wrong way.
The purpose of any public meeting consists in exchanging opinions and views on
the matter discussed and adopting a certain decision. Most resolutions are voted by a
mere show of hands and considered adopted if a bare majority of members are in favour
of it. For more important decisions the so-called “constitutional majority” is necessary,
amounting to two-third of the members of the assembly.
Speakers are to keep to the point and they must confine themselves to the time
limit established by the meeting at the beginning of its work. Some members neglect
these rules, they take the floor on every item on the agenda and speak endlessly. In any
public meeting system and order are required. The regulations and rules must be
observed. Otherwise there is more confusion than accomplishment.

***
A: What day is the opening of the Annual Scientific Conference scheduled for?
B: I haven’t seen the notice yet, but I think they won’t be able to convene the participants
earlier than tomorrow fortnight.
A: They say the whole conference will be held in plenary sessions.
B: No, I don’t think so. It would be impossible with so many papers put for discussion.
Besides plenary meetings there will be sittings of two or three specialized committees.
A: I hear that the papers outlines and summaries have already been published.
B: Yes, they can be consulted next week. I hope that every participant will be provided
with a full set of paper outlines before the proceedings start.
A: I’m looking forward to this scientific conference, there are so many interesting topics
to be discussed and debated.

VOCABULARY
to summon – a convoca
convention – convenţie
trade-union – sindicat
to convene – a convoca, a întruni
effective – efficient
to preside – a prezida
chair – (aici) preşedintele unei adunări (amer.); prezidiu
chairman – preşedinte
relator – prezentator; povestitor; narator
proceedings – lucrările unei conferinţe
motion – moţiune, propunere
to move – (aici) a propune
to confine – a se limita
agenda – ordinea de zi
outline – plan, (aici) rezumat
armaments drive – cursa înarmărilor
deployment of missiles – amplasarea de proiectile
standing order – ordine permanentă
standing regulations – regulament în vigoare
to call for a vote – a cere votarea
to take minutes – a face un proces verbal
to call the meeting to order – a chema la ordine; a începe şedinţa
a bare majority – o majoritate neînsemnată, slabă
to take the floor – a lua cuvântul
sitting – şedinţa
committee – comitet
auditing committee – comisia de cenzori
item of the agenda – punct la ordinea de zi
draft resolution – proiect de rezoluţie
to keep the minutes – a păstra protocolul
GRAMMAR

THE MODAL VERBS

(Verbele modale)

Verbele modale can – could; may – might; must; ought to – nu primesc s la persoana III-
a singular; sunt urmate de infinitivul scurt, formează negativul cu not iar interogativul ca
şi verbele auxiliare. Formele contrase ale acestor verbe sunt: can’t, couldn’t; mightn’t;
mustn’t. May şi ought se folosesc mai rar în forma contrasă.

CAN - COULD EXAMPLES

Exprimă capacitate fizică, intelectuală, You can read this page right now.
morală, etc şi este echivalentul lui to be Until a short time ago she could read
able to: without eyeglasses.
Exprimă îndoială, nesiguranţă (în It cannot be true.
interogativ sau negativ), posibilitate. Can this be your paper?
MAY - MIGHT EXAMPLES
Pentru toate celelalte timpuri se înlocuieşte She will be allowed to leave at 12:30.
cu to be allowed to, to be permitted to He had been permitted to wear the new
Exprimă permisiunea: coat.
La forma negativă exprimă interzicerea: You may take the floor.
Exprimă posibilitatea: You may not switch off the light.
Exprimă admonestare, sfat, caz în care se You may catch the bus.
foloseşte might: She might leave by 9 o’clock train.
Exprimă presupunere, nesiguranţă; se They might write the application now.
foloseşte atât may cât şi might. Might It may rain.
exprimă mai multă nesiguranţă şi este She might play the violin.
echivalent cu perhaps sau maybe. He might abstain from voting.
MUST EXAMPLES
Pentru formarea celorlalte timpuri în afară We shall have to learn this poem.
de prezent, se folosesc to have to, to be We had to finish writing our papers.
obliged to, to be compelled to;
Exprimă datoria, obligaţia, necesitatea: He must go to school.
Absenţa necesităţii se redă prin needn’t: Must he buy the book? – No, he needn’t.
Exprimă prohibiţia (la negativ): They must not smoke in the meeting hall.
Exprimă probabilitatea, fiind echivalent cu He must be at the sea-side.
probably, evidently: The gloves must be your size.
OUGHT TO EXAMPLES
Exprimă o obligaţie, o datorie morală, un They ought to be on time.
sfat (cu referire la prezent, trecut sau viitor) He ought to have brought the book he took
Exprimă o presupunere, o probabilitate. He ought to be in the session by now.
SHALL (ca verb modal) EXAMPLES
Exprimă o necesitate, o constrângere sau o He shall leave by 9 o’clock train.
obligativitate; se foloseşte cu persoana a II- They shall not go to the mountains because
a şi a III-a:
Exprimă cererea unui sfat, a unei sugestii
(în propoziţii interogative la toate
persoanele):
Exprimă o promisiune:
WILL ( ca verb modal)
Exprimă o dorinţă (voinţă), o promisiune
sau o hotărâre (este folosit la toate
persoanele singular şi plural):
Exprimă o incitaţie, o rugăminte (în
interogativ, în general la persoana a II-a):
Exprimă ceva inevitabil:
Exprimă o acţiune obişnuită, repetată:
Exprimă o supoziţie:
it was decided like that.
Shall we open the meeting?
Shall I ask the floor?
He shall get the questions written in time.
EXAMPLES
I will buy the book tomorrow.
We will do whatever you say.
Will you write the minutes, please?
Will you take the floor, please?
Parents will be parents.
I will have my coffee in the morning.
He will be about fifty.

EXERCISES
I. Enlarge upon:
1. The duties of the chair (chairman); 2. The kinds of committees elected at large
conferences; 3. Kinds of public meetings; 4. Regulations of procedures adopted at
meetings.

II. Change the following sentences using modal auxiliaries:

Model: Mister B has permission to leave the room. Mister B may leave the room.
1. It is advisable for him to go to the meeting. 2. She promises to go this afternoon to the
exhibition. 3. Teachers are obliged to help their students. 4. He told George that it was
possible for him to write the minutes. 5. It is necessary for all students to have I.D. cards.
6. He asked, “Do you want me to help you with the report?” 7. I guess she will leave at
3:30. 8. The students are obliged to study carefully their courses. 9. Perhaps they don’t
always know how to study. 10. Evidently she is in the hospital.

III. Use the following statements in the past tense and past perfect tense:
1. We must speak for ourselves at the sitting. 2. They must improve the agenda. 3. She
can take the floor and address the chair. 4. George can have the meeting postponed. 5.
They may be elected in the chair. 6. She may leave the chair when the session is
adjourned.

IV. Fill in the blanks with can, may, must, have to, will, shall.
1….I borrow your note-book? I am afraid you… 2. He…smoke now, the children have
left the room. 3. …you wait till next week? 4. You…read this report louder. 5.
She…attend the meeting this afternoon. 6. I…to be at the station at 5 o’clock as my
friend is arriving. 7. Accidents…happen. 8. …he turn on the TV set? 9. …the chairman
read the agenda? 10. You…have the book tomorrow. 11. I promise it…not happen again.
12. Participants in the meeting…enter their names in the list of the session.

V. Translate into English:

a) 1. Vei fi anunţat de îndată ce vei intra. 2. Să ridic problema în cadrul unei şedinţe? 3.
Să începem discuţiile? 4. Ce să fac după ce voi da citire propunerii? 5. Să supun
propunerea la vot? 6. Vei fi acasă când vom veni? 7. Data viitoare când vom pleca la
munte, o să vii cu noi. 8. E foarte întuneric aici, o să aprind lumina. 9. Trebuie să vezi
piesa, e foarte interesantă. 10. Ar trebui să vorbeşti englezeşte la seminarul de limba
engleză. 11. Poate au schimbat programul, trebuia să fie aici la această oră. 12. Putem
fuma aici? 13. S-ar fi putut să plece mai devreme. 14. Trebuie să fie cartea ei. 15. Am
auzit că e bolnav. 16. Ar trebui să stea în pat. 17. De obicei mă plimb sâmbătă după masă.
b) 1. Sunt surprins să aflu că George a fost ales membru în comisia de cenzori. 2. Regret
că am lipsit de la şedinţa de lucru. 3. Alegerile s-au făcut prin vot secret şi s-a procedat în
conformitate cu regulamentul în vigoare. 4. George putea fi contestat pe motivul
ineficienţei în rezolvarea problemelor publice. 5. Am aflat că John a fost recuzat. 6.
Luarea lui de cuvânt a creat o impresie bună.