Explain the background of each of the following telegrams. What would each be in full?

1) BOY. OCTOBER 15. 3,5 KILOS. BOTH WELL. PHILIP.

2) NO MONEY LEFT. LARGE HOTEL BILL. HELP. ROBERT.

3) NO LETTER THREE WEEKS. MOTHER WORRIED. PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY. DAD.

24. Write 6 phrases which could be used:

a) to end, b) to begin letters to a friend.

Construct telegrams of between 10 and 15 words appropriate to one of these occasions.

1) You wish to congratulate a friend of yours on his (her) birthday.

2) You want to congratulate somebody on receiving some honorary degree.

3) You send a wire to your relatives (or friends) about your arrival.

4) Unexpected circumstances compel you to fly to Moscow at a minute's notice. This changes your plans to join your sister in the South.

26. Explain the difference between the following words:

area code/zip code /airmail/surface mail, express/registered, packet/parcel, operator-assisted/dial-direct

27. At one time the only way to get mail to different parts of the West was by pony express. The mail bags were put on a horse. Then the horse and its rider rushed many miles to where another horse and rider were waiting. Step by step, the mail was carried from one part of the country to another. Would this be a good way to send mail today? Why or why not?

28. This letter was written to the editor of a magazine. Write a. reply as if you were the editor.

Forest Drive Bath, NY 14810 January 23, 1982

Editor

Highlights for Children

Honesdale, PA 18431

Dear Editor,

I have two friends, but they do not like each other. What can I do?

Sincerely,

Carol Ross.

29. What do you do (or say) if:

1) the person wanted on the phone is out;

2) someone rings you up by mistake;

3) you can't hear the person's name on the phone;

4) you want to book a long-distance call;

5) you want to have a technician in;

6) you hear the telephone ringing when you are staying at your friends;

7) you hear a frequent high-pitched buzzing;

8) you hear someone answering your telephone call at the other end of the line;

9) you hear the operator saying "Switchboard".

30. When do you say or hear:

1) Hold the line.

2) You are through.

3) Could I leave a message for him.

4) Can you get me 544-6607, operator?

5) Could he ring back as soon as he returns?

6) You are wanted on the phone.

7) Extension 351.

8) I've been cut off.

9) You've got the wrong number.

10) I wanted to telephone you but I hadn't got a coin.

11) Engaged. Will you hold on?

12) Go ahead, please.

13) Who is that speaking?

14) Who shall I say is calling?

15) Speaking.

Complete the following sentences. Give several variants if possible.

1) Hello, are you there? He is ...

2) Have another try. I'm sure ...

3) Here's the telephone book, you may ...

4) I didn't hang up. We ...

5) If the line is clear, they'll ...

6) If they don't put me through to Tula in half an hour, I'll ...

7) Something is wrong with the line. I've ...

8) If you hear frequent high-pitched buzzing, it means that ...

Make up statements.

1) You phone your friend. An unknown voice answers "Hello". You say ...

2) You are staying at a hotel. You want to be put through to a city number. You say ...

3) An unknown voice on the phone says you have dialled the wrong number. You say ...

4) The secretary of Mr. White whom you want to speak to over the telephone says he is in conference. You say ...

5) You want to book a trunk call to Moscow. But you are in an English town and nobody at the telephone Exchange seems to know Russian. You say ...

6) Your telephone rings. You pick up the receiver and hear an unknown voice. The speaker goes on speaking and you still don't know who she is. You say ...

7) You tell the desk clerk that the telephone in your room is out of order. You explain to him what is wrong with it. Among other things you say ...

Translate into English.

Примечательно, чтo англичане с их щепетильным отношением к частной жизни друг друга вообще считают телефон менее подобающим каналом общения. Телефонный звонок может неудачно прервать беседу, чаепитие, телевизионную передачу. К тому же требует безотлагательной реакции, не остается возможности продумать и взвесить ответ. Почту же получатель может вскрыть когда ему удобно и ответить на каждое письмо с учетом содержания других.

Именно письменно, а не по телефону принято, например, договариваться о деловой встрече. Депутат парламента, директор банка, адвокат, врач и даже портной предпочитают письменную форму обращения, так как она помогает им более гибко планировать свое время.

Было бы, однако, неверно считать, что склонность предпочитать письменное обращение устному, то есть почту телефону, умножает в Англии бюрократическую волокиту. Хотелось бы подчеркнуть другое: англичане умело используют почту для того, чтобы избавить человека от хождения по конторам. Если, к примеру, нужно зарегистрировать автомашину, англичанин посылает в соответствующее ведомство письменный запрос, что требуется для этого сделать, прилагая конверт с маркой и собственным адресам. В ответ он получает по почте бланки для заполнения, а также инструкцию, какие документы должны быть к ним приложены (например, товарный чек, водительские права, свидетельство о страховке). Все это заказным письмом снова посылается в бюро регистрации, а через несколько дней документ по почте приходит обратно вместе с выписанным на его основе удостоверением.

(В. Овчинников. "Сакура и дуб").

 Render in English.

Supplementary Reading

THE TELEGRAPH

Benjamin Franklin, an American who is famous for his interesting and useful inventions, published his ideas about electricity in 1752. Scientists in many countries became interested in this wonderful form of energy. They wanted to find the answer to a very important question: Could electricity be used to develop a fast, efficient system of long-distance communication?

Experiments proved that electricity could travel instantly over a very long piece of wire. But a note that was written on a piece of paper couldn't be put into a wire! How could electricity be used to send a message?

A Danish scientist discovered that electricity could move a needle from left to right, and that the needle could be pointed at letters on a piece of paper. Then a German government worker made up a code system that could be used with an electric needle. In 1837, two English scientists sent a message by electric telegraph from Camden Town to Euston, a distance of more than 1.6 kilometers.

In the United States, Samuel Morse, a portrait painter, was experimenting with an electric telegraph, too. At first, he connected a pencil to an electric wire. When the electricity came through the wire, the pencil made wavy lines. Then Morse invented a code that used dots and dashes for the letters of the alphabet. The pencil wrote the dots and dashes on a narrow piece of paper. Finally, he discovered that telegraph messages did not have to be written; they could be sent in sound.

At one end of the telegraph wire, the sender pressed a key. At the other end of the wire, another key went down and made a clicking sound. The telegraph operator used a short touch for a dot and a longer one for a dash. When the receiver heard the clicking sounds, he could figure out the message.

On May 24, 1844, the first long-distance message was sent by telegraph - from Washington, D.C., to Baltimore, Maryland - 64 kilometers!

Telegraph companies were formed in many cities. By 1861, telegraph wires stretched across the United States from the Atlantic to the Pacific. In Europe, too, Samuel Morse's system became popular.

But telegraph wires couldn't be hung over an ocean. Messages to and from Europe had to be sent by ship - a journey of two or three weeks. A new method was needed.

The Atlantic Telegraph Company, which was organized in 1856 by Cyrus Field and other businessmen, wanted to try to lay a cable on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. England and the United States contributed money for this experiment.

Many attempts were made by ships from both countries. The 4000-kilometer cable broke three times. Each time, more money had to be raised, and a new cable had to be made. Finally, on July 27, 1866, the first transatlantic message was sent from Newfoundland to Ireland.

Later, cables were laid to Central and South America. After 1900, transpacific cables were laid to Asia and Australia. At last, news and business information could be sent instantly to almost every country in the world.

(from "Moscow News")

TELEXES

Telegrams sent with the help of teleprints (teletypes) are called telexes.

Telexes are mostly used for information which is urgent for you to have or to pass. The Telex network is word-wide and links over 400,000 subscribers in over 50 different countries.

The telex system provides a 24-hour service, and messages may be sent to a subscriber even when his teleprinter is unattended, if it has not been switched off. So it is possible to send messages at night ready to be dealt with first thing next morning. All calls are charged on a time-and-distance basis.

Telexes should be short, exact and clear. They are often written without the Opening Salutation or the Complimentary Closing and without paragraphs. Very often conjunctions, prepositions, pronouns and punctuation marks may be omitted if it does not impair the meaning of the messages. To mark the end of the sentence the

word "stop" or a fullstop may be used. As a rule no capital letters are used in telex messages.

MAKING A PHONE CALL

I go out into the terminal. I expected to find Richard there, but I see only strangers. What's wrong? What should I do? Should I wait for him? Will he come if I wait? When will he come? Should I take a taxi and go to the office? But then he won't be able to find me here if he comes. Should I phone him? Yes, that's a good idea. I'll phone his office. I go to the information desk and ask where I can find a phone booth. I carefully read the directions on the phone. Under the telephone I find a very thick telephone book. But there's a problem - Richard's company is not listed there. I call Directory Assistance and they give me the number A local call costs a quarter in New York. Another problem! I've got some dollar bills but no small change. Do I have to go to the bank? Luckily a kind old lady gives me some change for a dollar. I now have two quarters and some dimes and nickels. I dial Rich's office but there was nobody there. An answering machine asks me to leave a message. I say I'm stranded at JFK and hang up.

 Do you know that...

The United States Postal Service has grown from its humble beginnings in colonial days to a government agency that handles over ninety billion pieces of mail every day. Today's postal system began under Benjamin Franklin. As the first American postmaster general, Mr. Franklin developed a swift system for the delivery of letters and parcels. He believed that a dependable mail service contributed to the growth of a strong country.