Text 8. Tony blair

Listen, read and translate the text about Tony Blair.

After many years of conservative rule by Margaret Thatcher, the leader of the New Labour Party, Tony Blair, came to power after a landslide election victory. He won the 1997 election and since then has been living at 10 Downing Street, the most famous street in London, where all the British Prime Ministers have lived.

Tony Blair’s father was a barrister and Tony was closely attached to him. When he was only 10, his father had a stroke, which had a great influence on Tony’s later life and his interest in religion.

Tony Blair studied at Oxford and after college he played for a brief moment in a band, called the Ugly Rumours («Уродливые слухи») and took part in drama performances. Soon after, however, he gave all this up and started working in a Labour barrister’s office, where he specialized in employment and industrial law.

Today, Jerry Irvine, the barrister he worked there with, is his close advisor.

Learn the words and expressions from the wordlist by heart.

advisor – советник

attached – привязанный

barrister – адвокат

brief – короткий

conservative – консервативный

landslide – блестящая победа (на выборах)

rule – правление

stroke – удар

to give up – бросать что-либо делать

to specialize in – специализироваться в …

Answer the following questions:

1. When did Tony Blair become the Prime Minister?

2. Where does he live?

3. What do you know about his father?

4. Where did he study?

5. What did Tony Blair do after college?

Sum up what the text says about Tony Blair.

Text 9. Jennifer lopez

Listen, read and translate the text about Jennifer Lopez.

She is the most famous singer of Latin American origin after Gloria Estefan and Ricky Martin. She was born into a Puertorican family and lived in a poor district of New York.

When she was five years old, she started attending dance lessons and decided to continue with this when she got older. She wanted to be an actress, singer, and dancer, when she was sixteen.

She took part in a dance contest, which she won and which opened the doors to the film industry for her. At first she had only small, insignificant roles. Her first important TV series was in 1994 when she appeared in Aaron Spelling’s series ‘Malibu Hotel’. She was liked by the audience but she did not want to be a soap opera star for ever. She dreamed of more ambitious roles.

She has started to sing and, what is more, quite successfully. The critics are often very doubtful about her voice, but the public certainly seem to like her.

Learn the words and expressions from the wordlist by heart.

district – район

to attend – посещать (школу)

contest – конкурс, соревнование

critic – критик

insignificant – незначительный

soap opera – мыльная опера

audience – публика

ambitious – честолюбивый

for ever – навсегда

to seem – казаться

Answer the following questions:

1. Where was Jennifer Lopez born?

2. When did she start attending dance lessons?

3. What did Jennifer want to be, when she was sixteen?

4. What opened the doors to the film industry for her?

5. Why did she start to sing? What do the critics say about her voice?

Sum up what the text says about Jennifer Lopez.