6. Use the following outline to speak about shopping online.

1. Availability of online shops.

2. Advantages of online shopping.

3. Recommendations one should follow while doing his shopping online.

Unit III

Pre-reading tasks

1. Look through the key words and expressions and guess what this text is about:

to vandalize to become guardian of one’s own community

to intervene to take minor law and order into one’s hands

to rebuke somebody a sense of respect for authority

to call forth a lot of abuse

to get facts wrong to be guilty of

to push one’s luck to take ideas of active citizenship seriously

2. Think of and write down 5 questions the answers to which this text might contain.

3. Now look through the text to see:

a) if your guess about the contents of the text was correct;

b) what questions can be answered. (Answer these questions).

1. Today how many of us seeing a group of 11- or 12-year-olds vandalizing a phone box or picking on a younger child would actually intervene? Yet if we don’t, who will? Intervening would be an example of ‘active citizenship’, in which citizens should become guardians of their own communities. Instead of asking for more and more policemen, we should take minor law and order into our own hands. Frankly, this strikes me as unrealistic to the point of lunacy. In a highly disciplined society — Japan, for instance — you might well get away with rebuking someone for antisocial behaviour. But this is because the Japanese have a very highly developed sense of respect for authority. I remember sitting in a subway train in Kyoto and noticing, to my surprise, that a young man sitting opposite me had put his feet up on the seat without removing his shoes. As a foreigner, and with limited Japanese, I did not even think of rebuking him. But he caught my glance, obviously read my unspoken thought, blushed and removed his feet. Try anything like this on the London Underground and you might find that even an unspoken, but obvious, thought will call forth a lot of abuse which has become such a notable feature of our society.

2. We all have at the back of our minds the notion that we are entitled to make a “citizen's arrest”. But I have never met anyone mad enough to try a citizen's arrest — and with good reason. If you get your facts wrong and jump to a hasty conclusion that the man lying on the ground is the victim when he actually started the fight, then you could be guilty of 'false arrest' and be held responsible for it. Surely, there are times when we have to do something. The French actually have a strict law that makes it a criminal offence if you fail to assist someone in danger or distress.

3. In Cairo a few months ago, coming out of a restaurant, I was approached by three ragged boys begging for money. They were obviously just about to snatch my wallet and run off when two passers-by on oppose sides of the street bellowed at them in a real fury, and sent them off their way. I doubt this would happen in London. But in Cairo everyone smokes on trains and buses, everyone drops masses of litter and everybody hates the police.

4. A few years ago an elderly, publicly spirited woman I know saw a well-built mugger snatch a handbag from a girl on the Underground. She followed him down the escalator, found him standing on a platform waiting for a train, marched up to him and said: “Young man, give me that handbag.” He was so startled that he meekly handed it over. Then she really did behave like an active citizen: “You will now come with me upstairs and we shall find a policeman and he will arrest you.” “Ma’am”, he replied, “don’t push your luck.” This is what I would say to anybody prepared to take these ideas of active citizenship too seriously.

Post-reading tasks

Read the text once again to fulfill the tasks to follow.

1. The text has no heading. Below you will find three possible versions. Choose the one that suits best the information given in the text. Explain your choice.

1. Don’t push your luck!

2. Guardians of their own communities.

3. Intervene or go past?

2. Choose the synonyms to the words given in italics according to the context.

rebuking a) reproaching b) beating c) arresting d) disgracing

meekly a) obediently b) reluctantly c) hastily d) patiently

abuse a) misuse b) maltreatment c) attack d) swearing

hasty a) quick b) thoughtless c) prompt d) fast

distress a) danger b) trouble c) pain d) worry

3. Choose the best answer or statement.

1. Intervening is

1. an example of active citizenship.

2. pushing one’s luck.

3. a notable feature of modern society.

2. How did the author react to the sight of the man on the train?

1. He asked him to take his feet off the seat.

2. He was embarrassed by the behaviour.

3. He didn’t say anything.

3. The author thinks that

1. we should ask for more policemen.

2. active citizenship works well in Japan.

3. the idea of active citizenship is inappropriate in England.

4. In comparison with the French, the British are unlikely to intervene because

1. they leave it to the police.

2. they don’t want to.

3. there is no law to make them do so.

5. Which statement is closest to the author’s opinion?

1. People in Cairo hate the police as much as the British.

2. People in Cairo are less organized but more likely to intervene.

3. People living in Cairo don’t intervene if somebody is in danger or distress.

6. What does the author think about the action of the elderly woman?

1. It was foolish of her.

2. She taught the criminal a good lesson.

3. She expected too much.

4. Put the jumbled sentences in the logical order to sum up the information given in the text.

1. But if you try anything like this in London, it will call forth a lot of abuse.

2. This idea is unrealistic because of a lot of abuse which has become a notable characteristic of modern society.

3. It would never happen in London.

4. He handed it over but refused to go to the police.

5. One can try a “citizen’s arrest”, but if he gets facts wrong he can be guilty of “false arrest”.

6. Intervening is an example of active citizenship.

7. In a highly developed society you can get away with scolding somebody for antisocial behaviour.

8. An elderly woman saw a mugger snatch a handbag from a girl.

9. In Egypt I was approached by three boys who wanted to snatch my wallet.

10. She followed him and demanded to return it back.

11. Two passers-by intervened and sent them off their way.