«Ольга Борисовна Бессерт Обучение индивидуальному чтению Монография Архангельск 2008 УДК 81.24 ББК 81.2-92П Б 53 Рецензенты: Л.Б. Кузнецова, канд. филос. наук М.И. Ковалева, канд. пед. наук Бессерт О.Б. Б 53 Обучение ...»

b) urban renewal 2. One answer to the problem of sprawl is to build a) new cities in thinly populated areas b) buildings as tall as possible c) no more buildings within existing cities b) facilities a) a megalopolis including Boston and Washington.

b) the laundry facility on the mechanical level c) the name of one approach to urban renewal 5. In the article, the "downtown" level is called.

b) Chipitts c) the Upper Concourse a) the ground level c) all the levels b) of many different types c) very costly a) on a certain level c) only for certain people 9. What does the article say about changing levels and stacking them in different ways?

a) It is one advantage of the strata system.

c) It would ruin existing cities.

10. What does the article say about building a huge platform over an existing neighborhood?

a) People would have to move out so that the area could be rebuilt.

b) New building could take place without leaving people homeless.

c) It cannot be done.

постэкспериментальных срезов (табл. 3,5,7) 7.3 Материалы предэкспериментального среза 7.4 Материалы постэкспериментального среза емого 100%=50,0 100%=50,0 100%=40,0 100%=50, 100%=30,0 100%=25,0 100%=30,0 100%=30, 100%=30,0 100%=25,0 100%=40,0 100%=30, 100%=66,0 100%=75,0 100%=50,0 100%=66, 100%=66,0 100%=50,0 100%= 70,0 100%=50, 100%=30,0 100%=25,0 100%=40,0 100%=30, испыту емого 100%=66,0 100%=50,0 100%=50,0 50%=30, 100%=66,0 100%= 100 100%=80,0 100%=83, 100%=50,0 100%=50,0 100%=50,0 100%=50, 100%=66,0 100%=75,0 100%=40,0 100%=83, 100%=83,3 100%= 100 100%=50,0 100%=83, 100%=83,3 100%=50,0 100%=70,0 100%=66, 100%=37,5 100%=50,0 100%=50,0 100%=30, 100%=66,0 100%=50,0 100%=50,0 100%=30, 100%=66,0 100%=50,0 100%=60,0 100%=50, Среднее K(ci ср)= значени испыту емого 100%=66,6 100%=50,0 100%=70,0 100%=50, 100%=66,6 100%=50,0 100%=70,0 100%=50, 100%=50,0 100%=75,0 100%=70,0 100%=50, 100%=50,0 100%=50,0 100%=40,0 100%=33, 100%=33,3 100%=25,0 100%=20,0 100%=33, 100%=50,0 100%=50,0 100%=30,0 100%=50, 100%=66,6 100%=75,0 100%=50,0 100%=50, 100%=50,0 100%=50,0 100%=40,0 100%=33, 100%=50,0 100%=50,0 100%=40,0 100%=33, значени емого 100%=83,3 100%= 100 100%=90,0 100%=66, 100%=83,3 100%=75,0 100%= 80,0 100%=83, 100%=66,6 100%=75,0 100%=50,0 100%=66, 100%=66,6 100%=50,0 100%=40,0 100%=50, 100%=66,6 100%=50,0 100%=40,0 100%=66, 100%=83,3 100%=75,0 100%=70,0 100%=83, 100%=66,6 100%=75,0 100%=70,0 100%=66, 100%=66,6 100%=75,0 100%=70,0 100%=83, Средне K(ci ср)= значен емого 100%=30,0 100%=75,0 100%=40,0 100%=30, 100%=50,0 100%=75,0 100%=50,0 100%=50, 100%=50,0 100%=50,0 100%=40,0 100%=50, 100%=50,0 100%=50,0 100%=60,0 100%=66, 100%=30,0 100%=25,0 100%=40,0 100%=30, 100%=66,0 100%=75,0 100%=60,0 100%=66, 100%=66,0 100%=50,0 100%=70,0 100%=50, 100%=50,0 100%=75,0 100%=40,0 100%=66, 100%=50,0 100%=50,0 100%=40,0 100%=66, 100%=50,0 100%=50,0 100%=40,0 100%=66, емого 100%=50,0 100%=75,0 100%=50,0 100%=50, 100%=66,0 100%=75,0 100%=50,0 100%=50, 100%=50,0 100%=75,0 100%=50,0 100%=50, 100%=66,0 100%=75,0 100%=60,0 100%=66, 100%=30,0 100%=50,0 100%=40,0 100%=50, 100%=66,0 100%=75,0 100%=60,0 100%=66, 100%=66,0 100%=50,0 100%=70,0 100%=50, 100%=66,0 100%=75,0 100%=50,0 100%=66, 100%=66,0 100%=50,0 100%=50,0 100%=66, 100%=66,0 100%=50,0 100%=50,0 100%=66, Экспериментальная группа ЭГ- 1. Ольга Б.

3. Марина Б.

4. Анжела А.

6. Светлана М.

8. Людмила Д.

9. Анна У.

10. Денис К.

Контрольная группа КГ:

1. Анна Б.

2. Надежда Г.

3. Ольга Е.

4. Ирина К.

5. Мария Л.

Read the article; then answer the questions.

THE FUTURE OF ENGLISH

A. Have you ever wondered how many people there are who speak English? It's quite a number! The exact figure is impossible to tell, but it is around 400 million people. Geographically, English is the most widespread language on earth, and it is second only to Chinese in the number of people who speak it. It is spoken in the British Isles, the USA, Australia, New Zealand and much of Canada and South Africa.

English is also a second language of another 300 million people living in more than 60 countries. If you add to this the enormous number of people who learn to understand and speak English (like yourself), you will realise that English is indeed a world language.

About 5,000 languages and dialects are still spoken in the world today. About 845 come from India.

After English and Chinese, the next commonly spoken language is Spanish.

Sixty-five different alphabets are used in the world today.

The language with most letters is Cambodian. It has 72 letters!

The language with the most vowels is Sedang, a Vietnamese language, with vowel sounds.

The language with the least vowels is Abkhazian. It has only 2 vowel sounds!

Chippewa, the North American Indian language of Minnesota, has 6,000 verb forms!

No language is known without the vowel a.

SOME FACTS ABOUT ENGLISH

There were only 30,000 words in Old English. Modern English has the largest vocabulary in the world, more than 600,000 words.

There are about 60,000 words in common use.

About 450-500 words are added to the English vocabulary every year.

70 per cent of the English vocabulary are loan words and only 30 per cent of the words are native.

The most frequently used words in written English are: the, of and, to, a, in, that, is, I, it, for and as.

The most frequently used word in conversation is /.

pneumonoultamicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis (a lung disease), with 45 letters.

The longest words in common use are disproportionableness and incomprehensibilities (21 letters) The commonest letter is e. More words begin with the letter s than any other.

The most overworked word in English is the word set. It has 126 verbal uses and 58 noun uses.

The newest letters added to the English alphabet are j and v, which are of postShakespearean use.

The largest English-language dictionary is the 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary, with 21,728 pages.

The commonest English name is Smith. There are about 800,000 people called Smith in England and Wales, and about 1,7000,000 in the USA.

B. In Shakespeare's time only a few million people spoke English. All of them lived in what is now Great Britain. Through the centuries, as a result of various historical events, English spread throughout the world. Five hundred years ago English was not spoken in North America: the American Indians had their own languages. So did the Eskimos in Canada, the aborigines in Australia, and the Maoris in New Zealand. The English arrived and set up their colonies...

C. Today, English is represented in every continent and in the three main oceans - the Atlantic, the Indian and the Pacific. English is mixing with and marrying other languages around the world. It is probably the most insatiable borrower. Words newly coined or in vogue in one language are very often added to English as well. There are words from 120 languages in its vocabulary, including Arabic, French, German, Greek, Italian, Russian, and Spanish.

D. Other languages absorb English words too, often giving them new forms and new meanings. So many Japanese, French and Germans mix English words with their mother tongues that the resulting hybrids are called Japlish, Franglais and Denglish. In Japanese, for example, there is a verb Makudonaru, to eat at McDonald s.

E. Switching to other Englishes is a strange thing to do, but sometimes it is necessary. If you want to communicate successfully in Japan, you have to adjust your English, speak slowly and constantly check if your message gets through. Mimicking Japlish is probably a stupid thing to do, but you have to come near to that if you want to achieve anything.

One of the many Englishes spoken and written today is Euro-English. EuroEnglish has its origins in the political arena of the European community. Here is a humorous article about the future of Euro-English published in a Canadian newspaper.

The European Union has announced that an agreement has been reached to adopt English as the preferred language for European communications. As part of the negotiations, Her Majesty's Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted afive-yearplan for what will be known as Euro-English ('Euro "for short).

In thefirstyear, "s" will be used instead of the soft "c". Sertainly sivil servants will reseive this news with joy. Also, the hard "c" will be replaced with "k".

Not only this should klear up konfusion, but typewriters кап have one less letter.

There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year, when the trouble­ some "ph " will be replaced with the "f". This will make words like "fotograf" 20 per cent shorter.

In the third year, publik akseptance of the new spelling кап be expekted to reach the state where more komplikated changes are possible.

Governments will enkorage the removal of double letters, which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horible mes of the silent "e"s in the languag is disgrasful, and they would.

By they fourth у or, people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" by "z" and "w" with "v".

During ze fifz year, ze unesesary "о" кап be dropd from vords kontaining "ou", and similar changes vud ofkors be aplid to ozer kombinations ofleters.

After zis fifzycr, ve vil hav a reli sensibl riten sty I. Zer vil be no mor trubls or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech ozer.

ZE DREM VIL FINALI KUM TRU!

A century ago, some linguists predicted that one day England, Ameri­ ca, Australia and Canada would be speaking different languages. Noah Webster, for example, said that American English would be as different from the future language of England, as the modern Dutch, Swedish are from the German, or from one another. With the advent of records, cinema, radio, and television, the two brands of English have even begun to draw back together again. Britons and Americans probably speak more alike today than they did 50 or 60 years ago. (In the 1930s and 1940s, for example, Americanfilmswere dubbed in England. It's no longer the practice today).

Canadian English, Australian English, South African English, and the many other Englishes scattered around the world are coming increasingly to resemble one another. Within the United States, for example, the speech of Northerners and Southerners is becoming more and more uniform.

People have long been interested in having one language that could be spoken throughout the world. Such a language would help to increase cultural and economic ties and simplify communication between people.

Through the years, at least 600 universal languages have been proposed, including Esperanto. About 10 million people have learned Esperanto since its creation in 1887, but English, according to specialists, has better chances to become a global language. So why not learn it?

DO YOU SPEAK COCKNEY?

It is strange that the differences in Britain itself are greater than those between Britain and other English-speaking countries. For a Londoner, it is easier to understand an American than a Cockney.

Cockney has a pronunciation, accent and vocabulary unlike any other dialect. Cockneys pronounce wait, late, tray, etc. wait for me. Dave! becomes, Wite for me, Dive!, and they drop their aitches: have becomes ave, etc.

Cockney speech is famous for its rhyming slang. For example, wife is referred to as trouble and strife, stairs as apples and pears, and loaf of bread as head.

Write the letter of the best answer on your answer sheet.

1). Select from this list the best central idea for each paragraph above.

A. 1. English is the most widespread language on earth.

2. The enormous number of people prefer to learn English to Chinese.

3. English is a world language.

B. 1. Not so many people spoke English in North America.

2. English spread throuout the world.

3. The American Indians had their own languages.

C. I.English borrows words from Russian and German.

2. New words appear in the English language.

3. English is mixing with other languages.

D. 1. German absorbs English words too.

2. Japanese mix English words with their mother tongue.

3. Other languages borrow English words.

E. 1. Ajust your English to communicate in other countries.

2. Mimicking is necessary for successful communication.

3. Speak slowly if you want to achieve anything.

Which of the following best expresses the central idea of the whole selection?

1. The history of English is very interesting.

2. English has chances to become a global language.

3. One day England, America, Australia and Canada would be speaking different languages.

4. Today, English is represented in every continent.

2). Write the letter of the best answer on your answer sheet 1. The most commonly spoken language is a) Russian b) Chinese c) English 2. As a result of various historical events a) Esperanto was created to become the universal language b) English spread throughout the world c) English spelling is planned to be improved 3. The most frequently used word in conversation is b) set c) the 4. Long ago English was not spoken in North America:

a) the American Indians didn't know English b) the American Indians had their own language c) the aborigines in Australia had their own language 3). Some words from the selection are listed below. If a word is a com­ pound, write С in the blank, and draw a slanting line (/) between the words that form the compound. If a word is a derivative, write D on the line, and circle the prefix.

4). Use the K E Y above the group of statements to mark those statements.

Write your answer in the blanks on your answer sheet.

KEY: VO =valid opinion supported by fact or authority a) The commonest English name is Smith.

b) The largest English-language dictionary is the 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary c) English is mixing with Russian d) Soon "S" will be used instead of the soft "c" e) Her Majesty's Government accepted a five-year plan for the improvement of English f) For a Londoner it is easier to understand an American than a Cockney Read the article; then answer the questions.

MYSTERIOUS GUARANTEES

Accreditation schemes exist to ensure that English language providers offer high quality tuition and value for money. But most schemes are so complicated that few students understand them. BBC English Magazine has compiled this brief guide to help you through the accreditation maze A. If you ever look at advertisements for English language schools, you will have noticed that many claim to be affiliated to certain organizations. British schools, for example, might boast that they are "Recognized by the British Council", and claim to be "A member of Arels - English in Britain". Australian schools, on the other hand, might call themselves "Neas Accredited" or say they are an "Elicos Association member".

B. This information is there to reassure you - the learner - that you will receive high-quality tuition, if you choose to study at one of these schools. There is nothing unusual in this; indeed most industries have some sort or regulatory body. Moreover, the sheer quantity of accreditation schemes is likely to be good for the industry as a whole in the long term.

The increased regulation will raise standards of tuition for students, and it will result in better terms and conditions for school staff.

C. In the short-term, however, these disparate schemes are causing a great deal of confusion. Their objectives may be the same - to improve standards - but very often their methods of operating are completely different. In some countries, they are run by the government, in others by government-sponsored organizations. In others still, they are privatelyoperated. Some fall under regulation schemes for educational establishments as a whole, others are accredited by schemes specifically designed for language schools.

D. In recent years, there have been attempts to simplify the systems in various countries, but for many students, and teachers, they remain almost impossible to understand.

E. Beyond the schemes themselves, there are associations of language providers. Most provide additional quality assurance by running their own inspection schemes and setting higher standards than those expected by the accrediting bodies. Others are there merely to co-ordinate marketing campaigns and represent schools in capacities ranging from exhibitions and fairs to dealings with the government.

Yet in spite of all these schemes, certain types of courses - particularly newer ones - cannot be accredited or approved at all because they do not fall into the categories of course types laid down by the accrediting bodies.

One example is live-in-a-teacher's-home programmes. In the UK, the British Council has only recently included these in its accreditation scheme.

As yet, no other country accredits these programmes. This highlights another potential difficulty faced by students: a school may be accredited, but some of the programmes it offers may not.

Fortunately, for the purposes of selecting a language course, students do not need a detailed understanding of how the various accreditation schemes work. What they do need to know is whether the scheme is run by a reputable organization, whether it covers the courses they intend to take, and what areas the scheme covers. The following is a brief country by country guide to accreditation in the English- speaking world.

When applying to a language school, college or university, you must check its accreditation status. This is your only guarantee of quality tuition.

Find out:

• if the institution is accredited for the course you intend to take.

Many institutions, particularly those offering courses in other disciplines, are accredited simply as educational institutions. Others may be accredited for certain courses only;

• who the accrediting body is. Write down the name of the organisation and, if you have never heard of it, check its credentials. Always be very wary of institutions which are not accredited by the bodies mentioned in the main article;

• what areas the accreditation covers. Most schemes demand certain teacher qualifications and minimum class sizes and facilities. Others, such as that run by the British Council, also cover accommodation, welfare and social activities.

In recent years, Britain has simplified its accreditation system and, today, there is just one scheme for all institutions offering English language course... ifs run by the British Council which operate, an inspection procedure to ensure that schools, colleges and the English language departments of universities meet certain minimum standards.

As in most countries, the British system is voluntary, so is up to institutions to decide whether they wish to apply for accreditation.

They have to have been operating for at least two years before they can do so.

Institutions that are British Council-accredited have the option of joining a number of associations of language providers, provided they can meet the additional criteria set by these bodies. Private language schools can join Arels (Association of Recognised English Language Services) or FIRST (or both), while state sector colleges may opt for membership of Baselt (British Association of State English -Teaching).

Ireland's accreditation system is similar to that of Britain's. A government organization called Accis (Advisory Council for English Language Schools) is responsible for the regular monitoring and inspecting of English language providers. To qualify for accreditation status, institutions must have been operating for at least two years, and they must meet minimum standards with regard to teacher qualifications, courses and school premises. Accredited institutions may apply to become members of Relsa (Recognized English Language Schools Association of Ireland).

Australian language providers are accredited by Neas (National Elicos Accreditation Service). Institutions can apply for accreditation at any time and, although it is not compulsory, the government may refuse study visas to students who will not be attending an accredited institution. Institutions can apply to join the Elicos association once they are accredited.

New Zealand has an accreditation system specifically designed or the English Teaching sector, run by a body called but it is only available to private language schools. Accreditation is voluntary but again, students who are not attending an accredited school may be refused a study visa. Fiels NZ is the association schools may join, once they are accredited.

This tiny island in the Mediterranean is the only English-speaking country in the world where it is compulsory for all language institutions to submit to inspections and meet minimum standards. Accreditation in Malta takes the form of a licence to operate, which is issued by the Ministry of Education. Maltese English providers may join a joint standards and marketing association, called Feltom.

In the US and Canada, all educational institutions must be accredited, but there is no scheme specifically for language providers. Schools, colleges and universities offering English courses have, therefore, formed associations which ensure that high standards of English tuition are maintained. In the US, these include Nafsa (which also accepts members abroad), and AAIEP and UCIEP, which only accept universities as members. However, the enormous US teachers' organization, Tesol, is preparing to launch its own accreditation scheme and it's likely that most US institutions will seek the endorsement of this body.

In Canada, there are two associations: one for private language schools - Pelsa - and other for the higher education sector called the Council for Second Language Programmes.

Write the letter of the best answer on your answer sheet.

1). A. Select from this list the best central idea for each paragraph above.

1. Most industries have some regulatory body. It is going to improve the standards 2. Associations of language providers have different aims 3. There are associations of language providers beyond the shemes 4. Many English language schools claim to belong to some organizations 5. The schemes are causing a great deal of confusion B. Which of the following best expresses the central idea of the whole selection?

a) Accreditation schemes help to provide high quality tuition b) Accreditation schemes are very complicated c) Many English language schools claim to be affiliated to the British Council d) The guide is compiled to help the reader through the accreditation maze 2). Complete the statements:

1. The British system is.

a) accreditated b) voluntary c) free d) complicated 2. Ireland's accredited institutions may apply to become members of a) Baselt b) FIRST c) Relsa d) Neas 3. When applying to a language school you must check a) the quality of tuition b) its accreditation status c) whether it has the courses you intend to take 4. Tesol is going to work on its own accreditation scheme for a) the US and Canada b) the US c) all English-speaking countries 3). Some words from the selection are listed below. If a word is a com­ pound, write С in the blank, and draw a slanting line (/) between the words that form the compound. If a word is a derivative, write D on the line, and circle the prefix.

4). Use the K E Y above the group of statements to mark those statements.

Write your answer in the blanks on your answer sheet.

KEY: V O =valid opinion supported by fact or authority a) Australian Institutions can be accredited at any time b) New Zealand's accreditation is compulsory c) The English Teaching sector is run by N Z Q A d) Universities must not be accredited in the US and Canada e) The name of college is your only guarantee of quality tuition f) The accreditation covers accommodation and social activities Before reading the text look at the following reading strategies. Decide:

a) Which strategies you have used before. Put a tick (V) next to them.

b) Which strategies you have not used before. Put a cross next to them.

c) Underline two or three strategies you would like to use today.

Discuss your decisions with a teacher/partner.

You will be asked to reflect on your choice of reading strategies.

• Relaxing for a moment before reading the text.

• Thinking about the topic, e.g. what do you already know about this topic?

• Looking at the headings and sub-headings, e.g. what do they tell you about the text?

• Looking at any pictures, diagrams, charts, e.g. how do they help you?

• Looking at the length of the text, e.g. how long do you expect to spend reading it?

how does this help you make sense of the text?

• Trying to guess the meaning of new vocabulary, e.g. look at the sentence structure to help you understand the vocabulary.

• Ignoring new vocabulary, e.g. try to understand the text as a whole unit.

• Reading each paragraph carefully, e.g. try to get a main point from each paragraph.

• Looking at the pictures, diagrams, charts while reading the text.

• Highlighting the main points in the text as you read.

• Looking for vocabulary specifically related to the topic.

• Considering how the text made you feel. Happy, sad, annoyed, amused?

• Writing a one paragraph summary of the main points of the text.

• Considering any new information you gained by reading the text and how the relates to what you already know.

• Attempting to draw some diagrams or charts if there are none in the text.

• Checking some of the difficult vocabulary with another student/ teacher/ in the dictionary.

• Discussing what you have read with someone.

Now think about the reading strategies you have just used.

Why did you choose these strategies?

Were they helpful? Why / why not?

If you had to read a similar text, which strategies would you choose?

Why?

How to Read English Texts Faster and More Effectively (Please work through all tasks in the sequence given!) 1. Read only the title of the chosen text. What do you already know about the topic? In note form write down pieces of information you expect to find in the text.

(Mother tongue or English).

2. Write down at least 5 (key) words you expect to find in the text.

a) an extract from a book?

b) a newspaper article?

c) a magazine article?

d) a scientific article?

4. When was it published?

5. Read through the whole text as quickly as possible. Don't worry about the words you don't understand. Now write down, in not more than 15 words, the main theme of the text.

6. Ask yourself i f the text may suit the needs that made you choose it as a source of information.

7. Read through the text again trying to understand as much as you can.

When you come across a word which you don't know and which you think is important for the text write it down and beside it write your idea of what it probably means. {Mother tongue or English). Use the dictionary only if absolutely necessary!

8. Divide the text into sections. Name the sections according to their function (e.g. introduction, main part(s), conclusion etc.) and give one contentrelated keyword for each.

9. Write down the main idea of each paragraph using one sentence only.

10. Draw a diagram or a flowchart to show how the information in the text is organized.

11. Which of the expectations/anticipations you listed in task 1 does the text meet?

12. On a separate sheet write a summary of the text. Not more than words! Make use of the results of tasks 8, 9, and 10.

13. What do you think of the text? Evaluate it in the light of your reading purpose. Give reasons for your evaluation.

Образцы текстов для обучения индивидуальному чтению

WAYS OF STOPPING AN ACTIVITY

Paul Sanderson is a teacher trainer in Paris, France. A recent experience during a training session led him and the teachers he was working with, to think about ways of bringing an activity to an end.

To an outsider, a large group of learners involved in a rather noisy activity in which they are all milling around, can look like chaos. To the experienced teacher, however, who has carefully set up the activity with the class, and is fully in control of the situation, the noise level and a certain degree of movement are very much par for the course in the communicative classroom:

Unfortunately, many activities which start off well and are extremely enjoyable and productive come to a somewhat ragged end when the teacher actually tries to stop the activity. Quite simply, everyone is speaking and no one can hear. After several vain attempts in a normal voice to get everyone's attention, the exasperated teacher may then resort to shouting in a final desperate bid to be heard. Some teachers (often mistakenly) even think that their learners are disregarding their instruction to stop, in an attempt to challenge their authority, or are purposely being disobedient or disruptive.

It is quite clear that how we stop an activity is an important part of class management, and the way we intend to do this must be included as part of the instructions we give our learners when setting up an activity.

This point came home to me during a training session with a large group of teachers when I experienced great difficulty in bringing an activity to an end.

We discussed this problem and the list which follows is the fruit of our brainstorming all the possible ways we could think of to stop an activity without resorting to shouting.

• Clap out the rhythm of a song using your hands.

• Ring a small bell or shake a tambourine.

• Flick the lights on and off.

• Draw or open the curtains or blinds.

• Write the word STOP on the board in large letters and stand in the middle of the room pointing to the board.

• Begin to whistle or hum a song.

• Stand on a chair with your hands in the air in the middle of the room.

• Blow bubbles in the air.

• Blow a whistle or begin to play a harmonica.

• Open up an umbrella.

• Set off an alarm clock.

• Throw a balloon into the centre of the room.

• Play a quick blast of music.

their arm, and continue this chain.

A l l of the ideas above are designed to stop an activity either quickly, or, in some cases, quite gradually. None of them risk you losing your voice — or your patience.