William Caxton is the first English printer. He was born in Kent in 1422. His father was a famer. William did not want to become a famer like his father. So his father sent him to London. He worked in an office which traded with different countries. William liked to read new books which were printed in Europe.
When William Caxton was thirty, after his master’s death he started his own business in Belgium. In 1471 he left his business and began to translate French books into English. He became interested in printing and at last he learnt it. William wanted to have his own press one day and he did.
In 1476 he brought his printing-press to London. Printing was something new at that time and most people thought that it was the work of devil. Some of the people wanted to break his press. Caxton printed his first book in 1477. It was the first book printed in the English language. The book was Caxton’s translation of the French “Tales of Troy”.
William Caxton printed about eighty books. He translated thirty-one books from French. Caxton died in 1491.
Vocabulary
print-печатать
Printer – печатник, типограф
to become - становиться
trade-торговать
master-учитель, хозяин
death-смерть
printing press – печатный станок
devil-дьявол
about – около, приблизительно
Choose the correct answer
1) True 2) False 3) No information
1. Caxton is the first English translator.
2. Caxton’s father sent him to Paris.
3. Caxton worked in an office.
4. He got a lot of money.
5. He started his own business because he didn’t like his master.
6. Caxton translated German books into English.
7. Most people didn’t know anything about printing at that time.
8. Caxton printed his first book in London.
9. Caxton printed more than a hundred books.
10. He was very rich.
Do the test:
1. Great Britain consists of:
England, Scotland, Wales, Iceland
England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland
England, Wales, Scotland, The Republic of Ireland
England, Scotland, Britain, Wales
2. What language is NOT spoken in the UK?
a) English
b) Welsh
c) Gaelic
d) Hindi
3. What ocean washes the British Isles?
a) The Pacific Ocean
b) the Indian Ocean
c) the Atlantic Ocean
d) the South Ocean
4. The current British monarch is:
Queen Elizabeth the I c) Prince William
Queen Elizabeth II d) Queen Victoria
5. The Union Jack is:
a river c) Prime Minister
flag d) street
6. The English Channel separates Great Britain from:
Sweden c) Germany
France d) Russia
7. The capital of Wales is:
London c) Dublin
Birmingham d) Cardiff
Transform the sentences so that they have the similar meaning. Use the construction Subject + Passive verb + Infinitive. Translate your sentences into Russian.
It is believed that Russia is a big country with beautiful landscapes.
It is thought that the English are very reserved.
It is believed that the Russians are very generous.
They say that the Chinese are really hard-working.
It is considered that the Italians have a good sense of humour.
Fill in the gaps with the correct form of the word in capitals.
This year such dresses are really 1) .
Jim is a very 2) person, he always keeps his promises.
My journey to London was 3) !
This is a very 4) exercise.
Maggie was a shy, quiet, very 5) child.
Mike was a 6) musician.
1) FASHION
2) RELY
3) FORGET
4) EFFECT
5) SOCIABLE
6) PROFESSION
PROBABLY NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE TO BE