The crisis

On the desk of Peter McDermott was a fresh pile of mail and memos. Peter looked through them all, deciding that there was nothing that could not be left until tomorrow. Beneath the memos was a folder which he opened. It was the proposed master catering plan which the sous-chef, Andre' Lemieux, had given him yesterday. Peter began studying the plan this morning.

Glancing at his watch, he decided to continue his reading before making an evening tour of the hotel. He spread the precisely hand-written pages and carefully drawn charts before him.

As he read on, his admiration for the young sous-chef grew. The presentation looked masterly, revealing a broad grasp both of the hotel's problems and the potentialities of its restaurant business. Peter became angry, that the chef de cuisine, M. Hebrand, had — according to Lemieux — dismissed the proposals entirely.

A telephone call brought the information that, this evening, the chef de cuisine was absent because of continued illness, and that the sous-chef, M. Lemieux, was in charge. Peter said that he was coming down to the kitchen now.

Andre' Lemieux was waiting at the door from the main dining-room. "Come in, monsieur! You are welcome". Entering the noisy, steaming kitchen, the young sous-chef shouted close to Peter's ear. "You find us near the peak of work".

In contrast to the comparative quietness of yesterday afternoon, the atmosphere now, in early evening, was hellish. With a full shift on duty, chefs in starched whites, their assistant cooks and juniors were everywhere. Around them, through waves of steam of heat, sweating kitchen helpers noisily pushed trays, pans and cauldrons, while others thrust trolleys carelessly, all turning away from each other as well as hurrying waiters and waitresses, with serving trays held high. On steam tables the day's dinner menu dishes were being portioned and served for delivery to dining-rooms. Special orders — from a la carte menus and for room service — were being prepared by fast-moving cooks whose arms and hands seemed everywhere at once.

A "Hotel" by Arthur Hailey

2. Говорение.

Представьте себе, что Вы проживаете в одной комнате с иностранным студентов/студенткой во время обучения на языковых курсах. Он/она интересуется вашими семейными традициями: - расскажите о составе и возрасте членов своей семьи, семейных традициях - поинтересуйтесь семейными традициями своего знакомого. - выскажите мысль о том, что общего и в чем отличие в традициях Ваших семей.

Imagine you share the same room with a foreigner while studying. He/she is interested in your family traditions: - tell about your family, their age and family traditions; - ask about your friends’ family traditions; - express your opinion about common and different things in your families.

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