2 Introduction
for the GCSE reading exercise. You will not find every single word and
expression used in these extracts explained in the book. Only the min-
imum of key words is given. Treat this as a real-life exercise. Do not
expect to understand every word but just enough to be able to work out
the answers to the questions.
Next in each unit is a grammar section in which the new struc-
tures introduced in that unit are explained. Explanations are strictly
related to the material in the unit and are, therefore, not exhaustive:
they do not, for example, cover exceptions that do not appear in the
book. It will probably be helpful to glance forward to these explana-
tions when translating the text and dialogue and then work through the
section more methodically before attempting the grammar exercises
that follow. Exercises on the grammar follow the explanation of each
new point of grammar. The improvisation, or role play exercise, gives
you the opportunity to use the new vocabulary and structures learnt
in the unit to communicate in a real-life situation. Finally, there is an
English–Russian translation devised to test both vocabulary and struc-
tures encountered in the lesson. There is a key to the exercises in the
back of the book so that students working on their own can monitor
their progress, but in respect of the improvisation exercise the answers
given are only suggestions. They are not the only possible version. The
object of the exercise is to communicate the message using expres-
sions you feel confident with.
At the end of the book is a Grammar Summary. This presents the
main grammatical forms dealt with in the book in tables for easy refer-
ence. Also for reference at the back of the book is the two-way vocabu-
lary and an index to the grammatical points covered in each unit.
The recordings, which may be purchased to accompany the book,
will not only help the student with pronunciation but also develop
oral and aural skills. The symbol indicates which material is on the
recordings.
We would like to express our gratitude to Ian Ferguson who designed
the Russian cursive font used in the handwritten alphabet section.