Kryachkov 2!indd

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Английский язык для магистратуры
F
aith T
oday
they are, unfortunately, deluded. Even so, their very goodness has seen religion do many humane 
and wonderful things — education, hunger relief, care for the homeless. These things often need 
some sort of organization to occur effectively. It just doesn’t have to be a religious organization, 
based on superstitious notions about salvation and eternal life.
I would like to see a world in which, instead of pouring our resources of time, money and 
energy into religious coffers, we tried building a more humane society among those who are so 
inclined. And that we quit assuming that religion is sacred.
Oops! If religion isn’t sacred, is anything? Perhaps not.
Or perhaps everything is.
COMPREHENSION 
Ex. 1. Identify the topic and the thesis of the text. Make sure they are neither too 
broad nor too narrow.
Ex. 2. Suggest Russian equivalents for these word combinations from the text.
business 
maxim no-think 
pap
intelligent 
discourse 
minister
up-close and personal knowledge 
opening contention
evangelistic concern 
religion gets a free ride
Ex. 3. Think of several questions to bring out the main ideas and arguments the 
author puts forward in support of his thesis.
VOCABULARY
Ex. 4. Translate the following words and phrases, reproduce the context in which the 
words in (a) are used in the text (the lines of the text are indicated to help you). 
a)
to make a case (1–10) integrity 
(30–40)
to alienate (alienation) (1–10) to 
deviate 
(50–60) 
perspective (10–20) 
to 
masquerade 
(60–70)
faith (faithful) (20–30) 
sanctity 
(60–70)
indoctrination (to indoctrinate) (20–30) to 
glorify 
(70–80)
tenets (30–40) 
to 
infringe 
(infringement) 
(90–100)
b) to have a case for/against, a strong/weak case, to present a case, to put faith in, to accept smth 
with blind faith, people of different faiths, interfaith dialogue, to maintain/ lose integrity, to 
compromise/to undermine integrity, tool of indoctrination, to engage in indoctrination, a key 
tenet, to hold to the tenet, from a historical/financial perspective, to keep smth in perspective, 
to adopt a historical perspective
Ex. 5. Match some of the the words and phrases from Ex. 4 with their opposites 
below.
denial, dishonesty, to adhere to, to attract, to denigrate, to disprove, to protect
100

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