L. S. GOLOVCHINSKAYA SPEAK GOOD ENGLISH 1st Year L. S, GOLOVCHINSKAYA SPEAK GOOD ENGLISH PRACTICAL AID IN ORAL SPEECH 1st Y e a r Допущ ено Министерством высшего и среднего специального образования СССР в качестве учебного пособия для студентов институтов ц факультетов иностранных языков MOSCOW -HIGHERSCHOOL 1975 4 И (А йгл) Г 61 Г61 Головчинская JI. С. Г Пособие по развитию навыков устной речи. Учеб.-' пособие для I курса ин-тов и фак. иностр. я з. М .,.! «Высш. школа», 1975. 270 с. с рис. На тит. л. загл.: L. S. Golovchinskaya. Speak Good English.' Practical Aid in Oral Speech. Пособие содержит тексты, представляю щ ие собой образцы ж ивого современного английского язы ка, комментарий к текстам и расш ирен­ ную систему упражнений для развития и автоматизации навыков устной речи, в том числе упраж нения по моделям, упраж нения на п редупреж ­ дение и искоренение типичных ошибок в употреблении английскихслов и др. В качестве текстов использованы рассказы и новеллы современных английских и американских авторов. 7 0 1 0 4 -0 2 8 _ 001(01)—75 © Издательство «Высшая школа», 1975 г . " 4 И (Англ) ПРЕДИСЛОВИЕ Предлагаемая книга является первым из задуманной автором серии учебных пособий по развитию навыков устной речи для студен­ тов 1—5 курсов институтов и факультетов иностранных языков. В ос­ нову серии положены дополненные и переработанные автором четыре учебных пособия, в которых автор использовал свой многолетний педагогический опыт преподавания английского языка в языковых вузах: 1. L. S. Golovchinskaya. “Oral Practice in Modern English”, М., 2-e изд., 1967. 2. L. S. Golovchinskaya. “Learn Better English”, М., 1965, 3. L. S . Golovchinskaya. “Reading and Talking English” , М., 1971. 4. L. S. Golovchinskaya, M. Brandukova, L. A. Novikova. “Reader for Advanced Students”, М., 2-е изд., 1959. Эти пособия прочно вписались в учебный материал, над которым работают студенты целого ряда институтов и факультетов иностранных языков, а также слушатели курсов иностранных языков и курсов по­ вышения квалификации, подтвердив этим реальную потребность в та­ кого рода .пособиях. Автор учел при переработке и то немаловажное обстоятельство, что за эти годы резко изменился состав студентов, поступающих в вузы. Они опираются на значительно -более серьезную итлубокую подготовку, чем прежде. Соответственно повысились предъяв­ ляемые к ним в процессе учебных занятий требования. С другой сто­ роны, требования самих студентов к учебному материалу также повы­ сились, а критерий оценки изменился: студенты хотят работать над свежим, интересным, -современным материалом. При подготовке к настоящему изданию текстовой материал всех книг был обновлен, а система упражнений переработана и дополнена: каждая из книг включает тренировочные упражнения ,на закрепление структур; диалоги с подстановками, начиная со второй книги; квизы, расширяющие знания студентов но истории, географии, литературе и искусству стран изучаемого языка (Великобритании и США); работу с сюжетными картинками; пересказ и анализ изученного текста по заданному плану; перевод с русского с использованием изученной лек­ сики; темы для обсуждения в аудитории; свободное изложение русского текста. В предлагаемых пособиях использованы т о л ь к о о р и г и ­ н а л ь н ы е т е к с т ы (в отдельных случаях с купюрами). Короткие, но законченные тексты первой части, постепенно удлиняясь и услож­ няясь, будут выполнять свою основную задачу — помогут студенту сразу же окунуться в естественную языковую среду, познакомят с идио­ матикой английской речи, будут способствовать возникновению чувства языка, которое следует всячески развивать уже с ранних этапов обу­ чения. Именно эта работа поможет студенту в дальнейшем выбрать 3 д- I i ; нужное и единственно правильное слово, так как он вспомнит, что уже встречал это слово или сочетание в аналогичной ситуации. Так постепенно откладывается и накапливается языковой опыт. Углублен­ ная работа с оригинальными текстами научит тому, чему не поможет никакой русско-английский словарь: выбрать правильное по объему значения и стилистической окраске слово или словосочетание из не­ скольких возможных. Далее следует выделить второе условие, необходимое для продук­ тивной работы над языком: весьма существенно, чтобы предлагаемый для усвоения материал в ы з ы в а л интерес студентов. «Важность интереса при изучении любого предмета переоценить не­ возможно»,— пишет известный американский методист Питер Хэгболдт. «Это важнейшая движущая сила, направляющая нашу деятельность. Интерес концентрирует внимание, заостряет впечатления, обеспечивает повторение и создает богатство ассоциаций». И далее: «Интерес вызывает желание овладеть изучаемым предметом». Опыт подтверждает, что студенты вяло реагируют на избитые тексты, кочующие, из одного учебника в другой, да к тому же хорошо знакомые им в русском переводе. И, наоборот, с увлечением работают над свежим незнакомым материалом. Талантливые художественные произведения, где остро ставится та или иная социальная, психологи­ ческая или этическая проблема, оказывают эмоциональное и эстети­ ческое воздействие на студентов, создавая тот психологический настрой, при котором пробуждается активность, возникает желание высказаться, принять участие в дискуссии, отстоять свою точку зрени я.Разумеется, при отборе текстов возникают свои трудности. Неиз­ бежно приходится сталкиваться с разрывом между содержанием и язы­ ковой формой: если текст не сложен по языку, то он, как правило, примитивен по содержанию и мало интересен для тех, на кого рассчитана эта книга. Если же текст приемлем по содержанию, то он обычно слишком сложен по языку. Однако эта задача не является неразрешимой. Нам представляется, что рассказы, помещенные в первой части книги, вполне доступны для студентов I курса. Эти тексты доне­ сут до них все неповторимое обаяние оригинала и многому их научат. Третий принцип, положенный в основу пособия,— это у п о р н а у с т н у ю р е ч ь , на развитие автоматических навыков. Наряду с тренировочными упражнениями, в пособии имеется много разнооб­ разных заданий, рассчитанных на стимулирование устной речи, И, наконец, еще одно соображение, которое-мы считаем важным при изучении иностранного языка. Это п о з н а в а т е л ь н а я ц е н н о с т ь предлагаемого материала, рассчитанного на духовное обогащение студента, расширение его кругозора, углубление знанийо странах изучаемого языка и знакомство с их культурой и националь­ ным своеобразием. Переходим к краткой характеристике пособия для I курса, в основу которого положена книга «Learn Better English» (М., 1965). Структура книги осталась прежней. Часть I — минитексты (юмористические и са­ тирические рассказы и очерки); часть II — новеллы современных английских и американских писателей. Книга включает а) 23 текста, б) комментарий (лексический, сти­ листический, разъясняющий реалии и трудные для понимания обороты, а иногда вскрывающий контекст), в) фонетические упражнения для тренировки трудных слов и сочетаний звуков, г) устные упражнения, способствующие развитию автоматизма (сюда, в первую очередь, входят 4 упражнения на закрепление структур (Drills) и вопросы к серийным картинкам, а также некоторые тренировочные упражнения для обога­ щения словаря и развития беглости речи), д) лексические и лексико­ грамматические упражнения, е) серийные картинки, ж) квизы (Quizzes), з) шутки и афоризмы, и) русские тексты для свободного изложения (Rendering). Последнему виду работы мы придаем большое значение. Он по­ зволяет студенту мобилизовать накопленный языковой опыт и активно его использовать. В предлагаемых здесь, по большей части, коротких русских текстах в помощь студентам даны «подсказки» (перевод труд­ ных слов и словосочетаний). В заключение следует сделать одну оговорку. Мы допускаем, что в слабых группах I курса некоторые новеллы второй части могут ока­ заться слишком сложными по языку. В этом случае их можно исполь­ зовать как материал для внеаудиторного чтения, тем более, что в раз­ работках к ним даны соответствующие-задания (работа с активной лек­ сикой, ответы на вопросы по тексту, пересказ текста по заданному плану, темы для обсуждения в аудитории). Автор выражает благодарность коллективу кафедры английского языка Ленинградского педагогического института им. Герцена и ст. преп. МГПИИЯ им. Мориса Тореза В. О. Володарскому, рецензиро­ вавшим это пособие, и всем товарищам, помогавшим ему советами и замечаниями в процессе работы над книгой. J1. С. Головчинская PART I 7 THE STORY OF A CARPENTER by W illiam S aroyan My G randm other Lucy knew no end of stories. H ere is one of them w hich is to illu stra te the ab su rd ity of despair. I t ’s th e sto ry of a carpenter who lived m any hundreds of years ago. One d ay on his way hom e he was stopped by a friend who said: “My b ro th er, w hy do you look so sad? Is any th in g th e m atter?” 1 “You too w ould feel as I do,” the carpenter replied. “If you were in my shoes.” 2 “W h at is it? ” his friend asked. “By tom orrow m orning,” the carpenter said, “I m ust have eleven thousand eleven hundred eleven pounds of fine saw dust for th e K ing, or else 1 shall lose my h ea d .” The ca rp en ter’s friend sm iled and put his arm around the ca rp en ter’s shoulder. “My friend,” he said, “ cheer up. § L et us go and eat and drink and forget tom orrow. Never give way to despair.” 4 So they w ent to the carp en ter’s hom e, where they found th e carp en ter’s wife and children in tears. B ut the carp en ter’s friend told them to stop crying. And they all began eating, drinking, talk in g , singing and dancing. In th e m idst of $ laughter, the ca rp en ter’s wife began to weep and said: “So, my husb an d, in the m orning you are to lose your head and we are a ll enjoying ourselves. So it is th a t w ay .” “D on’t give way to despair,” the carpenter said. “I t ’s no use.” 8 A nd they continued eating, drinking, singing and danc­ ing. W hen lig h t pierced darkness and it was day, everyone becam e silent and stricken w ith * fear and grief. From the K ing cam e his men and knocked softly at the door of the car­ 6 p en ter’s house. A nd the carpenter said: “Now I must go to d ie ,” and opened th e door. “C arp en ter,” they said, “the K ing is dead. B uild him a co ffin .” NOTES , 1 Is anything the m atter? — Is an y th in g wrong? (Rusa. Что-нибудь случилось?) 2 If you were in m y shoes (colloq.) — If you were in my place; e.g. F ran k ly speaking I w ouldn’t lik e to b e in his shoes. 3 cheer up — do n’t be sad (Russ. H e унывай! Подбод­ рись!) 4 to give way to despair — to be overcom e by despair (R uss, поддаваться отчаянию, приходить в отчаяние) - in th e m id st of — in the m iddle of 8 I t ’s no u s e [ju :sl.— It w on’t help (often no use + gerund; e.g. I t ’s no use talk in g about it.) г stricken w ith — affected b y fear, illness, m isfortune, etc. (Russ, охваченный, пораженный); e.g. panic-stricken, awe-stricken, ete, EXERCISES Exercise I. Practise the pronunciation of the following words and ' word-combtnations: . a) carp en ter, ab su rd ity , despair, laughter, saw dust, pierce, grief, knock, coffin b) 'n o u 'endy_/3V 'sta:riz; 'wAn4^av,i ,Sam ; in ^ S a 'm ids : ev; 'touldv^S am ; in S a ^ 'm o m ip ; 's trik n wi3 'fia; 'oupandv., Зэ 'd a:; За 'kirj iz 'ded Exercise II. Drills, a) Read and repeat; b) Use the structure* in sentences of your owni I. II. 1. H e looked sad. 2. She felt lonely. 3. They seemed unhappy. 4. H e looked strong. 6 . S h e fe lt weak and ill. 1,. She stopped crying. 2. T hey began eating. 3. H e continued drinking. 4. She stopped singing. Б. They went on enjoying themselves. 7 I I I . 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. They enjoyed themselves till m orning. H e enjoyed the mealj. W e enjoyed ourselves a t th e p arty . She enjoyed the book im m ensely. H e enjoys going to the movies. Exercise III. Replace the italicized parts of the sentences by words and phrases from the text: 1. G randm other Lucy knew very m any stories. 2. If you were in m y place you w ould also feel sad. 3. If I don’t have fine saw dust by tom orrow m orning, I shall have to die. 4. His wife and ch ildren were crying. 5. D o n 't lose hope. 6. The K ing has died. Exercise IV. Find in the text equivalents for the following and use them in sentences of your own: множество; по дороге домой; что-нибудь неладно?; если бы ты был на моем месте; иначе; обнять кого-нибудь за плечи; подбодрись; рыдать; не поддавайся отчаянию; перестать плакать; веселиться; это бесполезно; охвачен страхом; тихо постучать в дверь; мертвый; умереть Exercise V. Fill in the blanks with adjectives and below: adverbs given 1. The carp en ter looked very . . . . 2, H e looked . . . a t his friend and told him th a t he was in danger of losing his head. 3. H is w ife dried her tears and sm iled . . . . 4 . The boy looked . . . and . . . . 5. The poor wom an felt . . . . 6 . “I ’m so . . . she said, “I have nobody to tu rn to for advice and h elp .” 7. In th e m orning she felt . . . . 8. H e slept . . . and woke w ith a headache. (weak, w eakly, sad, sadly, unhappy, bad, lonely, ill, badly) Exercise VI. Answer the following questions: 1. D id G randm other Lucy know many stories? 2. W ho knew no end of stories? 3. W hat did G randm other Lucy know? 4. W h at is one of her stories to illustrate? 5. W hen did the carp en ter live? 6. W here was he stopped by a friend one day? 7. D id th e carp enter look sad or happy? 8. W hat did his friend ask him ? 9. W h at did the carpenter reply? 10. W hat did the ca rp en ter’s friend do when he heard his reply? 11. W hat did he advise th e carpenter to do? 12. W here did they both go? 13. W hom did they find a t i h e carp en ter’s home? 14. W hat 8 -did the carp en ter tell them to do? 15. W h at did they all begin doing? 16. W h a t happened to the carp en ter’s wife in the m idst of laughter? 17. W hat did the ca rp en ter’s friend say? 18. D id everyone continue eating and drinking w hen it was day or did everybody become silent? 19. W hy did everybody become silent? 20. W ho knocked softly a t the door? 21. W h at did the carpenter say? 22. W hy did the K ing’s men come? 23. W hat did the K in g ’s men w ant the carpenter to do? Exercise VII. Retell the story using the following words and phrases; no end of; one of them ; to illu strate; on his way home; to look sad; is an y th in g the m atter?; if you w ere in my shoes; by tom orrow m orning; or else; cheer up; never give w ay to despair; in tears; to stop crying; to weep; you are to lose your head; to enjoy oneself; i t ’s no use; to become silent; stricken w ith fear; to knock softly (at); dead; coffin Exercise VIII. Answer the following questions: 1. W hich do you enjoy more, dancing or singing? 2. W hich of th e two books did you enjoy more, The Path of Thunder or The Gadfly? 3. W h at sort of books do you enjoy reading? 4. D id you enjoy yourself a t the party? 5. W hat films did you enjoy at th e festival? Exercise IX. Translate into English using: a) .enjoy, b) use, c) die— dead: a) 1. Мне было очень весело на вашем дне рождения (birthday p arty ). 2. Мы получили большое удовольствие от фильма «Оливер Твист». 3. У вас было вчера много гостей? Вам было весело? 4. Чтение английских книг доставляет нам большое удовольствие. b) 1. Н е отчаивайся, это не поможет. 2. Н е стоит п ла­ кать. 3. Подбодрись! К акой смысл отчаиваться? 4. Н е стоит говорить с ней об этом. Она все равно не переменит своего решения. c) 1. Он не хотел умирать. 2. Они не знали, что король мёртв. 3. Он не зн ал , что король умер. 4. Когда он умер? — Он умер среди ночи. 5. Он жив или мертв? 6. У обочины дороги (edge) леж ал мертвый человек. 7. Врач сказал, что он умер три часа тому назад. Exercise X. Fill in the blanks with the correct forms of to do or to make: 1. D id th e carpenter know he would be asked to . . . a cof­ fin for the king? 2. “Hello! W hat are you . . . ? ” “ I ’m w riting 9 a com position.” 3. W ho . . . those bookshelves for you? They are very nice indeed. 4. I ’m sorry I can . . . nothing to help you. 5. P lease . . . as you are told. 6. You . . . a lot of m istakes in your d ictatio n . 7. W hen w ill H a rry . . . his report? Exercise XI. Ask your neighbour: who th e carp en ter was stopped by in the street- one day.; w hether the carpenter was cheerful or sad; why he looked sad; w hether th e carp en ter’s friend gave him good advice; why th e carp en ter’s w ife began crying all of a sudden; why th e K in g ’s m en cam e to the carp en ter’s house ea rly in th e m orning; w hether y o u r neighbour >can re p e a t the exact words of th e carp en ter’s frie n d . Exercise X II. Topics for discussion: 1. R etell th e story in th e person of a) the carp en ter’s wife, b) th e carpenter him self, c) his younger son. 2. W h at sort of m an was the ca rp en ter’s friend? W as he - rig h t when saying: “N ever give way to .despair”? ' 3. D o you like this story? W hy? 4. The carpenter had a narrow escape. Tell another story w here th e hero or heroine had a narrow escape. 5. G ive your opinion of the following joke: “An op tim ist is a fellow who falls out of a 20-storey b u ilding, and as h e passes every storey he says: “W ell, so far I ’m all rig h t.” Exercise XIII. Study the story in pictures on p. H and answer the following questions: 1. W here is the alarm clock? Is it on the bedside table? W h at is th e tim e by the alarm clock? Does Charles hear the ringing of the alarm clock and the barking of th e dog? Is C harles aw ake or is he fast asleep? W hy does he hear nothing? W hy is th e dog barking? 2. Is C harles still in bed or is he up? W here is he standing? W hy has C harles dum b-bells in his hands? W hat can you see through the open window? Does Charles live in one of the new districts of the city? W hat makes y o u th in k he lives in one of th e new d istricts of the city? 10 3. Has C harles finished doing his physical jerks? Is he standing before th e window or before th e looking-glass? W hat can he see in th e looking-glass? W here can he see his reflec­ tion? W hat is he doing? Is he shaving or is he brushing his hair? W hat is he shaving w ith? W hat sort of razor is he using, a safety razor or an electric razor? 4. W here is Charles now? Is he taking a shower or having a cold rub-down? W h at is he doing? Does he seem to enjoy the shower? 5. H as Charles dressed himself? W here is his briefcase? W ho is Charles playing w ith? H e doesn’t seem to be in a hurry, does he? 6. Is the tab le laid for breakfast or for dinner? W hat does Charles usually have for breakfast? W hat is there on the table? W hat does C harles realize w ith horror after glancing at his wrist-w atch? W here is the dog? W hat is it w aiting for? 7. H as Charles had his breakfast? W hy has he not had his breakfast? W h at has made him snatch the briefcase and rush out of th e flat? 8. W ho is s ittin g a t the table? Is the dog eating sausage or an egg? W hat is th e dog eating? Does it seem to enjoy th e sausage? . Here are some more questions for you to answer: I. W hen do you get up as a rule? W hen does your father (brother, wife, husband) get up? Do you use an alarm clock to w ake you up? If you do, when do you w ind it up? Are you an early (late) riser? Do you go to bed early or do you like to sit up late? II. Do you rise as soon as you hear the alarm clock ring? Do you do your m orning physical jerks w ith the w indow open? W ho else in your fam ily does his m orning physical jerks? W hich do you prefer, a shower or a cold rub-down? Does it take you long to dress (to do your hair, to shave)? How long does it take you to do your hair (to shave)? D o you alw ays m an­ age to swallow your breakfast and come to the In stitu te (office) in tim e or do you som etimes leave hom e breakfastless? W hat do you have for breakfast as a rule? W ho cooks breakfast in your fam ily? Do you cook breakfast (lay the table) yourself or does your m other (sister, wife) do it? Do you usually have a su b stan tial breakfast or do you just gulp down a cup of cof­ fee? Do you w alk to the In stitu te or do you have to take the 12 bus? How long does it take you (your father, brother) to get to th e In s titu te (office)? P roverbs 1. I t ’s an early bird th a t catches th e worm. 2. E arly to bed, early to rise makes a m an h ea lth y , w ealthy and wise. WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU TRY TO SATISFY SOME PEOPLE by W illiam S aroyan T here was a b lind m an in a household 1 to whom the others gave th e best of all things: food, clothing, bed, covers and all. Yet he was filled w ith discontent 2 and w ailed s all day and all n ig h t because of ill-treatm en t. 4 The fam ily drank w ater and gave the blind man m ilk; they had one cup of rice and gave him three; they had half a loaf of bread and gave him three loaves; b u t still he com plained. In fury and despair the fam ily killed a lam b, roasted 6- it, placed it on a p la tte r, and p u t it before the blind m an. H e sm elled it, began touching it to find out' how large it was and then began to ea t, but before he had swallowed the first b ite he said: “ If this much 6 comes to me, how much goes to you?” NOTES ^ h o u se h o ld — all the people who live together in a house (a fam ily, serv an ts, etc.). Rem em ber the following wordcom binations: household duties, household affairs, household expenses. 2 fille d w ith discontent — very much dissatisfied 3 w ail — cry, com plain in a loud voice (Russ, причитать), e.g. She w ailed ,o v er her unhappy life. 4 because of ill-tre a tm e n t — because he was treated cruelly 6 roast v — cook, over an open fire, in an oven (Russ, ж а ­ рить в духовке, на костре); roast a dj., e.g. roast meat. Comp. fry — cook in boiling fat (Russ, ж арить на сковороде, e.g. She fried eggs w ith onions for breakfast and roasted a goose for dinner. (B u t They had roast goose for dinner.) 6 this m uch — this q u an tity EXERCISES Exercise I. Practise the pronunciation of the following word-combinations: a) household, ro ast, swallow, b) Si 'л б эг; 'n a it; 'g e iv ^ S a 'sm eld it; 'h a u words and clothing, discontent, w all, loaf, loaves, lam b, touch 'fild wiS ,d isk an 'ten t; 'o:l 'dei and 'э:1 'm a n ; э 'lo u f av 'b red ; 'k i l d ^ a T a m ; hi Tcrds it waz Exercise II. Find in the text synonyms to the following: fam ily, first piece, y et, violent anger, to w ail, dish, clothes, full of, to p u t, dissatisfaction, cruelty Exercise III. Answer the following questions: 1. W as there a b lind man in the household? 2 . W as there a b lin d or a deaf m an in the household? 3. W hat did the members of th e household give the blind man? 4 . W as he satisfied and pleased w ith th eir kindness or did he w ail all day and all n ig h t? 5. W hy did h e w ail all day and all night? 6. Did th e fam ily tre a t him cruelly? 7. W h a t did th e fam ily e a t and drink and w h at did they give th e blind m an? 8. W hat did the fam ily do in fury and despair? 9 .W h at did the blind m an do and w hat did he say before sw allowing the first b ite? W hy did he say so? 10. W hat kind of man was he? Exercise IV. Retell the story using the following words: household, th e others, yet, to w ail, s till, half a loaf, de­ sp air, lam b, to ro ast, p la tte r, to find o u t, to swallow, first b ite Exercise V. Translate the following sentences into English: 1. Он сел за стол и начал есть, но не смог п р о г л о т и т ь н и к у с к а . 2. Б р атья положили в рю кзак (rucksack) две б у х а н к и хлеба, немного ж а р е н о г о м я с а , чашку риса и бутылку вина и отправились в лес. 3. Кет б ы л а 14 в о т ч а я н и и , от мужа уже два месяца не было писем. 4. Все были добры к ней. Однако она ж а л о в а л а с ь , что никто не хочет ей помочь. Exercise VI. Add the correct form of there is and it is to the following: 1. . м. a sm all child in the fam ily to whom the others gave th e best of all th in gs. 2. . . . a good th in g to find people g rate­ ful for w hat you do for them . 3. . . . roast chicken for dinner today. 4. . , , a cup of m ilk for everybody. 5. . . . a p ity she has not come to our p arty . 6. . . . nobody in the house when he called last n ig h t. 7. . . , necessary to stu d y w ell. 8. . . . a m an s ittin g at th is tab le ten m inutes ago. 9. . . . tim e to go to bed. 10. . . . two guests com ing for th e week-end. 11. easy to und erstan d why she is dissatisfied. 12 . . . a light in th e p arlo u r w hen I got home. Exercise VII. Make up sentences using still and yet (meaning “nev­ ertheless, all the same”) as in the. text: a) Y e t he w as filled w ith discontent, b) B ut still he com plained. e. g. 1. T he doctors em ptied bottles of m edicine into him, still his co n d itio n did not: im prove. 2. T he fam ily took good care of him . Y e t he always com plained. Exercise- VIII. Make up sentences using the others and the other: e.g. a) M ary, we are having dinner at. 2 o’clock sharp. Tell theothers ab out it ( = all the other m em bers of the fam ily). b) T he two younger, sisters are very much alike, I ca n ’t tell one from the other (= o n e of the two). Exercise IX. Choose the proper word: (fu ll of — f ill witfi) 1. H e liked . . . his pockets w ith sm all change. 2. More often th an not his living-room was . . . people h e had hardly ever m et before. 3. E d ’s classm ates dislik e th e .fellow because he is . . . conceit, which is som ething people usually resent. 4. T heir h earts w ere . . . hope by the doctor’s reassuring w ords. 5. H e co u ld n ’t possibly squeeze in the folder, as the bag was . . , books. (come — go) 1. D o n ’t . . . .1 need you. 2. H e ..... to B righton and wil be back in a couple of. days. 3. Be sure to . . . in tim e. W e expect you to join us for lunch. 4 . 1 was w ork in g in th e garden a t the 15 tim e and happened .to see him . . . out of the house; I wonder where he . . . at such a late hour? Exercise X. Topics for discussion: 1. R etell th e story in the person of the b lin d man. 2. Some people say th a t it does not pay to be kind to o th ­ ers. W h at is your opinion? 3. Describe a case of ingratitude. 4. Speak on fam ily relations. Do you consider the case in the story ty p ical or exceptional? Exercise XI. Study the picture below and answer the following questions: 1. W here is the scene laid? 2. A re there any vacan t tables in the hall? 3. How m any custom ers are there in the hall? 4. W hom can you see in the centre of the hall? W h at is the w aitress carrying on a tray? 5. Is the w om an sittin g to the At the Restaurant left eating or is she w aitin g for the w aitress to 'ta k e her order? 6. H ave th e men s ittin g at the tab le in the background been served? W h at are they w aitin g for? 7. H ave the two custom ers in th e foreground been served already or are they w aiting for th e w aitress to tak e their orders? 8. Are the two men alike or do they differ g reatly in appearance? 9. W hat does the 16 m an to th e rig h t look like? Is he lean or stout? Is he tall or short? D ark-haired or fair? 10. W hat does the custom er to th e rig h t wear? 11. Is the lean custom er’s table loaded w ith food? W h at is there on his table? Is there w ine and fruit on his table? W here is th e fruit? W hat kind of fruit is there In th e vase? 12. H as the lean custom er a good appetite? Is he enjoying his meal? Does he seem to be afraid of p u ttin g on weight? 13. Does th e fat man seem happy? W h at does he look like? Is there much or little food on his table? W hat is there on his table? W hy is there hardly any food on his table? Does he diet? W hy does he diet? Is he afraid of p u ttin g on w eight? W h at is he drinking? Is it easy for him to lose w eight? Is he enjoying his meal? H as he a good reason for being sad? Exercise .XII. Describe the picture using the following words and word-combinations: a) restau ran t; w aitress; custom er; to take- (give) one’s order; to be served; to w ait for one’s order; to carry a tray; in th e background; in the foreground; to th e rig h t; to the left b) to differ greatly from each other; lean; tall; dark­ haired; fat; bald; puffy; m iddle-aged; to be in high (low) spirits; to diet; to starv e oneself; to put on (to lose) weight; to enjoy one’s mea‘1; to have a hearty appetite; to eat w ith gusto THE INTELLIGENT1 YOUNG MAN b y -W illiam Saroyan My uncle Aram, liked to tell the story of a K ing and a young m an. This K ing was inclined 2 to have absurd and ridiculous ideas, and th e m an, one of his advisers, had more good sense 3 and w i t 4 th an the K ing and all his ancestors put-together. One evening th e K ing said; “By m orning I w ant you to let me know ^ how m any blind people there are in this c ity .” “O h ,” th e adviser said. “Oh, I see.” 6 H e w ent away to th in k of a solution, to this absurd task. H e invited an expert 7 book-keeper, placed him on a fine horse, put a book and a pen in his hands, and told him to ride through the city and to put down 8 the blind 9 as they came to them . Then the young man tied a very large branch of a lilac tree to th e saddle of the horse w ith a strong rope. Drag17 glng this branch behind him , he began to rid e over: the streets of th e city . A fter a m om ent an old m an in the street looked up and shouted: “My son, w h at are you doing?” T he adviser turned to the. book-keeper and said: “Book* keeper, this man is blind. Begin your account.”. In the n ex t street a lady pu t her head out of a fine house and said: “Young m an, w hat are you doing?” and the adviser told the book-keeper, to continue his account. By m orning th e account of the blind included all the people of the city and th e ad v iser a n d the book-keeper turned th eir horses in to th e gardens of the K in g ’s palace. They were still dragging th e branch of. the lilac tree. The K ing him self came out onto a balcony and looked: down at his adviser. “H allo!” he shouted'. “W hat are you doing?” T he adviser turned quickly to the book-keeper and said: “Book-keeper, th e account is com plete. This son of a bitch is b lind to o .” NOTES 1 intelligent' «*■ quick in understanding, bright, clever ‘ (the English equivalent for the R ussian интеллигентный' is hot intelligent b u t well-educated, cultured) 2 to be inclined to — to have a tendency towards; e.g. H e is inclined to be idle. She is inclined to have fits o f tem per. 8 good sense:— practical wisdom , intelligence gained by experience. S y n . common sense (Russ, здравый смысл) 4 w it — intelligence, quickness o f m ind. N ote the wordcom binations: a) o u t of. one's w its — mad; greatly upset or frightened; b) a t one's w its’ end — n o t knowing w hat to do or say; to o u tw it— to prove more, resourceful or clever;, e.g. H e is not th e k ind of man you are. likely to outw it. Russ. перехитрить. 5 to let me know — to inform me 6 I see (colloq. ) . — I understand. 1 expert Pekspott] adj — skilful, train ed by practice; e.g. an expert lawyer, doctor, etc. 8 to p u t down — to w rite down 8 the. blind = b lin d people; in th e singular the word man {woman) m ust be added; e.g. a hospital for the blind; but 18. a blind m an cam e to the hospital. The sam e applies to some other adjectives; e.g. the rich — богатые, the poor — бедные, the wounded, the deaf, etc. EXERCISES Exercise I. Practise the pronunciation of the following words and word-combinations: a) in tellig en t, absurd, ridiculous, tion, expert, book-keeper, through, account, palace, balcony, com plete b) a 'ra m ; sa'rom n; te lw 3a 'sto:ri in ^ /S is 'siti; ta '0н)к av о s a 'lu ijn ; Ээ 'saedl av Sa 'ha:s adviser, ancestor, solu­ branch, lilac, saddle, э\тч_,з 'knj; 'Sis 'maen; ta 'r a id w 0ru 5э 'siti; Exercise II. Drills, a) Read and repeat; b) Use the structures In sentences of your own: I. II. III. 1. I w ant you to bring me the account in the m orning. 2 . H e wanted the book-keeper to help him to count the blin d . 3. The K in g wants his adviser to count all the blind in the city . •4. The old m an wanted the adviser to tell him w hat he was doing. ’5. I w ant you to repeat these sentences. 6. She wanted me to let her know about th e resu lt. Л. L et me know when you are ready. .2. L et him know w hat you are,going to do. 3. L et us know w here we m ust .go. 4. L et .them know if you need an ything. 5. L et her know when she m ust come. 1. 2. 3. 4. The adviser told him to count the blind л, The young m an told him to die the branch to the saddle. The adviser told the book-keeper to begin the account. The teach er told them to repeat the new words. Exercise III. Replace the italicized parts of the sentences by equiv­ alents from the text: 1. The K ing often had absurd and ridiculous ideas. 2. To­ m orrow m orning you m ust inform me about the results. 3. The adviser w ent away to think of a way to w ive this sense­ less task. 4. F or this purpose the K in g ’s adviser employed a very experienced accountant and ordered him to write down 19 every b lind m an he saw In the streets of the city . 5. The old man raised his eyes and asked: “W hat does this mean?” 6. The K in g ’s adviser had more practical wisdom and more brains than the K ing and the K ing’s father and grandfather and great g ra n d fa th er. Exercise IV. Find in the text English equivalents for the following and use them in sentences of your own: .- быть склонным (к); здравый смысл; нелепый; смехот­ ворный; сообщить кому-либо; понятно (Йсно); опытный (квалифицированный); отличный (превосходный); ездить по улицам; все предки вместе взятые; записывать; привя­ зывать; тащить за собой (волочить) Exercise V. Answer the following questions: 1. W hat sort of story did uncle A ram like to tell? 2. W the K ing inclined to have absurd and ridiculous ideas? 3. W hat kind of ideas was the K ing inclined to have? 4. W as the young . man cleverer th an th e K ing and all his ancestors put together? 5. D id the young m an have less or more good sense and w it than the K ing and all his ancestors p u t together? 6. W ho had more good sense and w it th an the K ing and all his ancest­ ors put together? 7. W hat did the K ing say one evening? 8. Did the K ing give his adviser an absurd or a sensible task? 9. W hom did th e young man invite? 10. W hat did he tell th e book-keeper to do? 11. W hat sort of horse did he place the book-keeper on? 12. W hat did the young m an tie to the saddle of his horse? 13. W hat did he tie a branch of lilac tree to his saddle w ith? 14. How did he rid e over the streets of the city? 15. W h at did an old man in the street say? 16. W hat did the adviser say to the book-keeper? 17. W hat did a lady in the n ex t street do? 18. W hom did the account include by morning? 19. W here did the adviser and the book-keeper . turn th eir horses? 20. W hat were they still dragging? 21. W ho came out onto th e balcony? 22. W ho did the K ing look down at? 23. W h at did the K ing shout? 24. W hat did the adviser say to th e book-keeper? Exercise VI. Retell the story using the following words and wordgroups: inclined; absurd; ridiculous; good sense; ancestors; let me know; to th in k of a solution (to); expert book-keeper; to ride through th e city; to put down; saddle; to begin (continue) th e account; to include; to drag; to come out onto a balcony; com plete 20 Exercise VII. Add tail-questions to these statements (isn't, aren't, didn't, etc.): 1. The K in g ’s adviser was in tellig en t, . . . ? 2. U ncle Aram liked to tell s to r ie s ,. . .? 3 . The K ing did no t expect his adviser to com plete th e account by m orning, . . . ? 4. I t ’s an absurd task , . . . ? 5. The K ing has no brains, . . . ? Exercise VIII. Translate these sentences into English: а) 1. С о о б щ и т е е м у , что мы уезжаем в 8 часов ве­ чера. 2. С о о б щ и т е им, где мы завтра должны встретить­ ся. 3. С о о б щ и т е е й , что ключ будет оставлен у хозяйки (with the lan d lad y ). 4. С о о б щ и т е м н е , сколько вре­ мени вам нужно будет, чтобы написать эту статью. б) 1. Я х о ч у , ч т о б ы в ы нас подождали. 2. О н х о ­ ч е т , ч т о б ы я нашел ему. опытного юриста. 3. О н а х о ­ ч е т , ч т о б ы я ей помог. 4. Мы х о т и м , ч т о б ы он закон­ чил отчет к понедельнику. Exercise IX. Choose the correct word from those in brackets: ( in tellig e n t — educated— cultured) I. 1. The child can hardly speak bu t it has such . . . eyes. 2. H e is ah Oxford man and a highly . . . person. 3. A t an early age the boy am azed the.teach ers by his . . . questions. 4. She m ust be a . . . person. She belongs to a . . . fam ily, as far as I know. 5. It was the m o s t . . . reply I have ever heard. (say — tell — speak) II. 1 . 1 c a n ’t understand you, . . . louder, please. 2. He likes to . . . stories; and he is a good story-teller, I m ust say. 3. W hat did an old m an in th e street . . . when he saw the adviser on horseback? 4. W h at did the K ing . . . his adviser to do? 5. He likes to . . . about his work a n d ' h i s friends very often . . . him not to talk shop. 6 . 1 believe every word she . . . ; she nev­ er . . . lies. 7. W h at did she . . . you yesterday? (fin e — p re tty — handsome) III . 1. She lived in a . . . house in Grosvenor Square. 2. The younger girl was extrem ely . . . . 3 . Irene had a . . . figure and a . . . face. 4. “W hat a . . . day! L e t’s go for a drive!” he exclaim ed. 5. M artin was w ell-built, young and . . . . 6 . If the w eather keeps . . . , we shall stay in the country till late in the au tu m n . 7. . . . feathers make . . . birds (proverb). 21 Exercise X. Topics for discussion: 1. R etell th e story in the words of th e book-keeper. 2. Tell a story about an in tellig en t person. 3. Rem em ber a story in which the serv an t (clerk, em ployee, etc.) is cleverer th an his boss. W inning the Race Exercise XI. Tell the. story in pictures using the following and word.-combinations: words girl-friend, slim , short frock, to stan d on. the s te p , to wave one’s hand, to, to give a friendly sm ile, the door was slam m ed, to rem ain on th e pavem ent, to forget, a bunch of flowers, to look m iserable, a b rillia n t idea struck h im , to run sw iftly, passers-by, to sta re a t, to overtake, great w as her surprise, to w in the race, to g rin w ith d elig h t, w h at lovely flowers Cat a n d K ing by Am brose Bierce A C at w as-looking at a K ing, as perm itted by th e proverb.* “W ell,” said th e monarch, “how do you like me?” * An allusion to th e proverb “a cat may look at a- King:” Russ. Смотреть ни на> кого не возбраняется. “I can im agine a K in g ,” said the C at, “whom I should like b e tte r.” “For exam ple?” “The K ing of M ice.” The m onarch was so pleased w ith th e w it of the reply th a t he gave her perm ission to scratch his P rim e M inister’s eyes out. Joke “W hat is a Tube?” “I t ’s a place so crowded th a t even th e men can’t all get s e a ts .” WHAT HAPPENED TO CHARLES by Jam es Thurber A farm horse nam ed Charles w as led to tow n one day by h is owner 1 to be sh o d .2 He would have been shod-and brought back hom e w ith o u t incident if it h a d n ’t been for E va, a duck, who was alw ays hanging a b o u t 3 the kitchen door of the farm ­ house, eaves-dropping, and never got an y th in g quite rig h t.4 H er farm m ates ^ said of her th at she had two m ouths but only one ear. On th e day th a t Charles was led aw ay to the sm ith y , Eva w ent quacking ab o u t the 'farm, ex c ite d ly te llin g the other .animals that-C h arles had been taken to town t o ’be shot. “T hey’re executing an innocent 'horse!” cried E v a . “H e’s a hero! H e’s a m artyr! H e died to make us free!” “H e was th e g reatest horse in the w o rld ,” -sobbed a sen ti­ m ental hen. "H e ju st seemed like old C harley to m e,” said a realistic eow . “L e t’s n o t g e t into a moony m ood.”'" “He w as w onderful!” cried a g u llib le 7 goose. “W hat did he ever do?” asked a goat. E va, who was as 'inventive as she was inaccurate, turned on her lively im agination. 6 “i t was butchers who led him off ■to h e 's h o t!” she shrieked. “They would have cut our throats w h ile we slept if it h a d n ’t been for C harles!” ‘T d id n ’t see any butchers, and I can see a burnt-out •firefly on a moonless n ig h t,” said a w ise old owl. “I d id n ’t h ear any butchers, and I can hear a mouse w alk across moss.” \ 23 “W e m ust build a mem orial 8 to C harles th e G reat, who saved our liv es,” quacked E va. And all the birds and beasts in th e yard except th e wise owl, the skeptical goat, and the realistic cow set ab out 10 building a m em orial. J u s t then th e farm er appeared in the lane, leading Charles whose new shoes glinted 11 in the sunlight. I t was lucky th a t Charles was not alone, for the m em orialbuilders m ight h ave set upon him 12 w ith clubs and stones for replacing th eir hero w ith a just plain old C harley. It was lu ck y ,13 too, th a t they could not reach the wise old owl, who quickly perched upon the roof of the b arn , for none is so exasperating as he who 14 is rig h t. The sentim ental hen and th e gu llib le goose were the ones w h o 15 finally called atten tio n to the cu lp rit 16 — E va, the one-eared duck w ith two m ouths. The others set upon her and tarred and unfeathered h e r , 17 for none is more unpopular th an the bearer of sad news th a t tu rns out to be false. M oral: G et it rig h t or let it alone. The conclusion you jum p to m ay be your own. 18 NOTES 1 owner — th e one who owns som ething, i.e. the owner of the house, car, horse, etc. D on’t confuse it w ith m aster, e.g. the master (the mistress) of the house — th e head of the house­ hold, a m an in au th o rity (Russ, глава семьи, хозяин дома); the master of the dog (horse, etc.) N o t e : The one who receives and en tertain s guests is a host (hostess); e.g. In the absence of M other M ary acted as hostess a t th e tea-parties. (Russ, хозяин, хозяйка). The owner of a house (or flat) w hich is rented to lodgers is a lan d lo rd (lan d lad y ); e.g. S aturday was th e day he had promised to pay his landlady but h e had no more th an a few pennies left. 8 to be shod (to shoe, shod, shod) —- to have shoes fastened on to a horse (Russ, подковать) 8 to hang ab o u t — to keep near a place, doing n o th in g 4 n ev er got any th in g q u ite rig h t — never understood th in g s th o ro u g h ly and correctly, e.g. Did you get m e rig h t? ( = D id y o u . u n d erstan d me clearly, so th a t no m isunder­ stan d in g is possible?) 24 $ farmmates — companions- living on the sam e farm (Comp, classmate, playm ate, roommate, etc.) e to get into a moony mood (colloq.) — to s ta rt im agining things th a t do not exist 7 g u llib le — easily deceived, believing all one is told (Russ, легковерный, доверчивый) 8 turned on her imagination (fig .) — was carried away by her im agination, used her im agination freely 9 memorial — som ething to rem ind people of a person or event; e.g. There is a w ar m em orial in the town (i.e. a m onum ent w ith th e nam es of men who were killed In the war); Memorial Day — day for honouring the memory of men killed in w ar (in USA — May 30) 10 to set about — to begin 11 to g lin t — to send out a light or flash th a t comes and goes (Russ, сверкать) 12 to set upon — to attack 13 It was lucky — It was most fortunate (Russ, удачный, повезло). Lucky refers to favourable circum stances, i.e. a lucky choice, day, person', e.g. I was lucky to run into him on th a t day; he helped me a lot. S y n . happy refers to the way a person feels about things, im plying joy, sense of fulfill­ m ent, pleasure, co n tent, etc.; e.g. I don’t w ant any changes. I ’m happy as I am . Now th a t he’s got w hat he has been after, he is com pletely happy. 14 none is so exasperating as he who — no one makes you so angry as a person who (to exasperate — to rouse anger, to irritate); he w h o .. . — the one w h o . .. 15 were the ones w h o ... = were those w ho... 16 culprit — a person who is guilty of som ething; one accused of a crim e 17 tarred and unfeathered her — covered her w ith ta r and plucked out her feathers (the author makes use of.the phrase: to tar and feather a person = to punish one by covering him first w ith ta r and then w ith feathers, which is a sign of p u b lic disgrace) 18 to jump to conclusions — to draw a hasty conclusion th a t is not ju stified (Russ, делать поспешные выводы). The sentence is a pun, based on a play upon the double m ean­ ing of the word conclusion: 1) end, 2) opinion. It may be paraphrased as follows: “If you jum p to a conclusion it may be the end of you.” 25 EXERCISES Exercise I. Practise the pronunciation of the following words and word-comb inat ions: a) Charles, eaves-drop, sm ithy, quack, execute, m artyr, sen tim en tal, re alistic, gullible, inventive, inaccurate, b u tch ­ er, shriek, th ro a t, m em orial, hero, c u lp rit, ta r, unfeather, unpopular, bearer, false b) onw 5a 'dei; waz T edw ta 'ta u n ; 'w en t 'kwaekip o 'b a u t Зэ 'faun; З г ^ 'л З э г ^ 'а г ш т э к ; w a z ^ S o 'g r e itis t 'ho:s т ^ Э э 'w a:ld; 'k x t аиэ 'B routs; 'seivd aua 'la iv z •Exercise II. D rill, a) Read and repeat; b) U se the structures in sen­ tences of your own: I. 1. They would have cut our th ro a ts if it h a dn't been for C harles. 2. H e w ould have got wet through if it h a d n 't been for th e rain co at. 3. They w ouldn’t have started building a mem orial if it h a d n 't been for E va. 4. She w ouldn’t have.stayed in tow n in such ho t w eather ■ if it h a d n 't been for her sudden Illness. II. 1.. 2. 3. 4. E va The The T he was as inventive as she was inaccurate. boy was as clever as he was handsome. task was as interesting as i t was difficult. house was as beautiful as it was comfortable. II I . 1. 2. 3. 4. I can hear a mouse walk across moss. H e could see the sun rise in th e m orning. She heard the sea roar in th e distance. T hey watched the trains arrive a t th e statio n . IV. 1. They set about building a m em orial. 2. She set about feeding the birds. 3. I set about cleaning the house. 4. She set about doing the dishes. Exercise III. Replace the italicized parts of the sentences by equiv­ alents from the text: 1. B u t for E va, he would have been brought hom e without anything particular happening. 2. They are p u ttin g to death an innocent horse. 3. “H e was w onderfull" cried a goose that believed a ll it was told. 4. W e m ust build a monument to Charles the G reat. 5. A ll th e birds and beasts started building a mon­ 28 ' um ent. 6. I t was fortunate th a t Charles was not alone, for th e m em orial-builders m ight have attacked him w ith clubs and stones. T. No one makes you so angry as the one who is rig h t. 8. E v a had arrived at a hasty conclusion th a t Charles was taken to town to be shot. Exercise IV. Find in the text English equivalents for the following and use them in sentences of your own: хозяин; околачиваться; подслушивать; возбужденно; рыдать; пронзительно кричать; палач (мясник); привести обратно; усесться (о птице); безлунная ночь; сова; невин­ ный; герой; мученик; казнить; наброситься на кого-либо; доверчивый; скептический; мудрый; привлечь внимание (к); спасти ж изнь; оказаться; ложный; перерезать горло; живое воображение; изобретательный; хорошо понять; неточный Exercise V. F ill in the blanks with prepositions: 1. It was difficult . . . them to m ake th eir way . . . the wood . . . such a dark and storm y n ig h t. If it h a d n ’t been . . . th e guide they w ould have never reached the station . . . tim e. 2. . . . th e sunlight the cottage had seemed quite different; now it looked, shabby and gloom y. 3. I ’m going to take a b a th — a quarter . . . an hour. T u rn . . . the hot w ater tap , please. 4. A ll . . . a sudden a big dog set . . . me. If it h ad n ’t been . . . J i m, I w ould have been badly b itten. .5. Mary expected guests . . . the following day. So she set . . . tidy in g the room and replaced the bed . . . a com fortable sofa. 6. If it h ad n ’t been . . . the m aid who was hanging . . . the bedroom nobody would have known th e tru th . . . th e row . . . the m iddle . . . the night. Exercise VI. Answer the following questions: 1. W hy was the farm horse led one day to town by his owner? 2. W h at was E va and where did shespend all her days? 3. D id she understand things correctly or did she never get an y th in g q u ite right? 4. W hat did her farm m ates say of her? 5. W hy did her farm m ates say she had two mouths but only one ear? 6. W h at did Eva go quacking about on the day Charles was led away to th e sm ithy? 7. W hy did she tell the other an i­ m als Charles was taken to town to be shot? 8. W hat d id she cry excitedly? 9. W hich of the anim als believed her words? W hat did they say? 10. W hich of the anim als doubted the tru th of her words? 11. W hat did E va shriek after turning on her lively im agination? 12. W hat did the wise old owl 27 say? 13. W hy did th e birds and beasts set ab o u t building a m em orial?'14. W hich of the birds a n d 'b e a s ts did not tak e p art in b u ild in g a m em orial to Charles? 15. W here did the farm er appear ju s t then? 16. In w hat w ay was C harles lucky? 17. W h at w ould th e m em orial builders h av e done, if C harles had been alone? 18. W hy did the owl perch upon the roof of th e barn? 19. W ho finally called a tte n tio n to the cu lp rit? 20. W hat did the anim als do to Eva? 21. W hy did they ta r and unfeather her? 22. W h at is the m oral of th e story? Exercise VII. Find synonyms in the text to the following words: to weep, tru stin g , to cry, resourceful, m onum ent, clever, to attac k , to begin doing som ething Exercise VIII. Retell the story using the following words and phrases: lead to town; owner; w ithout incident; if it h a d n ’t been for; to hang about; never got any th in g rig h t; to execute; innocent; m artyr; sen tim ental; gullible; inventive; inaccurate; butcher; to cu t one’s th ro at; on a moonless night; to build a m em orial (to); to set about; it was lucky; to set upon som ebody; exasper­ ating; to call a tte n tio n to ^ unpopular; the bearer of news; tu rn out to be false ^ Exercise IX. Retell the story in Indirect Speech. Exercise X. Complete the following sentences: (see Exercise I I — I) I. 1. I Would h ave got soaked if . . . . 2 . She w ould have come in tim e if . . . . 3. They w ouldn’t have lost th eir way if . . . . 4. H e w ould h ave gone to the seaside if . . . . 5. H e would have helped him if . . . . (see Exercise I I — I I I ) II. 1. I could see a tall figure . . . . 2. H e can hear the waves . . . . 3. She w atched the people . . . . 4. H e heard somebody . . . . 5 . She can see the children . . . . Exercise XI. Choose the correct word from those in brackets: ' . (bring — take) 1. I have . . . hom e several interesting m agazines. 2. R ead them to n ig h t, or at least look them through, because I must . . . them to the lib rary to-morrow. (lucky — happy) 1. “T h irteen is my . . . num ber.” 2. H e says he is the . . . man in the w orld. 3. H er m arriage has proved to be very . . . . 28 4. It was . . . he was not at hom e when the robbers broke into th e house; they w ould have shot hi m. (owner — master — landlord — host) I. The . . . of the dog had to pay a fine for it. 2. They arrived at th e inn late at n ig h t and the . . . said there wrere no vacant rooms left. 3. The dinner-party was a great success, owing to the . . . , one of the most a ttra c tiv e men we had ever seen. 4. The parlour-m aid answered the call and said the . . . was out. 5. E very sum m er we hire a sm all cottage at the sea­ side. W e like th e place and enjoy the com pany of our . . . , a retired officer. Exercise XII. Topics for discussion: 1. R etell th e story in the person of Charles. ■£. D escribe E v a, the duck. Does the nam e suggest an y ­ thing to you? 3. Discuss th e first p art of the story (up to the words: “Ju s t then the fa rm e r.. . ”) and speak on the tra its [treiz] of hum an ch aracter th e author satirizes in it. 4. Discuss th e end of the story. 5. W hy do some people like sensations? Speak on a sen­ sation. Exercise XIII. Study the following questions: the story in pictures on p. 30 and answer 1. Is th is a th eatre or a concert hall? W hat sort of perform ance is th e audience attending? Is this a sym phony concert or a v arie ty show? W h at part of the hall can you see in the picture? Can you see the stalls (the p it, the dress-circle, the balcony, th e boxes)? W hom can you see on the stage? Is the com pere ['к а т р е э ] standing before the microphone? W hat tu rn is .th e com pere announcing? (See next picture.) s 2. How does th e public greet the singer? W hy does the . public bu rst into applause when the singer appears on the stage? Is th e soloist a well-known singer? Is4 she going to sing an encore? 3. How m any accordionists are there on the stage? W hat do they look like? Do they just p la y the accordion or do they both sing and play? W here is th e com pere standing? 4. T his tu rn seems to be the h ighlight of the program, doesn’t it? Is the compere interested in this turn? W hy is he peeping out from behind the scenes? Is he a little bit afraid of th e boa-constrictor? Is the boa-tam er afraid of 29 A Tragic Incident th e boa-constrictor or is he absolutely calm and self-assured? W h at does he w ear on his head? H e looks m ajestic, doesn’t he? 5. W h at has happened? W hy is the com pere’s face dis­ to rted w ith horror? W hy has he dropped the microphone? H as an y th in g gone wrong? 6. Now th is is very strange indeed, isn ’t it? W hy is the boa-constrictor left alone on the stage? W h a t has m ade the com pere tak e to his heels? W here is th e boa-tam er? W hat is the difference in the boa-constrictor’s appearance as compared, to p ictu re 4? W h a t h as rem ained of- the boatam er? Here are some more questions for you to answer: 1. W here do you usually buy tickets if you wish to go to th e th eatre (concert)? Do you buy them a t th e box-office or at th e booking-office? 2. Is it possible to pick up a tick et at the entrance, if you failed to get one a t the box-office? 3. W hich do you prefer: seats in th e stalls or in th e boxes? Do you m ind hav in g a seat on the balcony or in the gallery? Do you use opera-glasses if you have a seat in the gallery or on th e balcony? 4. W here do you leave your coat a t the theatre? W ho gives you the check? 5. W here do you go in the in terv al if you wish to have a cup of tea, a sandwich or a cake? 6. W h at tim e does the perform ance usually begin? W hen does th e cu rtain rise (fall)? 7. H ave you ever been to the Bolshoi Theatre? Is Maya P lisetsk ay a a success w ith the public? How do the people in th e hall show th eir appreciation of th e performance? 8. W hich do you prefer: to go to th e opera-house or to the play-house? W ould you ra th e r go-to a (violin, cello) recital or to a sym phony concert? YOU BE THE DETECTIVE Professor M urray told his crim inology 1 class: “One af­ ternoon, my friend D etective Shea passed by the paw nbrok­ er’s shop 8 owned and operated b y ' J u d i t h K arsan. Jn d ith ran 3 th e shop all by herself; *■ its size was reputed to belie th e volum e of its business.” 5 “D etective S hea glanced inside, b u t did no t see anyone. H e stepped w ith in , and found J u d ith behind a counter, bound and gagged.® A fter being u n tied , paw nbroker Karson told her story: ‘A bout one o ’clock, a ta ll, dark, powerful man entered. A fter talk in g to me a few m inutes, he produced a gun, 1 tied me up, and took all the choicest 8 jew ellery and money he could find, p lacing everything in a sm all valise. W hat I ca n ’t u nderstand is why he was so casual about it 9 all, as if he were n o t afraid of interruptions. A ctu ally , I had ap p o in t­ ments w ith three persons between one and two o’clock, yet no one showed up 10 till you did. The thief did not leave u n til o n e-forty.’ “D etective Shea noted th a t the tim e was ju st two o’clock. ‘I did not see an y th in g unusual when I cam e along,’ he stated . ‘However from w h at you tell me, the theft was probably com m itted 11 by Conroy O tis. H e’s used the idea before.’ You be th e detective: W hat could the thief have done to feel certain he w ould not be disturbed?” Solution: It was discovered th a t the thief had hung a sign on the door knob, “O u t to lunch, back at 2 p. m .” . 12On leav­ ing, he sim ply took the sign w ith him. (From “Humour Variety. Stories, Jokes, Cartoons” . No 2, London) NOTES 1 crim inology— the study of crim e and crim inals; a subjdbt tau g h t a t th e F acu lty of Law 2 pawnbroker’s shop — a place where you can borrow money on condition you leave som ething valuable there as a security (Russ, ломбард). The verb is to pawn; e.g. He was short of money and had to pawn his tiepin. A n t. redeem; e.g. M artin redeem ed his bicycle after pay day. 3 to run (a shop) — to manage; e.g. to run a business, a restaurant, a theatre. S y n . operate — chiefly A m . (see in th e tex t “th e paw nbroker’s shop owned and operated by Ju d ith K arson.”) 4 a ll by herself — alone, w ithout any assistants 5 its size was reputed to belie the volum e of its business — it was said th a t the size of the shop gave the wrong idea of 32 th e scale on which business was conducted there; in other .words, though the shop was sm all the volum e of its business - was great 6 to gag — to p ut som ething (a tow el, a handkerchief, etc.) into a person’s mouth to prevent him from crying out and calling for help 7 to produce — (here) to show 8 choice adj — carefully chosen, p artic u la rly good; the choicest jewellery — the best rings, necklaces, ear-rings, brooches, etc. 9 he was so casual about it — he d id n ’t show any signs ' of nervousness, he was perfectly at ease 10 no one showed up — no one came 11 to com m it — to do som ething bad (or foolish); e.g. to commit a mistake (an error, a blunder, a crime, a burglary, a theft, etc.) . B ut: to com m it suicide = to kill oneself (in this case no a r ­ ticle is used). 12 2 p. m .— 2 o ’clock in the afternoon (p.m .— post me­ r id ie m , a .m .— an te m eridiem ); e.g. 2 o’clock a . m. — 2 o’clock in the m orning EXERCISES Exercise I. Practise the pronunciation of the following words and word-comb inat ions: a) detective, crim inology, paw nbroker, belie, volum e, w ith in , counter, gagged, repute, powerful, jew ellery, valise, casual, ac tu a lly , ap p o in tm en t, thief, solution, knob, sign b) 'djuidid 'r a e n ^ d a 'Jap ; its 'saiz waz ri'p ju :tid ; 'g la n st in 'sa id ;' da '0 i:f; da 'Qeft; 'ju :z d w d iw ai'dia; tu k da 'sam Exercise II. Drills, a) Read and repeat; b) Use the structures in sen­ tences of your own: I. 2 1. W hat I can't understand is why he was so casual. 2 .( W hat he can't imagine is where she keeps her jew ellery. 3. W hat I don’t know is w hat happened during my absence. 4. W hat seems very strange is why he d id n ’t leave his address. 5. W hat surprises me greatly is how he m anaged to get into the shop. № 1618 , 33 II , 1. H e was casual as if he were no t 2. She was so pale as if she were 3. H e spoke alm ost in a w hisper to a ttra c t atten tio n . 4. She moved slowly as if she were III. and afraid. frightened to death. as if he didn’t w ant tired out. 1. From what you tell me, the th eft was com m itted by O tis. 2. From what we hear, he is a very clever detective. 3. From what I saw, he doesn’t like to be disturbed. 4. From w hat I read, i t ’s the m ost ingenious crim e com ­ m itted . 5. From what I know, the idea has never been used before. Exercise III. Replace the italicized parts of the sentences by words phrases from the text: 1. J u d ith managed the shop q u ite alone. 2. The crim inal had tied Ju d ith 's hands and feet and had p u t a big handker­ chief into her m outh. 3. No one came to the paw nbroker’s shop betw een one and two. 4. The m an put the best rings, bracelets, etc. in to a sm all leather bag. 5. H e didn’t seem nervous or afraid of anything. 6. The D etective supposed th a t Conory O tis had stolen the jewellery. Exercise IV. Find in the text (or notes) English equivalents for the following and use them in sentences of your own: краж а; вор; совершить краж у (преступление); кримино­ логия; связать и заткнуть рот; ломбард;, заложить; выку­ пить; прилавок; вести дело; назначить свидание; покончить ж изнь самоубийством; совершенно одна; лучшие драго­ ценности; ручной саквояж ; фактически; непринужденный (небрежный); однако (тем не менее); потревожить; 6 часов вечера (утра) Exercise V. Complete the following sentences: 1. A fter talking to me, he , , , . 2. A fter hanging the sign on th e door knob, th e m a n . . . , 3. A fter binding and gagging J u d ith , th e t h i e f . . . . 4. On d o sin g the door, h e . . . . 5. On leaving th e paw nbroker’s shop, the D e te c tiv e .. . . Exercise VI. F ill in the blanks with prepositions or adverbs: W hen th e D etective was passing . . . th e paw nbroker’s shop h is a tte n tio n was a ttra c te d . . . a sign . . . th e door knob, “ . . s . . . lunchi back . . . 2 p. m.” T his seemed strange . . . 34 hi m, as he knew . . . certain th a t J u d ith 'a lw a y s h ad ap p o in t­ m ents . . . one and two o ’clock. Besides people often dropped her shop . . , th eir way , . . the lunchroom n e x t door. “I ’ll drop . . . la te r,” he said . . . him self. . . . a q u arter . . . an hour he was back . . . the shop. The sign was gone but there d id n ’t seem to be anyone . , . the shop. “I ’ll step . . . and find . . . w hat is going . . . here,” the D etective thought. . . . the moment he sw ung th e door open he noticed som ething s tir­ rin g . . . the counter. Exercise VII. Answer the following questions: 1, W hat class did Professor M urray teach? 2. W ho was passing by a p aw nbroker’s shop one afternoon? 3. W hat was D etective Shea passing by? 4 ..W hat did J u d i t h K arson own and operate? 5. D id J u d i t h have any assistants or did she ru n the shop all by herself? 6. D id the size of the shop give a tru e idea of the volum e of its business? 7. W here did D etective Shea find J u d ith when he stepped in to th e shop? W h at did J u d i t h do after being untied? 8. W hen did a tall dark man en­ ter the shop? 9. W h at did the m an produce? W hat did he do to Ju d ith ? 10. Did the man take all the choicest jew ellery or only some of it? 11. W here did he place the jew ellery and th e money? 12. W h at could J u d i t h no t understand? 13. W as th e man in a hurry? D id he seem nervous or was he casual ab out it all? 14. How did the man behave? 15. W hy did J u d i t h expect people to come between one and two o’clock? 16. W ho did she h av e appointm ents w ith? 17. D id these three people keep th eir appointm ents or did they fail to show up? 18. How long did the thief stay in th e shop? 19. W hat did D etective Shea conclude from w hat Ju d ith told him? 20. W ho was the theft probably com m itted by? 21. W hat made th e D etective th in k the theft had been com m itted by Conroy Otis? 22. W here had the thief hung a sign? 23. W h at sign had he hung? 24. Wh a t did he do w ith th e sign on leaving? Exercise VIII. Retell the story using the following words: paw nbroker’s shop; to run a shop; all by herself; to glance inside; behind a counter; .gagged; powerful man; to produce a gun; th e choicest jew ellery; sm all valise; casual; as if he were; actu ally ; to h ave appointm ents; yet; to show up; thief! th eft; to be d isturbed; to hang a sign; on leaving Exercise IX. Ask your neighbour and have the question answered! 2 35 w hether he (she) likes the story; w hat he (she) th inks about D etective Shea; w hat kind of m an entered J u d ith ’s shop; ■w hy th e m an d id n ’t seem to be in a hurry; w hether J u d ith had any appointm ents th a t afternoon; why these people did not keep th eir appointm ents; w hat th e ta ll d ark m an did w ith th e sign after leaving the shop Diagnosing a Case 36 Exercise X. Combine each of these pairs of sentences as in the example: a) He found J udi t h behind the counter. She was bound and gagged. b) He found J ud i t h behind the counter, bound and gagged. 1. on the tab le. It was w rapped in blue paper. 2. She stooped to pick up the flower. It was crushed by a heavy shoe. 3. There was a gay blue fence round the garden. I t was p ainted by the landlord him self. 4. She found a sm all leather case in the bedroom . It was locked by m other. 5. The trav eller arrived at an old country inn. It was owned by Mr.' Jacobs. 6. M ary wore a p retty pi nk gown. It was made by her elder sister. Exercise XI. Translate into English: a) 1. Ч е г о я н е м о г у п о н я т ь , так это почему он так неожиданно уехал. 2. Ч е г о я н е з н а ю , так это когда он бывает дома. 3. Ч т о м е н я п о р а ж а е т , так это каким образом он туда попал. 4. Ч т о м н е н е п о н я т н о , так это почему там никого не было. b) 1. Она отвечала спокойно, к а к б у д т о она не вол­ новалась. 2. Она вся дрожала (to trem ble all over), к а к б у д т о она чего-то боялась. 3. Он был так бледен, к а к б у д т о он был болен. 4. Он улыбался, к а к б у д т о думал о чем-то- приятном. c) 1. О т к р ы в д в е р ь , он тихо вышел из дома. 2. П р о ч и т а в о б ъ я в л е н и е , он тотчас ж е пошел в м агазин. 3. П о к а з а в д е н ь г и , он положил их обратно в карман. 4. З а п е р е в я щ и к (drawer), он положил ключ в карман. 37 Exercise XII. Topics for discussion: 1. W h at can be said about D etective S hea’s methods of investigation? 2. W h at faculties m ust a good detective possess? 3. W h at do you know about Sherlock Holmes? 4. T ell a d etective story you have read. 5. Do you like reading detective stories?W hy? pxercise X III. Study the story in pictures on p. 36 and answer the following questions: 1. W here do people usually go for m edical advice? W hy have these people come to the clinic? Do they look ill? W hich of them looks ill? W here are they sittin g , in the w aiting-room or in th e consulting-room ? Are they talk in g or are they w a it­ ing for th eir tu rn at the doctor’s in silence? W hat does each of them look like? 2. W h a t does Andrew do when he hears the words, “N ext, please!”? W hom does he see in the consulting-room ? W hat is there on th e d octor’s desk? W hy does the doctor need a therm om eter, a phonendoscope, etc.? W hy is it necessary for th e doctor to know the p a tie n t’s tem perature, blood-pressure, etc.? Does th e doctor fill in the p a tie n t’s case history? Does she do it before or after exam ining him? 3. W h at does Andrew com plain of? W h a t’s wrong w ith him ? Is he a b u rly fellow or does he look weak and sickly? W h at does he look like? W hy does the doctor seem som ewhat surprised? W hy has Andrew stripped to the w aist? W hat is th e doctor going to do? Is she going to give him a thorough exam ination? 4. W h at is th e doctor doing? Is she feeling A ndrew ’s pulse or is she listening to his heart? W h at is she using to listen to h is heart? 5. Does th e doctor th in k Andrew has h e a rt trouble? Is his heart norm al or weak? W h at has the doctor w ritte n down in A ndrew ’s case history? 6. How m any days have passed since A ndrew ’s first visit? H e still th in k s he is ill, doesn’t he? 7. How soon does he come again? W h at does he say to the doctor? 8. W hy is Andrew being X -rayed? Is he a very insistent p atien t or does th e doctor begin to doubt th e diagnosis she has made? 9. Is it easy for the doctor to diagnose the case as h ea rt trouble now? W hy is she sm iling? ' 38 Jokes A world-fam ous A m erican surgeon arrived in E ngland. O ne day he was shown around a big London h o sp ital. Because», of his re p u ta tio n he was treated w ith much respect. As the h o sp ital was only recently opened he was proudly shown all th e latest innovations. H e looked a t some of the charts. The system of abb rev iations they used wa*s fam iliar t6 him, Т В for tuberculosis, S F for scarlet fever and so on. H e understood them all except for a num ber of charts m arked GOKH e stared at them for some tim e, then turned to one of the physicians accom panying him . “I understand m ost of these abb rev iatio n s,” he said. “They are the sam e as we use back hom e. B ut th is GOK — you seem to h av e q u ite an epidem ic of I t , I notice. W h at does it stand for?” “Oh”, replied th e ph y sician . “T h a t’s w h at we use when we can ’t diagnose a case. It stands for God Only K.nows* * Ф * A girl in a low-cut dress asked her doctor w h at to do for a bad cold. “The first th in g to do,” said the doctor, “is to go home, get dressed and go to bed.” * * * “D octor, I w an t you to look after my office, w hile I am on my v acation.” “B ut, I ’ve ju st g rad u ated , doctor, I ’ve had no experience:” “T h a t’s a ll rig h t, my boy. My practice is stric tly fashion­ able. Tell th e men to play golf and ship th e lady patien ts off to B erm uda*.” THIS IS WHERE MAMA CAME IN In th e old days M am a laundered 1 ev erything — overalls, 2 p a n ts,3 w in ter co ats. Today th e c lea n er’s 4 takes over the job a t a reasonable p riced * Bermuda — Bermuda Islands is a group of islands in the North A tlantic Ocean, a fashionable winter resort. 39 The sign on the window says, “Any G arm ent C leaned, 49 Cents.” So I brought in my w ife’s dress. The nice girl made out a p ink slip to re ad ,6 “One blue dress — 79 cents.” I d id n ’t notice th e price u n til I got home. “W hy 79 cents?” “I don’t know.” “Go back and tell them i t ’s a m istake.” I w ent back. “W ell, you see, sir, this dress has b u tto n s.” “So?” “So t h a t’s e x tra .7 I ’m not charging you for the b elt. If the boss finds out I ’ll get p len ty .” 8 I was so pleased to get a belt cleaned for free 9 th a t I let it go. 10 “W hen shall I come for the dress?” “I t w ill take ab out two weeks.” “Two weeks?” “Unless you w ant th e Special Service. 11 T hat takes only a week. It costs only 25 cents more.” W e had to leave tow n. So there was n o th ­ ing for me but to agree. By now she had a second pink slip added to th e first. “W ould you like to insure the garm ent?” “Insure against a loss? You mean you expect to lose the dress?” “Of course not. J u s t in case,12 th a t’s all. I t ’s optional.” 13 SCENE TWO — ONE WEEK LATER My wife called for the dress. “W h a t’s this stain 14 here in front?” “It- m ust have been there when you brought it in .” “T h a t’s w hy I brought it in, bu t i t ’s still there.” “It m ust be a fru it sta in .” “T h a t’s good to know, b u t I w ant it out. Send it b ack.” “You w ant the Special or the R egular Service?” “Never m ind, 16 I ’ll wash it m yself.” This is w here M ama cam e in. 16 NOTES 1 to launder — to wash and irofi clothes (laundress — a wom an who makes her living by w ashing and ironing clothes; laundry 1) a place where clothes are washed; 2) (colloq.) th e clothes th a t are sent to be washed; e.g. H as the laundry come back? Please, go and fetch the laundry. 2 o v erall — a garm ent put on over ordinary clothes to keep them clean (Russ, халат, комбинезон) 3 pants (A m .) — trousers 4 cleaner’s — a place where clothes are cleaned not by w ashing b u t by a chem ical process; also dry cleaner’s, clean­ ing store (Rubs, химчистка) 8 at a reasonable price — a t a price th a t is not high (reasonable = inexpensive). Price — th e am o u n t of money paid 40 or dem anded; e.g. high, low, fixed prices. W h a t’s the price of the hat? (shoes, dress, etc.). S y n . charge — the price de­ m anded, especially for services; e.g. charges for a room., meals, medical or legal advice, etc.; e.g. I can’t afford this dressm ak­ er: her charges are too high.; e.g. You can have m ineral w a­ ter free of charge here (= w ith o u t paying for it). Charge w, e.g. How much does this dressm aker charge for a dress? 6 m ade out a pink slip to read — w rote out a receipt on a narrow piece of paper containing the following words (a slip to read — a slip saying that) 7 extra — an additional charge 8 I’ll get plenty (colloq.) — the boss w ill give me a good scolding (R uss, мне попадет) 9 for free — w ithout paying for it 10 I let it go — I said nothing more about it 11 the Special Service — Russ, срочная чистка 12 ju st in case— just in case som ething happens 13 optional — n o t com pulsory (as optional subjects — which you may take if you wish) 14 stain — a d irty mark; the word alw ays has a negative m eaning and is also used figuratively, as ink (blood, wine) stain; adj stain ed in com pound adjectives, as tear-stained face, ink-stained fingers, blood-stained hands. Syn'. spot 1) a w hite dress w ith yellow spots, a grey dog w ith black spots; 2) a p articu lar place; e.g. I t ’s the very spot w here I saw him last; on th e spot — a t the (very) place 15 Never m in d .— It doesn’t m atter. 16 This is where Mama came in .— This is w here M ama proved useful. To come in (fig .) — to play a certain part; e.g. W here does he come in? — W h at is his role? EXERCISES Exercise I. Practise the pronunciation of the following words and word-combinations: a) lau n d ry , overall, pants, reasonable, garm ent, special, service, insure, optional b) in ^ S iw 'o u ld 'deiz; o ri^ S a 'w indou; 'te l^ S a m its э m is'teik ; Sis 'd res haz 'bAtanz; ifw 3a 'bos 'faindz 'a u t; 'a e d id ^ ta 3 a ^ 'f a : s t Exercise II. Drills, a) Read- and repeat; b) Use the structures in sen­ tences of your own: 3. II. II I. IV . 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. W ould you Would you Would you Would you Would you W ould you like to take a walk? like to h av e a bite? like to go to the beach? like to take a nap? like to have a smoke? like to insure your house? 1. I d id n 't notice the price u n til I got home. 2. H e d id n 't learn the news u n til he read the m orning paper. 3. The child d id n 't stop crying u n til it was given a toy. 4. She d id n 't enter the lecture hall until the bell rang. 5. H e didn’t switch on the light u n til he drew the cu rtain . 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. There There There There There was nothing for me but to agree. is nothing for us but to stay here overnight. was nothing for him but to obey the order. was nothing for her but to re tu rn home. is nothing for us but to w a it for the secretary. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. I was pleased to get the dress cleaned. She was eager to get her room papered. H e w ants to have his watch mended. I w ant to have m y bicycle repaired. I m ust have m y hair washed. Exercise III. Replace the italicized parts of the sentences by equiv­ alents from the text: 1. In a week my wife dropped in at the cleaner's to get her dress. 2. T he girl exam ined the dress and said: “The stain was probably there w hen you brought in the dress.” 3. I no­ ticed the price only when I got home. 4. The dress w ill be cleaned in about a fortnight. 5. “I t doesn’t m atter,” my wife said, “I ’ll wash the dress m yself.” 6. You don’t have to insure the dress, i t ’s not compulsory. Exercise IV. Find in the text English equivalents for the following and use them in sentences of your own: химчистка; пятно; стирать и гладить; отдать пальто (брюки) в чистку; срочная чистка; обычная чистка; я хочу, чтобы мне вывели пятно; Выписать квитанцию; халат (ком­ бинезон); умеренные цены; бесплатно; нам ничего не оста­ валось к а к . . . ; прикрепить (к чему-либо); застраховать на случай потери; брать дополнительную плату за сроч­ ность; через неделю; зайти за чем-либо; пуговицы; пояс 42 Exercise V. Fill in the blanks with prepositions or adverbs: 1. How much did the tailo r charge you . . . the w inter coat? I was told one could buy a nice w inter coat . . . a reasonable price .. . th e stores. 2. “W hen are you going to call . . . the dress?” “I called . . . the cleaner’s yesterday to find . . . if th e dress was read y . They told me to call . . . it . . . a day or tw o.” 3. My wife and I are going . . . a trip . . . the South. As we are leaving . . . a week I had to agree . . . the Special S erv­ ice. 4. H e made . . . his m ind to insure his bungalow . . . fire. N ot th a t there was any actual danger, . . . course, but he thought it was a wise thing to do, ju st . . . case. 5. I quite understand th a t you need some extra cash. B ut where do I come . . . ? I have no money to spare. 6. There was nothing . . . him b u t to apply . . . the M utual Aid F und . . . a loan. Exercise VI. Answer the following questions: 1. Did people launder clothes at hom e in the old days or did they tak e them to the dry cleaner’s? 2. Are the prices at the cleaner’s high or reasonable? 3. W h at does the sign on th e window of th e cleaner’s say? 4. How much did the girl a t the dry clean er’s charge for the dress? 5. D id he notice the price at once? 6. W hen did he notice the price? 7. W hat did they charge the extra 30 cents for? 8. W hy did the m an let it go? 9. How long did it take the clean er’s to clean a dress? 10. How long did the Special Service take? 11. How much did they charge for cleaning a dress? 12. W hy did the man agree to pay the ex tra 25 cents? 13. W hat else did the girl ask him? 14. W as it o p tional or com pulsory to insure the dress? 15. W h at happened one week later? 16. W hat did the m a n ’s wife notice? 17. W h at did the^girl say about the stain? 18. W hy did the m a n ’s wife say she w ould wash the dress herself? : 19. W here did M am a come in? Exercise VII. Retell the story using the following words and phrases: in the old days; a t a reasonable price; sign; to bring in; to make out a slip; extra; to charge for; to get som ething cleaned; it w ill take; th ere was nothing for me but; w ould you like to; to insure against; to call for; fruit stain; m ust : have been there; good to know; never m ind Exercise VIII. Retell the story in Indirect Speech. Exercise IX. Change the following sentences using b) for a model: Exam ple: a) H e has probably fallen ill. b) H e m ust have fallen ill. - ' 43 1. They h av e probably ruined the dress a t the dry clean­ e r ’s. 2. She probably left town last n ig h t. 3. I th in k he got the letter in the m orning. 4. H e probably learned the news aDout a m onth ago. 5. She has probably laundered the suit herself. 6. They have probably removed the stain at the clean­ e r’s. 7. I th in k he has agreed to the Special Service, as he is leaving town in about a week. Exercise X. Make up 5 sentences using still as in the following exam­ ples: 1. She is still very pretty. 2. He fs still busy. 3. Does George still work here? Exercise XI. Choose the correct word from those in brackets: (price — charge) I. 1. W h a t’s the . . . of these shoes? 2. M arket . . .(s) are higher th a n those in shops. 3. I recom m end you to go to the South in spring: there are fewer people there th an in sum ­ mer and the . . .(s) for rooms are not high. 4. In the Soviet U nion you can get m edical aid and advice free of . . . .5 . One can buy good books at a second-hand book shop a t a reasonable (b r in g — take) II. 1. “Please . . . my blue dress to the cleaner’s,” M other said. 2. “W ho has . . . the parcel? W ho is it for?” “I ’ve no idea! Maybe somebody has left it here by m istake.” (spot — stain) III. 1. Again there is an ink . . . on your shirt! How can you be so careless? 2. I do like your red jum per w ith w hite . . . . I t ’s very becom ing. 3. The blood . . . on the carpet was removed at once, b u t they couldn’t help looking a t the place where they first saw it. 4. This is the very . . . where we used to cam p. 5. H ave you read the story How the Leopard got his . . . ? 6. The B righton episode is the only . . . on her reputation. 7. The dog was steel-grey with one black . . . on its forehead. (say — tell — speak) IV. 1. P lease, . . . me where you live. 2. W hat did you . . . ? 3. D id she . . . you her name? 4. . . . him to answer the door. 5. Suddenly she rose and . . . , “I m ust be going.” 6. She . . . me 44 not to ring her up after 10. 7. D id you . . . at the meeting? 8. H e h asn ’t . . . you the tru th , I ’m afraid. 9. H e . . . two or three foreign languages, if I ’m not m istaken. 10. . . . him to stay . 11. I m ust . . . to you. Exercise XII. Translate the following sentences: I. а) Д олж но быть, она отнесла платья в химчистку, б) Д олж но быть, они уже уехали из города, в) По всей ве­ роятности, он застраховал свою дачу от огня, г) Д олж но быть, он заходил за платьем. II. 1. Ей ничего не оставалось, как согласиться. 2. Ему ничего не оставалось, как уехать из города. 3. Ей ничего не оставалось, как самой выстирать платье. III. 1. Вы бы хотели прогуляться? 2. Вы бы хотели про­ честь эту книгу? 3. Вы бы хотели закусить? 4. Вы бы хотели пойти со мной в театр? IV. 1. Она вышла из комнаты с заплаканны м лицом. 2. Пойди вымой руки! У тебя пальцы в ч ер н и л ах .'3. Ему казалось, что его одежда покрыта кровью. Exercise XIII. 1. Describe 2. M ake up cleaner’s. 3. D escribe 4. T hink of Topics for discussion: tak in g clothes to the cleaner’s. a dialogue between a client, and the girl in a „ a w ashing day. some other case where M ama cam e in. Jokes A perfect wife is one who is w illing to help her husband w ith the housework. $ sh * The secret of economy is to live as cheaply the first few days after payday as you lived the last few days before. & * & Two E nglishm en were on board a ship. They were going to New Y ork. For two days they had sat side by side w ithout exchanging a word. On th e th ird day one of them fell asleep and his book fell on the deck w ith a thud. 45 I t broke the ice. The other man picked up the book, and th e following dialogue took place: “T hank you very m uch. Going across?” “Yes.” “So am I.” Exercise XIV. Study the story in pictures on p. 46 and answer the following questions: I. Is th is a fast train? Is this a fast tra in to Sim feropol or to Sochi? W ho is standing near the window? Is the wom an 46 young or m iddle-aged? W ho has come to see her off and wish her a pleasant journey? W hy is she leaving for Sochi? Is she going for pleasure (on holiday) or on business? Is the guard standing near th e carriage? W hat are the g u ard ’s duties? H as the sta rtin g signal been given? Is the tra in pulling out? 2. A b ach elo r’s life has its dark sides too, h asn ’t it? Are household duties as sim ple as they seem? Is F ath er going to cook cabbage soup or chicken broth? H as he plucked and cleaned th e chicken? Does the chicken like the idea of being boiled? Is H arry a great help to F ather? 3. Do F a th e r’s trousers w ant pressing? Is he pressing his coat or trousers? W h at is he pressing his trousers w ith? Is he pressing th e trousers w ith an electric iron or a flat iron? Has an y th in g gone wrong w ith th e trousers? H as F ath er scorched his trousers? - 4. W hy are F ath er and H arry in the bathroom ? A re they going to tak e a shower? Are they taking a shower or w ashing dishes? W h at is the bath -tu b full off? A re there many or few dishes in th e b ath -tu b? I t ’s a cap ital idea to use a bath -tu b for washing up, isn ’t it? 5. Has a m onth’s holiday in the South changed Mother? Is she tanned (sunburnt)? Does she look fresh and rested? W hy does F ath er look miserable? Is the room nice and tidy or is it in an awful mess? W h a t’s th e m atter w ith t h e T . V. screen? Some people believe men can’t look after them selves. Do you th in k they are rigfit? Here are some more questions for you to answer: 1. Do you usually book railw ay tickets by p h o n eo rd o y o u buy them a t the railw ay statio n just before the train time? 2. Can you buy a retu rn ticket if you leave Moscow for Sochi (T bilisi, etc.)? 3. W hich do young (old) people prefer, a lower or an upper berth? 4. W here do you place your luggage in th e com partm ent? 5. W ho checks your tick et when you board th e train? 6. Is there any e x tra charge for th e bedding? W ho brings in th e bedding? 7. W here do you have your meals on th e train? Is there a special dining-car oik a fast train? A VERY DANGEROUS INVENTION 'by Max Adeler A step-ladder is a thing most useful to people who are m oving into 1 a new house. The servants find it extrem ely con­ venient when they h ave to wash the window s, to remove the dust from the door and window-fram es, and to perform many other household 2 duties; but the m aster 3 of the house w ill need it, when he hangs his pictures, when he fixes the curtains 4 and when he is asked by his wife to hang a shelf or two in the cellar. I w ould, however, w arn my fellow countrym en against 5 the thing which is offered to them under the nam e of P aten t C om bination S tep-ladder. I bought one “ in the city ju st before we moved, because the shop assistant showed me how, by a sim ple operation of a set of springs, the ladder could be changed in to an ironing-table, and from th a t into a com fort­ able settee 7 for the kitchen, and finally back into a stepladder, if th e owner w ished. It seemed very tem pting to buy three useful things for a single price. So I bought it, but I soon discovered th a t it was not so useful as I had expected it to be. On the day of its arriv al, the servant used the ladder to rem ove the globes from the chandelier in the parlour, 8 bu t w hile she was engaged in 9 the work the springs unexpectedly began to move, and the machine was changed into an ironingtab le, w hile the m aid-servant was throw n down on the floor and lay there wi t h a sprained ankle 10 am ong the fragm ents of two globes broken i nto pieces. A fter this u n fo rtu n ate accident we decided to use the a p ­ paratu s only as an ironing-table. P robably the thing would have rem ained an ironing'-table, if it ha-d been suitable for this purpose. On the following Tuesday, however, w hile h alf a dozen sh irts were lying upon it ready to be ironed, some one passed by a n d knocked against it accidentally. It gave two or three th rea ten in g jerks, tore two shirts into rags, hurled the iron out into the yard, and after a few convulsive m ovem ents of the spring quietly took the shape of a stepladder. Then it becam e evident th at it could be used w ith a g re a t­ er safety as a settee, and it was placed in the kitchen in th a t shape. For a few days we heard no more of it. It gave much 48 satisfaction. B ut one night when the serv an t had com pany 11 the bench w as, perhaps, overloaded, for it had another and most alarm ing paroxysm ; there was a trem bling of the legs, then a trem endous j ump, and one of the visitors was hurled ag ain st th e ran g e,12 w hile the m achine turned several som er­ sau lts 19 and appeared once more in the shape of an ironingtable. It has now become so sensitive 14 th a t it goes through the entire drill ^ very quickly if any one comes near it or coughs or sneezes close at hand. 14 W e keep it in the garret, and some­ tim es in the m iddle oL the n ight a ra t will run across the floor, or a cu rren t of air w ill pass through the room, and we can hear it dancing over the floor and tak in g the shape of a ladder, a bench and a tab le fifteen or tw enty tim es in quick succession. W e are w illin g to sell the m achine for a very sm all sum. I t m ight be a v alu ab le addition to the collection of some good museum. I am sure th a t it will be more useful as a curiosity than a t hing used for house-w'ork. NOTES 1 to move into (a new house, flat, etc.). N ote the use of prepositions: move in, out, to; e.g. 1) W e have been given a new flat and we are moving in tom orrow. 2) R epairs must be done to our house, so w e’ll have to move out for a while. 3) A fter tak in g his degree he has moved to Novosibirsk w ith his family. 2 household (see N ote 1, page 13) s master (see N ote 1, page 24) 4 to fix the curtains — to fasten (to hang) the curtains; e.g. Fix this shelf to the wall, please. In colloquial speech fix means “rep air, prepare, arrange, e tc.”; e.g. 1) I must ask Phi l i p to fix (= re p a ir) my bicycle, I c a n ’t do it myself. 2) D o n ’t w orry, I ’ll fix (= a rra n g e) it for you. 5 to warn against something (or against doing smth.) — to put on guard or caution against; e.g. The family doctor w arned him ag ain st going to the South during the hot summer m onths. e I bought one — I bought a ladder (one is a pronoun used instead of th e noun in the previous sentence); e.g. I don’t care for blue cu rta in s, I prefer yellow ones. 49 г settee [se'ti:] — a seat w ith arm s and a b ack, big enough for two or three people 8 parlour — a room in a sm all flat or house for general use and for receiving guests. In a large house guests are re ­ ceived in th e drawing-room . 9 to be engaged in smth. (or doing smth.) — to be busy doing sm th.; e.g. The maid was engaged in rem oving the globes from the chandelier. 10 to sprain an ankle — to tw ist an ankle, causing pain and swelling (Russ, растянуть связки) 11 company — a guest or a group of guests (to have, to expect, to receive company)-, e.g. She likes to have com pany (== to receive guests). This room is not big enough to receive a great deal of com pany. 12 range — (here) kitchen range (Russ, плита) 13 to turn a somersault — to tu rn head over heels in the air (Russ, перекувырнуться) 14 sensitive — may be applied both to things and people; e.g. a p la n t sensitive to cold, a sensitive child, mouth (‘впечат­ лительный, нервный’). S y n . impressionable (Russ, впечат­ лительный); e.g. R obert was an im pressionable boy. 15 to go through the entire drill (fig .) — to do all the regular m ovem ents in succession; in this case to change from a ladder in to an ironing-table and then in to a settee (drill — a series of exercises used in th e arm y for train in g soldiers) 16 close at hand — nearby, q u ite near; e.g. I alw ays keep my dictionary close a t hand (Russ, под рукой). She lives close at hand (Russ, под боком, рукой подать). EXERCISES Exercise I. Practise the pronunciation of the following words and word-comb i nat ions: a) dangerous, extrem ely, perform , c u rta in , ironing-table, settee, chandelier, sprained, ankle, ap p a ratu s, accident, ac­ cid en tally , th reaten in g , convulsive, paroxysm , trem endous, som ersault, cough, g a rre t, cu rren t, m useum , curiosity b) Кч^Ээ 'Sirj; n 'm urV w S g 'd x st; i n ^ S a 'sela; a n w da 'dei a v ^ i t s a'ra iv l; jm z d ^ d a 'la e d a ; w iS ^ a 'spreind 'segkl; 'Broun 'd a u n a n ^ S a 'fla: 'BriTBretam g 'dsaiks; тч_/3э 'm id i a v ^ S a 'n a it ; ouva 5a 'f b : 50 Exercise II. Drills, a) Read and repeat; b) Use the structures in sentences of your own: I . 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. IT. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. III. IV. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. They fin d the ladder most useful. H e finds it extrem ely convenient. W e fin d him very capable. She finds them most helpful. H e finds her very attractive. I fin d the book extrem ely difficult. She finds the job most interesting. W e used th e apparatus as an ironing-table. They em ployed him as a clerk. H e used th e bench as a bed. She was treated as a close friend. She works as a ty p ist in an office. T he ironing-table gave a threatening jerk. She gave a loud cry of surprise. H e gave a sigh of relief. The wounded man gave a groan. L e t’s give three cheers for the w inner. 1. In the m iddle of the night we can hear it dancing. 2. You can see them playing tennis every other day. 3. Through th e open window he could watch the kids run n in g ab out in the yard. 4. I saw the m aid removing the dust from the chandelier. Exercise III. Replace the italicized parts of the sentences by words and phrases from the text: 1. Once in a w h ile the head of the household likes to do things about th e house. Today, for instance, he is- going to hang th e cu rtain s and take down the globes from the chandelier to be w ashed. 2. W hen the m aid h it her elbow against the ironing-table it gave a jerk and threw her against the gas stove. 3. T he cook was busy m aking a cake because she was going to receive guests in the afternoon. 4. Too m any people were sitting on the bench. No w onder it broke. 5. W hen are you taking your furniture and other things to the new flat? Exercise IV. Find in the text English equivalents for the following and use them in sentences of your own: вытирать пыль; вешать занавеси; снимать с люстры кол­ паки; гладильный стол; в день прибытия; удариться не­ чаянно о что-либо; разбить вдребезги; разорвать в клочья; 51 вышвырнуть во двор; швырнуть о плиту; принять вид чего-, либо; принимать гостей; чувствительный; несколько раз перекувырнуться в воздухе; поблизости; держ ать в подвале(на чердаке); каш лять; чихать; служ анка; домочадцы; хо­ зяин (хозяйка) дома; растянуть связки на ноге; ценное до­ бавление (к); диковинка Exercise V. Fill, in the blanks with prepositions and adverbs: 1. W hen are you going to move . . . your sum m er cottage? W e’ll probably m o v e Sunday if the w eather keeps fine. A friend of ours lives close . . . hand, you know, h e ’s promised to help us . . . our things. F ath er is engaged . . . w rit­ ing an article, so he w on’t be very useful . . . us, I ’m afraid. 2. Mary is so aw fully clum sy. Last night she knocked . . . the tea-table she was passing . . . and broke my wonderful tea-cup . . . pieces. 3. W ould you mi nd showing us how this apparatus can be changed . . . a ladder . . . an ironing-table? 4. How shall I rem ove the dust . . . the pictures and the chan­ delier? I ca n ’t possibly do this . . . a ladder, and I ’ve been w arned . . . using th e one w e’ve got because it isn ’t really safe. Exercise VI. Answer the following questions: 1. W hat thing is most useful to people who are moving into a new house? 2. To w hat people is a step-ladder a most useful thing? 3. W hen do the servants find it extrem ely con­ venient? 4. W hat household duties do the servants perform w ith the help of a step-ladder? 5. W hen w ill the m aster of th e house need a step-ladder? 6. W hat does the author w arn his fellow countrym en against? 7. W hat are the advantages of the “P a te n t C om bination S tep-ladder”? 8. W hat did the shop assistant show hi m? 9. W hat seemed very tem pting to him? 10. W h at did the author discover soon after buying the step-ladder? 11. W hat did the servant use the ladder for on the day of its arrival? 12. Did anyone touch the springs or did they begin to move unexpectedly? 13. W hen did the springs begin to move unexpectedly? 14. W hat did the ladder change into? 15. W h at happened to the m aid-servant? to the globes? 16. W hen did they decide to use the ladder only as an ironingtable? 17. W h at did someone do when half a dozen shirts were lying on the ironing-table? 18. W hat happened to the ironing-table when someone knocked against it accidentally? 19. W hat did the ironing-table do w ith the shirts and the iron? 52 20. W hat becam e evident after th at u nfortunate accident? 21. In w hat shape was the apparatus placed in the kitchen? 22. For how long was it used as a settee? 23. W hat was, per­ haps, the reason for another unfortunate accident? 24. W ho was hurled against the range? 25. W hat did the m achine do before appearing once more in the shape of an ironing-table? 26. How does the m achine act if anyone comes near it or coughs or sneezes close at hand? 27. W hy does it go through the whole drill if anyone comes near it? 28. W here do they keep it now? 29. W hat can they hear the machine do in the m iddle of the night? 30. W h at will make the m achine dance in the m iddle of the night? 31. W h at is the m aster of the house willing to do with the machine? 32. How could it be used by some good museum? Exercise VII. Retell the story using the following words and phrases: most useful (to); to move (into); extrem ely convenient; remove the dust (the globes); to perform household duties; to fix the cu rtain s (the chandelier, etc.); to w arn against; shop-assistant; set of springs; to change from . . . into; tem p t­ ing; to be engaged in; sprained ankle; u nfortunate accident; to use som ething as; to pass by;' to knock against; to give a jerk (a jump); to tear into rags; to hurl out (into); to take the shape of; to have com pany; overloaded; to hurl against; sensitive; to go through the drill; to sneeze; close at hand; garret; in quick succession; valuable ad d itio n (to); curiosity Exercise VIII. Complete the following sentences: 1. The m aid-servant was (занята мытьем полов). 2. F a th ­ er is (занят тем, что вешает занавеси). 3. A ccidentally she dropped the cup and (разбила ее вдребезги). 4. After the unfo rtu n ate accident his arm was covered w ith blood and his sh irt sleeve (разорван в клочья). 5. The p o rtra it was (ценным дополнением к) the exhibition. 6. It was decided to use the room (в качестве скромной гостиной). Exercise IX. Ask questions using the following phrases: to be engaged in; to hurl (knock) against; to tear into rags; to rem ove from; to hurl out (into); to w arn against;, to break into pieces; close a t hand; to change into Exercise X. Choose the proper word from those in brackets: ( master — mistress — landlord — landlady — host — hostess — owner) (consult p. 24) 53 The R obot 1. W ho is the . . . of this bicycle? I should like to use it for a w hile. 2. W e apologized to our am iable . . . and left soon after tea. 3. P aul avoided m eeting his . . . in every possible w a y ..T h e money had not yet arrived and he had nothing to pay his rent w ith . 4. The m aid-servant told the v isitor th at her . . . could not receive h im . She was in bed w ith a bad headache. 5. M argaret was a most charm ing . . . and she seemed to be fully aw are of it. 6. All the household trem bled when M r. Lawson retu rn ed home. He was a cruel . . . and it was alw ays best to keep out of his way. (lie — lay) 1. W e found her . . . in the street w ith a sprained ankle. 2. After dinner he . . . down on th e sofa to have a nap. 3. “W here did the body . . . ? Show me the exact sp o t,” said Sherlock Holm es. 4. H e . . . his work aside and asked the man to be seated. 5. She . . . her hand on th e boy’s shoulder and gently led him aw ay. ( unfortunate — unhappy) 1. An . . . accident made him a cripple. 2. Though he seemed to h ave all he w anted he often felt . . . . 3 . This was a ■most . . . rem ark to make! 4. It was . . t he friends missed each other at th e statio n . (sensitive — impressionable) 1. You ought to be careful in han d lin g this apparatus, it is very . . . . 2 . Jo h n was a very . . . child, brought up in an atm osphere of love and care. 3. He spoke w ith a stam m er and was very . . . about it. 4. The boy had large eyes and a . . . m outh. 55 Exercise XI. Topics for discussion: 1. A m odern flat in Moscow. 2. N am e th e household conveniences in your flat. 3. Speak on tim e-saving gadgets. 4. How are household duties divided am ong the members of your (your friend’s) family? Exercise X II. Study the story in pictures on p. 54—55 and answer the following questions: 1. W hat is H arry doing? W hat is he scrubbing the floor w ith? Is he scrubbing the floor w ith a broom or w ith a brush? Is he usiftg cold or warm w ater for scrubbing the floor? Does H arry enjoy scrubbing the floor? Does he look happy? 2. W h at is H arry thinking of? Is he absorbed in deep thought? 3. Does H arry seem to be technically-m inded? A b rillia n t idea has struck him , hasn’t it? 4. Is H arry designing some sort of mechanism? Is he using a draw ing board? a ruler? etc. W hat is he using for designing a robot? 5. Does H arry seem pleased w ith the work done? W hat does he seem pleased w ith? Is he grinning w ith delight? H arry is a b right fellow, isn ’t he? W ho is going to work for H arry now? W hat does the R obot look like? 6. W hat is th e R obot doing? Does he need a broom or a brush for scrubbing the floor? Is he doing his work thoroughly? 7. Is the R obot dusting the books w ith the help of a vacuum-cleaner? W hat is he dusting the books with? 8. W here is H arry sittin g now? W hat is he doing? Is he dressed or is he undressed and barefoot? W hat has H arry on? W hy is H arry half-naked? W here is his suit? W hat is the R ob­ ot doing w ith H a rry ’s clothes? W hat is he pressing H a rry ’s trousers w ith? 9. Is H arry dressed up at last? Is he ready to take his g irl­ friend out? W ho is helping him on w ith his coat (jacket)? Is he w earing tight-leg trousers? W hom does H arry see in the door-way? W ho is greeting him? 10. Does the R obot tu rn out to be too quick? W hy is H arry struck dumb? W omen are fickle, aren’t they? 56 Jokes A J apanese gentlem an was shown around an English house. H e listened to explanations of the purpose of each tim e-saving gadget, at th e end of his tour he asked: “And w hat do you do w ith all th e tim e you save?” * * * No fu rn itu re is so charm ing as books, even if you never open them and read a single word. * * * . If the D o-It-Y ourself craze continues, it m ight even extend to thinking. $ * H* A charw om an in a City office was im m ensely proud of h er special skill in polishing floors. “W hy, w hen I started to work there,” she told a friend, “the floors were in a. terrible state. It took some hard work, I can tell you. B ut since I ’ve been polishing them ,” she said proudly, “three of the staff have fallen down. One of them is still in hospital w ith a broken leg.” ON EDUCATION by F . P . D unne .. § 1. Mr. S m ith was w orried. H is little Bobbie was already six years old and it was tim e for the fam ily to decide his career. I t was d ifficu lt, however, to choose a su itab le school for little Bobbie S m ith. The boy was such a bright little chap. 1 A t last M r. S m ith made up his m ind 2 to drop in on 3 Mr. B rainer, his neighbour, and ask him for advice. Everybody in th e neighbourhood believed Mr. B rainer to be a very clever old gentlem an. 57 “I t ’s a serious question,” M r. B rainer said , “and it seems to worry people more th an it used to. * Now adays they sta rt talk in g about the education of the child before they choose the nam e. I t ’s like this: ‘This kid * talk s in his sleep. H e’ll ,make a fine law yer.’ «O r, ‘Look a t him fishing in U ncle Tom ’s watch pocket. W e m ust train him for a b an k er.’ O r, ‘I ’m afraid h e’ll never be strong enough to w ork. H e m ust go into the church.’ 7 “To my m ind, 8 S m ith, we are w asting too much tim e, thinking of the future of our young, and trying to teach them early w hat they ought not to know till they are grown-up. W e send the children to school as if it was a sum m er garden * where they got to be a m u se d 10 instead of a reform atory 11 where they are sent to be reform ed. W hen I was a kid I was put at m y ABC 12 th e first day I set foot 18 in the school; and my head was s o re 14 inside and out before I w ent hom e. Now­ adays things seem to be quite different. Now the first thing we teach the future businessmen and politicians of our nation is w altzing, singing and cu ttin g pictures out of a book. In my opinion it w ould be much b etter to teach them toughness, 18 th a t’s w hat they need in life.” (to be continued) NOTES 1 bright little chap — clever little boy; chap (colloq.) 1) boy; e.g. Isn ’t he a nice little chap? 2) m an, fellow (colloq.)-, e.g. H ello, old chap! G lad to see you. 2 m ade up his m ind — decided. N o t e : in the plural m inds is used; e.g. They made up th eir m inds to go on a trip to the N orthern lakes. 3 to drop in on sm b.— to pay a person a v isit w ithout telling him about your intention, to pay an unofficial v isit. B u t to drop in a t a place, to call a t a place; e.g. H e is going to drop in a t my office one of these days. S y n . to ca ll on sm b.— to go to a person’s house (office, etc.) for a short visit or on business. 4 more than i t used to — more than it used to worry them ? kid (colloq.) = a child « H e’ll m ake a fine lawyer.— H e w ill become a fine law ­ yer; e.g. The young girl has such nice w ays w ith kids. She w ill make an excellent teacher. 58 I to go into the church — to become a clergym an (a priest) 8 to my mind — in myopinion 9 summer garden — sort of kindergarten (Russ, детская площадка) 10 they got to be amused — the teachers a t school are expected to am use the children and m ake the lessons pleasant and interesting II reformatory — an in stitu tio n where young crim inals are sent for special physical and moral train in g so th at they m ight be changed (reformed) into good citizens (Russ, ис­ правительное заведение для малолетних преступников) 12 I was put at my ABC — I was taught the alphabet (reading) 13 to set foot (in) — to come to aplace for the first tim e 14 to be sore — to ache 16 toughness I'tAfmsl — firmness, stubborness (Russ, жест­ кость, упорство); adj. tough EXERCISES Exercise I. Practise the pronunciation of the following words and word-combinations: a) S m ith , w orried, career, choose, neighbourhood, serious, law yer, church, am used, reform atory, now adays, politician, w altzing, toughness b) waz 'wArid; 'siks 'jo:z 'ould; 'm eid 'л р hiz 'm aind; in w do 'neibohud; d i ^ e d j u 'k e ij n o v ^ d o 'tfa ild ; 'tfu :z w do 'neim ; 'strop Tnvf; 'Oipkig o v ^ d o 'fjuitfo; 'deets 'wot dei 'n i:d ; So 'fo :st '0ig wi- 'ti:tj“ Exercise II. Drills, a) Read and repeat; b) Use the structures in sentences of your own: I. II. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. H e is not strong enough to work. She is not old enough to go to school. They are not advanced enough to read this book. H e is not clever enough to u nderstand this. H e is not experienced enough to do it. 1. I t was tim e for him to go to school. 2. I t was necessary for them to have a good rest. 3. I t was d ifficu lt for us to read this book. 4. I t is im portant for her to know th e tru th . 5. I t w ill be useful for you to work on the farm. $9 II I. 1. W e send our children to school as if it was a summer garden. 2. H e treats his boy as if he was grown-up. 3. H e w orried as if it was already tim e to decide his son’s fu tu re career. 4. She behaved as if she was a child. Exercise III. Replace the italicized parts of the sentences by words and word-combi nations from the text: W hen R obert reached the age of thirteen it was found at the fam ily council th at he was an exceptionally clever boy and it was tim e that he should go to school. H is father chose a public school he thought f i t for his son and decided to send the boy there. “W hen R obert com pletes his education he w ill become an excellent doctor,” he said proudly. “The profession of a doc­ tor is an excellent profession in m y opinion and it is a su itab le one for him too. The boy is not firm and stubborn enough to become a prosperous businessm an. F o rtu n ately a doctor doesn’t w ant firmness and stubborness. W hat he w ants is a good bedside m anner.” Exercise IV. Find in the text English equivalents for the following and use them in sentences of your own: подходящий; умный (способный); взрослый; зайти к кому-либо; перевоспитывать; развлекать; учить азбуке; танцевать вальс; по-моему (2 варианта)', делец; полити­ ческий деятель; ему пора учиться; из него выйдет отличный делец (юрист); жесткость (упорство); в наши дни Exercise V. Fill in the blanks with prepositions or adverbs: 1. An old gentlem an entered a bookshop and asked . . . a picture book su itab le . . . young children. “The kids like to cut p ic tu r e s a book. . . . my opinion there is no harm . . . it, and it keeps them quiet . . . a w hile, you know,” he said. 2. Alec d r o p p e d a friend . . . his to talk . . . his plans . . . th e future. H is parents had made . . . their minds to train him . . . a sportsm an but the boy was extrem ely fond . . . music and did not like sport . . . all. “ . . . - my m in d ,” Alec said, “a fellow should be allowed to choose a profession he likes. Music is the finest thing . . . the w orld, isn ’t it? ” Exercise VI. Answer the following questions: 1. How old was M r. S m ith ’s little boy? 2. W hat was it tim e for the fam ily to decide? 3. W hy-was it tim e for the fam ­ 60 ily to decide his career? 4. W hat school did Mr. S m ith w ant to choose for his boy? 5. W hat did M r. S m ith make up his m ind to do at last? 6. W hy did he m ake up his m ind to drop in on Mr. Brainer? 7. W hat kind of gentlem an was Mr. B rain­ er believed to be? 8. How do people choose the ch ild ’s future profession nowadays? 9. W hat do the loving parents say if the kid talk s in his sleep? 10. W hat do they say if they see him fishing in his uncle’s watch-pocket? 11. In w hat way are people w asting too much tim e now? 12. M ust school be like a sum m er garden where the kids got to be amused or like a reform atory where they are sent to be reform ed? 13. W hat m ust children be sent to school for in M r. B rainer’s opinion? 14. W hen was Mr. B rainer him self put at his ABC? 15. How did he feel before his first school day was over? 16. W hy was his head sore inside and out? 17. W hat is the first thing they teach the future businessm en now? 18. W hat would it be much b etter to teach them in Mr. B rain er’s opinion? 19. W hat do they need in life? Exercise VII. Retell the text using the following words and wordcombinations: a) w orried; suitable; bright; neighbourhood; choose; kid; to train for; to fish in;' sore; nowadays;, toughness b) to m ake up one’s mind; was believed to be; i t ’s like this; to be strong enough t o . . . ; to one’s mind; as if it was; to set foot in; things seem different; in one’s opinion Exercise VIII. Complete the following sentences as in Exercise II: II. 1. I t is tim e for you t o . . . . 2. It is im p o rtan t for him . . . . 3. It is useful for h e r . . . . 4. It is n ec essary .. . . 5.. It is a dvi s abl e . . . . III. l.S h e speaks as i f . .. . 2. He behaved as i f . . . . 3. Bob­ b ie’s father worries as i f . . . . 4. H is parents treated him as i f . .. . 5; She dresses as i f . .. . Exercise IX. Change the following active constructions into passive as in b): a) W e send the children to school when they are seven years old. b) The children are sent to school when they are seven years old. 1. W e m ust tra in him for a banker. 2. They w ill teach the kids toughness at school. 3. A t last they chose a suitable school for the boy. 4. B obbie’s father visited Mr. B rainer, 61 his neighbour. 5. The parents have no t yet chosen a nam e for th e baby. 6. T he teacher w ill punish you if you don’t come to school in tim e. Exercise X. Translate the sentences into English using 1) to drop in, 2) used to, 3) to make: 1. а) Он часто з а х о д и т в библиотеку по дороге домой, б) Я з а г л я н у к вам на днях, в) Можно к вам з а й т и в Университет на будущей неделе? Мне нужен ваш совет. 2. а) Студентам теперь приходится больше читать, ч е м р а н ь ш е , б) Он отлично и г р а л в т е н н и с в кол­ ледже, а сейчас бросил (to give up), в) В с в о е в р е м я о н а б ы л а красавицей. 3. а) Из него наверняка в ы й д е т о т л и ч н ы й и н ж е ­ н е р . б) Она никогда н е б у д е т х о р о ш е й п е в и ц е й . У нее нет слуха, в) Н икто не ожидал, что из него в ы й д е т т а к о й б л е с т я щ и й о р а т о р . В с в о е в р е м я он б ы л очень застенчивым (self-conscious). Exercise XI. Topics for discussion: 1. Speak on M r. B rain er’s views on education. G ive your opinion of his views. 2. W hat kind of parents are described in this text? 3. Speak on your first days at school. 4. How and when should one’s profession be chosen? 5. D escribe an ideal school as you im agine it. 6. Describe a school from D ickens’ novel. . Exercise X II. Study the-story in pictures on p. 63 and answer the following questions: 1. Are P ap a and Mama going out? W ho is stay in g at home quite alone? W h at are the loving parents w arning little Bob against? Does little Bob know he m ustn’t touch an ything, including P a p a ’s canvases, brushes, and paints? Does he prom ise to behave and be a good boy? 2. H ave P ap a and M ama left home? Is little Bob alone? Does Bob keep his p rom ise'or is he trying to am use himself? W here are th e paints? the brushes? Is little Bob pulling at P a p a ’s easel? 3. W h at h a s happened? W hy is Bob on th e floor? W ho has upset th e easel? 4. Is little Bob h urt? W hy is he crying? Does he feel lonely and unhappy? H as he overturned the paint-box? W here are th e p aints and th e brushes? 62 A Masterpiece of Abstract Painting г 5. Has Bob recovered from the shock? Is he happy again? W hat has he in his hands? Is he squeezing the p ain t out of the tube? D oes-he enjoy being a “p ain ter”? 6. W hat do P ap a and Mama see when they re tu rn home? W hy are they horrified? Can you see the im prints of B ob’s palm s on th e canvas? 7. Is the “p icture” a success at the exhibition? Does P apa feel proud and happy? W hy do the critics praise P apa to the skies? Exercise X III. Retell the story using the following words and wordcombinations: to warn ag ain st, canvases, brushes, p aints, to pull at the easel, to keep one’s prom ise, to upset the easel, to overturn the paint-box, to squeeze the paint out of the tube, to enjoy painting, footprints, absorbed in his w ork, ex h ib itio n , to be a success, to praise to the skies Exercise XIV. Study the pictures below and answer the following questions: 1. Is the stu d en t taking his exam? W hat is he doing? W hat does he look like? Has he passed the exam or has he failed? W hy has he failed? Is the Professor satisfied w ith his answer? W h at -mark has he given the student? Does the stu d en t th in k he deserves a better mark? Does he think the Professor is prejudiced against him? W hy was this difference in opinion possible in the thirties? It is hum an to err, isn’t it? 2. There is no room for errors in the seventies, is there? How does a sty dent take his exams in the seventies? Does he Progress in Science 1930s 64 1970s answer the question in the ticket orally or does he feed in th e inform ation? H as the young man given a correct answer? W h a t makes you th in k he hasn’t? W hat m ark has the electron­ ic brain spilled out? Can the student doubt w hether he de­ serves the m ark? Can he suspect the com puter of being unfair or prejudiced against him? D on’t you th in k this is a better w ay of conducting an exam ination? Henry King Who Chewed B its of Strin g , and Was E arly C ut Off in Dreadful Agonies The Chief Defect of Henry K ing W as chewing little bits of S tring. A t last he swallowed some which tied Itself in U gly K nots inside. P hysicians of the U tm ost Fam e W ere called at once; bu t when they came They answered, as they took th eir Fees, “There is no Cure for this Disease, H enry w ill very soon be dead.” H is P aren ts stood about his Bed L am enting his U ntim ely D eath, W hen H enry w ith his L atest B reath, Cried “Oh, my F riends, be w arned by me, T h at B reakfast, D inner, Lunch and Tea Are all th e H um an F ram e requires —” W ith this the W retched Child expires. Hilaire Belloc ON EDUCATION by F. P. Dunne § 2. THE KINDERGARTEN “I know w hat w ill happen,” M r. B rainer w ent on to say .1 “Y ou’ll send Bobbie to w hat Germ ans call a K indergarten.2 And i t ’s a good th in g for G erm any, because all a G erm an knows is w hat one tells him ; and his graduation papers 3 are a cer­ tificate th a t he needn’t think any more. B ut we have intro­ duced it in to th is cou ntry, 4 and one day I dropped in on Mary 3 № 1518 G5 Ellen and saw her K indergarten. T he children were s ittin g around on th e floor and some were m olding 5 dogs out of mud and w iping th eir hands on th eir h air, and some were c a rv in g 6 figures of a goat o u t of paste-board, and som e were singing and some were sleeping and a few were dancing. And one boy was pulling another boy’s h a ir. “W hy don’t you punish the little savage, M ary E llen?” said I. “W e don’t believe in 7 cor­ poral p u nishm ent,” 8 said she. “School should be pleasant tor the ch ild ren ,” she said. “The child whose h air is being pulled is learning patience, and the child th a t is pulling the h air is discovering th e fu tility of hum an endeavour.” 8“Oh, w ell,” I said, “th a t’s very interesting, indeed. Times have certain ly changed since I was a boy,” I said. “P u t them through th eir exercises,” 101 said. “Tom m y,” I.said, “spell ‘c a t’,” I said. “Go to th e dev il,” said the little a n g e l . ____ “Very sm artly said ,” 11 said M ary E llen. “You should no t ask him to spell,” she said. “They don’t learn th a t till they go to college,” she said, “an d ,” she said, “som etim es not even th en ,” she said. “And w hat do they learn?” I said. “P lay in g ,” she said, “and dancing, and independence of speech, and beauty songs, and sweet thoughts, and how to m ake hom e hom elike,” 12 she said. “I w on’t p u t them through any exercise to -d ay ,” I said. “B ut w hisper, Mary E llen,” I said. “Do you never feel like w hipping them ?”18 “The teachings of Freebull and P itz o tly 14 are contrary to th a t,” she said. “B ut l ’m going to be m arried and leave school on F rid ay th e 22nd of Ja n u a ry and on T hursday the 21st I ’m going to ask a few of the darlings to the house and stew 1Ъ- them over a slow fire.” ( to be continued) NOTES 1 (he) w ent on to say — (he) said next, continued 2 Kindergarten — a school for very young children who are tau g h t by means of songs, gam es, etc., a nursery school (R uss, детский сад) 3 graduation papers = diplom a 4 this country — (here) the U nited S tates 5 m old ( = mould) — m ake in to a certain shape (Russ. лепить); e.g. to mould a figure out of clay, (fig .) to mould a person's character — to influence, to cause to change 66 . * carve 1) m ake or shape by c u ttin g som ething hard (wood, stone, etc.); e.g. He carved a fine sta tu e out of m arble. She carved her nam e on the bench. 2) to cu t in to slices; e.g. to carve m eat; e.g. In England i t ’s the head of the fam ily th at carves m eat a t dinner. 7 we don’t believe in — we don’t th in k it good, useful, etc. (Russ, придавать значение, считать полезным, придер­ ж иваться какого-либо мнения); e.g. I don’t believe in having m eat for supper. H e believes in taking long w alks before going to bed. 8 corporal punishm ent — punishm ent by w hipping and beating (Russ, телесное наказание) 8 fu tility of hum an endeavour — a phrase m eaning th a t a man can never achieve anything, th a t his effort is useless, ineffective (Russ, тщетность человеческих усилий) 10 put them through th eir exercises — m ake them do their exercises 11 sm artly said — a very clever and w itty answer 12 h o m e lik e — like home, i.e. cosy, com fortable, etc. 13 feel like whipping them — have a w ish to w hip them ; e.g. I don’t feel like going for a w alk today or I don’t feel like a w alk today. 14 Freebull and P itz o tly — Freebull is a corruption of Froebel, Friedrich W ilhelm A ugust (1782-1852), a G erm an edu­ cator and the founder of the K indergarten system ; P itzotly is a corruption of Pestalozzi, Johann Heinrich (1746-1827), a famous Swiss ed u catio n alist. M ary E llen ’s words reveal her ignorance and pretentiousness. 16 stew — to boil slowly (Russ, тушить) EXERCISES Exercise I. Practise the pronunciation of the following words and word-combinations: a) K in d erg arten , G erm any, certificate, paste-board, sav ­ age, corporal p u n ish m ent, patience, fu tility , hum an, endeav­ our, through, co n trary , stew b) its 9 'gud '0ig; on <3a 'flo:; 'mouldiQ 'dogz autv^av 'rm\d; 'kttvirj 'figaz 0V a 'gout; 'p u t^ S a m 0ru- Sear^'eksasaiziz; 'wot du dei 'la:n; on 'nu n di da 'twenti 'fa:st; ouvarw a 'slou 'faia Exercise II. Drills, a). Read and repeat; b) Use the structures in sentences of your own: I. 1. School should be pleasant for the children. 2.She should teach them to spell. 3. You should p u t them through th eir exercises. 4. The children should know th eir ABC. 5. You should not teach them difficult things. 6. You should not ask them to spell. II. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. She doesn’t feel like w hipping the children. Do you feel like having a bite? H e doesn’t feel like going to school. Do you feel like sw im m ing? I don’t feel like eating ice-cream today. He d id n ’t feel like working in such hot w eather. She feels like taking a nap. III. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. I ’m going to be m arried soon. She is going to leave school on F riday. W e are going to cook dinner today. H e is going to drop in on the doctor. They are going to help M other about the house. Exercise III. Find in the text English equivalents for the following and use them in sentences of your own: забеж ать к кому-либо; удостоверение; вырезать; лепить; картон; дикарь; собираться делать что-либо; телесные наказания; далее он сказал; остроумно сказано; времена изменились; вы должны учиться терпению; иметь ж елание что-либо сделать; противоречить чему-либо; пригласить кого-либо к себе домой; аттестат об окончании школы Exercise IV. Answer the following questions: 1. W here did Mr. B rainer go one day? 2. W hat did he see? 3. W here were the children sitting? 4. W hat were some of them moulding? 5. W ere the children m oulding dogs out of plastics or out of mud? 6. W hat were they w iping their hands on? 7. W hat were some of them carving? 8. W hat was one boy doing? 9. W hat did Mr. B rainer ask? 10. W hat did Mary E llen not believe in? 11. W hy did-M ary E llen not punish th e little boy? 12. W hat did Mr. B rainer w ant Tommy to do? 13. How did Tommy answer the question? 14. W hy did Mary Ellen say M r. B rainer shouldn’t ask the boy to spell? 15. W hat do children learn at the K indergarten? 16. W hat 68 did Mr. B rainer ask Mary E llen to whisper? 17. W hat was Mary E llen going to do before leaving her K indergarten? Exercise V. Retell the text using the following words and wordcombinations: to drop in on; to sit around; to mold; to carve; to pull som ebody’s hair; savage; to learn patience; tim es have chang­ ed; you sho u ld n ’t ask; to feel like (whipping); contrary to; to be going to do som ething Exercise VI. Change the following sentences as in b): a) The boy is pu lling the ch ild ’s hair. b) The ch ild ’s h air is being pulled by the boy. 1. The m aid-servant is rem oving dust from the furniture. 2. The boys were draw ing pictures of w ild anim als. 3. The music teacher is teaching the children a new song. 4. The m oth­ er was w atching th e children carefully. 5. The students were dancing folk-dances at the party. Exercise VII. Ask your fellow-student and have him (her) answer: where Mr. B rainer w ent one day; w hether the children were having a good tim e a t the K indergarten; why Mary E llen did not punish her pupils; w hat Mr. B rainer said after listening to Mary E llen ’s reasons; w hether Tommy spoke politely to M r. B rainer; w hether the children were tau g h t spelling; w heth­ er the children were tau g h t any th in g useful at the K inder­ garten Exercise VIII. Translate the following sentences using words and word-combinations from the text: I. а) У м е н я сегодня н е т ж е л а н и я идти в лес. б) У н е е б ы л о ж е л а н и е н а к а з а т ь ребенка, в) В ы н а с т р о е н ы прогуляться? г) К а к вы о т н о с и т е с ь к т о м у , чтобы выпить чашку кофе? II. а) В а м н е с л е д у е т так много работать, б) Д е ­ т е й с л е д у е т научить аккуратно обращаться с книгами (be careful w ith ), в) У ч и т е л ь д о л ж е н любить свою профессию. III. а) Он, наверное, з а й д е т к в а м на днях, б) Я з а й д у к в а м н а р а б о т у , в) Он б ы л у н а с в ч е р а с в и з и т о м , г) З а х о д и т е к н а м , когда у вас будет время. Exercise IX. Topics for discussion: 1. Discuss Mary Ellen. G9 Reading for the Exams 2. G ive your opinion of the pedagogical systfem described in th e tex t. 3. S peak on th e advantages and disadvantages of sending children to a K indergarten. 4. D escribe a K indergarten you’ve seen. Exercise X. Study the story in pictures on p. 70 and answer the follow­ ing questions: 1. W hat is H arry doing? W hy has he stopped his ears? Is it quiet or noisy in the flat? W hat sounds does he hear com ­ ing? Has one of th e neighbours sw itched on the radio or the T.V.? Does he hear somebody singing or playing the piano? 2. W hat does little Bobbie w ant to show to his elder b ro th ­ er? W hat has he got in his arms? W hat is H arry desperately try in g to do? 3. W here are H a rry ’s spectacles? W h at has happened to his notes? W ho is playing football in the yard? W ho has thrown th e football into the room? 4. W hat is H a rry ’s cousin H elen doing? Is she talking over the telephone? Is she talk in g over the telephone w ith a boy-friend or a girl-friend? W here is she talk in g over the tele­ phone? Can H arry hear every word she says? W hy does he look miserable? Can H arry go on studying to such an “accom pani­ m ent”? 5. W hat are th e two women ta lk in g about? Are they having a frien d ly ta lk or are they quarrelling? W hy are they quarrelling? Can he hear them q u arrellin g ? 6. H as he lost his patience? W hat is the poor fellow going to do? Here are some more questions for you to answer: Do you prefer to study at home or at the library? W here do you usually study when you’ve got to prepare for the exams? Do you like to study together w ith a friend of yours or do you prefer to do it alone? W hy do people som etim es prefer to w ork at the library? W hat are the advantages and disadvan­ tages of stu d y in g a) a t home, b) at the library? Jokes “W hy on earth do you keep borrow ing th a t saxophone from the m an next door? You c a n ’t play i t .” “I know. And w hile I ’ve got it he c a n ’t eith er.” s*c * $ “W ho was th a t ringing a t the door last night?” “The night-w atchm an from the factory across the road. H e said our b ab y ’s crying was keeping him aw ake.” * * * The son of an E astern king had a young servant. The two boys w ent to school together. Suddenly the young servant fell ill and soon died. “W hat a p ity !” said the K ing to his son when he learned about it. “H e was so young. Is n ’t it awful to die at such an early age?” “It is,” replied th e K in g ’s son thoughtfully. “B ut on the other hand he is now free of the to rtu re of going to school.” Exercise XI. Study the story in pictures on p. 73 and answer the fol­ lowing questions: 1. Has H arry come to a lending library or to a reading hall? Is he going to borrow books or read them here? W ho is he talk in g to? 2. W h at is H arry carrying? Is he carrying a big or a sm all pile of books? Does he seem to be in a hurry? W hy is he eager to sit down a t a tab le and sta rt reading? 3. W h at tim e is it by th e big clock on the wall? Is H arry absorbed in reading? Is the pile of books to his right still big? 4. Does H arry seem tired? Is H arry still reading? Has he finished reading all the books he took in the morning? W h at is he doing? W hy is he fast.asleep ? 5. H arry is surprised to find him self in the presence of the E x am ination Com m ission, isn’t he? W hat is there on the table? 6. It was q u ite easy, w asn’t it? 7. W ho is praising him? W hat m ark did H arry get? Isn ’t it wonderful? W ould it be correct to say th a t H arry is in the seventh heaven of delight? 8. W ho is shaking H arry by the shoulder? W hat does he realize w ith a shock? W hat tim e is it? H as he m anaged to read all th e books he intended to? Can he go on reading or does he have to go away? Is he ready for to-m orrow ’s exam ination? W hy is he n o t ready for it? Is he still in the seventh heaven 72 At the Reading-Hall of d e lig h t or is h e sick a t heart? Does the lib raria n sym pathize w ith h im 'o r is she angry and im patient? W hy is she im patient? W h at does she w a n t him to do? * * * W ork is a m agic lam p. It w ill bring you an y th in g on this e a rth th a t you desire. Instead of w ishing for the things you w a n t, it is only necessary to w ork for them . ON EDUCATION by F . P . D unne § 8. COLLEGE “W ell, after they have learned a t school they are ready for college. 1 M amma packs a few things into her son’s bag and th e lad trots off to college. If he is no t strong enough to look for 2 high honours as a boxer he goes into the thought d e p a rt­ m ent.3 The P resident 4 takes him to his stu d y , gives him a cigarette and says: “My dear boy, w hat special branch of learning would you like to study to become one of our profes­ sors? W e have a C hair 6 of B eauty and a C hair of P u n s,3 a C hair of P oetry on th e S etting Sun, and one on P latonic Love, and one on Sweet Thoughts and one on How Green Grows th e Grass. T his is all you w ill need to equip you for perfect life, unless you in ten d being a dentist; in which case,” he says, “we w on’t th in k much o f 7 you but we have a good school where you can learn th a t disgraceful tra d e ,” he says. And the lad makes his choice,3 and every m orning when he is up in tim e he takes a glass of whiskey and goes off to hear Profes­ sor M arianna tell him th a t if the data of hum an knowledge m ust be rejected as subjective, how much more must they be subjected as rejective if...” 8 “I don’t u n derstand a word of w hat you are saying,” said Mr. S m ith . “Nor do I,” said M r. B rainer. “B ut believe me it is as my father used to say: ‘C hildren shouldn’t be sent to school to learn b u t to learn how to learn. I don’t care w hat you teach them , so long as it is unpleasant to th e m .’ I t ’s training they need, S m ith . T h a t’s a ll. I never could m ake use of w hat I learned in college ab o u t trigonom etry and gram m ar; and the bum ps I got on my head from the schoolm aster’s cane I have never been ab le to m ake use of eith er. B ut it was the being there and hav in g to learn things by h e a rt, w ith o u t asking th e m eaning of them , and going to school cold and com ing hom e hungry, th a t m ade the m an of me you see before you. O ur children m ust be taught toughness, th a t’s w hat they need in life.” NOTES 1 college — a university or one of its schools, a place of higher learning 2 look for — (here) to hope for, to expect 3 the thought departm ent — (here) P hilosophy D ep art­ ment 4 P resident — (usually w ith a ca p ita l P) the chief person in au th o rity in colleges, universities, etc. (Russ, ректор) 5 Chair — Russ, кафедра e pun-— a play upon words (Russ, игра слов, каламбур). The following joke is based on a pun: A t the scene of the murder: R e p o r t e r (to the Policeman): “Allow me to come in, please, I ’ve been sent to do the m urder.” P o l i c e m a n : “W ell, you are too late. The m urder has been done”. (to do a murder: 1) to com m it a m urder; 2) to cover a m urder for the press) 7 to think m uch of — to have a high opinion of; e.g. D ick is a gifted young scientist and they th in k much of him at the laboratory. A n t.: to think little of 8 And the lad m akes his choice — a t some Am erican u n i­ versities th e stu d en t is allowed to choose a special branch of learning and work out an individual p lan of his own th a t he is supposed to follow in the course of his studies. The con­ versation w ith the P resident shows th a t practical knowledge is looked down upon and a w ealthy good-for-nothing can get his g raduation papers w ithout having learned anything use­ ful. 9 to hear Professor M arianna te ll him t h a t . . . — the words th a t follow are a satirical im itatio n of the high-falutin, bom ­ b astic, pseudo-scientific style cu ltiv ated by th e philosophy departm ent. 75 EXERCISES Exercise I. Practise the pronunciation of the following words and word -comb inat ions: a) college, d ep artm en t, president, cig arette, poetry, platonic, equip, disgraceful, w hiskey, hum an, knowledge, reject, subjective, trig o n o m etry, either, toughness b) э 'fju : '0ir)z; a n d ^ S a ^ 'la e d 'tro ts 'of; ta hiz 'stxdi; э 'ty e a r^ a v 'p o u itn ; 'h a u 'g ri:n 'g r o u z ^ S a 'gra:s; m ai 'faS a 'ju :s t ta 'sei; ta 'm eik ' ju:s av 'aifla; w iSaut 'ctskig da 'm i:nig av Sam; 'Saets wot Sei 'n i:d Exercise II. Drills, a) Read and repeat; b) Use the structures in sen­ tences of your own: I. 1. 2. 3. 4. II . III. IV. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. H e is not strong enough to be a boxer. She is not old enough to travel alone. He is not intelligent enough to understand this. She is not kind enough to do such a thing. I d o n 't care what you teach them . W e don't care what she says. H e doesn't care what happens. I d o n 't care why he is late. She doesn't care when I come. 1. She left w ithout saying good-bye. 2. He entered the room without knocking at the door. 3. They learn t the poem w ithout understanding w hat it m eant. 4. She speaks English without m aking mistakes. 1. C hildren should be sent to school to learn how to learn. 2. The room should be aired every day. 3. S tu d en ts shouldn't be taught useless things. 4. P u p ils should be taught things they can make use of. V. 1. 2. 3. 4. I w on’t think much of you if you give up this job. The stu d en ts think much of th eir young professor. He doesn’t think much of the book he is made to read. W e don’t think much of abstract painting. Exercise III. Replace the italicized parts of the sentences by words and word-combinations from the text: 1. The lad did not have the strength needed to become a boxer. 2. W e w on’t be of a high opinion of you if you choose the disgraceful trade of a dentist. 3. I t w a s'a ll the same to him 76 w hat his children learned, so long as they did not enjoy it. 4. Mr. B rainer could never apply the knowledge he had ac­ quired at school. 5. You may choose any C hair you like in the thought d epartm ent if you don't intend becom ing a dentist. Exercise IV. Find in the text English equivalents for the following and use them in sentences of your own: использовать; быть высокого мнения (о); мне безразлич­ но; изучить профессию; если только вы не собираетесь; подняться вовремя; не спраш ивая; кафедра; ректор; ф а­ культет; зубной врач; позорное ремесло; сделать выбор; он недостаточно сильный; учить наизусть Exercise V. Fill in the blanks with prepositions and adverbs: 1. He d id n ’t th in k much . . .going . . . the thought d ep a rt­ m ent. He w anted to acquire knowledge th a t he could make use . . . . 2 . “The lectures begin . . . 9 o ’clock sharp. You must be tim e. If you oversleep yourself I shall leave alone . . . w aitin g . . . you,” said the la d ’s room -m ate. 3. Speak louder, please. I c a n ’t hear a word . . . w hat you are saying. 4. I should like to meet the P resident. E verybody thinks much . . . him here. 5. He gulped . . . a glass . . . coffee and w ent . . . to hear the Professor lecture . . . P la to n ic Love and Sweet Thoughts. Exercise VI. Answer the following questions: 1. W hat are the children ready for after they have learned a t school? 2. W here does the boy go if he is not strong enough to look for high honours as a boxer? 3. In w hat case does he go in to the thought departm ent? 4. W h a t does the P resident ask him? W h at C hairs have they got in th e thought departm ent? 5. W hat does the P resident say about the profession of a den­ tist? 6. W hat is the result of the conversation w ith the P res­ ident? 7. W h at does the lad do every m orning? 8. Does he hear Professor M arianna tell him things th a t m ake any sense? 9. W hat did Mr. B rain er’s father usually say? 10. W hat do children need? Do they need knowledge or training? 11. W hat could Mr. B rainer never make use of? 12. W hat was it th at made the man of him he was now? 13. W hat must children be taught? W hy m ust they be taught toughness? Exercise VII. Retell the text using the following words and wordcombinations: to pack things; to look for high honours; special branch of learning; to equip somebody for; unless you intend; to think 77 much of; to m ake one’s choice; to be up in tim e; no more do I; used to say; I don’t care; so long as; to m ake use of; to get bum ps (on); eith er; w ith o u t asking Exercise V III. Use nor or neither with the auxiliaries. (Use the sug­ gestions in brackets.) E x a m p l e s : “H e ca n ’t speak F rench flu en tly .” “Nor can I . ” “She d id n ’t come yesterday.” “Nor did / . ” “I h av en ’t read th e book.” “Neither has s h e ” 1. I co u ld n ’t rem em ber his nam e, (they) 2. H e w asn’t late for the lesson. (I) 3. W e d o n ’t speak G erm an, (she) 4.1 do n ’t believe it. (he) 5. H e is not strong enough to be a boxer. (I) 6. They h av e never been college stu d en ts, (she) 7. I don’t like this book, (he) 8. H e is not well enough to sta rt w ork­ ing. (I) Exercise IX. Complete these sentences as in b): E x a m p l e s : a) I don’t like this poem. b) They don’t like it either. 1. H e doesn’t intend being a d en tist. I . . . . 2. I d id n ’t wish to go in to the thought d ep artm en t. T h e y . . . . 3. She doesn’t seem to u n derstand th e m eaning of these words. Y o u ... . 4. W e do n ’t th in k m uch of him . S h e ... . 5. I sh a n ’t do it. H e . . . . 6. H e h asn ’t m ade his choice yet. I . . . . 7. She d id n ’t like going to school. W e . . . . 8. I d o n ’t care w hat they teach hi m. S h e... . Exercise X. Add tail-questions to the following: 1. A fter they h ave learned a t school they are ready for college, . . . ? 2. H e is not strong enough to become a boxer, . . . ? 3. They have many different C hairs a t college, . . . ? 4. The lad makes his choice, . . . ? 5. You don’t understand a word of w hat she says, . . . ? 6. I could never make use of w hat I learned at school, . . . ? Exercise XI. Use unless in these sentences as in b): a) I w on’t go to the concert if you d on't send me a tick et. b) I w on’t go to the concert unless you send me a tick et. 1. She w ill not learn much if she doesn’t work harder. 2. He w on’t come to your place if you d o n ’t in v ite him . 78 3. The P resid en t w on’t th in k much of him if he doesn’t go in to th e th o u g h t departm ent. 4. H e w ill not be allowed to a tte n d th e lectu re if he doesn’t come in tim e. 5. I shall never find the house if you don’t help me. Exercise XII. Choose the correct word: (learn — stu d y) 1. H e . . . three languages at school. 2. Ever since his boyhood he has d ream t of . . . m athem atics. 3. She . . . cooking from her m other. 4. W hat subjects do you . . . in the Physics D epartm ent? 5. She has a splendid memory and can easily . . . pages and pages by h eart. 6. W here did you . . . to speak French so well? (trade — profession) 1. H e is a ta ilo r by . . . . 2. H e was a t a loss w hether to choose the . . . of a doctor or th a t of an arch itect. 3. Mrs. R an ­ ger was a poor w om an and w anted her boys to learn some useful . . . . Exercise X III. Make up sentences using the following phrases: I. to make use of I n t h e t e x t : I never could make use of w hat I learned in college. E x a m p l e : He made poor use of his knowledge of foreign languages. II. used to say (do), etc. I n t h e t e x t : It is as my father used to say. E x a m p l e : I used to collect stam ps in my childhood. III. to make one’s choice I n t h e t e x t : And t he l ad made his choice. E x a m p l e : A t the proper tim e she is going to make her choice. Exercise XIV. Topics for discussion: 1. W hat is th e au th o r’s opinion of th e kind of education stu dents get in th e thought departm ent? 2. Does th e au th o r share the P resid en t’s contem ptuous a ttitu d e to all kin d of practical knowledge? 3. W h at sort of m an is Mr. B rainer? Sum up his views on education and try to account for them . 79 Crossing the Street 4. Discuss M r. B rain er’s statem en t: “C hildren sh o u ld n 't be sent to school to learn b u t to learn how to learn.” Is it altogether w rong or is there a g rain of tru th in it? 5. Give your own opinion of the best way of getting a education. 6. W h at is it th a t young people need in life in your op in ion? (toughness, knowledge, a diplom a, etc.) 7. How can school help young boys and girls to learn w hat they need in life? Exercise XV. Study the story in pictures on p. 80 and answer the following questions: 1. W ho is crossing the street? Is the young girl crossing th e street in th e rig h t place? W ho is blow ing the whistle? Is the young man a regular m ilitiam an or a member of a vol­ unteer m ilitia brigade (“druzhinnik”)? Is it safe or dangerous to cross the street in the wrong place? W hy is it dangerous to cross the street in the wrong place? W hy is the young man blowing the w histle? How do w alkers know where they should cross the street? Is there a special sign a t the crossing or is th e place m arked by m etal studs? 2. W hat is th e young man saying to the young girl? Is he going to fine her there and then or does he intend to take her to the m ilitia station? W hat makes you th in k he is going to take her to th e m ilitia station? Does he look angry? 3. W here is he taking the girl? W here are they now? Are they w alking along the em bankm ent? Is the girl following her guard in silence? Is she looking at him or is she following him w ith downcast eyes? W hy is she not looking at him? Is she shy or is she afraid of him? 4. Are they still on the bridge? W here are they now? Is it a square or a boulevard? Are there any people there? W hat are they doing? Is the girl still silent? 5. H ave they entered the m ilitia station? W hy have they passed by th e m ilitia statio n w ithout entering it? Has the young man changed his mind? Does he still look angry? W hy has he changed his mind? 6. W hat has the young man bought? Has he bought a bunch of flowers a t the florist’s? W here has he bought these lovely flowers? W h at is he doing w ith the flowers? W hy has he bought them ? Are the g irl’s eyes still cast down or is she looking a t the young man? 81 7. W here are they going now? They are not going to the m ilitia statio n , are they? W hat makes you th in k they are not going to the m ilitia station? Jokes Cooking Class “Goodness, M aria!” exclaim ed M rs. S m ith. “W hat a k it­ chen! Every pot, pan and dish is d irty . T he tab le is a perfect litte r. It w ill take you all night to clear things up. W hat have you been doing?” “N othing, m a’m,” explained M aria. “Y our daughter has just been showing me how they boil a p o tato at her cooking class in college.” Ш * * “H as your son’s college education proved of any real v a l­ ue?” “Y es, indeed, i t ’s entirely cured his m other of bragging ab out him .” * * * A person should do one unpleasant d u ty every day ju st to keep him self in moral trim . * * * I t is a wise m an th a t recom m ended men for their soul’s good to do each day two things they disliked. I t is a rule I have followed scrupulously; for every day I have got up and I h ave gone to bed. Somerset Maugham LET’S HAVE A PICNIC P icnics are po p u lar w ith wom en and children and some men who know how to m ake a fire 1 and have beefy calves 2 th a t look w ell in sh orts.3 C hildren are fond of picnics chiefly because, as a ru le, there are no tables a t picnics and conse­ qu en tly no tab le m an n ers4 and because they have an excellent o p p o rtu n ity to eat things th a t do not agree w ith them . 5 Since picnic lunches are alw ays ju st about the sam e and there­ fore require little im agination, women don’t have trouble ab o u t th in k in g up a meal. Much depends, of course, upon the day. Typical picnic w eather is of th ree kinds. E ither it is dark and threatening w ith occasional showers 6 in the m orning, clearing in the a fte r­ noon; or it is hot and clear in the m orning, w ith thunder show­ ers in th e afternoon, or there is a steady drizzle all day lo n g .7 B ut as most of th e lunch is prepared ahead of tim e, p ith in g much can be done ab out it. A fter all, there is not much choice between 8 eatin g a picnic lunch th at has w aited a day or two and g ettin g a so ak ing.8 Picnic grounds are usually situ ated on a body of w ater at > some high altitu d e.10 One of these features is essential, for no picnic can be a success unless the children have som ething to fall in to , or fall off. Also, a body of w ater natu rally sug­ gests 11 taking fishing tackle along. No fish was ever known to have been caught on a picnic, bu t fishing serves as an excel­ lent excuse for g ettin g out of the way w hile the heavy work is being done. Q uite th e most im portant feature of a picnic is the lunch. It is advisable to know in advance if th e lunches are to be p o o led 12 or eaten separately. If they are pooled you can afford to co n trib u te pean u t-butter sandw iches13 in the expectation of draw ing som ething more w orth w hile from the common pile. F ried chicken is always popular. The pieces should be w'rapped w’ith great care so th at backs and wings look as much like legs and breasts as possible. This w ill give everyone a fair chance.14 Then there should be hard-boiled e g g s.15 Not th a t anyone enjoys the choking sensation they give, but they serve as an excuse for bringing little w ads of pepper and salt mixed which come open and spill on the cake. Almost an y ­ th in g else th a t comes in a can or a paper bag is good for a pic­ nic lunch. These containers are very im p o rtan t as, after the 83 contents have been eaten, they are strew n about and identify the picnic gro u n d .16 Ginger ale, 17 too, should be brought along to rem ind you th at you left the bottle-opener at home. However, there is always at least one person present who knows how to open a b o ttle on a rock 18 and who thus is assured a successful d a y .19 As soon as the food and other equipm ent have been un­ packed it is in order to sta rt a fire.20C ollecting wood provides occupation for people who do not know how to amuse them ­ selves. Then the smoke keeps the others busy shifting their positions after they have settled them selves com fortably. Some consolation may be had from the universal belief th at smoke keeps off m osquitos. U nfortunately smoke appears to have no v irtu e w h a te v e r21 in driving an ts off the jam sand­ wiches. The fire also will be needed for drying the clothes of the children who have gone w ading,23 and for roasting po­ tatoes and corn. Vegetables roasted in a picnic fire are said to taste like a different thing, probably because ordinary home cooking is free from sand and cinders. W hen lunch is ready the picnickers suddenly become aw are of the inconvenience of having legs. If you stretch them out they get into someone else’s lap and if you sit w ith your knees against your chin your reach is considerably shortened, which puts you at a great disadvantage. If you are a contortionist 23 you can fold them under you w ith com fort, but you are more likely to suffer agony.24 After the lunch has been eaten a picnic is mostly a n tic li­ max. 25 B ut there is always the possibility of someone nearly getting drowned or running into a hornets’ nest or tw isting an ankle. Or a fine thunderstorm may come up w ith a good snappy lightning. However, you m ust rem ain u n til well into the after­ noon, or you may not appear to have had a good tim e. To make m atters worse, someone w ill suggest singing. Picnics, w hatever may be said against them , have their advantages. At least they reawaken in the hearts of many the tru th of th e old saying th at there is no place like hom e.23 (S. M. G. From “Humour Variety. Stories, Jokes, Cartoons”, No 2, London) NOTES 1 to make a fire — to put dry branches together and light them (Russ, развести костер) 84 2 beefy calves — strong, m uscular legs (calf — the fleshy p art of the back of the leg. Russ, икра) 3 shorts — sh o rt trousers (Russ, шорты) 4 table manners — the way one m ust behave at table; e.g. The child has excellent tab le m anners. 6 to agree with — to be good for, to su it the health of; e.g. The clim ate of the N orth does not agree w ith him ( = is bad for his h ealth). 6 shower — a sudden ra in th a t does not last long (Russ. ливень); also short for shower-bath (Russ, душ); e.g. He takes a shower every m orning. 7 a steady drizzle a ll day long — an unceasing fine rain (Russ, целый день моросит); steady — regular, w ithout change 8 there is not much choice between . . . and — one thing is as bad as the other (Russ, неизвестно, что хуже); e.g. There was not much choice between going to school to w rite a test and pretending to be ill and being put to bed. 9 to get a soaking — to become thoroughly w et, to become w et through (also to be soaked to the skin — Russ, промокнуть до нитки) 10 Picnic grounds are usually situated on a body of water at some high altitu d e.— N ote the special term inology used in the sentence and further on, such as a body of water, high altitude, etc. The sketch is w ritten in the form of an essay in which the au th o r treats the subject of picnics, im itatin g the style of scientific lite ratu re and thus producing a humorous effect. 11 to suggest — to bring to the m ind the idea of (Russ. наводить на мысль о); e.g. These lovely flowers suggest the S outh. 12 if the lunches are to be pooled — if the lunches are to be put into a common fund 13 to contribute peanut-butter sandwiches — to bring for the common fund the cheapest kind of sandwiches (peanutbutter sandwiches — Russ, бутерброды с арахисовым маслом) 14 a fair chance — an equal chance (fair — honest, just) 15 hard-boiled eggs — Russ, крутые яйца. Comp, softboiled eggs (Russ, яйца всмятку) 10 they are strewn about and identify the picnic ground — they are scattered about so th at one can see at once there has been a picnic here 17 ginger ale (or ginger beer) — a non-alcoholic drink, kind of lem onade w ith ginger (ginger — Russ, имбирь) 85 18 to open a bottle on a rock — to open it by using a firm su p p o rt, w ith o u t a cock-screw 19 who thus is assured a successful day — who is guaranteed in th is way to have a successful day 20 it is in order to start a fire — the n ext thing to do accord­ ing to the program is to light a fire 21 to have no virtue whatever — to have no effect, be of no use 22 to go wading — to w alk through w ater; e.g. The bridge was destroyed and they had to wade the riv er (Russ, перейти вброд) 23 contortionist — an acrobat who tw ists his body into most u n n atu ral positions 24 you are more likely to suffer agony — it is more likely (more probable) th a t you w ill suffer greatly from discom fort (agony — severe pain) 25 anticlim ax — (here) a sudden change in the mood of the picnickers who feel bored and don’t expect anything in teresting to happen after the excitem ent of the meal is over (anticlimax — a sudden fall or change from som ething high to som ething low) 26 there is no place like home (proverb) — Comp. Russ. в гостях хорошо, а дома лучше. EXERCISES Exercise I. Practise the pronunciation of the following words and word-combinations: a) beefy calves, consequently, o p p o rtu n ity , therefore, require, altitu d e , im agination, either, threatening, contrib­ u te, sandw ich, expectation, w ad, strew n about, identify, ginger ale, eq uipm ent, breast, m osquito, v irtu e , clothes, ve­ getables, cinders, disadvantage, contortionist, com fort, ago­ ny, an ticlim ax b) 'pop'jula w i3 'wim in; 'fan d w av 'pikm ks; in 'd jaizw b a 'tfoukn] sa n 'se ijn ; T eftw 3a 'b a tl 'o u p n a r ^ a t 'h o u m ; 3enw 3a 'sm ouk 'k i:p s 3iv_/A3az 'bizi; 'draivig 'a n t s 'of За 'dseem; 'fo u ld w S am 'x n d a ju wi3 'kxm fat; 'fam '0Andasta:m Exercise II. Drills, a) Read and repeat; b) Use the structures in sen­ tences of your own: I . 1. M ost of the lunch was prepared in advance. 2. M ost of the picnickers w ent b athing. 3. M ost of the men preferred fishing to w orking. 4. M ost of the children got soaked. 5. M ast of the time it was drizzling. I I . 1. No picnic can be a success unless there is some accident. 2. You ca n ’t m ake a fire unless you collect wood. 3. H e w on’t feel happy unless he takes along his fishing tackle. 4. W e sh an ’t get home before dark unless we set out at once. III. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. W omen d o n 't have to trouble about thin k in g up a m eal. You d o n 't have to wrap the chicken so carefully. She doesn't have to cook dinner today. H e doesn’t have to do all the heavy work. You d on't have to eat things th a t don’t agree w ith you. Exercise III. Replace the italicized parts of the sentences by words and word-comb inations from the text: C hildren like picnics for various reasons, one of them being th a t they have a splendid chance of eatin g things th a t are not good for them and th a t they are not allowed to have a t home. Besides nobody pays much atten tio n to the way they behave during the meal and how they use the kn ife and the fork. I t ’s a com fort to know th at w hile your P apa is busy w ith his fishing rods, etc., and your Mama is engaged in gathering dry branches to make a fire (P apa always escapes doing the heavy work) you can slip away and-go wading. Exercise IV. Find in the text English equivalents for the following and use them in sentences of your own: крутые яйца; грудка и крылышки; ж ареная курица; бутерброд с вареньем; штопор; печеная картош ка; утонуть; растянуть связки; менять положение; удобно усесться; иметь успех; зависеть (от); отличная отговорка; чтонибудь стоящее; тщательно завернутое; ливень; мелкий дождик; промокнуть; не попадаться на глаза; хорошо про­ вести время; рыболовные принадлежности; заблаговре­ менно; как правило; распространенное убеждение; преиму­ щество; быть в невыгодном положении Exercise V. Fill in the blanks with prepositions and adverbs: 1. Are you aw are . . . the situation? True, the fire is keeping . . . the w ild anim als; but there is very little wood left. The growing darkness w ill put us . . . a disadvantage. If we don’t set once we may find ourselves . . . great danger. 2. He is fond . . . roast m eat, but it does not agree . . . hi m, so he hard ly ever eats it. 3. Most . . . the meal was cooked ahead . . . tim e and when th e h u nting party arriv ed , dinner was served . . . once. 4. H e lives far . . . town and th is som etim es puts him . . . a d isadvantage. 5. B. was a gifted young singer, very popular . . . th e public. H is concerts were alw ays a success and som etim es lasted u n til well . . . the night. Exercise VI. Answer the following questions: 1. W hy are picnics popular w ith men who have beefy calves? 2. W hom are picnics popular w ith? 3. W hy are children fond of picnics? 4. W hat makes picnics popular w ith women? 5. W hat kind of w eather is typical picnic weather? 6. W hy is th e picnic not p u t off, as a rule, when the w eather is unfa­ vourable? 7. W here are picnic grounds usually situated? 8. W hy is it im p o rtan t th a t there should be a river or a lake near th e picnic grounds? 9. W hat does a river or lake naturally suggest? 10. W hy do some picnickers insist on taking fishing tackle along? 11. Is fishing done for the purpose of catching fish or does it serve as an excellent excuse for not doing heavy work? 12. W h at is the most im p o rtan t feature of a picnic? 13. W h at is it advisable to know in advance about th e lunch? 14. W h at is it advisable to co n trib u te if the lunches are pooled? 15. How should pieces of fried chicken be wrapped? 16. W hy should pieces of fried chicken be w rapped w ith great care? 17. W hy should hard-boiled eggs be brought along? 18. W hat else is good for a picnic lunch? 19. In w hat way are cans and paper bags im portant? 20. W hy should ginger ale be brought along? 21. W h at is the next thing to do as soon as everything is unpacked? 22. W hat provides occupation for people who do not know how to am use them ­ selves? 23. W hy is it necessary to make a fire at a picnic? 24. Does the smoke keep off mosquitoes or drive off the ants? 25. W hat w ill the fire be needed for? 26. W hat are the advan-. tages of roasting vegetables in a picnic fire? 27. W hat do the picnickers become aware of when lunch is ready? 28. W hat change comes over the picnickers after the lunch is eaten? 29. Is there an y th in g th a t may keep them interested? 30. W hat may happen after lunch? 31. Is it possible to leave soon after lunch or must people rem ain where they are u n til well into the afternoon? 32. W hy must the picnickers rem ain w here 88 they are u n til well in to the afternoon? 33. W hat are the ad ­ vantages of picnics? Exercise VII. Retell the text using the following words and wordcombinations: popular w ith ; to make a fire; table m anners; do not agree w ith; little im agination; to trouble about; to depend upon; occasional showers; steady drizzle; ahead of tim e; to be a success; to suggest; excellent excuse; to get out of the way; advisable; to co n trib u te; som ething w orth while; fried chicken; to wrap w ith care; wings; breasts; hard-boiled eggs; can; paper bag; to be strew n about; ginger ale; bottle-opener; to keep busy; to sh ift one’s position; to settle oneself com fortably; to roast potatoes; to become aw are of; to stretch out one’s legs; to put somebody at a disadvantage; to get drowned; to tw ist an ankle; to have a good time; to make m atters w'orse; to have one’s advantages Exercise VIII. Change the following Active constructions into Pas­ sive as in b): a) He tries to get out of the way when they do heavy work. b) He tries to get out of the way w hen heavy work is being done. 1. W omen were w rapping pieces of chicken w ith great care. 2. The children were drying their clothes near the fire. 3. Mary was boiling eggs for the picnic lunch. 4. They were eatin g the roast chicken in a hurry because a thunderstorm was com ing up. 5. M other was unpacking the picnic lunch when one of th e kids fell into the river. Exercise IX. Translate the following sentences into English: I. а) Концерт п р о ш е л у д а ч н о , б) В этой пьесе молодые актеры и м е л и б о л ь ш о й у с п е х , в) Его вы­ ступление в с е м о ч е н ь п о н р а в и л о с ь . II. а) Кто-то п р е д л о ж и л подождать заката, б) Лена п р е д л о ж и л а подняться на гору, в) Становится холодно, Я п р е д л а г а ю идти домой. III. а) Б о л ь ш и н с т в о о т д ы х а ю щ и х отправилось к морю, б) Он проводит в институте б о л ь ш у ю ч а с т ь в р е м е н и , в) Студенты были знакомы с б о л ь ш ей ч а с т ь ю р е к о м е н д о в а н н ы х книг. 8Р Exercise X. Topics for discussion: 1. Speak on th e advantages and disadvantages of a picnic. 2. D escribe a picnic th a t was a success. 3. D escribe an outing. 4. How can a person’s tru e character reveal itself at a pic­ nic or in sim ilar circum stances (when you go hiking, on an expedition, etc.)? 5. Speak on a funny incident at a picnic. Exercise XI. Study the story in pictures on p. 90 and answer the following questions: 1. Is th e fam ily going to spend a holiday in the open air? How are P ap a and M am a dressed? W hat are P apa and Mama carrying? W ho is leading the way? W hat is M aggie — the little girl w ith pig tails — holding in her hand? Is the fam ­ ily looking for a nice and suitable spot for a picnic? 2. The picnickers have come to a stop, h aven’t they? Do they like th e spot? W hy don’t they like it? W hat is it th a t they seem to disapprove of? H as anyone been here a l­ ready? W here do all these bottles, tins, egg-shell, paper bags and cig arette ends com e from? 3. W here are th e picnickers going? W h at can you see in th e foreground? in th e background? W hich of them is follow­ ing in the rear? 4. H ave they found an ideal spot for a picnic at last? W hy is this an ideal spot for a picnic? Is Mama fishing or basking in the sun? W hat is she w ear­ ing now? W ho has spread the picnic cloth? W h at is H arry doing? W h at p reparations are being m ade for lunch? Is M ag­ gie basking'in th e sun or having a swim? Does she seem to enjoy it? W hy is Doggie barking? Is he having a swim too? W ho is absorbed in fishing? Is the w eather fine? How do you know it is fine? 5. Does lunch taste good in the open air? H as the fresh air given th e picnickers hearty appetites? 6. W hy is the fam ily leaving the lovely spot where they have camped? Does th e spot look as nice as it did when they arrived here? H ave they rem oved the rubbish or have they left it rig h t there? W h at can you see in th e heap in the fore­ ground? W h at do you th in k of the picnickers? Is this an excep­ tional case or do such things happen ra th e r often? Did you ever come across traces of holiday-m akers when you happened to go on an excursion, hiking, etc.? If so, w hat did you think of the people who h ad been there before you? 91 Exercise X II. Describe each member of the family (appearance, clothes, behavior, etc.), pick out the one you like best (or least) and give your reasons for it. W eather-forecast “I t ’s sure to rain this afternoon,” said the w eatherm an to his secretary. “W hat makes you th in k so?” asked the secretary looking a t the blue sky. “It doesn’t look like ra in , does it? The sky is b lue.” “Never m ind th e sky,” replied the w eatherm an. “I ’ve a d ate for golf, I ’ve lost my um brella, my kids are going on a picnic, and my wife is giving a garden p a rty .” IN ONE EAR AND UPSIDE DOWN by P arke Cum ming The in stru ctio n s and com m ands given by parents are end­ less in v ariety . Therefore it is im possible to m ake a list of them . N either can you foretell exactly how they w ill be m isin­ terpreted. 1 Y et, as a help to inexperienced parents I shall be happy to supply them w ith 2 a short list of m ixed-up instructions. They are sure to find it very helpful. 3 1. I n s t r u c t i o n : “Clean up properly before you come to table. A nd don’t use those guest towels!” R e s u l t : The child goes and wipes its hands on a guest tow el. 2. I n s t r u c t i o n : “W ill you kindly tu rn th a t radio down lower?” R e s u l t : U sually none. A fter the words are repeated sev­ eral tim es th e child may turn off the radio and tu rn on the television. 3. I n s t r u c t i o n : “B ring me the duster, please. I w ant to re'move th e d u st from the piano.” R e s u l t : The ch ild w alks out of the room and returns in some tim e eith er w ith the vacuum -cleaner or w ith a pail of w ater. 4. I n s t r u c t i o n : “Clear the things off the dining-room tab le and then get down to your hom ework 4 so th a t you can finish it in tim e. I ’ll do the dishes.” 592 Oi R e s u l t : The youngster clears the tab le after the request is repeated tw ice. Then he starts to do the dishes. H e is greatly surprised when M other tells him to s ta rt studying. He be­ gins to com plain th a t M other is alw ays tellin g him one thing and then changing her mind. 5. I n s t r u c t i o n : “There is going to be trouble if you go on leaving the front door open every tim e you go in and out of the house.” R e s u l t : The child obviously alarm ed quickly goes to the door and opens it. 6. I n s t r u c t i o n : “D on’t forget you have a d e n tist’s appointm ent 6 at three o’clock on the fo u rth .” R e s u l t : After reading the preceding exam ples, the reader is expected to figure this out for him self. 7 I suppose there in no need to go on w ith this list. A sm art parent will now see a way out. As the ch ild ’s n atu ra l tendency is to get a request mixed up, you sim ply first mix it up your­ self. For instance the other m orning 8 we w anted Jo h n to wash his neck, b u t we h esitated a long tim e before we finally w ord­ ed the com m and. It was as follows: “Scrub the soap w ith a towel and then hang up your neck.” R e s u l t : The cleanest neck we have seen in six months. You see how sim ple it is if you know how to do it. NOTES 1 to m isin terp ret — to understand (or explain) wrongly 2 to supply — to give w hat one needs; e.g. The school supplied the pupils w ith visual aids, m aps, etc. 3 They are sure to find it very h elp fu l.— They will cer­ tain ly find it very helpful; e.g. He is sure to come tomorrow ( = I am sure th at he will com e...). 4 get down to your homework — begin doing your home­ work; to get down to one’s work, business, etc.— settle down to it seriously; e.g. The interval is over, le t’s get down to business. (Russ, взяться за) 6 do the dishes — wash up the dinner things 6 a d en tist’s appointm ent — an arrangem ent to call on the dentist at a fixed tim e 7 the reader is expected to figure this ou t for him self — it is expected th a t the reader will be able to guess him self w hat 93 the result is going to be (to figure out — to understand, to get the result by working with numbers) 8 the other morning — a few days ago in the morning; the other day — a few days ago. (Russ, на днях (в прошлом). Сотр. one of these days — на днях (в будущем) EXERCISES Exercise I. Practise the pronunciation of the following words and word-combinations: a) in stru ctio n , com m and, p aren t, v a rie ty , neither, fore­ tell, exactly, m isinterpret, inexperienced, m ixed up, prop­ erly, towel, radio, piano, vacuum -cleaner, p ail, youngster, request, obviously, alarm ed, ap p o in tm en t, preceding, fig­ ure out, n a tu ra lly , tendency, h esitate, finally b) div^ins'trAkJnz and ka'mcmdz; a 'lis t ^ a v ^ S a m ; widv^a 'peil av 'wo:ta; 'get 'daun ta ja 'houm watk; 'k h a z ^ S a 'teibl; 'gou 'm andw 'aut a v w 9a 'haus Exercise II. Drills, a) Read and repeat; b) Use the structures in sen­ tences of your own: I. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. II. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. III. 94 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. We found the list very helpful. She' finds the job very easy. I fin d the book most interesting. She. found the bed rath er comfortable. He doesn’t fin d her pretty. W e d id n 't fin d him amusing. I found them greatly changed. They are sure to fin d it very helpful. She is sure to meet you at the statio n . He is sure to finish his homework in tim e. W e are sure to enjoy our trip. You are sure to get interesting books at the library. She is sure to find a way out. W ill W ill W ill W ill W ill W ill you kin d ly tell me the time? you kin d ly clear the table? you kin d ly do the dishes? you kin d ly lock the front door? you kindly bring me the soap and the towel? you kin d ly scrub the floor w hile I do the dishes? IV . 1. W hy do you go on leaving th e front door open? 2. H e w ent on reading the new spaper. 3. She went on doing the dishes after the guests arrived. 4. Go on clearing the tab le w hile I wash my hands. Exercise III. Replace the italicized parts of the sentences by words or word-groups from the text: 1. P aren ts usually give no end of instructions to their children. 2. Please, turn down the radio volume a little. 3. Remove the things from the dining-room tab le. 4. “If you don’l start doing your homework you w ill not be through in tim e,” M other said. 5. “You needn’t help me. I 'l l wash up the dinner things m yself.” 6. I f you keep leaving the front door open I shall lock you o u t. 7. Do you rem em ber you have an arrangement to call on the doctor this afternoon? 8. C an’t you understand it w ithout a ny outside help? 9. I d on't think it is necessary to add any more exam ples to the list. Exercise IV. Find in the text English equivalents for the following and use them in sentences of your own: убрать со стола; вымыть посуду; пыльная тряпка; пы­ лесос; ведро с водой; вытереть пыль (с); вытереть руки (о); включить (выключить) радио; оставлять входную дверь открытой; повесить полотенце; приняться за работу; бу­ дут неприятности; записаться к врачу; перепутать; пере­ думать; сформулировать просьбу; неопытный; встрево­ женный; предыдущий; сообразительный; найти выход Exercise V. Fill in the blanks with prepositions or adverbs: 1. W here shall I hang . . . the linen to dry? 2. H urry . . . ! D on’t forget th e lecture begins . . . 2 o’clock . . . th e afternoon. 3. If you can suggest a way. . . . I ’ll be grateful . . . you. 4. “Turn . . . th e rad io , please, I m ust p u t the baby . . . bed.” 5. You had b etter use the vacuum -cleaner if you wish to re­ move th e dust . . . the carpet. 6. I ’m tired . . . telling him to close the front door each tim e he w alks . . . the house. 7. If you are going to take a bath . . . dinner I ’ll tu rn . . . the hot w ater . . . once. It takes . . . 20 m inutes or so to fill the b a th tu b . 8. L e t’s g e t work . . . once. W e have got lots . . . things to do this afternoon. 9. B ring . . . a pail . . . w ater, please. I ’m going to scruh the floor . . . the bedroom. 10. H ere is a clean towel . . . you to w ipe your hands . . . . 11. Be sure to finish your com position . . . tim e. W e must s ta rt . . . the th eatre . . . six o’clock sharp. 12. M ary’s children 93 are a great help . . . her. They always do tim es help her . . . th e washing. Exercise VI. the dishes and some­ Answer the following questions: 1. W hose in structions are endless in variety? 2. W hy is it im possible to m ake a list of instructions and com m ands given by parents? 3. W hat can you not foretell exactly? 4. W hom w ill th e author be happy to supply w ith a short list of m ixed-up instructions? 5. W hat w ill the author be happy to supply inexperienced parents w ith? 6. W hy does the author wish to supply inexperienced parents w ith a short list of m isinterpreted instructions? 7. Are they sure to find the list useless or helpful? 8. W hat instruction is given in the first example? 9. W as the child asked to w ipe its hands on a guest towel or was it told not to use the guest towel? 10. W hat did the child do after being asked to tu rn the radio down lower? 11. Did the child tu rn on the radio or the television? 12. W hat did the child tu rn on? 13. Did the child bring his m other the duster or the vacuum -cleaner? 14. W hat did the child bring his m other instead of the duster? 15. D id M other w ant to remove dust from the piano or from the book-case? 16. W hat did M other w ant to rem ove the dust from? 17. W as the young­ ster asked to do the dishes? 18. W ho was going to do the dishes? 19. W h at was the youngster told to do? 20. W hy did M other tell him to get down to his homework? 21. Does the youngster get down to his homework or does he sta rt to do the dishes? 22. W h at does he sta rt to do? 23. W ho starts to do the dishes? 24. W hen is the youngster greatly surprised? 25. W hat does he begin to com plain about? 26. W hat does M other say about the child always leaving the front door open? 27. W h at does the child do when it hears M other say som ething about the door? 28. W hat does M other rem ind her son (or daughter) about? 29. W hen does he have a d en tist’s appointm ent? 30. W hat do you think the boy (or girl) will do after hearing his (her) M other’s words? 31. Is there any need to go on w ith th e list? 32. W hy is there no need to go on w ith th e list? 33. W hat will a sm art parent now see? 34. W hat way out w ill a sm art parent see? 35. W hat did the a u ­ thor tell Jo h n to do, when he w anted the boy to wash his neck? 36. W h at was the result? Exercise VII. Retell the story using the following words and wordgroups from the text: 96 endless; to m ake a list of; neither; yet; inexperienced; to supply w ith; they are sure to . . . ; clean up properly; wipe (on); tu rn th e rad io down lower; tu rn off (on); either . . . or; vacuum -cleaner; clear the things (off); get down to; to do the dishes; to com plain; to change one’s m ind; there is going to be trouble; obviously alarm ed; a d e n tis t’s appointm ent; to figure out for him self; to go on w ith; sm art; to get a re­ quest mixed-up; we w anted Jo h n t o . . . ; to hesitate; to word; to scrub Exercise V lil. Translate into English: а) 1. Она о б я з а т е л ь н о п о м о ж е т тебе мыть посуду. 2. Он н е п р е м е н н о в к л ю ч и т радио, когда начнет де­ лать уроки. 3. Она о б я з а т е л ь н о в с е п е р е п у т а е т . б) 1. П ож алуйста, в ы к л ю ч и р а д и о . 2. Скажи мне, когда ты в к л ю ч и ш ь т е л е в и з о р . 3. В ы к л ю ч и т е ­ л е в и з о р , мне надо делать уроки. 4. С д е л а й п о т и ш е р а д и о . Я буду проверять домашнее задание. в) 1. У б е р и с о с т о л а . 2. Я сперва в ы м о ю п о с у д у , а потом в о з ь м у с ь з а у р о к и . г) 1. Н а д н я х мы пойдем в цирк. 2. Где Миша? Я его не видел тысячу лет (for ages).— Я встретил его в ГУМе н а д н я х . 3. Он обещал н а д н я х зайти. 4. Я з а ­ ходила к ней н а д н я х . 5. Она н а д н я х уезж ает в Киев. Exercise IX. Change the following commands to indirect form: E x a m p l e s : a) B ring me the duster, Jo h n . M other told the boy to bring her the duster. b) D on’t leave the door open. She asked him not to leave the door open. 1. Clear the things off the dining-room table. 2. Get down to your hom ework. 3. D on’t tu rn on the radio. 4. D on’t wipe your hands on th e guest towel. 5. D on’t do the dishes. 6. Wash your hands and face! 7. D on’t be late for dinner! 8. Go and fetch the vacuum -cleaner, please. Exercise X. Use for oneself in examples of your own (for oneself— without help from others and in order to benefit oneself. Comp, by oneself, also meaning without help, but not having the idea of benefiting oneself), e.g.: 1) I shall go and see it for m yself (I w ant to m ake sure, as I don’t tru st w hat o th er people say). B u t I can’t go there by myself, I am too weak. 4 JVa 1518 97 2) H e m ust find ou t the tru th for himself. Exercise XI. Make negative additions introduced by nor or neither. Use the suggestions in brackets. E x a m p l e s : a) Jo h n doesn’t w an t to do the dishes. Neither do I. b) I can’t w a it any longer. Nor can he. c) F ru it trees w ill n o t grow here. Neither w ill flowers. 1. I am not yet through w ith my hom ework, (he) 2. She h asn ’t y et done th e dishes. (I) 3. W e sh a n ’t go to the dentist after dinner, (he) 4. H e cannot ride a bicycle, (he, ride a horse) 5. I never use th e vacuum -cleaner, (she) 6. Jo h n d id n ’t stay to din n er. (Mary) 7. This is not my fountain-pen. (th at one) 8. I do n ’t believe you. (my friend) 9. She can’t rem em ber his nam e. (I) Exercise X II. Topics for discussion: 1. How can ch ildren help their M others about the house? 2. Speak on how household duties should be divided am ong th e members of th e fam ily. 3. Are most children absent-m inded and ap t to get things mixed-up? 4. T h ink of a co n tin u atio n to this sketch. 6. G ive your opinion of the sketch. 6. T ell a story or episode about children. Exercise X III. Study the story in pictures on p. 99 and answer the following questions: 1. W hy is there a lorry in front of the house? W hat are th e people doing? W hy are they unloading the lorry? A re they m oving in to a new flat? 2. W h at pieces of fu rn itu re are being carried into the house? 3. W h at is th e boy doing? Is there a socket in the corner? Is th e boy going to plug in the T.V .? H e seems to be in a hurry about it, doesn’t he? W hy does he w ant to plug in th e T.V .? Does he th in k they are going to televise a sport re ­ view? Is he a football fan? 4. W h at is th e boy w atching? Is he w atching a football m atch on Т . V.? W h at is being televised? Does the boy seem to be carried aw ay by the show? W hy is he s ittin g on th e floor? W here are his parents? 98 M o v in g I n t o a New F l a t 5. W ho is w atching the T.V . show now? W hy are they all sittin g on the floor? W here is the furniture? 6. W hy is th e fu rn itu re still in the street in front of the entrance door? D on’t the owners of the fu rn itu re care about it or have they forgotten to carry it in? W h at pieces of fu r­ n itu re h av e they left standing in the street? W here is the boy’s cat? W h a t is it doing? Here are some more questions for you to answer: 1. H ave you got a T.V .? Do you like to w atch T.V . shows? 2. W hich do you prefer, to see a film a t th e cinem a or to stay 4* 99 at home and w atch it on T.V.? 3. Are you interested in sport reviews? Are you (or your brother, father, etc.) a foot­ ball fan? 4. W hat T.V. program s do you like best? 5. W hat interesting T.V . program have you seen lately? 6. W hen do you switch on the T .V ., as a rule? 7. Do you som etimes neg­ lect your studies because of the T.V.? Matilda W ho T old Lies, and was B urned to Death M atilda told such Dreadful Lies, I t made one Gasp and S tretch one's Eyes, H er A u n t, who from her E arliest Youth H ad kept a S trict Regard for Trut h, A ttem p ted to Believe M atilda: T he effort very nearly killed her A nd w ould have done so, had not She Discovered this Infirmi t y. F o r once, toward the Close of D ay, M atild a, growing tired of play, And finding she was left alone W ent tip toe to the Telephone And sum m oned the Im m ediate Aid Of L ondon’s Noble F ire Brigade. W ith in an hour, the G allant Band W ere pouring in on every hand, From P u tn ey , H ackney, Downs and Bow, W ith Courage high and H earts a-giow They gallopped roaring through the town. “M atild a’s House is burning down!” Inspired by B ritish Cheers and Loud Proceeding from the Frenzied Crowd, They ran the ladders through a score Of windows on the Ball Room floor; And took Peculiar P ains to Souse The P ictu res up and down the house. U n til M atild a’s A unt succeeded In showing them they were not needed. And even then she had to pay To get the men to go awayl 100 I t happened th a t a few weeks later H er A unt w ent off to the T heater To see th a t In terestin g P lay The Second M rs. Tanqueray. She had refused to take her Niece To hear this entertaining Piece: A D eprivation J u s t and W ise. To Punish her for Telling Lies. T h at night a F ire did break out — You should have heard M atilda Shout, You should have heard her Scream and Bawl And throw the window up and call To People passing in the S treet — (The rap id ly increasing H eat E ncouraging her to obtain T heir confidence) — bu t all in vain! F or every tim e She shouted “F ire!” They only answered “L ittle L iar!” And therefore when the A unt returned, M atild a, and the House, W ere B urned. Hilaire Belloc Jokes * One day one of M ary’s little friends cam e to see her. She found the girl playing w ith her new housekeeping set. “Are you w ashing dishes?” asked the friend. “Yes, I am ,” replied M ary, “and I ’m drying them , too, because I ’m not m arried yet.” * * * The best tim e for parents to put the children to bed is when they s till h ave strength. *r* V * M o t h e r : W here is Jim m ie? F a t h e r : D oing his lessons, no doubt. M o t h e r : W h at makes you th in k so? 101 F a t h e r : Now adays you can alw ays tell when your son is doing his hom ew ork. H e turns down th e television volum e a little . * * * One day the office boy entered the m anager’s study, look­ ing very sad. H e reported the death of one more uncle and, of course, asked for the day off. The m anager had his suspi­ cions, b u t he was a kind m an, so he allow ed the boy to leave. In th e afternoon the m anager w ent to the Cup S em ifinal. And w hom should he see there bu t Jim m ie, the office boy. “So th is is your uncle’s funeral,* eh, Jim m ie?” he asked. “Looks like it,” the boy replied sad ly . “H e’s the referee.” ON NOT KNOWING ENGLISH W hen I first cam e tQ E ngland in 1938 I thought I knew E nglish fairly w ell. In Europe my English proved quite suf­ ficient. In E ngland I found two difficulties. F irst: I did not u n ­ derstand people, and secondly: they did not understand me. It was easier w ith w ritten texts. W henever I read a leading — a rticle in The Tim es, I understood.everything perfectly w ell, except th a t I could never make out 1 w hether The Times was for or against som ething. In those days I pu t this down to 2 iny lack of knowledge of English. The first step in my progress was when people started u n ­ derstanding me w hile I still could not understand them . This was the most ta lk a tiv e period of my life. I reached the stage of in te llig ib ility 3 fairly quickly, thanks to a friend of m ine who discovered an im portant linguistic secret, nam ely th a t th e English m u tter and m um ble.4 Once we noticed a sausagelike th in g in a shop window m arked pork braw n.6 W e m istook it for a C o n tin en tal kind of sausage and decided to buy some for our supper. W e entered the shop and I said: “A quarter of pork braw n, please.” “W hat was th a t? ” asked the shopkeeper looking scared. “A quarter of pork braw n, please”, I repeated, * A play upon words: funeral means a) a burial of a dead per­ son, b) some unpleasant business. 102 still w ith a certain nonchalance.61 repeated it again. I re p eat­ ed it a dozen tim es w ith no success. I talked slowly and soft­ ly; I talk ed as one talks to the deaf and finally I tried babytalk . 7 The shopkeeper still had no idea w hether we w anted to buy or sell som ething. Then my friend had a brain-w ave-8 “Leave it to me,” he said and started m um bling under his nose in a hard ly audible m anner. The shopkeeper's eyes lit up: “I see,” he said h ap p ily , “you w ant a q uarter of pork braw n. W hy d id n ’t you say so?” But tim e passed and my knowledge and understanding of English grew slow ly. U ntil the tim e cam e when I began to be very proud of my knowledge of E nglish. L uckily, every now" and then one goes through a sobering experience which teaches one to be more hum ble. Some years ago my m other cam e here on a v is it. She expressed her wish to tak e English lessons at an LCC 9 class. I accom panied her to the school and we w ere received by a com m issionaire.10 I said th a t we were interested in th e class for beginners. I received all the necessary in fo r­ m ation and conducted a lengthy conversation wi t h the m an, in the belief th a t my English sounded idiom atic. F in a lly , I paid the fees 11 for my m other. He looked at me w ith astonshm ent and asked: “Only for one? And w hat about yo u ?” (From “How to Be an Alien” by G. Mikes) NOTES 1 to make out — to understand one's words, handw riting, in ten tio n s, etc.; e.g. She found a crum pled note on her desk and co u ld n ’t m ake out who it was from. Speak slowly, please. I can ’t m ake out a word you are saying. J a n e is odd, w hatever you say. I for one c a n ’t make her ou t. 2 to put sm th. down to — to suppose or say th a t sm th. is th e cause (of); e.g. I t never occurred to us th a t the wom an was sick. W e p u t down her paleness to overw ork. (Russ, п ри п и ­ сать, отнести за счет чего-либо). S y n . ascribe, attribute. 3 in tellig ib ility — the q u ality of being in tellig ib le, i.e. clear, easy to und erstand; e.g. an intelligible speech (descrip­ tio n, explanation, etc.); I appreciate F au lk n er b u t, it m ust be a d m itte d , he is n o t a very in tellig ib le w riter. W h a t is in te l­ ligible to one person m ay be u nin telligible to another; much depends on one’s background. N o t e : D on’t confuse in telligib le and in tellig en t (see p. 18 note 1). 103 4 to mumble — to speak in d istin ctly ; to mutter is also to speak in d istin ctly , bu t it often im plies a low sound made by a person who is displeased or angry (S y n . grumble); e.g. He doesn’t tak e th e trouble to open his m outh and there is little we can make out from the way he m um bles. The maid was asked to leave the room, w hich she did m uttering som ething to herself. 5 pork brawn — pork, pickled and pressed 6 with a certain nonchalance [ 'n a n ja la n s ] — w ithout em phasis, casually 7 baby-talk — th e way one talks to very young children, i .e. using nursery words, ad apting your vocabulary and pro­ nunciation to th a t of a sm all child 8 brain-wave — a b rillia n t idea th a t suddenly occurs to you. S y n . brainstorm. N o t e : D on’t confuse w ith brain-child — result of one’s creative ac tiv ity (im agination), an original idea, plan, etc.; Brain-Trust — a group of experts. The phrase was coined in 1933 for a group of experts in political science and economy who advised P resident F . D. R oosevelt, brainwash ( = brain­ washing) — a forcible indoctrination aim ed at m aking a person give up his religious, p o litical, etc. beliefs and accept co n trasting ideas 9 LCC (abbrev.) — London C ounty Council 10 commissionaire — (here) clerk 11 fees (p i.) — paym ent for professional services (a lawyer's, doctor's, teacher's fee, school (tu itio n ) fees, club fees). S y n . salary, wage (a clerk's salary, a w orker's wage) EXERCISES Exercise I. Practise the pronunciation of the following words and pbrases: a) fairly, period, in tellig ib ility , linguistic, sausagelike, braw n, nonchalance, audible, sobering, experience, com m is­ sionaire b) ai '0 o :t ai 'n j u : 'i p g li j; w e n 'e v a r ai 'red a Ti:dig 'crtikl ш ^ З э 't a i m z ; a C ' p u t w 9is 'd a u n t a m a i Taek av 'nalid 3 av 'i p g h j 4; ' r i : t j t w 3a 'steidg av in,telid 3 i'biliti; 'w ot waz ~ \3 a e t 'crskt За 'J o p k ii p a ; За 'J a p k k p a z 'aiz Tit 'л р ; 'e v r i ' n a u w 3nd w '3 e n WAn 'gouZv^Gru: a 'so u b arig iks'piarians; k a n 'd x k t i d TerjGi ,kanva'sei,fn w i 3 3 a 'm sen ; w i - w a r 'm tr is tid т ч_,3э 'k l a s fa bi'ginaz 104 Exercise II. Drills, a) Read and repeat; b) Use the structures in sen­ tences of your own: I. 1. When I first came to England I was still a child. 2. When we first met him he was a handsom e man in his early 50’s. 3. When he first attended a sym phony concert he was g reatly im pressed. 4. When he first saw the girl he d id n ’t th in k her a ttra c ­ tive. II. 1. Whenever I read a leading article in The Times I could never m ake out the paper’s views. 2. Whenever he called he was sure to ask for som ething. 3. Wherever she w ent she was sure to make friends w ith everybody. 4. Whatever he says he means it. 5. Whatever she does is for the good of the fam ily. III. 1. Thanks to a friend of mine I discovered an im portant linguistic secret. 2. Thanks to his valuable assistance we got all the in­ form ation we needed. 3. Thanks to his knowledge of English he was able to act as interpreter. 4. Thanks to his connections he was ad m itted to a most exclusive club. Exercise III. Replace the italicized parts of the sentences by words and word-groups from the text: 1. W hen still in Europe I alw ays felt I knew English rather w ell. 2. I never knew w hether the paper supported or opposed the new in itia tiv e . 3. He is not the kind of man who talks much. 4. Very soon he managed to make himself understood. 5. “There is som ething I ’d like to ask you,” he said w ith an air of indifference (unconcern). 6. Every now and then he w ill have a brilliant idea but he will hardly ever take the trouble to work on it. 7. Fortunately life teaches you not to think too highly of yourself. 8. I talked to the man for quite a while. 9. I made the paym ent for my m other’s lessons. 10. T h at year I had an experience which made a more cautious man of me. Exercise IV. Find in the story equivalents for the following words and phrases: 105 прилично знать что-либо; вполне достаточно; передовая статья; разобрать (понять) что-либо; быть за (против); приписать что-либо (отнести что-то за счет); недостаток чего-либо; разговорчивый; благодаря кому-либо; бормо­ тать; принять по ошибке за; испуганный; блестящ ая идея; едва слышный; загореться (о глазах)-, отрезвляющ ее пере­ живание; скромный; вести долгую беседу; плата за обуче­ ние Exercise V. Fill In the blanks with prepositions: E arly in th e year th e youngest mem ber . . . the team had a brain-w ave which led . . . a set . . . experim ents. The findings which they o b tain ed fairly quickly were most prom ising and the scien tists had every reason to be proud . . . them . O nly people whose lack . . . knowledge and understanding . . . the problem was obvious, could fail to appreciate w hat was being done. Soon, however, they w ent . . . the h u m iliatin g experience . . . learning th at their funds w ould be soon cut . . . . They realized they had reached the stage when they could no longer g o the research w ith o u t the C hief’s support. U n fo rtu n ately they h a d n ’t yet had a chance to make . . . w hether th e Chief was . . . or . . . their project and th ere­ fore d id n ’t know . . . w hat ex ten t they could rely . . . his help. W henever they asked . . . his opinion the Old Man would m um ble som ething u n in tellig ib le . . . reply and leave them . . , doubt as . . . w hat his actual intentions were. Exercise VI. Answer the following questions: 1. W hen was it th a t George thought he knew English fairly well? 2 .‘W h a t difficulties did he com e across in England? 3. How well did he understand The Tim es? 4. W hat could he never make o u t, however? 5. W hich was the most ta lk a tiv e period of his life? 6. W hat stage did he reach fairly quickly? 7. W hat lin g u istic secret did his friend discover? 8. W hy did George w ant to buy some pork braw n for supper? 9. How did he speak to th e shopkeeper? 10. W hy was George’s friend more successful in try in g to m ake th e shopkeeper understand w h at it was they w ished to buy? 11. W hen did the shopkeep­ e r’s eyes lig h t up? 12. W hat did George begin to be very proud of? 13. W h at wish did G eorge’s m other express? 14. W here did he accom pany his m other and who did he o btain all the necessary inform ation from? 15. W hy did he conduct a lengthy conversation w ith the com m issionaire? 16. W hy 106 was the com m issionaire surprised when George paid the fees for his mother? 17. W h at teaches a person to be more humble? Exercise VII. Retell the story using the following words and phrases: fairly well; to prove sufficient; to find difficulties; first . . . secondly; whenever; except th at; to m ake out; to be for (against); to p u t sm th. down to; lack (of); talkative; in tellig ib ility ; fairly quickly; thanks to; to m utter and m um ­ ble; sausagelike; shop window; to m istake sm th. for; to look scared; to ta lk softly; to have no idea (whether); brain-w ave; leave it to sm b.; h ard ly audible; to light up; to be proud of; to go through an experience; hum ble; to come on a visit; to accom pany; to be received by; all the necessary inform a­ tion; to conduct a lengthy conversation; in the belief th at; to pay the fees; astonishm ent Exercise VIII. Make up a situation using the Model: to go through a sobering (wonderful, shattering, exciting, hum iliating) experience, e.g. She went through a most exciting experience during her last trip to London. R obert Shannon w ent through a h u m ilia tin g experience w hen he first came to school. Exercise IX. Translate into English using a) except that.., b) to prove sufficient (useful, etc.), c) in the belief that...: a) 1. Он очень приятный человек, н е с ч и т а я т о г о , что никогда не знаеш ь, что он может выкинуть (what he is up to). 2. Костюм красивый, т о л ь к о в о т цвет ярковат (a b it loud). 3. Ф ильм интересен, т о л ь к о несколько длин­ новат (longish). b) 1. К огда он приехал на К убу, его знание испанского язы ка о к а з а л о с ь д о с т а т о ч н ы м для выполнения по­ рученной ему работы. 2. Л аборантка хорошо печатала на машинке, владела тремя языками и знала стенографию. Вскоре она о к а з а л а с ь н е з а м е н и м о й . 3. Если его знания математики о к а ж у т с я н е д о с т а т о ч н ы м и , вам придется ему помочь. 4. Все его попытки получить нужные сведения о к а з а л и с ь б е с п о л е з н ы м и . c) 1. Она приехала к миссис К р эг, п о л а г а я , ч т о она будет единственной гостьей. 2. Он обратился в Комитет, и с х о д я и з п р е д п о л о ж е н и я , что ему удастся добиться поддержки (to w in support). 3. Мальчик* приехал из провинции, чтобы держ ать вступительные экзамены в кон­ 107 серваторию, п о л а г а я , ч т о он будет лучшим скрипачом среди абитуриентов (applicant). Exercise X. Choose the proper word: (brain-wave — brain-child — brainwash) I. 1. One foggy n ig h t, on his way hom e he suddenly had a . . . . S o th e solution was as sim ple as that! W hy on earth h a d n ’t it occurred to him before? 2. A fter P o rter had been brought to th e executive and given a good . . . he refused to jo in the strik ers. 3. The project was his . . . , A lbert thought, yet he was obviously m eant to rem ain in the background. (fee — wage — salary) II. 1. “I ’ve come right from the office. H ere’s my . . . , every penny of it.” 2. The speaker dwelled on the policy of . . . freeze, so un p o p u lar among the w orkers. 3. The doctor’s . . . consum ed a considerable part of the fam ily ’s budget. 4. Yours is an exclusive club and the . . . . is very high. (intelligent — intelligible) III. 1. The professor’s paper, brief as it w as, contained all th e new d ata and a most . . . description of the sophisticated m ethod he ap p lied . 2. The dog has such . . . eyes, indeed. One alm ost expects him to sta rt speaking one day. 3. “I t ’s true he is a b it odd, and som etim es hard to m ake out. But isn’t he really . . . ? 4. W hatever he says may be very clever, but it is hardly . . . . Exercise XI. Topics for discussion: 1. W hy do so m any people w ant to speak foreign languages b u t only few do? 2. W h a t, in your opinion, is essential to the m astery of a foreign language? 3. Tell th e class an incident when a person realized th a t his knowledge of a foreign language proved inadequate. 4. W hose work do you find more in terestin g , th a t of a teacher, tran slato r or interpreter? Exercise X II. Study the story in pictures on p. 109 and answer the following questions: 1. W hat is Eugene reading? W hy is he reading a book on skating? Can he sk ate or is he going to learn to skate? He pu ts much v alue upon theory, doesn’t he? 108 Learn to Skate by Skating 2. W here has Eugene come? Is he w earing his overcoat or has he left it in the cloak-room? 3. The ice is ra th e r slippery, isn’t it? W hat is the m atter w ith him? W hy is he trying to skate on all fours? C an’t he stan d on his feet? W hy ca n ’t he? H as he lost his balance? 4. Is Eugene sk a tin g or has he slipped and fallen down? W ho is helping him to rise to his feet? W hy is it difficult for him to rise to his feet? 5. All beginnings are h ard , aren ’t they? How is K ate teaching Eugene to skate? Is she holding him by the arm or round th e w aist? Does Eugene feel grateful to Kate? Does he th in k she is q u ite a girl? W hat does he th in k of Kate? 6. Does it tak e one long to learn to skate? How long does it take Eugene to learn to skate? Is K ate a p atien t “tra in e r”? 7. Is th ere any difference between p ictu re 5 and picture 7? W h at is the difference between p ictu re 5 and picture 7? Has Eugene m ade progress? W hy has he m ade such good progress? Does he enjoy sk atin g now? Here are some more questions for you to answer: Can you skate? Do you enjoy skating? W hich do you pre­ fer, sk atin g or skiing? How iong did it take you to learn to skate? W hen did you learn to skate? Can you cut figures on th e ice? A re you good at figure cutting? MANY MOONS by Jam es T hurber Once upon a tim e, in a kingdom by the sea, there lived a little P rincess, nam ed Leonore. She was ten years old, going on eleven.1 One day th e Princess fell ill because she had eaten too m any raspberry ta rts . She had to go to bed and the R oyal P hysician cam e to see her. H e took her tem perature and felt h er pulse, and then made her stick out her tongue. The R oyal P h y sician w as w orried. H e sent for the K ing, Leonore’s fa­ th e r, and th e K ing cam e to see her. “I w ill get you an ything your h ea rt desires,” the K ing said . “Is th ere an y th in g your h eart desires?” “Yes,” said th e Princess. “I w an t the m oon.2 If I can have'The m oon, I w ill be well again.” 110 Now th e K ing h ad a great many w ise men who alw ays got him an y th in g he w anted, so he told Leonore she could have th e moon. Then he w ent to the throne room and pulled a bell cord, three long pulls and a short pull, and presently the Lord C ham berlain 3 cam e into the room. The Lord H igh C ham berlain was a large fat man who wore thick glasses w hich made his eyes seem tw ice as big as they really were. T his made the Lord H igh C ham berlain seem tw ice as w ise as he really was. “I w ant you to get the moon” , said the K ing. “The P rin ­ cess Leonore is ill and she w ants the moon. If she can get th e moon, she w ill get well again.” “The moon?” exclaim ed the Lord H igh C ham berlain, opening his eyes w ider. This m ade him look four tim es as wise as he really was. “Yes, th e moon,” said the K ing. “M-o-o-n. G et it tonight, tom orrow a t the latest.” The Lord H igh C ham berlain w iped his forehead w ith a handkerchief and then blew his nose loudly. “I have got a great m any things for you in my tim e, your M ajesty,” he said. “It ju st happens th a t I have 4 w ith me a list of the things I have got for you in my tim e.” H e pulled a long scroll of parchm ent out of his pocket. “Let me see, now .” H e glanced a t the list, frow ning. “I have got ivory, apes and peacocks, rubies, opals and em eralds, black orchids, pin k elephants and blue poodles, gold bugs, scarabs and flies in am ber, hum m ing b ird s’ tongues, angels’ feathers, and unicorns’ horns, g ian ts, m idgets and m erm aids, troubadours, m instrels and dancing w om en, a pound of b u tter, two dozen eggs, and a sack of sugar — sorry, my wife w rote th a t in there.” “I don’t rem em ber any blue poodles,” said the K ing. “It says blue poodles rig h t here *■on th e list, and they are checked off w ith a little check m ark,” said th e Lord H igh C ham berlain. “So there m ust have been blue poodles. You ju st forget.” “N ever m ind th e blue poodles,”8 said th e K ing. “W hat I w ant now is th e moon.” “I have sent as far as Sam arkand and A raby and Zanzibar to get things for you, your M ajesty,” said the Lord H igh C ham berlain. “B ut th e moon is out of th e question.1 I t is 35 000 miles aw ay and it is bigger th a n the room the P rin ­ cess lies in. F u rth erm ore, it is m ade of m olten copper. I can­ lll not get th e moon for you. Blue poodles, yes; the moon, no.” 8 The K ing flew in to a rage 9 and told the Lord H igh C ham ­ berlain to leave th e room and to send the R oyal W izard to th e throne room. The R oyal W izard was a little th in man w ith a long face. Me wore a high peaked cap covered w ith stars, and a long blue robe covered w ith golden owls 10. H is face grew very pale, when th e K ing told him th a t he w anted the moon for his little dau g h ter, and th at he expected the R oyal W izard to get it. “I have worked a great deal of magic 11 for you in my tim e, your M ajesty,” said th e R oyal W izard. “It ju st happens th a t I h ave in my pocket a list of all the magic things I have w orked for you.” The R oyal W izard drew a long scroll of parchm ent from a deep pocket in his robe, and said: “H ere it is. Now let us see.1'2 I h ave squeezed blood out of turnips and turnips o u t of blood. I have produced rab b its out of silk hats and silk h ats out of ra b b its. I have brought flowers, tam bourines and doves o u t of nowhere, and nowhere out of the flowers, tam bourines and doves. I have brought you magic wands and crystal spheres 13 in which to see the future. I have mixed magic drinks, pills and powders to cure heartbreak, itching in the nose, and rin g ing in the ears. I have made you my own special m ixture of catcalls, nightshade and eagles’ tears to w ard o f f 14 w itches, demons and things th a t go bum p in the n ig h t.151 have given you seven league boots, the golden to u ch ,18 and a cloak of in v isib ility —” “It d id n ’t w ork,” 17 said the K in g .“The cloak of in v isib il­ ity d id n ’t w ork.” “Yes, it d id ,” said the R oyal W izard. “No, it d id n ’t,” said the K ing. “I w ent bum ping into things the sam e as ever.” “The cl6ak is supposed to make you invisible,” said the R oyal W izard. “It is not supposed to keep you from bum ping in to things.” “All I know is I kept bum ping in to th in g s,” said the King. The R oyal W izard looked a t his list again. “I got you,” he said, “horns from E lfland, sand from the S andm an, 18 and gold from th e rainbow . Also a spool of cotton, a packet of needles, and a lum p of beeswax — sorry, those are things my wife w rote for me to get her.” 112 “W hat I w ant you to do now,” said the K ing, “is to get me th e moon. The Princess Leonore w ants the moon, and when she gets it she w ill be well again.” “Nobody can get the moon,” said the R oyal W izard. “It is 150 000 m iles aw ay, and it is made of green cheese, 19 and it is twice as big as this palace.” The K ing flew in to another rage and sent the Royal W i­ zard back to his cave. Then he sounded a gong and summoned th e R oyal M athem atician. The R oyal M athem atician was a bald-headed, near­ sighted man w ith a skullcap on his head and a pencil behind each ear. H e wore a black suit w ith w hite num bers on it. ^ “1 don’t w ant to hear a long list w ith the things you have figured out for me since 1907,” said the K ing. “I w ant you to figure out for me rig h t now how to get the moon for the P rin ­ cess Leonore. W hen she gets the moon-.she will be well again.” “I am glad you m entioned all the things I have figured out for you since 1907,” said the R oyal M athem atician. “It so happens th a t I have a list of them w ith m e.” H e pulled a long scroll of parchm ent out of his pocket and looked a t it. “Now let me see. I have figured out for you th e distance between the horns of a dilem m a, 20 night and d ay, and A and Z. I have com puted how far is U P , how long it takes to get to AW AY, and w hat becomes of GONE. I have discovered th e length of the sea serpent 21 and the price of th e priceless. I know how many IS ’s it takes to make an A R E , and how m any birds you can catch w ith the salt in th e ocean — 781 796 132 — if it would interest you to know.” “There are n o t th a t many b ird s,” said the King. “I d id n ’t say there were,” said the R oyal M athem atician. “I said if there were.” “I don’t w ant to hear about seven hundred m illion im agi­ nary birds,” said the K ing. “I w ant to get the moon for the Princess Leonore.” “The moon is 300 000 miles aw ay,” said the R oyal M ath­ em atician. “I t is round and flat like a coin, and it is made of asbestos, and it is half th e size of the kingdom . F u rth e r­ more, it is pasted on the sky. Nobody can get the moon.” The K ing flew in to another rage and sen t the R oyal M ath­ em atician flying. 22 Then he rang for th e C ourt Jester. The Je ste r cam e bounding 23 into the throne room in his motley and his cap and b ells, and sat at the foot of the throne. 113 “W hat can I do for you,, your M ajesty”? asked the Court Jester. . “Nobody can do any thing for m e,” said the K ing and shook his head sadly. “The Princess Leonore w ants the moon, and she can’t be well till she gets it, b u t nobody can get it for her. Every tim e I ask anybody for the moon it gets larger and farther aw ay. There is n o th in g y o u can do for me except play your lute. Som ething sad.” “How big, do they say, the moon is?” asked the Court Jester, “and how far away?” “The Lord High C ham berlain says it is 35 000 miles away and bigger th an the Princess Leonore’s room ,” said the King. “The R oyal W izard says it is 150 000 miles aw ay, and twice as big as this palace. The R oyal M athem atician says it is 300 000 miles away and half the size of this kingdom .” The Court Je ste r strum m ed on his lu te for a little w hile. “They are all wise men,” he said, “and so they must all be rig h t. The moon m ust be ju st as large and as far away as each person th in k s it is. The thing to do is to find out how big the Princess Leonore th in k s it is, and how far aw ay.” “I never thought of th a t,” said the King. “I w ill go and ask her,” said the C ourt Je ste r. And he crept softly to th e little g irl’s room. The Princess Leonore was aw ake, and she was glad to see the Court Je ste r b u t her face was very pale and her voice very weak. “H ave you brought me the moon?” she asked. “N ot y et,” said the Court Jester, “bu t I ’ll get it for you rig h t aw ay. How big do you th in k it is?” “I t is a little sm aller than my th u m b -n ail,” she said, “be­ cause when I hold my thum b-nail up to the moon, it just cov­ ers it.” “And how far aw ay is it?” asked the C ourt Jester. “I t is not as high as the big tree outside my w indow ,” said the Princess, “because som etim es it gets caught in the top branches.” “I t w ill be very easy to get the moon for you,” said the C ourt Jester. “I w ill clim b the tree tonight when it gets caught in th e top branches, and bring it to you.” Then he thought of som ething else. “W hat is the moon m ade of, Princess?” he asked. “O h,” she said , “it is made of gold, of course, silly!” Then the C ourt J e ste r left the Princess Leonore’s room and 114 w ent to see th e R o y al G oldsm ith. H e asked th e R oyal G old­ sm ith to m ake a tin y round golden moon ju st a little sm aller th an th e th um b-nail of the Princess Leonore. Then he had him strin g the little disk on a golden chain 24 so th at the Princess could w ear it round her neck. “W hat is this th ing th a t I have m ade?” asked the Royal G oldsm ith when he had finished the work. “You have m ade the moon,” said the R oyal Jester. “T h a t’s the moon.” “B ut the moon,” said the R oyal G oldsm ith, “is 500000 miles aw ay and it is made of bronze, and it is round like a m ar­ ble.” 25 “T h a t’s w hat you th in k ,” said the C ourt Je ste r as he went away w ith th e moon. The C ourt Jester took the moon to the Princess Leonore, and she was overjoyed. The next day she was well again and could get up and go out into the garden to play. B ut the K in g ’s worries were not over yet. H e knew th a t the moon would shine again in the sky th a t n ight and d id n ’t w ant the Princess Leonore to see it. If she did , she would know th a t the moon she wore on a chain round her neck was n o t the real moon. So the K ing sent for the Lord High C ham berlain and said: “W e must keep th e Princess Leonore from seeing the moon when it shines in the sky tonight. T hink of som ething.” The Lord H igh C ham berlain tapped his forehead w ith his fingers th o u g h tfu lly and said: “I know just the thing. We can make some dark glasses for the Princess Leonore. W e can m ake them so dark th a t she w ill not be able to see anything a t all through them . Then she w ill not be able to see the moon when it shines in the sky to n ig h t.” This m ade the K ing very angry and he shook his head from side to side. “If she wore dark glasses she w ould bum p in to things,” he said, “and then she would be ill again.” So he sent the Lord H igh C ham berlain away and called the R oyal W izard. “W e m ust hide the moon,” said the K ing, “so the Princess Leonore w ill not be able to see it when it shines in the sky to n ig h t.” T he R oyal W izard stood on his hands, and then he stood on his head, and then he stood on his feet again. “I know w hat we can do,” he said. “W e can stretch some velvet cu rtain s on poles. The curtains w ill cover all the palace 115 gardens like a circus ten t, and the Princess Leonore w ill not be able to see the moon when it shines in the sky to n ig h t.” The K ing was so angry at this th a t he w aved his arm s around. “Black cu rtain s would keep out the a ir,” he said. “The Princess Leonore would not be able to breathe and she would be ill again.” So he sent the R oyal W izard away and sum m oned the Royal M athem atician. “W e m ust do som ething,” said the K ing, “so th at P rin ­ cess Leonore will not see the moon when it shines in the sky tonight. If you know so much, figure out a way to do th a t.” The R oyal M athem atician w alked around in a circle, and then he w alked around in a square, and then he stood still. “I have it,” he said. “W e can send off fireworks in the gardens every n ight. W e w ill make a lot of silver fountains, and golden w aterfalls, and when they go off they w ill fill the sky w ith so many sparks th a t it w ill be as light as day and the P rin ­ cess Leonore w ill n o t be able to see the moon.” The K ing flew in to such a rage th a t he began jum ping up and down. “Firew orks would keep the Princess Leonore aw ake. She would not get any sleep at all and she would be ill again.” So the K ing sent the R oyal M athem atician aw ay, and sat down in despair w ith his head in his hands. W hen he looked up again it was dark outside and he saw the bright rim of the moon ju st peeping over the horizon... He jum ped up in a great fright and rang for the C ourt Jester. The Court Jester came bounding into the room and sat down a t the foot of the throne. “W hat can I do for you, your M ajesty?” he asked. “Nobody can do anything for me,” said the K ing m ournfully. “The moon is com ing up again. It w ill shine into the Princess Leonore’s bedroom, and she will know it is still in the sky, and th a t she does n o t wear it on a golden chain round her neck. Play me som ething on your lute, som ething very sad, for when the Princess sees the moon she w ill be ill again.” The C ourt J e ste r strum m ed on his lute. “W hat do your wise men say?” he asked. “They can th in k of no way to hide the moon th a t w ill not make the Princess ill,” said the King. The C ourt Je ste r played another song very softly, “Your wise men know everything,” he said, “and if they cannot hide the moon, then it cannot be hidden.” The K ing put his head in his hands again and sighed. П6 Suddenly he jum ped up from his throne and pointed to the window. “Look!” he cried, “the moon is already shining into the Princess Leonore’s bedroom . W ho can explain how the moon can be shining in th e sky when it is hanging on a golden chain around her neck?” The C ourt Je ste r stopped playing on his lute. “W ho could ex plain how to get the moon when your wise men said it was too large and too far away? It was Princess Leonore. Therefore the Princess Leonore is wiser than your wise men, and knows more about the moon th an they do. So I am going to ask her.” And before the K ing could stop him , the C ourt Jester slipped q uietly out of the throne room and up the w h ite m arble staircase to th e Princess Leonore’s bedroom . The Princess was lying in bed b u t she was wide awake and she was looking out of the window at the moon shining in the sky. Shining in her hand was. the moon the C ourt Jester had got for her. H e looked very sad and there seemed to be tears in his eyes. “Tell me, Princess Leonore,” he said m ournfully, “how can the moon be shining in the sky when it is hanging on a golden chain around your neck?” The Princess looked at him and laughed. “T h a t’s easy, s illy ,” she said. “W hen I loose a tooth, a new one grows in its place, doesn’t it?” “Of course,” said the Court Jester. “A nd when a unicorn loses his horn in the forest, a new one grows in the m iddle of his forehead.” “T h a t’s rig h t,” said the Princess. “And when the Royal G ardener cuts the flowers in the garden, other flowers come to take th eir place.” “I should have thought of th a t,” said the Court Jester, “for it is th e sam e way w ith the d ay lig h t.” “And i t ’s the sam e way w ith the moon,” said the Princess Leonore. “I guess it is the same w ith everything.” H er voice became very low and faded aw ay, and the Court Je ste r saw th a t she was asleep. G ently he tucked the covers in round the sleeping Princess. B ut before he left the room, he w ent over to the window and he w inked at the moon for it seemed to the Court Jester th a t the moon had winked at him . 117 NOTES 1 going on eleven — (ей) пошел одиннадцатый год 2 moon — the heavenly body th a t shines a t night; a new (fu ll, w aning) moon; m oonlight п.; m oonlit adj., moonless a d j.; e.g. a m oonlit valley, a moonless night; w.c. to cry (ask) for the moon — to wish or dem and som ething th a t one c a n ’t possibly get; e.g. “You are crying for the moon, Jan e . You know pretty well F a th e r ca n ’t afford such an expensive trip .” In the ta le the word moon is used literally , yet the idiom to cry for the moon is suggested to th e reader’s m ind. . 3 Lord Chamberlain — a high court official, the one who manages the affairs of the K ing’s household (Russ, лорд обергофмейстер (в Анг.) 4 It just happens that I h ave...— Q uite by c h a n c e l h ave... A nother co nstruction seems to be more common: I happen to h av e...; e.g. I happen to know the fellow; we w ent to college together. Do you happen to know M ary’s telephone num ber? 6 It says . . . here — It is said . . . here; e.g. I got a mes­ sage from my boss. I t said I was to call a t once. Comp, a note ( letter, telegram, article, etc.) saying th a t ... 8 Never mind the blue poodles — I t doesn’t m atter w hat is said about th e blue poodles. Never mind is a phrase used in colloquial English w ith or w ithout an object; e.g. a) Never m ind the distance. T he w eather is fine and w e’ll get to the place w ith in an hour, b) Never m ind. It w ill blow over. Take it easy. 7 out of the question — im possible 8 Blue poodles, yes; the moon, no.— The p attern of the sentence is borrowed from new spaper headlines or slogans used by dem onstrations of protest, such as: Peace, yes; War, no. 8 to fly into a rage (a temper, etc.) — to become furious suddenly 10 a . . . robe covered with golden owls — the W izard ’s robe is covered w ith owls because an owl is considered to be th e em bodim ent of wisdom 11 to work a great deal of magic — to w ork many m iracles (wonders) 12 The magic things the R oyal W izard enum erates are com m only referred to as a conjurer’s tricks. 13 crystal sphere — a crystal ball; by starin g into it one 118 can p redict the fu ture (crystal-gazing — foreseeing future events). S y n . m agic crystal 14 to ward off — to keep aw ay, to guard against (an a tta c k , a blow, etc.) Russ, отразить 16 Things that go bump in the night — things th a t may h u rt you in the d ark by strik in g you (by flying, running, knocking in to you); Russ, наты каться, налететь и т. д.; also to bump into things 18 the golden touch — the ab ility to tu rn everything one touches into gold. T he phrase comes from G reek m ythology— th e legend of K ing M idas — and is often used figuratively, ind icatin g a person’s gift to m ake money w ith o u t any seeming effort. It may be said, for instance, th a t So-and-so has the golden touch. Seven league boots and a cloak of invisibility are things endowed w ith magic power (Russ, семимильные сапоги, ш апка-невидимка). 17 It didn’t work — It w asn’t effective (said of a thing, m ethod, atte m p t to do sm th. or achieve sm th .; e.g. The idea d id n ’t work. They tried to flatter P a in to supporting them b u t it d id n ’t w ork.) 18 the Sandman — a character from folklore who is sup­ posed to m ake children sleepy by sprinkling sand in their eyes 19 it is made of green cheese— the au th o r makes use of th e saying to believe that the moon is made of green cheese — to believe all kind of nonsense (absurd things), showing th a t the R oyal W izard is none too clever 20 I have figured out for you the distance between the horns of a dilem m a...— The enum eration of things the R oyal M ath­ em atician has m ade a list of, shows he has lost all sense of re ality . The p rin cip le sty listic device used by Thurber is th e pun (play upon words): he “picks a p a rt” idiom s and set phrases and m anipulates them w ith great ingenuity (how long it takes to get to A W A Y , how far is U P , etc); to be be­ tween the horns of a dilemma ( = to be faced w ith a difficult choice) is an idiom , a phraseological u n it in which the words have lost th eir original meaning; yet the M athem atician claim s to have measured the distance between the horns of a dilemma. 21 sea serpent — a huge sea anim al supposed to inhabit th e ocean (Russ, морской змей). The very existence of the sea serpent is d o u b tfu l. The evidence av a ila b le is both con­ trad icto ry and unreliable. 22 to send smb. flying — to turn a person out (Russ. прогнать прочь, выпроводить) 119 23 to come bounding — to make quick, jum ping steps when m oving, w alking (Russ, войти вприпрыж ку). Сотр. to come running, flying, crawling, etc. (Russ, прибежать, прилететь, приползти, прискакать и т. д.) 24 had him string the little disk on a golden chain — made him string the little disk on a golden chain; to have smb. do smth. or to have smth. done, i.e. to have smth. mended ( brought, sent, etc.); e.g. I had him type the list ( = I had the list typed). 26 m arble—a sm all ball m ade of glass, baked clay, porce­ lain, etc.; marbles — a boys’ game (to play marbles, a game of marbles) EXERCISES Exercise I. Practise the pronunciation of the following words and phrases: a) Leonore, princess, raspberry ta rt, R oyal P h y sician , Lord C ham berlain, forehead, handkerchief, Your M ajesty, ivory, rubies, opals, em erald, orchid, elep h an t, m idget, mer­ m aid, troubadour, throne room, owl, w izard, tam bourine, dove, magic, w and, crystal sphere, dem on, beeswax, im agina­ ry, m athem atician, m otley, lute, thum b-nail, clim b, goldsm ith b) in э 'kipdam bai За 'si:; Зэ 'raial fi'z ija n waz 'wArid; 'к ^ З е э Г ч ./е т Э и ] ja 'hcct di'zaiaz; hiz 'aiz si:m d 'tw a is az 'big azw 3ei 'riali 'w a:; За 'la:d 'h a i 'tfeim balin 'w aipt hiz 'farid wi3 a 'haegka'yif; h r 'w a :rw a w 'h a i 'p i:k t 'haet 'kA vadw wi3 'staz; aiv 'b ra :t ,tsem ba'ri:nz and 'dAvz a u t av 'n o u wea; it iz 'wAn 'hAndrid 'fifti 'Gauzand 'm ailz a'w ei; h r 'puld a'log a 'sk ro u l av 'p a tfm a n t au t av hiz 'p ak it Exercise II. Drills, a) Read and repeat; b) Use the structures in sen­ tences of your own: I. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. I I . 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 120 The R oyal P hysician made her stick out her tongue. The doctor made him strip to the w aist. The make-up made her look older than she really was. W hat makes you think you are alw ays right? W hat makes h im behave the way he does? T he boy was twice as old as his little sister. Y our study is tin y . M ine is twice as large. D ick is a burly fellow, twice as big as his wife. T his story is three times as long as yours. T he grey coat is as becoming as the brown one and twice as cheap. III. IV. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. I t ju st happens th a t I ’ve got the book. I t just happens th at w e’ve been at school together. I t just happens th at I ’ve read the essay. I t just happens th at I ’ve got some money w ith me. I t ju st happens th at I know her personally. 1. There m ust have been blue poodles. 2. She m ust have eaten too many tarts. 3. There m ust have been a m isunderstanding. H e is p u n ctu al, as a rule. 4. The K ing m ust have been a fond father. 5. The princess m ust have got ev erything her heart de­ sired. Exercise III. Replace the italicized parts of the sentences by words and phrases from the text: 1. I ’m w illin g to give you whatever you wish. 2. The doctor believes she' 11 recover soon. 3. She m ust get th e moon no later than tomorrow. 4. The W izard happened to have the list he need­ ed in his pocket. 5. You ca n ’t cope w ith this task. I t 's im ­ possible! 6. I t doesn’t matter w hat he says. The whole thing is absurd. 7. I t ’s no use reasoning w ith him when he has a fit of fury. 8. Your m ethod was no good. 9. The project seemed acceptable, but som ething m ust have been overlooked, b e­ cause they failed to bring it into effect. 10. The K ing sent for the D octor, as he was upset by the P rincess’s illness. 11. Some people thought the moon was very large and others — that it was very small indeed. 12. If you w ear this magic cloak, nobody w ill be able to see you. 13. The K ing sent for the Royal M athem atician and ordered him to think of a way to get the moon. 14. The Princess was not sleepy at all. 15. Leonore an ­ swered th e J e s te r’s question and he was surprised he had not thought of it him self; new things replace old ones; the same thing happens everywhere. 16. The little girl was sleepy; her low voice trailed for a w hile and then could be heard no more. Exercise IV. Find in the text English equivalents for the following words and phrases and use them in sentences of your own: а) заболеть; лечь в постель; сосчитать пульс; заставить кого-либо показать язык; тревожиться; достать кому-либо чего только он ни пожелает; микстура; таблетка; порошок; волшебный напиток; выздороветь; вылечить; уснуть 121 b) большой и толстый человек; утирать лоб платком; громко сморкаться; худой человечек с длинным лицом; бли­ зорукий; лысый; носить очки с толстыми стеклами, высокую остроконечную ш апочку, синий плащ , черный костюм, тю­ бетейку, шутовской наряд, шапку с бубенчиками, шапкуневидимку c) дернуть за шнур звонка; послать за кем-либо; вызвать кого-либо; вытащить свиток из пергамента; дайте сообра­ зить; нахмуриться; неважно; об этом речи быть не может; подсчитать; вычислить; слышать об этом не хочу; вдвое меньше (вдвое больше); тихонько войти (выйти); зацепиться за верхние ветки; крошечная луна; нацепить на золотую цепочку; носить на шее; это ты так думаешь; прийти в ярость; быть вне себя от радости Exercise V. Fill in the blanks with prepositions if necessary and retell the extract: Dick fell ill . . . M onday and had to stay hom e . . . school. H is m other was . . . a panic, . . . course, and the doctor was sent once. The boy was not happy . . . it. A doctor’s v isit alw ays suggested . . . his m ind a great m any u n pleasant things, such as taking spoonfuls . . . b itte r m ixtures and swallow ing pills and tab lets, having painful injections, stay in g . . . bed, being kept . . . doing things he enjoyed and the like. And w hat . . . tom orrow ’s football match? W hen th e doctor came . . . the bedroom , D ick was greatly struck . . . th e way he looked. The m an wore thick glasses and a skullcap. H e had a brow n-and-green checkered su it . . . , high rubber boots and a black cloak. H e wore a long m oustache and a beard twice as long as the m oustache. H is hands and feet were huge, twice the size . . . his fa th e r’s. All things considered, he looked more . . . a w izard than a re ­ spectable fam ily doctor. The doctor s a t a chair . . . the bedside and w inked . . . the boy, th e m other standing respectfully . . . the foot . . . the bed. “W hat can I do . . . you, young m an?” the Doctor asked . . . a thick voice and, . . . w aiting . . . an answer . . . h is question, quickly took his tem perature, felt his pulse and told him to stick . . . his tongue. “I t ’s a case . . . indigestion” was the diagnosis. “Take the pills I ’ve prescribed and stay in bed . . . the tem p erature is back . . . norm al. Y ou’ll have 122 to be . . . a d iet . . . a couple . . . days. Y ou’ll be well . . . th e weekend, . . . M onday, . . . the latest.” “I ’ve got a bad headache,” D ick said . . . a weak voice. H e felt insulted. “N ever m ind the headache,” said the doctor . . . another w ink. “D on’t eat so many ta rts .” Exercise VI. Retell the story according to the given plan using the suggested words and phrases: L The Princess fa lls ill and the R oyal Physician calls on her. to one’s th in g men; h ave to go to bed; to take one’s tem perature; to feel pulse; to m ake one stick out one’s tongue; to get any­ one’s heart desires; to be well again; .a great many wise to pull a bell cord; presently II. The K in g summons his wise men. a) th e Lord H igh C ham berlain; a large, fat man; to wear th ick glasses; to seem twice as big (as wise) a s . ..; at the la t­ est; to w ipe one’s forehead; in my tim e; it ju st happens; a long scroll of parchm ent; sorry; to check off w ith a check m ark; never m ind; out of the question; to be made of; to fly into a rage b) th e R oyal W izard; a little th in man; high peaked cap; to expect one to do it; to work a great deal of magic; in my tim e; let us see; to squeeze; to produce; to bring; to cure; to w ard off; it d id n ’t work; to go bum ping (to keep one from bum ping) in to things; to be supposed to; miles away; made of; cave c) the R oyal M athem atician; to sound a gong; bald-headed; near-sighted; to figure out; to m ention; to com pute; to discover; im aginary; h alf the size; to send flying II I . The R oyal Jester proves helpful. W hat can I do for you?; to play on the lute; the thing to do is; I never thought of; to weep softly; awake; pale; weak; thum b-nail; to get caught in the branches; silly; tiny; Royal G oldsm ith; to have one string sm th. on; to w ear sm th. round one’s neck; t h a t’s w h at you think; overjoyed IV. The K in g ’s worries are not yet over. to send for; to keep the Princess from; to th in k of sm th.; to tap o ne’s forehead; thoughtfully; ju st the thing; to wear dark glasses; to hide; to stretch; velvet cu rtain ; to keep out 123 the air; to breathe; to figure out a way to do sm th.; to send off fireworks; to go off; to keep awake; silly; in despair; th e bright rim ; to peep V. It's again the Jester who comes to the rescue. to ring for; m ournfully; to slip quietly out (of); w ide­ awake; th a t’s easy; silly; to grow in its place; I should have thought of th a t; i t ’s the sam e w ith everything; to fade away; gently; to w ink at Exercise VII. Translate into Russian the following sentences paying attention to the italicized words: I. a) The K in g ’s eyes were a faded blue, b) One doesn’t care to look at faded flowers and the R oyal G ardener always cuts them , c) She said som ething he couldn’t m ake out and then her voice faded away. II. a) The p arty was extrem ely boring and he was wise not to atten d it. b) The boy is sure to get wiser as he grows older, c) H e is the sort of man who is alw ays wise after the event, d) His new friends soon p u t him wise to problem s the office was facing, e) H e realized it had been unwise of him to talk back to the Boss. Exercise VIII. Translate the following sentences into English using a) I t didn’t (doesn't, won’t) work; b) out of the question; c) Never mind; a) 1. Ему сделали два укола, но это н е п о м о г л о . 2. Новый препарат весьма активен. Он н а ч н е т д е й с т в о ­ в а т ь через несколько минут. 3. Вся семья собралась в гостиной, чтобы посмотреть на новый электрокамин. Но, увы, он б ы л в н е и с п р а в н о с т и . 4. У сотрудников л а ­ боратории был скорбный вид: методика, которую они раз­ работали, о к а з а л а с ь н е э ф ф е к т и в н о й . b) 1. Трудно было работать по вечерам. Однако и р е ч и б ы т ь н е м о г л о о том, чтобы бросить работу (quit the job). 2. «Я не могу освободить вас от посещения лекций»,— сказал д екан .—«Эт о и с к л ю ч е н о » . 3. Мы не можем остать­ ся в городе в такую ж ару, э т о н е в о з м о ж н о . 4. Он ни­ когда не занимал деньги и не собирается этого делать (is not going to). О б э т о м и р е ч и б ы т ь н е м о г л о . c) 1. Н е хочется к нему обращ аться. Он довольно резко говорил со мной на д н ях.— Н е в а ж н о , как он разговари­ вает. Он прекрасный (fine) человек и настоящий друг. 2. Ей понравится эта сумочка, да ома дороговата.— Н е 124 д у м а й о ц е н е . Если нравится, купи. 3. В комнате так шумно. Я не могу сосредоточиться (concentrate). — Н е о б р а щ а й в н и м а н и я на шум. Всё равно надо закончить работу сегодня. Exercise IX. Change the following questions into Indirect ones beginning with the words in brackets, and answer them: 1. W hat happened to the Princess? (I wonder) 2. W hy did the K ing sum m on his wise men? (I should like to know) 3. Did the C ourt O fficials look alike or did they differ g reat­ ly? (Could you tell me) 4. Did the wise men help the P rin ­ cess to get well again? (I wonder) 5. In w hat way did the J e s ­ ter differ from them? (Tell me, please) 6. How did the Jester help the Princess? (I should like to know) 7. W hy was the K ing mournful again? (Could you tell me) 8. W as there any way out of the difficulty? (I wonder) 9. W as there anybody w illing to help the K ing among those who surrounded him? (Tell me) 10. How did the Princess answer the J e s te r’s ques­ tion about two moons? (I should like to know) Exercise X. Change the following sentences as in the model: The Jester had the G oldsm ith make a tiny golden moon. The Je ste r had a tiny golden moon made. 1. The Princess had her father, the K ing, buy new toys for her. 2. W hy did he have the R oyal A rchitect build a new palace? 3. The Lord C ham berlain had his men bring precious stones from the E ast. 4. The K ing had his M athem atician ' figure out many things. Exercise XI. Quote the story to prove that I. the King was a) an af­ fectionate father, b) obstinate and hot-tempered, c) annoyed by his Wise Men, d) felt helpless and miserable; II. a) his Wise Men were ignorant and none too clever, b) boastful and absent-minded, c) very much afraid to fall into disgrace; III. the really nice characters in the story are the Jester and the Princess. Exercise XII. Topics for discussion: 1. Describe the appearance of the W ise Men and sum up the way they behaved (find points of difference and points of resem blance). 2. Speak about the King. Does he rem ind you of any other K ing in a fairy tale? 3. If you found the tale interesting, pick out the passage or episode you liked best and give your reasons for it. 125 Housewarming 4. There m ust have been a fairy tale you particularly liked in your childhood. Tell the class about it. Exercise X III. Study the story in pictures on p. 126 and answer the following questions: 1. W hat can you see on the counter? W hy have these young men come to the stores? Are they choosing presents? W hat sort of presents do people usually bring to a house-warm ing party? W h at makes them think th a t saucepans, frying pans, coffee pots, tea-k ettles, etc. are su itab le presents for the oc­ casion? W ho are they buying presents for? 2. The girls are less practical, aren’t they? Are they going to buy kitchen utensils or do they prefer things th a t make the flat look nice and cosy? 3. W h at sort of procession is clim bing the stairs? W hat is each of the guests carrying? Are the guests w alking upstairs or are they going up in the lift? 4. W hat are th e in h ab itan ts of the new flat doing? Are they ready to receive th e guests? W hat is A nn cooking? W hat is going on in th e kitchen (in the hall)? W h at is the husband doing? 5. W ho is laying the table for supper in the dining-room? Can a man be tru sted w ith laying the tab le for supper? 6. Is ev erything ready for the p arty or have the guests come too soon? W ho has answered the door? H as M ary had tim e to dress her hair? W hy are there curlers in her hair? W hy are the guests smiling? PART II THE MATCH MAKER 1 b y H . Munro The grill-room 2 clock struck eleven. Six m inutes later Clovis approached the supper table. H e had the hungry look of a man who had dined hastily and long ago. “I’m starv in g ,” 3 he announced, try in g to sit down grace­ fully and read th e menu at the sam e tim e. “So I see,” said th e h o s t,4“from the fact th a t you were n ear­ ly punctual. B ut I m ust tell you th a t I ’m a Food Reformer. I ’ve ordered two bowls of bread-and-m ilk and some biscuits. I hope you do n ’t m ind.” 5 Clovis w ent pale for a fraction of a second.8 “All th e sam e,” he said, “you ought not to joke about such things. There really are such people. I ’ve known people who have met them . To think of all the adorable things there are to eat in th e w orld, and then go through life m unching s a w d u s t7 and being proud of it.” Clovis stopped talking for a few m om ents w hile he sw al­ lowed a couple of oysters. “I th in k oysters are more beautiful than any th in g in the world,” he w ent on presently. “Do you like my new w aistcoat? I’m w earing it for th e first tim e to-night.” “I t looks like a great many others you’ve had lately, only worse. New w aistcoats are becoming a h a b it w ith you.” “They say one alw ays pays for the excesses of one’s y o u th ,8 th ank God it isn’t true about one’s clothes. My m other is thinking of g ettin g m arried.” “Again!” “I t ’s th e first tim e.” “Of course, you ought to know. I was under the im pression th a t sh e’d been m arried once or tw ice a t least.” “Three tim es to be m athem atically exact. I mean it was the first tim e she had thought about g ettin g m arried; the other 128 tim es she did it w ith o u t thinking. As a m atter of fact i t ’s really I who am doing the thin k in g for her in this case. You see, i t ’s q u ite two years 8 since her last husband died .” “You ev id en tly th in k th a t b revity is the soul of w idow ­ hood,” 10 “W ell, it stru ck me 11 th a t she was beginning to settle down 12 which w o u ldn’t suit her a b it. The first sym ptom th a t I noticed was when she began to com plain th a t we were living beyond our incom e.13 All decent people live beyond th eir incomes now adays, and those who are not respectable live beyond o ther people’s. A few gifted in d iv id u als m anage to do b o th .” There was a sh o rt pause. “The crisis cam e,” Clovis continued, “w hen she suddenly started the theory th a t late hours were bad for one,14 and w a n t­ ed me to be in 15 by one o’clock every n ig h t. Im agine th at sort of thing for me, who was eighteen on my last b irth ­ d a y .” “On your last two b irth d ay s, to be m athem atically ex act.” “Oh w ell, th a t’s not my fault. I ’m no t going to arrive at nineteen as long as my m other rem ains a t thirty-seven. One m ust have some regard for appearances.” 16 “Perhaps your m other would age 17 a little in the process of settlin g down.” “T h a t’s th e last thing she’d th in k of. T h a t’s why I was so keen on 18 the husband idea.” “Did you go as far as to choose the gentlem an or did you merely throw out a general idea?” “If one w ants a thing done in a hurry one m ust see to it 10 oneself. I found a m ilitary Joh n n y 20 hanging around a t the club, and took him hom e to lunch once or tw ice. H e had spent most of his life in In dia building roads. H e could talk sense 21 to a cobra in fifteen n ativ e languages, .and probably knew w hat to do if you found an elephant on your croquet law n. B ut he was shy and tim id w ith women. I told my m other privately th a t he was an absolute w om an-hater; so, of course, she laid herself out 22 to flirt all she knew, which isn’t a little .” “And was the gentlem an responsive?” 23 “I hear he told some one at the club th a t he was looking for a Colonial job, w ith plenty of hard w ork for a young friend of his. So I g ath er th a t he has some idea of m arrying into th e fam ily.” 24 5 № 1518 129 “You seem destined to be 25 the v ictim of the scheme, after a ll.” 20 Clovis w iped the trace of Turkish coffee and sm iled signif­ ican tly , which probably m eant, “I don’t th in k so!” NOTES 1 match-maker — a person who is fond of arranging m ar­ riages (Russ, сват, сваха); match 1) m arriage; 2) a person su itab le for m arriage; e.g. This rich Am erican woman is a good m atch . 2 grill-room — a room in a hotel or restau ran t where meat or fish is grilled , i.e. cooked over a smokeless fire on a grid ­ iron [grid'aion] ((Russ, рашпер) 8 I’m starving (colloq.) — I’m dying of hunger 1 h o st— (here) keeper of a hotel (or inn), see p. 24, note 1 5 you don’t mind — you don’t object, you have nothing against it; mind in this sense is used in interrogative and neg­ ativ e sentences; e.g. He doesn’t mind milk and biscuits. H e doesn’t m ind having coffee for breakfast. Also in polite requests; e.g. W ould you mind passing me the menu? 9 for a fraction of a second — for a very short moment (before he realized th a t the host was joking) 1 munching sawdust (metaphor) — eating tasteless things; to munch ■ — to eat moving your jaws energetically (Russ. жевать) 8 to pay for the excesses of one’s youth (a pun) — to suffer for the follies com m itted in one’s youth; here pay is used both figuratively and lite rally , m eaning also “to pay money” (for his num erous w aistcoats) 9 i t ’s quite two years — i t ’s no less than two years 10 brevity is the soul of widowhood (=w idow hood should n o t last long) — hum orous paraphrase of a well-known q u o ta­ tion from H am let “B revity is the soul of w it” (Act II, sc. 2). u it struck me — it cam e into my m ind, it occurred to me (Russ, мне пришло в голову) 12 to settle down — to have a regular way of life 19 to live beyond one’s income — to spend more money th an one has actu ally got u late hours were bad for one — it was bad for a person to go to bed late. Comp, to keep late hours — to come hom e (go to bed) late. A n t. to keep early hours. 130 home). 18 have some regard for appearances — observe the accept­ ed rules of behaviour (Russ, соблюдать приличия) 17 to age — to grow old; e.g. H e has aged since I saw him last. 18 to be keen on — to be eager about som ething, to be anxious to do som ething; e.g. He is keen to visit the R oyal Shakespeare T heatre. She is keen on sports. 19 to see to i t — to take care, to m ake sure; e.g. 1) Please, see to the luggage w hile I ’m booking tickets. 2) See to it th a t the w indows are closed and the doors locked. 3) I ’ll see to it th at th e report is handed in in tim e. 20 Johnny (colloq.) — m an, fellow 21 to talk sense — to speak in a reasonable way 22 she laid herself out — she took great pains (Russ. стараться изо всех сил); e.g. She laid herself out to im press her guest. M ary laid herself out to show how w ell-read she was (Russ, лезла из кожи вон). 23 responsive — (here) impressed 24 to m arry in to the fam ily — to become one of the fam ily by m arrying one of its members 25 you seem destined to be — it seems fate has determ ined th a t you should . . . ; e.g. They were destined never to see their hom e again. He was destined to become a great statesm an. S y n . doomed (is used only negatively); e.g. H e was doomed to failure (to d eath, etc.). 26 after a il — in spite of all th a t has been done; e.g. Everybody said he w ould abandon his fam ily bu t he turned out to be a good father after all (Russ, в конце концов). EXERCISES Exercise I. Practise the pronunciation of the following words and word-combinations: a) m atch-m aker, h astily , menu, p u n ctu ally , bowl, bis­ cu its, couple, oyster, w aistcoat, excesses, clothes, widowhood, beyond, in d iv id u al, crisis, theory, cobra, elephant, croquetlaw n, responsive, scheme, T urkish, adorable, ex act, brevity, m athem atically 5* 131 b) hadw Q av/hA rjgri 'lu k av a 'm sen; 's e d ^ S a 'h o u st; 'e m 0 ig ^ m 5a 'w a:ld; fo da 'fa :st 'ta im ; a 'haebit wid ju; mai 'm A d a r^ iz '0 ig k ig w av 'g etig 'm serid; 'daets da 'la s t '0ig Exercise II. Drills, a) Read and repeat; b) Use the structures in sen­ tences of your own: I. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. II. III. IV . V. I t has become a habit w ith him to keep late hours. T rav ellin g has become a habit w ith her. R isin g early is a habit with me. Sm oking strong cigars is becoming a habit w ith him . I t has become a habit w ith him to live in the country. 1. W e were under the impression th a t she was unhappy. 2. I was under the impression th a t he was*a w ell-educat­ ed man. 3. H e was under the impression th a t they were a very friendly fam ily. 4. H e was under the impression th a t she seldom cam e to town. 5. She was under the impression th a t he was a rising young poet. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. I w ant the thing done in a h u rry . He wants the house repaired in spring. They want the car painted red. I w ant m y room furnished in modern style. H e wants his beard trimmed. 1. P lease, see to i t that the tickets are booked in advance. 2. I shall see to it that everything is done in tim e. 3. She saw fo it that the children were washed and pu t to bed early. 4. The artic le w ill be typed by 5 o’clock. I shall see to it myself. 5. If you w ant a thing done well you m ust see to it yourself. 1. A t th e d in n er-party you w ill do the talking. 2. M other did the cooking and I cleaned the house. 3. W ho does the thinking in th a t fam ily? 4. She alw ays does thedarning and m ending in theevening. Exercise III. Replace the italicized parts of the sentences by words and word-groups from the text: 1. I t was eleven sharp by the grill-room clock. 2. “I ’m a w fully hungry,” Clovis said. “T h a t’s why I've come almost 132 in time." 3. I've p u t on my w aistcoat for the first tim e to­ n ig h t. 4. I t seemed to the host th at C lovis’ m other had been m arried more th an once. 5. He got into the habit of going to bed late. 6. Clovis said: “I t came into m y m ind th at my m other was beginning to lead a regular life.” 7. She w anted the boy to be at home by 11 o’clock. 8. “M ake sure (take care) th at all the bills are p aid .” 9. The young w om an took great pains to please her guest. 10. W hy should you m ake debts and spend more money than you actually get? Exercise IV. Find in the text English equivalents for the following and use them in sentences of your own: жевать; вы не возражаете; дайте мне пару устриц; мне пришло в голову; ничуть; не по средствам; выдвинуть те­ орию; поздно приходить домой; остепениться; позаботиться о том, чтобы; войти в семью посредством брака; лезть из кожи вон; у вас вошло в привычку; у меня создалось впе­ чатление; если хотите, чтобы что-нибудь было сделано; флиртовать; побледнеть; все равно; гордиться чем-либо; одеть в первый раз; по меньшей мере; фактически; не моя вина; состариться; большую часть своей жизни; женоне­ навистник Exercise V. Fill in the blanks with prepositions or adverbs: 1. Clovis w ent pale . . . a fraction . . . a second. Then he gave a sigh . . . relief. H e realized th at the host had been m ak­ ing fun . . . him . 2. “W hat an adorable gown! Are you w earing it . . . the first tim e?” she said. 3. W henever a new man ap ­ peared . . . th e horizon she would lay h e rs e lf. . . to charm him . 4. He is now looking . . . a suitable job . . . his elder son. It is a h ab it . . . him to do all the th in k in g . . . his children. And the boys are sure he w ill see . . . it th a t they are well provided . . . . 5 . “W ho is th a t gentlem an hanging . . . your house?” “I t ’s Mr. C larkton, an old friend . . . ours. He has spent most . . . his life . . . Canada and is fabulously rich. Our ladies are laying them selves . . . to m arry their daughters . . . him . B ut he is a born bachelor and very shy . . . women. H e cares only . . . dogs and h u nting.” Exercise VI. Answer the following questions: 1. W hat tim e did Clovis come to the grill-room ? 2. W hat expression did his face wear? 3. W hat are the two things th at he tried to do at the same time? 4. W hat did he announce? 5. W hy did Clovis go pale for a fraction of a second? 6. W hat did 133 ’ Clovis say ab out Food Reformers? 7. W hy did he stop talking for a few moments? 8. W hat was said about C lovis’ w aistcoat by him self and by th e host? 9. W hat saying is not tru e when applied to o ne’s clothes? W hy is it not true? 10. W hy was th e host surprised at hearing th a t C lovis’ m other was thinking of gettin g m arried for the first time? 11. How many times had she been m arried? 12. How did she m arry the other times? 13. W ho was doing the thin k in g for her in this case? 14. W hy did Clovis th in k his m other should m arry? 15. W hat struck him? 16. W hat was the first sym ptom he noticed? 17. W hat is the difference between decent people and those who are not respectable, in C lovis’ opinion? 18. W hen did Clovis believe th e crisis h ad come? 19. W hy did Clovis say he was eighteen? 20. Did C lovis choose a suitable husband for his m other or did he ju st suggest th a t she should m arry? 21. Who(m) did he find hanging around at the club? 22. W hy did he find a m ilitary Jo h n n y and introduce him to his mother? 23. W here had th e man spent most of his life? 24. W hat sort of man was he? 25. W h at did Clovis tell his m other privately? 26. W hy did Clovis tell his m other the gentlem an was a w om an-hater? 27. W hy did C lovis th in k th at the gentlem an had some idea of m arrying in to th e family? 28. W hy was Clovis not afraid of being th e v ictim of the scheme he had planned? Exercise VII. Retell the story using the following words and wordgroups: to dine h astily ; nearly punctual; you don’t mind; all the sam e; to th in k of all the adorable things; to stop talking; a couple of oysters; to become a h ab it w ith; it isn’t true about; to be under the im pression; at least; as a m atter of fact; to do the th in k in g ; it struck me; not a b it; beyond one’s income; to m anage to do; to sta rt the theory; late hours; to be in; to settle down; to be keen on; to go as far as; to throw out a general idea; to see to it (that); to hang around at; to lay oneself out; to look for a job; plenty of; to m arry into the fam ­ ily; to seem destined to; after all Exercise VIII. Change the following questions into Indirect ones beginning with the words in brackets: E x a m p l e : a) A re you busy? (I w ant to know.) b) I w ant to know if you are busy. 1. Do you like my new w aistcoat? (I should like to know . . . ) . 2. A re you starving? (Ask h i m ...) . 3. H ave you read the 134 menu? (She w ants to k n o w. . 4 . Is your m other thinking of m arrying again? (He w 'ondered.. 5 . Are late hours bad for one’s health? (I really don’t k n o w ...). 6. D id you go as far as to choose th e gentlem an? (I w o n d e r...). 7. W as the gentlem an responsive? (The host asked h i m ...). 8. Is he self-assured or shy w ith women? (I should like to k n o w ...). 9. Is he looking for a job for him self or for a young friend of his? (She d id n ’t k n o w ...). 10. W as Clovis brought up well? (He w o n d e re d ...). 11. Did Clovis belong to the so-called fast set? (He asked m e ...). Exercise IX. Respond to the following statements using so with / think, believe, hope, am afraid, etc. as in the examples below (use the sug­ gestions in brackets): 1. “I th in k she will get m arried soon.” “Oh, I hope so” (affirm ative). 2. “You are not upset, are you?” “I don’t th in k so” (negative). 1. I t ’s tim e to go, isn’t it? (believe) 2. He is sure to find a su itable job. (hope) 3. Perhaps your m other will refuse to pay for your w aistcoats, (not think) 4. She has been married once or twice, (afraid) 5. They live beyond their incom e, (not think) 6. I ’m sure she will soon feel b etter, (hope) 7. Your mother will not be angry with you, w ill she? (not think) 8. He has lived in In d ia, hasn’t he? (believe) 9. Clovis belongs to the gilded youth, doesn’t he? (think) Exercise X. Agree with the following remarks using the examples below for models: a) “I t ’s nice and warm here.”— “Yes, it is.” (simple agree­ ment) b) “You are nearly punctual to d ay .” — “Of course, I am . I ’m starv in g .” (using of course, certainly, etc. for some­ thing obvious) c) “I t ’s past eleven already.” — “So it is.” (expressing surprise) 1. “O ysters are more beautiful than an y th in g in the w orld.” — “Of c o u rs e ... .” 2. “My m other is beginning to settle dow n.” — “S o .. . .” 3. “She is a beautiful w om an.” — “Yes, . . . .” 4. “You have dropped your w allet.” — " S o ... .” • - 5. “P erhaps you are rig h t.” — “Of c o u rse .. . .” 6. “I t ’s bad for one to keep late hours.” — “Yes, . . . .” 135 7. “I t ’s tim e to leave.” — “S o ... 8. “You h ave come too late.” — “S o .. . Exercise XI. Choose the correct word from those in brackets: (destined — doomed) I. 1. N apoleon was . . . to become a great general. 2. T ou­ louse L autrek was a cripple, . . . to live a lonely and tragic life. (strike — beat) I I . 1. W hen th e m an got drunk he -... his wife black and blue. 2. Jem m a took A rthur for a tra ito r and . . . him across th e face. 3. W e heard the clock . . . ten. 4. Isn ’t it easier to use the vacuum -cleaner than to . . . the dust out of the rugs w ith a stick? 5. It was H arry who . . . the first blow. 6. . . . w hile the iron is hot. 7. I t . . . him th a t they were living beyond th eir income. (fin d — look for) I I I . 1. “W h at are you . . . ? ” — “I ’ve lost my w allet and ca n ’t . . . it anyw here.” 2. H e . . . interesting inform ation in last year periodicals. 3. Alison has been . . . a job lately , b u t I doubt very much she w ill . . . an y th in g su itab le. Jobs are rare now adays. (general — common) IV. 1. D u rin g th e w ar the Soviet people joined their ef­ forts to fight for a . . . cause. 2. He seems to have bu t a . . . idea of the subject. 3. I w ant you to meet Jo h n . He is our . . . friend. 4. There was a lonely fruit-garden in the village. It was . . . property and taken good care of. 5. The day of the . . . elections is alw ays a holiday in the Soviet U nion. 6. The professor h a d n ’t tim e enough to read the m anuscript carefully yet the . . . im pression was favourable. 7. The younger sisters were good friends and had everything in . . . . (do — make) V. 1. W h at was he . . . when you called in the morning? 2. N othing w ill . . . me change my plans. 3. W hat shall we . . . if you miss th e train? 4. M ary . . . a lovely frock for her elder g irl. 5. W h at you . . . was extrem ely foolish. You must . . . your best to . . . up for it somehow or other. 136 Exercise X II. Topics for discussion: 1. G ive a ch aracter sketch of Clovis. (His appearance, m anner of speaking, way of life, etc.) 2. a) D escribe C lovis’ m other, b) R etell the story in the person of C lovis’ m other. 3. Speak on the w ay Clovis was brought up. 4. R em em ber a film or a book describing the life of the gilded youth (the fast set). 5. Describe a ch aracter in a book by G alsw orthy, Dreiser, etc. th a t rem inds you of a) Clovis, b) C lovis’ m other. Exercise X III. Render in English: В 160 километрах от Токио есть небольшой ресторанчик. Однако он ш ироко известен по всей Японии. Его владелец, Кесиро Ф унасоки, предлагает кофе по неслыханно высокой цене (at an ex o rb ita n t price) — 38 долларов за чашку. Качество кофе, правда, очень хорошее, но цена все ж е не­ слыханная (unheard of). Однако желающих посетить этот ресторан более чем достаточно. Расчет владельца оказался верным (his plan worked) — людское тщеславие безгра­ нично, и каждому снобу приятно случайно обронить (men­ tio n casually) в разговоре: «Как-то раз, когда я пил кофе у Кесиро Ф у н асо к и .. . Д а-да, тот самый кофе, по 38 дол­ ларов за ч а ш к у ...» Н ельзя отрицать и того, что владелец ресторана — тон­ кий психолог (has a su b tle know ledge of hum an najture). Клиентам попроще (customers of more m odest means), ко­ торые не могут себе позволить платить по 38 долларов за чашку кофе, здесь подают чай по цене 2 доллара за чашку. Заказав чашечку такого чая, снобы меньшего калибра (snobs of a lesser dim ension) чувствуют, что они как бы приобщаются к «высшему обществу» (feel as if they too are a p art of “society”). Им будет дозволено видеть зал, где пьют самый дорогой в мире кофе (the most expensive coffee is drunk). Jokes The m uch-m arried society beauty ran in to some friends at a dinner-party. “D arlings,” she said in a soft, sweet voice, “I have w on­ derful news. I am g ettin g m arried next w eek.” “R eally ,” cam e the reply. “Anyone you know?” 137 * * * There is a new electronic brain in New York. It offers women perfect guidance on th eir m ake-up problem s. The elec­ tronic b rain asks 51 questions — height, age, colour of h air, w hether you have air conditioning and so on. It even shows a certain am ount of curiosity. “Do you have a dry or oily forehead? A re you happy w ith your husband? Do you prefer bridge or p o k e r? .. You feed th e inform ation in and a few m inutes later the beauty brain spills out a p rinted sheet containing the exact shades of lip stick , foundation powder and eye shadow to buy. W omen seem to like it. One lady said: “I t ’s a com forting brain — you can tell i t all about your age and your oily fore­ head and you know it will never te ll.” QUIZ I 1. W ho said: “Cowards die many tim es before their deaths. The v a lia n t never taste of death but once.”? 2. a) How m any continents do you know? b) Name them . 3. a) W hen and by whom was the Boer war fought? b) W hat characters in a well-known English novel participated in it? 4. a) W hich is the greatest of R aphael’s Madonnas? b) W hat do you know about the “adventures” of the painting? c) W here can one see it now? 5. W ho wrote: a) The D evil’s D isciple, b) Lady Winder­ mere’s F an, c) School for Scandal? 6. W hat languages are spoken in a) S w itzerland, b) H ol­ land, c) D enm ark, d) Sweden, e) Norway? 7. a) N am e a famous w atering place in England known for its hot springs? b) W hat else is it rem arkable for? c) In w hat A m erican novel does the hero v isit the place as a “to u rist”? 8. E x plain a) the m eaning and b) the origin of the ex­ pression “sword of Damocles” . 9. W hich of D ickens’ characters kept on saying he was born in the gutter? 10. Id en tify the pictures on the back cover of the te x t­ book. 138 ГТвГ' Kf11. C om plete th e following proverbs: a) A bird in the h a n d . . b) T im e and tid e . . . , c) T here is many a s l i p .. . . 12. G ive E nglish equivalents of the follow ing A m erican words: a) date, b) street-car, c) sidewalk. PERHAPS WE SHALL MEET AGAIN... b y H. E. Bates It was no use, no use any longer. She m ust begin to eat less, much less; starv e herself, cut out 1 everything. It could not go on like this: p ublic dinner after p ublic dinner, com pany _ luncheons’ 2 lavish food, eating till she could not breathe, eating for the sake of eating. She m ust be firm , put a stop to it, now, at once, before the sum m er got too ho t, before V ictor got to be the director of any more com panies. Two hundred and th irteen pounds.3 She saw the hands of the b a th ­ room weight-clock revolve 4 again in im agination, and rest at th a t awful figure. She felt like w eeping.5 I t was som ething terrible. No wom an could bear it. And so she made up her m ind. She was going to starve herself, and see w hat th at would do. She bounced and dum ped “ along the edge of the lake, in the park, like a distended silk balloon, her feet still quite n e a t,7 her ankles bony, so th at it appeared as if she wore false legs. On the edge of the lake, sm all children were crum bling bread 8 and buns for the ducks. Mrs. V ictor was revolted. Food, always food, eating, d id n ’t the world do an y th in g else? G ulls planed over and clawed the air, to swoop down and up and snatch the throw n bread before it reached the w ater. She bum ped and panted past, out of range of gulls and ch il­ dren 9 and th e rev o lting sight of bread throw n and snatched. She sat down on one of the green public seats. There was another thing. Now it had got so th at she couldn’t sit on one of th e twopenny chairs. 10 They were m ade only, it seemed, for norm al people, th e slim and elegant. She rem em bered the days when she had been slim and elegant. Like the young woman on the seat. J u s t like her. Scarcely enough flesh, if any th in g . 11 M rs. V icto r looked at the young wom an who, in tu rn , was starin g across the w ater: blonde, young, w ith shadowpointed cheeks and a sm all scarlet butto n h o le m outh closed 139 tig h t up. M rs. V icto r, looking to see if she had any stockings on a t all, saw th e points of stitched ladders 12 where the legs crossed. Stockings m eant she had some sort of belt on. W ell, th a t was ju st for decency. She d id n ’t need support. It was a figure th at had stepped straig h t out of advertisem ents. Mrs. V ictor looked down at her own thighs, like two vast sausages, and felt like weeping. She could not bear it, and looked back at the girl. Ask her if she diets. Somehow she looks as if she diets. T hat sort of thinness can’t be n a tu ra l. T here’s thinness and thinness. 13 Somehow she looks as if she m ust diet. Mrs. V ictor hesitated to speak. T han she looked again at th e girl. You could have blown her away w ith a breath. She had the ethereal lightness you saw spoken of in advertise­ m ents. More children h ad appeared on the lake-edge, w ith more bread. Mrs. V ictor said: “Excuse me. I ’ve been looking at your figure, and w on­ dering —” “E h?” The g irl, sta rtle d , turned her extraordinarily thin face. “I’m sorry, I ca n ’t hear for the birds.” 14 For a m om ent the birds quietened. Mrs. V ictor said: “I hope you’ll excuse my speaking to you. I ’ve been looking at your figure. W ondering if you did an ything special for it. If you d ieted. You see how I am .” “No,” the girl said. “I don’t do an y th in g special.” “Oh!” Mrs. V ictor, n o t knowing how to go on, sm iled. T h e g irl’s profile looked as though it had been pared down, 15 by a knife. “I ’ve got so desperate now,” she said, “th a t I ’m thin k in g of seriously starv in g .” It did not sound rig h t. “S tarving se­ riously,” she said. If she th in k s I ’m going to sit here, the girl thought, and listen, sh e ’s crazy. Not me. I ’m going. I ’ll go straig h t aw ay. She sat q u ite still. If I get u p , she thought, I th in k I shall fall down. “R eally starv in g ,” Mrs. V ictor w ent into an explanation of the w ord, m oving slightly along the seat. “You know. Days w ithout food.” “I know.” “I ’m sick of food. Sick of it.” M rs. V ictor began to explain who she w as, how, being who she was, she had to attend din ­ ners, fu n ctio n s,10 eating, always eating, eating u ntil now, 140 a t last, she was u tte rly sick of eating. “T ake last night. The dinner began a t eight and we were still eatin g at half-past nine. S till eating!” The girl sat trying to th in k of som ething to say. She could th in k of nothing bu t her suspender belt. I t felt loose on her body. It w ill fall off, she thought, if I move. I ’ve altered th e hooks 17 once already. I shall have to alter them again. “F irst there was some special sort of cheese, Norwegian or som ething, on ry e-biscuit. As if we needed th a t. Then soup, consomme 18 or crem e,13 just the usual thing. Then fish. And t h a t’s how it w ent on. D uck, pheasant, chicken — and I was so sick of them I tried venison. H ave you ever eaten venison? My husband was h av in g it and he said I should try it. I couldn’t eat it. I ca n ’t explain w hat it tastes like — bu t queer, somehow. Y ou’ve never tried it?” “N o,” the girl said, “I can’t say I h ave.” “D on’t.” I could eat an elephant, the girl thought. I could eat bacon-rind. She sat thin k in g of bacon-rind. People d id n ’t eat it. They cu t it off, bu t if you did fry it, it jum ped in the frying-pan like snakes. “If you m u ltip ly th a t by hundreds y o u ’ll see w hat I have to go through in a y ear,” Mrs. V ictor said. 1 M ultiply it by hundreds. L ike snakes. Snakes lay eggs, hundreds of eggs. The girl rem em bered going, long ago, to th e Zoo, and then giving whole bananas to monkeys. I t ’s n o t so bad, she th o u g h t. I had a banana yesterday. I made it last forty-three m inutes. W ith luck I could make it last an hour. “I ’ve tried special baths. I ’ve tried slim m ing cream s, 20 massage. I ’ve tried everything.” Mrs. V ictor said, “It costs me a fortune. I t ’s terrib le. I used to be as th in as you.” I t ’s no good, th e girl thought, I ’ve got to go 21 down to the post office. If H arry sends the money 1 shall know i t ’s a ll rig h t. If he doesn’t send it I know I ’m done. 22 W hatever happens, I ’ve got to go down to the post office and see. I ’ve got to be logical. I h aven’t a job. I ’ve got to be logical. D uring th e w ar we used to eat locust beans. 28 You never see them now. They said they had food value. W e used to make them last a long. tim e. T h a t’s w hat I w a n t, som ething to last a long tim e. “So I th in k th e re ’s nothing for it,” M rs. V ictor said, “b u t to try sim ple starv a tio n . I shall ju st starv e and starv e.” 141 She laughed a little . “A fter all it m ust be the oldest form of los­ ing w eight in th e w orld.” The ch ildren had come very near, the gulls shrieking above the flurry of ducks, w hite bread and yellow bun-scraps flash­ ing up in arcs against the bright sunshine. “You see, it wears me out. J u s t s ittin g here now, I ’m so hot I don’t know w hat to do w ith myself. I ’m all perspiration. I shall have to change everything when I get hom e.” A sm all child holding a round sugar-shining bun threw it into the w ater in one piece. 24 “I t ’s so h u m iliatin g . You see, don’t you? Your friends, people starin g at you. W hen you’ve been th in , when you’ve had a nice figure. You see, don’t you?” “I see,” the girl said. “I envy you,” M rs. V ictor said. Again th e girl thought, if I get up I shall fall down. She stirred slig h tly , feeling the em ptiness of her stomach send out fainting waves of weakness. H er m ind slipped into sil­ liness. If A has two shillings between her and the workhouse25and th ere’s no letter at the post office how many bananas must A eat before A is dead? On the edge of the lake a nurse stood on tip-toe and tried to regain th e lost bun w ith the ferrule of a sunshade, regained it, and gave it back to the child. “Of course i t ’s all rig h t. Of course th e y ’ll eat it. T hey’ll eat an y th in g .” “I know my husband w on’t like i t ,” Mrs. V ictor said. “But I ca n ’t help it. 2(1 H e’ll say think of my position and so on. But i t ’s no use. I ’ve got my own pride — I can’t look at myself in the glass.” Now’ th e sm all child had him self begun to eat the watersoaked bun, liking it. The nurse swooped down on him like a gull herself, sn atch in g -it aw ay, sta rtlin g him to tears. “W hy does she make th a t child cry? I c a n 't stand children crying,” Mrs. V ictor said. “It gets on my nerves. People think because y ou’re fat and easy going 27 you’ve got no nerves. My nerves are all on edge.” 28 The crying of the sm all child against the crying of the gulls m ade shrill discords. Nerves, the girl thought. Nerves. Somebody had said th at to her. “T h at ch ild ,” Mrs. V ictor said. “I c a n ’t stand it. W hy does she make it cry like th at?” The ch ild , holding his breath, had gone from crimson to faint purple in th e face, in the fury of his frustration. 29 142 The waves of to rtu rin g sound beat against the great cushion of Mrs. V icto r’s body and shook her nerves. She got up. “I t ’s no use, I shall have to go.” A t th a t m om ent the nurse snatched up the child, put him in to a large w hite peram bulator, snatched the bun from his hands and threw it in to the lake again. In a m om ent, as the peram bulator moved off, the screams of the child began to die aw ay . “W ell, th a t’s b e tte r,” Mrs. V ictor said. “Even so, I think I must go.” I must go too, the girl thought. B ut if I get up I shall faint. “G ood-bye,” Mrs. V ictor held out her hand. “T hink of me starv in g .” She held in her large moist hand the g irl’s thin one. “Perhaps we shall meet again.” “Good-bye,” the girl said. Mrs. V ictor w alked away along the edge of the lake. The girl sat starin g at the w ater. Ducks and birds and light and bread revolved like a lucky wheel against the sun. NOTES 1 to cut out (colloq.) — to stop doing or using som ething; e.g. He m ust cu t out w ine and rich food. 2 luncheon — a formal word for lunch (a meal taken be­ tween breakfast and dinner) 3 two hundred and thirteen pounds — about ninety sev­ en kilogram m es (pound — a m easure of w eight = 12 ounces or 453,6 grams) 4 saw the hands of the bathroom weight-clock revolve — видела, как вращаю тся стрелки весов в ванной комнате 5 she felt like weeping — she had a wish to weep (See p. 67 Note 13) 6 bounced and dumped — moved up and down as she walked (Russ, шла подпрыгивающей походкой) 7 neat — nice in shape; e.g. She has a neat figure and shapely legs. 8 to crumble bread (buns) — to rub bread (buns) into crum bs (Russ, крошить) “ She bumped and panted past, out of range of gu lls and children — She moved past, bum ping and p anting, so th at she should not see the gulls and the children. (Russ. Она прошла м и м о .. . , колы хаясь и тяж ело дыша) 143 10 twopenny chair ['tv p n i] — a chair you paid tw openny for (public seats were free, you d id n ’t have to pay for them ) 11 if anything — пожалуй 12 stitched ladders — поднятые и закрепленны е петли (a ladder in the stocking — спущенная петля на чулке; to stitch — to fasten w ith stitches, to sew. Memorize the prov­ erb: A stitch in tim e saves nine.) 13 There’s thinness and thinness.— A person may be thin in different ways; e.g. He is fond of m usic. B ut there’s m u­ sic and music. 14 1 can’t hear for the birds.— I can ’t hear because of the birds. ^ pare down — cut so as to make a thing sm aller. The word is used here to em phasize the thinness of the g irl’s face, the sharpness of its features. ( N o t e: to pare nails, apples, pears, etc.; but to peel potatoes, oranges) 16 function — a public cerem ony, a formal social m eeting, often a public function, a social function such as a banquet, a form al reception, etc. (Russ, прием, торжественный вечер) 17 I’ve altered the hooks — я переставила крючки (ушила пояс); to alter means “to change slig h tly ”; e.g. Your sk irt is too large for you, it m ust be altered . B u t I ’m going to change my clothes (i.e. put on som ething else). 18 consomme (Fr.) — a clear soup m ade usually from a com ­ b in atio n of veal or chicken and other m eat (Russ, бульон) 19 creme (Fr.) — суп-пюре 20-slim m ing creams — cosm etics th a t is supposed to make a person grow th in ner 21 I’ve got to go — I have to (I must) go 22 I’m done (colloq.) — I ’m lost, ruined (Russ, мне конец, крышка) 23 locust beans — плоды рожкового дерева, растущего в Северной Америке 24 in one piece — unbroken (Russ, целиком) 23 If A has two shillings between her and the workhouse — If A has two sh illings to keep him from the workhouse (i.e. when the money is spent A w ill have to starv e or else go to the workhouse) 26 I can’t help it .— I can do noth in g about it. (Russ. ничего не могу поделать). H ere help means “avoid, prevent”; e.g. 1) She co u ld n ’t help th in k in g about it all the tim e. 2) H e is extrem ely fond of her and forgives her everything, he c a n ’t help it. 144 27 easy-going — said about a person who doesn’t trouble much ab out things, who takes them easy 28 my nerves are on edge — I am easily irrita te d and ex­ cited (Russ, меня всё раздраж ает, у меня нервы не в порядке) 29 frustration — failure, defeat, disappointm ent; to frus­ trate — to prevent sm b. from doing sm th.; e.g. H e was frus­ trate d in his plans. EXERCISES Exercise I. P ractise the pronunciation of the following words and w ord-com binations: a) lavish, b reathe, bathroom , balloon, false, extraordi­ n arily , w onder, profile, suspender, loose, ethereal, heroine, aw ful, irony, cushion, venison, tw openny, elegant, thigh(s), sausage(s), b reath , rye-biscuit, pheasant, elephant, massage, stom ach, ferrule, peram bulator b) a n ^ S i ^ 'e d g a v w 3a 'leik; 'b red and 'Ьлпг; 'k b : d w di 'ea; 'snaetf За 'b ra u n 'bred; 's s e t^ 'd a u n ; 'w x n av Ээ Члрш 'ifeaz; 'l u k t w 'd a u n a t h a r ^ 'o u n ^ 'O a i z ; k u d ^ a v 'b lo u n harw a'w ei wi3 a 'bred Exercise II. D rills, a) Read and repeat; b) Use the structures in sen­ tences of your own: I. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. If If If If If I get up I shall fall down. she gets up she will faint. I diet I shall lose w eight. she stops atten d in g functions she w ill grow slim m er. H enry sends the money I shall know i t ’s all right. II. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. I I I I I I wonder if you diet. wonder if you do an ything special for your figure. wonder if she has any stockings on. wonder w hat w ill happen if I get up. wonder if I can do it. wonder if he w ill send me the money. I I I . 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. I've got to go down to the post-office. I've got to be logical. She's got to diet. I've got to attend a social function. She's got to starve if she w ants to be slim . IV. 1. I used to be as thin as you. 2. W e used to eat locust beans during the war. 145 3. W e used to make them last a long tim e. 4. She used to have a neat figure. 5. I used to try massage and special baths. V. 1. 2. 3. 4. Excuse Excuse Excuse Excuse my my my my speaking to you. interrupting you. coming so late. leaving so soon. Exercise III. Answer these questions as in the examples: a) Do you like venison? / can't say I do. b) H ave you ever been to the seaside? I can’t say / have. 1. Did you speak to him about your plans? I c a n ’t say . . . . 2. H ave you read this article? I can’t say . . . . 3. Do you diet? I ca n ’t say . . . . 4 . Does she know you? . . . . 5. H ave you tried massage? . . . 6. Does he like this special sort of cheese? . . . . 7. Are you free to-night? . . . . 8. Is she good-looking? . . . . 9. Are you fond of her? . . . . Exercise IV. Add tail-questions (isn 't it?, don’t you?, didn’t he?, etc.) to these sentences. N o t e : A sentence beginning' w ith I am usually has the tail aren't I; the one with used to — did. 1. The girl was u n naturally th in , . .. ? 2. Mrs. V ictor is sick of food, . .. ? 3. I ’m going to sit here and listen, . . . ? 4. D uring the war we used to eat locust beans, . .. ? 5. I ’ll have to change everything when I get home, . . . ? 6. I ’m aw fully hot, . . . ? 7. She looks as if she were starv in g , . . . ? 8. H e likes fish, . . . ? 9. I am very late, . .. ? and Exercise V. Replace the italicized parts of the sentences by words word-groups from the text: 1. She m ust stop eating altogether. 2. She imist p u t an end to it at once, before V ictor became the director of any more com panies. 3. Mrs. V ictor was disgusted at the sight of the bread and buns. 4. Mrs. V ictor saw th a t the stockings were mended (darned). Stockings meant she wore some sort of belt. 5. She had a wish to cry. 6. Hers was a figure you could see in advertisements. 7. Mrs. V ictor, not knowing how to con­ tinue the conversation, sm iled. 8. Mrs. V ictor was obliged to be present at dinners, functions, etc. 9. The only thing the girl could think of was her suspender belt. 10. “I’ve tried mas­ sage, I ’ve tried everything. It costs me a lot of money.” 11. In spite of all that people say starv atio n must be theoldest 146 form of g ettin g thinner in the w orld. 12. “I know my husband w on’t like it, b u t I can do nothing about it." Exercise VI. F ind in the text equivalents for the following and use them in sentences of your own: а) голодать; голод (голодание); худеть (терять в весе); худой; худоба; тонкий (стройный); толстый; костлявые лодыжки; придерживаться диеты; присутствовать на обе­ дах (приемах); ее тошнило от пищи б) крошить хлеб; булочка; бульон; бананы; ш курка от бекона; цыпленок; утка; быть годным для еды; продлить удовольствие от еды (банана и т. д.) на час; желудок в) перестать есть что бы то ни было; положить конец (чему-либо); схватить (выхватить); вздрогнуть (испуга­ ться); это стоит мне массу денег; ничего не могу поделать; не выношу (не переношу); это действует мне на нервы; покладистая; нервы взвинчены; приходить в отчаяние; это меня изнуряет; я вся покрыта потом; переодеться с головы до ног Exercise V II. Ask each other questions about the text. Exercise V III. C onstruct 6 tail-questions th a t are not true to fact and ask the students to correct them , using words and phrases from the text, e.g. a) “Mrs. V ictor thought she must eat as much as she could, d id n ’t she?” — “Oh, no she d id n ’t. She thought she must starve herself, cut out everything.” b) “Mrs. V ictor did not feel like w eeping when she looked at her own thighs, did she?” — “O h, yes, she did. They looked like two vast sausages, she couldn’t bear it.” Exercise IX. Pick out sentences from the text th a t will answer the following questions: 1. W here did Mrs. V ictor weigh herself? 2. W hat was her weight? 3. W hy did she sit on one of the public seats? 4. W hat did she notice when she looked to see if the young woman had any stockings on? 5. W hat did the girl think of her suspender belt? W hy had she had to alter the hooks? Exercise X. Use words and expressions from the text in answering the following questions: 1. W hy did M rs. V ictor feel like weeping? 2. W hat was her h u sb an d ’s social standing and w hat sort of life was she obliged to live? 3. W hat did the young wom an in the story 147 look like? W h at made M rs. V ictor th in k she dieted? 4. W hat was the girl th in k in g about? 5. W hat did she rem em ber doing long ago? 6. W hat did Mrs. V ictor say she had done to lose weight? 7. W hy did the girl w ant to go to the post office? 8. W hy was M rs. V ictor ignorant of the state the girl was in? Exercise XI. Im agine th a t you are a) Mrs. V ictor, b) the g irl. Go to the front of the class and answer the questions the students w ill ask you. Exercise X II. 1) R etell the episode w ith the bun using the following words and phrases: sm all child; sugar-shining bun; in one piece; on the edge of th e lake; to stand on tip-toe; to regain; w ater-soaked bun; to swoop down (on); to snatch away; to sta rtle to tears; can’t stand children crying; to get on one’s nerves; my nerves are on edge; to hold one’s breath; to go crim son (purple); to snatch up (from); peram bulator; to move off; screams; to die away 2) R etell the story using the following words and phrases: to cut out everything; to go on like this; to pu t a stop to; the hands of the w eight-clock; to feel like weeping; bony ankles; n ea t feet; on the edge of the lake; to crum ble bread; to snatch the thrown bread; out of range; slim and elegant; to sta re across the w ater; to have stockings on; stitched lad ­ ders; just for decency; could not bear it; I ’ve been w ondering if; startled ; excuse my speaking to you; an y th in g special; to get desperate; she’s crazy; to go in to an explanation; to be sick of; to a tte n d dinners; nothing but; suspender belt; it fe lt loose; th a t’s how it went on; it tastes queer; bacon-rind; frying-pan; to m u ltip ly by; to have to go through; to make it last; it costs me a fortune; I ’ve got to; I ’m done; to lose w eight; it wears me out; to change everything; c a n ’t help it; i t ’s no use; to make the ch ild cry; easy-going; my nerves are on edge; can ’t stan d it; moist hand; to w alk aw ay; to revolve against the sun Exercise X III. Make up sentences using as if, as though. E x a m p le s : a) She looked as if she were actu ally starv in g . b) It appeared as if she wore false legs. c) He looked as though he had been too long w ith o u t sleep. 148 Exercise XIV. Choose the correct words from those in brackets: (change — alter) I. 1. She has . . . her address and I don’t know how to find her. 2. The su it doesn’t fit him w ell. It m ust be . . . . 3. I ’ve got to rush home to . . . my clothes for dinner. 4. L e t’s . . . seats. I can see very little because of the tall man in front of me. 5. H e intended to spend the sum m er in town, b u t then he . . . his m ind. 6. She slightly . . . the original plan and handed it in. (pare — peel) II. 1. Shall I . . . an apple for you? 2. She hated to . . . potatoes, therefore she usually boiled them in their jackets. (lucky — happy) II I. 1. By some . . . chance she caught sight of him in th e crowd. 2. T h at kind of life doesn’t make me . . . . 3. H er husband has retu rn ed safe and she is as . . . as . . . can be. Exercise XV. Answer the following questions (using the Complex Object Construction): 1. W h at did M rs. V ictor see the hands of the bathroom w eight-clock do? 2. W hat could she see the gulls snatch? 3. W hat did the girl rem em ber doing long ago? 4. How long did the girl make a banana last? 5. W ho made the child cry? 6. How did the girl see herself tnoving along the street? Exercise XVI. Use the following phrases in sentences of your own: a) to feel like doing something I n t h e t e x t : She felt like weeping. E x a m p le : He d id n 't feel like eating. b) for the sake of doing something or for his (her, somebody's) sake In th e t e x t : She couldn’t go on eating for the sake of eating ( = ju st because she liked it). E x a m p l e s : 1) H e sacrificed everything for the sake of his motherland (= fo r the good of). 2) Let me try for your sake. 149 Exercise XVII. Make these sentences em phatic as in b). E x a m p le s : a) If you fried bacon-rind, it jum ped in the frying-pan like snakes. b) If you did fry bacon-rind (instead of cu ttin g it off), it jum ped in th e frying-pan like snakes. a) He w ent to the lake. b) H e did go to the lake. 1. Mrs. V ictor ate a lot at dinner parties and social func­ tions. 2. D on’t th in k she did nothing to lose w eight. She tried slim m ing creams and massage. 3. H e sent her the money at last. 4. She felt like sittin g there for ever, but she rose to go. 5. She had prom ised to come and she came. Exercise XVIII. Translate into English: 1. He морите себя голодом. Вы очень похудели. 2. Я не выношу, когда плачут дети. 3. Интересно, соблюдает ли она диету. 4. Вы должны перестать есть хлеб и булки, если вы хотите похудеть. 5. Интересно, съедобны ли ягоды (годятся ли для еды). 6. Интересно, присутствовал ли он на приеме вчера. 7. Ее платья стоят ей массу денег. 8. Ее тошнит от еды. Она ничего не может поделать с этим. 9. Если ты хочешь похудеть, надо сесть на диету. 10. Этот шум дей­ ствует ей на нервы. 11. Она такая худая, как будто совсем ничего не ест. Exercise XIX. Topics for discussion: 1. Speak on th e settin g of th e story (the lake, the gulls, th e children, etc.) W h at do you th in k is th eir role in the story? 2. Describe Mrs. V ictor. 3. Describe Mrs. V icto r’s husband (as you im agine him ). 4. O utline the character of the girl (describe her appear­ ance, clothes, her thoughts, etc.). 5. Tell the story of the g irl’s life (as you im agine it). W hat do you th in k has reduced her to the s ta te she was in? 6. Think of a possible end of the story. W hat do you th in k happened after the girl went down to th e post office? 7. Compare the two women and speak on one of life’s ironies as illu stra te d in th is story. 8. W hy does the author introduce th e episode w ith the bun? 9. Describe a public dinner or a com pany luncheon. 150 10. D escribe a person who diets. 11. Tell the class a story you have read in which the heroine finds herself in a hopeless position. 12. Speak on unem ploym ent in c a p ita list countries. Give 6X 2 mples from literatu re. Exercise XX. Render in English: а) В семье итальянского бедняка Сальваторе Арена случилось несчастье: врачи сказали, что его старшей до­ чери Розетте (а всего в семье одиннадцать детей) придется ампутировать ногу (have her leg am putated). Ее уже опе­ рировали (had been operated on) дважды, но рана не заж и ­ вала (the wound w ouldn’t heal). Заболела Розетта еще не­ сколько лет тому назад у себя на родине, в одной из нищих деревушек Южной Италии, где многочисленное семейство Арена едва перебивалось с хлеба на воду (live from hand to mouth) и не могло даже помышлять о дорогих лекарствах для больной девочки (couldn’t dream of). Отчаявшиеся родители решили бросить свой дом и от­ правиться искать счастья (seek their fortune) в прославлен­ ной (vaunted) столице индустриальной Италии — Милане. Но оказалось, что и здесь никому не нужны рабочие руки. Просто в М илане стало одним безработным больше, а во­ семнадцатилетняя Розетта, поняв, что помощи ждать не­ откуда, реш илась на крайний шаг. Она поместила объяв­ ление о том, что согласна продать одну почку (kidney) за сумму, которая необходима для лечения ноги. Через некоторое время девушка получила уведомление из полиции, смысл которого сводился к тому (a notice to th e effect th a t), что сейчас семидесятые годы 20-го века, а не средневековье, и что законом запрещ ено (be against th e law') продавать свое тело целиком и по частям (as а whole or in p art). П о-видимому,такой закон в Италии дей­ ствительно существует. Нет только закона, обеспечиваю­ щего (guarantee) людям право на труд и на медицинскую помощь (medical aid). b) Помни о весе! Всем известно, что если вы бу дете есть много булочек, пирогов и пирожных и при этом вести малоподвижный об­ раз жизни (do hardly any exercise), то вы начнете полнеть (put on w'eight). Д л я того чтобы похудеть (lose weight) и иметь стройную (slim) фигуру, надо соблюдать диету. Ш Но как трудно порой бывает отказаться от ж ареных уточек (roast ducks), отбивных (chops)'и пирожных! И как грустно, встав на весы, обнаружить, что вы опять приба­ вили в весе. Д л я слабовольных (weak-willed) людей, не способных соблюдать диету и воздерживаться от обильной еды (refrain from rich food), во Франции изобретена специальная элект­ ровилка. Если вы прикоснетесь к «запретному плоду» (forbidden fru it), вы почувствуете, как она начнет покалы ­ вать вас электрическими разрядами (feel “pin-pricking” caused by th e electric current). Новый прибор (gadget) н а­ зывается «Помни о весе!» (m ind your w eight). QUIZ I I 1. W ho said: “The tim e is out of joint: О cursed spite. T h at ever I was born to set it rig h t!”? 2. a) W h at is the most beautiful scenery in the English countryside? b) W h at group of poets and a rtists has derived its nam e from it? 3. Two areas far ap a rt from each other have the nam e of Georgia. W h at are they? . 4. W ho w rote: a) The W inter's T a le, b) The W inter of Our Discontent? 5. In w hat European country did two famous English poets meet as exiles? W hat were th eir names? W hen was it? In w hat uprising did they later both take part? 6. The following pictures are m asterpieces by Old M asters: a) “The N ight W atch” , b) “The Sleeping Venus”, c) “The B lue M adonna” . N am e the artists. 7. W hat languages are spoken in the countries of L atin America? 8. Identify the pictures on the front cover of the te x t­ book. 9. In a Greek legend a cunning and greedy king of Cor­ in th was condem ned in Hades to roll uphill a huge stone th a t always rolled down again, a) W h at was his name? b) W hat expression denotes hard unceasing labour? 10. W ho created the following characters: a) U riah Heep, b) C aptain D obbin, c) M ontague D artie, d) A ndrew Manson? 11. Com plete th e following proverbs: a) Second th o u g h ts . . . , b) All is w e ll. . . . 152 12. W h at are the English equivalents of the following Am erican words: a) canned food, b) cigar store, c) telephone booth? THE HUNGRY WINTER b y E liz a b e th H. M iddleton W hen th e launch 1 which was to take him out of the h in ­ terland 2 of n o rthern C anada failed to show u p ,3 Spencer S cott found him self in a difficult situ atio n . There was ap p a r­ ently nothing for him to do bu t to w ait. Bob H ilto n , a h u n t­ er, living in the sm all village, offered him h o sp itality which he gladly accepted. Tim e passed quickly. H ilton was an en tertain in g old m an, always ready w ith a story. One evening th e two men were sittin g in front of the fire when an In d ian brought in an arm ful of wood. “T hank you, U ncle.” “W hy do you call him th at?” Spencer asked as soon as the In d ian had left th e room . It seemed an odd way for the old man to address a m an so much younger th an him self. “O h, everyone does. Ju liu s is a great favorite around here.” H e filled his pipe w ith fresh tobacco. U ncle reappeared, this tim e carrying a pot of tea. H e set it down on a tab le, together w ith two glasses, then silently disappeared. “W ell, Bob, how about another Indian tale? T hey’re such strange people, so h ard to understand.” “T hey’re not so different as you th in k . A t tim es seemingly childlike, perhaps, yet som etim es far superior to us.” He drew on his p ip e,4 and kept silent for a w hile. “You have never been here in the w in te r,” Bob H ilton went on. “Ah! Then the N orth is tru ly m agnificent. T h a t’s when she really lays her hold on you.5 The Indians know it w ell. In spite of discom fort and even p riv atio n , they prefer it to any season of th e year. They hitch up the dogs, and visit one another, often for weeks at a tim e. F easts last not hours, bu t days. One th a t I attended continued three days. “B ut not all w inters are good ones.6 There are the lean years.7 I can recall w inters when it seemed there were no anim als alive in the en tire N orth. Even ra b b its, which are 153 taken for g ra n te d ,8 som etim es die of some unknow n disease by the th o u san d .8 B ut the w orst of all are the w inters w ith ­ out ca rib o u .10 It is about one of these th at I am going to tell you. “The men of this village, about tw enty of them , went out as usual in th e fall 11 to h u n t the caribou which m igrate each year from the Barren L an d s.12 B ut this p articu lar year the h u n ters could not find them . The caribou, you know, travel in a large herd, an im mense solid mass of creatures which has been est m ated at over a m illion. If the hunters miss th is herd, they can seldom kill enough meat to last out th e win ter. “How well I remem ber the day the men returned! T hey were g au n t, exhausted, their eye sockets red from loss of sleep. They were men w ithout hope; they knew death was not far from them and their fam ilies. “Ju liu s detached him self from the group and came to me. ‘“ I know where there is a cach e.’ 13 “A t once I knew he had made it. On one of his h u n tin g trips he m ust have laid by food, drying it and caching it sq it would be safe. ‘“ Is it a big one?’ I asked him . ‘“ P re tty b ig ,’14 he said. “T th in k we should w ait a w hile y e t,’ I told him . ‘We still have some food. W e will m ake it last as long as possible, and in the m eantim e som ething may turn u p .’ 15 “B ut nothing did. By m id-January everything edible 16 was gone, even th e dogs to pull the sledges. I im agine it is difficult for you to realize our predicam ent.17 You are prob­ ably thin k in g , why d id n ’t they go to some other village? W hy d id n ’t they send out for help before it was too late? But we were extrem ely isolated. Besides, it was alm ost cer­ tain th at th e fam ine was general. If the m igration of caribou was so erratic 18 our hunters could not find it, it was im prob­ able others had succeeded where we had failed. Thus, no one would have more food than we, nor, if they had, could they spare i t . 19 Even if we had saved the dogs, by the tim e a trip could have been made to the outside and the few provi­ sions the team s could haul had been brought back, all our people w ould be dead. “W hen all the food was gone, I w ent to Ju liu s. “‘Now we w ill go to your cache.’ “I shall never forget th a t trip . The entire village set out on 154 snowshoes. The distance was not great, bu t when your stomach is drawn together, and your legs are like boiled m acaroni, when your eyes are blurred and w atery, even a m ile seems endless. To make m atters w orse,20 the w eather turned very cold. W e were, you m ust rem em ber, close to the Barrens where tem peratures of seventy below are not at all uncom ­ mon. And in ad d itio n a blizzard overtook us, lashing our faces w ith icy particles. It is im possible to describe our suf­ ferings. “I am not sure how long we travelled, but at last we came to the shore of a sm all lake and there, exactly as Ju liu s had prom ised, was th e cache. It was made of raw hide bundles fastened to a platform , raised on poles off the ground so that anim als could not reach it. A shout of joy went up from all of u s . “Eagerly the men brought down the bundles and tore them open. Alas! They had already been opened; they were em pty. Someone else had visited the cache. A different cry arose, one of rage 22 and anguish. Even the children, infected w ith their elders’ grief and despair, sobbed b itte rly . “W e lay down in the snow, and even I, who should have known b e tte r,23 wept as b itte rly as the rest. B ut Ju liu s did not weep. W hen I becam e calm er, I noticed th a t he stared fixedly at th e frozen lake, and in stan tly I guessed his thought: under the ice there must be fish. “Now the cache, for all it was devoid of food,24 did con­ tain some fishhooks.25 W e baited some of these w ith pieces of raw hide, having nothing else for b ait, and dropped them into the w ater through holes chopped in the ice. W e w aited and w aited, b u t nothing happened. The fish refused to bite. T hat n ig h t, at my suggestion, the men lighted torches to a t­ tract th e fish to the holes, lying in w ait w ith knives fastened to poles. S till no fish appeared. O ur efforts came to nothing. “M orning dawned at last. All around us as we sat on th at desolate shore were the dark, enclosing trees covered w ith snow. The w ind, rising slowly, moaned across the ice. Above us th e sky was om inous and heavy; a new storm was brew ing.20 Soon we m ust inev itab ly die, every one of us. Now, I had often w atched in d ividuals aw ait death, but never an entire com m u­ n ity . It defies d escription.27 “Suddenly J u liu s rose and ran to one of the open holes. “He sat down on the ice and removed a moccasin 28 and legging.20 Then, before we guessed w hat he was about, he had 155 pulled out his knife and had cut a strip of flesh from his own leg. A ghast, we saw him b ait a hook w ith this still liv ­ ing tissue,30 and fling it into the open hole.” Bob H ilto n ceased speaking. In spite of the crackling flames in th e fireplace, Spencer knew he dwelt o n 31 th at frozen shore. H e him self shivered sym pathetically. To break the spell he asked a question. “O bviously you survived the w inter. W as it because Ju liu s caught a fish?” W ith obvious effort, the h u n ter returned to the fireside. “Yes, the lake was full of them . A fter the first, we always had b ait. There was never any more trouble. W e spent the rest of the w inter there, and fortunately spring came early th a t year. N atu re showered us w ith food.32 There were quan­ tities of sm all gam e and swarms of p tarm ig an .33 It was like a m iracle.” There was a pause. For a w hile both men were silent. “W ell!” suddenly the hu n ter becam e his usual jovial self. “I t ’s qu ite a good story, don’t you think?” “A very good sto ry .” B ut in Spencer’s m ind, a doubt lu rk ­ ed.34 In a way he believed the story, in a way he did not. H e suspected th a t the events just related m ight have happened to someone else. Or the story m ight have no factual basis, bu t have arisen from a legend or m yth. His face must have betrayed his skepticism . “I don’t th in k you believe my little ta le ,” Bob H ilton sm iled. “No m atter. It is not im p o rtan t. B ut come, we haven’t touched our tea. It must be stone cold. I ’ll have Uncle bring in 36 some fresh.” W hen th e In d ian entered the room , H ilto n called to him . “By th e w ay, how is th a t bad ankle of yours? May I take a look at it? ” He leaned over, lifting the bottom of the In d ian ’s trouser. Spencer saw , as he was sure he was m eant to ,30 a long depressed area, a puckered w hitish scar, extending up the m an’s leg for more th an four inches. NOTES 1 launch [b :n tf] — a boat used for carrying passen­ gers on short journeys for pleasure or business (Russ, баркас, моторная лодка) 156 2 hinterland — th e land lying behind a stretch of coast or the bank of a large riv er (Russ, глубинный район) 3 failed to show up — did not arrive 4 he drew on his pipe — раскурил трубку (затя­ нулся) 6 she lays her hold on you (fig .) — the country gains pow­ er (influence) over you (the pronoun she is used when speak­ ing of a country) 6 good o n es= g o o d w inters; one is a pronoun used instead of the noun to avoid rep etitio n (here in the plural ones) 7 lean years=n ot productive, during which not much is produced (e.g. lean harvest — плохой, бедный урожай) 8 rabbits . . . are taken for granted — one is sure th at there will be plenty of rab b its (to take something for grant­ ed — to accept som ething as a fact (Russ, считать само собой разумеющимся). 9 by the thousand — a thousand at a tim e (also by the dozen, score, hundred, etc.) 10 caribou ['kseribu:] — канадский олень 11 fall (A m .) — autum n 12 the Barren Lands — the treeless plains or tundras of N orthern C anada in h abited by Indians and a few hunters 13 cache [kaej] — a hiding-place for food 14 pretty big (colloq.) — rath er big 15 something may turn up — som ething may be found 16 edible ['edibl] — fit to eat (Russ, съедобный) 17 predicament — dangerous situation 18 erratic — (here) unusual 19 to spare — to find it possible to give to others; e.g. Can you spare me a box of matches? H e has no money to spare. 20 to make matters worse — Russ, в довершение ко всему 21 the Barrens — see N ote 12 22 one of rage — a cry of rage; see N ote 6 23 to know better — to be wise enough not to do so; e.g You ought to know b etter than to spend all the money you have on trifles. 24 for a ll it was devoid of food — although it did not con­ tain food (for a ll — although, in spite of; e.g. For all her beauty there was no charm in her.) 26 did contain some fishhooks — yet (the cache) contained some fishhooks (did is used for em phasis and m ust be pronounced w ith a stress; Russ, всё же) 157 26 a . . . storm was brewing — a . . . storm was gathering force (to brew — надвигаться, назревать) 27 It defies description.— I t ’s im possible to describe it. 28 moccasin ['m akasm j — a shoe m ade of soft deerskin (Russ, мокасин) 29 leggings — leather outer coverings for the legs up to the knee (Russ, краги) 30 bait a hook with this still living tissue — attach the strip of flesh to a hook 31 he dwelt on (upon) — he thought of; to dwell 1) to live; 2) to dwell on (upon) — to th in k , speak or w rite about som ething for a long time; e.g. Now let me dwell on our trip to C anada (= s p e a k about it). 32 showered us with food — gave us food in abundance 33 ptarmigan [ 'ta m ig a n ]— белая куропатка 34 a doubt lurked (in his mind) — there was some secret doubt (in his mind); to lurk — to lie in w ait, to rem ain sec (Russ, таиться, прятаться, скрываться) 36 I’ll have Uncle bring in — I ’ll m ake U ncle bring in (to have somebody do sm th .— to cause somebody to do sm th.) 36 he was meant to — H ilton w anted him to see the In ­ d ian ’s ankle (meant to — m eant to see, to is used instead of the in fin itiv e to avoid repetition). EXERCISES Exercise I. Practise the pronunciation of the following a) words and b) word-com binations: a) launch, h in terlan d , h o sp itality , en tertain in g , tobacco, experience, superior, m agnificent, discom fort, p rivation, caribou, m igrate, barren, p artic u la r, g aunt, exhausted, socket, predicam ent, fam ine, isolated, erratic, stom ach, m ac­ aroni, blizzard, anguish, om inous, com m unity, moccasin, aghast, b a it, tissue, m iracle, jo v ial, factual, basis, m yth, area b) w enw 3a 'b i n t f 'feild w ta 'J o u 'л р ; 'livnj m ^ S a 'sm a:l 'vilidg; in 'frx n t эл За 'fats; ta'g e3 a w i3w 'tu : 'glasiz; a 'b a u t 'tw en ti av 3am; 'n o u 'aemmalz a 'la iv m ^ S i ^ m 't a i a 'no:0 Exercise II. D rills, a) Read and repeat; b) Use the structures in sen­ tences of your own: I. 158 1. The launch was to take him out of the hinterland. 2. The men were to h u n t the caribou and m ake a supply of m eat for th e w inter. 3. W e were to meet on the shore of a lake. 4. At w hat tim e is he to come? 5. W hat are they to do? II. 1. I ’ll have Uncle bring in some fresh tea. 2. He had the typ ist type all th e letters and telegram s. 3. P lease, have the porter carry my luggage to the p la t­ form. 4. I shall have her lay the table for dinner. III. 1. 2. 3. 4. The h u n te r m ust have missed the herd. The boy m u st have laid by food for the w inter. The villagers m ust have realized the danger. He m ust have been exhausted after the trip . Exercise III. Replace the italicized parts of the sentences by words and word-groups from the text: 1. They are such strange people, it's d ifficu lt to under­ stand them. 2. In this country there are plenty of rabbits to be shot if you are short of food. 3. By the m iddle of the month we had eaten everything that was f i t to eat including the dogs. 4. It is difficult for you to understand the dangerous situation we found ourselves in. 5. To make things worse, the tem perature fell to seventy degrees below zero. 6. W e were sure to die soon. 7. It's impossible to describe the scene. 8. W e co u ld n ’t guess what he was going to do. 9. Filled with horror we saw him cut a strip of flesh from his own leg. Exercise IV. Find in the text English equivalents for the following and use them in sentences of your own: занимательный; охотно; странный (2); изможденный; предложить кому-либо гостеприимство; выше (лучше) кого-либо; умирать тысячами; отложить (запасти) пищу на зиму; все съедобное; невероятно; в довершение ко всему; горько рыдать; остальные; пристально глядеть; прорубь; рыба не клюет; крючок; приманка; насаж ивать наживку на крючок; в ужасе; это невозможно описать; выжить; давать в изобилии; холодный, как лед; взглянуть (на) Exercise V. Fill in the blanks w ith prepositions or adverbs: 1. As th e carriage did not s h o w tim e he decided to w alk . . th e sta tio n . 2. . . . one . . . his h u n tin g trip s he had laid . . . enough food to last . . . the w inter. 3. It was 159 difficult . . . him to understand why they had not sent . . . . . . help . . . tim e. 4. E arly . . . the m orning he s e t ............. snowshoes, hoping to get . . . the nearest village before dark. A shout . . . joy w ent him w hen . . . last he saw glim m ering lights . . . the distance. 5. . . . the fisherm an’s suggestion we baited the fishhooks . . . pieces . . . dry m eat, as we had n o th in g else . . . b a it, and dropped them . . . the w ater. 6. They spent hours . . . end . . . the desolate shore lying . . . w ait . . . knives fastened . . . poles. B ut their efforts came . . . n o th in g . 7. L ittle did they suspect . . . those dism al days th at very soon n atu re wrould shower them . . . food. Exercise VI. Pick out sentences from the text th a t contain answers to the following questions: 1. W h at did th e hu n ter say about th e Indians? 2. W hy do the Indians prefer w inter to any season of the year? 3. How did Bob H ilto n describe the men who had retu rn ed after fail­ ing to find the caribou? 4. W hat happens if the hunters miss the herd? 5. W hy did Bob H ilto n advise Ju liu s to w ait w ith the cache? 6. W h at was the cache m ade of? 7. W hy did they b ait the fishhooks w ith rawhide? 8. W hat shows the fish did not like th a t kind of bait? Exercise V II. C onstruct 5 disjunctive questions th a t are not true to fact and ask your comrades to correct them (see p. 147, Ex. V III). Exercise V III. Use words and expressions from the tex t in answering the following questions: 1. W hy did Spencer Scott find him self in a difficult s it­ uation? 2. W hose h o sp itality did Spencer S cott gladly accept? 3. W hat seemed odd to Spencer? 4. How did Bob H ilton describe the lean years? 5. W hat was the trouble in the year H ilton told his guest about? 6. W hy did H ilto n say he would never forget the trip to the cache J u liu s had made? 7. How did Ju liu s show him self twice a m an of action? 8. W hy did a doubt lurk in Spencer’s mind? 9. How did H ilto n prove to Spencer the tru th of his story? Exercise IX. Im agine th at you are Ju liu s. Go to the front of the class and answer the questions the students ask. Exercise X. R etell the story using the following words: was to take him ; failed to show up; there was nothing for him bu t; to offer ho sp itality ; en tertain in g ; arm ful; odd way; superior to; truly m agnificent; lean years; to take for granted; die by the thousand; this p artic u la r year; to travel 160 in a herd; to miss (the herd); to last out; gaunt; exhausted; he m ust have laid by food; safe; to make it last; everything edible; to send out for help; extrem ely isolated; im probable; nor could they spare it; all the food was gone; to set out on snowshoes; to seem endless; to make m atters worse; raised on poles; to bring down the bundles; to tear open (the bundles); a cry arose; to sob b itte rly ; I should have known better; the rest; to stare fixedly; to b ait a hook (w ith); holes chopped in th e ice; to refuse to bite; at my suggestion; to lie in w ait; to come to nothing; it defies description; a strip of flesh; aghast; to break the spell; obviously; to survive the w inter; fortunately; showered us w ith food; a doubt lurked; to arise from a legend; to b etray; stone cold; I ’ll have him bring in; take a look at; a w hitish scar Exercise X I. T ranslate into Russian: I. 1. H e was a good story-teller and the boys listened to him spell-bound. 2. H e is an entirely different man now. He seems to be under a spell. 3. The story goes th a t once a W icked W itch cast a spell on a beautiful young princess. 4. The friends sat in silence w atching the fire b urning low, when the serv an t’s sudden en trance broke the spell. II. 1. N atu re showered us with food. 2. “Take a shower. I t ’ll make you feel b e tte r.” 3. “You ca n ’t very well expect G randfather to shower g ifts on you after you’ve done all you could to disgrace him !” 4. L etters and in v ita tio n cards were showered on th e beau tiful starlet by cinem a fans. 5. W hen the Negro boy appeared in the school-yard he was met w ith a shower of stones. Exercise X II. T ranslate these sentences into English using handful, spoonful, arm ful: 1. Прими л о ж к у этого лекарства, и тебе станет лучше. 2. Она дала мне г о р с т ь спелых ягод. 3. Вдали была видна к у ч к а людей. 4. Старик взял о х а п к у дров и отнес ее в дом. Exercise X III. Choose the correct word from those in brackets: (else — still — more) 1. W ho . . . w ill go on a h u n tin g trip? 2. M orning dawned a t last and they were . . . there, on the shore of a frozen lake. 3. There was n o th in g . . . for them bu t to aw ait death. 4. Ju liu s was going to have another try; he was sure there 6 ,\2 1518 161 was . . . hope. 5. B ring the tea-pot, please, we w ant some . . . tea. (rise — raise) 1. Suddenly he . . . and ran to the hole chopped in the ice. 2. Ju liu s . . . a platform on poles and placed a cache on it to prevent m arauding anim als from reaching it. 3. The old man . . . his hand and made a sign for everybody to be silent. 4. The w ind . . . ra p id ly and soon a blizzard overtook them . 5. They baited the hooks w ith raw hide bu t the fish would not . . . to th e b ait. (bring — take) 1. I ’ll be obliged to you if you . . . this book to the library. I ’ve prom ised to retu rn it today. 2. W hen are you going to . . . me the notes? I need them badly. (offer — suggest) 1. M ay I . . . you a cup of tea? 2. My host . . . th at we should go skiing after dinner. 3. One of us . . . going to the cinem a and Mary . . . to go and buy tickets. (lie — lay) 1. Every experienced h u n ter . . . by food for the w inter. 2. There was nobody in the study bu t his note-book . . . open on the tab le. 3. Let sleeping dogs . . . . 4 . M other . . . th e tab le and th e fami l y gathered in the dining-room . (lurk — hide) 1. It was necessary to find a safe place to . . . the leaf lets; the police were sure to search the house. 2. She felt restless and depressed; a strange fear . . . in her heart. Exercise XIV. Use to take something for granted in sentences of your own. In t h e t e x t : Even rabbits, which are taken for granted, som etim es die of some unknow n disease. Examples: 1. D o n 't take it for granted th a t you w ill alw ays g e t eve­ ry th in g you wish. 2. H e took it for granted th a t he w ould find a job wherever he w ent. 162 3. The actress took it for granted th a t she would always play th e leading parts in all th e new performances. 4. Ja c k d id n ’t like women when they took anything for granted. Exercise XV. Use so in responding to the following statem ents as in the examples below (use the suggestions in brackets) (see also Ex. IX, p. 135). N o t e : Rem em ber th at in negative responses I hope and I am afraid take not (not may also be used w ith think and believe for em phasis), e.g. Do you think she will win the gold medal? — I ’m afraid not.; W ill you have to work on Sunday? — I hope not. ( I don't think so.) 1. Shall I have to w ait long for the lunch? (not think) 2. I suppose the boat won’t be long in com ing, (hope) 3. W ill it keep fine for some time? (afraid) 4. I don’t think the wound h u rts him very much now. (hope) 5. Ju liu s has actually saved your lives, hasn’t he? (believe) 6. He doesn’t feel pain any longer, does he? (hope) 7. I suppose you w ouldn’t like to stay here in w inter, would you? (not think) 8. You had a very u n p leasant tim e, d id n ’t you? (afraid) 9. You w ouldn’t like to go through the whole thing again, would you? (afraid) 10. Ju liu s is a fine man, isn’t he? (believe) 11. All the people of this village would have died bu t for J u liu s, (think) Exercise XVI. Tell a fishing story using the following words: to set out on snowshoes; the shore of the lake; to chop holes in the ice; fishhooks; b ait; to b ait hooks w ith; to use . . . for b ait; a t first the fish did not bite; to rise to the b ait; to give a cry of joy; to make a fire Exercise XVII. Topics for discussion: 1. Give a ch aracter outline of J u liu s . 2. Speak on an act of self-sacrifice by means of which a man saved the lives of others. 3. Tell a story (by Ja c k London or some other w riter) in which th e heroes had a narrow escape. 4. Describe life in the N orth. E x p lain why some people are so much attra c te d by the N orth in sp ite of its hardships. Exercise XVIII. R ender in English: Самые счастливые охотничьи дни нашей жизни бывают в юности. В этом я нисколько не сомневаюсь. Ничто — даже 6 163 первая пойманная на удочку форель (trout) — не может доставить такое наслаждение, как первая подстреленная вами птица, сраж енная на лету (to shoot a bird on the wing). Я охочусь вот уж е более полувека, но мне никогда не з а ­ быть глухого звука (thud), с которым упал на землю мой первый гусь. Конечно, это отнюдь не был мой первый вы­ стрел. Я взялся за руж ье еще совсем маленьким мальчиком и застрелил кролика, когда он смирно сидел в двух ш агах от меня — это было совсем не спортивно, но доставило мне великое удовольствие. Однако, когда я подстрелил моего первого гуся, это была моя первая охота с «настоящим» 12-калиберным охотничьим ружьем. И тот факт, что це­ лился (aim at) я в головного гуся летящей стаи (leader of the flock), а попал в третьего, меня совсем не разочаровал. То, что я вообще попал в какую-то цель (to h it a target), чрезвычайно меня обрадовало и даж е несколько удивило. Мне каж ется, что все мои последующие трофеи не могут сравниться с этим первым диким гусем. Прошлой осенью я взял одного знакомого, пожилого флегматичного человека, который проводит свои дни в большом оффисе, на берег моря. Он только недавно научил­ ся стрелять. Ночь была бурная, и ему было не до радости. Но гуси летели. Мы услышали их дикие крики. И вот они уже неслись высоко над нами, черные тени на фоне облаков (against th e clouds). Я слышал, как грохнул выстрел (the report of th e gun). К огда, секунду спустя, я оглянулся, он, бросив руж ье, выплясывал какой-то восторженный танец на песке, воздевая руки к небу. Он застрелил своего первого дикого гуся. Я вспомнил, как много лет назад, когда мне было семнадцать, было то ж е самое: я бросил руж ье на землю и плясал от радости. Лучш ие охотничьи дни бывают в юности. И юность может начаться в сорокалетием воз­ расте, если у вас руж ье, а над головой — птица в стреми­ тельном полете. (Брайан Фитцджералд. Из «Записок журналиста») Joke “Is it tru e th a t the w ild beasts of the jungle w ill not harm you if you carry a torch?” “It all depends,” answered the explorer, “on how fast you carry it.” 164 QUIZ I I I 1. Which of Shakespeare’s plays begins with the words “When shall we three meet again In thunder, lightning or in r a i n . . . ”? 2. Who wrote the following plays: a) Y ou Never Can Tell, b) Joan of A rk, c) The Tam ing of the Shrew, d) A Wom­ an of No Importance? 3. Here are three London streets: a) Bond Street, b) Fleet Street, c) Baker Street. Why are they well-known? 4. Name several plays w ritten by the gifted American playwright Tennessee Williams. 5. a) W ho, according to a Greek legend, was chained to a rock and given over to a sea monster? b) Who rescued the victim by turning the sea monster to stone? 6. a) W h a t famous lyrical English poet was expelled from Oxford for atheism? b) Where and how did he die? c) How and by whom was he buried? 7. Name two oldest public schools in England. W hat characters in The Forsyte Saga attended either of them? 8. a) Name some novels in which Dickens touches upon the problem of education, b) Which of these novels brought about a change in the educational system? 9. In which of Shakespeare’s plays does a ghost appear at a royal banquet? 10. Fill in the blanks in the names of the following plays: a) Mrs. .. .’s Profession, b) A n . . . Husband, c) A View from . . . . W ho wrote these plays? 11. Can you complete these proverbs: a) D on’t trouble b) One m an’s m e a t . . . ? 12. W hat are the English equivalents of the following Am er­ ican words: a) apartment, b) store, c) railroad? SEEING PEOPLE OFF b y M ax Beerbohm I am not good a t it. To do it well seems to me one of the most difficult things in the world, and probably seems so to you, too. To see a friend off from Waterloo to Vauxhall 1 is easy enough. But we are never called on to perform th at small 165 feat. It is only when a friend is going on a longish journey, and will be absent for a longish time, th a t we turn up a t the railway station. The dearer the friend and the longer the journey, and the longer the likely absence, the easier dowve turn up, and the more lamentably do we fail. In a room, or even on a doorstep, we can make the fare­ well quite w orthily. We can express in our faces the genuine sorrow we feel. Nor do words fail us.2 The leave-taking is an ideal one. W hy not, then, leave the leave-taking at that? Always departing friends implore us not to bother to come to the railway station next morning. Always we are deaf to these entreaties, knowing them to be not quite sincere. The departing friends would think it very odd if we took them at their word.3 Besides they really do w ant to see us again. So we duly tu rn up. And then, oh then, what a gulf yawns! 4 W e have nothing a t all to say. W e gaze at each other as dumb animals gaze at hum an beings. W e “make conversation” .5 We know th at these are the friends from whom we parted overnight.3 They know that we have not altered. Yet, on the surface everything is different; and the tension is such that we only long for the guard to blow the whistle and put an end to the farce. On a cold autum n morning I turned up a t Euston 7 to see off an old friend who was startin g for America. The night b e­ fore we had given him a farewell dinner. It was a perfect fare­ well. And now here we were, stiff and self-conscious, on the platform. And framed in the window of the railway carriage was the face of our friend; but it was as the face of a stranger, a stranger anxious to please, an appealing stranger, an awk­ ward stranger. “H ave you got everything?” asked one of us, breaking the silence. “Yes, everything,” said our friend, w ith a pleasant nod. “Ev ery thin g,” he repeated, with the emphasis of an em pty brain. There was a long pause. Somebody said “well”, with a forced smile a t the traveller. Another pause was broken by one of us with a fit of coughing. The fit served to pass the time. * * * At th a t moment my attentio n was drawn by a respectablelooking middle-aged man. He was talking earnestly 8 from the platform to a young lady a t the next window but one to 166 ours. His fine profile was vaguely familiar to me. The young lady was evidently American, and he was evidently English. Otherwise I should have taken him for her father. I wish I could hear w hat he wras saying. I was sure he was giving the very best of advice; the strong tenderness of his gaze was really beautiful. He seemed magnetic. I could feel something of his magnetism even where I stood. And his magnetism, like his profile, was also familiar to me. Where had 1 experi­ enced it? In a flash 0 I remembered. The man was Hubert le Ros. But how changed since I last saw him. T hat was seven or eight years ago, in the S tr a n d .10 He was out of an engagement,11 and borrowed half-a-crown from me. It seemed a priviledge to lend anythin g to him. He was always magnetic. And why his magnetism had never made him successful on the London stage was always a mystery to me. He was an excellent actor. But, like many others of his kind, H ubert le Ros (I do not, of course, give the actual name by which he was known) left for the provinces; and I, like every one else, ceased to remember him. It was strange to see him after all these years, here on the platform on Euston, looking so prosperous and solid. It was not only the flesh that he had put o n ,12 but also the clothes that made him hard to recognize. His costume was a model of rich m oderation.13 He looked like a banker. Any one would have been proud to be seen off by him. “Stand back, please!” The train was about to start, and I waved farewell to my friend. Le Ros did not stand back. He stood clasping in both hands the hands of the young A m eri­ can. “Stand back, sir, please.” He obeyed, but quickly darted forward again to whisper some final word. I think there were tears in her eyes. There certainly were tears in his when, at length,14 having watched the train out of sigh t,15 he turned round. He seemed, nevertheless, delighted to see me. * * * He asked me where I had been hiding all these years; and immediately repaid the half-crown as though it had been borrowed yesterday. H e linked his arm in mine, and walked me 16 slowly along the platform, say in g w ith w hat pleasure he read my dram atic criticisms every S aturday. 167 I told him , in return, how much he was missed on the stage. “Ah, yes,” he said, “I never act on the stage nowadays.” He laid some emphasis on the word “stage”, and I asked him where, then, he did act. “On the platform ,” he answered. “You mean,” said I, “that you recite a t concerts?” He smiled. “T his,” he whispered, striking his stick on the ground, “is the platform I mean.” He looked quite sane. I begged him to be more explicit.17 “I suppose,” he said presently giving me a light for the cigar which he had offered me, “you have been seeing a friend off.” I nodded. H e asked me w hat I supposed he had been doing. I said th a t I had watched him doing the same thing. “No,” he said gravely. “T hat lady was not a friend of mine. I met her for the first time this morning, less than half an hour ago, here,” and again he struck the platform w ith his stick. I confessed th at I was bewildered. H e smiled. “You may,” he said, “have heard of the Anglo-American Social Bureau?” I had not. H e explained to me th a t of the thousands of Am eri­ cans who annually pass through England there are many h u n ­ dreds who have no English friends. In the old days they used to bring letters of introduction. But the English are so in­ hospitable th a t these letters are hardly worth the paper they are w ritten on. Americans are a sociable 18 people and most of them have plenty of money to spend. The A.A.S.B. pro­ vides them w ith English friends. Fifty per cent of the fees 19 is paid over to the “friends”, the other fifty is retained by the A.A.S.B. I am not, alas, a director. If I were I should be a very rich man indeed. I am only an employee. But even so, I do very w ell.20 I am one of the seers off.” Again I asked for some explanation. “Many Americans,” he said, “cannot afford 21 to keep friends in England. But they can all afford to be seen off. The fee is only five pounds (twen­ ty five dollars) for a single traveller; and eight pounds (forty dollars) for a party of two or more. They send th at in to the Bureau, giving the date of their departure, and a description by which the seer off can identify 22 them on the platform and then — well, then they are seen off.” “But is it worth it?” I exclaimed. “Of course it is worth it,” said le Ros. “It prevents them from feeling ‘out of i t ’.23 It earns them the respect of the guard. It saves them from being despised by their fellow passengers — the people who are going to be on the boat. It gives them a “footing” 24 for the whole voyage. Besides it is a great pleasure in itself. 168 You saw me seeing th a t young lady off. D id n ’t you think 1 did it beautifully?” “Beautifully,” I ad m itted. “I envied you. There was I . . . ” “Yes, I can imagine. There were you, shuffling from foot to foot, staring blankly at your friend, trying to make conversation. I know. T h a t ’s how I used to be myself, before I studied and went into the thing profes­ sionally. I don’t say I ’m perfect yet. A railway station is the most difficult of all places to act in, as you have discov­ ered for yourself.” “B u t,” I said with resentment, “I wasn’t trying to act. I really f e l t . . . " “So did I, my boy,” said le Ros. “You c a n ’t act w ithout feeling. W h a t ’s his name, the Frenchman — D id ero t,25 yes — said you could; but what did he know about it? D id n ’t you see those tears in my eyes when the train started. I had n ’t forced them . I tell you I was moved. So were you, I dare say. But you couldn’t have pumped up a tear to prove it. You can’t express your feelings. In other words you c a n ’t act. A t any ra te ,” he added kindly, “not on the platform of a railway station .” “Teach me!” I cried. He looked thoughtfully a t me. “W ell,” he said a t length, “the seeing off season is practically over. Yes, I ’ll give you a course. I have a great many pupils on hand 26 already; but yes,” he said, consulting a note-book, “I could give you an hour on Tuesdays and F ridays.” His terms, I confess, are rather h igh .27 But I don’t grudge the inv estm ent.28 NOTES 1 Waterloo — W aterloo station, term inus of the London and South-W estern Railway where boat trains from Sou th­ am pton and P lym o uth arrive. V a u x h a ll— V auxhall s ta ­ tion, on the same railway 2 Nor do words fail us.— We don’t have to th ink of w hat to say, we are not short of words, (to fail — to be less than needed, not enough, to be short of) 8 to take somebody at his word — Russ, поймать на слове 4 what a gulf yawns! — a figurative way of saying that they felt and behaved like total strangers (a g u lf yawns — букв, пропасть разверзается) 5 “make conversation” — talk just for the sake of talking, so as to avoid silence which is embarrassing 8 overnight — the evening before; overnight also means “for the night”; e.g. H e couldn’t hire a taxi a t such a late hour and stayed overnight at his friend’s. 169 7 Euston ['ju :stan] — Euston station in London 8 earnestly — seriously and with feeling 9 in a flash — in an instant (Russ, мгновенно) 10 the Strand — a street in W est-End London, near P ic­ cadilly 11 out of an engagement — not engaged by any theatre for the season 12 to put on flesh — to grow stouter 13 a model of rich moderation — his clothes were expen­ sive, yet there was nothing in them intended to catch the eye, to strike you, nothing loud or excessive 14 at length — at last 16 having watched the train out of sight — watching the train till it was seen no more 16 walked me — led me; walk may be used as a transitive verb; e.g. She has walked me off my legs yesterday. He took the horse by the bridle and walked it to the stable. 17 to be explicit — to express oneself clearly. A n t. im ­ plicit 18 sociable — liking company (Russ, общительный) 19 fees — paym ent of the money to a professional man for his services (e.g. a lawyer's, teacher's, doctor’s fees; Russ, го­ норар) or to schools, libraries and clubs; a writer receives royalties from his publisher; a clerk or employee is paid a salary at regular intervals; a worker or servant is paid wages, e.g. His wages are (or his wage is) 10 dollars a week. 20 I do w ell — I make a lot of money; e.g. He is employed by a big firm and is doing well. 21 to afford — to have enough money (time) for, be able to pay for; e.g. 1. He ca n ’t afford such an expensive suit. 2. I can’t afford time for the theatre; I must prepare for my exams. 3. These shoes are too expensive; I c a n ’t afford them (or I can’t afford to buy them). 22 to identify — to tell the person you need from other people (passengers, etc.); e.g. He identified her in the crowd by her fur coat and red beret. 23 to feel ‘out of it’ — feel.friendless, lonely, a stranger 24 footing (fig .) — position; e.g. to get a footing in society— to be accepted 26 Diderot, Denis [d k 'd ro u de'ni:] (1713-1784) — a fa­ mous French scientist and philosopher 26 on hand — in one’s possession; e.g.- They have some new books on hand a t the book-stall. 170 27 his terms are . . . high — he charges high fees for his lessons 28 I don’t grudge the investm ent.— l a m not sorry for the money I pay for the lessons (he regards the money spent on the lessons as a kind of investm ent, as he is going to make use of the knowledge acquired in the course of study). EXERCISES Exercise I. Practise the pronunciation of the following a) words and b) word-combinations: a) journey, tedious, affectionate, whistle, guard, torture, farewell, dum b, emphasis, coughing, earnestly, vaguely, otherwise, bureau, annu ally , inhospitable, magnetic, m agnet­ ism, experience, privilege, actual, moderation, explicit, alas, employee, departure, identify b) aim 'not 'gud setw it; Чулп av 6a m oust 'difikalt 'Bigz in ^ S a 'wa:ld; da 'diara 6a 'frend andw da 'b g g a 6a Мзэ:ш d i^ 'k z ia du wi- 'ta:n 'лр; in ^ d a 'rum wi kan 'meik 5a 'fea'w el 'kw ait 4va:5ih; w i- kan iks'pres 5a 'd 3enjuin 'sorou w i- ' f i :1 Exercise II. Drills, a) Read and repeat; b) Use the structures in exam­ ples of your own: I. 1. 2. 3. 4. He will go on a journey in spring. She intends to go on a long voyage to the East. We w ent on a trip to the continent in winter. Agatha went on an expedition together with her hus­ band. 5. He is dreaming of going on a round-the-world cruise. II. 1. W hat prevented you from coming in time? 2. A sudden illness prevented him from joining our tra v ­ elling party. 3. Her poor knowledge of French prevented her from reading the book. 4. Urgent work prevented me from going on leave in the summer. 5. The company prevents him from feeling lonely. I I I. 1. He repaid the money as th o u g h it had been borrowed yesterday. 2. She smiled sweetly and with ease as though she had not been away for ten years. 171 3. He looked at her affectionately as though he were her best and devoted friend. 4. Her eyes filled with tears as though she were parting from one dear to her. IV. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. I I I I I I wish I could hear what he was saying. wish she could stay with us for a while. wish he came to see us to-night. wish he knew we were waiting for him here. wish she did not leave so soon. wish he were well again. V. 1. I f I were a director I should be a rich man. 2. I f he knew Spanish he would go to Cuba. 3 . I f I were young again I should enter a Technical School. 4. I f I were an actor I should prefer the stage. 5. I f he loved his profession he would not work for the A.A.S.B. Exercise III. Replace the italicized parts of the sentences by equiv­ alents from the text: 1. They did not come to the station. 2. At th at moment a middle-aged man attracted m y a tten tio n . I t seemed to me that I had already seen him somewhere. 3. There was love in his long, steady look. 4. In an instant I remembered where I had seen the man: I had lent him half a crown in the Strand some eight years before. 5. I t was difficult to recognize him because of his clothes. 6. He stood looking at the train till it could not be seen any longer. 7. I asked him to speak clearly so that I could understand him better. 8. The document is practi­ cally worth nothing. 9. The A.A.S.B. supplies rich American travellers and tourists with “friends” in England. Exercise IV. Change the sentences below to indirect form: 1. H ave you got everything? (One of us wanted to know.) 2. Where have I experienced his magnetism? (He wondered.) 3. Is th at lady a friend of yours? (He asked le Ros.) 4. Do you recite a t concerts? (I wanted to know.) 5. Is it worth the money? (He wondered.) 6. D id n ’t I act beautifully? (He asked.) 7. W here do you live? (He d id n ’t know.) 8. Where have you been all these years? (He wondered.) Exercise V. Ask each other questions about the text. Exercise VI. Construct 5 disjunctive questions that are not true to fact and ask your comrades to correct them. (See p. 147 Ex. VIII.) 172 Exercise VII. Imagine that you are a) Hubert le Ros, b) the young American lady. Go to the front of the class and answer your comrades’ questions. Exercise VIII. Discuss the following questions: 1. W hy is it so difficult to “make conversation” at the station? 2. W hy did the author wish he could hear what the gentleman was saying to the American lady? 3. Wherein lay le Ros’ chief attraction? 4. W hy had he failed to become successful on the London stage? 5. W h a t do you think of the Anglo-American Social Bureau? 6. W hy do Americans want to be provided w ith “friends” when they come to England? 7. W hy has le Ros given up the profession of an actor to become an employee? 8. W hy has he got a great many pupils on hand? W h a t sort of people wish to become his pupils? Exercise IX. Retell the story using the following words and phrases: I. to give a farewell dinner; railway carriage; break the silence; forced smile; a fit of coughing; to pass the time II. attention was drawn; respectable-looking; next . . . bu t one; vaguely familiar; evidently; to take somebody for; to give advice; magnetic; in a flash; out of engagement; to borrow from; actual name; to cease to remember; prosperous; to pu t on flesh; hard to recognize; stand back; about to start; to wave farewell to; to watch out of sight III. to repay; to link one’s arm (in); to miss; to lay em ­ phasis on; to recite; sane; explicit; to nod; to be bewildered; annually; used to bring; inhospitable; hardly worth the paper they are w ritten on; sociable people; plenty of money; to provide w ith; if I were . . . I s h o u l d . . . ; to do very well; fee; can (can’t) afford; date of the departure; to identify; to be worth; to prevent (from); to despise; on the boat; to envy; to shuffle from foot to foot; to make conversation; to go into som ething professionally; to act w ithou t feeling; to be moved; to give a course; (not) to grudge Exercise X. Use afford to complete the following sentences: 1. I like these shoes, but the price is too high. I . . . . 2. D o n ’t you know I have a report to make the day after tomorrow? I . . . the time for attending football matches. 3. If you . . . to go on holiday this spring, let’s go together. 4. I . . . buying expensive clothes. Exercise XI. Add tail-questions (isn’t, wasn't, etc.) to the following sentences: 173 1. He was a respectable-looking middle-aged man, . . . ? 2. She failed to come to the station, . . . ? 3. Americans are sociable people, . . . ? 4. They can buy everything with mon­ ey, . . . ? 5. He has changed greatly, . . . ? 6. Some of them ca n ’t afford having English friends, . . . ? 7. W e used to know each other, . . . ? Exercise XII. Change the following sentences as in b). E x a m p l e : a) I d idn’t recognize her at the fancy-ball. b) I failed to recognize her at the fancy-ball. 1. He d id n ’t find the book at the book shop. 2. If you don’t meet him at the club, come back to the hotel. 3. Unfor­ tunately she d id n ’t arrive in time and we left without her. 4. He d id n ’t get a vacant room at the hotel and had to put up at a friend’s of his. Exercise XIII. Use the phrase next but one in sentences of your own. E x am p les: a) She lives in the next cottage but one to the club. b) We shall w rite a composition at the next lesson but one. Exercise XIV. Use can (can’t) help in situations. E x a m p le s: 1. I couldn’t help sm iling at the joke. 2. We can’t help likin g the child. 3. They couldn’t help th in kin g he was remarkably gifted. 4^ D o n’t stay there longer than you can help. Exercise XV. Make up sentences similar to those given below: 1. He was hard to recognize. 2. They had nothing to say. 3. There isn’t much to add. 4. She has lots of money to spend. 5. He has got many letters to write. 6. The game is interesting to watch. Exercise XVI. Choose the correct word from those in brackets: (journey — voyage — trip) 1. H arry has changed a great deal after the long sea . . . he made about a year ago. 2. A . . . to the country will take no more than an hour by car. 3. It was a long and weary . . . and when he got off the train he gave a sigh of relief. 4. The get­ ting out of doors is the greatest p art of the . . . 174 (lend — borrow) 1. I was badly in need of some extra money fo ra much longed-for holiday. So I directed my steps to my uncle to . . . some cash. 2. He was kind-hearted and generous and willing­ ly . . . us money when we were hard up. 3. He doesn’t . .. his books. I t ’s no use asking him. 4. W ho did you . . . the lectures from? Exercise X V tl. Topics for discussion: 1. Describe seeing off a friend. 2. Discuss the au th o r’s views expressed in this story. 3. Give a character outline of le Ros. 4. Discuss le R os’ profession. 5. Speak on the life of a successful actor. 6. Discuss the profession of an actor, its advantages and disadvantages. 7. W hat other curious professions do you know that exist in a world ruled by money? Exercise XVIII. Render in English: а) Профессия каскадера (cascader), как известно, св я­ зана с опасностью. За рулем автомобиля или мотоцикла он совершает смертельные (deadly) трюки, участвуя в кино­ съемках. Один из самых известных каскадеров во Франции — Франк Вальверд. Он стал знаменитым среди коллег, когда совершил прыжок на спортивном автомобиле в реку Га­ ронну. Д о него при исполнении этого трюка погибло 17 че­ ловек. Сейчас Вальверд готовится к новому трюку. Франк Вальверд в течение 14 суток будет постоянно находиться за рулем автомобиля, который будет двигаться по большому кругу автодрома (autodrome). b) Приходится приспосабливаться Если на прохожего в Чикаго бросается огромная овчар­ ка (wolf-dog), валит его на землю и держит за горло, пока хозяин очищает карманы (knock down, hold by the throat, clear the pockets) своей жертвы, можно не сомневаться: собака выдрессирована (train) мистером Сесилем Хейсом, известным в городе собачьим дрессировщиком. Вот что сказал мистер Хейс в интервью, которое он дал корреспон­ дентам: «Я давно работаю с собаками. Долгое время я го­ товил собак-защитников (train dogs for protection). Я ве­ 175 рующий человек (believer) и никогда не подниму руку на ближнего своего (never lay hands on a fellow man). Но что делать? Надо зарабатывать себе на ж изнь, а конкуренция так велика, что в наши дни игра, т. е. я имею в виду дрес­ сировку, просто не стоит свеч (the gam e is not worth the candle). Совсем другое дело — овчарки-грабители. (Train­ ing wolf-dogs for robbery is quite another matter.) Тут я вне конкуренции. (I’ve got no rivals.) Н у, а что касается совести. . . , то я ведь ни в чем не виноват (I’m not to blame) и ни за что не отвечаю. К акое мне дело, в конце концов, для чего у меня покупают собаку? А если меняются обстоятельства, то человек иногда меняет профессию. Тут уж ничего не поделаешь». (You c a n ’t help it.) Jokes Three Americans stopped an Englishman in Fleet Street and asked the way*to Dr. Joh nso n’s house. He took them there and gave them information about it while they took photo­ graphs. “Now, this,” said one of them, “is th e D r. Johnson who used to assist Sherlock Holmes, isn’t it?” * ❖ * An American visitor was on a trip to Germany and, n a t u ­ rally, went sightseeing. One day he was shown Beethoven’s piano. W ith o u t thinking twice he jum ped over the ribbon around the piano and hammered out “L e t ’s Twist A gain” . Then he said to the astonished guide: “I guess every p i­ anist who comes here plays on th at piano.” “Not qu ite,” said the guide. “W hen Paderevski came he said it would be sacrilege even to dare to touch it.” * & * A stranger in a Lancashire town was walking down the street when he heard roars of laughter coming from a large hall he was passing by. He stopped and asked the door-keeper w hat was happening. “A m ateur D ram atic Society, sir,” answered the door-keeper. “Oh, I see. Doing a comedy, eh?” 17G “No, sir,” said the door-keeper sadly. “They are playing H a m let.” Q U IZ I V 1. Who said: “ .. .Stars hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires”? 2. Name the rivers that flow through the following cities: a) Paris, b) London, c) Rome, d) New York, e) Washing 3. a) W h a t two well-known English writers lived in India and described the country in their works? b) In what way did the country they knew differ from the India of today? 4. W h at famous Flemish artist lived in England for a number of years and influenced the development of the Eng­ lish court portrait? Are any of his paintings exhibited in the Soviet Union? 5. a) W h a t is the longest river in the world? b) W hat is the largest river in the world? 6. Who wrote the following novels: a) Pride and Prejudice, b) Cranford, c) Sila s Marner, d) W uthering Heights? 7. W hen and by whom was the W ar of Independence waged? 8. a) W h a t was the name of the god in Greek mythology, who stole fire from Olympus to give it to men? b) How was he punished by Zeus? c) W hat works of art or literature are based on this myth? 9. W h a t is a) the meaning and, b) the origin of the ex­ pression apple of discord? 10. W hich novel was Hemingway awarded the Nobel prize for? 11. Complete the following proverbs: a) As you make your b e d . . . , b) Too many c o o k s ... . 12. W hat are the English equivalents of the following A m er­ ican words: a) baggage, b) m ailm an, c) mailbox? A MAN IN THE WAY b y Scott Fitzgerald P at Hobby 1 could always get on the lo t.2 He had worked there fifteen years on and o f f 3 — chiefly off during the past five — and most of the studio police knew him. 177 P a t was forty-nine. He was a writer but he had never w r i t ­ ten much, not even read all the ‘originals’ 4 he worked from, because it made his head bang 6 to read too much. But the good old silent days 6 you got somebody’s plot and a sm art secretary and gulped benzedrine ‘stru ctu re’ at her 7 six or eight hours every week. After talkies 8 came he always teamed up with some man who wrote dialogue. Some man who liked to work. ‘I ’ve got a list of credits second to none,’ 8 he told Jac k Berners. ‘All I need is an idea and to work with somebody who isn’t all w e t.’ 10 He had buttonholed Jack outside the production office as Jac k was going to lunch and they walked together in the direction of the commissary.11 ‘You bring me an idea,’ said Jac k Berners. ‘Things are t ig h t.12 We ca n ’t put a man on salary unless h e’s got an idea.’ ‘How can you get ideas off salary?’ P a t demanded — and then he added hastily: ‘Anyhow I got the germ of an idea th at I could be telling you all about after lunch.’ Something might come to him a t l u n c h . . . But Jac k said cheerfully: ‘I ’ve got a date for lunch, P a t. W rite it out and send it around, eh?’ He felt cruel because he knew P at couldn’t w rite any thing out but he was having story trouble himself. The war h a d just broken out and every producer on the lot wanted to end their current stories with the hero going to war. And J a c k Berners felt he had thought of th at first for his production. ‘So write it out, eh?’ When P a t d id n ’t answer Ja c k looked at him — he saw a sort of whipped misery 13 in P a t ’s eye th at reminded him of his own father. P a t had been in the money before J a c k was out of college. Now his clothes looked as if he’d been stan d in g at Hollywood and Vine 14 for three years. ‘Scout around 15 and talk to some of the writers on the lot,’ he said. ‘If you can get one of them interested in your idea, bring him up to see me.’ ‘I hate to give an idea w ithout money on the lin e ,’18 P a t brooded pessimistically. ‘These young sq u irts’ll 17 lift the shirt off your back.’ They h ad reached the commissary door. ‘Good luck, P a t . ’ <?8 Now w hat to do? He went up and wandered along the cell block 18 of writers. Almost everyone had gone to lunch and those who were in he d idn’t know. Always there were more and more unfamiliar faces. And he had thirty credits; he had been in the business, publicity and script-writing for twenty years. The last door in the line belonged to a man he did n ’t like. But he wanted a place to sit a m inute so w ith a knock he pushed it open. The man w asn’t there — only a very pretty, frail-looking girl sat reading a book. T think he’s left Hollywood,’ she said in answer to his question. ‘They gave me his office but they forgot to put up my n am e.’ ‘You a w riter?’ P a t asked in surprise. ‘1 work at i t . ’ ‘You ought to get ’em to give you a test.’ 19 ‘No — I like w riting.’ ‘W h a t’s that you’re reading?’ She showed him. ‘Let me give you a t i p ,’ 20 he said. ‘T h a t ’s not the way to get the guts out of a book.’ 21 4 ‘O h .’ ‘I ’ve been here for years — I ’m P a t Hobby — and I know. Give the book to four of your friends to read it. Get them to tell you w hat stuck in their minds. W rite it down and you’ve got a picture — see?’ The girl smiled. ‘Well, t h a t ’s very — very original advice, Mr. H o b by.’ ‘P at H o b b y ,’ he said. ‘Can I w ait here a minute? Man I came to see is at lunch.’ He sat down across from her and picked up a copy of a photo magazine. ‘Oh, just let me mark t h a t , ’ she said quickly. He looked a t the page which she checked. It showed p a in t­ ings being boxed and carted away to safety from an art gallery in Europe. ‘H ow ’ll you use it?’ he said. ‘Well, I thought it would be dram atic if there was an old man around while they were packing the pictures. A poor old man, trying to get a job helping them. But they ca n ’t use him — he’s in the way 22 — not even good cannon fodder. 179 They w ant strong young people in the world. A nd it turns out h e ’s the man who painted the pictures many years ago.’ P a t considered. ‘I t ’s good but I don’t get i t , ’ he said. ‘Oh, i t ’s nothing, a short short 23 m aybe.’ ‘Got any good picture ideas? I ’m in w ith all the markets 24 h ere.’ ‘I ’m under co n tra ct.’ ‘Use another n am e.’ Her phone rang. ‘Yes, this is P riscilla S m ith ,’ the girl said. After a m inute she turned to P a t. ‘Will you excuse me? This is a p riv ate ca ll.’ He got it and walked out, and along the corridor. Finding an office w ith no nam e on it he went in and fell asleep on the couch. L ate th at afternoon he returned to J a c k Berners’ waiting rooms. He had an idea about a man who meets a girl in an office and he thinks she’s a stenographer b u t she turns out to be a writer. H e engages her as a stenographer, though, and they s tart for the South Seas. It was a beginning, it was something to tell Jac k , he thought — and, picturing Priscilla Smith, he refurbished 25 some old business 26 he h a d n ’t seen used for years. He became quite excited about it — felt quite young for a moment and walked up and down the w aiting room mentally rehearsing the first sequence.27 ‘So here we have a situation like I t Happened One N ight — only new. I see Hedy L a ­ marr — ’ 28 Oh, he knew how to talk to these boys if he could get to them, w ith something to say. ‘Mr. Berners still busy?’ he asked for the fifth time. ‘Oh, yes, Mr. H obby. Mr. Bill Costello and Mr. Bach are in there.’ He thought quickly, it was half-past five. In the old days he had just busted in sometimes and sold an idea, an idea good for a couple of grand 29 because it was just the moment when they were very tired of w hat they were doing at pres­ ent. He walked innocently out and to another door in the hall. He knew it led through a bathroom right in to Ja c k Berners’ office. Drawing a quick breath he p l u n g e d ... 180 ‘ So t h a t ’s the no tion,’ he concluded after five minutes. ‘I t ’s just a flash 30 — nothing really worked out, but you could give me an office and a girl and I could have something on paper for you in three days.’ Berners, Costello and Bach did not even have to look at each other. Berners spoke for them all as he said firmly and gently: ‘T h a t’s no idea, P a t. I can’t put you on salary for t h a t .’ ‘Why don’t you work it out further by yourself,’ suggested Bill Costello. ‘And then let’s see it. W e ’re looking for ideas — especially about the w ar.’ ‘A man can think better on salary,’ said P a t. There was silence. Costello and Bach had drunk with him, played poker with him , gone to the races w ith him. They’d honestly be glad to see him placed. ‘The war, eh ,’ he said gloomily. ‘Everything is war now, no m atter how many credits a man has. Do you know what it makes me think of? It makes me think of a well-known painter in the discard. I t ’s war time and he’s useless — just a man in the w a y .’ He warmed to his conception of himself.31 ‘— but all the time th ey ’re carting away his own paintings as the most valuable thing worth saving. And they won’t even let me help.32 T h a t ’s w hat it reminds me of.’ There was again silence for a moment. ‘That isn’t a bad id ea,’ said Bach thoughtfully. He turned to the others. ‘You know? In itself?’ Bill Costello nodded. ‘Not bad at all. And I know where we could spot it. Right at the end of the fourth sequence. We just change old Ames 33 to a p ain ter.’ Presently they talked money. ‘I ’ll give you two weeks on i t , ’ said Berners to P a t. ‘At two-fifty.’ 34 ‘Two-fifty!’ objected P a t. ‘Say there was one time you paid me ten times th a t!’ ‘That was ten years ago,’ J a c k reminded him. ‘Sorry. Best we can do now .’ ‘You make me feel like that old painter — ’ ‘D on’t oversell i t , ’ 35 said J ac k , rising and smiling. ‘You’re on payroll.’ P a t went out w ith a quick step and confidence in his eyes. H alf a grand — th a t would take th^pressu re off for a m o n th 30 and you could often stretch two weeks into three — sometimes L81 four. He left the studio proudly through the front entrance, stopping at the liquor store for a half-pint to take back to his room. By seven o’clock things were even better. S anta Anita 37 tomorrow, if he could get an advance. And tonight — some­ thing festive ought to be done tonight. W ith a sudden rush of pleasure he went down to the phone in the lower hall, called the studio and asked for Miss Priscilla S m ith ’s number. He h a d n ’t met anyone so pretty for y e a r s . .. In her apartm ent Priscilla Sm ith spoke ra th er firmly in­ to the phone. ‘I ’m awfully so rry,’ she said, ‘but I could’t p o s sib ly ... No — and I ’m tied up 38 all the rest of the week.’ As she hung up, J a c k Berners spoke from the couch. ‘Who was it?’ ‘Oh, some man who came in the office,’ she laughed, ‘and told me never to read the story I was working o n .’ ‘Shall I believe you?’ ‘You certainly shall. I ’ll even think of his name in a m in­ ute. But first I w ant to tell you about an idea I had this morning. I was looking at a photo in a magazine where they were packing up some works of art in the T ate Gallery 39 in London. And I thought — ’ NOTES 1 Pat Hobby — hero of a num ber of stories, in which Scott Fitzgerald takes a self-mocking look at himself — a fading literary celebrity — in his role as a Hollywood hack. (Russ. литературный поденщик) 2 lot (prof. slang) — the premises of the studio where films are shot; a motion picture studio and the adjoining property 3 on and off — now and then, not all the tim e 4 ‘originals’ (prof. slang) — books (novels, plays, stories) made into scripts (used to make screen-versions of) 5 made his head bang (colloq.) — gave him a bad headache 8 the good old silen t days — the good old days when only silent films were produced 7 gulped benzedrine ‘structure’ at her — a way of saying th a t P a t H obby dictated the script to his secretary after using 182 benzedrine, a stim u lan t which gave him some kind of inspi­ ratio n and made him able to work; structure (cinema slang) — outline of a script 8 talkies (colloq.) — sound films 9 I’ve got a list of credits second to none— I ’ve partici­ pated in producing more films than anyone else; credit (slang) = credit line, i.e. a line giving the name of the a u ­ thor, producer, etc. (Russ, титр); second to none — surpassed by no one 10 a ll wet — (here) incompetent, inexperienced 11 commissary — a dining-room or cafeteria, specifically in a studio 12 Things are tight (colloq.) — There isn’t enough money (Russ, туго с деньгами) 13 whipped misery — misery caused by defeat 14 at Hollywood and Vine — a t the corner of H olly: wood avenue and Vine Street where agencies hiring actors are located 15 scout around (colloq.) — look around for smth. suitable 18 without money on the line (colloq.) — without being put on salary 17 squirt (A m . slang) — im pudent youngster 18 the cell block of writers — building (or buildings) di­ vided into script-writers’ offices; block (A m .) — квартал 19 get ’em to give you a test — make them test you for a part in a film (R uss, проба) 20 to give a tip — to give useful (professional) advice 21 to get the guts out of a book (slang) — to get the most im portant points out of a book 22 he’s in the way — nobody needs him , he is regarded as a nuisance, causes annoyance 23 a short short — a very short film (short n .— коротко­ метражный фильм) 24 I’m in with a ll the markets here, (colloq.) — I ’m on friendly terms with all the people influential in ordering scripts. 25- refurbish — brighten or freshen up 28 business — (here) plot 27 the first sequence — the first episode; sequence — a succession of shots or scenes in a film story 28 It H appened One N igh t — the best film of the year 1934, a celebrated comedy with superstars Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert in the lead. The film won a crop of Oscars 183 and was a tremendous box-office success. Hedy Lamarr — a film star; has been called one of th e m ost beautiful women of th a t tim e 29 grand (slang) — 1000 dollars 30 a flash — a sudden idea th at occurred to him 31 He warmed to his conception of him self.— He became more anim ated as he realized th at his words might just as well be applied to himself. 32 And they won’t even let me help.— W hile telling the story P at Hobby comes to identify himself w ith the painter and slips into 1st person, using “me” instead of “him ”. 33 old Ames — a character from the film they are working at 34 at two-fifty — 250 dollars 36 ‘Don’t oversell i t ’ — (here) D on’t overdo it, don’t ask too much; to oversell — to overpraise, to make excessive claims; (Russ, перебарщивать, запрашивать) 36 to take the pressure off for a month — to make things easier for a month 37 Santa Anita — a park in Los Angeles, famous for its golf course, race-course (referred to in other stories as a place where people come to gamble) 38 I’m tied up (colloq.) — I ’m engaged 39 The Tate Gallery — an art gallery, founded by Sir Henry Tate in 1897; contains the national collection of B rit­ ish paintings of all periods, as well as modern foreign paintings and sculptures EXERCISES Exercise I. Practise the pronunciation of the following words and phrases: a) studio, police, tough, benzedrine, commissary, germ, publicity, contract, stenographer, refurbish, fourth, se­ quence, South seas b) ai ' g o t ^ S a 'Э зэ :т av an ai'dia; sa:t av 'w ipt 'mizari 3at ri'm aindid him av hiz 'o u n 'fa-da; dei 's t a t fa Ээ 'sau0 'si:z; 'dro:ig a 'kwik 'bre0 hi 'phvnd 3d; rait atw 9i4_/end av 5a 'fo:0 'si:kwans Exercise II. Drills, a) Read and repeat; b) Use the structures in sen­ tences of your own: <■ I. 1. We ca n ’t put a man on salary idea. 184 unless he's got an 2. I c a n ’t work it out unless I've got somebody to write dialogue. 3. He couldn’t get on the lot unless he had a studio 4. He couldn’t do script-writing unless he had som to help. II. 1. Get them to p u t you on salary. 2. Get him to sign a contract. 3. Get them togive you a test. 4. Get them to tell you w hat stuck in their minds. 5. Get one of the writers interested in your idea. II I. 1. 2. 3. 4. T h a t’s T h a t’s T h a t ’s T h a t’s not the way to do it. not the way to get a test. not the way to treat an old friend. not the way to get the guts out of a book. Exercise III. Replace the italicized parts of the sentences by equiv­ alents from the text: 1. P a t Hobby had worked on the studio every now and then for fifteen years. 2. He did n ’t care to read because reading always gave him a bad headache. 3. W hen sound film s replaced silent film s P a t could no longer do script-writing by himself: he had to work with a man who wrote dialogue. 4. In the good old silent days P a t was a rich m an. 5. I ’ll give you a piece of advice. 6. A sk some of your friends to read the book and tell you what they remember best. 7. It makes me think of all the excellent films th at are no longer wanted. 8. 500 dol­ lars would make things easier for a month or so, he thought as he left the studio. 9. To his disappointment he learnt th at she was engaged all the rest of the week. Exercise IV. Find in the text English equivalents for the following words and phrases and use them in sentences of your own: a) территория студии; немой фильм; звуковой фильм; сценарий; эпизод (в фильме); экранизируемое произведе­ ние; сюжет; короткометражный фильм; режиссер; работать с соавтором; иметь договор; зачислить на оклад; иметь временную работу; обсуждать условия оплаты (гонорар); короткий кадр b ) попасть на территорию студии; вызывать головную боль; времена немого кино; расторопная секретарша; сот­ рудничать с кем-либо; непревзойденный; задержать кого185 либо (вцепиться в кого-либо); получать (не получать) го­ норар; поискать (порыскать); заинтересовать кого-либо (в); привести с) хрупкая на вид; повесить табличку с фамилией; устроить пробу; дать полезный совет; не так надо делать; остаться в памяти; отметить страницу; упаковывать кар­ тины; картинная галерея; мешать; оказаться; до меня не доходит (не понимаю); иметь контракт; личный разговор; мысленно репетировать; эпизод; в прежние времена; корот­ кий кадр; записать (представить в письменном виде); гово­ рить твердо (мягко); мрачно; как бы ни...; самое ценное; недурно; задумчиво; договариваться об оплате; вскоре (тут же); быстрым шагом; облегчить (помочь); получить аванс; праздничный; быть занятым; повесить трубку; произведения искусства Exercise V. Fill in the blanks with prepositions if necessary: 1. After walking . . . and . . . the hall .. . quite a while Stephen went . . . the telephone booth, and dialed the num ­ ber. “Mr. Barners is lunch,” the secretary said . . . answer . . . his question. “When will he be -. . . ? I ’ve been asked to call . . . h im ,” he said weakly. “H e’s tied . . . all the rest . . . the month,” the secretary said firmly and hung . . . . Stephen cursed . . . his breath. 2. A shabbily-dressed man . . . his late forties stopped . . . the liquor shop . . . a shot . . . whiskey. He had a date . . . lunch . . . the producer, a college friend . . . his, . . . 2 o ’clock sharp, and was rehearsing mentally what he was going to say. “The thing to do is to sell him an idea, the germ . . . an idea,” he said . . . himself. “And get him to put me . . . salary. It will take the pressure . . . for a while. The rest will be plain sailing. Once I ’m . . . contract I ’ll be able to think . . . a plot and find a sm art chap to team . . . . . . .” He warmed . . . the idea. “I t ’s going to be a love story. L o v e .. . first sight. Then the girl turns . . . to be a German spy. The story ends . . . the hero going . . . war. Everybody is crazy . . . war stories. I ’ll have it . . . paper . . . a couple . . . days.” Exercise VI. Retell the story using the following words and phrases: a) good old silent days; plot; sm art secretary; talkies; to team up with; second to none; to buttonhole; to put on salary; hastily; to feel cruel; producer; to go to war; to • get smb. interested; to wander; cell block; unfamiliar faces; 186 to be in the business; publicity; to push open; frail-looking; to put up one’s name; to give a test; to give a tip; t h a t ’s not the way; “original”; advice; photo magazine; to check the page; to box; art gallery; cannon fodder; to be in with; under contract; p rivate call b) w aiting room; to walk up and down; to picture; to walk out innocently; to conclude; to have sm th. on paper; gloomily; no m atter how; in the discard; worth saving; not a bad idea; to talk money; valuable; w ith a quick step; to take the pressure off; to get an advance; festive; rush of pleasure; to speak firmly; to be tied up; to hang up; shall I believe you; works of art Exercise VII. Translate into Russian the following sentences with a) tight and b) stick: I. 1. I don’t think you’ll manage to borrow the sum you need. Money is tight now . 2. Your coat is tight a t the shoulders. 3. Everybody noticed th at the host was tight. 4. My new shoes are tight. 5. W hen Robert found himself in a tight corner he turned to his teacher for help. II. 1. S tick a stam p on the letter and drop it in a box. 2. Get them to tell you what stuck in their minds. 3. The car got stuck in the mud. 4. L et’s stick together whatever h ap pens. 5. S tick to the point, please. 6. D o n’t stick your neck out, you may get into trouble. 7. He d id n ’t expect to be be­ lieved, yet he stuck to his story. 8. S tic k around, I ’ll be through soon. Exercise VIII, Translate the following sentences into English using а) bang, b) tip, c) get: 1. а) Он вышел из комнаты, сильно х л о п н у в дверью. б) Не с т у ч и кулаком по столу, в) У меня голова т р е щ и т от этого шума. 2. а) Джемма следила за к о н ч и к а м и его пальцев, пока он обрывал лепестки у цветка, б) Он имел обыкнове­ ние д а в а т ь официанту доллар н а ч а й . в) Разрешите дать вам полезный с о в е т , г) Это слово вертится у меня на к о н ч и к е языка. 3. а) У б е д и т е е г о п о м о ч ь вам. б) П о п р о с и т е е г о п р и с м о т р е т ь за детьми, пока нас не будет, в) З а ­ с т а в ь т е е г о п о й т и к врачу, г) З а и н т е р е с у й т е е г о вашим проектом. Он может вам оказаться полезным. 187 д) Он п р о ш е л , показав старый пропуск, е) Интересно, как он п о п а л к режиссеру. Exercise IX. Quote the story to prove that I. a) P at’s mood could change instantly, b) he had adapted himself to his position of a “has been”, c) he had lost all sense of dignity, d) he was far from being a man of culture, e) he was not clever; II. a) Priscilla Smith was not the usual Hollywood type, b) she could see through Pat at once, c) she had both manners and character; III. Jack Berners was not a hard-boiled businessman and the sight of Pat, Hobby aroused conflicting emotions within him. Exercise X. Comment on the following. Use the suggested words in brackets suitable to characterize the actions, motives or feelings of the characters: 1. “How can you get ideas off salary?” P a t demanded . . . then he added hastily: “Anyhow I got the germ of an idea th at I could be telling you all about at l u n c h . . . Something might come to him a t lunch. 2. The last door in the line belonged to a man he did n ’t like. But he wanted a place to sit a m inute so with a knock he pushed it open. 3. “Let me give you a tip. T h a t’s not the way to get the guts out of a book.” 4. “Well, t h a t ’s very — very original advice, Mr. H obby.” 5. “I t ’s good but I don’t get it,” he said. 6. “Got any picture ideas? I ’m in w ith all the markets here.” 7. Drawing a quick breath he plunged. 8. Berners, Costello and Bach did not even have to look at each other. Berners spoke for them all as he said firmly and g e n t l y . .. 9. P a t went out with a quick step and confidence in his e y e s . .. He left the studio proudly through the front en­ trance. .. (servile, condescending, self-confident, ready to compro­ mise, sulky, ignorant, inclined to bluff, boastful, tactful, polite, amused, unscrupulous, sense of superiority, sense of dignity, degradation, self-respect, feel pity (contempt), to intrude, to get rid of smb.) Exercise XI. Topics for discussion: 1. Give a character sketch of a) P a t H obby, b) Priscilla Smith. 2. Speak of the “good old silent days” , of the famous pro­ ducers and stars of that period. 188 3. Speak of a famous silent film you have either seen or read about. 4. W hat are the advantages and, perhaps, disadvantages of sound films? 5. Tell the class w hat you know of a) Hollywood, b) D is­ ney land. 6. Compare a novel or a story you’ve read w ith its screen version. Exercise X II. Render in English: | | Рудольф Валентино, популярный актер американского кино 20-х годов, был типичным продуктом американской «стар-систем» со всеми ее крайностями (extremes). Он эмигрировал в США из Италии, когда ему было 18 лет. Ему приходилось браться за любую работу — он был и уличным торговцем (pedlar), и садовником, и мойщиком посуды (dish-washer), прежде чем он нашел свое истинное призвание (calling) — стал профессиональным танцором «жиголо» (gigolo) в знаменитом ресторане «Максим» в НьюЙорке. С этого началась его артистическая карьера, и именно исполнение аргентинского танго принесло колос­ сальный успех первому фильму, в котором Валентино снялся в Голливуде в 1921 году. Конечно, дело было не только в совершенном исполнении танго. Публика была очарована внешностью Валентино — его идеально правиль­ ными чертами лица (regular features), томными (из-за бли­ зорукости) глазами (languid eyes) и чувственностью, кото­ рая сквозила в каждом его движении. Благодаря очарова­ нию Валентино этот весьма средний фильм принес доход в 4 500 ООО долларов. И, естественно, сразу после этого актер снялся в целом ряде других фильмов. Через несколько лет Валентино построил огромную виллу «Гнездо Орла» (Eagle’s Nest) в Беверли Хиллз, самом фешенебельном квартале Голливуда, по соседству с Чарли Чаплином, Мэри Пикфорд и другими звездами. Он прославился не только своей игрой, но пожалуй, еще боль­ ше, своей любовью к роскоши. Он обожал драгоценности, носил золотые браслеты (bracelets) и перстни и ходил под охраной полицейских собак. Популярность его росла, и когда в возрасте 31 года Валентино неожиданно умер от приступа острого аппендицита (acute appendicitis), за его гробом шли сто тысяч человек, среди которых было, конечно, больше всего женщин. , 189 ! Наследство Рудольфа Валентино (inheritance) состояло из виллы на Беверли Хиллз, восьми автомобилей, пяти верховых лошадей (riding horses), яхты, двенадцати поро­ дистых собак (of pure breed), трех сотен галстуков, двух тысяч рубашек и невероятного количества любовных писем. В августе 1950 года, через тридцать лет после его смерти, в газетах было помещено сообщение: «Впервые за тридцать лет ни одна женщина не посетила могилу Валентино в Гол­ ливуде». До этого, оказывается, каждый год 23-го августа женщины в глубоком трауре (in deep mourning) приносили на могилу знаменитого актера огромные букеты цветов. Jokes “Really,” Mr. H ornton said to his new ty p ist, “I don’t think you have the slightest idea w hat punctuation means.” “Oh, indeed, I have,” she re p lie d ,“I ’m here every morn­ ing at five minutes to nine.” * * * Many people have been so scared by reading about the harm ­ ful effects of smoking th at they decided to give up reading. Q U IZ V 1. Who said: “Neither a borrower nor a lender be”? 2. W h a t is Downing Street in London known for? 3. W ho are “Angry Young Men”? Which of them are known well enough in the Soviet Union? 4. In what well-known English or American novels are the principal characters artists? 5. According to a Greek legend a youth in his flight from Crete fell into the sea and was drowned, a) W hat was his name? b) W hat was his father’s name? c) W hy did he fall into the sea? 6. By whom and when was the N orth Pole discovered? 7. a) W ho is the author of the Ode on the Framers of the Frame B ill? b) W h a t events prompted the poet to write this Ode? 190 8. Name a famous English actress whose life was linked with th at of Bernard Shaw by a life-long friendship and affec­ tion. 9. Who wrote the following novels: a) To K ill a M ocking Bird, b) To Have and Have N ot, c) A Catcher in the Rye, d) The Grapes of Wrath? 10. W hat famous English artist painted the portrait of the Duchess of Beaufort? Where is the painting exhibited? 11. Can you complete the following proverbs: a) W hile there is l i f e . . . , b) Learn to c re e p ...? 12. Can you give English equivalents to the following American words: a) cable, b) baggage car, c) shoe store? SHOULD WIZARD HIT MOMMY? b y John Updike In the evenings and for S aturday naps like today’s, Jack told his daughter J o a story out of his head. This custom, begun when she was two, was itself now nearly two years old, and his head felt em pty. Each new story was a slight variation of a basic tale: a small creature, usually named Roger (Roger Fish, Roger Squirrel, Roger Chipmunk), had some problem 1 and went with it to the wise old owl. The owl told him to go to the wizard, and the wizard performed a magic spell 2 that solved the problem, demanding in paym ent a number of pennies greater than the number Roger Creature had but in the same breath 3 directing the animal to a place where the extra pennies could be found. Then Roger was so happy he played many games w ith other creatures, and went home to his mother just in tim e to hear the train whistle th a t brought his daddy home from Boston. Ja c k described their supper and the story was over. W orking his way through this scheme 4 was especially fatiguing on S aturday, because J o never fell asleep in naps any more,6 and knowing this made the rite seem futile. The little girl (not so little any more; the bumps her feet made under the covers were half-way down the bed, their big double bed th a t they let her be in for naps and when she was sick) had a t last arranged herself, and from the way her 191 fat face deep in the pillow shone in the sunlight sifting through the drawn shades, it did not seem fantastic th a t something magic would occur, and she would take her nap like an in­ fant of two. Her brother, Bobby, was two, and already asleep with his b o ttle .6 J a c k asked, ‘Who shall the story be about today?’ ‘R o g e r .. . ’ J o squeezed her eyes shut and smiled to be thinking she was thinking. Her eyes opened, her m other’s blue. ‘S k u n k ,’7 she said firmly. A new animal; they must talk about skunks a t nursery school. H aving a fresh hero momentarily stirred Ja c k to creative enthusiasm. ‘All rig h t,’ he said. ‘Once upon a time, in the deep dark woods there was a tiny little creature name of Roger S ku n k .8 And he smelled very bad — ’ ‘Yes,’ J o said. ‘He smelled so bad none of the other little woodland crea­ tures would play w ith h im .’ J o looked at him solemnly; she h a d n ’t foreseen this. ‘Whenever he would go out to p lay ,’ J a c k continued w ith zest,9 remembering certain hum iliations of his own childhood, ‘all of the other tiny animals would cry, “Uh-oh, here comes Roger S tinky Skunk,” and they would run away, and Roger Skunk would stand there all alone, and two little round tears would fall from his eyes.’ The corners of J o ’s mouth drooped down and her lower lip bent forward as he traced with a forefinger along the side of her nose the course of one of Roger S k u n k ’s tears. ‘W o n ’t he see the owl?’ she asked in a high and faintly roughened voice. Sitting on the bed beside her, J a c k felt the covers tug as her legs switched tensely. He was pleased w ith this mo­ ment — he was telling her something true, something she must know — and had no wish to hurry on. But downstairs a chair scraped, and he realized he must get down to help Clare paint the living-room woodwork.10. ‘Well, he walked along very sadly and came to a very big tree, and in the tiptop of the tree was an enormous wise old owl!’ ‘Good.’ “‘Mr. Owl,” Roger Skunk said, “all the other little a n i­ mals run away from me because I smell so bad.” “So you do,” 11 the owl said. “Very, very bad.” “W hat can I do?” Roger Skunk said, and he cried very h ard .’ : rJ2 ‘The wizard, the w izard,’ J o shouted, and sat right up, and a L ittle Golden Book 12 spilled from the bed. ‘Now, J o , D a d d y ’s telling the story. Do you w ant to tell Daddy the story?’ ‘No. You me.’ ‘Then lie down and be sleepy.’ Her head relapsed on to the pillow and she said, ‘Out of your head .’ ‘Well. The owl thought and thought. At last he said, “W hy don’t you go see the wizard?” ’ ‘D addy?’ ‘W h a t? ’ ‘Are magic spells real?’ This was a new phase, just this last month, a reality phase.13 When he told her spiders eat bugs, she turned to her mother and asked, ‘Do they really?’ and when Clare told her God was in the sky and all around them, she turned to her father and insisted, with a sly yet eager smile, ‘Is He really?’ ‘They’re real in stories,’ Jac k answered curtly. She had made him miss a beat in the narrative. 14 ‘The owl said, “Go through the dark woods, under the apple trees, into the swamp, over the c r i c k —’” 15 ‘W h a t’s a crick?’ ‘A little river. “Over the crick, and there will be the wiz­ ard ’s house.” And t h a t ’s the way Roger Skunk went, and pretty soon he came to a little white house, and he rapped on the door.’ J a c k rapped on the window sill, and under the cov­ ers J o ’s tall figure clenched in an infantile th rill.16 ‘And then a tiny little old man came out, with a long white beard and a pointed blue h at, and said, “Eh? Whatzis? W hatcher want? 17 You smell awful.’” The w izard’s voice was one of J a c k ’s own favourite effects. He felt being an old man suited him. ‘“I know it,” Roger Skunk said, “and all the little a n i­ mals run away from me. The enormous wise owl said you could help me!” ‘“Eh?? Well, maybe. Come on in. D on’t git 18 too close.” Now, inside, J o , there were all these magic things, all jumbled together in a big dusty heap, because the wizard did not have any cleaning la d y .’19 ‘W hy?’ ‘Why? Because he was a wizard, and a very old m an.’ ‘Will he die?’ 7 Л'о 1518 193 ‘No. Wizards don’t die. Well, he rummaged around 20 and found an old stick called a magic wand and asked Roger Skunk what he wanted to smell like. Roger thought and thought and said, “Roses.” ’ ‘Yes. G ood,’ J o said sm ugly.21 Jack fixed her with a trance-like gaze and chanted in the wizard’s elderly irritable voice: “‘Abracadabry, hocus-poo, Roger Skunk, how do you do, Roses, boses, pull an ear, Roger Skunk, you never fear: Bingo!” ’ 22 He paused as a rapt expression widened out from his daughter’s nostrils, forcing her eyebrows up and her lower lip down in a wide noiseless grin, an expression in which Jac k was startled to recognize his wife feigning pleasure at cock­ tail parties. ‘And all of a sudden,’ he whispered, ‘the whole inside of the w izard’s house was full of the smell of — roses! “Roses!” Roger Fish cried. And the wizard said, very cran ky,23 “T h a t ’ll be seven pennies.’” ‘D a d d y .’ ‘W h a t? ’ ‘Roger Skunk. You said Roger F is h .’ ‘Yes. S ku n k .’ ‘You said Roger Fish. W asn ’t that silly?’ ‘Very silly of your stupid old daddy. Where was I? Well, you know about the pennies.’ ‘Say i t . ’ ‘O.K. Roger Skunk said, “But all I have is four pennies,” and he began to c r y .’ J o made the crying face again, but this time w ithou t a trace of sincerity. This annoyed Jack. Downstairs some more furniture rum bled. Clare shouldn’t move heavy things; she was six months pregnant. It would be their third. ‘So the wizard said, “Oh, very well. Go to the end of the lane and turn around three times and look down the magic well and there you will find three pennies. Hurry up.” So Roger Skunk went to the end of the lane and turned around three times and there in the magic well were three pennies! So he took them back to the wizard and was very happy and ran out into the woods and all the other little animals g a th ­ ered around him because he smelled so good. And they played 194 tag, baseball, football, basketball, lacrosse, hockey, soccer, and pick-up-sticks.’ 24 ‘W h a t ’s pick-up-sticks?’ ‘I t ’s a game you play with sticks.’ ‘Like the w iza rd ’s magic wand?’ ‘Kind of.25 And they played games and laughed all after­ noon and then it began to get dark and they all ran home to their mommies.’ J o was starting to fuss with her hands and look out of the window, at the crack of day th at showed under the shade. She thought the story was all over. J a c k d id n ’t like women when they took anyth ing for g ran ted ,26 he liked them apprehen­ sive, hanging on his words.27 ‘Now, J o , are you listening?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Because this is very interesting. Roger S k u n k ’s mommy said, “W h a t ’s that awful smell?”’ ‘W ha-at?’ ‘And Roger Skunk said, “I t ’s me, Mommy, I smell like roses.’ And she said, “Who made you smell like th at?” And he said, “The wizard,” and she said, “Well, of all the nerve.28 You come w ith me and we’re going right back to that very awful wizard.’” J o sat up, her hands dabbling 23 in the air with genuine fright. ‘But D addy, then he said about the other little ani­ mals run away!’ ‘All right. He said, “But Mommy, all the other little animals run aw ay.” And she said, “I don’t care. You smelled the way a little skunk should have and I ’m going to take you right back to th at w izard,” and she took an umbrella and went back with Roger Skunk and hit that wizard right over the hea d .’ ‘N o,’ J o said, and put her hand out to touch his lips, yet even in her agitation did not quite dare to stop the source of truth. Inspiration came to her. ‘Then the wizard hit her on the head and did not change that little skunk back .’ ‘N o,’ he said. ‘The wizard said “O .K .” and Roger Skunk did not smell of roses any more. He smelled very bad again.’ ‘But the other little amum — oh! — amum — ’30 ‘Joanne. I t ’s D a d d y ’s story. Shall Daddy not tell you any more stories?’ Her broad face looked at him through sift­ ed light, astounded. ‘This is what happened then. Roger Skunk and his mommy went home and they heard Woo-oo, woooo-oo and it was the choo-choo train bringing Daddy 7* 195 Skunk home from Boston. And they had lima beans,31 pork chops, celery, liver, mashed potatoes, and Pie-Oh-My for dessert. And when Roger Skunk was in bed Mommy Skunk came up and hugged him and said he smelled like her little baby skunk again and she loved him very much. And t h a t ’s the end of the sto ry .’ ‘But D a d d y .’ ‘W h a t?’ ‘Then did the other little ani-mals run away?’ ‘No, because eventually they got used to the way he was and did not mind it at all.’ ‘W h a t’s evenshiladee?’ ‘In a little w hile.’ ‘That was a stupid mom my.’ ‘It was n o t,’ he said with rare emphasis, and believed, from her expression, th at she realized he was defending his own mother to her, or something as odd. ‘Now I want you to put your big heavy head in the pillow and have a good long n a p .’ He adjusted the shade so not even a crack of day showed, and tiptoed to the door, in the pretence th at she was already asleep. But when he turned, she was crouching on top of the covers and staring at him. ‘Hey. Get under the covers and fall faaast asleep. Bobby’s asleep.’ She stood up and bounced gingerly on the springs. ‘D a d ­ d y .’ ‘W h a t?’ ‘Tomorrow, I want you to tell me the story that that wizard took that magic wand and hit that mommy’ — her plump arms chopped fiercely — ‘right over the head.’ ‘No. T h a t’s not the story. The point is that the little skunk loved his mommy more than he loved aaalll the other little animals and she knew what was rig h t.’ ‘No. Tomorrow you say he hit th at mommy. Do i t . ’ She kicked her legs up and sat down on the bed with a great heave and complaint of springs, as she had done hundreds of times before, except that this time she did not laugh. ‘Say it, D a d ­ d y .’ ‘Well, we’ll see. Now at least have a rest. Stay on the bed. Y ou’re a good g irl.’ He closed the door and went downstairs. Clare had spread the newspapers and opened the paint can and, wearing an old shirt of his on top of her maternity smock,32 was stroking the chair rail with a dipped brush. Above him footsteps vi­ 196 b ra te d an d he called, ‘Jo a n n e . Shall I come up th e re an d spank y o u ? ’ The footsteps h e sita ted . ‘T h a t w as a long s to r y ,’ Clare said. ‘The poor k i d , ’ he answ ered, an d w ith u t te r weariness w atch ed his wife labo ur. T he woodw ork, a cage of mouldings a n d rails a n d baseboards all aro un d th e m , was half old tan and half new ivory a n d he felt cau g h t in a n ugly m id dle posi­ tion, and tho ug h he as well felt his w ife’s presence in the cage w ith h im , he d id n o t w a n t to sp eak w ith her, w ork w ith her, touch her, a n y th in g . NOTES 1 to have a problem — to find oneself in a difficult situa­ tion; w. c. to solve a problem; e.g. It will take some thinking to solve this problem; problematic adj.; e.g. His consent is most problematic. S y n . doubtful. 2 magic spell — words that have some magic power. Russ, заклинание; w.c. to cast a spell over smb.; e.g. She seems to have cast a spell over him. He has changed beyond recognition, w.c. to be (to come) under a spell; spell bound a d j.— with the attention held by, or as held by a spell, e.g. He held his audience spell-bound. She listened to him spell­ bound. to break the spell; e. g. The c u rta in fell and the lights went up. The spell was broken. 3 in the same breath — at the same time, w ithout any pause (also a ll in one breath); e.g. He adm itted they had no money but in the same breath promised to buy her a fur coat. 4 Working his way through this scheme — Telling the story by following the usual pattern 5 Jo never fell asleep in naps any more — She was put to bed in the afternoon yet she would not fall asleep as she used to 6 was . . . asleep with his bottle — has fallen asleep suck­ ing at his feeding-bottle 7 skunk — a small animal which sends out a bad-smelling liquid when attacked (Russ, вонючка, скунс) 8 name of Roger Skunk — called Roger Skunk (Roger Skunk by name) s with zest — enthusiastically, with feeling; to do smth. with zest very often, but not necessarily implies enjoyment, e.g. He made the experiments with zest (Russ, с увлечением); 197 w.c. to add zest to — to make a thing more interesting, a t ­ tractive, stim ulating; zest for life — interest for, ability to enjoy; e.g. An old man that Jolyon was, he had not lost zest for life (Russ, вкус, интерес к жизни) 10 woodwork — things made of wood, here applied to wooden parts of the house such as mouldings (Russ, багет), baseboards (Russ, плинтус), rails (Russ, перила, вешалка, etc.) 11 “So you do” — a response used in confirming a sta te ­ ment (Russ. Д а, правда. He без этого.) 13 a L ittle Golden Book — a children’s book for preschool age, one of a series 13 reality phase — the words imply th at J o is beginning to realize the difference between fairy-tales and reality, begin­ ning to doubt the tru th of what she is told 14 had made him miss a beat in the narrative — interrupt­ ed the story (to miss a beat is used here figuratively; in the literal sense it is applied to smth. going on with a certain regularity or rh y th m , like music, the beating of the heart, etc.) ■ 15 crick (dial.) = creek (Am., Austr.) — a small river 16 clenched in an infantile thrill — became tense in childish excitement; to clench — to press together, to close tightly, i.e. to clench one's fists, teeth, jaws, fingers; thrill — a feeling of excitement that passes like a wave along the nerves, i.e. to give smb. a thrill; e.g. The prospect of meet­ ing him after all those years gave her a thrill of joy; a thrill of joy, of horror; thriller — usually said of a book, film, play, etc.; e.g. The film He did not kill Lincoln is a thriller; pennythriller (colloq.) — said of a cheap detective or love story (which gives you a thrill for a penny); thrilling adj .— smth. that gives you a thrill, as a thrilling speech, experience, sight, etc. 17 Whatzis? Whatcher want? (irreg.) — W h a t’s this? W hat d ’you want? (Jack is not only telling the story, he is acting it. Thus he’s im itating the pronunciation of a gruff old man, bad-tempered, speaking in a hoarse voice.) 18 git == get 19 cleaning lady — cleaning woman, charwoman (Russ. уборщица). (The words cleaning lady belong to a child’s vocabulary.) 20 to rummage around — turn things over, move things about when looking for smth; to rummage in a box (desk. 198 drawer, closet, etc.); to rummage smth. out (or up) — to find a thing by disorderly search; e.g. She rummaged out her moth­ er’s wedding dress among old clothes in the garret; rummage sale — a sale of all kind of odds and ends, mostly for charity purposes. 21 smugly — with the self-satisfied air of a person who knows what is proper and respectable. The word usually im ­ plies a critical at t i t ude on the part of one who uses it. 22 Bingo! — an exclamation used to show that smth. has happened or is about to happen 23 cranky — irritable, hard to please, inclined to lose one’s temper 24 a) tag; b) lacrosse; c) and pick-up-sticks; a) chil­ dren’s game (Russ, пятнашки); b) an outdoor game of Cana­ dian origin played with a racket with a loose net (from French la crosse), used to catch and throw a ball; c) a game played with sticks (jack-straws) or matches which are to be picked up without disturbing the rest (Russ, бирюльки). Comp. “Five, six. Pick-up-sticks” — lines from a nursery rhyme. 25 kind of (ellipt.) — something of the kind 20 to take smth. for granted — to take smth. for a fact, to believe it couldn’t be otherwise (see p. 157, note 8) 27 he liked them apprehensive, hanging on his words — he liked them to listen to him anxiously, waiting eagerly for every word; w.c. to hang on one’s lips (or words). 28 W ell, of a ll the nerve — W hat impudence! How did he dare? w.c. of a ll + noun usually expresses surprise; e.g. He wrote to me from hospital, of all places. I don’t under­ stand why you — of all people — should have done it; nerve— self-reliance, boldness; (colloq.) impudence, cheek; w.c. to have the nerve to do smth., e.g. Who would have expected him to have the nerve to say such a thing? to lose one’s nerve, e.g. He is not likely to lose his nerve under the circumstances. 23 to dabble — to splash about in the water; (here) to wave her hands about in the air in horror (Russ, отчаянно замахать руками) 30 the other little amum — = the other little animals. The child is so shocked by the unexpected unhappy ending of the story that she is unable to articulate the word properly. 31 lima beans — a common article of food; large flat seeds of tall-growing tropical American beans 32 maternity smock — a loose gown worn by pregnant women 199 EXERCISES Exercise I. Practise the pronunciation of the following words and phrases: a) variation, squirrel, problem, owl, wizard, fatiguing, futile, nursery school, narrative, magic wand, trance-like gaze, nostrils, feigning, trace of sincerity, genuine, celery, dessert, rare emphasis, crouch, bounce, gingerly, m aternity, weariness b) in. .Qi 'i:vmr)z; 'went wi3 it t a _ 3 9 'waiz 'ould 'aul; 'pleid 'm em 'geimz wi3 'л З э 'kriitfaz; kan 'tin ju id wi3 'zest; 'sa:tn hju,mili'ei.fnz 9V hiz 'tfaildhud; Зэ 'koinaz av 'd^ouz 'm a u 0 _ ' d r u : p t _ ' d a u n ; 'э:1. .Зэ. . 'litl 'aenimalz; 'tfantid т ^ З э 'wizadz 'eldali 'iritabl 'vois; 'krautfir) on 'top av Зэ 'kxvaz Exercise II. Drills, a) Read and repeat; b) Use the structures in sen­ tences of your own: I. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Shall Shall Shall Shall Shall II. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. All the tiny animals would run away from him. Roger Skunk would stand there alone. Tears would fall from his eyes. J a c k would tell his little girl a story out of his head. He would make each story a slight variation of a basic tale. III. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. You shouldn’t interrupt Daddy. You should lie down and take a nap. Clare shouldn't move heavy things. You shouldn’t assume she is always right. She shouldn't make her child miserable. I I I I I tell you a story about Roger Fish? wait till you lie down? help you to wash up? come and spank you? continue? Exercise III. Replace the italicized parts of the sentences by words or word-groups from the text: 1. He liked to tell stories he had invented. 2. Each time he told his daughter a story he introduced some small changes into the original pattern. 3. The little hero of the tale was in trouble and the wizard to whom he turned for help invariably uttered some magic words that set things right. 4. J a c k ’s imagination (creative abilities) was aroused instantly by the 200 mention of a new hero. 5. J o looked at her father gravely. She had not expected things to take such a turn. 6. He was eager to tell her the story which made him recall certain painful experi­ ences (incidents) from his childhood when he was treated with con­ tempt. 7. Jac k liked his stories to be listened to with close atten­ tion. 8. W hen the baby was in bed she put her arms round him and pressed him tight to show she was very fond of him. 9. He spoke with unusual conviction (force). 10. He watched his wife, feeling very tired and weary. Exercise IV. Find in the story equivalents for the following words and phrases: а) дневной сон; задернутые шторы; выдумывать исто­ рии из головы; незначительные изменения; испытывать затруднение; найти выход (решить вопрос); тут же (не переводя дыхания) б) зажмурить глаза; твердо; детсад; новый персонаж; вызвать прилив вдохновения; крошечный; серьезно; пред­ видеть; с жаром (увлечением); углы рта опустились; не было желания спешить; скрипнул стул; красить карниз (плинтус и т. д.) в) плохо пахнуть; вскочить (сесть); коротко (отрыви­ сто); волшебник; постучать; любимый номер; сваленные в кучу; уборщица; перерыть; волшебная палочка; самодо­ вольно; уставиться остекленевшим взглядом; восторженное выражение; глупо; ни тени искренности; раздссадовать; переулок; волшебный колодец; играть в пятнашки (футбол, бирюльки); вертеть (крутить) руками; принять за факт; настороженный; жадно ловить каждое слово какая наглость!; замахать руками; неподдельный испуг; мне все равно; стукнуть прямо по голове; в волнении; вдохновение; пораженный; привезти домой; обнять; в ко­ нечном счете; не иметь ничего против; поправить штору; пойти на цыпочках; залезть под одеяло; свирепо взмах­ нуть руками; дело в том, что. ..; разложить газеты; банка с краской; кисть с краской; мне тебя выпороть?; грустно и устало Exercise V. Fill in the blanks with prepositions: The moonlight was sifting . . . the drawn shades. Leonore was . . . bed, reading a thriller. It was the cook’s day off and the visiting maid had already left, so Leonore took it . . . granted she was alone . . . the house. All . . . a sudden 201 she heard somebody c o m e the bedroom and rap gently . . . the door. She s a t genuine fright. Who . . . earth could it be? “W ait . . . me . . . the living room,” she said, .. . recognizing the husky voice . . . the village doctor, and . . . the same breath inquired irritably w hat had brought him there, . . . all people, .. . such a late hour. “I ’ve got an urgent message . . . you,” he replied . . . a low voice. . . . a few minutes she entered the living room. The doctor was walking . . . and . . . the room. He looked weary. “W h a t’s it all . . .?” she asked im patiently, adjusting her dressinggown. “Your husband has met . . . an accident.” Her heart missed a beat. “My husband,” she said staring . . . him . . . a trance-like gaze, and sank . . . the ground . . . a lifeless heap. Exercise VI. State which characters in the story the following words and word-groups refer to; find the sentences they are used in: a) elderly; irritable; cranky b) firmly; solemnly; smugly; rapt; in a thrill; with genuine fright; in agitation; astounded; fiercely c) fatiguing; futile; with zest; curtly; to miss a beat; trance-like gaze; favourite effect; startled; silly; to annoy; to take for granted; apprehensive; to hang on his words; eventually; with rare emphasis; to adjust the shade; to tiptoe; the point is; with utter weariness d) of all the nerve; to go right back; I don’t care; the way you should have; to hit right over the head; to come up; to hug Exercise VII. Answer the following questions: 1. W hat sort of stories did Jack tell his daughter? 2. Who did Jo want the story to be about and why did Jac k enjoy the suggestion? 3. W hat was Roger S k u n k ’s problem and why did Jack tell the story with zest? 4. Why did the corners of J o ’s mouth droop? 5. W hat made Jack pleased with the moment? 6. How did Roger Skunk go about solving his prob­ lem? Where did the owl instruct him to go? 7. W hat did the wizard look like and how did he solve Roger S ku nk ’s prob­ lem? 8. W hat sort of expression did Jack see on J o ’s face and why did it startle him? 9. Why did it annoy Jac k to see J o fuss with her hands and what made him go on with the story? 10. What did J o do when she was told of the way Mommie Skunk had reacted to the change? 11. W hat suggestion did Jo make? 12. How did Jack tell the end of the story? 13. W hat made him say Mommie Skunk was not stupid? 14. W hat did 202 J o want her Daddy to promise? 15. W hat shows she was very much upset? 16. W h a t made Jac k sorry for his little girl? Exercise VIII. Comment on or explain the following: 1. ‘Whenever he would go out to p la y ,’ Jac k continued w ith zest, remembering certain hum iliations of his childhood. 2. He was pleased with the moment — he was telling her something true, something she must know — and had no wish to hurry on. B ut downstairs a chair scraped. . . . 3. ‘The wizard, the w izard,’ J o shouted, and sat right u p . . . . 4. ‘They’re real in stories,’ Jac k answered curtly. She had made him miss a beat in his narrative. 5. Jac k rapped on the window sill. 6. J o made the crying face again, but this time w ithout a trace of sincerity. This annoyed Jac k . Downstairs some more furniture rumbled. 7. J o was startin g to fuss with her h a n d s . . . She thought the story was over. Jack didn’t like women when they took anything for granted, he liked them apprehensive, hanging on his words. 8. ‘N o,’ J o said, and put her hand out to touch his lips, yet even in her agi­ tation did not quite dare to stop the source of truth. 9. ‘But the other little amum — oh! — amum — ’. 10. ‘It was n o t,’ he said with rare emphasis, and believed, from her expression, that she realized he was defending his own mother to her, or something as odd. 11. ‘Tomorrow, I want you to tell me the story th a t th at wizard took that magic wTand and hit that mom­ m y’—her pl ump arms chopped fiercely — ‘right over the h ea d .’ Exercise IX. Pick out the most suitable answer to each question: 1. W h^t sort of man was Jack? a. 1) a strong character, 2) a person easily dominated by others, b. 1) sensitive and imaginative, 2) matter-of-fact 2. W hat kind of father and husband was Jack? 1) doesn’t w ant to stir a finger to help his wife, 2) is willing to share the work about the house with Clare, 3) is a decent family man, 4) has no patience with the children, 5) is a fond father 3. W hat was Clare like? a) very much the same type as her husband, b) lazy and bad-tempered, c) active and hard-working, d) easy-going, e) inclined to find fault with her husband 4. W hat was Joe like? a) a quiet and obedient child, b) likes to have her own way, c) is most likely her father’s (mother’s) favourite, d) has reached the stage when she 203 begins to challenge her mother’s authority, e) is (is not) inclined to think that “mother always knows best” Exercise X. Retell the story according to the given plan using the following words and phrases: 1. 2. 3. 4. The basic tale Jac k usually told his daughter. The new element Jac k introduced into the story. J o ’s reaction to the story. J a c k ’s mood while and after telling the story. I . The' basic tale. out of his head; custom; slight variation; small creature; to have some problem; wise old owl; wizard; to perform a magic spell; to solve the problem; to demand in payment; in the same breath; to direct; happy; just in time; to bring smb. home; work one’s way through; fatiguing; to fall asleep; in naps; futile II. Who shall the story be about? to squeeze one’s eyes shut; skunk; nursery school; fresh hero; to stir; tiny; to smell bad; whenever he would go out; would run away; tears would fall from his eyes; to walk along sadly; in the tiptop of a tree; enormous owl; Mr. Owl; so you do; to cry hard; why don’t y o u . ..; t h a t ’s the way he went; pretty soon; to rap on the door; to smell awful; fa­ vourite effect; come on in; magic things; jumbled together; dusty heap; to rummage around; magic wand; trance-like gaze; elderly; irritable; the whole inside (of); cranky; t h a t ’ll be seven pennies; all I have i s . ..; lane; look down; magic well; to run out of; to gather; to play tag; to run home; awful smell; who made y o u . ..; of all the nerve; right back; I don’t care; the way you should have; to take right back; to hit; right over the head; O.K.; to go home; hear the train; to bring home; to have pork chops (celery, liver, mashed potatoes); in bed; to hug; eventually; not to mind III. Jo’s reaction to the story. skunk; firmly; solemnly; to foresee; the corners of her mouth drooped; her lower lip bent forward; won’t he see the owl; her legs switched tensely; to shout; to sit right up; reality phase; to clench in a thrill; smugly; ra p t expression; without a trace of sincerity; to fuss w ith her hands; was over; to sit up; to dabble in the air; genuine fright; to put her hand 204 out; agitation; did not dare; inspiration; astounded; a stupid mommy; from her expression; to crouch on top of the covers; to stare; to stand up; plump arms; to chop fiercely; to kick up her legs; hundreds of times; except that; footsteps vibrated (hesitated) IV. Jack's mood while and after telling the story. to stir smb. to creative enthusiasm; to continue with zest; hum iliations of his own childhood; pleased with this moment; no wish to hurry; realized he must get down to help; curtly; to miss a beat; narrative; favourite effect; trance­ like gaze; to chant; to pause; to be startled; to whisper; silly; stupid old Daddy; to be annoyed; some more furniture ru m ­ bled; to take for granted; apprehensive; to hang on his words; eventually; w ith rare emphasis; to defend one’s own mother; to adjust; to tiptoe; in the pretence (that); the point is; we’ll see; utter weariness; poor kid; to watch; to feel caught in an ugly middle position Exercise XI. Quote the story to prove that I. a) J o was greatly moved by Roger S ku n k ’s problem, b) was about to burst into tears, when she was told of the way the other little animals behaved, c) enjoyed what she took to be the happy ending of the tale, d) was shocked to learn of Mom m y’s interference, e) questioned Mommy’s right to act the way she did, f) was deeply affected and made repeated suggestions to restore justice (redress the wrong), g) refused to give in II. a) J a c k was fond of his little girl, b) was good at telling stories, c) enjoyed telling J o some of the things she ought to know, d) was annoyed: 1. by J o ’s taking things for granted and 2.*by the noise coming from the living room which reminded him he ought to be there, e) felt he ought to justify Mommy, f) had failed to convince J o and felt miserable because of having made his little girl unhappy. Exercise XII. Use a) thrill or its derivatives and b) nerve ( to have the nerve, to lose one’s nerve, etc.) in translating the following sentences: I. 1. Его блестящая речь и призыв к действию (appeal to action) н а э л е к т р и з о в а л и аудиторию. 2. Невозможно забыть такое в о л н у ю щ е е событие. 3. В дорогу он решил взять какой-нибудь д е ш е в ы й д е т е к т и в н ы й р о м а н , чтобы скоротать время (to while the time away). 4. Музыка Скрябина всегда в ы з ы в а л а у н е г о т р е п е т . 5. С р а ­ 203 д о с т н ы м в о л н е н и е м он прочел свое имя среди тех, кому присуждена высокая награда. II. 1. Никто не предполагал, что у н е г о х в а т и т д е р з о с т и критиковать своего научного руководителя. 2. В последнюю минуту он с т р у с и л . 3. Не думаю, чтобы у него х в а т и л о д е р з о с т и сделать такую вещь. 4. Он, пожалуй, единственный, у кого х в а т и т д у х у вы­ ступить с таким заявлением. 5. К а к а я н а г л о с т ь ! Exercise X III. Translate the following sentences: I. 1. Morton, of all men, should keep away from the con­ flict. 2. W e met last year in the Far E ast, of all places. 3. E ve­ rybody was in favour of the project. The only man who op­ posed it was E d ’s best friend Grant, of all people. 4. W ell, of all things, what have you got to do with the publication of the book? II. 1. Andrew took it for granted th a t he was the most promising man in the team. 2. Don't take it for granted you’ll get all the support you need. Things are not as simple as th at. 3. One shouldn’t take things for granted. 4. It was taken for granted that Helen would be appointed to play the leading part in the film. Exercise XIV. Topics for discussion: 1. Give your opinion of Jack. 2. Try to analyse J o ’s feelings. Account for her reaction to the story. 3. Tell an incident illustrating “some of the hum iliations of one’s childhood” . 4. Speak on the authority of one’s parents, as the chil­ dren see it. 5. Compare the story with one of K ipling’s Just So Stories. Find some points of resemblance. 6. Tell the class a story you liked to be told in your child­ hood. Exercise XV. Render in English: Сказочные образы Тербера, преображенные (transformed) его умной и тонкой наблюдательностью, так же как и пер­ сонажи его басен, похожи на людей. А их поведение и пси­ хология вполне современны (way of thinking and behaviour are quite up-to-date). Сказка рождена жизнью и живет вечно. Сказочные об­ разы кочуют из одной эпохи в другую и в каждой черпают 206 w новую правду. «Красную шапочку» Тербер вооружает . . . автоматом (autom atic pistol). А Ворона, та самая, которая «сыр во рту держала» (beak), поумнела и уже не дает себя провести (outwit). Традиционные сюжеты получают h o b v i o , неожиданную трактовку. Хорошую сказку с удовольствием прочтут и дети и взрослые. Любая, даже самая умная, попытка художника сознательно приспособиться к детскому восприятию и мыш­ лению (to bring the story down to the c h ild ’s level of un der­ standing) неизбежно приводит к искажению и обедняет её (distortion, makes primitive). Вот что по этому поводу писал Белинский: «Хорошо и полезно только то сочинение для детей, которое может занимать взрослых людей и нравиться им не как детское сочинение, а как литературное произве­ дение, писанное для всех». И далее: «Писатель никогда не должен писать только для д е т е й ..., притворяться малень­ ким. Ребенок всегда хочет лезть вверх. Ему всегда импо­ нирует взрослый человек (be impressed by), потому что он сам хочет быть взрослым». В английской и американской литературе имеется не­ мало произведений (quite a few), которые удовлетворяют этим требованиям: «Алиса в стране чудес» Льюиса Кэррола, сказки Киплинга, «Винни-Пух» А. А. Милна и-, ко­ нечно, оригинальные и остроумные сказки и басни Тербера. Q U I Z VI 1. Who said: ^ “ . . . I am a man More sinned against than sinning”? 2. Wha t great English poet was a peer (sat in the House of Lords)? W hat did he attack in his maiden speech? 3. a) W h a t is the smallest state in Europe? b) W hat is it known, for? c) In which of G alsw orthy’s short stories is it described? 4. Who wrote these famous poems: a) Hiawatha [ haia'wo03], b) The Ballad of the Redding Gaol, c) The Lady of Shal­ lot, d) The Prisoner of Shillon? 5. Name a famous English a rtist, the First President of the Royal Academy of Art founded in London in 1768. 207 6. Where is the P o e t’s Corner? Whose names does it re­ call? 7. According to a Greek legend a handsome youth fell in love with his own reflection and dying was changed into a flower. Who was it? 8. In w hat well-known English novels do these characters appear: a) L ittle Nell, b) Becky Sharp, c) Rebecca, d) S y ­ bil Vane? 9. Name the famous English actress who played the lead­ ing parts in the films Lady Hamilton and Waterloo Bridge. 10. Can you complete these proverbs: a) Handsome is a s . .., b) There is no p l a c e .. ., c) It never rains b u t . .. 11. Which of Shakespeare’s plays have been staged by Moscow theatres? 12. W hat are the English equivalents of the following American words: a) pants, b) guy, c) high-ball? CEDRIC S FAIRY GODFATHER b y Newman Levy There was once a struggling young author named Cedric G ailbraith who lived in extreme poverty in an attic and spent all his time w riting stories and poems that no one would buy. This made it extremely awkward for Cedric, because the neighbourhood butchers, grocers, and other sordid 1 tradesmen preferred to sell commodities 2 for cash. Moreover, the grasping skinflint 3 who owned the ramshackle 4 house in which the attic was situated, insisted unpleasantly that the rent should be paid at monthly intervals. Each week Cedric would mail out 5 a number of stories and poems, for he was an industrious young man, and the following week they would be returned with polite printed notes which read more or less as follows: “We thank you for submitting your manuscript, but regret that it is not suitable for our present needs. This does not imply any lack of merit,6 and we hope you will favour us with anything you may write in the future. The Editors.” These notes encouraged Cedric greatly, and kept him from abandoning the xMuse 7 for one of the many glittering oppor­ 208 tunities that presented themselves, such as driving a taxicab or working in a cigar store. “I must have some talent,” he thought. “They always send my pieces back with regret, and they always say th a t they are not lacking in merit. These editors know their business. They w ouldn’t say they hoped I ’d send them other things if they did n ’t mean it.” So he kept on writing. One day as Cedric was polishing off a sonnet written in the P e t r a r c h a n 8 form, his door opened and a man entered. He appeared to be about sixty years of age; he was short and skinny and the stubble 9 on his thin face indicated th at he had not shaved for several days. He was shabbily dressed,10 and Cedric detected a strong odour of liquor in his breath. “I h aven’t the money now,” Cedric exclaimed from force of habit, “b u t next week I expect —” “I ’m not a bill collector,” the stranger said sourly. “Have a seat,” Cedric said, greatly relieved. “Who are you?” “I ’m your fairy godfather,” said the visitor. “Well, i t ’s darned 11 near time!” Cedric said, glaring at him indignantly. “P ostlew aite’s the nam e,” said the stranger. “Cyrus H. Postlewaite. I ’ve been your fairy godfather since you were born. You h aven’t got a spot 12 of something to drink around here?” “No.” “Too b a d .13 I ’ve been meaning to drop in on you 14 for a long time and do something for you. T h a t ’s w hat fairy god­ fathers are for. But you know how it is.” “No, I don ’t,” Cedric said. “Oh, one gets so involved,” 15 Mr. Postlew aite said. “Busi­ ness affairs. Social engagements.10 Tim e flies and before you know it — well, anyway here I am. W h a t can I do for you?” * ' “I want success,” Cedric exclaimed eagerly, “I want mon­ ey and fame. I want to see the things I write in print —” “Nothing easier. Money, fame, success? T h a t ’s my busi­ ness. I ’ll fix you up in a jiffy.” 17 “Please hurry,” said Cedric im p atiently. “I h aven’t eaten a square meal 18 in a week.” “Let me see,”19 said Mr. Postlewaite. “We could do a grand opera or a novel — no, I have it!” he exclaimed brig ht­ ly. “I ’ll tell you a joke.” 8 № 1518 209 “A joke!” “A man came home one evening and was greeted by his wife who was in tears. ‘Th ey’re wearing skirts six inches long­ er this y ea r,’ she said, ‘I ca n ’t wear this old suit any more. I t ’s too sh o rt.’ ‘D on’t w orry,’ the husband replied w ith a merry twinkle in his eyes. ‘It will be long before 20 you get a new one.’” Mr. Postlewaite leaned back in his chair and laughed loud­ ly. Cedric stared at him w ith indignant astonishment. “I ’m dying,” he m uttered, paraphrasing an ancient jest, “and he tells me jokes.” “There you are; 21 and don’t forget,” the fairy godfather said, “I get the agent’s usual ten per cent commission.” He arose and walked to the door and was gone. Cedric sat in confusion before his typewriter, his fingers autom atically striking the keys. Some tim e later he looked a t the sheet of paper before him and saw th a t he had typed Mr. Postlew aite’s joke a t the bottom of his sonnet. “Well, w hat have I got to lose?” he thought bitterly. H e enclosed the paper in an envelope and put his last threecent stam p on it, and went downstairs to mail it to the edi­ tor of a popular national magazine. Three days later a letter arrived, the first Cedric had received. As he tore it open a check fell out of the envelope. “Dear M r . Gailbraith, (the letter said). I am sorry we cannot use your sonnet as sonnets are pretty much a drug on the market.™ However, I was delighted w ith your little anecdote, a vign­ ette 23 of real life, and I am happy to enclose a check for fifty dollars. Y o u have a real flair for 24 humour, so please send us some more. Sincerely, G. S m ith , Editor” I t was a different Cedric G ailb raith who faced the typew rit­ er the next morning. For one th in g ,25 he had a haircut, and he glowed w ith a sense of well-being th a t comes from h a v ­ ing dined lavishly a t one of the b etter neighbourhood cafe­ terias. This tim e there was no hesitation. R apidly and confi­ dently his fingers played across the keys w ith the virtuosity of a R ub instein .25 H e pulled the sheet of paper from the ma­ chine and read w hat he had written: 210 “It seems there were two Irishmen nam ed P a t and Mike. P a t said to Mike one day, ‘My wife told me last n ig ht th at she needed a new dress. She said they were wearing skirts a little longer this y ea r.’ ‘W h a t did you tell her?’ Mike inquired. ‘I said О. K. Then you can wear th a t one a little longer.’” This time the response from the popular natio nal magazine was prompt and enthusiastic. “Dear Cedric, (the letter said). Your sparkling tour de force 27 h it our office like a bombshell. M y staff is still chuckling over it. M y secretary, M iss K lein, laughed so much that she had a stitch in her side 28 and had to be taken home in an ambulance. She had several stitches in her side 89 last year after her appendicitis operation, but they were nothing compared with what your story did to her. Enclosed is a check for seventy-five dollars. Keep up the good work. Cordially, Jack Sm ith." As Cedric finished reading the letter he detected an al­ coholic aroma pervading the room. He looked up and saw th at his fairy godfather had entered and had seated himself in the only comfortable chair in the room. “Well, godson, how goes it?” 30 “I ’ve got fame and fortune,” Cedric said, “but I ’m not satisfied. Those little vignettes of real life, if I may coin a phrase,31 were all right as preliminary sketches, manifesta­ tions, let us say, of my early artistic development. My biog­ raphers will refer to this as my first anecdotal period. But I w ant to do something big, im portant; something that ex­ presses the genius th a t is burning w ithin me.” “Sure,” said Mr. Postlewaite. “Swell 82 idea. Why don ’t you do a story, something about a fellow whose wife needs a new dress because short skirts have gone out of fashion, and he can’t afford 33 to buy her one? H e ’s a clerk in a bank —” “By god, you ’ve something there,” Cedric exclaimed. “Not a vignette this time, but a real, tender story of heartthrobs, poverty, and young love. I can see it all. Chekhov! Maugham! Hemingway! Drinkwater 34 — ” “Not on your life!” 35 his fairy godfather said. “And before I leave th ere’s th at little matter of ten per cent.” “Right!” Cedric said. He reached in his pocket and h a n d ­ ed his fairy godfather a roll of bills. 8* 211 It was evident after Cedric had w ritten his second story that a new star of first magnitude had risen on the literary horizon. His first story, which was enthusiastically accept­ ed by Editor Sm ith, dealt with the fortunes of a newly wedded couple in Greenwich Village.36 It was, as Cedric had pre­ dicted, full of heartthrobs, poverty, and young love. The second was a grim, penetrating, psychological story about a million­ aire Wall Street broker 37 whose selfish, pleasure-loving wife demanded a new mink coat, not knowing th a t he had been wiped out in the m a r k e t 38 th at very day, and was penniless. “Reminiscent of Dreiser at his best,” 30 the critics said. A few months later Cedric sat, im m aculately dressed in din­ ner clothes, before the fireplace in the magnificent living room of Mr. Jac k S m ith, the editor of the popular national magazine. “I got an offer from Hollywood, Ja c k , to come out there and make some pictures,” he said, “but I turned it down.” 40 “I think you were right,” his host replied. “I ’ve got all the money I need,” Cedric said, “and I ’d rather stay here and finish my novel.” “H ow ’s it coming?” Mr. Smith asked. “I t ’s about a peasant family in Yugoslavia,” Cedric said. “The potato crop has gone bad and they are facing starvation. The wife asks for a pair of new boots because all the neigh­ bours are wearing them higher —” “Higher, did you say? Isn’t th a t a bit reckless?” Smith asked. “Up to now your stories have always been about w ear­ ing skirts and dresses longer. Your public expects certain things from you. You can’t let them down.” 41 “I know,” Cedric replied, “but one must be experimental. In art you ca n ’t stand still.” The rest of this story is a m atter of contemporary literary history. The phenomenal sale of L am ent for a D y in g Postman astonished everyone, particularly in view of the grim n ature of its theme. “Cedric G a ilb ra ith ’s new novel, Lam ent for a D yin g P ostm an,” wrote one of New Y o rk’s leading critics, “makes Dostoevski sound like a flippant wisecracker.” 42 Cedric sat on the terrace of his Long Island 43 estate, purchased by the sale of Lam ent for a D y in g Postman to the movies.44 Mr. Postlewaite, neatly dressed in w hite flannels, rocked contentedly back and forth in a porch swing. “I have everything th at I dreamed of,” Cedric said gloomi­ ly. “Fame and wealth are mine, and yet my success is like bitter ashes in my mouth.” 212 ■ “I ’ve never tasted b itter ashes,” Mr. Postlewaite said, “b u t it sounds most unpleasant. W h a t ’s wrong?” 45 “I ’m in love,” Cedric said, “and last night I quarrelled with the girl of my dreams, Miss Lena Krausmeyer, the love­ ly daughter of the millionaire Pickle King. All is over.” I have drunk a b itte r draught of gall and worm-wood — .” “You can think of most original metaphors,” Mr. P ostle­ w aite said, hastily gulping down the contents of his glass. “So you had a scrap 46 with the girl friend. Well, don’t let th a t worry you. They don’t call me Cupid Postlewaite for nothing.47 J u s t send her this telegram.” He scribbled some words on a sheet of paper and passed it to Cedric, who read, “D arling Lena, I'm sorry I was short w ith 48 you last night. I long for 49 you. Devotedly, Cedric The wedding, which was held the following month in the grand ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria 60 was a glittering af­ fair.51 All the notables of the world of art and fashion were there. Mr. Postlewaite, who acted as best m an,62 later per­ formed the duties of toastm aster.63 After consuming three bo t­ tles of champagne he arose to propose a toast to the bride and groom: “I am reminded of a story,” he said, “about a newly m ar­ ried couple. The bride asked her husband to buy her a new dress because the old one was too sh ort...” The audience was convulsed with laughter. NOTES 1 so rd id — mean, low 2 commodities — any thin g th at is bought and sold 3 grasping skinflint — greedy miser (Russ, жадный, ск р я­ га) 4 ramshackle — very old and looking as if it might fall down (Russ, ветхий, «развалюха») . 6 m ail out (A m .) — send by post 6 this does not imply any lack of merit — this does not mean th at your manuscript is poor (inferior in quality, bad) 7 kept him from abandoning the Muse — prevented him from giving up w riting poems, etc. Muse lmju:z], according 213 to a Greek legend, was one of the nine goddesses, daughters of Zeus, who protected and encouraged the arts of poetry, song, etc. {Russ, муза) 8 Petrarch ['phtrcrk], Francesco [fraen'seskou] (1304-74), a great Italian lyrical poet, known for his sonnets dedicated to Laura 9 stubble — a short growth of beard {Russ, щетина) 10 he was shabbily dressed — his clothes were much worn, old, poor; shabby adj.; e.g. shabby clothes, furniture, room, etc. 11 darned = damned (vu lg .); darned near time ( ironical) — чертовски вовремя 12 spot (colloq.) — a small quantity; e.g. He offered me a spot of whiskey. 13 Too bad. (colloq.)— W h a t a pity! 14 to drop in on you — to pay a visit to you (See p. 58 Note 3) 16 one gets so involved (here) — one has got so many things to do 18 social engagements — светские обязанности, встречи и т. д.; e.g. I know him socially ( = I have met him a t p ar­ ties, receptions, etc.) I’ll fix you up in a jiffy (colloq.) — I ’ll make arrange­ ments for you at once, in a jiffy (colloq.) — in a moment, in no time 18 to have a square meal (colloq.) — to have a substan­ tial (satisfying) meal (Russ, плотно поесть) 19 Let m e see (colloq.) — Let me think. (Russ. Д ай сооб­ разить) 20 It w ill be long before.. . — a pun (a play upon the double meaning of the word long: 1. long a d j.— an t. to short; 2. long adv.— a long period of time, much time) 21 There you are (colloq.) — Н у, вот тебе, получай. 22 a drug on the market — something no one wants to buy 23 vignette [vin'jet] — a brief and elegant description in words 24 a flair for — an instinctive ability to see w hat is h u ­ morous, good, useful, etc. ^ for one thing — first of all, to begin with 26 Rubinstein ['rubinstainj, A nton (1829-1894) — a fa­ mous Russian pianist and composer (a Rubinstein — a pi­ anist whose technique is as brilliant as th a t of Rubinstein) 214 27 tour de force (Fr.) [ 'tu a da 'fa:s] — an action re­ quiring great skill 28 a stitch in her side — a sharp pain in her side (Russ. колотье в боку) 29 several stitches in her side (p u n ) — in this case stitch is used in the meaning шов (to put in several stitches — нало­ жить швы) 30 how goes it? (colloq.) — how are things? how are you getting on? 31 to coin a phrase (a word) — to make a new phrase (word) 32 sw ell (A m . colloq.) — excellent, first class 33 can’t afford (to) — hasn’t got enough money (to) 34 Drinkwater — Jo h n Drinkwater, English poet and dram atist (1882-1937) 33 Not on your life! (colloq.) — By no means, t h a t ’s not to be thought of. (Russ. Ни за что на свете! Никоим образом!). Cedric’s fairy godfather thinks that Cedric has said: “D rink w ater!” 33 Greenwich V illage ['grinit^] — formerly a village on M anhattan island, now part of M anhattan borough, New York City, frequented by authors, artists, poets, etc. 37 a W all Street broker — one who sells stocks and bonds , in the financial market of the U nited States (W all Street — a street in New York, the chief financial centre of the U.S.A.) 38 to be wiped out in the market — to be ruined 39 Reminiscent of Dreiser at his best.— The story re­ minds the reader of Dreiser’s best works. (This is an allusion to Dreiser’s T rilo g y of Desire: The Financier, The T ita n and The Stoic, in which the author describes in detail the world of finance, stock exchange m achinations, etc.) 40 to turn down an offer — to reject an offer 41 You can’t let them down.— (here) You ca n ’t disap­ point them. 42 flippant wisecracker — lightm inded jester; wisecrack (A m . colloq.) — a w itty saying 43 Long Island — one of the islands th at forms part of New York City 44 movies (A m . colloq.) — moving pictures ( = cinema) 45- W hat’s wrong? — W hat are you dissatisfied with? 46 to have a scrap with (colloq.) — to quarrel with 47 They don’t ca ll me Cupid Postlewaite for nothing.— They have every reason for calling me Cupid Postlewaite; 215 not for nothing — не даром, не зр я . Cupid ['kju:pid] — the Roman God of love, the son of Venus (Russ. Купидон) 48 to be short with — to be angry with; to have a short temper — to become angry easily; to be short-tempered, to lose one’s temper (Russ, вспылить, быть вспыльчивым) 49 to long for — to desire greatly, to wish for something very much 50 the Waldorf-Astoria — the richest hotel in New York City 61 a glittering affair (colloq.) — a rich and magnificent thing (happening) 63 best man — Russ, шафер 53 toastmaster — a person at a public dinner, etc. who announces the toasts (Russ, тамада) EXERCISES Exercise I. Practise the pronunciation of the following a) words and b) vvord-combinations: a) author, extreme, awkward, butchers, commodity, in ­ dustrious, m anuscript, encourage, abandon, taxicab, cigar, editor, odour, liquor, greatly relieved, ancient, envelope, vignette, cafeteria, key, virtuosity, enthusiastic, alcoholic, aroma, heartthrobs, lament, im m aculately, draught, reminis­ cent, champagne, convulse, theme, wealth, contemporary b) 3 'strAglirj 'jAij 'о:0э; 'livd in ik s'tri:m 'povati; 'spent 'o:l hiz 'taim ; in 'witf Si -. . 'aetik wsz 'sitju:eitid; а 'п л т Ь э г ^ э у 'storriz; 6ei 'o:lwiz 'send m a i'p i:s iz 'baek; dei 'h o u p t aid 's e n d _ S 3 m 'лЗэ '0igz Exercise II. Drills, a) Read and repeat; b) Use the structures in sentences of your own: 1. 1. The landlord insisted that he should pay the rent every month. 2. The editor insisted that Cedric should write more stories. 3. A Hollywood producer insisted that Cedric should come over and make some pictures. 4. The editor insisted that Cedric should not let down his public. II. 1. I've been meaning to drop in on you for a long time. 2. I ’ve long been w anting to do something for you. 3. H e has been dreaming of fame and wealth. 216 4. H e has been feeling dissatisfied for a long time. 5. The critics have been praising his stories to the skies. III. 1. Every week Cedric would m ail ries. 2. The following week he would 3. After cashing the check Cedric restaurant. 4. As a popular writer he would to parties and receptions. out a num ber of sto­ get a polite refusal. would dine at a rich often get invitations IV. 1. These notes kept him from abandoning the Muse. 2. N othing could keep him from w riting short stories. 3. Fam e and money didn’t keep him from being dissatis­ fied. 4. His fairy godfather knew how to keep him from wor­ rying. V. 1. The printed notes encouraged Cedric and he kept on w riting. 2. His fairy godfather kept on visiting him. 3. The editor kept on praising the rising star. 4. Cedric kept on receiving checks for the stories he wrote. 5. The critics kept on comparing him w ith the greatest modern writers. V I. 1. I t was a different Cedric who faced the typewriter the next morning. 2. I t was an enthusiastic letter that he got th a t afternoon. 3. I t was a popular national magazine that published his first story. 4. I t was Cedric’s fairy godfather who suggested the plot of the novel. Exercise III. Add tail-questions to the following: 1. Cedric lived in extreme poverty, . . . ? 2. Each week Cedric would mail out a number of stories, . . . ? 3. I can’t wear this old suit any more, . . . ? 4. He has nothing to lo s e ,. . . ? 5. Now you have got fame and fortune, . . . ? 6. I ’ve never tasted b itter ashes, . . . ? Exercise IV. Replace the italicized parts of the sentences by words and word-groups from the text: 2. 1. There was once a young author who was extremely poor. The neighbourhood tradesmen would not sell commodities 217 on credit. 3. The owner of the shabby house in which the attic was situated wanted the rent to be paid once a month. 4. Every week Cedric sent by post a quantity of -stories and poems, for he was a hard-working young man. 5. These printed notes gave Cedric hope (cheered him up). 6. The m an's clothes were old and worn. 7. Nobody wants to buy sonnets. 8. You have a keen sense of hum our. 9. This time the answer from the popular n a ­ tional magazine w asquick and fu ll of enthusiasm. 10. “You can think of most original metaphors,” Mr. Postlewaite said, swallowing down greedily the contents of his glass. 11. After drinking (em ptying) three bottles of champagne he arose to propose a toast. Exercise V. Find in the text English equivalents for the following and use them in sentences of your own: крайняя нужда; в мансарде; мясник; бакалейщик; торговец; за наличный расчет; скряга; квартирная плата; отправлять по почте; трудолюбивый юноша; рукопись; сожалеть; неподходящий; ободрять (поощрять); продол­ жать писать; отделывать (шлифовать); на вид ему было лет пятьдесят; плохо одетый; сильный запах; в силу привычки; человек, получающий деньги по векселям (счетам); с боль­ шим облегчением; возмущенно смотреть; жаль; зайти к комулибо; светские обязанности (встречи); мгновенно; плотно поесть; дайте сообразить; ну, вот держи; ударить по кл а­ вишам; печатать на машинке; вложить в конверт; прикле­ ить марку; чек на 50 долларов; во-первых; постричься; ощутить запах; усесться; блестящая (отличная) мысль; не может себе позволить; вручить п а ч к у ассигнаций; оче­ видно; принять восторженно; психологический рассказ; без гроша; картофель не уродился; отвергнуть (предложе­ ние); разочаровать; жадно проглотить; не зря; корчиться от смеха; звезда первой величины Exercise VI. Translate the words in brackets and read these sentences: 1. Cedric (напечатал письмо на машинке) and mailed it out first thing in the morning. 2. H e (приклеил к конвер­ ту последнюю марку) and hurried out to post the letter. 3. He d id n ’t expect to get (быстрый ответ). Nor did he expect his manuscript to be (восторженно принят). 4. Great was his surprise as he tore open the letter and saw (как на стол выпал чек на 50 долларов). 5. All his life he had lived (в мансарде) and (не мог себе позволить) to have at least one 218 square meal a day. 6. This story was reminiscent of Chekhov (в лучших его произведениях). 7. The wedding (состоялась) in'one of the richest hotels. It was attended by (все выдаю­ щиеся деятели) of the world of art. Exercise VII. Say these sentences in Indirect Speech: 1. “I haven’t the money now,” Cedric exclaimed. 2. “I am not a bill collector,” the stranger said. 3. “H ave you got a spot of something to drink around here?” he asked. 4. “Please hurry,” said Cedric im patiently. “I h aven’t eaten a square meal in a week.” 5. “I sn ’t that, a bit reckless?” Sm ith asked. 6. “I ’m in love,” Cedric said, “and last night I quarrelled with the girl of my dreams.” Exercise VIII. Ask each other questions about the text. Exercise IX. Construct 6 statements that are not true to fact (see p. 147 Ex. VIII) and ask the students to correct them. Exercise X. Answer the following questions: 1. Where and how did Cedric live? W h a t made things extremely awkward for him? 2. W hy did the printed notes from the editors encourage Cedric? 3. W h a t sort of man entered Cedric’s attic one day? W h a t had kept Mr. Postlewaite from dropping in on Cedric earlier? 4. W h a t was it th at Cedric wanted and how soon did his godfather promise to fix him tip? 5. W hy d id n ’t Cedric like the joke Mr. Postlewaite told him? W hy did he send it together with the sonnet? 6. How soon did the answer come? In w hat way did it differ from the ones he used to get? 7. W hat change had come over Cedric? 8. W hy was Cedric still dissatisfied? W h a t did his fairy godfather suggest? 9. W hy did Mr. Postlew aite exclaim: “Not on your life!”? 10. W hat was evident after Cedric had w ritten his second story? W hat did his first and second stories deal with? 11. W h a t did Cedric tell his editor a few months later? 12. W h a t best-sellers did Cedric write? 13. How did Mr. Postlewaite help Cedric in the culm ination of his career? Exercise XI. Retell the story according to the suggested plan. Use the given vocabulary. A. Cedric. extreme poverty; attic; extremely awkward; neighbour­ hood; butchers; tradesmen; for cash; to insist unpleasantly; at monthly intervals; to mail out; a num ber of; industrious; 219 which read as follows; to regret; not suitable; to encourage; to keep on w riting; to polish off B. Enters M r. Postlewaite. to be ab out six ty ; stubble; shabbily dressed; a strong odour of; from force of h ab it; a bill collector; greatly reliev ­ ed; to glare in d ig n antly; too bad; to drop in on you; social engagem ents; to fix som ebody up; a square meal; in tears; to wear; to lean back; there you are; the ag en t’s usual ten per cent commission C. M r. Postlewaite fixes Cedric up. to type; typew riter; to enclose; to be delighted w ith; a real flair for; for one thing; to dine lavishly; to detect; to seat oneself; swell idea; can’t afford; not on your life; th a t little m atter of ten per cent; to hand; a roll of bills; evident; en th u siastically accepted; to deal w ith; grim ; psychological; selfish; penniless; a t his best; im m aculately dressed; living room; to tu rn down an offer; I ’d rath er; to go bad; to face starv atio n ; to ask for; a b it reckless; up to now; you can’t let them down D. Cedric becomes a star on the literary horizon. the rest of th e story; a leading critic; to purchase; neatly dressed; gloom ily; to gulp down; to have a scrap w ith; don’t let th a t w orry you; to scribble; to pass (to); to be short w ith; to long for; to hold a wedding; to act as best man (as to a st­ m aster); to consume; to be rem inded of; to be convulsed w ith Exercise XII. Make the following sentences emphatic. (See Ex. II, structure 6.): a) H e lived in an a ttic . b) I t was he who lived in an a ttic . 1. A miser owned th a t shabby house. 2. These notes encour­ aged Cedric g reatly . 3. One day a short and skinny man. entered th e a ttic . 4. Social engagem ents kept him from v is it­ ing Cedric. 5. Cedric dream ed of success. 6. The m an’s wife w anted a longer sk irt. 7. Cedric stared a t him w ith indignant astonishm ent. Exercise XIII. Reword the following sentences as in b): 220 a) The for b) The coat wom an w anted her husband to buy a mink coat her. wom an insisted that her husband should buy a mink for her. 1. The fairy godfather w anted Cedric to w rite puns. 2. Cedric w anted M r. P ostlew aite to give him fame and w ealth. 3. A Hollywood producer w anted Cedric to sell his stories to the movies. 4. C edric’s editor w anted him to tu rn d o w n the offer from H ollyw ood. 5. The lovely daughter of a m illionaire w anted the w edding to be held in W aldorf-A storia. 6. Cedric w anted Mr. P o stlew aite to act as best man. Exercise XIV. Choose the proper word from those in brackets: ( raise — rise) I. 1. P eople said th a t a new star had . . . on the literary horizon. 2. A fter receiving his 10 per cent com m ission he . . . and walked off. 3. Cedric . . . his eyes and saw his fairy god­ father sittin g in the only com fortable chair in the room. (stare — glare) II. 1. It was evident he was furious from the way he . . . a t his v isito r. 2. M r. G arland . . . at th e girl till she blushed and lowered her eyes. (offer — suggest) II I . 1. M r. P o stlew aite . . . th a t Cedric should keep on w ritin g puns. 2. Cedric nodded to his v isito r and . . . him a seat. 3. The man d id n ’t w ait for Cedric to . . . him a com­ mission. Exercise XV. a) Compare the notes and the letters Cedric received (see pp. 208, 210, 211) and point out the difference between them, b) Find cases of irony on p. 208 and comment on them, c) Quote the story to prove that 1) it didn’t take the hero long to abandon the Muse and start writing anecdotes; 2) Cedric never ceased to believe he had genius; 3) Cedric’s appearance, clothes, etc. changed considerably in the course of the story. Exercise XVI. Topics for discussion: 1. W hy did C edric sta rt receiving letters w ith checks enclosed, instead of the usual polite p rinted notes he used to get before? Try to account for his success. 2. Com pare Cedric at the beginning of the story w ith the successful w riter he soon becomes. 221 3. D escribe the fairy godfather. S peak on his role in the story. 4. W h at conclusions can you draw from the story so far as literary success is concerned? 5. Com pare C edric’s path to success w ith th a t of M artin E den, th e hero of J a c k L ondon’s novel. 6. Speak on best-sellers th a t have no literary value w h a t­ ever. W h at do they owe their success to? 7. W hy has C edric so easily adapted him self to the taste of th e public? W hy have his books become best-sellers? 8. Tell a story of a gifted young w riter. Exercise XVII. Render in English: a) Миссис Даниельсон из К ливленда со слезами на глазах поясняла судье: «В жестоком обращении со мной супруг достиг вершины изобретательности (height of inge­ n u ity ). З н а я , что я обожаю детективные романы, он тайно похищает у меня только что начатые книги и странице этак на двадцатой пишет на полях имя убийцы. Т ак что дальш е читать бывает неинтересно, и я страшно нервничаю. По вышеупомянутой причине прошу незамедлительно (w ithout delay) расторгнуть наш брак». Суд удовлетворил просьбу (to g ran t a request) несчастной женщины и дал развод «по причине особенно утонченно-жестокого обраще­ ния- мужа» (su b tle cruelty). b) В американской бульварной беллетристике (реппуth rillers), которая издается массовыми тиражами, а иногда даж е попадает в список бестселлеров, помимо детективных романов, видное место занимает бытовой, «псевдореалистический» (pseudorealistic) роман, рассчитанный преимуще­ ственно на читателей-женщин. В них, как правило, описы­ вают бедных, но зато необыкновенно красивых и сообрази­ тельных девушек, которые благодаря этому удачному соче­ танию в конце концов либо становятся кинозвездами, либо выходят зам уж за своих боссов. При этом читателю неиз­ менно предлагается секс, приправленный дешевой сенти­ ментальностью. Н а американском книжном рынке развелось много ав­ торов (среди них немало*женщин), которые занимаются этим доходным ремеслом (profitable trade). Но поистине короле­ вой этого ж анра (she has no rivals in this genre) за послед­ ние годы стала Ж аклин Сьюзанн, бывшая третьеразрядная 222 (third rate) киноактриса Голливуда, которая вышла замуж за продюсера и зан ялась «литературной деятельностью». Е е роман «Долина кукол» (The V alley of th e D olls, 1966 г.) был почти год на первом месте в списке бестселлеров. Окрыленная успехом, Ж аклин Сьюзанн стала выпускать одну книгу за другой под всякими интригующими назва­ ниями («Машина любви» и др.), а рекламируя свои произ­ ведения, проявила немалые деловые способности. С «Долиной кукол», первым ее романом, связана любо­ пытная история, о которой сообщил ж урн ал «Шпигель» (1969 г.). Успех этой книги побудил группу американских журналистов (их было двадцать четыре человека!) написать роман-пародию под названием «Обнаженная пришла не­ знакомка». Затем они уговорили домашнюю хозяйку Билли Янг выступить под псевдонимом Пенелопа Аш и предло­ ж ить роман издателям. К нига попала в список бестселлеров. П осле этого ж ур- • налисты сообщили, к ак они написали этот роман, взяв за образец «Долину кукол». К ак ни странно, спрос на книгу после этого разоблачения даж е увеличился. Ее стали пере­ водить на другие язы ки , а голливудские продюсеры готовы ее экранизировать. Jokes S ir A rth u r Conan D oyle used to tell of a conversation he once had w ith a young actor who had a sm all p a rt in one of his plays. The actor laughingly suggested th a t they should agree to d iv id e th eir incomes for the rest of th eir lives. N a t­ u rally , S ir A rth u r refused such an absurd idea, since the actor was only g ettin g 3 pounds a week. The young ac to r’s nam e was C harlie C haplin. * * * Research shows th a t tall men are ju st as short at the end of th e m onth as anybody else. * $ * People never forget a kind deed. E specially if they did it. 223 QUIZ VII 1. W ho said and in which of S hakespeare’s plays? a) “All th e perfum es of A rabia will not sweeten this little hand”, b) “It is th e b rig h t day th at brings forth the adder”, с) 1. W h at does q u o tatio n b im ply? 2. W h at novel by a modern w riter has this q u otation for an epigraph? 2. T here are two famous novels in which the principal character owns a picture gallery. N am e the authors, the characters and th e titles of the novels. 3. W h at was the real nam e of O. H enry, the well-known short story w riter? 4. W h at are the highest m ountains in a) A frica, b) A sia, c) Europe? d) W h at famous short story has the nam e of A frica’s highest m ountain in its title? 5. By whom and when was the S outh P ole discovered? 6. An Irish playw right attacked in court the first G over­ nor general of In d ia. N am e a) the playw right, b) the Governor general. 7. a) W ho was th e leader of the peasants’ anti-feudal upris­ ing in E ngland, treacherously killed w hile handing the King the dem ands of the people? b) W here and when was he m ur­ dered? c) W h at is the nam e of the King? d) The la tte r is a ch a ra c te r in a w ell-know n dram a. N am e it. 8. W e know from Greek m ythology: a) A phrodite, b) Artem ide, c) Zeus, d) Odisseus. W ho correspond to them in R om an m ythology? 9. In w hat well-know n novels do these characters appear: a) Lady R ovena, b) George Osborne, c) Mr. Carker. 10. W h at is a) the m eaning and b) the origin of the ex­ pression “P an d o ra’s box”? 11. Can you com plete the following proverbs: a) Never put off till to m o rro w .. . b) Beggars can ’t b e . ..? 12. G ive English equivalents for the follow ing Am erican words: a) subway, b) ticket-office, c) Pullm an. THE PRIDE OF MISS STELLA SIBLEY by Erskine Caldwell E ver since her tw enty-fifth b irth d ay , which had been cele­ b rated nearly fifteen years before w hile her parents were alive, it had been th e general feeling 1 in In dianola 2 th a t S tella 224 Sibley was going to spend the rem aining years of her life as an unm arried wom an. As far as anybody knew, S tella had never had a lover and, if somebody had been bold enough to ask her why she had never had a love affair, she probably w ould have said th at it was a m atter much too personal for her to discuss. This was surprising, because ever since girlhood Stella had been an a ttra c tiv e woman w ith gleam ing chestnut hair and a slender figure and, now th a t she was approaching forty, she was still youthful and winsom e 3 in appearance. More th an th a t, S tella was an unusually good cook,4 and people who had once eaten her fried chicken said nobody in the w orld could cook it any b etter than she did. J u s t the sam e, hardly a day passed w ith o u t somebody in town shaking his head and saying it was too bad 5 th a t a fine-looking wom an like S tella Sibley had to live w ithout a husband. And S tella herself, even though she often had to endure a sharp pain of yearning, had resigned herself to living out her life as an old m aid.6 B ut th a t was before H arry Rumford cam e to town and rented parking space for his caravan 7 in S te lla ’s back yard. Nobody seemed to know for sure why it was th at Stella Sibley — nearly everybody in town called her Miss S tella in her presence — anyw ay, nobody knew why she had lived all her life in In dianola w ithout a ttra c tin g somebody who seri­ ously considered the prospect of having her for his wife. However, it was tru e th at there had been one exception. J a k e Carson, who had had the job of collecting trash 8 for th e town ever since anybody could rem em ber, and who had collected S te lla ’s trash twice a week on Tuesdays and T hurs­ days all those years, asked her every tim e he had the oppor­ tu n ity if she w ould let him sit on the porch w ith her some late afternoon or early evening after his w orking hours. Jak e , who was several years older than S tella and m uscularly rugged in appearance, and who had the h a b it of shaving only on S unday mornings and one other day of the week, would stand there at S te lla’s back porch rubbing the greying stubble on his face and begin by praising her for having the most re ­ spectable trash in Indianola. “I wish you could ju st see some of the other people’s trash, Miss S te lla ,” he w ould say, shaking his head disapprovingly. “T here’ve been a lot of times when I was alm ost asham ed to haul 9 it through town to the dum p pile, it was th a t dis­ graceful.10 B ut I w an t you to know th a t I ’m alw ays proud to haul your trash , Miss S te lla . You never have a lot of ra ttlin g old beer c a n s 11 and em pty w ine jugs and those magazines filled from one end to the other w ith pictures of undressed girls.” “Of course, I w ouldn’t have such dreadful things in my trash box,” she w ould say w ith a prim 12 expression as she stood erectly above him on the porch. “T h a t’s som ething th at could never hap p en .” “W ell, th a t’s one of the reasons why I adm ire you so much, Miss S te lla ,” he w ould say then. “Now, if you’d let m e sit on the porch w ith you, i t ’s som ething I ’d rem em ber as long as I live. If I could come and do th a t after w orking hours.” I t was at th a t p oint th at she alw ays c u rtly interrupted him . “I could never p erm it myself to have social intercourse 13 w ith somebody who collected trash .” Then w ith o u t fa il,14 and tim e after tim e, S tella would shake her head and go into the house and lock the door. The only thing left for J a k e to do after th a t was to go back to his trash truck and hope she would change her m ind the next tim e he asked her to let him sit on the porch w ith her. In recent years some of the women in town had had the courage to ask her why she did not m ake more of an effort to give up her lonely life and, if only for th e sake of u com ­ panionship, get m arried. “T here’s not a m an in Indianola I ’d have as a gift on a silver p la tte r,” S tella w ould answer w ith a disdainful toss of her head. “There isn ’t a m an in the whole town w ith an iota of am bition. E very last one of them is satisfied to spend his life running a little filling statio n 10 or grocery store, or som ething like th a t. I ’ve got too much pride to m arry an y ­ body b u t th e finest ty pe of m an.” “E verybody knows th a t some of them are dow nright lazy and good for n o th in g ,” 17 one of the m arried women would say, “b u t som etim es even a lazy m an is b etter th an none at all.” “M aybe th a t’s good enough for some wom en who aren’t too p artic u la r,” 18 S tella would tell th e m ,“b u t I ’ll stay like I am for th e rest of my life before I ’ll give up my pride.” 226 It was n o t long after th a t when H a rry R um ford drove up to S te lla ’s house and said he had heard she had a large rear yard w ith a lot of shade trees growing in it and th a t she m ight be w illin g to ren t him parking space for his caravan. The caravan was long and shiny, and the bright curtains over th e windows gave it a cosy, hom elike atm osphere. Stella had never been inside a caravan before, and the sight of it im m ediately filled her w ith a desire to find out w hat it would be like to be in one. At first she had hesitated to let a strange m an park his caravan in her back y ard, b u t the two front rooms of her house, which she rented to some of the school­ teachers from Septem ber to Ju n e, were vacant during the sum m er, and she knew th a t she needed the rent th a t H arry R um ford offered to pay. Besides, S tella felt an u nfam iliarly pleasant excitem ent in her breast as she stood there on the porch th a t sum m er afternoon w ith H arry R um ford. H e was a ta ll, tanned, d ark ­ h aired m an who m ight have been any age between th irty and forty-five, and he had an in g ra tia tin g 19 sm ile and an in tim ate m anner of talking th at appealed to her 20 more and more. In fact, as soon as he told her th a t he was a construc­ tion engineer w orking for the com pany th a t was laying a n atural-gas pipe line 21 through th e country and erecting a pum ping statio n a few miles from tow n, she knew th a t he was th e ty p e of man she had never thought she would h ave th e good fortune to see in Indianola. A ccidentally or n o t, his fingers touched her hand in tim ate ly when he gave her th e money for the rent, and she found herself trem bling so much th a t she had to hurry into the house and lock the door. It was several days before she saw H arry R um ford again. H e had been g ettin g up and leaving his caravan home before daw n each m orning and not re tu rn in g u n til after dark in the evening. Then on the fifth day, for some reason, he came back in the m iddle of the afternoon. S tella w atched him from her kitchen window for a long tim e, w ondering if he were going to find some excuse 22 to come to the back porch and knock on the door, but instead, he sat down in a sm all chair outside the caravan and read a book for an hour or longer. The sun was settin g when she saw him close th e book and go into the caravan and then a few m inutes later he cam e out and got in to his autom obile and 227 drove away. She told herself th a t he was only going down­ town 23 to the cafe for his dinner, and not going to see some other woman, but there was so much u n certain ty in her mind that she was restless and nervous u n til she heard his car in the back yard nearly two hours after. A fter th a t she w ent to bed and tried to go to sleep. The next evening H arry R um ford cam e back ju st a t dusk. S tella w aited u n til he had gone into the caravan, and then she hurried across th e yard w ith a large dish of fried chicken which she had cooked th a t afternoon. T im id ly , bu t excited by the boldness of w hat she was doing, she knocked lightly on the caravan door. It was only a few m om ents u n til H arry Rum ford was stan d in g before her, and she was relieved to see th at he was sm iling pleasantly a t her. S tella held the p late of fried chicken between them . “Is this for me?” he asked. S tella nodded. “W ell, w hat a wonderful surprise from a charm ing lady,” he said, his blue eyes sparkling. “I t ’s exactly w hat I ’ve been th in k in g about. Nobody could like fried chicken more than I do — especially in the company of a charm ing lady. And now, of course, we’ll share it — you and I. Come on in ,24 S te lla .” She had not expected him to call her by her first nam e, at least not so soon, and she felt a blush come to her cheeks. He stepped backw ard invitingly and urged her w ith a m otion of his hand to come inside. H olding her b reath , but w ith no h esitatio n , she entered the caravan. “Now, S tella, you make yourself com fortable right here on the sofa-bed w hile I get some coffee started . F ried chicken and hot coffee — is there anything b etter, S tella?” Sm iling nervously, she sat down on the sofa-bed. “W e’re going to get to know each other real well soon, aren ’t we, S tella?” she heard him say from the k itchenette at the end of the caravan. > “Yes — ” she said excitedly, gripping her hands in her lap. “Yes — ” Before she had tim e to look at the furnishings around her, H arry R um ford was standing in front of her and holding two glasses and a b o ttle of whisky. “You know som ething, S tella?” he was saying in his in tim ate m anner. “I ’ve been looking forward to this 26 ever since the first tim e I saw you, I did n ’t have to take a second look to know th a t yo u’d be my kind of g irl.” 228 * * * Sum m er had passed and the first cool days of autum n had eom e to th e G ulf C o ast.26 S tella sat on the back porch w aiting. She had p u t on her heavy coat to keep warm w hile she sat there, b u t even so she shivered in the late-afternoon breeze. It was already long past the tim e w hen J a k e Carson usually cam e on T hursdays, and she rocked faster w hile she w onder­ ed if an y th in g had happened to him . Once she had begun to w orry, she was unable to keep from im agining all th e terrib le things th a t could happen to him . H e might have been run over by an autom obile — his truck m ight have turned over and killed him — he m ight even have dropped dead. Tense w ith worry by th a t tim e, she jum ped to her feet when she heard the sound of the truck com ing down the street. G ripping th e porch ra ilin g w ith both hands, she w aited a n x ­ iously. Then, at last, when she thought she could not endure th e un certain ty another second, Ja k e Carson w alked round the corner of th e house in his calm , casual, unhurried m anner and started across the yard towards the trash box. “Jak e !” she called in a loud voice. S ta rtled , J a k e stopped in his tracks. “Come here, Ja k e !” she said tensely. He cam e as far as the porch steps, and there he stood looking up at her w ith a bew ildered expression on his broad face. “Miss S tella —” he said slowly, a t th e sam e tim e rubbing th e stu b b le on his chin the way he did when he was deeply perplexed. “D on’t call me th a t,” she said at once, shaking her head at him . “J u s t call me S tella.” “W hy — ” he began. “Never m ind w hy,” she told him w ith a firm shake of her head. “I t ’s ju st because I w ant you to call me S tella from now on.” Ja k e tu rn ed his head and looked across the yard. “W hat happened to th a t engineering fellow who was re n t­ ing caravan space from you out there under the trees?” he asked, tu rn in g around again and looking up at her. “Did he move on som ewhere else?” “Yes,” she replied sharply. “W ell, I reckon 27 th a t’s th e way it is w ith people like him who go around the country laying down pipe lines,” 229 Ja k e rem arked. “J u s t as soon as they finish a t one place, they go somewhere else and s ta rt in again. I can see how liv ­ ing like th a t w ould get to be a h a b it. The only trouble is —” “I don’t w ant to ta lk about th a t,” S tella told him brusque­ ly. “I never w ant to ta lk about it again.” She was shaking her head stern ly . “And I don’t w ant you talk in g about it, eith er.” “I don’t exactly know for sure,” he said , looking a t her closely, “b u t it seems to me like you’re m ighty 28 upset about th a t. T here’s been some talk around tow n th a t m aybe you were fixing to get m arried 28 to him — a t least th a t’s how the gossip w e n t80 — because of one good reason or another.” “Come on in th e house, Ja k e ,” S tella said , going to the steps and beckoning to him . “I ’ve cooked a big p late of fried chicken just for you.” J a k e glanced a t the trash box, and then he looked towards his truck in th e street. “I ’ve heard about your fried chicken, and I sure would like to have some — S tella — bu t I h aven’t finished my rounds yet for the day. Thursdays alw ays are my big days, anyw ay. Most people have a h ab it of —” “T hat can w a it,” she told him urg en tly , leaning forward and reaching for his hand. “T here’ll be plenty of tim e for th a t tom orrow and th e next day — and all the other days from now on. R ig h t now i t ’s more im p o rtan t for you to come into the house.” Ja k e looked a t her searchingly for several m om ents. “You sure do m ake it sound like som ething m ighty urgent,” he said presently, “and if i t ’s all th a t u rg en t,31 I reckon I ought to —” Stella nodded eagerly. Going slowly up th e steps, Ja k e took off his h a t, slapping it noisily against his leg tim e after tim e in order to beat out as much of th e dust as he could before going in to the house. “The one th in g th a t bothers me m ost,” he said as he fol­ lowed her inside, “is th a t I never did get a chance to sit on the porch w ith you.” NOTES 1 the general feeling — everybody’s opinion; e.g. W hat is th e general feeling on the films produced by the Lenfilm studio? ( = W h at do people th in k and say about them?) 230 8 Indianola — a sm all town in th e USA, M ississippi 3 winsome — charm ing, a ttra c tiv e (e. g. winsome manner, smile, appearance) 4 was an unusually good cook — could cook very well ? it was too bad (colloq.) — it was a p ity 6 had resigned herself to living out her life as an old maid — h ad accepted w ithout com plaint the prospect of living all her life unm arried (of rem aining single) 7 rented parking space for his caravan — occupied and paid for a place w here he could keep his caravan for a tim e (caravan A m . — a large covered wagon in which one can live, used by people who have to travel from place to place; Russ, дом на колесах, дом-автоприцеп) 8 trash — ru b b ish , useless, broken-up things (Russ, хлам, мусор) 9 to haul — to pull or drag w ith effort (Russ, тащ ить, волочить) 10 that disgraceful (colloq.) — so disgraceful 11 can — a m etal container for holding liquids (e. g. m ilk -сап, oil-can, beer-сап, etc.) 12 prim — stiff (Russ, чопорный) 13 to have social intercourse — a formal phrase which means m eeting people in a friendly way (Russ, общаться, встречаться). S tella claim s to be a “lad y ” and therefore speaks in a stiff and form al way. 14 without fail — for certain (Russ, наверняка, непремен­ но) 15 if only for th e sake of — хотя бы ради 16 to run a fillin g station (Russ, бензоколонка), a grocery store, a school, a h otel, etc.— to m anage (Russ, вести дело, управлять); e.g. It was the great am bition of his life to run a hotel. 17 good for nothing — w orthless, and no good 18 particular — not easily satisfied or pleased (Russ. разборчивый) 19 ingratiating — try in g to win the favour of somebody (Russ, льстивый, вкрадчивый, заискивающ ий); e.g. He looked at Sophia w ith an in g ratiatin g sm ile. H is m anner was in g ratiatin g . 20 he had an intim ate manner of talkfcig that appealed to her — he had . . . a m anner of talk in g th a t is used by people who know each o ther very w ell, and she liked it (to appeal to som ebody— to interest, to im press, to a ttra c t a person; 231 e.g. M odern p ain tin g did not appeal to him , he liked only the old M asters. Does juzz music appeal to you?) 21 was laying a natural-gas pipe line — прокладывала газопровод для природного газа. Сотр. to lay a cable, to lay bricks, to lay the linoleum (the carpet) , etc. 22 to find some excuse — to invent a reason (Russ, найти предлог); excuse [iks'kju:s] — a reason (true or invented) offered as an explanation; e.g. H e hardly ever cam e in tim e and always had some excuse or other for being late; a lame excuse — a poor (unsatisfactory) excuse 23 downtown — the business part of the town 24 come on in (colloq.) — come in quick (come on — Russ, живей) 26 I’ve been looking forward to this — I ’ve been expecting this w ith pleasure (Russ, предвкушал) 26 Gulf Coast — the Coast of the G ulf of Mexico 27 to reckon — to think, to suppose 28 mighty (colloq.) — extrem ely, very 29 fixing to get married — arranging to get m arried 30 that’s how the gossip went — th a t’s w hat people talked about (Russ, так люди болтали) 31 if i t ’s a ll that urgent (colloq.) — if i t ’s as urgent as th at EXERCISES Exercise I. Practise the pronunciation of the following a) words and b) word-combinations: a) youthful, winsom e, yearning, resign, caravan, disap­ provingly, h au l, erectly, intercourse, io ta, cu rtain , atm os­ phere, vacan t, breast, in g ratiatin g , in tim a te , releaved, urge, kitchenette, casual, brusquely b) 'tw e n ti 'fif0 'b a :0 d i; wail ha 'pearants w a r^ ,a 'laiv ; an a'traektiv 'w um an; 'Sis waz sa'praizirj; Ji- waz 'stil 'ju:0ful; 'noubadi i n ^ d a 'w a:ld; 'd g x s t^ S a 'seim Exercise II. A. Drills, a) Read and repeat; b) Use the structures in sentences of your own: I. 1. A s fa r as anybody knew, S tella had never had a love affair. 2. /4s far as anybody knew, S tella was going to live out her life as an old m aid. 232 3. A s far as anybody knew, Ja k e Carson was the only man in th e town who was seriously a ttra c te d by her. 4. A s far as anybody knew, S tella was eager to get m arried to H arry R um ford. II. 1. Some of th e women in town asked S tella if she would alw ays live single. 2. H e asked S tella if she would let him sit on the porch. 3. H arry R um ford asked her if she would rent him p ark ­ ing space for his caravan. 4. S tella asked him if he would like to have some fried chicken. I I I . 1. I f somebody had been bold enough to ask S tella about it she would have said it was a m atter much too per­ sonal for her to discuss. 2. I f S tella h a d n 't had so mush pride she would have married somebody long ago. 3. I f H arry Rum ford hadn't been used to trav ellin g from one place to another he would have, probably, stayed in Indianola. IV. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. / I I I I I wish you could see some of the other people’s trash! wish you would let me sit on the porch w ith you! wish you treated me to some of your fried chicken! wish you were not so proud! w ish,you told me all the truth! wish, you d id n 't treat me the way you do! V. 1. She wondered what the caravan was like inside. 2. J a k e wondered why S tella would never let him sit on the porch. 3. People in th e town wondered if S tella would ever get m arried. 4. She wondered if H arry was going to find some excuse to knock on the door. 5. She wondered if he would be pleased to see her. V I. 1. She was relieved to see th a t he was sm iling. 2. He was hurt to hear she d id n ’t w ant him . 3. She was happy to learn he was com ing. 4. I was disappointed to realize I had failed. B. Additional drills: I. 1. S tella saw him close the book. 2. She watched him enter the caravan. 233 3. She felt a blush come to tier cheeks. 4. She heard the truck rattle round the corner. 5. J a k e Carson saw her reach for his hand. II. 1. H e m ight have been run over by an autom obile. 2. H is tru ck m ight have turned over. 3. H e m ight have dropped dead. 4. Som ething terrib le m ight have happened to him . II I. 1. It was too 2. It was too 3. It was too 4. It was too personal for her to discuss. unusual for them to understand. late for him to stay out. p a in fu l for her to think about it. Exercise III. Replace the italicized parts of these sentences by equiv­ alents from the text: 1. People in the town thought th a t S tella was going to rem ain an unmarried woman. 2. Now th a t S tella was in her late thirties she still looked young and attractive. 3. S tella could cook very well. 4. J a k e used to shave only on S unday mornings. 5. “I f only you could see some of the other people’s trash, Miss S te lla ,” he used to say, shaking his head. 6. I am too proud to m arry anybody but the finest type of m an.” 7. H arry R um ford was a tall sun-burnt m an w ith dark hair. 8. S tella liked his manner of talking. 9. S tella knew at once th a t he was the type of man she had never thought she would be lucky to see in Indianola. 10. S tella w atched him w onder­ ing if he were going to find some pretext to come to the back porch and knock on the door. 11. “W e shall eat it together — you and I .” 12. I ’ve been expecting th e pleasure of seeing you here, ever since th e first tim e I saw you. Exercise IV. Give English equivalents for the following words and vvord-combinations and use them in sentences of your own: а) общее мнение; остаток жизни; иметь роман (с кемлибо); каштановые волосы; стройная фигура; привлекатель­ ная; моложавая; качать головой; знать наверняка; два раза в неделю; после работы; если бы вы только видели; я восхищаюсь вами; неизменно; чопорный; запирать дверь; единственное, что ему оставалось; передумать; отказаться от чего-либо; честолюбивый; никчемный; разборчивый б) появиться из-за угла; непринужденный; смущенный (сбитый с толку); глубоко озадаченный;-неважно; арендо­ вать место для фургона; прокладывать газопровод; беда 234 в том, ч т о .. по крайней мере; махнуть (делать зн ак рукой); закончить обход; настойчиво; впредь; смотреть испытующе; что-то неотложное (срочное); кивать Exercise V. Ask each other questions about the text. Exercise VI. Construct 5 tail-questions that are not true to fact (see p. 147 Ex. VIII) and ask the students to correct them. Exercise VII. Answer the following questions: 1. W hat so rt of girl was S tella and w h at was she thought of by people in th e town? 2. W hy had she never had a love affair or an adm irer w ith the exception of Ja k e Carson? 3. W h at a ttra c te d J a k e Carson to Stella? How did she treat him? 4. W h at w ere th e reasons th a t m ade S te lla ren t H arry R um ­ ford parking space for his caravan? W hy was it so easy for H arry R um ford to w in S te lla ’s heart? 5. W hy was S tella so restless and w orried, as she sat on the back porch w aiting for J a k e Carson? 6. How did J a k e react to th a t unexpected in ­ v ita tio n from S te lla and w hat did his last words im ply? Exercise VIII. Retell the story according to the following plan: 1. S tella Sibley h a s resigned herself to living out her life as an old m aid. 2. J a k e Carson seriously considers the prospect of having S tella for his wife b u t fails. 3. H arry R um ford wins S te lla ’s h eart. 4. J a k e Carson gets an unexpected in v ita tio n . Exercise IX. Retell the story according to the suggested plan. Use the given vocabulary: A. Stella S ib ley's life before H arry R um ford came to town. th e general feeling; love affair; a m atter much too person­ al; ever since; ch estn u t hair; slender figure; now th a t; yo u th ­ ful and winsome; un u sually good cook; fried chicken; hardly a day passed; fine-looking woman; nobody seemed to know for sure; one exception; let him s it on th e porch; prim expres­ sion; to stan d erectly; to have social intercourse w ith; w ith ­ out fail; w ould shake her head; to give up her lonely life; w ith a disdainful toss; an iota of am bition; too much pride; b etter th an none a t all; not too p articu lar; the rest of one’s life 235 B. S tella Sib ley rents parking space to H arry Rumford. to drive up to; a large rear yard; to ren t parking space; bright curtains; cosy; hom elike atm osphere; the sight . . . filled her w ith a desire; to hesitate; vacan t front rooms; to need the ren t; u n fam iliarly pleasant excitem ent; ta ll, tanned, dark-haired man; in g ratiatin g sm ile; to appeal to; to lay a pipe line; to erect a pum ping station; to have the good fortune to; accidentally; found herself trem bling; several days; before dawn; after dark; for some reason; to w atch for a long tim e; to wonder if; to find some excuse; to knock on the door; she saw him close the book; a few m inutes later; to drive away; to go downtown; restless and nervous; ju st a t dusk; to hurry across; large dish; tim idly; to be relieved to see; w hat a wonderful surprise; nobody could l i k e .. . more; to share som ething C. Jake Carson gets a surprise. to w alk round the corner; calm ; casual m anner; started ; tensely; as far as th e porch steps; bew ildered expression; ru b ­ bing the stu b b le on his chin; deeply perplexed; never m ind why; firm shake; from now on; to move on somewhere else; sharply; t h a t’s the way it is (w ith); brusquely; to shake one’s head sternly; to know for sure; m ighty upset about; some talk around the town; to beckon (to); to glance at; would lik e to; to finish one’s rounds; urgently; to reach for; plenty of tim e; to look searchingly; to nod eagerly; to slap noisily against; th e one thing th a t bothers me i s . .. Exercise X. Complete the following sentences: 1. If S tella h a d n ’t needed the ren t th a t H arry R um ford offered to p ay, . . . 2. If S tella had known life b etter, . . . . 3. If H arry R um ford h ad n ’t appealed to her, .. , t4. If S tella h ad n ’t been youthful and winsom e, . . . . 5 If S tella h a d n ’t known for sure t h a t . .. Exercise XI. Add tail-questions to these sentences: 1. People were not bold enough to ask S tella personal questions, . . . ? 2. H e d id n ’t have to look twice to see she was p re tty , . . . ? 3. Carson used to come twice a week, . . . ? 4. There were two vacant rooms in her house, . . . ? 5. I am too good for a common man, . . . ? 6. You don’t know it for sure, . . . ? 7. Sum m er has passed, . . . ? 236 Exercise XII. Choose the correct word from those in brackets: (vacant — em pty) I. 1. Are there any . . . classrooms on the ground floor? 2. She h u rried ly opened the bag and found it . . . . 3. There was a . . . seat in his car. 4. A loud cry com ing from the h all was singularly startlin g . (still — yet) IT. I. Is she . . . w aiting for him in the hall? 2. W e h aven’t heard from him . . . but we are expecting a telegram one of these days. 3. Is he . . . ill? 4. “Are you ready?” “N ot (young — youthful) II I. 1. M rs. Skew ton was w earing a very . . . costum e. 2. The old m an still retains his . . . energy. 3. “I shall grow old b u t the p ictu re w ill always rem ain . . . .” (close — lock) IV. 1. W ould you mind . . . the door? T here is a draught here. 2. She w anted to . . . the door bu t co u ld n ’t find the key. 3. Please . . . th e draw er and put the key on the m antel. (lie — lay) V. 1. They . . . the cable before build in g the house. 2. He entered the room carrying a large parcel w hich he . . . on the tab le. 3. She . . . in bed till noon, reading and sm oking. (lonely — alone) V I. 1. She was q u ite . . . in the room when somebody knocked at th e door. 2. There was nobody in th e house but she d id n ’t feel . . . . M oreover, she enjoyed it. 3. “You . . . can help me,” he said. (older — elder) V II. 1. Jo h n was five years . . . th an his sister. 2. The C larktons have two children, if I ’m not m istaken. The . . . boy is a pian ist. (habit — custom) V III. 1. U n fo rtu n ately she has not got th e . . . of tidying her room before she leaves it. 2. The . . . of the club is to wear full dress for dinner. 237 (reach — reach for) IX . 1. W hen he a t last . . . the stop it appeared he had missed th e 8 o’clock bus. 2. H e put out his hand to . . . the w atch and found it was gone. (offer — suggest) X . 1. H e . . . going to the country for the week-end and . . . to give me a lift. 2. She . . . th at we should go on w ith the work till dusk. 3. W ho has . . . him the job? 4. S h e to go there instead of me. (share — divide) X I. 1. She . . . her lunch w ith her school-m ate. 2. H e pared the apple and . . . it into four p arts. 3. W hen they were kids they used to . . . a bedroom in their country cottage. (common — general) X II. 1. These text-books are the . . . property of our group. 2. H e was given a good . . . education. 3. The . . . welfare is th e m ain concern of the Soviet G overnm ent. 4. It is . . . knowledge th at the clim ate has changed of late. (give up — refuse) X III. 1. H e . . . to sell the p o rtra it though he was badly in need of money. 2. I doubt it very much w hether he w ill ever . . . sm oking. 3. You m ust . . . the idea of going to the S outh. I t ’s much too hot for you there. Exercise XIII. Make up sentences using the following phrases: 1. never mind: (1) it doesn’t m atter, (2) don’t w orry about it In th e t e x t : “W h y —” he began, “Never m ind w hy.” E x a m p l e s : 1. Never m ind, old chap. It w ill soon blow over. 2. Never m ind w hat people say. You know you are in the right. 2. now that (now when is wrong!) Russ, теперь, когда In 238 th e t e x t : Now that she was approaching forty she was still youthful . . . in appearance. E x a m p l e : N ow that she knew th e tru th she wished she h ad never learned it. 3. good (bold, strong) enough; also well (far, etc.) enough In th e t e x t : If somebody had been bold enough to ask h e r . . . E x a m p l e : The room isn’t large enough. H e knows E ng­ lish well enough to go abroad w ithout an in terp reter. Exercise XIV. Topics for discussion: 1. O u tlin e th e ch aracter of S tella S ibley (her appearance, way of life, tastes, etc.). G ive your opinion of S tella. 2. D escribe th e ty pe of m an H arry R um ford was. W hy did he appeal to S tella? 3. W h at was essentially wrong in S te lla ’s judgem ent of people? 4. Com pare H arry R um ford and J a k e Carson and give your opinion of each of these characters. 5. E x p lain w hat brought about the change in S te lla ’s a ttitu d e to J a k e Carson. 6. Discuss th e title of the story. 7. W hat k ind of people appeal to you? Exercise XV. Render in English: К ак известно из сказок, принцы бывают разные. Чащ е всего принц влю бляется в принцессу и, успешно преодолев необходимые препятствия, быстро на ней женится. Такой принц представляется нам не только героем, но и счастлив­ цем. Реж е встречается другая разновидность принцев. Влюбившись, он либо получает обидный и, главное, со­ вершенно немотивированный отказ, либо в ходе своего неудачного ухаж ивания (courtship) обнаруживает, что его избранница, кроме очевидных достоинств (m erits), обладает хотя и менее заметными, но достаточно неж ела­ тельными недостатками (undesirable dem erits). Сделав такое открытие, принц без промедления покидает предмет своего недавнего обожания. Подобная история описана Андерсеном в сказке «Свинопас» (swine-herd). Один принц, живш ий в весьма захудалом королевстве, решил ж ениться. П олагая, что славное имя (noble ancestry) и приличный внешний вид (good looks) дают ему для этого достаточное основание, он послал единственное свое сокро­ вище — прекрасную благоуханную розу и соловья, пев­ 239 шего необыкновенные песни,— дочери императора. Однако принцесса, обнаруж ив, что милые на вид подарки оказа­ лись настоящими, а не искусственными, отказалась д аж е' принять принца. Тогда сообразительный юноша нанялся свинопасом во дворец императора, а в свободное от работы время изготовлял различные забавные штучки (gadgets), которые отдавал принцессе в обмен на поцелуи. З а этим занятием их и застал однажды папа-император. Он, есте­ ственно, разгневался и выгнал обоих из своего дворца, невзирая на проливной дождь. Но тут принц прозрел и справедливо рассудил, что ему вряд ли подойдет девушка, которая отвергла настоящую розу и живого соловья, но согласилась целоваться со свинопасом за какие-то безде­ луш ки. Со всей откровенностью изложив принцессе эти соображения, он с облегчением удалился в свое захудалое королевство, плотно закрыв за собой дверь. Подводя итоги, можно сказать, что принцу повезло. К ак гласит восточная пословица, сесть на тигра верхом хотя и трудно, но можно; слезть ж е с него совершенно не­ возможно. * * * F ailu re is the only thing th at can be achieved w ithout effort. QUIZ V I I I 1. W ho said: “B revity is the soul of w it”? W ho were the words said about? 2. W ho presides in: a) The House of Commons, b) The House of Lords? 3. a) W hose reign was the longest in B ritish history? b) In w hat well-know n novel js the m onarch’s funeral de­ scribed? 4. W hat well-know n Am erican novel is based on English medieval legends? 5. W hat long voyage did a famous p ain tin g from the Louvres make in 1974? Nam e the picture and the painter. 6. W here is M anhattan? W hat is the origin of the name? 7. W ho created the following characters: a) Rawdon C rawley, b) P eggotty, c) Tess D urbeyfield, d) R oberta Alden? 240 8. According to a Greek legend there was a m usician and poet in ancient Greece who could tam e w ild anim als by his singing, a) W hat was his name? b) W hat did he do when his wife died? c) W hat test did he fail in? d) Nam e an opera and a play. 9. a) In w hat famous English works of fiction is the b a t­ tle of W aterloo described? b) W hat historical events preceded this battle? c) In w hat sense is the word Waterloo used fig­ uratively in th e English language? 10. N am e th e great D utch a rtis t, famous for his psycho­ logical p o rtra its of old people. W here can you find the best collection of his p ain tings outside H olland? 11. C om plete th e following proverbs: a) I t is never too l a t e . . . . b) To kill two b ir d s .. . . c) A friend in n e e d .. . . d) C ut your c o a t .. . . 12. W hat are the English equivalents of the following Am erican words: a) elevator, b) pavement, c) line? PETER TWO b y Irwin Shaw It was S atu rd ay n ig h t and people were k illin g each other by th e 'h o u r on the sm all screen.1 Policem en were shot in the line of d u ty ,2 gangsters were throw n off roofs, and an elderly lady was slowly poisoned for her pearls, and her m urderer brought to ju s tic e 3 by a cigarette com pany after a long series of discussions in th e office of a p riv ate detective. B rave, un­ arm ed actors leaped a t v illain s holding forty-fives,4and inge­ nues 5 were saved from death by the knife by the quick th in k ­ ing of various handsom e and fearless young men. P eter sat in th e big chair in front of the screen, his feet up over th e a rm ,6 eatin g grapes. H is m other w asn’t a t home, so he ate th e seeds and all as he stared critica lly at the vio­ lence before him . W hen his m other was around 7 the fear of appendicitis hung in the air and she w atched carefully to see th a t each seed was n eatly extracted 8 and placed in an ash­ tray . Too, if she were a t home, there w ould be irrita te d little lectures on th e q u ality of television en tertain m e n t for the young, and quick-tem pered fiddling w ith the dials to find som ething th a t was vaguely defined as educational. Alone, daringly aw ake at eleven o’clock, P eter ground the seeds 9 № 1518 241 between his teeth , enjoying th e im p o lite noise and th e soli­ tu d e and freedom of the em pty house. D uring the television com m ercials 9 P eter closed his eyes and im agined him self h u rlin g b o ttles a t large unshaven men w ith pistols and w alk­ ing slowly up d ark stairw ays tow ard th e door behind which everyone knew th e Boss was w aiting, th e bulge of his shoul­ der holster unm istakable under 10 th e cloth of his flannel jacket. P eter was th irteen years old. In his class there were three other boys w ith th e sam e given nam e, and th e history teach­ er, who th o u g h t he was a funny m an, called them P eter O ne, P eter Two (now eating grapes, seeds and all), P eter Three, and P eter th e G reat. P eter th e G reat was, of course, the sm allest boy In the class. H e weighed only sixty-tw o pounds, and he wore glasses, and in games he was alw ays th e last one to be chosen. The class alw ays laughed when th e h istory teacher called out “P eter th e G reat” and P eter Two laughed w ith them , bu t he d id n ’t th in k it was so aw­ fully funny. H e h ad done som ething p re tty 11 good for P eter the G reat two weeks ago, and now they were w hat you m ight call friends. A ll th e P eters were w hat you m ight call friends, on account of th a t com edian of a history teacher.12 They w eren’t real friends, b u t they had som ething together, som ething the o th er boys d id n ’t have. They d id n ’t like it, bu t they had it, and it m ade them responsible for each other. So two weeks ago, w hen C harley B laisdell, who w eighed a hundred and tw en­ ty , took P eter th e G re a t’s cap a t recess 13 and started horsing around w ith i t , 14 and P eter the G reat looked as if he was going to cry , he, P eter Two, grabbed the cap and gave it back and faced B laisd ell.15 Of course, there was a fight, and P eter thought it was going to be the th ird defeat of the term , b u t a wonderful th in g happened. In the m iddle of the fight ju st when P eter was hoping one of th e teachers w ould show up 18 (they sure 17 showed up plenty of tim es when you d id n ’t need them ), B laisdell let a hard one go.18 P eter ducked and B laisdell h it him on the top of the head and broke his arm . You could tell rig h t o f f 19 he broke his arm , because he fell to th e ground y elling, and his arm ju st hung like a piece of strin g . W alters, th e gym teacher, finally showed up and carried B laisdell off, yelling all the tim e, and P eter the G reat cam e up and said adm iringly, “B oy,20 one thing you sure have to ad m it, you sure have a h ard head.” 242 Blaisdell was out of class two days, and he still had his arm in th e slin g and every tim e he was excused from w riting 21 on th e blackboard because he had a broken arm , P eter had a nice warm feeling all over. P eter the G reat hung around h im 22 all th e tim e, doing things for him and buying him sodas,23 because P eter the G re at’s parents were divorced and gave him all th e money he w anted, to make up to h im .24 And th a t was O .K .26 B ut th e best thing was the feeling h e’d had since the fight. It was like w hat th e people orl the television m ust feel after th ey ’d gone in to a room full of enemies and come out w ith the girl or w ith th e papers or w ith the suspect,23 leaving corpses and desolation behind them . Blaisdell weighed one hundred and tw enty pounds bu t th a t h ad n ’t stopped P eter any more th an th e fact the spies all had two guns apiece 27 ever stopped th e F .B .I .28 men on th e screen. They saw w hat they had to do and they w ent in and did it, th a t was a ll. P eter couldn’t phrase it for him self, bu t for th e first tim e in his life he had a conscious feeling of confidence and p rid e in him self. “Let them com e,” he m uttered obscurely, m unching grape seeds and w atching th e television set through narrow ed eyes, “ju st let them com e.” , H e was going to be a dangerous m an, he felt, when he grew up, b u t one to whom the w eak and the u n ju stly hunted could safely tu rn .29 H e was sure he was going to be six feet ta ll, because his father was six feet ta ll, and all his uncles, and th a t w ould help. B ut he would have to develop his arm s. They were ju st too th in . A fter all, you couldn’t depend on people breaking th eir bones 30 on your head every tim e. He had been doing pushups 31 each m orning and night the past m onth. H e could only do five an d a half a t a tim e so far, but he was going to keep a t i t , 32 u n til he h ad arm s like steel bars. Arm s like th a t could really mean the difference between life and death later on, when you h ad to dive under th e gun and disarm som ebody. You had to have quick reflex­ es, too, of course, and be able to feint to one side w ith your eyes before th e crucial m om ent.33 A nd, most im p o rtan t of a ll, no m atter w hat th e odds,34 y o u 'h a d to be fearless. One mom ent of h esitatio n and it was a case for the morgue. B ut now, after th e b a ttle of P eter the G re at’s cap, he d id n ’t worry ab out th a t p art of it, the fearless p a rt. From now on, it would ju st be a question of technique. 243 Com edians began to appear all over th e d ial, laughing w ith a lot of teeth , and P eter w ent in to the kitchen and got another bunch of grapes and two tangerines from the refrig­ erator. H e d id n ’t p u t on the light in the kitchen and it was funny how m ysterious a kitchen could be near m idnight when nobody else was at hom e, and there was only the beam of the light from th e open refrigerator, casting shadows from the milk bottles onto th e linoleum . U n til recently he h ad n ’t liked the dark too much and he alw ays turned on lights wherever he w ent, but you had to practice being fearless, ju st like an y th in g else. He a te th e two tangerines stan d in g in the dark in the k itch ­ en, ju st for practice. H e a te the seeds, too, to show his m oth­ er.35 Then he w ent back in to the living room , carrying the grapes. The com edians were s till on and still laughing. H e fid­ dled w ith the d ial, but they were w earing funny h ats and laughing and tellin g jokes about the incom e tax on all the channels.36 If his m other h ad n ’t m ade him prom ise to go to sleep by ten o ’clock, he’d have turned off the set and gone to bed. H e decided n o t to w aste his tim e and got down on the floor and began to do pushups, try in g to be sure to keep his knees stra ig h t. H e was up to four and slowing down when he heard th e scream . He stopped in th e m iddle of a pushup and w aited, ju st to make sure. The scream cam e again. It was a wom an and it was real loud. H e looked up a t the tele­ vision set. There was a man there, talk in g about floor w ax, a man w ith a m ustache and a lot of teeth , and it was a cinch 37 he w asn’t doing any scream ing. The n ex t tim e a scream cam e there was m oaning and talk in g a t th e end of it, and the sound of fists beating on the front door. P eter got up and turned off the television, ju st to be sure th e sounds he was hearing w eren’t somehow being broadcast. The b eatin g on the door began again and a w om an’s voice cried “P lease, please, p lease...” and there was no doubt about it any more. P eter looked around him a t the em pty room . Three lam ps were lit and th e room was nice and b right and the light Was reflected off th e grapes and off the glass of the picture of the boats on Cape Cod 38 th a t his A unt M artha painted .the year she was up there. The television set stood in the corner, like a big blind eye now th a t the lig h t was out. The cushions 244 of the soft ch air he had been s ittin g in to w atch the programs w ere pushed in and he knew his m other w ould come and plum p them out before she went to sleep, and the whole room looked like a place in w hich it was im possible to hear a wom an scream ­ ing at m idnight and b eating on the door w ith her fists and yel­ ling “Please, please, p le a s e ... The wom an at the door yelled, “M urder, m urder, h e’s k illing me” and for the first tim e P eter was sorry his parents had gone out th a t night. “Open th e door,” the woman yelled. “P lease, please open the door.” You could tell she w asn’t saying please ju st to be po lite by now. P eter looked nervously around him . The room , w ith all its lig h ts, seemed strange, and there were shadows behind everything. Then th e wom an yelled again, ju st noise this tim e. E ith er a person is fearless, P eter thought coldly, or he isn’t fearless. He started w alking slowly tow ard the front door. There was a long m irror in the foyer 89 and he got a good look a t him self. H is arm s looked very th in . The wom an began ham m ering once more on the front door and P eter looked a t it closely. It was a big steel door, bu t it was shaking m in u tely, as if som ebody w ith a m achine was w orking on it. F o r the first tim e he heard another voice. It was a m an’s voice, only it d id n ’t sound quite like a m an’s voice. I t sounded like an anim al in a cave, grow ling and deciding to do som ething unreasonable. In all the scenes of th rea t and violence on the television set, P eter had never heard an y th in g a t all like it. H e moved slowly tow ard the door, feeling the way he had felt when he had the flu, rem em ­ bering how th in his arm s looked in the m irror, regretting th a t he had decided to be fearless. “Oh, God!” th e wom an yelled. “O h, God, don’t do it!” Then there was some more ham m ering and the low anim al sound of the beast in the cave th a t you never heard over the a ir ,40 and he threw the door open. Mrs. Chalm ers was there in the vestibule, on her knees, facing him , and behind her Mr. C halm ers was stan d in g , lean­ ing against th e w all, w ith the door to his own a p a rtm en t41 open behind him . M r. Chalm ers was m aking th a t funny sound an d he had a gun in his hand and he was pointing it at Mrs. C halm ers. The v estib u le was sm all and it h ad w h at P e te r’s m other called E arly A m erican w all-paper and a brass lam p. There 245 were only th e tw o doors opening on th e vestibule, and th e C halm ers h ad a m at in front of theirs w ith “Welcome” w ritte n on it. T he C halm ers w ere in their m id th irties 42 and P e te r’s m other alw ays said about them , “One thing ab o u t our neigh­ bours, they are q u iet.” She also said th a t M rs. Chalm ers put a lot of money on her back.43 M rs. C halm ers was kind of fa t,44 and her h a ir was a p re tty blond and her com plexion was soft and pink and she alw ays looked as though she had been in th e b eauty parlor all af­ ternoon. She alw ays said, “M y,46 you’re g ettin g to be a big boy” to P eter w hen she met him in th e elevator,47 in a soft voice, as though she was ju st about to laugh. She m ust have said th a t fifty tim es by now. She h ad a good, strong sm ell of perfum e on her all the tim e, too. M r. C halm ers w ore pince-nez glasses m ost of th e tim e and he was g ettin g b ald and he worked late a t his office a good m any evenings of th e week. W hen he met P eter in the ele­ v ato r he w ould say, “I t ’s g ettin g colder,” or “I t ’s gettin g w arm er,” and th a t was a ll, so P eter h ad no opinion about him , except th a t he looked like th e principal of a school. B ut now M rs. C halm ers was on her knees in th e vestibule and her dress was torn and she was crying and there were black streaks on her cheeks and she d id n ’t look as though she’d ju st come from the beauty p arlo r. A nd M r. Chalm ers w asn’t w earing a jacket and he d id n ’t have his glasses on and w hat h air he had was mussed all over his head and he was leaning ag ain st th e E arly A m erican w allpaper m aking this anim al noise, and he had a big, heavy pistol in his hand and he was p o in tin g it right a t Mrs. Chalm ers. “L et me in ,” M rs. C halm ers yelled, still on her knees. “Y ou’ve got t o 48 let me in! H e’s going to kill me! Please.” “M rs. C h a lm e rs.. . ” P eter began. H is voice sounded as though he were try in g to talk under w ater, and it was very h ard to say th e “s” a t the end of her nam e. H e put out his hands u n certain ly in front of him , as though he expected somebody to throw him som ething. “G et inside, you!” Mr. Chalm ers said. P eter looked a t M r. C halm ers. H e was only five feet aw ay and w ith o u t his glasses he was sq u in tin g . P eter feinted w ith his eyes, or a t least later in his life he thought he had feinted w ith his eyes. M r. Chalm ers d id n ’t do an ything. H e ju st stood there, w ith his pistol pointed, som ehow, it seemed to 246 P eter, at both Mrs. C halm ers and him self a t the sam e tim e. F iv e feet was a long distance, a long, long distance. “Good n ig h t,” P eter said, and closed the door. There was a single sob on the other side of the door and th a t was all. P eter w ent in and pu t the uneaten grapes back in the refrig­ erato r, tu rn in g on the light as he went into th e kitchen and leaving it on when he went out. Then he went back to the living room 49 and got the stem s from the first bunch of grapes and threw them in to the fireplace, because otherw ise his m other would notice and look for the seeds and not see them and give him four table-spoons of m ilk of magnesia 50 the next day. T hen, leaving the lights on in the liv in g room , although he knew w hat his m other would say about th a t when she got hom e, he w ent into his room and quickly got into bed. He w aited for th e sounds of shots. There were two or three noises th a t m ight h ave been shots, but in the city it was hard to tell. H e was still aw ake when his parents cam e home. H e heard his m other’s voice, and he knew from the sound she was com­ p laining ab out the lights in the living room and kitchen, but he pretended to be sleeping when she cam e into his room to look a t him . H e d id n ’t w ant to sta rt in w ith his m other 61 ab out the C halm ers, because then she’d ask when it had h ap ­ pened and she w ould w ant to know w hat he was doing up at tw elve o’clock. H e kept listening for shots for a long tim e, and he got hot and dam p under th e covers and then freezing cold. H e heard several sharp, am biguous 62 noises in the quiet night, but n o th in g th a t you could be sure about; and after a w hile he fell asleep. In th e m orning, P eter got out of bed early, dressed quickly, and w ent silen tly out of the ap artm en t w ith o u t w aking his p arents. T he vestib u le looked ju st the way it alw ays did, w ith th e brass lam p and the flowered w all-paper and the C halm ers doorm at w ith “ Welcome” on it. There were no bodies and no blood. Som etim es when M rs. C halm ers had been stan d in g th ere w a itin g for the elevator, you could smell her perfum e for a long tim e after. B ut now there was no smell of perfum e, ju st th e dusty ap artm en t house usual sm ell. P eter stared a t th e C halm ers’ door nervously w hile w aiting for th e elevator to come up, but it d id n ’t open and no sound cam e from w ith in . 247 Sam , th e m an who ran the elevator and who did n ’t like him , anyw ay, only grunted when P eter got into the eleva­ tor, and P eter decided not to ask him any questions. H e w ent out in to th e ch illy , bright S unday-m orning street, half ex­ pecting to see the morgue wagon in front of the door, or at least two or three prowl cars.53 B ut there was only a sleepy woman in slacks airing a boxer 54 and a m an w ith his collar turned up h u rry in g up from the corner w ith the newspapers under his arm . P eter w ent across the street and looked up to the six th floor, at th e windows of the C halm ers’ ap artm en t. The V e­ netian blinds 66 were pulled shut in every room and all the windows were closed. A policem an w alked down the other side of the street, heavy, blue and purposeful, and for a mom ent P eter felt close to arrest. B ut the policem an continued on tow ard the avenue and turned th e corner and disappeared and P eter said to him self: “They never know an y th in g .” H e w alked up and down the stree t, first on one side, then on the other w aiting, although it was hard to know w hat he was w aitin g for. H e saw a hand come out through the blinds in his p aren ts’ room and slam the window sh u t, and he knew he ought to get u p stairs quickly w ith a good excuse for being o u t, but he couldn’t face them this m orning, and he w ould invent an excuse later. M aybe he w ould even say he had gone to the m useum, although he doubted th a t his m other w ould swallow 56 th a t. Some excuse. L ater. T hen, after he had been patro llin g the street for alm ost two hours, and ju st as he was com ing up to the entrance of his building, th e door opened and Mr. and M rs. Chalm ers cam e o u t. H e had on his pince-nez and a dark-gray h a t, and M rs. Chalm ers had on her fur coat and a red h a t w ith feathers on it. M r. C halm ers was holding the door open politely for his wife, and she looked, as she came out the door, as though she had ju s t come from th e beauty parlor. I t was too late to tu rn back or avoid them , and P eter ju st stood s till, five feet from the entrance. “Good m orning,” Mr. Chalm ers said as he took his w ife’s arm and they sta rte d w alking past P eter. “Good m orning, P eter,” said M rs. C halm ers in her soft voice, sm iling a t him . “Isn’t it a nice day today?” “Good m orning,” P eter said, and he was surprised th a t it cam e out and sounded like good m orning. 248 The Chalm ers w alked down the street tow ard Madison Avenue, two m arried people, arm in arm , going to church or to a big hotel for Sunday breakfast. P eter watched them , asham ed. H e was asham ed of Mrs. Chalm ers for looking the way she did th e night before, down on her knees, and yelling like th at and being so afraid. He was asham ed of Mr. C hal­ mers for m aking the noise th at was not like the noise of a hum an being, and for threatening to shoot Mrs. Chalm ers and not doing it. And he was asham ed for him self because he had been fearless when he opened the door, bu t had not been fearless ten seconds later, w ith M r. C halm ers five feet away w ith the gun. H e was asham ed of him self for not taking Mrs. Chalm ers into his ap a rtm en t, asham ed because he was not lying now w ith a b u llet in his h eart. B ut most of all he was asham ed because they all had said good m orning to each other and the Chalm ers were w alking quietly together, arm in arm , in the w indy su n lig h t, toward M adison Avenue. It was nearly eleven o’clock when P eter got back to the apartm en t, b u t his parents had gone back to sleep. There was a pretty good program on at eleven, about counterspies in A sia, and he turned it on au to m atically , w hile eating an orange. It was p retty exciting, but then there was a p a rt in which an O riental held a ticking bomb in his hand in a roomful of A m ericans, and P eter could tell w hat was com ing. The hero, who was fearless and who cam e from C alifornia, was begin­ ning to feint w ith his eyes, and P eter reached over and turned the set off. I t closed down w ith a shivering, collapsing p attern . B linking a little , P eter w atched the blind screen for a moment. Ah, he thought in sudden, perm anent disbelief, after the night in which he had faced the incom prehensible, sham eless, w eaponed.grow n-up w orld and had failed to disarm it, ah, they can have th a t, th a t’s for kids. NOTES 1 the sm all screen — the screen of the television set 2 in the line of duty — w hile perform ing th eir duty 8 to bring to ju stice — to try a crim inal and punish him (Russ, привлечь к суду) 4 forty-fives — autom atic guns 6 ingenue (F r.) [,e:n 3ei'nju:] — an actress playing the p art of a young girl (Russ, инженю) 249 8 arm — th e arm of the chair 7 was around — was a t hom e 8 neatly extracted — carefully taken out 8 television commercials — television program s adver­ tising various goods 10 the bulge of his shoulder holster unmistakable under — th e leather case of his pistol could be seen sw elling under (to bulge — выдаваться, выпячиваться) 11 pretty (colloq.) — rath er 12 that comedian of a history teacher — P e te r’s history teacher w as a man who liked to ta lk in a funny way to m ake the pupils laugh (Russ, шутник, комик). The construction comedian of (noun + of) is often used as an a ttrib u te . Comp, villa in of a boy — негодный мальчиш ка, toy of a fla t — не квартира, а игруш ка, etc. 13 at recess — during the interval between lessons (Russ. во время перемены) 14 started horsing around with it — began running about w ith it 16 faced B laisdell — stood bravely against B laisdell w ith ­ out showing any fear (Comp, to face the enemy; to face dan­ ger, death, disgrace, etc.; Russ, смело встретить, смотреть в лицо без страха) 16 to show up — to appear 17 sure (colloq.) — surely 18 let a hard one go (A m . colloq.) — Russ, как разм ах­ нулся (как дал ему) 19 right off — a t once 20 boy! — an exclam ation of ad m ira tio n , surprise, etc. 21 was excused from writing — was allow ed no t to w rite 22 hung around him — kept close to him , followed him w herever he w ent 23 soda — soda-w ater (Russ, газированная вода) 24 to make up to him — to m ake them selves pleasant to him 26 O .K . (colloq.) — all right; (here) good 4 28 suspect ['sA spakt] — a person suspected of a crim e, believed to be g u ilty 27 apiece — each 28 F.B.I. (a b b re v .)— F ederal B ureau of Investigation (w ithin th e fram ework of US D epartm ent of J u s tic e — Russ. Ф Б Р — Ф едеральное Бю ро Расследований), a perm anent in v estig atin g force created in 1908, first nam ed Bureau of 250 In v estig atio n , known by its present nam e since Ju ly 1935. A p art from in v estig atin g crim es, F .B . I. perform s the functions of political police, persecuting persons po litically undesirable, such as com m unists, people opposed to th e Governm ent policy and th e like. F .B .I ; includes, am ong other divisions, th e Id en tificatio n D ivision containing in its files over 120 000 000 fingerprint records and coordinates the ac tiv ity of various agencies responsible for US n atio n al secu­ rity . 29 could safely turn — could ask for help and be sure to get it 30 you couldn’t depend on people breaking their bones — you couldn’t expect th a t people would break their bones, you couldn’t count on it 31 to do pushups (sport) — отжиматься 32 to keep at it — to go on doing it, to persist (Russ. упорно заниматься этим) 33 to feint to one side with your eyes before the crucial moment — to look aside so as to deceive your opponent be­ fore the critical moment 34 no matter what the odds — w hatever the chances in your favour 36 to show his mother — to challenge his m other, to prove he was not afraid of her 36 channel — (here) телевизионная программа (канал) 37 it was a cinch (A m . colloq.) — surely, there was no doubt about it 38 Cape Cod — a sandy peninsula in M assachusetts 39 foyer — a h all (Russ,передняя) 40 over the air — over the radio or the television (Russ. в эфире) 41 apartment (A m .) — flat (B rit.) 42 were in their midthirties — were about th irty five or th irty .six years old 43 put a lot of money on her back — spent very much money on her clothes, wore expensive clothes 44 kind of fat — plum p, ra th e r sto u t 45 beauty parlor (A m .) — a place w here a wom an may h ave her face massaged, her hair w aved, etc. 46 My! — an exclam ation of surprise 47 elevator (A m .) — lift (B rit.) 48 You’ve got to — You must *49 living room — a room for general use during the day 251 60 m agnesia [m aeg'niijal — a w h ite powder used as a m edicine for stom ach trouble 51 to s ta rt in w ith his m other (colloq.) — to begin to ta lk w ith his m other (Russ, начинать, заводить) 52 am biguous — not clear, because there is a possibility of more th an one in terp retatio n 63 prowl cars — police cars specially equipped w ith sh o rt­ wave rad io telephone connection w ith the headquarters 54 a : . . wom an in slacks airing a boxer — a . . . wom an in w ide, loose-fitting trousers tak in g a boxer for a w alk (box­ er — a sh ort-haired dog of a G erm an breed, Russ, боксер) 65 V enetian b lin d s — жалю зи 56 sw allow — believe som ething which is untrue EXERCISES Exercise I. Practise the pronunciation of th e following a) words and w ord-com binations: b) a) gangster, m urderer, serious, ingenue, appendicitis, d ial, vaguely, com edian, recess, suspect, obscurely, d an ­ gerous, disarm , crucial, technique, tangerine, refrigerator, linoleum , ch annel, m ustache, cushion, foyer, perfum e, p a­ tro l, pince-nez, b u lle t, counterspy, incom prehensible b) 'kilig 'iitf 'д 5 з; bai d i ^ 'a u a ; 'saet i n ^ d a 'big 'tfea; hiz 'т л д э 'w oznt at 'houm ; h r ^ ' a e t ^ d a 'si:dz; da 'f i a r ^ a v 3,pendi'saitis; 'g r a u n d ^ d a 'sirdz; 'k lo u zd hiz 'a iz ; 'h a:lig 'b a tlz ; 'p i:ts waz '0 3 :ti:n 'jiaz 'o u ld ; da 'kloft av hiz 'flaenl 'dgaekit Exercise II. D rills, a) Read and repeat; b) Use the structures in sentences of your own; I. 1. 2. 3. 4. H e was the last to be chosen in games. H e was the first to hear the scream . S he was the second to leave th e ap artm en t. P eter was the first to get up on S unday. II . 1. She looked as though (as if) she had just come from th e beauty parlour. 2. She scream ed as if he had threatened to shoot her. 3. H e ate grapes, seeds and a ll, as though he had made up his m ind to .oppose his m other. 4. H e tu rn ed very pale, as if he had suddenly fallen ill. 252 II I . 1. 2. 3. 4. He was excused from w riting on the blackboard. She was excused from attending lectures. He was excused from going on the excursion. They were excused from w riting th e test. IV. 1. 2. 3. 4. He kept listening for shots. She kept com plaining about the light in the living room. He kept th inking of w hat he had seen. H e kep t looking up at the windows of th e ap artm en t. V . 1. 2. 3. -4. 5. 6. She m ust have said th at fifty tim es by now. H e m ust have threatened her w ith a pistol. She m ust have cried for help. She m ust have hammered on th e front door. She m ust have been frightened to death. He m ust have lost his reason. Exercise III. Replace the words in italics by equivalents from the text: 1. The killer was tried and punished. 2. All the P eters were kind of friends because of the history teacher. 3. Every tim e th e teacher said Blaisdell needn’t write on the blackboard P e ­ ter was very pleased. 4. P eter the G re at’s parents gave him all the money he w anted to make themselves pleasant to him . 5. She alw ays spoke in a soft voice as though she was just going to laugh. 6. M r. Chalm ers wasn’t wearing his glasses, and the little hair he had was mussed all over his head. 7. The vestibule looked just as it always did. 8. H e knew he ought to get upstairs quickly w ith a suitable reason (explanation) for being out. Exercise IV. Find in the text English equivalents for the following and use them in sentences of your own: a) включить телевизор; смотреть телевизор; передавали довольно хорошую программу; переводить на другую программу (вертеть регулятор); рекламные передачи; была одна и та ж е передача по всем программам (каналам); выключить телевизор; оставить свет b) вопить; сломать руку; рука на перевязи; освободить от чего-либо; не сгибать колени; быть бесстрашным; просто ради практики; вопрос техники; револьвер; пуля; целиться (в); угрожать; застрелить; отравить c) лифт; лифтер; квартира; входная дверь; штора; ж а ­ люзи; захлопнуть окно; распахнуть дверь; жилой дом, где сдаются квартиры 253 Exercise V. Ask -twenty questions about the text. Exercise VI. C onstruct 8 statem ents th a t are not tru e to fact and ask the students to correct them . (See p. 147 E x. V III) Exercise V II. Answer the following questions using words and ex­ pressions from the text: 1. W hat was happening on the screen P eter was watching? 2. How did P eter behave in his m other’s absence? W hy did he behave th e w ay he did? 3. W hy had P eter the G reat become P e te r’s friend? 4. W hat sort of man was P eter going to be when he grew up? How did he practise being fearless? 5. W hat sounds did P eter hear in the m iddle of a pushup? W hat two voices could he clearly distinguish? 6. W hat sort of couple lived next door to P e te r’s flat? In w hat w ay were the Chalm ers different th a t n ig h t from w hat they usually looked?.7. W hat was P e te r’s in ten tio n when he opened the door? 8. W hy did P eter fail to be fearless? 9. W h at happened in the morning? 10. W hy did P eter tu rn the set off after tu rn in g it on au to m at­ ically? 11. W h at did he begin to understand after his n ig h t’s experience? Exercise V III. A. R etell the story according to the following plan: 1. P eter w atches the television program s. 2. The incident th a t helped P eter to w in P eter the G re at’s ad m iratio n . 3. P eter train s him self to be strong and fearless. 4. P e te r’s neighbours, M r. and M rs. Chalm ers. 5. A scream from th e vestibule. P e te r fails to show him ­ self fearless. 6. P eter tries to find out w h at has happened in the C hal­ m ers’ ap a rtm en t. 7. P eter meets th e Chalm ers in th e doorw ay. The effect it has on his m ind. B. R etell the following episodes from the sto ry using the given words and expressions: a) Describe television programs: to kill each other; to be shot; throw n off the roof; slowly poisoned; to be brought to justice; p riv a te detective; death by th e knife; spy; tw o guns apiece; the F B I men; to leave corpses behind; television com m ercials; educational program s; co­ m edians; all over th e dial; to fiddle w ith the dial; on all the channels; to tu rn on (off) the set; to broadcast; there was a 254 - program on; scenes of. th rea t and violence on th e television set b) Describe the episode that gave Peter a conscious feeling of confidence and pride in himself: to weigh . . . pounds; to wear glasses; to be th e last one to be chosen; to call out; so aw fully funny; to do som ething p ret­ ty good for; on account of; responsible for each other; at recess; as if he was going to; to grab the cap; defeat; to show up; to duck; to h it on the top of the head; to fall to the ground yelling; to carry off; adm iringly; you h av e to adm it; in the sling; to be excused from; to hang around; divorced; to make up to; a feeling of confidence; was going to be a dangerous m an; six feet tall; to develop his arms; to do pushups; to keep a t it; to dive under the gun; to have quick reflexes; from now on; to practise being fearless; in the dark; ju st for practice c) Describe the Chalmers before, after and during the night incident: a scream came; the sound of fists b eatin g (hamm ering) on th e front door; to yell; a m an’s voice; like an anim al (beast) in a cave; to growl; unreasonable; on her knees; to lean against; to point a gun (at); kind of fat; a p re tty blond; soft and pink com plexion; beauty parlor; soft voice; was about to laugh; strong sm ell of perfume; to w ear pince-nez glasses; to be g ettin g bald; w ould say; torn dress; black streaks; h air mussed all over his head; heavy pistol; to point at; get inside; to have on (a fur co at, a red h a t w ith feathers); to hold open; to s ta rt w alking past; arm in arm d) Describe Peter daringly awake at midnight: in front of th e screen; to eat grapes; the seeds and all; to stare critica lly ; if his m other were at home; fiddling w ith th e dials; to grind th e seeds; enjoy the solitude; to im agine him self h u rlin g b o ttles at; d id n ’t put on th e light; you had to practise; in th e dark; two tangerines; ju st for practice; to show his m other; h e’d have turned off the set; not to w aste tim e; to do pushups; to make sure; to look up at; to tu rn off th e television; to look nervously around; to s ta rt w alking slowly; to get a good look a t him self; feeling th e way he had felt; put out his hands; feinted w ith his eyes; pu t th e uneaten grapes back; to tu rn on (leave on) the light; to throw in to the fireplace; four tablespoons of magnesia; to get into bed; 255 it was hard to tell; s till awake; to s ta rt in w ith; w hat he was doing up a t tw elve o’clock; to keep listening (for); under the covers Exercise IX. Use the following phrases in sentences of your own: I. to p u t (tu rn , switch) on; to turn (switch) off the lights (the television set, the radio, the gas, etc.); to leave on the lights (the television, the radio set, the gas). In th e text: a) H e d id n ’t p u t on the light in the kitchen. b) H e alw ays turned on lights w herever he w ent. c) P eter reached over and turned the set off. E x a m p l e s : a) T urn on the radio, please. T here’s going to be a m usical program a t six tw enty, b) D o n 't turn off the gas (leave on the gas), I ’ve got to boil the eggs. II. to p u t (slam) shut; to push (throw, flin g ) open. In th e text: a) H e saw a hand come out through th e blind . . . and slam the window shut. b) Then there was some more ham m ering . . . , and he threw the door open. E x a m p l e s : a) She drew the cu rta in and pushed the window open. b) H e flu n g the front door open and was gone in a jiffy. c) She pulled the blinds shut and turned off the light. III. wherever, whatever, whenever, whoever. I n t h e t e x t : H e alw ays turned on lights wherever he w en t. E x a m p l e s : a) Show her in whenever she calls. I need her badly, b) Whatever she says, don’t answer. Exercise X . Add tail-questions to these sentences: 1. I t ’s g ettin g colder, . . . ? 2. You left the light on in the kitchen, . . . ? 3. P e te r’s m other wrns not a t hom e, . . . ? 4. There were four boys in the class w ith the sam e nam e, .,.? 5. H e 256 has been doing pushups this m onth, . . . ? 6. P eter d id n ’t worry about the fearless p a rt, . . . ? 7. Our heighbours are quiet, . . . ? 8. I t ’s a nice day today, . . . ? Exercise X I. Change these sentences asin b): a) I m ust let her in. b) I ’ve got to let her in. 1. H e m ust tu rn off the television set. 2. I m ust be fear less. 3. You have to help your friends. 4. W e have to pull down th e blinds. 5. I must sit up late. Exercise X II. Change these sentences as in b): a) She has probably said th a t fifty tim es by now. b) She m ust have said th at fifty tim es by now. 1. It seems certain he has left his wife. 2. I am sure m oth­ er has noticed th e light in the kitchen. 3. There is no doubt th e police h av e found out about the m urder. 4. She was probably very p re tty when a young girl. Exercise X III. Choose the correct word from those in brackets: (hurl — throw — toss) A. 1. She . . . the window open and looked out into the stree t. 2. T he m an opened the cage, reached inside and . . . th e snow -w hite birds into the air. 3. H e ducked and . . . a ch air a t th e m an w ith a pistol. 4. The wom an stopped, felt in her pocket and . . . a penny to the beggar. 5. H e p u t out his hands as though he expected somebody to . . . him some­ thing. (k ill — murder) B. 1. An old lady was . . . for her pearls. 2. H e was . . . in an accident. 3. I ’ll tell you exactly w hat he is try in g to do: to . . . two birds w ith one stone. 4. “I ’m afraid Jam es has been . . sai d th e girl breathing h ard. “W e m ust go there a t once.” (old — elderly) C. 1. T he new teacher was an . . . lady w ith num orous w rinkles round her eyes. 2. Some day w hen I am q u ite . . . , I shall feel it te rrib ly . 3. Some are . . . in heart a t forty, some are young a t eighty (proverb). 4. He is not . . . , I should say; he is an . . . gentlem an in his late forties! 257 Exercise XIV. Topics for discussion: 1. Discuss th e television program m es P eter used to w atch and th eir effect on his m ind. 2. Trace P e te r’s conduct throughout the story and try to account for it (Peter a t school, P eter daringly aw ake a t night, P eter tries to be fearless and fails). 3. D escribe M r. and Mrs. C halm ers. Im agine w hat hap- . pened before and after the scene in the vestibule. 4. Use th e story as an illu stra tio n to th e fact th a t grown­ ups — parents and teachers — som etim es fail to understand the psychology of th e children they have got to bring up. 5. Speak on th e peculiarities of a teenager. 6. Discuss th e advantages and disadvantages of the tele­ vision. 7. Tell a story in w hich a boy in his teens plays a consider­ able p a rt. 8. Speak ab o u t a film the hero of w hich is a boy. Exercise XV. R ender in English: «Летний вечер в нью-йоркском С ентрал-парке. К столбу прислонился подвыпивший (tipsy) муж чина. Медсестра к а ­ тит по дорожке коляску, в которой сидит инвалид без ноги, с перевязанной головой. В руке у девушки сум ка. Внезапно перед коляской появляется молодой человек, выхватывает сумку из рук медсестры и пытается бежать». Т ак в одном из номеров ж урн ала «Штерн» (ФРГ) начинается репортаж о росте преступности среди американской молодежи. В дан ­ ном конкретном случае, отснйтом на пленку (fixed by а cam era), грабитель обречен (is doomed). «Отрезвевший» в доли секунды (sobered in a fraction of a second) мужчина настигает преступника и вместе с подоспевшим инвалидом, уж е с двумя ногами, надевает на него наручники (puts а pair of handcuffs on th e m an). Сестра (в действительности агент-мужчина) выхватывает пистолет, чтобы отогнать сообщников (accom plices) грабителя. О перация закончена». Это одно из рядовых дел, совершенных специальной группой нью-йоркской полиции. Сейчас в такие группы, называемые «анти-крайм юнитс», входят 200 специально натренированных агентов. В среднем за сутки им удается арестовать на месте преступления (catch red-handed) 20 гр а­ бителей. Д л я 11-миллионного Н ью -Й орка это капля в море. Согласно данным городской полиции, здесь орудуют 147 ган ­ гстерских банд, насчитывающих 19 тысяч человек. 258 Предпринимаемые полицией меры, какими бы радикаль­ ными и смелыми они ни казались, практически не достигают цели. П олиция воюет с преступниками, а не с преступно­ стью — социальным явлением, имеющим глубокие корни в американском обществе. Exercise XVI. a) R etell and com m ent on the te x t th a t follows; b) P ay a tte n tio n to the words and w ord-com binations below and use them in speaking on the text: radio service, perm anent background noise, to crack stale jokes, to h ail, to boast, keen observer, to speak on behalf of, relevant (irrelevant) questions, to issue statistics, a special feature, to in itia te , average A m erican girl, unassum ing, at a loss, unsolved problem , quiz program m es, radio-com m enta­ to r, on th e air, to tak e off the air, leftish tendencies, com m er­ cials, to in terru p t a performance, ravishingly beautiful, ir­ resistibly desirable, to pull down people to, intellectual level c) Sum gram m es; up the a u th o r’s view of th e U nited S tates radio pro­ d) F in d some p o in ts of resem blance betw een th is tex t and Irwin Shaw ’s sto ry “P eter Two” . e) Speak on some typical features of American Т. V. and radio services. T H E E M P IR E O F SOAP O PER A S ‘Every country has the radio service it deserves.’ To apply th is axiom to th e U n ited S tates of A m erica would be a grave in su lt and I hasten to add th a t the U n ited S tates deserve some­ th in g m uch b etter th an the radio service it has. A m erican rad io is th e reverse of the Shakespearean stage. In Shakes­ peare’s tim e th e w o rld ’s greatest dram as were acted w ith the m ost p rim itiv e technical arrangem ents; 1 on the A m erican a ir th e w orld’s m ost prim itive w riting is perform ed under perfect technical conditions. The m ain features of Am erican b roadcasting are these: (1) R adio is a perm anent background noise in Am erica. All th e radios of th e land seem to be sw itched on all the tim e. In ap artm ents, in th e streets, in shops, restau ran ts, cars and tax is, anyw here and everywhere the noise goes on— it is your fa te to listen to it, w hether you like it or h ate it. 259 (2) P u b lic opinion, taste and culture are led and directed by lax ativ e,2 cigarette, soap and cheese com panies. They buy a certain am ount of tim e on the radio, during which they try to convince you th a t their lax ativ e is tastier, more efficient, cheaper and more beautiful to look at th a n any other laxative in th e world. To fill up tim e between two com m ercials, they hire some com edians who crack a num ber of stale jokes and laugh at them them selves, loudly and heartily . Of course, Mr. Bob Hope or Mr. Morgan3 and a few others are funny and amuse you m ost of th e tim e, but they are very rare exceptions. This system was hailed as the real freedom. No state con­ trol, they boasted, no censorship. Some keen observers, how­ ever, noticed after th e lapse of a few years th a t the real aim of lax ativ e firm s was not to raise the cultural standard of th e nation b u t to sell more laxatives to people w hether they needed them or not. In this they succeeded; and the result is Am erican broadcasting. (3) Everybody and everything is ‘H ooperated’.4 All radio performers and w riters depend on Mr. С. E. H ooper’s fo rt­ nightly Hooper R atings. Hooper speaks on behalf of th irty five m illion A m erican radio fam ilies, m akes $ 1,000,000 p. a .5 and has nearly two thousand em ployees who ring up people, try in g to find out w hat they listen to. Mr. Hooper tells in his R a tin g s w hat per cent of radio fans listen to a cer­ tain programme. Am erica is a scientific country. Mr. H ooper’s assistants ring up people day and night, collect answers to relevant and irrelev an t6 questions put in a skilful or clum sy way, issue statistics by the score and state extrem ely scien­ tifically indeed th a t a song called Open the Door, Richard is 137 tim es m ore popular than B eethoven’s Fifth Sym phony and Mr. O v in g to n ’s chats on ‘How I like my cheese and w hy’ are 217.08 tim es better liked than A M idsum m er N ig h t's Dream.7 (4) A special feature in Am erican broadcasting is the soap opera. Once upon a tim e, very few people listened in around noon and then a soap com pany hit on th e idea th a t special broadcasts should be in itiate d for women who are at home preparing lunch. So the soap operas started th e ir career and now p ractically all stations broadcast these soap operas be­ tween 12 noon and 4 p. m. on every weekday from Monday to Friday. They last fifteen m inutes each. One of th e most pop­ ular is th e Romance of Helen T rent. Miss: T rent is just ah average A m erican girl. She has been th irty -tw o for the last 266 tw o decades; she is intelligent, beautiful and em ployed as a designer by one of the Hollyw ood film com panies and in spite of th e fact th a t she is begged and besought twice every week to become a fi l m star she refuses and rem ains just th a t little , unassum ing average Am erican girl she has ever been. She solves life ’s problem s for anyone who happens to come near her or pass down the street in front of her window. These are usually grave and m om entous problem s. There is for exam ­ ple a young m an who has charm ing m anners and an adm irable character, is a g rad uate of P rinceton U n iv ersity ,8 has an in­ come of four m illio n dollars per year, loves H elen T re n t’s colleague m adly; she loves him , too, and th eir parents agree to the m arriage— w hat are they to do? E verybody is at a loss u n til H elen, w ith a few sim ple, calm , wise words arranges th e ir lives and separates them for ever. O r there is another feature: M y Gal S unday.9 T his gal Sunday is a M idwesterner, born on a Sunday and much later m arried to an English lord, a certain Lord H enry (Henry being his C h ristian nam e). T he problem is: can the little M idw esterner gal be happy w ith the rich English lord? They have lived together for twelve years, have Innum erable child­ ren, I believe, but the problem is still unsolved. Lord Henry gets into trouble every week; all his friends are m urdered, he is alw ays suspected of killing them off b u t in the last mom ent his innocence is alw ays proved and Lord H enry returns from jail to his beloved Sunday, spends a quiet week-end w ith her and next M onday com m its a new m urder. Few m em bers of th e B ritish aristocracy spend so much tim e in jail as Lord H enry. L ittle w onder he can never spare a m inute to drop in to the House of Lords to tak e p art in a Foreign Affairs debate. (5) Quiz program m es are popular, too. A few members of th e audience m ake fools of them selves in one way or another and in re tu rn they receive prizes. And w hat prizes? W henever you see a person carrying a refrigerator or a piano on his back or leading a camel through the streets of New York, you m ay rest assured th a t he has just won a quiz prize. (6) T here are some excellent and intelligent radio-com m en­ ta to rs on th e air. T hey are brave and candid and give balanced views on world events. One of these, in spite of the fact th a t h is Hooper R a tin g s were the highest am ong all com m enta­ to rs and even higher than a great num ber of m usical shows, was tak en off th e air by a com m ercial firm because of his 261 m ildly leftish tendencies. To use the im m ense cultural possi­ b ilities of radio m ainly for the purpose of persuading people to buy m ore shirts, canned fru it, laxatives and boot polish is ‘freedom of speech’; to tak e a b rillia n t com m entator off th e air because he says w hat he believes to be th e tru th is ‘freedom of p riv ate en terp rise’. (7) B ut th e m ain features are, of course, th e com m ercials. They are declaim ed in prose and recited in verse, sung by soloists and choirs, persuading, cajoling, threatening, w arn­ ing and ordering people to buy X underw ear or Y tinned beans. Every perform ance, except the sacred baseball m atch com m entaries, is in terrupted to tell you th a t you w ill become ravishingly beautiful if you eat Z cheese or else th a t you are sure to die young, poor and neglected if you do not use U shoe polish. One Texas radio statio n carried 2.215 commer­ cials in 133 broadcasting hours, an average of 16.7 per hour. Once during a perform ance of K in g Lear, th e tragedy flowed on in its m ajesty u n til at its clim ax K ing Lear broke loose in a ferocious m alediction, condem ning all his daughters for not drinking ‘O p tim u s’ orange juice for breakfast. In short, th e basic principles of broadcasting are these: The m ain cu ltu ral aim is to sell m ore cheese to th e public th an it can consume. Freedom of speech m eans freedom of great com m ercial firm s to pull down all th e rest of th e people to th e ir own in­ tellectual level. News is free; com m ercials are sacred. George Mikes NOTES 1 As is know n, no scenery w hatever was used in S ha­ kespeare’s tim e; ju st a sign in d icatin g “F o rest” , “B a ttle ­ fie ld ” , “B an q u et H a ll”, etc. 2 la x a tiv e — a m edicine m aking th e bowels move (R uss. слабительное) 3 M r. Bob Hope o r Mr. M organ— po p u lar radio and m otion p ictu res com edians 4 ‘H ooperated’ — p ast p artic ip le of the verb hooperate coined by th e a u th o r. ‘H o o p eratin g ’ (nam ed afte r C laude E . H ooper, A m erican s ta tistic ia n , d ied in 1954) is a ra tin g of rad io an d Т. V. shows based on a sta tistic a l study of th e percentage of sets in a sam pling th a t are tuned to a specific program m e a t a given tim e 262 5 p .a. (abbr.) = per annum (Lat.) — an n u a lly * re le v an t (ant. irre le v a n t)— bearing upon the m a tte r (Russ, относящ ийся (не относящ ийся) к делу) 7 A M idsum m er N igh t's D re a m — a com edy by W il­ liam Shakespeare 8 P rinceton U n iv ersity — one of A m erica’s oldest and m ost exclusive universities 9 M y Gal Sunday (the title obviously suggests “My Man F rid a y ” from Robinson Crusoe)— a radio m elodram a, also a soap serial or soap opera QUIZ I X 1. W hich of Shakespeare’s characters says: “The evil th a t men do lives after them . The good is oft interred w ith th eir bones.”? 2. Can you nam e the five boroughs which compose the city of New York? 3. H ere are four well-know n novels. Can you nam e their authors: a) The Old Wives’ Tales, b) Kipps, c) Of H um an Bondage, d) A Farewell to Arm s? 4. W ho was th e P resident of the U n ited S tates during the C ivil W ar? How did he die? 5. P aris is described in several English novels. Name some of them . 6. A ccording to a Greek legend a daughter of the sun be­ cam e a sorceress and was banished to an island. H ere she was v isited by a famous traveller and tu rn ed his com panions to swine, a) W ho was th e sorceress and who was her visitor? b) W h at does her nam e suggest when used figuratively? 7. a) In w hat p a rt of London does the M onum ent stand? b) W ho designed it? c) W hen and why was it erected? 8. W h at is th e m eaning and the origin of th e expressions a) to cross the Rubicon, b) D utch courage? 9. a) W hen and how is the discovery of th e Gunpowder P lo t com m em orated in England? b) W h at word of the E ng­ lish vocabulary is connected w ith th is event? 10. W h at famous English a rtis t p ain ted a series of pictures en title d “M arriage a la Mode”? W h at anniversary connected w ith his nam e was celebrated in Novem ber 1964? 11. Can you com plete th e following proverbs: a) The proof of th e p u d d in g ... , b) You ca n ’t m ake an o m e le t...? 12. W h at are the English equivalents of the following A m erican words: a) crackers, b) ale, c) living room? A n sw ers to Quizzes Q U IZ I 1. Caesar in Shakespeare’s tragedy Julius Caesar, Act II, sc. 2. 2. a) Six. b) Europe, Asia, Africa, America, A ustralia, the A ntarctic. 3. a) 1899-1902, G reat B ritain and the Boers, b) Jo lly Forsyte and Val D artie in the 2nd p art of The Forsyte Saga (I n Chancery). 4. a) Sistine M adonna, b) H idden together w ith other pictures of the Dresden G allery, the p ainting was found by th e Soviet troops, brought to the Soviet Union and exhibited in the Pushkin Museum. Later the whole collection was presented to the G erm an D em ocratic R epublic by the Soviet Government, c) In the Dresden G allery. 5. a) Bernard Shaw, b) Oscar W ilde, c) Sheridan. 6. a) French and German, b) D utch, c) D anish, d) Swedish, e) N or­ wegian. 7. a) B ath, b) R om an baths, c) Frank Cowperwood in the novel The Stoic by Dreiser. 8. a) An im pending personal danger, b) In a Greek legend Damocles was a courtier who was ordered by the ty ran t Dionysus to sit at a banquet w ith a sword hanging over his head by a single thread. 9. Mr. Bownderby in the novel Hard Times. 10. a) Bunker H ill monument in Georgetown near Boston, Mass. Commemorates the first b a ttle fought by the American colonists against the B ritish troops (June 17, 1775). b) Independence Hall (Philadelphia) where the D eclaration of Independence was adopted (Ju ly 4, 1776). c) Old S tate House (Boston), a landm ark of the colonial period, now a museum. From the balcony of the building the D eclaration of Independence was announced, d) The R ussian Statue, a statu e by V uchetich in front of the United N ations H eadquarters in New York. 11. a) A bird in the hand is w orth two in th e bush, b) Time and tide wait for no m an. c) There is many a slip 'tw ix t the cup and the lip. 12. a) appointment, b) tram, c) pavement. Q U IZ I I 1. H am let, Act I, sc. 5. 2. a) The Lake d istric t, b) The Lakists: W ordsworth, W illiam (17701850), Coleridge, Samuel Taylor (1772-1834), Southey, Robert (17741843), etc. 3. Georgia is one of the Soviet republics; one of th e Southern states in the USA. 264 4. a) Shakespeare, b) Jo h n Steinbeck. 5. In Sw itzerland in 1816 B yron and Shelley m et as exiles. They both took part in the Greek uprising against Turkish oppression. 6. a) R em brandt Van R yn (1606-1669), b) T itian (1477-1576), c) Leo­ nardo da Vinci (1452-1519). 7. Spanish in all the countries but Brazil where Portuguese is spoken. 8. a) The B ritish Museum in which Karl Marx and V. I. Lenin worked. b) T rafalgar Square w ith Nelson Column, a traditional place where the dem onstrations of protest gather, c) Big Ben—the big tower clock in Lon­ don. d) Karl Marx Memorial (Highgate Cemetery, London). 9. a) Sisyphus, b) Labour of Sisyphus ['sisifas]. 10. a) Dickens in David Copperfield, b) Thackeray in Vanity Fair, c) Galsworthy in In Chancery, d) Cronin in The Citadel. 11. a) Second thoughts are best, b) All is well th a t ends well. 12. a) tinned food, b) tobacconist’s, c) call box. Q U IZ I I I 1. Macbeth. 2. a), b) Bernard Shaw, c) Shakespeare, d) Oscar Wilde. 3. a) A fashionable shopping street, b) The street of the Press, Pub­ lishing houses, editorial offices, etc., c) The street where Sherlock Holmes is supposed to have lived. 4. The Crucible, The S treet Car Called Desire, The Cat on the Hot Tin Roof, The Glass Menagerie. 5. a) Andromeda, b) Perseus. 6. a) Percy Bysshe Shelley for publishing a pamphlet The Necessity of Atheism in 1911, b) He got drowned in Greece on his way to Spezzia in Ju ly 1822 during the Greek uprising he took part in, c) Byron burned his remains according to an ancient custom. 7. Eton and Harrow. Young Jolyon used to be an Etonian, his son Jolly was sent to Harrow. 8. a) D avid Copperfield, Dombu and Son, Nickolas Nickleby, etc.; b) Hard Times. 9. The ghost of Banqo in Macbeth. 10. a) M rs. Warren’s Profession, b) An Ideal Husband, c) A View from the Bridge; B. Shaw, O. Wilde, A. Miller. 11. a) Don’t trouble trouble until trouble troubles you. b) One man’s meat is another man’s poison. 12. a) fla t, b) shop, c) railway. Q U IZ IV 1. Macbeth (Macbeth, Act I, sc. 4). 2. a) Seine, b) Thames, c) Tiber, d) H udson river, Harlem river, East R iver, e) Potom ac. .3. a) Forster A Passage to India and K ipling Plain Tales from the H ills, Kim, etc., b) In 1947 India became an independent country. 4. a) V andyke, Sir A nthony (1599-1641), b) Some of his pictures ar exhibited in the H erm itage. 265 5. a) M ississippi, b) Amazon. 6. a) Ja n e A ustin, b), c) Mary Gaskell, d) Em ily Bronte. 7. In 1775-83 by the American colonies against G reat B ritain. 8. a) Prom etheus, b) He was chained to a rock and a vu ltu re d aily consumed his liver, c) Prometheus Unbound by Shelley; Prometheus, a sym phony by Scriabin. 9. a) A th in g th a t causes a quarrel, b) According to a Greek legend a golden apple w ith the words “ To th e most beautiful of women” on it caused discord among three goddesses, Gera, Athens and A phrodite, which eventually led to th e Troyan War. 10. The Old M an and the Sea. 11. a) As you m ake your bed, so you m ust lie on it. b) Too many cooks spoil th e broth. 12. a) luggage, b) postman, c) letter box. Q U IZ V 1. Polonius to his son Laertes (Hamlet, Act I, sc. 3). 2. The official residence of the Prim e M inister (No 10) and th e Foreign and Colonial Offices, hence, sym bolically th e B ritish G overnment. 3. A new flight of young post-war w riters (G. Osborne, K. Amis, J . W ain and others). Some of their works have been tran slated into R u s­ sian such as Lucky Jim b y Kingsley Amis, H urry on Down by Jo h n W ain, Room a t the Top by Jo h n Braine, etc. They are no longer “young” now and most of them are not “angry” either. W ith a very few exceptions they are in agreement w ith w hat is going on in the society they once used to attack so vigorously. 4. Eugene V itla in The Genius by Th. Dreiser; Stephen Desmonde in A Thing of Beauty by Cronin; Charles S trickland in The Moon and Sixpence by Somerset Maugham; Young Jo ly o n in The Forsyte S a g a by Jo h n G alsw orthy. 5. a) Icarus, b) Dedalus, c) He was flying too near the sun and the wax of his wings m elted. 6. Peary R obert Brown (1856-1920) was the first to reach the N orth Pole in 1909, A pril. 7. a) Lord B yron, b) The Ode was w ritten in connection w ith the riots for the destruction of m achinery (1811-1816) raised b y Luddites, and the intention of the governm ent to execute them . 8. a) Cam pbell, Mrs. P atrick (1867-1940). 9. a) H arper Lee, b) Ernest Hemingway, c) J . D. Salinger, d) Jo h n Steinbeck. 10. G ainsborough, Thomas (1727-1788); in the H erm itage. 11. a) W hile there is life there is hope, b) Learn to creep before you leap. 12. a) telegram, b) luggage van, c) boot shop. Q U IZ P I 1. King Lear (K in g Lear, Act III, sc. 2). 2. a) Lord Byron, b) His m aiden speech in th e House of Lords in de­ fence of Luddites caused a great sensation. 266 3. a) Monaco, b) Monte Carlo, a famous gam bling resort, c) Santa Lucia. 4. a) Longfellow, American poet (1807-1882), b) Oscar W ilde (18561900), c) Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892), d) George Gordon B yron (17881824). 5. R eynolds, Sir Jo sh u a (1723-1792). 6. In W estm inster Abbey; contains the busts of and monum ents to poets and w riters buried here and elsewhere. 7. Narcissus. 8. a) Old Curiosity Shop by Dickens, b) Vanity F air by Thackeray, c) Ivanhoe by W aller Scott, d) The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar W ilde. 9. V ivian Leigh. 10. a) Handsom e is as handsome does, b) There is no place like home, c) It never rains b u t it pours. 11. Hamlet, Othello, K ing Lear, The Taming of the Shrew, The Twelfth N ight, Romeo and Juliet. 12. a) trousers, b) fellow, c) whiskey and soda. Q U IZ V I I 1. a) Lady M acbeth in Macbeth (Act V, sc. 1), b) B rutus in Julius Caesar by Shakespeare (Act II, sc. 1), с) 1. B ru tu s’ words about Caesar im ply th a t power leads to corruption; 2. B right D ay by J . Priestly. 2. Frank Cowperwood (The Trilogy of Desire by Theodore Dreiser) and Soames Forsyte (The Forsyte Saga by Jo h n Galsworthy). 3. W illiam Sydney P orter. 4. a) K ilim anjaro, b) Mount Everest, a peak of the H im alayas, c) Mont B lanc, d) The Snows of Kilim anjaro by E. Hemingway. 5. B y R oald A mundsen in 1911. 6. a) Sheridan, R ichard B rinsley (1851-1916), b) H astings, W arren (1732-1818). 7. a) W a ttT y lo r, b) In London in 1381, c) R ichard II, d) Richard II by Shakespeare. 8. a) Venus, b) D iana, c) Ju p iter, d) Ulysses. 9. a) Ivanhoe by W alter Scott, b) Vanity Fair b y Thackeray, c) Domby and Son by Dickens. 10. a) The source of all kind of evil, b) According to a Greek legend P andora was a woman sent by Zeus as punishm ent for the hum an race because Prom etheus had stolen fire from heaven. Zeus gave her a box (P andora’s box) enclosing all hum an ills, which escaped when she opened the box. 11. a) N ever put off till tomorrow w hat you can do today, b) Beggars ca n ’t be choosers. 12. a) underground (tu be), b) booking-office, c) sleeping-car (sleeper). Q U IZ T i l l 1. H am let about Polonius (Hamlet, Act II, sc. 2). 2. a) The Speaker, b) Lord Chancellor. 3. a) Queen V ictoria (1837-1901), b) In In Chancery b y Jo h n G als­ w orthy. 267 4. A Connecticut Yankee in King A rth u r’s Court by Mark Twain. 5. “Gioconda” by Leonardo da Vinci from the Louvres was taken to Jap an and the USSR and exhibited there for some tim e in 1974. 6. P art of New Y ork C ity. The island was bought by the Dutch from a tribe of N orth Indians — M anhattoes—who originally lived there and gave the island their name. 7. a) Thackeray in Vanity Fair, b) Dickens in David Copperfield, c) T ho­ mas H ardy in Tess of the d'Urbervilles, d) Th. Dreiser in A n American Tragedy. 8. a) O rpheus, b) He descended to Hades and moved Persephone w ith his music so much th a t she allowed him to lead his wife Eurydice back to earth, c) Orpheus was not to look back a t his wife while he led her away but he failed in the test, and she had to rem ain in Hades, d) Orpheus by Gluck; Orpheus Descending by Tennessee W illiam s. 9. a) Vanity Fair by Thackeray and Don Jium by Byron; c) to meet one’s Waterloo—to be u tterly defeated after a period of success. 10. R em brandt (1606-1669). In the H erm itage. 11. a) It is never too late to learn, b) To kill two birds w ith one stone, c) A friend in need is a friend indeed, d) C ut your coat according to your cloth. 12. a) lift, b) roadway, c) queue. Q U IZ I X 1. Mark A ntony (Julius Caesar, Act III, sc. 2). 2. B ronx, Brooklyn, M anhattan, Queens, Richm ond. 3. a) A. Bennet, b) H erbert W ells, c) Somerset Maugham, d) Ernest Hemingway. 4. A braham Lincoln (1809-1865). He fell a victim to a conspiracy of the Southerners and was shot at the theatre in W ashington by an actor. 5. A Tale of Two Cities by Ch. Dickens; The Old Wives’ Tales by A. Bennet; A Thing of Beauty by A. J . Cronin. 6. a) Circe, Odisseus, b) an enchantress, a woman who has the power to bewitch and degrade. 7. a) In the C ity, b) Sir Christopher Wren, a famous English architect, c) In 1671-1676 in comm emoration of the G reat Fire of London in Sep­ tember 1666 w hich destroyed 460 streets. 8. a) The R ubicon is a stream in Italy which separated Caesar's province of G aul from Italy ; by crossing it under arm s Caesar started a civil war w ith the R om an governm ent then controlled by Pompey. The expression m eans “to sta rt an enterprise from w hich there can be no tu rn ­ ing back” ; b) courage obtained by drinking; the derogatory use of the word Dutch may be traced back to the Anglo-Dutch com petition and wars of the 17th century. 9. a) On November 5th, by burning th e effigy of Guy Fawkes, b) The first name of Guy Fawkes came to denote in B ritish English a strangelooking person; in A m erican English guy is a colloquial word for fellow. 10. H oggarth, W illiam (1697-1764); 200 years since the day of his death. 11. a) The proof of the pudding is in th e eating, b) You can’t make an omelet w ithout breaking eggs. 12. a) biscuits, b) beer, c) sitting-room. CONTENTS PART I Page The Story of a Carpenter by W. S a r o y a n ........................................... N o t e s ................................................................................................................. E x e r c ise s .......................................................................................................... Getting up. Picture Story ....................................................... What Happens if You Try to Satisfy Some People by W. Saroyan Notes .................................................................................................. E x e r c ise s.......................................................................................................... At the Restaurant. Picture S t o r y ....................................................... The Intelligent Young Man by W. S a r o y a n ....................................... N o t e s ................................................................................................................. E x e r c ise s.......................................................................................................... Winning the Race. Picture S t o r y ........................................................ What Happened to Charles by James T h u r b e r . N o t e s .......................................................................... . . . . . . . . . . . Exercises .................................................................... A Tragic Incident. Picture Story ...................................... You Be the Detective (from Humour Variety) .............................. Notes ................................. .... ........................................................ E xercises........................................................................................................... Diagnosing a Case. Picture S t o r y ........................................................ This Is Where Mama Came I n ............................................................ Notes .................................. ................................................................ £ХвГ(М 565 t ^ _ ^ Off to the South. Picture S t o r y ..................... ...................................... A Very Dangerous Invention by Max A d e le r ...................................... N o t e s ...................................................... .... ....................................... E x e r c ise s.................................. .............................................. ......................... The Robot. Picture S t o r y ............................................................................. On Education. § 1. ( to be continued) by F. P. D u n n e ..................... N o t e s ............................ ...................................... .......................................... Exercises . ........................... ................................................................... A Masterpiece of Abstract Painting. Picture S t o r y ..................... Progress in Science. Picture S t o r y ........................................... Henry K i n g .................................................................................................. On Education. § 2 . The Kindergarten (to be continued) by F. P. D u n n e .................. .................................................................................... N o t e s ................................................................................................................. E x e r c is e s ......................... - ............................................................................... Reading for the Exams. Picture S t o r y ........................................... At the Library. Picture Story . . . ........................................... On Education § 3. College by F. P. Dunne .................................. 0 7 7 11 13 13 14 16 17 18 19 22 23 24 26 30 31 32 33 36 39 40 ^.J 46 48 49 60 56 57 58 59 63 64 65 65 66 67 70 73 74 269 Page N o t e s .................................................................................................................. 75 E x e r c ise s............................................................................................................... 76 Crossing the Street. Picture S t o r y ................................................... 80 Let’s Have a Picnic (from Humour Variety) . . . . . . . . . . 83 N o te s . . 84 E x e r c is e s ......................................................................................................... 86 An Outing. Picture S t o r y .............................................................. 92 In One Ear and Upside Down by Parke Cumming ...................... N o t e s ...................................................................................................................... 93 E x e r c ise s............................................................................................................... 94 Moving into a New Flat. Picture S t o r y ............................................... 99 M a t i ld a ................................................................................................................ 100 On Not Knowing English by Q. M ik e s ................................................... 102 N o t e s .................................................................................................................. 103~ E x e r c ise s........................................................................ Learn to Skate by Skating. Picture S t o r y .......................................... 109 Many Moons by James T h u rb er.................................................................... 110 N o t e s ..................................................................................................................... 118 E x e r c ise s.............................................................................................................. 120 Housewarming. Picture S t o r y .................................................................... 126 PART II The Match-Maker by H. M u n r o ........................................................... 128 N o t e s ................... Г ................................................................ E x e r c is e s ............................................................................................................. 131 Quiz I .......................................................................................................... 138 Perhaps We Shall Meet Again by H. E. B a t e s .................................. 139 N o t e s .................................................................................................................... 143 145 E x e r c is e s.............................................................................................................. Quiz I I ................................................................... The Hungry Winter by Elizabeth H. M id d le to n ............................. 153 N o t e s ................................................................................ г ............................ 156 E x e r c is e s ............................................................................................................. 158 Quiz I I I ...................................................................................................... 165 Seeing People Off by Max B eer b o h m ................................................... 165 169 N o t e s ..................................................................................................................... E x e r c is e s ............................................................................................................. 171 Quiz I V ...................................................................................................... 177 A Man in the Way by Scott F itz g e r a ld ................................................... 178 N o t e s ...................................................................................................................... 182 Exercises . ...................................................................................................... 184 Quiz V ......................................................................................................... 190 Should Wizard Hit Mommy? by John U p d ik e ...................................... 191 N o t e s ..................................................................................................................... 197 E x e r c ise s.................................................................................................‘ . . 200 Quiz V I ...................................................................................................... 207 Cedric’s Fairy Godfather by Newman L e v y .......................................... 208 N o t e s ..................................................................................................................... 213 E x e r c ise s.............................................................................................................. 216 Quiz V I I .................................................................................................... 224 The Pride of Miss Stella Sibley by Ersklne C a ld w e ll......................... 224 270 Page Notes ...................................................................................................... E x e r c is e s......................... Quiz V I I I ............................................................................................... Peter Two by Irwin S h a w ............................................................................ N o t e s ................................................................................................................. E x e r c is e s ......................................................................................................... Quiz IX . . . ................................................................................. Answers to Q u iz z e s .................................................................................... 230 232 240 241 249 252 263 264 Лидия Семеновна Г о л о в ч и н с к а я С О В ЕРШ ЕН СТВУ Й ТЕ УСТНУЮ Р Е Ч Ь Пособие по развитию навыков устной речи. - I курс Редактор Л . И. Кравцова. Издательский редактор Е. Б. Комарова. Художник А. К. Зефиров. Художест­ венный редактор Э. А. Марков. Технический редактор С. П. Передерий. Корректоры 3. Ф. Ю рескул, Н. А. Кадж ардузова. Сдано в набор 28/V I-74 г. Подп. к печати I0/X -74 г. Формат 8 4 X 1 0 8 1/ 3J. Объем 8,5 п. л. Бум. тип. № 2. Уел. п. л . 14,28. Уч.-изд. л. 14,48. Изд. ЛЪ А-460. Т ираж 65 ООО экз. Цена 51 коп. З ак . 1518. План выпуска литературы издательства «Высшая школа» (вузы и техникумы) на 1975 г. Позиция ЛЪ 231. Москва, К -51, Н еглинная ул., д. 2 9 /1 4 . Издательство «Высшая школа*. Ордена Трудового Красного Знамени П ервая О бразцовая типография имени А. А. Жданова Союэполиграфпрома при Государственном комитете Совета Министров СССР по делам издательств, полиграфии и книжной торговли. Москва, М -54, В аловая, 28