Assignment 11 Chapter 10 (pp. 238-250)

1. Transcribe, pronounce and translate the following words:

evacuee, silhouette, bourgeois, marquee, eerie

2. Find the following words and expressions in the text, look them up in the English-English dictionary and translate them into Russian. Reproduce the situations in which they are used:

to take a hold (about fire) (p. 241), to take the witness-stand (p. 243), to jostle for a view (p. 241), a heavy sleeper (p. 243), to give sb away, to think better of sth, to see in one’s mind’eye (p. 246).

3. Find the English for the following words and expressions and reproduce the situations in which they are used:

завязать пояс на узел (с. 238), пожарный выход (с. 240), иметь право знать (с. 240), прошел слух, что (с.241), слезами горю не поможешь (с. 242), дознание (с. 243), делать так, как учили (с. 243), уже было невозможно спасти (с. 244), носилки (с. 246).

4. Answer the questions and do the tasks:

1) What woke up the girls in the middle of the night? Why did Julia yell at Carmel?

2) How did Carmel guess that it was real fire?

3) Describe the fire, say what was happening, speak about the way the girls were trying to escape from the building.

a) Comment upon the choice of the verbs in the following sentences describing the fire scene:

“The corridor was swarming with evacuees.” (p. 238)

“They were caged in the building’s inner courtyard.” (p. 241)

“… the other wardens buzzed from group to group, saying…” (p. 241)

“We jostled for a view, craned our necks …” (p. 241)

“Two men jogged up with a stretcher. Stone-faced, they swept up the fallen girl from the ground; swept her up as if they were sweeping the streets.” (p. 246)

What impression do these verbs make on the reader? Can you substitute them with neutral ones? Do you think the effect will be missing?

b) Comment on the way the girls are described during the fire: ‘a company of blue and pink bunny rabbits’, ‘a bunch of us’, ‘like a wave we surged back’, ‘groups of drifting girls’ (p.p. 239-243).

c) Read and translate the passage on p. 239 from “We tramped as Claire directed us…” up to “… from a nursery tale”.

d) “We were fascinated to see all our possessions go up in smoke…” What possessions were they?

4) What did Karina say at the inquest?

5) What did Karina have in her hands when Carmel met her? What do you make of it? Why did Karina prevent Carmel from taking the key fob from the road?

6) What did Carmel remember when she looked at Karina’s feet?

7) What is Carmel’s life like as a grown up? How much is it different from the life her parents led? Why do you think she uses the pronoun ‘my’ so often (my house, my street, my small silver teapot, my china cup, my lemon slice, my newspaper, my breakfast table, etc.)? Is she proud of the things she possesses now? Is she happy? Does she have a kind of life she dreamt of in her youth?

8) Do you think she is no more tied to her past? Dwell upon the following: “… the past runs like water through my hands.”

6. Fill in the character sketch pages. Compare your notes with your partner.

7. Translate the sentences into English using the vocabulary of ex. 2, 3.

1) Пожар усилился, и одна пожарная бригада уже не справлялась с ним, поэтому вызвали дополнительную бригаду.

2) Он всегда спал долго и крепко, поэтому часто не слышал будильника.

3) Не плачь, слезами горю не поможешь. Мы вместе постараемся найти выход из ситуации.

4) Спасатели бросились в воду и делали все, чему их учили, но упавших за борт людей уже было невозможно спасти.

5) Прошел слух, что результаты голосования на прошлых выборах были фальсифицированы.

6) Работник имеет право знать условия труда и оплаты заранее.

7) Он уже был готов написать ей письмо, но неожиданно передумал.

8) Перед моим мысленным взором часто появляются моменты моего счастливого детства.

8. Discuss the following in class:

What do you expect your life to be like in twenty years from now? Do you have some goals to achieve? Do you believe you will succeed in life?