Study and Discussion

1. Speak on the extra-linguistic features of the text: the author’s personality, the year when the book was published, the place and time of the action.

2. What linguistic features help you identify the genre of the text?

3. What is the theme of the text?

4. Comment on the general atmosphere of the extract. Does it change throughout the text? Account for these changes. Give examples from the text to show how the author creates the atmosphere, what words and stylistic devices help him to do it.

5. What is the crucial moment of the story, the point of the highest emotional tension?

6. Speak on the characters. Are they described directly or indirectly? Do they make an impression of having a strong team spirit? Give examples from the text to prove your point.

7. What do you think the aim of the mission was?

Exercises and Assignments

I. Speak on the imagery of the extract. Find examples of simile in the text.

II. Identify the stylistic peculiarities of the language of the text. Can any examples of bookish and colloquial vocabulary be found?

III. The basic concept of the text can be considered as “danger”. Find key words dealing with this concept.

IV. Identify the thematic groups of the following words:

– to fidget, alarming, disquieting, uncomfortable;

– to protest, to argue, to interrupt;

– to go along with, conciliation.

V. Comment on the usage of the word delazhen which means a biomachine doing hard physical labor. What vocabulary layer does this word belong to?

VI. Explain the meaning of the following terms. Identify terminology they belong to. Give their translation and explain the functions they fulfill in the text.

Nanobiotics, bolt projectile device, stun gun, life scanner, gene-reading, nanomolecular filter, flowscreen, aircar, console, biodevice, explosive blast, genetically engineered substance, biomagnetic field, modified biotics spray, DNA.

VII. Translate the following set expressions and supply the context from the text:

to take up arms, to wear off, to put out of action, to go along with.

VIII. Match each of the words in the first column with a suitable definition from the second column and give their translation.

1) caldera	a) a panel or unit accommodating a set of controls for electronic or mechanical equipment
2) acolyte	b) made or produced by human beings rather than occurring naturally, typically as a copy of something natural
3) console	c) an assistant or follower
4) slab	d) the action or art of imitating someone or something, typically in order to entertain or ridicule
5) impervious	e) of little significance when compared to an overall purpose, and therefore able to be abandoned
6) expendable	f) not allowing fluid to pass through
7) mimicry	g) a large, thick, flat piece of stone, concrete, or wood, typically rectangular
8) artificial	h) a broad, crater-like basin of a volcano, formed by an explosion or by collapse of the cone

IX. Match each word from the first column with a synonym from the second column. Use these words in the sentences of your own.

1) austere 2) vulnerable 3) relay 4) frown 5) brittle 6) preoccupy 7) flutter 8) hitherto

a) send b) fragile c) until now d) defenceless e) vibration f) scowl g) strict h) absorb

X. Paraphrase the following sentences from the text.

1. Yet Shu suspected that her remote manner concealed nothing more sinister than a fundamental shyness.

2. However, Shu told herself, she owed it to reason to try, and this was the first time she had tested whatever waters might lie between herself and Dia.

3. After some argument, the biologist, Sylvian, had remained at camp with Dia; she had put up a good case for coming along, Shu thought, but Dia had insisted.

4. Shu wondered, somewhat cynically, if the reason might simply be that Dia regarded Shu herself as rather more expendable, but if that was the reasoning, then she could hardly blame the Guardian. Even in a culture where art was so highly valued, when it came to the crunch, biologists were more useful than writers.

XI. Fill in the gaps choosing a suitable word or word combination from the synonymic row. Change the grammatical form of a word where necessary.

Alter, change, modify, vary

1. Can the Ethiopian _________ his skin, or the leopard his spots? (Jer 13:23). 2. The aeroplane – as it was called for many years before the word was _________ to airplane. 3. External circumstances may change catastrophically, as during a war; or gradually, as when means of production are _________ (Huxley). 4. The temperature _________ greatly during the day.

Glare, gape, gaze, stare, peer

1. She tried not to _________ at Ms. Scales, but her gaze would not leave him (Bennet). 2. Neither Clem nor Lonnie replied. Arch _________ at them for not answering (Caldwell). 3. Mrs. Cary kept _________ uneasily out of the window at her husband (Freeman). 4. Tina _________ steadily at the singer, unable to believe she was so closed to him. 5. She stood there _________ at me, too shocked to speak.

Alarm, scare, frighten, startle, make smb’s hair stand on end

1. Take that silly mask off – you’re _________ the children. 2. The girl was _________ by the altogether unknown expression in the woman’s face (Conrad). 3. The noise _________ him and he dropped his glass on the floor. 4. When you hear some of the things that happened in the prison camps – it’s enough to _________! 5. We’re not really going to get into trouble – I think the police are trying to _________ us.

Aware, conscious, sensible

1. She was disturbing him extremely… but he was much too _________ of her goodwill to wound her feelings by telling her so (Mackenzie). 2. Americans were becoming _________ that American destiny can be pursued only in a world framework (Lerner). 3. He stood there motionless and in wonder, dimly _________ that Hallward was speaking to him (Wilde).