The happy man

by W.S.Maugham

1. Practise reading the words below. Learn their Russian equivalents.

apologetic, bacchanalian, bald, bold, content (adj), errand, hazardous, intently, to flounder, irreparable, patio, sombrero, to surmise, voluptuously

2. Find in the story the English for:

1) непоправимые ошибки; 2) это придавало ему уверенности; 3) абсолютно незнакомый человек; 4) мельком взглянуть на к-л; 5) (брюки) с вытянутыми коленками и (пиджак) с неряшливо оттопыренными карманами; 6) «…я совсем забыл об этой встрече…»; 7) широкополое сомбреро; 8) удалить аппендикс;

9) не успел он это сказать, как…

Make up 1 sentence with any of the items for oral translation in class.

3. Vocabulary

1) suchlike (Cf: such and such); 2) (to say/to ask sth) straight out; 3) thickset;

4) livelihood; 5) to have a fancy for sth; 6) to be in the medical (Cf.: to be in the military; to work in industry/education/publishing etc.); 7) to reach out.

4. “The episode passed completely from my memory.” Look up the following phrases in the dictionary and make up 2 sentences by rephrasing any of the items.

photographic memory; fond memory; to have a good/bad memory for sth (e.g. faces, names, etc.); to be stamped on sb’s memory; in living memory; to do sth from memory; to have a memory like a sieve; if my memory serves me well (right/correctly); in memory of sb/sth; to refresh sb’s memory; to slip one’s memory; to stick in sb’s memory

5. Say what is meant by the following:

1. 1) the worse for wear; 2) to earn just enough money to keep body and soul together; 3) infirmary.

2. 1) a squeamish patient; 2) a dissipated appearance; 3) irreparable mistakes;

4) apologetic laugh.

3. 1) Seville; 2) Silenus.

6. Find in the story words and word-combinations with the following meanings:

1) to impose sth on sb; 2) to ask to take a seat; 3) a little, a bit; 4) dangerous, risky; 5) to suppose; 6) exactly; 7) strange; 8) to be cut short; 9) by chance, accidentally; 10) petty, insignificant; 11) a slight illness; 12) to notice sb/sth.

7. Rephrase the sentences:

1. Life is a difficult business and I have found it hard enough to make my own a complete and rounded thing… 2. But there are men who flounder at the journey’s start… 3. They had a forcible ring. 4. …and I knew that he meant what he said.

8. Answer the questions:

1. Do you agree with the narrator’s idea of people being “prisoners in solitary towers”? What kind of prison does the narrator mean, do you think?

2. Do you agree with Stephens that “life is full of compensations”? Back up your statement.

3. Can you relate to Stephens who was ready to give up a good safe job for an uncertainty on the advice of a person he hardly knew? Was he a fatalist, do you think?

4. Would Stephens be as happy if he had stayed in London?