Part 3. Arctic Story

Study the list of vocabulary and pronounce the words after the teacher:

Vocabulary:

to guess [tə ges] – догадаться

to impress [tə im’pres] – произвести впечатление

to backfire [tə ‚bæk’faiə] – потерпеть неудачу

to get one’s face slapped – получить пощёчину

to nod – кивнуть

glumly [’glлmly] – хмуро, печально

to figure out [tə ’figər aut] – понять, выяснить

to climb [tə klaim] – карабкаться вверх, взбираться

to comb [tə kəum] – стряхивать, расчёсывать

cousin [’kлz(ə)n] – двоюродный брат/ сестра

icicle [’aisik(ə)l] – сосулька

whiskers [’wiskəs] – усы

to cross [tə krɔs] – пересекать

to mush back [tə mл∫ bæk] – возвращаться на собаках

to fracture [tə ’frækt∫ə] – сломать

the stretch of ice – участок льда

to break loose (broke, broken) [lu:s] – отломиться

to drift out to sea [tə drift aut] – сносить в море

to realize [tə ’riəlaiz] – осознавать

to freeze to death [tə fri:z tə deθ] (froze [frəuz], frozen [’frəuzn]) – замёрзнуть, погибнуть от холода

to use [tə ju:z] – пользоваться

matches [’mæt∫iz] – спички

alas [ə’læs] – к несчастью

magnifying glass [’mægnifaiiŋ gla:s] – увеличительное стекло

instrument kit/ box – ящик с инструментом

to focus [tə ’fəukəs] – фокусировать

to tear off [tə teə] (tore [tɔ:], torn [tɔ:n]) – вырывать из

sheet [∫i:t] – лист бумаги

report [ri’pɔ:t] – дневник

fortunately [’fɔ:t∫(ə)nətli] – к счастью

to bet [tə bet] (bet, bet) – держать пари

to pick up [tə pik лp] – подбирать

no wonder [nəu ’wлndə] – ничего удивительного

in less comfortable surroundings – в менее удобном окружении

to have one’s story down pat – рассказать правдивую историю

to rate with somebody – удостоиться чьего-либо внимания

Navy’s Arctic Observation Weather Station – гидрометеорологическая обсерватория северного флота

taper [’teipə] – конус, свеча

spike [spaik] – штырь, острый выступ

to drip – капать, падать каплями

stiff – жёсткий

beam [bi:m] – луч

narrow [’nærəu] – узкий

combustion [kəm’bлst∫(ə)n] – горение

pulp [pлlp] – мякоть

fiber [’faibə] – волокно

flame [fleim] – пламя

vehicle [’vi:ikl] – транспортное средство

Christmas Eve – канун Рождества

mammal – млекопитающее

Exercise 1. Listen to the following text and pronounce each sentence after the announcer and then translate it into Russian:

By Donald J. Sobol

The Case of the Arctic Hero

Narrator: Dr. DeLator is talking to his young friend Charles Makin.

DeLator: Don’t tell me Charles; let me guess. You were trying to impress a young lady but your plan backfired and you got your face slapped.

Narrator: Charles nodded glumly, and said:

Charles: This time I was absolutely sure I had my story down pat. Yet something went wrong I can’t figure out what.

DeLator: Well, what happened?

Charles: You’ve heard of Gertrude Morgan? Her grandfather sailed with Admiral Byrd, and her cousin climbed Mount Everest. If you haven’t combed icicles from your whiskers, you don’t rate with her.

DeLator: So what did you do?

Charles: Well, I took her to dinner on Christmas Eve, and it seemed a good time to bring out my Arctic Circle story. I opened by commenting that I had once spent Christmas Eve in less comfortable surroundings. And then I told her about the morning that Lieutenant Craven and I were mushing back to the Navy’s Arctic Observation Weather Station. Suddenly Craven fell and fractured his leg. Ten minutes later the stretch of ice we were crossing broke loose and we began to drift out to sea.

DeLator: That sounds like an impressive story! What then?

C harles: I realized that Craven and I and the dogs would freeze to death unless I started a fire. Alas, we had used up all our matches. I got out a small magnifying glass from our instrument kit. And then I tore off sheets from our reports and laid them on a steel instrument box. By focusing the sun’s rays through the glass onto the paper, I started a good fire. Fortunately, a boat picked us up after twenty-four hours. The captain said I was something of a hero.

DeLator: But I’ll bet Miss Morgan didn’t think so, Charles. And no wonder!

Narrator: What was wrong with Charles’s story?

Exercise 2. Guess the words from the text according to their meanings below:

1. close relative, a child of one’s uncle or aunt

2. solve or understand

3. tapering spike of ice hanging where water has dripped

4. any of the long stiff hair on the face of a cat or other mammal

5. conditions, or scenery around a person, place, or thing

6. lines or narrow beams of light

7. material made in sheets from wood pulp or other fibers

8. state of combustion producing heat, flames, and smoke

9. day-to-day meteorological conditions of a place

10. small vehicle for traveling across water

11. the highest mountain in the world

12. mass of salt water covering three quarters of the earth’s surface

Exercise 3. Find the right answer to the last question: What was wrong with Charles’s story?

1. Gertrude didn’t like when Charles said that he was something of a hero.

2. Charles didn’t have enough wood to keep up the fire during twenty four hours.

3. He couldn’t start a fire from the sun’s rays in the polar night.

4. Gertrude Morgan was very aggressive and didn’t like to listen to very long stories.

5. Gertrude wanted to dance with Charles but he didn’t invite her.

6. Charles forgot to pay for the dinner and she had to pay herself.

Exercise 4. Describe each character using the following list of attributes:

Charles	Gertrude	Dr. DeLator

The list of attributes:

absent-minded – рассеянный

adventurous – любящий приключения

capable – способный, одарённый

confident – уверенный

clever – умный

creative – творческий

dishonest – нечестный

easygoing – добродушно-весёлый

educated – образованный

energetic – энергичный, подвижный

funny – забавный, смешной

friendly – доброжелательный

generous – щедрый

greedy – жадный

good-natured – добродушный

hard-working – трудолюбивый

helpful – готовый придти на помощь

honest – честный

imaginative – обладающий богатым воображением

impatient – нетерпеливый

indifferent – безразличный

kind – добрый

lively – живой, весёлый

loyal – верный, преданный

merry – весёлый

mysterious – таинственный

open-minded – с широким кругозором

patient – терпеливый

proud – гордый

reliable – надёжный

respectful – уважаемый

self-confident – самоуверенный

selfish – эгоистичный

sincere – искренний

sensible – здравомыслящий

spontaneous – непредсказуемый

talkative – разговорчивый

unselfish – бескорыстный

wise – мудрый

witty – сообразительный

Exercise 5. Make up sentences about each character choosing from the following table:

Charles Makin Dr DeLator Gertrud Morgan

was

a reliable person a proud woman a dishonest man imaginative spontaneous sensible self-confident helpful friendly energetic

because

- he always knew what, when, how and why. - if a man is not a hero he doesn’t rate with her. - she had a very good reaction and acted very quickly without any explanation. - he loved his friends and was very sorry when something went wrong. - his friends could trust him their secrets. - he could imagine the stories which had never happened. - he was sure in his success. - he told Gertrude untruthful story. - what she did was unexpected for others. - he always helped his friends in their needs.

Exercise 6. Retell the story using the key phrases:

1. The title of the story is …

2. The author of the story is …

3. The main characters of the story are …

a. Dr DeLator was …

b. Charles Makin was …

c. Gertrude Morgan was …

4. This story is about a young man Charles who wanted to impress a lady Gertrude Morgan but his plan …

5. Charles told Gertrude that once he spent …

6. When Charles was telling her his story he …

7. Charles didn’t realize that he couldn’t start a …

8. Gertrude understood that Charles didn’t tell her … and he got his …

9. When Dr. DeLator listened to Charles’s story to the end he …

10. The moral of the story is that …

Exercise 7. Work in small groups. Put the sentences of the following texts in the right order according to their Russian versions, copy the texts into your notes and then read with good intonation.

Before you start working pay attention to the following words and expressions: