LESSON 1
Harry: Oh. It's very nice to be home. Had a good day, Nora?
Nora: Not very good. People kept knocking at the door all the morning. I must have come downstairs a dozen times to open the door.
Harry: Oh. Who were they all?
Nora: Oh, nobody special. Just the electric-light man to read the meter, the man selling fruit, the postman-all the usual people. And the boys next door kept coming to fetch their ball, which they kicked into our garden ... But Harry, I've got something awful to tell you!
Harry: What's that?
Nora: I went to the market to buy some meat, and I took Rex with me for a walk. And he disappeared!
Harry: What, you mean the dog disappeared while you were buying the meat?
Nora: Yes. One minute I was paying for it, and the next minute I looked round to find that he had gone. Of course we looked all round the butcher's stall, but he wasn't there. I've done nothing but worry. I went to the police station to report it; but they telephoned just before you came in, to say they had no news of him.
Harry: Oh, he'll be all right. He's clever enough to come home.
Nora: I'm sure he's been run over. /A knocking at the front door/. Who's that now? If those boys have come to ask for their ball again I shall scream.
Harry: Then don't trouble to answer it.
Nora: Oh, but I must. /She opens the door/. Why, it's Mr. Grimble, the butcher!
Grinble: Yes, Madam. I've just called to bring you this dog. I see from the collar that he's yours.
Nora: Oh, that's wonderful! Look, Harry, Mr. Grimble has come specially to bring Rex back!
Grimble: H'm. And to give you this bill for five pounds of best beef your dog ate while he was hidden under my stall!
Harry: Good heavens! Nora!
DIALOGUE 1
I. Answer the questions:
1) Who visited the Parkers that morning?
2) Who was Nora disturbed by?
3) What was the awful news Nora wanted to tell Henry?
4) Did she report it to the police station?
5) Who interrupted their talk?
6) What was their reaction to his coming?
II. Translate the dialogue.
III. Retell the dialogue from the 3rd person.
IV. Make up a dialogue of your own on the topic “Shopping”.
LESSON 2
/Sound of hammering from another room/
Harry: What's that banging, Nora?
Nora: It's Robert. He's come home specially early so as to get on with his shelves.
Harry: Oh! What are the shelves for?
Nora: To put his books on, and those cups he won for sports last term.
/More banging: Robert exclaims something: his voice is heard/.
Robert: /From the next room/ Confound it!
Harry: I'd better see how he's getting on /Door/.
Hello, Robert - do you want any help?
Robert: Yes, Dad. Would you hold this shelf steady so that I can hit it a really good hard bang?
Harry: Right; I've got it. /Bang, bang, bang/.
Robert: Well, that's finished it. How does it look? It should be all right.
Harry: Bring over a few books so as to test it.
Robert: Right, Dad. Will these be enough? I'll put them on the top./Crash/ H'm! It's fallen down!
Harry: You need some more nails at this end. Drive them in upwards, so that they hold the weight of the shelf better.
Robert: Yes, well, just show me how to do it, Dad.
Harry: In the first place, you hold the hammer too near the
head.
Hold it further back, so as to get some force behind it. Like this. /Bang/ Ow! Confound it!
Robert: Did you hit your finger, Dad?
Harry: What do you think I shouted for? Of course I hit it./Bang, bang, bang/.
Robert: Oh, that looks better now.
Harry: Yes, I think that ought to stay up all right.
Robert: Let's try it with the books again./Crash/. Oh, dear, now it's fallen down at the other end.
Nora: How are you two getting on?
Harry: Not very well, I think I'm going to leave it to
Robert after all.
DIALOGUE 2
I. Phonetic exercise:
[ou] home, so, oh, those, hello, hold, over, show
[æ] banging, dad, that, bang, that´s, hammer, back
[ə:] early, term, first
[u] put, books, good, look
[Λ] cups, won, does
[e] get, shelves, better, help, steady, to test, end, very
[ŋ] getting on, bang, finger, going
II. Answer the questions:
1) Why has Robert come home specialy early?
2) What are the shelves for?
3) Why does Harry want to help him?
4) What does Robert ask him to do?
5) How do they want to test the shelf?
6) What is the result of the test?
7) What does Harry advise his son to do?
8) Does Harry hit his finger?
9) Why does Harry want to leave it to Robert after all?
III. Agree oe disagree:
- Harry is too self-assured.
- This is not a friendly family.
IV. Apply the dialogue to the topic “Home”.
LESSON 3
Text of conversation
Nora: Yes, of course, Mrs. Howard, I mustn't boast, but it really is a comfort to have such a hardworking boy as Robert.
Mrs.H: You needn't apologies, Mrs. Parker. It's very natural for you to feel pround. Will he go to the university, do you think?
Nora: Well, he may, or he may not. You see, we can't really tell until he takes his scholarship examination.
Mrs. H: Oh, but I am sure he’ll win a scholarship.
Nora: Yes, we hope he will. He's done well in all his exams up to now. But we daren't count on his winning one. If he doesn't win a scholarship he may go to a Technical College.
Mrs.H.: Would he like to do that? What's he studying now? Is he studying science?
Nora: Yes, and I think he's getting on quite well at it. He's certainly working very hard. Why, this very afternoon, although it's such a fine day, he's been down at the library, working all the time.
Robert: /Arriving/ Hello, Mum! Good afternoon, Mrs.Howard.
It's a lovely day, isn't it? Well, the Rovers won, Mum!
Nora: The Rovers, Robert? Why, where have you been?
Robert: At the football match, of course.
Nora: Haven't you been at the library?
Robert: No.
Nora: But I thought -
Mrs.H.: Don't worry, Mrs.Parker. A library is quite the wrong place for a boy on such a fine afternoon!
DIALOGUE 3
I. Answer the questions:
- What is the weather like?
- Who are the partners?
- Who is Mrs. Howard?
1. What kind of boy is Robert, in Mrs. Parker's opinion?
2. Will he go to the university?
3. What is he doing now? What is he studying?
4. What will he do if he doesn't get a scholarship?
5. Has he really been at the library?
6. What is his mothers's and Mrs. Howard's reaction to his words?
II. Characterize Mrs. Parker, Mrs. Howard and Robert, using the following words:
selfish; hard-working; good-hearted; well-bred; naughty; proud; modest; hot-tempered; cheerful; lazy; humorous; envious.
III. Retell the dialogue as Mrs. Howard.
IV. Apply the dialogue to the topic “Family”. Discuss your children's, nieces' and nephews' plans for the future.
Meet the Parkers
I. Choose the correct answer to the given questions:
1. What did Robert's entering the University depend on?
a) his own wish
b) his parents' wish
c) competitive exams
d) all of these.
2. Where did Nora expect Robert to be that afternoon?
a) at the library
b) at the football match
c) at home
d) at the cinema
3. In what mood did Robert come home that afternoon?
a) sad
b) cross
c) gay
d) reckless
4. Which of these best explains his mood?
a) his work
b) his indisposition
c) his team's failure
d) his team's victory
5. Which of these best reveals Nora's attitude to Robert's misdoing?
a) surprise
b) worry
c) anger
d) indignation
II. Choose the correct answer to complete the following statement:
1. In Mrs. Howard's opinion, Robert, spending the afternoon, as he wanted to, did …
a) wrong
b) quite wrong
c) right
d) quite right
2. According to the conversation, Robert may be characterized as a(n)...
a) good pupil
b) industrious boy
c) truthful person
d) all of these
3. The most ironical title to the talk seems to be:
a) “A Hardworking Boy”
b) “Plans for the Future”
c) “Lost Comfort”
d) “A Fine Afternoon”
LESSON 4
Text of conversation
Nora: Oh Harry, I had such an exciting afternoon!
Harry: Why, what happened?
Nora: I bought myself a lovely pair of shoes.
Harry: Did you! Well, that was exciting.
Nora: /tragically/ Yes, but when I got home I found I hadn't got them!
Harry: Oh dear! How did you lose them?
Nora: I couldn't think. The man in the shop wrapped them up and I paid for them, but that was all I could remember.
Harry: Did you go back and ask?
Nora: Yes, but they weren't at that shop.
Harry: And was that the only place you had been to?
Nora: Oh no, it wasn't, I went to the bank, but the people there didn't know anything about it; then I went to the butcher's to see if I might have left the shoes there, but I hadn't.
Harry: What did Mr. Grimble say?
Nora: He was rather rude - he remembered how I had lost Rex under his stall. He said I ought to be more careful.
Harry: Oh, did he!
Nora: Yes. But I didn't find the shoes anywhere. You can understand that I was upset, can't you?
Harry: Of course I can. What a shame - poor Nora; look here, I'll – er - see if I can buy another pair for you.
Nora: Oh, but it's all right, Harry. I got them.
Harry: But I thought you said -
Nora: Yes, but when I had been to all the shops, I remembered that the last place I went to was the Ritz Cafe, for tea. And the parcel was there, under the table. Wasn't I lucky?
Harry: Luckier than you deserved!
DIALOGUE 4