Английский язык. Практикум по домашнему чтению (к рассказам Дж. Арчера и Р. Даля)

Writing

23.On the doctor’s behalf write your memories of the birth of Adolf Hitler.

24.Translate the following text into English.

Муж был заносчивым, властным, задиристым коротышкой- пьяницей. У него было тщательно ухоженное лицо, внушительные бакенбарды и от него разило пивом. Он ходит маленькими шажками, странной подпрыгивающей походкой.

Молодая женщина была кроткая, печальная, набожная и измож- денная.

Она медленно повернула голову и посмотрела на совершенно безмятежное лицо ребенка, лежавшего рядом на подушке. Это был прекрасный малыш, с прелестными руками, длинными, изящными пальцами.

Она ходила в церковь и молилась, чтобы ребенок жил, и чтобы бог был к нему милостив.

61

TASTE (BY R. DAHL)

Comprehension

1. Match the causes with the results. Make up statements connecting two parts with the help of “because”, “as”, or “that’s why”.

2.Make up questions for the following answers:

1)For fear of harming his palate.

2)Because the table was laid for a feast.

3)Six.

4)He had done it twice.

5)It was a case of the wine in question.

6)Because he was a stockbroker.

7)For Pratt to take his first sip.

8)To prove that his wine was good.

9)With Mike’s daughter.

10)At the bottom of his dinner jacket.

11)Michael did.

12)Because it was a draught-free spot.

13)In a wicker basket.

14)A sense of uneasiness.

15)To stop the nonsense and eat their food.

62

16)Louise’s hand.

17)2 large houses.

18)To receive the bouquet.

19)For at least a minute.

20)Because Pratt turned on her flaring with anger.

21)To see the label on the bottle.

22)Near seventy.

3.Guess the character:

1)…the little smile moved the corners of … lips…

2)… smiled a slow protective smile …

3)…in … eyes glimmered a little triumph…

4)… felt warm oozings of saliva to … mouth…

5)… held the breath and blew it out through the nose…

6)… Adam’s apple moved as … was swallowing…

7)…big slow eyes, moved away, slow and contemptuous…

8)…sat looking straight ahead, … face tight with disapproval…

9)…there was a shadow of intentness between … eyes.

4.Explain the meaning of the following statements:

1)The claret “was one of the great years” (p.54),

2)Michael “was an amiable middle-aged man, but he was a stockbroker” (p.55),

3)“ I’ll bet you anything you damn well please, if you want to make an issue of it” (p.59)

Vocabulary

5.a) Give equivalents of the following phrasal verbs:

1)“Come on then,” Mike said, rather reckless. “…you’re on”(p.60).

2)”…if you wish to go back on your offer” (p.60).

3)”You don’t happen to have a daughter to put up against mine” (p.60).

4)“I’ll put up anything you like” (p.60).

5)”…he’ll have to hand over a considerable amount of property” (p.61).

6)”…you don’t think I’ll let you in for – for something you don’t want…” (p.62).

7)”Now we are closing in” (p.67).

8)”Keep out of it, Margaret” (p.68).

9)“he waved her away” (p.56).

b) Think of your own sentences with these phrasal verbs.

63

6. Match the synonyms from columns A and B.

7.Fill the blanks with the words from the text.

1)A person who knows much about food and drink is called a…

2)A … is a large box.

3)You ... a person if you make him feel anxious and uncomfortable, especially in a social situation.

4)An … person is the one who doesn’t care about honesty.

64

5)A … is a religious talk usually based on a sentence from the Bible.

6)A current of cold air flowing through a room is called a …

7)… is the state of being tired and uninterested.

8)If you cause somebody inconvenience, they say that you … him.

9)The flat cutting part of a knife is called a …

10)A person who wins a victory feels …

11)A person whose job is to test the quality of foods or wines by tasting them is called a …

12)A … is a very small spot.

13)A person very formal in behaviour and easily shocked by anything rude is considered …

14)People making fun of others in a clever or playful way are usually called …

15)A … is a mark or sign showing the former presence of something.

8.Insert prepositions where necessary.

1)Each month R. Pratt circulated privately … the members … his society a pamphlet … food and dishes.

2)Pratt refused smoking … fear … harming his palate.

3)He had a droll habit … referring … wines as though they were living beings.

4)… each occasion Mike had gone … … his way to produce a special meal … the gourmet.

5)Pratt was engrossed … conversation … Mike’s daughter.

6)Mike was waiting …the moment when Pratt would look … … his glass … a smile … pleasure.

7)He leaned closer and closer … her, seeming … his eagerness almost to impinge … her.

8)He reached … his glass and … two swallows he tipped the wine … his throat.

9)The label was … … sight, facing downwards.

10)… The sound of his name Pratt looked …

11)Pratt looked slowly … the table, first … the narrator, then … the three women, each … turn. He wanted to remind … them that they were witnesses … the offer.

12)For Mike it was not a question … going back … his offer.

13)Everyone was watching …Pratt’s face as he reached slowly … his glass … his right hand and lifted it … his nose.

65

9. Do the crossword:

1g

2o

3 u

4r

5m

6e

7t

ACROSS:

1)extremely unattractive;

2)odd and amusing;

3)haughty, thinking that others are of little importance;

4)very unpleasant;

5)commanding, expecting obedience;

6)showing delicate feelings, measuring exactly;

7)a person whose job is testing the quality of foods, wines, etc. by tasting them

Style

10. Pick out the epithets.

a) Write out the epithets the author uses to depict the eyes of the characters. What attitude of the author do they reveal?

b) Pick out the epithets used in the description of the gourmet’s face. What feelings do they arouse?

11. What do you think of the stylistic effect of the similes used in the descriptions of R. Pratt?

1)“…his mouth is like a large wet keyhole”

2)“…the lips moving, sliding over each other like two pieces of wet, spongy rubber” (p.67)

3)“…the whole top half of his body…seemed to become a kind of huge sensitive smelling-machine, receiving, filtering, analysing the message from the sniffing nose.” (63)

66

12.What is the implication of the metaphors in the descriptions of R. Pratt?

1)“in the eyes themselves, right in their centres where it was black, a small slow spark of shrewdness, hiding” (59)

2)“Then I saw the tongue shoot out…” (67)

13.Comment on the stylistic effect of hyperbole in the following sentence:

“… he did not have a pleasant face. Somehow, it was all mouth – mouth and lips –…” (63)

14.There are a number of literary details creating the vivid image of the gourmet. Here are some of them:

“there was an excess of saliva in his mouth” (p.64),

”I saw the tongue shoot out, … the tip of it dipping into the wine…” (p.67)

Pick out more details. In what way do they form the attitude of the reader? Point out the words with negative meaning.

Speaking

15.Give word-portraits of a) R.Pratt, b) M.Schofield, c) the maid.

16.Give character-sketches of a) R. Pratt. Speak about his droll habits, b) Michael. Account for his betting habit.c) the maid. Give reasons for her unusual manner.

17.Describe in details

•the conditions of the previous bets;

•the atmosphere at dinner;

•the behaviour and feelings of the characters at dinner: a) M.Schofield, b) his wife, c) Louise, d) Mr Pratt, e) the story –teller;

•all the stages of the tasting performance.

18.Give an account of the events on behalf of 1) Mike, 2) Louise, 3) the maid, 4) R.Pratt.

19.Act out the episode of argument about the conditions of the new betting game.

67

Discussion

20.What is your opinion?

1)Express your opinion of Pratt’s way of referring to wines. Would this way help you to distinguish between wines?

2)Why was Pratt indifferent to the bet? Why did he look bored?

3)What do you think about the narrator’s feeling of uneasiness. What would you feel for such a man?

4)Why did Pratt suggest betting the hand of Mike’s daughter? Was he in love with Louise?

5)Do you agree that the tasting process was “a solemn impressive performance”? Prove your point.

6)Do you agree that Pratt was mocking his host? Why?

7)What words, actions or gestures reveal the characters’ attitude towards each other? a) Mike’s – towards Pratt, b) Pratt’s – to Mike, c) Louise’s – to Pratt.

8)How does the author express the tension during the tasting performance?

9)What feelings do you have towards the characters?

10)What did you feel when you finished reading? Were you disappointed (glad, sorry, surprised, etc)?

11)Does the author sympathize with any of the characters? What is his attitude to a) Mike, b) Pratt?

21.Identify the climax of the plot. Prove that it is a “sting-in-the- tail” story. What end did you expect?

22.Comment on the title. Which meanings of the word “taste” are relevant for the plot? Do you agree that there is interplay of two meanings in the title?

23.What is the message of the story? Which of the following points is relevant to the story? Which is the most important? Prove your choice.

•One should be careful choosing one’s guests.

•You never know what might happen next.

•It’s dangerous to bet if much is at stake.

•Taste in social behaviour is not less important than taste in music or wine.

•Cheating is always punished.

68

Writing

24.Write your own ending to the story.

25.On Pratt’s behalf write an article “The Taste of a Bookmaker” for the monthly pamphlet “Epicures”.

26.On Mike’s behalf write a sensational article “The Mystery of the Famous Gourmet” for a newspaper.

27.Translate the following text into English.

1)Ричард Пратт был известным гурманом. Он устраивал обеды, на которых подавались роскошные яства и редкие вина. Он никогда не курил, из опасения, что пострадает его тонкий вкус.

У него была забавная привычка: смакуя вино, он говорил о нем так, будто это живое существо. «Благоразумное вино, довольно роб- кое и уклончивое». «Добродушное винцо, благожелательное и весе- лое, чуть склонное к похабству». Демонстрируя свое искусство, он с видимым трудом скрывал свое торжество.

Майкл затеял игру, предлагая гостю опознать вино – определить год и место изготовления напитка.

2)Майкл был пожилым, вкрадчивым, вполне благопристойным господином, по роду занятий он был биржевым маклером на фондо- вой бирже. Он стыдился, что обладая столь скромным талантом, су- мел сколотить крупное состояние.

Он пытался стать человеком культурным, развивал свой литера- турный и эстетический вкус, собирал картины, ноты и книги. Вино было также частью культуры, к которой он стремился.

Они заключили пари. Майкл обещал в случае проигрыша руку своей дочери, а Ричард поставил оба дома. Но его охватила безотчет- ная тревога, когда по лицу Ричарда скользнула недобрая тень. Его намеренно медленная речь и выражение надменной скуки сменилось чем-то недобрым, он улыбнулся вкрадчивой улыбкой.

69

MAN FROM THE SOUTH (BY R. DAHL)

Comprehension

1. “True” or “False”?

T F

There were no people around the pool.

The boys and girls in the pool sounded American.

A small man slowly approached the edge of the pool. The man’s clothes were very clean and unspoilt. The old man’s name was Carlos.

A handsome American boy came up to him. Carlos cut off the end of his cigar.

The American boy bet Carlos that his lighter wouldn’t fail. Carlos hesitated about the bet.

He decided to clear up the conditions of the bet. He put up his brand-new Cadillac.

Carlos lived in an expensive hotel.

The boy’s girl-friend accompanied him to the annexe. She went there in her bathing-suit.

The boy downed a large glass of Martini.

Carlos was going to chop off the boy’s forefinger. Carlos hesitated before hammering the nails.

He looked depressed organizing the game. The lighter didn’t fail.

A tall old woman appeared in the doorway.

2.Put the statements in correct order:

1)The narrator went to the annexe.

2)The narrator settled under an umbrella.

3)An American cadet approached the narrator.

4)A small oldish man named Carlos came bouncing along the side of the pool.

5)The oldish man offered a bet.

6)The narrator watched the boys and girls splashing in the pool.

7)The boy seemed disturbed.

8)The English girl refused the cigarette.

9)The boy flicked the wheel of the lighter.

10)The boy said that it was a wonderful bet.

70