English Through Reading. Учебно-методическое пособие

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TEXT 3: APPOINTMENT WITH LOVE

by S.I. Kishor

Six minutes to six, said the great round clock over the information booth in Grand Central Station. The tall young army lieutenant1 who had just come from the direction of the tracks lifted his sunburned face, and his eyes narrowed to note the exact time. His heart was pounding with a beat that shocked him because he could not control it. In six minutes he would see the woman who had filled such a special place in his life for the past thirteen months, the woman he had never seen, yet whose written words had been with him and sustained him unfailingly.

He placed himself as close as he could to the information booth, just beyond the ring of people besieging the clerks.

Lieutenant Blandford remembered one night in particular, the worst of the fighting, when his plane had been caught in the midst of a pack of Zeros2. He had seen the grinning face of one of the enemy pilots.

In one of his letters he had confessed to her that he often felt fear, and only a few days before this battle, he had received her answer. "Of course you fear ... all brave men do. Didn't King David know fear? That's why he wrote the Twenty-third Psalm. Next time you doubt yourself, I want you to hear my voice reciting to you: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for Thou art3 with me..." And he had remembered, he had heard her imagined voice, and it had renewed his strength and skill.

Now he was going to hear her real voice. Four minutes to six. His face grew sharp.

Under the immense, starred roof, people were walking fast, like threads of color being woven into a gray web. A girl passed close to him and Lieutenant Blandford started. She was wearing a red flower in her suit lapel, but it was a crimson sweet pea, not the little red rose they had agreed upon. Besides, this girl was too young, about eighteen, whereas Hollis Meynell had frankly told him she was thirty. "Well, what of it?" he had answered. "I'm thirty-two." He was twenty-nine.

His mind went back to that book — the book the Lord Himself must have put into his hands out of the hundreds of army library books sent to the Florida training camp. Of Human Bondage, it was; and throughout the book were notes in a woman's writing. He had always hated that writing-in habit, but these remarks were different. He had never believed that a woman could see into a man's heart so tenderly, so understandingly. Her name was on the bookplate: Hollis Meynell4. He had got hold of a New York City Telephone book and

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found her address. He had written, she had answered. Next day he had been shipped out but they had gone on writing.

For thirteen months she had faithfully replied, and more than replied. When his letters did not arrive, she wrote anyway, and now he believed he loved her, and she loved him.

But she had refused all his pleas to send him her photograph. That seemed rather bad, of course. But she had explained: "If your feeling for me has any reality, any honest basis, what I look like won't matter. Suppose I'm beautiful. I'd always be haunted by the feeling that you had been taking a chance on just that, and that kind of love would disgust me. Suppose I'm plain (and you must admit that this is more likely). Then I'd always fear that you were going on writing to me only because you were lonely and had no one else. No, don't ask for my picture. When you come to New York, you shall see me and then you shall make your decision. Remember, both of us are free to stop or to go on after that — whichever we choose..."

The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away. One minute to six...

Then Lieutenant Blandford's heart leaped higher than his plane had ever

done.

A young woman was coming toward him. Her figure was long and slim; her blond hair lay back in curls from her delicate ears. Her eyes were blue as flowers; her lips and chin had a gentle firmness. In her pale green suit she was like springtime come alive.

He started toward her, entirely forgetting to notice that she was wearing no rose, and as he moved, a small, provocative smile curved her lips.

"Going my way, soldier?" she murmured.

Uncontrollably, he made one step closer to her. Then he saw Hollis Meynell.

She was standing almost directly behind the girl, a woman well past forty, her graying hair tucked under a worn hat. She was more than plump; her thickankled feet were thrust into low-heeled shoes. But she wore a red rose in the rumpled lapel of her brown coat.

The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away.

Blandford felt as though he were being split in two, so keen was his desire to follow the girl, yet so deep was his longing for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned and upheld his own; and there she stood. Her pale, plump face was gentle and sensible; he could see that now. Her gray eyes had a warm, kindly twinkle.

Lieutenant Blandford did not hesitate. His fingers gripped the small, worn, blue leather, copy of Of Human Bondage'' which was to identify him to her.

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This would not be love, but it would be something precious, something perhaps even rarer than love — a friendship for which he had been and must ever be grateful...

He squared his broad shoulders, saluted, and held the book out toward the woman, although even while he spoke he felt choked by the bitterness of his disappointment.

"I'm Lieutenant John Blandford, and you — you are Miss Meynell. I'm so glad you could meet me. May — may I take you to dinner?"

The woman's face broadened in a tolerant smile. "I don't know what this is all about, son," she answered. "That young lady in the green suit — the one who just went by — begged me to wear this rose on my coat. And she said that if you asked me to go out with you, I should tell you that she's waiting for you in that big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of a test. I've got two boys with Uncle Sam6 myself, so I didn't mind to oblige you."

Notes:

1.Lieutenant [lef'tenənt; lu 'tenənt]

2.Zero [ 'ziərou] — single-seat fighter plane used by the Japanese Navy in World War II

3.Thou art [ðau 'a:t] (archaic) — "you are"

4.Hollis Meynell ['holis 'meinəl]

5.Be with Uncle Sam — be in the Army

6."Of Human Bondage" — one of the most famous novels by S. Maugham

Text Assignment

Ex. 1. Answer the following questions.

1.Whom was the lieutenant waiting for at the information booth?

2.Why was he so excited?

3.How did he make the woman‘s acquaintance?

4.Why was Lieutenant Blandford so anxious to see the girl?

5.What made the friendship of the two people who had never seen each other so strong?

6.Why didn‘t she send him her photograph?

7.How old were the lieutenant and the girl?

8.Why did he start toward the girl in the green suit?

9.What made Lieutenant Blandford step forward without hesitation to meet the plump plain woman in her late forties?

10.Why did Hollis Meynell ask the woman to play the role?

Ex. 2. Find in the text the equivalents to the following words and phrases.

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Часы показывали; бюро информации; загорелое лицо; точное время; его сердце сильно забилось; особое место; и все же; неустанно поддерживать; осаждать; сражение; попасть в кольцо истребителей; ухмыляться; признаться; не бояться зла; удвоить свою силу; лацкан пиджака; честно; женский почерк; заглянуть в душу мужчины; отправить (увезти); мольбы; такая любовь мне отвратительна; более вероятно; никого больше; прямо позади; седеющие волосы; ноги с толстыми лодыжками; удаляться (уходить); колебаться; сжать; «Бремя страстей человеческих»; опознать; ценный; распрямить плечи; лицо расплылось в улыбке; умолять; пригласить куда-либо.

Ex. 3. Retell the story as if you were:

a)Lieutenant Blandford;

b)Hollis Meynell;

c)the woman who helped Hollis to carry out the test.

Ex. 4. Write an essay on one of the following topics:

1)Love ―by correspondence‖. Arguments ―for‖ and ―against‖.

2)Handsome is as handsome does.

3)Beauty is but skin deep.

TOPIC: HOME

TEXT 1

Home, sweet home. It does not matter what your home is like — a country mansion, a more modest detached or semi-detached house, a flat in a block of flats or even a room in a communal flat. Anyway, it is the place where you once move in and start to furnish and decorate it to your own taste. It becomes your second "ego".

Your second "ego" is very big and disquieting if you have a house. There is enough space for everything: a hall, a kitchen with an adjacent dining-room, a living-room or a lounge, a couple of bedrooms and closets (storerooms), a toilet and a bathroom. You can walk around the house thinking what else you can do to renovate it. In the hall you cast a glance at the coat rack and a shoe-rack. Probably, nothing needs to be changed here.

You come to the kitchen: kitchen furniture, kitchen utensils, a refridgerator (fridge) with a freezer, a dish drainer, an electric or gas cooker with an oven. Maybe, it needs a cooker hood?

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The dining-room is lovely. A big dining table with chairs in the centre, a cupboard with tea sets and dinner sets. There is enough place to keep all cutlery and crockery in. You know pretty well where things go.

The spacious living-room is the heart of the house. It is the place where you can have a chance to see the rest of your family. They come in the evening to sit around the coffee table in soft armchairs and on the sofa. You look at the wall units, stuffed with china, crystal and books. Some place is left for a stereo system and a TV set. A fireplace and houseplants make the living-room really cosy.

Your bedroom is your private area though most bedrooms are alike: a single or a double bed, a wardrobe, one or two bedside tables and a dressingtable.

You look inside the bathroom: a sink, hot and cold taps and a bath. There is nothing to see in the toilet except a flush-toilet.

You are quite satisfied with what you have seen, but still doubt disturbs you: 'Is there anything to change?' Yes! The walls of the rooms should be papered, and in the bathroom and toilet — tiled! Instead of linoleum there should be parquet floors. Instead of patterned curtains it is better to put darker plain ones, so that they might not show the dirt. You do it all, but doubt does not leave you. Then you start moving the furniture around in the bedroom, because the dressing-table blocks out the light. You are ready to give a sigh of relief, but... suddenly find out that the lounge is too crammed up with furniture.

Those who live in one-room or two-room flats may feel pity for those who live in houses. They do not have such problems. At the same time they have a lot of privileges: central heating, running water, a refuse-chute and... nice neighbours who like to play music at midnight. Owners of small flats are happy to have small problems and they love their homes no less than those who live in three-storeyed palaces. Home, sweet home.

Vocabulary country mansion – загородный особняк detached house – отдельно стоящий дом

semi-detached house (Am. duplex) – дом на двух хозяев (с общей стеной) terrace house – один из ряда стандартных домиков, стоящих вдоль улицы high-rise building – высотный дом

block of flats (apartment house) – многоквартирный дом to be adjacent to smth – примыкать к чему-либо

closet (storeroom) – чулан, кладовая

to renovate – ремонтировать, подновлять coat rack – вешалка

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shoe-rack – стойка для обуви utensils – посуда, утварь freezer – морозильная камера

dish drainer – сушилка для посуды cooker hood – вытяжка

cutlery – металлические столовые приборы crockery – фарфоровая и фаянсовая посуда china – фарфор

crystal – хрусталь cosy – уютный

to be papered – оклеенный обоями

to be tiled – покрытый кафельной плиткой patterned curtains – занавески с рисунком

to be crammed up with furniture – забитый мебелью central heating – центральное отопление

running water – водопровод refuse chute – мусоропровод

dustbin (Am. garbage can) – мусорный контейнер to move in – переехать

Text Assignment

1 . What category of owners does your family belong to?

2.Say what else one can see in a hall, a kitchen, a dining room, a lounge, a bedroom.

3.Describe the house of your dream.

Vocabulary Exercises

I. Match the words and phrases in column A with proper definitions in column B and give their Russian equivalents.

II. Insert the necessary word or word combination

1.Dinner is ready! Can you put the … on the table?

2.Disease spreads fast in villages where there is no … water.

3.The fire started in the building … to the library.

4.Jean had a … full of clothes that most teenagers would kill for.

5.We were given a lot of … as wedding presents.

6.They are living in temporary accommodation while their apartment is being

… .

7.There was no spare room in the flat: it was … up with furniture of all kind.

8.The walls of the bedroom look so bare! They need to be … .

9.She inherited a large country house (a …, in fact) from her grandfather.

10.Kitchen … are very helpful when you need to cook something quickly.

III. Insert prepositions where necessary

1.We decided not to move … until we‘d finished decorating.

2.The stadium was crammed … … thousands of people.

3.Go straight … the lounge and wait … me there.

4.In the drawing room she noticed a luxurious crystal chandelier … the ceiling, a thick red carpet … the floor right … the chandelier.

5.There was a wardrobe … the left … the window, a small coffee table … the center of the room and a sofa … it.

6.The study looked rather pretty: … the window sill there were some flower pots and … the writing desk there was a shelf with some books … it.

7.The children were plying hide-and-seek and couldn‘t find Nick; he was hiding … the armchair.

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8.When Sarah was washing the floor, she found her old doll … the bed.

9.Let‘s have lunch together, there is a nice café just … the corner.

10.There is a computer table … an armchair … the right-hand corner of the room.

TEXT 2

(from Jane Eyre by Ch. Bronte)

As I was going upstairs to fetch my portfolio and pencils, Mrs Fairfax called to me: "Your morning school-hours are over now, I suppose," said she. She was in a room the folding-doors of which stood open: I went in when she addressed me. It was a large, stately apartment, with purple chairs and curtains, a Turkey carpet, walnut-panelled walls, one vast window rich in stained glass, and a lofty ceiling, nobly moulded. Mrs Fairfax was dusting some vases of fine purple spar, which stood on a sideboard.

"What a beautiful room!" I exclaimed, as I looked round; for I had never before seen any half so imposing.

"Yes; this is the dining-room. I have just opened the window, to let in a little air and sunshine; for everything gets so damp in apartments that are seldom inhabited; the drawing-room yonder feels like a vault."

She pointed to a wide arch corresponding to the window, and hung like it with a Tyrian-dyed curtain, now looped up. Mounting to it by two broad steps, and looking through, I thought I caught a glimpse of a fairy place, so bright to my novice-eyes appeared the view beyond. Yet it was merely a very pretty drawing-room, and within it a boudoir, both spread with white carpets, on which seemed laid brilliant garlands of flowers; both ceiled with snowy mouldings of white grapes and vine-leaves, beneath which glowed in rich contrast crimson couches and ottomans; while the ornaments on the pale Parian mantelpiece were of sparkling Bohemian glass, ruby red; and between the windows large mirrors repeated the general blending of snow and fire.

"In what order you keep these rooms, Mrs Fairfax!" said I. "No dust, no canvas coverings: except that the air feels chilly, one would think they were inhabited daily."

When we left the dining-room, she proposed to show me over the rest of the house; and I followed her upstairs and downstairs, admiring as I went; for all was well arranged and handsome. The large front chambers I thought especially grand: and some of the third-storey rooms, though dark and low, were interesting from their air of antiquity. The furniture once appropriated to the lower apartments had from time to time been removed here, as fashions changed: and the imperfect light entering by their narrow casement showed bed-

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steads of a hundred years old; chests in oak or walnut, looking, with their strange carvings of palm branches and cherubs' heads, like types of the Hebrew ark; rows of venerable chairs, high-backed and narrow; stools still more antiquated, on whose cushioned tops were yet apparent traces of half-effaced embroideries, wrought by fingers that for two generations had been coffin-dust. All these relics gave to the third storey of Thornfield Hall the aspect of a home of the past: a shrine of memory. I liked the hush, the gloom, the quaintness of these retreats in the day; but I by no means coveted a night's repose on one of those wide and heavy beds: shut in, some of them, with doors of oak; shaded, others, with wrought old English hangings crusted with thick work, portraying effigies of strange flowers, and stranger birds, and strangest human beings, − all which would have looked strange, indeed, by the pallid gleam of moonlight.

"Do the servants sleep in these rooms?" I asked.

"No; they occupy a range of smaller apartments to the back; no one ever sleeps here: one would almost say that, if there were a ghost at Thornfield Hall, this would be its haunt."

"So I think: you have no ghost, then?"

"None that I ever heard of," returned Airs Fairfax, smiling. "Nor any traditions of one? no legends or ghost stories?"

"I believe not. And yet it is said the Rochesters have been rather a violent than a quiet race in their time: perhaps, though, that is the reason they rest tranquilly in their graves now."

"Yes - «after life's fitful fever they sleep well,»* " I muttered. ―Where are you going now, Mrs Fairfax?" for she was moving away.

"On to the leads; will you come and see the view from thence?" I followed still, up a very narrow staircase to the attics, and thence by a ladder and through a trap-door to the roof of the hall. I was now on a level with the crow colony, and could see into their nests. Leaning over the battlements and looking far down, I surveyed the grounds laid out like a map: the bright and velvet lawn closely girdling the grey base of the mansion; the field, wide as a park, dotted with its ancient timber; the wood, dun and sere, divided by a path visibly overgrown, greener with moss than the trees were with foliage; the church and the gates, the road, the tranquil hills, all reposing in the autumn day's sun; the horizon bounded by a propitious sky, azure, marbled with pearly white. No feature in the scene was extraordinary, but all was pleasing. When I turned from it and repassed the trap-door, I could scarcely see my way down the ladder; the attic seemed black as a vault compared with that arch of blue air to which I had been looking up, and to that sunlit scene of grove, pasture, and green hill, of which the hall was the centre, and over which I had been gazing with delight.

* W. Shakespeare: Macbeth, III, ii, 23

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Text Assignment

Ex. 1. Answer the following questions.

1.Which rooms struck the main character so much? Why?

2.Do you share the character‘s impression?

3.Can you describe the drawing room?

4.What was interesting about the third-storey rooms?

5.Why wouldn‘t the main character agree to spend a night in one of the thirdstorey rooms?

6.Were there any ghost stories or legends in Thornfield Hall?

7.How did Mrs Fairfax explain it?

8.Can you describe the view from the roof?

9.Did the main character like this landscape?

10.How can you characterize the main character?

Ex. 2. Find in the text the equivalents to the following words and phrases.

Двустворчатые двери; величественный зал; турецкий ковер; обшитые деревом стены; окно из цветного стекла; высокий потолок, украшенный лепкой; впустить немного свежего воздуха; сыро как в погребе; широкая арка; мне почудилось, что я попала в сказочное место; неискушенный взор; застеленные белыми коврами; в воздухе чувствуется сырость; все было устроено разумно и со вкусом; сундуки из дуба или орехового дерева, украшенные причудливой резьбой в виде пальмовых веток и толстых херувимов, напоминавшие ковчег завета; полустертые следы вышивки; узкая лестница на чердак; через люк на крышу.

Ex. 3. Retell the story as if you were:

a)The main character;

b)Mrs Fairfax.

Ex. 4. Write an essay on one of the following topics:

1.One night in a haunted house.

2.The best place for living.

3.East or West home is best.