Reading modern British literature. Part 1. Учебное пособие

2. Write a letter from Lindsey to her friend, describing her version of Christmas

lunch. Ask for a piece of advice.

15. Grammar.

Fill in the gaps using the following verbs in the brackets in a proper form.

1.Ellie ____________ (bump) by Marcus at vending machine.

2.The record Nevermind ___________ (produce) by Kurt Cobain for several

years.

3.Marcus ____________ (think) that Ellie’s boyfriend is 25 year-old.

4.Will was beginning to go off the idea of________ (watch) TV and

___________ (smoke) a few thousand joint.

5.Now six of them __________ (sit) round the Christmas table.

6.The Secret History __________ (give) to Clive as a present from Fiona.

7.Vinyl copy of Nevermind __________(present) by Will to Marcus.

8.The duck _____________(kill) by Marcus before their meeting with Will.

9.Yesterday he __________ (think) that Fiona (will/not/be) happy to see him.

10.That day the news of their meeting ___________ (present) to everybody in a form of joke.

16.Transform the following dialogue into the Reported Speech. Speak about

the participants, place and the reason of the conversation

Marcus felt as though he were in a play. He was standing up, and Will was standing up, and then Fiona stood up; but Lindsey and her mum and Clive were sat on the sofa watching, in a line, with their mouths open.

“All he did was make up a kid for a couple of weeks. God. That’s nothing. So what? Who cares? Kids at school do worse than that every day”.

‘The point is, Marcus, that Will left school a long time ago. He should have grown out of making people up by now.’

‘Yeah, but he’s behaved better since, hasn’t he?’ ‘Can I go yet?’ said Will, but nobody took any notice. ‘Why? What’s he done?’ asked Suzie.

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‘He never wanted me round his flat every day. I just went. And he bought me those shoes, and at least he listens when I say I’m having a hard time at school. You just tell me to get used to it. And he knew who Kirk O’Bane was.’

‘Kurt Cobain,’ said Will.

‘And it’s not like you lot never do anything wrong ever, is it?’ said Marcus. ‘I mean…’ He had to be careful here. He knew he couldn’t say too much, or even anything at all, about the hospital stuff. ‘I mean, how come I got to know Will in the first place?’

‘Because you threw a bloody great baguette at a duck’s head and killed it, basically,’ said Will.

Marcus couldn’t believe Will was bringing that up now. It was supposed to be all about how everyone else did things wrong, not about how he had killed the duck. But then Suzie and Fiona started laughing, and Marcus could see that Will knew what he was doing.

‘Is that true, Marcus?’ said his father.

‘There was something wrong with it,’ said Marcus. ‘I think it was going to die anyway.’

Suzie and Fiona laughed even harder. The audience on the sofa looked appalled. Will sat down again.

Part 8

pp. 171-196

1.Learn the following words. Provide them with transcription.

A cause for panic, to blank twit, articulate, glimpse, to knock around, to flatter, to reel smb back with, misapprehension, paternal, interpretation, to be good at smth, embarrass, to hug, to take cautious sip, to overhear a conversation, frantic energy, amusement arcade, to come to the conclusion, to take a long pull on smth, dignity, a sign of maturity, to insert into the slot, to confess, to giggle, sleepless forever, to prevail, to stick, oblivious, to sneak out, peculiar.

2.Read the part pp. 171-196.

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3. Read the sentences where the following words and word combinations

were used.

To fall in love, to have a glimpse, a grain of truth, desperation, started to blush, to look after, to stare at, to give no choice, wrong end of the stick, for Christ`s sake, to giggle, to be indistinguishable.

4.Give synonyms and antonyms for the following words.

Obvious, to glance, to give up, different, to be obliged, to persuade, surprise(n), rude, to promise.

5. Match the words from vocabulary with their definitions.

6. Complete the sentences using information from the text.

1.He knew how stupid that sounded...

2.He wanted to keep it going but he didn`t know how, because ...

3.She shouted out the last word so ...

4.There were no rules here, and he...

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5.Will was beginning to come to the conclusion that ...

6.This mutuality, however, seemed more than enough to ...

7.What was going on here, Will reckoned, was ...

8.Will remembered every single detail that...

9.Will would have minded, that ...

10.Ali was cool- ....

7.Find the situations where the following expressions were used and reproduce them orally.

1)to be sick;

2)to start to blush;

3)to have a talk with;

4)to give no choice;

5)to allow miscomprehension;

6)to be interested in;

7)to bump into smb.;

8)to show disregard for;

9)to hang out;

10)to be cocky and cool.

8.Make up your own sentences with the expressions from ex. 7.

9.Agree or disagree with the following information.

1.Marcus had never had a proper talk with someone of his age before the meeting with Ellie.

2.Marcus’s mother every year goes outside with Tim Porter.

3.Will was a good liar.

4.Will didn’t like Rachel.

5.Marcus wanted to get rid of Ellie because he liked Zoe very much.

6.After the conversation with Marcus Will listened to music and dreamed about

Rachel.

7.Will couldn`t imagine how Ellie looks from the description of Marcus.

8.Marcus told Rachel that he is Will’s son.

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9.Rachel lived in a cocky flat in the centre of London.

10.Ali is Will’s son.

10.Read and translate the passage into Russian p.195 “Ali’s bedroom door

was indistinguishable from all the other bedroom doors…” up to “… He thought Ali

might appreciate the understatement”.

11.Give a character sketch of Ellie, Rachel and Ali.

12.Imagine you are Ali`s best friend. How would you describe him? Was he a person pleasant to deal with?

13.Imagine that you are Ellie. What feeling of her are connected with the

New Year?

14.Writing.

1.Write a letter from Will to Rachel, tell her about your feelings.

2.Write a letter from Marcus to Ellie and tell her about the meeting with Ali.

15. Transform the following dialogue into the Reported Speech. Speak about

the participants, place and the reason of the conversation

‘And is Marcus’s mother here tonight?’

‘Ummm…’ Will looked up and down the dinner table as if to remind himself one way or the other. ‘No.’ Not a lie! Not a lie! Marcus’s mother was not there!

‘You’re not spending New Year’s Eve with her?’ Rachel was narrowing her eyes and looking down her nose to indicate that she knew this was a leading question.

‘No. We, er, we don’t live together.’ He’d really got the hang of this truth-telling business now, he felt. If anything, he’d moved right away from lying and towards understatement, because not only was he not living with Fiona at the moment, but he had never lived with her, and never intended to live with her in the future.

‘I’m sorry.’

‘It’s OK. How about Ali’s dad?’

‘Not at this table. Not in this city. Not in this country. He gives me his phone number when he moves.’

‘Right.’

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Will had at least managed to introduce some friction into the conversation. Until he’d played the Marcus card he’d kept slipping off before he’d even started. Now he felt as though he were climbing a mountain, rather than a glacier. He imagined himself right at the bottom of the cliff-face, looking up and around for footholds.

‘Which country is he in, then?’

‘The States. California. I’d prefer Australia, but there you are. At least it’s the west coast.’

Part 9

pp. 197-219

1.Learn the following words. Provide them with transcription.

To drift off temporarily, to pull the head off with bare hands, to get into a pattern, to focus on the other person’s face, cross-eyed, to mooch around for a while, to browse over the sweet display, a breach of human rights, to exhibit the work, to run riot, a designer cup, identity, to remove a crumpet, to skip.

2.Read the part pp.197-219.

3.Read the sentences where the following words and word combinations

were used.

To be nuts, psycho, to mess up, blubbing, to gaze, sincerity, geeky son, precursor, obtuse.

4.Give synonyms and antonyms for the following words.

An attempt, to consider, to snivel, attractive, deficient, peculiar, to outline, to swallow, a revelation, to moan, to cheer up.

5.Match the words from vocabulary with their definitions.

6.Complete the sentences using information from the text.

1.Marcus went out from Ali`s room because…

2.Ali apologized to Marcus because…

3.Marcus cross-eyed because…

4.Marcus and Will talked about…

5.In Will` thoughts Marcus was a…

6.Will decided to tell the truth to Rachel about…

7.Will helped Marcus to change…

8.Marcus asked Will to talk with his mum because…

7. Find the situations where the following expressions were used and

reproduce them orally.

1)to tie up in a cupboard;

2)to sneak out of the front door;

3)an embarrassing handshake;

4)a breach of human rights;

5)to make a slag;

6)rocky conversational road;

7)to be tormented;

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8)pair of socks;

9)to invite back for coffee;

10)a sort of blank;

11)temporary depression;

12)to take an overdose.

8.Make up your own sentences with the expressions from ex. 7.

9.Agree or disagree with the following information.

1.The name of Rachel’s son was Abraham.

2.Marcus said that Will is his father.

3.Marcus’s sense of direction was brilliant.

4.Ali hated the last guy of his mother.

5.The newsagent’s was full of kids from school.

6.Marcus didn’t know who is Jean-Claud Van Damme.

7.Will said to Rachel that Marcus’s natural father was from Wales.

8.Will didn’t confess to Rachel that he wasn’t Marcus’s father.

10.Read and translate the passage into Russian p. 212 “For three or four weeks – it couldn’t have been any longer” up to “…might make some kind of sense”.

11.Give characteristics of Rachel and Ali.

12.Imagine that you are a kid and you are forced to meet with the kid the same age as you. What would you do?

13.Imagine you’re Marcus and you like one girl. What should you do to be closer to her?

14.Write a letter from Marcus to Ellie where you should reveal your feelings.

15.Write a summing up of conversation between Will and Fiona, when Marcus asked Will to talk to her as her friend.

16.Transform the following dialogue into the Reported Speech. Speak about

the participants, place and the reason of the conversation

Marcus had meant to try. He knew the lunch with Rachel was a big thing for Will, and he knew too that if he did well today, acted out his part, then Will might feel that he

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had to help him out with Ellie somehow. But this Ali kid never gave him a chance. Will and Rachel went downstairs, Ali stared at him for a few seconds and then started on him.

‘There’s no fucking way,’ was the first thing he said.

‘No?’ said Marcus, in an attempt to buy himself some time. He had obviously missed something already, although he wasn’t quite sure what.

‘I’ll tell you, if your dad goes out with my mum you’re fucking dead. Really. Dead.’ ‘Oh, he’s all right,’ said Marcus.

Ali looked at him as though he were mad.

‘I don’t care if he’s all right. I don’t want him going out with my mum. So I don’t want to see him or you round here ever again, OK?’

‘Well,’ said Marcus. ‘I’m not sure it’s really up to me.’ ‘It better be. Or you’re dead.’

‘Can I have a go on the computer? What games have you got?’ Marcus knew that a change of subject wouldn’t necessarily work. It worked sometimes, but maybe not when someone was threatening to kill you.

‘Are you listening to me?’

‘Yes, but… I’m not sure there’s very much I can do at the moment. We’ve come for lunch, and Will… that’s my dad, I call him Will, because, anyway… he’s talking to

Rachel, that’s your mum –’

‘I fucking know it’s my mum.’

‘– downstairs, and to be honest he’s really pretty keen, and who knows? She might be keen on him, so –’

‘SHE’S NOT KEEN ON HIM!’ Ali suddenly shouted. ‘SHE’S ONLY KEEN ON

ME!’

Part 10

pp. 220-246

1. Learn the following words and word combinations. Provide them with

transcription.

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It can’t be helped, to get panicky, clammy, dizzy, what’s the point? to keep the head above water, to keep afloat, something had to be done about it, an evidence to the boy’s eccentricity and loneliness, despair / desperate, to get the hang of smth, to slam the door in a temper, DIY thing, to be doolally at the moment, to get sb loose on sb, to talk out, to feel hot all over, masterful, to peek, to weed out the rubbish, existential despair, circumstances, to persuade, to restrain a desire.

2.Read the part pp.220-246.

3.Read the sentences where the following words and word combinations

were used.

It can’t be helped, to get panicky, to keep the head above water, something had to be done about it, to get the hang of smth, to slam the door in a temper, to talk out, to weed out the rubbish, to restrain a desire.

4.Give synonyms and antonyms for the following words.

Irresistible, obvious, empty, bizarre, quirky, embarrassed, disturbing, funny, helpless, stupid, tough, bewildered, desperate.

5.Match the words from vocabulary with their definitions.

6)embarrassed f) showing full control, understanding of people and

6.Read and translate the passage into Russian p. 229 “Marcus was finding it

hard to get used…” up to p.230 “… by slamming the door in a temper”.

7.Complete the sentences using information from the text.

1.Will was so indecisive about his life, because…

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