Short stories for reading and discussion. Пособие по домашнему чтению

6.ListentothestoryontheattachedCDandpreparethe passage given below for artistic reading. Make sure you know how to translate it into good Russian: “I looked. … a single eyeglass”.

Reading Comprehension

7.Answer the questions on the plot of the story:

1.Why did Mrs. Tower invite the author? Did he like the newly redecorated rooms?

2.Did the author have any idea of Mrs. Tower’s age? Describe her appearance.

3.Who was Jane Fowler? How did she look like when the author saw her for the first time?

4.Mrs. Tower said that Jane Fowler was her cross. Can you explain why she treated Jane lie this?

5.Could the author and Mrs. Tower imagine the sort of man Jane would marry?

6.After the marriage ceremony the author stepped into Mrs. Tower’s car with relief. Why?

7.Did Mrs. Tower think that Jane’s marriage would last long? Why?

8.Mrs. Tower was sure that Jane’s marriage was contrary to human nature. Do you agree or disagree with her statement? Why?

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9.Why was the author surprised when he found out that Jane was also at the party?

10.What had made her so popular?

11.What was special in Jane’s humour?

12.Alot of people thought that Jane was priceless. Why?

13.Why did the author grow to like Gilbert?

14.Comment on the following: “Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety”1.

15.On whose initiative did Gilbert and Jane separate? Who suffered from the divorce?

16.How was Jane going to arrange Gilbert’s life?

17.Did Jane tell the author the secret of her astonishing success?

18.Why do you think Jane was going to leave Gilbert?

19.Why was she glad to leave London?

20.What’s your idea of a happy marriage?

21.What’s your impression of the story?

22.What do you think about unequal marriages?

8.Give character sketches of Mrs. Tower, Jane Fowler and Gilbert Napier.

9.Describe how it happened that Jane had changed her appearance on behalf of Jane, Gilbert, Mrs. Tower or the author.

10.Express your opinion of Mrs. Tower and Jane Fowler. What kind of women were they? What features of her character would you call the main and why?

11.Match the following proverbs with their Russian equivalents. Use them in discussing the text.

b)Love will creep where it may not go. 2. Быть влюбленным по уши.

1 «Ее разнообразию нет конца. Пред ней бессильны возраст и привычки»

(W. Shakespeare)

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c)Be over head and ears in love. 3. Браки совершаются на небесах.

12.Comment on Jane’s words: “The young have no conversation”.

13.Make a summary of the story within ten sentences.

14.Role-playing cards:

1.Act out a talk between Mrs. Tower and Jane (before Jane’s marriage).

2.Talk about Jane’s party as if one of you was the author who visited it.

3.Make up a dialogue between Mrs. Tower and Gilbert who came to tell her that Jane was going to divorce him.

Vocabulary Building

15. Paraphrase the following using the same vocabulary bits from the text:

a)the personal possessions, including clothes and articles for the home, that a woman brings with her when she marries;

b)dressed in a dull and unattractive way;

c)a dishonest person;

d)the person one is going to marry;

e)a person living at the same time or of the same age as another;

f)something said or done to amuse people and cause laughter, especially a funny story or amusing trick;

g)a glass for one eye, the sight of which is weak;

h)a person who leads a life of careless wasteful spending and perhaps immoral pleasure;

i)a person who plans new buildings and is responsible for making sure that they are built properly;

j)the sister of one’s husband or wife.

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16. A. Give the Russian for the following word combinations used in the story:

to treat smb as a contemporary – to be devoted to smb –

to take breath –

to chuckle inwardly – to be in high spirits –

to be bubbling over with laughter – to be at a loss of words –

to play a joke on smb –

to talk in the desultory way – to be to the point –

to purse one’s lips –

to burn boats behind oneself – to knock smb with the feather – to count on one’s sympathy – to give a sniff –

to give a frown –

to have the last word –

B. Use the given word combinations in sentences of your own to illustrate their meaning.

17. Express the same in English using the words from the list active words.

1)Твоироскошныеволосывсегдавызываютзавистьулюдей.Ядумаю, что с твоей красотой тебе не следует бояться соперничества.

2)Не приглашайте его к себе на вечеринки. Всем известно, что он охотник за богатым приданым.

3)Она долгое время работала на открытом воздухе, и ее лицо было обветренным.

4)Не сердись и не поджимай губы! Они всего лишь подшутили над тобой.

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5)Это было ее первое свидание, и она трепетала от волнения.

6)Он ведет себя по-джентельменски: встает при появлении дам, открывает им дверь; но внутренне остается провинциалом.

7)Дети часто страдают, когда родители разводятся.

8)Подруга попросила присмотреть за дочерью, пока она была в Париже.

9)У меня нет слов от возмущения! Почему ты относишься ко мне как к сверстнику? У нас значительная разница в возрасте и мне кажется, что ты должен вести себя должным образом.

10)В спорах о счастливом браке последнее слово всегда оставалось за ним.

18.Word formation. Group all the words expressed by adjectives or nouns in the short story into 5 groups according to their suffixes:

Building Grammar Skills

19.Fillinthefollowingprepositionson,in,atwherenecessary:

1)Mrs. Tower rang me up early … the morning. 2) Their marriage was going to take place … Friday afternoon. 3) She was expecting her

cousin … the weekend. 4) The happy couple were to go to Paris … July 28th. 5) … half an hour the marriage ceremony was over. 6) We decided to discuss everything … lunch. 7) I was in China … that time.

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20.Turn from theActive Voice into the Passive Voice:

1.I sent her an occasional picture — postcard.

2.I think I should tell you that she is here tonight.

3.Your sister-in-law has made another joke.

4.You must wear an eyeglass.

5.He is designing dresses for his wife.

6.You’ll do something for me.

7.I’d never seen her without spectacles.

8.Afamous designer is going to redecorate her apartment.

21.Insert the right articles (a, an, the) where necessary to make the sentences complete. Check your answers by finding the same sentences in the story:

1)… curtains were sumptuous yet severe; … sofa was covered with … Italian brocade; … chair on which I sat was in … petit point.

2)One day I received … urgent message from her and fortunately went to see her at once.

3)When I was quite … young man she was … married woman … good deal older than I, but now she treated me as … contemporary.

4)There entered … youth in … very well-cut dinner jacket. He was slight, not very tall, with fair hair in which there was … hint of … natural wave, clean-shaven and blue-eyed. He was not particularly good-looking, but he had … pleasant, amiable face.

5)Mrs.Fowlercamein.Shewore…verystiffblacksilkdresswith… wide skirt and a train. At … neck it was cut into … timid V and … sleeves came down to … elbows. She wore … necklace of diamonds set in … silver. She carried in her hands … long pair of black gloves and … fan of … black ostrich feathers.

6)… marriage took place at … registrar’s office. Mrs. Tower and I were … witnesses.

7)Gilbert had left her … moment before she leaped to … telephone to summon me.

8)I was once more in … Far East when Gilbert and Jane returned from their honeymoon, and this time I remained away for nearly two

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years. Mrs. Tower was … bad correspondent and though I sent her … occasional picture-postcard I received no … news from her.

9)Mrs. Tower was right, it was … grand party; I had seen nothing like it in … London since … Stafford House was sold.

10)At … beginning of their honeymoon Gilbert took Jane to … various dressmakers in … Paris and he made no objection to her choosing … number of gowns after her own heart; but he persuaded her to have … ‘frock’or two made according to his own design.

22.Remember the following verbs and fill in the grid:

Cultural Corner

23. Give some information on the following propernames. Use the net to check the possible cultural background of each place name. Speak of any in class:

Claridge’s –

Liberty’s – Victoria Station – Liverpool – Pygmalion – Galatea – Queen Victoria – Stafford House –

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Building Writing Skills

24. Write an essay to one of the following topics:

1) “The fates seldom give us what we want in the way we want it”. 2) It is never late to fall in love.

3) Love works miracles.

25. Do the quiz suggested below and check how well you remember the minute details of the story:

1.Jane Fowler was Mrs. Tower’s …. a) friend

b) sister

c) sister-in-law

2.Mrs. Fowler looked a good … . She was a rather big woman. a) fifty-five

b) sixty c) forty

3.The disparity of age between Jane and Gilbert was …

a)twenty-five years

b)thirty years

c)twenty-seven years

4.The marriage took place at a registrar’s … . a) office

b) department c) building

5.We drove to Victoria Station, for the happy couple were to go over to … by the two o’clock train.

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a)London

b)Paris

c)Rome

6.I was once more in … when Gilbert and Jane returned from their honeymoon.

a) Paris

b) the Far East c) China

7.“Go and talk to her after dinner. She’ll ask you to her … .”

a)Mondays

b)Tuesdays

c)Saturdays

8. “Gilbert has just told me something that I can hardly bring myself to believe. He tells me that you’re going to divorce him to marry

….”

a)Roger Fribisher

b)Reginald Frobisher

c)Reginald Crown

9.“ I think I’ve probably been married to Gilbert long enough. The young have no … .”

a) conversation b) money

c) respect

10.The admiral had a that would just suit Gilbert.

a)sister

b)daughter

c)niece

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Muriel Spark

The Portobello Road

One day in my young youth at high summer, lolling with my lovely companions upon a haystack I found a needle. Already and privately for some years I have been guessing that I was set apart from the common run, but this of the needle attested the fact to my whole public. George, Kathleen and Skinny. I sucked my thumb, for when I had thrust my idle hand deep into the hay, the thumb was where the needle had stuck.

When everyone had recovered George said, “She put in her thumb and pulled out a plum.” Then away we were into our merciless hack- ing-hecking laughter again.

The needle had gone fairly deep into the thumby cushion and a small red river flowed and spread from this tiny puncture. So that nothing of our joy should lag, George put in quickly,

“Mind your bloody thumb on my shirt.”

Then hac-hec-hoo, we shrieked into the hot Borderland afternoon. Really I should not care to be so young of heart again. That is my thought every time I turn over my old papers and come across the photograph. Skinny, Kathleen, and myself are in the photo a top the haystack. Skinny had just finished analysing the inwards of my find.

“It couldn’t have been done by brains. You haven’t much brains but you’re a lucky wee thing.”

Everyone agreed that the needle betokened extraordinary luck.As it was becoming a serious conversation, George said,

“I’ll take a photo.”

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