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4 Assignment
I. Read and translate the following text.
Beware of Love
By means of posters, advertisements, lectures and serious scientific books,
people are taught how to avoid or cure flu, smallpox, a broken ankle and mumps, at
the same time the major part of the world’s literature (which is not to be confused
with world literature), almost all the films, magazine stories and radio plays persuade
you in an indirect way to catch a much more dangerous disease than any illness,
universally known under the name love.
The main symptoms of the disease are these:
1. The germ – a charming young lady in some cases, not so charming and
not so young in others – makes the silliest and most commonplace remarks and you
consider her wittier than Oscar Wilde, deeper than Pascal and more original than
Bernard Shaw.
2. She calls Pootsie, Angelface and other stupid and humiliating names;
you are enchanted and coo with delight.
3. She has no idea what is the difference between UNESCO and L.C.C. and
you find this disarmingly innocent.
4. Whenever she flirts with others and is rude and cruel to you, you buy her
a bunch of flowers and apologize to her. If she misbehaves seriously, you buy her
jewelry.
The overwhelming majority of novels, short stories, films, etc. teach you
that this dangerous mental and physical ailment is something glorious, desirable and
romantic. Who are you to question the wisdom of this teaching? You are expected to
take the lesson of these high authorities to heart and believe that the world is mostly
inhabited by lovers who commit murders and murderers who fall in love.
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The least intelligible thing of all is the fact that love is constantly confused
with marriage. Even if we accept the thesis that love is all-right because it is a
“natural thing” we should, I think, insist that it should be kept out of marriage. You
are supposed to choose your future spouse when you are absolutely incapable of so
doing. You have to choose her or him when you are in love, i.e. when you think
silliness wisdom, affectation real charm, selfishness a good joke and pretty face the
most desirable of all human attributes. You would never send a deaf man to buy
gramophone records, a blind man to buy you paintings and an illiterate man to choose
your books; but you are expected to choose the person whom you are going to hear
more than your favourite records, see oftener than any of your pictures and whose
remarks will be more familiar to you than the pages of your most treasured book – in
a state of deafness, blindness and illiteracy. You may be fortunate: there are a great
number of good records, pictures and books around and even the deaf, blind and the
illiterate may make a lucky shot. You may discover that there is nothing much in
your choice, except that you bought a rousing march instead of a pastorale, an
impressive battle scene instead of a still life, and a copy of War and Peace instead of
The Ideal Husband. Or else, in two years time, you may realize that silk stockings
and the films she likes – or the game of billiards he is so terribly fond of – are not the
only things that excite you and that to be called “Pootsie” over the age of thirty-five
is slightly inappropriate. You may wish your wife knew that Vladivostok is not an
illness of which Napoleon died after the siege of Sebastopol. But then it is too late.
I suggest:
1. Any propaganda inciting to love (in films, short stories, novels,
paintings, etc.) should be made a criminal offence. The author of such a piece should
be sent to a desert island with his beloved for five years.
2. Any person falling in love should be sent to quarantine in a similar way.
3. Love should be abolished altogether.
II. Supply the following words with translation. Learn the words with
their definitions.
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1) to persuade – to make someone willing to do smth. by reasoning, arguing,
repeatedly asking etc.;
2) commonplace – ordinary; not regarded as special or unusual;
3) to humiliate – to cause to feel ashamed or to lose the respect of others;
4) innocent – not guilty of a crime or sin; blameless;
5) cruel – liking to cause pain and suffering; very unkind;
6) to apologize to – to say one is sorry, for example for having done smth. wrong;
or for causing pain or trouble;
7) to inhabit – to live in a place or area;
8) intelligible – esp. of speech or writing which can be understood;
9) to insist on – to declare firmly, esp. in the face of doubt or opposition;
10) affectation – behaviour which is not one’s natural manner;
11) illiterate – of a person who has not learnt to read or write;
12) blindness – a condition when you are unable to see;
13) siege – a situation in which an armed criminal keeps people as prisoners in a
building;
14) to incite – to cause or encourage someone to a strong feeling or action;
15) to abolish – to bring to an end by law; to stop.
III. Complete the sentences below with the words written above.
1. It was … of you to refuse to help them when they turned out to be in such
situation.
2. He … them to rise up against their officers.
3. The least … thing of all is the fact that the less a person knows the more
conceited and self-assured he is.
4. Slavery was … in the USA in the 19th century.
5. He was unable to … the police that he had been elsewhere at the time of the
crime.
6. After an 18-hour …, the police stormed the house and captured the gunman.
7. Some people’s charitable concern for others is mere …
8. She kept us waiting for a whole hour and she didn’t even …!
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9. Heart transplant operations are becoming fairly …
10. He … his innocence, even though the police refused to believe him.
IV. Make a two-way translation.
To avoid; большая часть; to persuade; окольным путем; to catch a
disease; широко известный под названием; commonplace; желательный; ailment;
подавляющее большинство; to fall in love; исключать (не допускать); deafness;
неграмотность; battle scene; подстрекать; siege; уголовное деяние; to abolish.
V. Retell the text in Russian and in English according to the suggested
scheme (see p. 121-122).
VI. Translate the following text in English. Use the words and phrases
given below.
Любящий муж
Марианна уехала погостить к своей матери. Не потому, что между
ними, как говорится, пробежала черная кошка, а просто потому что, в
последнее время она сильно тосковала по отчему дому, и я сказал ей, что она
нуждается в небольшом отдыхе, а я сам справлюсь со всеми хозяйственными
делами. Итак, она уехала. В первый же вечер, когда я остался один, зазвонил
телефон.
- Привет, - раздался возбужденный голос. – Это я, Томасен. Я слышал,
Марианна уехала к родителям. Не хочешь приехать поиграть в карты? Такая
погода, что ничего другого не остается. Тут у меня еще два приятеля, и нам как
раз не хватает четвертого для полного комплекта. Как ты на это смотришь?
Я смотрел на это отрицательно.
- Нет, - сказал я. – Не могу. Я должен написать письмо Марианне.
- Но ведь она только что уехала. Она еще, наверное, в пути.
- Неважно. Все равно я должен написать ей сегодня письмо.
Кода на следующий день я делал в городе покупки, я наткнулся на
двух своих коллег.
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- Пойдем, поиграем на бильярде, - предложил один.
- Такая погода, что все равно делать больше нечего, - добавил другой.
- Нет, - сказал я, пряча глаза. – Я должен идти домой писать письмо
жене.
- Разве это не может подождать до завтра?
Но я упорно стоял на своем.
- Я должен опустить письмо в почтовый ящик не позже 20.15, а то оно
не дойдет завтра.
Я вытащил из кармана ключи от автомобиля.
- Что вы в этом понимаете? – сказал я, сел в машину и поехал домой
писать письмо Марианне.
На следующий вечер снова раздался телефонный звонок.
- Привет, – раздался радостный голос. – Это опять я, Томасен.
Послушай, Ирма ушла на показ моделей одежды, и мы тут сидим втроем и
жаждем четвертого в шестьдесят шесть. Как тебе такой вариант?
Такой вариант меня не устраивал.
- Нет, – сказал я, – ничего не получится. Я должен написать письмо
Марианне, а ты знаешь, какую трудность представляет для меня написание
писем, а особенно от руки. Марианна не любит, если я печатаю письма на
машинке, так что, боюсь, это займет целый вечер.
- Так ведь ты же писал позавчера. Вы женаты уже 12 лет. Разве
обязательно писать именно сегодня?
- Обязательно.
Он рассердился и бросил трубку. На следующий день я случайно
встретил его в городе.
- Эй, – крикнул он, – куда это ты несешься с такой скоростью?
Поворачивай обратно, пойдем поиграем в кегли.
- Нет, – сказал я, – у меня нет времени. Я должен идти домой писать
письмо жене.
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Он отступил два шага назад и вытаращенными глазами начал
1.
Scientists say a romance-inducing chemical in the brain lasts a year.
T / F
оглядывать меня с ног до головы.
- Скажи мне, – произнес он, наконец, – что с тобой произошло с тех
пор, как уехала Марианна? Раньше ты никогда не был таким. Тебя никогда не
приходилось долго упрашивать поиграть в карты, и ты никогда не
сопротивлялся, если тебя приглашали сыграть партию на бильярде. Но теперь
ты ведешь себя совершенно непонятно. Ну, давай, пошли.
- Нет, - сказал я, – не выйдет. Я должен написать письмо. Для меня
очень важно опустить его в ящик до 20.15.
- Почему? Скажи же, наконец. Обещаю тебе, что я буду нем как
могила.
Я был приперт к стенке, и мне ничего не оставалось, как сказать ему
правду.
- Ну, в общем, - пробормотал я, - перед тем, как уехать, она сказала,
что если я не буду писать каждый день, она немедленно вернется домой.
___________________________________________________________
Not because something has come up between us, what do you think of it?, to shift
one’s eyes, stubbornly stand one’s ground, nothing doing, to throw down the
receiver, to play ninepins, stepped back two paces and stared at me with wide-open
eyes, one never had to beg you to play a game of cards, you never put up any
resistance, let’s go, nothing doing, silent as a grave, driven into a corner, there was
nothing for me but.
VII. Listening: Romantic love lasts only a year.
1. Before listening
1. True / False. Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these
sentences are true (T) or false (F):
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2.
The chemical also makes us short of breath and prone to falling over.
T / F
3.
Levels of the chemical greatly increase when people first fall in love.
T / F
4.
The chemical intensifies the more secure we become with a partner.
T / F
5.
People who study chemistry are much more successful social animals.
T / F
6.
All of the volunteers in a study had a starry look in their eyes.
T / F
7.
People who have just fallen in love get butterflies in their stomach.
T / F
8.
The chemical may be the reason why some young men buy red roses.
T / F
1.2 Synonym match. Match the following synonyms from the article:
a)
to fade
1) predominance
b)
giddy
2) chase
c)
euphoric
3) established
d)
vigour
4) dizzy
e)
woo
5) function
f)
elevated
6) get-up-and-go
g)
role
7) to diminish
h)
steady
8) increased
i)
prevalence
9) motivate
j)
induce
10) blissful
a)
romantic love fades in
1) our breath away
b)
…feeling that takes
2) in their eyes
c)
rush
3) a partner
d)
lust
4) in the bloodstream
e)
woo
5) intensity over the course of a
year
f)
the social
6) for life
1.3 Phrase match. Match the following phrases from the article
(sometimes more than one combination is possible):
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g)
the protein balance
7) or in steady relationships
h)
had that starry look
8) of adrenalin
i)
people who were single
9) to buy red roses
j)
induce young men
10) chemistry of human beings
2. Listen and fill in the spaces.
Italian scientists have discovered that a chemical in the brain responsible
for romantic love fades in __________ over the course of a year. This perhaps
explains why that giddy, __________, head-over-heels-in-love feeling that takes our
breath away at the start of a relationship __________ over time. Researchers from the
University of Pavia determined that levels of a protein called Nerve Growth Factor
(NGF) greatly increase when a person first falls in love. Raised NGF levels spring
from the rush of adrenalin, __________ vigor and confidence and lust for life that
occur when new love __________. Levels of NGF greatly decrease over a year or so
as security within the relationship sets in. There is then less __________ to constantly
woo a potential partner to ensure they are yours.
Research leader Dr. Enzo Emmanuelle reported: “We have demonstrated
for the first time that __________ levels of NGF are elevated among subjects in love,
suggesting an important role for this molecule in the social __________ of human
beings.” His research team analyzed the protein balance in the __________ of 58
volunteers aged between 18 and 31. All of the participants had recently started a new
relationship and had that __________ look in their eyes. The researchers compared
the levels of NGF in the starry-eyed group with those in 58 people who were single
or in __________ relationships. The increased prevalence of the molecule in the new
romantics caused sweaty palms and butterflies in stomachs. It may also __________
young men to buy red roses and candlelit dinners.
3. Discussion.
3.1 STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
1. Did the headline make you want to read the article?
2. Do you agree with the headline?
3. How much of a romantic are you?
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4. How many times have you been head over heels in love?
5. When was the last time you had feelings of euphoria?
6. Are you happy now that you know the scientific reason why romantic love fades
after a year?
7. Would you like scientists to make a drug that keeps NGF at very high levels in the
brain for as many years as you want?
8. Do you wine and dine your partner / Do you like to be wined and dined?
9. What is the most romantic action you can think of?
10. Do you have a lust for life?
3.2 STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
1. Did you like reading this article?
2. What do you think about what you read?
3. Are you interested in social chemistry?
4. Does your behavior change when you are in love?
5. What kinds of things cause you to have butterflies in your stomach?
6. What do you think is the biological reason for NGF creating feelings of romantic
love in us?
7. Do you think some races or nationalities have higher NGF levels than others?
8. Is it fair that young men buy the red roses and candlelit dinners and not young
women?
9. Do people usually fall out of love after the NGF wears off?
4. Translate the text into Russian in a written form.
40
5 Assignment
I. Read and translate the following text.
The Grass Is Always Greener on the Other Side of the Fence
Envy is a complex and puzzling emotion. It is, notoriously, one of the
seven deadly sins. It is very commonly charged with being (either typically or
universally) unreasonable, irrational, imprudent, vicious, or wrong to feel.
There is a widespread assumption that envy is an emotion. That is not to
say that it is a mere feeling. Emotions are generally agreed to be more than feelings.
Most emotion theorists could agree on this vague characterization: emotions are
syndromes of thoughts, feelings, motivations, and bodily movements, loosely enough
bound together that a given emotional episode may not require the occurrence of
every element in the syndrome. Most philosophers who have sought to define envy
agree in identifying it as a form of distress felt by the subject at the thought that he
does not possess the good and the rival does. Many, but not all, go on to add that
envy involves a desire that the rival not have the good. Envy is widely agreed to be a
symptom or instance of the human tendency to evaluate one’s well-being
comparatively, by assessing how well one is doing in comparison with others.
Assessments of the rationality of emotions take various forms. It is useful
to distinguish the prudential advisability of emotions from their fittingness (roughly,
whether the appraisal of circumstances involved in the emotion is accurate or not).
Both of these rationally assessments are to be distinguished from various ethical
appraisals of emotions. Most authors who address the issue seem to agree that envy is
seldom advisable: insofar as one is able to control or influence one’s emotions, it is
best not to be envious, because envy harms those who feel it. This is sometimes urged
simply on the grounds that envy is a form of pain, but more often because, in envy, a
person’s subjective sense of well-being, self-worth or self-respect is diminished. But
if envy involves certain characteristic patterns of motivation, such as a motive to
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