Chapters 21-22

Words and expressions to remember

• on the list

• to savour a moment

• not to give a thought to sth

• insane

• to reconcile

• to be dwarfed

• as a matter of fact

• to be briefed on sth

• weather-worn

• dilapidated

• contemporary

• enigmatic

• to reveal

• to affect

• to haggle

• vivacious

• magnificent

• to dote

• to speak highly of sb/sth

• red tape

• to be on the alert

• to come into money

• discreet (man)

• a complication

• tTo be different kettle of fish from sb

• to be blind to the fact

• sophisticated

• to be committed to

• a deposit

• rectitude

1. Reproduce the situations from the chapters where these lexical items are used.

2. Comment on or paraphrase the following sentences from the chapters:

• I had four days to enjoy Rome or despair in it;

• I had been alone for almost a week, walled off from all but the most primitive communication by the barrier of language;

• The contented unsociability of my nights at the St Augustine had vanished;

• By now I had acquired a small addiction to museums;

• 1973 – do you think they well get that second-story man out of the White House?

• I was paying two hundred and fifty dollars for each of the five suits. They would never give me as much pleasure as either of the paintings.

• As American as an Apple Pie;

• My theory is that you must leave home to know what home is like;

• You’ve made my day;

• Like marriages partnerships are made in heaven;

• Lawyers hardly starve in America;

• Angelo Quinn’s paintings back in the hotel room were having their effect on me;

• I couldn’t spend my life seeking Miles Fabian’s approval;

• Some people are born to be aliens, luxuriate in being aliens.

3. Answer the questions.

• What for did Grimes travel to Rome?

• How did Grimes feel when he reached Rome? Why?

• Why did Grimes start to be interested in art?

• What instructions and tips was Grimes given in Rome by Evelyn’s friend?

• What attracted Grimes in one of the shop-windows in Rome? Why?

• Describe Grimes’s feelings after visiting a gallery in Rome where he saw some pictures of American cities;

• How did Quadrocelli characterize Fabian?

• Who suddenly turned up at Quadrocelli’s?

• What changed about Evelyn (manner of speaking and behavior)?

• Why didn’t Grimes tell Evelyn at once about the fact of his buying a picture by Angelo Quinn?

• Why did Grimes decide to present Evelyn with Angelo Quinn’s pictures?

• What was the purpose of Evelyn’s visit to Rome? What changes took place in her life?

• Why didn’t Grimes want to tell Evelyn the whole truth about himself?

• Why didn’t Evelyn trust people?

4. Do you agree or disagree with the following? Quote the text to prove that.

• Grimes didn’t enjoy a single minute of his trip to Rome;

• Grimes felt awkward and confused in the presence of Evelyn;

• During his time in Italy Grimes learned a lot about himself;

• Evelyn was an honest and straightforward woman;

• Grimes started to develop expensive habits;

• Grimes valued Evelyn’s opinion;

• Grimes wasn’t nostalgic.