Part III Building the Vocabulary

A. Consult the English-English and English-Russian dictionaries

precedent (p. 307)

negligible (p. 308)

tangible (trade) (p. 310)

idiosyncrasy (p. 311)

ludicrous (amount) (p. 311)

to abolish (free eye tests) (p. 312)

outrageous (things) (p. 313)

to jeopadize (p. 314)

drastic (p. 314)

malevolence (p. 315)

conniving (boss) (p. 316)

flamboyant (p. 322)

tycoon (p. 322)

finicky (p. 323)

bid (p. 323)

to deplete (p. 323)

to contrive (p. 325)

morsel (p. 325)

apprehensive about (p. 332)

B. Translate into Russian and explain the meaning of the phrases in English

(p. 313) Nobody gives a hoot any more.

(p. 313) Henry frowned and focused his mind upon the matter in hand.

(p. 315) Tab set on us a few years ago.

(p. 315) He had a bee in his bonnet about Westland.

(p. 315) We all wanted to climb into bed with them and get ourselves a slice of the cake.

(p. 317) I think you've cooked your goose there.

(p. 317) What brings you to these foreign shores?

(p. 326) And here where TV came into its own.

(p. 327) … whereas my mother got into a muddle.

(p 332) The only way was to break the deadlock.

Unit XI (p. P. 337 - 365) Part I First Reading

A. Thinking about the Chapter

What do you feel after reading this chapter? What can you say about Michael? Do you sympathise with him? Why?

B. Understanding the Plot

1. Where did Fiona go and why couldn't Michael go with her? (p. 338)

2. Where was Mr. Onyx? Why did he want to see Michael? Was it he who broke into McGanny's house? What for? What documents did he take? (p. p. 338 — 340)

3. What did you learn about Mr. McGanny and what way was his publishing house connected with Tabitha and her solicitor Mr. Prondfoot? (p. p. 341 — 343)

4. What was the extraordinary condition for Mr. McGanny to accept Tabitha's proposal? Why did she choose Michael? (p. p. 342 — 343)

5. Who was really Alice Hastings? What was she doing in life? And what role did she play in this situation? (p. p. 343 — 346)

6. Where did Michael and Fiona go for their Christmas day? How did Michael spend Christmas in his childhood? What do we learn about Fiona's tests in the hospital? (p. p. 347 — 348)

7. What way did the countryside look? Who did they meet at the beach? (p. p. 348 — 349)

8. Where did Fiona and Michael have their Christmas dinner? What did they start talking about? What did Michael say about the role Gagarin played for his child's imagination? (p. p. 352 — 354)

9. What are the versions of Gagarin's death in media and what is Fiona's point of view? (p. p. 354 — 355)

10. What was their argument about? What did Fiona accuse Michael of? (p. p. 256 — 357)

11. What was the result of their visit to the hospital? (p. p. 358 — 359)

12. What were Michael's plans for the New Eve? What took place?

13. How did the events develop in the hospital? In the casualty? What did the nurse and the doctor say?

Part II Second Reading

A. Exploring Themes

1. What is the significance of the documents Mr. Onyx took from Mr. McGanny's house?

2. What mainly puzzled Michael in what Findlay had told him?

3. Explain the words in italics on p. 342 insisted;

p. 343 'Mc Ganny himself';

p. 344 'frisson' — cодрогание, дрожь (Fr.);

p. 346 'she's' ;

p. 354 'was';

p. 355 'want'; 'inside him'.

4. What events could take place with the death of Mortimer? (p. 347)

5. Why didn't Norman like Christmas mornings? (p. 350)

6. Why did Michael confide in Norman about Fiona? What was Norman's reaction? (p. p. 351 — 352)

7. How did Fiona understand the word 'macho'? (p. 353)

8. Explain: 'People can die more than once' (p. 356)

9. What is the significance of the explanation of Gagarin's death given by Fiona? (p. 355)

10. What way did Michael see the role of Joan in his life and Fiona? (p. 356)

B. Judging for Yourself

1. Why do you think it was much better for Michael not to go to the

hospital with Fiona? (p. 338)

2. Why do you think Fiona had put on her smartest work clothes

when going to the hospital? (p. 338)

3. Why do you think Fiona was talking about the reason why Michael

fell out with his mother? (p. 355)

4. What do you think 'I'm not sure I can go through with it' means?

Why does it stand separately from the whole chapter? (p. 357)

C. Making Connections

1. Is it good to be a winter-bather?

2. Why is it much easier to confide in the strangers?

3. What is your version of Gagarin's death?