Vocabulary Notes
1. It was their fat that had brought them together... — Именно потому, что они были полные, они завязали знакомство ...
2. ... if they had not needed a fourth at bridge. — ... если бы им не нужен был четвёртый для игры в бридж.
3. 'You bet your life she does.' — «Бьюсь об заклад, что да.»
4. We should be absolutely independent of outsiders. — Мы бы совершенно не зависели от посторонних.
5. The grossest indecency would not have fallen on the ears of those three women. — Ничего более неприличного уши этих трёх женщин не слышали.
6. ... which was miraculously produced. — ... которое появилось чудесным образом.
7. She helped herself liberally. — Она положила себе щедрую порцию.
8. 'You have a very sweet tooth,' said Arrow in a tone which she straggled to keep friendly. — «Вы большая сладкоежка», — сказала Эрроу, изо всех сил пытаясь говорить дружелюбным тоном.
9. pâte de foie gras — [pte dз: 'f 'gr] — (фр.) паштет из гусиной печёнки
10. ... he leapt at the opportunity afforded him ... —...он ухватился за представившуюся ему возможность ...
11. The butler disclosed the fact that ... — Дворецкий признался, что ...
12. ... she heaved such a vast sigh of relief... — ... она так глубоко и с таким облегчением вздохнула ...
13. ... stopped dead still. — ... остановилась как вкопанная.
14. croissant — [krw's] — (фр.) круассан (Прим.: булочка в виде полумесяца из воздушного сдобного теста)
15. ... plunged а vindictive dagger into the heart of the monstrous Lena. — ... в отместку вонзила кинжал в сердце вероломной Лины.
Comprehension Check
1. What were Mrs. Richman, Mrs. Sutcliffe and Miss Hickson?
2. Why did they need the fourth person in their company?
3. Where were they staying and why?
4. What did, Frank suggest one morning?
5. How did Lena Finch and the ladies meet?
6. Where did the ladies go from the Monkey House?
7. What terrified the ladies at luncheon?
8. What did the ladies have for luncheon?
9. How did Lena's dishes and the ladies' food differ during her stay?
10. What kind of talents did the chef and the butler disclose?
11. How did Lena and Frank part?
12. When did Frank stop dead still?
13. What was Beatrice eating?
14. What did Frank suddenly do?
15. How did Arrow react when she saw the two ladies eating?
16. What else did the ladies order?
17. Did the ladies eat calmly or not?
18. What was Frank's revenge upon Lena like?
Phonetic Text Drills
○ Exercise 1
Transcribe and pronounce correctly the words from the text.
To cement, outsider, mourning, unduly, to stroll, luncheon, rusk, hostess, embarrassed, to inquire, roll, to plaster, miraculously, lamb, cutlet, spinach, stewed, pear, resourceful, powdered, macaroni, to sizzle, delicious, chef, succulent, burgundy, champagne, to persevere, to pour, pathetic, gluttonously, to devour, voluptuously, solemn, ecstatic, fervour, lousy, meringue.
○ Exercise 2
I. Pronounce the words and phases where the following clusters occur.
1. plosive + w
the second was, the third was, it was, that were, what was, twice, twinkling.
2. plosive + r
great, bridge, introduced, drinks, bright, bring, train, cried, cream, crisp, truth.
3. plosive + 1
settled, presently, butler, plastered, platform, plate, gluttonously.
II. Say why the following clusters can be put under one heading and in what way they differ.
1. some weeks there, does she, as she, those three, was served, was sitting, was spreading.
2. that they, avoid things, but there, and three, informed them.
Exercise 3
Transcribe the phrases and comment on the phonetic difficulties.
It was their fat that had brought them together ...
... if they had not needed a fourth at bridge.
... powdered sugar had never been served at that table before ...
... and then stopped dead still.
○ Exercise 4
Transcribe and intone the following questions.
'What a'bout \asking her | to 'come here for a \fortnight? ||
'Does she 'play /bridge? ||
'May I 'have some /bread? ||
^Beatrice, | 'what are you \doing? ||
'Where’s the \cream, | you fool? ||
EXERCISES
Exercise 1
I. Pick out from the text words and expressions denoting:
a) food,
b) drinks,
c) adjectives used to describe dishes. Try to explain their meaning in English or translate them into Russian.
II. Pick out from the text: a) all phrases used to denote quantities of foodstuffs, i.e. "a lump of sugar", etc.; b) all words used to denote the ways food may be cooked, i.e. "boil — boiled", etc.
Exercise 2
Find in the text words or phrases similar in meaning to the following. Read aloud the sentences containing them.
To make someone thinner; juicy and delicious; food making people fat easily; to drink; to cut into two parts; to put something on one's plate; to put butter on top; to like sweet things; to use hands when eating; to eat noisily; to eat fast, swallowing large quantities.
Exercise 3
Form other parts of speech from the following words. Give as many variants as possible. Comment on the shift of meaning in certain cases.
Verbs: to cement, to slim, to crowd, to stroll, to recover, to slit, to plaster, to produce, to remove, to cook, to wave, to fill, to seize.
Nouns: fat, exercise, difficulty, conversation, drink, hostess, silence, water, inquiry, finger, gulp.
Exercise 4
Say what other meanings the following words from the text may have.
Rich, roll, to boom, cream, to propose, deep, bright, to recover, to help (oneself), heart, lousy.
Exercise 5
Find the English equivalents to the following Russian phrases.
A.
Сухарик; пить напитки; положить рядом с тарелкой; длинный батон с хрустящей корочкой; разрезать пополам; попробовать (о пище); удалить жир; положить побольше; подать кофе; быть сладкоежкой; вкусно приготовленный; повар; намазывать масло толстым слоем; жадно есть; обжора; принести то же, что у кого-либо; поглощать; ложка варенья; грызть с хрустом; принести три порции жареной картошки; есть руками; выпить одним глотком; засунуть целиком в рот.
В.
Скрепить союз; по этой причине; по предложению; всё шло по плану; широко улыбнуться; прийти в себя; неловкое молчание; появиться чудесным образом; человек слаб; ухватиться за предоставленную возможность; вздохнуть с облегчением; сидеть в одиночестве; выразительный жест; не верить глазам; в мгновение ока.
Exercise 6
Put in the missing prepositions looking for help in the text.
1. It was strange that a quiet restaurant round the comer was crowded ... people at this late hour.
2. Young people just starting their life always want to be independent... their parents.
3. The teacher said the phrase ... a tone which could not be misinterpreted.
4. The boys were so hungry that they did not notice the forks lying ... the sides of their plates and started eating the fish... their fingers.
5. The hostess wanted to introduce a new chef... all the other cooks in the restaurant.
6. Something was wrong with the lady's health and so spicy dishes were never served ... her table.
7. The girl gave up dieting and ordered two cakes ... a moment's hesitation.
8. The news fell... my ears like a bolt from the blue.
9. The English certainly know how to eat buns: they slit them ... two, plaster ... butter, and put jam and cream on top.
10. At the sound all the readers in the reading-room immediately lifted their heads ... their books.
11. You should spread pate ... butter, then your sandwich will taste better.
12. In the restaurant we ordered salad, steaks, fried potatoes and ice-cream ... three.
13. In Great Britain they never drink whiskey or vodka ... a gulp; they sip it.
14. When we were seated ... the tables, I suddenly caught sight ... my old friends passing by.
Exercise 7
Complete the sentences and expand on them.
1. It was their fat that had brought...
2. They were spending two weeks there on Frank's ...
3. Nothing slimmed you like ...
4. She was in deep mourning for ...
5. In each napkin were ...
6. There was a moment's embarrassed ...
7. A grilled sole was served. The rest of the luncheon consisted of...
8. You have a very sweet...
9. The chef was a good chef and he ...
10. 'Beatrice, what are you doing?' she cried ...
11. The tears welled up to Frank's eyes. Suddenly she felt...
12. 'I'll have the same,' she sighed. In a moment the waiter...
13. Presently Arrow strolled along. On her way she caught...
14. The coffee was brought, and the hot rolls and ...
15. The potatoes were brought. They ate them with ...
16. Frank thrust one whole into her huge ...
Exercise 8
Express the same idea using different wording and grammar.
1. It was their fat that had brought them together and bridge that had cemented their alliance.
2. They would have been independent of anyone else if they had not needed a fourth at bridge.
3. The plan worked very well.
4. But the fourth at bridge continued to be the difficulty.
5. We should be absolutely independent of outsiders.
6. The conversation was gay and easy, and presently they strolled back to the villa for luncheon.
7. Lena gave a bright smile as she put them by the side of her plate.
8. The grossest indecency would not have fallen on the ears of those three women.
9. Frank, the good hostess, recovered herself first.
10. Lena slit it in two and plastered it with butter, which was miraculously produced.
11. She helped herself liberally.
12. 'You have a very sweet tooth', said Arrow in a tone which she struggled to keep friendly.
13. The chef was a good chef and he leapt at the opportunity afforded him to send up one dish more rich, tasty and succulent than the other.
14. The tears welled up to Frank's eyes.
15. The place was beginning to fill up with bathers.
16. On her way she caught sight of Frank and Beatrice.
Exercise 9
Speak about the three ladies' stay at Antibes:
1. in the third person;
2. in the person of any of the fat women;
3. in the person of Lena;
4. in the person of the butter.
Exercise 10
Discussion points.
1. Why could none of the three fat women slim on her own? Why did all of them need company?
2. Did the three fat ladies have good table manners? Prove your point.
3. Did Lena ruin the fat women's plan on purpose or by chance?
4. Do you think that human nature is weak?
5. Why did the three fat women give way to their feelings?
6. What do you think of the last remarks of the ladies about Lena's bridge playing?
Exercise 11
Study the list of English verbs and group the ones close in meaning matching them with the Russian verbs. Comment upon the difference in their meanings.
English: to swallow, to crunch, to champ, to hog, to munch, to gobble (up), to nibble at something, to gnaw, to gulp, to chew, to devour, to bolt, to bite.
Exercise 12
Study the table of calories in food and write a menu for a day for:
a) a person who wants to lose weight;
b) a person who wants to gain weight.
Exercise 13
Complete the list with names of food or drink. Skip the letters X and Z.
Exercise 14
I. What do we call places where people go to eat? Match the words in the left column with the definitions in the right column.
1. snack bar A. originally a British public house licensed to serve beer and other alcoholic beverages.
Customers get their drinks from the counter and either stand there or sit at the tables. Some light snacks like pies and sandwiches are served.
2. café/cafeteria B. a counter where food and drink may be bought and eaten (e.g. in a railway station or
on a train)
3. pizzeria C. small restaurant mainly concentrating on cakes, sandwiches, coffee and tea.
Choice of food is often very limited.
4. refectory D. a place where guests normally come fairly late and stay until the small hours.
Always with dancing and often also with floor shows. Food is some times
available.
5. buffet E. a place where students or workers have their lunch, usually connected with a school,
office or factory.
6. night club F. a nice place where meals are served to customers.
7. canteen G. a modest restaurant where customers collect their food on trays at counters and carry
it to tables. Choice of dishes is based on convenience and speed, with food like hambuigers, sausages and sandwiches.
8. pub H. a restaurant specializing in pizzas, and other Italian-type food.
9. restaurant I. a university cafe
II. What types of restaurant would you recommend to the following people?
1. A young couple who want food and some entertainment late at night.
2. A man who wants a meal in a place where he can meet some local people.
3. Someone wanting a quick, cheap meal.
4. Someone at a railway station.
5. Someone who wants non-English food.
6. A student staying at the university all day.
7. A factory worker at lunch-time.
8. A family who wants to celebrate some special occasion.
Exercise 15
1. Study the following words, paying attention to the difference in meaning in English and in Russian, though they may sound similar in the two languages. Explain the difference.
a) specialty, b) marmalade, c) biscuits, d) cutlet.
2. Give all English equivalents to the words а) тесто, b) кусок.
3. What is of interest in the meaning of the word "tea" in English?
Exercise 16
Sum up the following text in 5 sentences.
To travel through the whole of England is to realise what a rich and varied country it is. From one county to the next you could be on a different island, this being particularly true of the East and West coasts, the North of England and the South. The food from place to place varies, too. The thick clotted cream of Cornwall and Devonshire does not travel far from where it'was made, any more than the succulent Cumberland sausage leaves Cumbria. The wildfowl of the Fens do not mingle with the fat Aylesbury ducklings and Lincolnshire stuffed chine also stays at home. The English are rightly proud of their heritage and today, amongst the welter of take-aways and fast food places, they are even more determined to keep it alive. Traditions sometimes connected with food are not lost either.
The Reverend Sydney Smith (1771—1845), the witty, food-loving canon of St. Paul's wrote: 'I am convinced that character, talents, virtues and qualities are powerfiilly affected by beef, mutton, pie crust and rich soup.'
○ Exercise 17
I. Read the dialogue in pairs.