ESSENTIAL VOCABULARY (I). Banker n final adj obedience n

Words

banker n final adj obedience n

bureau n guess υ obedient adj

departure n impress υ obey υ

disobedient adj impressive adj platform n

earn υ light υ prevent υ

envy υ move υ serve υ

familiar adj mystery n service n

fellow-passenger n sociable adj

Word Combinations

to see smb. off to wave farewell to smb.

to break the silence to shuffle from foot to foot

to pass the time to make (leave, produce)

to be familiar with smth. (to smb.) an impression on smb.

in the old days (in the olden days) to put out the light

a letter of introduction to serve smb. right for...

to earn one's living

EXERCISES

1. Bead the text and explain the following points (A. Grammar, B. Word usage, C. Style):

A.1. Explain the use of tenses in: a) the second sentence of the text; b) the following sentence: "A middle-aged man was talking earnestly to a young lady...".

2. Point out sentences in which oblique moods are used and explain the meaning conveyed by the form of the verb in each case.

3. Comment on the use of the auxiliary did in "he did act".

4. Why is the indefinite article used before the word di­rector in "I am not, alas, a director"?

B.1. Explain the meaning of "the next window but one". (Make up sentences of your own with the pattern "the next ... but one".)

2. Find a pair of antonyms in the passage beginning with "In a flash" and explain their meanings. Use them in sentenc­es of your own.

3. What is the meaning of the word platform in the follow­ing fragment: ... "On the platform," he answered. "You mean," said I, "that you recite at concerts?"

4. Comment on the meaning of keep in "Many Americans ... cannot afford to keep friends in England" (cf.: to keep dogs, horses, to keep a cat, a canary, etc.). What is the effect achieved by the unusual word combination to keep friends and by the whole sentence ("Many Americans cannot afford to keep friends in England", i. e. some of them can and prob­ably do)?

5. How do you understand the words feeling out of it in "It prevents them from feeling out of it"?

C.1. a) What is the author's purpose in using inversion in: "framed in the window ... was the face of our friend"? b) Why is the word stranger repeated four times in the second part of the same sentence? What is the effect achieved by the repeti­tion?

2. What is the effect achieved by the syntactical parallel­ism in the passage beginning with "Of course it is worth it"? ("It prevents them...", "It earns them...", "It saves them...")

3. Point out passages bearing touches of humour. Does the author present the character of Le Ros seriously or hu­morously? (ironically? satirically? mockingly?) Illustrate your answer by sentences from the story.

II. a) Write the transcribed words in traditional spelling. Explain the rules for reading. Think of some other words spelled in the same way:

1. klRsp, pRs, lRst; 2. 'prPspqrqs, "kPnSI'enSqs, "kPnSqs, 'Pbviqs, ' xNkSqs; 3. saIt, laIt, dI'laIt; 4. E:n, 'E:nINz, 'E:nIstlir; ges, 'veIgI.

b) Mark the stresses and explain the reading rules. Translate the words into Russian:

hospitable — hospitality; prosperous — prosperity; fes­tive — festivity; final — finality.

III. a) Write oat from the story the sentences with the following words:

stiff — awkward; obviously — evidently; earnestly — gravely; to recognize — to identify; prosperous — rich; to force — to pump up.

B) Explain the difference between the synonyms within each pair. (See Notes on p. 18.) When in doubt, consult dictionaries.

IV. Answer the questions. Argue your answers:

1. Where is the scene laid in the story? 2. How did the seers-off feel and why? What were they doing to pass the time? 3. What made the narrator of the story think that the man who was seeing off a young lady was not her father? 4. Who was the man? Under what circumstances had the narrator met him before? What made him hard to recog­nize? 5. What made the narrator ask Le Ros where he acted? 6. Why did the answer make him think that Le Ros recited at concerts? 7. Why was he bewildered when Le Ros said he had first met the young lady he was seeing off less than half an hour before? 8. What can you say about the activities of the Anglo-American Social Bureau? 9. How can you explain Le Ros's success as an employee of the Bureau? 10. How did, in Le Ros's opinion, the seeing-off ceremony help Amer­icans? Do you think it was a good idea? 11. What is the implication of the word afford applied to friends? Can friends really be afforded or not afforded? 12. Did Le Ros take seri­ously his job and himself in the role of a professional seer-off? How does it characterize him? 13. What is the author's (not the narrator's!) attitude to Le Ros? What is the author's irony directed against?

V. Study Vocabulary Notes, translate the illustrative examples and a) give synonyms of:

naughty adj, good adj (about a child), put an end to;

B) give antonyms oft

familiar adj, obey υ, departure n, light n, light υ;

c) give derivatives of:

press, serve, prevent, earn, obey, familiar.

VI. Fill in appropriate words (coasult Essential Vocabulary (I) list):

1. He advised Frank, "You'll do better if you stay at school until seventeen. It can't do you any... ." 2. Atthe age of thir­teen Frank Cowperwood was able ... a little money now and then. 3. The auctioneer noticed Frank and was... by the solid­ity of the boy's expression. 4. After his lonely dinner Soames ... his cigar and walked out again. 5. Jim... the captain's order to ride for Doctor Livesey at once. 6. No one could... Captain Flint's orders. 7. They could not many till Salvatore had done his military .... 8. I knew that his heart was ... by the beauty and the vasmess and the stillness. 9. I shall choose the job I am most... with. 10. The miller was counting over bis money by the ... of a candle. 11. "I'm at your..." means "I'm ready to ... your commands". 12. He was peering into the darkness ... by a single candle. 13. "Why don't you go Into the country?" repeated June. "It would ... you a lot......!" 14. They were at their little table in the room, where Carrie occasionally ... a meal. 15. When the boy was with us he was friendly and....

VII. Express in one word (see Text Eight aad Vocabulary Notes):

a payment made in return for one's work, coming last at the end of smth., to do what one is told, the effect produced on the mind or feelings, a side view of the human face, pale in colour, to bring food and put it on the table, something strange or secret, fond of society.

VIII. The following statements are not true to fact Correct them, using the conversational formulas given in the Reminder:

Example: The author turned up at Euston to meet a friend of his.

— Oh, no, he didn't. He turned up at Euston to see his friend off.

1. The seers-off felt quite at ease on the platform. 2. No one tried to break the silence on the platform. 3. The fit of coughing helped the situation. 4. There was every sign of the train's immediate departure when they came to the plat­form. 5. The face of Le Ros didn't seem familiar to the narra­tor. 6. Le Ros was very sorry to see the narrator. 7. Le Ros said he worked on the stage. 8. Le Ros said he was a director of the Anglo-American Social Bureau. 9. The narrator fully understood why Le Ros had been unsuccessful on the stage. 10. Le Ros explained that all the fees were paid over to the employees. 11. Le Ros looked like a beggar when the narra­tor saw him on the platform. 12. The narrator didn't envy Le Ros. 13. Le Ros said that one can act without feeling. 14. There were no signs of Le Ros being moved when he saw the young American off. 15. The narrator was not moved when seeing his friend off. 16. The narrator wanted Le Ros to teach him to conceal his feelings.

R e m i n d e r: I'm afraid I don't agree. I think you're mis­taken (there). I don't think you are right. I see what you mean, but.... I'm not so sure. On the contrary! You can't be seriousl I doubt it. I disagree with you. I should't say so. I object to it. Far from it. Surely not. Noth'ing of the sort! Just the other way round!

IX. Insert prepositions where necessary:

1. I saw the mysterious stranger ... the morning. 2. I met her ... the first time ... a warm sunny morning ... last spring. 3. I recognized her face ... the window. 4. I saw no sign ... envy ... her eyes. 5. Did you confess ... anything ... return? 6. Wait... me ... platform No. 3 ... the St. Petersburg railway-stafion ... half past ten. 7. What have you got ... your hand? 8. I never acted ... the stage. 9. She smiled ... her fellow-passengers. 10. I heard him recite ... a concert ... last week. 11. Talk ... her ... the fee. 12. He struck the table ... his hand. 13. Did they supply you ... everything? 14. I recognized her ... your description. 15. Just a minute. I shall consult... the timetable. 16. What prevented you ... confessing ... every­thing? 17. The situation is very awkward, but I think I can help ... it. 18. ... other words you haven't obeyed ... my in­structions. 19. They ran ... carriage ... carriage ... the plat­form. 20. He said it... a fit... anger. 21. She nodded ... me ... a grave air. 22. It's a mystery ... me. 23. I wasn't satisfied ... her vague answer. 24. I can't tell you how we all miss ... you. 25. I can't do ... this text-book. 26. I can hardly see anything ... this light. 27. Do you think I can do my lessons when you are standing ... the light? 28. Has he many pupils ... hand?

X. Translate these sentences into Russian:

1. Sitting at her bureau she gazed at the familiar objects around her. 2. You've done me a great service. How shall I ever be able to repay you for your kindness? 3. It will never do to obey your every impulse. 4. In this town you'll never find a nursery-maid for love or money. People here have lost taste for domestic service. 5. In his handsomeness and assur­ance Charles Ivory was dramatically impressive. 6. It was only two weeks later that Frank took his departure from Wa­terman and Company. 7. By this time Silver had adopted quite a friendly and familiar tone. 8. That was how he always remembered her afterwards: a slender girl waving farewell to him from the sunlit porch.