Married life agrees with me

1. Copy these active words and word combinations into your note-books, give their transcription and translation. Copy the sentences in which these words are used and learn these sentences and the words by heart.

bride

bridegroom

dubious

dubious character

attempt/ to make an attempt

background

What's his background?

property

a man of property

inherit

to be determined

to be comfortably off

platitude

He is always uttering platitudes. He speaks in platitudes.

talkative

stooping

solution

His ideas are in solution.

proof

This requires no proof.

garrulous

to appeal to smb.

Reading appeals to me.

to own up to smth (coll.)

to find out

to find out the truth

to find smb out

There is no point in doing smth

vigorous

vigorous protest

to cope with.

2. Make sure, you read these words correctly. Give the transcription.

peroxide; lounge; longevity; predecessor, aphrodisiac.

3. Give a summary of this story. Do it in writing.

4. Answer these comprehension questions:

1. What made Frances upset?

2. Did she like the fact, that Tom was twice his bride's age? Why?

[11]3. Why did she begin delving into Judy’s past? What did she find out?

5. Did she want to visit her brother and stay overnight?

6. Frances barely recognized her brother, didn't she? Why?

7. Did she manage to convince Tom that his wife was determined to kill him?

8. What did she learn from the letter?

9. What happened with Judy after the divorce?

10. Why did Judy put her husbands on a diet?

5. Here are the answers to some questions. Write the questions.

1. _________________________________________________________

Judy.

2. _________________________________________________________

Frances. She was the only guest.

3. _________________________________________________________

In Benidorm.

4. _________________________________________________________

Yes, she had been twice married.

5. _________________________________________________________

She had put them on a special diet.

6. ____ ____________________________________________________

Over lunch at the hotel.

7. _________________________________________________________

He looked younger, his smile was radient.

8. _________________________________________________________

They helped him to digest food and remove all unwanted elements•

6. Describe the episodes:

1. The wedding.

2. Frances is eager to learn more about Judy.

3. Frances performs her investigation.

4. A sensible diet.

5. She wants to help her brother.

6. Over lunch.

7. His letter.

7. Express your opinion on the following statements:

1. It is a very clever thing to marry a fortune. (жениться по расчету)

2. It is very popular nowadays to be a great believer in natural organic foods and homeopathic remedies. What do you think about it?

3. You should always help your friends and relatives to realise that their partners are bad people. (If you really believe it.)

8. Translate the passage from English into Russian. Do it in writing.

"As she sat in the hotel lounge ... proved fatal for them."

9. Find the English equivalents of the following phrases and reproduce the situation in which they are used. Copy them into your note-books:

копаться в чьем-либо прошлом, посадить на диету, преждевременная (несвоевременная) смерть, семейная жизнь мне по душе, худеть (снимать вес), слабое сердце.

4. SHADOW OF DOUBT (by Judy Pardoe)

Pictures of Paris, memories of the most romantic weekend of my life. Would anybody really mind if I’d stolen it all – including the man?

[12]Jeff loved me as much as I loved him. I'd convinced myself of that. And I loved him utterly completely, with a burning passion there were no words to describe.

Naturally I could hardly wait to collect photographs of our weekend in Paris, sit alone in my room and gloat every detail, every precious moment.

At last five o'clock came and I flew down the office stairs and rushed to the chemist's where I’d left the film that morning.

I rifled through the prints right there on the counter and selected five or six choice examples before going over to the make-up section where my friend Sue worked.

“Hi Sue, have you got a moment?” I surprised her.

“Well, yes, I suppose so.” she replied. “What is it?”

“Take a look!” I put the photos down on top of the counter. “That's him — Jeff!”

Sue's eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw the fabulous-looking man shot against the background of the Eiffel Tower.

She took a lingering look at the close-up, obviously taken in a hotel room of him looking into the camera with dark, melting eyes and sexy grin.

“He s gorgeous. Now I understand why you've been keeping him to yourself all this time,” she practically gasped. “You mean, you went to Paris with him?”

“He took me for the weekend, all expenses paid,” I explained. ''Oh Sue, it was so fantastic I just can't tell you.”

“Talk about romantic,” she said wistfully. “Some people have all the luck.”

“I know,” I told her, “I can hardly believe it myself.”

But I did believe it and I was filled with the deepest sense of joy, until the spell was broken by a huffing sound behind me.

I turned around to find two women waiting impatiently to be served, so I said a hasty goodbye to Sue, gathered up the photos and left.

Underneath it all, I knew I was being dishonest by telling Sue lies, but it was hardly a crime and I didn't see what possible harm could come of it.

The photographs to back up my story had fallen into my hands so easily it seemed as if I were meant to have them as if in some strange way fate had conspired with me to make my dreams a reality.

In fact, it was just the stroke of luck I needed because, apart from anything else, Sue had been getting just a little bit suspicious about this unseen boyfriend I kept raving on about.

She'd begun referring to him as “your mystery man,” but now she was totally convinced and would never know that my beloved Jeff was someone else's boyfriend.

Sue and Wendy had never met each other and were never likely to, so I was safe with my secret and safe to dream my dreams of love.

I didn't have long because Wendy was coming for her photos later that evening. She'd been really grateful when I offered to get them developed for her: she was working out of town that day and didn't have a minute to spare.

“It's really kind of you, Wendy had told me, “I'll do a return favour for you sometime.”She didn't realise of course, that she already had.

It was uncanny how closely Jeff [13]resembled my fantasy boy-friend. It was almost as if I'd conjured him from my imagination into the living image in the .photographs. Poring through them, I realised that one snap was missing, the close-up of Jeff in the hotel room.

I'd most likely left it on the counter in the chemist's, in which case Sue would keep it for me and I'd have my own picture of Jeff to treasure. I was sure Wendy wouldn't notice it was missing and once again it seemed that fate was playing into my hands.

The bell rang at about 8pm and I went to let Wendy in. But it wasn't Wendy. The small blonde woman on the doorstep looked vaguely familiar but I couldn't quite place her.

Before I could catch my breath to speak, she stormed into the flat and turned to face me, her eyes blazing.

“I believe this is yours?” she shoved the missing photograph of Jeff at me. “Don't look so surprised,” she continued. “I'm Amelia Stannard — Jeff's wife. It was lucky for me I was in the chemist's earlier, queueing behind you, or I wouldn't have known about you. I followed you home so I knew where to come and now I know exactly what I'm going to do to you''

“You're Jeff's wife?” I was so shocked that I ignored her threat and the menacing tone of her voice.

“But...but Wendy didn't tell me. I mean, I didn't know that Jeff was married or I wouldn’t have … oh no, this is all a terrible mistake!”

I was horrified and confused. I couldn't believe it was really happening. I thought I must be dreaming, but the woman was here in my sitting room, opening her handbag and delving for something inside it as she advanced towards me.

“Please, please, let me explain!” I cried. What else could I do? She wouldn't listen to me and even if I told her the truth, she'd never believe me. I was, at my wits' end. Still clutching Jeff's photo I tore it in half and flung it to the floor in anguish.

“I’m glad you did that,” said Amelia, 'her voice softening, “because I have this jar of acid in my bag and I was going to throw it in your face. But I think I’ll keep it for Jeff now.”

“No, don’t,” I begged. “Don’t do it, please don't”

“Why ever not?” she said grabbing the rest of the holiday snaps from the coffee table. "Come on you can help me. Where's the basin?”

We stood in the bathroom, watching the photographs hissing and sizzling in the noxious fumes, clinging to each other and sobbing uncontrollably.

Later, over a cup of coffee she told me that Jeff had been unfaithful to her many times before and this time she was leaving him and taking their two children with her.

She didn’t blame me any more, she said. When I'd torn, up the photo it had convinced her I was the truth and that I really hadn't suspected that Jeff was married.

But she didn't know I'd lied about everything else and she didn't know, that she had walked into my dream and shattered my make-believe world forever.

After she’d gone, Wendy arrived looking as radiant as a bride and it broke my heart.

“Wendy,” I said, taking her gently by the arm, “ there’s something I’ve got to tell you…”