Guess the word or word combination by its definition

Part II

Chapters 5-9

Pre-text Discussion

1. Do you think Julia and Michael match each other? Why? / Why not?

2. Do you think Julia and Michael would have a happy married life?

3. What opportunities did Julia and Michael have ahead when they were still in their twenties?

4. Read part II and check your answers.

General Comprehension

1. Who said it?

1) “Darling, you’ll make me as vain as a peacock”.

2) “You devil, you swine, you filthy low-down cad”.

3) “Now what’s all this Tosca stuff about?”

4) “You’re young and pretty and you’re the greatest actress in England”.

5) “Me? Darling, you know I’d go anywhere in the world with you”.

6) “After all love isn’t everything. It’s all very well at its proper time and in its proper place”.

7) “Oh, my love, don’t you know there isn’t anything in the world I wouldn’t do for you? It’ll be so wonderful; it’ll bring us so close together and I shall be so proud of you”.

8) “Oh, I don’t care a hang about that. As long as we can find plays with star parts for you I don’t matter”.

9) “I want love. I thought I’d married the handsomest man in England and I’ve married a tailor’s dummy”.

10) “In this business you have to take the rough with the smooth”.

2. Who did it?

1) Who offered Michael a new job abroad?

1) Who gave Julia a great smack on the face?

2) Who was thrown out of the part after a fortnight of rehearsals?

3) Who wrote constantly pages and pages of love and who wrote four pages exactly in a neat precise hand?

4) Who considered Julia to be the greatest actress in England?

5) Who was jealous of the men’s luncheons, the games, the friends at the Green Room Club?

6) Who was more concentrated on work and business rather than love and emotions?

7) Who was the first to fall out of love?

8) Who never attempted to play anyone but himself?

9) Who put up the money to start Michael and Julia in management?

Mark the following statements as true(T), false (F), not stated (NS). Correct the false statements.

1) Julia never flattered Michael.

2) Michael went to America alone and spent there a whole year.

3) Jimmie considered Michael to be a perfect match for Julia.

4) Dolly de Vries sold out her share of business eventually.

5) Michael turned out to be an excellent manager.

6) The Siddons Theatre was a success from the very beginning.

7) Dolly de Vries often visited Julia and Michael’s house.

4. Answer the questions:

1) What was the contrast in Julia and Michael’s attitude towards each other at the beginning of their relationship?

2) What were Michael’s views on career at that time?

3) What did Jimmie think about Julia and Michael’s relationship? Why do you think he wanted to separate them?

4) How can you characterize Jimmie Langton?

5) What adjectives can you use to describe Julia’s feelings during engagement and the first years of marriage?

6) Why do you think Julia fell out of love with Michael? How can you describe the changes that happened to her?

7) What was Dolly’s role in their life?

8) Why do you think Michael became such a good theatre manager though he was a rather mediocre actor?

9) How can you describe Michael’s views towards life, business and his wife when he was a middle-aged man?

10) What did Julia think of Michael after so many years of marriage?

Working with the vocabulary

1. Read part II and find the following words and word combinations in the text and give their Russian equivalents.

Chapter 5

What a sight I looked

to jeopardize smb's chances

to gain access

take my word for it

to be a flop

Chapter 6

to put a brave face on

Chapter 7

to set a seal on smb.

plays that had long runs

to go to much expense

Chapter 8

the venture

to make a dead set at smb.

to skim over smth.

Chapter 9

to take the rough with the smooth

to spare no pains to do smth.

2. Remember the contexts in which word list 2 items are used, say who or what they referred to

3. Find the English equivalents for these:

Chapter 5

воспользоваться чем-либо/кем-либо

быть уверенным в ком-либо

быть обузой

наугад

всерьез расплакаться

навсегда

быть на высоте

Chapter 6

мириться с чем-либо

рисковать

Chapter 7

под предлогом

покончить жизнь самоубийством

Chapter 8

агент по рекламе

устраивать сцены

Chapter 9

попытаться что-либо сделать

зануда

4. Explain what it means:

Chapter 5

as vain as a peacock

he had clicked

all this Tosca stuff

Chapter 6

to kick his heels

It's a smack in the eye

to make a stab at London

Chapter 8

It's a knockout
I don't care a hang

Chapter 9

to take him down a peg or two

a percentage on the gross

5. Fill in prepositions where necessary:

A.

to (2), about (2), in (5), of (7), away (1), under (1), for (3), with (3), on (2), at (2), out (1), up (1)

1) They decided to keep their engagement … themselves, and Julia told no one … it but Jimmie Langton, two or three girls … the company and her dresser. (Ch. 5)

2) He was too honourable to take advantage … her. (Ch. 5)

3) He had affection and admiration … her , he felt … ease … her, and he had confidence … her, but she was well aware that he was not … love … her. (Ch. 5)

4) After a fortnight … rehearsals, Michael was thrown … … the part … which he had been engaged, and … three or four weeks was left to kick his heels … . (Ch. 6)

5) She felt like a high-born damsel, … all the traditions … a great and ancient family to keep … .(Ch. 6)

6) She was jealous … the games that took him … from her, and jealous … the men’s luncheons he went to … the pretext that he must cultivate people who might be useful … them. (Ch. 7)

7) When she looked … him now she wondered what there was … him that had ever aroused … her such a frenzy … passion. (Ch. 8)

8) Some of them had even insisted … a percentage … the gross. (Ch. 9)

B.

1) Eventually Mrs. Green took advantage … her husband’s high position, left her work and just kicked her heels … .

2) Tom escaped early from the office … the pretext that he had an important appointment in town.

3) Everybody felt … ease … Jack and had confidence … him.

4) There was something special … Mary that aroused … Bill such a frenzy … passion every time he saw her.

5) Tony was extremely jealous … his wife’s friends, colleagues and business partners.

6) Victoria felt very miserable after she had found out that Albert was not only not … love … her, but also had no affection or admiration … her.

7) He was left there absolutely alone with an enormous heritage to keep … .

for, of (3), up, under, in (4), about, with (2), at

6. Match the synonyms:

pop up notoriety affectionate exasperate be a flop cheat commonplace

irritate simple not be a success deceive drop in for a moment unfavourable fame tender

Guess the word or word combination by its definition.

a) flattery b) vanity c) passionate d) prosperous e) fee f) frantic g) nauseate h) widow

1. done in a very urgent way 2. money that you pay to a professional person for their work 3. to make smb feel sick 4. showing or expressing powerful emotions or very strong beliefs 5. praise, sometimes not sincere 6. a woman whose husband has died and who has not married again 7. rich and successful 8. the fact of being too proud of your abilities, or too interested in your appearance

8. Translate into Russian:

1) He kicked his heels for hours at the gate of the Embassy.

2) We are making a stab at high-speed rail service.

3) Meg thought she was the best-qualified candidate for the job, and not getting it was a smack in the eye.

4) The ambassador's visit set the seal on the trade agreement between the two countries.

5) Don't give up on your business just because you lost money this month. You have to take the rough with the smooth.

6) They've had some bad luck, but they've put a brave face on their problems.

7) Emergency services have spared no pains to help people whose homes were destroyed by the tornadoes.

8) I can put up with the house being untidy, but I hate it if it's not clean.

9) David took advantage of the defender’s mistake to score a goal.

10) He visited her under the pretext of borrowing a book.

9. Translate into English:

1) У Анны были плохие отношения с начальником, он ей не нравился тем, что всегда ходил надутый, как индюк.

2) Так как Джон уже сильно потратился, он больше не мог действовать наугад и очень надеялся, что его предприятие будет очень успешным. К сожалению, оно провалилось, но Джон претерпел все невзгоды и начал всё с самого начала.

3) Магда часто устраивала своему мужу ужасные сцены, но однажды он просто отвернулся от неё и громко зевнул, и тогда девушка всерьёз расплакалась.

4) Они нашли общий язык с первой минуты знакомства, с тех пор они всегда вместе.

5) Роберт знал, что его друг собирается покончить жизнь самоубийством, но даже ни разу не попытался отговорить его.

6) Джек был ужасным занудой, и с каждым годом его жена ощущала всё больше, что он становился ей обузой.

7) Артур – очень надёжный человек, на работе все знают, что могут на него положиться (довериться ему).

8) Режиссёру нравился Вильям как актёр, но Вильям зазнавался, поэтому режиссёр решил сбить с него спесь и не включил его в пьесу, которая долго будет в программе.

9) Мой брат не любит рисковать, поэтому когда он отправился с компанией в горы, через два дня он вернулся под предлогом, что у него сильно разболелись зубы.

10) Джулия поняла, что жизнь обманула её, несмотря на то, что у неё был нежный муж и высокооплачиваемая работа.

Detailed Comprehension

1.Answer the questions:

1) Why did Julia constantly flatter Michael?

2) Why did Michael go to America alone?

3) Why did Julia blame Jimmie?

4) Why was Julia in despair (though it was such a good chance for Michael)?

5) How did Jimmie try to calm her down?

6) Was Jimmie against Michael as her would-be husband? Why?

7) Why did Julia sign a new contract with Jimmie?

8) How did Michael take the fact that he was a flop?

9) Why was Julia surprised when Michael proposed to her?

10) Were they lucky in London?

11) What was Michael's participation in the war like?

12) Why was he so popular with officers?

13) Where and when did they move?

14) How did they manage to start their business?

15) Why didn't Julia want to ask Dolly de Vries for money?

16) Did Michael understand her fears?

17) Was their new theatre a success?

18) Why didn't Dolly sell out her share of business?

19) Was Michael a good director?

2. Describe:

a. Michael's performance in the USA

b. Michael's military career

3. Develop the situations checking your knowledge of the context:

1. ... by his manner, friendly but casual, you might have thought they had been married for years.

2. Julia sat in a great leather armchair willing with all her might the American manager to offer a part that Michael would refuse ...

3. I'm not going to hold it up against you because for once you've let me down.

4. He'll be back at the end of the season and back for good.

5. Extravagant little thing, aren't you?

6. He said they could not afford to let sentiment stand in the way of business.

7. It was just before the end of the war that she fell out of love with him.

8. He sought out actors who had never been given a chance and whose salaries were small.

4. Discuss the following quotations in pairs:

1. ... I said to him he could have anyone in the company he liked with the one exception of Michael Gosselyn. (ch. 5)

2. He knew what he was doing all right when he landed me with that stick. (ch. 6)

3. Now she could deal with him on equal terms. (ch. 7)

4. She continued to flatter him... She got a little private amusement by seeing how much he could swallow. (ch. 8)

5. For once his cunning found its match. (ch. 9)

6. Even Dolly, who did not like him, acknowledged his unselfishness. (ch. 9)

7. God knows what they see in him. (ch. 9)

8. Because her love had died she felt that life had cheated her. (ch. 9)

5. Act out the conversations between:

1) Julia and Jimmie when she accused him of Michael's departure;

2) Julia and Michael in the hotel when Michael came back from the USA.

6. Make up the dialogues:

1) Julia and Dolly about Michael;

2) Michael and Julia over a new play.

7. Speak your mind on:

1) the relationship between Julia and Michael and how it changed throughout the years;

2) Mrs de Vries;

3) The Siddons Theatre.