Unit 9: Chapters 25-27
Vocabulary notes:
- snatch – to take holt of smth suddenly and roughly
- perfunctory – quickly, without taking care or interest
- dab – to touch smth lightly and quickly, usually repeatedly
- accost – to approach or stop and speak to someone in a threatening way
- throng – a crowd or large group of people
- avert – to prevent smth bad from happening
- jostle – to knock or push roughly against someone in order to move past them
- retrace – to go back over
- imprudent – rude and nor respectful
- subterfuge- an action taken to hide smth from someone
- stride – to walk somewhere quickly with long steps
- wither – to become weak and dry and decay
- writhe – to make large twisting movements with the body
- cantankerous – bad- tampered, tending to argue and complain a lot
- composure – calmness and control
- delude – to make someone believe smth that is not true, delusion- a false believe
- proposition – a suggestion or a statement offered for consideration
- brocade – heavy decorative cloth with a raised design often of gold or silver threads
- pretence – a way of behaving that is intended to deceive people
A. Training Exercise.
1. Give Russian equivalents and use the expressions in sentences of your own:
to reflect on, conduct, on this occasion, a puzzled look, a dense line, a bold stare, to give an exultant leap, a wash-out, to come into money, to tear smb, smth in pieces, to be/live in each other’s pockets.
2. Explain the meaning of the following phrases:
to doll up, to get off with smb., to pay on the nail, to be absorbed, to jump (leap) out of smb’d skin, to be taken aback, to catch smb’s breath, not to turn a hair, to kick smb out, to draw smb out, to get down to brass tacks.
B. Speech Exercises
1. Explain what is meant by the following sentences and comments on them:
1. “It’s rather flattering.You know, it’s a most extraordinary thing..”
2. “I don’t know what’s coming to the English. The British Empire!”
3. It was the beginning of a new adventure.
4. “It’s a cast-iron part. She can’t really go wrong in it”.
5. “I want to get down to brass tacks”.
6. “You don’t know the difference between the truth and make-believe”.
7. “My greatest wish in the world is that you should be happy…You must seek your own salvation, I see that”.
2. Explain the meaning of the proverb let bygones be bygones and comment on how it is used in the text.
3. Point for discussions:
- Julia’s talk with Evie;
- Julia’s attempt to be picked up,
- Julia and rehearsal:
a) Julia’s attitude to rehearsals,
b) The impression the way Avice acted her part made on Michael,
c) Julia’s reason for wishing to keep Avice in the cast.
- Describe the event of “Nowadays”. What was it about?
- Discuss Roger’s arrival from Austria and the conversation between him and his mother:
a) the subject that Michael had invited Julia to discuss with Roger,
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b) Roger’s attitude to his mother and father;
c) The stage Roger was in when he, a 14-year-old boy was standing pne night in the wings watching Julia’s act. What happened after that?
d) Roger said that acting was second nature of Julia. What did he mean by that?
e) The impression Roger’s words made on Julia,
f) Roger and his parents belonged to different generations. Do you think there was a generation gap between them? Is there a generation agp between you and your parents?
Unit 10: Chapters 28-29
Vocabulary notes:
- knack –a skill or an ability to do smth lazily or well
- breeze – a light gentle wind
- puberty- the stage in a person’s life when they develop form a child into an adult because of changes in their body that make them able to have children
- nonchalant –behaving in calm manner
- rattle – to worry or make nervous
- chaff – to make fun of sb in a friendly way
- irrevocable – that cannot be changed once it has been started or made
- dote on/ upon sb – to show great fondness for, esp. in a way that seems foolish
- stroke- to move a hand gently over smth
- denouement – the end of a story, or the end result of a situation
- odious – extremely unpleasant, causing badly and not being obedient
- conceited- having too high opinion of oneself
- subtlety –a small but important detail
- rejoice – to feel or show great happiness about smth
- elation – the state of being filled with excited pride and joy
- Training Exercises
1. Find in the text English equivalents for the following words and expressions and reproduce the contexts in which they occur:
Генеральная репетиция, сноровка, без сучка- без задоринки, удаваться, ужасный педант, белокрылый лебедь, беззаботный, веселый, сохранять в прежнем положении, потреблять, поглощать, чайный сервиз, скатерть, прибыль, выиграть с легкостью, стоять у кого-либо на пути, полный развод, любить до безумия, бранить, жестоко критиковать, легкомыслие, ужас, испуг, разоблачать, раскрыть, уморить со смеху, да ни за сто, мазать, быть незаметным, забыть о благоразумии, свободный от привязанностей.
2. Explain the meaning of the following phrases:
to break into, to get smb’s knife in sb, to wipe floor with sb, to look/ feel like a million dollars, to put a spoke in sb’s wheel.
- Speech Exercises
Discuss the following:
- Why couldn’t Julia dismiss from her mind the curious conversation she had had with Roger? What made her feel very uncomfortable? Who did she want to speak to about Roger? Why?
- Describe the way Julia studied her part.
- What was the dress-rehearsal like?
- What was the first thing Julia asked Charles when they were sitting in the Grill Room of the Savoy?
- Describe Julia’s talk with Charles about Roger. What did Julia tell him about her son? What did Charles think of Roger and the young? Do you agree with him or not?
- What did Roger’s parents want him to do? Why? What and who influenced your choice of career?
- What effect did Charles’ words have on Julia?
- Describe the state Julia was in before a first nigh.
- Who did Julia meet going home? What was he like?
- What impression did Tom’s room make on Julia?
- Why did Julia change her attitude to Tom?
- Speak about Julia’s acting. What did she do? What happened to Avice?
- Who came to congratulate Julia? Why do you think Julia decided to be alone that evening? Where did she go? How did she feel? What did she eat?
- Give a detailed account of Julia’s thoughts in the restaurant.
- Comment upon Julia’s words:
a) “All the world’s stage, and all the men and women merely players”.
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b) “It’s we, the actors, who are the reality…They are our raw material”.
Do you agree with her? What kind of woman do you think Julia was?
Suggested Topics for the Panel
Discussion of the Book
(or a Written Composition)
- W.S Maugham, his life and literary career.
- Comment on the title connecting it with the contents of the novel.
- Give a character sketch of Julia Lambert:
a) Julia and her family,
b) Julia and Tom,
c) Julia and Dolly,
d) Julia and Charles,
e) Julia as an actress and as a person.
- Give a character sketch of Michael.
- Give a character sketch of Tom Fennel.
- Give a character sketch of Roger.
- Speak about Dolly de Vries and Charles Tamerley. What is the role of these characters in the novel?
- Speak about the minor characters of the novel: Evie, Joan Denver, Jimmie Langton, Avice Crichton. What is the role of these characters in the novel?
- Give our impression of the play you have seen recently.