1 … me to post the letter. 2 Old people like to … about the past. 3 I … my first day at school as if it were yesterday. 4 I wistfully … how we used to … how wistful we were then. 5 The smell of cabbage … me of school.
Relationship(s) – relation(s)
1 When the … ended two months ago she said she wanted to die. 2 This incident spoilt the … between Britain and Iran. 3 He was a distant … of my wife. 4 Management needs to maintain close … with the unions. 5 The policeman asked me about my … to the victim.
In the end – at the end
1 … the end of the day he still had to make his own decision. 2 He tried different jobs and … the end became an accountant. 3 You can try your best to impress the interviewers but … the end it's often just a question of luck. 4 They are … the and of their food supply and soon will starve. 5 … the end, the hero runs away with all the money.
To lay – to lie
1 Yesterday, I … there thinking about what I had to do during the day. 2 As I walked past, I … the tools on the workbench. 3 The maids usually … the table for dinner at 7 o'clock. 4 My reflexologist says I am … about my health. He says that my feet, however, do not …. 5 How often have I … beneath rain on a strange roof, thinking of home.
Exercise 25. Find in the text the phrasal verbs listed below and explain their meaning in the text, then consult the dictionary to find their other meanings and use them in the sentences of your own.
| to think back to talk out to show up to give away set aside to point out to go on to to pick out to take in |
Exercise 26. Use the phrasal verbs from the previous exercise to fill in the gaps.
1. There was no hope I'd by selected for the football team – the coach was … only the tallest and strongest guys.
2. After that unexpected interruption it was hard to … with the report, but she was not the one who was baffled so easily.
3. When I … on the time spent with my grandparents I can positively say that those were the happiest years of my life.
4. Did you … everything she said? - No, she spoke so low. Besides, that accent of hers! Is she French?
5. Where is John? I was sure he'd come to the party. - John? He'd never … at his mother's! Don't you know, he was kicked out of the house after that terrible scandal with the theft.
6. Margaret explained why I still couldn't find a job, … my lack of enthusiasm.
7. When Sam finally decided not to apply to the state university, his parents … him …, saying that the education was the only opportunity to have a decent life.
8. I'd trusted this treacherous man for years, I'd shared my home and bread with him, and he … me …, having stolen my wife!
9. Instead of panicking, he … the book he was reading, lit the cigarette and smiled at the policemen, who had come to arrest him.
Exercise 27. Translate the sentences from Russian into English using the functional vocabulary from the text.
1 Я молился о чуде, и моя мечта сбылась. Питер появился ниоткуда. Приняв деловой вид, он отбросил роль старшего брата и стал объяснять присутствующим, в чем суть проблемы. Он сдерживал эмоции и ничего не выдавало его ярости. Теперь я мог перевести дыхание – Питер все уладит.
2 Когда ее взгляд выбрал его в толпе, она замерла, не смея даже вздохнуть. Воспоминания заполнили ее мысли: церковь, полная взбудораженных людей, произнесенные клятвы в любви и верности, отец, утирающий слезы платком... Да, сколько времени пролетело, а ее рана так и не зажила.
3 Казалось, Джонни просто не мог ослушаться своего отца, который теперь возвышался над ним и пытался отговорить его, строгим голосом указывая на неудачи, к которым приведет его решение. Джонни же мог только кивать.
4 Лили задавалась вопросом, что связывало этого циничного человека и ее мать. Возможно, он женился на ней из жалости, а может алчность заставляла его быть рядом с ней. В конечном счете, это, конечно, уже не имело значения, но все же она была несколько растеряна.
Exercise 28. Retell the text from:
Landon’s side Hegbert’s side
Jamie’s side one of those who came to the church
Exercise 29. Look at the excerpts from some letters and finish one of them in 200-250 words.
| Dear Lily! I think I’ve got good news. Harry and I have been going out together for a year and yesterday he proposed to me. You will certainly ask how it happened. You won’t believe it! … |
| Hi, Mark! Sorry, I could not write earlier. Had too many problems. All is OK at the university, but my parents are against my marriage to Liz. They say we are too young. Yesterday the situation got clearer … |
| Dear Ann! Thank you very much for kind letter. You know, we discussed it with my husband. Of course, you are right when you say that it is of no use to discourage our daughter from marrying. We had a talk with her yesterday … |
Exercise 30. Read the paragraph. Then follow the directions.
What makes a marriage happy? Some people say that love and trust are important. Others think that flexibility and friendship are most essential. Many people believe that good communication is necessary in order for a marriage to succeed. If two people are able to tell each other what they are thinking and feeling, they may be better able to work out solutions to their problems. Some people have even written marriage agreements also called prenuptial agreement, or prenup, to improve communication in their relationships.
PREPARING TO LISTENING: Work in pairs. Read the quotations by famous people about marriage. Answer the questions. Then discuss the quotations with the class. Do you agree or disagree with the writer? Why or why not?
1. “In almost every marriage, there is a selfish and an unselfish partner. A pattern begins and never changes, of one person always asking for something and the other person always giving something.”
Iris Murdoch, British writer and philosopher
2. “A man who is a good friend is likely to find a good wife, because marriage is based on a talent for friendship.”
Fredrich Nietzsche, German philosopher
3. “A successful marriage is a house that must be rebuilt every day.”
André Maurois, French writer and critic
Do the writers have a positive or a negative opinion of marriage? Do the writers feel that a husband and wife are equal or unequal in marriage?
A prenuptial agreement is a written promise that is created by two people who are living together, or going to get married. In an agreement there are rules that tell how each partner in a relationship should behave. The rules differ depending on the priorities and personalities of the people writing the agreement. Most prenuptial agreements describe what will happen to a couple’s money, property, or children if the marriage ends in divorce.
Steve and Karen Parsons made an unusual prenuptial agreement. Instead of talking about what would happen if the marriage ended, the agreement stated rules for almost every part of their daily lives.
Legal experts agree that this agreement probably cannot be enforced in a court of law. However, the husband and wife have both agreed to follow the rules described in the agreement.
| Prenuptial Agreement Steve and Karen Parsons |
| 1. Daily Habits 1.1. Оn weekdays we will go to sleep bу 11 p.m.and wake up bу 6:00 a.m. Оn weekends we will go to sleep bу 1 a.m. and wake up before 1Оa.m. 1.2. We will not drive over the speed limit and will always wear our seatbelts. 1.3. We will eat healthy food that is low in fat and sugar. We will not gain more than 1О pounds over our weight оn our wedding day. |
| 2. Hоusеhоld Chores 2.1. We agree to share the household chores. Karen will take care of meals and cleaning inside the house. Steve will do repairs and take care of the garden. 2.2. We will both do the laundry. Steve will wash and dry the clothes, and Karen will fold them and put them away. We will put the dirty clothes in the laundry bag, not оn the floor. 2.3. We will both make а list of groceries every week. Karen will do the shopping. She will buy only the items оn the list and will try to buy things оn sale. |
| 3. Communication 3. 1. We will spend at least 15-30 minutes each day talking to each other and not doing anything else. 3.2. If we аrе angry, we will not yell оr call each other names. We will go into another room until we don't feel angry anymore. 3.3. If we want to change а rule in this agreement, we will talk about it until we can find а solution we both agree оn. |
| Children 4.1. We will wait for two years before we have а child. We will have two children. 4.2. After our first child is born, the partner who makes less money will quit his/her job and stay home with the child. |
Discuss these questions.
1. Which rules in the prenuptial agreement do you agree with? Which rules do you disagree with? Why?
2. Do you think this type of prenuptial agreement is a good idea? Why or why not?
VOCABULARY FOR COMPREHENSION: Match the underlined word with its definition below.
Yoko’s Problem
After we got married, I found out that my husband and I had different (1) expectations about marriage. He wanted me to do all the cleaning, while I thought that we should share it. Before we were married, he lived by himself and cleaned his own apartment. So it (2) bothered me that suddenly, after we married, he didn’t want to do any cleaning! Fortunately, we were able to (3) work out the problem. We sat down and talked. We both explained our point of view. Then we reached a (4) compromise. We both agreed to cook dinner three times a week. We also divided the cleaning chores in half. We had to (5) spend a lot of time talking, but we finally agreed on something that made us both happy.
_____ a. annoyed
_____ b. agreement
_____ c. beliefs or hopes that smth will happen
_____ d. use or take a lot of time
_____ e. solve
Lorenzo’s Problem
Some of the arguments my wife and I have (6) concern little things. For example, my wife had one (7) quirk that I don’t like. I love to play games, such as cards, Monopoly, and Scrabble. However, whenever we play a game, my wife likes to (8) break the rules. She says it is more fun to change the rules and play in a different way. I don’t agree. Many arguments between us (9) occur because of this problem. I always have to (10) check on her to make sure she is following the rules.
_____ f. not obey the rules
_____ g. watch
_____ h. are about
_____ i. happen
_____ j. strange hanit
| Listening |
LISTENING ONE: A Prenuptial Agreement
You will hear an interview with Steve and Karen Parsons about their prenuptial agreement. Listen to the beginning of the interview. Then read some questions the reporter could ask Steve and Karen. How do you think they would answer the questions?
1. Possible question: Steve, Karen, first I’d like to ask you why you decided to write this unusual agreement?
Predicted answer: ______________________________________________
2. Possible question: So do you spend a lot of time checking on each other to see if the rules are being followed?
Predicted answer: ______________________________________________
3. Possible question: Do you think other couples should follow your example and write a prenuptial agreement of their own?
Predicted answer: ______________________________________________