Chapter 1. The Brown Family
A. Vocabulary and Speech Exercises
I. Paraphrase or explain the meaning of the underlined idioms and word combinations using an English-English dictionary.
1. Wherever the fleets and armies of England have won renown, there stalwart sons of the Browns have done yeomen’s work.
2. The old Browns, with red faces, white whiskers, and bald heads, go on believing and fighting to a green old age.
3. Failures slide off them like July rain off a duck’s back feathers.
4. Here, right up on the highest point, from which they say you can see eleven countries, they trenched round all the table-land, some twelve or fourteen acres, as was their custom, for they couldn’t bear anybody to overlook them, and made their eyrie.
5. You’re all in the ends of the earth, it seems to me, as soon as you get your necks out of the educational collar, for Midsummer holidays, long vacations, or what not.
6. Though you may be choke full of science, not one in twenty of you knows where to find the wood-sorrel…
7. “What queer names,” say we, sighing at the end of our draught, and holding out the glass to be replenished.
8. And the splendid old Cross church at Uffington, the Uffingas town – how the whole countryside teems with Saxon names and memories!
II. Antonyms: Match each word in Column I with the word in Column II which means opposite:
| I | II |
| stalwart adj. | flat adj. |
| staunch adj. | confound v. |
| precipitous adj. | plain n. |
| malignant adj. | cowardly adj. |
| praise v. | fragile adj. |
| bygone adj. | good-hearted adj. |
| barrow n. | present adj. |
III. Synonyms: Match each word in Column I with the word in Column II which means almost the same:
| I | II |
| illustrious adj. | enemy n. |
| dogged adj. | speak fluently v. |
| eminently adv. | dishonest adj. |
| antagonist n. | well-known adj. |
| combativeness n. | obstinate adj. |
| disreputable adj. | whim n. |
| crotchet n. | stout adj. |
| diffusing part. | pagan adj. |
| skip smth. v. | rascal n. |
| patter v. | very much adv. |
| rogue n. | provocation n. |
| heathen adj. | avoid smth. v. |
| stumpy adj. | scattering part. |
| foe n. | opponent n. |
IV. Translation: Translate the following passages into Russian (in a written form):
- P.4 “Oh young England! … altogether”.
- P. 6-7 “And then what a hill is the White Horse hill! … for they are a people of the Lord who abide there”.
V. Translate into English:
1. P.1 Большинству из нас лучше жить без хвалы и вознаграждения.
2. P.3 Он повел себя в данной ситуации почти по-донкихотски.
3. P. 5 В Вейле немного пахотной земли и лесов.
4. P.7 На том же самом месте стоял крепкий терновник.
5. P. 8 Я никогда не видел в жизни ничего красивее нежных колокольчиков и паутины, блестящей на солнце.
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6. P.9 Холмы, торжественные и молчаливые, были подобны кораблям в тихом море.
VI. Make up the lists of the following lexis:
- military terms,
- religious terms,
- words, denoting plants, birds, animals.
B. Speaking on the Contents
I. Comprehension and Discussion Questions.
1. Explain the meaning of the title of Chapter 1, the epigraph. Translate the epigraph.
2. How does the author characterize the Browns? (Pp. 1-3)
3. Where is the birthplace of the Browns situated? (P. 3)
4. Describe, in general, Vale of White Horse (Pp. 5-6).
5. Give the description of the White Horse hill (P. 6).
6. What place does the author call ‘sacred ground for Englishmen’? Why? (P.7)
7. What is the ‘Manger’? What legend is connected with this place? (P. 8).
8. Explain the meaning of the name ‘Blawing Stwun Hill’ (P. 9).
9.What was the family of Puseys famous for? (P. 10).
10. In what context does the main character/protagonist Tom Brown appear? (P.11)
11. What characteristic of the countrymen does the author describe in the last paragraph of Chapter 1? What is his attitude to this? (P. 13)
12. Define on the basis of the text the author’s attitude to
- England/Majesty,
- English knights/wars,
- Christians.
II. Give a summary of the chapter, using the new words and word combinations.
C. Supplementary tasks
- On the basis of the information of Chapter 1 draw the map of the Vale of White Horse.
- Chapter 1 contains many facts, dealing with history and legends of Berkshire, the Browns’ birthplace. Prepare the reports on the follow-up topics:
- King Alfred and the Battle of Ashdown;
- The legend of Hamden Pye.
Chapter 2. The Veast
A. Vocabulary and Speech Exercises
I. Recall what characters and in what situations said the following. All the utterances contain dialectal forms. Express the same utterances through the means of modern Standard English. Give other examples of the dialectal forms from the text.
1. In a minute shrill cries would be heard from the dairy ‘Charity, Charity, thee lazy huzzy, where bist?’
2. Tom hears him say coaxingly as he walks off – ‘Now doan’t ee, Rachel! I wouldn’t ha’ done it, only I wanted summut to buy’ee a fairing wi’…’
3. ‘Thee mind what I tells’ee,’ rejoins… saucily, ‘and doan’t’ee kep blethering about fairings’.
II. Synonyms: Match each word in Column I with the word in Column II which means almost the same:
| I | II |
| blether (v.) | bouquet (n.) |
| urchin (n.) | dead (adj.) |
| robust (adj.) | food (n.) |
| scatterbrained (adj.) | burden (n.) |
| notable (adj.) | hypocrise (n.) |
| charge (n.) | chatter (v.) |
| gaunt (adj.) | famous (adj.) |
| lure (v.) | weeping (n.) |
| keen (adj.) | gloomy (adj.) |
| lamentation (n.) | defect (n.) |
| deceased (adj.) | wasteful (adj.) |
| magistrate (n.) | horse (n.) |
| gamester (n.) | laddie (n.) |
| vice (n.) | frivolous (adj.) |
| brook (n.) | entice (v.) |
| eatables (n.) | tall (adj.) |
| nosegay (n.) | pale (adj.) |
| steed (n.) | card-player (n.) |
| strapping (adj.) | energetic (adj.) |
| feint (adj.) | stream (n.) |
| prodigalish (adj.) | staunch (adj.) |
| priggism (n.) | judge (n.) |
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III. Paraphrase or explain the meaning of the underlined idioms and word combinations using an English-English dictionary.
- P. 19 Old Benjy led his charge away to the road-side inn, where he … ordered a glass of ale … and told of the gallant bouts of fourty years back, to which Tom listened with all his ears and eyes.
- P. 18 I suppose that on the whole, people were less worked then than they are now; at any rate they seemed to have more time and energy for the old pastimes.
- P. 18 Moreover feast-time was the day of reconciliation for the parish. If Job Higgins and Noah Freeman hadn’t spoken for the last six months, their ‘old women’ would be sure to get it patched up by that day.
- P. 21 … and then the crowd laughs vehemently, and invents nicknames for them on the spur of the moment …
- P. 23 Joe is evidently turning up his nose at the other, and half insulted at having to break his head.
- P. 26 And it soon flies about that the old west-country champion… has broken Joe Willis’s crown for him.
- P. 27 It is because, as I said before, gentlefolk and farmers have left off joining or taking an interest in them.
- P. 18 Backswording and wrestling were the most serious holiday pursuits of the Vale – those by which men attained fame – and each village had its champion.
- P. 15 Tom’s nurse was one who took in her instruction very slowly – she seemed to have two left hands and no head.
- P. 16 He wore an old full-bottomed wig… which habiliment Master Tom looked upon with considerable respect…
IV. Questions and tasks based on new words and word combinations.
- Do you consider yourself a combative person? Why?
- Where do they use such a method of training as drilling?
- How can you characterize the family “with good principles and wardrobes”?
- What is “whey”? Do you like it?
- What are your pastimes on vacations?
- What purpose does ‘a button hole’ serve for?
- How much is a “tuppence”?
- What does Pharisaism mean?
- What and where does a costermonger sell?
- What is the difference between a tailor and a dressmaker?
- What does a carpenter do?
- What do you do when you are dog-tired?
- Is it good to be prodigalish?
V. Translate into English.
1. P.15 Служанка была растяпой и разбила много посуды и сожгла много белья.
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2. P. 16 Этому преступнику много раз удавалось обходить закон.
3. P. 16 Он любил подшучивать над людьми, пособником в этих делах ему был его слуга.
4. P.17 Он поймал мало рыбы: всего лишь несколько корюшек.
5. P. 17 Покойный был картежником, отличающимся отменным мастерством.
6. P.19 Хижина была покрыта соломой.
7. P.20 На противнике Уиллиса были надеты кожаные штаны.
8. P.20 На праздники женщины Вейла наряжались в цветастые блузки и платки, мужчины вставляли цветы в петлицы.
9. P.22 Браконьерство карается законом.
10. P.23 Бриджи не шли ему из-за тускло-коричневого цвета.
11. P.26 Пресыщенный жизнью и светским общество, он удалился в деревню.
12. P. 27 В городке проводились соревнования по игре в кегли.