Language focus. An MC and a DSO -military Cross and distinguished Service order; medals won for bravery in war

Notes

an MC and a DSO -Military Cross and Distinguished Service Order; medals won for bravery in war

the Welsh Guards -a famous military regiment in the British army

Justice of the Peace -a person who is not trained as a lawyer but who acts as a judge (unpaid) in a local law court, which deals with less serious crimes

Eton -a famous public school (fee-paying) for boys from upper-class families

Henry V -a play by W.Shakespeare, often studied by schoolchildren

penny-a-liner -(derogatory) a journalist who is paid by the number of lines written

Colonel Blimp -(derogatory) a person who is ridiculously pompous and conservative (especially an old army officer)

Emily Dickinson, Landor, Heine, Sappho -all famous poets (American, English, German, ancient Greek)

A Shropshire Lad -a volume of lyric poems written by the English poet A.E.Houseman

Task 1. Match the words with their Russian equivalents.

1) ancestor	a) высушенный; сушёный, сухой
2) swivel chair	b) принимать как должное
3) to redden	c) прародитель, предок
4) to make smb a laughing-stock	d) горький, мучительный
5) shattered	e) краснеть, покрываться румянцем
6) to take smth for granted	f) сходить с ума, повально увлекаться
7) poignant	g) вымотанный, разбитый, потрясенный
8) boisterous	h) добросовестно, честно
9) desiccated	i) вращающийся стул, офисное кресло
10) to rave about	j) выставить кого-либо на посмешище, сделать кого-либо посмешищем
11) conscientiously	k) громкоголосый, громогласный, шумный, надёжный, сильный

Task 2. Match the words with their synonyms.

1) forebear	a) annoyance, fret
2) hound	b) to laugh, chuckle, snigger
3) to succour	c) comfort, consolation, alleviation
4) consternation	d) to knock back, to surprise greatly, to knock down, to astound, to knock out, to amaze, to knock over
5) interspersed	e) anxiety, dismay, dread, or confusion
6) vexation	f) ancestor, forefather, progenitor
7) to bowl over	g) scattered, dotted, distributed, intermingled
8) to titter	h) foxhound, harrier, pointer, retriever, setter, terrier
9) malaise	i) to help, to render assistance, to give aid to
10) hectic	j) unease, depression, a mild sickness
11) to daze	k) stirring, exciting, disturbing
12) solace	l) to stun, stupefy, dazzle

Task 3. Match the words with their antonyms.

a) outbreak	1) reputable, graceful
b) bounty	2) respectful, polite, modest
c) to embark on smth	3) bold, pert
d) discreditable	4) to tell the truth
e) to flatter	5) conclusion, end, finale
f) impertinent	6) given name, real name
g) to lament	7) joy
h) precarious	8) to conclude, finish, end
i) demure	9) scarcity, rarity, uncommonness, infrequency
j) grief	10) a frank, honest person
k) assumed name	11) stable, safe
l) slyboots	12) to celebrate, treat cheerfully

Task 4. Fill in the blanks with the necessary prepositions.

1. All this happened a couple... years... the outbreak... the war.

2.... the war he retired and settled...... the life... a country gentleman and that was quite... his line.

3. Sometimes... night when she dolled herself......a party, you could tell that once she'd been quite attractive, but not anymore, now she was ordinary.

4. He went... London... business and he took Daphne......dinner as he was... the habit... passing a few agreeable hours... her whenever he went to town.

5. He was amused... the thought... her tackling the book and finding it just a lot...bosh cut......unequal lines.

6. I was simply bowled... by her book.

7. George was taken... by the Duke's words.

8. What's this about our being asked...... Haverel?

9. He put the book... and broke... a sweat. Then... a sudden he was seized... fury.

10. She is absolutely the last woman I'd have kicking... the traces.

Task 5. Fill in the blanks with the necessary articles.

1. He drank... good many cocktails.

2. George Peregrine and... lawyer were sitting opposite one... another with... desk between them.

3. He didn't read... verse very easily and though he read with... attention,... every word of it,... impression he received was far from clear.

4. He understood now... meaning of... amused look he had seen in... eyes of that man he had spoken to at... club.

5. He was... tall, robust fellow, with... boisterous manner and... jovial laugh, which suggested that he liked to be looked upon essentially as... sportsman and... good fellow and only incidentally as... lawyer.

6. He thought it would be... shock to... American public when they saw... portrait of... homely, desiccated little woman who was his wife.

7. Besides, taking for granted for... moment that Evie had... affair, it was... good many years ago and I don't suppose it would be possible to find out... thing.

8. Before going in he looked in... window and... first thing he saw was... display of When Pyramids Decay.

Task 6. Translate the sentences above into Russian.

1. Part of the book was in free verse, part in conventional metres, but the story it related was coherent and plain to the meanest intelligence.

2. Several of the pages were just headed with the word Sonnet, and out of curiosity he counted the lines; there were fourteen of them.

3. She seems to be as much at her ease in free verse as in the classical metres.

4. The American publisher had sent Evie a great spray of orchids.

5. He had a girl there, well, she wasn't exactly a girl, she was thirty-five if she was a day, but she was blonde and luscious and he only had to wire ahead of time and they'd dine, do a show, and spend the night together.

6. He was a good shot, a golfer, and though now a little over fifty he could still play a hard game of tennis.

7. He'd always been under the impression that they liked glamour in America.

8. During the few weeks that followed he thought it tactful not to ask Evie any questions about her venture into verse, and she never referred to it.

Task 7. Explain the meaning of the following expressions.

1) Did it cost you a pocket?

2) I've half a mind to do it.

3) I don’t think it’s your cup of tea.

4) hot stuff

5) come off it

6) I must bolt

7) All that's a bit above my head.

8) It's no good crying over spilt milk.

9) sell like hot cakes

10) to pull smb's leg

11) a flash in the pan

12) keep smb's shirt on

Task 8. Fill in the blanks with suitable words and word-combinations from the box below.

maiden name, selling like hot cakes, pull his leg, to was on his guard, make a point of, yielded to, was in his line, read at a sitting, a flash in the pan, keep his shirt on.

1. Poetry... much... so he merely looked through the book but didn't go into detail.

2. She was a novice to the literary circles so she used her... as an assumed name.

3. She told herself it was absurd, with the disparity of age between them nothing but unhappiness could come to her if she... her emotion.

4. The new book was a real smash hit, it was....

5. He looked the situation over and over again mentally forcing himself to....

6. Definitely, she was..., the book can't be that good.

7. Why do you... it? It's over and shouldn't really matter now!

8. He tried to... the novel...but it was too dull, moreover, he couldn't get the plotline.

9. Her first book proved to be....

10. After that accident he... suddenly....

Task 9. Translate the following sentences into English.

1. Когда она слегла с лихорадкой, только ее отец сохранил спокойствие. Оказалось, болезнь была мнимой.

2. “Ах ты, хитрец, опять брал конфеты без спросу”, — пожурила она племянника.

3. “Они почти банкроты. Что бы они ни говорили про будущие сделки, они лишь морочат тебе голову”.

4. Эта группа вряд ли войдет в историю, она всего лишь одна из групп-однодневок.

5. Новость о свадьбе сестры его оглушила.

6. Со стен особняка взирали портреты предков, перемежающиеся темными пейзажами.

7. “Ну-ну, дорогая, слезами делу не поможешь”, — тетушка Энни подала племяннице платок.

8. “Нет, к сожалению, я не танцую. Танцы — это совершенно не мое. Но если хотите, то можете пригласить моего внука”, — полковник поклонился.

9. Сохраняйте спокойствие. Сейчас мы больше ничего не можем сделать.

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