Transcribe and pronounce correctly the words from the story. Bury, awkward, sigh, knee, coax, squashed, bowl, gigantic, neighbours, vague, flour, knife, cough, saucepan

Bury, awkward, sigh, knee, coax, squashed, bowl, gigantic, neighbours, vague, flour, knife, cough, saucepan, solemn, scissors, dove, frighten.                                              

Comprehension Check

a) How was Ma Parker earning her living?

b) What tragedy had she gone through lately?

c) Do you think the literary gentleman she was working for cared much about the tragedy?

d) Did Ma Parker’s life differ greatly from the life depicted by the literary gentleman?

e) Do you think Ma Parker loved her grandson dearly?

f) How does the episode with the escaped cocoa characterize the literary gentleman?

g) Ma Paker felt very deserted, didn’t she?

h) Do you think crying out might help Ma Parker?

Match the following definitions in the left column with the words in the right column. Find sentences with these words in the story.

1. to be concerned or interested.	to be a success
2. mental or emotional unhappiness or distress.	to overcome
3. to become distressed or upset.	to lend an ear
4. a person of little worth or usefulness.	to run out of smth
5. to achieve a high position, to make a lot of money, to be admired a great deal.	to make a fuss about smth
6. being in the habit of.	to bear a grudge
7. terrible.	dreadful
8. to deal with a problem and control it.	good-for-nothing
9. to have no more of anything left.	to break down
10. to become angry or excited about something and complain.	misery
11. to have unfriendly feelings towards smb because of smth bad they did in the past.	to care
12. to listen in a patient and sympathetic way to somebody.	to be accustomed

 

Choose the right word from the above exercise for each of the sentences below.

a) I ……………….. to sleeping late.

b) Molly had fought and ……………. her fear of flying.

c) They ……………… ideas.

d) I don’t know why everybody …………………about a few mosquitoes.

e) There is no doubt it was an accident and I ………………………

f) Once inside, we didn't ………. whether it rained or not.

g) “Our happiness or ………… depends on our dispositions, and not on our circumstances” (Martha Washington).

h) Because he was being so kind and concerned, I …………… and cried.

i) Where is that ………………. son of yours?

j) They are always willing to ………… and offer what advice they can.

k) They suffered ……….. injuries.

l) We hope it will be a commercial …………….

 

Consult your dictionary and give all possible derivatives from the following words.

to tie	cruel	to breath	to care	to dread
to allow	to dream	to dress	to bear	misery
to pray	to produce	to appear	to offend	possible

Find words opposite in meaning to the following ones from the story. Use them in the sentences of your own.

Neat; cruelly; put on; say loudly; strengthen; complicated; tiny.

Find the English equivalents to the following words or phrases and use them in the sentences of your own.

Литератор; ему стало неловко; придают большое значение; снова принялся за завтрак; было для нее мукой; понадобилась бы целая книга; вот и все; на мою долю выпало немало; казалось, для нее это не прозвучало убедительно; ей показалось; сохранила свое достоинство; все принимали его за девочку; все было бесполезно; довольный сам собой; она всегда держалась достойно; она не могла больше откладывать; испугать до смерти.

 

Expand on the following.

a) ‘ It would take a whole book to describe the state of the kitchen.’

b) ‘ She’s had a hard life, has Ma Parker.’

c) ‘He’d never been a strong child – never from the first.’

d) ‘Her misery was so terrible that she pinned on her hat, put on her jacket and walked out of the flat like a person in a dream.’

e) ‘Ah, that’s what she wants to do, my dove. Gran wants to cry

 

Comment on the following words of the author.

‘ Oh, wasn’t there anywhere where she could hide and keep herself to herself and stay as long as she liked, not disturbing anybody, and nobody worrying her?… There was nowhere.’

 

Choose a passage and prepare it for model reading. Give reasons for your choice. Translate the passage into Russian.

Respond to the statement.

a) ‘Let no one till his death

Be called unhappy. Measure not the work

Until the day’s out and the labour done.’

Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–1861), English poet.

 12. Challenge the following statements. Give your reasons.

a) ‘Never believe straight off in a man’s unhappiness. Ask him if he can still       sleep. If the answer’s “yes,” all’s well. That is enough.’

Louis-Ferdinand CeLine (1894–1961), French author.

b) ‘The secret of being miserable is to have leisure to bother about whether you are happy or not. The cure for it is occupation.’

George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950), Anglo-Irish playwright, critic.