I. VOCABULARY. fiction(n) 1.literary writings (novel, stories, etc)

fiction (n) 1. literary writings (novel, stories, etc)

□ He prefered history to fiction.

2. smth imaginary or invented, as contrasted to truth.

П Truth is often stranger than fiction, be lead astray by fiction be decieved by invented stories

boring (adj) smth that is uninteresting, monotonous, dull (ant. exciting, stimulating, varied)

□ The movie was so boring that people began leaving the auditorium before it was half finished.

bore (v) make smb feel tired by being dull or tedious

□ I hope you aren't getting bored listening to me. bore smb to death bore intensely

a bore smb very boring

compel (v) force to do smth (make do smth)

П He was compelled by illness to resign. sense (n) 1. powers of the body (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch)

□ sixth sense

2. power of judjment, practical wisdom П There is no sense in doing it.

(fig.) a sense of humour/responsibility/duty

3. meaning

D In what sense are you using the word? THE DINNER PARTY

make sense be reasonable, understandable in a sense (to some extent) в некотором роде

concern (v) 1. be of importance to smb

О Don't trouble about things that don't concern you. as far as smb is concerned что касается кого-либо 2. be concerned about/for smb/smth trouble, worry, bother

□ Please, don't be concerned about me. (n) anxiety

□ There is some cause for concern but no need for alarm.

genuine ['d3enjum] 1. real, original, not false

□ a genuine Rubens/signature

П She was wearing a wonderful string of pearls, but it was hard to believe they

were genuine. 2. sincere, free from pretence, showing absence of hypocrisy

□ It was a genuine expression of gratitude that went beyond mere formality.

confirm 1. make opinion/feelings/rights, etc stronger

О What you tell me confirms my suspicions. 2. ratify, agree definitely

□ Please, confirm your telephone message by a letter. confirmation (n)

D We are waiting for the confirmation of the news.

accopmplish [s'kAmpltfKv) succeed in doing smth, finish successfully

□ He is a man who will never accomplish anything. accomplished (adj) 1. skilled in smth

G an accomplished dancer 2. clever, well trained in social arts

□ He was a charming and accomplished host. accomplishment skill in social or domestic arts

□ She was an accomplished young lady. Among her accomplishments were dancing, singing, playing the piano, cooking, sewing.

attend (v) 1. go to, be present at

□ attend a lecture/meeting

□ attend school/church

2. (on, upon) wait on, serve, look after

□ He had the honour of attending upon the Prince.

admit (v) 1. (in, into) let in; allow smb to enter П One hundred boys are admitted to the school.

2. acknowledge, confess

□ The accused man admitted his guilt.

3. have room enough for

П The theatre admits only 300 people.

Lean

U

i

Will

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lean (v) (leant) 1. put in sloping position

□ lean backwards/out of the window lean on/upon smth/smb

□ He has a nasty habit of leaning on his elbows on the table. 2. (fig) depend

□ He leans upon others for guidance.

lean smth against smth rest against smth for support

l) He stopped working and leant the ladder against the wall. withdraw (v) (withdrew, withdrawn) 1. move back or away

□ The Government had to withdraw the troops. 2. take smth/smb from/out/away

□ The Central Bank decided to withdraw the banknotes from circulation.

produce (v) 1. put forward to be looked at

□ The controller asked him to produce his railway ticket.

2. manufacture; grow; create

□ We must produce more food ourselves and import less.

3. bring about; cause

□ The book produces the sensation of happiness and freedom.

expect (v) 1. thinkor believe that smth will happen, anticipate

П Will he be late? 1 expect so. 2. require, demand

□ They expected me to work on Saturdays.

turn (v) 1. revolve; rotate

О The wheels of the car were turning slowly.

2. change direction

□ Please, turn your eyes this way.

3. (to) divert

О Please, turn your attention to smth more important.

4. (into) change in nature

□ Frost turns water into ice.

turn a deaf ear to smth refuse to listen to

О Не turned a deaf ear to my request for help. turn the corner/left/right turn against smb become hostile to

□ He tried to turn the children against their mother. turn down 1. refuse to consider

□ turn down an offer/a proposal/smb 2. reduce the flame

О Не turned down the lamps. turn on/off switch on/off

П When he comes home he turns on TV at once.

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turn out prove to be

d Everything turned out to be alright.

command (v) 1. order

П The officer commanded his men to fire.

2. be in control of

О The captain of a ship commands all the officers and men.

3. control, hold back

О command one's temper/one's passions

4. deserve and get

О He commands the sympathy of ail who have heard the story of his sufferings. command (n)

at the word of command when the command is given do smth at/by smb's command

□ It was done by the Queen's command, be at smb's command ready to obey

□ I'm at your command.

search (v) look for; examine in order to find smth

□ He searched through all the drawers for the missing papers. search one's heart examine carefully one's own conscience

D (n) a search for the missing aircraft

vanish suddenly disappear

□ He ran into the crowd and vanished from sight. vanish into thin air disappear suddenly and completely

II. COMPREHENSION

Ex. 1. Answer the following questions:

1. How does the author describe his uncle Octavian as he was in 1925?

2. Where, when and how did uncle Octavian celebrate his fifty-fifth birthday?

3. Who was invited to the dinner party?

4. On what terms were the guests with uncle Octavian?

5. What attracted the host's attention on the princess's hand?

6. Why did the princess take off her ring? What did she say about it?

7. What did the princess say before leaving?

8. What was the reaction to her words?

9. What sort of scene followed?

10. Why was the boy sure it could only be theft?

J THE DINNER PARTY

11. What did the French cabinet minister insist upon?

12. What did uncle Octavian say to his guests and to the princess?

13. What does the young man know about the rest of his uncle's life?

Ex. 2. Translate the following words and phrases from the text.

Hire other people; the estrangement of their wives; the problems of behaviour; contemporary; was an accepted rendezvous; to give point to the story; of regal bearing; a practical joke; the freezing politeness; meet anyone's eye; remain a recluse; the greed of their servants.

Ex. 3. Translate the following passages from English into Russian.

1. p. 123. From beginning to "...and champagne."

2. p. 123. From " Please, be assured..." to "...and champagne, "

3. p. 124. From " There was nothing special..." to "...a full life."

4. p. 124. From " Towards the end..." to "...gracefully towards my uncle."

5. p. 125. From " When no one answered her" to "...night would be dreadful."

6. p. 126. From " The ring was never found..." to "...somehow appear."

7. p. 126. From " I myself went back..." to "...was the thief? "

III. WORD STUDY

Ex. 4. Translate all the Vocabulary entries and examples.

Ex. 5. Find in the text equivalents for the following words and ex­pressions.

a) Выдумка; скучный; в точности; нанимать; современник; хозяин; гостеприимный; изысканный; кивнуть; восхищение; пробормотать; выжидательно; замешательство; обыскать; безрезультатно; чудесный.

b) Через вечер; важно для меня; в расцвете; как обычно; по меньшей мере; гостить у кого-либо; приехать на школьные каникулы; близкий Друг; взглянуть; протянуть что-либо кому-нибудь; говорят, что оно принадлежало когда-то...; ближайшая соседка; не привыкла просить о чем-либо дважды; нанести смертельный удар; возместить; королевская °санка; переходить из рук в руки; менее непринужденно; нотка высокомерия; журить; ледяная вежливость; отшельник.

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Ex. 6. Replace the italicized parts of the sentences by words and phrases from the text.

1. The boy was a teenager at the time, on the point of entering the world of grown-ups, which attracted him greatly. 2. The incident happened long before World War II, when my uncle was a handsome strong and vigorouos man in his early 50's. 3. He liked to entertain and knew how to do it. 4. He was a bachelor who had long been indulging in a life of pleasure. 5. I was lucky to have the special advantages of staying at his villa and getting permission to attend the party. 6. The princess was very beautiful and carried herself like a queen. 1. My uncle was greatly shocked and depressed by what had occured. 8. When we left the dinning-room it was a perfect mess (ev­erything was turned upside down).

Ex. 7. Paraphrase the italicized parts of the following sentences; translate them into Russian.

1.... it was important to me at the time on the threshold of the dazzling adult world. 2. Be had long been addicted to what was then called, with equal unambiguity, a " full life". 3. " If you please? " she said with a touch of hauteur. 4.... the guests stayed nearly till dawn... wishing to comfort ray uncle (who though deadly calm was deeply stricken) and still hoping that, from the shambles of the dinning-room, the ring would somehow appear. 5.... to sit through interminable operas which they do not understand, to bow unwillingly to royalty.., 6. ... many of them lead lives of particular plea­sure; commanding the finest artists to play and sing.... 7. Uncle Octavian's face was pale and tremendously tense, as if he had been dealt a mortal blow. 8. All that he was left with, among the ruins of his way of life, was a question mark.

Ex. 8. Translate the sentences paying special attention to the meaning of the italicized words.

1. D. D. was not by any means the first member of the Class to register, for at the very stroke of nine the large portals of Memorial Hall was opened to admit Theo Lambros. 2. He had wanted to take Walter Piston's Composition Seminar, and had assumed that the great man would admit hiirt ever though he was a freshman. 3. But she had to admit there was something alive in her look. 4. He didn't expect me to translate the Bible for Indians o^r become the President of Harvard. 5. He was preoccupied with the though¹ that this unexpected turn of events would deprive him of his beloved teacher'⁵ respect. 6. Sara expected them to dress in whatever Greek peasants wear-

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7. Did it make sense¹? 8. She smiled, but she was oddly quiet, and he sensed again that something was wrong. 9. Alex knew John Henry had in a sense set Raphaella free already. 10. Are you going to be pushed around by your duties and obligations and your sense of noblesse oblige? 11. George was charmed by her delightful sense of humour. 12. By the time I organized a search party, they had gone back across the border. 13. After the War Eva searched and searched, she went to all kinds of agencies, but they couldn't find anything. 14. Are you sure he didn't leave a note? He searched her eyes as he asked her. 15. Since I can handle firearms I'll also take a regular turn at guard duty. 16. The cynicism that is so endemic in the first three years turns slowly and surprisingly into nostalgia. 17. The old man leaned slightly toward his brilliant pupil and said " I'll send them you." 18. At last he looked up. She was leaning over the piano, her low necked blouse offering a view of great aes­thetic interest. 19. Here we attended the spectacle at the Old Howard. This venerable burlesque theatre has housed the legendary strippers of the age.

20. Our center forward is another divinity — a genuine Persian prince.

21. It was, if not an alliance of equals, at least a genuine partnership.

22. Among other things, Kissinger was impressed by George's command of the Russian language. 23. To the emotional Spaniards it didn't seem an un­usual posture during mourning but her mother was growing increasingly con­cerned. 24. Look, T know my grandfather was a Jew. But as far as faith is concerned we belong to the local Unitarian Church. 25. Raphaella had with­drawn a few minutes later after her father's arrival. 26. A young reservist approached Jason and withdrawing a small blue book from his breast pocket asked if he could pray instead of sleeping. 27. When they withdrew nothing but sand stood between the countries. (From " The Class" by E. Segal and " A Perfect Stranger" by D. Steel).

Ex. 9. Translate the sentences into Russian paying special attention to

the meaning of the words admit and command.

A. 1. The boy was proud of being admitted to such a distinguished com­pany. 2. The doctor was shown upstairs and admitted into a dimly lit bed­room. 3. Her conduct admits of only one reasonable explanation. 4. He admitted his mistake.

B. 1. " There will be no searching, " he commanded. 2. The diamond had the interior yellow glow that such jewels can command. 3. He was -iware that the best thing for him to do was to command his temper. 4. The Principal commanded the greatest respect of all the pupils. 5. The balcony