Рекомендуемое время выполнения задания - 18 минут

The streets of Manhattan’s Upper East Side tend to confirm the view of those who see the city as a frontier outpost on the brink of war. Apartment buildings are garrisons, patrolled around the clock by uninformed men. Triple-locked doors, steel bars, alarm systems – every security device except the domestic rocket launcher is prominently displayed or signalled. And this is the safe part of town. These urban bunkers are the seats of wealth and privilege, situated in highly desirable locations.

As Andre turned off Park Avenue to go down Sixty-Third Street, he wondered what it would be like to exist in a permanent stage of siege. Did it ever become something you took for granted and eventually didn’t even notice? The idea of the prison home appalled him, and yet for some people it was normality. Denoyer, for instance, spent his life behind barricades. And so, from the look of his house, did Cyrus Pine.

It was a fairly typical four-floor brownstone, perhaps a little wider than most. The short flight of steps was scoured and spotless, the front door and the ironwork protecting the lower windows were sleek with fresh black paint, the brass bell push was dazzling in the noon sunshine. There was no sign to indicate that this was a commercial enterprise, but then it was hardly the kind of business that depended on passing trade or impulse purchases.

Andre pressed the bell and identified himself to the intercom. Sixty seconds later, the door was opened by a stray from Fifth Avenue – a willowy young lady who looked as though she had spent most of the morning and a good deal of her father’s money shopping for her outfit for the day. A sweater, a skimpy flannel skirt, and the kind of shoes – high heeled and with paper-thin soles – that are priced by the ounce. The way she smiled at Andre, she might have been waiting for him all her life. “Follow me, ” she said. Which he did with pleasure as she led him across the black and white tiled hallway and into a small study.

“Mr. Pine will be right down. Can I get you an espresso? Some tea? A glass of wine? ”

Andre asked for white wine, feeling a little uneasy at being treated with such consideration. His call to Pine had been brief, he hadn’t gone into any detail about the purpose of his visit. Pine must have assumed that he was a potential customer. He smoothed his jacket, straightened his tie and looked down at his shoes, dull against the chestnut sheen of the study’s parquet floor, and inspected the room. It had a feeling of a quiet corner in a comfortable, long-established gentlemen’s club – panelled walls, armchairs of veined and cracked leather, a fine but faded Oriental rug, two good eighteenth-century occasional tables, the faint aroma of beeswax. Andre was surprised by the absence of paintings, or indeed of anything that suggested Pine’s trade. “How are you, Mr. Kelly? I’m sorry to keep you waiting.” Andre turned to see the beaming face and outstretched hand of Cyrus Pine.

Andre was trying to place his accent, a charming and cultivated hybrid of an accent that seemed to fall somewhere between Boston and Saint James’s. “You are English, though, aren’t you? ” “Well, I still have the passport. But I haven’t lived there for forty years.” He glanced at his watch. “I hate to rush you, but a lot of my business is done with a knife and fork, and I’m afraid I have an early lunch date in half an hour. Let’s sit down.”

Pine sat motionless, his chin resting on clasped hands, letting Andre speak without interruption. He had heard similar stories before – paintings that had slipped out of circulation, followed by unconfirmed rumours of their reappearance in Switzerland, in Saudi Arabia, in California, in Japan. He himself had assisted once or twice in discreet maneuvers designed to minimize inheritance taxes. Paintings valued in millions were often too expensive to keep. These days, you had to be very careful when and where and how you died. As Andre talked on, Pine began to feel stirrings of interest. Odd little incidents like this deserved to be taken seriously in a business that had once been described as shady people peddling bright colors.

Andre finished talking and picked up his glass. “Mr. Pine, let me ask you something. What do you think that painting’s worth? Just a guess.”

“Ah. The same question occurred to me while you were talking. Let’s start with what we know. A year or so ago, the Getty Museum bought a nice painting by the same artist for more than thirty million dollars. That was the reported price. Now, if certain obvious requirements are met, like proof of authenticity and the good condition of the canvas you are talking about, I’d have to say that it could fetch much more. The fact that it once belonged to Renoir doesn’t hurt, of course; nor does its long absence from the market. Collectors sometimes find those things extremely attractive. It’s difficult to put a price on them.” Pine stood up. “Let me have your number. I’ll ask around. I’ve no doubt someone will know something. If there’s anything to know.”

A1 Which is true of the streets of Manhattan’s Upper East Side?

1. Their inhabitants seem to be at war with each other.
2. The buildings are occupied by soldiers and officers.
3. Private houses and flats are fortified against break-in.
4. Some houses are protected with domestic rocket launchers.

A2 What did the house of Cyrus Pine look like?

1. It was a recently built building.
2. It was a noticeably well kept building.
3. It seemed to be protected better than other houses.
4. It advertised the owner’s trade.

A3 We are told that the girl who opened the door

1. had been shopping in the morning.
2. was wearing expensive clothes.
3. lived in Fifth Avenue.
4. took an immediate liking to Andre.

A4 Andre was feeling a little uneasy because he

1. thought that Pine might be hoping to sell him something.
2. had deliberately concealed the purpose of his visit.
3. wasn’t dressed properly for the meeting.
4. found the girl’s flirting with him unacceptable.

A5 Which is true of the interior of the room?

1. It didn’t give any clues to its owner’s occupation.
2. It looked like a room in a museum.
3. It showed that the owner was a frequent guest in gentlemen’s clubs.
4. It presented a chance collection of furniture.

A6 What did Pine mean when he said “A lot of my business is done with a knife and

fork“?

1. It is a very useful way for making a good business deal.
2. It is important to arrive for his business lunches on time.
3. He is in the habit of discussing business issues at mealtime.
4. He usually draws up his own business plans at mealtime.

A7 What was Pine’s reaction to Andre’s story?

1. He suspected Andre wanted to draw him into a shady deal.
2. He thought Andre’s case might be worth looking into.
3. He thought Andre was asking for help in finding a valuable painting.
4. He understood that Andre wanted to pay lower taxes.

A8 Why did Pine think that the canvas in question could cost more than the museum

painting?

1. The reported price of the painting was lower than the price actually paid.
2. The canvas was in a much better condition than the museum painting.
3. The canvas had been undoubtedly proved to be an authentic one.
4. The history of the painting made it more valuable.