The Umbrella man. Dip in the pool. The Butler. The Hitchhiker. My Lady Love, My Dove, страница 11

3. … trade he was a dealer … antique furniture.

4. The chairs were definitely not … sale, but just … … curiosity, just … fun, you know, how much would he give?

5. They bargained for half an hour, and of course … the end Mr. Boggis got the chairs.

6. If there is good stuff in one farmhouse, then why not in others? Why shouldn’t he search … it?

7. It wouldn’t interfere … his work at all.

8. Each of these squares covered an actual area … five miles, which was about as much territory, he estimated, as he could cope … … a single Sunday.

9. He was going to be a nice old parson spending his holiday traveling … … a labour … love … the “Society”.

10. Who … the world was going to kick him … when they heard that one?

11. The face was round and rosy and the two large brown eyes that bulged … … you from this rosy face gave an impression … gentle imbecility.

12. This place, he noticed as he approached, was a good deal smaller than the last, and he didn’t hold … much hope … it.

13. When the men caught sight … Mr. Boggis walking … in his black suit and parson’s collar, they stopped talking.

14. A trifle unsteadily, he began to move … the room examining the furniture, one piece … a time, commenting … it briefly.

4. Find the English equivalents of the words; recollect the situations from the story where they were used.

Из любопытства; прочесать округу; обедневшие богатые; завоевать доступ; бескорыстно; прибыльный бизнес; хвалебная речь; подделка; обманывать невинных; отвёртка; убедительный аргумент; полукруглый карточный стол; богато облицованный; объяснять подробно; застыть на месте; глупый взгляд; смотреть рассеянно; смертный; быть кстати, пригодиться; вернуться мигом.

5. Find the synonyms of these words in the text:

Wealthy, harmful, playful, silly, stupidity, complicated, dishonest, small.

Reading Comprehension:

1. Answer the following questions:

1. Why did Mr. Boggis disguise himself in the uniform of a clergyman?

2. Why didn’t he visit people who are very prosperous?

3.Why did people always let Mr. Boggis into their homes?

4. Look at Mr. Boggis’s visiting card on page 83. Why is it effective?

5. Why did Mr. Boggis tell Rummins about a chair worth four hundred pounds?

6. Why was the “Chippendale” chest of drawers a “dealer’s dream” for Mr. Boggis?

7. Why did Mr. Boggis say that he was only interested in the legs?

8. For what reason did Mr. Boggis say that the chest of drawers was a fake?

9. Why did Mr. Boggis always carry screws in his jacket pocket?

10. Why did Claud, Bert and Rummins saw off the legs of the chest of drawers?

Discussion:

1. Do you think most antique dealers are honest? Do they make too much money? Have you ever bought anything for a lot of money? What was it? Why did you buy it?

2. What is the story about? Greed? Stupid people? Is it about something else? What?

3. Do you think that Mr. Boggis deserved the thing that happened to him at the end of the story?

4. Do you think the story is funny or tragic? Why?

           Crime Never Pays

The Companion

Pre-reading Task:

Before reading the story “The Companion” try to predict what it might be about. Discuss with your partner its possible plot.

Reading:

Read the following story carefully and try to understand it in detail.

Vocabulary Focus:

1. Look up and learn the following words:

creepy                 curiosity                   uneasiness                  colonel

vice                     to encounter             will                             uneventful

coincidence         artificial                   sleeplessness              plump

possession           respiration                sinner                         commotion

birthright             eye-witness              remorse                     amateur

to confess            revenge                     blackmail                  orphan

compatriot           suspicions                 sinister                     clergyman