The Umbrella man. Dip in the pool. The Butler. The Hitchhiker. My Lady Love, My Dove, страница 3

c. suddenly stood up and went up to see the captain to ask him about the day’s estimate.

2. There was a certain tension in the air, and as the bids go higher ……

a. the tension grew

b. the tension lessen

c. Mr. Botibol became more and more nervous.

3. Mr. Botibol had figured that there must be at least ……

a. ten hundred dollars in his account at the bank.

b. over two hundred pounds in his account at the bank.

c. five hundred pounds in his account at the bank.

4. When Mr. Botibol awoke the next morning ……

a. he at once went out on the deck.

b. he jumped up and peered out of the porthole.

c. he lay still for several minutes with his eyes shut, listening for the sound of the gale

5. In his opinion there were two possible reasons why she might fail him ……

a. she might be a crazy person and she might be deaf and blind.

b. she might herself be the owner of one of the high numbers and might not notice him.

c. she might be deaf and blind and might be the owner of the high     number.

6. When the first shout for help sounded the woman ……

a. gave the alarm.

b. gave a little jump of surprise.

c. threw a lifebelt.

2. Answer the following questions:

1. How did the passengers know that the weather had suddenly changed?

2. Why did Mr. Botibol want to know if the captain had made his estimate of the distance traveled by the ship?

3. What made Mr. Botibol participate the auction?

4. Did Mr. Botibol choose a “high field” or a “low field” number? Why?

5. How did Mr. Botibol feel when he awoke the next day?

6. What was the plan he worked out to overcome his problem?

7. How did he make certain that the alarm would be given when he jumped into the sea?

8. Did he foresee all the possible failures?

9. Who saw Mr. Botibol jump into the sea?

10. Was that woman a reliable person to give the alarm?

11. What happened to Mr. Botibol at the end of the story?

Discussion: 

1. Have you ever gambled? Did you like it? Did you win? Do you think gambling is harmless or does gambling make people greedy?

2. Was Mr. Botibol brave to jump into the sea? What elsecould he have done to get his money back?

3. Do you think his wife would forgive him his loss if he stayed alive?

4. Would you enjoy a holiday on a cruise liner?

                                            The Butler

Pre-reading task:

Before reading the story “The Butler” discuss with your partner what the story might be about.

Reading:

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

Vocabulary Focus:

1. Look up and learn the following words and word combinations:

To aquire                   vintage                   salad-dressing            to sniff

Chef                           mouthful                to mock                      to offend  

Animation                  cowslip                  to decant                    vinegar 

Faultless                     colossal bore         to slosh                        boot

2. Find in the text the expressions or words which have similar meaning:

To speak unclearly –

To move up in society –

To succeed –

To relax –

To be poor –

I don’t care –

From the beginning to the end –

To surprise –

To spill –

3. Find in the text the synonyms to these words:

Energetically – ; grand and expensive – ; fool – ; respect – ; very angry – ; nonsense – ; very large – ; awful, hateful – ; castles –.

4. Match the words with their definitions:

1. bouquet            a. the top part of the inside of the mouth

2. butler                b. bottle or jug for serving wine

3. palate                c. pleasant smell (used with reference to wine)

4. decanter            d. solid material which settles at the bottom of the liquid

5. sediment           e. the most important male servant in a house

6. cowslip             f. a sharp-tasting liquid

7. vinegar             g. a wild flower

5. Insert the necessary prepositions: