II. a) Explain in a well-developed paragraph what a student ought to do to en large and improve his vocabulary.
b) Express your opinion on the role of voluntary reading in improving the stu-dent's knowledge of the language and enlarging his scope.
III. Make a round-table debate with your classmates on the following topics (refer to foreign-language learning):
Reading with a purpose.
Collecting words.
3. Speed reading: fact or fancy? 4. Reading for fun.
Key Words and Expressions: to increase (improve) one's vocab-ulary; the printed page; recognition vocabulary; active (functional) vocabulary; required reading; voluntary reading; recognition by context/by word analysis; discovery by dictionary reference
UNIT THREE
TEXT THREE
ONE STAIR UP
By Campbell Naime
(Fragment)
Nairne, Campbell, a Scottish novelist, the author of two books "One Stair Up" (1932) and "Stony Ground" (1934). "One Stair Up" deals with the life of an Edinburgh working-class family and is characterized by realism, a fine style and a sense of humour.
They went up a short marble staircase, treading without sound on a rich carpet of some green material that yielded like springing turf, and moved across a salon hung everywhere with the coloured and signed portraits of film stars. Back in this dim region of luxury, quite still except for the soft whirring of fans they could hear a tea-spoon chink, a cup grate on a saucer, a voice rise above another voice and sink again into voluptuous stillness. Out of a door marked "Circle" over the bull's-eye in each of its two folding partitions, a trim girl in a chocolate uniform with blue pipings silently emerged, glanced at the tickets, and admitted them, flashing her torch into a hot darkness lit here and there by red lamps and speared diagonally by a shaft of white light falling on the rounded oblong of the screen. "Gee baby, you're a swell kid."1 There was a murmur in the audience, and a man's face came surprisingly out of shadow as he struck a match in the lower part of the gallery. Still flashing her torch, the girl hopped in front of them down the steps of the circle, picked out a couple of vacant seats, and stood back to let them squeeze past her into the row. "Thank you," Andrew said huskily. Several faces glared at them as they sat down. "This a comedy?" Rosa took off her gloves and surveyed the dim amphitheatre in the hope of recognizing some of her acquaintances. It pleased her to be seen in the dress circle, even with Andrew. But her eyes were still unaccustomed to the obscurity. She noted that the cinema, as usual, was nearly full, and looked for the first time at the screen. Two shadowy faces, enormous on the white background, moved together and kissed.
"It isn't the big picture,"2 Andrew said. "That doesn't come on till eight-forty. You see all right?"
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She nodded. He risked no further inquiries, knowing how often she had forbidden him to talk to her in a cinema. He promised him-self that to-night he would resist that awful temptation to explain the story in a whisper when he fancied he saw the end of it. Nor would he even say: "Liking it, Rosa?" — "No bored, are you? 'Cos3 if you are we'll go out." — "It's hot stuff, isn't it?" No, he would say noth-ing and enjoy himself... Ah, this was better. Nice and warm in a cin-ema, and dark; you couldn't see anybody else, and they couldn't see you. Prefer cinemas to theatres any day.
The film ended a few minutes after they had come in. Down swung a looped curtain, pot-plants and palms leapt up under the stage apron, one row of lights and then another shed a pink radiance over the exits, in the domed roof a shower of small stars twinkled and glit-tered and three bowls flushed suddenly to ruby colour. A dozen or so of the audience got up and pushed out to the exits. Swiftly the light dimmed again. The curtain rattled back and the white oblong emerged from folds already caught by lines of flickering grey print. A draped girl swam into view and began to blow bubbles out of a long pipe. One of these expanded and expanded until it filled the whole screen. It then burst into the letters "All Next Week", which in turn dissolved and announced a film called "Mothers of Broadway" as a forthcoming attraction.4 The film seemed to have smashed all records. It drew tears from the hardest hearts. It sent thrills down the spine. It was a rapid-fire drama. It was a heart-searing tale of studio parties, million-dollar prize fights, and supercharged automobiles. It was, according to other statements that rushed out of the screen, packed with heart-throbs, tingling with reality, vibrant with love and hate — and what a story it had! "You will love it," the screen confi-dently asserted. "You must see it: the film you'll never forget." Beau-tiful blondes evidently abounded in this tale of thrill-thirsty young bloods.5 One of them, it seemed, was to find after rushing through "gaiety, temptation, and sorrow" that motherhood is the greatest of all careers. "A film that plucks the heart-strings. Bewitching Minnie Haha in the mightiest drama of Broadway."
"Not much good, I expect," Andrew said, "Hullo" — the lights dimmed and a chorus of metallic jazz broke out — "I think that's the big picture on now."
He had now a pleasant feeling that he was going to enjoy himself. There was some rare fun in this picture. That fat man with the beard — you had to laugh! First of all you saw a shelf with a basket of eggs on it, then a cat moved along, then the eggs tumbled one by
one on the man's head. Oh dear! the way he squeezed that yolk out of his eyes and staggered forward and plumped headfirst into a wa-ter-butt. And then the lean chap, coming into the corridor, didn't look where he was going and hit a cook who was marching out of the kitch-en with a tray of custards. What a mix-up. Custards all over the place. Holding his seat tight to control his laughter, Andrew wondered whether these chaps really allowed themselves to be knocked down and swamped with custards. No wonder they got big salaries if they had to put up with that kind of thing every day of their lives. Perhaps they faked some of it. Anyhow it was too funny for' words. And now here was that dog — must be a hard-worked dog, for you saw it, or another like it, in dozens of these comic films — and of course it was carrying something in its mouth. Oh yes, a stick of dynamite. Where was it going to put that? Under the fat man's bed. Andrew wriggled with enjoyment, then started and feughed gleefully^s the dialogue was cut short by a sudden loud explosion. Haha! There was the fat man with a black eye, no beard, half a collar, and no trousers. Oh, this was good! Rosa must be liking this.
What ababy he is, Rosa was thinking. You can't really be angry with him. He doesn't seem to have grown up at all. Talk about Peter Pan.6 He's just a big hulking kid. Faintly contemptuous, she watched his blunt nose and chin silhouetted in the darkness. Is he really so stupid, she wondered. Yes, I suppose he is. Oh, for heaven's sake stop that cackling! The explosion shattered its way into the half. She started.
"Good, isn't it?" he broke out, forgetful in his excitement. She"tossed her head.
"I don't see anything funny in that." "Och,7Rosa!"
His hands dropped; all the joy died out of his face and eyes. He looked so abject that she was sorry for him against her will.
"I thought — it was quite funny, you know — I mean, people laughed. I wasn't the only one. But if you don't like it — "
She tried hard, still moved by pity, to reply with gentleness, but the retort shaped itself and was uttered before she had command of it.
"I haven't your sense of humour, that's all."
Commentary
1. Gee baby, you're a swell kid: These words are coming from the screen. Gee [dgi:] is an interjection which in American English ex-presses approval.
By "the big picture"Andrew means the main film on the programme (a film-show in Britain as a rule consists of the main film usually called "the main feature" and a so-called "support film" which usually precedes the main feature).
'cos: (coll.) because
a forthcoming attraction:a film to be released in the nearfuture.
young bloods:heresociety youths
Peter Pan:the main character of "Peter and Wendy", a bookwritten by J.M. Barrie in 1911 and extremely popular in English-speaking countries. Peter Pan was a boy who never grew up and is a symbol of the sincerity and ingenuousness of childhood.
Och: interjection used in Scotland and Ireland for "oh, ah"
ESSENTIAL VOCABULARY
Vocabulary Notes
1. dim a 1) not bright, clear or distinct, shadowy; as the dim light of a candle; the dim outline of buildings in a dark night; a dim mem ory of what happened in childhood, e.g. The hall was dim in the light of a single electric-light bulb which hung down in its centre. He had a dim recollection of the stranger flinging himself upon him. 2) (of the eyes and the eyesight) not seeing clearly, e.g. The old man's sight was getting dim. Her eyes were dim with tears.
dimvt/ibecome dim, make dim,e.g.The stars in the sky dimmed; itwas getting cloudy. The light of a candle is dimmed by the sun. dimlyadv, e.g.He dimly saw figures near him.
2. foldvt/i1) bend or double one part of a thing over on itself, asto fold a letter, a newspaper, etc. 2) bend close to the body, as to fold one's arms. (i.e. cross them closely together across the chest); to fold one's hands (i.e. put them together with the fingers locking), e.g. The bird folded its wings, to fold one's arms and to fold one's hands are also used figuratively meaning to be idle. Ant. unfold vt/i 1) (of some thing that is folded) open, as to unfold a newspaper, e.g. Buds un fold in the summer. 2) reveal, disclose, as to unfold one's intentions
foldinga able to be folded, as a folding screen, bed, chair, boat;a folding door (a door consisting of two parts)
foldn a part of smth. that is folded, as a dress hanging in loosefolds.
folderna holder made of stiff paper or cardboard for loose papers-foldjsuff. of a1) two, three, etc. times as much or as many,e.g.Hepushed with tenfold force. 2) combining two or more qualities that are different, e.g. The reasons for our going to town were threefold. -fold2suff. of adv two,three, etc. times as much,e.g.The produc-
tion of steel increased fourfold.
3. flashvt/i1) send or give out a sudden bright light; (of the eyes)become brilliant or sparkling, e.g. The lightning flashed across the sky. He smiled and his fine eyes flashed in his dark face-. Syn. glitter, twinkle, flicker2) come suddenly into the mind,e.g.The idea flashedinto (through) his mind. 3) appear suddenly; move past at great speed, e.g. The express train flashed past. 4) send (light, etc.) sud-denly and quickly, as to flash a light in a person's face; to flash a smile (a glance, etc.) at someone; to flash a signal (e.g. with a lamp), e.g. His eyes flashed fire. His eyes flashed back defiance.
flash л1) a sudden burst of light or flame, as a flash of light, a flashof lightning 2) "a short, sudden feeling or an outburst of mental bril-liance, as a flash of hope (merriment, wit, inspiration, etc.) 3) a mo-ment; an instant, as in a flash
flash-lightл1) a light that flashes (e.g. as in a lighthouse)2) a small electric light or torch.
flashback л(cinemat.)recapitulation of an earlier scene,e.g.Hischaracter emerges through a set of flashbacks that show him as a boy and then as a young man.
flashya brilliant or smart on the surface but really poor or worth-less, as flashy jewelry, clothes, etc.
Word Discrimination: to flash, to glitter, to twinkle, to flicker.
Flashimplies a sudden outburst of light or a sudden display ofsomething that brilliantly reflects light.
Glitterrefers to an unsteady emission of light caused by the re-flection on transparent or bright bodies, thus a diamond glitters by the reflection of the light on it. A person's eyes may be said to glitter with fever, wickedness, greed, cunning, etc.
Twinklesuggests soft, faint and intermittent flashing, as the twinklingof the stars. A person's eyes may be said to twinkle with amusement.
Flickersuggests a light moving with an unsteady and swift mo-tion, swaying because of a sudden disturbance in the air, as the flicker of a candle.
4. squeezevt/i1) press hard, as to squeeze a person's hand 2) pressin order to get the liquid out; get out by pressing, as to squeeze
a lemon dry 3) pack tightly, e.g. He squeezed a lot of things into his suitcase. 4) press, push or force (one's way), as to squeeze (one's way) through a crowd, past somebody, e.g. Can I squeeze in?
squeezen the state of being close together as in a crowd,e.g.Weall got in, but it was a (tight) squeeze, a close (narrow, tight) squeeze a difficult or dangerous position
5. obscureо1) not easily seen; not clear or distinct; dark or dim;as an obscure view 2) difficult to understand; not clear to the mind, as an obscure poem 3) not well known, as an obscure village.
Syn. dim, vague.
obscurelyqdv, e.g.She realized obscurely that he had told her thestory to annoy her.
obscurityлthe state or quality of being obscure,e.g.He is con-tent to live in obscurity.
obscurevtdarken; hide from view, e.g. The moon was obscuredby the clouds.
Word Discrimination: dim, obscure, vague.
Dimexpresses a degree of darkness, it suggests just so much dark-ness that the things before one cannot be seen clearly.
Obscureis now more often used in its figurative sense (denotingsomething the true meaning of which is not understandable) than in its literal sense, but it is still employed when there is a suggestion of darkening by covering, concealment, overshadowing, e.g. The strange object looked obscure through the deep water.
Vaguein its physical application denotes smth. which is lackingin distinct outlines, as the vague shape of a building or a tree in the distance.
Vaguein its non-physical sense means knowledge, an idea,statement, answer, feeling, etc. lacking in clear definition either because it is too general or because it is not formulated clearly enough, e.g. He had got used to connecting her with a vague sense of the future.
We may have only a dim recollection of the appearance of a house, and only a vague idea of the district in which it is situated. A writer's ideas may be so vague as to tend to become obscure to most of the readers.
6. riskvt1) expose to the possibility of injury, loss, etc., as to riskone's neck (head, life), health, fortune, etc. 2) take the chances of, be in danger of; be willing to accept the result of (+ noun or gerund), as to risk failure, to risk being caught
riskn possibility or likelihood of meeting danger or injury, suf-fering, loss, etc.; an instance of this, e.g. There is no risk of your catch-ing cold if you wear warm clothes, ran risks, a risk, the risk (often of + gerund) expose oneself or be exposed to bad consequences, loss,etc., e.g. He didn't realize that he was running the risk of being cap-tured by the enemy. If she fails one more exam, she runs the risk of being expelled, take risks, a risk, the risk of deliberately expose oneself to danger, etc., e.g. He was a man who had made decisions and taken risks, at one's own risk accepting responsibility, e.g. Re-member, if you join the expedition, you do it at your own risk.
riskya containing risk, dangerous,e.g.It was risky for the boysto go straight into the swamp.
Note. Bear it in mind that unlike the Russian verb «рисковать» the verbto riskisnever used without an object. Thus, when speaking of a definite situation, as «Было трудно, но я решил рискнуть» we shall say either "I decided to risk it" or "I decided to take the risk". In a more general situation as «Я люблю рисковать» we shall say "I like taking risks".
temptvt1) persuade to do smth. wrong,e. g.No matter what youpromise the boy, you'll hardly tempt him to betray his friends. 2) at tract so as to make smb. do smth., e.g. It was no use offering him the book: nothing would tempt him to read poetry.
temptationn (both in good and bad senses),e. g.Clever advertise-ments are temptations to spend money. The sight of the purse on the table was a strong temptation to the thief. He could hardly resist the temptation of going there again.
temptingaattractive, as a tempting offer, a tempting apple, etc.
fancyvt 1) imagine, suppose, e.g. Can you fancy me as a teacher? 2) be under the impression that; be inclined to suppose (though not feeling certain), e.g. He fancied (that) he heard footsteps behind him. 3) like (+ поил or gerund), e.g. I don't fancy going there. 4) be lieve without sufficient reason, e.g. He fancies that he can succeed without working hard. 5) expressing surprise (in exclamatory sen tences), e.g. Fancy doing that! Fancy her saying such a thing! Just fancy! Fancy that, now!
fancyn 1) the power of calling up things to the mind,e.g.He hasa lively fancy. 2) smth. imagined, e.g. I have a fancy (a vague idea) that he will arrive late. 3) a liking; take a fancy to (a person or thing) become fond of, e.g. The child took quite a fancy to her. take (catch) a person's fancyplease or attract him,e.g.The new comedy took thefancy of the public.
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9. turnл1) the act of turning; a turning movement, as a fewturns of the handle; a turn to the right; done to a turn (of food) cooked just enough, neither underdone nor overdone 2) a change in condition, e.g. The weather took a turn for the better (worse). 3) a time, occasion or opportunity for doing something, esp. some thing done by a number of people one after the other, e.g. It's your turn to read now. in turn one after another; out of turn not,in the usual order; before or after the time appointed or usual, e.g. You mustn't speak out of (your) turn. There was a long queue at the box -office but he cut out of turn, take turns work alternatively, e.g. We shall take turns at looking after the child, 4) an action regarded as affecting someone, e.g. He once did me a good (bad) turn (i.e. a service, disservice). One good turn deserves another (i.e. if you help me I should help you in return). 5) a tendency ordisposition; a cast of mind; an aptitude, e.g. He is of a mechani cal turn (i.e. interested in, clever at using machinery). He has a gloomy turn of mind. 6) (coll.) a shock; an unpleasant surprise, e.g. The news gave me quite a turn.
10. dissolve[di'zolv]vt/i1) change or cause to change from
a solid to a liquid state (c/. melt which implies the use of heat),
e.g. Sugar dissolves in water. Dissolve the salt in water. Note: The
Word Discrimination: fake, forge.
Fakediffers fromforgein not necessarily implying a criminalpurpose, e.g. He faked a story to amuse his friends. But He faked an old manuscript to sell it for a large sum of money.
Forgealways implies a criminal purpose (to forge a cheque, a sig-nature, a banknote, etc.).
Forgery n, forger n
faken 1) a worthless thing that is represented as being smth. it isnot; maybe used attributively, as a fake picture 2) a person that rep-resents himself as someone he is not. Syn. fraud.
Fakediffers fromfraudin not necessarily implying dishonesty, fora fake may be a joke, or a theatrical device (e.g. Actors use fakes in-stead of real swords), or it maybe dishonesty (e.g. This testimony is clearly a fake).
Fraudalways refers to wilful deception and dishonesty(e.g.Hegot money by fraud) or to a person who cheats or a thing that deceives (e.g. This hair-restorer is a fraud, I'm as bald as ever I was!).