Under the high trees

It was six o'clock when Ben Smith, dreadfully tired, arrived home from the school where he was a teacher. He had had a lot of work and trouble that day. He dreamed of a quiet evening at home. June, his wife, met him at the door smiling radiantly. She asked Ben to be quick with his supper and change after that. She said she had got everything arranged and they would go to the theatre.

Only then did Ben remember it was the very night that had been settled for their going out. So June was realizing her dream. He envied his daughter Penny, a sixteen-year old girl, who said she would stay indoors and watch television. But suddenly he was sorry for June who got too little entertainment even at week-ends.

It was already past seven when they started for the theatre. The weather was unusually nasty. Ben's nose and feet were cold. After 20 minutes a number 64 bus stopped. They got on, but the seats were full. Unfortunately the bus conductor told Ben to get off as only seven people could stand in the bus. Ben did so forgetting that his wife had got the tickets.

It was pouring now. The road was wet and there was a hole in his shoe. Luckily he got on the next number 64 bus soon enough and found a seat. Ben shut his eyes. When he opened them again, the bus was past the theatre. It was still raining as he walked back to it feeling unhappy. Over the doors were the words, "Under the High Trees".

The man at the door said he could not let him in without a ticket. Ben was about to leave when a girl behind the ticket-office window said: "Are you Mr. Smith? Your wife left your ticket with me."

Ben squeezed to his seat in the dark, stepping on people's feet. He asked June what the play was about. She whispered she could not understand much as one actor, an old man, spoke very quietly, and the other, a young man, spoke very quickly.

As soon as the play was over, they ran out. There were no buses and it was raining. They waited and waited and their clothes got wetter. At last Ben lost his patience and shouted: "Taxi!"

A passing taxi stopped. Ben pushed his wife in.

"Two pounds," said the driver when they arrived.

"What?"

"After ten o'clock in the evening the fare is higher."

Unwillingly Ben paid the driver. Besides all the trouble it turned out to be too expensive for them.

"Did you watch television, Penny?" Ben asked his daughter.

"Yes," she said. "You can't imagine how brilliant the play was."

"What was the name of it?" asked Ben as he picked up his cup of coffee.

"Under the High Trees" was the answer. Ben Smith put his cup of coffee on the kitchen table and went slowly upstairs to bed.

TEXT 2

At the seaside

Mrs. Hilton: It's much fresher here than in London.

Mr. Hilton: Yes, it was so stuffy in the train with the carriage so crowded, I hate trains and buses.

Mrs. Hilton: It's all over now. Look? Alice and Roger have gone further along. They've chosen a nice place.

Mr. Hilton: Yes, there are fewer people there.

Mrs. Hilton: How quick the young people are! They are already in their bathing-suits lying in the sun.

Alice: Isn't the water cold?

Roger: It is, and you are certainly afraid to come into the water, you coward.

Mrs. Hilton: Stop teasing your sister, Roger. I am sick and tired of your quarrels. Let me have a minute's rest.

Roger: Sorry, Mum. I'll be as good as gold. Wait for me, Alice, I'm coming too.

Alice: Quick! I'm already in the water.

Roger: I'll catch up with you easily. You splash about too much with your feet.

Alice: I'm not such a strong swimmer as you. Oh, I've got a mouthful cf salt water.

Roger: You shouldn't swim with your mouth open.

Alice: I feel a bit chilly. I'd rather swim ashore and lie on the sand.

Roger: I'll join you in a moment after I dive off that raft.

Vocabulary notes

be tired after устать от, е. g. They were tired after having practice in hearing and pronunciation. If you are tired of London, go down to the sea. be tired (of) надоесть; be sick and tired надоесть до смерти; е. g. I am sick and tired of this noise.

a lot (of) много. The following word combinations are all translated into Russian with the word «много». Mind their usage and the way prepositions are used: a great deal (of), a good deal (of) are used with uncountable nouns, e. g. He spends a good (great) deal of time at the language laboratory. She plays the piano a good (great) deal, a great number of, a great many are used with countable nouns, e. g. There is a great number of old newspapers in the desk. I saw a great many needles in the working-basket, a lot of, plenty of are used both with countable and uncountable nouns, e. g. There is a lot (plenty) of fruit in the shop today. There are a lot (plenty) of tooth-brushes on the shelf. He knows a lot.

Mind the way of strengthening the meaning of the given word combinations: He knows a lot more than you think. I can tell you a great deal more on the subject.

get everything arranged все уладить, приготовить, е. g. Robert and Tom got everything arranged for their excursion.

very adj тот самый, е. g. At that very moment Mrs. Hilton told them that it was high time for everybody to go to bed. He is the very person we want to see.

settle vt улаживать, решать; назначать, определять, е. g. It was not difficult to settle the question. Syn. decide vt/i решать, е. g. She decided to leave Nick at home.

realize vt 1. представлять себе; понимать, осознавать. Syn. understand (understood, understood) vt, e. g. The man was very quiet. He didn't realize the danger. 2. осуществлять, реализовать, е. g. The plan was hard to realize (fulfil). But: It's necessary to understand the rale before doing this exercise. I don't understand why he has left.

indoors adv дома; out-of-doors на улице; indoor games: chess, draughts, lotto, dominoes, etc.; outdoor games: football, golf, cricket, hockey, etc.

Mind the stresses in the following word combinations: 'indoor ' games, but to 'stay in' doors;' out-of-' doors.

watch television (TV) смотреть телевизор, e. g. The Leonovs bought a TV-set and invited the neighbours to watch TV. to see (watch) the TV programme смотреть телевизионною передачу, e. g. I'm sorry you didn't see the TV programme on Sunday evening. It was really interesting.

week-end n Sunday, with parts of Saturday and sometimes of Monday, as a period of rest or as a holiday. Mind the use of prepositions: to do something at the week-end, to go somewhere for the week-end.

start (for some place) vt/i 1. отправляться, пускаться в путь, е. g. The family started for the railway station. 2. Начинать что-л., e. g. The machine started working.

unusually adv необычно, e. g. He thought that Jane looked unusually pretty that day. Ant. usually обычно, e. g. He usually takes a cold shower at 8 o'clock, as usual как обычно, е. g. He took off his coat and hung it on the hook as usual.

to feel (look) unhappy (happy, bad, chilly, etc.) чувствовать себя (выглядеть, казаться) несчастным (счастливым), чувствовать себя (выглядеть) плохо, чувствовать озноб, but to feel (look) well чувствовать себя (выглядеть) хорошо, е. g. Не always feels happy when he comes to his native town. She felt chilly and swam ashore. Ann looked surprisingly beautiful in her black dress. John looked well in spite of his illness.

to be about to собираться сделать что-л., е. g. They were about to leave the house when the telephone bell rang.

besides adv кроме того; beside prp около, возле, е. g. X. is a wonderful singer and a good pianist besides. There was a house beside the river.

expensive adj дорогой, e. g. The hat is too expensive, I can't buy it. Syn. dear (разг.), е. g. Isn't the toy dear? Ant. cheap дешевый, e. g. The cheapest things cannot be very good.

at the seaside у моря, на взморье

Note: shore n берег моря, океана, озера, as the shore of the Black Sea; bank n берег реки, as the bank of the Moskva river; coast n побережье, as the coast of France; the Black Sea coast; beach n пляж, e. g. Robert and his Grandpa sometimes spent their time on the beach.

as good as gold золотой, примерный (о поведении, о нравственных качествах)

to catch up (with smb.) догонять, е. g. It's easy to catch up with him, he is walking slowly. Mary was afraid that she would not be able to catch up with the group after her illness.

to splash about брызгаться, плескаться

I'd rather (I would rather) я пожалуй, я предпочел бы, е. g. I'd rather swim ashore.

Compare: You'd better (You had better) вам бы лучше, е. g. You'd better go now = It would be better for you to go now.

Exercises

I. a) The material below is to be prepared for reading. Mark the stresses and tunes. b) Let your fellow-student read this exercise for you to detect his errors in sounds and tell him what must be done to eliminate them:

[i:] 1. Please believe me. Please leave me in peace.

2. Extremes meet.

3. Seeing is believing.

4. A friend in need is a friend indeed.

5. A sailor went to sea

To see what he could see.

But all he could see

Was sea, sea, sea.

6. If all the seas were one sea, what a great sea that would be.

II. Before you start working at the text practise the sounds in the following word combinations:

A. 1. [aI] -smiling, realizing, behind, wife, arrived.

2. Loss of plosion: and trouble, that day, asked Ben, got too little, walked back.

3. Alveolars replaced by dentals: when they, in the bus, and there, at the door, as the play, said the driver, in the evening, that was the end, was the answer.

B. 1. Loss of aspiration: s Ù top teasing, you s Ù plash.

2. No glottal stop: all Ù over, swin Ù ashore, dive Ù off.

III. 1. a) Listen to the recording of the text "Under the High Trees". Mark the stresses and tunes. b) Practise the text for test reading. Listen to the text very carefully until you can say it in exactly the same way.

2. a) Listen to the recording of the dialogue "At the Seaside". Mark the stresses and tunes. b) Practise the dialogue for test reading. Listen to the text very carefully until you can say it in exactly the same way. c) Memorize the dialogue and dramatize it.

IV. Transcribe the following words and practise their pronunciation:

dreadfully, radiantly, arranged, week-end, squeeze, enough, quietly, patience, unwillingly, expensive;

carriage, both, further, bathing-suit, coward, tired, mouthful, ashore, moment, raft.

V. Transcribe the following sentences; mark the stresses and tunes and picture them on the staves:

1. "I can speak Japanese," he said. 2. "India is in the South of Asia," the pupil answered. 3. "Does he come from South America?" John asked. 4. "Have you come from Bulgaria?" I asked him. 5. Besides, he is a good sportsman. 6. To tell you the truth, I dislike him. 7. As far as I know, she is married. 8. The students, of course, knew the professor. 9. As a rule, I am free in the evening.

VI. a) Answer the following questions:

1. Why was Ben Smith so dreadfully tired when he carne home? 2. Why was June smiling radiantly? 3. What kind of dream was June realizing? 4. What was Penny's idea of spending that evening? 5. Why did Ben envy his daughter? 6. What do you think of Ben's attitude towards June? 7. What can be said about the weather? 8. Why did Ben have to get off the bus? 9. How did it happen that Ben went past the theatre? 10. Why didn't the man at the door let Ben in? 11. Who saved the situation at that moment? 12. Was it easy for Ben to find his seat? Why? 13. Why did Ben and June find it difficult to understand the plot of the play? 14. Why did Ben decide to take a taxi on their way back? 15. Why did the journey turn out to be rather expensive? 16. What struck Ben when he talked to his daughter about watching TV?

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