Carrie goes to a department store

The extract is taken from "Sister Carrie" by Th. Dreiser, a well-known American writer (1871-1945). Carrie, a young provincial girl, comes to Chicago and is greatly attracted by the pleasures the big city offers. Shopping is one of them. Drouet,* her friend, is to meet her at the ready-made clothes department.

* Drouet [dru:'eI].

Carrie reached Dearborn Street. Here was the great Fair store with its crowds of shoppers. She thought she would go in and see. She would look at the jackets.

She paused at each article of clothing. How pretty she would look in this, how charming that would make her! Carrie stopped at the jewellery department. She saw the ear-rings, the bracelets, the pins, the chains.

But the jackets were the greatest attraction. When she entered the store, she already had her heart fixed on a jacket with large mother-of-pearl buttons. The cut was all the fashion that fall*. She said to herself there was nothing she would like better.

* fall: autumn in the American Variant of English.

Here she saw Drouet who was coming up to her smiling.

"Let's go and look at the jackets," he said as if he had read her thoughts.

When Carrie got the jacket in her hand, it seemed so much nicer. The saleswoman helped her on with it. It fitted perfectly. It was just her size, not a bit loose. She looked guite smart.

Carrie turned before the glass. She could not help feeling pleased as she looked at herself. It was so becoming.

"That's the thing," said Drouet. "Now pay for it."

"It's nine dollars," said Carrie, after she had asked the saleswoman how much it was. She took out one of the bills and gave it to the cashier.

From there they went to a shoe department where Carrie tried on some shoes. Drouet stood by and when he saw how nice they looked, said: "Wear them."

Then Drouet advised her to buy a purse made of leather, a pair of gloves and Stockings.

Carrie thought that she would come the next day and buy herself a skirt to match the new jacket.

(After "Sister Carrie" by Th. Dreiser)

TEXT 2

Shopping

Mother: Pete, we've run out of vegetables and we've hardly any bread in the house. You know, now it's your turn to go to the greengrocer's and to the baker's.

Pete: Oh, bother? Why do we have to go shopping so often?

Mother: The day before yesterday it was Nelly who did all the shopping. She went to the grocer's and to the butcher's.

Pete: Did she? But, Mother, girls are so fond of shopping. Let Nelly do it today as well.

Mother: Oh, you've been a lazy-bones ever since you were born! It's so difficult to make you go anywhere.

Pete: D'you want to make me a model boy, Mum?

Mother: I'd like to. Take that bag and don't grumble. Buy a cabbage, a pound of onions, half a pound of carrots and a loaf of bread. Here is the money and don't forget the change.

Pete: Did I ever forget it?

Mother.: I don't say you did. But you are so absent-minded.

Pete: (sighing): My teacher says the same.

Mother: I expect you to be back in half an hour.

Pete: All right. I'll do my best.

Vocabulary notes

department store n универсальный магазин

ready-made clothes/clothes department отдел готовой одежды; footwear, millinery, knitted goods, leather goods, textiles hosiery, haberdashery, cosmetics (departments) отделы: обувь, головные уборы, трикотаж, кожгалантерея, чулки-носки, галантерея, косметика

pretty adj хорошенький; Syn. good-looking, beautiful; handsome (usually about men]

cut n покрой, е. g. The saleswoman assured Eliza that the cut of the coat was fashionable, cut (cut, cut) vt резать; proverb: Cut your coat according to your cloth.

fashion n мода; Syn. style, e. g. Take this coat. It's the latest fashion (style), in fashion в моде, е. g. Such shoes are in fashion now. out of fashion не в моде, е. g. This cut is out of fashion now, fashionable adj e. g. Alice has gone shopping and is sure to buy a fashionable hat. old-fashioned adj, e. g. I don't like old-fashioned furniture.

to help smb. on with smth. помочь надеть что-л.; to help smb. off with smth. помочь снять что-л.

become (became, become) vt/i идти, быть к лицу, е. g. Idon't think it's very becoming. Compare the use of the verbs to become (in the meaning «быть к лицу»), to fit, to match, to go with, to suit, fit vt сидеть, годиться, быть впору, е. g. The dress fits her like a glove. match vt подходить no цвету, тону, e. g. She is going to buy a hat to match her new coat, go with vi подходить (по фактуре, стилю), соответствовать, e. g. That cardigan does not go with a silk skirt, suit vt подходить, соответствовать, идти к лицу (is the most general term), e. g. The costume suits her. She looks smart in it.

size n размер, е. g. What size shoe(s) do you wear? What size glove(s) do you wear? What size clothes do you wear?

loose adj широкий, свободный; to be loose on smb., e. g. The frock's a bit loose on me. Ant. tight: to be tight on smb., e. g. The coat is tight on him. The shoes are tight on me.

How much is it? What is the price of...? What does it cost? Сколько это стоит? The expressions are used only in the process of shopping. Compare the use of tenses in the following situation: "I bought a new hat yesterday." "Really? How much was it?" ("What was the price?")

cashier n кассир; cash-desk n касса. Note other English words corresponding to the Russian word «касса»: box-office at the theatre; booking-office at a railway station

to try on smth. примерять что-л.

wear (wore, worn) vt 1. носить, быть одетым в..., е. g. Не always wears a grey hat. Kitty was wearing, a lovely pink dress that night. Syn. to be dressed in smth.; to have smth. on, e. g. She was dressed in a light summer frock. She had a light summer frock on. 2. vi носиться (о платье, материи и т. д.) е. g. Does that material wear well?

advise vt советовать, e. g. The teacher strongly advised him to work more at the language laboratory, advice n совет; Pay attention to the use of the noun advice which is uncountable, e. g. We got so much good advice from him. Compare it with the Russian word «совет» which is countable. The following English uncountable nouns also correspond to Russian countable nouns: knowledge, money, weather, hair, work, information, news.

made of... сделанный из..., as made of leather, wood, etc.

to run out of smth. истощить свой запас, е. g. We've run out of sugar. У нас кончился сахар.

to have hardly any, e. g. We've hardly any bread in the house. У нас почти не осталось хлеба дома.

turn n з д. очередь; in turn по очереди, е. g. Speak in turn, please. I can't understand you when you are talking together. Note the translation of the Russian combination «стоять в очереди за чем-либо» - to stand in a queue (line) for something.

the greengrocer's овощной магазин

the baker's булочная, e. g. I met her at the baker's yesterday, the grocer's магазин «Бакалея»; the butcher's мясной магазин. Note also the names of some other shops: provision shop продуктовый магазин; fishmonger's рыбный магазин; fruit-shop фруктовый магазин; confectionery кондитерская; dairy молочная; supermarket магазин самообслуживания; shopping centre торговый центр

Oh, bother! Какая досада!

It was... who (that), e. g. It was Nelly who did all the shopping. Это Нелли сделала все покупки. The word combination it is (was)... who (that) is used to emphasize the subject.

to do shopping, to go shopping делать покупки, е. g. Boys don't like to do shopping. Mary likes to go shopping in the morning, when there are fewer people.

as well adv также; Syn. too, also, e. g. Everybody was eager to go sightseeing. Ann wanted to see the town as well.

model adj образцовый, е. g. Tom Sawyer hated the model boy because he was so good, model n образец, модель, е. g. Sentences must be formed according to this model.

sigh vi вздыхать; sigh n вздох

expect vt ожидать, предполагать, полагать, думать; е. g. I expect a letter any day now. Everybody expects he will come tomorrow, Syn. to wait ждать. Whom are you Waiting for? I am waiting for a friend of mine. Note that wait refers to physical activities (e. g. to sit and wait) while expect denotes supposition, looking forward to smth.

Поиск по сайту: