Making an Apology

to go to one's work; to go by bus; the rush hour; to be packed; to manage; to get inside; to close the doors; accidentally; to step on smb's foot; to say "Excuse me" ("I beg your pardon"); to hear "It's all right".

Ex. 54. Tell the story of each picture, using the words and phrases given below.

It's the same fellow who did the walls in our flat!

Ex. 55 Subjects for oral and written composition.

1. Tell the story as if it were told by a) Lautisse; b) Gerston; c) Mrs. Gregg; d) a newspaper reporter; e) one of the businessmen who had arrived to buy the fence.

2. Give character-sketches of a) Mr. Gregg; b) Mrs. Gregg; c) Lautisse.

3. Explain how it happened that a plain garden fence was sold for a work of art.

4. Write up the story as it might have appeared in the newspapers under the headline: LAUTISSE PAINTS AGAIN.

5. Tell a story to illustrate the English saying "The game is worth the candle" (Игра стоит свеч).

6. A painting that has impressed me.

7. A visit to a one-man exhibition of painting.

8. The life story of a great painter.

9. The Russian school of painting.

10. Modern Soviet painting.

11. The dangers of "modernism" in art.

Lesson Four

Text: Conversation (from "My Family and Other Animals" by Gerald Durrel!¹)

Grammar: Subjunctive Mood (contd.)

The use of the subjunctive mood in "as if" clauses, in an object clause after the verb "wish", in a subject clause after "It's high time..."

Conversation

As soon as we had settled down and started to enjoy the island,² Larry³ wrote to all his friends and asked them to come out and stay. The fact that the villa was only just big enough to house the family had not occurred to him.

"I've asked a few people out for a week or so," he said casually to Mother one morning.

"By all means, dear," said Mother unthinkingly.

"I thought it would do us good to have some intelligent and stimu­lating company⁴ around."

"I hope they're not too highbrow⁵, dear," said Mother.

"Good Lord, Mother, of course they're not; just extremely charming, ordinary people. I don't know why you've got this fear about people being highbrow."

"I don't like the highbrow ones," said Mother sadly. "I'm not high­brow, and I-can't talk about poetry and things. But they always seem to imagine, just because I'm your mother, that I should be able to dis­cuss literature with them. And they always come and ask me silly ques­tions just when I'm in the middle of cooking."

"I don't ask you to discuss art with them," said Larry, a little illtemperedly, "but I think you ought to try to hide your awful taste in literature. I fill the house with good books and I find your bedside table piled with cookery books, gardening books, and the most unpleasant-looking mystery stories. I can't think where you pick these things up."

"They're very good detective stories," said Mother. "I borrowed them from the doctor."

Larry gave a short, angry sigh and picked up his book again.

"You'd better let the Pension Suisse⁶ know when they're coming," Mother remarked.

"What for?" asked Larry surprised.

"So they can reserve the rooms," said Mother equally surprised.

"But I've invited them to stay here," Larry pointed out.

"Larry! You haven't! Really you are most thoughtless. How can they possibly stay here?"

"I really don't see what you're making such a fuss about," said Larry coldly.

"But where are we going to sleep?" said Mother, very much upset in her mind. "There's hardly enough room for us, as it is. You'll just have to write to those people and put them off."

"I can't put them off," said Larry, "they're on the way."

"Really, Larry, you are the most annoying person. Why on earth⁷ didn't you tell me before? You wait until they're nearly here, and then you tell me."

"I didn't know you were going to treat the arrival of a few guests as if it were a catastrophe," Larry explained.

"But, dear, it's so silly to invite people when you know there's no room in the villa."

"I do wish you'd stop fussing," said Larry; "there's quite a simple solution to the whole matter."

"What?" asked Mother suspiciously.

"Well, since the villa isn't big enough, let's move to one that is."

"Don't be ridiculous. Whoever heard of moving into a larger house because you've invited some friends to stay?"

"What's the matter with the idea? It seems a perfectly sensible solu­tion to me; after all, if you say there's no room here, the obvious thing to do is to move."

"The obvious thing to do is not to invite people," said Mother.

"I don't think it's good for us to live like hermits," said Larry. "I really invited them for you. They're a charming crowd. I thought you'd like to have them. Liven things up a bit for you."

"I'm quite lively enough, thank you," said Mother. "How many have you invited?"

"Oh, just a few... two or three... They won't all be coming at once. I expect they'll turn up one by one."

"I think at least you might be able to tell me how many you've invited," said Mother.

"Well, I can't remember now. Some of them didn't reply, but that doesn't mean anything... they're probably on their way and thought it was hardly worth letting us know. Anyway, if you plan for seven or eight people I should think that would cover it."

"You mean, including ourselves?"

"No, no, I mean seven or eight people as well as the family."

"But it's absurd, Larry; we can't possibly fit thirteen people into this villa, with all the good will in the world."

"Well, let's move then. I've offered you a perfectly sensible solu­tion. I don't know what you're arguing about."

Larry gave her a hurt look, and picked up his books. There was a long silence, during which Larry calmly read his book.

"I wish you wouldn't just lie there," Mother said at last. "After all, they're your friends. It's up to you to do something."

Larry put down his book.

"I really don't know what you expect me to do, "he said. "Every sug­gestion I've made you've disagreed with."

"If you made sensible suggestions I wouldn't disagree."

"I don't see anything ridiculous in anything I suggested."

"But, Larry, dear, do be reasonable. We can't just rush to a new villa because some people are coming. I doubt whether we'd find one in time, anyway. We are not moving to another villa," said Mother firmly; "I've made up my mind about that."

She straightened her spectacles, gave Larry an angry look, and walked off towards the kitchen, expressing determination in every inch.

The new villa was enormous...

NOTES

1. Gerald Durrell was born in Jamshedpur, India, in 1925. A well-known zoologist, director of the Jersey Zoological Park founded by him in 1958. He has written a number of books describing his animal-collect­ing expeditions to different parts of the world. His book "The Over­loaded Ark", "The Drunken Forest", "The Whispering Lad", "Three Tickets to Adventure" and others have been translated into many lan­guages, including Russian. "Conversation" is a chapter from "My Family and Other Animals" (1967) giving a humorous picture of the life of the Durrell family (mother, daughter and three sons) on the Greek island of Corfu (1934—1939).

2. the island of Corfu

3. Larry: Lawrence Durrell, Gerald's eldest brother, now a well-known English writer, the author of "Bitter Lemons", "Justine" and other books.

4. company: in the sense of "companionship" общество, компания (людей) it is uncountable, e.g. We're having company tonight. У нас сегодня гости. The Browns are excellent company. Брауны очень при­ятные люди (собеседники).

5. highbrow: persons with intellectual, literary and artistic tastes and interests superior to those of most people заумный

6. Pension Suisse (Fr.): the local hotel

7. on earth (coll.): in "Why (how, etc.) on earth...?" it is used to strengthen the interrogative words.

VOCABULARY

occur vi 1. случаться, происходить When did the accident occur? 2. приходить на ум (в голову) Such an idea never occurred to me. It occurred to me that I could phone him. Didn't it ever occur to you to talk to him about it?

intelligent a умный, разумный, смышленый, понятливый an in­telligent person (answer, look, etc.); intelligence n ум, интеллект; смышленость, быстрое понимание

charming а очаровательный, прелестный a charming girl (smile, house, place, etc.); charm n чары, обаяние, очарование

ordinary а обычный, заурядный, простой an ordinary person (day, job, dress, etc.)

fear n страх, боязнь, опасение Не had no fear of (about) anything or anybody. Phr. for fear of из боязни, боясь She never travels in a car for fear of an accident. He did not speak for fear of making a mis­take. fear vi/vt бояться; опасаться We feared for his health. They feared the worst. She feared that she might miss the train.

temper n 1. нрав, характер a good (sweet, bad, uncertain, etc.) tem­per; to be ill- (bad-, quick-, etc.) tempered быть раздражительным, вспыльчивым и т.п. 2. настроение, расположение духа to be in (a) good (bad) temper; Phr. lose (one's) temper выйти из себя; keep (con­trol) one's temper сдерживать себя

ought to (usage similar to "should") (модальный глагол, указываю­щий на долженствование, моральный долг, упрек) должен, следует I think I ought to help them. He ought not to have spoken to her like that.

pile n груда, куча; кипа a pile of books (paper, clothes, etc.); pile vt сваливать, складывать в кучу

borrow vt брать в долг, занимать to borrow books (money, etc.) from smb

equal а равный, одинаковый equal parts (sides; rights, etc.) He has no equal in chess, unequal а неравный; (in)equality n (не) равенство; equally adv равно, в равной степени to be equally good (clever; sur­prised, interested, etc.) He knows French and English equally well.

fuss n суета; суетливость (из-за пустяков) What is all this fuss about? Phr. make a fuss (about smth/ of smb) суетиться, волноваться (из-за чего-л, вокруг кого-л); fuss vi суетиться, волноваться (по пус­тякам); fussy а суетливый, беспокойный (о человеке) to be fussy about one's health (children, clothes, food, etc.)

room n (lit. & fig.) место, пространство There is room enough for everybody here. There is no room for doubts. Phr. make room (for smb) потесниться, подвинуться, освободить место Не moved to make room tor two more people.

annoy vt раздражать, надоедать Не annoyed us with his silly ques­tions. She was annoyed with the child, annoyance n раздражение, до­сада, неприятность; annoying а раздражающий, докучающий an an­noying person (habit, etc.)

treat vt обращаться с (кем-л), относиться к (кому-л/чему-л) to treat smb well (badly, kindly, with attention, etc.); to treat smb as a child (friend, stranger, etc.); to treat smth lightly (seriously, etc.) He treated my words as a joke. treatment n обращение, обхождение

as if =as though conj как если бы Не looks (looked) as if he were ill.

suspect vt подозревать I suspect (that) they know all about our ar­rangement. Phr. suspect smb of smth (doing smth) подозревать кого-л в чем-л; suspicion n подозрение to be under (above) suspicion быть под подозрением (вне подозрения); suspicious а подозрительный, вызы­вающий подозрение a suspicious look (character, etc.); to be suspicious of smb относиться к кому-л с подозрением

since conj так как, поскольку Since he is absent we'd better put off the discussion.

sense n 1. чувство; ощущение The five senses are sight (зрение), hearing (слух), smell (обоняние), taste (вкус) and touch (осязание). Phr. a sense of duty (humour, proportion, etc.) чувство долга (юмора, меры и т.п.) 2. смысл, значение; благоразумие There is much (little, no, etc.) sense in his words (in what he says; in discussing the question now, etc.); What's the sense of doing that? Phr. common sense здравый смысл She showed a lot of common sense. Talk sense говорить по су­ществу дела You'd better listen to him, he is talking sense. The telegram did not make sense, sensible а (благо)разумный a sensible man (idea, suggestion, solution, etc.); sensible advice (words, etc.) senseless а не­благоразумный, бессмысленный

include vt включать; заключать, содержать в себе Не was includ­ed in the delegation. The price for the goods includes packing.

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