Study the list of English verbs and group the ones close in meaning matching them with the Russian verbs. Comment upon the difference in their meanings.

Exercise 15

 

I. Imagine that your mother gives you a shopping list, which you see below. Think in what shops you can buy these things and put the names of items in the graphs of the chart.

             

dairy shop	butcher's	baker's	fishmonger's	grocer's	greengrocer's
0.5 kg of cheese a drum of margarine a tin of condensed milk a 0.5 kg pack of sour cream 0.2 kg of butter	1 kg of pork 0.3 kg of ham a large chicken	a loaf of brown bread biscuits	1 large cod 2 medium-sized herrings a tin of sardines in oil	a bottle of vinegar a bag of flour	3 lemons 2 kg of potatoes 1 small cabbage a bunch of radishes

 

Exercise 16

 

I. Match the phrases in the left column with the words in the right column.

1. a bottle of            A. jam

2. a packet of           B. parsley

3. a drum of             C. toothpaste

4. a cake of              D. cleanser

5. a carton of           E. juice

6. a jar of                 F. chocolates

7. a tin of                 G. eggs

8. a tube of              H. honey

9. bunch of              I. sugar

10. a box of             J. soap

11. a tub of              K. luncheon meat

 

II. Think and say what else can be sold in cartons, bunches, etc.

 

a bottle of:                                        a drum of:

soda                                                                    ghee

wine                                                         olive oil

beer                                                                    water

a carton of:                                            a bunch of:

yoghurt                                                   grapes

juice                                                                    bananas

milk                                                           flowers

a packet of:                                      a jar of:

tea                                                            peanut butter

pasta                                                        pickles

rice                                                            coffee

a tin of:                                                    a box of:

tuna                                                                     sweets

olives                                                       cereal

beans                                                       cornflakes

Exercise 18

Exclude from the lists below products which cannot be sold as pre-prepared, frozen, dried, tinned.

pre-prepared	frozen	dried	tinned
garlics steaks fish fillet potatoes tomatoes	cherries onions turkey bread spaghetti	bananas fish meat ham plums	flour pork peaches lettuce tuna

 

Exercise 19

 

Read the text and reconstruct the family situation. Write it down.

 

 

       Aubrey is a middle-aged woman whose history of marriage is sad but typical for most of women.

       When she and bob first married it was idillic and promising. He was handsome, smart and energetic and had a brilliant sense of humor. They loved each other so ardently, so sincerely. Not long after the wedding Aubrey got pregnant and this made their affection to each other even stronger.

       But the birth of their firstborn became a breaking point. Bob asked her to leave her work and become a housewife so she could care about their home and child. She had agreed and so her days of constant cooking, washing, cleaning and baby caring started. Even being exhausted, she has noticed that Bob spends all of his spare time sitting in front of TV in his favorite undershirt.

       Next year their second child was born and this made situation even worse. More costs for Bob and less spare time for Aubrey. No wonder Aubrey became more exhausted and Bob became more irritated. He started to drink beer on weekends and to gain weight. Still, she believed that was temporary difficulties.

       But one misfortune comes on the neck of another and next year Aubrey gave birth to a third child. It was the time when the situation reached its climax. They could barely afford themselves to buy a normal food because of the children. By the way, children were very naughty and capricious. Bob became overweight and lazy and what was the worst he started to cheat on Aubrey. She knew about it and tried to lose some weight to make herself more attractive to Bob, but with no effect. When she had reached the boiling point she even had a thought of murdering Bob and his lover, but she knew she had no guts to do such a thing.

       So she chose to live this life for her children, hoping for the best and making everything possible so they would not make her mistakes.

Exercise 21

 

I. Read the following passages and try to say something about people's families, homes, lifestyles.

 

Body language can tell a stranger a lot about one's personality, so can the fruits of one's shopping expedition.

Yesterday I observed a beautiful young lady. While her little daughter begged unsuccessfully for a bun, she was carefully choosing a shampoo, hair conditioner and bath perfume. Then she picked up a couple of cinema magazines and went to the check-out.

I looked down into her trolley and shuddered: three gallons of milk, 3 loaves of bread, four chickens, a mountain of baby-food jars, cakes and pies.

I especially like to observe male shoppers. I don't mean househusbands dutifiilly checking items off a list. I prefer a gourmet who knows the real taste of things: imported cheeses, exotic spices, a whole leg of lamb, early asparagus.

I felt hostility flowing from the woman standing behind me in the supermarket check-out queue. Had I cut in front of her? She was glaring into my basket. I quickly surveyed my selections to see what could be generating such hostility. Let's see: two bottles of champagne, a lovely avocado, a pound of shrimp, and a quart of purified water.

 

1. Young lady is a housewife, who has to cook a lot for her family so she has bought a lot of food. She has capricious daughter and a baby, who needs baby food and a husband who is working hard to provide his family. Still, she remains feminine and takes care of herself carefully choosing hygiene products. Probably she interested in cinema, as she buying some magazines about it. Her house is ordinary and small but cosy and she likes it pretty much.

2. A gourmet surely is an interesting interlocutor with a wide varieties of topics to discuss. He has a wife who shares his interests. He probably has a hobby like collecting something. He has a well-paid job, that allow him to buy expensive and delicious food. His house's appearance fully reflects his good taste – it's spacious, vintage and luxurious.

3. An author is a bachelor and he has invited someone to a romantic dinner. Most likely, he is a gourmet with a passion to delicacy seafood and fruits. He is living in an apartment, not in a house and it is pretty well furnished.

 

II. Fancy what one can see in a shopping basket of:

 

1) a bottle of milk, a loaf of bread, a carton of tea, frozen beef, chicken or pork, bunch of carrots, onion, cucumbers, tomatoes, a bag of potato, cat food, a carton of cereal, some household chemicals

2) carton of eggs, packet of sausages, a lot of noodle boxes, a bottle of beer, some bread, frozen pre-prepared food, a lot of different snacks, a pack of cigarettes

3) a chicken, a bottle of fatless milk, a lot of apples, broccoli, asparagus, celery, a pack of cottage cheese, a loaf of grain bread, a lot of yoghurts

4) spices, a chicken, a leg of pork, a bag of potato, a pack of coffee, a head of cheese, a packet of bacon, a box of rice, a box of mushrooms

5) a bottle of wine, a cake, a bag of potato, a turkey, a box of chocolates, a carton of tea, a packet of sliced cheese, a lemon, a box of pizza

Exercise 27

 

Match the English idioms in the left columnn with their Russian equivalents in the right column.

1. to put a hole in one's pocketbook           А. любой ценой

2. to go to pot                                             В. сбыть с рук

3. to go for a song                                       С. ни за какие деньги

4. at all costs                                               D. обойтись в копеечку

5. to jack up the price                                 Е. вылететь в трубу

6. to flood the market                                 F. пойти за бесценок

7. to feather one's nest                                G. быть не по карману

8. not for love or money                             Н. платить втридорога

9. to cost a pretty penny                             I. нагреть руки

10. to pay through the nose                        J. наводнить рынок

11. to get something off one's hands          К. набить цену

○ TEXT

The Three Fat Women of Antibes

(Extract from the story by S. Maugham. Abridged)

One was called Mrs. Richman and she was a widow. The second was called Mrs. Sutcliffe; she was American and she had divorced two husbands. The third was called Miss Hickson and she was a spinster.

They were great friends, Miss Hickson, Mrs. Richman and Arrow Sutcliffe. It was their fat that had brought them together' and bridge that had cemented their alliance. They would have been independent of anyone else if they had not needed a fourth at bridge.² It was for this reason that Frank* invited Lena Finch to come and stay with them at Antibes. They were spending some weeks there on Frank's suggestion. She proposed then that they should take a house at Antibes, where they could get plenty of exercise — everyone knew that nothing slimmed you like swimming. With a cook of their own they could at least avoid things that were obviously fattening. The plan worked very well.

* Frank — Frances Hickson

 

But the fourth at bridge continued to be the difficulty. One morning when they were sitting in pyjamas on the terrace, drinking their tea (without milk or sugar), Frank looked up from the letters.

'Lena Finch is coming down to the Riviera,' she said. 'What about asking her to come here for a fortnight?'

'Does she play bridge?' asked Beatrice*.

* Beatrice — Mis. Richman

 

'You bet your life she does,'³ boomed Frank in her deep voice. 'And a damned good game too. We should be absolutely independent of outsiders.'⁴

It was settled. And three days later Lena Finch arrived. Frank met her at the station. She was in deep mourning for the recent death of her husband. Lena was not, however, unduly depressed. Frank introduced the stranger to her two friends and they sat down in what was known as the Monkey House. It was crowded with chattering people, who were seated at the tables having drinks. The conversation was gay and easy, and presently they strolled back to the villa for luncheon.

In each napkin were two little antifat rusks. Lena gave a bright smile as she put them by the side of her plate.

'May I have some bread?' she asked.

The grossest indecency would not have fallen on the ears of those three women.⁵ Not one of them had eaten bread for ten years.

Frank, the good hostess, recovered herself first.

'Of course, darling,' she said and turning to the butler asked him to bring some.

'And some butter,' said Lena in that pleasant easy way of hers.

There was a moment's embarrassed silence.

'I don't know if there's any in the house,' said Frank, 'but I'll inquire'.

The butler brought a long crisp roll of French bread. Lena slit it in two and plastered it with the butter, which was miraculously produced.⁶

A grilled sole was served. The rest of the luncheon consisted of lamb cutlets, with the fat carefully removed, and spinach boiled in water, with stewed pears to end up with, Lena tasted her pears and gave the butler a look of inquiry. That resourceful man understood her at once and though powdered sugar had never been served at that table before handed her without a moment's hesitation a bowl of it. She helped herself liberally.⁷ The other three pretended not to notice. Coffee was served and Lena took three lumps of sugar in hers.

'You have a very sweet tooth,' said Arrow in a tone which she struggled to keep friendly.⁸

But human nature is weak. You must not ask too much of it. They ate grilled fish while Lena ate macaroni sizzling with cheese and butter; they ate grilled cutlets and boiled spinach while Lena ate pate de foie gras;⁹ twice a week they ate hard-boiled eggs and raw tomatoes, while Lena ate peas swimming in cream and potatoes cooked in all sorts of delicious ways. The chef was a good chef and he leapt at the opportunity afforded him¹⁰ to send up one dish more rich, tasty and succulent than the other.

The butler disclosed the fact¹¹ that he could make half a dozen kinds of cocktail and Lena informed them that the doctor recommended her to drink burgundy at luncheon and champagne at dinner. The three fat women persevered.

Lena was going to stay with friends on the Italian Riviera and Frank saw her off by the same train as that by which she had arrived. When she turned away from the departing train she heaved such a vast sigh of relief¹² that the platform shook beneath her.

She passed through the Monkey House, looking about her to say Good morning to anyone she knew, and then stopped dead still.¹³ Beatrice was sitting at one of the tables, by herself.

'Beatrice, what are you doing?' she cried in her deep voice. Beatrice looked at her coolly.

'Eating,' she answered.

In front of Beatrice was a plate of croissants and a plate of butter, a pot of strawberry jam, coffee and a jug of cream. Beatrice was spreading butter thick on the delicious hot bread, covering this with jam, and then pouring the thick cream overall.

The tears welled up to Frank's eyes. Suddenly she felt very weak and womanly. Speechless she sank down on a chair by Beatrice's side. A waiter came up. With a pathetic gesture she waved towards the coffee and croissants.

'I'll have the same,' she sighed. In a moment the waiter brought her croissants, butter, jam and coffee.

'Where's the cream, you fool?' she roared like a lioness.

She began to eat. She ate gluttonously. The place was beginning to fill up with bathers. Presently Arrow strolled along. On her way she caught sight of Frank and Beatrice. She stopped. She could hardly believe her eyes.

'My God!' she cried. 'You beasts. You hogs.'

She seized a chair. 'Waiter.' In the twinkling of an eye the waiter was at her side.

'Bring me what these ladies are having,' she ordered.

Frank lifted her great heavy head from her plate.

'Bring me some pate de foie gras,' she boomed.

The coffee was brought and the hot rolls and cream and the pate de foie gras. They spread the cream on the pate and they ate it. They devoured great spoonfuls of jam. They crunched the delicious crisp bread voluptuously. They ate with solemn, ecstatic fervour.

'I haven't eaten potatoes for twenty-five years,' said Frank in a far-off brooding tone.

'Waiter,' cried Beatrice, 'bring fried potatoes for three.' The potatoes were brought. They ate them with their fingers.

'Bring me a dry Martini,' said Arrow.

'Bring me a double dry Martini,' said Frank.

'Bring three double dry Martinis,' said Beatrice.

They were brought and drunk at a gulp.

'I wonder if they've got any chocolate eclaires,' said Beatrice.

'Of course they have.'

And of course they had. Frank thrust one whole into her huge mouth, swallowed it and seized another, but before she ate it she looked at the other two and plunged a vindictive dagger into the heart of the monstrous Lena.¹⁵

'You can say what you like, but the troth is she played a damned rotten game of bridge, really.'

'Lousy,' agreed Arrow.

But Beatrice suddenly thought she would like a meringue.

Comprehension Check

1.What were Mrs. Richman, Mrs. Sutcliffe and Miss Hickson?

2.Why did they need the fourth person in their company?

3.Where were they staying and why?

4.What did, Frank suggest one morning?

5.How did Lena Finch and the ladies meet?

6.Where did the ladies go from the Monkey House?

7.What terrified the ladies at luncheon?

8.What did the ladies have for luncheon?

9.How did Lena's dishes and the ladies' food differ during her stay?

10.What kind of talents did the chef and the butler disclose?

11.How did Lena and Frank part?

12.When did Frank stop dead still?

13.What was Beatrice eating?

14.What did Frank suddenly do?

15.How did Arrow react when she saw the two ladies eating?

16.What else did the ladies order?

17.Did the ladies eat calmly or not?

18.What was Frank's revenge upon Lena like?

 

Exercise 1

I. Pick out from the text words and expressions denoting:

 

a) food,

little antifat rusks,some bread, some butter, a long crisp roll of French bread, plastered it with the butter, a grilled sole was served, the luncheon, lamb cutlets with the fat carefully removed, spinach boiled in water, stewed pears, powdered sugar, three lumps of sugar, have a very sweet tooth, grilled fish, macaroni sizzling with cheese and butter, grilled cutlets and boiled spinach, pate de foie gras, hard-boiled eggs and raw tomatoes, peas swimming in cream, potatoes cooked in all sorts of delicious ways, to send up one dish more rich, tasty and succulent than the other, a plate of croissants, a plate of butter, a pot of strawberry jam, a jug of cream, spreading butter thick on the delicious hot bread, covering this with jam, pouring the thick cream overall, brought her croissants, butter, jam and coffee, ate gluttonously, some pate de foie gras, the hot rolls, spread the cream on the pate, devoured great spoonfuls of jam, crunched the delicious crisp bread voluptuously, ate with solemn, ecstatic fervour, haven't eaten potatoes, bring fried potatoes for three, ate them with their fingers, any chocolate eclaires, thrust one whole into her huge mouth, a meringue

 

b) drinks,

drinking their tea, without sugar, milk, having drinks, coffee was served, half a dozen kinds of cocktail, to drink burgundy at luncheon, champagne at dinner, coffee was brought, a double dry Martini, drunk at a gulp

 

c) adjectives used to describe dishes. Try to explain their meaning in English or translate them into Russian.

crisp –  хрустящий,

rich - богатый, густой, жирный

tasty - вкусный, лакомый

succulent - сочный, мясистый 

delicious - восхитительный, очень вкусный

           

       II. Pick out from the text:

 

a) all phrases used to denote quantities of foodstuffs

two little antifat rusks, some bread, some butter, a long crisp roll of French bread, a bowl of sugar, three lumps of sugar, a plate of croissants, a plate of butter, a pot of strawberry jam, a jug of cream, some pate de foie gras, spoonfuls of jam,

 

b) all words used to denote the ways food may be cooked

grilled, boiled, stewed, powdered, hard-boiled, raw, fried

Exercise 2

 

Find in the text words or phrases similar in meaning to the following. Read aloud the sentences containing them.

To make someone thinner - slimmed; juicy and delicious - succulent; food making people fat easily - fattening; to drink – having drinks; to cut into two parts - slit in two; to put something on one's plate; to put butter on top; to like sweet things – to have a very sweet tooth; to use hands when eating – to eat with fingers; to eat noisily- voluptuosly; to eat fast - gluttonously, swallowing large quantities – thrust one whole into mouth.

Exercise 5

 

Find the English equivalents to the following Russian phrases.

A.

Сухарик – little rusk; пить напитки – having drinks; положить рядом с тарелкой – put by the side of the plate; длинный батон с хрустящей корочкой – a long crisp roll; разрезать пополам – slit in two; попробовать (о пище) – taste; удалить жир – remove the fat; положить побольше – help liberally; подать кофе – serve the coffee; быть сладкоежкой – to have a very sweet tooth; вкусно приготовленный; повар – the chef; намазывать масло толстым слоем – to spread butter thick; жадно есть – to eat gluttonously; обжора - glutton; принести то же, что у кого-либо – bring the same; поглощать – to devour; ложка варенья – spoonful of jam; грызть с хрустом – to crunch; принести три порции жареной картошки – bring fried potatoes for free; есть руками – to eat with fingers; выпить одним глотком – drink at a gulp; засунуть целиком в рот – thrust whole into mouth.

В .

Скрепить союз – cement the alliance; по этой причине – for this reason; по предложению – on suggestion; всё шло по плану – the plan worked very well; широко улыбнуться – give a bright smile; прийти в себя – recover yourself; неловкое молчание – embarassed silence; появиться чудесным образом – miraculously produce; человек слаб – human nature is weak; ухватиться за предоставленную возможность – leap at the opportunity afforded; вздохнуть с облегчением – heave a sigh of relief; сидеть в одиночестве – sit by yourself; выразительный жест – pathetic gesture; не верить глазам – hardly believe eyes; в мгновение ока – in the twinkling of an eye.

Exercise 6

 

Put in the missing prepositions looking for help in the text.

1. It was strange that a quiet restaurant round the comer was crowded with people at this late hour.

2. Young people just starting their life always want to be independent of their parents.

3. The teacher said the phrase in a tone which could not be misinterpreted.

4. The boys were so hungry that they did not notice the forks lying by the sides of their plates and started eating the fish with their fingers.

5. The hostess wanted to introduce a new chef to all the other cooks in the restaurant.

6. Something was wrong with the lady's health and so spicy dishes were never served at her table.

7. The girl gave up dieting and ordered two cakes without a moment's hesitation.

8. The news fell on my ears like a bolt from the blue.

9. The English certainly know how to eat buns: they slit them in two, plaster with butter, and put jam and cream on top.

10. At the sound all the readers in the reading-room immediately lifted their heads from their books.

11. You should spread pate on butter, then your sandwich will taste better.

12. In the restaurant we ordered salad, steaks, fried potatoes and ice-cream for three.

13. In Great Britain they never drink whiskey or vodka at a gulp; they sip it.

14. When we were seated at the tables, I suddenly caught sight of my old friends passing by.

Exercise 7

 

Complete the sentences and expand on them.

1. It was their fat that had brought them together and the bridge that strenghted their bind.

2. They were spending two weeks there on Frank's suggestion as she offered them to stay at Antibes.

3. Nothing slimmed you like swimming and physical exercises.

4. She was in deep mourning for the recent demise of her beloved husband.

5. In each napkin were two little rusks that helps to reduce body fat.

6. There was a moment's embarrassed silence and nobody could say a single word.

7. A grilled sole was served. The rest of the luncheon consisted of  defatted cutlets made from the meat of young lamb, and boiled spinach, and stewed pears without sugar.

8. You have a very sweet tooth and you can get the diabetes in your future.

9. The chef was a good chef and he couldn’t miss the chance to show his cooking skills and to make dishes more rich, succulent and tasty.

10. 'Beatrice, what are you doing?' she cried loudly in her deep voice.

11. The tears welled up to Frank's eyes. Suddenly she felt very weak and womanly and sank on the chair, incapable of saying something,

12. 'I'll have the same,' she sighed. In a moment the waiter brought her order with a smile on his face.

13. Presently Arrow strolled along. On her way she caught sight of Frank and Beatrice who was sitting at the table, eating gluttonously.

14. The coffee was brought, and the hot rolls and tasty cream and delicious pate de foei gras.

15. The potatoes were brought. They ate them with fingers, chomping loudly and splattering the sauce around.

16. Frank thrust one whole into her huge mouth, furiously chewed, swallowed and grabbed another.

Exercise 1

Discussion points.

1. Why could none of the three fat women slim on her own? Why did all of them need company?

That was because they had not enough power of will. They needed a company to support each other.

2. Did the three fat ladies have good table manners? Prove your point.

It could seem that they have good table manners, but after Lena had left them, they started to act like a savages at the table, eating food with their fingers, devouring and thrusting it whole in their mouths. 

3. Did Lena ruin the fat women's plan on purpose or by chance?

I guess that was not on purpose. Maybe that was the way she tries to overcome stress from her husband’s demise.

4. Do you think that human nature is weak?

Of course it is. But each person has his own weaknesses.

5. Why did the three fat women give way to their feelings?

They’ve got sick of her eating all of the tasty food.

6. What do you think of the last remarks of the ladies about Lena's bridge playing?

That was said not out of malice, but for getting themselves completely satisfied.

 

Exercise 11

Study the list of English verbs and group the ones close in meaning matching them with the Russian verbs. Comment upon the difference in their meanings.

 

пожирать - to gobble (up), to devour, to hog

глотать - to swallow, to bolt, to gulp

жевать - to munch, to chew

грызть - to crunch, to champ, to gnaw

откусывать - to nibble at something, to bite

Exercise 17