Harry potter and philosopher’s stone
CHAPTER TWO
The vanishing glass
I. Vocabulary to the chapter:
fateful ['feItS(q)l] a – роковой
mantelpiece – каминная полка
rap [rxp] v – слегка ударять
bag-punching ['bxg"pAntSIN] n – тренировка в ударах по подвесной груше (бокс)
knobbly ['nPblI] a – шишковатый, бугристый, бугорчатый
wolf [wVlf] v – заглатывать (пищу) с жадностью
slug [slAg] n – слизняк, слизень
frantically ['frxntIk(q)lI] adv – неистово, бешено, безумно
scrawny ['skrO:nI] a – амер. разг. костлявый, тощий, сухопарый
shear [SIq] v – (sheared [-d]; sheared, shorn) резать; срезать; сбривать
hoodlum ['hu:dlqm] n – амер. разг. хулиган, громила
snigger ['snIgq] v – хихикать, посмеиваться
slither ['slIDq] n – разг. скатываться, соскальзывать
whine [waIn] v – ныть, хныкать; скулить
budge [bAdZ] v – (в отрицательных предложениях) шевелиться
shuffle ['SAf(q)l] v – брести, плестись
jab [dZxb] v – толкать, ударять кулаком
waddle ['wPdl] v – ходить вразвалку; ковылять
II. Give Russian equivalents to the given words and phrases:
fateful news
shrill voice
not to mention …
to hold together with a Sellotape
nasty grin
any funny business
it was just no good telling he didn’t make them happen
to laugh oneself silly
to shrink in the wash
concrete floor
Harry could have sworn
to keep saying
to collapse into a chair
to sneak to the kitchen
baggy old clothes
III. Are the statements true or false?
Privet Drive had much changed, since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step.
Harry was Dudley’s favorite punch-bag.
When Harry woke up, he could remember he had seen a dream where a giant man was riding a flying motorbike.
Not to ask questions was the most important rule at the Dursley’s house.
Harry used to wear Dudley’s old clothes, who was four times bigger then he was.
Dudley’s tantrum began due to the lack of presents.
Mrs Figg pretended she had broken her leg because she didn’t want Harry to stay at her house.
That was Harry’s first time at the zoo.
Harry put a spell on the front glass of the boa constrictor’s tank and it vanished.
Harry’s punishment was to stay at his cupboard until they fell asleep.
IV. Understanding characters:
To really understand a character’s role in a story, it helps to look at the character from several angles. When you’re asked to describe or analyze a character, think SADR, which stands for these ways of looking at a character:
Speech: What does the character say? What does this tell you about the character?
For instance, Vernon Dursley “yelled at five people” at work. This is a clue that he can be unfriendly and that he doesn’t really care about other people’s feelings. On the other hand, Professor Dumbledore said many things that showed he was kind and understanding of different people. What are two examples of things he said?
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Action: What does the character do? What does this tell you about the character?
For instance, Hagrid brings Harry to Professor Dumbledore on a flying motorcycle. This is a clue that he is a little bit wild.
Dudley starts in Chapter One with prodding and poking at Harry. What are two other things he does that show what kind of person he is?
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Description: What does the author say about the character? What does that description tell you about the character?
Example: Albus Dumbledore is described as “tall, thin and very old.” He also rummages through his cloak and laughs softly when he sees the cat (who is Professor McGonagall). This tells you that he has a sense of humor and might be a bit absent-minded.
Your turn: Professor McGonagall is described rather differently, as a “rather severe-looking woman” whose “black hair was drawn into a tight bun,” who Albus Dumbledore thought sat “so stiffly.” What kind of teacher do you think she would be?
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Reactions of others: How do other characters in the story react to this character?
For instance, Professor McGonagall asks Albus Dumbledore a lot of questions about what has happened. She clearly thinks he knows a lot, and when Professor Dumbledore asks her to, she uses Voldemort’s name, even though she doesn't really want to, showing that Professor Dumbledore is a well-respected person. How does Professor McGonagall react to Hagrid? What does this tell you about him?
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Conflict
What are two conflicts Dudley and Harry have in this chapter?
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Inferences: What’s going to happen?
Often an author will give you a hint about what’s going to happen. In Chapter Two, when Harry is at the zoo and has just enjoyed the ice cream that wasn’t good enough for Dudley, we read that “Harry felt, afterward, that he should have known it was all too good to last.” This is a hint that the good doesn’t last, and that what is about to happen will end up being bad. What was it, and why was it bad?
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