IV. What was characteristic of the town and its people?

Under the crisp [krɪsp] blue sky even Blaenelly proved beautiful. The promise of spring seemed to scent /sent/ the soft breeze blowing across the mountains where vague /veɪɡ/, streaks /striːks/ of green defied /dɪˈfaɪd/ the dominating, heaped /hiːpt/, and quarried [ˈkwɒrɪd] ugliness [ˈʌɡlɪnəs]. Blaenelly was likely primitive and isolated [ˈaɪsəleɪtɪd], entombed [ɪnˈtuːmd] by the mountains. This town was known to be with no places of amusement [əˈmjuːzmənt], not even a cinema. Blaenelly appeared to have only its grim mine, its quarries [ˈkwɔrɪs] (каменоломня) and ore /ɔːr/ works, its string of chapels /ˈtʃæp.əls/ and bleak /bliːk/ rows /rəʊs/ of houses. Andrew found it a queer /kwɪər/ and silently contained community. He was likely to be becoming acclimatized to this strange town. People turned out also strange. Andrew thought them so alien to himself, feeling stirrings [ˈstɜːrɪŋ] of affection towards them with the exception of the tradesfolk [ˈtreɪdz], the preachers [ˈpriːtʃə], and a few professional people, which were all directly in the employment of the Company. At the end and beginning of each shift, the quiet streets would suddenly awake, re-echoing [ˈɛkəʊɪŋ] to steelshod footfalls, unexpectedly alive with an army of marching figures. The clothing, boots, hands, even the faces of those from the haematite [ˈhiːmətaɪt] (красное железо) mine proved to bear a bright red powdering of ore dust. The quarrymen [ˈkwɒrɪ] preferred wearing moleskins with pads and gartered [ˈɡɑːtəd] knees. (Рабочие каменоломен носили молескиновые комбинезоны, подбитые ватой и в коленях перехваченные подвязками) The puddlers must have been conspicuous in their trousers of blue twill. (Пудлинговщиков легко было узнать по ярко-синим штанам из бумажной рубчатой ткани.) They liked the idea of speaking little, and much of what they said was in the Welsh tongue. They had the air of being a race apart [əˈpɑːt] in their self-contained aloofness [əˈluːfnəs]. Yet they seemed a kindly people. Their enjoyments must have been simple, being found usually in their own homes, in the chapel halls [ˈtʃæp(ə)l] (в Англии любой христианский храм, кроме англиканского и католического), on the foreshortened [fɔːˈʃɔːt(ə)n] Rugby [ˈrʌɡbɪ] football ground at the top of the town. Their prevailing [prɪˈveɪlɪŋ] passion must have been a love of music. They liked listening to not the cheap melodies [ˈmɛlədɪ] of the moment, but stern [stɜːn] (наводящий тоску), classical music. Walking at night along the rows [raʊs] (улицам), it was common for Andrew to hear the sound of a piano coming from one of these poor homes such as a Beethoven sonata [səˈnɑːtə] or a Chopin prelude [ˈprɛljuːd], beautifully played, floating [ˈfləʊtɪŋ] through the still air, rising to these inscrutable [ɪnˈskruːtəbl] (недостижимый)mountains and beyond.

V. Which of the following words may be referred to Mrs. Page? What is your attitude towards her?

According to Andrew’s opinion, Mrs. Page was sure to mean. I can prove it with the following episode. Andrew was eager to do his utmost [ˈʌtməʊst] to please her. There seemed to no limit to her demands [dɪˈmɑːnds]. Her attitude whether of suspicion or jollity [ˈdʒɒlɪtɪ], was sure to be always designed to get the last ounce [aʊn(t)s] out of him and to give as little as possible in return. His first month’s pay happened to have already three days overdue. Perhaps, it must have been an oversight upon her part, but one, which had worried and annoyed him considerably. Andrew was sure the matter lay in the forefront [ˈfɔːfrʌnt] of her mind. Siting in the green plush armchair, she liked the idea of counting twenty [paʊnd] pound notes slowly into Manson’s hand. As she approached the end of the bundle [ˈbʌndl] she went slower and slower, her sly [slaɪ] black eyes twinkling [ˈtwɪŋklɪŋ] ingratiatingly [ɪnˈɡreɪʃɪeɪtɪŋlɪ], and when she came to eighteen, she preferred stopping altogether and gave a self-commiserating /kəˈmɪz.ə.reɪt/ little gasp [ɡɑːsp]. Hardly had Mrs. Page asked to keep the odd two for luck when he simply silent. the situation must testify to her meanness and cupidity [kjʊˈpɪdətɪ]. He believed her to be abominable as Andrew must have known that practice was paying her handsomely [ˈhæn(d)səmlɪ]. In my opinion, she was too greedy for money to pay back his dirty shillin’s and his coppers. Judging by that episode, I can characterize Mrs. Page as an avid [ˈævɪd] and avaricious [ˌævəˈrɪʃəs] woman as when she was counted out the money from her bulging [ˈbʌldʒɪŋ] purse [pɜːs], her eyes were likely to be shapping [ˈʃɒpɪŋ] at him.

I consider Mrs Page illiterate.