II. Answer the following questions:

1. When did it happen?

2. Where did two friends live?

3. What were their names?

4. What was Stevenson by profession?

5. His life was very difficult, wasn’t it? Why?

6. One day Stevenson decided to go to Liverpool, didn’t he? Why?

7. Did Stevenson receive the job?

8. What was Black by profession?

9. Did Stevenson’s story impress him?

10. Why did Black decide to go to Mexico one day?

11. Going to Mexico Black decided to follow Stevenson’s example, didn’t he?

12. What happened to Black in Mexico? Did he get the job there?

13. Why did the manager refuse Black?

14. What do you think of the manager? He had made a mistake in his job, hadn’t he? What did he do wrong?

III. Say what you have learned about:

1. Stevenson and the way he got the job.

2. Black and his problems.

3. Ways of getting a new job.

4. The manager in Mexico.

IV. Express your opinion upon these points, say whether you agree or you don’t agree with these statements:

1. Stevenson couldn’t find a job because he hadn’t any profession.

2. Stevenson had read an advertisement in a newspaper and sent his documents to apply for the job.

3. Stevenson did the right thing going to Liverpool himself.

4. As for Black, he was a well-to do person and had no problems.

5. Black didn’t want to go to Mexico, that’s why he sent his documents by post and stayed at home waiting for the answer.

6. The assistant-manager and the manager were wrong, because they didn’t ask the man’s name and didn’t speak to him.

7. In Black’s story the end isn’t happy, because the man was too shy and modest and he didn’t try to make the people at the bank listen to him.

Text 3

1. Read and translate the story.

A transaction

Mr. Boggis was dealing in antique¹ furniture and had his own shop. When customers came to his shop he showed them round it so that they could see the whole range of his goods.

Mr. Boggis was a talented salesman: he could buy furniture at a very low price and sell it at a price several times higher. He bought furniture from people in the country who didn’t know the value of antique furniture.

One Sunday Mr. Boggis was delighted to find a very old commode² by a famous carpenter³. There were only four commodes of this kind. Other salesmen had sold the three commodes at an extremely high price, and that was the fourth.

It was a nice piece of furniture with beautiful legs⁴.

Mr. Boggis wanted to buy the commode but he did not want to show Mr. Rummond who had the commode that it was of great value.

Mr. Boggis said, “Well, the commode doesn’t look beautiful. I can’t compare it with the others that I already have. Besides, it’s not the original, it’s a copy of a commode by a well-known carpenter. I’ve just remembered that I could use its legs for some other furniture, but I can’t buy the whole commode just for the legs.”

“How much could you give for the commode if you are interested in the legs?” asked Mr. Rummond.

“Shall we say 20 pounds? That will be quite reasonable.”

“Make it 35.”

“I can’t offer you a higher price, this is my final offer!”

“I’ll take it”, Rummond said. “It’s yours. How are you going to take it?”

“In my car. I’ve left it not far from here.”

Mr. Boggis walked to his car to get it nearer to the door. He was smiling to himself. The commode was his for 20 pounds and he could get 15 or 20 thousand pounds for it later.

In the house Mr. Rummond discussed the transaction with his son Bert.

“You did very well”, Bert said, “Do you think he will pay you?”

“We shan’t put it into the car till he pays us the money.”

“The commode is very big and what if it doesn’t go in the car? He’ll go away and you’ll never see him or his money again. Besides, he didn’t like it very much.”

“I can’t say he did.”

“Listen to me, father. I’ve got an idea. He told us that he wanted only the legs. Right? So all we’ve got to do is to cut them off right now before he comes back. Then the commode will go in his car. Besides, he won’t have to cut them off at home himself.”

“It’s not a bad idea”, Rummond said.

After they had cut off the legs Rummond thought that the commode was still big for Mr. Boggis’s car and he was afraid that Mr. Boggis would not take it. So he decided to cut the commode itself into several pieces. It was very difficult to do it and Rummond said, “That was a very good carpenter who did the job.”

“We are just in time”, Bert said, “Here he comes.”

(After “Parson’s pleasure” by R. Dahl)

Notes

¹antique – антикварный

2. a commode – комод

3. a carpenter – столяр

4. a leg – ножка комода (зд.)

2. Answer the following questions:

1. What was Mr. Boggis dealing in?

2. Mr. Boggis was a talented salesman, wasn’t he? Why?

3. Why did he buy furniture from people in the country and not in the city?

4. What was Mr. Boggis delighted to find one Sunday?

5. What did Mr. Boggis say to Mr. Rummond in order to buy this piece of furniture at a low price?

6.How much money did Mr. Boggis pay Mr. Rummond?

7.How much money did he hope to get for the commode later?

8. Mr. Boggis was supposed to have a very profitable transaction, wasn’t he?

9. Who gave a good idea to cut off the legs of the commode?

10.Was the idea really good from your point of view?

11.Do you think Mr. Boggis was glad when he saw the commode without legs?

12.Could this story have a better end if Mr. Boggis had been truthful with his customer?

13.Do you think it was a good lesson for the salesman?

14.Will Mr. Boggis take the commode after Mr. Rummond had cut it into several pieces? Why do you think so?

15.Do you think Mr. Boggis will be able to sell the commode?

3. Complete these sentences, using the text:

1. Mr. Boggis was dealing in ...

2. He was a talented salesman, because ...

3. The salesman bought furniture from people in the country, because ...

4. One day Mr. Boggis was delighted to find ...

5. He hoped to buy it at ... and sell at ...

6. Mr. Boggis didn’t tell Mr. Rummond about ...

7. The salesman lied to the customer telling ...

8. But the commode was very big and ...

9. Mr. Rummond’s son Bert had a good idea ...

10. The salesman was very unhappy when he saw...

4. Retell the text.

Text 4