Topic: appearance and character

Ex. 1. Read and translate the passage.

This is an extract from Somerset Maugham’s story “The Lotus Eater”. The writer describes his first impressions of a man called Thomas Wilson.

Though his teeth were not very good his smile was attractive. It was gentle and kindly. He was dressed in a blue cotton shirt and a pair of grey trousers, much creased and none too clean, of a thin canvas, and on his feet he wore a pair of very old espadrilles. The get-up was picturesque, and very suitable to the place and the weather but it did not at all go with his face. It was a lined, long face, deeply sunburnt, thin-lipped, with small grey eyes rather close together and tight, neat features. The grey hair was carefully brushed. It was not a plain face, indeed in his youth Wilson might have been good-looking. He wore the blue shirt, open at the neck, and the grey canvas trousers, not as though they belonged to him, but as though, shipwrecked in his pajamas, he had been fitted out with odd garments by compassionate strangers. Notwithstanding this careless attire he looked like the manager of a branch office in an insurance company, who should by rights be wearing a black coat with pepper-and-salt trousers, a white collar and an unobjectionable tie.

Ex. 2. Answer the questions.

1. Guess what kind of man Thomas was according to the description made by the author.

2. Was he a rich man? How can you prove it?

3. All in all does the author consider him to be attractive?

4. What would your first impression be of a man described by the author?

5. How does the author give attitude to the man? Does he like him?

Ex. 3. Translate some phrases from English into Russian. Explain the meaning of the following phrases using the English – English dictionary.

Much creased, a pair of very old espadrilles, a lined long face, thin-lipped, neat features, the grey canvas trousers, shipwrecked in his pajamas, odd garments, compassionate strangers, an insurance company, an unobjectionable tie.

Topical vocabulary

General: appearance, to look like, to take after smb., a character, a trait, hereditary traits/acquired traits, a split personality, a characteristic feature, to look one’s age.

The human body: attractive, impressive, good-looking, pretty, repulsive, charming, ugly, lovely, common, beautiful, plain, nice, usual, handsome, slim, solid, delicate, spare, stocky, neat, graceful, stooping, to hold one’s body upright, feeble, vigorous, frail, well-made, shapeless, lithe, clumsy, superb, ordinary, lean, fat, slight, stout, plump, slender, short, middle-sized, to be of medium height; shoulders: broad, round, narrow, to be slim at the waist; leg: long, short, slender, crooked, shapely; finger: a thumb, a forefinger, a middle finger, a ring finger, a little finger; hair: auburn, golden, red, fair, blond, chestnut, silver, grey, jet-black, brown, dark, a mop of hair, thick, thin, straight, bald, rumpled, wavy, dishevelled, tangled, silky, crisp, curly; face: oval, square, round, wrinkled, freckled, dark, fair, florid, pale, sallow, swarthy, sunburnt, with a mole; features of face: clear-cut, delicate, striking, regular, vague, coarse, sharp, soft; forehead: broad, narrow, high, low, domed, retreating; nose: aquiline, hooked, snub, straight, turned up, pointed; lips: full, thick, thin, well-cut, compressed, parted, painted; teeth: even, uneven, close-set, sparse, perfect, large, artificial; jaw: square, strong, long; cheekbones: high, wide, hollow, with dimples, ruddy, pale, rosy (pink), rouged, stubby; chin: double, protruding, massive, pointed, decided, firm; eyes: blue, brown, hazel, dark, bulging, wide-set, close-set, deep-set, pale, full and blood shot, sunken; eyebrows: straight, bushy, arched, thin, pencilled, well-marked, shaggy; eyelashes: straight, thin, thick, short, long, curving; ear: an earlobe, lop-eared; eyelids: heavy, drooping, swollen with tears.

Innate qualities: active, inert, sleepyhead, slowpoke, cheerful, bore, amiable, nuisance, sullen, calm, irritable, peevish, composed, short-tempered, neat, sloven, defiant, yielding, obedient, easy-going, sensitive, callous, touchy, emotional, sober-minded, (ir)rational, trustworthy, superstitious, ambitious, arrogant, boastful, capricious, complacent, proud, conceited, self-assured, self-confident.

Powers of mind: broad-minded, narrow-minded, quick-witted, slow-coach, bright, dull, wise, silly, intelligent, stupid, ignorant, talented, gifted, ordinary, simple-minded, ignoramus, well-read, shallow, blunt, sluggish, genius.

Volitional powers: coward, brave, feeble, courageous, timid, cautious, fearless, fearful, hesitant, doubtful, obstinate, stubborn, submissive, persistent, resolute, wavery, strong-willed, weak-willed, flexible, independent.

Man and other people: (un)fair, faithful, frank, honest, suspicious, false, (un)reliable, double-faced, trustful, sociable, hot-tempered, jealous, snobbish, harsh, tender, strict, cruel, good-natured, firm, kind, wicked, friendly, mean, selfish, moral, honorable, polite, tactful, tough, mild, reserved, sly, haughty, harsh, sincere, respectful.

Man and property: greedy, open-hearted, stingy, frugal, thrifty, intemperate, generous, wasteful.

Man and his work: (ir)responsible, careless, casual, conscientious, attentive, diligent, indifferent, hard-working, industrious, lazy, idle, sloppy, distracted, unskilled, dedicated, committed, punctual, incompetent, disciplined, awkward.

Emotional states: calm, anxious, nervous, quiet, glad, happy, joyful, gloomy, grim, miserable, disappointed, frustrated, pleased, displeased, to be in a good(bad) mood, enthusiastic, low and sad, passionate, hopeful, hopeless, delighted, agitated, cool, placid, elated, inspired, distressed, sorrowful, cheerful.

Idiomatic expressions: to control/keep/hold one’s temper; to fly/get into a temper = to lose one’s temper, good nature, ill nature, out of temper (with smb. or smth.), to put smb. out of temper, to be quite a character, to recover/regain one’s temper.