Questions and tasks. Chapter 1. (Track 2 Disk 1 - track 12 Disk 1)

(From the beginning till the words “The sycamore leaves whispered in a little night breeze”).

I. Listen to the introductory episode and find the English equivalents for the expressions in bold type: (words marked * are explained in Vocabulary Notes)

A few miles south of Soledad*, the Salinas River* drops in close to* the hillside bank and runs deep and green. The water is warm too, for it has slipped twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight before reaching the небольшая заводь. On one side of the river the golden foothill slopes curve up to the strong and rocky Gabilan mountains*, but on the valley side the water is lined with trees— ивы fresh and green with every spring, carrying in their lower leaf junctures the debris of the winter’s flooding; and платаны with mottled, white, recumbent limbs and branches that arch over the pool. On the sandy bank under the trees the leaves lie deep and so crisp that a lizard makes a great skittering* if he runs among them. Rabbits come out of the brush to sit on the sand in the evening, and the damp flats are covered with the night tracks of ‘coons, and with the spread pads of dogs from the ranches, and with the split-wedge* tracks of deer that come to drink in the dark.

There is a path through the willows and among the sycamores, тропа, протоптанная мальчишками coming down from the ranches to swim in the deep pool, and beaten hard by бродягами who come wearily down from the highway in the evening to найти пристанище у воды. In front of the low horizontal limb of a giant sycamore there is an ash pile made by many fires; the limb is worn smooth by men who have sat on it.

Answer the question:

1) Steinbeck is regarded a master of description. What images does he create to make the scene so picturesque?

II. Listen further (till the words: “I bet it was more than four miles. Damn hot day”) and offer the English equivalents for the following words and phrases:

1. раздался звук шагов среди шуршащих листьев платанов

2. цапля

3. на тропинке появились двое людей

4. вышли на поляну

5. они шли один позади другого

6. джинсовые брюки и куртки с медными пуговицами

7. за плечами у них были спальные мешки

8. идти, волоча ноги

9. не размахивать руками

10. опустился на землю

11. почти врезался в него

12. пил большими глотками, фыркая как лошадь

13. попей вволю

14. котомка/узелок

15. стоячая (грязная) вода

16. проточная вода

17. пить горстями

18. сточная канава

19. мрачно

20. в двух шагах

Answer the questions:

1. How did the main characters (Lennie and George) appear? Where did they come from?

2. What did they look like? Did they resemble each other in appearance? How do their looks characterize them?

3. Describe what they were doing at the water.

4. What were they talking about? Were they in a good mood? Why?

III. Listen to the excerpt “Lennie looked timidly over to him. “George?”………… “Awright. You got that. But we’re gonna sleep here because I got a reason.” Say whether these statements are true or false:

1. Lennie forgot where he and George were going to.

2. Lennie lost his work-ticket.

3. George had something in his pocket.

4. It was Lennie who killed the mouse.

5. Now at last Lennie knew their destination.

6. The two men were going to work on a ranch in Wede.

7. George told Lennie to keep his mouth shut when they got a new job.

8. George was happy to have Lennie by his side.

Pay attention to some more expressions from this fragment:

1. ей-богу

2. плевать, что я говорил

3. кусты

4. гладить

5. покорно

6. его лицо стало напряженным

7. молодец/здорово

8. Ленни тихо бубнил себе под нос

9. моя жизнь была бы легкой и приятной, если бы ты не висел у меня на хвосте