William Somerset Maugham. The dream.

1924

1. Study the vocabulary. Find in the text sentences

with these words and word-combinations:

1)Sake – n. - for its own sake" or "something for something's sake" or

"for the sake of it
For the purpose of; in the interest of; in order to achieve or preserve.
Out of consideration for or in order to help or please someone.
Ради чего-то/ кого-то
2)To be due to do smth – adj. - Expected at or planned for at a
certain time.  Of the proper quality or extent.
3)To oblige – v. - Make (someone) legally or morally bound to do
something.
4) later, latest, latter, and last

Later and latest denote "time"; while latter and last denote "position".
1. Later means more late in time. "He came later than I expected."
2. Latest means last up to now only. "have you heard the latest news?"
3. Latter is the opposite of former. it means second in the order of original
mentioning. "Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer entered the finals. The latter
won the match."
4. Last means final; the last of all. "the peon was the last person to leave the
hall."

5) Acquaintance – n. - A person one knows slightly, but who is not a

close friend.

6) To swallow at a gulp – phrase - проглотить залпом

7) Coincidence – n - A remarkable concurrence of events or

circumstances without apparent causal connection.

8) Cunning – n. - Having or showing skill in achieving one's ends by

deceit or evasion.

9) To make up one’s mind – phrase – to decide

 10) To detain – v. - Keep (someone) from proceeding by holding them
back or making claims on their attention. Удерживать

11) Cultivated – adj. - Refined and well educated.

12) Abominable – adj. - Causing moral revulsion; Very bad; terrible.
Гнусный , отвратительный , гадкий
13) To distraction – phrase - Almost to a state of madness.
14) Obesity – n. - The state of being grossly fat or overweight.
15) To dwell on (upon) – v. - dwell on/upon(of one's eyes or
attention) linger on (a particular object or place) останавливаться, задерживаться
16) To burst into – phrase - Suddenly begin
17) At one’s expense – phrase – With someone as the victim, especially
of a joke.
18) To take someone aback – phrase - Shock or surprise someone
19) To get rid of smth – phrase - Take action so as to be free of (a
troublesome or unwanted person or thing)
20) To keep a straight face – phrase - A blank or serious facial
expression, especially when trying not to laugh

2. Match the following words with its definitions

Insufferable, Jovial, dissimulation, Exasperated, Merely, Complexion,
Repulsive
Too extreme to bear; intolerable

-Cheerful and friendly

-irritated, infuriated
-Conceal or disguise (one's thoughts, feelings, or character)
-just, only
-colour of face
-Arousing intense distaste or disgust

3. Match synonymous words or word combinations.

 Tolerant, jest, happen, mouthful, insufferable, quick, startled,
intolerable, bitter, idle, rapid, equable, leisure, occur, joke, frightened, gulp,
acrimonious.

4. Translate the following sentences and find

familiar syntactic structures and phrases.
1) He asked me many questions about myself and my plans, which–
my occupation at the time making caution necessary–I answered with a show
of frankness but with dissimulation.
2) I did not see what business it was of his, but I told him that I was.

3) The waiter, with a rapid but presumably reassuring exclamation,

hurried on, and my friend sighed.

4) He lighted his twentieth cigarette and I, looking at my watch,

wondered whether I should get a square meal before it was time for me to
start.
5) It was difficult for me to keep a straight face.
5. She was a woman who suffered from a fury of possession, and
she could not bear me to be attracted to anyone but her.
6) On one occasion in my absence she gave away a coat of mine
merely because I liked none of my coats so well.
7) I will not deny that she bored me, but I accepted her acrimonious
disposition as an act of God and no more thought of rebelling against it than
I would against bad weather or a cold in the head
8) So we might have continued to the end of the chapter if one
night a very curious thing had not happened.
9) she knew of course that she was insufferable, and at some time
or other the idea had evidently occurred to her that I was capable of
murdering her.
10) Sometimes I had wished that she might run away with a lover,
sometimes that a painless and sudden death might give me my freedom; but
never, never had the idea come to me that I might deliberately rid myself of
an intolerable burden.
 11) I seemed to see her falling down the well of the stairs, and I
heard her shriek and the thud as she struck the stone floor. I could not help
shivering.

6. Retell the short story.

7. Do you think the main character was capable of
murdering his wife? Why?