Vocabulary notes
Date: 2015-10-07; view: 332.
| lot (n.) | person' s destiny, fortune, or condition |
| to conclude (v.) | bring or come to an end; arrange, settle finally (treaty etc.); draw conclusion |
| to overlook (v.) | fail to notice, ignore; have view of from above; supervise |
| knave (n.) | unprincipled or dishonest person; jack in playing - cards |
| to impart (v.) | give share of (thing to) ; communicate (news etc. to) |
| to be cut up (v.) | to be greatly distressed |
| cautious (a.) | (col.) surprising or amusing |
| gratuity (n.) | money given in recognition of services |
| annuity (n.) | yearly grant or allowance; investment yielding fixed annual sum |
· Explain the meaning of the following words and word combinations. Recall the situations from the story.
| 1. | to go backwards and forwards |
| 2. | to take smth into one's hands |
| 3. | to have a notion |
| 4. | to confine in smb/ smth |
| 5. | to be intent on smth |
| 6. | to stroll |
| 7. | to retire on an income from smth |
| 8. | to be in the habit of doing smth |
| 9. | to remark on smth |
| 10. | to be of average intelligence |
| 11. | to have a look round |
| 12. | to call it a day |
· Questions (when possible make use of the words and word combinations given above).
1. Why did Wilson decide to spend all his life on Capri?
2. What is Wilson's attitude to work and life?
3. Thomas Wilson was not rich enough to afford to buy an annuity to last the rest of his life. What did he do to arrange a pleasant life?
4. What was he going to do if he lived longer than sixty?
5. What did the writer learn about Wilson when he visited Capri again?
6. How does the story end? Find the sentence summing up the story. Explain the title of the story.
· Comment on the following:
1. “Most people, the vast majority in fact, lead the lives that circumstances have thrust upon them,… and think that if things had been different they might have made a much better showing.., if not with serenity at all events with resignation”.
a) What is more common in life: a person creates his own life or he is dependent on circumstances? Justify your point of view.
b) Is there anything in your life you would like to alter if it were possible? Why? Do you think it would be fair?
c) What do you think makes people think that they might have
acted differently, had they been given another chance? (Give more than one reason)
2. “Leisure,” he said. “If people only knew! It's the most priceless thing a man can have and they're such fools they don't even know it's something to aim at. Work? They work for work's sake. They haven't got the brains to realize that the only object of work is to obtain leisure”.
a) What is leisure as you see it?
b) What for should a man work? Justify your point of view.
3. “The will needs obstacles in order to exercise its power; when it is never thwarted, when no effort is needed to achieve one's desires, because one has placed one's desires only in the things that can be obtained by stretching out one's hand, the will grows impotent.”
a) Do you agree? Speak on the connection between will, courage and obstacles and difficulties.
b) Are there to your mind any other circumstances under which the will grows impotent? (Name at least two) Justify your point of view.
4. “I think on the whole we all get what we deserve, ... But that doesn't prevent its being rather horrible.”
a) Do you agree with the author?
What makes you think so?
· Characters
a) Which of the adjectives and word combinations characterize the main heroes of the story? (Your choice should be illustrated by the facts from the story)
reserved; indifferent; amicable; polite; not verbal; commonplace; egoistic; modest; weak; extraordinary; selfish; worthless; industrious; disillusioned; cynical; alienated from life; sullen; hesitant; shrewd; strong-natured; slippery person
b) Give character sketches of the main heroes of the story.
· Talking points
1. How should people take life and its blows?
2. What should people value in their life? What do you think the main values are?
· Prepositions
1. The man was sitting ... the parapet ... his back ... us. He had a blue shirt... .
2. I fell ... love ... place ... first sight.
3. Wine has the effect ... some people ... making them indulge ... general reflections.
4. When I looked ... those two great rocks sticking ... ... the water, ... the moon ... them, I said ... myself , why should I go back?
5. I wasn't sure if I was justified ... not working like everybody else.
6. ... your place I should have stayed ... ... the bank till I was entitled ... my pension.
7. The year after war broke... .
8. It didn't at all go ... his face.
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