Tommy’s house

E ivory                          5. sill

F twist                       6. bookcase

G window                  7. print

H rain                        8. room

I uncommon              9. ladder

J wooden                   10. forest

III Make up sentences of your own, using the word combinations from exercise II.

IV Translate the following sentences, using the vocabulary of chapter 4. Pay attention to there is/there are construction.

1. Питер поднялся по лестнице и взял старинную коробку шахмат с верхней полки книжного шкафа.

2. В этом доме было потайное место, где мальчик мог погрузиться в воображаемый мир героев книг.

3. Эти герои оживали в его фантазии, и их приключения захватывали воображение ребёнка.

4. Рядом с камином стояло старое кресло-качалка. Том часто сидел в нем, мечтая о походе через тропические леса.

5. В его комнате на подоконнике был большой глобус. Дети вертели его, вдохновлённые рассказом дедушки о кругосветном плавании.

6. На столе отца лежала старинная книга с потрёпанным корешком и необычным шрифтом.

7. В кабинете профессора было много научных книг и журналов. В этом месте в воздухе витал особенный аромат орехового дерева и чернил.

8. На кожаной обложке той книги был удивительный рисунок, потемневший от времени.

9. Этот рисунок напоминал изысканный узор на фамильном фарфоре.

10. На шахматной доске не было нескольких пешек, но остальные фигуры из слоновой кости продолжали сражение.

DISCUSSION TASKS

I Describe the Library in Tommy’s house.

II Answer the following questions.

1. What ritual did Tommy have in the Library?

2. What did some books attract Tommy by?

3. How could the boy define if a book was new or old?

4. What was Tommy’s attitude to the pictures from the books?

5. Did the boy like reading?

6. What else aroused Tommy’s interest in the library?

7. What did Tom imagine when he was twisting the globe?

8. What was the kid longing for?

TALKING POINTS

I Answer the following questions.

1. Do you like reading?

2. What kind of books do you prefer to read? Which genre?

3. What is your favourite work of literature? Who is your favourite author?

4. Where do you usually read?

5. If you were a writer, what would you write about?

II Retell a story that you read some time ago. Describe the main characters. What is the main idea of the story?

CHAPTER 5

The Living room

In the spacious and comfortable living room the walls were painted white. The cream curtains looked like real sails, especially when they were waving in the wind blowing through the wide open window[5 - The cream curtains looked like real sails, especially when they were waving in the wind blowing through the wide open window. – Кремовые занавески были похожи на настоящие паруса, особенно, когда она развевались на ветру, дующем из настежь открытого окна.]. It was the place, where the whole family gathered in the evening under the splendid crystal chandelier. The fine glass details of it reminded little pieces of ice, clinking gently from time to time in tune with vibrations of the house[6 - The fine glass details of it reminded little pieces of ice, clinking gently from time to time in tune with vibrations of the house. – Её детали из тонкого стекла напоминали льдинки, которые время от времени издавали нежный звон в тон вибрациям дома.]. All family members would sit on the leather sofa, sharing some news, or watching and discussing a film. The family atmosphere reigned there.

Tommy was accustomed to order. He usually tried to put everything into its place. He made it a rule after an incident that had happened some time before. The small boy didn’t want to annoy his parents who used to scold him for mess.

One day Tommy broke mother’s favourite Chinese vase. He was playing absorbedly with some toy cars when he accidentally touched the vase. It rocked and fell down, shattered in small sparkling pieces with a loud crash. Tommy was standing still, not breathing in the dead silence, with his eyes full of fear.

Next moment mum, dressed in black silk, ran into the room, Lilly followed her. Saying no word, the boy’s mother looked at the broken vase, then she slowly turned her icy eyes to Tom. She kept staring at him, keeping silence. That reproachful glance followed him everywhere long afterwards. The boy broke down the eye contact and looked away in embarrassment.

Lilly tried to distract his mum, at the same time she made efforts to advocate and comfort Tommy.

“It isn’t Tommy’s fault, aunt Annie. He hasn’t done it on purpose!

Tom, I’ll help you to collect the fragments, be careful.

I’ll ask my parents to bring you the same beautiful vase!

Mummy is going to give it to you as a present.

Oh, it will be even more gorgeous than the broken one! You’ll see!..”

“Tom, I’m taking your toy cars until you learn how to behave,” his mum said with a calm, cold voice.