|
|
разбить
текст на законченные смысловые части;
узнавать
знакомые слова и грамматические конструкции в тексте;
догадываться
о значении отдельных слов (на основе сходства с родным языком, по
словообразовательным элементам, по контексту), несущих существенную для
понимания основного содержания информацию;
обходить
незнакомые слова, не мешающие пониманию основного содержания текста;
полно и точно понимать и интерпретировать
содержание художественного текста
Воспитательный аспект - формирование
умения анализировать и давать оценку поступкам и событиям
Социокультурный аспект-знакомство с
творчеством известного британского писателя
У.С Моэма
Ход урока
Now listen to the
biography of
William Somerset Maugham
William Somerset Maugham is one of the best known
English writers of the 20th century. He was not only a novelist, but also a
one of the most successful dramatist and short-story writers.
He was born in Paris in 1874. His parents died when he was
very young and the boy was brought up by his uncle, clergyman. After his
parents' death the boy was taken away from the French school which he had
attended, and went for his lessons daily to the apartment of the English
clergyman at the church.At the age of ten the boy was sent to England to
attend school. In 1890 he went abroad and studied at the University of
Heidelberg from which he returned to England in 1892 and as his parents had
destined him for the medical profession, he became a medical student at St.
Thomas's hospital in London. His experience in treating the sick gave
Maugham material for his first work "Lisa of Lambeth". After
that, although he became a fully qualified doctor, Somerset decided to
devote his life to literature. "I didn't want to be a doctor. I didn't
want to be anything but a writer".
Soon after the publication of his first novel Maugham went
to Spain and travelled widely to all parts of the world. He visited Russia,
America, Africa, Asia. The technique of the short story had always
interested Maugham. De Maupassant and Chekhov influenced him but he
developed a form of a story that has unmistakable Maugham's flavor.
Somerset Maugham has written 24 plays, 19 novels and a large
number of short stories.
Realistic portrayal of life, keen character observation, and
interesting plots coupled with beautiful, expressive language, simple and
lucid style, place Somerset Maugham on a level with the greatest English
writers of the 20th century.
Answer the questions
1. Where was W. S. Maugham born?
2. When was he born?
3. Where did he study?
4. What is he famous for?
5. How many plays and novels did he write?
Read the text “ The
Verger”
Scan the text for the
information you want. Work quickly-don’t get stuck on difficult words.
|
|
|
There had been a christening that afternoon at St. Peter's Church, and
Albert Edward Foreman still wore his verger's gown. He kept his new gown
for funerals and weddings (St. Peter's, Neville Square, was a church often
chosen by fashionable people for these ceremonies) and now he wore only his
second-best. He wore it with pride, for it was the dignified symbol of his
office. He took pains with it; he pressed it and ironed it himself. During
the sixteen years that he had been verger of this church he had had a
number of such gowns, but he had
never
been able to throw them away when they were worn out, and all of them,
neatly wrapped up in brown paper, lay in the bottom drawer of the wardrobe
in his bedroom.
The verger was waiting for the vicar to have finished in the vestry so that
he could tidy up in there and go home.
"What's he 'anging about for?" the verger said to himself.
"Doesn't he know I want my tea?"
The vicar had been appointed only recently, a red-faced energetic man in
the early forties, and Albert Edward still regretted the last vicar, a
clergyman of the old school who never fussed and was not like this new man
who wanted to have his finger in every pie.
Presently he saw the vicar coming up.
"Foreman, will you come into the vestry for a minute. I have something
to say to you."
"Very good, sir."
They walked up the church together, and the vicar preceded Albert Edward
into the vestry. Albert Edward was a trifle surprised to find the two
churchwardens there. He had not seen them come in. They gave him pleasant
nods.
"Good afternoon, my lord. Good afternoon, sir," he said to one
after the other.
They were elderly men, both of them, and they had been churchwardens almost
as long as Albert Edward had been verger. They were sitting now at a
handsome table that the old vicar had brought many years before from Italy
and the vicar sat down in the vacant chair between them. Albert Edward
faced them, the table between him and them, and wondered with slight
uneasiness what was the matter. He remembered still the occasion on which
the organist had got into trouble and how difficult it was to hush things
up. In a church like St. Peter's, Neville Square, they couldn't afford a
scandal. On the vicar's red face was a look of resolute kindness, but the
others had an expression that was slightly troubled.
"He's been trying to make them do something, but they don't like
it," said the verger to himself, "that's what it is, you mark my
words.''
But his thoughts did not appear on Albert Edward's face.
The vicar began briskly.
"Foreman, we've got something rather unpleasant to say to you. You've
been here a great many years and you've fulfilled your duties quite
satisfactorily."
The two churchwardens nodded.
"But a most extraordinary fact came to my knowledge the other day and
I felt it my duty to inform the churchwardens. I discovered to my
astonishment that you could neither read nor write."
The verger's face showed no sign of embarrassment.
"The last vicar knew that, sir," he replied. "He said it
made no difference. He always said there was a great deal too much
education in the world for his taste."
"It's the most amazing thing I ever heard," cried one of the
churchwardens. "Do you mean to say that you've been verger of this
church for sixteen years and never learned to read or write?"
"I went into service when I was twelve, sir. The cook in the first
place tried to teach me once, but I didn't seem to have the knack for it
and later on I never seemed to have the time. I've never really found the
want of it." "But don't you want to know the news?" said the
other churchwarden. "Don't you ever want to write a letter?"
"No, sir, I seem to manage very well without. Now they've all these
pictures in the papers so I know what's goin' on pretty well. If I want to
write a letter my wife writes it for me."
The two churchwardens gave the vicar a troubled glance and then looked down
at the table.
"Well, Foreman, I've talked the matter over with these gentlemen and
they quite agree with me that the situation is impossible. At a church like
St. Peter's we cannot have a verger who can neither read nor write."
Albert Edward's thin, pale face reddened and he moved uneasily on his feet,
but he made no reply.
"But couldn't you learn, Foreman?" asked one of the
churchwardens.
"No, sir, I'm afraid I couldn't, not now. You see I'm not as young as
I was and if I couldn't get the letters in my head when I was a boy I don't
think there's much chance of it now."
"We don't want to be harsh with you, Foreman," said the vicar. "But
the churchwardens and I have quite made up our minds. We'll give you three
months and if at the end of that time you cannot read and write I'm afraid
you'll have to go."
Albert Edward had never liked the new vicar. He'd said from the beginning that
they'd made a mistake when they gave him St. Peter's. He knew his value,
and now he straightened himself a little.
"I'm very sorry, sir, I'm afraid it's no good. I'm too old a dog to
leam new tricks. I've lived a good many years without knowin' 'ow to read
and write and if I could leam now I can't say I'd want to."
"In that case, Foreman, I'm afraid you must go."
"Yes, sir, I understand. I shall be 'appy to 'and in my resignation as
soon as you've found somebody to take my place."
But when Albert Edward with his usual politeness had closed the church door
behind the vicar and the two churchwardens he could not keep up the air of
dignity any longer and his lips quivered. He walked slowly back to the
vestry and hung up on the peg his verger's gown. He sighed as he thought of
all the grand funerals and weddings it had seen. He tidied everything up,
put on his coat, and hat in hand walked out of the church. He locked the
church door behind him. He strolled across the square, but deep in his sad
thoughts he did not take the street that led him home, where a nice strong
cup of tea awaited him; he took the wrong turning. He walked slowly along.
His heart was heavy. He did not know what he should do with himself. He did
not like the idea of going back to domestic service. After being his own
master for so many years he could not become a servant again. He had saved
a tidy sum, but not enough to live on without doing something, and life
seemed to cost more every year. He had never thought to be troubled with
such questions. The vergers of St. Peter's, like the popes of Rome, were
there for life. He sighed deeply. Albert Edward was a non-smoker and a
total abstainer, but he liked a glass of beer with his dinner and when he
was tired he enjoyed a cigarette. It occurred to him now that a cigarette
would comfort him and since he did not carry them he looked about him for a
shop where he could buy a packet of cigarettes. He did not at once see one
and walked on a little. It was a long street, with all sorts of shops in
it, but there was not a single one where you could buy cigarettes.
"That's strange," said Albert Edward.
To make sure he walked right up the street again. No, there was no doubt
about it. He stopped and looked thoughtfully up and down.
"I can't be the only man. that walks along this street and wants a
smoke," he said. "If some fellow opened a little shop here he
might make good money. Tobacco and sweets, you know."
He gave a sudden start.
"That's an idea," he said. "Strange 'ow things come to you
when you least expect it."
He turned, walked home, and had his tea.
"You're very silent this afternoon, Albert," his wife remarked.
"I'm thinkin'," he said.
He considered the matter from every point of view and next day he went
along the street and by good luck found a little shop to let.3 Twenty-four
hours later he had taken it and a month later set up in business as a
tobacconist and news-agent. His wife said it was a dreadful come-down after
being verger of St. Peter's, but he answered that you had to move with the
times and that the church wasn't what it had been.
Albert Edward did very well. He did so well that in a year or so it struck
him that he could take a second shop and put a manager in. He looked for
another long street that hadn't got a tobacconist in it and when he found
it, and a shop to let, he took it. This was a success too. Then it occurred
to him that if he could run two shops he could run half a dozen. He began
walking about London, and whenever he found a long street that had no
tobacconist and a shop to let he took it. In the course of ten years he was
running no less than ten shops and he was making money hand over fist. He
went round to all of them himself every Monday, collected the week's
takings and took them to the bank.
One morning when he was there paying in a bundle of notes and a heavy bag
of silver the cashier told him that the manager would like to see him. He
was shown into an office and the manager shook hands with him.
"Mr. Foreman, I wanted to have a talk to you about the money you've
got on deposit in our bank. D'you know exactly how much it is?"
"Not within a pound or two, sir; but I have a pretty rough idea."
"Apart from what you paid in this morning it's a little over thirty
thousand pounds. That's a very large sum to have on deposit and it is
better to invest it."
"I don't want to take any risks, sir. I know it's safe in the
bank."
"You needn't have the «least worry. We'll make you out a list of
absolutely safe securities. They will bring you in a better
rate of interest%
than the bank can afford to give you.
A troubled look settled on Mr. Foreman's aristocratic face.
"I've never had anything to do with stocks and shares, and I'd like to
leave it all in your 'ands," he said.
The manager smiled. "We'll do everything. All you'll have to do next
time you come in is to sign the transfers."
"I could do that all right," said Albert uncertainly. "But
'ow should I know what I was signin'?"
"I suppose you can read," said the manager a trifle sharply.
Mr. Foreman gave him a disarming smile.
"Well, sir, that's just it. I can't. I know it sounds funny, but I
can't read or write, only my name, and I only leamt to do that when I went
into business."
The manager was so surprised that he jumped up from his chair.
"That's the most extraordinary thing I ever heard." The manager
stared at him as though he were a prehistoric monster.
"And do you mean to say that you've built up this important business
and made a fortune of thirty thousand pounds without being able to read or
write? Good God, man, what would you be now if you had been able to?"
"I can tell you that, sir," said Mr. Foreman, a little smile on
his still aristocratic features, "I'd be verger of St. Peter's,
Neville Square.
Pre-reading tasks
What do you think the story is about?
Practice the pronunciation of the words from story.
Thoughtfully, knowledge , churchwardens, astonishment, embarrassment,
ambassador,
domestic,
service , extraordinary, tobacconist,
prehistoric, aristocratic, most extraordinary, verger, vicar,
firmness, self-assurance, funerals, weddings, success, cigarette.
The
words in the sentences below are jumbled up. Re-write the sentences putting
the words in the right order.
1.look
,settled , Mr. Foreman's aristocratic face, troubled, on, a.
2.I've,
never, had anything , with, stocks, and ,shares, do, to.
3. All
you'll have to, do next, in is to sign, the transfers, come, you, time.
4. Mr.
Foreman, a, disarming, him, smile, gave.
5 was,
surprised, jumped up, from his, chair, so, manager ,he, that, the.
Checking comprehension
Say
who:
1. was
waiting for the vicar to have finished in the vestry so that he could tidy
up in there and go home.
2 .locked
the church door behind him
3. gave
a sudden start.
4. was
shown into an office and the manager shook hands with him.
5. was
so surprised that he jumped up from his chair.
Say
true or false.
1.
"But
a most extraordinary fact came to my knowledge the other day and I felt it
my duty to inform the churchwardens. I discovered to my astonishment that
you could neither read nor write.”
2.
His
heart was heavy.
3.
He
was glad to listen to the verger.
4.
He
did not know what he should do with himself.
5.
He
liked the idea of going back to domestic service.
Answer the questions:
|
|
Оставьте свой комментарий
Авторизуйтесь, чтобы задавать вопросы.