Listen to a scene from The Importance of Being Earnest. Lady Bracknell is interviewing a young man, Jack Worthing. Answer the questions.

Laboratory work

Talking about books (T 3.6.mp3)

Listen to three people talking about a book they have read recently. Take notes about it under the following headings.

A book I enjoyed(07 – 7.mp3)

Task 1

Listen to Jerry talking about a book he enjoyed reading, the novel ‘How to be good’ by Nick Hornby. Which sentence best summarizes the story in the book?

a) It’s about a rich man who loses his wealth but discovers the positive aspects of being poor.

b) It shows the transformation of a man’s attitude to life, from very negative to the opposite extreme.

c) It describes how an average family discovers how to be happy by helping other people.

Task 2

Listen again. Which of the adjectives in the box describe the man beforehe saw the faith healer, and which describe him afterwards.Write В or A.

Task 3

Choose the correct answer. Fill in the blanks and write the exact words that Jerry uses.

1. How old are the man’s children?

quite young / teenage

2. How would the man’s wife like their life to be?

happy in some way / without any cares ______________

3. What would the man's attitude to faith healers normally be?

he would use them with caution / he would reject them as totally stupid

4. How does the speaker feel about recognizing that his own character is similar to the man’s?

he feels guilty about it / he’s happy to recognize this

5. How obvious is the book’s philosophical message?

It’s the main focus of the book / it lies beneath the surface

I have nothing to declare but my genius!(14 – 2.3.mp3)

Task 1

Read these quotes from Oscar Wilde, a well-known Anglo-Irish writer famous for his sayings. What impression do you form of Oscar from them?

“To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.”

“There is no such thing as an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written.”

“There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”

“I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read on the train.”

“I can resist anything but temptation.”

Task 2

Are these statements about Oscar Wilde true or false? Discuss with a partner.

- He was a famous 20th century writer.

- He wrote plays, poetry, and prose.

- His most successful plays were comedies.

- He never married.

- He was imprisoned because of his political beliefs.

Task 3

Read the biodata of Oscar Wilde and check your answers. Which play is considered to be his masterpiece? What is the meaning of the words earnestand Ernest?What is their pronunciation?

OSCAR WILDE

1854-1900

An Irish-born English poet, novelist, and playwright. His greatest success was in the theatre with his shrewd and sparkling comedies, such as Lady Windermere’s Fan (1892) and An Ideal Husband (1895). The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) is considered to be his masterpiece. Based on the double meaning of the name Ernest, it is an attack on people who take themselves too seriously. Wilde married in 1884 and had two sons. However, in 1895 he was imprisoned for two years for homosexual practices. On his release in 1897 he went to live in France. He died in Paris in 1900.

Task 4

Listen to a scene from The Importance of Being Earnest. Lady Bracknell is interviewing a young man, Jack Worthing. Answer the questions.

1. Why is Jack being interviewed?

2. What’s his occupation? Where does his money come from? Does he earn it?

3. Who is Gwendolen?

4. What pleases Lady Bracknell about Jack? What displeases her?

5. What do you learn of Jack's family background?

6. Is his interview successful?

7. What advice does Lady Bracknell give him?

8. Which of these adjectives would you use to describe Lady Bracknell?

Task 5

Find words in the scene to replace the words initalics.

1. There are far too many lazy men.

2. I do not approve of anything that interferes with natural ignorance.

3. As far as I can see, the people who hunt animals illegally are the only people who earn money from it.

4. A girl with a simple, innocent nature, like Gwendolen could hardly be expected to live in the country.

5. The deceased Mr Thomas Cardew, an old gentleman with a very kind and generous personality.

6. Where did this Mr James, or Thomas, Cardew find this ordinary handbag?

7. The line is not important.

8. I admit I feel somewhat confused by what you have just told me.

9. To be born, or at any rate, reared in a handbag, seems to me to show no respect for the ordinary decencies of family life.

10. Our only daughter – a girl raised with the utmost care ...

Task 6

Date: 2016-03-03; view: 1569