Chapter four

Notes:

1. to ‘stop’ a horse – придержать лошадь
2. criminal fraud – преступное мошенничество
3. to cantor – скакать галопом
4. the starter – стартер
5. a professional – профессионал
6. the Flat race – скачки без препятствий
7. a tipster – предсказатель
8. a dead cert – (сленг) верняк, фаворит
9. celebrate with odd magnum – отпраздновать, распив бутылочку
10. G.K Chesterton (1874-1936) - английский писатель, один из крупнейших представителей детективной литературы
11. paradox – парадокс
12. grain and grapes - виски и вино

I. Explain the following phrases:

1. ‘Stopping’ a horse can be done by missing the start, setting off some lengths behind, and staying at the back.
2. He (Joe) had been lucky to escape with his licence.
3. The speed of racing, the quick decisions, the risks, these were what I badly needed to counteract the safeties of civilization.
4. And I, for whom the deep jungle was a familiar playground, found the challenge I needed in a tamed land, on friendly animals, in a sport hemmed all about with rules and regulations. It was very odd, when one came to consider it.
5. There was no love lost between them.

II. Find in the text the English for the following Russian words and word combinations:

1. с головы до ног – p.15
2. официальное расследование продолжалось меньше часа – p.15
3. был хорошо вознагражден – p.15
4. букмекер – p.15
5. быть виновным в преступном мошенничестве – p.16
6. причинить вред – p.16
7. непредвиденные обстоятельства – p.16
8. углубиться в первобытный лес – p.16
9. Он говорил фамильярно, что вызывало у меня некоторую неприязнь – p.16
10. сделать перекличку – p.16
11. не так плох, как я опасался – p.17

III. Answer the following questions:

1. What kind of person was Sandy Mason? Describe him. What was Alan’s attitude to Sandy?
2. What rumours circulated about Sandy?
3. What does ‘stopping’ a horse mean?
4. Who else was believed to have stopped a horse?
5. Why did Alan take up steeplechasing?
6. How did Alan’s father bring him up?
7. How did the races at Pumpton go?
8. How did Alan and Kate celebrate her first day at the races?

IV. Find in the text the following words and word combinations, translate them and use them while answering the questions:

fighting spirit

unkindly practical or too revoltingly obscene jokes

seize the chance

with the absolute minimum of kit

nasty smile

middle height, medium build

a decent size

complete surrender to the charm of

a dead cert

bad tipsters

We settled for two cups of coffee