Notes:
- I thought you’d be rather toffee-nosed and cool. – Я думала ты задерешь нос и будешь холоден со мной.
- without much ado – без дальнейших разговоров
- to tighten girths – подтянуть подпруги
- My green young hurdler took fright, reared up like a circus horse, twisted sideways, and threw me off. – Мой молодой скакун испугался, встал на дыбы, как цирковой, дернулся в сторону и сбросил меня на землю.
- taking the bull by the horns – (посл.) взять быка за рога; переходя прямо к делу
- He doesn’t know me from Adam. – Никогда меня не узнает.
- I got off by the skin of my bloody teeth. – Я с трудом выкрутился.
- It was ton to a tanner – (слег.) можно было побиться об заклад
I. Explain the following phrases:
- She was well into her second helping of hot game pie when she said in a friendly tone, ‘I wish you’d eat something too.’
- Did I shrink from seeing the façade stripped from another friend to reveal the crocodile underneath?
- He thought if he fixed a cert it would be worth a fortune. He made a packet out of it, all right.
- I suddenly had no reservations.
- There could be an uneasy truce between us.
- I had got to unseat him without hurting the horse.
II. Find in the text the English for the following Russian words and word combinations:
- невыносимый – p.95
- выполнила свой тяжелый долг – p.95
- несправедливый – p.95
- посредник – p.96
- настоящее и прошлое смешалось – p.97
- потерял равновесие – p.98
- восстановил равновесие – p.99
- вещественные (веские) доказательства – p.99
III. Answer the following questions:
- Why did Kate come to the races at Banbury? What did she want to tell Alan?
- How did Alan react to her apologies? In what way did Alan propose to Kate?
- What worried Alan before the race? Whom did he suspect of being Uncle George’s contact?
- When did it become clear to Alan who it was? Why didn’t Sandy deny it? What were his reasons for being involved with Uncle George?
- Why couldn’t Alan prove anything?
- What did Sandy try to do to Alan during the race? Who saved him?
- How did Alan get even with Sandy?
IV. Find in the text the following words and word combinations, translate them and use them while answering the questions:
to get more and more miserable
to see how you reacted
looked a bit dazed
you can’t prove a thing
an easily recruited ally
he bloody well deserved it
I wouldn’t have had the resolution to try it again