Владимир Аракин - Практический курс английского языка 3 курс [calibre 2.43.0]

L a d y : Because it compromises the director Barras! 10

Napoleon (frowning, evidently startled): Barras! (Haughtily.) Take care, madam. The director Barras is my attached personal

friend.

L a d y (nodding placidly): Yes. You became friends through your wife.

N a p o l e o n : Again! Have I not forbidden you to speak of my wife? Barras? Barras? (Very threateningly, his face darkening.) Take

care. Take care: do you hear? You may go too far.

L a d y (innocently turning her face to him): What's the matter?

N a p o l e o n : What are you hinting at? Who is this woman?

L a d y (meeting his angry searching gaze with tranquil indifference as she sits looking up at him): A vain, silly, extravagant crea-

ture, with a very able and ambitious husband who knows her through and through: knows that she had lied to him about her age, her

income, her social position, about everything that silly women lie about: knows that she is incapable of fidelity to any principle or any

person; and yet cannot help loving her — cannot help his man's instinct to make use of her for his own advancement with Barras.

N a p o l e o n (in a stealthy coldly furious whisper): This is your revenge, you she-cat, for having had to give me the letters.

L a d y : Nonsense! Or do you mean that you are that sort of man?

N a p o l e o n (exasperated, clasps his hands behind him, his fingers twitching, and says, as he walks irritably away from her to the

fireplace): This woman will drive me out of my senses. (To her.) Begone."

L a d y (springing up with a bright flush in her cheeks): Oh, you are too bad. Keep your letters. Read the story of your own disho-

nour in them; and much good may they do you. Goodbye. (She goes indignantly towards the inner door.)

EXPLANATORY NOTES

1. The Man of Destiny:Napoleon regarded himself as an instrument in the hands of destiny.

2. shew, shewed:show, showed — in standard English.

3. fichu (Fr.) [fi'Ju:]: woman's triangular shawl of lace for shoulders and neck.

4. Buonaparte:Bonaparte ['b3un3pa:t],

5. Tut! Tut![Utj: an exclamation of contempt, impatience or annoyance.

___6. Dalila[di'laib]: a biblical name used as a symbol of a treacherous,

faithless woman.

7. Beaulieu Jean Pirre['bjidij: Commander-in-chief of the Austrian army in Italy defeated in 1796by Napoleon.

8. Per Bacco (Lat.): I swear by god. Bacchus: in Greek and Roman mythology god of wine and revelry.

9. Caesar's wife is above suspicion:the words ascribed to Julius Caesar ['cfeuiljss 'si:za].

10. Barras Paul:a reactionary politician, a member of the Directory which governed France at that time.

11. Begone:go away.

ESSENTIAL VOCABULARY

Vocabulary Notes

1. character n 1) mental or moral nature, e. g. He is a man of fine (strong, weak, independent) character. In order to know a

person's character we must know how he thinks, feels and acts. They differ in character. 2) the qualities that make a thing what it is,

as the character of the work, soil, climate, etc.; 3) moral strength, e. g. He is a man of character. Character- building is not an easy

thing. 4) a person in a play or novel, as the characters in the novel; good (bad, important) characters, e. g. Many characters of the

novel are real people, others are fictional. 5) a person who does something unusual, e. g. He's quite a character. 6) a description of a

person's abilities, e. g. He came to our office with a good character.

characteristic adj showing the character of a thing, as the characteristic enthusiasm of the youth, e. g. It's characteristic of her.

characterize vt to show the character of, e. g. His work is characterized by lack of attention to detail. The camel is characterized

by an ability to go for many days without water.

2. threat n 1)a statement of an intention to punish or hurt, e. g. Nobody is afraid of your threats. 2) a sign or warning of coming

trouble, danger, etc., e. g. There was a threat of rain in the dark sky.

threaten vt/i 1)to give warning of, e. g. The clouds threatened rain. 2) to seem likely to come or occur, e. g. He was unconscious of the danger that threatened him. 3) to use threats towards; to threaten to do smth.,e. g. Andrew threatened to report the incident to the

authorities, to threaten smb. with smth.,e. g. The criminal threatened his enemy with death.

threatening adj full of threat, as a threatening attitude (voice); to give smb. a threatening look.

3. sink (sank, sunk) vi/t 1) to go slowly downward; to go below the horizon or under the surface of water, e. g. The sun was sinking

in the west. Wood does not sink in water. The ship sank. The drowning man sank like a stone. 2) to become lower or weaker, e. g. My

spirits sank. Having displayed his cowardice, he sank in our estimation. 3) to fall; to allow oneself to fall, e. g. He sank to the ground

wounded. She sank into the chair and burst into tears.

sink n a basin with a drain, usually under a water tap in a kitchen, e. g. Put the dirty dishes into the kitchen sink and ask your sister

to help you to wash up.

4. sensen 1) any of the special faculties of the body, e. g. The five senses are sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. 2) a feeling,

understanding, as a sense of duty (humour, beauty, proportion, time, security, danger, pain, cold, etc.), e. g. He has a strong sense of

duty. 3) pi. a normal, ordinary state of mind, as in one's right senses, ant. to be out of one's sensesto be insane, e. g. Are you out of your senses that you talk such nonsense? 4) intelligence; practical wisdom, e. g. He is a man of sense. He has plenty of sense

(common sense). There is a lot of sense in what he says. There is no sense in doing it. What's the sense of doing that? 5) a meaning,

e. g. in a strict (literal, figurative, good, bad) sense, e. g. This word cannot be used in this sense, to make senseto have a meaning that can be understood, e. g. I cannot make sense of what he is saying, ant. to make no sense.,e. g. It makes no sense.

sensitive adj easily hurt, as to have a sensitive skin; to be sensitive to pain (other people's suffering, blame, criticism); to be

sensitive about one's physical defects.

sensible adj reasonable, as a sensible fellow (idea, suggestion), e. g. That was very sensible of you.

5. cautious adj careful, e. g. Acautious thinker does not believe things without proof. Be cautious when crossing a busy street,

ant. careless, indiscreet.

caution n carefulness, e. g. When you cross a busy street you should use caution.