Exploring Themes

1. What did Tabitha feel for Lawrence? What made her bring accusation against Lawrence? (p. 6)

2. What evidence of Tabitha's eccentricity did Mortimer see on that afternoon in the garden? (p. 11)

3. What did Thomas feel for his mother and for most people? (p. 13)

4. Why did Henry say 'Looks like we're back in business?' (p. 15)

5. Interpret Mark's words, 'I intend to be more in the thick of things'. (p. 17)

6. What was Dorothy's idea of farming? What did Mortimer mean by saying, 'Perhaps he has other priorities'? (p. 18)

7. Why didn't Mortimer enjoy his party? (p. 22)

8. What role did Yuri Gagarin play in the life of the boy? What supporting film attracted the attention of the boy? (p. 29, p. 34)

Translate in written form the paragraph starting with, 'Six years later …' up to the end. (p. 35)

Judging for Yourself

1. Who of the Winshaw family appeals to you? Why?

2. Do you think Tabitha was really mad?

3. Do you think the boy was happy on his birthday?

Building the Vocabulary

Consult the English-English English-Russian dictionaries for the following words and phrases:

to be deemed (p. 3)

demise (p. 3)

delusion (p. 3)

animosity (p. 4)

to induce (p. 5)

recurrent (p. 5)

underhandidness (p. 7)

to gawp at (p. 9)

to precipitate (p. 11)

reminiscence (p. 13)

downward (p. 13)

titilat```ion (p. 13)

to profess (p. 14)

munition companies (p. 15)

integral (p. 16)

petulant (p. 17)

ferocious (p. 17)

implacably (p. 22)

genial (p. 29)

to overtake (p. 30)

B. Translate the following sentences

1. … was enough to drive his elder sister Tabitha clean out of her wits (p. 3)

2. … the family had fallen prey to a certain anxiety (p. 4)

3. … was to leave for the airfield at Hucknell on first leg of his mission (p. 5)

4. I' m all of a flutter (p. 10)

5. He's is an absolute brick (p. 10)

6. … he tries to put a favourable gloss on a new development in his career (p. 13)

7. Thank God it turned out to be a flash in the pan (p. 15)

8. I intend to be more in the thick of things (p. 17)

UNIT II (p. p. 36 - 64)

Part I

First Reading