Page 96 - Full Solutions 2nd Advanced Student Book_Neat

i. ffiffiffi Worl< in pairs. How much do you l<now about the
writer.loseph Conrad? Can you name: Ii.. r+,p,,,r:.!I15ijl1jl?jwe1q3:4ffiit#,ffil.," _,jtui-il#jtj!sa:1":,p+!S,S"*!$Sf$rfiJt:li-,irs+1#4.:"all.ri
i Literary texts often imply information without explicitty I
1 the country he was born in?
i statingit.Togetthemostoutofatext,youshould be
2 the country he adopted as his home? ;
j sensitive to this. Certain phrases can convey information
3 any of his works? I
i.i:9i:::lly::_._::: ll-._ :-.-?_.-1i:9.":-'_:_:1":i::i* y-:-l*: ._ i
6d :.Og Listen to the information about Conrad. Find the
answers to question 1. {$ Does the text imply that Mr Verloc's tife is glamorous or not
very glamorous? Find severa[ adjectives in the text to support
i$ 6d :.Og Listen again. Are the sentences true (D or fatse (F), your answer.
or is the answer not stated (NS)?
1 The themes of Conrad's works are very relevant to the Mr Verloc, going out in the morning, left his shop ffi@Er
problems of the modern world. nominally in charge of his brother-in-law. lt could W
2 Conrad lived in London and later in a village. be done, because there was very little business
3 Speciat postage stamps were issued to commemorate at any time, and practically n0ne at all before
the 150th anniversary of Conrad's birth. the evening. Mr Verloc cared but little about his
4 Conrad's friends never rea[[y regarded him as Engtish. ostensible business. And, moreover, his wife was
5 Conrad's contemporaries accused him of racism. in charge of his brother-in-law.
The shop was small, and so was the house.
Read the opening to the novel The Secret Agenf by Joseph
It was one of those grimy brick houses whtch
Conrad. How does it convey the fact that Mr Verloc is a secret ro existed in large quantities before the era 0f rec0nstruction dawned upon
agent of some kind? ls it:
London. The shop was a square box of a place, with the front glazed in small
a by describing the shadowy characters who frequent panes. ln the daytime the door remained closed; in the evening it stood
his shop? discreetly but suspicrously ajar.
b by mentioning the politicat propaganda disptayed in his The window contained photographs of more or less undressed dancing
shop window? ts girls; nondescript packages in wrappers like patent medicines; closed yellow
c by implying that the shop is a front for some other paper envelopes, very flimsy, and marked two-and-six in heavy black figures;
ctandestine activity? a few numbers of ancient French comic publrcations hung across a string as
if to dry; a dingy blue china bowl, a casket of black wood, bottles of marking
Read the Reading f4a. Then find these phrases in the extract.
rnk and rubber stamps;a few books, with titles hinting at impropriety;a few
What exactly do they impty? Choose a or b.
20
apparently old copies of obscure newspapers, badly printed, with titles like
7 nominolly in charge of his brother-in-low The Torch, The Gong - rousing titles. And the two gas jets inside the panes
a His brother-in-law was the one who reatty ran the shop. were always turned low, either for economy's sake or for the sake of the
b His brother-in-law was incapabte of running the shop. customers.
2 his ostensible business These customers were either very young men, who hung about the
a The shop was not his real business. zs window for a time before slipping in suddenly; or men of a more mature age,
b He was ashamed that the shop was his business. but looking generally as if they were n0t in funds. Some of that last kind had
3 a square box of a place the collars of their overcoats turned right up to their moustaches, and traces
a The shop was an attractive buitding. of mud on the bottom of their nether garments, which had the appearance of
b The shop was an ugly buitding. being much worn and not very valuable. And the legs inside them did not, as
a
30 general rule, seem of much account either. With their hands plunged deep
4 for the sake of the customers
rn the side pockets of their coats, they dodged in sideways, one shoulder
a His customers were ashamed to be seen there.
first, as if afraid t0 start the bell going
b His customers were reatly spies.
The bell, hung on the door by means of a curved ribbon of steel, was difficult
5 who hung about the window for a time
to circumvent. lt was hopelessly cracked; but 0f an evening, at the slightest
a The young men had nothing else to do. 35
provocation, it clattered behind the customer with imnulent vlrulence
b The young men needed time to summon up courage.
6 with impudent virulence
.? Sffi.E-t Discuss the questions with the class.
a The customers disliked the loud bell.
b The customers rang the belt loudly on purpose. 1 Why do you think people are interested in stories about
spies and secret agents?
2 Do you tike this genre of fiction? Why?/Why not?
3 Do you know any writers from your own country who write
spy stories or mysteries?
Unit 9 Secrets 95