Рассказы / Short Stories. О. Генри

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СКАЧАТЬ church made a sudden and wonderful change in his soul. He viewed with swift horror the pit into which he had tumbled, the degraded days, unworthy desires, and dead hopes.

      And then a wonderful thing happened. Soapy decided to change his life and be a new man. He will pull himself out of the mire; he will conquer the evil that had taken possession of him.

      A fur importer had once offered him a place as driver. He will find him tomorrow and ask for the position. He will be somebody in the world. He will —

      Soapy felt a hand laid on his arm. He looked quickly around into the broad face of a policeman.

      “What are you doing here?” asked the officer.

      “Nothing,” said Soapy.

      “Then come along,” said the policeman.

      “Three months on the Island,” said the Magistrate in the Police Court the next morning.

      Exercises

      1. Choose the right variant:

      1. Soapy like to be homeless.

      2. Soapy does not know where to spend cold winter.

      3. Soapy faces the urgent necessity of finding some sort of shelter for the winter.

      4. Thinking of the local jail as a homeless shelter is common for the people.

      2. What is the main character’s name?

      1. Soapy

      2. Mike

      3. Con

      4. John

      3. What was the young woman’s reaction?

      1. She felt harassed.

      2. She proved to be more than ready for action.

      3. She called the policeman.

      4. She was astonished.

      4. Why did the waiter refuse to serve Soapy?

      1. Because the restaurant was closed.

      2. Because they didn’t accept credit cards.

      3. Because it was a self-service restaurant.

      4. Because he looked at Soapy’s threadbare clothes.

      5. What is Yale?

      1. It is the town where Soapy came from.

      2. It is the name of the old church.

      3. It is widely considered to be one of the most prestigious universities in the world.

      4. It is the name of the organ company.

      6. What is an anthem?

      1. a type of restaurant

      2. a form of church music

      3. Soapy’s surname

      4. a holiday

      7. Choose the right variant:

      1. Soapy recalls that a successful businessman had once offered him a job.

      2. Soapy recalls that a successful businessman had twice offered him a job.

      3. Soapy recalls that a successful businessman had thrice offered him a job.

      4. Soapy recalls that a successful businessman had many times offered him a job.

      8. What did Soapy decide to do on the very next day?

      1. Soapy decided to invent a wiser plan to get to the Island.

      2. Soapy decided to repeat his experience.

      3. Soapy decided to become a Yale student.

      4. Soapy decided to apply for employment.

      9. What has Soapy been arrested for?

      1. Soapy has been arrested for vandalizing the plate-glass window of a shop.

      2. Soapy has been arrested for loitering.

      3. Soapy has been arrested for pretending to be publicly intoxicated.

      4. Soapy has been arrested for stealing another man’s umbrella.

      10. Choose the right adverb:

      All of Soapy’s attempts are _____________ exposed as failures.

      1. slowly

      2. quickly

      3. happily

      4. hard

      11. Choose the correct verbs:

      A police officer ________ to the broken window but ________ to _______ an innocent bystander.

      1. responds, decides, to pursue

      2. to pursue, responds, decides

      3. decides, to pursue, responds

      4. responds, to pursue, decides

      12. Insert the right prepositions:

      onto – into – of – on

      1. A policeman taps Soapy _____________ the shoulder and asks him what he is doing.

      2. Soapy despairs _____________ his goal of getting arrested and imprisoned.

      3. Soapy’s ploys include swindling a restaurant ____________ serving him an expensive meal.

      4. Two servers throw Soapy out _____________ a concrete pavement.

      13. Complete the chart:

      Witches’ Loaves[10]

      Miss Martha Meacham kept the little bakery on the corner. Miss Martha was forty, her bank-book showed a credit of two thousand dollars, and she possessed two false teeth and a sympathetic heart.

      Two or three times a week a customer came in to buy some bread. He was a middle-aged man, wearing spectacles and a brown beard.

      He spoke English with a strong German accent. His clothes were worn and darned in places. But he looked neat, and had very good manners.

      He always bought two loaves of stale bread[11]. Fresh bread was five cents a loaf. Stale ones were two for five.

      Once СКАЧАТЬ