Tommy’s house. Marina Nitsinska
[flāvərəs] – ароматный
to break (broke, broken) the order [breɪk] [ðɪ] [ɔ də] – нарушать порядок
stew [stju ] – рагу, тушёные овощи, мясо
to be embarrassed [ɪmbærəst] —
смутиться
pomegranate grains [pɔmɪgrænɪt] [greɪnz] — зёрна граната
ginger [ʤɪnʤə] – имбирь
to boil a potion [bɔɪl] [ə] [pəuʃ(ə)n] – варить зелье
brew [bru ] – напиток, варево
remedy for all diseases [remədɪ] [fərɔ l dɪzi zız] — лекарство от всех болезней
VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR TASKS
I Fill in the gaps with the verbs from the list below in the appropriate form.
to peel; to slice; to decorate; to grate; to bake; to taste; to blend; to boil;
to mix.
1. Granny ______________ a delicious pumpkin pie every month.
2. Mum is going to cook a stew for dinner. She _________________ potatoes.
3. Dad’s idea ________________ milk cocktails is brilliant, but today we are going to eat the best ice-cream in the city!
4. Could you help me ____________some cheese for your favourite pasta, please?
5. First you should ______________ the ingredients of the salad in a bowl, and then add the dressing to the dish.
6. I’m trying to prepare a quick snack, so I _____________________ tomatoes to serve them with mozzarella and herbs.
7. His girlfriend is always coming earlier to parties and ______________ each dish on the table.
8. The girls are playing with their toy dishes. Now they_________________ a potion for their teddy bears.
9. Mum __________________ the birthday cake with cream flowers. Look at these lovely petals and leaves!
II Give a recipe of a dish.
Provide a list of ingredients and a set of instructions, then tell how to cook it using the verbs from exercise I.
III Complete the crossword puzzle.
Across
1. Having a pleasant flavour. (adj)
3. A dish consisting of oatmeal or another meal or cereal boiled in water or milk. (noun)
6. Any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavouring, food, medicine, or perfume. (noun)
7. A thick mixture of flour and liquid, used for baking into bread or pastry. (noun)
8. The root of a plant that is used to flavour food. It has a sweet spicy flavour and is often sold in powdered form. (noun)
9. A dirty or untidy state of things or of a place. (noun)
Down
2. A round fruit with a thick reddish skin. It contains lots of small seeds with juicy flesh around them. (noun)
4. An aromatic or pungent vegetable substance used to flavour food, e.g. cloves, pepper. (noun)
5. Tidiness, neatness. (noun)
10. A particular kind of tea or coffee. (noun)
DISCUSSION TASKS
I Say true or false. Correct the false statements.
1. Tommy’s favourite dish was porridge.
2. Tommy preferred cornflakes with milk for breakfast.
3. The boy ate pancakes with plum jam.
4. Mum allowed Tommy to help her in the kitchen.
5. Tom could find a piece of freedom when Granny was in the kitchen.
6. Tommy was glad to learn how to slice vegetables.
7. Tommy was happy to see Lilly in the kitchen.
8. Lilly was quiet and accurate there.
9. Granny turned over a bowl of fish soup.
10. Granny’s tea was a remedy for all diseases.
II Explain why:
1. Tommy really liked to spend time in the kitchen.
2. The boy did his granny’s errands with pleasure.
3. Tom wasn’t glad to see Lilly in the kitchen.
4. Lilly behaved like that in the kitchen.
5. Tommy didn’t want the girl to help him.
TALKING POINTS
I Describe your kitchen.
II Tell about your favourite dish.
III Answer the following questions.
1. What is your least favourite food?
2. Do you like cooking?
3. What do you prefer for breakfast/lunch/dinner?
CHAPTER 4
The Library
Later he headed for the Library, the place of intellect in the house. The boy thought that his mum was still there, but she had already left.
It was a snug room, panelled in black oak, with large windows and purple curtains. It had a special smell of wood and ink. Fine curled leaves and buds of the carved ornament on the wall were replicated on different subjects in the house – on the family china print, and on the embroidery on the cushions and coverings. That tracery always reminded of the invisible presence of family roots and standards2.
There was a very high wooden bookcase, dark of age, full of different dictionaries, thick volumes of directories and books of all genres – adventures, detectives, novels, science fiction, poems, fantastic and fairy tales.
Tommy had a special ritual of choosing a book. He climbed the ladder to get to the upper shelves of the bookcase and slowly ran his fingertip over the many-coloured spines of the books3, reading the titles and the names of the books’ authors. The process was really serious for the boy. It took him quite long. Some books attracted him by their uncommon prints, others by bright covers or even by the special paper and printer’s ink smell of the pages. He was able to define if the book was fresh or old only by its smell.
Sometimes the kid chose a book just to look at the pictures. He thoroughly followed each line of a drawing with his observant look and could distinguish grade and grade4. Tommy saw the pictures thousand times
Fine curled leaves and buds of the carved ornament on the wall were replicated on different subjects in the house – on the family china print, and on the embroidery on the cushions and coverings. That tracery always reminded of the invisible presence of family roots and standards. – Утончённые завитые листья и бутоны резного орнамента на стене повторялись на разных предметах в доме – на рисунке на фамильном фарфоре и на вышивке на диванных подушках и покрывалах. Этот узор всегда напоминал о незримом присутствии родовых корней и устоев.
…slowly ran his fingertip over the many-coloured spines of the books… – медленно проводил кончиком пальца по разноцветным корешкам книг
He thoroughly followed each line of a drawing with his observant look and could distinguish grade and grade. – Он тщательно прочерчивал каждую линию рисунка своим внимательным взглядом и мог уловить тончайшие оттенки.