Страница 6 из 8
1) When and where was Arthur Conan Doyle born?
2) What kind of family was Arthur Conan Doyle born into?
3) What was his mother passionate about?
4) What was his father’s occupation?
5) What was Doyle’s personality like?
6) Did Arthur like going to a boarding school?
7) Did Doyle follow in his father’s footsteps?
8) What sports was Doyle good at?
9) Who was Dr. Bell? And how would you describe his personality?
10) How old was Arthur Conan Doyle when he wrote his first book? When was it published?
11) How many times did Arthur Conan Doyle get married? How many children did he have?
12) How did Arthur Conan Doyle meet his first wife?
13) What happened to his first wife, Louisa?
14) What was his reaction when he realized how serious her condition was?
15) Why did he become interested in spiritualism?
16) When was his first novel published? And what was it called?
17) Was Sherlock Holmes’ character inspired by a real person?
18) What image pops up in your mind when you hear the name Sherlock?
19) What kind of stories did Arthur Conan Doyle write?
20) Were the Cottingley Fairies real of fake?
21) What are Doyle’s greatest books of all time?
22) In your opinion, what are the best mystery novels of all time?
23) What are your favorite mystery novels?
24) Who are your favorite writers and why?
25) What book genres do you love?
26) Did someone read to you when you were a child?
27) Are there any genres you dislike?
Exercise 2. Find the equivalents of the following words and phrases in the text:
вымышленный персонаж; блестящий рассказчик; испытывать финансовые трудности; получить степень бакалавра; его талант не был полностью раскрыт; многоуважаемая творческая семья; какой образ возникает в вашем представлении; это лишь предположения; крылатое выражение; тяжело переживать утрату; страсть к чтению; неприятный опыт; посвятить себя медицине; журнал в мягкой обложке; расследовать преступление; как ни странно; пышная свадьба; дела не шли в гору
Exercise 3. Give the Russian equivalents of the following words and phrases:
to be born into a prosperous family; to have a strong impact (on); to be surrounded by family; to earn some extra money; to be raised in the environment of love; to devote time (to); to extend life; to live a measured, quiet life; a science fiction novel; to be inspired (by); to be common; exceptional skills; to try one’s hand (at); life filled with ups and downs; to live another thirteen years; things changed drastically; to show an interest (in)
Exercise 4. Match each word with its synonym:
Detective Riddle No. 2
Do you like solving mysteries? If so, put your detective hat on and have fun! Read the story carefully and collect all the clues that lead to the suspect. Find all the information needed to solve the mystery.
● Collect the evidence, check out alibis, and interrogate each suspect to solve the crime.
● Possible suspects: Jessica, Linda, Grace, Jane, Jeremy.
The night before the wedding, Mary was having some close friends over: Jessica, Linda, and Grace. They were watching romantic comedies, singing songs, and gossiping. Mary was so excited and happy because her dream was about to come true. She had been dating Mark since high school, and he finally proposed to her.
Everyone was laughing, cheering, and clapping their hands when Mary showed her elegant wedding dress to them. She looked like a queen in it. She said that it was a present from her mom Jane. As a parent, Jane wanted only the best for her daughter. Her eyes were filled with tears of happiness, and she was proud of Mary. Jane was on good terms with Mark and hoped they would make a loving couple. Everyone seemed to be having fun. Actually, all of them had their own secrets.
Jessica was secretly in love with Mark but kept her feelings hidden. Mark lived in her neighborhood and sometimes gave her a ride home. They had much in common: they had exactly the same taste in music, films, sports, etc. Jessica hoped that one day he and Mary would split up. She was not going to give up.
Linda disliked Mark, and she had her own deeply personal reasons as well. First, Linda’s brother Jeremy was in love with Mary. Second, Mark pretended to be something he wasn’t. He was a gambler and constantly lost large sums of money. Linda had discussed it with Mary, but she didn’t want to believe her. So, Linda made peace with Mary’s choice. She hoped that Mark would change after marriage.
Grace had a secret as well. She saw Mark with another girl last week, but she didn’t tell Mary about it. She didn’t want to upset her best friend or destroy other people’s relationship.
When the party ended and all the guests left, Mary immediately went to bed. She woke up about five hours after her alarm was supposed to go off. She felt dizzy and sick. When she went into the dining room, she had a strange feeling that something really bad might have happened. When she looked at her watch, Mary realized that she overslept and was late for her own wedding. She also discovered that her wedding dress had been ruined. Mary felt even worse and called an ambulance. The doctors found it was an attempted poisoning and called Sherlock Holmes. When the detective came to the crime scene, he immediately got a clue. The offender endangered Mary’s life and secretly put sleeping pills into her cocktail. Who was the criminal?
Edgar Allan Poe
Some people are born under a lucky star, while others are forced to resist the heavy blows of fate all their life. That’s how the world really works. However, we all must realize that hardships are a part of the precious gift called life. They make us stronger and wiser. They purify our souls. As the saying goes, “When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile.” Unfortunately, the life of Edgar Allan Poe was filled with losses, trials, and sadness and ended in а horrible tragedy. He died very young, but he managed to leave a significant mark on the world of literature. Poe’s contribution to the development of detective fiction was so great that, according to many, without him, we wouldn’t even have Sherlock Homes. Years later, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would say that Edgar Poe was “a model for all time.” The legendary writer’s last moments were the biggest mystery covered in darkness. The causes of Edgar Poe’s mysterious death are still unknown, though they have been the topic of persistent speculation over the years. Many theories exist, including serious illness and even murder. However, the circumstances of the incident and the sequence of events remain unclear. As I see it, the undisputed “father” of the detective story left behind him a mystery so puzzling that even the most illustrious detective Auguste Dupin, a fictional character created by Edgar Allan Poe, wouldn’t be able to solve it. Let’s together touch the enigmatic life of the greatest writer of all time and the man of extraordinary fate.
Edgar Allan Poe, an American writer, poet, literary critic, and the inventor of the detective novel, was born in Boston, on January 19, 1809, into the family of traveling actors Elizabeth and David Poe. Since childhood his life was full of tragic events. The legendary writer never really knew his parents. Just a year after Edgar Poe’s birth, his father abandoned their family and never returned. No one knows exactly about his fate, but reportedly he died the same year the writer’s mother did. By the age of three, little Edgar was orphaned. He was unofficially adopted by John Allan and his wife Frances, a well-to-do childless couple. His older brother Henry and younger sister Rosalie went to live with other families.