По следам детективов: увлекательные истории для изучения английского языка - Анжелика Ягудена

[ˈpɪəsɪŋ skriːm] – пронзительный крик

flee from a pursuer [fliː frəm ə pəˈsjuːə] – убегать от преследователя

distinguish truth from fiction [dɪsˈtɪŋgwɪʃ truːθ frəm fɪkʃn] – отличить правду от вымысла

landscape artist [ˈlændskeɪp ˈɑːtɪst] – художник-пейзажист

portrait painter [ˈpɔːtrət ˈpeɪntə] – художник-портретист

genteel poverty [ʤenˈtiːl ˈpɑːvətɪ] – благородная бедность

settle [setl] – поселиться, обосноваться

improve as a person [ɪmˈpruːv əz ə pɜːsn] – самосовершенствоваться, становиться лучше как личность

would-be writer [wʊd biː ˈraɪtə] – будущий писатель

be called to the bar [biː kɔːld tuː ðiː bɑː] – получить право адвокатской практики, вступить в коллегию адвокатов

barrister [ˈbærɪstə] – барристер, адвокат

practice law [ˈpræktɪs lɔː] – заниматься юридической практикой

put aside [pʊt əˈsaɪd] – откладывать (на время)

milestone event [ˈmaɪlstəʊn ɪˈvent] – знаковое событие

prominent figure [ˈprɑːmɪnənt ˈfɪgə] – выдающийся деятель

literary genius [ˈlɪtərərɪ ˈʤiːnɪəs] – литературный гений

lifelong friend [ˈlaɪflɔːŋ frend] – друг на всю жизнь

collaborate [kəˈlæbəreɪt] – сотрудничать, работать совместно

amateur [ˈæmətə] – любительский, непрофессиональный

first encounter [fɜːst ɪnˈkaʊntə] – первая встреча, первое знакомство

poor thing [pʊə θɪŋ] – бедняжка

legal case [ˈliːgəl keɪs] – судебное дело, судебный прецедент

adventuress [ədˈventʃəres] – авантюристка

distort facts [dɪsˈtɔːt fækts] – искажать факты

christen [krɪsn] – крестить

carpenter [ˈkɑːpɪntə] – плотник

shorthand writer [ˈʃɔːthænd ˈraɪtə] – стенографист

stone mason [stəʊn meɪsn] – каменщик

confirmed bachelor [kənˈfɜːmd ˈbæʧələ] – закоренелый холостяк

split up [splɪt ʌp] – расходиться, расставаться

assumed name [əˈsjuːmd neɪm] – вымышленное имя

secluded lifestyle [sɪˈkluːdɪd ˈlaɪfstaɪl] – замкнутый, затворнический образ жизни

inheritance [ɪnˈherɪtəns] – наследство

trustee [trʌsˈtiː] – попечитель, доверительное лицо

fraudulently [ˈfrɔːdʒələntli] – обманным путем

take possession [teɪk pəˈzeʃn] – вступить во владение, завладеть

Exercises

Exercise 1. Answer the following questions:

1) When and where was Wilkie Collins born?

2) What were his parents’ names?

3) What was Collins’ father by profession?

4) What was his father like?

5) What kind of family did his mother come from?

6) What was the atmosphere like in his family?

7) Who was Wilkie Collins named after?

8) Did Collins have any siblings? If so, what kind of relationship did they have?

9) Why didn’t Collins like school?

10) What countries apart from England did Collins live in? What were the benefits of living abroad?

11) What type of education did Collins receive?

12) What was his first novel called? When was it first published?

13) Why did Collins decide to put aside the novel that he was working on?

14) What kind of lifestyle did Collins live?

15) Who was Collins’ lifelong friend? Why did they become friends?

16) How many times was Collins married?

17) Did Collins have any children?

18) How did Collins meet his first lady friend?

19) Why did some people refer to Caroline Graves as an adventuress?

20) Why did Caroline marry another man?

21) Why did Collins lead a secluded lifestyle in his later years?

22) When did Wilkie Collins die? Who stayed and cared for him till the last day of his life?

23) What was the last will and testament of Wilkie Collins?

24) Who became the victim of fraud?

25) What are the most famous works of Wilkie Collins?

26) Have you ever read any book by Wilkie Collins?

27) Which mystery or crime writers do you most enjoy reading?

Exercise 2. Find the equivalents of the following words and phrases in the text:

бабушка по линии отца; нет худа без добра; вопреки ожиданиям; пронзительный крик; быть в равной степени добрым и внимательным к детям; по прошествии времени; по настоянию своего отца; наслаждаться захватывающими видами; брак по любви; получить признание в литературных кругах; обосноваться во Франции; выдающиеся личности тех времен; не сохранилось никакой переписки; светские рауты; вести замкнутый образ жизни; стать жертвой обманщика

Exercise 3. Give the Russian equivalents of the following words and phrases:

to take possession of money; closest relatives; to be present at the wedding ceremony; a brave knight; to have a healing effect; to recall the happiest moments of life; to understand the meaning of life; to make a will; a frequent visitor; to pay off numerous debts; a devoted wife and mother; an inexhaustible inventor; a lady friend; the origin and identity; to have one’s own idea; a chosen one; to be by one’s side; in advance; cautious by nature

Exercise 4. Match the words with their definitions:

Detective Riddle No. 5

If you want to dive into an exciting detective world and test your deductive skills, you’ll definitely love this riddle 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: Mrs. Green, Tom, Brian, Kurt.

One frosty morning, Mrs. Smith was approaching her house when she saw а broken window. She was at a loss and immediately called her neighbor and close friend, Mr. Welles, a 50-year-old retired policeman. In less than five minutes, he arrived at the crime scene and opened an investigation into the incident. Only a USB memory stick was stolen. Mrs. Smith was distraught and really nervous because she had stored secret files on it. When Mr. Welles checked the security camera tapes, he saw a possible suspect leaving the house. It turned out, that the burglar who stole the memory stick lived right next door to Mrs. Smith. The policeman rang the doorbell.

The door was opened by Mrs. Green, the mother of three children: Tom, Brian, and Kurt. When she learned what had happened, her face turned all red from shame or anger. Then she rushed to the kitchen and took her cake out of the oven. As it turned out, she had been making a festive dinner for two hours. Then she called her children into the room. Tom was on crutches: he had a broken leg. He worked as an IT specialist. As it turned out, he had been on a sick leave since last Friday. Brian’s cheeks were red from cold. He said that he had been revising for his exam since last night. Kurt looked sleepy, and his hair was a mess. He had worked the night shift. Mr. Welles immediately solved the case. Who was the burglar?

Mary Roberts Rinehart

(August 12, 1876 – September 22, 1958)

Mary Roberts Rinehart, whose mystery novels have chilled two generations of readers, was the principal character in a real-life thriller when her cook tried to shoot and stab her. The incident dominated the national headlines. The master detective, who laid traps for criminals in her novels, suddenly fell into one of them herself. Was it truth or fiction? What was the motive of the murderer: hatred, jealousy, revenge, money? Couldn’t the first queen of mystery have faked an attempted murder of herself to attract more readers to her books? Let’s find out what really happened on the fateful day and look closer at the life of the brilliant Mary Roberts Rinehart, often called the American Agatha Christie.

Mary Roberts Rinehart (her maiden name was Mary Ella Roberts), was born on August 12, 1876, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Little Mary’s parents, Thomas and Cornelia, lived extremely modestly. And since the young family didn’t have their own house, they had to huddle together with other relatives in her grandmother’s house. Luckily, four years later, when Mary’s sister, Olive Louis, was born, they finally moved into a home of their own. There is little information about Mary’s parents. It is only known that her father, Tom, was an unsuccessful inventor who couldn’t give his children a good start in life and left this world when Mary was just nineteen years old. However, her sister also chose