Post-Reading

A Mark all the place words you can find and list them under the following headings.

housing natural features

e.g. house e.g. overgrown grass

B Match the words from the text with their definitions. Mind that there are two extra definitions.

1. irritable a. making sad, low in spirits

2. wilderness b. having a long narrow band distinguished,

as by colour or texture, from the surrounding

material

3. to rattle c. collection of things of the same sort placed or fastened together

4. delicious d. uncultivated waste land

5. to click e. stern, severe; without mercy; gloomy

6. to peer f. look directly and fixedly, often with wide-open eyes

7. stripy g. make short, sharp sounds quickly, one after another

8. to stream h. make a short, sharp sound (like that of a key, turning in a lock)

9. depressing i. giving delight (esp. to the senses of taste and smell, to the sense of humour)

10. grim j. flow freely; move continuously and smoothly in one direction

11. bunch k. look (at, into smth.) closely, as if unable to see well

l. easily annoyed or made angry

m. make a loud noise

C Say the following in alternative words.

1) a wilderness of trees and overgrown grass; 2) the broken-down gate; 3) I <...> made out the shape of a window; 4) two battered armchairs; 5) an open fireplace; 6) the antiquated equipment; 7) The bathroom had <...> not much room; 8) which had been in store for several months; 9) It was worth the lengthy search; 10) depressing inspections of grim flats.

D Find in the text the equivalents for the following:

1) раздраженный и унылый (подавленный); 2) пыльная садовая тропинка; 3) греметь большой связкой ключей; 4) восхитительно прохладный; 5) мрачная гостиная; 6) облупившиеся ставни с отслаивающейся краской; 7) огонь из поленьев дров; 8) диван с выцветшей обивкой; 9) грязная раковина; 10) железная кровать; 11) занавески (шторы), превратившиеся в лохмотья

E Answer the following questions.

1. What do you think of this house for sale? 2. What details create a negative impression about the house? Give as many words and phrases from the text as you can to support your answer. 3. What were the positive features about the house that impressed the story-teller favourably? 4. Why do you think the story-teller made up his mind to buy the house?

Text IV

Pre-Reading

A Some people say they would like to live on an island. Do you know why? What about you? Discuss it with your partners.

B Skim the text for the geographical names and say where these places are situated.

C Can you give any information about such well-known figures as Henryk Sienkiewicz, a Polish novelist, and the two Hollywood stars, John Wayne and Marlon Brando?

D What do you know about Nobel prize, one of the most prestigious international awards?

Reading

Read through the text “Master of All You Survey” and do the tasks that follow.

Master of All You Survey.

Farhan Vladi may have just the island for you.

Thinking about an island all your own? How about a picturesque little speck of rock and soil about half a mile off France’s Brittany coast? It comes with a small, medieval castle equipped with telephone, television and electricity – and, so we’re told, it’s haunted by literary ghosts. (In 1896, Polish Nobel Prize winner Henryk Sienkiewicz closeted himself there while writing the novel “Quo Vadis?”.) Perhaps you would prefer a tropic isle once owned by the late John Wayne in the Pearl Archipelago some 20 miles off the west coast of Panama. If not, there’s Marlon Brando’s Polynesian atoll in the Pacific, but that’s available only for leasing, not for purchase. Whatever your tastes and your budget may be, one man to get in touch with is Farhan Vladi, a German real-estate dealer based on Hamburg who has built a lucrative international career as an island broker. But bring cash – lots of it.

To be sure, there are some bargains available out there. An island in a Canadian lake can be yours for a mere $10,000. A tiny private paradise of sand and palm trees in the Bahamas sounds like a terrific deal for as little as $20,000. But Vladi’s islands are more likely to fall in the $100,000 - to $300,000 price range, and top-of-the-line retreats cost much, much more. The one with the castle off Brittany carries a $1,4 million price tag. Last year, Vladi sold a 25-acre island off Oahu, in Hawaii, to a Japanese client for $8,5 million. The drop in the dollar makes islands quoted in U.S. currency a relative bargain for some buyers, but – for whatever reason – banks are generally reluctant to lend large amounts for the purchase of islands. About 80 percent of Vladi’s transactions are in cash.

The son of a German mother and an Iranian father, Vladi, 42, got into the islands business two decades ago when he brokered the sale of an island in the Seychelles. In the years since then he has sold more than 300 islands. Americans and Germans were his best customers until a few years ago. Now the Japanese are the big buyers.

Low-key approach: Vladi prospects for islands by photographing them from a small rented plane, then discreetly snooping around to find out who own them - and whether they would be willing to sell. Title deeds are usually available for public inspection in the United States, but elsewhere they’re often treated like state secrets. “In many countries you have to be a detective,” he says. “The best sources of information are the fishermen.” Like real-estate brokers everywhere, Vladi keeps an eye peeled for divorces, deaths or bankruptcies that might result in an island’s being placed on the market. But patience and tact are essential. “Island people are very shy,” he says. “You have to be low key in approaching them.”

Vladi deals only in islands that are located in politically stable areas and that place no restrictions on the buyer’s nationality. Given rising land values and a diminishing supply, he recommends them as an investment. “Demand is increasing because civilization is destroying nature and people want an unpolluted environment,” says Vladi. “They find it on an island.” But at a price.