Part III Building the Vocabulary

Consult the English-English dictionary for the following words and phrases:

sinister (p. 37)

bookmaker (p. 37)

to be scared (p. 37)

perpetual (p. 37)

out of distress (fear) (p. 41)

indignity (p. 41)

all that glitters is not gold (p. 47)

to have a proposal (p. 48)

to ask smb. a favour (p. 50)

to have a clue (p. 51)

pensive (p. 51)

to drop the subject (p. 52)

touch-and-go (p. 52)

to get the sense (sensation) (p. 53)

day-to-day encounters (p. 53)

to identify oneself with (p. 53)

to raise the money for (p. 54)

to get out and about (p. 54)

to do banking (p. 54)

to be on one's own (p. 58)

a bank statement (p. 61)

to overdraw (p. 61)

a carrier bag (p. 61)

a tabloid (p. 61)

a cutting (p. 62)

mogul (p. 62)

to put forward (p. 63)

strident (p. 63)

to feel included within (p. 63)

plumber (p. 63)

social outings (p. 62)

brutal (p. 63)

Unit III (p. P. 67 - 92) Part I First Reading

A. Thinking about the Chapters

What do you feel for Hilary Winshaw?

B. Understanding the Plot

1. How did Hilary get into the television business? (p. p. 67 - 70) When do the events take place? Who was Mr. Beamish?

2. Was she a failure? Why? (p. p. 71 - 72)

3. Where did she find her new job? Why was deputy editor pleased by her? (p. p. 72 - 74)

4. How did it happen that Peter Evans took her out to dinner one evening? (p. p. 74 - 76)

5. Describe the wedding of Hilary Winshaw and Peter Evans. What can you say about their relations after marriage? Were they happy? Was Hilary an affectionate mother? (p. p. 78 - 81)

6. What were Hilary's ambitions?

7. What did we learn about Henry Winshaw's career and why did he want to meet Hilary? (p. p. 82 - 83)

8. How did Hilary get her new job of head of current events instead of Mr. Beamish? (p. p. 83 - 86)

9. Who is the main character of this chapter? What did you learn about him?

10. What offer did he get from Tabitha Winshaw? Why did he accept it? (p. p. 87 - 88)

11. What was his story about? (p. p. 88 - 89)

12. What significant change took place in his research of the family? Why? (p. p. 88 - 89)

13. What way was he going to change his story? What did he decide to find out? What did he do for this? (p. p. 90 - 92)

14. What did you learn about the situation in Iraq?

C. Making Connections

1. What is your attitude to the mass media in this country?

2. Have you ever wanted to become a journalist (a columnist)?

3. What is the role of mass media?

Part II Second Reading

A. Exploring Themes

Try to understand why the characters act as they do and the author's information on some points.

1. Why does the author write so much on TV?

2. What way is Hilary presented? What is the author's attitude to her?

3. Translate and comment on the following: (p. 70) 'I think of television …. and foster.'

4. What was the aim of Hilary's writings in the newspaper?

5. Do you think she loved Peter Evans?

6. What effect do you think Hilary's answers should produce on the public? Her exclusive interview.

7. What did you learn about the close ties between the finance world and mass media? And did all this influence the policy of the government?

8. What is necessary to be a writer?

9. Explain: (p. 90) 'And so out of my loathing for these people came a rebirth of my literary personality.'

10. Why do you think Michael stopped writing and did not go out or talk for two, perhaps three years?

B. Judging for Yourself

1. Do you think Michael will finish his novel quickly?

2. Will he come across any problems? What problems if any?

3. Was Tabitha really sane or insane?

4. What can you say about Michael's future relations with Fiona?

5. Would you like to get married? What kind of relationship should it be? Do you think it is common to have such relations as Hilary and Peter's?