Художественные тексты для анализа при изучении первого иностранного языка

МИНИСТЕРСТВО НАУКИ И ВЫСШЕГО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ 
РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ 
 
РОСТОВСКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ  
ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКИЙ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ (РИНХ) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Е.С. Николаева 
 
 
ХУДОЖЕСТВЕННЫЕ ТЕКСТЫ ДЛЯ АНАЛИЗА 
ПРИ ИЗУЧЕНИИ  
ПЕРВОГО ИНОСТРАННОГО ЯЗЫКА 
 
(НАПРАВЛЕНИЕ 45.03.02 «ЛИНГВИСТИКА», 
ПРОФИЛЬ 45.03.02.02 «ПЕРЕВОД И ПЕРЕВОДОВЕДЕНИЕ») 
 
 
Учебное пособие 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ростов-на-Дону 
Издательско-полиграфический комплекс РГЭУ (РИНХ) 
2023 
 

УДК 811.111(075) 
ББК 81.432.1 
Н63 
 
Автор – Е.С. Николаева, к.филол.н.,  
доцент кафедры лингвистики и межкультурной коммуникации. 
 
Николаева, Е.С.  
Н63      Художественные тексты для анализа при изучении первого иностранного языка : учебное пособие / Е.С. Николаева – Ростов-на-Дону : Издательско-полиграфический 
комплекс Рост. гос. экон. ун-та (РИНХ), 2023. – 119 с. 
ISBN 978-5-7972-3205-6 
 
В пособие включены отрывки из английской художественной литературы и система упражнений, способствующих активному, углубленному 
изучению неадаптированных художественных текстов.  
Пособие рекомендуется в качестве основного или вспомогательного 
материала как для самостоятельной работы студентов, так и для использования преподавателями вуза языковых профилей. 
Предназначено для занятий по развитию иноязычной коммуникативный компетенции для студентов направления 45.03.02 «Лингвистика», профиль 45.03.02.02 «Перевод и переводоведение». 
УДК 811.111(075) 
ББК 81.432.1 
 
Рецензенты: 
Самофалова М.В., к.филол.н., доцент кафедры межкультурной коммуникации 
 и методики преподавания иностранных языков  
ФГАОУ ВО «Южный федеральный университет»; 
Барабанова И.Г., к.филол.н., доцент, зав. кафедрой лингвистики  
и межкультурной коммуникации  
ФГБОУ ВО «Ростовский государственный экономический университет (РИНХ)». 
 
Утверждено в качестве учебного пособия  
учебно-методическим советом РГЭУ (РИНХ). 
 
 
ISBN 978-5-7972-3205-6                         Ростовский государственный  
экономический университет (РИНХ), 2023 
                                                                   Николаева Е.С., 2023 

ОГЛАВЛЕНИЕ 
 
LESSON ONE 
Text: BODY IN THE LIBRARY (by A. Christie) ........................... 4 
READING AND COMPREHENSION ................................................ 4 
VOCABULARY WORK .................................................................... 27 
SPEAKING AND ANALYSIS ........................................................... 30 
WRITING ............................................................................................ 33 
GRAMMAR ........................................................................................ 35 
 
LESSON TWO 
Text: SAY NO TO DEATH (by D. Cusack) ................................... 41 
READING AND COMPREHENSION .............................................. 41 
VOCABULARY WORK .................................................................... 47 
SPEAKING AND ANALYSIS ........................................................... 49 
WRITING ............................................................................................ 54 
GRAMMAR ........................................................................................ 56 
 
LESSON THREE 
Text: THE LAST LEAF (by O. Henry) .......................................... 63 
READING AND COMPREHENSION .............................................. 63 
VOCABULARY WORK .................................................................... 66 
SPEAKING AND ANALYSIS ........................................................... 67 
GRAMMAR ........................................................................................ 69 
 
LESSON FOUR 
Text: ABOUT A BOY (by N. Hornby) ............................................ 75 
READING AND COMPREHENSION .............................................. 75 
VOCABULARY WORK .................................................................. 102 
SPEAKING AND ANALYSIS ......................................................... 105 
WRITING .......................................................................................... 106 
GRAMMAR ...................................................................................... 108 
 
 
 

LESSON ONE 
Text: BODY IN THE LIBRARY (by A. Christie) 
 
READING AND COMPREHENSION 
 
Ex. 1. Read the passage from Chapter 1. 
Miss Marple's telephone rang when she was dressing. The sound 
of it flurried her a little. It was an unusual hour for her telephone to 
ring. So well ordered was her prim spinster's life that unforeseen 
telephone calls were a source of vivid conjecture.  
"Dear me," said Miss Marple, surveying the ringing instrument 
with perplexity. "I wonder who that can be?"  
Nine o'clock to nine-thirty was the recognized time for the 
village to make friendly calls to neighbours. Plans for the day, 
invitations, and so on, were always issued then. The butcher had been 
known to ring up just before nine if some crisis in the meat trade had 
occurred. At intervals during the day spasmodic calls might occur, 
though it was considered bad form to ring up after nine-thirty at night. 
It was true that Miss Marple's nephew, a writer, and therefore erratic, 
had been known to ring up at the most peculiar times; once as late as 
ten minutes to midnight. But whatever Raymond West's eccentricities, 
early rising was not one of them. Neither he nor anyone of Miss 
Marple's acquaintance would be likely to ring up before eight in the 
morning. Actually a quarter to eight.  
Too early even for a telegram, since the post office did not open 
until eight. "It must be," Miss Marple decided, "a wrong number."  
Having decided this, she advanced to the impatient instrument 
and quelled its clamour by picking up the receiver.  
"Yes?" she said.  
"Is that you, Jane?"  
Miss Marple was much surprised.  
"Yes, it's Jane. You're up very early, Dolly."  
Mrs Bantry's voice came, breathless and agitated, over the wire. 
"The most awful thing has happened."  
"Oh, my dear!"  
"We've just found a body in the library. 

"For a moment Miss Marple thought her friend had gone mad. 
"You've found a what?"  
"I know. One doesn't believe it, does one? I mean I thought they 
only happened in books. I had to argue for hours with Arthur this 
morning before he'd even go down and see."  
Miss Marple tried to collect herself. She demanded breathlessly, 
"But whose body is it?"  
"It's a blonde." "A what?"  
"A blonde. A beautiful blonde – like books again. None of us 
have ever seen her before. She's just lying there in the library, dead. 
That's why you've got to come up at once."  
"You want me to come up?"  
"Yes, I'm sending the car down for you."  
Miss Marple said doubtfully, "Of course, dear, if you think I can 
be of any comfort to you."  
"Oh, I don't want comfort. But you're so good at bodies." "Oh, 
no, indeed. My little successes have been mostly theoretical."  
"But you're very good at murders. She's been murdered you see; 
strangled. What I feel is that if one has got to have a murder actually 
happening in one's house, one might as well enjoy it, if you know 
what I mean. That's why I want you to come and help me find out who 
did it and unravel the mystery and all that. It really is rather thrilling, 
isn't it?"  
"Well, of course, my dear, if I can be of any help."  
"Splendid! Arthur's being rather difficult. He seems to think I 
shouldn't enjoy myself about it at all. Of course, I do know it's very sad 
and all that, but then I don't know the girl and when you've seen her 
you'll understand what I mean when I say she doesn't look real at all." 
 
Ex. 2. Read Chapter 1. Find the following word combinations, 
write them out, translate into Russian. 
To give out the prizes, to frown, to go to sleep, to be awake, to 
go mad, to ring up the police, to cast a reproachful glance, I didn't 
quite catch, to dial a number, to be good at smth, to be heavily made 
up, to make a discovery, to try one's hand at smth, to remind smb of 
smth, to throw light upon smth, to bite one's nails, to look alike 

Ex. 3. Read Chapter 1 and find out the answers to the 
following questions. Use a dictionary if necessary. 
1. What was Mrs. Bantry's dream about? 
2. Why did she frown in her dream? 
3. What did Mary cry out that made Mrs. Bantry awake? 
4. What was Colonel Bantry's first reaction when his wife tried 
to wake him up? How did it characterize him? 
5. Colonel Bantry didn't find anybody in the library, did he? 
6. Why was Police Constable Palk's tone undergo a slight 
modification when he heard the colonel's voice? 
7. Was the girl murdered or strangled? 
8. Why was Miss Marple surprised when she heard her 
telephone ring? 
9. Why did Mrs. Bantry decide to send the car for Miss Marple? 
10. Why did Constable Palk let Miss Marple come into the 
library? 
11. What did Miss Marple see in the library? 
12. Who else came to see the body? 
13. What was Miss Marple famous for? 
14. What did Miss Marple think of the murder? 
 
Ex. 4. Read Chapter 1 and comment on the following sentences. 
Police Constable Palk's tone underwent a slight modification. It 
became less impatiently official, recognizing the generous patron of 
the police sports and the principal magistrate of the district. 
Constable Palk gave way. His habit of giving in to the gentry 
was lifelong. 
Colonel Melchett said with a slight chuckle, "If you ask me, your 
wife's going to try her hand at a little amateur detecting". 
 
Ex. 5. Read the passage from Chapter 2. 
It was an idea that was being at that moment discussed by 
Colonel Melchett and Colonel Bantry.  
The chief constable, after viewing the body and seeing his 
subordinates set to work on their routine tasks, had adjourned with the 
master of the house to the study in the other wing.  
Colonel Melchett was an irascible-looking man with a habit of 
tugging at his short red moustache. He did so now, shooting a 

perplexed sideways glance at the other man. Finally he rapped out, 
"Look here, Bantry; got to get this off my chest. Is it a fact that you 
don't know from Adam who this woman is?"  
The other's answer was explosive, but the chief constable 
interrupted him.  
"Yes, yes, old man, but look at it like this: might be deuced 
awkward for you. Married man fond of your missus and all that. But 
just between ourselves, if you were tied up with this girl in any way, 
better say so now. Quite natural to want to suppress the fact; should 
feel the same myself. But it won't do. Murder case. Facts bound to 
come out. Dash it all, I'm not suggesting you strangled the girl -not the 
sort of thing you'd do. I know that! But, after all, she came here to this 
house. Put it, she broke in and was waiting to see you, and some bloke 
or other followed her down and did her in. Possible, you know. See 
what I mean?"  
"I've never set eyes on that girl in my life! I'm not that sort of 
man!"  
"That's all right then. Shouldn't blame you, you know. Man of 
the world. Still, if you say so. Question is, what was she doing down 
here? She doesn't come from these parts, that's quite certain."  
"That whole thing's a nightmare," fumed the angry master of the 
house. "The point is, old man, what was she doing in your library?" 
"How should I know? I didn't ask her here."  
"No, no. But she came here all the same. Looks as though she 
wanted to see you. You haven't had any odd letters or anything?"  
"No, I haven't." 
"Colonel Melchett inquired delicately, "What were you doing 
yourself last night?"  
"I went to the meeting of the Conservative Association. Nine 
o'clock, at Much Benham."  
"And you got home when?"  
"I left Much Benham just after ten. Had a bit of trouble on the 
way home, had to change a wheel. I got back at a quarter to twelve."  
"You didn't go into the library?"  
"No."  
"Pity."  
"I was tired. I went straight up to bed."  

"Anyone waiting up for you?"  
"No. I always take the latchkey. Lorrimer goes to bed at eleven, 
unless I give orders to the contrary."  
"Who shuts up the library?"  
"Lorrimer. Usually about seven-thirty this time of year."  
"Would he go in there again during the evening?"  
"Not with my being out. He left the tray with whiskey and 
glasses in the hall."  
"I see. What about your wife?"  
"She was in bed when I got home, and fast asleep. She may have 
sat in the library yesterday evening, or in the drawing room. I didn't 
ask her."  
"Oh, well, we shall soon know all the details. Of course it's 
possible one of the servants may be concerned, eh?"  
Colonel Bantry shook his head. "I don't believe it. They're all a 
most respectable lot. We've had 'em for years."  
Melchett agreed. "Yes, it doesn't seem likely that they're mixed 
up in it. Looks more as though the girl came down from town perhaps 
with some young fellow. Though why they wanted to break into this 
house..."  
Bantry interrupted. "London. That's more like it. We don't have 
goings-on down here – at least –"  
"Well, what is it?"  
"Upon my word!" exploded Colonel Bantry. "Basil Blake!"  
"Who's he?"  
"Young fellow connected with the film industry. Poisonous 
young brute. My wife sticks up for him because she was at school 
with his mother, but of all the decadent useless young Jackanapes he 
wants his behind kicked. He's taken that cottage on the Lansham Road 
you know, ghastly modern bit of building. He has parties there 
shrieking, noisy crowds and he has girls down for the weekend."  
"Girls?"  
"Yes, there was one last week one of these platinum blondes." 
The colonel's jaw dropped.  
"A platinum blonde, eh?" said Melchett reflectively. "Yes. I say, 
Melchett, you don't think..."  
The chief constable said briskly, "It's a possibility. It accounts 
for a girl of this type being in St Mary Mead. I think I'll run along and 

have a word with this young fellow – Braid – Blake – what did you 
say his name was?"  
"Blake. Basil Blake."  
"Will he be at home, do you know?" asked Melchett.  
"Let me see, what's today? Saturday? Usually gets here some 
time Saturday morning."  
Melchett said grimly, "We'll see if we can find him." 
 
Ex. 6. Read Chapters 2, 3, 4 and correct the false statements. 
1. Colonel Melchett was a quiet man with a habit of rubbing his 
hands together when he was pleased. 
2. Colonel Melchett supposed that Colonel Bantry had strangled 
the girl and Colonel Bantry confessed to it. 
3. Colonel Melchett did not want to know what Colonel Bantry 
had been doing the previous night. 
4. Colonel Bantry said that his wife had been waiting for him the 
previous evening. 
5. Colonel Bantry praised Basil Blake. 
6. Basil Blake was a famous architect. Being a middle-aged 
person he was modestly dressed in a grey suit. 
7. Basil Blake was very polite to Colonel Melchett. 
8. Basil Blake and the young blond girl did not say a word in 
Colonel Melchett's presence. 
9. Inspector Slack came to the conclusion that some of the 
servants knew something. 
10. Doctor Haydock informed Colonel Melchett that the girl had 
been murdered with a long knife. 
11. No people were reported missing. 
12. Inspector Slack was a passive man. 
13. Josie Turner was grief-stricken when she got to know that 
Ruby had been murdered. 
14. Josie was a servant at the Majestic. Ruby was also a servant 
there. 
15. When Ruby disappeared Josie went to the police at once. 
16. Josie told Colonel Melchett that she had never seen Ruby 
with a young man. 
17. Inspector Slack did not do anything to help Colonel 
Melchett. 

Ex. 7. Read the passage from Chapter 5. 
St Mary Mead was having the most exciting morning it had 
known for a long time.  
Miss Wetherby, a long-nosed, acidulated spinster, was the first 
to spread the intoxicating information. She dropped in upon her friend 
and neighbour Miss Hartnell.  
"Forgive my coming so early, dear, but I thought perhaps you 
mightn't have heard the news."  
"What news?" demanded Miss Hartnell. She had a deep bass 
voice and visited the poor indefatigably, however hard they tried to 
avoid her ministrations.  
"About the body of a young woman that was found this morning 
in Colonel Bantry's library."  
"In Colonel Bantry's library?"  
"Yes. Isn't it terrible?"  
"His poor wife!" Miss Hartnell tried to disguise her deep and 
ardent pleasure.  
"Yes, indeed. I don't suppose she had any idea."  
Miss Hartnell observed censoriously, "She thought too much 
about her garden and not enough about her husband. You've got to 
keep an eye on a man all the time, all the time," repeated Miss 
Hartnell fiercely.  
"I know. I know. It's really too dreadful."  
"I wonder what Jane Marple will say? Do you think she knew 
anything about it? She's so sharp about these things."  
"Jane Marple has gone up to Gossington." "What? This 
morning?" "Very early. Before breakfast."  
"But really! I do think – well, I mean, I think that is carrying 
things too far. We all know Jane likes to poke her nose into things, but 
I call this indecent!"  
"Oh, but Mrs Bantry sent for her."  
"Mrs Bantry sent for her?"  
"Well, the car came. With Muswell driving it."  
"Dear me. How very peculiar."  
They were silent a minute or two, digesting the news.  
"Whose body?" demanded Miss Hartnell.