Pre-reading tasks

Task 1. With a partner discuss the following questions:

1. What English writers do you know?

2. Do you know any interesting facts about their biographies?

3. What was the last book by a British writer you read?

4. Why did you choose this book?

5. What genre of literature does it belong to?

6. Who were the main characters?

7. What was the plot of the story?

8. Has it ever been staged or filmed?

9. Did you enjoy the book more or less than you expected?

Task 2. Work in small groups. Paraphrase the following quotations. Do you agree with them? Why (not)? Discuss in pairs.

· “Like the measles, love is most dangerous when it comes late in life.”

(Lord Byron, British poet)

· “The poor dog, in life the firmest friend. The first to welcome, foremost to defend.”

(Lord Byron, British poet)

· “Any coward can fight a battle when he's sure of winning, but give me the man who has pluck to fight when he's sure of losing. That's my way, sir; and there are many victories worse than a defeat.”

(Eliot, George, British writer)

· “It is never too late to be what you might have been.”

(Eliot, George, British writer)

· “A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.”

(Shakespeare, William, British poet and playwright)

· “Honesty is the best policy. If I lose mine honor, I lose myself.”

(Shakespeare, William, British poet and playwright)

· “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”

(Shaw, George Bernard, Irish writer)

· “We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future.”

(Shaw, George Bernard, Irish writer)

· “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”

(Wilde, Oscar, Irish poet and dramatist)

Task 3. Choose two of the quotes in the previous task and explain why they have meaning in your life.

Task 4. Work in small groups. Ask and answer these questions:

1. Have you read “Three Men in a Boat” by Jerome K.Jarome? What is it about?

2. Who are the main characters of the book?

3. What impression did the book make on you?

4. Do you think this book is worth reading?

5. What other books by this writer have you read?

READING

1. Skim the extract from the book by Jerome Klapka Jerome “Three Men in a Boat” to get the general idea. Pay attention to the Explanatory Notes.