Reading 7. The brothers

Ex. 1. Read the text. What are the differences between the brothers.

The Brothers

(abridged from «A Woman Of Substance» by Barbara T. Bradford)

«Come along, boys, this is Emma Harte. Mrs. Harte» She led them to Emma, her face radiant. This is David,» she said, introducing the taller boy, «and this is Victor.» The Kallinski boys shook hands with Emma, extended their greetings, and thanked her for coming to their father’s aid. They crossed the room to the sofa and sat down together.

David and Victor Kallinski were as different in every way as two brothers could be. David, who was the elder at nineteen, was all like his mother and well-built. He had been blessed with her lovely blue eyes, and his face, handsome and open, had a suggestion of her Slavic bone structure. He had the same of black wavy hair his father’s had once been and he had also inherited the older man’s outward-going manner. David was a mover, a doer, ambitious, clever and driven. If there was a faint hint of cynicism in his alert blue eyes it was somewhat counteracted by generosity of his wide mouth and his friendly demeanour. David was intelligent, intuitive, and excessively motivated towards one goal: success. He lived by only rule and one rule alone the survival of the fittest. He not only intended to survive, but to survive in style and with wealth.

Victor, who was sixteen, was small, almost birdlike, and in this he resembled his father to some extent. He had his mother’s straight shiny black hair, but otherwise he did not appear to physically favour either of them. His large eyes were soft and hazel in colour and his face was smooth and bland without any emphatic features, but he was pleasant-looking. His sober face mirrored his character, for Victor Kallinski was a gentle and reflective boy; and in one way his temperament was similar to his father’s, he had great forbearance and a deep understanding of human frailties, an understanding that was mature and remarkable in one so young. He was a thinker and a dreamer, and he had the soul of a poet. Victor was happiest when he was alone reading, or gazing at great paintings in the museum, or listening to the music of Mahler and Beethoven. He was reserved of nature to a point of shyness and he was not given to conversing easily with anyone, especially strangers. Victor was looking at Emma from under his long dark lashes, a quiet smile playing around his mouth, thinking what a compassionate girl she must be, and how her actions today only reinforced his inherent belief that essentially mankind was good. Like his father, Victor was utterly without bitterness.

 

Notes:

1. be blessed with - be fortunate in having

2. demeanour - way of behaving

3. favour (v) - resemble in features

4. bland - gentle and polite in manner

5. Mahler

6. Beethoven

 

Ex. 2. Comprehension questions

1. Who did Mrs. Kallinski introduce her sons to?

2. Why were they glad to meet Emma Harte?

3. Were the brothers alike?

4. How old were David and Victor?

5. Who did David take after?

6. Whose manner did David inherit?

7. Towards what goal was David motivated?

8. How did he act to achieve his goal?

9. Did Victor in any way resemble his brother?

10.What was Victor's most outstanding trait?

11.What did he think of Emma Harte?

 

Ex. 3. Pick out from the text words and phrases used to characterize the brothers. Fill in the table below; compare the brothers.

	David	Victor
Appearance	tall, well-built	small, almost birdlike
Character	a mover, a doer	gentle, reflective

Ex. 4. Work in pairs. One of you chooses David, the other - Victor. Characterize them, using the table and discuss common and different features in them.

Ex.5. Work with your partner. Choose one of your relatives (brother/sister/cousin/aunt, etc) and compare him/her with yourself the way you did in Ex. 3,4; you may fill in the table to help you.

Reading 8. THE TWIN QUESTION: Nature or Nurture?

VI. SPEAKING

Ex. 1. Expand the situation introduced by the opening sentences.

1.

A: Oh, Mom! Guess who I've just seen?

B: Not Santa Clause, I suppose.

A: Do you remember Jack Collins, my class-mate? I ran across him at a supermarket. I didn't recognize him at first, he's changed so much.

B: …………

2.

A: Who is the young man in the picture?

B: Oh, this is Frank Howard, William's son.

A: I don't think he took after his father.

B: No, he didn't. He is a replica of his mother. Have you ever met her?

A: …………

3.

A: John, could you do me a favour?

B: Sure. Go ahead.

A: I need to send a couple of books to a friend of mine in London. I've heard you're going there tomorrow. If you could take the books with you, he would meet you at the airport.

B: No problem. But how can I recognize him?

A: ………….

4.

A: My favourite film star is Julia Roberts. She is a real beauty!

B: Well, actually, I don't think so.

A: ………….

5.

A: ………….

B: ………….

A: Well, you don't know him as well as I do. He is well-bred and pleasant to deal with.

B: She possesses a rare gift of listening to people without interrupting them.

A: I cannot but agree with you …………..

B: He fell in love with her at first sight.

A: Don't you think they're so different? She is full of joy and gaiety and he looks so sullen.

B: …………...

A: …………...

B: Well, extremes meet, they say.

6.

A: Who is that man I saw yesterday at the station among those seeing your brother off?

B: I really don't know whom you mean. What does he look like?

A: …………...

7.

A: She has so much self-confidence.

B: Yes, you're right. She can't stand it if somebody is better than her.

A: …………...

8.

A: You read too much. You have to learn to deal with people in real life.

B: I am a hopeless idealist. I appreciate intelligence, purity of the soul and high moral qualities.

A: And you think they can be found only in books, don't you?

B: …………….

9.

A: …………….

B: He has a good sense of humour. It's a lot of fun to be with him.

A: But he is very ambitious guy.

B: Do you consider ambition to be a good trait?

A: …………….

10.

Kate: Mary, have you seen Bob's sister?

Mary: No, I haven't. Have you? Is she pretty?

Kate: I've met her several times.

Mary: If she's like her brother she must be good-looking. Bob is hand-some, isn't he? What does she look like?

11.

A: Who did your daughter take after?

B: Both me and my wife, I guess. Look, here is her picture.

12.

A: It's not necessary to be beautiful to be liked by people.

B: That's true. Look at film stars. Some of them are not good-looking at all but they are so charming that everybody adores them. For example …

 

Ex. 2. Try to find two characters of wholly different types and describe them. Point out the most striking features in their appearance.

Ex. 3. Topics for discussion and essays:

1. Do you agree with the saying All men are as stubborn as sheep?

2. Do you think that opposites attract? (Somebody simple-hearted and cheerful will make a good match for someone serious, calm, deeply intelligent or that someone stingy will get along well with a generous person).

3. What are the traits of an ideal wife/husband? Do you think it's good to live with an ideal?

4. What are your best friend's most engaging traits?

5. What makes a student popular with others?

6. What makes a student unpopular with others?

7. What traits of character in your opinion do students appreciate in a teacher?

8. Do you think the appearance is important when you want to get a job? Why?

9. In what jobs do you think the appearance is essential? Why?

10.Do you think that the saying "A beauty lives an easier life" is correct? Prove your point.

11.What is your ideal of male/female beauty?

12.What do you think is more important: beauty or character?

13.Name 10 likes and dislikes in a person's appearance.