Match the words and phrases with their definitions.

1. paradise — 2. dilapidated — 3. sit on one's haunches — 4. stark naked — 5. have sth under one's hand — 6. do sb an injustice — 7. square peg in a round hole — 8. divine — 9. fortune —: seek one's fortune in a new country 10. urge — 11. bystander — 12. relish — 13. palette — 14. be rooted to the floor — 15. quinine — 16. leper — leprosy— 17. deliver sentence of death — 18. fortitude —

squat n prosperity, success, great sum of money n board (with a hole for the thumb) on which an artist mixes his colours declare the fatal diagnosis do sb wrong, be unjust or unfair to sb n one who is standing near but not taking part in an event n person suffering from leprosy; n skin disease that forms silvery scales on the skin, causes local insensibility to pain, and the loss of fingers and toes n 1. the garden of Eden; 2. Heaven; 3. any place of perfect happiness; condition of perfect hap­piness easily available, within reach n strong desire vt enjoy; get pleasure out of n bitter liquid made from the bark of a tree and used as a medicine for fevers adj falling to pieces; in a state of ruin or decay cause to stand fixed and unmoving person unsuited to the position he fills n calm courage or endurance in the face of pain, danger or trouble completely, wholly naked adj (colloq) excellent, very beautiful

IV. Paraphrase the italicized parts of the sentences:

1. It was a feast of colour.

2.He was eternally a pilgrim, haunted by a divine nostalgia, and the demon within him was ruthless.

3. In England and France he was the square peg in the round nole, but here the holes were any sort of shape, and no sort of peg was quite amiss.

4. The bush was encroaching, and it looked as though very soon the primeval forest would regain possession of that strip of land...

5....he liked to have his models under his hand.

6. To these people, native and European, he was a queer fish> but they were used to queer fish, and they took him for granted...

7.The passion that held Strickland in bondage was no less tyrannical than love.

8. His complexion was florid and his hair white.

9. / did not relish fourteen kilometres over a bad path­way...

10. But the doctor gave a gasp, he was rooted to the floor, and he stared with all his eyes.

11. He judged that the disease had already attacked the vocal cords.

12. Dr Coutras surmised she was afraid to go farther in case she met any of the people from the village.

B. Speech Exercises

I. Compose sentences of your own with the following words and phrases:

to do sb an injustice; on one's haunches; palette; lep­rosy; quinine; remote; fortitude; shallow.

II. Explain the use of the idiom A square peg in a round hole in the text; give its Russian equivalent and illustrate its meaning with a situa­tion or story.

III. Comment on the following statements:

1....the place where Strickland lived had the beauty of the Garden of Eden.

2. Words cannot describe that paradise. [...]! suppose to European eyes it would have seemed astonishingly sordid.

3. He had gone native with a vengeance.

4. And though I had bought them out of compassion, after living with them I began to like them.

6, Here, on this remote island, he seemed to have aroused none of the detestation with which he was re­garded at home... If he had spent his life amid these surroundings he might have passed for no worse a man than another.

6. There are men whose desire for truth is so great that to attain it they will shatter the very foundation of their world. Of such was Strickland, only beauty with him took the place of truth.

7. Strickland was not sympathetic to me. He was an idle, useless scoundrel, who preferred to live with a native woman rather than work for his living like the rest of us. Man Dieu, how was I to know that one day the world would come to the conclusion that he had genius?

8. Women are strange little beasts... Of course, it is one of the most absurd illusions of Christianity that they have souls.

IV. What do you know about the life of Paul Gauguin in Tahiti? Compare his life and the circumstances of his death there with those of Strick­land's.

V. Could you name other men of art equally possessed by the desire to create so that they were "deaf and blind to everything else in the world" like Strickland?

VI. Answer the following questions:

1. Under what circumstances did the narrator get acquainted with Captain Brunot?

2. What story had he to tell the author about Strick­land's mode of life after he married Ata?

3. Why did Captain Brunot call the place "paradise"?

4. What kind of greeting did Strickland give him? Describe the evening they spent together.

5. Was Strickland happy with Ata? Why? Did he ever miss the lights of the big cities like Paris or London in that hidden from all the world corner?

6. Do you think Strickland's "obsession" was over once he found himself in Tahiti? Why so?

7. Why did the natives treat him in a different way from the Europeans and take him for granted? Do you agree that'one and the same person can be good for one society, and bad for another? Do you know such people?

8. Has an artist the right to ignore the interests and opinion of other people for the sake of his art?

9. How did Dr Coutras appear in Strickland's house?

10. What was Strickland's reaction to the doctor's horrible diagnosis? What traits of his character does it manifest?

11. Speak of Ata's behaviour and her utter devotion to Strickland in those days of woe.

VII. Points for discussion:

1. Describe Captain Brunot.

2. Reproduce Captain Brunot's story about Strickland.

3. Describe Strickland's place of residence.

4. Reproduce Dr Coutras's recollections of his visits to Strickland.

5. Speak of Dr Coutras and his attitude to Strickland.

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