ВУЗ:
Составители:
Рубрика:
63
She found, as she said, the beginnings of culture in the Orient, but
she knew that culture depends on sacrifice and the ruthless, lethal intre-
pidity of the intellect. God – as she suggested to Mallowan in 1930 after
reading a treatise by the physicist James Jeans – lay in the future: he did
not create man, but man might eventually create him, arriving after all
the travail of evolution at "some complete and marvellous Conscious-
ness".
Poirot, a superhuman intelligence housed in a pudgy, mousta-
chioed Belgian body, was perhaps her symbol of this immanent univer-
sal brain. And though Poirot solves crimes rather than committing them,
the evolutionary avant-gardists are the people who disobey command-
ments and test the limits of human power.
As the crime writer Martin Edwards pointed out at the NFT, in her
novels murders are committed by bluff majors and starchy spinsters, the
very emblems of English rectitude. Keating added that in one whodunit
the malefactor is a child, and said "That's going rather deep". In Apted's
Agatha, Dustin Hoffman, as a journalist tracking the fugitive heroine,
asks Vanessa Redgrave why she is obsessed by violence. We won't be-
gin to understand the deceptively comfy, apparently harmless Christie
until we force her works to give us an answer.
1. Find in the text of the article the English equivalents to the follow-
ing Russian words and expressions:
1) пересмотр (взглядов и т.п.), 2) несовременный (2 words),
3) предшествовать, 4) несогласие / разногласие, 5) святыни, 6) при-
хожанин / прихожанка, 7) смертельный / вызывающий смерть,
8) свидетель / очевидец, 9) задатки, 10) опознание торговой марки,
11) житель пригорода, 12) виновность / вина, 13) эксгумация,
14) гниющий, 15) неустрашимость / смелость, 16) трактат / научный
труд, 17) честность / добродетель.
64
2. Find in the text of the article the words matching the following
definitions:
1) to struggle roughly, 2) difficult to comprehend, 3) determined and
courageous in the face of difficulties, 4) to encourage or stir up (violent
or unlawful behaviour), 5) relating to or dealing with the application of
scientific knowledge to legal problems, 6) murder of a mother by her son
or daughter, 7) extremely unpleasant, 8) a method of transforming a text
in order to conceal its meaning, 9) understood by few; mysterious, ob-
scure, 10) revealing something, 11) assisting or intended to assist mem-
ory / relating to memory, 12) (especially of a woman) unfashionable and
dull in appearance, 13) very worried and upset, 14) to kill by electric
shock, 15) a supposition or guess, 16) a region or scene of simple pleas-
ure and quiet, 17) no longer living, existing, or functioning, 18) a brief
excursion or attempt especially outside one's accustomed sphere, 19) an
ancient Mesopotamian temple tower consisting of a lofty pyramidal
structure built in successive stages with outside staircases and a shrine at
the top, 20) confined or restricted as if within the borders of a parish /
provincial, 21) excrement / dung, 22) a female who rules or dominates a
family, group, or state, 23) work especially of a painful or laborious na-
ture, 24) being short and plump.
3. Answer the following questions:
1) Is Agatha Christie considered to be a modernist?
2) What did the author of the article mean by saying that "Christie is an
export industry"?
3) What is the usual attitude to Christie's works?
4) What do you think about the definition of modernity given by one of
Agatha Christie's characters?
5) Is there any connection between Christie's books and the "mental
revolt" of her time? If so, what is this connection?
6) How did Freud's ideas influence Agatha Christie?
She found, as she said, the beginnings of culture in the Orient, but 2. Find in the text of the article the words matching the following
she knew that culture depends on sacrifice and the ruthless, lethal intre- definitions:
pidity of the intellect. God – as she suggested to Mallowan in 1930 after 1) to struggle roughly, 2) difficult to comprehend, 3) determined and
reading a treatise by the physicist James Jeans – lay in the future: he did courageous in the face of difficulties, 4) to encourage or stir up (violent
not create man, but man might eventually create him, arriving after all or unlawful behaviour), 5) relating to or dealing with the application of
the travail of evolution at "some complete and marvellous Conscious- scientific knowledge to legal problems, 6) murder of a mother by her son
ness". or daughter, 7) extremely unpleasant, 8) a method of transforming a text
Poirot, a superhuman intelligence housed in a pudgy, mousta- in order to conceal its meaning, 9) understood by few; mysterious, ob-
chioed Belgian body, was perhaps her symbol of this immanent univer- scure, 10) revealing something, 11) assisting or intended to assist mem-
sal brain. And though Poirot solves crimes rather than committing them, ory / relating to memory, 12) (especially of a woman) unfashionable and
the evolutionary avant-gardists are the people who disobey command- dull in appearance, 13) very worried and upset, 14) to kill by electric
ments and test the limits of human power. shock, 15) a supposition or guess, 16) a region or scene of simple pleas-
As the crime writer Martin Edwards pointed out at the NFT, in her ure and quiet, 17) no longer living, existing, or functioning, 18) a brief
novels murders are committed by bluff majors and starchy spinsters, the excursion or attempt especially outside one's accustomed sphere, 19) an
very emblems of English rectitude. Keating added that in one whodunit ancient Mesopotamian temple tower consisting of a lofty pyramidal
the malefactor is a child, and said "That's going rather deep". In Apted's structure built in successive stages with outside staircases and a shrine at
Agatha, Dustin Hoffman, as a journalist tracking the fugitive heroine, the top, 20) confined or restricted as if within the borders of a parish /
asks Vanessa Redgrave why she is obsessed by violence. We won't be- provincial, 21) excrement / dung, 22) a female who rules or dominates a
gin to understand the deceptively comfy, apparently harmless Christie family, group, or state, 23) work especially of a painful or laborious na-
until we force her works to give us an answer. ture, 24) being short and plump.
1. Find in the text of the article the English equivalents to the follow- 3. Answer the following questions:
ing Russian words and expressions: 1) Is Agatha Christie considered to be a modernist?
1) пересмотр (взглядов и т.п.), 2) несовременный (2 words), 2) What did the author of the article mean by saying that "Christie is an
3) предшествовать, 4) несогласие / разногласие, 5) святыни, 6) при- export industry"?
хожанин / прихожанка, 7) смертельный / вызывающий смерть, 3) What is the usual attitude to Christie's works?
8) свидетель / очевидец, 9) задатки, 10) опознание торговой марки, 4) What do you think about the definition of modernity given by one of
11) житель пригорода, 12) виновность / вина, 13) эксгумация, Agatha Christie's characters?
14) гниющий, 15) неустрашимость / смелость, 16) трактат / научный 5) Is there any connection between Christie's books and the "mental
труд, 17) честность / добродетель. revolt" of her time? If so, what is this connection?
6) How did Freud's ideas influence Agatha Christie?
63 64
