Roman Britain. Мартемьянова Н.В. - 18 стр.

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and pathetically old-fashioned weapons. They charged and slashed and hacked,
but made little impression on that moving wall of the Roman shields, Roman
amour and helmets.
   Fatalis would put his lads in wedge formation, splitting up the enemy rush
crushing them into tight little groups where the couldn't swing their big swords.
   Then a bang in the face with the shield, and the long point of the wicked
Roman short-sword stabbing up into their unarmored bodies.
   Maiden Castle must have been the tenth or eleventh of these forts that the II
Augusta and their attached auxiliary cohorts had taken since they first slashed
ashore on this foggy island of Britain.


Reading Comprehension Tasks
1. The sentences below are all from the text. Match parts of sentences on the
left with their complementation on the right.
1) Man lived on this 1,ooo yard long hill      1)which made a change from the
                                                perfumed politicians who usually
                                                got commands
2) From the short sharp fight with             2)were strengthened at some points
   the tribesmen                               by dry-stone walls and timber pali-
                                                sades.
3) Vespasian was much of a soldier             3)discipline and training always
   as Centurion Fatalis,                         beat individual courage
4) Through the smoke from the                  4)since at least 2000BC.
   burning huts
5) The Britons hadn’t a hope as                5)the last of the Britons on this
                                                bank was down.
6) They charged and slashed and                6)the II Augusta would push
hacked, but                                     through the ramparts and deploy
                                                into their proper ranks again.