VOCABULARY EXTENSION
Read fhe text and retell it following the outline. Make use of the word combinations listed after each point:
Andrew went out to the call immediately, with a queer sensation, almost of relief. He was glad of the opportunity to disentangle himself from the curious and conflicting emotions stirred up by his
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arrival at Bryngower. Already he had a glimmer of a suspicion as to how matters stood and of how he would be made use of by Blodwen Page to run the practice for his disabled principal. It was a strange situation, and very different from any romantic picture which his fancy might have painted. Yet, after all, his work was the important thing; besides it, all else was trivial. He longed to begin it. Insensibly he hastened his pace, taut with anticipation, exulting in the realization - this, this was his first case.
He reached 7 Glydar Place, knocked breathlessly upon the door, and was at once admitted to the kitchen, where, in the recessed bed, the patient lay. She was a young woman, wife of a steel worker named Williams, and as he approached the bedside with a fast-beating heart he felt, overwhelmingly, the significance of this, the real starting-point of his life. How often he had envisaged it as, in a crowd of students, he had watched a demonstration in Professor Lamplough's wards! Now there was no sustaining crowd, no easy exposition. He was alone, confronted by a case which he must diagnose and treat unaided. All at once, with a quick pang, he was conscious of his nervousness, his inexperience, his complete unpreparedness, for such a task.
While the husband stood by in the cramped, ill-lit stone-floored room, Andrew Manson examined the patient with scrupulous care. There was no doubt about it, she was ill. She complained that her head ached intolerably. Temperature, pulse, tongue, they all spoke of trouble, serious trouble. What was it? Andrew asked himself that question with a strained intensity as he went over her again. His first case. Oh, he knew that he was overanxious! But suppose he made an error, a frightful blunder? And worse - suppose he found himself unable to make a diagnosis? He had missed nothing. Nothing. Yet, he still found himself struggling towards some solution of the problem, striving to group the symptoms under the heading of some recognized disease. At last, aware that he could protract his investigation no longer, he straightened himself slowly, folding up his stethoscope, fumbling for words.
"Did she have a chill?" he asked, his eyes upon the floor.
"Yes, indeed," Williams.answered eagerly. He had looked scared during the prolonged examination. "Three, four days ago. I made sure it was a chill, Doctor."
Andrew nodded, attempting painfully to generate a confidence he did not feel. He muttered. "We'll soon have her right. Come to the surgery in half an hour. I'll give you a bottle of medicine."
He took his leave of them, and with his head down, thinking desperately, he trudged back to the surgery. Inside, he lit the gas and began to pace backwards and forwards beside the blue and green bottles on the dusty shelves, racking his brains, groping in the darkness. There was nothing symptomatic. It must, yes, it must be a chill. But in his heart he knew that it was not a chill. He groaned in exasperation, dismayed and angry at his own inadequacy.
(From "The Citadel" by A. Cronin)
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Outline
1. Andrew's state of mind as he goes out to his first call (his arrival at; to stir up (curious and conflicting) emotions; how matters stood; to make use of; to run Doctor Page's practice; to be very different from; after all; to be trivial; to long to begin work; to hasten his pace; his first case).
2. The real starting point of Andrew's career begins (to knock breathlessly upon the door; to be admitted to the kitchen; an ill-lit stone-floored room; to be alone; no sustaining crowd; no easy exposition; to approach the bedside; his heart beat like a hammer; the real starting point of his life; to be confronted by a serious case; to diagnose the case; to treat the case unaided; to be conscious of; nervousness, inexperience, unpreparedness, inadequacy).
3. Andrew tries hard to diagnose the case and fails (to examine the patient with scrupulous care; to complain of a splitting headache; her head ached intolerably; to speak of serious trouble; to go over the patient again; to be overanxious; to make a frightful error; to make a diagnosis; to diagnose the case; to find himself doing smth; to group the symptoms; to straighten himself slowly; to fold up his stethoscope; to fumble for words).
4. Andrew is conscious of his inexperience, his complete unpreparedness to diagnose the case (to have a chill; (with) his eyes on the floor; to look scared; to make sure; to feel confidence; a bottle of medicine; to take leave of; with his head down).
5. Andrew's state of mind as he goes back to the surgery (to trudge back; to think desperately; to pace backwards and forwards; to rack his brains; to grope in the darkness; to groan with exasperation; to be dismayed and angry at his own inadequacy).
Memorize the poem. Try your hand at translating it into Russian:
GIFTS
By J. Thomson (1834-1882)
Give a man a horse he can ride,
Give a man a boat he can sail;
And his rank and wealth, his strength and health,
On sea nor shore shall fail.
Give a man a pipe he can smoke.
Give a man a book he can read;
And his home is bright with a calm delight,
Though the room be poor indeed.
Give a man a girl he can love,
As I, O my love, love thee;
And his heart is great with the pulse of Fate,
At home, on land, on sea. |
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