We got out at Sonning, and went for a walk round the village.

. Its the most fairylook on the whole river. Its more like a stage village than one built of bricks and mortar. Every house is smothered , in roses, and now, in early June, thery were bursting forth in clouds of dainty splendour , . If you stop at Sonning, put up at the Bull, behind the church. Its a veritable picture of an old country inn , with a green, square courtyard in front, where, on seats beneath

the trees, the old men group of an evening to drink their ale ande gossip over village politics; with low quaint rooms and latticed windows and awkward stairs and winding passages . We roamed about sweet Sonning for an hour or so, and then, it being too late to push on past Reading, we decided to go back to one of the Shiplake islands, and put up there for the night. It was still early when we got settled and George said that, as we had plenty of time, it would be a splendid opportunity to try a good, slap-up supper. He said he would show us what could be done up

the river in the way of cooking, and suggested that, with the vegetables and the remains of the cold beef and general odds and ends, we should make an Irish stew . It seemed a fascinating idea. George gathered wood and made a fire, and Harris and I started to peel the potatoes . I should never have thought that peeling potatoes was such an undertaking . The job turned out to be the biggest thing of its kind that I had ever been in. We began cheerfully, one might almost say skittishly but our light-heartedness was gone by the time the first potato was finnished. The more we peeled, the more the peel there seemed to be left on ; by the time we had got all the peel off and all the eyes out

 , there was no potato left at least none worth speaking of. George came and had a look at it it was about the size of pea-nut . He said: Oh, that wont do! Youre wasting them. You must scarpe them. So we scared them and that was harder work than peeling. They are such an extraordinary shape, potatoes all bumps and warts and hollows . We worked steadily for five-andtwenty minutes, and did four potatoes. Then we struck . We said we should require the rest of the evening for scrapping ourselves. I never saw such a thing as potato-scraping for making a fellow in a mess . It seemed difficult to believe that the potato-scrapings in which Harris and I stood.half-smothered

, could have come off four potatoes. It shows you what can be done with economy and care. George said it was absurd to have only four potatoes in an Irish stew, so we washed half a dozen or so more and put them in without peeling. We also put in a cabbage and about half a peck of peas . George stirred it all up, and then he said that there seemed to be a lot of room to spare , so we overhauled both the hampers , and picked out all the odds and ends and the remnants , and added them to the stew. There were half a pork pie and a bit of cold boiled bacon left, and we put them in. Then George found half a tin of potted salmon , and he emptied that into the pot . He said that was the advantage

 , of Irish stew: you got rid of such a lot of things. I fished out a couple of eggs that had got cracked, and we put those in. George said they would thicken the gravy . I forget the other ingridients, but I know nothing was wasted; and I remember that towards the end, Montmorency, who had evinced great interest in the proceedings throughout , strolled away with an earnest and thoughtful air , reappearing, a few minutes afterwards , with a dead water-rat in his mouth, which he evidently wished to present us contribution to the dinner; whether in a sarcastic spirit, or with a general desire to assist, I cannot say. We had a discussion as to whether the rat should do in or not. Harris said that he thought it would be all right, mixed up with the other things, and that every little helped; but George stood up for precedent! He said he had never heard of water-rats in Irish stew, and he would rather be on the safe side

 , and not try experiments. Harris said: If you never try a new thing how can you tell what its like? Its men such as you that hamper the worlds progress. Think of the man who first tried German sausage! It was a great success, that Irish stew, I dont think I ever enjoyed a meal more. There was something so fresh and piquant about it. Ones palate gets so tired of the old hackneyed , things: here was a dish with a new flavour, with a taste like nothing else on earth. And it was nourishing , too. As George said, there was good stuff in it. The peas and potatoes might have been a bit softer, but we all had good teeth, so that did not matter much; and as for the gravy, it was a poem a little too rich, perhaps, for a weak stomach but nutritious . Vocabulary notes. gossip n 1. , (gossip column, a gossip writer) 2. (town gossips) gossip vi wind (wound) 1.

, (to wind the handle) 2. , , (to wind wool) 3. (The path wind through the wood) 4. , (to wind a clock) 5. (to wind up a speech) to wind someone round ones little finger 1. , 2. , . peel vt|i 1. 2. (skin peels off), (wall-paper peeling off) peel n candied peel scrape vt|i 1. ,

2. , .3. , . 4. , 5. (scrape through examination) to scrape a living to scrape up (to scrape together) ( , ) steady adj. 1. (to make a chair or table steady) 2. with a steady hand , . 3. 4. 5. 6. (steady person, steady rain, steady growth, steady progress) steadily adv. 1. ,

 steady vt|i , , mess n 1. , 2. to be in a mess 1. to make a mess of smth. , to get into a mess , crack vt|i 1. , 2. ,

to crack a joke , crack n 1. , 2. contribute vt|i 1. , , 2. contributoin n , , spirit n 1. ,

, 2. , 3. , high|low spirits / ) to raise smb.s spirits out of spirits ,

taste n 1. 2.

(to your taste) 3. ( , ) taste vt|i 1. , 2. , (this orange tastes bitter) 3. , . Theres no accounting for tastes. Tastes differ. tasteful adj.

 , tasteless adj. ( , having no taste, , , , having or showing poor|bad taste) Word combinations and Phrases in early June to put up at some place ,

 , to roam the(through) woods(about a place) to get settled , odds and ends ( , ) to the size of smth. the rest of the evening

, half a dozen half a peck of peas half a pork pie half a tin of salmon to stir smth up , to add smth. to smth. to empty smth. into a pot

 to thicken the gravy with an earnest and thoughtful air to be on the safe side to leave smth. on the safe side ( ) P.8 ex.5 A. In the spring on our way back to Moskow we were draving by a small town by chance. It was more like a country than a town, all the houses were buried in flowers and it seemed to us so beautiful that we could not but stay there. I should never have thought that a walk around a small You're Reading a Free Preview Pages 7 to 33 are not shown in this preview. You're Reading a Free Preview Pages 37 to 42 are not shown in this preview.

 dog. 9. She took to gardening. It is her pastime now. 10. I took to him at first sight. 11. Dont you try this game on me, you wont take me in. 12. The news was so overwhelming, I couldnt take it at once. 13. The plane was taking off when he got to the airport. 14. These small houses are to be taken away to make room for a new big building. 15. He took to cycling the 15 miles to Wallington. 16. She did not take to loving in the county as much as I had hoped she would. 17. I took off medicine and began to study physics. B. 1. At last he began to speak, his voice level and cold. 2. The water rose until it leveled the river bank. 3. His level common sense was always soothing. 4. She went upstairs to take through her regular work. 5. Today, at the regular meeting, the question of your future. 6. A moment later they heard two people giving scream with pain downstairs. 7. The bird gave a perfect scream as if wanted to warn its mate of danger. 8. The ring was fit for the third finger of her right ha nd. 9. Did the boat fit to put to sea? 10. He doesnt fit enough to wipe the shoes of Moniques father. 11. The book is out of print and I cannot take it. P.122 ex.5 A. 1. Step aside a bit, please, you stand in my light. 2. I wouldnt have ever thought this shy in appearance man would stand up for his rights so firmly. 3. It stands to reason these changes are interim and well reseat when our chief get well and resume the work. 4. Hes too ill to go somewhere, he wont stand the trip. 5. I was sure I was right and I decided firmly to stand my ground. 6. I cant understand what for stand these letters. 7. Such things should be said right to his face and not be talked behind his back. 8. He cant stand fuss. 9. I will hate Eddie to my last breath. 10. My indifference about her turned to hatred. 11. She said him hi with a friendly smile. 12. The childs face was all smiles when he had seen the Christmas tree. 13. Greg, you always bring me so much relief! the sister smiled through her tears. 14. I was annoyed by the sound of the rain drumming upon the roof. 15. He went on to pat her tenderly on her shoulder, waiting until she would be calm. 16. He leveled the books having them piled carefully. 17. Missis Rollson said goodbye and went away to catch the train. 1 8. He was proud of his class progress in the study of English very much. 19. The Friends made a push for cooking the Irish stew. 20. When the nanny saw the boy had made himself dirty, she hopped him very angrily/ screamed at him in anger. 21. The children took take its meaning that the father must to love and to pamper them as it stands to reason. 22. I took you for your sister. You are as like as twins. You take after her as a twin. 23. She decided to make a new life for herself and set to painting. 24. Every day after he had talked to the customers she took down a report. B. 1. If we found the wounded in the house, I believe the old man is honest and told on the level. 2. It was the only level place for many and many miles around. 3. When Ann began to talk, her voice was level and cool. 4. Tom snatched the

pistol out of his hand and leveled it at Sanders. 5. The straight eyebrows of Jane knitted/were level when she frowned. 6. He always lived the one-way life and rarely go to town. 7. Why dont you found a regular work? 8. The scream of an owl reached an incredibly high note, sank and calmed down at night. 9. Ruff cut a piece of the silver paper fitted for the book and begun to wrap it. 10. She hadnt any dress fit to the occasion. 11. The weather is as bad as it doesnt fit to walks. 12. Tom is very sociable and able to fit in any company. 13. Her black hairs fitted her round face and her slanting eyes. 14. She went to fit the new dress on and wont come back soon. 15. Kat, wouldnt you join us? Thanks, I d love to. 16. I was head over heels in love with him, as the saying goes. P.122 ex.6 it stands to reason to stand up for smb.(smth.) ( , ) to stand heat, pain to stand treat to stand for I hate to bother you a hateful look

a hateful crime ( ) Fortune always smiles on (upon) him to be all smiles

to take a persons hand/ to take prisoner to take a first prize to take ones chance . to take a pride to take pains to take a nap

 to t ake ones meaning as it stands to reason to take it big () above/ below sea level mean level on a level with smth. on the level a level road

a level voice ( ) to have a level character to level gun regular features regular work to scream with laughter scream to fit smth. on to fit a floor plank on

to fit in You're Reading a Free Preview Pages 46 to 120 are not shown in this preview.