Three short stories and one novel which you can open with expectations and close with profit

315 Pages·5.164 MB·Russian

by  Храмцова, М. В.

МИНИСТЕРСТВО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ РЕСПУБЛИКИ БЕЛАРУСЬ
Белорусский национальный технический университет

Факультет маркетинга, менеджмента, предпринимательства

Кафедра «Межкультурная профессиональная коммуникация»

М. В. Храмцова

«THREE SHORT STORIES AND ONE NOVEL
which you can open with expectations and close with profit.»

для студентов специальностей
1-27 03 01 «Управление инновационными проектами промышленных
предприятий», 1-27 03 02 «Управление дизайн-проектами на
промышленном предприятии»

Электронный учебный материал

Минск
2018
УДК
ББК

Рецензенты:
Баркович А.А., доктор филологических наук, доцент, заведующий
кафедрой информатики и прикладной лингвистики МГЛУ
Шиманская О.Ю., кандидат филологических наук, доцент, доцент
кафедры английского языка экономических специальностей факультета
международных отношений БГУ

Храмцова М.В.
Учебно-методическое пособие «Three short stories and one novel which
you can open with expectations and close with profit.» для студентов
специальностей 1-27 03 01 «Управление инновационными проектами
промышленных предприятий», 1-27 03 02 «Управление дизайн-проектами
на промышленном предприятии» / М. В. Храмцова. – Минск, 2018. –с.
ISBN

Настоящее учебно-методическое пособие предназначено для
формирования навыков чтения и анализа художественного текста, навыков
самостоятельной работы с литературным материалом и для обогащения
словарного запаса кругозора студентов специальностей 1-27 03 01
«Управление инновационными проектами промышленных предприятий»,
1-27 03 02 «Управление дизайн-проектами на промышленном
предприятии». Пособие также может быть использовано для студентов
других специальностей.
Регистрационный № БНТУ/ФММП95-68.2018
УДК
ББК

ISBN Белорусский национальный технический университет, 2018

2
CONTENTS

THE LITTLE ENTREPRENEUR BY HILLARY LYON ............................ 5
SILLY ASSES BY ISAAC ASIMOV .............................................................. 13
CHECKMATE BY JEFFREY ARCHER ...................................................... 19
CONFESSIONS OF SHOPAHOLIC BY SOPHIE KINSELLA ................. 31
CHAPTER 1 ..................................................................................................... 31
CHAPTER 2 ..................................................................................................... 39
CHAPTER 3 ..................................................................................................... 54
CHAPTER 4 ..................................................................................................... 64
CHAPTER 5 ..................................................................................................... 77
CHAPTER 7 ................................................................................................... 103
CHAPTER 8 ................................................................................................... 116
CHAPTER 9 ................................................................................................... 131
CHAPTER 10 ................................................................................................. 145
CHAPTER 11 ................................................................................................. 158
CHAPTER 12 ................................................................................................. 170
CHAPTER 13 ................................................................................................. 185
CHAPTER 14 ................................................................................................. 194
CHAPTER 15 ................................................................................................. 209
CHAPTER 16 ................................................................................................. 217
CHAPTER 17 ................................................................................................ 231
CHAPTER 18 ................................................................................................. 239
CHAPTER 19 ................................................................................................. 249
CHAPTER 20 ................................................................................................. 264
CHAPTER 21 ................................................................................................. 272
CHAPTER 22 ................................................................................................. 285
CHAPTER 23 ................................................................................................. 298
CHAPTER 24 ................................................................................................. 307

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THREE SHORT STORIES AND ONE NOVEL
which you can open with expectations and close with profit.

“You ca n’t buy happiness, but you can “Reading is to the mind what exercise
buy books and that’s kind of the same is to the body.” Joseph Addison
thing.

“A book is a dream you hold in your
hands”. Neil Gaiman

“To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge

from almost all the miseries of life.” W. Somerset Maugham

To read without reflecting is like eating without
digesting.” Edmund Burke

“Keep reading. It’s one of the most marvelous adventures
that anyone can have.” Lloyd Alexander

“Reading is a way for me to expand my mind, open
my eyes, and fill up my heart.” Oprah

SHORT STORY N. 1
“If you are going to get anywhere in life you have to read a

lot of books.” Roald Dahl
The Little Entrepreneur

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SHORT STORY N. 1

THE LITTLE ENTREPRENEUR by Hillary Lyon

READ THE STORY AND PROCEDE WITH FOLLOW- UP
ACTIVITIES.

Patricia was such a serious little girl -- you would never call her Trisha,
Trish, Pat or Patty. She rose at six each morning, brushed her hair exactly sixty
strokes (thirty left, thirty right), brushed her teeth for exactly one minute (thirty
seconds up, thirty seconds down), dressed in clothes she'd laid out the night
before, all before marching herself downstairs for breakfast. A breakfast, it must
be added, that she prepared for herself, as usually her parents slept in.
Her parents were what she disdainfully thought of as "hippies;" though, at
ten years old, she was not entirely clear as to what that word meant. Still, they
slept late on weekends, never went to church, and would rather paint or write or
make music in their free time than think up ways to make money. Her mother
wore too much make-up and her father took afternoon naps. What else could
they be, but hippies?
Patricia did not ask, but rather informed her parents that she was joining the
Clover-Leaf Girls Club - that time-honored organization that taught all girls
between the ages of eight and twelve the joys of industry and household
maintenance. Among other endeavors, the girls learned not only how to bake
brownies and cookies from scratch, but how to market them as well. And the
girls get to keep half the proceeds (the other half goes to support their own
Clover-Leaf Girls Club chapter). In Patricia's mind, this was a perfect
opportunity to start her own business. She would make a fortune, she decided,
and move into her own house, without her lazy parents.
And so early one Saturday morning Patricia began to bake. She lined up
her ingredients and utensils in an orderly fashion, washed her hands and went to
work. By noon, when her parents shuffled into the kitchen (awoken, no doubt,
by the delicious aroma of warm brownies), she had finished baking and was in
the midst of clean-up.
"Wow, something smells yummy!" Her Dad mumbled.
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"Did you do all this by yourself, sweetie? This is awesome!" Her Mom
grabbed her and gave her a smothering bear hug. It was not enough to convince
Patricia to offer her parents a sample of her baked goods.
Patricia simply smiled and announced that the brownies were for her
"Cooking Confections Badge," and (sorry) she could not give them away, but
she would sell them to her parents. That would help her earn her "Young
Entrepreneurs Badge."
"Wow," was all her Mom said.
"Hey, I have a quarter here," her Dad offered up.
"Sorry, Dad, but my brownies sell for $1.00 each. So, if you have three
more quarters, then we can talk."Her parents looked at each other, and shook
their heads.
* * *
After lunch, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that she made herself - she
was not about to eat her Mom's garlic and sun-dried tomato hummus with pita
chips - she packed up her aromatic brownies and put on her Clover-Leaf Girls
uniform. Yelling goodbye to her folks, she marched through the front door,
determined to make her fortune.
The first several houses on her street were very receptive; she raked in
twenty dollars in as many minutes. The farther she travelled from her own
home, the more challenging the sales became. By mid-afternoon, she was
spending more and more time on her sales pitch, which meant a reduction in the
number of houses she would be able to hit before she had go home for dinner at
five. This did not please her in the least. So she upped her game: quickened her
speech, gently (to her way of thinking) pressured her potential customers to buy
her baked goods. By 4:30, she'd made forty dollars - and she still had ten
brownies to sell. Obviously, the remaining ten were cold, and therefore not
nearly as aromatic (which she decided was the key to fast sales), but they were
still tasty, and that should be enough.
She chose Mrs. Walldrip's house for her last target. Her daughter, Winona
Walldrip, was one of Patricia's classmates. Winona the Wimp, Winona the
Weird, as Patricia thought of her -- Winona, who didn't care if she made an A+
or a B+ on her math quiz! Winona, who had awful penmanship but still wrote
poetry that her teachers loved! Winona, who could out run anyone in her class,
even the boys! Winona, who looked like a budding Vampira in their class
picture! Patricia did not understand why Winona was so well-liked and,
consequently, had no patience with girl. Getting Winona's mother to buy her
cold (and almost stale) brownies would be a sweet come-uppence, in her mind.
Mrs. Walldrip came to the front door on the ninth insistent knock.
"Well, hello, uh, Trish. Don't you look sharp in your Clover-Leaf Girls
Club uniform! What are we selling today?"
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Walldrip. Thank you for the compliment. I am
selling my home-made brownies - baked fresh this morning! - to earn both my
Cooking Confections Badge and my Young Entrepreneur Badge. An
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entrepreneur is 'a person who organizes, operates, and assumes the risk for a
business venture,' according to The American Heritage Dictionary."
"Ah, yes, thank you for that information, but I already know what an
entrepreneur is, dear."
"Yes, well, Mrs. Walldrip, and I prefer people call me Patricia, not Trish. I
have ten delicious home-baked brownies for sale today for only $1.00 each.
How many would you like? Five, or all ten?"
"Thank you for the offer, Patricia, but we don't have much of a sweet tooth
in this house, so . . . "
"So you only want -- how many then? Four? Six?"
"No, honey, we don't want any. But I wish you the best of luck selling
them! Perhaps the Greenbriars down the street would like them? All those kids -
- surely they'll snap those brownies right up!"
"I've already been there, and they only took ten. I doubt they would want
ten more. How about you take three -- one for you, one for Mr. Walldrip, and
one for Winona? A wholesome home-made delicious brownie might help her
with her, uh, studies."
"Patricia, thanks for your, uh, concern, but no thanks."
At this point, Patricia gave Mrs. Walldrip her "hard squint" - which she had
overheard her teachers call her "icy dagger eyes." It usually worked to break
down any opponent. Mrs. Walldrip merely smiled and began to close the door.
Patricia stuck her foot in the doorway, preventing Mrs. Walldrip from shutting
the door.
"Now, Patricia, that's not very nice, and it's not going to convince me to
buy your brownies. Please remove your foot and be on your way."
"But Mrs. Walldrop, er, -drip, I baked these myself this morning! I have to
sell ten more to get my badge! You have to buy my brownies! You have to!
Pleeeeeaaassse?"
"Child, I do not have to do anything. I am, however, about to call your
parents if you do not leave. Right. This. Minute."
"My parents are asleep. They won't answer the phone. Please buy my
brownies! All I need is ten dollars! I have to get my badges!"
"No."
Here, Mrs. Walldrip took her own foot and began slowly pushing Patricia's
foot out of the doorway. Patricia turned bright red with indignation. She dropped
her basket of brownies and raised her clenched fists up to her head.
"They. Are. Delicious! Buy. My. Brownies!"
"No."
Patricia grabbed her own pigtails and pulled them up like horns.
"Ten brownies. Ten Dollars!"
"No."
Upon the utterance, again, of this dreadful word, Patricia's plain brown
eyes hardened into onyx. Her fingernails extended into silvery talons, her skin
hardened into scales. Her shoulder blades protruded through the back of her
7
uniform, quickly tearing the olive-green fabric, and sprouted into thin, leathery
wings. Her stiff smile stretched into a grimace, and from a grimace into venom-
dripping death's head grin.
Mrs. Waldrip, being ever so diplomatic, chose not to notice Patricia's
transformation.
Smoke curled from the corners of Patricia's lips as she said, "How about ten
brownies for eight dollars?"
"Ten for five."
Patricia hissed steam like an angry little tea kettle.
"Ten for seven."
"Ten for six. Last offer."
"Fine."
Patricia picked up her brownie basket. She counted out Mrs. Walldrip's ten
brownies as Mrs. Walldrip counted out six dollars.
"It was a pleasure doing business with you, Patricia."
"Indeed. Thank you for your patronage."
Patricia turned on her heel and trudged away. By the time she reached the
street, she was merely a scowling, ten year old girl again.
Mrs. Walldrip quietly closed the front door, and looking through the sheer
curtains of the front window, watched the little aspiring entrepreneur recede into
the green suburban twilight. She smoothed her hair, arched her back, and sighed
as the fabric of her house-coat ripped. The woman laughed to herself at the
insolence of some kids these days! She nibbled absent-mindedly on one of those
darned brownies -- actually, they were quite tasty -- and with a sharpened
coppery talon, blissfully scratched that hard-to-reach spot on one of her own
leathery wings.
Published on 2011/02/27

VOCABULARY WORK

1.Match the words to their meanings.

1. Disdainful a. пирожные
2. indignation b. произнести
3. utter c. торчать, выступать
4. overhear d. превращение
5. protrude e. покровительство
6. insolence f. чешуя
7. patronage g. застывший, жесткий
8. scales h. шипеть
9. stiff i. ухмылка
10. hiss j. образец
11. grin k. негодование
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12. sample l. пренебрежительный
13. transformation m. наглость, дерзость
14. brownies n. подслушать

2. Make word combinations.
1. household  brownies 1. сжать кулаки
2. insistent  fists 2. настойчивый стук
3. make  risk 3. сколотить состояние
4. leathery  pitch 4. кожистые крылья
5. sales  wings 5. пирожные дом-го изготовл.
6. home-made  tooth 6. сладкоежка
7. assume  maintenance 7. содержание дома
8. clench  squint 8. брать на себя риск
9. hard  knock 9. разгар продаж
10. sweet  a fortune 10. холодный взгляд исподлобья

3. Find 12pairs of synonyms.

Disdain, stop, endeavors,scorn,claw, brownies,keep, force, insolence,
fortune, short sleep,proceeds,concern, capital, put pressure, revenues,
impertinence, care, nap, maintain, prevent, aspirations, cakes, talon.

4. Word building. Complete the table.
Noun Verb Adj./ Participle Adverb
 utter - -
indignation -  
assumption   
  d etermined -
   patronizingly
 - entrepreneurial

5. Translate word combinations into English.

 Сверкающая чешуя
 Удивительное превращение
 Громкое негодование коллег
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 Негодующее шипение
 Жесткие туфли на высоком каблуке
 Пренебрежительные ремарки
 Не подслушивай сплетни
 Раздавать бесплатные образцы
 Обращаться с покровительственно с молодыми сотрудниками
 Жесткая усмешка
 Шокирующая наглость
 Снисходительная улыбка
 Выступающие уши
 Я ужасная сладкоежка
 Злобный оскал

7. Complete with prepositions.
 The girls learned not only how to bake brownies and cookies ….
scratch, but how to market them as well.
 She was not ….. to eat her Mom's garlic and sun-dried tomato hummus
with pita chips.
 Obviously, the remaining ten were cold, and therefore not nearly as
aromatic (which she decided was the key .. fast sales)
 Patricia stuck her foot in the doorway, preventing Mrs. Walldrip ….
shutting the door.
 Patricia turned bright red …. indignation.

GRAMMAR WORK

8. Change the sentences into reported speech.

Mrs. Walldrip came to the front door on the ninth insistent knock.
"Well, hello, uh, Trish. Don't you look sharp in your Clover-Leaf Girls
Club uniform! What are we selling today?"
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Walldrip. Thank you for the compliment. I am
selling my home-made brownies - baked fresh this morning
"Thank you for the offer, Patricia, but we don't have much of a sweet
tooth in this house, so . . . "
"So, how many do you want then? Four? Six?"
"No, honey, we don't want any. But I wish you the best of luck selling
them! Perhaps the Greenbriars would like them? All those kids will snap
those brownies right up!"
"I've already been there, and they only took ten. How about you take
three - one for you, one for Mr. Walldrip, and one for Winona?
"No thanks."
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