МОСКОВСКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ ИНСТИТУТ
МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫХ ОТНОШЕНИЙ (УНИВЕРСИТЕТ)
МИД РФ
Кафедра английского языка № 2
ДЖЕФФРИ АРЧЕР РАССКАЗЫ
Пособие по домашнему чтению
для студентов IV курса факультета МЭО
Составители:
доц. Шепелева И.М.
ст. преп. Парамонова В.В.
Москва, 2003
Предисловие
Известнейший современный английский писатель Джеффри Арчер заслуженно пользуется славой мастера «малой прозы». В этом жанре им созданы несколько сборников рассказов. Точность социального анализа современной действительности, мастерство психологической разработки характеров, высокие стилистические достоинства делают их интересным и полезным чтением для студентов, изучающих английский язык.
Все предлагаемые рассказы обладают интригующей фабулой, актуальностью затрагиваемых тем, интересны для обсуждения и, таким образом, служат основной задаче пособия: расширить языковую компетенцию и страноведческий кругозор читателя, а также стимулировать устную речь в виде связного, логически-обоснованного и последовательного высказывания.
Каждый рассказ завершается пояснительным лингвострановедческим комментарием и рядом упражнений, имеющих целью проверить глубокое понимание текста и одновременно служащих основой для обсуждения прочитанного материала.
“All I need to do that is a lot of paper and a lot of pencils”
Jeffrey Archer
Jeffrey Archer, a master storyteller and the author of world famous bestsellers. His books have been translated into many languages. Today he has sold more than 120 million copies of his novels and short stories worldwide.
Biography
Lord Jeffrey Archer, former Parliamentarian and a member of the House of Lords, is from a background of advantage, but beyond his inherited position he has carved out a career as a politician, journalist, and commentator.
He once said that when he was three years old he wanted to be four. And when he was four he wanted to be prime minister. Although he is phenomenally successful in the fields of politics and publishing, a series of mishaps and misjudgments may ultimately keep Lord Archer from achieving his larger goals. His life has always been something of a roller-coaster, however, and yet another upswing could be just around the corner.
Jeffrey Howard Archer was born on April 15, 1940, in Weston-Super-Mare in the West Country to William Archer and his wife Lola, a journalist. Despite being dubbed “the Pune,” in reference to his skin-and-bones appearance, the young Jeffrey became a star athlete and eventually reached the national schools championship for track.
After dropping out of the army, tending bar and spending some time in San Francisco, Jeffrey found himself back at school. Though never before a scholar, he gained admittance to Brasenose College, Oxford, to pursue a graduate diploma in education. Once there he thrived, even managing to persuade The Beatles to play a charity concert on campus.
In the summer of 1966 he married Mary Weeden, a fellow student at the university who was studying chemistry. After Oxford he landed a position as a professional fundraiser, and set out to become prime minister. At age 29, he became the youngest member of the House of Commons, but his plans derailed in 1974 after a shady Canadian firm he’d invested heavily in went belly up. Penniless, he resigned from the House of Commons in the face of seemingly insurmountable debt.
To recoup his losses, he decided to become a best-selling novelist. “All I need to do that is a lot of paper and a lot of pencils,” he told a friend. ‘Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less’, partly based on his own troubles, became an instant hit and helped pay off creditors.
He soon became a darling of the Conservative Party, charming everyone from Margaret Thatcher to potential political donors, and in 1985 was appointed deputy chairman of the party, a non-paid but highly prestigious post. His political career was once again placed in jeopardy, however, when in October 1986 a UK tabloid printed a scandalous story about him. Although he won the libel suit against the papers and emerged unscathed, he resigned from his position as deputy chairman citing “lack of judgment”. He then launched himself into charity work, and was later given a peerage by then Prime Minister John Major for fundraising efforts he initiated to help the Kurds following the Gulf War. The centerpiece of the fundraising effort was a concert at London’s Wembley Arena, which included stars such as Paul Simon and Sting. The concert drew a world audience of 50m.
Jeffrey then set his sights upon the post of elected Mayor of London. But when a friend who had provided Archer with an alibi in his case admitted he’d concocted his story, the would-be politician was forced to bow out of the campaign and found himself facing the Old Bailey.
Just a week after his beloved mother died during the judge's summing up, millionaire novelist Lord Archer remaining silent during his own trial was found guilty of perjury and perverting the course of justice. Quoting the title of one of the millionaire’s own novels, the paper says it wants back “not a penny more not a penny less”. Lord Archer was sentenced to four years in prison in July 2001.
BY THE SAME AUTHOR
Novels:
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Not a Penny More, not a Penny Less
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Shall We Tell the President?
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Kane and Abel
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The Prodigal Daughter
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First Among Equals
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A Matter of Honour
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As the Crow Flies
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Honour Among Thieves
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The Fourth Estate
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The Eleventh Commandment
Short Stories:
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A Quiver Full of Arrows
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A Twist in the Tale
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Twelve Red Herrings
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The Collected Short Stories
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To Cut a Long Story Short
Plays:
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Beyond Reasonable Doubt
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Exclusive
Contents:
1.
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Biography
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p. 3
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2.
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“The Perfect Murder”
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p. 7
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3.
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“Clean Sweep Ignatius”
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p. 43
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4.
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“Broken Routine”
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p. 53
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5.
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“The Loophole”
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p. 63
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6.
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“Not the Real Thing”
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p. 78
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