Практический курс английского языка 2 курс. Ключи - [41]

When after the final scene the curtain had gone/went down,] there followed a long pause and then a storm/burst of applause J (there was a long pause followed by a storm/burst of applause). ]

Ex. VIII a), p. 331

Chekhovs play "The Sea-gull" was first staged in the \ Alexandrinsky Theatre in Petersburg. It was a complete failure. ] The play was ruined by a dull and clumsy production. It was | staged in the "good old traditions" whereas Chekhovs plays were quite unlike any other plays written before and demanded new forms and devices. The Petersburg audience did not understand "The Sea-gull". There was laughter in most poetical scenes and many of the audience left long before the end of the play. It was

Unit Nine PAGE113

a cruel blow to Chekhov. However, in the Moscow Art Theatre, which was not a year old then (it was in 1898), the same play directed by K. S. Stanislavsky was a tremendous success. Stanislavskys production of "The Sea-gull" opened a new epoch in the history of the theatre and symbolized the triumph of the new and progressive forms over the old ones.

In memory of that event a white sea-gull spreads its wings on the curtain of the Moscow Art Theatre.

Ex. IX a), p. 332

The circumstances under which "The Sea-gull" was staged were complicated and painful. Anton Chekhov was seriously ill at the time, as his tuberculosis had got worse. Besides his depression was so deep that he might not have survived another failure of "The Sea-gull" like the one he had seen when it was first produced/put on in St. Petersburg. The failure of the new production might have killed the writer. His sister Maria, tears of anxiety in her eyes, had warned us about it and implored us to cancel the performance. However, we needed it badly because financially the theatre was in bad shape/because the theatre was pressed for money, and we were in need of a new production to raise the box-office returns. Let the readers judge for themselves/ I leave it to the reader to judge what condition we, the actors, were in when we came on the stage to act in the new production for the first time knowing that the house was far from full. Standing on the stage we were listening to the inner voice whispering, "Act well, act brilliantly, achieve a success, a triumph. And if you fail, remember that on receiving your telegram the writer you love will die, put to death by your hands. You will become his executioners."

I do not remember how we performed. The first act concluded amid death-like silence. One of the actresses fainted and I myself was on my last legs from despair. But suddenly after a long pause there was an uproar, a crash, a storm of applause. The curtain moved, went up… then down again and we just stood there, stunned. Then there was an uproar again and again up went the curtain…1 We were all standing motionless, hardly aware that we were supposed to take curtain-calls. Eventually we sensed

You can avoid using "again" twice: "…was another uproar a^d again up went the curtain….

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success and extremely excited, began to embrace/hug each other. We cheered M. Lilina who had played Masha and had melted the ice in the spectators hearts with her closing words. Each act heightened the success and the performance ended in a triumph. Chekhov was sent a detailed telegram.

Ex. XII a), p. 334

A. На свете есть множество людей, которых в театре все­гда охватывает волнение, сколько бы раз они туда ни ходили. Для них театр — это таинственный и прекрасный мир; он от­крывает им двери в царство фантазии, усиливая радость жиз­ни, а создаваемая на сцене иллюзия озаряет их обыденную жизнь золотым, светом романтики.

B. В Театре, которому мы с гордостью служим, идеи — это всего лишь летние зарницы, вспыхивающие над бездонным озером чувств. Возможно, театр и стимулирует ум, но главное не это, а то, что он захватывает воображение зрителя, так что тот еще долго видит перед собой актеров и слышит, как они говорят ему о св.оем отчаянии или надежде.

The indicative Mood (Units 1—3)

GRAMMAR EXERCISES

THE INDICATIVE MOOD

REVISION EXERCISES ON TENSE AND VOICE

(TO UNITS ONE—THREE)

Ex. l,p, 434

a) 1. The Present Indef inite (PI) (am) is used to denote a present state, and the Present Continuous (PC) (are coming) is used to express a planned future action. 2. The PC (are chattering) serves to express an action in progress at the moment of speaking. The PI (is) is used to denote a present State. 3. The PC (am telling) is used to show that th* speaker thitfks that the action takes place too often and is annoyed by that– Such adverbials as always, constantly, all the time, forever, etc. are obligatory in sentences of this kind. 4. The PC (is working) is used to express an action going on in the present period of time. 5. The PI (are) is used to denote a present state. 6. The PI is used to denote an action going on at the present moment because the verb hear is not used in Continuous tenses. 7. The PI (/э) is used to denote a future action in a conditional clause. 8. The PI is used to denote a present state (believe) and a future action in a ti me clause (spends).