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Supper in Russia means one more big meal at seven. The table groans with food again. In England it
is just a small snack — a glass of milk with biscuits at ten.
Most Russians have never counted calories and they are deeply convinced that their food is healthy.
Some housewives may admit that it takes some time to prepare all the stuff, including pickles, home-made
preserves and traditional Russian pies and pancakes. But they don't seem to mind too much and boil, fry,
roast, grill, broil, bake and make. Paraphrasing a famous proverb one can say:
'What is a Russian man's meat is a British man's poison'*.
* What is one man's meat is another man's poison — Что русскому хорошо, то немцу — смерть (поcл.).
1. Say when you have meals and what you like to eat and drink for breakfast, dinner and supper.
2. Say what you dislike for breakfast, dinner and supper.
3. Say what they serve in the refectory at your university and what you usually choose.
4. Say what you can cook in five minutes.
5. Look of the pictures and say what food is typically English and typically Russian.
0 TEXT
The Three Fat Women of Antibes
(Extract from the story by S. Maugham. Abridged)
One was called Mrs. Richman and she was a widow. The second was called Mrs. Sutcliffe; she was
American and she had. divorced two husbands. The third was called Miss Hickson and she was a spinster.
They were great friends, Miss Hickson, Mrs. Richman and Arrow Sutcliffe. It was their fat that had
brought them together' and bridge that had cemented their alliance. They would have been independent of
anyone else if they had not needed a fourth at bridge.² It was for this reason that Frank* invited Lena Finch
to come and stay with them at Antibes. They were spending some weeks there on Frank's suggestion. She
proposed then that they should take a house at Antibes, where they could get plenty of exercise — everyone
knew that nothing slimmed you like swimming. With a cook of their own they could at least avoid things
that were obviously fattening. The plan worked very well.
* Frank — Frances Hickson
But the fourth at bridge continued to be the difficulty. One morning when they were sitting in pyjamas on
the terrace, drinking their tea (without milk or sugar), Frank looked up from the letters.
'Lena Finch is coming down to the Riviera,' she said. 'What about asking her to come here for a
fortnight?'
'Does she play bridge?' asked Beatrice*.
* Beatrice — Mis. Richman
'You bet your life she does,'³ boomed Frank in her deep voice. 'And a damned good game too. We should
be absolutely independent of outsiders.'
4
It was settled. And three days later Lena Finch arrived. Frank met her at the station. She was in deep
mourning for the recent death of her husband. Lena was not, however, unduly depressed. Frank introduced
the stranger to her two friends and they sat down in what was known as the Monkey House. It was crowded