The Great Gatsby. B2 / Великий Гэтсби

With a quick movement of his hand, Tom hit her in the face, breaking her nose.

Mr. McKee awoke while his wife and Catherine were trying to help Myrtle. The bathroom floor was covered with bloody towels, and I could hear the arguing despite Myrtle's cries.

“Come to lunch some day,” Mr. McKee invited me as we were going down in an elevator.

“Where?” I asked curiously.

“Anywhere.”

Glossary

affair [ə'feə] – n роман

ash [æʃ] – n пепел

assume [ə'sju:m] – v предполагать

breed [bri:d] – n порода

confess [kən'fes] – v признаваться

crop [krɒp] – n урожай

curious ['kjʊəriəs] – adj любопытный

descend [dɪ'send] – v спускаться

desolate ['desələt] – adj пустынный

drag [dræɡ] – v тащить

dreary ['drɪəri] – adj тоскливый

dumb [dʌm] – adj глупый

eerie ['ɪəri] – adj жуткий

force [fɔ:s] – v заставлять

foul [faʊl] – adj вонючий

grab [ɡræb] – v хватать

groan [ɡrəʊn] – v стонать

halfway [,hɑ:f'weɪ] – adv на полпути

host [həʊst] – v организовывать

house [haʊz] – v содержать

insist [ɪn'sɪst] – v настаивать

instruct [ɪn'strʌkt] – v давать инструкции

interrupt [,ɪntə'rʌpt] – v прерывать

mask [mɑ:sk] – v скрывать

mistress ['mɪstrəs] – n любовница

peculiar [pɪ'kju:liər] – adj своеобразный

plump [plʌmp] – adj полный, пухлый

presence ['prezəns] – n присутствие

proceed [prə'si:d] – v продолжать

regret [rɪ'ɡret] – v сожалеть

spiritless ['spɪr.ɪt.ləs] – adj вялый

train car [treɪn kɑ:] – n вагон

vitality [vaɪ'tæləti] – n энергичность

wasteland ['weɪstlænd] – n пустырь

watchful ['wɒtʃfəl] – adj бдительный

Chapter 3

In the summer, my neighbor's house was always filled with music and laughter. Every week, boxes of lemons and oranges were delivered to his house from New York. Every two weeks, servants brought in enough Christmas lights to decorate every tree in Gatsby's garden. On buffet tables, there were always dozens of salads and roast turkeys, and so many beverages that it was hard to remember the name of each. The orchestra would arrive in the evening with their musical instruments and entertain the guests who had just returned from the pool. Every Monday, a team of eight servants and a gardener worked tirelessly to clean up the mess.

Guests usually arrived at Gatsby's house uninvited, drawn by the luxury of his gatherings. They introduced themselves to a couple of people they met there and started acting as if they were in an amusement park.

I was one of the few who had actually received an invitation.

That morning, a driver in a uniform delivered a note from Gatsby himself, inviting me to join his party that evening. After seven, I made my way to Gatsby's house, and felt out of place when I arrived, as I wandered among the throngs of well-dressed strangers. People moved from one group to another, forming and dissolving connections in an instant. I asked some of them if the knew where I could find the host, but they just stared at me with amazement in their eyes. Feeling embarrassed, I bumped into Jordan Baker, who was looking down the garden. Maybe I wasn't welcome, but I joined her anyway, as I wanted to attach myself to someone in this chaotic crowd.

Soon, I heard the wildest rumors about Gatsby. Some said that he had killed a man once, that he was a German spy, and other speculations.

We wandered around the mansion and walked into the library. There, a plump man couldn't stop admiring the collection of books. Jordan and I sat down at another table. Among the guests, I saw a man of about my age. He approached me politely, asking me if had been in the Third Division during the war. I had – that's why the man looked familiar to me. We spoke about our military past, and he invited me to join him for a walk tomorrow. Excited that I found someone to talk to, I mentioned that I couldn't find Gatsby.

“I'm Gatsby,” he said, “I'm afraid I haven't been a very good host, old sport.”

I apologized, but he just smiled at me. His smile was rare. It was full of reassurance that you do not come across often. However, when a butler hurried towards him to say someone from Chicago was on the phone, the smile vanished, and Gatsby excused himself.