Task 4. Fill in the gaps with the correct prepositions.
1. It was the first time he had called…on…me, though I had gone to two of his parties.
2. And with this doubt, his whole statement fell…to…pieces, and wondered if there wasn’t something a little sinister about him, after all.
3. He reached…in…his pocket, and a piece of metal, slung on a ribbon, fell into my palm.
4. ‘As for me, I’m fifty years old, and I won’t impose myself…on…you any longer.’
5. The smile comprehended Montenegro’s troubled history and sympathized…with...the brave struggles of the Montenegrin people.
6. ‘I’m going to make a big request…of. you today,’ he said, pocketing his souvenirs with satisfaction.
7. His correctness grew…on…him as we neared the city.
8. So he was aware…of...the bizzare accusations that flavoured conversation in his halls.
9. Then the valley of ashes opened out on both sides of us, and I had a glimpse of Mrs Wilson straining…at...the garage pump with panting vitality as we went by.
10. But evidently he was not addressing me, for he dropped my hand and covered Gatsby…with….his expressive nose.
Reading comprehension
1. Everyone in West Egg knew Gatsby’s car. Give a description of it. It was a rich cream color, bright with nickel, swollen here and ; there in its monstrous length with triumphant hat-boxes and supper-boxes, and tool-boxes, and terraced , with a labyrinth of wind-shields that mirrored a dozen suns.
2. What did Gatsby tell Nick about his past life? He was born in San Fracisco in wealthy family and educated at Oxford. Then his family all died and he came into a good deal of money. After that he travelled Europe a lot. When the war came, he accepted the commission as the lieutenant and got a decoration for his heroism.
3. Did Nick believe what Gatsby told him about his past life? No, he didn’t at first, as Gatsby sounded fabulous. For example, he hurried the phrase “educated at Oxford,” or swallowed it, or choked on it, as though it had bothered him before. But when Gatsby showed Nick his souvenirs and photos, Nick couldn’t help but believe him.
4. How did Nick always feel when he was crossing the Queensborough Bridge to New York? Nick was impressed by the scenery. The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all” the mystery and the beauty in the world.
5. Nick and Gatsby had lunch with Meyer Wolfsheim. What did Gatsby tell Nick about this man? Gatsby told Nick that Wolfsheim was a smart man.” He’s quite a character around New York—a denizen of Broadway.” He’s a gambler.” “He’s the man who fixed the World’s Series back in 1919”.
6. Nick introduced Tom to Gatsby at the restaurant. How did Gatsby behave? They shook hands briefly, and a strained, unfamiliar look of embarrassment came over Gatsby’s face. Then Gatsby disappeared.
7. What did Jordan tell Nick about Daisy when she was eighteen? She was just eighteen and by far the most popular of all the young girls in Louisville. She used to play around with soldiers and once Jordan saw her sitting with a new lieutenant in her roadster. After that Daisy was prevented from following the lieutenant by her parents, and she wasn’t on speaking terms with her family for several weeks. Then she didn’t play around with the soldiers any more
8. On the day before Daisy’s wedding, her family hosted a big dinner party. What did Jordan see when she went up to Daisy’s room? Jordan came into her room half an hour before the bridal dinner, and found Daisy lying on her bed as drunk as a monkey. She had a bottle of Sauterne in one hand and a letter in the other. Jordan and Daisy’s mother gave her a bath, gave her spirits of ammonia and hooked her back into her dress, and half an hour later, when they walked out of the room, the incident was over.
9. What was the reason for Gatsby’s buying the mansion in West Egg? Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay.
10. What was it Gatsby wanted Nick to do? Gatsby wanted Nick to invite Daisy to his house some afternoon and then let him come over. Gatsby doesn’t want her to know.
Discussion
1. Why do you think Nick included the list of guests who came to Gatsby’s house in the narration? To represent the middle and upper class people of the 20th century
2. Gatsby doesn’t want Daisy to know that he’s going to come to Nick’s tea party. Why does he want to keep his intention secret? Probably, he didn’t want her to frighten away. Daisy could refuse the invitation as she wasn’t eager to recall her painful memories.
3. Jordan told Nick that Daisy made a good wife to Tom: ‘I’d never seen a girl so mad about her husband.’ Why do you think Daisy did that? In my opinion, the reason was that she wanted to give to Tom so much love that she couldn’t give to Gatsby.