ГДЗ по английскому языку 10 класс упражнение - 1 р. 70

 Look at the title of the text and the picture on p. 70. What do you think the extract is about? Read the biography and check.  

Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930)    

 

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) was a Scottish doctor and author. His mother was passionate about books and a fantastic storyteller. Arthur discovered he had a talent for telling fascinating stories. His works include science-fiction and historical novels, plays and romances, poetry and non-fiction. The Lost World (1912) was the first in a series of four novels. It is about an expedition to the Amazon Rainforest in South America where Professors Challenger and Summerlee, reporter Edward Malone and hunter Lord John Roxton encounter prehistoric animals.    

 

The Lost World  

 

“But what do you make of this?” cried ProfessorSummerlee, triumphantly pointing to what looked like the huge print of a five-fingered human hand appearing among the three-toed marks.  

“Wealden!” cried Professor Challenger, in ecstasy. “I’ve seen them in Wealden in England. It is a creature walking upright upon three-toed feet, and occasionally putting one of its five-fingered forepaws down on the ground. Not a bird, my dear Roxton – not a bird.”  

“A beast?”

“A ….. Nothing else could have left such a track.” 

His words died away into a whisper, and we all stood in motionless amazement. Following the tracks, we left the swamp and passed through some bushes and trees. Beyond was an open clearing, where there were five of the most extraordinary creatures that I have ever seen. B …..

There were, as I say, five of them, two adults and three young ones. C ….. Even the babies were as big as elephants, while the two adults were bigger than any creatures I have ever seen. They had slate-coloured skin, which had scales like a lizard’s and glittered when the sun shone upon it. All five were sitting up, balancing themselves upon their broad, powerful tails and their huge three-toed back feet, while they pulled down branches with their small five-fingered front feet. I do not know if I can describe them to you better other than by saying that they looked like monstrous kangaroos, twenty feet in length, and with skin like crocodiles.  

I do not know how long we stayed gazing at this marvellous sight. A strong wind blew towards us but we were well concealed, so there was no chance of discovery. From time to time the little ones played round their parents in clumsy games, the great beasts hopping into the air and falling with dull thuds upon the earth. The strength of the parents seemed to be limitless, for one of them, having some difficulty in reaching a bunch leaves which grew upon a large tree, put its forelegs round the trunk and tore it down as if it were a sapling. This showed not only the strength of its muscles, but also the weakness of its brain, for the whole tree came crashing down on top of it. It yelped loudly, showing that despite its size there was a limit to what it could endure. The incident caused it to move off, followed by its partner and their three enormous infants. We saw the shimmering grey gleam of their skin between the tree trunks and their heads moving up and down high above the tree tops. D …..  

I looked at my comrades. Lord John was staring intently in the direction the creatures had disappeared. The two professors were in silent ecstasy. In their excitement, they had grabbed each other by the hand and stood like two little children in the presence of a wonderful sight. Challenger’s cheeks displayed a broad smile, and Summerlee’s ironic face softened in amazement.  

“My God!” he cried at last. “E …..”

“My dear Summerlee, I will tell you with great confidence exactly what they will say,” said Challenger. “They will say that you are a liar and a scientific fake, exactly as you and others said of me.”  

“And if we have photographs?”

“Faked, Summerlee, faked, they’ll say!”

“And if we have specimens?”

“Ah, there we may have them! The newspapers may praise us yet. F ….. Put it down in your diary, my young friend, and send it to your paper.”