Arakin 4 kurs new 001 176. indd

9. a) Give Russian equivalents for the following English proverbs
1. So many countries, so many customs.
2. East or West, home is best.
3. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
b) Explain in English the meaning of each proverb
c) Make up a dialogue to illustrate one of the proverbs

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155
Unit EIGHT
TEXT
From THURSDAY EVENING
By Ch. Morley
Christopher Morley (1890—1957), an American author, received unusual 
recognition early in his career. Among his widely known novels are 
“Kitty Foyle”
and 
“The Trojan Horse”
. In his popular short play 
“Thursday Evening”
, Christopher 
Morley opposes the common mother-in-law stereotype with two very likable and 
charming women.
The scene is set in the small kitchen of the modest suburban home of Mr and Mrs 
Gordon Johns. A meal has recently been cooked, as is shown by a general confusion 
of pots and pans and dishcloths.
Laura, who is an attractive little woman aged about twenty-three, is in that 
slightly tense condition of a young hostess who has had a long and trying day with 
house and baby, and has also cooked and served a dinner for four as both the grand-
mothers are visiting.
Both husband and wife are washing up. They are in good humour at first but 
every time one or the other refers to his or her mother the atmosphere becomes tense. 
Gordon, more than his wife Laura, takes pains to avoid a quarrel and changes the 
subject whenever he is aware of danger.
While scraping portions of food off the soiled plates Gordon picks out several large 
pieces of meat, lettuce, butter, etc., which he puts on one plate at one side. Later his 
wife sees the plate of odds and ends and scrapes its contents into the garbage pail.
Among other things Gordon says that he’s a little worried about his mother as 
she hardly ate any of her salad. This time, it is Laura who tries honourably to avert 
the gathering storm by mentioning that Junior
1
drank out of a cup the first time. 
But even this seemingly encouraging event puts the two on the break of a quarrel. 
Gordon feels slighted because the cup used was the one Laura’s mother had used, 
not his mother’s.
Though he’s been trying to tide over the mutually realized danger point, when 
Gordon begins hunting for the plate with “a lot of perfectly good stuff” he saved, a 
fierce quarrel breaks out.
1
Junior: the younger, especially of two brothers or a father and son with the same 
first name. Gordon Johns’s son is also named Gordon, he will be called Gordon Johns 
Junior. The parents simply call him Junior.

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156
Laura
: Well, if you think I’m going to keep a lot of half-eaten salad 
your mother picked over —
Gordon (seizes garbage pail, lifts it up to the sink and begins to explore 
its contents. His fuse also is rapidly shortening):
My Lord, it’s no won-
der we never have any money to spend if we chuck half of it away in 
waste. (
Picking out various selections
.) Waste! Look at that piece of 
cheese, and those potatoes. You could take those things, and some of 
this meat, and make a nice economical hash for lunch —
Laura
: It’s a wonder you wouldn’t get a job as a scavenger, I never 
heard of a husband like you, rummaging through the garbage pail.
Gordon (blows up):
Do you know what the one unforgivable sin 
is? It’s waste! It makes me wild to think of working and working like 
a dog, and half of what I earn just thrown away. Look at this, just look 
at it! (Displays a grisly object.) There’s enough meat on that bone to 
make soup. Oh, ye gods, about half a dozen slices of bread. What’s the 
matter with them, I’d like to know.
Laura
: I think it’s the most disgusting thing I ever heard of. To go 
picking over the garbage pail like that. You attend to your affairs and 
I’ll attend to mine.