4. Read the text: and comment on the main statement:

Appearances are deceptive! In is a common truth: practically everybody had met at least someone whose character and appearance differ radically. When one sees a tall, broad-shouldered youth, one expects him to be strong-willed and brave. One thinks: a model to follow! How often a good-looking individual turns out to be petty, weak-willed or even cowardly. The one thinks: a mediocrity!

At the same time everyone knows that a lot of great people were of a poor built: short and fragile. It did not stop them from displaying intelligence and courage. Ingenuity does not depend on one’s completion or constitution.

Plump and fat people create an expression of generous and kind personalities. Strangely enough, not rarely they may be thrifty or even greedy. One usually thinks: a scrooge!

On the other hand, thin and slim nervous ladies often tend to be lavish. They like to buy and never think twice when they pay. One thinks: “I would call her open-handed and Mother would call her a spendthrift”. Yes, mothers are often stricter in judgments.

Has it even happened to you that you come to an important office and see an important boss? You immediately evaluate his looks: “Round face, small narrow eyes, dimples on the cheeks and an upturned nose. What a kind-hearted person! A simpleton!” You tell the boss all your troubles and expect immediate help. But the boss appears to be rude, harsh, willful. You never get your help and think: “A stone heart and iron fist”.

When someone sees a delicately built pretty blonde with curly hair, blue eyes, straight nose and high forehead, one is inclined to think that the beauty is intelligent and nice. It may be a disappointment to think later: “What a stupid, capricious, impolite bore!”

On the contrary, when one sees a skinny brunette with ugly irregular features – a hooked nose, pointed chin, close set eyes and thin lips, strange thoughts come to one’s head; because it is the image of evil people – cruel and cunning. It may be a relief some time later to find her a clever, gentle, and good-mannered lady and think: “What charm! A heart of gold!”

Nature likes to play tricks on us. But don’t you think it’s a present on part of nature? Life becomes not a boring routine, but a brilliant kaleidoscope of characters and appearances which often clash!

Practice more

1. Try to recollect any room (or dwelling) you’ve read about or seen in the film. Describe it. What can you say about a person (or, maybe an animal or some unbelievable creature) whose room it was? (Вспомните какую-нибудь комнату (жилище), о которой вы читали или видели в кино. Опишите ее. Что вы можете сказать о человеке (животном, вымышленном существе), который в ней жил?)

2. Describe your room or flat (or your city or street).

3. Read the texts and continue any description you like:

1. The girl was delicately-built, very slender, with full lips and deep-set eyes. They looked sad and made you feel sorry for her.

2. She was a lovely little girl of about five, plump, with an up­turned nose and dimpled rosy cheeks. Her hazel eyes and silky long hair added to her attraction.

3. Melancholy and perplexed, the woman was sitting at the ta­ble. Her faded eyes were grave and she looked upset.

4. Cruel but very clever and shrewd, he was quite an extraor­dinary person.

5. Mark was dark-haired and romantically handsome, with his merry laugh and charm of the person who comes from this charming country, Spain.

6. Emily was full of anxiety. She was stubbornly British and didn’t find India beautiful or exciting.

7. Rachel was a bit old-fashioned and she was sweet in a way. Her eyes were close-set and a little slanting but they didn’t spoil her pale oval face.

8. He wasn’t even that handsome: his proportions were wrong; he was too tall for his shoulders; his hair was too short; his arms were too long.