The Great Gatsby / Великий Гэтсби. Книга для чтения на английском языке

At her first big golf tournament there was a scandal that nearly reached the newspapers – a suggestion that she had moved her ball from a bad position in the semifinal round. The incident and the name had remained together in my mind.

Jordan Baker instinctively avoided clever, shrewd men, and now I saw that this was because she felt safer in a company where no one would think that it’s possible to break the rules. She was incurably dishonest. She wasn’t able to endure being at a disadvantage and I suppose she had begun doing her tricks when she was very young.

It made no difference to me. Dishonesty in a woman is a thing you never blame deeply – I was casually sorry, and then I forgot. It was on that same house party that we had a curious conversation about driving a car. It started because she passed so close to some workman that our fender flicked a button[83 - our fender flicked a button – наше крыло сорвало пуговицу] on one man’s coat.

“You’re a bad driver,” I protested. “Either you ought to be more careful, or you oughtn’t to drive at all.”

“I am careful.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Well, other people are,” she said lightly. “They’ll keep out of my way.”

“Suppose you met somebody just as careless as yourself.”

“I hope I never will,” she answered. “I hate careless people. That’s why I like you.

Her gray, sun-strained eyes stared straight ahead, but she had deliberately changed our relations, and for a moment I thought I loved her. But I am slow thinking and full of interior rules that act as brakes on my desires, and I knew that п¬Ѓrst I had to get myself out of that story back home. I understood that I had to break up with that girl tactfully before I was free.

Every one suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal goodness, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known.

Exercises

1. Read the chapter and answer if these statements are true, false or there is no information in the text.

1. Gatsby’s guests liked spending time on his beach.

2. Gatsby personally invited all his guests.

3. Jordan had a yellow dress on.

4. Jordan lost the last golf tournament.

5. When one of the guests tore her dress at a Gatsby’s party he sent her a new one, but it was very cheap.

6.