Working Girl
film guide
Учебное пособие к фильму
Деловая девушка
Составитель
О.Р. Оксентюк
Методическая записка
2
Teaching and learning English with films
It seems that everyone is eager to teach and learn with films these
days because films have so much to offer both students and teachers.
They
 bring native speakers into the classroom, relieving the teacher of
the necessity of providing the only model for pronunciation,
intonation, and register;
 motivate students to learn by utilizing interesting story lines and
character interaction which makes them eager to understand what
people are saying;
 increase oral comprehension: students can understand much more
from watching a video sequence (in which body language
accompanies speech) than from merely listening to an audio tape;
 stimulate student interaction and communication with other
classmates by having them discuss the film itself or ways in
which it relates to their lives and experiences;
 promote cross-cultural awareness by enabling students to observe
similarities and differences between the lives of the characters in
a film and those of their own families and friends;
…and, most importantly,
 are adaptable for use with students at any English-language
proficiency level, from elementary through advanced: students
can understand and work with material that seems above their
level if the accompanying activities are at their level.
The major thing for the teacher to remember is that a film in the
classroom has a purpose beyond entertainment: it is a tool to help
students learn English. Therefore, they must be actively engaged in their
own learning process, not passively sitting back. There must be a
specific purpose in watching a sequence, usually in the form of an
activity or viewing task that helps students focus on the content of the
sequence they are watching
From “Teaching with Video, Techniques and Activities with Family
Album, U.S.A.” by Alison M. Rice Macmillan, Inc. New York, 1993,
p.1
3
Twentieth Century Fox Presents
A Mike Nichols film
Working Girl
Her time has come
A witty romantic tale of life in the corporate jungle.
Directed by
Music by
Mike Nichols
Carly Simon (Academy Award Winner “Best
Song” “Let the River Run”)
Rob Mousey
Scored by
Starring:
Melanie Griffith
(Tess McGill)
The secretary.
She’s just been taken for granted – until now.
Harrison Ford
(Jack Trainer)
A very capable and very attractive Wall Street investment
banker. The Middle Man. He’s been taking too much in good
faith.
Sigourney Weaver (Katherine Parker)
The career Bitch. She’s been taking too much of everything.
Co-starring:
Joan Cusack
Tess’s friend.
(Cyn)
Alec Baldwin
(Mick)
Tess’s unfaithful boyfriend.
4
Other characters:
Turkel
\
Tess’s bosses
David Lutz
/
Bob (in Arbitrage)
Ginnie
- an employee at Petty Marsh
Doreen
- Mick’s mistress
John Romano \
employees at Dewey Stone,
Jack Trainer’s co-workers
Bernie Petaka /
Oren Trask
- the owner of Trask Industries
Barbara Trask - his wife
Phyllis Trask
- his daughter
Armbrister
- the owner of Metro Radio Network
Tim Draper
- a senior employee at Trask Industries
Alice Baxter
- a secretary at Trask Industries
5
Synopsis.
Tess McGill is smart, sexy and struggling. Her life has become an
endless round of commuting, lecherous bosses and low pay. Ambushed
one too many times in her struggle to get out of the Wall Street
secretarial pool and onto a management track, Tess decides to take
matters into her own hands. She’s going to use her brains and her talent
to leave the typing pool and swim upstream into the shark infested
waters of New York’s money market.
But now she’s found herself working for Katherine Parker, a high
powered, seductive super bitch who won’t give her a chance.
When the treacherous boss breaks a leg skiing and hospitalized,
Tess has the perfect opportunity to step up the corporate ladder. She
steps, literally, into her boss’s shoes – as well as her apartment, her
corner office and her $6,000 dresses.
Suitably disguised, Tess forms an alliance with her boss’s exfiancé – Jack Trainer, a white collar Prince Charming whose affections
are all set to take the street smart Tess on a trip up the treacherous
corporate ladder. Together, they create a deal that could catapult Tess
into the big time or finish her off for good because Katherine is never far
away and proves to be a vicious enemy when she realizes what is going
on.
6
Working Girl
Contents
Episode I
Scene I
Scene II
Scene III
Scene IV
………………………………………………………………8
……………………………………………………………..13
……………………………………………………………..18
……………………………………………………………..23
Episode II
Scene I
Scene II
Scene III
Scene IV
……………………………………………………………..27
……………………………………………………………..32
……………………………………………………………..37
……………………………………………………………..42
Episode III
Scene I ……………………………………………………………..46
Scene II ……………………………………………………………..49
Scene III ……………………………………………………………..52
7
Episode I
Scene I
Notes:
Deni Tech
entrée
entrée program
Harvard graduate
arbitrage (in finance)
arbitrager (in
economics)
pimp
night school
honours
a degree with honours
merger
acquisition (in
business)
- a company
- if you have an entrée to a social group, you are
accepted and made to feel welcome by them
- a Harvard graduate is someone who has
graduated from Harvard University
- is the activity of buying shares or currency in
one financial market and selling them at a profit
in another
- an arbitrager is someone who buys currencies,
securities or commodities on one country’s
market in order to make money by immediately
selling them at a profit on another country’s
market
- a pimp is a man who gets clients for prostitutes
and takes a large part of the money the
prostitutes earn
- someone who goes to night school does an
educational course in the evening
- is a type of university degree which is of a
higher standard than a pass or ordinary degree
- a merger is the joining together of two separate
companies or organizations so that they become
one
- if a company or business person makes an
acquisition, they buy another company or part
of a company
Vocabulary:
setup
- if you describe a situation as a setup, you mean
that people have planned it in order to deceive
8
sheet
-
to be up against
-
to go for
-
suite
-
bonus
on a bonus basis
-
carried away
-
degree
-
to transfer
-
to overestimate
-
you or to make it look as if you have done
something wrong
you can use sheet to refer to a piece of paper
which gives information about smth
if you are up against smth (smb) you have a
very difficult situation or problem to deal with
if you go for a particular thing or way of doing
smth, you choose it
a suite is a set of rooms in a hotel or other
building
a bonus is an extra amount of money that is
added to someone’s pay usually because they
have worked very hard
if you get carried away, you are so eager or
excited about something that you do smth hasty
or foolish
a degree at a university or college is a course of
study that you take there, or the qualification
that you get when you have passed the course
if you are transferred to a different job or
place, you move to a different job or start
working in a different place
if you say that someone overestimates smth,
you mean that they think it’s greater in amount
or importance than it really is
Task 1. Who said these things? In what situations?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Did you make a wish?
Can’t they emerge without you at least once?
He doesn’t want to hear it from a secretary.
You are up against Harvard and Wharton graduates. You’ve got some night
school, some secretarial time on your sheet.
What do you think is the most important quality for a great arbitrager?
You are not seriously looking for a new assistant, are you?
You don’t get ahead in this world by calling your boss a pimp.
(It) took me five years in night school. But I got my degree and I got it with
honours.
9
9. You go home and cool off.
Task 2. Explain these sentences. (Who said them?)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
They turned you down for the entrée program again.
This isn’t another setup?
I get a little carried away.
I’m always on the lookout for new blood.
Looking at your file here. This is the third time in six months I’ve had to
place you.
6. Here’s something for you. Transferring down from Boston. Mergers and
acquisitions. Name is Parker.
7. This is the last time I can help you, four strikes, you are out.
Task 3. Match these words to their meanings:
1
setup
2
overestimate
3
4
5
sheet
to be up against smth
(smb)
to go for
6
suite
7
bonus
8
to be carried away
9
degree
10 to transfer
a an extra amount of money that is added to
someone’s pay usually because they have
worked very hard
b to choose a particular thing or way of doing
it
c a set of rooms in a hotel or other building
d to move to a different job or start working
in a different place
e to think that smth is greater in amount or
importance than it really is
f a piece of paper that gives information
about smth
g a course of study that you take at a
university, or the qualification that you get
when you have passed the course
h to have a very difficult situation or problem
to deal with
i a situation planned in order to deceive you
or to make it look as if you have done
something wrong
j to be so eager or excited about smth that
you do smth hasty or foolish
10
Task 4.







Number these sentences in the correct order,
from 1 to 7:
Bob in arbitrage. If you are still hungry, they are looking for (the)
hungry out there.
But, no one ever got rich overestimating what the American public
wants to taste.
All right, I’ll pick you at 5, we’ll ride back together.
Do I look like a pimp?
I don’t think they are going to sing you praises.
Just once I could go for … like a sweater or some earrings, you
know. A present I could actually wear outside of this apartment.
The company keeps a suite at the Ritz Carlton and when it’s empty,
they give it to us, boys, on a bonus basis.
Task 5. Answer these questions:
1. Where is the action set? In what way does the 1988 Academy award
winning song by Carly Simon help create the right backdrop to the
introductory scenes.
2. What’s your first impression of Tess McGill? Can we say she fits the
description of a workaholic? What do you make of her hairstyle, her
clothes etc.?
3. Why does Tess’s friend say she “is supposed to take Tess to drinks and
have her home at seven”?
4. Was the morning in the office hectic? Why?
5. Can we say Tess has brains? Is she good at spotting new market
trends? Justify your answer.
6. What news did Turkel and David Lutz have for Tess that day? Why do
you think she was wary of David Lutz’s proposal?
7. Why do you think Tess told her boyfriend she “could go for” a
somewhat different kind of present in the future?
8. Did “the job interview” with Bob turn out the way Tess had
anticipated?
9. Why was Tess fired? Do you think she liked her job?
10.
Sum up Tess’s conversation with the personnel manager.
11
Task 6. Discuss the following:
Tess Mc Gill seems to have everything going for her – beauty, brains &
charm. Why do you think she finds it so difficult to get out of the Wall
Street secretarial pool and into the upper echelons of New York brokerage
industry?
12
Scene II
Notes:
Petty Marsh & Co
bunny
stock
tender
Coco Chanel
Acme Eats; The Raging
Bull
hors d’oeuvres
bartender
a bartender service
liquor
liquor store
“W”
dim sum
dumpling
Chinese dumplings
prick
(taboo derog. slang)
Trask Industries
FCC
take over
- the company Tess Mc Gill is working for now
- (used especially by or to children) a rabbit
- a company’s stock is the amount of money
which it has through selling shares
- a statement of the price one would charge for
providing goods or services or for doing a job
- (1883 – 1971) a French fashion designer; who
is known especially for a simple type of
women’s suit and for the little black dress,
which she invented
- New York caterers
- savoury food served in small amounts at the
beginning of a meal instead of soup or another
starter
- a bartender is a person who serves drinks
behind a bar. The British word is barman or
barmaid
- strong alcoholic drink, such as whiskey
(compare liqueur)
- a magazine in the US
- any of various Chinese foods typically
consisting of small pieces of meat or vegetables
wrapped in rice or a kind of light bread and
cooked in steam or hot oil; a popular lunchtime
meal
- a lump of flour mixed with water, cooked by
boiling in water and often served with meat or
having meat inside it
- a stupid or very unpleasant man
- a company
- the Federal Communications Commission set
up in 1927 to coordinate the work of all stations
- to take over a company means to get control of
13
it, for example by buying its shares
Vocabulary:
tough
to accommodate
accommodating
accurate
impeccable
a two-way street
input
pitiful
glued to
to sneak
- a tough person has a strong determined
character and can tolerate difficulty or hardship
- if you do smth to accommodate someone, you
do it with the main purpose of pleasing or
satisfying them
- correct to a very detailed level
- if you describe something such as someone’s
behaviour or appearance as impeccable, you
are emphasizing that it’s excellent and has no
faults
- two people or groups helping each other or
learning from each other
- information or resources that a group or project
receives (Input is information that is put into a
computer)
- someone or something that is pitiful is so sad,
weak, or small that you feel pity for them
- of you say that someone is glued to something,
you mean that they are giving it all their
attention
- if you sneak somewhere, you go there very
quietly on foot, trying to avoid being seen or
heard
Task 1. Who said these things? In what situations?
1. We are practically twins.
2. And call me Katherine.
3. The caterers are called “Acme Eats”. You can get the number from
information. They do the usual hors d’oeuvres and such. “The Raging Bull”
has a bartender service and the liquor store on Broadway and Liberty
delivers.
4. If that’s the way you want to go.
5. I guess, you are right, if dumplings can be considered a good idea.
14
6. Jim, the man who spends every weekend in August glued to his desk … that
man knows that I just can’t sneak out of my own party.
7. Never burn bridges. Today’s junior prick, tomorrow’s senior partner.
8. Shoot.
9. I’ve been trying to get into the entrée program and this would be a big push.
10.
Maybe we could all go out sometime, you know. Dinner in the city.
Task 2. Match these words to their meanings:
1
input
a
2
to sneak
b
3
impeccable
c
4
a two-way street
d
5
6
accommodating
accurate
e
f
7
8
tough
pitiful
g
h
to go very quietly on foot, trying to
avoid being seen or heard
information or resources that a group or
project receives
so sad, weak or small that you feel pity
for them
doing smth for somebody with the
main purpose of pleasing or satisfying
them
excellent and having no faults
two people or groups helping each
other or learning from each other
having a strong determined character
correct to a very detailed level
Task 3.
Watch Katherine’s ‘ground rules presentation
speech’ again (once or twice).
a) Fill in the gaps in the text with an appropriate word or phrase
from the list below (the list includes some words that are not suitable).
b) Can this short monologue help to get an insight into what sort of
person Katherine is? In what way?
pitiful, accommodating, rewarded, two-way street, keep, link, accurate,
meeting, impeccable, rethink, making, uniform, line, outside, tough,
start with, profile, awarded, chain, exact, input
Katherine: A few ground rules. The way I look at it, you are my
(1) ____________ with the (2) ____________ world. People’s impression of
15
me (3) ____________ you. You are (4) ____________, when it’s wanted,
(5)
______________,
when
you
can
be,
you
are
(6) ______________, you are punctual and you never make a promise you
can’t
(7)
______________.
I’m
never
on
another
(8) ______________, I’m in a (9) ______________.
I consider us a team, and as such we have a (10) ______________:
simple, elegant, (11) ______________.
“Dress sharply, they notice the dress, dress impeccably, they notice the
woman”, Coco Chanel….
…You look terrific. You might want to (12) ______________ the
jewelry.
I want your (13) ______________, Tess. I welcome your ideas. And I
like
to
have
hard
work
(14)
______________.
It’s
a
(15) ______________ on my team. Am I (16) ______________ myself
clear?
Tess: Yes, Katherine.
Katherine: And call me Katherine.
Tess: OK.
Katherine: Let’s get to work then. This department’s
(17) ______________ last year was damn (18) ______________. Our team
has got its work cut out for it.
Task 4. Watch Tess’s account of her idea once again.
a)
b)




Number these sentences from it in the correct order,
from 1 to 4;
Sum up the idea.
Plus it would solve Trask’s problems with his Japanese competitors
trying to take him over because FCC forbids foreign ownership of
radio as well as TV.
It’s not as glamorous as jumping right into TV, but it’s a solid place
to start and there’s a lot more than for sale.
You know how Trask Industries has been looking into buying into
broadcasting.
My idea is that they get their feet wet in radio and build from there.
16
Task 5. Answer these questions:
1. Which of Katherine’s ground rules seemed sound to you? Justify your
answer.
2. What do you make of Ginny? Did you get the impression she was
picking on Tess? Why?
3. Do you think the cocktail-party scene is relevant in terms of shedding
some more light on the main characters? In what way?
4. Can we say Katherine got really interested in Tess’s idea? Try and
remember what questions she asked her secretary while listening to
her. What was the first thing she did after Tess left the room?
5. Does Tess, in your opinion, have much in common with her boyfriend?
Explain why you think so.
Task 6. Discuss the following:
Tess says to her boss Katherine Parker at some point: “I’ve been trying
to get into the entrée program and this (referring to her idea) would be a big
push.” Would you subscribe to the view that one good idea might propel a
person from a secretarial pool onto a management track? Give your
reasoning.
17
Scene III
Notes:
inn
canopy
a canopy bed
Barbados
RSVP
knick-knack,
nicknack
Wellesley College
sister
alumni
the alumni giving fund
real estate
the real estate market
Dewey Stone & Co.
hard copy
- in American English, inn doesn’t have any
special meaning apart from hotel or restaurant
and is sometimes used instead of them in the
names of businesses wanting to appear oldfashioned
- a decorative cover usually fixed above the bed
- an island in the Caribbean Sea. Capital:
Bridgetown
- letters written on an invitation to a party,
wedding etc., asking you to say whether you
will attend or not. They are based on the French
words “répondez s’il vous plait” (=please reply)
- infml a small cheap decorative object,
especially for the house
- in Wellesley, Massachusetts, founded in 1875
- a female fellow member of the same profession,
organization etc.
- the alumni of a school, college or university are
the people who used to be students there
- is property in the form of land and buildings,
rather than personal possessions
- the company Jack Trainer works for
- a hard copy of a document is a printed version
of it, rather than a version stored on a computer
Vocabulary:
receptive
- someone who is receptive to new ideas or
suggestions is prepared to consider them or
accept them
18
to pop the question
variable
to run by
to be dead set on smth
to plug
keep plugging
to take over
bunch
to brave
to add up to
to run with
- if you pop the question, you ask someone to
marry you; an expression used by journalists
- a variable is a factor, which can change in
quality, quantity, or size, which you have to
take into account in a situation
- if you run an idea by someone, you tell them
about it or mention it, to see if they think it’s a
good idea, or can understand or recognize it
- if you are dead set on smth, you are strongly
determined to do or have it
- to work or study hard and steadily
- if you take over a job or role, or you take over,
you become responsible for the job after
someone else has stopped doing it
- a bunch of things is a number of things,
especially a large number
- if you brave unpleasant or dangerous condition,
you deliberately expose yourself to them,
usually in order to achieve smth
- if amounts add up to a particular total, they
result in that total when they are put together
- to take the responsibility of handling or
developing smth
Task 1. Who said these things? In what situations?
1. I called the Inn. They said all they could give you is a ground floor single in
the new wing.
2. He said there was something important he wanted to discuss with me. I think
he’s going to pop the question.
3. I really don’t think that’s a variable.
4. Oh, by the way, I ran your Trask radio idea by some of our people. It seems
Trask is dead set on television.
5. I need you to take over.
6. And on behalf of the alumni-giving fund. I’m writing to you to ask…
19
7. Radio network acquisition. Hard copy on this from my home computer. Do
not go through Tess.
8. Two-way street.
Task 2. Explain these sentences. (Who said them?)
1.
2.
3.
4.
I’ve indicated I’m receptive to an offer.
You just keep plugging and bring your ideas to me.
There’s a bunch of invitations to be RSVPed.
I’m back in New York living in Mummy’s house. While I brave the New
York real estate market trying to find a place of my own.
Task 3. Match these words to their meanings:
1
to be dead set on smth
a
2
variable
b
3
to brave
c
4
to pop the question
d
5
to run with
e
6
receptive
f
7
8
to take over
bunch
g
h
9 to add up to
10 to plug
i
j
11 to run by
k
to be prepared to consider new ideas or
suggestions
a number of things, especially a large
number
to take the responsibility of handling or
developing smth
to result in a particular total when put
together
to deliberately expose yourself to unpleasant
or dangerous conditions, usually in order to
achieve smth
to be strongly determined to do smth or to
have smth
to work or study hard and steadily
a factor which can change in quality,
quantity, or size, which you have to take into
account in a situation
to ask someone to marry you
to become responsible for the job, role after
someone else has stopped doing it
to tell someone about your idea to see if they
think it’s good
20
Task 4. Answer these questions:
1. Does Katherine Parker strike you as a woman with a lot of
confidence judging from her brief account of her love-life? Justify
your view.
2. Do you think there’s some hidden implication in Katherine
breaking her leg in the sequence coming right after her line “Who
makes it happen?… I do… Only then do we get what we
deserve”? What sort of implication could this be?
3. a) List the tasks Katherine asked Tess to attend to.
b) What is her entrance code for the front door?
(Watch Tess & Katherine’s telephone conversation again to refresh
it in your memory.)
4. What do you make of Katherine’s place? Does it add up to
understanding better what sort of background she comes from?
Elaborate on this.
5. Describe the activities Tess engaged in after inspecting her Boss’s
apartment. Why was she repeating Katherine’s taped messages
with so much zeal?
Task 5.
Fill in the gaps in Katherine’s e-mail to Jack
Trainer with an appropriate word, phrase from the list below
(the list includes some words that are not suitable).
bargain, run, a deal, media, adds up to, television, results in
Dear Jack
There’s a light bulb over my head.
I know Trask and you know (1) ______________ and that
(2) ______________ us finally doing (3) ______________ together.
Let’s (4) ________________ with it.
Best
Katherine
21
Task 6. Discuss the following:
1. Katherine’s major guiding principle is “you don’t get anywhere in this
world by waiting for what you want to come to you. You make it
happen.” Do you share this attitude? Give your reasoning.
2. Fancy yourself in Tess’ shoes as she is trying to cope with the situation
after being betrayed both by her “mentor” and her boyfriend. Would
you “let it go” or “seek revenge”?
22
Scene IV
Notes:
open bar
tequila
Chardonnay
frog-water
antihistamine
nightcap
herb
herb tea
- in American English, a bar where drinks are
served free
- a strong alcoholic drink made in Mexico
- a type of white wine made from Chardonnay
grapes
- champagne
- an antihistamine is a drug that is used to treat
illnesses that are caused by allergies
- a nightcap is a drink that you have just before
you go to bed, usually an alcoholic drink
- a herb is a plant whose leaves are used in
cookery to add flavour to food, or as a medicine
Vocabulary:
fringe
fringe times
to snatch
impostor, er
risk-taker
to soothe
soothing
- the fringe or the fringes of an activity or
organization are its less important, least typical,
or most extreme parts, rather than its main and
central part. (Fringe benefits are extra things
that some people get from their job in addition
to their salary, for example a car)
- if you snatch something, you take it or pull it
away quickly. If something is snatched from
you, it is stolen.
- someone who is an impostor is dishonestly
pretending to be someone else in order to get
something they want
- a risk-taker is someone who chooses to act in a
bold way, possibly with unpleasant or
undesirable results
- if you soothe someone who is angry or upset,
you make them feel calmer
23
to eat out of one’s hand
head start
- if you have someone eating out of your hand,
they are completely under your control
- if you have a head-start on other people you
have an advantage over them in something such
as a competition or race
Task 1. Who said these things? In what situations?
1. Besides, it’s important for me to start interacting with people not as a
secretary.
2. But as a total imposter.
3. We get another 5%, we’ve got him by the throat.
4. A: Why are you looking for him?
B: Because I have a meeting with him tomorrow and I thought it would
be nice to say “hello” and get a head start.
5. Do I look like I don’t belong here?
6. The cleaning lady keeps changing days on me.
Task 2. Explain these sentences. (Who said them?)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Fringe times are crucial.
Did you snatch her invite?
Let’s see if she’s got anything soothing.
They’ll be eating out of our hands.
But it’s an open bar.
I’m just warning you, cause if it’s the day before, it could be pretty bad.
Would you like a nightcap?
Task 3. Match these words to their meanings:
1
head start
a
2
3
to snatch
b
to eat out of one’s hand c
someone who chooses to act in a bold way,
possibly with unpleasant or undesirable
results
to make smb feel calmer
to take something quickly, to steal something
24
4
impostor
d
5
fringe
e
6
to soothe
f
7
risk-taker
g
(of an activity or an organization etc.)
its less important, least typical, or most
extreme parts, rather than its main and
central part
an advantage over other people in something
such as a competition or race
to have someone completely under your
control
someone dishonestly pretending to be
someone else in order to get something they
want
Task 4. Number these sentences in the correct order,
from 1 to 8:








Herb tea. I don’t have any, but it always sounds good when people
offer it to me when I’m in your shape.
You want to be taken seriously, you need serious hair.
No, it’s simple, elegant. It makes a statement. It says to people:
confident, a risk-taker, not afraid to be noticed.
No, no names, no business cards, no “you must know so-and-so”, no
resumés.
You are the first woman I’ve seen at these damn things that dresses
like a woman, not like a woman thinks that a man would dress if he
thought he was a woman.
$ 6,000! It isn’t even leather!
I took an antihistamine before.
It was really nice to meet you, whatever your name is, but I really do
have to go.
Task 5. Answer these questions:
1. What consideration made Tess accept the invitation to the party Dewey
Stone was throwing?
25
2. What transformation did Tess undergo while preparing herself for the
party? Can we say the decision to transform herself so dramatically put
a real strain on her nervous system? Justify your answer.
3. What do you think of the remarks Jack Trainer’s business associates
were exchanging at the party? What image are these people supposed
to project? Would we hear something like this in a similar Russian
environment?
4. Could you make a wild guess as to what was running through Jack’s
head as he was listening to his fellow workers watching a beautiful girl
at the bar counter?
5. Why do you think Jack refused to introduce himself to Tess.
6. What do you make of this line said by Tess:
- Right, I knew this (that it was an open bar), but I meant that if it
wasn’t I would be bying? Do you think it may give us more insight into
her personality? Did she feel at ease at the party? Elaborate on this.
7. Give an outline of Jack’s monologue as he was climbing the stairs up
to his apartment and after he finally seated Tess in the armchair.
Task 6. Discuss the following:
Do you think one can be justified in taking a dishonest action (i.e.
impersonating someone else) in order to attain one’s goals or would
such a thing be totally against your moral principles?
26
Episode II
Scene I
Notes:
to expend
takeover
takeover attempt
takeover bid
surplus
surplus cash
to implement
stock
stock repurchase
purchase
bouncer
lust
underwear
to peek
Metro Radio System
antsy, Am. E.
ace
flight of steps or stairs
- to expend energy, time, or money means to use
it or spend it
- a takeover is the act of gaining control of a
company by buying a majority of its shares
- surplus is used to describe something that is
extra or that is more than is needed
- if you implement something such as a plan,
you ensure that what has been planned is done
- a company’s stock is the amount of money
which it has through selling shares
(see Scene II, Notes)
- a purchase is something that you buy
- a bouncer is a man who stands at the door of a
club, prevents unwanted people from coming
in, and makes people leave if they cause trouble
- lust is a feeling of strong sexual desire for
someone
- underwear is clothing which you wear next to
your skin under your clothes
- if you peek at something or someone, you have
a quick look at them, often secretly
- a radio station
- nervous, restless
- if you describe someone as an ace, you mean
that they are very good at what they do
- a set of steps or stairs that lead from one level
to another without changing direction
27
Vocabulary:
to acquire
target
hostile (a hostile
takeover attempt)
to accomplish
a high profile
subtle
to make up to
shot at
to squabble
squabbling
thinking
good thinking
to feel out Am. E. infml.
- if you acquire something, you buy or obtain it
for yourself, or someone gives it to you
- a target is a result that you are trying to achieve
- unfriendly and aggressive
- if you accomplish something, you succeed in
doing it
- if someone has a high profile, people notice
them and what they do. If you keep a low
profile you avoid doing things that will make
people notice you.
- something that is subtle is not immediately
obvious or noticeable. Subtle smells, tastes,
sounds, colours etc. are pleasantly complex and
delicate
- if you say that you will make it up to someone
for something you are promising that you will
do something for them to compensate for the
fact that they have been upset or disappointed,
especially by you
- if you have a shot at something, you attempt to
do it
- when people squabble, they quarrel about
something that is not really important
- a way of thinking about something; opinion,
judgement
- to get (someone’s) opinions or feelings, for
example, by asking questions
Task 1. Who said these things? In what situations?
1. A: Coffee?
B: Sure.
2. Trask has got a lot of cash on their balance sheet. It’s one of the big reasons
they’re a takeover target.
28
3.
4.
5.
6.
I should have checked the milligrams. Live and learn.
All mergers and acquisitions. No lust and tequila.
Bess, my computer is down. I need it five minutes ago.
Good thinking. Well, I’ll fly down to Memphis in the morning and feel them
out.
7. I don’t think we should get involved that way.
Task 2. Explain these sentences. (Who said them?)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Buying into radio would accomplish two important tasks.
They don’t exactly have bouncers.
I’m not looking for sympathy. I had a shot at, you know…
Let’s give her a shout, shall we? You decent?
The Earth moved. The angels wept. The Polaroids are… are in my other
coat.
They … had offers before and rejected them, but the father’s about to retire
and the son’s just been forced out by his board of directors. A lot of
squabbling. A good time to go in.
I came to you because I wanted an ace on this. The best.
We’re in a business deal together now and I just don’t think we should get
involved that way.
Me? Njet.
Task 3. Match these words to their meanings:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
subtle
a the state of being noticed by other people
around one
thinking
b showing extreme dislike or disapproval
to make it up to smb (for c to get (someone’s) opinions or feelings, for
something)
example, by asking questions
target
d opinion, judgement
shot at (to have a ~)
e to take part in a continuing quarrel,
especially over something unimportant
to acquire
f a chance or attempt to do something
to feel out
g to repay someone with good things in
return for something good they have done
or to make up for something bad
experienced by them
29
8
to squabble
9 hostile
10 a high profile
11 to accomplish
Task 4.









h to succeed in doing; finish successfully;
achieve
i delicate; not easy to notice, understand
j an object which one aims to reach
k to gain or come to possess, especially by
one’s own work, skill, or action
Number these sentences in the correct order;
from 1 to 9:
Everyone wants a part of Miss McGill. You’ll just have to wait.
At the same time, they’ve expended time and money fighting off a
hostile takeover attempt by one of their Japanese competitors.
In each of the last three quarters Trask industries has announced
plans to acquire a major market television station.
They’re a little more subtle than that, Cyn.
It would give Trask a solid base in broadcasting and, because of
FCC regulations forbidding foreign ownership of radio stations it
would wipe out the threat of a Japanese takeover.
It wasn’t so special. I had to carry you up three flights of stairs.
Well, you know, may be he’ll feel sorry for you and make it up to
you doing your deal.
I figure that we look for a radio network with a real high profile.
And with the surplus cash, we implement a major stock repurchase.
So Trask is protected, and the stock goes up and everybody is
happy.
I might have peeked. I don’t remember. Look, I don’t have all day to
hang out here and discuss your sex life.
Task 5. Answer these questions:
1. Give once again (see Episode II, Scene I) an outline of Tess’s idea (the
way she presented it to Dewey and Stone’s employees). Compare it
with her earlier presentation of the same idea to Katherine Parker.
(Watch it again: Episode I, Scene II, Task 4). Which of the two
30
presentations sounds more formal? Can you identify those linguistic
features that may have contributed to this impression of yours?
2. Can we call Cyn a good friend? Find all those pieces of evidence in the
scene that may prove this.
3. What strategy did Jack work out for putting Tess’s idea into practice?
4. Why do you think Tess wouldn’t accept Jack’s dinner invitation?
Task 6. Discuss the following:
Both Katherine and Jack seem to have realized quickly enough that
Tess’s idea had great potential.
Take another look at this idea and say what made it so appealing,
financially and otherwise.
31
Scene II
Notes:
scam infml.
to scam
duds Am. E. slang
to solidify
Grace Kelly (1928-82)
to blend in
to stomp Am. E. slang
to get one’s heart
stomped
to screw up infml.
Madonna (1958 - )
prospectus
the Basset Prospectus
sport Am. E. infml.
ballpark infml.
- a scam is a large-scale illegal trick, usually with
the purpose of getting money from people or
avoiding paying tax
- clothes
- if something such as a position or opinion
solidifies, it becomes firmer and more definite
and unlikely to change
- a US film actress who was famous for her
beauty. She became Princess Grace of Monaco
when she married Prince Rainier in 1956, and
she was a very popular princess who was often
written about in magazines and newspapers.
She was killed in a car accident.
- if something blends into the background or
blends in, it looks or sounds similar to the
background, so it is difficult to see or hear it
separately
- to beat, to misuse someone
to break one’s heart
- if someone screws something up, or if they
screw up, they cause something to fail or be
spoiled
- a US singer and film actress, one of the most
successful pop musicians of the 1980s and
1990s. She is known for dressing and
performing in her concerts and videos in a way
that is sexually exciting and sometimes
shocking
- a prospectus is a detailed document produced
by a company, which gives details about it
- friend, chum
- a range of numbers, prices etc. within which the
correct figure is likely to be
32
(ballpark estimate
ballpark figure)
to can Am. E. slang
slump
a rough estimate
- to dismiss someone from employment
- a slump is a time when there is a lot of
unemployment and poverty in a country
Am.E. a period of time when a player or team does
not play well
Vocabulary:
pathetic
down payment
down payments
priority
priorities
(to get one’s priorities
straight)
to crash Am. E. slang
(to crash a party, a
wedding)
to come clean infml.
to set up
(see: setup/to set up –
Episode I, Scene I,
Vocabulary)
break infml.
- if you describe a person or animal as pathetic,
you mean that they are sad and weak or
helpless, and they make you feel very sorry for
them
- if you make a down payment on something,
you pay a percentage of the total cost when you
buy it. You pay the remaining amount later.
- if something is a priority, it is the most
important thing you have to do or deal with,
must be done or dealt with before everything
else you have to do
- to attend a party or other event uninvited
- to admit to guilt or mistake
- if you set something up, you make the
preparations that are necessary for it to start; if
you set up rules, you establish them
- a chance (especially to make things better);
piece of good luck
Task 1. Who said these things? In what situations?
1. You’re gonna be out a work if you keep scamming like you are.
2. I’m not the same pathetic trusting fool that I was a couple days ago.
3. May your life together be long and happy and may the road always rise up to
meet you.
33
4. I want to get things in my life solidified. You’re not the only one who has
plans.
5. I’ve been up here all night working the numbers. I’d like to go over it with
you. Can we meet for lunch? I mean, lunch is all right, isn’t it?
6. Oren Trask’s daughter is getting married tomorrow. There’s a reception
following it at the Union Club. I figure I blend in and get to Trask. How hard
could that be?
7. You are not even giving him the slightest chance to make it up to you and
that’s not like you.
8. Sometimes I sing and dance around the house in my underwear. It doesn’t
make me Madonna. Never will.
9. Wait a minute. I’ve been working on this thing for 36 hours trying to put it
together. I’ve got a progress meeting with the head of my department at
2:00. Where the hell exactly are we?
Task 2. Explain these sentences. (Who said them?)
1. No, you look good. Classy. Did you have to go to traffic court or something.
2. My loan was approved just this morning. Put down payment on Jimmy’s
boat.
3. You set us up, doing it like that. Would you expect me to lie and just
automatically say “yes”?
4. Look, I don’t need this. Get yours priorities straight, maybe we’ll talk. Right
now, we’re history.
5. I’ll come clean as soon as I get my end set up. I swear. I know what I’m
doing.
6. What’s their ballpark?
7. How am I supposed to calm down? One lost deal is all it takes to get canned
these days. The line buttons on my phone all have an inch of pieces of tape
piled on… the names of new guys over the names of old guys. Good men
who aren’t at the other end of the line anymore because of one lost deal. I
don’t want to get buried under a little piece of tape.
Task 3. Match these words to their meanings:
1
down payment
a
2
a break
b
the most important thing you have to
do or deal with
to admit to guilt or mistake
34
3
to crash
c
4
5
6
pathetic
to set up
priority
d
e
f
7
to come clean
g
weak and helpless, making you feel
sorry for them
a chance, a piece of good luck
to attend a party uninvited
a percentage of the total cost you pay
when you buy something
to make preparations for something to
start; to establish
Task 4. Number these sentences in the correct order; from 1
to 10;










I wanted to get them excited about the concept before I started
throwing actual figures at them.
I’m not gonna to spend my life working my ass off and getting
nowhere just because I followed rules that I had nothing to do with
setting up.
It’s my engagement party. She knows she’s dead meat if she doesn’t
(show).
You fucking humiliated us in there.
You set up this meeting without me. What does that say? What the
hell kind of a way to do business is this?
To Cyn and Tim. To you and me. To you and your promotion. To
me getting a boat loan.
It went well in Memphis. Yeah. Really well, I think. We’ll have to
move fast and hit them high. Armbrister thinks of Metro as family
and you know how it can be.
I need you to summarize the Barrett prospectus. Hi, Schotz. Send
that along to me with the last two quarterly reports.
First of all, look me in the eye and tell me you’re not thinking, even
in your wildest dreams Mr. Briefcase-Let’s-Have-Lunch will take
you away from all of this.
Okay. So I’ve been in a little bit of a slump. I’m not afraid to admit
it. There it is. Give me a break here. Don’t leave me out. If you have
some doubts about me, say them to my face. Give me that much.
35
Task 5. Answer these questions:
1. Why do you think Tess and Mick split up right after Cyn’s engagement
party? Was it because Mick “set” them “up” at the party?
2. What do you make of Tess’s plan to crash Oren Trask’s daughter’s
wedding party? Was it not a little “over the top”? Give your reasoning.
3. Can we say Cyn was right in trying so hard to make Tess “get her
priorities straight”? Justify your answer.
4. What new things do we learn about Jack and his work record from the
slight misunderstanding they had with Tess over her “appointment”
with Trask?
Task 6. Discuss the following:
Tess McGill has set herself very high goals and is dead set on
succeeding in attaining them. What new light does Scene II throw on her
character? What character traits does it bring into focus?
36
Scene III
Notes:
jet lag
jet-lagged
gorgeous
glorious
fabulous
stunning
super
paradise
Elizabeth Stabblefield
(Bitsy)
to set someone up (for
something)
to set someone up with
something
to be stuck on someone
or something (Am. E.
slang)
Ma Bell (Am. E. slang)
- if you are suffering from jet lag, you feel tired
and slightly confused after a long journey by
aeroplane across parts of the world where the
time is different
- if you say that something is gorgeous, you
mean that it gives you a lot of pleasure or is
very attractive
- if you describe something as glorious, you are
emphasizing that it is very beautiful or
wonderful, and makes you feel very happy
- if you describe something as fabulous, you are
emphasizing that you like it a lot or think that it
is very good
- a stunning person or thing is extremely
beautiful or impressive
- some people use super to mean very nice or
very good; a slightly old-fashioned use
- according to some religions, paradise is a
wonderful place where people go after they die,
if they have led good lives. You can refer to a
place or situation that seems beautiful or perfect
as paradise and a paradise
- a guest at the wedding party
- to set the scene for something to happen to
someone
- enamored with someone or something;
obsessed with someone or something
- American Telephone and Telegraph Company;
any telephone company
37
break-up
to shut off
to shut oneself off to
new ideas
to hog
Tim Draper
- the break-up of an organization or a country is
the act of it separating or dividing into several
parts
- to keep separate or away
- if you hog something, you take all of it in a
greedy or impolite way
- an employee at Trask Industries
Vocabulary:
opening
to get a grip
to end up
small world (it’s a ~)
to kowtow
- an opening is a good opportunity to do
something, for example to show people how
good you are
- if you get a grip on yourself, you make an
effort to control or improve your behaviour or
work
- if you end up doing something or end up in a
particular state, you do that thing or get into that
state even though you did not originally intend
to
- said when you are surprised because you have
met someone you know who it was very
unlikely that you would meet, or when you
have found out that someone is connected to
you in a way that you did not expect
- if you say that someone kowtows to someone
else, you are critical of them for behaving very
humbly towards that other person, because they
are afraid of them or hope to get something
from them
Task 1. Who said these things? In what situations?
1. It’s the perfect opportunity. He’s happy. He’s had a little champagne. We
look for an opening. Trust me.
38
2. A: Total idiots.
B: In the right place at the right time.
A You’re like one of those crazed cops, aren’t you? The kind nobody wants
to ride with because his partners all end up dead or crazy.
3. Oh no, it’s just like paradise. It’s like paradise with little gold palm trees.
4. Glorious. Fabulous. Stunning. Really. Super. Elegant. Perfect.
5. I’ve been trying to set you up with a radio network but my bosses think
you’re stuck on acquiring television and won’t even listen.
6. Go ahead and laugh. He wants us to meet with his people first thing
Monday.
Task 2. Explain these sentences (Who said them?):
1. Glad you could make it. Oren and Barbara Trask.
2. Talk about a small world.
3. You know, I really, … I just realized I’m hogging the father of the
bride and I see Phyllis coming.
4. Oren Trask, the man who said, “What if we slice the bread before we
sold it?”
Task 3. Fill in the gaps in the sentences with an appropriate
word or phrase from the list below (the list includes some
words that are not suitable).
get a grip, kowtow, end up, an opening, a small world, finish,
a coincidence
1. It’s such __________! I met a friend of a friend at a party in London
recently, who taught English in Singapore with one of my friends from
high school.
2. __________ on yourself. Don’t act hastily (foolishly).
3. Every time they went dancing they ____________ in a bad mood.
4. All she needed was ___________ to show her capability.
5. See how stupidly they __________ to persons higher in the hierarchy.
39
Task 4. Number these sentences in the correct order; from 1
to 9









Okay, so we are not exactly invited. But he’s here and we’re here, so
that makes us…
No, no, I loved it. I had fun and you were amazing.
Is he jet-lagged from somewhere or he just lunches late?
Actually, I really should go powder my bathroom… nose. Darling,
will you wait here?
Bitsy. That’s right. You want to do it, do it. Excuse me. Bitsy, don’t
break my heart and tell me you don’t remember me.
What are we supposed to do, jump out of the wedding cake?
If you’ve got the right property, I’d love to hear about it.
Talk about a small world. Here we’ve just met and yet I feel as
though I’ve spent so much time working with you in a way. I’m in
Mergers and Acquisitions at Petty Marsh.
I hope I’m not being rude, but who are you?
Task 5.
Listen again (once or twice) to what Tess said to
Trask on the dance floor.
a) Fill in the gaps in the text with an appropriate word or phrase
from the list below (the list includes some words that are not
suitable).
b) Why do you think it sounds so compelling? What aspects of
Trasks career does it reveal to us?
a) Kowtowing to, shutting himself off to, foresaw, looked into, away,
break up, bow to, microwave technology, applied, used
That’s what I said. I said that the man who in 1971 ___________
1) the future and saw that it was named ___________ 2), the man who
___________ 3) Japanese management principles while the others were
___________ 4) the unions, the man who saw the Ma Bell ___________
5) coming from miles ___________ 6), I mean, this man did not get to
be this man, you, by ___________ 6) new ideas.
40
Task 6. Discuss the following:
Against all (the) odds, Tess succeeded in getting Oren Trask interested
in her project.
List all those things that contributed to her success in implementing this
seemingly mad scheme.
41
Scene IV
Notes:
Fort Worth
projected
revenue
ruling
Metro Radio Network
Memphis
transmitter
pending
outdated
to approve
to double
to up
(this ups the station’s
value)
scheduled
programming
- a city in the northeast of the US state of Texas
near Dallas. The airport which it shares with
Dallas, Dallas-Forth Worth, is one of the largest
in the world.
- if something is projected, it is planned or
expected
- revenue is money that a company,
organization, or government receives from
people
- a ruling is an official decision made by a court
or by someone in a position of authority
- the company owned by Mr. Armbrister
- the largest city in the state of Tennessee, also
known for being the home of Elvis Presley
- a transmitter is a piece of apparatus that is
used for broadcasting television or radio
programmes
- if something such as a legal procedure is
pending, it is waiting to be dealt with or settled
- if you describe something as outdated, you
mean that you think it is old-fashioned and no
longer useful or relevant to modern life
- if someone in authority approves something,
they officially agree to it or state that they are
satisfied with it
- when something doubles or when you double
it, it becomes twice as great in number, amount,
or size
- if you up something such as the amount of
money you are offering for something, you
increase it
- if something is scheduled to happen at a
particular time, arrangements are made for it to
happen at that time
- the programmes that a particular television or
42
to nail (kill) two birds
with one stone
bear hug
to put a bear hug on a
company
the company’s in play
bid
bidding (bidding war)
Armbrister
to pierce
radio station broadcasts
- to get two good results from one action
- a bear hug is a rather rough, tight, affectionate
hug
- an approach to the board of a company by
another company indicating that an offer is
about to be made for their shares. If the target
company indicates that it is not against the
merger, but wants a higher price this is known
as a teddy bear hug.
- see a bidding war
- a bid is an offer by one company to buy the
shares of another
- the process of making bids for things etc. The
latter are sold to the person who offers the most
money.
- the owner of Metro Radio Network
- if you have your ears or some other part of your
body pierced, you have a small hole made
through them so that you can wear a piece of
jewellery in them
Vocabulary:
to faint
timing
- if you faint, you lose consciousness for a short
time, especially because of hunger, pain, heat or
shock
- timing is the skill or action of judging the right
moment in a situation or activity at which to do
something
Task 1. Who said these things? In what situations?
1. Here’s the way we see it. Trask Industries has two important needs to
meet at this point in time.
2. And we certainly don’t want to get into a bidding war.
3. Yes, sir. All right, sir. Yes, he’ll take the meeting.
43
4. My girlfriend stuck the needle through and I heard this pop and fainted
and hit my chin on the toilet.
5. I wouldn’t have mentioned it except she’s in your department at Petty.
Task 2. Explain these sentences (Who said them?):
1. By acquiring Metro Radio Network you’ll nail two birds with one
stone.
2. …but a Chicago group just put a bear hug on Metro this morning. The
company’s in play.
3. A: He cares who he’s selling to.
B: Yes, and he holds the majority of the stock.
4. It’s just a timing thing. She broke her leg skiing and is laid up. And I
couldn’t see doing it over the phone. You know, kicking somebody
when they’re down.
Task 3.
Listen again (once or twice) to Jack making his
final assessment of Metro’s financial state.
a) Fill in the gaps in the text with an appropriate word or phrase
from the list below (the list includes some words that are not
suitable).
b) Describe the recent changes in the state of Metro Radio
Network using your own words.
a) outdated, scheduled programming, old fashioned, projected revenue,
ups, doubles, pending, increases, approved, ruling, praised, value
The Fort Worth station…
___________ 1) should read up eight percent, not six. And where it says
the FCC ___________ 2) on Metro’s Memphis transmitter is
___________ 3). That’s ___________ 4). FCC ___________ 5) it
Friday. ___________ 6) the signal reach. ___________ 7) the station’s
___________ 8) by 30 percent. And now, back to our regularly
___________ 9).
44
Task 4. Number these sentences in the correct order; from 1
to 8.








I was 19 and thought it would be cool to have a pierced ear.
The Slade Brothers. Trask isn’t aiming at radio anyway.
Mr. Trask doesn’t sit in at this level.
Some guy pulled a knife in Detroit.
And where it says the FCC ruling on Metro’s Memphis transmitter
is pending. That’s outdated.
Okay, there’s this woman. It’s over, but technically, it’s not. I just
haven’t got a chance to break it off yet.
A lot of ifs. We really don’t want to get involved.
One hundred twenty, even. Miss, don’t forget your book.
Task 5. Answer the questions:
1. Why did Tim Draper (Oren Trask’s employee) display so little interest
in the acquisition proposal suggested by Tess and Jack?
2. What do you think finally tipped the scales in their favour?
3. Explain what Jack meant when he said that his relationship with
Katherine “was over, but technically it wasn’t, that it was just a timing
thing”.
Task 6. Discuss the following:
You’ve had a glimpse of what some of Trask’s business methods are
like? Do you think they are a little bit unorthodox? Is the scene in Tim
Draper’s office realistic or does it have a humorous touch to it?
What can you gain by using such tactics when starting a deal with
strangers. What are the disadvantages of such an approach.
45
46
Episode III
Scene I
Notes:
cast
(a plaster cast)
ethics
formative
Afghan
Shalimar
drugstore
biological clock
principal
slut
- a plaster cast is a case made of plaster of Paris
(a type of plaster), which is used for protecting
broken bones by keeping part of the body stiff
and rigid
- ethics are moral beliefs and rules about right
and wrong
- a formative period of time or experience is one
that has an important and lasting influence on a
person’s character and attitudes
- a warm cover for a bed made of wool knitted in
colourful patterns
- French perfume
- in America, a drugstore is a shop where
medicines, cosmetics, and some other goods are
sold
- your biological clock is your body’s way of
registering time
- (often plural) a person for whom someone else
acts as a representative, especially in a piece of
business
- people sometimes refer to a woman as a slut
when they consider her to be immoral in her
sexual behaviour; a rude and offensive word
Vocabulary:
go
to be sticky (about)
notion
to be swamped
-
a go is an attempt at doing something
not willing to help, be generous etc.
a notion is an idea or belief about something
if you are swamped by things or people, you
have more of them than you can deal with
47
fabulous
- if you talk about, for example, someone’s
fabulous success, wealth or happiness, you are
emphasizing that they are extremely successful,
wealthy or happy
Task 1. Who said these things? In what situations?
1. I won’t take “no” for an answer.
2. I was planning to send it over to Jack Trainer to have a look before I give
your idea one last go. It just occurs to me looking at it that it reads as though
it were my idea.
3. I couldn’t very well say it was a secretary’s notion.
4. It’s really not a good time to talk.
Task 2. Explain these sentences. (Who said them?)
1. Jack got burnt once. He was accused of stealing a plan for taking a company
private. He’s very sticky about the ethics of reviewing other people’s
formative strategies.
2. Anyway, the point is that I’m still trying to get you heard.
3. Look, I meant what I said … I really am swamped.
Task 3. Match these words to their meanings:
1
2
3
4
go
to be swamped (by)
notion
to be sticky (about)
a
b
c
d
an idea or belief about something
not willing to help, be generous etc.
an attempt at doing something
to have more of something (for example,
things, work, people) than you can deal with
Task 4. Answer these questions:
1. What do you think made Katherine bring up once again Tess’s Trask
radio acquisition idea?
48
2. How did Katherine and Jack’s meeting go? (Which of the two popped
the question? What were those things that set Katherine thinking,
arousing her suspicions?)
49
Scene II
Notes:
solo
clearance
to wedge
to unwedge
securities
to expand into
(in business)
barracuda
associate
associate partner
memo
containment
- without a companion or especially instructor
- the distance between one object and another
passing beneath or beside it
- if you wedge something somewhere, you fit it
there tightly
- are stocks, shares, bonds or other certificates
that you buy in order to earn regular interest
from them or sell them later for a profit
- to increase in size, grow larger by acquiring
smth (i.e. a new line of business)
- a barracuda is a large tropical sea fish with a
protruding lower jaw and sharp teeth
- associate is used before a rank or title to
indicate a slightly different lower status
- a memo is a short official note that is written
from one person to another within the same
company or organization
- containment of something is the action of
controlling it and preventing it from spreading
or increasing
Vocabulary:
avail
the light at the end of
the tunnel
in this day and age
to trick
- if you do something to no avail or to little
avail, what you do fails to achieve what you
want
- when you talk about the light at the end of the
tunnel, you are referring to a pleasant situation
in the future which gives you hope and
optimism, especially because you are in a
difficult or unpleasant situation at the moment
- in modern times
- if someone tricks you, they deceive you, often
in order to make you do something
50
upside
the name of the game
- (especially in business) showing an expectation
or likelihood of advantage or success
- if you say that something is the name of the
game, you mean that it is the most important
aspect of a situation
Task 1. Who said these things? In what situations?
1. If a colleague of mine had a strategy that they needed help with, would you
look at it if I asked you to.
2. I look at stuff all the time. Nobody’s ever accused me of stealing.
3. For hours all the experts tried to find some way to unwedge the vehicle but
to no avail.
4. I’ve decided to sell Mr. Trask the Metro radio system for $ 68,5 mln in
cash and securities.
5. You are being tricked. That is what’s going on.
6. The players may have changed, but the game remains the same. And the
name of the game is “Let’s make a deal”.
Task 2. Explain these sentences (Who said them?):
1. I am flying solo on this.
2. Well, by letting some of the air out of our strategy to expand into
broadcasting, Miss McGill and Mr. Trainer have effectively shown all of us
here at Trask the light at the end of our tunnel.
3. This is, of course, an agreement in principle. As to what constitutes
principles in this day and age I am going to leave it to you, barracudas, to
squabble over.
4. The upside is that I have found out in time to control the damage. We have
containment and we have a deal on the table!
51
Task 3.
Watch the start of the meeting at Trask Industries
again and fill in the gaps in the text with an appropriate word
or phrase from the list below (the list includes some words that
are not suitable).
to push, to expand into, to no avail, the light at the end of our tunnel,
clearance, listlessly, to unwedge, to move into
Gentlemen,
There was a story on the news last night showing life imitating an old
children’s riddle. It seems that a truck got stuck at the entrance to the
Holland tunnel too high for the entrance. For hours the experts tried to find
some way (1) ____________ the vehicle, but (2) ____________.
Finally, a 10-year-old girl in a passing car suggested simply letting the
air out of the truck’s tyres thus lowering the truck to the (3) ____________
level, which they did. And it worked.
Well, by letting some of the air out of our strategy (4) ______________
broadcasting, Miss McGill and Mr. Trainer have effectively shown all of us
here at Trask (5) ______________.
Task 4. Answer these questions:
1. Why do you think Tess brought up the subject of a hypothetical
colleague who “might need help with some strategy” as soon as she
met Jack in the conference room.
2. Do you think Katherine sounded convincing? What things did she take
advantage of to make the audience sympathize with her?
3. Why do you think Tess refrained from telling her side of the story there
and then?
Task 5. Discuss the following:
1. Do you think personal integrity is a thing of the past in the higher
echelons of business and finance? Is it likely that the series of corporate
fraud scandals that shook the US at the start of the 21 st century will have a
lasting effect on the world business community? Give your reasoning.
52
Scene III
Notes:
collection
sack
Am. E. slang
get into the sack with sb
saint
(saint act)
ass
Am. E. slang
bony
to blow
People
People Magazine
mainstream
deejay
hubby
slang
Slim Slicker
the Big Apple
syndicated
slot
cornerstone
- the activity of collecting money for a particular
purpose, or the money that is collected
- to have sex with someone that you don’t know
very well
- a saint is someone who has died and been
officially recognized and honoured by the
Christian church because his or her life was a
perfect example of the way Christians should
live
- your ass is the part of the body you sit down on
- unattractively thin
- if you blow a chance or attempt to do
something, you make a mistake which wastes
the chance or causes the attempt to fail
- a US magazine that contains short articles and
pictures of famous people, especially people
who appear on television and in films
- people, activities , or ideas that are part of the
mainstream are regarded as the most typical,
normal and conventional because they belong to
the same group or system as most others of
their kind
- a disc jockey
- a husband
- a disc jockey employed by Metro Radio
Network
- a popular name for New York City
- when newspaper articles or television/radio
programmes are syndicated, they are sold to
several different newspapers or television/radio
stations, who then publish the articles or
broadcast the programmes
- a slot in a schedule or scheme is a place in it
when an activity can take place
- the cornerstone of something is the basic part
53
ratings
-
to write off
write-off
-
Forbes
the Post
gross
-
the Betty Ford Clinic
-
to insinuate
-
to get the boot
slang
-
not to stand for
-
to bend (rules)
-
belly
slang
-
entry-level
-
gumption
-
of it on which its existence, success, or truth
depends
the ratings are the statistics published each
week which show how popular each television
programme is
to reduce the value of something that you or
your business owns to avoid paying too much
tax on it
a US magazine
the New York Post, a US newspaper
if you describe someone’s speech or behaviour
as gross, you mean that it is very rude or
unacceptable; if you describe someone or
something as gross, you think that they are very
ugly, tasteless, or repulsive
an expensive hospital in the US where rich and
famous people go for treatment to help them
stop drinking too much alcohol or taking illegal
drugs
if you say that someone insinuates something
unpleasant, you mean that they suggest it is true
without stating it openly
if you get the boot or are given the boot, you
are told that you are not wanted any more,
either in your job or by someone you are having
a relationship with
if you will not stand for something, you will
not allow it to happen or continue
if you bend rules or laws, you interpret them in
a way that allows you to do something they
would not normally allow you to do
the belly of a person or animal is their stomach
or abdomen
an entry-level job is at the lowest level in a
company or organization
if someone has gumption, they are able to think
what it would be sensible to do in a particular
situation, and they do it. The quality of being
brave enough to do the right thing in a difficult
54
Miss Baxter
Twinkie
situation
- a secretary at Trask Industries
- trademark. A type of small, sweet, sticky
yellow cake filled with a white sugary cream,
sold in the US
Vocabulary:
act
(saint act)
to put on an act
to bury the hatchet
to stop at nothing
to proceed
ridiculous
asset
to host
to pull a stunt
to go out on a limb
legitimate
- if you say that someone’s behaviour is an act,
you mean it does not express their real feelings
- if two people bury the hatchet (a hatchet is a
small axe that you can hold in one hand), they
become friendly again after a quarrel or
disagreement
- if you say that someone will stop at nothing to
get or achieve something, you are emphasizing
that they are very determined about it, and are
willing to do things that are extreme, wrong, or
dangerous in order to get or achieve it
- if you proceed with a course of action, you
continue with it
- if you say that something or someone is
ridiculous, you mean that they are very foolish
- something or someone that is an asset is
considered useful or helps a person or
organization to be successful
- if a person hosts a radio or television show, he
introduces it and talks to the people who appear
in it
- if someone pulls a stunt (a stunt is something
unusual, dangerous or stupid you do to attract
attention), they do something silly or risky
- if someone goes out on a limb, they do
something they strongly believe in even though
it is risky or extreme, and is likely to fail or be
criticized by other people
- something that is legitimate is acceptable
55
according to the law
- the layout of a garden, building, or piece of
writing is the way in which parts of it are
arranged
layout
Task 1. Who said these things? In what situations?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Mick, did you see me? I caught it one-handed.
How’s life in the fast lane?
Just one thing. Was you and me just part of the scheme too?
A: And if you really think I said I loved you as part of some scheme,
then that is really pathetic, you know.
B: My God, she’ll stop at nothing.
C: What kind of show are you people running here?
No, sir. I’m trying to make sure that it gets done right.
It’s your basic article about how you were looking to expand into
broadcasting.
… let me ask you a question. How did you come up with the idea for
Trask to buy up Metro.
Are you willing to go out on that limb every day working for me,
legitimately?
The director is out sick today, so she’ll want to see you first thing
tomorrow.
When I saw you in here on the phone with your feet up, I figured this
was your office.
Task 2. Explain these sentences (Who said them?):
1. Look, you … may be you can fool these guys with your saint act you
got down there, but do not ever speak to me again like we don’t know
what really happened. You got me?
2. Ask her about the hole in your deal.
3. A: Slim Slicker is one of Metro’s major assets syndicated to all their
stations, number one in his slot, the cornerstone of their programming.
B: You lose him and Metro’s just some okay real estate with falling
ratings, and you’re not exactly buying it for a write-off.
4. It is not as if it was in the mainstream.
56
5. You can bend the rules plenty once you get upstairs but not while you
are trying to get there.
6. Miss Baxter’s already up there. She’ll show you the layout.
Task 3. Match these words to their meanings:
1
to bury the hatchet
a
2
to proceed
b
3
4
ridiculous
to pull a stunt
c
d
5
6
to go out on a limb
to put on act
e
f
7
to stop at nothing
g
8
layout
h
9 to host
10 asset
11 legitimate
i
j
k
to behave in the way that does not express
one’s real feelings
to introduce a radio or television programme
and talk to the people who appear in it
acceptable according to the law
to be willing to do things that are extreme,
wrong, or dangerous in order to get or
achieve something
to do something foolish or risky
to become friendly again after a quarrel or
disagreement
to do something one strongly believes in
though it is risky or extreme, and is likely to
fail or be criticized by other people
something useful, helping a person or
organization to be successful
to continue
very foolish
the way in which parts of something are
arranged
Task 4. Number these sentences in the correct order; from 1
to 13.




Trainer, are you trying to blow this deal?
Cyn, guess where I am.
The “People” page? This is ridiculous.
My boat’s booked through three weeks from now. Doreen’s
working for me.
57










A: It’s my stuff from the desk.
B: Your stuff. Now, there’s a broad term.
So I started to think “Trask, radio, Trask, radio”. And then I hooked
up with Jack, and he came on board with Metro. And … and so now
here we are.
I’m sorry, but I simply won’t stand for that kind of talk. Will you
excuse me, please?
You know, play some golf, redecorate the country house. I don’t
know. Start all over. Find a job, a place to live and just wise up and
not take the whole thing so seriously. I’ll be okay. Good-bye.
No sir. I’m trying to make sure that it gets done right. Tess is this
team’s leader. She put this deal together. We shouldn’t proceed
without her.
If I had told you I was just some secretary, you never would have
taken the meeting. I mean, think about it. You would have fed me
with a few drinks and then tried to get me into the sack. End of
story.
I didn’t hear you come in. I’m Alice Baxter. I was just using the
phone.
For you. You like it? Peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Milk money.
Twinkies. Pen, pencil, ruler. Apple for the teacher. Now remember:
play nice with the other kids and make sure you’re home before
dark.
You’ve got a real fire in your belly. Or was this just a onetime stunt
that you pulled?
Oren, I beg your pardon, but if you are insinuating…
Task 5.
Listen again to Catherine reading the “People”
page and to how Jack and Tess comment on it.
a) Fill in the gaps in the text with an appropriate word or phrase
from the list below (the list includes some words that are not
suitable).
b) What do you think brought about this sudden change in
Trask’s attitude?
58
a) ratings, sindicated, spot, the Big Apple, assets, write-off, slot,
attached, deejay, cornerstone, real estate, revenues
Katherine
(reads):
Jack:
Katherine:
Jack:
Tess:
“Former Miss America Dawn Bixby has been house
hunting here. Seems Dawn and hot, hot, hot
____________ 1) hubby Slim Slicker are getting ready to
take a bite out of the ____________ 2).”
Slim Slicker.
So?
Slim Slicker is one of Metro’s major ____________ 3)
____________ 4) to all their stations, member one in his
____________ 5), the ____________ 6) of their
programming.
You lose him and Metro’s just some okay ____________
7) with falling ____________ 8) and you’re not exactly
buying it for a ____________ 9).
Task 6. Answer the questions:
1. In your view, what compelling evidence did Trask get to make him
realise which of the two women was telling the truth?
2. Do you think Trask was justified in adopting such a harsh attitude to
Katherine?
3. Will this unpleasant incident, in your view, jeopardize Katherine’s
chances of making a good career in business? Why?
4. Name at least two things that made Tess mistake Alice Baxter for her
boss (recall here one of Trasks’s parting lines in the office the day
before)?
5. Draw a comparison between Katherine’s “ground rules presentation”
earlier in the movie and what Tess had to say to Alice in terms of what
she expected of her assistant.
Task 7. Discuss the following:
1. Do you think Tess is right in saying that you can’t get to the top
“without bending the rules”?
59
2. Is one justified, from your point of view, in “pulling stunts” similar to
that pulled by Tess? Won’t this undermine one’s personal integrity so
highly regarded in the brokerage industry?
Task 8.
Write an essay on what, you think, “Working Girl”
is about and what you liked/disliked about it.
60