Номер 1, страница 71 - гдз по английскому языку 11 класс учебник Афанасьева, Михеева

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Interviewer: In our studio today, we would like to welcome the English literary critic, Benjamin Osborne, who has just finished his new book devoted to Arthur Conan Doyle, the famous British writer. Mr. Osborne, let's start with a bit of history. Please tell us about Conan Doyle's life.

Benjamin Osborne: Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. His father was an artist and an architect by profession, but he worked as a clerk in an office and died fairly young. The family had a lot of financial problems after his death.

Interviewer: How did Arthur happen to become an author?

Benjamin Osborne: Well, his mother was a very good storyteller. I think that was the beginning. Then he read a lot during his school years, and he often told his friends long and interesting stories, getting sweets and cakes for that.

Interviewer: Did he get a special university education in literature?

Benjamin Osborne: Not exactly. After leaving school, Conan Doyle became a student of the medical faculty at the University of Edinburgh. In his third year of studies, he went to the Arctic as a ship doctor. After graduating from university, he sailed to Western Africa. Later he began his medical practice in a small English town called Southsea, and in eighteen eighty-seven he published his first detective story.

Interviewer: Were Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson its main characters?

Benjamin Osborne: Yes, that's right. And very soon they became the most popular characters of his numerous stories, while Baker Street in London became a well-known address.

Interviewer: So Conan Doyle had his medical practice and wrote detective stories in his free time, didn't he?

Benjamin Osborne: At the beginning of his career, he did. But then in eighteen ninety-one, he gave up his medical work and devoted all his time to his literary activity. He also traveled a lot, visited Europe, the USA, and Egypt.

Interviewer: Did he write only detective stories?

Benjamin Osborne: Besides detective stories, Conan Doyle wrote historical novels and two science fiction stories, The Lost World and The Poisoned Belt. They were quite successful.

Interviewer: It's a known fact that Conan Doyle was so tired of Sherlock Holmes that he decided to kill him in one of the stories. And indeed, the famous detective was killed during his struggle with Professor Moriarty in the story, Holmes's Last Case. How did it happen that he appeared again in Conan Doyle's books?

Benjamin Osborne: The story Holmes's Last Case was published in eighteen ninety-three. The writer hoped that after that, he would be able to begin creating other books. But his readers didn't want to lose their favorite character, and ten years later, the famous detective appeared again.

Interviewer: Which of the famous stories do you consider the best one?

Benjamin Osborne: In my view, it's The Hound of the Baskervilles, though maybe not everyone will agree with me.