UNKNOWN ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE

Like the great detective Sherlock Holmes, Conan Doyle also had many
wonderful talents. Many people do not know that he wrote many other kinds
of books: science fiction, historical adventures, horror stories and stories of the
supernatural. He also wrote factual books on history and politics. In everything
he did, he showed his incredible creative energy.

Conan Doyle came from an artistic family and he was a natural writer. His
father was a talented artist and his mother was a very good story-teller. In his
autobiography, Conan Doyle wrote: "The stories that my mother told me when
I was a child stand out more powerfully than the real facts of my life."

Conan Doyle went to boarding school when he was nine years old. At school, he entertained his school friends with stories that he had invented. After graduation from Edinburgh University he had his own medical practice in London, but he did not have many patients, so he was not earning a lot of money as a doctor.That's why Conan Doyle made good use of his free time by writing stories. Soon,Conan Doyle began to have his stories published. He now began to understand that writing could provide a better income than medicine.

Conan Doyle was not satisfied with being just a writer of original and
entertaining stories. He was also a great man of action. When he was a young
man, he sailed as a ship's doctor on voyages to the Arctic and to West Africa.
When the Boer War* in Africa started, Conan Doyle volunteered to fight. He
was not accepted because he was too old (he was 40). However, he still went
to South Africa as a doctor to treat the wounded* and the sick. He later wrote
a history of the Boer War.

Conan Doyle was determined to do some good in society. He tried to enter
Parliament, but he wasn't successful. Conan Doyle was more successful in his
work to improve the law system. He worked very hard to help people who had
been wrongfully sent to prison.

Conan Doyle did many things in his life, but he will naturally be remembered
most as a writer, a creator of Sherlock Holmes.

 

2. Conan Doyle had many talents. Read aloud the extract which says about it.

3. How did his writing talent develop?

4. Which facts prove that Conan Doyle took an active part in social life?

 

 

№12

 

1. Read the magazine article and say in 2—3 sentences what it is about.

 

HAND MADE CHOCOLATES

Jane Turner began her chocolate making business in a village near the seaside resort of Torquay about three years ago, before that she had worked for a large food processing company in south-west England. We talked to her about her experiences.

Why did you decide to make such a big change of lifestyle?

"First of all, I was not happy in my job. Though it was a well-paid job, the work
was very stressful and I had to work long hours. I just wanted to improve the
quality of my life. I also wanted to live by the sea again. I knew that it would be
difficult to find a good job in this area, so I decided to set up my own business."
How did the chocolate making begin?

"It had always been my dream. I found a suitable building in a village and
installed all the equipment. My sister and a couple of her friends came to work,
with me and about six months later we were ready to start making cakes.
After the cake business had begun to do well and we were supplying hotels
and restaurants on a regular basis, I began trying to make my own chocolates.
It is not easy to make good chocolate as there are so many factors involved:
creativity, the quality of ingredients, even the temperature of the room. When
I had developed a good enough range of chocolates, I sent some to the hotels
and restaurants. They liked them and ordered more. That is how the chocolate
making grew."

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