Еще один короткий рассказ для практики английского языка, для уровня pre-intermediate. Автор Сомерсет Моэм, он был видным английским писателем, и хорошо известен своими короткими рассказами. Моэм описывал людей и места исходя из своего опыта, так и рассказ «Друг познается в беде» основан на его личным опыте. Перевод и задачи прилагаются.
A Friend In Need by S. Maugham
The english gentlemanFor thirty years now I have been studying my fellow-men. I do not know very much about them. I suppose it is on the face that for the most part we judge the persons we meet. We draw our conclusions from the shape of the jaw, the look in the eyes, the shape of the mouth. I shrug my shoulders when people tell me that their first impressions of a person are always right. For my own part I find that the longer I know people the more they puzzle me: my oldest friends are just those of whom I can say that I don’t know anything about them.
These thoughts have occurred to me because I read in this morning’s paper that Edward Hyde Burton had died at Kobe. He was a merchant and he had been in Japan for many years. I knew him very little, but he interested me because once he gave me a great surprise. If I had not heard the story from his own lips I should never have believed that he was capable of such an action. It was the more startling because both his appearance and his manner gave the impression of a very different man. He was a tiny little fellow, very slender, with white hair, a red face much wrinkled, and blue eyes. I suppose he was about sixty when I knew him. He was always neatly and quietly dressed in accordance with his age and station.
Though his offices were in Kobe Burton often came down to Yokohama. I happened on one occasion to be spending a few days there, waiting for a ship, and I was introduced to him at the British Club. We played bridge together. He played a good game and a generous one. He did not talk very much, either then or later when we were having drinks, but what he said was sensible. He had a quiet, dry humour. He seemed to be popular at the club and afterwards, when he had gone, they described him as one of the best. It happened that we were both staying at the Grand Hotel and next day he asked me to dine with him. I met his wife, fat, elderly and smiling, and his two daughters. It was evidently a united and loving family. I think the chief thing that struck me about Burton was his kindliness. There was something very pleasing in his mild blue eyes. His voice was gentle; you could not imagine that he could raise it in anger; his smile was kind. Here was a man who attracted you because you felt in him a real love for his fellows. He had charm. But there was nothing sentimental about him: he liked his game of cards and his cocktail, he could tell a good and spicy story, and in his youth he had been something of an athlete. He was a rich man and he had made every penny himself. I suppose one thing that made you like him was that he was so small and frail; he aroused your instincts of protection. You felt that he would not hurt a fly.
One afternoon I was sitting in the lounge of the Grand Hotel. From the windows you had an excellent view of the harbour with its crowded traffic. There were great liners; merchant ships of all nations, junks and boats sailing in and out. It was a busy scene and yet, I do not know why, restful to the spirit.
Burton came into the lounge presently and caught sight of me. He seated himself in the chair next to mine.
“What do you say to a little drink?”
He clapped his hands for a boy and ordered two drinks. As the boy brought them a man passed along the street outside and seeing me waved his hand.
“Do you know Turner?” said Burton as I nodded a greeting.
“I’ve met him at the club. I’m told he’s a remittance man.”
“Yes, I believe he is. We have a good many here.”
“He plays bridge well.”
“They generally do. There was a fellow here last year, a namesake of mine, who was the best bridge player I ever met. I suppose you never came across him in London. Lenny Burton he called himself.”
“No. I don’t believe I remember the name.”
“He was quite a remarkable player. He seemed to have an instinct about the cards. It was uncanny. I used to play with him a lot. He was in Kobe for some time.”
Burton sipped his gin.
“It’s rather a funny story,”, he said. “He wasn’t a bad chap. I liked him. He was always well-dressed and he was handsome in a way, with curly hair and pink-and-white cheeks. Women thought a lot of him. There was no harm in him, you know, he was only wild. Of course he drank too much. Fellows like him always do. A bit of money used to come in for him once a quarter and he made a bit more by card-playing. He won a good deal of mine, I know that.”
Burton gave a kindly little chuckle.
“I suppose that is why he came to me when he went broke, that and the fact that he was a namesake of mine. He came to see me in my office one day and asked me for a job. I was rather surprised. He told me that there was no more money coming from home and he wanted to work. I asked him how old he was.
“Thirty five,’ he said.
‘”And what have you been doing before?’ I asked him.
‘”Well, nothing very much,’ he said.
“I couldn’t help laughing.
“‘I’m afraid I can’t do anything for you just now,’ I said. ‘Come back and see me in another thirty-five years, and I’ll see what I can do.’
“He didn’t move. He went rather pale. He hesitated for a moment and then he told me that he had had bad luck at cards for some time. He hadn’t a penny. He’d pawned everything he had. He couldn’t pay his hotel bill and they wouldn’t give him any more credit. He was down and out. If he couldn’t get a job he’d have to commit suicide.
“I looked at him for a bit. I could see now that he was all to pieces. He’d been drinking more than usual and he looked fifty.
‘”Well, isn’t there anything you can do except play cards?’ I asked him.
“‘I can swim,’ he said.
“‘Swim!’
“I could hardly believe my ears; it seemed such a silly answer.
“‘I swam for my university.’
“‘I was a pretty good swimmer myself when I was a young man,’ I said.
“Suddenly I had an idea.
Pausing in his story, Burton turned to me.
“Do you know Kobe?” he asked.
“No,” I said, “I passed through it once, but I only spent a night there.”
“Then you don’t know the Shioya Club. When I was a young man I swam from there round the beacon and landed at the creek of Tarumi. It’s over three miles and it’s rather difficult on account of the currents round the beacon. Well, I told my young namesake about it and I said to him that if he’d do it I’d give him a job.
“I could see he was rather taken aback.
“You say you’re a swimmer,’ I said.
‘”I’m not in very good condition,’ he answered.
“I didn’t say anything. I shrugged my shoulders. He looked at me for a moment and then he nodded.
“All right,’ he said. ‘When do you want me to do it?’
“I looked at my watch. It was just after ten.
“The swim shouldn’t take you much over an hour and a quarter. I’ll drive round to the creek at half-past twelve and meet you. I’ll take you back to the club to dress and then we’ll have lunch together.’
“Done,’ he said.
“We shook hands. I wished him good luck and he left me. I had a lot of work to do that morning and I only just managed to get to the creek at half past twelve. I waited for him there, but in vain.”
“Did he get frightened at the last moment?” I asked.
“No, he didn’t. He started swimming. But of course he’d ruined his health by drink. The currents round the beacon were more than he could manage.’ We didn’t get the body for about three days.”
I didn’t say anything for a moment or two. I was a little shocked. Then I asked Burton a question.
“When you offered him the job, did you know that he’d be drowned?”
He gave a little mild chuckle and he looked at me with those kind blue eyes of his. He rubbed his chin with his hand.
“Well, I hadn’t got a vacancy in my office at the moment.”
Перевод
Вот уже тридцать лет я изучаю моих ближних. Не так-то много я о них узнал. Наверно, я не решился бы нанять слугу, доверясь только его внешности, а между тем, мне кажется, в большинстве случаев мы как раз по внешнему виду судим о людях. Смотрим, какой формы у человека подбородок, какой у него взгляд, как очерчен рот, — и делаем выводы. Не уверен, что мы чаще бываем правы, чем ошибаемся. Романы и пьесы нередко фальшивы и нежизненны потому, что их авторы наделяют героев цельными, последовательными характерами, впрочем, пожалуй, они не могут иначе, ведь если сделать характер противоречивым, он станет непонятен. А между тем почти все мы полны противоречий. Каждый из нас — просто случайная мешанина несовместимых качеств. Учебник логики скажет вам, что абсурдно утверждать, будто желтый цвет имеет цилиндрическую форму, а благодарность тяжелее воздуха; но в той смеси абсурдов, которая составляет человеческое «я», желтый цвет вполне может оказаться лошадью с тележкой, а благодарность — серединой будущей недели. Когда люди уверяют меня, что первое впечатление от человека никогда их не обманывает, я только пожимаю плечами. По-моему, такие люди либо не слишком проницательны, либо чересчур самонадеянны. Что до меня — чем дольше я знаю человека, тем загадочней он мне кажется; и как раз про самых старых своих друзей я могу сказать, что не знаю о них ровным счетом ничего.
На эти размышления навела меня заметка, которую я прочитал сегодня в утренней газете: в Кобе скончался Эдвард Хайд Бартон. Он был коммерсант и долгие годы вел дела в Японии. Я мало знал его, но он занимал мои мысли, потому что однажды очень меня удивил. Если бы я не услышал эту историю от него самого, я никогда бы не поверил, что он способен на такой поступок. Это тем поразительней, что по внешности и манерам это был человек вполне определенного склада. Вот уж поистине цельная личность. Маленький, не выше пяти футов четырех дюймов ростом, щуплый, седые волосы, красное лицо все в морщинах и голубые глаза. В ту пору, когда мы познакомились, ему было лет шестьдесят. Одевался он всегда очень тщательно, но отнюдь не крикливо, как и подобало его возрасту и положению.
Хотя его контора находилась в Кобе, Бартон часто наезжал в Иокогаму. Мне однажды пришлось провести там несколько дней в ожидании парохода, и нас познакомили в Британском клубе. Мы оказались партнерами в бридже. Он был хороший игрок и притом не мелочный. Говорил мало — и за игрой, и после за вином, — но все, что он говорил, звучало вполне разумно. Не лишен был чувства юмора — шутил суховато, сдержанно, без улыбки. В клубе он, видимо, был своим человеком, и после его ухода все отзывались о нем наилучшим образом. Оказалось, что мы оба остановились в Гранд-отеле, и назавтра он пригласил меня обедать. Я познакомился с его женой — полной, немолодой женщиной, щедрой на улыбки, — и с двумя дочерьми. Семья, по-видимому, была дружная и любящая. Самой примечательной чертой Бартона мне показалась доброта. Удивительно располагал кроткий взгляд голубых глаз. Голос звучал мягко, нельзя было представить себе, что он может подняться до гневного крика; улыбка — самая благожелательная. Вас влекло к этому человеку, потому что в нем чувствовалась подлинная любовь к ближнему. В нем было обаяние. Но при этом никакой слащавости: он со вкусом играл в карты и пил коктейль, умел рассказать пикантный анекдот и в молодости даже был неплохим спортсменом. Человек состоятельный, он всем своим богатством был обязан только самому себе. Мне кажется, в нем привлекала еще и эта хрупкость и маленький рост: появлялось безотчетное желание защитить его и оберечь. Чувствовалось, что этот человек и мухи не обидит.
Однажды я сидел в гостиной Гранд-отеля. Это было еще до землетрясения, и там стояли кожаные кресла. Из окон открывался вид на просторную, оживленную гавань. Тут были огромные пассажирские пароходы, направляющиеся в Ванкувер и Сан-Франциско, либо через Шанхай, Гонконг и Сингапур — в Европу; грузовые суда под флагами всех стран, потрепанные бурями и непогодой; джонки с высокой кормой и большими разноцветными парусами и бесчисленные сампаны. Жизнь кипела ключом, и однако бог весть почему зрелище это успокаивало душу. Тут была романтика: казалось, стоит протянуть руку — и коснешься ее.
Скоро в гостиной появился Бартон. Заметив меня, он подошел и сел рядом.
— Не выпить ли нам по стаканчику?
Он хлопнул в ладоши, подзывая слугу, и спросил два коктейля. Когда слуга возвратился с подносом, по улице прошел один мой знакомый и, увидев меня в окно, помахал рукой. Я кивнул ему.
— Вы знакомы с Тернером? — спросил Бартон.
— Мы познакомились в клубе. Мне говорили, что он вынужден был покинуть Англию и живет на деньги, которые ему присылают из дому.
— Да, похоже на то. Здесь таких очень много.
— Он недурно играет в бридж.
— Как все они. Тут был один в прошлом году, как ни странно, мой однофамилец, — лучшего игрока я в жизни не встречал. В Лондоне вы вряд ли с ним сталкивались. Он называл себя Ленни Бартон. Вероятно, был раньше членом какого-нибудь аристократического клуба.
— Не припомню такого имени.
— Замечательный был игрок. Какое-то особое чутье на карты. Даже страшновато. Я часто с ним играл. Он некоторое время прожил в Кобе.
Бартон отпил глоток вина.
— Забавная история, — сказал он. — Этот мой однофамилец был неплохой малый. Мне он нравился. Всегда хорошо одет, настоящий франт. Даже красив на свой лад — такой белолицый, румяный, волосы вьются. Женщины на него заглядывались. Он был безвредный, знаете, просто повеса. Пил, конечно, больше, чем надо. Такие всегда сильно пьют. Раз в три месяца он получал немного денег да кое-что выигрывал в карты. У меня по крайней мере он выиграл немало.
Бартон добродушно усмехнулся. Я знал по опыту, что он умел проигрывать не поморщившись. Он погладил чисто выбритый подбородок худой, почти прозрачной рукой со вздувшимися венами.
— Наверно, поэтому он и пришел ко мне, когда остался без гроша, да еще может быть потому, что мы с ним были однофамильцы. В один прекрасный день приходит он ко мне в контору и просит взять его на службу. Я удивился. Он объяснил, что больше не получает денег из дому и ему нужна работа. Я спросил, сколько ему лет.
— Тридцать пять.
— А до сих пор чем вы занимались?
— Да ничем, в сущности. Я не удержался от смеха.
— Боюсь, — говорю, — что пока я ничем не могу вам помочь. Приходите еще через тридцать пять лет, тогда посмотрим.
Он не шелохнулся. Побледнел. Постоял в нерешительности и, наконец, объяснил, что последнее время ему очень не везло в карты. Вечно играть в один только бридж не хотелось, он перешел на покер и проигрался в пух и прах. У него не осталось ни гроша. Он заложил все, что имел. Нечем заплатить по счету в отеле, и в долг больше не верят. Он нищий. Если он не найдет какой-нибудь работы, ему останется только покончить с собой.
Минуту-другую я разглядывал его. И понял, что малому крышка. Видно, последнее время он пил больше обычного, и теперь ему можно было дать все пятьдесят. Женщины уже не восхищались бы им, если б видели его в эту минуту.
— А все-таки, — спросил я, — умеете вы делать еще что-нибудь, кроме как играть в карты?
— Я умею плавать.
Я едва верил своим ушам: экая глупость!
— В университете я был чемпионом по плаванью.
Тут я начал понимать, куда он клонит. Но я встречал слишком много людей, которые в студенческие годы были кумирами своих однокашников, и это не внушало мне особого почтения.
— Я и сам в молодости был недурным пловцом, — сказал я.
И вдруг меня осенило.
Прервав свой рассказ, Бартон неожиданно спросил:
— Вы хорошо знаете Кобе?
— Нет, — сказал я, — останавливался там как-то проездом, но только на одну ночь.
— Тогда вы не знаете Шиойя-клуб. В молодости я проплывал оттуда вокруг маяка до устья ручья Та-руми. Это свыше трех миль, и задача нелегкая, потому что я огибал маяк, а там очень сильное течение. Ну, я рассказал об этом своему тезке и обещал, что если он проплывет там — я возьму его на службу.
Вижу, он растерялся.
— Вы же сказали, что вы хороший пловец, — говорю.
— Но я сейчас немного не в форме.
Я ничего не сказал, только пожал плечами. Он посмотрел, посмотрел на меня — и кивнул.
— Согласен, — говорит. — Когда мне плыть?
Я поглядел на часы. Было начало одиннадцатого.
— У вас уйдет на это примерно час с четвертью, может быть, чуть больше. Я подъеду к ручью в половине первого и встречу вас. Потом отвезу назад в клуб, вы переоденетесь, и вместе позавтракаем.
— Ладно.
Мы пожали друг другу руки, я пожелал ему успеха, и он ушел. В то утро у меня была куча работы, и я
Еле поспел к половине первого к устью Таруми. Но напрасно я спешил: мой тезка так и не явился.
— Струсил в последнюю минуту? — спросил я.
— Нет, не струсил. Поплыть-то он поплыл. Но пьянством и беспутством он погубил свое здоровье. Он не мог справиться с течением у маяка. Тело нашли только на третий день.
Несколько минут я молчал. Я был несколько ошеломлен. Потом задал Бартону один вопрос:
— Скажите, когда вы предлагали ему плыть, вы знали, что он утонет?
Бартон тихонько хихикнул, посмотрел мне прямо в глаза кроткими, наивными голубыми глазами и потер ладонью подбородок.
— Видите ли, — сказал он, — места-то свободного у меня в конторе все равно не было.
Задачи
1.
Замените выделенные слова данными синонимами
To judge
A namesake of
To raise one`s voice
Puzzled
To think a lot of
To ruin one`s health
To occur
Down and out
1. We often
form an opinion
about a person by his looks.
2. These thoughts
came to my mind
because I read in this morning`s newspaper about Edward Burton`s death.
3. You could not imagine that he could
speak in a higher tone
in anger.
4. There was a fellow there last year
whose name was also
Edward.
5. Women thought
highly of
him.
6. He
was unemployed and without money
.
7. I could see he
was rather taken aback
.
8. But of course he
undermined his health
by drink.
2. Правильно распределить слова
long, it bored everybody present. 3. There was no reason why she should get so excited over a little thing like that. 4. Was it necessary to bother such a busy man with this unimportant question? 5. Why have you come to meet me? There was no need for you to bother.
II. Complete the following sentences, using the patterns: |
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2: 1. Today she has been answering her task even better ... . |
2. Are you ill? You are |
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3. The way to his office seemed to him on that day ... |
4. He was in love, and the sun seemed |
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earlier than usual. 6. The soup tastes even .... 7.... |
later than usual. |
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P a t t e r n 3: 1. She addressed us angrily in that harsh ... . 2. Did you happen to see that
charming ... ? 3. I didn"t want to come up to you, because you were so busy speaking to that dear |
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don"t like the way she treats that miserable .... |
5. I wish I knew how I should bring up this dear .... |
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one any longer believes those ... . |
7. If I were you, I should throw away these .... |
8. Who could have done |
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such a thing but...? 9. I have heard a lot about that....
III.
1. Вам не нужно было приходить сюда так рано. Никто еще не пришел. 2. Из-за этих своих тесных туфель она еле-еле шла. Мы добрались до остановки автобуса позже, чем обычно, и, конечно, автобус уже ушел. 3. В этот день Джуди была больна и чувствовала себя несчастней, чем обычно. Она не поверила своим глазам, когда ей принесли большую коробку с полураспустившимися розами - подарок этого ее таинственного опекуна.
IV. Make up short situations to illustrate Patterns 1, 2, 3 (three situations for each pattern). V. Make up dialogues, using all the patterns.
TEXT. A FRIEND IN NEED by William Somerset Maugham (abridged)
Maugham, William Somerset (1874-1965): an English writer. He achieved a great success as a novelist with such novels as "Of Human Bondage", "The Razor"s Edge" and others, as a dramatist with Ms witty satirical plays "Our Betters", "The Circle", etc., but he is best known by his short stories.
At the beginning of his literary career Maugham was greatly influenced by French naturalism. Later on, his outlook on life changed. It became cool, unemotional and pessimistic. He says that life is too tragic and senseless to be described. A writer can"t change life, he must only try to amuse his reader, stir his imagination. And this is where Maugham achieves perfection: his stories are always fascinating. Maugham"s skill in depicting scenes and characters with a few touches is amazing and whether he means it or not his novels, stories and plays reveal the vanity, hypocrisy and brutality of the society he lives in. So does the story "A Friend in Need". Burton, a prosperous businessman, is not.in the least concerned about the troubles and needs of those who have failed in life. Without a moment"s hesitation he sends a man to death just because his presence bores him, and later on he remembers the fact with a "kindly chuckle".
When Maugham described people and places in his short stories, he did it mostly from his personal experience.
"It"s rather a funny story," he said. "He wasn"t a bad chap. I liked him. He was always well-dressed and smart-looking. He was handsome in a way, with curly hair and pink-andwhite cheeks. Women thought a lot of him. There was no harm in him, you know, he was only wild. Of course he drank too much. Those sort of fellows always do. A bit of money used to come in for him once a quarter and he made a bit more by card-playing. He won a good deal of mine, I know that."
Burton gave a kindly little chuckle. I knew from my own experience that he could lose money at bridge with a good grace.
"I suppose that is why he came to me when he went broke, that and the fact that he was a namesake of mine. He came to see me in my office one day and asked me for a job. I was rather surprised. He told me that there was no more money coming from home and he wanted to work. I asked him how old he was.
"Thirty-five," he said.
"And what have you been doing hitherto?" I asked him. "Well, nothing very much," he said.
dividing the result by his chronological age, the latter generally cot exceeding 16.
I couldn"t help laughing.
"I"m afraid I can"t do anything for you just yet," I said. "Come back and see me in another thirty-five years, and I"ll see what I can do."
He didn"t move. He went rather pale. He hesitated for a moment and then told me that he had had bad luck at cards for some time. He hadn"t been willing to stick to bridge, he"d been playing poker, and he"d got trimmed. He hadn"t a penny. He"d pawned everything he had. He couldn"t pay his hotel bill and they wouldn"t give him any more credit. He was down and out. If he couldn"t get something to do he"d have to commit suicide.
I looked at him for a bit. I could see now that he was all to pieces. He"d been drinking more than usual and he looked fifty. The girls wouldn"t have thought so much of him if they"d seen him then.
"Well, isn"t there anything you can do except play cards?" I asked him. "I can swim," he said.
I could hardly believe my ears; it seemed such an insane answer to give. "I swam for my university."51
I got some glimmering of what he was driving at. I"ve known too many men who were little tin gods at their university to be impressed by it.
"I was a pretty good swimmer myself when I was a young man," I said. Suddenly I had an idea.
Pausing in his story, Burton turned to me. "Do you know Kobe?" he asked.
"No," I said, "I passed through it once, but I only spent a night there."
"Then you don"t know the Shioya Club. When I was a young man I swam from there round the beacon and landed at the creek of Tarumi. It"s over three miles and it"s rather difficult on account of the currents round the beacon. Well, I told my young namesake about it and I said to him that if he"d do it I"d give him a job. I could see he was rather taken aback.
"You say you"re a swimmer," I said.
"I"m not in very good condition," he answered.
I didn"t say anything. I shrugged my shoulders. He looked at me for a moment and then he nodded. "All right," he said. "When do you want me to do it?"
I looked at my watch. It was just after ten.
"The swim shouldn"t take you much over an hour and a quarter. I"ll drive round to the creek at half past twelve and meet you. I"ll take you back to the club to dress and then we"ll have lunch together,"
"Done," he said.
We shook hands. I wished him good luck and he left me. I had a lot of work to do that morning and I only just managed to get to the creek at Tarumi at half past twelve. But I needn"t have hurried; he never turned up."
"Did he funk it at toe last moment?" I asked.
"No, he didn"t funk it. He started all right. But of course he"d ruined his constitution by drink and dissipation. The currents round the beacon were more than he could manage. We didn"t get the body for about three days."
I didn"t say anything for a moment or two, I was a trifle shocked. Then I asked Burton a question. "When you made him that offer of a job, did you know he"d be drowned?"
51 to swim for one"s university : to take part in swimming races held between one"s university team and some other teams. Practically every school, college and university in Great Britain has its own sports clubs, and there are various outdoor sports competitions held annually within each school, as well as between different schools, colleges, and universities. These are, as a rule, attended by spectators drawn from all sections of the public, and the Oxford and Cambridge boat races, in which crews from these two universities compete every spring on the Thames, arouse national interest.
He gave a little mild chuckle and he looked at me with those kind and candid blue eyes of his. He rubbed his chin with his hand.
"Well, I hadn"t got a vacancy in my office at the moment."
VOCABULARY NOTES
1. to curl υt/i. 1. завивать(-ся), закручивать(-ся), e.g. She has curled her hair. The old man was curling his long moustache.
2. виться, клубиться, е.g. Does her hair curl naturally or does she curl it in curlers? The smoke from our camp-fires curled upwards among the trees.
to curl one"s lip презрительно кривить рот, е.g. I don"t like the way she curls her lip when talking to me.
to curl up свертывать(-ся), е.g. The child curled up in the arm-chair and went to sleep. curling adj вьющийся (о волосах)
Cf. curled adj завитой and curly adj кудрявый, е.g. I don"t like curled hair. But I liked this plump curly-headed little boy.
curl n 1. локон, завивка; 2. все, что имеет форму завитка, е.g. The girl had long curls over her shoulders. How do you keep your hair in curl? Soon we saw the curls of smoke rise upwards.
2. to break (broke, broken) υt/i 1. ломать(-ся), разбивать(-ся), е.g. Не fell and broke his leg. Who broke the window? Glass breaks easily.
to break (smth.) in two (three, etc.) разбить(-ся), разломать(-ся), разорвать(-ся) на две (три и т.д.)
части, е.g. The mother broke the bread in two and gave each child a piece.
to break to pieces разбить(-ся) вдребезги, е.g. The vase fell and broke to pieces.
2. чувствовать себя разбитым (морально, физически), разориться, usu. to be broken , е.g. Не was completely broken as the result of the failure of his business. She was broken after her husband"s death.
3. нарушать, as to break the law, a promise, one"s word, an appointment
Ant. to keep , е.g. She broke the appointment. = She did not keep it
to break with smb. or smth. (old habits, traditions, etc.) порвать с.., покончить с..., е.g. Не can"t break with his bad habits.
to break off прекратить внезапно (разговор, беседу), е.g. When she came in he broke off. He broke off in the middle of a sentence.
N o t e: No object after break off . Cf. in Russian: прекратить разговор.
to break out начинаться внезапно, вспыхнуть (об эпидемии, пожаре, войне), е.g. A fire broke out during the night.
to break through (smth.) прорывать(-ся), е.g. The partisans broke through the enemy"s line. to break the record побить рекорд
break n перемена, перерыв (в работе, учебе и т.д.), е.g. I feel tired, let"s have a break. We"re working since nine o"clock without a break.
3. to stick (stuck, stuck) υt/i 1. приклеивать(-ся), наклеивать; липнуть; прикреплять, as to stick a stamp on a letter, to stick a notice on a board. These stamps won"t stick. The nickname stuck to him.
2. оставаться; держаться, придерживаться? стоять на своем, е.g. Friends should stick together. You must stick to your promise. Though Tom saw that nobody believed him, he stuck to his words. Stick to business! (He отвлекайтесь!)
3. втыкать, затыкать; засовывать, е.g. The girl stuck a flower in her hair. He stuck his hands in his pockets.
4. застрять, завязнуть, е.g. The splinter stuck in my finger. The car stuck in the mud. The key stuck in the keyhole.
4. to drive (drove, driven) υt/i 1. гнать (скот); преследовать (неприятеля), е.g. Не drove the
horses into the forest.
2. править, управлять (машиной, автомобилем), е.g. He"s learning to drive.
3. ехать (в автомобиле, экипаже), е.g. Shall we drive home or walk?
N o t e: With reference to travelling on a bicycle, on a horse or other animal the verb to ride is used, е.g. He jumped on his horse and rode away. He rode over on his bicycle to see me yesterday.
to drive up (away) подъезжать (отъезжать), e.g. We drove up to the house.
to drive at (colloq.) клонить к чему-л., намекать на что-л., е.g. I could not understand what he was driving at.
to drive smb. mad сводить с ума
drive n катание, езда, прогулка (в автомобиле, экипаже), е.g. We had a nice drive.
to go for a drive прокатиться, совершить прогулку в автомобиле, е.g. Shall we go for a drive round the town?
driver n шофер, водитель, машинист, as a bus-driver, tram-driver, taxi-driver, engine-driver
5. pause n пауза, перерыв; передышка, е.g. There was a short pause while the next speaker got on to the platform. A pause is made because of doubt or hesitation or for the sake of expressiveness when speaking, singing, reading, etc.
Syn. break
to make a pause делать паузу, останавливаться, е.g. The speaker made a short pause to stress his words.
to pause υi делать паузу, останавливаться, е.g. Не paused to collect his thoughts. He went on without pausing.
Syn. stop
N о t e: to stop is usually used when the action is not supposed to continue; to pause is used when there is only a temporary break in the action, especially in speech or writing, е.g. He paused until the noise stopped.
6. to nod υi/t 1. кивать головой, е.g. I asked him if he could ring me up and he nodded. She nodded to me as she passed.
Syn. bow
N о t e: to sod refers lo a quick motion of the head only, and is less formal than to bow, which is a slower, formal bending, usually of the body as well as the head, е.g. The servant bowed and left the room.
Ant to shake one"s bead
2. дремать, клевать носом, е.g. She sat in the armchair nodding over her book. nod n кивок, е.g. She passed me with a nod. She gave me a nod.
7. ruin n 1. гибель, крушение, разорение, е.g. The death of Davy"s mother was the ruin of his hopes. to bring smb. (smth.) to ruin разорить, погубить, е.g. Не brought his family to ruin.
2. развалины (often pl), руины, е.g. The ruins of Rome. The enemy left the city in rains. rain υt губить, разрушать, разорять
to ruin one"s life (hopes, business, constitution), е.g. He knew that he himself had ruined his life by
stealing the money.
to rain oneself разориться, е.g. The fellow rained himself by card-playing. ruinous adj разорительный, губительный, разрушительный
8. to rub υt/i тереть(-ся), натирать, е.g. The gymnast rubbed his hands with talc. The dog rubbed its nose against my coat.
to rub smth. dry вытирать насухо, е.g. Не rubbed Ms face (hands) dry. to rub in втирать (мазь и т. д.), е.g. Rub the oil in well.
to rub off стирать (удалять с поверхности), е.g. Rub the words off the blackboard.
to rub out стирать (написанное чернилами, карандашом), в. д. She rubbed all the pencil marks out. to rub one"s hands (together) потирать руки от удовольствия, е.g. His manner of rubbing bis hands
gets on my nerves.
rub n , е.g. She gave the spoons a good rub.
9. vacant adj незанятый, свободный; вакантный, пустой, е.g. The telephone booth was vacant and I was able to telephone at once. She gazed into vacant space.
N o t e: The Russian words свободный and пустой have different English equivalents: 1. свободный may be translated by vacant, free, not engaged, spare, loose.
vacant means "not occupied," as a vacant seat (room, house, flat); a vacant post (position); a vaсant mind
free means "independent," as a free person; a free state; free will
not engaged means "not occupied, not busy," е.g. You are not engaged now, are you?
Ant. engaged, busy
Spare means "additional to what is usually needed," е.g. I have spare time today. I"ve got spare cash about me and can lend you 3 or 5 roubles.
loose means "not tight or not fitting close," е.g. He had loose clothes on. All the window frames in my flat are loose.
Ant tight
2. пустой has the following English equivalents: vacant, empty, blank, shallow. (See the notes to the word blank on p. 164.)
vacancy n вакантная должность, е.g. We have a vacancy on our staff. We advertised for a secretary to fill the vacancy.
NOTES ON WORD-FORMATION
The verb to land was made from the noun land by means of c o n v e r s i o n which is a very productive way of making new words in modern English.
In conversion, a new word and the one from which it is produced have the same phonetic shape but always belong to different categories or parts of speech, so that verbs may be produced from nouns or adjectives (е.g. to hand вручать; to comb причесывать; to pocket класть в карман; to pale бледнеть), nouns from verbs (е.g. break перерыв; drive поездка; find находка), etc.
The other two main ways of word-building are a f f i x a t i o n (or so called derivation) and c o m p o s i t i o n .
In affixation new words are produced with the help of affixes (that is suffixes and prefixes), е. g: beautiful, swimmer, unbelievable.
In composition new words are produced from two or more stems, е.g.: classroom, wall newspaper,
good-for-nothing, blue-eyed, etc. |
||
ESSENTIAL VOCABULARY (I) |
||
break υ, n |
hesitate υ |
ruin υ, n |
curl υ, n |
land υ |
ruinous adj |
curled adj |
namesake n |
shock υ |
curling adj |
smart (-looking) adj |
|
curly adj |
pause υ, n |
stick υ |
current a. |
rather adv |
vacant adj |
drive υ, n |
rub υ |
vacancy n |
driver n |
||
Word Combinations |
||
to be willing to do smth. |
||
to stick to smth. (smb.) |
to break the record |
|
to be down and out |
to commit suicide |
|
to curl one"s lip |
||
to drive up (away) |
to be taken aback |
|
to drive smb. mad |
to shrug one"s shoulders |
|
to have bad (good) luck |
to rub one"s hands (together) |
|
to bring smb. (smth.) to ruin |
I. Read the text and do the following (A. Grammar, B. Word usage, C. Word-formation).
A. 1. Pick out from the text all the irregular verbs and give their four forms. 2. Search the text for -ing - forms and classify them according to their functions in the sentences. 3. Mark all the cases of Sequence of Tenses in the text and comment on them (explain the rules). 4. Select sentences with the verb go used as a link verb; what other verbs can be used in the same function?
B. 1. Pick out from the text words and phrases describing appearance. 2. Tick off all introductory phrases used by Burton; use them in sentences of your own. 3. Pick out all the sentences with the word rather and translate them into Russian. 4. Paraphrase all the sentences with the verb get.
C. 1. Pick out from the text all compound words and identify their type. 2. Construct some compounds modelling them after well-dressed and smart-looking. 3. Search the text for verbs and nouns formed by means of conversion.
II. Translate in writing three paragraphs from the text: 1) the first paragraph, 2) the paragraph beginning with "He didn"t move" and 3) the paragraph from "Swim!" up to "Suddenly I had an idea".
Read the translation in class and discuss it with your fellow-students. III. a) Transcribe these words:
handsome, well-dressed, quarter, experience, lose, suicide, pausing, current, aback, shoulder, drowned. b) Transcribe and explain the rules of reading these words:
wild, rather, curl, pawn, pass, constitution, dissipation, beacon, question, half, vacancy, poker, trifle.
IV. Write twenty special questions about the text In each question use one of the phrases from Essential Vocabulary (I).
V. Fill in prepositions:
1. handsome ... a way; 2. to know... one"s own experience; 3. He could lose money ... bridge ... a good grace. 4. to have bad luck ... cards; 5. He did not want to stick ... bridge. 6. He was all... pieces. 7. I understand what he was driving .... 8. I landed ... the creek of Tarumi. 9.... account...; 10. He never turned....
VI. Study Vocabulary Notes and translate the illustrative examples into Russian. VII. Answer the following questions:
1. Burton thought that what he was telling was "rather a funny story." Do you also think so? Why don"t you? Why did Burton think it funny? 2. What kind of man was young Barton? What do you think of his way of living? Do you approve of it? Why not? 3. Why do you think young Burton turned to his namesake for help when he was rained? 4. What was the situation in which he found himself? 5. What did Burton mean by saying that his young namesake was "down and out"? that he was "all to pieces"? 6. What did young Burton mean when he said that he "swam for his University"? 7. On what condition did Burton promise a job in his office to his namesake? What do you think of this condition? 8. Why did young Burton accept it? He knew he was not in good condition, didn"t he? 9. What happened to him? 10. Do you think old Burton knew that bis namesake would be drowned? Why do you think so? 11. Why did Burton send his namesake to almost sure death? 12. What kind of man do you think old Burton was? 13. Why does the author emphasize when speaking about old Burton his "kindly chuckle," "mild chuckle," "those candid and kind blue eyes of his"?
VIII. Write an outline of the story. You may try three ways: a) following the chain of true events; b) sticking to the story as told by the author or c) building it up round the main idea of the story.
IX. a) Fill in different English equivalents of the Russian words занят and свободен (engaged, busy, occupied or vacant, free, spare):
1. As he was ... yesterday he couldn"t join our company. 2. I tried to get him on the phone but the line was ... As I was ... I decided to ring him up later. 3. Is the place next to you ...? - No, it is ... . 4. When I entered the hall all the seats were ... and I could hardly find a ... seat. 5. Will you be ... tomorrow? Let"s
go to the country. - No, I"ll be ... at my office. 6. Let"s find a ... classroom and rehearse our dialogue there. - I"m afraid at this hour all the rooms are sure to be ... . 7. Have you any ... time today? 8. At this late hour all taxis will be ... . 9. I am young, healthy, and ... to do as I please.
b) Think of situations or microdialogues consisting of a statement (or a question) and a reply to it using the words mentioned above.
X. Translate these sentences into English:
1. Она наклеила на письмо несколько марок и бросила его в почтовый ящик. 2. Друзья всегда держались вместе. 3. Ключ застрял в замке, и я не могла открыть дверь. 4. Вы сегодня заняты? - К сожалению, у меня вряд ли будет свободное время. 5. Смерть единственного сына была крушением всех его надежд 6. Есть в гостинице свободные номера? - К сожалению, все номера заняты. 7. Лондонские туманы губительны для здоровья. 8. Все списали эти предложения? Я стираю их с доски. 9. У него была странная привычка потирать руки, когда он был взволнован. 10. Холод голод и нужда подорвали здоровье Герствуда. 11. Оратор остановился, чтобы собраться с мыслями. 12. Вам не следует беспокоиться, он хорошо водит машину. 13. Звук выстрела нарушил тишину. Мистер Кэртел, который до этого времени мирно дремал в кресле, вскочил и стал оглядываться по сторонам. 14. Я не любил купаться в реке из-за сильного течения. 15. Учитель подождал, пока не стихли разговоры, и только после этого продолжал объяснение. 16. Они прервали беседу, как только я вошел. 17. Он обещал помочь мне, но не сдержал обещания. 18. Увидев меня, он презрительно скривил рот и только кивнул головой в знак приветствия.
XI. Read the story carefully and answer the following questions:
1. When do you usually: rub your chin; give a little chuckle; ask about smb."s age; go pale; hesitate; shrug your shoulders; look at your watch; shake hands?
2. In what situations did old Burton and his namesake perform the same actions as in Point 1. Comment on each situation.
ХII. Try your band at teaching:
A. Preparation . 1. Prepare to explain the difference between the verbs: stop and pause, nod and bow so as to make sure that your pupils can use these verbs properly. 2. Write an exercise to practise the following antonyms: to break and to keep, to nod and to shake, free and engaged, loose and tight 3. Think of the answers you would give if your pupils asked you: 1) How long is a mile? 2) Did Burton mean land miles or nautical miles when he said there were over three miles between the Shioya Club and the creek of Tarumi? 3) In what part of the world did the events take place?
B. Work in Class . 1. Ask the class to answer the questions given in Items 1 and 3 and to do your exercise from Item 2.
2. Correct the mistakes, comment on the answers and say a few words by way of explanation if
needed. (Use "Classroom English", Sections I, IV, VII.)
ХIII. Write a summary of the story "A Friend in Need". Before writing it find answers to the following questions that may serve as the key points of the story.
E. д.: What did young Burton ask for? What did he get?
What was his occupation and that of old Burton?
What were the advantages and disadvantages of old Burton"s position and those of his namesake? What were young Burton"s chances?
Could he manage to cover three miles?
Who gained anything from this performance?
What do you think both of them should have done under the circumstances? What were your feelings after reading the story?
XIV. Speak on the characters of the story;
a) Old Burton (his appearance, character and what yon think of him).
b) Young Burton (his appearance, character and what yon think of him).
c) The story-teller (what kind of person he was; how he was impressed by Burton"s story; with whom
his sympathies were).
XV. Paraphrase the following sentences, using colloquial words and phrases from the text instead of the words in italic type which are stylistically neutral:
1. My sister"s husband was killed in the war, and soon after that her elder child died of pneumonia. No wonder she was broken physically and spiritually. 2. He ruined himself because he played cards and drank a lot. When I met him, there seemed to be no way out for him. Yet, he had always been a nice man and had never done any harm to anybody. 3. I began to understand what she meant to say. 4. She is rather a good cook, isn"t she? - Women of that kind always are. 5. Men of this kind are always a great success with women. 6. You said you didn"t come to the exam on Monday because you were so ill you couldn"t move. I don"t believe it. I"m sure you were simply afraid. 7. Couldn"t you lend me a little more money? I am in a hopeless position.
XVI. Revise the story and discuss the following:
1. How does the author make the reader realize what kind of man Burton the Elder was? Which method of characterization does he use, direct or indirect? (See Notes on Style, p. 120.)
2. Point out the lines and passages in which the ironical attitude of the author towards Burton the Elder is felt. Is it expressed by lexical or syntactical means? (Analyse each case.) Comment on the title of the story.
3. What is the message (the main idea) of the story?
XVII. Perform a dialogue between old Burton and his namesake.
Don"t forget that old Burton was busy in his office, not very easily impressed, indifferent to other people"s troubles; his namesake was down and out, all to pieces and not in very good condition to swim.
XVIII. Role-playing.
Role-play a Trial at which you will try Burton for wilful murder. It may be arranged in the following way:
Student A - speaking for the judge.
Student A - speaking for the prosecution (he will describe all the facts proving Burton"s guilt). Student С - speaking for the defence (he will try and present all the facts that may speak in Burton"s
Student D - representing Burton (he will, naturally, try to defend himself). Students E, F, G - acting as witnesses for the prosecution or the defence.
The rest of the group are acting as members of the jury and will bring a verdict of "guilty" or "not guilty".
The judge conducts the trial, puts questions, examines the documents and evidence.
Counsel for the prosecution (прокурор) addresses the jury and presents his case, after which he calls witnesses who swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Counsel for the defence proceeds in the same way. The judge may interfere at any point and ask questions.
When the two sides have presented their cases, the judge gives his summing up. The jury retires to consider its verdict: Guilty or Not Guilty. If the defendant is found guilty, the judge passes sentence on him.
XIX. Think of a different end to the story (comical, puzzling, etc.).
XX. Write a short story to illustrate the proverb "A friend in need is a friend indeed". Use Essential Vocabulary of the lesson. Retell your story in class.
XXI. Translate the following sentences into English, using the word rather.
1. Эта книга довольно скучная, возьмите лучше другую. 2, Чемодан маловат, боюсь, что вы не уложите в него всю одежду. 3. Еще чашечку чая? - Да, пожалуйста, 4. Эта новость немного взволновала его. 5. Я, пожалуй, возьму эту пластинку. 6. Он скорее невежественен, чем глуп. 7. Нас несколько удивил его ранний приход. 8. Она выглядела несколько усталой после двухкилометровой прогулки. 9. Она показалась мне довольно красивой девушкой.
ХXII. a) Read the text:
Every summer many people, girls and women as well as boys and men, try to swim from England to France or from France to England. The distance at the nearest points is only about twenty miles, but because of the strong tides the distance that must be swum is usually more than twicе as far.
There is a strong tide from the Atlantic Ocean. This divides in two in order to pass round the British Isles. The two tides meet near the mouth of the Thames, and strong currents they cause make it impossible to swim in a straight line across the Channel.
The first man to succeed in swimming the Channel was Captain Webb, an Englishman. This was in August 1875. He landed in France 21 hours 45 minutes after entering the water at Dover. Since then there have been many successful swims and the time has been shortened. One French swimmer crossed it in 11 hours and 5 minutes.
Because the sea is usually cold, swimmers cover their bodies with grease. This, they say, helps to keep out the cold. They are fed during the swim by men who go with them in small boats.
b) Retell the text above using the phrases in italic type.
c) Comment on the text. Say if you think such a competition is a sport. XXIII. Try your hand at teaching.
1. Say what you would do in the teacher"s position:
Anna, a fourth form pupil, surprised and shocked the children in class because of the long dangling earrings she was wearing. At first the teacher decided to ignore this, hoping the children would soon ignore it also. However, the subdued but excited noise continued. Everyone wanted to see and touch the earrings.
2. Practise your Classroom English.
Prepare a short test on the vocabulary of Unit Six. Play the part of the teacher and give the test in class, check it and comment on each work. (See "Classroom English". Sections VII, IX.)
For thirty years now I have been studying my fellow-men. I do not know very much about them. I suppose it is on the face that for the most part we judge the persons
we meet. We draw our conclusions from the shape of the jaw, the look in the eyes, the shape of the mouth. I shrug my shoulders when people tell me that their first impressions of a person are always right. For my own part
I find that the longer I know people the more they puzzle me: my oldest friends are just those of whom I can say that I don"t know anything about them.
These thoughts have occurred to me because I read in this morning"s paper that Edward Hyde Burton had died at Kobe. He was a merchant and he had been in Japan for many years. I knew him very little, but he interested me because once he gave me a great surprise. If I had not heard the story from his own lips I should never have believed that he was capable of such an action. It was the more startling because both his appearance and his manner gave the impression of a very different man. He was a tiny little fellow, very slender, with white hair, a red face much wrinkled, and blue eyes. I suppose he was about sixty when I knew him. He was always neatly and quietly dressed in accordance with his age and station.
Though his offices were in Kobe Burton often came down to Yokohama. I happened on one occasion to be spending a few days there, waiting for a ship, and I was introduced to him at the British Club. We played bridge together. He played a good game and a generous one. He did not talk very much, either then or later when we were having drinks, but what he said was sensible. He had a quiet, dry humour. He seemed to be popular at the club and afterwards, when he had gone, they described him as one of the best. It happened that we were both staying at the Grand Hotel and next day he asked me to dine with him. I met his wife, fat, elderly and smiling, and his two daughters. It was evidently a united and loving family. I think the chief thing that struck me about Burton was his kindliness. There was something very pleasing in his mild blue eyes. His voice was gentle; you could not imagine that he could raise it in anger; his smile was kind. Here was a man who attracted you because you felt in him a real love for his fellows. He had charm. But there was nothing sentimental about him: he liked his game of cards and his cocktail, he could tell a good and spicy story, and in his youth he had been something of an athlete
. He was a rich man and he had made every penny himself. I suppose one thing that made you like him was that he was so small and frail; he aroused your instincts of protection. You felt that he would not hurt a fly.
One afternoon I was sitting in the lounge of the Grand Hotel. From the windows you had an excellent view of the harbour with its crowded traffic. There were great liners; merchant ships of all nations, junks and boats sailing in and out. It was a busy scene and yet, I do not know why, restful to the spirit.
Burton came into the lounge presently and caught sight of me. He seated himself in the chair next to mine.
"What do you say to a little drink?"
He clapped his hands for a boy and ordered two drinks. As the boy brought them a man passed along the street outside and seeing me waved his hand.
"Do you know Turner?" said Burton as I nodded a greeting.
"I"ve met him at the club. I"m told he"s a remittance man."
"Yes, I believe he is. We have a good many here."
"He plays bridge well."
"They generally do. There was a fellow here last year, a namesake of mine, who was the best bridge player I ever met. I suppose you never came across him in London. Lenny Burton he called himself."
"No. I don"t believe I remember the name."
"He was quite a remarkable player. He seemed to have an instinct about the cards. It was uncanny. I used to play with him a lot. He was in Kobe for some time."
Burton sipped his gin.
"It"s rather a funny story,", he said. "He wasn"t a bad chap. I liked him. He was always well-dressed and he was handsome in a way, with curly hair and pink-and-white cheeks. Women thought a lot of him. There was no harm in him, you know, he was only wild. Of course he drank too much. Fellows like him always do. A bit of money used to come in for him once a quarter and he made a bit more by card-playing. He won a good deal of mine, I know that."
Burton gave a kindly little chuckle.
"I suppose that is why he came to me when he went broke
, that and the fact that he was a namesake of mine. He came to see me in my office one day and asked me for a job. I was rather surprised. He told me that there was no more money coming from home and he wanted to work. I asked him how old he was.
"Thirty five," he said.
""And what have you been doing before?" I asked him.
""Well, nothing very much," he said.
"I couldn"t help laughing.
""I"m afraid I can"t do anything for you just now," I said. "Come back and see me in another thirty-five years, and I"ll see what I can do."
"He didn"t move. He went rather pale. He hesitated for a moment and then he told me that he had had bad luck at cards for some time. He hadn"t a penny. He"d pawned everything he had. He couldn"t pay his hotel bill and they wouldn"t give him any more credit. He was down and out
. If he couldn"t get a job he"d have to commit suicide.
"I looked at him for a bit. I could see now that he was all to pieces. He"d been drinking more than usual and he looked fifty.
""Well, isn"t there anything you can do except play cards?" I asked him.
""I can swim," he said.
""Swim!"
"I could hardly believe my ears; it seemed such a silly answer.
""I swam for my university."
""I was a pretty good swimmer myself when I was a young man," I said.
"Suddenly I had an idea.
Pausing in his story, Burton turned to me.
"Do you know Kobe?" he asked.
"No," I said, "I passed through it once, but I only spent a night there."
"Then you don"t know the Shioya Club. When I was a young man I swam from there round the beacon and landed at the creek of Tarumi. It"s over three miles and it"s rather difficult on account of the currents round the beacon. Well, I told my young namesake about it and I said to him that if he"d do it I"d give him a job.
"I could see he was rather taken aback.
"You say you"re a swimmer," I said.
""I"m not in very good condition," he answered.
"I didn"t say anything. I shrugged my shoulders. He looked at me for a moment and then he nodded.
"All right," he said. "When do you want me to do it?"
"I looked at my watch. It was just after ten.
"The swim shouldn"t take you much over an hour and a quarter. I"ll drive round to the creek at half-past twelve and meet you. I"ll take you back to the club to dress and then we"ll have lunch together."
"Done," he said.
"We shook hands. I wished him good luck and he left me. I had a lot of work to do that morning and I only just managed to get to the creek at half past twelve. I waited for him there, but in vain."
"Did he get frightened at the last moment?" I asked.
"No, he didn"t. He started swimming. But of course he"d ruined his health by drink. The currents round the beacon were more than he could manage." We didn"t get the body for about three days."
I didn"t say anything for a moment or two. I was a little shocked. Then I asked Burton a question.
"When you offered him the job, did you know that he"d be drowned?"
He gave a little mild chuckle and he looked at me with those kind blue eyes of his. He rubbed his chin with his hand.
"Well, I hadn"t got a vacancy in my office at the moment."
Exercises
1. The title of the story is the beginning of the proverb ‘A friend in need is a friend indeed’. Why do you think the author doesn`t give the ending of the proverb?
2. Find in the story the English for:
Судить о человеке, делать вывод, озадачивать (ставить в тупик), приходить на ум, быть способным на что-то, морщинистый, повышать голос, и мухи не обидеть, помахать рукой, тезка, потягивать джин, быть высокого мнения о ком-либо, посмеиваться, в состоянии отчаяния, совершить самоубийство, измученный, течение, ошеломленный, пожелать удачи, тщетно (зря), подорвать здоровье, утонуть.
3. Fill the gaps with these words or word combinations in an appropriate form:
- To draw conclusions
- In vain
- To wave one`s hand
- To sip
- A current
- To shrug one`s shoulders
- To be capable of
- Wrinkled
- To commit suicide
- To be drowned
1. We _____________ from the shape of the jaw, the look in the eye, the shape of the mouth.
2. I should never have believed that he __________ such an action.
3. He was a tiny, little fellow, very slender, with white hair, a red face much ______________ and blue eyes.
4. A man passed along the street outside and seeing me _____________.
5. Burton _________ his gin.
6. If he couldn`t get a job he`d have to _____________.
7. The __________ round the beacon were more than he could manage.
8. I ____________ when people tell me that their impressions of a person are always right.
9. I waited for him there but _________.
10. When you offered him a job did you know that he __________?
4. Replace the italicized words/ word combinations with a synonym:
- To judge
- A namesake of
- To raise one`s voice
- Puzzled
- To think a lot of
- To ruin one`s health
- To occur
- Down and out
1. We often form an opinion
about a person by his looks.
2. These thoughts came to my mind
because I read in this morning`s newspaper about Edward Burton`s death.
3. You could not imagine that he could speak in a higher tone
in anger.
4. There was a fellow there last year whose name was also
Edward.
5. Women thought highly of
him.
6. He was unemployed and without money
.
7. I could see he was rather taken aback
.
8. But of course he undermined his health
by drink.
Discussion points
Answer the following questions:
1) What thoughts occurred to the author when he read in a newspaper about Mr. Burton`s death?
2) Why did Mr. Burton interest the author?
3) Where did the author make Mr. Burton`s acquaintance?
4) What did the author know about Mr. Burton?
5) What attracted the author in Mr. Burton?
6) When and where did he tell the author the story of his namesake?
7) What kind of man was young Burton?
8) Why did he once come to Mr. Burton?
9) What was the situation he found himself in?
10) What idea did suddenly Mr. Burton have when his namesake said he had swum for the university?
11) Why was young Burton taken back?
12) Why was young Burton drowned?
13) What was the author`s reaction to the story?
14) Why did Mr. Burton say he offered his namesake a job?
Discuss the following:
1. Why would the author never have believed that Mr. Burton was capable of such an actionif he had not heard the story from his own lips? Do you think that the first impressions of a person are always right?
Comment on the following proverb (with referrence to the story):
Appearences are deceitful .
2. Make guesses about young Burton`s 35 years of life. Why had he never done anything in his life?
3. Is there any evidence in the story that Mr.Burton was not that kind and gentle? Why did he promise his namesake a job if the latter swam round the beacon? Did he know he would be drowned? Why did he come to the creek?
4. Why did Mr.Burton tell the author the story? Why did he say it was rather a funny story? Why did he give a little mild chuckle when the author asked him if he had known that the guy would be drowned?
5.What is the story about beneath the surface of the narrative? Explain the title of the story. What could have naturally expected of ‘a friend in need’ in that situation? What would you have told Mr.Burton if you had been his listener?
6. What is you main impression of the story?
Lenkova Katerina, 221 group Text analysis A FRIEND IN NEED by William Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) was an English playwright, writer and author of many books including A Friend In Need. His popularity lies in the fact that by early 1930"s he had become the highest paid author of his era. During the peak of his popularity, Maugham also earned praise as one of the most significant travel writers. During his life he went through World War I and I I. For half a decade, Maugham studied medicine. Though, the experience would continue to influence his writing for the rest of his life. He achieved a great success as a novelist with such novels as «Of Human Bondage», «The Razor`s Edge » a dramatist with his plays «Our Betters», «The Circle», but he is best known by his short stories. They are cool and pessimistic but always fascinating. When Maugham described people and places in his stories, he did it mostly from his personal experience. The title of this story is the beginning of a well-known proverb: «A friend in need is a friend indeed». On the one hand, we can expect that the story is about friendship, for example, one friend has a problem and the other helps him to solve it. But, on the other hand, the title makes us think why the author gives only the first part of the proverb. In title the story seems to end positive, with happy end whereas the events of the story are tragic. This text tells us about two men who are namesakes. The action takes place in some office, where Burton the Elder is a prosperous businessman. Burton the Young, the poor card-player, asks him for help as he gets into trouble: he is down and out and close to commit suicide. That is why, he asks for a job. He is given a job but on an unusual condition wherefore Burton the Young dies. In my opinion, the problem of this story is both the appearance and manner of one person give the impression of a very different man. We should not draw a conclusion from the growth, from the look in the eyes, from the shape of the jaw, mouth of the person we meet. We should not consider first impressions of a person are always right. The second problem, as far as I am concerned, is everyone must strive for a good life by way of a healthy living, good breeding, job stability and hope only on yourself. No one is obliged to do something for someone. (Никто никому ничего не должен). The main idea is every person must shape his own future. Everything is depended on the person himself. Everyone must rely upon himself, because «Self-help is the best help». The story is first person narration with descriptive passages, portrayals of the characters (He was always well-dressed and smart-looking. He was handsome in a way, with curly hair and pink-white cheeks), and dialogues of the characters («I can swim, » he said. «Swim! ») The prevailing tone is dramatic, tragic, emotional, and pessimistic. The author underlines the matter-of-fact mood of Burton the Elder. He sends his fellow to his death on purpose. He doesn`t plan to employ his, because he even hasn`t a vacancy in his office. His actions are followed by complete indifference towards Burton the Young. (« I didn’t say anything, I shrugged my shoulders, he looked at me for a moment and then he nodded; I didn`t say anything for a moment or two, I was a trifle shocked; He gave a little mild chuckle and he looked at me with those kind blue eyes of his). He doesn’t confess his guilt. This story may be divided into the following four parts. The exposition presents appearance of one of the main characters in this story. All the details of his appearance speak of Burton the Young’s nature and lifestyle. (There was no harm in him…he drank too much…he was a card-player). The development of the plot is presented by the actions in the office. The climax is at the end of the story as « Done,-he said», it is the highest, the most dramatic point of the action that has the event of greatest interest and intensity. After climax we found the outcome of the story as « We shook hands. I wished him good luck and he left me… The currents round the beacon were more than he could manage. » Everything is made clear after these words. In the first part of the story there is litotes: «He wasn"t a bad chap. » this means an intentional use of understatement that renders an ironical effect. The author uses also an irony. Such as « Come back and see me in another 35 years and I’ll see what I can do». This is words of Burton the Elder. This phrase is full of mockery. There are quite a lot of epithets in the story (a kindly little chuckle, an insane answer, a pretty good swimmer). It helps in making the characteristics of a person, thing or place more prominent than they actually are. The author uses ellipsis («Swim! », «Done, » he said.) to allow the reader to understand an appropriate utterance, intonation by using their imagination. A metaphor is used in the story: « He rubbed his chin with his hand» - it means that he thought with some doubt. The grammatical peculiarities are expressed by a lot of short and elliptical sentences. For example: «Thirty five, » he said. «Swim! », «Done, » he said. The lexical peculiarities of the text are expressed by colloquial words (done, chap, fellow), bookish (hitherto, dissipation). The use of colloquial English helps to make the story more vivid. And, may be, the author uses bookish words in speech of Burton the Elder for showing his education to Burton the Young. It was not difficult for me to read this story, because its language is very emotional and at the same time is rather simple. The story doesn`t contain any special terms or complex structures. I liked the plot as it contains a great deal of the burning issues of those times when William Somerset Maugham lived and at the same time it deals with the problems nowadays. So it gives the readers food for thoughts making us analyze situations from everyday life.
For thirty years now I have been studying my fellow–men. I do not know very much about them. I should certainly hesitate to engage a servant on his face, and yet I suppose it is on the face that for the most part we judge the persons we meet. We draw our conclusions from the shape of the jaw, the look in the eyes, the contour of the mouth. I wonder if we are more often right than wrong. Why novels and plays are so often untrue to life is because their authors, perhaps of necessity, make their characters all of a piece. They cannot afford to make them self–contradictory, for then they become incomprehensible, and yet self–contradictory is what most of us are. We are a haphazard bundle of inconsistent qualities. In books on logic they will tell you that it is absurd to say that yellow is tubular or gratitude heavier than air; but in that mixture of incongruities that makes up the self yellow may very well be a horse and cart and gratitude the middle of next week. I shrug my shoulders when people tell me that their first impressions of a person are always right. I think they must have small insight or great vanity. For my own part I find that the longer I know people the more they puzzle me: my oldest friends are just those of whom I can say that I don’t know the first thing about them.
These reflections have occurred to me because I read in this morning’s paper that Edward Hyde Burton had died at Kobe. He was a merchant and he had been in business in Japan for many years. I knew him very little, but he interested me because once he gave me a great surprise. Unless I had heard the story from his own lips I should never have believed that he was capable of such an action. It was more startling because both in appearance and manner he suggested a very definite type. Here if ever was a man all of a piece. He was a tiny little fellow, not much more than five feet four in height, and very slender, with white hair, a red face much wrinkled, and blue eyes. I suppose he was about sixty when I knew him. He was always neatly and quietly dressed in accordance with his age and station.
Though his offices were in Kobe, Burton often came down to Yokohama. I happened on one occasion to be spending a few days there, waiting for a ship, and I was introduced to him at the British Club. We played bridge together. He played a good game and a generous one. He did not talk very much, either then or later when we were having drinks, but what he said was sensible. He had a quiet, dry humour. He seemed to be popular at the club and afterwards, when he had gone, they described him as one of the best. It happened that we were both staying at the Grand Hotel and next day he asked me to dine with him. I met his wife, fat, elderly, and smiling, and his two daughters. It was evidently a united and affectionate family. I think the chief thing that struck me about Burton was his kindliness. There was something very pleasing in his mild blue eyes. His voice was gentle; you could not imagine that he could possibly raise it in anger; his smile was benign. Here was a man who attracted you because you felt in him a real love for his fellows. He had charm. But there was nothing mawkish in him: he liked his game of cards and his cocktail, he could tell with point a good and spicy story, and in his youth he had been something of an athlete. He was a rich man and he had made every penny himself. I suppose one thing that made you like him was that he was so small and frail; he aroused your instincts of protection. You felt that he could not bear to hurt a fly.
One afternoon I was sitting in the lounge of the Grand Hotel. This was before the earthquake and they had leather arm–chairs there. From the windows you had a spacious view of the harbour with its crowded traffic. There were great liners on their way to Vancouver and San Francisco or to Europe by way of Shanghai, Hong–Kong, and Singapore; there were tramps of all nations, battered and sea–worn, junks with their high sterns and great coloured sails, and innumerable sampans. It was a busy, exhilarating scene, and yet, I know not why, restful to the spirit. Here was romance and it seemed that you had but to stretch out your hand to touch it.
Burton came into the lounge presently and caught sight of me. He seated himself in the chair next to mine.
‘What do you say to a little drink?’
He clapped his hands for a boy and ordered two gin fizzes. As the boy brought them a man passed along the street outside and seeing me waved his hand.
‘Do you know Turner?’ said Burton as I nodded a greeting.
‘I’ve met him at the club. I’m told he’s a remittance man.’
‘Yes, I believe he is. We have a good many here.’
‘He plays bridge well.’
‘They generally do. There was a fellow here last year, oddly enough a namesake of mine, who was the best bridge player I ever met. I suppose you never came across him in London. Lenny Burton he called himself. I believe he’d belonged to some very good clubs.’
‘No, I don’t believe I remember the name.’
‘He was quite a remarkable player. He seemed to have an instinct about the cards. It was uncanny. I used to play with him a lot. He was in Kobe for some time.’
Burton sipped his gin fizz.
‘It’s rather a funny story,’ he said. ‘He wasn’t a bad chap. I liked him. He was always well–dressed and smart–looking. He was handsome in a way with curly hair and pink–and–white cheeks. Women thought a lot of him. There was no harm in him, you know, he was only wild. Of course he drank too much. Those sort of fellows always do. A bit of money used to come in for him once a quarter and he made a bit more by card–playing. He won a good deal of mine, I know that.’
Burton gave a kindly chuckle. I knew from my own experience that he could lose money at bridge with a good grace. He stroked his shaven chin with his thin hand; the veins stood out on it and it was almost transparent.
‘I suppose that is why he came to me when he went broke, that and the fact that he was a namesake of mine. He came to see me in my office one day and asked me for a job. I was rather surprised. He told me that there was no more money coming from home and he wanted to work. I asked him how old he was.
‘“Thirty–five,” he said. ‘
“And what have you been doing hitherto?” I asked him.
‘“Well, nothing very much,” he said.
‘I couldn’t help laughing.
‘“I’m afraid I can’t do anything for you just yet,” I said. “Come back and see me in another thirty–five years, and I’ll see what I can do.‘
“He didn’t move. He went rather pale. He hesitated for a moment and then he told me that he had had bad luck at cards for some time. He hadn’t been willing to stick to bridge, he’d been playing poker, and he’d got trimmed. He hadn’t a penny. He’d pawned everything he had. He couldn’t pay his hotel bill and they wouldn’t give him any more credit. He was down and out. If he couldn’t get something to do he’d have to commit suicide.
‘I looked at him for a bit. I could see now that he was all to pieces. He’d been drinking more than usual and he looked fifty. The girls wouldn’t have thought so much of him if they’d seen him then. ‘
“Well, isn’t there anything you can do except play cards?” I asked him. ‘
“I can swim,” he said.
‘“Swim!” ‘I could hardly believe my ears; it seemed such an insane answer to give. ‘
“I swam for my university.”
‘I got some glimmering of what he was driving at, I’ve known too many men who were little tin gods at their university to be impressed by it. ‘
“I was a pretty good swimmer myself when I was a young man,” I said.
‘Suddenly I had an idea.’
Pausing in his story, Burton turned to me.
‘Do you know Kobe?’ he asked.
‘No,’ I said, ‘I passed through it once, but I only spent a night there.’
‘Then you don’t know the Shioya Club. When I was a young man I swam from there round the beacon and landed at the creek of Tarumi. It’s over three miles and it’s rather difficult on account of the currents round the beacon. Well, I told my young namesake about it and I said to him that if he’d do it I’d give him a job.
‘I could see he was rather taken aback. ‘
“You say you’re a swimmer,” I said. ‘
“I’m not in very good condition,” he answered.
‘I didn’t say anything. I shrugged my shoulders. He looked at me for a moment and then he nodded. ‘
“All right,” he said. “When do you want me to do it?”
‘I looked at my watch. It was just after ten.
‘“The swim shouldn’t take you much over an hour and a quarter. I’ll drive round to the creek at half past twelve and meet you. I’ll take you back to the club to dress and then we’ll have lunch together.”
‘“Done,” he said.
‘We shook hands. I wished him good luck and he left me. I had a lot of work to do that morning and I only just managed to get to the creek at Tarumi at half past twelve. But I needn’t have hurried; he never turned up.’
‘Did he funk it at the last moment?’ I asked.
‘No, he didn’t funk it. He started all right. But of course he’d ruined his constitution by drink and dissipation. The currents round the beacon were more than he could manage. We didn’t get the body for about three days.’
I didn’t say anything for a moment or two. I was a trifle shocked. Then I asked Burton a question.
‘When you made him that offer of a job, did you know he’d be drowned?’
He gave a little mild chuckle and he looked at me with those kind and candid blue eyes of his. He rubbed his chin with his hand.
‘Well, I hadn’t got a vacancy in my office at the moment.’