Jack London. To Build a Fire (part 1)

O. Henry. The Last Leaf (Part 1)

Слова и выражения:

o shared a studioapartment — делили однокомнатную квартиру

o Thisdisease, pneumonia — Эта болезнь, пневмония

o She has one chance in — let us say ten — Унееодиншансиз, скажем, десяти.

o Has she anything on her mind worth thinking? — Естьлиейочемстоитдумать?

o tocountthecarriagesatherfuneral — считать кареты в своей похоронной процессии

o severaltimesrepeated —который повторялся несколько раз

o Shewas …. — countingbackward — Она считала в обратном порядке.

o What was there to count? — Чтотамбылосчитать?

o An old ivy vine — старыйплющ

o When the last one falls — Когдапоследнийупадет

o Then I’ll go, too. —Тогдаяумру.

Many artists lived in the Greenwich Village area of New York. Two young women named Sue and Johnsy shared a studio apartment at the top of a three-story building. Johnsy’s real name was Joanna.

In November, a cold, unseen stranger came to visit the city. This disease, pneumonia, killed many people. Johnsy lay on her bed, hardly moving. She looked through the small window. She could see the side of the brick house next to her building.

One morning, a doctor examined Johnsy and took her temperature. Then he spoke with Sue in another room.

«She has one chance in — let us say ten,» he said. «And that chance is for her to want to live. Your friend has made up her mind that she is not going to get well. Has she anything on her mind?»

«She — she wanted to paint the Bay of Naples in Italy some day,» said Sue.

«Paint?» said the doctor. «Bosh! Has she anything on her mind worth thinking twice — a man for example?»

«A man?» said Sue. «Is a man worth — but, no, doctor; there is nothing of the kind.»

«I will do all that science can do,» said the doctor. «But whenever my patient begins to count the carriages at her funeral, I take away fifty percent from the curative power of medicines.»

After the doctor had gone, Sue went into the workroom and cried. Then she went to Johnsy’s room with her drawing board, whistling ragtime.

Johnsy lay with her face toward the window. Sue stopped whistling, thinking she was asleep. She began making a pen and ink drawing for a story in a magazine. Young artists must work their way to «Art» by making pictures for magazine stories. Sue heard a low sound, several times repeated. She went quickly to the bedside.

Johnsy’s eyes were open wide. She was looking out the window and counting — counting backward. «Twelve,» she said, and a little later «eleven»; and then «ten» and «nine;» and then «eight» and «seven,» almost together.

Sue looked out the window. What was there to count? There was only an empty yard and the blank side of the house seven meters away. An old ivy vine, going bad at the roots, climbed half way up the wall. The cold breath of autumn had stricken leaves from the plant until its branches, almost bare, hung on the bricks.

O. Henry. No Story. Part 1

Слова и выражения:

o something — нечто

o lookforty — выглядел на сорок лет

o miserable —несчастный

o borrow —занимать в долг

o manage — удаваться

o cost — стоить

o thestuff —материал (для рассказа)

I worked in a newspaper. One day Tripp came in and leaned on my table. Tripp was something. He was about twenty-five and looked forty. His face was covered with short, curly red hair. He was pale and unhealthy and miserable and always was borrowing money from twenty-five cents to a dollar. One dollar was his limit. When he leaned on my table he held one hand with the other to keep from shaking. Whisky.

“Well, Tripp,” said I, looking at him rather impatiently, “how is life?” He was looking more miserable than I had ever seen him.

“Have you got a dollar?” asked Tripp looking at me with his dog-like eyes.

That day I had managed to get five dollars for my Sunday story. “I have,” I said; and again I said, “I have,” more loudly, “and four besides. And I had hard work getting them. And I need them all.”

“I don’t want to borrow any,” said Tripp, “I thought you would like to get a good story. I’ve got a really fine one for you. It will probably cost you a dollar or two to get the stuff. I don’t want anything for myself.”

“What is the story?” I asked.

O. Henry. No Story. Part 2

Слова и выражения:

o set off for New York — отправитьсявНьюЙорк

o tomakehisfortune — разбогатеть

o musthavethought — должно быть думала

o hasto —придется

o LongIsland — Лонг Айлэнд (район Нью Йорка, который находится на острове)

o lookdisappointed —выглядел разочарованным

o whatisknownasthesenseofduty — то, что называется чувством долга

o sworetomyself (swear-swore) — поклясться себе (поклялся себе)

“It’s girl. A beauty. She has lived all her life on Long Island and never saw New York City before. I ran against her on Thirty-fourth Street. She stopped me in the street and asked me where she could find George Brown. She asked me where she could find George Brown in New York City! What do you think of that? I talked to her.It’s like this.

Some years ago George set off for New York to make his fortune. He didn’t come back. Now there is a young farmer named Dodd she is going to marry next week. But Ada — her name is Ada Lowery – couldn’t forget George, so this morning she saddled a horse and rode eight miles to the railway station to catch the 6.45 a.m. train. She came to the city to look for George.

She must have thought the first person she asked would tell her where her George was! You must see her! What could I do? She had paid her last cent for her railroad ticket. I couldn’t leave her in the street, could I? I took her to a cheap hotel. And she has to pay for the room, too. That is the price per day.”

”That’s no story,” said I. “Every ferry-boat brings or takes away girls from Long Island. ”

Tripp looked disappointed. “Can’t you see what an amazing story it would make? You will get fifteen dollars for it. And it will cost you only four, so you will make a profit of eleven dollars.”

“How will it cost me four dollars?” I asked suspiciously.

“One dollar for her room and two dollars to pay the girl’s fare back home.”

‘And the fourth?’ I asked.

“ One dollar to me,” said Tripp. “Don’t you see,” he insisted, “That the girl has to get back home today?”

And then I began to feel what is known as the sense of duty. In a kind of cold anger I put on my coat and hat. But I swore to myself that Tripp wouldn’t get the dollar.

O. Henry. No Story. Part 3

Слова и выражения:

 

o feltashamedofbeingintroduced — было стыдно, что меня представили

o awkward — неловкий

o can’thelpit — не могу справиться c этим

o musthavehappened —должно быть случилось

o a hammer and a chisel — молотокизубило

Tripp took me to the hotel. I paid the money.

In a dark hall a girl sat crying quietly and eating sweets out of paper bag. She was a real beauty. Crying only made her eyes brighter.

“My friend, Mr. Chalmers. He is a reporter,” said Tripp “and he will tell you, Miss Lowery, what’s best to do.”

I felt ashamed of being introduced as Tripp’s friend to such a beauty. “Why- er — Miss Lowery,” I began feeling terribly awkward, “will you tell me what has happened?”

“Oh,” said Miss Lowery, ” You see, everything isready for me to marry Hiram Dodd next Thursday. He’s got one of the best farms on the island. But last night I got to thinking about G – George — ”

“You see, I can’t help it. George and I loved each other since we were children. Four years ago he went to the city. He said he was going to be a policeman, a railroad president or something. And then he would come back for me. But I never heard from him anymore. And I – I – like him.”

“Now, Miss Lowery,” saidTripp, “you like this young man, Dodd, don’t you? He’s all right, and good to you, isn’t he?”

“Of course, I like him. And of course, he is good to me. He’s promised me a automobile and a motor-boat. But somehow I couldn’t stopthinking about George. Something must have happened to him or he would have written. On the day he left, he got a hammer and a chisel and cut a cent into two pieces. I took one piece and he took the other, and we promised to be true to each other and always keep the pieces till we saw each other again. I’ve got mine at home. I guess it was silly of me to come here. I never realized what a big place it is.”

O. Henry. NoStory. Part 4

Слова и выражения:

 

o persuaded — убедили

o ferry — паром

o aboard — на борту

o handkerchief —носовой платок

o disappointment — разочарование

o unbuttoned — расстегнул

o watch-chain — цепочка для часов

o inhalves — на половинки

o What’stheuse? — А что толку?

o unhesitatingly — без колебаний

Then Tripp spoke with an awkward little laugh. “Oh, the boys from the country forget a lot when they come to the city. May be, he met another girl or something. You come back home, and you’ll be all right.”

In the end we persuaded Miss Lowery to go back home. The three of us hurried to the ferry, and there I found the price for the ticket to be but a dollar and eighty cents. I bought one, and a red, red rose with twenty cents for Miss Lowery. We saw her aboard her ferry-boat and stood watching her wave her handkerchief at us. And then Tripp and I faced each other.

“Can’t you get a story out of it?” he asked. “Some sort of a story?”

“Not a line,” I said.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. Then Tripp unbuttoned his shabby coat to get something that had once been a handkerchief. As he did so I saw something shining on his cheap watch-chain. It has the half of a silver cent that had been cut in halves with a chisel.

“What?!” I exclaimed. «Is that you?!!»

“Oh yes,” he answered. George Brown, or Tripp. What’s the use?

I took a dollar from my pocket and unhesitatingly put it in his hand.

 

Part 1.

Nervous —very, very nervous I was and I am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease made me very sensitive. All my senses were so sharp and above all was the sense of hearing. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. So, am I mad? Listen and see yourself how calmly I can tell you the whole story.

It is impossible to say how the idea came to my mind; but it started to haunt me day and night. I loved the old man. He had never done me harm. He had never said me a bad word. I didn’t want to have his gold. So, I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this! He had a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so little by little I decided to kill the old man in order not to see the eye ever.

Now this is the point. You think I am mad. But you should see me. You should see how wisely I started to prepare for the work! I had been very kind to the old man during the whole week before. And every night, about midnight, I opened his door— oh, so quietly! And then I put a dark lantern into the opening, all closed, closed, so that no light shone out. And then I put in my head. Oh, you would laugh to see how carefully I put my head in! I moved it slowly —very, very slowly so that I would not disturb the old man’s sleep.

It took me an hour to put my whole head in the opening so that I could see him lying on his bed. And then, when my head was in the room, I opened the door of the lantern carefully — oh, so carefully — I did it just so much that light fell upon the old man’s eye. And this I did for seven long nights —every night just at midnight —but I found the eye always closed; and so it was impossible to do the deed; for it was not the old man who annoyed me, but his Evil Eye. And every morning I went into his room, and spoke to him in a friendly tone, and asked him how he had passed the night. So, you see, he would never suspect that every night, just at twelve, I looked in upon him while he slept.

Part 2

On the eighth night I was more than usually careful in opening the door. I did it so slowly that a clock minute hand moved more quickly than did mine. And I could not hide my feelings of triumph. Just imagine that I was opening the door, little by little, and he didn’t even dream of my secret thoughts. I laughed at the idea; and perhaps he heard me; for he moved on the bed suddenly. You may think that I got out — but no. It was very dark in his room, for the shutters were closed, and so I knew that he could not see me, and I kept opening the door on little by little.

My head had been in the room already and I was going to open the lantern, when my finger slipped and I made a noise. The old man sat up in bed quickly, crying out —«Who’s there?»

I stood quite still and said nothing. For a whole hour I did not move a muscle, and at the same time I did not hear him lie down. He was still sitting up in the bed listening; —just as I have done, night after night, listening to the clock on the wall.

Soon I heard a cry, and I knew it was a cry of mortal terror. It was not a cry of pain or of grief —oh, no! —it was the low sound that comes from the soul when it is full of terror. I knew the sound well. Many nights, just at midnight, when all the world slept, it has come from my own soul. I say I knew it well. I knew what the old man felt, and pitied him, although I laughed at heart. I knew that he was awake ever since the first slight noise, when he turned in the bed. His fears were growing upon him. He was trying to stop worrying, but could not. He was saying to himself —«It is nothing but the wind in the chimney.» — or «it is only a mouse crossing the floor.» Yes, he was trying to calm himself but he couldn’t. All in vain, Because Death was coming nearer and nearer and already had his black shadow before him. And it was the shadow that made him feel —although he neither saw nor heard —feel the presence of my head in the room.

Then I waited a long time but didn’t hear him lie down. And I decided to open a door of the lantern — very, very little. So I opened it —you cannot imagine how slowly, very very slowly I did it —until some light like the thread of the spider fell full upon the old man’s evil eye. It was open —wide, wide open —and I looked upon it. I saw it very clearly — a dull blue eye, a terrible eye. And I could not see the old man’s face or person for I saw his damned eye only.

Part 3.

I have told you already that I am not mad. It is only a keen sense of hearing — now, I say, there came to my ears a low sound, such as a watch makes when covered by some cloth. I knew that sound well, too. It was the beating of the old man’s heart. It increased my anger like the beating of a drum makes the soldier attack.

But even then I tried to keep still. I didn’t breathe. I held the lantern so that it could light the eye. But the sound of the heart increased. It grew quicker and quicker, and louder and louder every moment. The old man’s terror was great! It grew louder, I say, louder every minute! — do you think I was nervous. Yes, I was. And now at that hour of the night in the dead silence of that old house, so strange a noise made me wild. The beating grew louder, louder! I thought the heart must burst.

And now a new thought came to my mind — the sound could be heard by a neighbour! The old man’s hour had come! With a loud cry, I threw the lantern and ran into the room. He gave a terrible scream but once — once only. In a moment I put a pillow upon his face and held it for some time. For some minutes the heart beat on with a quiet sound. This, however, did not worry me because I knew it could not be heard through the wall. At last it stopped. The old man was dead. I removed the pillow and examined the corpse. Yes, he was stone, stone dead. I placed my hand upon the heart and held it there many minutes. There was no pulsation. He was stone dead. His eуe would trouble me no more.

If still you think me mad, you will think so no longer when I describe you how careful I was while hiding the body. It was night but I worked quickly, in silence. First of all, I cut off the head and the arms and the legs. I then took up three planks from the floor, and put all there. I then replaced the boards so cleverly, so cunningly, that no human eye —not even his —could have seen anything wrong. There was nothing to wash out —no stain of any kind —no blood-spot whatever. I had been too careful —ha! ha!

When I had finished, it was four o’clock —still dark as midnight. At about 1 o’clock, there came a knocking at the street door. I went down to open it with a light heart, —for what had I now to fear? There entered three men, who introduced themselves as officers of the police. A scream was heard by a neighbour during the night; information came to the police, and they (the officers) were send to search the house.

Part 1.

Словаивыражения:

1. be fond of (любить) — love
2. creature (существо) — living thing
3. share (разделить) — have the same feeling
4. playmate (товарищпоиграм) — friend who I like to play with
5. decease (заболевание) — here a bad habit
6. evil (злой) — angry
7. treat badly (обращатьсяплохо) — do harm
8. recover (поправляться) — feel better
9. hatred (ненависть) — strong dislike
1o. escape (спастись) — run away

I was a kind child. I was fond of animals and always had a lot of them. I spent my time with them and felt happy.

When I grew up, I still had my love for the living creatures. I married early and was happy to find a woman who I could share my love for animals. We had a lot of pets: birds, gold-fish, a fine dog, rabbits, a small monkey and a cat.

The cat was a large and beautiful animal, all black. His name was Pluto. It was my favourite pet and a playmate. I fed my cat myself and he followed me everywhere about the house.

But years passed and my character changed because I had a decease. The decease was drinking alcohol! Day by day I became more and more evil. I did not care about the feeling of the others. I became rude with my wife. My pets, of course, felt the change in my character as I treated them badly if they came in my way. But I still had my love for Pluto. But soon Pluto, who was old now,— even Pluto was afraid of me.

One night I came back home drunk. The cat got in my way and I caught him. He was frightened and bit my hand with his teeth. I got very angry. It seemed as if my soul left my body and a demon got there instead. I took a pen-knife, opened it and cut one of his eyes from the socket!

When I got up in the morning and saw the poor thing, I didn’t feel pity. My soul became calm and soon the wine helped me to forget all memory of it.

The cat slowly recovered. Now he was ugly, but he no longer felt any pain. He went about the house as usual but always ran away when he saw me. At first I felt uneasy about the creature which had loved me so much. But soon this feeling changed to dislike and then to hatred. So one morning I put a rope about his neck and hung him on a tree. The tears were in my eyes but I finished the cruel thing.

On the night of the next day, I woke up by the cry of fire. The curtains of my bed were in flames. The whole house was on fire. With great difficulty my wife, a servant, and myself escaped from the place. My house was in ruins. Now I was a poor man.

Did the fire happen because of the cruel thing I had done? The next day I visited the ruins. All the walls had fallen in. The only wall left was the wall of my bedroom. I saw people in front of the wall who were looking at something there. I came near. On the wall there was a figure of a gigantic cat with a rope on its neck. I was terrified.

Part 2.

Слова и выражения:
1. notice (заметить) — see
2. make up my mind (принятьрешение) – decide
3. wall up (замуровать) – put behind a wall
4. feel guilty (чувствоватьвину) – feel sorry as if you have done something bad
5. disappear (исчезнуть) — not to be seen
6. search (обыскивать) — look for
7. hideous (отвратительный) – terrible and ugly

The time passed. One night when I was in a pub, I suddenly saw a black object on a barrel. I came to it and touched it with my hand. It was a black cat—a very large one — as large as Pluto. It was strange but it was one-eyed too but in the dark I didn’t notice it.

When I went home, the animal followed me. I decided to let him live in my house. At once he became a favourite pet of my wife. As for me, I felt some dislike for him. I tried not to meet the creature as he reminded me of the cruel thing I had done with Pluto.

Days passed and I started to hate the cat but he loved me very much. He followed me everywhere about the house. If I sat, he jumped upon my knees. If I wanted to go for walk, he got between my feet trying to stop me. At such times I wanted to hit him hard but the memory of Pluto always stopped me.

The cat never left me alone. When I went to sleep, I felt his large body upon my heart. When I woke up, I felt his whiskers upon my face. My hatred for the cat grew more and more. To tell the truth, at that time I was full of hatred to all the people in the world, even to my poor wife.

One day my wife and me went into the cellar of the old building where we lived. The cat followed us downstairs and got between my feet so I was about to fall down. I got angry, took the axe and aimed a blow at the animal. My wife was in my way and I buried the axe in her brain. She fell dead upon the floor.

After I killed my wife, I started thinking where to hide the body. I knew that I could not take it from the house because my neighbours would see me. At first, I thought to cut the body into parts and destroy them by fire. Then I decided to throw it in the well in the yard. Finally, I made up my mind to wall it up in the cellar.

There was a secret niche behind one of the walls. I could displace the bricks, put the dead body there, and place the bricks as before, so that nobody could see anything unusual.

It was a good idea. I easily displaced the bricks and carefully put the body inside the niche against the inner wall. Then I put the bricks back, the wall was the same as before. When I had finished, I felt glad that all was done. Then I looked for the cat. To tell the truth, at that moment I decided to kill him, too. But the cat disappeared.

The second and the third day passed and still the cat did not come. I felt like a free man. The cat, the monster, had left me forever! My happiness was great! As for my wife, I felt guilty but little.

But on the fourth day the police came into the house and started to search it everywhere. I felt no fear however. They went into the cellar but I was calm. The police found nothing and were going to leave. The happiness at my heart was so great that I could not but say a word of triumph.

«Gentlemen,» I said, «I am happy that you find me not guilty. I wish you all health. By the way, gentlemen, this—this is a very well constructed house. These walls are made of bricks and … Are you going, gentlemen?» and then I didn’t understand why I hit on that part of the wall behind which there was the dead body of my wife.

A terrible cry was heard from behind! It seemed as if it came out of hell!
For a moment the party stood still. In the next, they were working at the wall and soon the body of my wife was seen in the niche. Upon its head sat the hideous one-eyed monster!

THE END

 

The Fog Horn (part 2)

It was a foggy night and the light was coming and going, and the Fog Horn was calling through the air. In the high tower they watched the sea moving to the dark shore. And then, suddenly from the cold sea came a large dark head, and then a neck. And then more neck and more! The head was high above the water on a beautiful dark neck. Finally came the body, like a little is­land of black coral.

‘It’s impossible!’ said Johnny.

‘No, Johnny, we’re impossible. It has always been. It hasn’t changed at all!’

The silent monster was swimming slowly in the icy water with the fog around. One of its eyes caught the bright light of the tower, red, white, red, white.

‘But the dinosaurs died out long ago!’ Johnny cried.

‘No, they hid away in the Deep.’

‘What should we do?’

‘We’ve got our job. We can’t leave it. Besides, we’re safe here.’

‘But here, why does it come here’

The next moment Johnny had his answer. The Fog Horn blew. And the monster answered. A cry so sad and lonely! The Fog Horn blew. The monster cried again. The Fog Horn blew. The monster opened its great toothed mouth and the sound that came from it was the sound of the Fog Horn itself. It was the sound of unhappiness, of a cold night.

‘Imagine, all year long,’ whispered MacDunn, ‘that poor monster waits, deep in the sea. Maybe it’s the last of its kind. Think of it, waiting a million years! One day it hears the Fog Horn in his deep hiding-place. The sound comes and goes, comes and goes. Then the monster starts its way up to have a look at it. He does it very slowly because the heavy ocean is on its shoulders. It goes up and up for three autumn months and it can hear the voice better and better. And there it is, in the night, Johnny! And here’s the lighthouse. The monster can see that the lighthouse has got a neck as long as its neck, and a body like its body, and, most important of all, a voice like its voice. Do you understand now, Johnny?’

The Fog Horn (part 3)

The Fog Horn blew. The monster answered. It was only a hundred yards off now.

‘That’s how it happens,’ said MacDunn. ‘You love some­thing more than that thing loves you. And one day you want to destroy it, because it hurts you.’

The monster was swimming to the lighthouse. The Fog Horn blew.

‘Let’s see what happens,’ said MacDunn and switched the Fog Horn off.

It was a minute of silence and the men could hear their hearts. The monster’s eyes looked into the dark. Its mouth opened. It sounded like a volcano.It turned its head to the right and then to the left. It looked for the Fog Horn, for its deep sounds. Then its eyes caught fire. It swam towards the tower, its eyes filled with anger.

‘MacDunn!’ Johnny cried. ‘Switch on the horn!’

MacDunn switched the horn on and they saw its fish skin. It hit the tower with its gigantic paws and the tower shook.

MacDunn cried, ‘Downstairs! Quick!’

They ran down and hid in a small room at the bot­tom of the lighthouse. The next moment they heard the rocks raining down. The lighthouse fell. There was noth­ing but darkness and the wash of the sea on the stones. And then they heard the monster’s cry. There was no tower and no Fog Horn — the thing that had been call­ing to the monster for so many years. And the monster was opening its mouth and sending out great sounds. The sounds of a Fog Horn, again and again. And so it went for the rest of that night.

The next morning the people came and helped them to get out of the ruins.

‘It was a terrible storm,’ said Mr. MacDunn. ‘We had some bad knocks from the waves and the tower fell.’

The ocean was quiet and the sky was blue. The light house was in the ruins. The monster? It never came back. It returned back to the Deep. It learned you can’t love anything too much in this world.

THE END

 

The End

 

Part One

Once upon a time there lived an old king of Britain. His name was Lear. He had three daughters: Goneril, Regan and Cordelia.

One day King Lear called his daughters and said to them: «I am very old and tired. I cannot be the king of Britain any more. I want to divide the country into three parts and give one part to each of you. Each of you will be the queen of her part of the country. But first you must tell me how much you love me. Then I shall know which of you must get the better part.»

Goneril and Regan were not good daughters. They did not love their father. But they were very greedy. They wanted to become queens very much. They were glad to hear that their father wanted to divide his country into three parts. They only thought how to get the larger and better part of the country.

So Goneril said: «Dear Father, I love you very much. I love you more than my eyes, more than my beauty, more than my life. No child loves his father more than I love you.»

Regan said the same, but in different words. King Lear was very glad. Then he asked his youngest daughter Cordelia to speak. She was his favourite daughter.

Cordelia knew that her sisters were bad daughters. She loved her father very much, but she did not want to repeat the words of her sisters. So she said nothing. Only when King Lear told her angrily that she must speak, she said: «I don’t understand why my sisters say that they love you more, than anything else. They are married. Don’t they love their husbands? You are my father, and of course I love you. But when I marry, I shall love my husband, too.»

King Lear did not like Cordelia’s words. He shouted at her and said that he did not want to have such a daughter. He divided the country between Goneril and Regan and gave Cordelia nothing.

 

* * *

King Lear. Part Two

Cordelia went to France and married the French king, who loved her very much.

Old King Lear had nothing now. He wanted to rest. So he went to Goneril’s castle to stay there. But he did not stay long there. As we know, Goneril did not really love her father, and soon he understood it.

Goneril did not speak with him and was not kind to him. At last she said she was tired of him.

So King Lear decided to leave his eldest daughter’s castle and go to his other daughter, Regan. He wanted to tell her how bad her sister was, and to stay in her castle.

But Regan was no better than Goneril. King Lear and his followers had to stand at the gates of the castle and wait for a long time. At last he saw Regan, but she was not glad to meet her father. She asked him to return to Goneril’s castle.

The old king did not know what to do. He just stayed at the gates of the castle. Soon Goneril came to Regan’s castle, and the king saw his two elder daughters again. He tried to speak to them, but they did not let him speak. They laughed at him and called him an old fool. Nearly all his knights and his servants left him.

Lear felt very sad. He could not stay there any more and he left Regan’s castle. He was homeless now.

One night there was a terrible storm. The rain beat in the old man’s face. A strong wind was blowing. It was dark and cold, and Lear had no roof over his poor old head. He was all wet and cold. Sad and unhappy, cold and wet, Lear became mad.

A brave knight Kent remained true to the old king and was with him. Kent sent a man to France with a letter for Cordelia. In the letter he told her everything. When Cordelia read the letter, she quickly gathered an army and went to Britain to fight her sisters’ armies and make Lear king of Britain again. When Cordelia found her father, the old king was very happy and soon came to himself again. Now he understood who was his best daughter. But it was too late.

Goneril and Regan sent a great army to fight Cordelia’s soldiers. The French army was beaten. Lear and Cordelia became prisoners.

But Goneril and Regan were not happy. They were so wicked that they simply could not be happy. They had many enemies and were afraid of many people. They hated each other and there was a secret struggle between them. Finally Goneril poisoned Regan. Soon after that she killed herself with a knife.

Cordelia was hanged in prison.

When King Lear saw the death of Cordelia, his heart broke and he died too.

 

Jack London. To Build a Fire (part 1)

Слова и выражения:

trail — тропа

cover — покрывать

expectedtoreach — ожидал, что достигнет

tofreeze — замерзать

frozenstream — замерзший ручей

snow-coveredice — покрытый снегом лед

undergroundsprings — подземные источники

tobreakthrough — провалиться

sharppain — острая боль

wet — мокрый

dry — сухой

todry — высушить

branches — ветки

matches — спички

flame — пламя

heavyload — тяжелый груз

tremendouscold — страшный холод

the fear of death — страхсмерти

 

The man walked down the trail on a cold, gray day. Pure white snow and ice covered the Earth for as far as he could see. This was his first winter in Alaska. He was wearing heavy clothes and fur boots. Buthestillfeltcoldanduncomfortable.

 

o as far as he could see — насколькоонмогвидеть

 

The man was on his way to a camp near Henderson Creek (ручейГендерсона). His friends were already there. He expected to reach Henderson Creek by six o’clock that evening. It would be dark by then. His friends would have a fire and hot food ready for him.

 

o Itwouldbedarkbythen. — К тому времени уже стемнеет.

o would have a fire — разожгуткостер

 

A dog walked behind the man. It was a big gray animal, half dog and half wolf. The dog did not like the extreme cold. It knew the weather was too cold to travel.

The man continued to walk down the trail. He came to a frozen stream called Indian Creek. He began to walk on the snow-covered ice. It was a trail that would lead him straight to Henderson Creek and his friends.

As he walked, he looked carefully at the ice in front of him. Once, he stopped suddenly, and then walked around a part of the frozen stream. He saw that an underground spring flowed under the ice at that spot. It made the ice thin. If he stepped there, he might break through the ice into a pool of water. To get his boots wet in such cold weather might kill him. His feet would turn to ice quickly. He could freeze to death.

o Ifhesteppedthere, hemight … — Если бы он наступил туда, он мог бы …

o wouldturn — превратиться в

o couldfreeze — мог бы замерзнуть

 

At about twelve o’clock, the man decided to stop to eat his lunch. He took off the glove on his right hand. He opened his jacket and shirt, and pulled out his bread and meat. This took less than twenty seconds. Yet, his fingers began to freeze.

He hit his hand against his leg several times until he felt a sharp pain. Then he quickly put his glove on his hand. He made a fire, beginning with small pieces of wood and adding larger ones. He sat on a snow-covered log and ate his lunch. He enjoyed the warm fire for a few minutes. Then he stood up and started walking on the frozen stream again.

A half hour later, it happened. At a place where the snow seemed very solid, the ice broke. The man’s feet sank into the water. It was not deep, but his legs got wet to the knees. The man was angry. The accident would delay his arrival at the camp. He would have to build a fire now to dry his clothes and boots.

He walked over to some small trees. They were covered with snow. In their branches were pieces of dry grass and wood left by flood waters earlier in the year. He put several large pieces of wood on the snow, under one of the trees. On top of the wood, he put some grass and dry branches. He pulled off his gloves, took out his matches, and lighted the fire. He fed the young flame with more wood. As the fire grew, he gave it larger pieces of wood.

He worked slowly and carefully. At sixty degrees below zero, a man with wet feet must not fail in his first attempt to build a fire. While he was walking, his blood had kept all parts of his body warm. Now that he had stopped, cold was forcing his blood to withdraw deeper into his body. His wet feet had frozen. He could not feel his fingers. His nose was frozen, too. The skin all over his body felt cold.

Now, however, his fire was beginning to burn more strongly. He was safe. He sat under the tree and thought of the old men in Fairbanks.

The old men had told him that no man should travel alone in the Yukon when the temperature is sixty degrees below zero. — Старики говорили, что нельзя путешествовать по Юкону при температуре -60 градусов ниже нуля.

Yet here he was. He had had an accident. He was alone. And he had saved himself. He had built a fire.

Those old men were weak, he thought. A real man could travel alone. If a man stayed calm, he would be all right. The man’s boots were covered with ice. The strings on his boots were as hard as steel. Hewouldhavetocutthemwithhisknife.

o If a manstayedcalm, hewouldbeallright. — Если сохранять спокойствие, то все будет как надо.

He leaned back against the tree to take out his knife. Suddenly, without warning, a heavy mass of snow dropped down. His movement had shaken the young tree only a tiny bit. But it was enough to cause the branches of the tree to drop their heavy load. The man was shocked. He sat and looked at the place where the fire had been.

The old men had been right, he thought. If he had another man with him, he would not be in any danger now. The other man could build the fire. Well, it was up to him to build the fire again. Thistime, hemustnotfail.

o If he had another man with him, he would not be in any danger now.—Если бы с ним был еще кто-то, он не был бы сейчас в опасности.

 

Jack London. To Build a Fire Part 2.

The man collected more wood. He reached into his pocket for the matches. But his fingers were frozen. He could not hold them. He began to hit his hands with all his force against his legs.

After a while, feeling came back to his fingers. The man reached again into his pocket for the matches. But the tremendous cold quickly drove the life out of his fingers. All the matches fell onto the snow. He tried to pick one up, but failed.

The man pulled on his glove and again beat his hand against his leg. Then he took the gloves off both hands and picked up all the matches. He gathered them together. Holding them with both hands, he scratched the matches along his leg. They immediately caught fire.

He held the blazing matches to a piece of wood. After a while, he became aware that he could smell his hands burning. Then he began to feel the pain. He opened his hands, and the blazing matches fell on to the snow. The flame went out in a puff of gray smoke.

The man looked up. The dog was still watching him. The man got an idea. He would kill the dog and bury his hands inside its warm body. When the feeling came back to his fingers, he could build another fire. He called to the dog. The dog heard danger in the man’s voice. Itbackedaway.

 

o would kill the dog — убьетсобаку

o couldbuild — сможет разжечь

 

The man called again. This time the dog came closer. The man reached for his knife. But he had forgotten that he could not bend his fingers. He could not kill the dog, because he could not hold his knife.

 

o couldnotkill — не сможет убить

o couldnothold — не сможет держать нож

The fear of death came over the man. He jumped up and began to run. The running began to make him feel better. Maybe running would make his feet warm. If he ran far enough, he would reach his friends at Henderson Creek. They wouldtakecare ofhim.

o If he ran far enough, he would reach his friends at Henderson Creek.—Если он будет бежать далеко, он сможет достичь своих товарищей у ручья Гендерсона.

o wouldtakecare — позаботяться о нем

 

It felt strange to run and not feel his feet when they hit the ground. He fell several times. He decided to rest a while. As he lay in the snow, he noticed that he was not shaking. He could not feel his nose or fingers or feet. Yet, he was feeling quite warm and comfortable. He realized he was going to die.

Well, he decided, he might as well take it like a man. There were worse ways to die.

 

o hemightaswelltakeitlike a man. — раз уж так случилось, надо принять это как подобает мужчине.

 

The man closed his eyes and floated into the most comfortable sleep he had ever known.

The dog sat facing him, waiting. Finally, the dog moved closer to the man and caught the smell of death. The animal threw back its head. It let out a long, soft cry to the cold stars in the black sky.

And then it tuned and ran toward Henderson Creek…where it knew there was food and a fire.