The Story «Seeing People Off» (текст для изучающих английский язык)

Данный текст на английском языке предлагается для изучающих английский язык самостоятельно или с преподавателем. Текст рекомендуется читать после изучения темы «Travelling» (Путешествия). Слова для понимания выделены в рамочки. Слова для изучения даются с примерами. К тексту есть упражнения для закрепления новых слов. Для изучения предлагается грамматическая конструкция с герундием.

A Story on the Topic “Travelling” (текст для изучающих английский язык)

Содержание:

1. Материал для изучения
2. Текст с разбором
3. Упражнения к тексту
4. Текст (адаптированная версия)

Материал для изучения к тексту «Seeing People Off»

I. Слова по теме «Travelling», которые вы должны знать: see off, railway station, carriage, platform, departure, start for, passenger, fellow-passenger.

II. Новые слова: 

1. tears — слезы
2. nod — кивок головы
3. stand back — отойти от края платформы
4. recognize — узнать (в лицо)

III. Слова для изучения:

1. serve, service, servant
2. familiar, familiarity
3. obey, obediant, obediance
4. do, do one’s best, do well, do without, do away with
5. prevent, prevention
6. earn, earning

IV. Речевая конструкция для изучения с герундием — to prevent smb from doing smth — помешать кому-то (smb = somebody) сделать что-то (smth = something). Упражнения на конструкцию prevent from doing.

ПРИМЕРЫ

1. We must prevent him from leaving. — Мы должны помешать ему уйти.
2. It prevents people from being lonely. — Это не дает людям чувствовать себя одинокими.
3. The cold weather prevented children from going for a walk. — Холодная погода помешала детям отправиться на прогулку.

Выражения leaving, being lonely, going for a walk– имеют в своем составе герундий (gerund). Что такое герундий в английском языке (для начинающих) 

Текст с разбором «Seeing People Off (adapted story by Max Beerbohn)»

On a cold grey morning of last week I turned up at Euston (вокзал в Лондоне) to see off an old friend of mine who was starting for America.

1. turn up – появиться
2. see off – провожать
3. start for – отправляться в

Now we were at the platform, looking at the face of our friend in the window of the railway-carriage. We felt a bit awkward.

1. railway-carriage – вагон поезда
2. awkward – неловкий

“Have you got everything?” asked one of us, breaking the silence.

“Yes, everything,” said our friend with a pleasant nod.

There was a long pause.

One of us forced a smile and said: “Well.”

Another pause was broken by a fit of coughing.

All these nods, smiles, unmeaning monosyllables and fits of coughing served to pass the time. But there was no sign of train departure.

1. break the silence — нарушить тишину
2. force a smile — натянуто улыбаться
3. a fit of coughing — приступ кашля
4. pass the time  — провести время
5. train departure — отправление поезда

An the next window a middle-aged man was talking earnestly to a young lady. She was evidently American, he was evidently English. The face of a man seemed familiar to me. In a flash I remembered the man. It was Hubert Le Ros. But how he changed since I saw him last!

1. middle-aged — среднего возраста
2. seem familiar to me — показалось мне знакомым
3. in a flash — мгновенно

Seven or eight years ago he acted in a London theatre. He was a good actor. But his talent had never made him successful on the stage. It was a mystery to me.

Here on the platform he looked prosperous and solid. It was not only the flesh he put on but also the clothes. They made him hard to recognize. (Она (одежда) изменила его до неузнаваемости). He looked like a banker. Anyone would be proud to be seen off by him (если вы не понимаете это предложение, изучите английскую конструкцию Passive Voice)

1. prosperous  (syn. rich) — преуспевающий
2. solid — солидный
3. not only … but also — не только … но и…
4. look like a banker — как банкир

“Stand back, please!”

The train was about to start and I waved farewell to my friend. Le Ros didn’t stand back. He stood clasping in both hands the hands of the young American. There were tears in his eyes.

“Stand back, sir, please!”

He obeyed. When he watched the train out of sight, he turned around.

1. stand back  — отойти назад (от платформы)
2. be about to start – готов отправиться
3. wave farewell – помахать на прощанье
4. turn around – повернуться

When he saw me, he was delighted. He linked his arm in mine and walked me slowly along the platform. I told him how much he was missed on the stage.

“Ah, yes,” he said, ”I never act on the stage nowadays.”

I asked him where he did act then.

“On the platform,” he answered.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

He smiled at me.

“This,” he whispered, striking his stick on the ground, “is the platform I mean. Have you been seeing a friend off?”

1. be delighted – быть в восхищении
2. on the platform – на платформе
3. strike a stick – ударить палкой

“And what do you think I have been doing?”

I said that he had been seeing his friend too.

“No,” he said. “That lady was not a friend of mine. I met her for the first time this morning here and he struck the platform with his stick again.

I was amazed. He smiled.

1. a friend of mine = my friend
2. be amazed – быть в изумлении

“Have you have heard of Anglo-American Social Bureau (A.A.S.B)?”

Then he explained to me that thousands of Americans who pass through England have no English friends.

“Americans are sociable people, besides most of them have money to spend. The A.A.S.B. supplies  them with English friends. I am only an employee. My job is to see people off.”

1. supply with – обеспечивать
2. employee – наемный служащий

I asked to explain.

“Many Americans,” he said, “don’t have friends in England. But they want to be seen off. They send money to the Bureau, giving the date of departure and the description by which the seer-off can recognize the traveler on the platform. The fee is only 5 pounds. I get 50 per cent of it.   But even so I do very well. If I were a director, I would be a very rich man indeed.”

1. date of the departure – дата отправления
2. recognize – опознать,  узнать
3. fee – гонорар
4. do well – преуспевать
5. If I were a director, I would be … — Если бы я был директором, я бы был…

2. причинять

ПРИМЕР This medicine won’t do you any good. It will do you more harm than good.

3. приводить в порядок

ПРИМЕР I like the way she does her hair. Will you do the beds while I do the window?

4. осматривать достопримечательности

ПРИМЕР Tourists always do the sights.

5. подходить, годиться

ПРИМЕРЫ That will do. It won’t do to play all day. The room will do us quite well. It won’t do to sit up so late. This sort of work won’t do for him. Will this sheet of paper do?

6. to do well — процветать, преуспевать

ПРИМЕРЫ Le Ros did well in the Bureau. Everything in the garden is doing splendidly. She is doing very well at school.

7. to do away with smth – покончить с чем-то

ПРИМЕР Smoking should be done away with.

8. to have to do with – приходится иметь дело с

ПРИМЕР He has to do with all sorts of people. We have to do with facts, not theories.

9. to have nothing to do with — не иметь ничего общего с

ПРИМЕР I advise you to have nothing to do with him. What have I to do with it?

“But is it worth it?” I exclaimed.

“Of course it is worth it.” said Le Ros. “It prevents people from feeling lonely, it earns them respect of the fellow passengers. Besides, it is a great pleasure in itself. You saw me seeing that young lady off. Don’t  you think I did it beautifully?”

1. be worth it – стоить того
2. prevent from – не позволять
3. fellow passenger – пассажир

“Yes,” I said, “you did it beautifully and there was I shuffling from foot to foot, nodding and coughing. ”

“It is difficult to make conversations on the platform. And I used to be like you some time ago before I went into the thing professionally. I don’t say I am perfect yet. A railway-station is the most difficult place to act in.”

“But I didn’t act, I really felt.”

“So did I, my boy. But you can’t act without feeling.”

1. shuffle from foot to foot – переминаться с ноги на ногу
2. nod – кивать
3. cough – кашлять
4. make a conversation – поддержать разговор
5. used to be like you – когда-то был как ты

“I saw tears in your eyes… You mean you really felt sad.”

“ I tell you I was moved. But so were you. But you couldn’t pump a tear to prove it. You can’t express your feeling. In other words you can’t act.”

“Teach me!” I cried.

He looked thoughtfully at me and took out his note-book. “Well”, he said,” I will give you a course.”

To tell the truth, his fee was rather high, but I didn’t grudge the investment.

1. to tell the truth – сказать по правде
2. grudge the investment – пожалеть о вложенных деньгах

Упражнения к тексту на английском языке «Seeing People Off»

Упражнение 1. Give synonyms of:

• naughty, good (about a child), put an end to

Упражнение 2. Give antonyms of:

• unknown, obey, arrival

Упражнение 3. Give derivatives of (однокоренные слова):

• serve, earn, prevent, obey

Упражнение 4. Say in one word:

1. payment made in return for one’s work =
2. to do what one is told =
3. to bring food and put it on the table =

Упражнение 5. The following statement are not true. Correct them, using the conversational phrases from the box.

1. The sees-off felt quite at ease  on the platform.
2. No one tried to break the silence on the platform.
3. There was every sign of the train immediate departure when they came to the platform.
4. The face of Le Ros seem unknown to the narrator.
5. Le Ros was sorry to see the narrator.
6. Le Ros explained that all the fees were paid over to the employees.
7. Le Ros looked like a beggar when the narrator saw him on the platform.

Упражнение 6. Вставьте предлоги. Если сомневаетесь, поищите в тексте.

1. The face of a stranger seemed familiar … me.
2. I met her … the first time … a warm sunny morning … last spring.
3. I recognized her face … the window.
4. Wait … me … platform No 6 … half past 10.
5. She smiled … her fellow passengers.
6. He struck the table … his hand.
7. Did they supply you … everything?
8. I was asked to see … a relative of ours who was starting … America.
9. What prevented you … going abroad that summer?
10. The situation is very awkward. He shuffled … foot … foot and said nothing.

Упражнение 7. Переведите на английский язык.

1. Что-то помешало мне пойти на прощальный ужин (farewell dinner).
2. Лицо моего спутника показалось мне знакомым.
3. Он сам зарабатывает себе на жизнь.
4. Я сделал все возможное, чтобы помешать его отъезду.
5. Ты не слушался меня и не получишь мороженое.
6. Мы все были расстроганы его прощальной речью (farewell speech).

Упражнение 8. Прочитайте и переведите текст с английского на русский язык.

Seeing People Off (текст для изучающих английский язык)

On a cold grey morning of last week I turned up at Euston (вокзал в Лондоне)  to see off an old friend of mine who was starting for America.

Now we were at the platform, looking at the face of our friend in the window of the railway-carriage. We felt a bit awkward.

“Have you got everything?” asked one of us, breaking the silence.

“Yes, everything,” said our friend with a pleasant nod.

There was a long pause.

One of us forced a smile and said: “Well.”

Another pause was broken by a fit of coughing.

All these nods, smiles, unmeaning monosyllables and fits of coughing served to pass the time. But there was no sign of train departure.

An the next window a middle-aged man was talking earnestly to a young lady. She was evidently American, he was evidently English. The face of a man seemed familiar to me. In a flash I remembered the man. It was Hubert Le Ros. But how he changed since I saw him last!

Seven or eight years ago he acted in a London theatre. He was a good actor. But his talent had never made him successful on the stage. It was a mystery to me.

Here on the platform he looked prosperous and solid. It was not only the flesh he put on but also the clothes. They made him hard to recognize. (Она (одежда) изменила его до неузнаваемости). He looked like a banker. Anyone would be proud to be seen off by him

“Stand back, please!”

The train was about to start and I waved farewell to my friend. Le Ros didn’t stand back. He stood clasping in both hands the hands of the young American. There were tears in his eyes.

“Stand back, sir, please!”

He obeyed. When he watched the train out of sight, he turned around.

When he saw me, he was delighted. He linked his arm in mine and walked me slowly along the platform. I told him how much he was missed on the stage.

“Ah, yes,” he said, ”I never act on the stage nowadays.”

I asked him where he did act then.

“On the platform,” he answered.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

He smiled at me.

“This,” he whispered, striking his stick on the ground, “is the platform I mean. Have you been seeing a friend off?”

“And what do you think I have been doing?”

I said that he had been seeing his friend too.

“No,” he said. “That lady was not a friend of mine. I met her for the first time this morning here and he struck the platform with his stick again.

I was amazed. He smiled.

“Have you have heard of Anglo-American Social Bureau (A.A.S.B)?”

Then he explained to me that thousands of Americans who pass through England have no English friends.

“Americans are sociable people, besides most of them have money to spend. The A.A.S.B. supplies  them with English friends. I am only an employee. My job is to see people off.”

I asked to explain.

“Many Americans,” he said, “don’t have friends in England. But they want to be seen off. They send money to the Bureau, giving the date of departure and the description by which the seer-off can recognize the traveler on the platform. The fee is only 5 pounds. I get 50 per cent of it.   But even so I do very well. If I were a director, I would be a very rich man indeed.”

“But is it worth it?” I exclaimed.

“Of course it is worth it.” said Le Ros. “It prevents people from feeling lonely, it earns them respect of the fellow passengers. Besides, it is a great pleasure in itself. You saw me seeing that young lady off. Don’t  you think I did it beautifully?”

“Yes,” I said, “you did it beautifully and there was I shuffling from foot to foot, nodding and coughing. ”

“It is difficult to make conversations on the platform. And I used to be like you some time ago before I went into the thing professionally. I don’t say I am perfect yet. A railway-station is the most difficult place to act in.”

“But I didn’t act, I really felt.”

“So did I, my boy. But you can’t act without feeling.”

“I saw tears in your eyes… You mean you really felt sad.”

“I tell you I was moved. But so were you. But you couldn’t pump a tear to prove it. You can’t express your feeling. In other words you can’t act.”

“Teach me!” I cried.

He looked thoughtfully at me and took out his note-book. “Well”, he said,” I will give you a course.”

To tell the truth, his fee was rather high, but I didn’t grudge the investment.

(по материалам учебника «Практический курс английского языка», авторы В.Д. Аракин и др.)

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ПРОДОЛЖИТЬ ИЗУЧАТЬ АНГЛИЙСКИЙ ЯЗЫК  — УПРАЖНЕНИЯ НА ГЕРУНДИЙ