Short stories to read and discuss
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The letter was addressed to his vrife and had an Australian stamp. The next day the papers had quite a story and the headlines said: LAUTISSE PAINTS AGAIN. What else would you like to see on TV? Всю необходимую Вам справочную информацию Вы можете найти во Втором томе в Приложениях. Every ship has its problem child, and Zabinski was Alec's cross. Всю необходимую Вам справочную информацию Вы можете найти во Втором томе в Приложениях. A hand pulls me to the side behind a set of tubes.
CONTENTS Part One Unit 1. Lost in the Post. Hunting for a Job. Letter in the Mail. The Filipino and The Drunkard. Footprints in the Jungle. The Ant and the Grasshopper. Art for Heart's Sake. Philips Ainsley, a post-office sorter, turned the envelope over and over in his hands. The letter was addressed to his vrife and had an Australian stamp. Ainsley knew that the sender was Dicky Soames, his wife's cousin. It was the second letter Ainsley received after Dicky's departure. The first letter had come six months before, he did not read it and threw it into the fire. No man ever had less reason for jealousy than Ainsley. His wife was frank as the day, a splendid housekeeper, a very good mother to their two children. He knew that Dicky Soames had been fond of Adela and the fact that Dicky Soames had years back gone away to join his and Adela's uncle made no difference to him. He was afraid that some day Dicky would return and take Adela from him. Ainsley did not take the letter when he was at work as his fellow-workers could see him do it. So when the working hours were over he went out of the post-office together with his fellow workers, then he returned to take the letter addressed to his wife. As the door of the post-office was locked, he had to get in through a window. When he was getting out of the window the postmaster saw him. He got angry and dismissed Ainsley. So another man was hired and Ainsley became unemployed. Their life became hard; they had to borrow money from their friends. Several months had passed. One afternoon when Ainsley came home he saw the familiar face of Dicky Soames. Dicky Soames said he was delighted to see Ainsley. Ainsley looked at his wife. But he got angry with you because Adela never answered the two letters I wrote to her for him. Then he changed his will and left her money to hospitals. I asked him not to do it, but he wouldn't listen to me! For some time everybody kept silence. I've often wondered why you didn't answer them? NOTES: No man had less reason for jealousy — Hикто не имел меньше оснований для ревности. Find in the text English equivalents for the following words and expressions: Сортировщик почты, вертеть в руках, отъезд, великолепная хозяйка, Адела ему нравилась, увозить, нанимать другого, знакомое лицо, скучать без кого-либо, остальное, изменить завещание, подумать про себя, взять за руку, очевидно. Give Russian equivalents for the following words and expressions from the text and use fhem in the sentences of your own. IV True or falseї 1 Ainsley read Dicky's letters before throwing them into the fire. Explain fheir meaning, try fo give the corresponding Russian expressions and use these idioms in the sentences of your own. Unit 2 Success Story by J. Cozzens I met Richards ten or more years ago when I first went down to Cuba. He was a short, sharp-faced, agreeable chap, then about 22. He introduced himself to me on the boat and I was surprised to find that Panamerica Steel was sending us both to the same job. Richards was from some not very good state university engineering school. Being the same age myself, and just out of technical college I saw at once that his knowledge was rather poor. In fact I couldn't imagine how he had managed to get this job. Richards was naturally likable, and I liked him a lot. The firm had a contract for the construction of a private railroad. For Richards and me it was mostly an easy job of inspections and routine paper work. At least it was easy for me. It was harder for Richards, because he didn't appear to have mastered the use of a slide rule. When he asked me to check his figures I found his calculations awful. Look, stupid, didn't you evertake arithmetic? How much are seven times thirteen? In January several directors of the United Sugar Company came down to us on business, but mostly pleasure; a good excuse to 'get south on a vacation. Richards and I were to accompany them around the place. One of the directors, Mr. Prosset was asking a number of questions. I knew the job well enough to answer every sensible question — the sort of question that a trained engineer would be likely to ask. As it was Mr. Prosset was not an engineer and some of his questions put me at a loss. When suddenly Richards spoke up. Prosset, turning in his seat and giving him a sharp look. All the way up Mr. Prosset fired questions on him and he fired answers right back. When we reached the head of the rail, a motor was waiting for Mr. He nodded absent-mindedly to me, shook hands with Richards. Richards, and thank you. He doesn't want to know these figures. He won't remember them. I don't even remember them myself. What he is going to remember is you and me. I am still working for the Company, still doing a little work for the construction line. I happened to read in a newspaper a few weeks ago that Richards had been made a vice-resident and director of Panamerica Steel when the Prosset group bought the old firm. NOTES: Panamerica Steel — американская корпорация State university engineering school — школа, готовящая строителей дорог, мостов Prosset group — rpynna акционеров корпорации, котораяиотстаивала интересы Проссета Who am I to hold out on him? Find in the text English equivalents for the following words and expressions: Приятный парень, с удивлением обнаружить, обладать природным обаянием, обычная канцелярская работа, уметь пользоваться логарифмической линейкой, проверить цифры, поймать на ошибке, хороший повод, ряд вопросов, квалифицированный инженер, ставить в тупик, засыпать вопросами, рассеянно кивнуть, способный молодой человек, не интересоваться работой, мелкая работа. Give Russian equivalents for the following words and expressions from the text and use them in the sentences of your own: ten or more years ago, a sharp-faced chap, being the same age, just out of technical college, found his calculations awful, take arithmetic, every sensible question, be of service, just the sort of chap he can use, introduce smb to smb, master smth, come on business, accompany smb. III Questions on the text: 1 Describe Richards age, appearance, education, manners 2 Why was the author surprised that Richards had managed to get the same job? Did it annoy Richards? Prosset give Richards a sharp look? Prosset formed of the twoyoung men, judging by the way he said good-bye to them? IV Discuss the following: 1 Explain why Richards took little trouble to do his job properly. What was Richards' ambition? Do you approve of his behaviour? In what way did it help him? Do you agree that hard work plus knowledge always leads to success? Prosset 6 Whom do you think are the author's sympathies with? V Retell the story on the part of 1 Richards, 2 his friend, 3 Mr. Unit 3 Hunting for a Job by S. McClure I reached Boston late that night and got out at the South Station. I knew no one in Boston except Miss Bennet. She lived in Somerville, and I immediately started out for Somerville. Miss Bennet and her family did all they could to make me comfortable and help me to get myself established' in some way. I had only six dollars and their hospitality was of utmost importance to me. My first application for a job in Boston was made in accordance with an idea of my own. Every boy in the Western states knew the Pope Manufacturing Company, which produced bicycles. So I decided to go to the offices of the Pope Manufacturing Company to ask for a job. I walked into the general office and said that I wanted the president of the company. I told Colonel Pope, by way of introduction, that he had once given me an advertisement for a little book I had published, that I had been a College editor and out of a job. What I wanted was work and I wanted it badly. He said he was sorry, but they were laying of hands. I still hung on4. It seemed to me that everything would be all up with me', if I had to go out of that room without a job. I asked him if there wasn't anything at all that I could do. My earnestness made him look at me sharply. I told him that I was, and he turned to one of his clerks. The clerk said he thought not. I had never been on a bicycle in my life nor even very c}ose to one, but in a couple of hours I had learnt to ride a bicycle myself and was teaching other people. Wilmot paid me a dollar. He didn't say anything about my coming back the next morning, but I came and went to work, very much afraid that I vrould be told I wasn't needed. Wilmot did not exactly engage me, but he forgot to discharge me, and I came back every day and went to work. At the end of the week Colonel Pope sent for me and placed me in charge of the uptown' rink. Colonel Pope was a man who watched his workmen. I hadn't been mistaken when I felt that a young man would have a chance with him. One day he called me into his office and asked me if I could edit a magazine. I remember it flashed through my mind that I could do anything I was put at '96 that if I were required to run an ocean steamer I could somehow manage to do it. I could learn to do it as I went along'. I answered as quickly as I could get the words out of my mouth, afraid that Colonel Pope would change his mind before I could get them out. This is how I got my first job. I had been ready for anything. NOTES: 'Sommerville — окраина Бостона to get oneself established — найти работу laying off hands — увольняя рабочих hang on — настаивать everything would be all up with me — для меня все будет кончено downtown — деловая часть города uptown — жилая часть города as I went along — по ходу дела earnestness - серъезность Give Russian equivalents for the following words and expressions from the text and use them in the sentences of your own: got out at, to make me comfortable, in some way, application for a job, wanted it badly, scrub floors, in a couple of hours, kept an eye on us, it flasbed through my mind, be ready for anything. III Paraphrase the sentences using phrases from fhe text: 1 Miss Bennet and her family received him very warmly. Wilmot neither employed the journalist nor dismissed him. IV Questions on the text: 1 Who was the only person the author knew in Boston? Why was it of great importance to him? What was his answer to the young man's story? Wilmot though he hadn't engaged him? How do you understand it? Give examples in support of your opinion. Is this problem interconnected with the problem of wasted lives? VI Retell fhe fext using the following: to start for, to make smb. Unit 4 A Foul Play by R. Ruark In 1943 Lieutenant Alexander Barr was ordered into the Armed Guard aboard the merchant ship, like many other civillian officers with no real mechanical skills — teachers, writers, lawyers. His men were the rag-tag' of merchant service and knew very little of it. Lieutenant Alec Barr had his crew well in hand except one particularly unpleasant character, a youngster called Zabinski. Every ship has its problem child, and Zabinski was Alec's cross. If anybody was drunk and in trouble ashore, it was Zabinski. If anybody was smoking on watch, or asleep on watch, it always was Zabinski. Discipline on board was hard to keep and Zabinski made it worse. Alec called the boy to his cabin. I've come to the conclusion that the only thing you may understand is force. I've got some boxing gloves. Navy Regulations say they should be used for recreation. We are going to have some. Alec announced the exhibition of boxing skill. A lot of people gathered on deck to watch the match. It didn't take Lieutenant Barr long to discover that he was in the ring with a semiprofessional. They were fighting two-minute rounds. But from the first five seconds of the first round Alec knew that Zabinski could knock him out with a single punch if he wanted to. But Zabinski didn't want to, he was toying with his commander, and the snickers' grew into laughter. In the third round Alec held up a glove. He turned and ran up to his cabin. In the cabin there was a safe. Alec's duty was to pay wages to his personnel. Alec Barr opened the safe and took out a paper-wrapped roll of ten-cent coins. He put this roll of silver coins into his glove and returned on deck. It had pleased Zabinski before to allow the officer to knock him from time to time because it gave him a chance for a short and painful punch. But now the silver-weighted glove crashed into the boy's chin and Zabinski was out. He was lying on the floor motionless. Alec Barr looked briefly at the boy. And he went up to his room to clean his cuts' and put the roll of coins back to the safe. After that Lieutenant Alexander Barr had no more personnel trouble aboard ship. NOTES: foul play — нечестная игра rag-tag — случайные люди ashore — на берегу on watch — на вахте to reason with smb. III Quesfions on fhe fext: 1 Why was Alexander Barr being a civillian officer ordered aboard the merchant ship? Prove that he didn't expect a change in the course of the match. IV Discuss the following: 1 Supposing Zabinski guessed something wrong in Lieutenant's behaviour. How do you think he would have acted? Were they proper methods? Which methods to your mind should he have applied? Could Barr's methods of keeping discipline be justified? Unit 5 Jimmy Valentine's Reformation инO. Henry Jimmy Valentine was released' that day. Make a man of yourself. You are not a bad fellow really. Stop breaking open safes and be honest. Then he took the key of hisroom and went upstairs. Everything was just as he had left it. Jimmy removed a panel in the wall and dragged out a dust-covered suitcase. He opened it and looked fondly at the finest set of burglar's' tools. It was a complete set made of special steel. The set consisted of various tools of the latest design. Over nine hundreddollars they had cost him. A week after the release of Valentine there was a new safe-burglary in Richmond. Two weeks after that another safe was opened. That began to interest the detectives. Ben Price, a famous detective, got interested in these cases. He has resumed business. He has got the only tools that can open any safe without leaving the slightest trace. Jimmy Valentine looked into her eyes, forgot what he was and became another man. She lowered her eyes and blushed slightly. Young men of Jimmy's style and looks were not of ten met in Elmore. Jimmy called a boy who was standing on the steps of the bank and began to ask him questions about the town and the people of the town. From this boy he learnt that this girl was Annabel Adams and that her father was the owner of the bank. Jimmy went to a hotel and registered as Ralf Spencer. To the clerk he said that he had come to Elmore to start business. The clerk was impressed by the clothes and manner of Jimmyand he was ready to give Jimmy any information. Soon Jimmy opened a shoe-store and made large profits. In all other respects he was also a success. He was popular with many important people and had many friends. And he accomplished the wish of his heart. He met Miss Annabel Adams and she fell in love with him too. Annabel's father, whowas a typical country banker approved of Spencer. The young people were to be married in two weeks. Jimmy gave up safe-burglary for ever. He was an honest man now. He decided to get rid of his tools. At that time a new saf e was put in Mr. The old man was very proud of it and insisted that everyone should inspect it. So one day the whole family with the children went to the bank. Adams enthusiastically explained the workings of the safe to Spencer. The two children were delighted to see the shining metal and the funny clock. While they were thus engaged Ben Price, the detective, walked into the bank and stood at the counter watching the scene. He told the cashier that he was just waiting for the man he knew. Suddenly there was a loud scream from the women. Unseen by the elders, May, the smallest girl had shut herself in the vault. Oh, what shall we do? That child — she can't stand it for long because there isn't enough air there! And it must be mentioned that Jimmy happened to have his suit-case with him because he was going to get rid of it that day. Very calmly he took out the tools and in ten minutes the vault was opened. The others watched him in amazement. The little girl, crying, rushed to her mother. Jimmy took his suit-case and came up to Ben Price whom he had noticed long bef ore. I don't think it matters much now. I think your fiancee' is waiting for you, isn't she? NOTES: was released — был освобожден из тюрьмы a warden — охранник a burglar — вор-взломщик vault — зд. III Questions on the fext: 1 What kind of man was Jimmy Valentine? Why did Ben Price get interested in them? Why did he suspect Jimmy? What did he manage to find out about her? Why was it dangerous? IV Discuss the following: 1 By the time the incident happened Jimmy had completely changed his way of life. What did he risk when he showed everybody his skill? What could the price of this action have been? Why do you think he said he did not recognize Valentine? In what way does it characterise him? V Retell the story on the part of 1 limmy, 2 Ben Price, 3 Annabel, 4 Annabel's father. Unit 6 Letters in the Mail by E. Caldwell Almost everybody likes to receive letters. And perhaps nobody in Stillwater liked to get letters more than Ray Buffin. But unfortunately Ray received fewer letters in his box at the post-office than anybody else. Guy Hodge and Ralph Barnhill were two young men in town who liked to play jokes on people. But they never meant anything bad. One afternoon they decided to play a joke on Ray Buffin. Their plan was to ask a girl in town to send Ray a love letter withoutsigning it, and then tell everybody in the post-office to watch Ray read the letter; then somebody was to ask Ray if he had received a love letter from a girl. After that somebody was to snatch the letter out of his hand and read it aloud. They bought blue writing paper and went round the corner to the office of the telephone company where Grace Brooks worked as a night telephone operator. Grace was pretty though not very young. She had begun working for the company many years ago, after she had finished school. She had remained unmarried all those years, and because she worked at night and slept in the daytime it was very difficult for her to find a husband. At first, after Guy and Ralf had explained to her what they wanted to do and had asked her to write the letter to Ray, Grace refused to do it. She didn'twant the young men to see her crying. She remembered the time she had got acquainted with Ray. Ray wanted to marry her. But she had just finished school then and had started to work for the telephone company; she was very young then and did not want to marry anybody. During all those years she had seen him a few times but only a polite word had passed between them, and each time he looked sadder and sadder. Finally she agreed to write the letter for Guy and Ralph and said that she would send it in the morning. After they left the telephone office Grace thought about Ray and cried. Late at night she wrote the letter. The next day Guy and Ralph were in the post-of-fice at 4 o'clock. By that time there was a large crowd in the post-office. When Ray came in and saw a letter in his box he looked at it in surprise. He couldn't believe his eyes. He opened the box, took out the blue envelope and went to the corner of the room to read it. When he finished he behaved like mad. He smiled happily and ran out of the room before Guy and Ralph had time to say anything to stop him. Ray hurried round the corner to the telephone office. When Guy and Ralph ran into the room where Grace worked they saw Ray Buffin standing near the girl with the widest and happiest smile they had ever seen on his face. It was clear they had not spoken a word yet. They just stood in silence, too happy to worry about Guy and Ralph watching them. III Questions on the text: 1 Did Ray Buffin often receive letters? IV Discuss fhe following: 1 Why did the girl agree to write the letter in the end? Do you agree that it is easier to express your feelings in a letter than during a talk? V Refell the story on the part of 1 Ray, 2 Grace, 3 Ralph or Guy. Unit 7 The Bramble Bush by Ch. Mergcndahl As Fran Walker, one of the nurses of the Mills Memorial Hospital, was sitting between rounds behind her duty desk, she often recollected her childhood, which would return to her as it had existed in reality '96 bewildering, lonely, and frustrating. Walker, had owned a small lumber business' in Sagamore, one of Indiana's numerous smaller towns, where Fran had lived in a large frame house on six acres of unused pasture land'. Walker had died, when Fran was still a baby, so she did not remember her real mother at all. She remembered her stepmother, though — small, tight-lipped, thin-faced, extremely possessive of her new husband and the new house which had suddenly become her own. Fran had adored her father, tried desperately to please him. And since he desired nothing more than a good relationship between his daughter and his second wife, she had made endless attempts to win over her new mother. But her displays of affection had not been returned. Her stepmother had remained constantly jealous, resentful, without the slightest understanding of the small girl's motives and emotions. Fran felt herself losing out, slipping away into an inferior position. She began to exaggerate — often lie about friends, feelings, grades at school, anything possible to keep herself high in her father's esteem, and at the same time gain some small bit of admiration from her mother. The exaggerations, though, had constantly turned back on her, until eventually a disgusted Mrs. Walker had insisted she be sent away to a nearby summer camp. Fran wanted the pony. More than the pony, she vranted to prove herself. After two months of nearpainful honesty, she finally won the badge of honour, and brought it home clutched tight in her fist, hiddenin her pocket while she waited, waited, all the way from the station, all during the tea in the living-room for the exact proper moment to make her announcement of glorious victory. She'd stared at her mother, then stood and gone out to the yard and looked across the green meadow where the pony was going to graze. She had taken the green badge from her pocket, fingered it tenderly, then buried it beneath a rock in the garden. Her father had bought her an Irish setter as a consolation prize. NOTES: a lumber business — лесопилка pasture land — пастбище to graze — пастись Give Russian equivalents for the following words and expressions from the text and use them in the sentences of you own: adore smb, a good relationship, make endless attempts, display of affection, exaggerate, keep oneself high in smb's esteem, eventually, stop lying, do smth special for smb, prove oneself, draw in one's breath, stare at smb, a consolation prize. III Questions on fhe text: 1 Where did Fran Walker spend her childhood? What do you think she said about her friends, school, etc.? Prove it by the text. Was it of any use? IV Discuss the following: 1 Give a character sketch of the girl's stepmother. What prevented them from becoming friends? Do you think stepmother may have become mother for the girl? Which words of her stepmother killed all her three-month hopes and expectations? Was it only the badge?
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