Stephen King - Английский язык с С. Кингом Верхом на пуле

leak [lJk], shadow ['Sxdqu], wheel [wJl]

“I'm sure,” I said. “And thanks again. Really.”

“Any time, son. Any time. My wife...” He stopped, and I saw there were tears leaking from the corners of his eyes. I thanked him again, then slammed the door shut before he could say anything else.

I hurried across the street, my shadow appearing and disappearing in the light of the blinker. On the far side I turned and looked back. The Dodge was still there, parked beside Frank's Fountain & Fruits. By the light of the blinker and the streetlight twenty feet or so beyond the car, I could see him sitting slumped over the wheel. The thought came to me that he was dead, that I had killed him with my refusal to let him help.

Then a car came around the corner (потом из-за угла выехала /какая-то/ машина) and the driver flashed his high beams at the Dodge (и водитель мигнул “доджу” дальним светом). This time the old man dipped his own lights (на этот раз старик переключил свои фары; to dip — макать, окунать; опускать, наклонять; переключатьсветфарсдальнегонаближний ), and that was how I knew he was still alive (и так я узнал/понял, что он все еще жив; to know ). A moment later he pulled back into the street (мгновением/минутой позже он выехал обратно на дорогу: «улицу»; to pull — тянуть; двигаться, ехать/опоезде, автомобиле/ ) and piloted the Dodge slowly around the corner (и медленно направил «додж» за угол). I watched until he was gone (я наблюдал /за ним/, пока он не исчез), then looked up at the moon (затем посмотрел вверх на луну). It was starting to lose its orange bloat (она начала терять свое оранжевое вздутие), but there was still something sinister about it (но в ней все еще было что-то зловещее). It occurred to me that I had never heard of wishing on the moon before (мне пришло в голову, что я никогда прежде не слышал о загадывании желаний на луну; to occur — встречаться; попадаться; случаться; приходитьнаум ) — the evening star, yes, but not the moon (на вечернюю звезду — да, но не на луну). I wished again I could take my own wish back (я снова пожелал, чтобы я мог взять свое желание назад); as the dark drew down and I stood there at the crossroads (когда тьма опускалась = сгущалась , а я /все еще/ стоял на перекрестке; to draw down ), it was too easy to think of that story about the monkey's paw (сама собой вспомнилась та история об обезьяньей лапе: «было слишком легко подумать о той истории…»).

sinister ['sInIstq], occur [q'kW], monkey ['mANkI]

Then a car came around the corner and the driver flashed his high beams at the Dodge. This time the old man dipped his own lights, and that was how I knew he was still alive. A moment later he pulled back into the street and piloted the Dodge slowly around the corner. I watched until he was gone, then looked up at the moon. It was starting to lose its orange bloat, but there was still something sinister about it. It occurred to me that I had never heard of wishing on the moon before — the evening star, yes, but not the moon. I wished again I could take my own wish back; as the dark drew down and I stood there at the crossroads, it was too easy to think of that story about the monkey's paw.

I walked out Pleasant Street (я пошел по Плезант-стрит), waving my thumb at cars that went by without even slowing (голосуя: «размахивая большим пальцем» машинам, которые проезжали мимо, даже не замедляя скорости). At first there were shops and houses on both sides of the road (поначалу по обеим сторонам дороги были магазины и дома), then the sidewalk ended and the trees closed in again (потом тротуар закончился, и /к дороге/ снова подступали деревья; to close in — приближаться; наступать; окружать ), silently retaking the land (молчаливо отвоевывая себе территорию; to retake — сновавзять, занятьилизахватить ). Each time the road flooded with light (каждый раз, /когда/ дорога заливалась светом; to flood — заливать, затоплять; наполнять ), pushing my shadow out ahead of me (отталкивая мою тень вперед от меня), I'd turn around (я оборачивался), stick out my thumb (выставлял большой палец), and put what I hoped was a reassuring smile on my face (и изображал: «прилаживать/надевал на лицо» /то/, что, /как/ я надеялся, было вызывающей доверие улыбкой; to reassure — заверять, убеждать; успокаивать ). And each time the oncoming car would swoosh by without slowing (и каждый раз встречная машина проносилась мимо, не замедляя /скорости/; to swoosh — проноситьсясосвистом ). Once, someone shouted out (однажды кто-то выкрикнул), “Get a job, monkeymeat (найди работу, обезьянье мясо)!” and there was laughter (и засмеялся: «и был смех»).

flood [flAd], sidewalk ['saIdwLk], reassure ["rJq'Suq]

I walked out Pleasant Street, waving my thumb at cars that went by without even slowing. At first there were shops and houses on both sides of the road, then the sidewalk ended and the trees closed in again, silently retaking the land. Each time the road flooded with light, pushing my shadow out ahead of me, I'd turn around, stick out my thumb, and put what I hoped was a reassuring smile on my face. And each time the oncoming car would swoosh by without slowing. Once, someone shouted out, Get a job, monkeymeat! and there was laughter.

I'm not afraid of the dark — or wasn't then (я не боюсь темноты, или тогда не боялся) — but I began to be afraid I'd made a mistake by not taking the old man up on his offer to drive me straight to the hospital (но я начал бояться, что сделал ошибку, не приняв предложение старика довезти меня прямо до больницы; to take smb. up on smth. — принять/пари, чье-либопредложение, вызов/ ). I could have made a sign reading need a ride, mother sick before starting out (я мог бы сделать знак/табличку с надписью: “подвезите: «нуждаюсь в поездке», больна мать”, прежде чем выйти /из дома/; to read — читать; гласить/офразе, документе/ ), but I doubted if it would have helped (но я сомневался, чтобы это помогло). Any psycho can make a sign, after all (любой псих может сделать табличку, в конце концов).

I walked along (я шел дальше = продолжал идти), sneakers scuffing the gravelly dirt of the soft shoulder (шаркая кедами по усыпанной гравием грунтовой обочине: «земле обочины»; to scuff — идтиелеотрываяногиотземли; dirt — грязь; земля, почва, грунт; shoulder — плечо; /= soft shoulder/ обочина ), listening to the sounds of the gathering night (прислушиваясь к звукам приближающейся ночи; to gather — собирать/ся/; накапливаться ): a dog, far away (собака, /где-то/ далеко); an owl, much closer (сова, намного ближе); the sigh of a rising wind (вздох поднимающегося/усиливающегося ветра). The sky was bright with the moonlight (небо было освещено лунным светом: «было ярким от лунного света»), but I couldn't see the moon itself just now (но я не мог видеть саму луну в тот момент: «прямо сейчас») the trees were tall here and had blotted it out for the time being (деревья здесь были высокие и на некоторое время полностью заслонили ее; blot — пятно; клякса; to blot out — закрывать, заслонять; скрывать ).

sneakers ['snJkqz], shoulder ['Squldq], owl [aul]

I'm not afraid of the dark — or wasn't then — but I began to be afraid I'd made a mistake by not taking the old man up on his offer to drive me straight to the hospital. I could have made a sign reading need a ride, mother sick before starting out, but I doubted if it would have helped. Any psycho can make a sign, after all.

I walked along, sneakers scuffing the gravelly dirt of the soft shoulder, listening to the sounds of the gathering night: a dog, far away; an owl, much closer; the sigh of a rising wind. The sky was bright with the moonlight, but I couldn't see the moon itself just now the trees were tall here and had blotted it out for the time being.

As I left Gates farther behind (когда я оставил Гейтс далеко позади), fewer cars passed me (мимо меня стало проезжать меньше машин). My decision not to take the old man up on his offer seemed more foolish with each passing minute (мое решение не принимать предложения старика казалось все более глупым с каждой проходящей минутой). I began to imagine my mother in her hospital bed (я начал представлять свою мать /лежащую/ на больничной кровати), mouth turned down in a frozen sneer (рот загнут вниз = суголкамирта, загнутымивниз в застывшей усмешке = гримасе), losing her grip on life but trying to hold on to that increasingly slippery bark for me (теряющую хватку за жизнь, но пытающуюся держаться за этот все более и более скользкий ствол ради меня; to increase — возрастать; увеличивать/ся/; bark — кора ), not knowing I wasn't going to make it simply (не зная, что я не собирался упрощать /ей задачу/) because I hadn't liked an old man's shrill voice, or the pissy smell of his car (потому что мне не понравился пронзительный/резкий голос старика и запах мочи в его машине).

decision [dI'sIZ(q)n], sneer [snIq], increasingly [In'krJsINlI]

As I left Gates farther behind, fewer cars passed me. My decision not to take the old man up on his offer seemed more foolish with each passing minute. I began to imagine my mother in her hospital bed, mouth turned down in a frozen sneer, losing her grip on life but trying to hold on to that increasingly slippery bark for me, not knowing I wasn't going to make it simply because I hadn't liked an old man's shrill voice, or the pissy smell of his car.