Яков Аракин - Практический курс английского языка 2 курс

afford to be seen off. The fee is only five pounds (twenty-five dollars) for a single traveller; and

eight pounds (forty dollars) for a party of two or more. They send that in to the Bureau, giving the

date of their departure, and a description by which the seer-off can identify them on the platform.

And then — well, then they are seen off."

"But is it worth it?" I exclaimed,

"Of course it is worth it," said Le Ros. "It prevents them from feeling out of it. It earns them

the respect of the guard. It saves them from being despised bу their fellow-passengers — the people

who are going to be on the boat. Besides, it is a great pleasure in itself. You saw me seeing that

young lady off. Didn't you think I did it beautifully?"

"Beautifully," 1 admitted. "I envied you. There was I —"

"Yes, I can imagine. There were you, shuffling from foot to foot, staring blankly at your

friend, trying to make conversation, I know. That's how I used to be myself, before I studied, and

went into the thing professionally, I don't say I am perfect yet. A railway-station is the most difficult

of all places to act in, as you discovered for yourself."

"But," I said, "I wasn't trying to act. I really felt."

"So did I, my boy," said Le Ros. "You can't act without feeling. Didn't you see those tears in

my eyes when the train started? I hadn't forced them. I tell you I was moved. So were you, I dare say.

But you couldn't have pumped up a tear to prove it. You can't express your feeling. In other words,

you can't act. At any rate," he added kindly, "not in a railway-station."

"Teach me!" I cried.

He looked thoughtfully at me,

"Weil," he said at length, "the seeing-off season is practically over. Yes, I'll give you a course,

I have a good many pupils on hand already; but yes," he said, consulting an ornate note-book, "I

could give you an hour on Tuesdays and Fridays,"

His terms, I confess, are rather high. But 1 do not grudge the investment.

VOCABULARY NOTES

1. serve υt/i 1. служить, е.g. No man can serve two masters. He serves as gardener ( no

article!). He served three years in the army (navy). These shoes have served me two years. A

wooden box served as a table,

2. подавать на стол, е.g. The waiter served the soup, Dinner is served,

3. обслуживать, е.g. There was no one in the shop to serve me.

to serve smb. right, е.g. It serves you right for having disobeyed me.

service n 1.служба, е.g. Не was in active service during the war. He has been in the

Diplomatic Service for three years.

2. обслуживание, е.g. The meals at this restaurant are good but the service is poor. The train

service is good here.

3. услуга, одолжение, е.g. She no longer needs the services of a doctor. My room is at your

service.

servant n слуга, прислуга

2. familiar adj 1. знакомый, привычный, as a familiar voice (face, name, scene,

handwriting, song, melody, tune, scent, smell, etc.)

to be familiar to smb., to be familiar with smth., е.g. You should be familiar with the facts

before you start investigation. He is familiar with many languages. Her face seems familiar to me.

2. близкий, интимный, е.g. Are you on familiar terms with him? Don't be too familiar with

him, he's rather a dishonest man.

3. фамильярный, е.g. Don't you think he is a bit too familiar with her?

familiarity n близкое знакомство, фамильярность

3. impress υt запечатлевать в уме, производить впечатление; to impress smb., е.g. This

book did not impress me at all. I was greatly (deeply) impressed by his acting. What impressed you

most in the play?

impression n впечатление; to make (produce) an impressionon smb., to leave an

impression on smb., e, g. His speech made a strong impression on the audience. Punishment

seemed to make little impression on the child. Tell us about your impressions of England. The group

left a good (poor, favourable) impression on the examiner.

impressive adj производящий (глубокое) впечатление, as an impressive ceremony (sight,

scene, person, gesture, etc.), е.g. The scene was quite impressive.

4. obey υt/i повиноваться, подчиняться, слушаться, е.g. Soldiers must obey orders.

Children must obey grown-ups. But слушаться совета — to follow one's advice

Ant. to disobey

obedience n послушание, повиновение, покорность, е.g. Parents demand obedience from

their children.

Ant. disobedience

obedient adj послушный, покорный, е.g. Не is an obedient boy. The children have been

obedient today.

Ant. disobedient, naughty [of a child)

5. light n свет, освещение, as sunlight, daylight, moonlight, gas light, electric light, е.g.

The sun gives light to the earth. I got up before light. The light began to fail. Lights were burning in

every room. Bring a light quickly! We saw the lights of the city. Look at the matter in the right light.

Ant darkness

by the light of smth.при свете чего-л.

to stand in smb.'s lightзагораживать кому-л. свет; ( fig) мешать кому-л., стоять у кого-л.

на дороге

to throw (shed) light on smth.проливать свет на что-л. е.g. These facts shed (a) new light

on the matter.

to put (switch, turn) on (off) the lightзажигать (гасить) свет

to give smb. a lightдать прикурить, e. д. Give me a light, please.

to come to lightобнаруживаться, выявляться, е.g. New evidence has recently come to

light.

Light at the end of the tunnelсвет в конце туннеля, е.g. As the exams approached, she felt

that at last she could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

light adj светлый, as a light room, a light day; light hair, a light complexion; light brown

(blue, green, grey, etc.)

to get lightсветать, е.g. It gets light very early these summer mornings.

light(lit or lighted) υt/i 1. зажигать(ся), as to light a lamp (a candle, a fire), е.g. He lit a

lamp. Please light the stove.

to light a cigaretteзакурить

Ant. turn off(the gas), blow out(a candle), put out(a fire)

2. освещать ( up), е.g. The streets were brightly lit up. The room was lighted by six windows.

Our houses are lighted by electricity. The burning building lit up the whole district. The rising sun lit

up the mountain tops.

sunlit, starlit (night, sky), moonlit adj

6. prevent υt предотвращать, предупреждать, мешать; to prevent smb. from (doing)

smth., to prevent smth., е.g. Rain prevented the game. I'll meet you at six if nothing prevents.

Illness prevented him from doing the work. How-can you prevent it from happening? Something

prevented him from coming (prevented his coming).

prevention n предотвращение; Proverb: Prevention is better than cure.

7. earn υt 1. зарабатывать, е.g. He earns a good wage because he works for a fair employer.

to earn one's livingзарабатывать себе на жизнь, е.g. She earned her living by sewing.

2. заслуживать, е.g. His first book earned him the fame of a novelist. The teacher told her

pupils that they had earned a holiday. Her good work earned her the respect of her colleagues.

earnings n pl заработок, е.g. He has spent all his earnings.

8. do (did, done) υt/i 1. делать, выполнять, заниматься чём- n ., as to do one's work, duty,

shopping, morning exercises

е.g. You did well (wrong) to refuse. Having nothing better to do I went for a walk. There's

nothing to be done now. No sooner said than done. Well begun is half done.

to do a sumрешать арифметическую задачу

to do one's bestделать все возможное, е.g. I must do my best to help him,

2. причинять: to do good, to do harm, е.g. This medicine won't do you any good. His

holiday has done him a world (a lot, a great deal) of good. It will do you more harm than good.

3. приводить в порядок, as to do one's hair (room, bed, etc.), е.g. I like the way she does her

hair. Will you do the beds while I do the window?

4. осматривать достопримечательности, е.g. Did you do the British Museum when you

were in London? We often see foreigners in Moscow doing the sights.

5. подходить, годиться: that will (won't) do, е.g. 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. процветать, преуспевать, е.g. Le Ros did well in the Bureau. Everything in the garden is

doing splendidly. She is doing very well at school.

to do away with smth., е.g. Smoking should be done away with.

to have to do with smb. (smth.), е.g. He has to do with all sorts of people. We have to do

with facts, not theories.

to have smth. (nothing, not much, little, etc.) to do with smb. (smth.), е.g. I advise you to

have nothing to do with him. What have I to do with it?

NOTES ON STYLE

1. There are two main characters in this story: Le Ros and the n a r r a t о r , i. e. the

person telling the story (also called "the I of the story"). The narrator is an assumed personality and

should by no means be confused with the author of the story. It would be as naive to associate the