Exercise 8. Fill in the gaps using one of the following words or phrases in the correct form. Translate the sentences into Russian.

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Exercise 8. Fill in the gaps using one of the following words or phrases in the correct form. Translate the sentences into Russian.

notice / crowd / interrupt / hang / except / burn / porter

1. There were                   of people on the platform.

2. The fire was                  brightly.

3. We have nothing left                  the big family compartment.

4. I suddenly _               that the conductor was looking at me.

5. I started to speak but the conductor               me angrily.

6. The                   made us comfortable in the compartment.

7. The lamp was                  too high above table.

Exercise 9. Translate the following phrases into Russian. Use them in sentences of your own.

to describe the adventures of, to arrive at the station, to ask the man in the booking-office, to interrupt somebody, to feel hurt, to improve somebody’s condition, to point to somebody, to come forward, a couple of armchairs, to fix a lamp below the luggage rack, to burn all night, the attitude to somebody changed, to appear in the doorway

Exercise 10. Practice the pronunciation of the following proper names.

Mark Twain ['mɑːk 'tweɪn]

Samuel Clemens ['sæmjuəl 'klemənz], Sam [sæm] Mississippi [ˌmɪsɪ'sɪpɪ]

Tom Sawyer ['tɔm 'sɔːjə] Huckleberry Finn ['hʌklbərɪ 'fɪn] Salamanca [ˌsælə'mæŋkə]

New York ['njuː'jɔːk] McClellan [mə'klelən]

Exercise 11. Read the text.

Mistaken Identity¹

(by Mark Twain)

Mark Twain (1835–1910) is the pseudonym of Samuel Clemens, American greatest humorist.

He was born in the family of a small town lawyer in 1835. When Sam was eleven years old, his father died, and the boy had to earn a living for himself ². So he began to work at a printshop³ in his home town. Later on he became a pilot ⁴ on the Mississippi. Mark Twain always thought that his days on the Mississippi were the happiest in his life.

As a writer he was successful from the very start. But his best-known novels are “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” (1876) and “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” (1885) about two friends – two young boys growing up on the Mississippi River.

Years ago I arrived one day at Salamanca, New York, where I was to change trains⁵ and take the sleeper. There were crowds of people on the platform, and they were all trying to get into the long sleeper train which was already packed. I asked the young man in the booking-office if I could have a sleeping-berth and he answered: “No.” I went off and asked another local official⁶ if I could have some poor little corner somewhere in a sleeping-car, but he interrupted me angrily saying, “No, you can’t, every corner is full. Now, don’t bother me any more,” and he turned his back and walked off. I felt so hurt that I said to my companion, “If these people knew who I was, they...” But my companion stopped me there, – “Don’t talk such nonsense, we’ll have to put up with this,” he said, “If they knew who you were, do you think it would help you to get a vacant seat in a train which has no vacant seats in it?”

This did not improve my condition at all, but just then I noticed that the porter of a sleeping-car had his eye on me⁷. I saw the expression of his face suddenly change. He whispered to the uniformed conductor, pointing to me, and I realized I was being talked about. Then the conductor came forward, his face all politeness⁸.

“Can I be of any service to you?”⁹ he asked. “Do you want a place in a sleeping-car?”

“Yes,” I said, “I’ll be grateful to you if you can give me a place, anything will do.”¹⁰

“We have nothing left except the big family compartment,” he continued, “with two berths and a couple of armchairs in it, but it is entirely at your disposal.¹¹ Here, Tom, take these suitcases aboard¹²!”

Then he touched his hat, and we moved along. I was eager to say¹³ a few words to my companion, but I changed my mind¹⁴. The porter made us comfortable in the compartment, and then said, with many bows and smiles¹⁵:

“Now, is there anything you want, sir? Because you can have just anything you want.”

“Can I have some hot water?” I asked. “Yes, sir, I’ll get it myself.”

“Good! Now, that lamp is hung too high above the berth. Can I have a better lamp fixed just at the head of my bed below the luggage rack, so that I can read comfortably?”

“Yes, sir. The lamp you want is just being fixed in the next compartment. I’ll get it from there and fix it here. It’ll burn all night. Yes, sir, you can ask for anything you want, the whole railroad will be turned inside out to please you.” And he disappeared.

I smiled at my companion, and said:

“Well, what do you say now? Didn’t their attitude change the moment they understood I was Mark Twain? You see the result, don’t you?” My companion did not answer. So I added, “Don’t you like the way you are being served?¹⁶ And all for the same fare.”

As I was saying this, the porter’s smiling face appeared in the doorway and this speech followed:

“Oh, sir, I recognized you the minute I set my eyes on you¹⁷. I told the conductor so.”

“Is that so, my boy?” I said handing him a good tip¹⁸ “Who am I?” “Mr McClellan, Mayor of New York”, he said and disappeared again.

NOTES

1. Mistaken Identity[aɪ'dentətɪ] «Обознался»

2. printshopтипография

3. the boy had to earn[ɜːn] a living for himselfмальчику пришлось самому зарабатывать себе на жизнь

4. pilot['paɪlət] лоцман

5. where I was to change trainsгде мне предстояло сделать пересадку

6. local official['ləukl ə'fɪʃl] местный чиновник

7. had his eye on meне спускал с меня глаз

8. his face all politeness[pə'laɪtnəs] его лицо было сама вежливость

9. Can I be of any service['sɜːvɪs] to you?Могу ли я быть вам чем- нибудь полезен?

10. anything will doподойдет что угодно

11. it is entirely[ɪn'taɪəlɪ] at your disposal[dɪs'pəuzəl] оно полностью в вашем распоряжении

12. take these suitcases aboard[ə'bɔːd] занеси эти чемоданы в поезд

13. I was eager ['iːgə] to sayмне очень хотелось сказать

14. but I changed my mind[maɪnd] но я передумал

15. with many bows[bau] and smilesвсе время улыбаясь и кланяясь

16. Don’t you like the way you are being served?Разве тебе не нравится, как тебя обслуживают?

17. the minute I set my eyes on youкак только я вас увидел

18. handing['hændɪŋ] him a good tipдавая ему хорошие чаевые READING COMPREHENSION

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