The difficulties of a foreign language

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whyну synonym well

approach[ə'prəuʧ] подходить, приближаться

An American in London hired a guide to show him the city.

“How long did it take to build this house?” he asked his guide as they passed a large hotel building.

“Why, about six months.”

“Six months!” exclaimed the American. “Why, it wouldn’t take us more than six weeks to put up a building like that in New York.”

They passed an office building which was quite new. “And how long did it take to build that?”

“About four weeks,” answered the guide.

“Four weeks!” said the American. “In New York we’d build a place like that in four days.”

Nothing more was said until they approached the Houses of Parliament. “Well, that’s not a bad looking place. How long did it take to build it?” “Well, you may not believe me,” answered the guide, “but that building

wasn’t there when I crossed the bridge last night.”

Questions:

1. What did the American ask the guide when they passed the large hotel building?

2. What did the guide answer?

3. Why was the American surprised?

4. How long did it take the Englishmen to build the office building?

5. How long would it take the Americans to build a place like that?

6. Wasn’t the building the Houses of Parliament really there when the guide crossed the bridge the previous night?

7. Why did the guide say it wasn’t?

THE SHIRT

shirt[ʃɜːt] рубашка

oriental[ˌɔːrɪ'entəl] восточный

powerful['pauəful] влиятельный, могущественный

wise[waɪz] мудрый

subject['sʌbʤekt] тема, предмет разговора, вопрос

rare[r𝖼ə] редкий

know the way to do somethingзнать, как что-либо сделать

talisman['tælɪzmən] талисман capital['kæpɪtəl] столица peasant['pezənt] крестьянин

my good fellow['feləu] здесь дорогой мой

not for the worldни за что на свете

astonishment[ə'stɔnɪʃmənt] изумление, удивление

The king of an oriental country was rich and powerful, but he was not happy. He therefore went to consult a wise old man on this subject. The old man said:

“Happiness is a very rare thing in this world, but I know the way to find it.” “How shall I find it?” asked the king.

“Oh, it is quite simple,” answered the old man, “you have only to put on the shirt of a happy man.”

The king thanked the old man and began to look for the talisman. He visited most of the capitals of the world, met kings, writers, professors, actors, doctors, and others, but they were not happy.

At last he came back to his country.

One day he saw a poor peasant with a happy look on his face who was working in a field and singing. He went up to the peasant and said: “My good fellow, are you happy?”

“Quite happy,” answered the peasant.

“Would you like to change places with a king?” “Not for the world.”

“Well, then,” said the king, “sell me your shirt.”

“My shirt?” answered the peasant in astonishment. “I haven’t got one.”

Questions:

1. The king was happy, wasn’t he?

2. Did the wise man know the way to find happiness?

3. What did he tell the king to do?

4. Where did the king go?

5. Who did he meet?

6. Where all those people happy?

7. Where did the king find a happy man?

8. What was the man doing?

9. He agreed to change places with a king, didn’t he?

10. Why couldn’t he sell the king his shirt?

LANGUAGE

mouth[mauθ] рот

lip[lɪp] губа

mean[miːn] (meant) намереваться, иметь в виду

shake[ʃeɪk] (shook, shaken) трясти; shake one’s headкачать головой thirsty['θɜːstɪ] испытывающий жажду; I am thirstyя хочу пить beer[bɪə] пиво

soda-water['səudə] газированная вода stomach['stʌmək] желудок, живот plate[pleɪt] тарелка

An Englishman who could not speak Italian was once travelling in Italy. One day he entered a restaurant and sat down at a table. When the waiter came, the Englishman opened his mouth, put his fingers in it, took them out again and moved his lips. In this way he meant to say, “Bring me something to eat.”

The waiter soon brought him a cup of tea. The Englishman shook his head, and the waiter understood that he didn’t want tea, so he took it away and brought him some coffee. The Englishman, who was very hungry bу this time and not at all thirsty, looked very sad. He shook his head each time the waiter brought him something to drink. He brought him wine, then beer, then soda-water, but that wasn’t food, of course.

He was just going to leave the restaurant when another traveller came in. When this man saw the waiter, he put his hands on his stomach. That was enough: in a few minutes there was a large plate of macaroni and meat on the table before him.

Questions:

1. What did the Englishman enter one day?

2. What did he do when the waiter came?

3. What did he mean to do?

4. What did the waiter bring him?

5. What was the man’s reaction?

6. What else did the waiter bring him?

7. Was the man hungry or thirsty?

8. How did the other traveller explain to the waiter that he was hungry?

foreign['fɔrɪn] иностранный

numerous['njuːmərəs] многочисленный

knowledge['nɔlɪʤ] знание wish[wɪʃ] желать, хотеть mushroom['mʌʃrum] гриб

unable to make himself understoodздесь так как он не мог это объяснить

draw['drɔː] рисовать; drawing['drɔːɪŋ] рисунок

carefully['k𝖼əfulɪ] тщательно puzzled['pʌzld] озадаченный similar['sɪmɪlə] подобный, похожий

concern[kən'sɜːn] касаться, описывать

considerable[kən'sɪdərəbl] значительный, существенный

cow[kau] корова

bullfight['bulfaɪt] бой быков

pleased[pliːzd] (with)довольный (чем-либо)

There are numerous jokes about the difficulties of people travelling in foreign countries without any knowledge of the language of that country. Here’s the story of a Frenchman travelling in the United States who, while eating in a restaurant, wished to order some mushrooms. Unable to make himself understood, he asked for a pencil and paper and carefully drew a picture of a mushroom. His drawing, however, was not too good, for the puzzled waiter returned in about ten minutes, not with an order of mushrooms, but with a large man’s umbrella.

Another similar story concerns two Americans travelling Spain. They were both unable to speak a word of Spanish and one day, while eating in a restaurant in a small village, they were having considerable difficulty in explaining to the waiter what they wanted. One of them wanted a glass of milk. The waiter seemed unable to understand. Finally, on the back of the menu the man drew a picture of a cow. The poor waiter, however, still seemed puzzled. Finally he left and was gone from the restaurant for half an hour or so. He returned very pleased with himself. There were two tickets for a bullfight in his hand.

Questions:

1. Where was the Frenchman travelling?

2. What did he wish to order?

3. What did he draw?

4. The waiter understood what the Frenchman wished to order, didn’t he?

5. What did he bring?

6. What did one of the Americans want to order in the second story?

7. What did he draw on the back of the menu?

8. What did the waiter bring?

WHAT A LANGUAGE!

shout[ʃaut] кричать

look out1) выглядывать; Look out!Осторожнее! Берегись!

bucketful['bɑːskɪtful] полное ведро (чего-либо)

captain['kæptɪn] капитан

deck[dek] палуба; All hands on deck!Свистать всех наверх! (команда, по которой весь экипаж судна срочно собирается на верхней палубе)

knock[nɔk] стучать

Is Mr Brown in?Мистер Браун дома?

He’s not up yetОн еще не встал (не поднялся с постели) He’s not down yetОн еще не спустился (на первый этаж) downstairsвниз, на нижний этаж

This story is about three Frenchmen who lived for some time in England. The first Frenchman once heard someone shout: “Look out!” He was at the hotel when he heard these words. He put his head out of the window and a bucketful of water fell on him. “It seems ‘look out’ means in English ‘don’t look out’,” he said.

The second Frenchman was once on a ship and heard the captain shout: “All hands on deck!” He put his hands on the deck and someone walked on them.

The third Frenchman wanted to visit a friend of his. When he came to the door of the house he knocked. A maid opened it. He said: “Is Mr Brown in?” The maid answered: “He’s not up yet. Come back in half an hour.” When he came after half an hour the maid said: “He’s not down yet.” He said: “If he’s not up and he’s not down, where is he?” The maid answered. “Oh, that’s simple. When I say ‘he’s not up’ I mean he has not yet got up, and when I say ‘he’s not down’, I mean he has not yet come downstairs.”

Questions:

1. What did the first Frenchman once hear?

2. Where was he when he heard these words?

3. What did he do?

4. What happened to him?

5. What did the second Frenchman once hear?

6. What did he do?

7. What happened to him?

8. What did the third Frenchman want to do?

9. What did he do when he came to the door of the house?

10. What did the maid say to him?

11. What did she say to him when he came after half an hour?

12. If the Frenchman’s friend was not up and he was not down, where was he?

MR GREEN’S ADVENTURE

country roadпроселочная дорога

shabby['ʃæbɪ] поношенный; потрепанный to ask for a liftпопросить подвезти continue[kən'tɪnjuː] продолжать

escape[ɪs'keɪp] бежать (из тюрьмы), совершать побег

near[nɪə] приближаться

overtake[ˌəuvə'teɪk] (overtook, overtaken) догнать, обогнать

notebook['nəutbuk] записная книжка

robber['rɔbə] грабитель gun[gʌn] пистолет backспина

shoot[ʃuːt] (shot) стрелять

dangerous['deɪnʤərəs] опасный, рискованный

gave somebody a talkпровести с кем-либо беседу, прочитать лекцию

This is the least I can do in returnЭто самое меньшее, что я могу сделать в знак благодарности

handдавать, вручать

One evening Mr Green was driving his car along a country road. He had been to London where he took £500 from the bank. He put the money into his pocket.

At some part of the road a man in shabby clothes stopped him and asked for a lift. Mr Green told him to get into the car and continued his way home. He talked to the man and learned that the man had escaped from prison only two

days earlier. Mr Green was worried at the thought that he had his £500. Suddenly he saw a police car and had a bright idea. He began to drive the car as fast as it would go. He looked back and saw the police car nearing his car. It soon overtook him and he had to stop. The policeman got out of his car, took out a notebook and wanted Mr Green’s name and address. Mr Green wanted to tell the policeman about the robber sitting behind but the man had taken out a gun and had put it to Mr Green’s back. Mr Green was afraid of being shot so he said nothing. He only asked to be taken to the police station but the policeman said: “You’ll have to appear at the police court later.” He gave Mr Green a talk about dangerous driving and went away.

Then Mr Green started up his car again and drove on. He thought his £500 was lost. When they were near a small town the robber said that he wanted to get out. He said to Mr Green: “Thanks for the lift. You have been good to me. This is the least I can do in return.” And he handed Mr Green the policeman’s notebook.

Questions:

1. Where was Mr Green driving his car one evening?

2. Where did he put the money?

3. What did the man who stopped Mr Green look like?

4. Why was Mr Green worried?

5. What did Mr Green begin to do when he saw a police car?

6. What did the policeman want?

7. Why didn’t Mr Green tell the policeman about the robber?

8. What did he ask the policeman to do?

9. The policeman took him to the police station, didn’t he?

10. What did the robber give Mr Green when he got out of the car?

11. Why did he do it?

THE POWER OF IMAGINATION

power['pauə] сила

imagination[ɪˌmæʤɪ'neɪʃn] воображение

journey['ʤɜːnɪ] путешествие

hall-porter['hɔːl'pɔːtə] привратник, швейцар

double['dʌbl] roomдвухместный номер Do you mind…?Вы не возражаете…? change one’s mindпередумать

accompaniment[ə'kʌmpənɪmənt] сопровождение, аккомпанемент

asthma['æsmə] астма, приступы удушья

If you don’t want me to dieЕсли вы не хотите, чтобы я умер

match[mæʧ] спичка sick[sɪk] больной moan[məun] стонать horror['hɔrə] ужас

peacefully['piːsfulɪ] мирно, тихо, спокойно

looking-glassзеркало

Mr Brown got to a hotel late in the evening after a long journey. He asked the hall-porter whether there were any vacant rooms in the hotel. At that moment another traveller came to the hotel and asked the hall-porter for a room, too. The only vacant room was a double room, that is, a room with two beds in it.

“Do you mind if you spend the night in that room together?” the hall-porter asked. “It’ll be less expensive for you, you’ll each pay half”.

At first the travellers didn’t like the idea, but just then it began raining hard, and they were too tired to go to another hotel, so they changed their minds. They spoke to each other and then told the porter that they agreed to spend the night in the same room. Their things were carried in, and soon the two men went to sleep to the accompaniment of the rain. Suddenly Mr Brown was woken up by a loud noise. It was quite dark.

“What’s the matter?” Mr Brown asked in surprise. “Is anything the matter?”

In a weak voice the second traveller answered, “I’m sorry, but I had to wake you up. I’ve got asthma. I feel very bad. In addition I’ve got a terrible headache. If you don’t want me to die, open the window quickly”.

Mr Brown jumped out of bed and began looking for his matches, but he couldn’t find them in the dark, and the sick man went on moaning, “Air, air... I want fresh air. I’m dying.”

Mr Brown still couldn’t find the matches, so he tried to find the window. It took him some time, and at last he thought he had found it. But he was unable to open it. As the voice of the traveller grew weaker and weaker, Mr Brown in horror took a chair and broke the window with it. The sick man immediately stopped moaning and said that he was very grateful and felt much better. Then the two of them slept peacefully until morning.

When they woke up next morning, they were surprised to see that the only window in the room was still closed, but the large looking-glass was broken to pieces.

Questions:

1. When did Mr Brown get to a hotel?

2. What did he ask the hall-porter?

3. What did the other traveller ask the hall-porter for?

4. What did the porter suggest doing?

5. The travellers liked the idea, didn’t they?

6. Why did they change their minds?

7. What was Mr Brown woken up by?

8. Why did the second traveller have to wake him up?

9. What did he ask Mr Brown to do?

10. Why couldn’t Mr Brown find his matches?

11. He was able to open the window, wasn’t he?

12. What did Mr Brown do when the voice of the traveller grew weaker and weaker?

13. The man felt much better, didn’t he?

14. What did they see in the morning?

15. Why did the second traveller feel better if the window was still closed

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