Текст книги "Разговорный английский"
Автор книги: Александр Войтенко
Соавторы: Владимир Войтенок
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Текущая страница: 23 (всего у книги 25 страниц)
But drowsiness creeps over you. You close your eyes and soon drift away into that vast mysterious void which men call sleep.
Vocabulary Notes
1 to take booking for dinner – сделать предварительный заказ на обед 2 to turn in {coll.) — ложиться спать
2. TRAVELLING BY SEA
For me there is no travel so fine as by sea. There are many things that make travel by sea a fascinating thing for me. Though I am not much of a sailor, I love the sight of a ship with its many decks, cabins and staterooms. It looks like a huge white floating city. It is delightful to be out at sea, too, and promenade the desk or sit in a deck-chair and take the sun.
But what can be compared with the excitement you experience when you sight land! The narrow strip of land on the horizon seems slowly coming towards you. Gradually the outlines of the shore
become more distinct, and on coming nearer you get a full view of the city, the harbour, and of the big ships coming in from and leaving for distant lands.
I shall never forget my first trip on board the “Pobeda” from Odessa to Sochi. The season was at its height then and the passenger traffic on the Odessa—Batumi line was heavy, so we, that is, Ann and I, had to reserve berths at the agency beforehand. After some three or four days of feverish preparations and expectations we were ready to start.
The ship was to sail at 1.40 p. m. on a certain Saturday early in July. On the morning of that distinguished day I felt very excited at the thought that in a few hours I shall go away. A little after noon we reached the pier and there, for the first time in my life, I beheld a real ship. What a beauty she was!
The pier was crowded with cars, trucks loaded with luggage, passengers arriving and hurrying on board, and well-wishers seeing them off. It was really thrilling going up the gangway. Up and up we went until we reached the main deck. And there from high above we looked at the people that seemed so tiny down below, crowding on the pier.
When we got on deck, we were attended by a sailor who took us down below deck. Inside the ship there was a vast labyrinth of aisles that ran into each other and out again and seemed to lead nowhere. But we tripped along following the sailor, and soon he brought us to our cabin. It was a small room with two berths in it, and against the wall, just below the round window, called a porthole, stood a little trifle of a table.
But we had no time to look around because we were eager to go back on deck. There, all was bustle and confusion as before. A noisy excitement was kept up from one end of the ship to the other. Shortly we heard the ship’s siren warning the passengers and their well-wishers to say their last goodbye to each other. After some 10-15 minutes the ship weighed anchor and slowly slipped out of the harbour, leaving Odessa behind wrapped in a blue noonday haze.
As soon as the land faded from sight, we went exploring the ship. The “Pobeda” had all modem conveniences and a wide choice of entertainment facilities. There was a good library that could afford a fair amount of reading matter. Then there were restaurants that took care of the passengers’ appetites, a cinema-hall, billiard rooms and what not.
We soon felt remarkably tired with walking up and down from one deck to another and were very glad to occupy two deck-chairs that happened to be vacant. Though the sea was moderately calm, the
ship rolled somewhat. Some passengers took to their berths – they felt seasick. By some happy fortune my friend and I were not sick. The fresh sea wind blew in our faces and it was lovely to look at the gulls and hear their cries as they gracefully swept over the waves almost touching the water with their wings.
In the evening we enjoyed the sunset, the beautiful sunset at sea. The sun, red as a glowing coal, gradually went down behind the horizon flooding the sky and the flakes of clouds with a crimson light. It was simply marvellous!
Our voyage lasted several days. On our way we called at several ports The stays were quite sufficient to give us the opportunity of visiting some points of interest there.
But I shall never forget the day when I first saw Sochi. It was evening when we came in sight of the town. From afar the snow-white palaces seemed like tiny cottages nestling cosily in a sea of fresh green vegetation. It was a picture of wonderful beauty.
In front was the smooth sea and in the background the high mountains, the slopes of which were clothed with green foliage. Even now when I recall it to my mind I experience a thrill of pleasure.
I honestly say that I love best to travel by ship.
3. TRAVELLING BY AIR
For me there is nothing like travel by air: it is more comfortable, more convenient and, of course, far quicker than any other method. There is none of the dust and dirt of a railway or car journey; none of the trouble of changing from train to steamer, pushing your way through crowds to get from the boat to the Customs (if you travel abroad) and then to another train. A taxi or bus of the Airline Service takes you to the airport. There on the runway you see a sleek and beautiful jet-propelled passenger liner ready to carry you to your place of destination. When the formalities of registering yourself and weighing your baggage are over, you get up the gangway and board the plane. If you are travelling for the first time, you may apply to the stewardess and she will see you to your seat and give you all the information you need as, how to strap your belt, how to adjust your seat and so on. If you feel hungry, you will be provided with an excellent lunch. Strange though it may seem, it actually comes out cheaper, considering what you save in hotel charges or sleeping accomodation on the train, meals and so on.
But it is not only on account of the convenience, comfort and speed that I like air travel. The whole experience is a spiritually
thrilling thing for me. I enjoy greatly the feeling of flying. As you leave the earth behind you, you seem to belong to another world, a bigger, wider, freer world than the one you left. What loveliness there is on earth when you see it from above; the rapid changing scenes below are of underscribable beauty.
What can compare in beauty with the view one beholds when flying, for instance, from Moscow to Sverdlovsk? Just as the early tinges of dawn flush the eastern sky you take off from the Moscow airport leaving behind the huge city in deep slumber; the sun has not risen, but the bird-like machine is flying to greet it. Looking down you gain a magnificent view of a charming landscape – to the right are fields carefully cultivated, to the left – pasture-lands, ahead – a cheerful river winding its way through the lowland. On you fly past villages and cities, hills and valleyes, each following the other in quick succession. There in the far distance you perceive the outlines of a mountain range.
You scarcely have time to realize that the mountains ribbed with sharp steep ridges and clothed with vegetation on both sides are the Urals when you find them below you and in another minute or two far behind.
On and on you fly with the ever-changing scenes below till you safely land at the airport in Sverdlovsk.
No, you will never make me believe that there is a better way of travelling than by air.
4. AT THE INQU IRY BUREAU
P. Could you possibly tell me how I could get to Ashkhabad?
C. Well, there are different ways. You may go by air, or by land, or by sea.
P. Not by air, thank you. I don’t take to flying. But what do you mean by sea? What has Ashkhabad to do with the sea?
C. Well, you just look at this map here. Can you see from there?
P. Yes, I can.
C. Now you see, here is Ashkhabad. From here, that is from Moscow, you may go by train via Tashkent. This is a roundabout way, see?
P. I do. And how do I go by sea?
C. Well, you may go by train as far as Baku. Here it is.
P. Now I understand. There I change the train for a boat, cross the Caspian sea, get the boat-train for Tashkent and here we are.
C. Quite right. And there’s another way still.
P. Another way? I don’t see any other way there.
C. Well now, suppose you want to go on a pleasure trip and have a squint at the world.
P. Well, let’s suppose that though I’m too busy to go about sightseeing.
C. Then you go to Odessa —.
P. To Odessa? Why on earth should I have to go to Odessa?
C. Why, to do some sightseeing! – to skirt along the coast of the Black Sea, to call at differents ports and see big ships coming in from and going to distant lands, to – well, don’t you call that sightseeing?
P. I do. And it’s rather alluring, but – no time, you know. Which is the shortest, I mean, the quickest way to get there?
C. By air, of course. It’ll take you just a few hours to get there.
P. Well, I thank you for the pains you have taken in giving me such useful information. Goodbye.
5. AT THE STATION
P. Oh, there you are! You have come early; it’s only a quarter to eight.
M. Well, I prefer to be ahead of time rather than behind.
P. Have you had breakfast?
M. Yes, half an hour ago. Have you packed?
P. No, not yet. I have still a few things to pack but there’s no more room in the suitcase.
M. Well, put them into your briefcase then. In the meantime I’ll go and call a taxi.
P. Right! And where’s your suitcase?
M. I’ve sent it to the station. My brother is taking care of it.
P. Where shall we meet him?
M. In the waiting room. Well, I’m off for the taxi. I hope you’ll be ready by the time I get back?
P. Sure.
M. Well, the taxi is at the door.
P. Oh, you were rather quick, I should say. I hadn’t time to take a bite. Well, never mind. Will you help me to take the suitcase down?
M. Certainly.
P. Now where is my hat?
M. Look for it in the wardrobe.
P. It’s not there.
M. Have you looked for it in the other room?
P. Not yet.
M. Then do so.
P. Oh, here it is. Well, it seems that there’s nothing left behind. Go ahead, please. I’ll be down in a moment.
P. Here we are. Here, driver, take this. No, you may keep the change.
M. What are we going to do now?
P. We’ll have to hail a —. I say, porter, are you engaged? PORTER. No, sir. I’ll see to our luggage, if you please. What train?
P. The 9.00 to N. But we have to get tickets first. Say, Michael, you go with the porter to the waiting-room. I’ll go and get the tickets now. By the way, what’s your number, porter?
PORTER. 46, young man.
P. Thank you. Well, Michael, we meet in the waiting-room?
M. Yes, but do be quick – our time is short, you know.
P. No need to worry. Now where is the booking-office, I wonder? Oh, there it is.
P. Two tickets to L., please.
CLERK. What seats, young man?
P. Reserved berths, if you please.
CLERK. ... pounds, please.
P. Here you are. Thank you.
6. IN THE PORT
N. {To a passer-by.) How do we get to Pier 2, please?
P. You are on your right way. Straight ahead and then to the right.
(They see the ship at the pier.)
M. My, what a beauty she is!
N. Yes. How many passengers can she accommodate, I wonder?
M. Some 500—600 at least. She is on her maiden voyage, don’t you know?
N. Really? They have lowered the gangway. Let’s hurry on board.
M. {On board the ship.) Which is the way to Cabin 24, 3rd class, please.
SAILOR. Straight ahead, then right and down. You’ll be attended to there.
N. It’s rather difficult to find one’s way here with all these narrow corridors, isn’t it?
2ND SAILOR. You’ll get accustomed to things here in no time, gentlemen. Well, here we are, Cabin 24, 3rd class. These are your berths.
M. But how small the cabin is! There is hardly any room to turn in here.
SAILOR. You may put your things here in this locker.
N. Who are we sharing the cabin with, I wonder?
SAILOR. You’ll find out in due time, I hope. The restaurant is on the main deck. A pleasant voyage, gentlemen.
N. We hope so. Thank you very much.
M. What do we do now? Go up on deck?
N. Of course. Let’s go up now.
7. THE VOYAGE
M. I say, N., I feel rather queer.
N. Sea-sick already? Why, we are hardly out at sea yet.
M. Well, this rolling motion of the ship affects me somewhat.
N. I wouldn’t say you are much of a sailor then. Want to go down?
M. I’d rather not.
N. Hold on to the rail. Isn’t it a nice breeze?
M. Yes, it —. Say, N., are there any life-boats on this ship?
N. What! Have you lost confidence in the ship already?
M. Not quite, but —. We are in for a storm, I suppose. The sea is getting rough.
N. You’d better not look down, M. You’ll get giddy. Here, take this deck-chair and sit down for a while.
M. No, I think, I’ll go down, after all.
N. Hold tight, I’ll take you to your cabin. You’ll be all right by the morning.
M. I hope so.
N. We touch at K. at nine o’cl —.
M. I feel like vomiting, N.
N. Well, relax yourself and you’ll feel better. Well? How do you feel now?
M. Much better, thanks.
8. IN THE PLANE
STEWARDESS. This way, gentlemen. These seats are yours.
N. Have we to strap ourselves with these belts now?
S. No, this is in case of emergency.
N. When we begin to tumble down, eh?
S. Complete safety is guaranteed. How do you take to flying, gentlemen?
N. Can’t say. I’ve never been in a plane before. Have you, M.?
M. Neither have 1.1 hope it won’t make me feel bad.
S. So do I. If you should want anything, gentlemen, there’s a stewardess call button over there. The individual loud-speaker is at your right.
M. With whom may we talk?
S. With the captain and me, sir.
M. Is smoking allowed here?
S. The sign over there will answer your question, sir.
M. Oh, yes. Thank you. It’ll be a good reminder.
S. The smoking-room is at the rear of the plane.
M. When do we take off?
S. In ten minutes’ time. If you feel tired you may adjust the seat in a reclining position.
N. Yes, thank you. How many hops do we make in our flight?
S. We are in for a non-stop flight, sir. If you feel hungry, you’ll be provided with a hot meal on the way.
N. Oh, that’s fine! And when can we have it?
S. As soon as we reach altitude. In the meantime you may read this booklet entitled “The ABCs of Jet Flight.” The reading light is above you. I hope you will enjoy the flight, gentlemen.
BOTH. Thank you.
9. TRAVELLING BY CAR
As for me there is nothing better than to travel by car – a good, fast car I mean. When you are in an aeroplane, you have to be driven by someone else; travel by car is a more personal experience, for there you can drive yourself. You just sit down at the wheel, switch on the motor, step on the pedal with your foot and off the car goes.
You can go as slowly or as fast as you wish, stop when and where you choose; you park the car on the side of the road (street), get out and go where you like.
It is quite true that driving a car has some disadvantages. In town it is rather a nuisance with all these traffic “jams” or “hold-ups”, roundabouts, detours and so on. It is not altogether pleasant when you ride on a bumpy road or get a flat tyre, or still worse, when you get stuck in the mud.
But what can be better than a spin in a car on a week-end with your friend? As soon as you get out of the crowded town and see the long wide road opening up before you, what a thrill it is to feel the car rush forward at a touch of your foot, to feel the wind in your face, to see houses, trees and people flash past, to feel the real joy of speed.
Then, of course, you see much more of the country than you do in a plane. Suppose you are on vacation and have decided to take a 700—800 miles’ trip down South in a car. What magnificent views you behold on your way – the cheerful fields, the road winding its way up the mountain with steep, grey cliffs on one side and a deep precipice on the other, the shining expanse of the sea wrapped in a blue noonday haze, the woods, the rows of acacia that stretch along the streets of the towns that you pass through.
Indeed your impressions are unforgettable.
10. A JOY-RIDE
GEORGE. Hello you, Tom!
TOM. George N.! My Lord! It’s you, isn’t it?
GEORGE. My very self. How do you do, Tom?
TOM. Pretty well. And how goes the world with you?
GEORGE. Getting along all right. I say, Tom, let’s go for a spin in the car.
TOM. In the car? What car?
GEORGE. We have bought a car.
TOM. You don’t say so!?
GEORGE. Really. Well? What about Saturday at, let’s say, 4 o’clock?
TOM. Why, that would be fine! And couldn’t we pick up Fred and Ann?
GEORGE. Why, yes! You’ll let them know, won’t you? I’ll bring, the car over to your place at about four then.
TOM. All right.
GEORGE. Well, here we are. Hello, everybody.
ALL. Hello, George.
GEORGE. Well, come on. Get into the car, all of you, ANN. I say, George, may I take the front seat?
GEORGE. Certainly! Well? All in?
TOM. Yes. Step on it1, George.
GEORGE. Where do you want me to take you to?
TOM. Get out of town on to the highway first.
FRED. Well, it’s fine, Tom, isn’t it? I say, George, what does the speedometer show?
GEORGE. Sixty.
FRED. Sixty miles an hour. That’s great!
TOM. What about taking to the right, George?
GEORGE. No. The road’s bumpy there. Last Sunday we got stuck somewhere near here.
TOM. An right. Go straight —. What’s that?
GEORGE. People call it a puncture.
ANN. A puncture? What are we going to do now? Shall we have to walk back all this way?
GEORGE. Don’t fret, Ann. Everything will be all right in two jiffies. Well, lads, we’ll have to be snappy. You, Tom, get the jack. Do you know what to do with it?
TOM. Yes. To lift the car, I suppose.
GEORGE. That’s right. You, Fred, get out the spare wheel. And you, Ann, go and pick flowers. In ten minutes we’ll be on the move2 again.
TOM (after some time). Well, George? Everything’s fixed up, isn’t it?
GEORGE. Yes. You go and call Ann. Put in the wheel, Fred, while I fill the radiator.
ANN. You were rather quick, lads. Which way are we going now?
GEORGE. Let’s go as far as N. and then go back.
ANN. Good.
GEORGE. Well? How did you enjoy the joy-ride? ALL. It was fine, George. Thanks very much.
GEORGE. Don’t mention it.
Vocabulary Notes
1 to step on it – давать газ
2 to be on the move – быть в движении
11. AT THE CUSTOM HOUSE
P. Will you examine my things?
O. Presently, sir, I will ask you to look through these lists in the meantime, please.
P. What lists?
O. The Prohibited Articles List1 and the Duty-free Quota List2. Here they are, please.
P. Thank you.
O. What have you to declare, sir?
P. I have nothing that’s listed in this first list.
O. What have you above the fixed quote?
P. Well, I didn’t get through the second list, you know. They are both rather long.
O. Will you, please, open your trunks, sir?
P. Yes, of course. Here you are.
O. What are these things?
P. They are for my personal use.
O. You have suits above the fixed quote, sir.
P. But they are not new.
O. All the same. You will have to pay duty on this extra one.
P. Well, all right.
O. Now, I see you have books.
P. Yes. Are they prohibited?
O. They’ll have to be looked through, sir. I’d ask you to put them aside, please.
P. What! Are you going to read them all?
O. No, our interpreter will just skip through them, that’s all. Now, what are these things?
P. Oh, only a few trifles for my family. Are they liable to duty, too?
O. No, these are not. Well. The examination is over, sir. You may pay the duty for the suit over there, please.
P. Yes. Thank you.
O. When you bring the receipt, I’ll stamp your luggage, sir.
Vocabulary Notes
Prohibited Articles List – список 2 Duty-free Quota List – спи– товаров, ввоз и вывоз которых сок предметов, разрешенных к запрещен беспошлинному ввозу
12. AT THE HOTEL
(Two fellow-travellers have just embarked from the train.)
A. Where do you intend to put up, Mr. B?
B. No idea. And you?
A. The last time I was here I stayed at (the) “Europe.” Let’s try our luck there. It’s a pity I hadn’t time to book a room beforehand.
B. Do you think we’ll get anything there?
A. Well, I hope we shall. The touring season is over now.
B. Well, here is a taxi. Hotel “Europe,” please.
DRIVER. Yes, gentlemen.
B. Here we are.
DESK
CLERK. What can I do for you, gentlemen?
B. We should like rooms – two single rooms or one two– bedded room. (To Mr. A.) Do you mind being together, Mr. A.?
A. Not in the least.
D-C. I am sorry, gentlemen, but we are all booked up. We are expecting a delegation.
B. No chance at all?
D-C. Sorry. W. have nothing at the moment.
B. You couldn’t possibly direct us somewhere?
D-C. One moment, gentlemen. 1’11 ring up the “Astoria.” Perhaps they can put you up there.
B. Please do.
D-C. In whose name shall I book it in case you are lucky.
B. Mr. Black, please. (The D-C. talks over the phone.)
D-C. Yes, gentlemen, they have rooms. Do you happen to know where the hotel is?
B. Sorry, but I don’t.
D-C. It’s in N. Street. Not far from the General Post Office.
B. Thank you. (To Mr. A.) Well, let’s go, Mr. A.
13. FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF ENGLAND
On approaching the harbour of Dover, you perceive a white stripe on the horizon that, the nearer you get, appears to rise out of the ocean. Of a sudden, a flash of sunlight settles on it, making it glitter like diamonds; it is the white chalk cliffs of Dover.
Before setting foot on English soil, every traveller, be he British subject or not, must show the landing ticket, which he gets on the boat, and which entitles him to land. On the landing-stage you say “goodbye” to your mother tongue and nationality, and try to be as English as you can.
All is hurry and bustle now. Porters carry your luggage to the custom-house, where it is examined by custom-house officers, who label or mark every piece of your luggage. Then you have to show your passport, and now – if found all right – you may go where you like. You take the train, called the boat-train, for London.
You fly past many stations, the names of which you are almost unable to make out, as they are printed on lamps and benches. The walls of English stations are covered all over with advertisements, giving them a rather gay appearance. After a two hours’ run through a country of green meadows you arrive at Victoria station, London.
Taxis in abundance are waiting on the platform just where you get off the train. What a panorama London affords when you see it (for the first time) from a taxi or the top of a bus! One might think that he is at the cinema, with fine motion pictures rolling on. Gigantic palaces, theatres, monuments, bright shops all aglow at night with neon advertisements, road streets with countless pedestrians hurrying to and fro, buses, trams, cars – an endless stream of traffic. The first glimpse of London amazes the visitor.
But if you want to see the life of the working people, you just step down from the top of the bus and go along the southern bank of the Thames. There you will find quite a different world – a world of poverty, unemployment and disease.
Crowding down to the water are rows of houses, dirty and dark, inhabited by countless thousands of poor folk, whose days are spent in unending toil and the struggle to keep alive. It is indeed difficult to imagine that at no great distance from the splendid broad streets, is St. Giles – the heart of the London slums.
XV. Post Office. Telegraph. Telephone. Letter Writing
1. BOOK-POST
A book-packet may contain any number of separate books or other publications, as newspapers, magazines, and the like, photographs, drawings, maps or any other substance in ordinary use for writing or printing upon. But a book-packet may not contain any letter or
communication of the nature of a letter, nor any enclosure sealed against inspection.
A book-packet may be posted either in a cover open at both ends so that the contents can be easily examined, or entirely covered. In the latter case the postmaster has the right to inspect the packet before it is sealed. For greater security of the contents, the packet may be tied up with a string.
2. PARCEL POST
At every Post Office there is a Parcel Post Service which deals with inland parcels and parcels sent abroad. The rate of postage for a parcel depends upon the weight of the parcel and the distance it is to be sent. The Parcel Post Service between our country and other countries is subject to various regulations.
Letters, book-packets and parcels may be registered with or without declared value. The fee for registration and insurance in each case is different. They also may be sent by air; again the fee in each case may be different.
3. MONEY ORDERS
You may send a money order by mail (a postal order) or by telegram (a telegraph order). The sum sent by mail or telegram is unlimited.
A postal order has to be delivered within a month, and a telegraph order within 24 hours. If a postal order is not presented for payment within one month (a telegraph order – in 3 days), the order is sent back to the sender.
4. TELEGRAPH
There are two types of telegram service in our country: ordinary and urgent. The tariff per word for telegrams abroad is higher. The address of the receiver is charged for, but not that of the sender, which, by the way, is written at the foot of the telegram form. You are not restricted in the quantity of words, but as you pay for every word you ought to know how to write a telegram omitting, as much as possible unnecessary words such as prepositions and the like.
Telegrams may be sent:
to be called for;
to be delivered to the addressee in person;
to be delivered to the addressee at an appointed time;
to be delivered by special delivery;
with (a) reply prepaid;
with (a) notification of delivery.
The latter means that the sender should be informed by whom and when the telegram was received.
5. AT THE POST OFFICE
ANN. Hello, Mary! Good afternoon, Mrs. Smith.
MRS. S. Good afternoon, Ann. (7b Mary.) Are you going out, Mary?
MARY. Yes, ma. We want to go to the cinema. Do you mind?
MRS. S. Not in the least. Couldn’t you possibly mail this letter? I don’t happen to have an envelope, otherwise I could have dropped it into the pillar-box.
MARY. Why, yes, ma! To John?
MRS. S. Yes. Here is his address. Have it sent as an ordinary letter.
MARY. All right, ma. (7b Ann.) Do you mind walking with me over to the Post Office?
ANN. Of course, not. I’d be only too glad. I shall be able to ask if there are any letters in my name there.
MARY. (7b clerk.) An envelope, please.
CLERK. Yes, young lady. Any stamps?
MARY. A three-halfpenny one, please.
CLERK. Here you are. Wouldn’t you like to have some nice picture postcards, young lady?
MARY. No, thank you. You might give me a shilling’s worth of stamps and some envelopes, please.
CLERK. Yes. Here you are. One and sixpence, please.
MARY. Thank you. (7b Ann.) Let’s go over to the stand. I shall have to write the address.
ANN. In the meantime, I’ll go over to the “Poste Restante” window and —.
MARY. Just a minute, Ann, and we’ll go over together. My! The envelope won’t stick! What’s to be done?
ANN. But you have some spare envelopes, haven’t you?
MARY. Oh, yes. I shall have to write the address all over again. ANN. It can’t be helped, I suppose.
MARY. Well, that’s done. Where is the letter-box here, I wonder? ANN. There it is. But say, Ann, you are not going to send it blind, are you?
MARY. Send what blind?
ANN. Why, your letter! You have forgotten to write the name of the addressee.
MARY. Indeed, I have. What a stupid thing I am. One moment, Ann. Well, it seems to be all right now.
ANN. Let’s drop the letter into the box first and then go over to the “Poste Restante” window.
7. TELEPHONE
GEORGE (To a passer-by.) Can you tell me where there is a call-box around here?
P. Let me see. There is a booth at – but no, that’ll be too far. Oh, I recollect now that there is one in N. Street. Do you know where N. Street is?
G. Sorry. I’m a stranger in this part of the town.
P. I’m going that way myself. You may come with me, if you wish.
G. Most willingly. Oh, too bad. I have forgotten my friend’s call-number.
P. There must be a directory in the booth. Well, here we are. Step in, please.
G. Oh, yes, here is the directory on the shelf. Thank you.
P. Don’t mention it.
G. I beg your pardon, but haven’t you a decent coin? Mine is too worn and battered; it doesn’t go into the slot.
P. I think I have. Here you are.
G. Thanks awfully.
P. That’s all right. Good-bye.
G. Goodbye. (G. puts a call through.) (This is) George speaking. I would like to speak to Tom, please. – Yes, I’m holding on. – Hello, (is) that you, Tom? – Yes, that’s me. How do you feel now? – That’s good. – Me? Well, I’m toddling along in the same old way. I say, Tom, suppose we go to the football match, eh? – Yes, I have. So, you don’t mind. – Now, where shall we meet? – That’ll suit me. And what about the time? – At six o’clock. But we must meet earlier – Five o’clock? Righto. Well, so long.
Fill in Toni’s part of the dialogue.
XVI. Seasons. Weather. Time
1. SEASONS
There are four seasons in the year – spring, summer, autumn and winter. Spring is the season of hope and happiness. It is the season when nature awakens from her winter sleep – the ice is broken, the grass is beginning to shoot, here buds are showing, there the trees are already bursting into leaf, fresh, green and lovely. Spring has come!
Summer is the hottest season in the year. The bright sunshine scorches the earth. Not a single cloud is in the sky. It is pleasant to get out of town where one is so oppressed with the heat and ramble through woods, among hills and valleys, following winding paths that are hardly seen to the naked eye in the thick green grass. The fields are green and shorn – here and there big stacks of hay are seen. The days are long in summer.
But on moves the earth in its race round the sun. The days are becoming shorter, the sun rays are losing their glittering force – autumn is approaching. The beautiful nature has thanked the laborious farmer for his toil in the fields, meadows and orchards. The trees that not long ago bloomed with flowers are laden with ripening fruit. But the beautiful “Indian summer” is over – it is deep autumn now. We don’t hear any more the sweet melody of birds in the woods and forests – they have flown away to far distant warm countries. Everything is beginning to take a different colour and garment in the lonely quiet of the countryside – the trees look bare, for they have cast off their leaves, the fragrant flowers have-faded away. The sky is overcast with low, black, heavy clouds – the period of rains has set in. It is unpleasant to be out in the drizzling piercing rain that is accompanied by a cold wind.
