Английский язык. Жесткова М.В - 29 стр.

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29
little corner somewhere in a sleeping car, but he interrupted me angrily saying: “No, you can’t,
every corner is full. Now do not 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,” 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 mood at all but then I noticed that the porter of a sleeping car was
looking at me. I saw the expression of his face suddenly change. He whispered to the conductor,
pointing to me and I realized I was being talked about. Then the conductor came forward, his face
all politeness.
“Can I be of any service to you?” he asked. “Do you want a place in a sleeping car?”
“Yes,” I said. “I will be very grateful to you if you can give me a place, anything will do.”
“We have nothing left except the big family compartment,” the conductor continued, “with two
berths and a couple of arm-chairs in it. It is entirely at your disposal. Here, Tom, take these suitcases
aboard!”
Then he touched his hat and moved along. The porter made us comfortable in the compartment
and then he said, with many bows and smiles:
“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 this 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 will get it from there
and fix it here. It will 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?” My companion did not answer. So I added: “Don’t you like the way you are being
served? And all for the same fare.”
As I was saying this, the porter’s smiling face appeared in the door way and this speech
followed:
“Oh, sir, I recognized you the minute I set my eyes on you.”
“Is that so, my boy?” I said, handing him a good tip. “Who am I?”
“Mr. McClellan, Mayor of New York,” he said and disappeared again.
Ex.25. Answer the following questions.
1) What was Mark Twain to do in New York? 2) What were people doing on the platform?
3) Who did Mark Twain speak to about getting a place in the train? 4) Why was Mark Twain hurt by
the official’s answer? 5) What did Mark Twain’s companion say that didn’t improve the writer’s
mood? 6) What did Mark Twain notice then? 7) What did the conductor say to Mark Twain?
8) What kind of compartment did the conductor put at Mark Twain’s disposal? 9) What did the
conductor tell Tom to do with the gentlemen’s suitcases? 10) What did Mark Twain say about the
conductor’s and the porter’s attitude to them? 11) Did Mark Twain’s companion like the way they
were being served? 12) Was the conductor’s attitude to Mark Twain the result of his respect to the
writer?
Ex.26. Go back to text A and find English equivalents to the following Russian phrases.
1) много лет назад; 2) сесть в спальный вагон; 3) можно мне получить спальное место?;
4) не надоедайте мне
больше; 5) и ушёл прочь; 6) не могу ли я чем-нибудь помочь вам?; 7) у
нас ничего не осталось; 8) он устроил нас в купе; 9) вам нужно что-нибудь?; 10) не принесёте
ли вы мне горячей воды?; 11) я возьму (лампу) оттуда; 12) вы можете попросить всё, что
хотите; 13) а что вы теперь скажете?; 14) как только они
узнали; 15) в дверях; 16) правда?

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