Анализ «A friend in need»by William Somerset Maugham. "друг познаётся…" сомерсет моэм Сомерсет моэм a friend need

Does the author speak in his own voice or does he present the events from the point of view of the main characters?

Is the story told in the first (third) person?

Is the story emotional or dry and factual?

Are all actions fast or slow?

On what note does the story end?

Is the end conclusive or maybe it is left for further suggestion?

Character drawing.

With what main problem is the character faced?

Is there a conflict with another individual? /with society, with himself?

Does the author sympathize with the main character or remains aloof?

Whatever the cause of the conflict, it develops in gradual stages known as exposition (where the setting and the characters are introduced), complication (where the plot begins to thicken), development, climax (where the things are at their hottest) and finally, denouenment or unknotting (from French, pronounced “dei noo maah”), bringing about a resolution of the conflict. Sometimes it coincides with the climax . It is an event or an episode that brings the story to its end. The manner of bringing of fiction to a close is called Ending. An unexpected turn of a plot, which is not clear until the story is called Surprise Ending.

The main idea of the story / sometimes it can coincide with the main theme/.

The Language of the story.

Key words and phrases :

Belles-lettres style – художн1й текст

Interior monologue – в нутр1шн1й монолог

A Stream of consciousness – пот 1 к св 1 домост 1

Digression – в 1 дхилення

Exposition – експозиц 1 я

Complication - зав ’ язка

Climax – кульм 1 нац 1 я , кульм 1 нац 1 йна мить

Denouenment, unknotting – розв ’ язування, розв ’ язання

During the process of working at the literary analysis of the text you may employ such phrases:

The text is written by a famous (well-known, outstanding, prominent) English (American) writer (author)…

The writer (author) is famous for

The text belongs (referres) to a belles-lettres style

The main theme (idea) is

Depending upon the manner in which the narration (text) is represented we can speak about the language of the story.

Text № 1 a friend in need By William Sommerset Maugham (1874-1965)

“It’s rather a funny story”, he said. “He wasn’t a bad chap. I liked him. He was always well-dressed and smart-looking. He was handsome in a way, with curly hair and pink-and-white cheeks. Women thought a lot of him. There was no harm in him, you know, he was only wild. Of course he drank too much. Those sort of fellows always do. A bit of money used to come in for him once a quarter and he made a bit more by card-playing. He won a great deal of mine, I know that”.

Burton gave a kindly little chuckle. I knew from my own experience that he

could lose money at bridge with a good grace.

“I suppose that is why he came to me when he went broke, that and the fact he was a namesake of mine. He came to see me in my office one day and asked me for a job. I was rather surprised. He told me that there was no more money coming from home and he wanted to work. I asked him how old he was.

“Thirty-five”, he said.

“And what have you been doing hitherto?” I asked him.

“Well, nothing very much”, he said.

I couldn’t help laughing.

“I’m afraid I can’t do anything for you just yet”, I said. “Come back and see me in another thirty-five years, and I’ll see what I can do”.

He didn’t move. He went rather pale. He hesitated for a moment and then told me that he had had bad luck at cards for some time. He hadn’t been willing to stick to bridge, he’d been playing poker, and he’d got trimmed. He hadn’t a penny. He’d pawned everything he had. He couldn’t pay his hotel bill and they wouldn’t give him any more credit. He was down and out. If he couldn’t get something to do he’d have to commit suicide.

I looked at him for a bit. I could see now that he was all to pieces. He’d been drinking more than usual and he looked fifty. The girls wouldn’t have thought so much of him if they’d seen him then.

“Well, isn’t there anything you can do except play cards?” I asked him.

“I can swim”, he said.

I could hardly believe my ears; it seemed such an insane answer to give.

“I swam for my university”.

I got some glimmering of what he was driving at. I’ve known too many men who were little tin gods at their university to be impressed by it.

“I was a pretty good swimmer myself when I was a young man”, I said.

Suddenly I had an idea.

Pausing in his story, Burton turned to me.

“Do you know Kobe?” he asked.

“No”, I said, “I passed through it once, but I only spent a night there”.

“Then you don’t know the Shioya Club. When I was a young man I swam from there round the beacon and landed at the creek of Tarumi. It’s over three miles and it’s rather difficult on account of the currents round the beacon. Well, I told my young namesake about it and I said to him that if he’d do it I’d give him a job. I could see he was rather taken aback.

“You say you’re a swimmer”, I said.

“I’m not in very good condition”, he answered.

I didn’t say anything. I shrugged my shoulders. He looked at me for a moment and then he nodded.

“All right”, he said. “When do you want me to do it?”

I looked at my watch. It was just after ten.

“The swim shouldn’t take you much over an hour and a quarter. I’ll drive round to the creek at half past twelve and meet you. I’ll take you back to the club and then we’ll have lunch together”.

“Done”, he said.

We shook hands. I wished him good luck and he left me. I had a lot of work to do that morning and I only just managed to get to the creek at Tarumi at half past twelve. But I needn’t have hurried; he never turned up”.

“Did he funk it at the last moment?” I asked.

“No, he didn’t funk it. He started all right. But of course he’d ruined his constitution by drink and dissipation. The currents round the beacon were more than he could manage. We didn’t get the body for about three days”.

I didn’t say anything for a moment or two, I was a trifle shocked. Then i asked Burton a question.

“When you made him that offer of a job, did you know he’d be drowned?”

He gave a little mild chuckle and he looked at me with those kind and candid blue eyes of his. He rubbed his chin with his hand.

“Well, I hadn’t got a vacancy in my office at the moment”.

long, it bored everybody present. 3. There was no reason why she should get so excited over a little thing like that. 4. Was it necessary to bother such a busy man with this unimportant question? 5. Why have you come to meet me? There was no need for you to bother.

II. Complete the following sentences, using the patterns:
		2: 1. Today she has been answering her task even better ... .		2. Are you ill? You are
	3. The way to his office seemed to him on that day ...		4. He was in love, and the sun seemed
		earlier than usual. 6. The soup tastes even .... 7....	later than usual.

P a t t e r n 3: 1. She addressed us angrily in that harsh ... . 2. Did you happen to see that

charming ... ? 3. I didn"t want to come up to you, because you were so busy speaking to that dear
don"t like the way she treats that miserable ....		5. I wish I knew how I should bring up this dear ....
one any longer believes those ... .	7. If I were you, I should throw away these ....		8. Who could have done

such a thing but...? 9. I have heard a lot about that....

III.

1. Вам не нужно было приходить сюда так рано. Никто еще не пришел. 2. Из-за этих своих тесных туфель она еле-еле шла. Мы добрались до остановки автобуса позже, чем обычно, и, конечно, автобус уже ушел. 3. В этот день Джуди была больна и чувствовала себя несчастней, чем обычно. Она не поверила своим глазам, когда ей принесли большую коробку с полураспустившимися розами - подарок этого ее таинственного опекуна.

IV. Make up short situations to illustrate Patterns 1, 2, 3 (three situations for each pattern). V. Make up dialogues, using all the patterns.

TEXT. A FRIEND IN NEED by William Somerset Maugham (abridged)

Maugham, William Somerset (1874-1965): an English writer. He achieved a great success as a novelist with such novels as "Of Human Bondage", "The Razor"s Edge" and others, as a dramatist with Ms witty satirical plays "Our Betters", "The Circle", etc., but he is best known by his short stories.

At the beginning of his literary career Maugham was greatly influenced by French naturalism. Later on, his outlook on life changed. It became cool, unemotional and pessimistic. He says that life is too tragic and senseless to be described. A writer can"t change life, he must only try to amuse his reader, stir his imagination. And this is where Maugham achieves perfection: his stories are always fascinating. Maugham"s skill in depicting scenes and characters with a few touches is amazing and whether he means it or not his novels, stories and plays reveal the vanity, hypocrisy and brutality of the society he lives in. So does the story "A Friend in Need". Burton, a prosperous businessman, is not.in the least concerned about the troubles and needs of those who have failed in life. Without a moment"s hesitation he sends a man to death just because his presence bores him, and later on he remembers the fact with a "kindly chuckle".

When Maugham described people and places in his short stories, he did it mostly from his personal experience.

"It"s rather a funny story," he said. "He wasn"t a bad chap. I liked him. He was always well-dressed and smart-looking. He was handsome in a way, with curly hair and pink-andwhite cheeks. Women thought a lot of him. There was no harm in him, you know, he was only wild. Of course he drank too much. Those sort of fellows always do. A bit of money used to come in for him once a quarter and he made a bit more by card-playing. He won a good deal of mine, I know that."

Burton gave a kindly little chuckle. I knew from my own experience that he could lose money at bridge with a good grace.

"I suppose that is why he came to me when he went broke, that and the fact that he was a namesake of mine. He came to see me in my office one day and asked me for a job. I was rather surprised. He told me that there was no more money coming from home and he wanted to work. I asked him how old he was.

"Thirty-five," he said.

"And what have you been doing hitherto?" I asked him. "Well, nothing very much," he said.

dividing the result by his chronological age, the latter generally cot exceeding 16.

I couldn"t help laughing.

"I"m afraid I can"t do anything for you just yet," I said. "Come back and see me in another thirty-five years, and I"ll see what I can do."

He didn"t move. He went rather pale. He hesitated for a moment and then told me that he had had bad luck at cards for some time. He hadn"t been willing to stick to bridge, he"d been playing poker, and he"d got trimmed. He hadn"t a penny. He"d pawned everything he had. He couldn"t pay his hotel bill and they wouldn"t give him any more credit. He was down and out. If he couldn"t get something to do he"d have to commit suicide.

I looked at him for a bit. I could see now that he was all to pieces. He"d been drinking more than usual and he looked fifty. The girls wouldn"t have thought so much of him if they"d seen him then.

"Well, isn"t there anything you can do except play cards?" I asked him. "I can swim," he said.

I could hardly believe my ears; it seemed such an insane answer to give. "I swam for my university."51

I got some glimmering of what he was driving at. I"ve known too many men who were little tin gods at their university to be impressed by it.

"I was a pretty good swimmer myself when I was a young man," I said. Suddenly I had an idea.

Pausing in his story, Burton turned to me. "Do you know Kobe?" he asked.

"No," I said, "I passed through it once, but I only spent a night there."

"Then you don"t know the Shioya Club. When I was a young man I swam from there round the beacon and landed at the creek of Tarumi. It"s over three miles and it"s rather difficult on account of the currents round the beacon. Well, I told my young namesake about it and I said to him that if he"d do it I"d give him a job. I could see he was rather taken aback.

"You say you"re a swimmer," I said.

"I"m not in very good condition," he answered.

I didn"t say anything. I shrugged my shoulders. He looked at me for a moment and then he nodded. "All right," he said. "When do you want me to do it?"

I looked at my watch. It was just after ten.

"The swim shouldn"t take you much over an hour and a quarter. I"ll drive round to the creek at half past twelve and meet you. I"ll take you back to the club to dress and then we"ll have lunch together,"

"Done," he said.

We shook hands. I wished him good luck and he left me. I had a lot of work to do that morning and I only just managed to get to the creek at Tarumi at half past twelve. But I needn"t have hurried; he never turned up."

"Did he funk it at toe last moment?" I asked.

"No, he didn"t funk it. He started all right. But of course he"d ruined his constitution by drink and dissipation. The currents round the beacon were more than he could manage. We didn"t get the body for about three days."

I didn"t say anything for a moment or two, I was a trifle shocked. Then I asked Burton a question. "When you made him that offer of a job, did you know he"d be drowned?"

51 to swim for one"s university : to take part in swimming races held between one"s university team and some other teams. Practically every school, college and university in Great Britain has its own sports clubs, and there are various outdoor sports competitions held annually within each school, as well as between different schools, colleges, and universities. These are, as a rule, attended by spectators drawn from all sections of the public, and the Oxford and Cambridge boat races, in which crews from these two universities compete every spring on the Thames, arouse national interest.

He gave a little mild chuckle and he looked at me with those kind and candid blue eyes of his. He rubbed his chin with his hand.

"Well, I hadn"t got a vacancy in my office at the moment."

VOCABULARY NOTES

1. to curl υt/i. 1. завивать(-ся), закручивать(-ся), e.g. She has curled her hair. The old man was curling his long moustache.

2. виться, клубиться, е.g. Does her hair curl naturally or does she curl it in curlers? The smoke from our camp-fires curled upwards among the trees.

to curl one"s lip презрительно кривить рот, е.g. I don"t like the way she curls her lip when talking to me.

to curl up свертывать(-ся), е.g. The child curled up in the arm-chair and went to sleep. curling adj вьющийся (о волосах)

Cf. curled adj завитой and curly adj кудрявый, е.g. I don"t like curled hair. But I liked this plump curly-headed little boy.

curl n 1. локон, завивка; 2. все, что имеет форму завитка, е.g. The girl had long curls over her shoulders. How do you keep your hair in curl? Soon we saw the curls of smoke rise upwards.

2. to break (broke, broken) υt/i 1. ломать(-ся), разбивать(-ся), е.g. Не fell and broke his leg. Who broke the window? Glass breaks easily.

to break (smth.) in two (three, etc.) разбить(-ся), разломать(-ся), разорвать(-ся) на две (три и т.д.)

части, е.g. The mother broke the bread in two and gave each child a piece.

to break to pieces разбить(-ся) вдребезги, е.g. The vase fell and broke to pieces.

2. чувствовать себя разбитым (морально, физически), разориться, usu. to be broken , е.g. Не was completely broken as the result of the failure of his business. She was broken after her husband"s death.

3. нарушать, as to break the law, a promise, one"s word, an appointment

Ant. to keep , е.g. She broke the appointment. = She did not keep it

to break with smb. or smth. (old habits, traditions, etc.) порвать с.., покончить с..., е.g. Не can"t break with his bad habits.

to break off прекратить внезапно (разговор, беседу), е.g. When she came in he broke off. He broke off in the middle of a sentence.

N o t e: No object after break off . Cf. in Russian: прекратить разговор.

to break out начинаться внезапно, вспыхнуть (об эпидемии, пожаре, войне), е.g. A fire broke out during the night.

to break through (smth.) прорывать(-ся), е.g. The partisans broke through the enemy"s line. to break the record побить рекорд

break n перемена, перерыв (в работе, учебе и т.д.), е.g. I feel tired, let"s have a break. We"re working since nine o"clock without a break.

3. to stick (stuck, stuck) υt/i 1. приклеивать(-ся), наклеивать; липнуть; прикреплять, as to stick a stamp on a letter, to stick a notice on a board. These stamps won"t stick. The nickname stuck to him.

2. оставаться; держаться, придерживаться? стоять на своем, е.g. Friends should stick together. You must stick to your promise. Though Tom saw that nobody believed him, he stuck to his words. Stick to business! (He отвлекайтесь!)

3. втыкать, затыкать; засовывать, е.g. The girl stuck a flower in her hair. He stuck his hands in his pockets.

4. застрять, завязнуть, е.g. The splinter stuck in my finger. The car stuck in the mud. The key stuck in the keyhole.

4. to drive (drove, driven) υt/i 1. гнать (скот); преследовать (неприятеля), е.g. Не drove the

horses into the forest.

2. править, управлять (машиной, автомобилем), е.g. He"s learning to drive.

3. ехать (в автомобиле, экипаже), е.g. Shall we drive home or walk?

N o t e: With reference to travelling on a bicycle, on a horse or other animal the verb to ride is used, е.g. He jumped on his horse and rode away. He rode over on his bicycle to see me yesterday.

to drive up (away) подъезжать (отъезжать), e.g. We drove up to the house.

to drive at (colloq.) клонить к чему-л., намекать на что-л., е.g. I could not understand what he was driving at.

to drive smb. mad сводить с ума

drive n катание, езда, прогулка (в автомобиле, экипаже), е.g. We had a nice drive.

to go for a drive прокатиться, совершить прогулку в автомобиле, е.g. Shall we go for a drive round the town?

driver n шофер, водитель, машинист, as a bus-driver, tram-driver, taxi-driver, engine-driver

5. pause n пауза, перерыв; передышка, е.g. There was a short pause while the next speaker got on to the platform. A pause is made because of doubt or hesitation or for the sake of expressiveness when speaking, singing, reading, etc.

Syn. break

to make a pause делать паузу, останавливаться, е.g. The speaker made a short pause to stress his words.

to pause υi делать паузу, останавливаться, е.g. Не paused to collect his thoughts. He went on without pausing.

Syn. stop

N о t e: to stop is usually used when the action is not supposed to continue; to pause is used when there is only a temporary break in the action, especially in speech or writing, е.g. He paused until the noise stopped.

6. to nod υi/t 1. кивать головой, е.g. I asked him if he could ring me up and he nodded. She nodded to me as she passed.

Syn. bow

N о t e: to sod refers lo a quick motion of the head only, and is less formal than to bow, which is a slower, formal bending, usually of the body as well as the head, е.g. The servant bowed and left the room.

Ant to shake one"s bead

2. дремать, клевать носом, е.g. She sat in the armchair nodding over her book. nod n кивок, е.g. She passed me with a nod. She gave me a nod.

7. ruin n 1. гибель, крушение, разорение, е.g. The death of Davy"s mother was the ruin of his hopes. to bring smb. (smth.) to ruin разорить, погубить, е.g. Не brought his family to ruin.

2. развалины (often pl), руины, е.g. The ruins of Rome. The enemy left the city in rains. rain υt губить, разрушать, разорять

to ruin one"s life (hopes, business, constitution), е.g. He knew that he himself had ruined his life by

stealing the money.

to rain oneself разориться, е.g. The fellow rained himself by card-playing. ruinous adj разорительный, губительный, разрушительный

8. to rub υt/i тереть(-ся), натирать, е.g. The gymnast rubbed his hands with talc. The dog rubbed its nose against my coat.

to rub smth. dry вытирать насухо, е.g. Не rubbed Ms face (hands) dry. to rub in втирать (мазь и т. д.), е.g. Rub the oil in well.

to rub off стирать (удалять с поверхности), е.g. Rub the words off the blackboard.

to rub out стирать (написанное чернилами, карандашом), в. д. She rubbed all the pencil marks out. to rub one"s hands (together) потирать руки от удовольствия, е.g. His manner of rubbing bis hands

gets on my nerves.

rub n , е.g. She gave the spoons a good rub.

9. vacant adj незанятый, свободный; вакантный, пустой, е.g. The telephone booth was vacant and I was able to telephone at once. She gazed into vacant space.

N o t e: The Russian words свободный and пустой have different English equivalents: 1. свободный may be translated by vacant, free, not engaged, spare, loose.

vacant means "not occupied," as a vacant seat (room, house, flat); a vacant post (position); a vaсant mind

free means "independent," as a free person; a free state; free will

not engaged means "not occupied, not busy," е.g. You are not engaged now, are you?

Ant. engaged, busy

Spare means "additional to what is usually needed," е.g. I have spare time today. I"ve got spare cash about me and can lend you 3 or 5 roubles.

loose means "not tight or not fitting close," е.g. He had loose clothes on. All the window frames in my flat are loose.

Ant tight

2. пустой has the following English equivalents: vacant, empty, blank, shallow. (See the notes to the word blank on p. 164.)

vacancy n вакантная должность, е.g. We have a vacancy on our staff. We advertised for a secretary to fill the vacancy.

NOTES ON WORD-FORMATION

The verb to land was made from the noun land by means of c o n v e r s i o n which is a very productive way of making new words in modern English.

In conversion, a new word and the one from which it is produced have the same phonetic shape but always belong to different categories or parts of speech, so that verbs may be produced from nouns or adjectives (е.g. to hand вручать; to comb причесывать; to pocket класть в карман; to pale бледнеть), nouns from verbs (е.g. break перерыв; drive поездка; find находка), etc.

The other two main ways of word-building are a f f i x a t i o n (or so called derivation) and c o m p o s i t i o n .

In affixation new words are produced with the help of affixes (that is suffixes and prefixes), е. g: beautiful, swimmer, unbelievable.

In composition new words are produced from two or more stems, е.g.: classroom, wall newspaper,

good-for-nothing, blue-eyed, etc.
	ESSENTIAL VOCABULARY (I)
break υ, n	hesitate υ	ruin υ, n
curl υ, n	land υ	ruinous adj
curled adj	namesake n	shock υ
curling adj		smart (-looking) adj
curly adj	pause υ, n	stick υ
current a.	rather adv	vacant adj
drive υ, n	rub υ	vacancy n
driver n

	Word Combinations
		to be willing to do smth.
	to stick to smth. (smb.)	to break the record
to be down and out		to commit suicide
to curl one"s lip
	to drive up (away)	to be taken aback
to drive smb. mad	to shrug one"s shoulders
to have bad (good) luck	to rub one"s hands (together)
	to bring smb. (smth.) to ruin

I. Read the text and do the following (A. Grammar, B. Word usage, C. Word-formation).

A. 1. Pick out from the text all the irregular verbs and give their four forms. 2. Search the text for -ing - forms and classify them according to their functions in the sentences. 3. Mark all the cases of Sequence of Tenses in the text and comment on them (explain the rules). 4. Select sentences with the verb go used as a link verb; what other verbs can be used in the same function?

B. 1. Pick out from the text words and phrases describing appearance. 2. Tick off all introductory phrases used by Burton; use them in sentences of your own. 3. Pick out all the sentences with the word rather and translate them into Russian. 4. Paraphrase all the sentences with the verb get.

C. 1. Pick out from the text all compound words and identify their type. 2. Construct some compounds modelling them after well-dressed and smart-looking. 3. Search the text for verbs and nouns formed by means of conversion.

II. Translate in writing three paragraphs from the text: 1) the first paragraph, 2) the paragraph beginning with "He didn"t move" and 3) the paragraph from "Swim!" up to "Suddenly I had an idea".

Read the translation in class and discuss it with your fellow-students. III. a) Transcribe these words:

handsome, well-dressed, quarter, experience, lose, suicide, pausing, current, aback, shoulder, drowned. b) Transcribe and explain the rules of reading these words:

wild, rather, curl, pawn, pass, constitution, dissipation, beacon, question, half, vacancy, poker, trifle.

IV. Write twenty special questions about the text In each question use one of the phrases from Essential Vocabulary (I).

V. Fill in prepositions:

1. handsome ... a way; 2. to know... one"s own experience; 3. He could lose money ... bridge ... a good grace. 4. to have bad luck ... cards; 5. He did not want to stick ... bridge. 6. He was all... pieces. 7. I understand what he was driving .... 8. I landed ... the creek of Tarumi. 9.... account...; 10. He never turned....

VI. Study Vocabulary Notes and translate the illustrative examples into Russian. VII. Answer the following questions:

1. Burton thought that what he was telling was "rather a funny story." Do you also think so? Why don"t you? Why did Burton think it funny? 2. What kind of man was young Barton? What do you think of his way of living? Do you approve of it? Why not? 3. Why do you think young Burton turned to his namesake for help when he was rained? 4. What was the situation in which he found himself? 5. What did Burton mean by saying that his young namesake was "down and out"? that he was "all to pieces"? 6. What did young Burton mean when he said that he "swam for his University"? 7. On what condition did Burton promise a job in his office to his namesake? What do you think of this condition? 8. Why did young Burton accept it? He knew he was not in good condition, didn"t he? 9. What happened to him? 10. Do you think old Burton knew that bis namesake would be drowned? Why do you think so? 11. Why did Burton send his namesake to almost sure death? 12. What kind of man do you think old Burton was? 13. Why does the author emphasize when speaking about old Burton his "kindly chuckle," "mild chuckle," "those candid and kind blue eyes of his"?

VIII. Write an outline of the story. You may try three ways: a) following the chain of true events; b) sticking to the story as told by the author or c) building it up round the main idea of the story.

IX. a) Fill in different English equivalents of the Russian words занят and свободен (engaged, busy, occupied or vacant, free, spare):

1. As he was ... yesterday he couldn"t join our company. 2. I tried to get him on the phone but the line was ... As I was ... I decided to ring him up later. 3. Is the place next to you ...? - No, it is ... . 4. When I entered the hall all the seats were ... and I could hardly find a ... seat. 5. Will you be ... tomorrow? Let"s

go to the country. - No, I"ll be ... at my office. 6. Let"s find a ... classroom and rehearse our dialogue there. - I"m afraid at this hour all the rooms are sure to be ... . 7. Have you any ... time today? 8. At this late hour all taxis will be ... . 9. I am young, healthy, and ... to do as I please.

b) Think of situations or microdialogues consisting of a statement (or a question) and a reply to it using the words mentioned above.

X. Translate these sentences into English:

1. Она наклеила на письмо несколько марок и бросила его в почтовый ящик. 2. Друзья всегда держались вместе. 3. Ключ застрял в замке, и я не могла открыть дверь. 4. Вы сегодня заняты? - К сожалению, у меня вряд ли будет свободное время. 5. Смерть единственного сына была крушением всех его надежд 6. Есть в гостинице свободные номера? - К сожалению, все номера заняты. 7. Лондонские туманы губительны для здоровья. 8. Все списали эти предложения? Я стираю их с доски. 9. У него была странная привычка потирать руки, когда он был взволнован. 10. Холод голод и нужда подорвали здоровье Герствуда. 11. Оратор остановился, чтобы собраться с мыслями. 12. Вам не следует беспокоиться, он хорошо водит машину. 13. Звук выстрела нарушил тишину. Мистер Кэртел, который до этого времени мирно дремал в кресле, вскочил и стал оглядываться по сторонам. 14. Я не любил купаться в реке из-за сильного течения. 15. Учитель подождал, пока не стихли разговоры, и только после этого продолжал объяснение. 16. Они прервали беседу, как только я вошел. 17. Он обещал помочь мне, но не сдержал обещания. 18. Увидев меня, он презрительно скривил рот и только кивнул головой в знак приветствия.

XI. Read the story carefully and answer the following questions:

1. When do you usually: rub your chin; give a little chuckle; ask about smb."s age; go pale; hesitate; shrug your shoulders; look at your watch; shake hands?

2. In what situations did old Burton and his namesake perform the same actions as in Point 1. Comment on each situation.

ХII. Try your band at teaching:

A. Preparation . 1. Prepare to explain the difference between the verbs: stop and pause, nod and bow so as to make sure that your pupils can use these verbs properly. 2. Write an exercise to practise the following antonyms: to break and to keep, to nod and to shake, free and engaged, loose and tight 3. Think of the answers you would give if your pupils asked you: 1) How long is a mile? 2) Did Burton mean land miles or nautical miles when he said there were over three miles between the Shioya Club and the creek of Tarumi? 3) In what part of the world did the events take place?

B. Work in Class . 1. Ask the class to answer the questions given in Items 1 and 3 and to do your exercise from Item 2.

2. Correct the mistakes, comment on the answers and say a few words by way of explanation if

needed. (Use "Classroom English", Sections I, IV, VII.)

ХIII. Write a summary of the story "A Friend in Need". Before writing it find answers to the following questions that may serve as the key points of the story.

E. д.: What did young Burton ask for? What did he get?

What was his occupation and that of old Burton?

What were the advantages and disadvantages of old Burton"s position and those of his namesake? What were young Burton"s chances?

Could he manage to cover three miles?

Who gained anything from this performance?

What do you think both of them should have done under the circumstances? What were your feelings after reading the story?

XIV. Speak on the characters of the story;

a) Old Burton (his appearance, character and what yon think of him).

b) Young Burton (his appearance, character and what yon think of him).

c) The story-teller (what kind of person he was; how he was impressed by Burton"s story; with whom

his sympathies were).

XV. Paraphrase the following sentences, using colloquial words and phrases from the text instead of the words in italic type which are stylistically neutral:

1. My sister"s husband was killed in the war, and soon after that her elder child died of pneumonia. No wonder she was broken physically and spiritually. 2. He ruined himself because he played cards and drank a lot. When I met him, there seemed to be no way out for him. Yet, he had always been a nice man and had never done any harm to anybody. 3. I began to understand what she meant to say. 4. She is rather a good cook, isn"t she? - Women of that kind always are. 5. Men of this kind are always a great success with women. 6. You said you didn"t come to the exam on Monday because you were so ill you couldn"t move. I don"t believe it. I"m sure you were simply afraid. 7. Couldn"t you lend me a little more money? I am in a hopeless position.

XVI. Revise the story and discuss the following:

1. How does the author make the reader realize what kind of man Burton the Elder was? Which method of characterization does he use, direct or indirect? (See Notes on Style, p. 120.)

2. Point out the lines and passages in which the ironical attitude of the author towards Burton the Elder is felt. Is it expressed by lexical or syntactical means? (Analyse each case.) Comment on the title of the story.

3. What is the message (the main idea) of the story?

XVII. Perform a dialogue between old Burton and his namesake.

Don"t forget that old Burton was busy in his office, not very easily impressed, indifferent to other people"s troubles; his namesake was down and out, all to pieces and not in very good condition to swim.

XVIII. Role-playing.

Role-play a Trial at which you will try Burton for wilful murder. It may be arranged in the following way:

Student A - speaking for the judge.

Student A - speaking for the prosecution (he will describe all the facts proving Burton"s guilt). Student С - speaking for the defence (he will try and present all the facts that may speak in Burton"s

Student D - representing Burton (he will, naturally, try to defend himself). Students E, F, G - acting as witnesses for the prosecution or the defence.

The rest of the group are acting as members of the jury and will bring a verdict of "guilty" or "not guilty".

The judge conducts the trial, puts questions, examines the documents and evidence.

Counsel for the prosecution (прокурор) addresses the jury and presents his case, after which he calls witnesses who swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Counsel for the defence proceeds in the same way. The judge may interfere at any point and ask questions.

When the two sides have presented their cases, the judge gives his summing up. The jury retires to consider its verdict: Guilty or Not Guilty. If the defendant is found guilty, the judge passes sentence on him.

XIX. Think of a different end to the story (comical, puzzling, etc.).

XX. Write a short story to illustrate the proverb "A friend in need is a friend indeed". Use Essential Vocabulary of the lesson. Retell your story in class.

XXI. Translate the following sentences into English, using the word rather.

1. Эта книга довольно скучная, возьмите лучше другую. 2, Чемодан маловат, боюсь, что вы не уложите в него всю одежду. 3. Еще чашечку чая? - Да, пожалуйста, 4. Эта новость немного взволновала его. 5. Я, пожалуй, возьму эту пластинку. 6. Он скорее невежественен, чем глуп. 7. Нас несколько удивил его ранний приход. 8. Она выглядела несколько усталой после двухкилометровой прогулки. 9. Она показалась мне довольно красивой девушкой.

ХXII. a) Read the text:

Every summer many people, girls and women as well as boys and men, try to swim from England to France or from France to England. The distance at the nearest points is only about twenty miles, but because of the strong tides the distance that must be swum is usually more than twicе as far.

There is a strong tide from the Atlantic Ocean. This divides in two in order to pass round the British Isles. The two tides meet near the mouth of the Thames, and strong currents they cause make it impossible to swim in a straight line across the Channel.

The first man to succeed in swimming the Channel was Captain Webb, an Englishman. This was in August 1875. He landed in France 21 hours 45 minutes after entering the water at Dover. Since then there have been many successful swims and the time has been shortened. One French swimmer crossed it in 11 hours and 5 minutes.

Because the sea is usually cold, swimmers cover their bodies with grease. This, they say, helps to keep out the cold. They are fed during the swim by men who go with them in small boats.

b) Retell the text above using the phrases in italic type.

c) Comment on the text. Say if you think such a competition is a sport. XXIII. Try your hand at teaching.

1. Say what you would do in the teacher"s position:

Anna, a fourth form pupil, surprised and shocked the children in class because of the long dangling earrings she was wearing. At first the teacher decided to ignore this, hoping the children would soon ignore it also. However, the subdued but excited noise continued. Everyone wanted to see and touch the earrings.

2. Practise your Classroom English.

Prepare a short test on the vocabulary of Unit Six. Play the part of the teacher and give the test in class, check it and comment on each work. (See "Classroom English". Sections VII, IX.)

Еще один короткий рассказ для практики английского языка, для уровня pre-intermediate. Автор Сомерсет Моэм, он был видным английским писателем, и хорошо известен своими короткими рассказами. Моэм описывал людей и места исходя из своего опыта, так и рассказ «Друг познается в беде» основан на его личным опыте. Перевод и задачи прилагаются.

A Friend In Need by S. Maugham

The english gentlemanFor thirty years now I have been studying my fellow-men. I do not know very much about them. I suppose it is on the face that for the most part we judge the persons we meet. We draw our conclusions from the shape of the jaw, the look in the eyes, the shape of the mouth. I shrug my shoulders when people tell me that their first impressions of a person are always right. For my own part I find that the longer I know people the more they puzzle me: my oldest friends are just those of whom I can say that I don’t know anything about them.
These thoughts have occurred to me because I read in this morning’s paper that Edward Hyde Burton had died at Kobe. He was a merchant and he had been in Japan for many years. I knew him very little, but he interested me because once he gave me a great surprise. If I had not heard the story from his own lips I should never have believed that he was capable of such an action. It was the more startling because both his appearance and his manner gave the impression of a very different man. He was a tiny little fellow, very slender, with white hair, a red face much wrinkled, and blue eyes. I suppose he was about sixty when I knew him. He was always neatly and quietly dressed in accordance with his age and station.
Though his offices were in Kobe Burton often came down to Yokohama. I happened on one occasion to be spending a few days there, waiting for a ship, and I was introduced to him at the British Club. We played bridge together. He played a good game and a generous one. He did not talk very much, either then or later when we were having drinks, but what he said was sensible. He had a quiet, dry humour. He seemed to be popular at the club and afterwards, when he had gone, they described him as one of the best. It happened that we were both staying at the Grand Hotel and next day he asked me to dine with him. I met his wife, fat, elderly and smiling, and his two daughters. It was evidently a united and loving family. I think the chief thing that struck me about Burton was his kindliness. There was something very pleasing in his mild blue eyes. His voice was gentle; you could not imagine that he could raise it in anger; his smile was kind. Here was a man who attracted you because you felt in him a real love for his fellows. He had charm. But there was nothing sentimental about him: he liked his game of cards and his cocktail, he could tell a good and spicy story, and in his youth he had been something of an athlete. He was a rich man and he had made every penny himself. I suppose one thing that made you like him was that he was so small and frail; he aroused your instincts of protection. You felt that he would not hurt a fly.
One afternoon I was sitting in the lounge of the Grand Hotel. From the windows you had an excellent view of the harbour with its crowded traffic. There were great liners; merchant ships of all nations, junks and boats sailing in and out. It was a busy scene and yet, I do not know why, restful to the spirit.
Burton came into the lounge presently and caught sight of me. He seated himself in the chair next to mine.
“What do you say to a little drink?”
He clapped his hands for a boy and ordered two drinks. As the boy brought them a man passed along the street outside and seeing me waved his hand.
“Do you know Turner?” said Burton as I nodded a greeting.
“I’ve met him at the club. I’m told he’s a remittance man.”
“Yes, I believe he is. We have a good many here.”
“He plays bridge well.”
“They generally do. There was a fellow here last year, a namesake of mine, who was the best bridge player I ever met. I suppose you never came across him in London. Lenny Burton he called himself.”
“No. I don’t believe I remember the name.”
“He was quite a remarkable player. He seemed to have an instinct about the cards. It was uncanny. I used to play with him a lot. He was in Kobe for some time.”
Burton sipped his gin.
“It’s rather a funny story,”, he said. “He wasn’t a bad chap. I liked him. He was always well-dressed and he was handsome in a way, with curly hair and pink-and-white cheeks. Women thought a lot of him. There was no harm in him, you know, he was only wild. Of course he drank too much. Fellows like him always do. A bit of money used to come in for him once a quarter and he made a bit more by card-playing. He won a good deal of mine, I know that.”
Burton gave a kindly little chuckle.
“I suppose that is why he came to me when he went broke, that and the fact that he was a namesake of mine. He came to see me in my office one day and asked me for a job. I was rather surprised. He told me that there was no more money coming from home and he wanted to work. I asked him how old he was.
“Thirty five,’ he said.
‘”And what have you been doing before?’ I asked him.
‘”Well, nothing very much,’ he said.
“I couldn’t help laughing.
“‘I’m afraid I can’t do anything for you just now,’ I said. ‘Come back and see me in another thirty-five years, and I’ll see what I can do.’
“He didn’t move. He went rather pale. He hesitated for a moment and then he told me that he had had bad luck at cards for some time. He hadn’t a penny. He’d pawned everything he had. He couldn’t pay his hotel bill and they wouldn’t give him any more credit. He was down and out. If he couldn’t get a job he’d have to commit suicide.
“I looked at him for a bit. I could see now that he was all to pieces. He’d been drinking more than usual and he looked fifty.
‘”Well, isn’t there anything you can do except play cards?’ I asked him.
“‘I can swim,’ he said.
“‘Swim!’
“I could hardly believe my ears; it seemed such a silly answer.
“‘I swam for my university.’
“‘I was a pretty good swimmer myself when I was a young man,’ I said.
“Suddenly I had an idea.
Pausing in his story, Burton turned to me.
“Do you know Kobe?” he asked.
“No,” I said, “I passed through it once, but I only spent a night there.”
“Then you don’t know the Shioya Club. When I was a young man I swam from there round the beacon and landed at the creek of Tarumi. It’s over three miles and it’s rather difficult on account of the currents round the beacon. Well, I told my young namesake about it and I said to him that if he’d do it I’d give him a job.
“I could see he was rather taken aback.
“You say you’re a swimmer,’ I said.
‘”I’m not in very good condition,’ he answered.
“I didn’t say anything. I shrugged my shoulders. He looked at me for a moment and then he nodded.
“All right,’ he said. ‘When do you want me to do it?’
“I looked at my watch. It was just after ten.
“The swim shouldn’t take you much over an hour and a quarter. I’ll drive round to the creek at half-past twelve and meet you. I’ll take you back to the club to dress and then we’ll have lunch together.’
“Done,’ he said.
“We shook hands. I wished him good luck and he left me. I had a lot of work to do that morning and I only just managed to get to the creek at half past twelve. I waited for him there, but in vain.”
“Did he get frightened at the last moment?” I asked.
“No, he didn’t. He started swimming. But of course he’d ruined his health by drink. The currents round the beacon were more than he could manage.’ We didn’t get the body for about three days.”
I didn’t say anything for a moment or two. I was a little shocked. Then I asked Burton a question.
“When you offered him the job, did you know that he’d be drowned?”
He gave a little mild chuckle and he looked at me with those kind blue eyes of his. He rubbed his chin with his hand.
“Well, I hadn’t got a vacancy in my office at the moment.”

Перевод

Вот уже тридцать лет я изучаю моих ближних. Не так-то много я о них узнал. Наверно, я не решился бы нанять слугу, доверясь только его внешности, а между тем, мне кажется, в большинстве случаев мы как раз по внешнему виду судим о людях. Смотрим, какой формы у человека подбородок, какой у него взгляд, как очерчен рот, — и делаем выводы. Не уверен, что мы чаще бываем правы, чем ошибаемся. Романы и пьесы нередко фальшивы и нежизненны потому, что их авторы наделяют героев цельными, последовательными характерами, впрочем, пожалуй, они не могут иначе, ведь если сделать характер противоречивым, он станет непонятен. А между тем почти все мы полны противоречий. Каждый из нас — просто случайная мешанина несовместимых качеств. Учебник логики скажет вам, что абсурдно утверждать, будто желтый цвет имеет цилиндрическую форму, а благодарность тяжелее воздуха; но в той смеси абсурдов, которая составляет человеческое «я», желтый цвет вполне может оказаться лошадью с тележкой, а благодарность — серединой будущей недели. Когда люди уверяют меня, что первое впечатление от человека никогда их не обманывает, я только пожимаю плечами. По-моему, такие люди либо не слишком проницательны, либо чересчур самонадеянны. Что до меня — чем дольше я знаю человека, тем загадочней он мне кажется; и как раз про самых старых своих друзей я могу сказать, что не знаю о них ровным счетом ничего.

На эти размышления навела меня заметка, которую я прочитал сегодня в утренней газете: в Кобе скончался Эдвард Хайд Бартон. Он был коммерсант и долгие годы вел дела в Японии. Я мало знал его, но он занимал мои мысли, потому что однажды очень меня удивил. Если бы я не услышал эту историю от него самого, я никогда бы не поверил, что он способен на такой поступок. Это тем поразительней, что по внешности и манерам это был человек вполне определенного склада. Вот уж поистине цельная личность. Маленький, не выше пяти футов четырех дюймов ростом, щуплый, седые волосы, красное лицо все в морщинах и голубые глаза. В ту пору, когда мы познакомились, ему было лет шестьдесят. Одевался он всегда очень тщательно, но отнюдь не крикливо, как и подобало его возрасту и положению.

Хотя его контора находилась в Кобе, Бартон часто наезжал в Иокогаму. Мне однажды пришлось провести там несколько дней в ожидании парохода, и нас познакомили в Британском клубе. Мы оказались партнерами в бридже. Он был хороший игрок и притом не мелочный. Говорил мало — и за игрой, и после за вином, — но все, что он говорил, звучало вполне разумно. Не лишен был чувства юмора — шутил суховато, сдержанно, без улыбки. В клубе он, видимо, был своим человеком, и после его ухода все отзывались о нем наилучшим образом. Оказалось, что мы оба остановились в Гранд-отеле, и назавтра он пригласил меня обедать. Я познакомился с его женой — полной, немолодой женщиной, щедрой на улыбки, — и с двумя дочерьми. Семья, по-видимому, была дружная и любящая. Самой примечательной чертой Бартона мне показалась доброта. Удивительно располагал кроткий взгляд голубых глаз. Голос звучал мягко, нельзя было представить себе, что он может подняться до гневного крика; улыбка — самая благожелательная. Вас влекло к этому человеку, потому что в нем чувствовалась подлинная любовь к ближнему. В нем было обаяние. Но при этом никакой слащавости: он со вкусом играл в карты и пил коктейль, умел рассказать пикантный анекдот и в молодости даже был неплохим спортсменом. Человек состоятельный, он всем своим богатством был обязан только самому себе. Мне кажется, в нем привлекала еще и эта хрупкость и маленький рост: появлялось безотчетное желание защитить его и оберечь. Чувствовалось, что этот человек и мухи не обидит.

Однажды я сидел в гостиной Гранд-отеля. Это было еще до землетрясения, и там стояли кожаные кресла. Из окон открывался вид на просторную, оживленную гавань. Тут были огромные пассажирские пароходы, направляющиеся в Ванкувер и Сан-Франциско, либо через Шанхай, Гонконг и Сингапур — в Европу; грузовые суда под флагами всех стран, потрепанные бурями и непогодой; джонки с высокой кормой и большими разноцветными парусами и бесчисленные сампаны. Жизнь кипела ключом, и однако бог весть почему зрелище это успокаивало душу. Тут была романтика: казалось, стоит протянуть руку — и коснешься ее.

Скоро в гостиной появился Бартон. Заметив меня, он подошел и сел рядом.

— Не выпить ли нам по стаканчику?

Он хлопнул в ладоши, подзывая слугу, и спросил два коктейля. Когда слуга возвратился с подносом, по улице прошел один мой знакомый и, увидев меня в окно, помахал рукой. Я кивнул ему.

— Вы знакомы с Тернером? — спросил Бартон.

— Мы познакомились в клубе. Мне говорили, что он вынужден был покинуть Англию и живет на деньги, которые ему присылают из дому.

— Да, похоже на то. Здесь таких очень много.

— Он недурно играет в бридж.

— Как все они. Тут был один в прошлом году, как ни странно, мой однофамилец, — лучшего игрока я в жизни не встречал. В Лондоне вы вряд ли с ним сталкивались. Он называл себя Ленни Бартон. Вероятно, был раньше членом какого-нибудь аристократического клуба.

— Не припомню такого имени.

— Замечательный был игрок. Какое-то особое чутье на карты. Даже страшновато. Я часто с ним играл. Он некоторое время прожил в Кобе.

Бартон отпил глоток вина.

— Забавная история, — сказал он. — Этот мой однофамилец был неплохой малый. Мне он нравился. Всегда хорошо одет, настоящий франт. Даже красив на свой лад — такой белолицый, румяный, волосы вьются. Женщины на него заглядывались. Он был безвредный, знаете, просто повеса. Пил, конечно, больше, чем надо. Такие всегда сильно пьют. Раз в три месяца он получал немного денег да кое-что выигрывал в карты. У меня по крайней мере он выиграл немало.

Бартон добродушно усмехнулся. Я знал по опыту, что он умел проигрывать не поморщившись. Он погладил чисто выбритый подбородок худой, почти прозрачной рукой со вздувшимися венами.

— Наверно, поэтому он и пришел ко мне, когда остался без гроша, да еще может быть потому, что мы с ним были однофамильцы. В один прекрасный день приходит он ко мне в контору и просит взять его на службу. Я удивился. Он объяснил, что больше не получает денег из дому и ему нужна работа. Я спросил, сколько ему лет.

— Тридцать пять.

— А до сих пор чем вы занимались?

— Да ничем, в сущности. Я не удержался от смеха.

— Боюсь, — говорю, — что пока я ничем не могу вам помочь. Приходите еще через тридцать пять лет, тогда посмотрим.

Он не шелохнулся. Побледнел. Постоял в нерешительности и, наконец, объяснил, что последнее время ему очень не везло в карты. Вечно играть в один только бридж не хотелось, он перешел на покер и проигрался в пух и прах. У него не осталось ни гроша. Он заложил все, что имел. Нечем заплатить по счету в отеле, и в долг больше не верят. Он нищий. Если он не найдет какой-нибудь работы, ему останется только покончить с собой.

Минуту-другую я разглядывал его. И понял, что малому крышка. Видно, последнее время он пил больше обычного, и теперь ему можно было дать все пятьдесят. Женщины уже не восхищались бы им, если б видели его в эту минуту.

— А все-таки, — спросил я, — умеете вы делать еще что-нибудь, кроме как играть в карты?

— Я умею плавать.

Я едва верил своим ушам: экая глупость!

— В университете я был чемпионом по плаванью.

Тут я начал понимать, куда он клонит. Но я встречал слишком много людей, которые в студенческие годы были кумирами своих однокашников, и это не внушало мне особого почтения.

— Я и сам в молодости был недурным пловцом, — сказал я.

И вдруг меня осенило.

Прервав свой рассказ, Бартон неожиданно спросил:

— Вы хорошо знаете Кобе?

— Нет, — сказал я, — останавливался там как-то проездом, но только на одну ночь.

— Тогда вы не знаете Шиойя-клуб. В молодости я проплывал оттуда вокруг маяка до устья ручья Та-руми. Это свыше трех миль, и задача нелегкая, потому что я огибал маяк, а там очень сильное течение. Ну, я рассказал об этом своему тезке и обещал, что если он проплывет там — я возьму его на службу.

Вижу, он растерялся.

— Вы же сказали, что вы хороший пловец, — говорю.

— Но я сейчас немного не в форме.

Я ничего не сказал, только пожал плечами. Он посмотрел, посмотрел на меня — и кивнул.

— Согласен, — говорит. — Когда мне плыть?

Я поглядел на часы. Было начало одиннадцатого.

— У вас уйдет на это примерно час с четвертью, может быть, чуть больше. Я подъеду к ручью в половине первого и встречу вас. Потом отвезу назад в клуб, вы переоденетесь, и вместе позавтракаем.

— Ладно.

Мы пожали друг другу руки, я пожелал ему успеха, и он ушел. В то утро у меня была куча работы, и я

Еле поспел к половине первого к устью Таруми. Но напрасно я спешил: мой тезка так и не явился.

— Струсил в последнюю минуту? — спросил я.

— Нет, не струсил. Поплыть-то он поплыл. Но пьянством и беспутством он погубил свое здоровье. Он не мог справиться с течением у маяка. Тело нашли только на третий день.

Несколько минут я молчал. Я был несколько ошеломлен. Потом задал Бартону один вопрос:

— Скажите, когда вы предлагали ему плыть, вы знали, что он утонет?

Бартон тихонько хихикнул, посмотрел мне прямо в глаза кроткими, наивными голубыми глазами и потер ладонью подбородок.

— Видите ли, — сказал он, — места-то свободного у меня в конторе все равно не было.

Задачи
1. Замените выделенные слова данными синонимами

To judge
A namesake of
To raise one`s voice
Puzzled
To think a lot of
To ruin one`s health
To occur
Down and out

1. We often form an opinion about a person by his looks.
2. These thoughts came to my mind because I read in this morning`s newspaper about Edward Burton`s death.
3. You could not imagine that he could speak in a higher tone in anger.
4. There was a fellow there last year whose name was also Edward.
5. Women thought highly of him.
6. He was unemployed and without money .
7. I could see he was rather taken aback .
8. But of course he undermined his health by drink.

2. Правильно распределить слова

Вот уже без малого тридцать лет я изучаю своих ближних. Я знаю о них не очень-то и много. Полагаю, что мы оцениваем людей, с которыми встречаемся, в первую очередь по лицу. Мы делаем выводы исходя из формы челюсти, выражения глаз, формы рта. Когда люди говорят мне, что их первые впечатления о человеке всегда верны, я только пожимаю плечами. На собственном опыте я убедился, что чем дольше знаешь человека, тем более он загадочен: о самых давних своих друзьях я могу сказать только то, что ничего о них не знаю.
Эти мысли посетили меня после того, как я прочитал в утренней газете о смерти Эдварда Хайда Бёртона в Кобэ. Он был торговцем и жил в Японии много лет. Мы были почти не знакомы, но он запомнился мне, потому что однажды очень сильно удивил меня. Если бы я не слышал эту историю из его собственных уст, то никогда бы не поверил, что он способен на такое. Это было тем более поразительным, что и внешность его, и манеры создавали впечатление совершенно другого человека. Он был невысоким старичком, очень стройным, с седыми волосами, с красным, испещренным морщинами лицом и голубыми глазами. Я думаю, в то время ему было где-то около шестидесяти. Одевался он всегда аккуратно и скромно, в соответствии со своим возрастом и положением.
Хотя его контора находилась в Кобэ, Бёртон часто приезжал в Иокогаму. Так получилось, что однажды я задержался на несколько дней в этом городе, ожидая корабль, и меня представили Бёртону в Британском клубе. Мы сыграли в бридж. Он играл хорошо и не скупясь. Он говорил не много, только время от времени отпускал реплику, когда мы отвлекались на выпивку, но все, что он говорил, было разумно. У него был сухой и сдержанный юмор. Судя по всему, он был известен в клубе, и когда он ушел, о нем отзывались очень хорошо. Оказалось, что мы оба остановились в "Гранд Отеле", и на следующий день он пригласил меня отобедать с ним. Я познакомился с его женой, полной, пожилой и улыбчивой, и с двумя его дочерьми. Это была дружная семья, где все любили друг друга. Я думаю, что больше всего меня поразила в Бёртоне его доброта. Было нечто благостное в его мягких голубых глазах. У него был приятный голос; невозможно представить, чтобы он мог прогневаться; добрая улыбка озаряла его лицо. Он привлекал вас, потому что в нем чувствовалась неподдельная любовь к ближнему. От него исходило особое очарование. Но ничего сентиментального в нем не было: он любил выпить и перекинуться в карты, мог рассказать пикантную историю, а в молодости вел спортивный образ жизни. Он был богатым человеком, и каждый пенни заработал сам. Думаю, он располагал других к себе благодаря своей миниатюрности и хрупкости; его хотелось взять под защиту. Чувствовалось, что он и мухи не обидит.
Однажды днем я сидел в гостиной "Гранд Отеля". Из окон открывался отличный вид на гавань с ее оживленным движением. Там были огромные лайнеры; торговые суда всех стран; шлюпки и лодки, снующие туда и сюда. Картина этой деятельности, не знаю уж почему, приносила покой моей душе.
Тогда же в гостиную вошел Бёртон и заметил меня. Он сел на стул рядом со мной.
- Не хотите ли выпить?
Он подозвал официанта и заказал выпивку на двоих. Когда официант принес ее, человек, проходящий за окном по улице, увидел меня и махнул мне рукой.
- Вы знаете Тёрнера? - спросил Бёртон, когда я кивнул в знак приветствия.
- Да, говорят, он живет на денежные переводы.
- Охотно верю этому. Тут таких много.
- Он хорошо играет в бридж.
- Они все обычно хорошо играют. В прошлом году сюда приезжал парень, мой тезка, лучший игрок в бридж, которого я когда-либо встречал. Полагаю, вам не довелось столкнуться с ним в Лондоне. Он называл себя Ленни Бёртон.
- Нет, не думаю, что помню это имя.
- Он был совершенно замечательным игроком. У него было особое чутье в картах. Это было удивительно. Мы с ним много играли. Он некоторое время жил в Кобэ.
Бёртон пригубил джин.
- Это довольно забавная история, - сказал он. - Он не был плохим парнем. Я любил его. Он всегда хорошо одевался, был по-своему симпатичным, с вьющимися волосами и румяными щеками. Он нравился женщинам. В нем не было ничего дурного, но, знаете, он был несколько диковат. Конечно, он пил слишком много. Такие, как он, всегда пьют. Ему присылали немного денег раз в квартал, и еще немного он зарабатывал игрой в карты. Уверен, что большую часть он выигрывал у меня.
Бёртон добродушно усмехнулся.
- Полагаю, что когда он проигрался, то обратился ко мне именно потому, что был моим тезкой. Однажды он пришел ко мне в контору и попросил меня устроить его на работу. Я был весьма удивлен. Он сказал, что ему из дома больше не присылают деньги, и что он хочет работать. Я спросил, сколько ему лет. "Тридцать пять," - ответил он. "И чем вы занимались ранее?" - спросил я его. "Да, собственно, ничем особенным," - сказал он. Я едва сдержал смех. "Боюсь, что ничего не могу для вас сделать, - сказал я, - приходите еще через тридцать пять лет, тогда посмотрим, чем я смогу помочь".
Он не двигался. Лицо его заметно побледнело. Он колебался с минуту, а потом поведал мне, что в последнее время ему не везло в картах. У него не было ни пенни. Он заложил все, что у него было. Он не мог оплачивать гостиничные счета, и ему больше не давали в кредит. Он был в отчаянии. Если ему не удастся найти работу, ему придется покончить с собой. Я взглянул на него. Теперь я видел, что он был не в себе. В последнее время он пил больше обычного и выглядел на все пятьдесят. "Хорошо, вы умеете что-нибудь кроме как играть в карты?" - спросил я. "Я умею плавать," - сказал он. - "Плавать!" - "Я выступал за свой университет." - "В молодости я тоже был хорошим пловцом," - ответил я. Неожиданно ко мне пришла идея.
Прерывая рассказ, Бёртон повернулся ко мне.
- Вы хорошо знакомы с Кобэ? - спросил он.
- Нет, я был там однажды проездом, но останавливался всего лишь на ночь.
- Тогда вы не знаете о клубе Шиойя. В молодости я плавал оттуда вокруг маяка до устья реки Таруми. Это более трех миль, и плыть довольно трудно из-за течений вокруг маяка. Итак, я сказал об этом моему тезке и заявил, что если он проплывет, то я устрою его на работу. Я видел, что он был озадачен. "Вы говорили, что умеете плавать," - сказал я. "Я не в очень хорошей форме," - ответил он. Я молча пожал плечами. Он посмотрел на меня и затем кивнул. "Хорошо, - сказал он, - когда вы хотите, чтобы я сделал это?" Я посмотрел на часы. Было начало одиннадцатого. "Заплыв не займет у вас более часа с четвертью. Я приеду к устью в половине первого и встречу вас. Я отвезу вас в клуб, чтобы вы могли одеться, а потом мы вместе пообедаем." "Договорились," - сказал он. Мы пожали друг другу руки. Я пожелал ему удачи, и он удалился. В то утро у меня было много работы, и я едва успел приехать к устью в половине первого. Я ждал его, но напрасно.
- Он испугался в последний момент? - спросил я.
- Нет. Он начал плыть. Но его здоровье, конечно же, было подорвано пьянством. Течения вокруг маяка оказались слишком сильными, и он не смог одолеть их. Мы искали тело около трех дней.
Некоторое время я ничего не говорил. Я испытал потрясение. Затем я спросил Бёртона:
- Вы были уверены, что он утонет, когда предлагали ему работу?
Он издал легкий смешок и посмотрел на меня своими добрыми голубыми глазами. Потер подбородок рукой.
- Ну, у меня в конторе не было свободных должностей в тот момент.

I have read an extract from the book under the title “A friend in need” by William Somerset Maugham. To start with I"d like to draw your attention to the author of this story. William Somerset Maugham is an outstanding English writer. He is best known by his short stories: "The man with scar", "Louisa", "Home", "A Woman of Fifty" and many others. The story is a relationship type with some psychological elements. It is a drama story. The tone of the story is tragic with melancholic and emotional slant. The extract is written in a matter of fact way. The subject matter of the story is drawn from life and deals with the problem of true friendship. To my mind, the title of the story is an allusion to a well-known “a friend in need is a friend indeed” and the author dropped the second parts of this proverb on purpose. The scene is laid on the island near the creek of Tarumi. The story touches upon the problem of relationship between people, namely it presents a broad panorama of the friendship between two men. The story under consideration presents a third person narration. Summary. This story is about the man who has had bad luck at cards. He doesn’t have any many and he is in a bad condition because has been drink a lot. He comes to his successful and prosperous friend and asks him for a job. But he can’t do anything except swimming. The friend agrees to give him a job on condition that he swims round the beacon, which he knows is impossible to do in such a bad condition. The young man has nothing to do but agree. He gets drown, but his friend doesn’t express any regret. It turns out that he just hasn’t got a vacancy in his office. The text falls into 3 logically connected parts. The first part is the exposition, the second part is rising action and the last part is climax followed by denouement. The author begins his story by describing the appearance and personality one of the friends. The author creates the atmosphere of hidden envy, hate, taunt and lies on the part of Burton to his friend who has careless lifestyle, catches admiring glances of women and has prosperity of money. The second part tells presents the conversation between two friends one of which is in a difficult situation and another has a chance to help him. The author describes the situation in a sarcastic way. Burton tries humiliate his friend and mocked in every possible way. The climax lies in the sentence ““Done”, he said. We shook hands. I wish him good luck and he left me" and is followed by denouement. To make the story more realistic and vivid the author employs different stylistic devices: "Epithets": “well-dressed”, “smart-looking”, “pink-and white cheeks” (to describe the appearance of the young man); “kindly little chuckle” (to show Burton’s manner to his friend); “pretty good swimmer” (to describe the character when he was young); “trifle shocked” (to show emotional states of Burton after the accident); “kind and candid blue eyes” (to describe Burton’s appearance). “Special choice of words”: “be down and out”, “be all to pieces” (to show the internal emotional state of the man) "Syntactic parallelism alongside with repetition": "He didn"t move. He went rather pale. He hesitated for a moment and then told me that he had had bad luck at cards for some time. He hadn"t been willing to stick to bridge, he"d been playing poker, and he"d got trimmed. He hadn"t a penny. He"d pawned everything he had. He couldn"t pay his hotel bill and they wouldn"t give him any more credit. He was down and out. If he couldn"t get something to do he"d have to commit suicide." (to show how desperate the situation was). The protagonist of the story is one of the friends described by the author both directly and indirectly through his appearance and the actions when he was young. (/He wasn"t a bad chap. I liked him. He was always well-dressed and smart-looking. He was handsome in a way, with curly hair and pink-and white cheeks. Women thought a lot of him. There was no harm in him, you know, he was only wild. Of course he drank too much. Those sort of fellows always do. A bit of money used to come in for him once a quarter and he made a bit more by card-playing. He won a good deal of mine, I know that/) So, we see the man as an avid gamer, lascivious and outgoing guy who doesn’t know the price of money. The antagonist of the story is Burton. The author describes him both directly and indirectly through his attitude to his friend. (/ I suppose that is why he came to me when he went broke, that and the fact that he was a namesake of mine. He came to see me in my office one day and asked me for a job. I was rather surprised. He told me that there was no more money coming from home and he wanted to work. I asked him how old he was/). This person makes an impression of envious, slippery and false man. The main idea of the extract is to show that not every friend is a true friend. A True friend will be with you when you have a problem, he\she will always help you. This story teaches us to be tolerant to each other, to help our friends in every way, because we can also find ourselves in difficult situation.