The clerk said he thought not.
"Very well", said Colonel Pope. "You can go to the rink and help Wilmot out for tomorrow."
The next day I went to the bicycle rink and found that what Wilmot wanted was a man to teach beginners to ride. I had never been on a bicycle in my life nor even very c}ose to one, but in a couple of hours I had learnt to ride a bicycle myself and was teaching other people.
Next day Mr. Wilmot paid me a dollar. He didn't say anything about my coming back the next morning, but I came and went to work, very much afraid that I vrould be told I wasn't needed. After that Mr. Wilmot did not exactly engage me, but he forgot to discharge me, and I came back every day and went to work. At the end of the week Colonel Pope sent for me and placed me in charge of the uptown' rink.
Colonel Pope was a man who watched his workmen. I hadn't been mistaken when I felt that a young man would have a chance with him. He often used to say that "water would find its level", and he kept an eye on us. One day he called me into his office and asked me if I could edit a magazine.
"Yes, sir," I replied quickly. I remember it flashed through my mind that I could do anything I was put at '96 that if I were required to run an ocean steamer I could somehow manage to do it. I could learn to do it as I went along'. I answered as quickly as I could get the words out of my mouth, afraid that Colonel Pope would change his mind before I could get them out.
This is how I got my first job. And I have never doubted ever since that one of the reasons why I got it was that I had been "willing to wash windows and scrub floors". I had been ready for anything.
NOTES:
'Sommerville – ozpaeaa
to get oneself established – їaAvї
laying off hands – ysozrbsaa
hang on – aacvazaavb
everything would be all up with me – pzra Meїa sce
downtown – pezroaaa sacvb
uptown – meaaa їacvb
as I went along – no xopy peaa
Exercises and Assignments on the Text
Упражнения и Задания к Тексту
Assignment # One – Задание № 1
Найдите в тексте английские эквиваленты следующих слов, выражений и оборотов:
было больно двигаться – _________________________________________;
больной и несчастный – _________________________________________;
у него жар – _________________________________________;
форма гриппа – _________________________________________;
записал время приема лекарств – _________________________________________;
темные круги под глазами – _________________________________________;
не слушал, что я читаю – _________________________________________;
немного бредил – _________________________________________;
никого не пускал в комнату – _________________________________________;
это глупости – _________________________________________;
его взгляд уже не был таким напряженным – _______________________________________;
напряжение спало – _________________________________________.
Assignment # Two – Задание № 2
Дайте русские эквиваленты следующих слов, выражений и оборотов из текста; Составьте по три предложения с каждым их этих оборотов:
look ill – _________________________________________;
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
take smb's temperature – _________________________________________;
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
there is something (nothing) to worry about – _________________________________________;
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
there is some (no) danger – _________________________________________;
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
to go to sleep – _________________________________________;
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
cannot keep from doing smth – _________________________________________;
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
do good – _________________________________________;
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
be of some (much, no) importance – _________________________________________;
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Assignment # Three – Задание № 3
Ответьте на следующие вопросы:
1) What signs of illness could the boy's father notice when he came into the room?
When he came into the room ______________________________________________________.
2) Did the boy go to bed as his father had asked him?
_______________________________________________________________________________.
3) What did the doctor say? What did he prescribe?
_______________________________________________________________________________.
4) Find in the text the sentences which prove that something serious worried the boy.
_______________________________________________________________________________.
5) Why didn't the boy let anyone come into the room?
_______________________________________________________________________________.
6) Which of the boy's questions reviled everything to his father?
_______________________________________________________________________________.
7) What was the real reason of the boy's sufferings?
_______________________________________________________________________________.
8) In what way did father explain everything to his son?
_______________________________________________________________________________.
Assignment # Four – Задание № 4