Короткий английский текст для практики чтения и перевода.
He was born and raised in North Carolina. He left school when he was fifteen, and after moving to Texas, he held a variety of jobs: working on a ranch, in a real estate office, and in a pharmacy. After he was married, he became a teller in a bank, where he was liked and trusted by everyone. Later, he ran a weekly newspaper in Austin and became a reporter for a Houston paper. Then, like a thunderbolt, came the startling news that he had been charged with embezzlement.
A deficit had been discovered in the bank where he had worked, a shortage of $854. Unable to face the scandal of a trial, he left the United States and settled in Honduras, where he worked as a plantation bookkeeper, a druggist, and a printer. When his wife became ill, he returned home and gave himself up. His wife died a few months later, and it was nearly a year before he was tried. The evidence against him was not very strong, but he offered no defense, the fact that he had run away was enough to convict him.
For two years he worked as the prison drug clerk, from five each night until five in the morning. Then he became secretary to the prison steward, a position which allowed him considerable freedom of movement. After his release from prison, the humiliation of having been a convict was so strong that he never went back to his former life, or ever again used his real name.
While in prison he had written some stories and had sold a half dozen of them, earning about three hundred dollars. It was enough money to take him to New York when he was released, where he now dedicated himself to a career as a writer. He developed his own, special style, a simple, straightforward way of telling a story which soon made him one of the most popular authors of his day. This is William Sidney Porter who is remembered by millions of readers as America’s greatest master of the short story, 0. Henry.
| He was born and raised in North Carolina. | Он родился и вырос в Северной Каролине. | |
| He left school when he was fifteen, and after moving to Texas, he held a variety of jobs: working on a ranch, in a real estate office, and in a pharmacy. | Он оставил школу в пятнадцатилетнем возрасте и, переехав в Техас, он выполнял много работ: работал на ранчо, в офисе по недвижимости и в аптеке. | |
| After he was married, he became a teller in a bank, where he was liked and trusted by everyone. | Женившись, он стал кассиром в банке, где его все любили и доверяли. | |
| Later, he ran a weekly newspaper in Austin and became a reporter for a Houston paper. | Позднее он заведовал еженедельной газетой в Остине и стал репортером газеты в Хьюстоне. | |
| Then, like a thunderbolt, came the startling news that he had been charged with embezzlement. | Затем, как гром среди ясного неба, пришла страшная новость о том, что его обвинили в растрате. | |
| A deficit had been discovered in the bank where he had worked, a shortage of $854. | В банке, где он работал, обнаружился недочет — нехватка 854$. | |
| Unable to face the scandal of a trial, he left the United States and settled in Honduras, where he worked as a plantation bookkeeper, a druggist, and a printer. | Будучи неспособным вынести скандальный суд, он покинул Соединенные Штаты и поселился в Гондурасе, где он работал в качестве бухгалтера на плантации и в качестве печатника. | |
| When his wife became ill, he returned home and gave himself up. | Когда его жена заболела, он вернулся и сдался полиции. | |
| His wife died a few months later, and it was nearly a year before he was tried. | Несколько месяцев спустя его жена заболела, и это произошло почти за год до того, как его осудили. | |
| The evidence against him was not very strong, but he offered no defense, the fact that he had run away was enough to convict him. | Доказательства его вины были не очень существенны, но он не защищался — для обвинения было достаточно того факта, что он скрылся от суда. | |
| For two years he worked as the prison drug clerk, from five each night until five in the morning. | В течение двух лет он работал служащим тюремной аптеки, каждое утро с пяти вечера до пяти утра. | |
| Then he became secretary to the prison steward, a position which allowed him considerable freedom of movement. | Потом он стал секретарем тюремного распорядителя — должность, которая давала ему значительную свободу передвижения. | |
| After his release from prison, the humiliation of having been a convict was so strong that he never went back to his former life, or ever again used his real name. | Выйдя из тюрьмы, унижение от того, что он был обвинен, было настолько сильным, что он так и не вернулся к прежней жизни и даже не использовал свое настоящее имя. | |
| While in prison he had written some stories and had sold a half dozen of them, earning about three hundred dollars. | В тюрьме он написал несколько рассказов и продал из них полдюжины, заработав примерно триста долларов. | |
| It was enough money to take him to New York when he was released, where he now dedicated himself to a career as a writer. | Этих денег хватило, чтобы после освобождения отправиться в Нью-Йорк, где он посвятил себя карьере писателя. | |
| He developed his own, special style, a simple, straightforward way of telling a story which soon made him one of the most popular authors of his day. | Он разработал свой собственный, особый стиль, простой и прямой способ рассказа истории, что вскоре сделало его самым популярным писателем своих дней. | |
| This is William Sidney Porter who is remembered by millions of readers as America’s greatest master of the short story, 0. Henry. | Это Уильям Сидней Портер, которого многие миллионы знают как величайшего американского мастера короткого рассказа О. Генри. | |
From «America s Great» hy Gene Moss