Короткий английский текст для практики чтения и перевода.
At eighteen the young clerk realized there was little future for him in his native Germany. Scraping up enough money for the passage, he made the long journey across the Atlantic to America, where his two older brothers had preceded him. He was disappointed to discover that his brothers were peddlers, not millionaires in New York. But with no skill or trade, and only a few words of English, he was forced to become a peddler as well. He learned quickly and soon began to earn a decent living. Although his brothers seemed content with their lives, he knew that America offered far greater potential. When he heard that gold had been discovered in California, he took his savings, bought all the merchandise he could, and sailed on a ship to San Francisco.
There was such a need of goods of all kinds that he sold almost everything as soon as he arrived. He had nothing left to sell except several rolls of light canvas with which he intended to make tents for the miners. He bought a wagon, loaded it with his rolls of material, and set out to sell it. But when one of the first miners told him of a special problem, he suddenly got an idea. It was then that one of the great success stories of America was born.
Nowhere in San Francisco could the miners find clothing which was strong enough to withstand the wear and tear of the rocky terrain where they looked for gold. The young immigrant went to a tailor and had all of his material, a light canvas called «denim,» made into pants in several sizes. He sold them all in one day, then began improving his new product. Leaming that the pockets often tore from the weight of heavy rocks, he got the idea of fixing the pockets in place with copper rivets.
As the years went by, the pants he made became extremely popular throughout the West. He died a wealthy man, having founded a company which today is known all over the world. It all began with a few rolls of material in the back of a wagon owned by a little peddler named Levi Strauss.
| At eighteen the young clerk realized there was little future for him in his native Germany. | В восемнадцать лет молодой клерк понял, что для него было мало будущего в его родной Германии. | |
| Scraping up enough money for the passage, he made the long journey across the Atlantic to America, where his two older brothers had preceded him. | Насобирав достаточно денег для переезда, он совершил длинную поездку через Атлантический океан, куда еще раньше уехали его братья. | |
| He was disappointed to discover that his brothers were peddlers, not millionaires in New York. | Он был разочарован узнать то, что его братья были мелкими торговцами, а не миллионерами в Нью-Йорке. | |
| But with no skill or trade, and only a few words of English, he was forced to become a peddler as well. | Но не имея ни навыков, ни профессии, и зная только несколько слов по-английски, он был также вынужден стать мелким торговцем. | |
| He learned quickly and soon began to earn a decent living. | Он быстро учился, и вскоре начал зарабатывать приличные средства к существованию. | |
| Although his brothers seemed content with their lives, he knew that America offered far greater potential. | Хотя его братья казались довольными своей жизнью, он знал, что Америка дает гораздо больше возможностей. | |
| When he heard that gold had been discovered in California, he took his savings, bought all the merchandise he could, and sailed on a ship to San Francisco. | Когда он услышал, что в Калифорнии было найдено золото, он собрал свои сбережения, купил товаров, каких только мог и отправился на корабле в Сан-Франциско. | |
| There was such a need of goods of all kinds that he sold almost everything as soon as he arrived. | Была такая потребность во всех видах товаров, что он продал почти все сразу, как только прибыл. | |
| He had nothing left to sell except several rolls of light canvas with which he intended to make tents for the miners. | У него ничего больше не оставалось на продажу, кроме нескольких рулонов светлого полотна, их которых он намеревался делать палатки для горняков. | |
| He bought a wagon, loaded it with his rolls of material, and set out to sell it. | Он купил повозку, нагрузил ее рулонами материи и отправился продавать это. | |
| But when one of the first miners told him of a special problem, he suddenly got an idea. | Но когда один из первых горняков рассказал ему об особой проблеме, то у него родилась идея. | |
| It was then that one of the great success stories of America was born. | Именно тогда родилась одна из величайших американских историй успеха. | |
| Nowhere in San Francisco could the miners find clothing which was strong enough to withstand the wear and tear of the rocky terrain where they looked for gold. | Нигде в Сан-Франциско горняки не могли найти одежду, которая была крепка, чтобы не изнашивалась и не рвалась от каменистой территории, на которой они искали золото. | |
| The young immigrant went to a tailor and had all of his material, a light canvas called “denim,” made into pants in several sizes. | Молодой иммигрант пошел к портному и попросил сделать из своего материала, светлого полотна под названием “деним”, штаны нескольких размеров. | |
| He sold them all in one day, then began improving his new product. | Он продал их за один день и потом начал улучшать свой новый продукт. | |
| Leaming that the pockets often tore from the weight of heavy rocks, he got the idea of fixing the pockets in place with copper rivets. | Узнав, что карманы часто рвутся от веса тяжелых камней, ему пришла мысль оснастить карманы медными заклепками. | |
| As the years went by, the pants he made became extremely popular throughout the West. | С течением времени штаны, которые он делал, стали крайне крайне популярными на всем Западе. | |
| He died a wealthy man, having founded a company which today is known all over the world. | Он умер богатым человеком, основав компанию, которая сегодня известна по всему миру. | |
| It all began with a few rolls of material in the back of a wagon owned by a little peddler named Levi Strauss. | А началась она с нескольких рулоном материи, брошенными в повозку, владельцем которой был мелкий торговец по имени Ливай Страусс. | |
From «America’s Great» by Gene Moss