Короткий английский текст для практики чтения и перевода.
That summer when twelve-year-old Luke Baldwin came to live with his Uncle Henry in the house on the stream by the sawmill, he did not forget that he had promised his dying father he would try to learn things from his uncle; so he used to watch him very carefully.
Uncle Henry, who was the manager of the sawmill, was a big man weighing more than two hundred and thirty pounds, and he had a rough-skinned, brick-coloured face. He looked like a powerful man, but his health was not good. He had aches and pains in his back and shoulders which puzzled the doctor. The first thing Luke learned about Uncle Henry was that everybody had great respect for him. The four men he employed in the sawmill were always polite and attentive when he spoke to them. His wife, a kindly, plump, straightforward woman, never argued with him. «You should try and be like your Uncle Henry,» she would say to Luke. «He’s so wonderfully practical. He takes care of everything in a sensible, easy way.»
Luke used to trail around the sawmill after Uncle Henry not only because he liked the fresh clean smell of the newly cut wood and the big piles of sawdust, but because he was impressed by his uncle’s precise, firm tone when he spoke to the men.
Sometimes Uncle Henry would stop and explain to Luke something about a piece of lumber. «Always try and learn the essential facts, son,» he would say. «If you’ve got the facts, you know what’s useful and what isn’t useful, and no one can fool you.»
He showed Luke that nothing of value was ever wasted around the mill. Luke used to listen, and wonder if there was another man in the world who knew so well what was needed and what ought to be thrown away. Uncle Henry had known at once that Luke needed good, serviceable clothes. He also knew exactly how much his wife needed to run the house, the price of everything, and how much a woman should be paid for doing the family washing. In the evenings Luke used to sit in the living room watching his uncle making notes in a black notebook which he always carried in his vest pocket, but he knew that he was assessing the value of the smallest transaction that had taken place during the day.
| That summer when twelve-year-old Luke Baldwin came to live with his Uncle Henry in the house on the stream by the sawmill, he did not forget that he had promised his dying father he would try to learn things from his uncle; so he used to watch him very carefully. | В то лето, когда двадцатилетний Люк Болдуин приехал жить к дяде Генри в доме на речушке возле лесопилке, он не забыл об обещании, данном его умирающему отцу, обучиться разным полезным вещам у дяди; так что он (Люк) внимательно наблюдал за ним (дядей). | |
| Uncle Henry, who was the manager of the sawmill, was a big man weighing more than two hundred and thirty pounds, and he had a rough-skinned, brick-coloured face. | Дядя Генри, который был управляющим лесопилки, был большим мужчиной весом более двухсот тридцати фунтов и имел бородавчатое лицо кирпичного цвета. | |
| He looked like a powerful man, but his health was not good. He had aches and pains in his back and shoulders which puzzled the doctor. The first thing Luke learned about Uncle Henry was that everybody had great respect for him. | Он выглядел сильным, но его здоровье было не очень хорошим. Он страдал от болей в спине и плечах, которые были загадкой для врача. Первое, что узнал Люк о дяде Генри, было большое всеобщее уважение к нему. | |
| The four men he employed in the sawmill were always polite and attentive when he spoke to them. His wife, a kindly, plump, straightforward woman, never argued with him. | Четыре работника, которых он держал на лесопилке, всегда были вежливы и внимательны, когда он говорил с ними. Его жена, добрая, пышная и простая женщина, никогда не спорила с ним. | |
| “You should try and be like your Uncle Henry,” she would say to Luke. “He’s so wonderfully practical. He takes care of everything in a sensible, easy way.” | «Ты должен стараться и быть, как твой дядя Генри», она обычно говорила Люку. «Он удивительно практичен. Он печется обо всем разумным и простым способом». | |
| Luke used to trail around the sawmill after Uncle Henry not only because he liked the fresh clean smell of the newly cut wood and the big piles of sawdust, but because he was impressed by his uncle’s precise, firm tone when he spoke to the men. | Люк обычно ходил за дядей по лесопилке не только потому что любил свежий, чистый запах только что напиленной древесины и больших куч опилок, но и потому что он был поражен четким и уверенным тоном, которым дядя говорил с работниками. | |
| Sometimes Uncle Henry would stop and explain to Luke something about a piece of lumber. “Always try and learn the essential facts, son,” he would say. “If you’ve got the facts, you know what’s useful and what isn’t useful, and no one can fool you.” | Иногда дядя Генри останавливался и что-то объяснял Люку о каком-нибудь куске дерева. «Сынок, всегда старайся узнать самые основные сведения,» — обычно говорил он. «Если ты владеешь ими, то знаешь, что полезно и что неполезно, и никто не сможет обмануть тебя». | |
| He showed Luke that nothing of value was ever wasted around the mill. Luke used to listen, and wonder if there was another man in the world who knew so well what was needed and what ought to be thrown away. | Он показал Люку, что ничего ценного не расходуется на лесопилке просто так. Люк слушал и желал знать, есть ли еще какой-нибудь человек в мире, который знал, в чем была нужда, а что следует выкинуть. | |
| Uncle Henry had known at once that Luke needed good, serviceable clothes. He also knew exactly how much his wife needed to run the house, the price of everything, and how much a woman should be paid for doing the family washing. | Дядя Генри сразу же определил, что Люку нужна была хорошая, прочная одежда. Он также точно знал, как много работы следует жене выполнить по дому, цену всему и сколько надо платить работнице за стирку белья всей семьи. | |
| In the evenings Luke used to sit in the living room watching his uncle making notes in a black notebook which he always carried in his vest pocket, but he knew that he was assessing the value of the smallest transaction that had taken place during the day. | По вечерам Люк обычно сидел в жилой комнате, наблюдая, как его дядя делает заметки в черной записной книжке, которую он всегда носил в кармане своей рубахи, и зная, что тот оценивает стоимость даже мельчайшей операции, которая имела место быть в течение дня. | |
After «Luke Baldwin’s Vow» by Morley Callaghan