10 shorts stories by O. Henry. Книга для чтения на английском языке

Преподаватель английского языка

Роман Зинзер

zinzer-studio.com

@romanzinzer

The Gift of the Magi

One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. She had put it aside |Она откладывала деньги. To put aside – откладывать|, one cent and then another and then another, in her careful buying of meat and other food. Della counted it three times. One dollar and eighty-seven cents. And the next day would be Christmas.

There was nothing to do but fall on the bed and cry |”But” в этом случае значит “кромекак”|.

So Della did it.

While the lady of the home is slowly growing quieter |медленно успокаивалась|, we can look at the home. Furnished rooms at a cost of $8 a week. There is little more to say about it.

In the hall below was a letter-box too small to hold a letter. There was an electric bell, but it could not make a sound. Also there was a name beside the door: “Mr. James Dillingham Young.”

When the name was placed there, Mr. James Dillingham Young was being paid $30 a week |ему платили.

Пассив: над ним совершали действие, to be и третья форма глагола. “Being”, чтобы подчеркнуть периодичностьвыплат|. Now, when he was being paid only $20 a week, the name seemed too long and important. It should perhaps have been “Mr. James D. Young.”|наверно, имядолжнобылобызвучать| But when Mr. James Dillingham Young entered the furnished rooms, his name became very short indeed. Mrs. James Dillingham Young put her arms warmly about him and called him “Jim.” You have already met her |выснейужевстречались|. She is Della.

Della finished her crying and cleaned the marks of it from her face. She stood by the window and looked out with no interest. Tomorrow would be Christmas Day, and she had only $1.87 with which to buy Jim a gift. She had put aside as much as she could for months, with this result. Twenty dollars a week is not much. Everything had cost more than she had expected |had и третья форма глагола. О. Генри очень любит рассказывать о событиях, предшествующих повествованию|.

It always happened like that |таким образом|.

Only $ 1.87 to buy a gift for Jim. Her Jim. She had had many happy hours planning something nice for him |had had – это не опечатка. Это опять же had и третья форма глагола have, которые значат, что на тот момент у нее было много счастья с Джимом|. Something nearly good enough. Something almost worth the honor of belonging to Jim |стоящее тойчести|.

There was a looking-glass between the windows of the room.