«Высшая мера» и другие рассказы на английском языке

The dancers were accompanied by a small group of musicians playing Russian folk instruments, balalaikas, which was very unusual for the local people, who were mostly Arabs, as their music was completely different; they were altogether amused, amazed and thoroughly entertained.

The group was especially successful in Aleppo, as thousands of Armenians live there. Armenia was a republic of the Soviet Union at that time, and when the locals learnt that a group from Russia were playing, and also that they played music by Khachaturian, the famous Armenian composer, they flocked to the performance.

The group was very warmly received. The audience applauded and encored them many times, and was very enthusiastic, maybe because they liked the music so much and felt a deep nostalgic connection with it.

The group stayed in a beautiful five star hotel in Damascus, with luxurious facilities, swimming pools, tennis courts, huge four course meals and top class service, which was a real novelty for me.

To this day, I still think the whole experience was one of the greatest of my life. It was my first trip abroad, and the first impressions are the strongest.

Словарик

compose составлять

to see them dance смотреть, как они танцуют

couldn’t help admiring не мог не восхищаться

magnificent великолепный

chilly прохладный

blistering hotздесь очень жарко

awning навес из плотной ткани над входом

unbearable невыносимый

carry on продолжать(ся)

dazzling success здесь оглушительный успех

go wildздесь приходить в неистовство

applaud хлопать в ладоши

encore еще раз (на “бис”)

amazed удивленный

thoroughly здесь полностью

flock здесь собираться

luxurious роскошный

novelty здесь было в новинку

experienceздесь впечатления от поездки

Вопросы и задания

Who was Alexander and why did he go to Damascus?

Why did Alex like the dancing group?

What did the group feel when they arrived in Damascus?

Why was Syria like an upside-down world for Alex?

Was the tour a success? Prove your point of view.

Why was Alex so much impressed by his trip to Syria?

Read aloud and translate any paragraph you like.

How I took Pictures of Michael Jackson*

(1052 words)

It happened when I lived in Budapest with my mother who worked at the American International School of Budapest. One August evening, as I was coming back from a fitness center, I saw an ad.