Фрэнсис Фицджеральд – The Great Gatsby / Великий Гэтсби. Книга для чтения на английском языке (страница 6)
Myrtle sat close to me, and suddenly her warm breath told me the story of her first meeting with Tom.
“It was on the two little seats facing each other that are always the last ones left on the train.55 I was going up to New York to see my sister and spend the night. He had on a dress suit and leather shoes, and I couldn’t keep my eyes off him, but every time he looked at me I had to pretend to be looking at the advertisement over his head. When we came into the station he was next to me, and his white shirt-front pressed against my arm, and so I told him I’d have to call policeman, but he knew I lied. I was so excited that when I got into a taxi with him I didn’t hardly know I wasn’t getting into a subway train. All I kept thinking about, over and over, was ‘You can’t live forever; you can’t live forever.’ ”
She turned to Mrs. McKee and the room rang full of her artificial laughter.
“My dear,” she cried, “I’m going to give you this dress as soon as I’m tired of it. I’ve got to get another one tomorrow. I’m going to make a list of all the things I’ve got to get. A massage and a hair wave, and a collar for the dog, and a wreath with black silk flowers for mother’s grave that’ll last all summer. I got to write down a list so I won’t forget all the things I got to do.”
It was nine o’clock – then I looked at my watch and found it was ten. Mr. McKee was asleep on a chair with his fists on his lap, like a photograph of an important man. The little dog was sitting on the table looking with blind eyes through the smoke, and from time to time groaning weakly. People disappeared, reappeared, made plans to go somewhere, and then lost each other, searched for each other, found each other a few feet away. Some time toward midnight Tom Buchanan and Mrs. Wilson stood face to face, discussing in passionate voices if Mrs. Wilson had any right to mention Daisy’s name.
“Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!” shouted Mrs. Wilson. “I’ll say it whenever I want to! Daisy! Dai —”
Making a short skilled movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand56.
Then there were bloody towels upon the bathroom floor, and women’s voices scolding, and a high voice full of pain over all this noise. Mr. McKee awoke from his sleep and went toward the door. When he had gone halfway he turned around and looked at the scene – his wife and Catherine were scolding and calming Myrtle and constantly stumbling here and there among the crowded furniture. They tried to help despairing figure on the couch, who was bleeding fluently. Then Mr. McKee turned and continued on out the door. Taking my hat, I followed.
“Come to lunch some day,” he suggested, as we went down in the elevator.
“Where?”
“Anywhere.”
“All right,” I agreed, “I’ll be glad to.”
…I was standing beside his bed and he was sitting up in his underwear, with a great portfolio in his hands.
“Beauty and the Beast… Loneliness… Old Grocery Horse… Brook’n Bridge57…”
Then I was lying half asleep in the cold lower level of the Pennsylvania Station, staring at the morning
1. Read the chapter and choose the right answer.
1. Nick first met Tom Buchanan’s mistress because
a) Tom drove him specially to her house to acquaint them.
b) They went to New York by train and it occasionally stopped near her house.
c) She came to Tom’s house.
2. Mr. Wilson wanted
a) to buy one of Tom’s cars.
b) to repair Tom’s car.
c) to sell a car to Tom.
3. How old was Mrs. Wilson?
a) about 25
b) about 30
c) about 35
4. What pet did Mrs. Wilson buy in New York?
a) a puppy
b) a kitten
c) a parrot
5. How many times in his life had Nick been drunk?
a) only one time
b) two times
c) three or four times
6. Chester McKee was
a) a painter.
b) a designer of dresses.
c) a photographer.
7. Why did Myrtle marry Mr. Wilson?
a) because she thought he was rich.
b) because she loved him.
c) because she thought he was a gentleman.
8. Tom and Myrtle first met
a) sitting opposite each other in the train to New York.
b) trying to catch a taxi.
c) getting into a subway train.
9. When Myrtle continued to repeat Daisy’s name Tom
a) shouted at her.
b) slapped her in the cheek.
c) hit her on the nose.
10. Nick ended the party sleeping
a) on Myrtle’s couch.
b) on the bed at the McKees’.
c) on the train station.
2. Practice the pronunciation of these words.
grotesque [grəʊˈtesk]
enormous [ɪˈnɔ:məs]
solemn [ˈsɒləm]
acquaintances [əˈkweɪntənsɪz]
persistent [pəˈsɪstənt]
impatiently [ɪmˈpeɪʃəntlɪ]
sensuously [ˈsensjʊəslɪ]
vitality [vaɪˈtælɪtɪ]