Worksheet 6_I

Motto
"The better part of happiness is
to wish to be what you are."
-Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536)

I. Translate into English:

- Să vedeţi, incepu emanule după ce-şi aprinse o nouă ţigară. Acum vreo două, trei ceasuri,
după ce-am venit de la plajă şi am început să citesc romanul acesta, m-am trezit deodată că nu
mai urmăream ce citeam. Nu ştiu dacă mi-era somn, dar m-am întins pe nisip şi am închis ochii.
Şi deodată m-am văzut pe o stradă pe care o ştiu eu la Bucureşti, în plină iarnă, şi am văzut o
fată căzînd. Era o femeie tînără, cu un palton albastru-închis şi un beret, şi cînd a căzut i s-a
desprins beretul şi a alunecat pe trotuar. Am traversat strada s-o ajut, dar dintr-o curte ieşise,
tocmai atunci o fată şi o ajută ea să se ridice. Mă gîndeam să spun, aşa, în glumă: “Iată o femeia
căzută”, cînd aud pe fată spunîndu-i exact aceleaşi cuvinte. Am rămas o clipă dezorientat, apoi
an început să rîd în neştire... Şi cu rîsul acesta a luat sfîrşti vedenia...
- O fi fost vedenie, spuse Beldiman, dar o să trăiţi şi o s-o vedeţi aievea. Şi e păcat, căci
fetele astea nu vă poartă noroc.
(Mircea Eliade, Ghicitor în pietre)
II. Translate into Romanian:
a. The woods round Styles were very beautiful. After the walk across the open park, it was
pleasant to saunter lazily through the cool glades. There was hardly a breath of wind, the very chirp
of the birds was faint and subdued. I strolled on a little way, and finally flung myself down at the
foot of a grand old beech-tree. My thoughts of mankind were kindly and charitable. I even forgave
Poirot for his absurd secrecy. In fact, I was at peace with the world. Then I yawned.
I thought about the crime, and it struck me as being very unreal and far off.
I yawned again. [...] I woke up with a start.
b. Her glance at Mary had set me thinking. I fancied that between these two there existed very
little sympathy. For the first time, it occurred to me to wonder about the girl's future. Mrs.
Inglethorp had made no provisions of any kind for her, but I imagined that John and Mary would
probably insist on her making her home with them—at any rate until the end of the war. John, I
knew, was very fond of her, and would be sorry to let her go.
(Agatha Christie – The Mysterious Affair at Styles
III. Put the verbs between brackets in the suitable form:
Brenda Pearl (join) our firm ten years ago. She (work) for the previous five years with advertising
company and (acquire) much useful experience. For the first eight years with us she (work) in the
Sales Department, and (work) there when I (become) Managing Director. Since then she (work) as
my personal assistant, and (prove) herself to be outstandingly capable on many occasions. She
(work) on the top floor, in an office next to mine, but at the moment (work) in London on a special
assignment.

IDIOM OF THE WEEK: my foot

c. Translate the examples in Italics:
my foot (spoken) not possibly, no way – an expression used to show disagreement,
surprise, or disbelief: added at the end of a comment, usually repeating the particular word
that the speaker disagrees with: ‘This is glass, isn’t it?’ ‘Glass, my foot, It’s made of
plastic – can’t you see?’
 ‘He didn’t know my foot! Of course he knew!”
 A fluent French speaker my foot! He knows a few words at the most.