I do think that, of all the silly, irritating tomfoolishness by which we are plagued, this "weather-forecast" fraud is about the most aggravating. It "forecasts" precisely what happened yesterday or the day before, and precisely the opposite of what is going to happen to-day.
I remember a holiday of mine being completely ruined one late autumn (помню, /как/ мой выходной был полностью испорчен поздней осенью; holiday — праздник; нерабочий день; отпуск) by our paying attention to the weather report of the local newspaper (нашим обращением внимания = тем, что мы обратили внимание на прогноз погоды в местной газете; weather report — сводка погоды, прогноз погоды). "Heavy showers, with thunderstorms, may be expected to-day (сильные ливни с грозами могут ожидаться сегодня)," it would say on Monday (сообщала она в понедельник), and so we would give up our picnic, and stop indoors all day, waiting for the rain (и поэтому мы отменяли пикник, и сидели дома весь день, ожидая дождя; to give up — оставить, отказаться; бросить /привычку/; indoors — внутри дома, в помещении). — And people would pass the house, going off in wagonettes and coaches as jolly and merry as could be (а люди проезжали мимо дома в линейках и колясках, веселые и оживленные, насколько это только может быть; to go off — уходить, уезжать; wagonette — линейка /экипаж с двумя продольными сиденьями/; coach — коляска, карета), the sun shining out, and not a cloud to be seen (солнце ярко светило, и ни облачка не было видно /на небе/).
"Ah (ага)!" we said, as we stood looking out at them through the window (говорили мы, стоя и смотря на них из окна; to look out — выглядывать, смотреть), "won't they come home soaked (ну и промокшими же они придут домой = ну и промокнут же они)!"
And we chuckled to think how wet they were going to get (и мы посмеивались, думая, как сильно они вымокнут; to get wet — промокать, вымокать), and came back (и возвращались) and stirred the fire, and got our books (и помешивали огонь, и брали книги), and arranged our specimens of seaweed and cockle shells (и приводили в порядок образцы водорослей и раковины моллюсков). By twelve o'clock, with the sun pouring into the room (к двенадцати часам солнце заливало комнату; to pour — лить/ся/, разливать/ся/), the heat became quite oppressive (жара становилась совсем гнетущей = невыносимой), and we wondered when those heavy showers and occasional thunderstorms were going to begin (и мы спрашивали себя, когда эти ливни и редкие грозы начнутся).
autumn ['O:[email protected]] cloud [klaud] specimen ['[email protected]]
I remember a holiday of mine being completely ruined one late autumn by our paying attention to the weather report of the local newspaper. "Heavy showers, with thunderstorms, may be expected to-day," it would say on Monday, and so we would give up our picnic, and stop indoors all day, waiting for the rain. — And people would pass the house, going off in wagonettes and coaches as jolly and merry as could be, the sun shining out, and not a cloud to be seen.
"Ah!" we said, as we stood looking out at them through the window, "won't they come home soaked!"
And we chuckled to think how wet they were going to get, and came back and stirred the fire, and got our books, and arranged our specimens of seaweed and cockle shells. By twelve o'clock, with the sun pouring into the room, the heat became quite oppressive, and we wondered when those heavy showers and occasional thunderstorms were going to begin.
"Ah! they'll come in the afternoon, you'll find (они начнутся после обеда, вот увидите)," we said to each other (говорили мы друг другу). "Oh, won't those people get wet (ну и промокнут же те люди). What a lark (как забавно; lark — шутка, веселье, забава)!"
At one o'clock, the landlady would come in to ask (в час входила хозяйка, чтобы спросить) if we weren't going out, as it seemed such a lovely day (не собираемся ли мы гулять, ведь такой чудесный день; to go out — выходить; to seem — казаться, видеться, представляться).
"No, no," we replied, with a knowing chuckle (отвечали мы, хитро посмеиваясь: «с хитрым смехом»; knowing — знающий, понимающий; хитрый), "not we (/только/ не мы). We don't mean to get wet — no, no (мы не собираемся вымокнуть — нет-нет)."
And when the afternoon was nearly gone (а когда день почти прошел; afternoon — время после полудня; послеобеденное время), and still there was no sign of rain (и все еще не было ни следа дождя), we tried to cheer ourselves up with the idea that it would come down all at once (мы попытались развеселиться/ободрить себя мыслью, что он начнется внезапно; to come down — спускаться, падать /о снеге, дожде/), just as the people had started for home (как раз когда люди /уже/ отправятся домой), and were out of the reach of any shelter (и будут находиться далеко от всякого укрытия; out of the reach — вне пределов досягаемости), and that they would thus get more drenched than ever (и поэтому промокнут больше, чем когда-либо = до нитки; thus — так, таким образом; to drench — смачивать; промачивать насквозь). But not a drop ever fell, and it finished a grand day, and a lovely night after it (но ни капли так и не упало, и так закончился великолепный день, и чудесный вечер после него = за ним).
lark [lA:k] nearly ['[email protected]] thus [DVs]
"Ah! they'll come in the afternoon, you'll find," we said to each other. "Oh, won't those people get wet. What a lark!"
At one o'clock, the landlady would come in to ask if we weren't going out, as it seemed such a lovely day.
"No, no," we replied, with a knowing chuckle, "not we. We don't mean to get wet — no, no."
And when the afternoon was nearly gone, and still there was no sign of rain, we tried to cheer ourselves up with the idea that it would come down all at once, just as the people had started for home, and were out of the reach of any shelter, and that they would thus get more drenched than ever. But not a drop ever fell, and it finished a grand day, and a lovely night after it.
The next morning we would read that it was going to be a "warm, fine to set-fair day; much heat (на следующее утро мы читали, что будет «теплый, хороший, ясный день, жара»; set-fair — ясный, установившийся /о погоде/);" and we would dress ourselves in flimsy things, and go out (и мы одевались в легкие вещи = легко и выходили; flimsy — тонкий /о ткани/; легкий, непрочный), and, half-an-hour after we had started, it would commence to rain hard (через полчаса после того, как мы отправлялись /на прогулку/, начинался сильный дождь), and a bitterly cold wind would spring up (и резкий холодный ветер поднимался), and both would keep on steadily for the whole day (и оба продолжались непрерывно весь день), and we would come home with colds and rheumatism all over us, and go to bed (и мы приходили домой с простудой и ревматизмом во всем теле, и ложились спать; all over — всюду; всем телом).
The weather is a thing that is beyond me altogether (погода — это вещь выше меня = моего понимания; altogether — совсем, совершенно). I never can understand it (никогда не могу ее понять). The barometer is useless (барометр бесполезен): it is as misleading as the newspaper forecast (он так же обманывает, как прогноз в газете; to mislead — вводить в заблуждение; to lead — вести, указывать путь).
There was one hanging up in a hotel at Oxford at which I was staying last spring (барометр висел в одной гостинице в Оксфорде, в которой я остановился прошлой весной; to hang up — повесить, привешивать), and, when I got there, it was pointing to "set fair (и, когда я попал туда, он показывал «ясно»)." It was simply pouring with rain outside, and had been all day (снаружи прямо лило как из ведра, и это продолжалось весь день); and I couldn't quite make matters out (я совершенно не мог понять, в чем дело; to make out — понять, разобрать). I tapped the barometer, and it jumped up and pointed to "very dry (я постучал по барометру, и стрелка подпрыгнула и указала на «очень сухо»)." The Boots stopped as he was passing, and said he expected it meant to-morrow (коридорный, проходивший мимо, остановился и сказал, что полагает, барометр имеет в виду завтрашний день; to mean). I fancied that maybe it was thinking of the week before last, but Boots said, No, he thought not (я предположил, что, возможно, он вспоминает позапрошлую неделю: «неделю перед прошлой», но коридорный сказал «нет, не думаю»).
flimsy ['flImzI] commence [[email protected]'mens] rheumatism ['ru:[email protected]]
The next morning we would read that it was going to be a "warm, fine to set-fair day; much heat;" and we would dress ourselves in flimsy things, and go out, and, half-an-hour after we had started, it would commence to rain hard, and a bitterly cold wind would spring up, and both would keep on steadily for the whole day, and we would come home with colds and rheumatism all over us, and go to bed.
The weather is a thing that is beyond me altogether. I never can understand it. The barometer is useless: it is as misleading as the newspaper forecast.
There was one hanging up in a hotel at Oxford at which I was staying last spring, and, when I got there, it was pointing to "set fair." It was simply pouring with rain outside, and had been all day; and I couldn't quite make matters out. I tapped the barometer, and it jumped up and pointed to "very dry." The Boots stopped as he was passing, and said he expected it meant to-morrow. I fancied that maybe it was thinking of the week before last, but Boots said, No, he thought not.
I tapped it again the next morning, and it went up still higher (я постучал по нему снова на следующее утро, и он поднялся еще выше), and the rain came down faster than ever (а дождь шел сильнее, чем когда-либо; fast — быстрый; крепкий, сильный). On Wednesday I went and hit it again (в среду я подошел и ударил его снова), and the pointer went round towards "set fair," "very dry," and "much heat (и стрелка пошла кругом через «ясно», «очень сухо» и «жара»; pointer — указатель, указка, стрелка; to point — указывать, направлять, обращать внимание /на что-либо/; towards — к, по направлению к)," until it was stopped by the peg, and couldn't go any further (пока не была остановлена шпеньком и не могла двигаться дальше; peg — колышек; шпилька, штифт). It tried its best, but the instrument was built so that it couldn't prophesy fine weather any harder than it did without breaking itself (она изо всех сил старалась, но прибор был сделан так, что не мог предвещать хорошую погоду еще сильнее = энергичнее, /чем он это делал/, не сломавшись; to try one`s best — проявить максимум энергии, сделать все возможное; to build — строить, создавать). It evidently wanted to go on, and prognosticate drought (он явно хотел идти дальше и предсказать засуху), and water famine (и острую нехватку воды; famine — голод; острый дефицит), and sunstroke (и солнечный удар), and simooms, and such things (и песчаные бури, и /прочие/ подобные вещи; simoom — самум /сухой горячий ветер, сопровождаемый песчаными бурями/), but the peg prevented it (но шпенек мешал этому; to prevent — предотвращать, не допускать), and it had to be content with pointing to the mere commonplace "very dry (и барометру пришлось довольствоваться указанием на простое банальное «очень сухо»)."
