Если Вы не очень хорошо знаете историю Англии 1819 г, прежде чем приступить к чтению текстов на английском языке, прочитайте несколько интереснейших статей по этой теме на русском языке.
The History of England, 1819
Five Texts for Intermediate
(из цикла «История Англии»)
Содержание:
- Text №1 «England, the year of 1819»
- Text №2 «The New Residence of the Kents»
- Text №3 «The Illness of the Duke»
- Text №4 «Improper Cure»
- Text №5 «The Death of the Duke»
* * *
Text №1 «The History of England, the year of 1819»
Words for the text:
- notice — замечать
- sink (sank-sunk) — тонуть, идти на дно, погружаться
- wage level — уровень заработной платы
- push — толкать, пихать, давить (push the button — нажать на кнопку)
- push up — повышать, подтолкнуть к росту
- push down — снижаться, подтолкнуть к снижению, пойти на спад
- sweep the country — охватывать страну
- a poor harvest — плохой урожай
- wheat — пшеница
- afford _ позволить себе
- rebel — поднять восстание
It was the year when on the 24th of May the queen Victoria was born. However, England didn’t notice the birth of the little princess. After the feeling of truimph at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, the country had sunk into the deep depression. Three hundred thousand men who had been soldiers and sailors couldn’t find work. Wage levels were pushed down and a wave of protest swept the country. A poor harvest in 1816 pushed up the price of wheat. Many could not afford bread and hungry people rebelled across the country.
* * *
Text №2 «The New Residence of the Kents»
Words for the text:
- grant an allowance — предоставить содержание
- badly — сильно, очень (второе значение этого слова)
- inexpensive — недорогой
- to raise money — добыть деньги, получить ссуду
- hope against hope — надеясь вопреки всему
- be dressed up- была наряжена
- reilef — освобождение
- used to living — привыкли жить
- pass the time — проводить время
- debts — долги
With the country restoring its economy after the war, the government could not grant an allowance to the Kents who badly needed money. So the Duke of Kent decided that he had no choice but to take an inexpensive house by the sea. He chose the pretty Woolbroke Cottage, a low house with lovely views towards the sea. But the family still didn’t want to leave London. The Duke tried to raise money, hoping that they would be able to stay.
On 2 November, the Kents organized a party for the Duke’s fifty-second birthday. The little princess who was only seven months was dressed up in a pretty dress for Papa. She looked like a child of one. The Duke was waiting for the most needed gift — relief from his debts. But money never apperared. On the 21st, the Kents, along with Feodora, baby Victoria, her nurse Lehzen and other servants travelled to Woolbroke Cottage. They arrived at their new home in the afternoon of the Christmas Day, in the middle of the snowstorm.
The winter of 1819 was freezing and the nights were very cold. At that time Woolbrook Cottage was an isolated house, and all the people, used to living in palaces, felt an extreme discomfort. The Dutchess passed the time practicing her English and walking along the sea with Feodora. But she was too lonely and unhappy, and the debts were increasing. The family decided to return to Germany in spring, the house where they had lived just after their wedding.
* * *
Text №3 «The Illness of the Duke»
Words for the text:
- convinced — убежденный (to convince — убеждать)
- indulgent — избалованный
- give way — уступить
- former — бывший
- wet to the bone — промокший до нитки (досл. до костей)
- worsen — ухудшаться
- overcome — преодолеть
- refuse — отказаться
- fever — лихорадка
- be unable — быть не в состоянии
The Duke caught a heavy cold. Convinced that he was much stronger than his apathetic, indulgent brothers, he decided not to give way to his illness. Former soldier, he went out for long sea walks, often coming back wet to the bone. He spent his free time preparing for returning to Amorbach, their German home. His letter to his friend, in which he asked him to buy horses for carriges, was the last. His cold worsened. He was very sick but tried to overcome his illness by ignoring it. He refused to allow his wife to cancel a dinner party planned for that evening. The same night he fell into a deep fever and the next morning was unable to get out of bed.
* * *
Text №4 «Improper Cure»
Words for the text:
- suffer from — страдать от
- properly — как следует
- condition — состояние
- sigh — вздыхать
- severely -сильно ( от severe — сильный)
- inprovement — улучшение
- co cup (cupping) — ставить банки
- draw out — вытягивать
- cause — вызывать
- bleed — пускать кровь
By Wednesday, 12 January, the Duke was unable to speak, suffering from severe pains in his chest. He couldn’t breathe properly. Dr Wilsom put leeches to his chest but his condition only worsened. The Dutchess was terrified. «I am doing as much as I can,» she sighed. She felt helpless in a freezing house with a severely ill husband and a baby who had also had fallen sick. After a week with no improvement, Dr Wilson took a decision of cupping his patient. He made cuts all over the Duke’s body, covering each with a hot cup. When the cup cooled, blood was drawn out, causing strong pain. «For four hours they have been doing this to him,» the dutchess was hardly able to watch. When cupping seemed to have no effect, they began to bleed him again, and even cut and cupped his head.
- doubt — сомневаться
- hardly — едва
- spot — место
- exausted — измученный
- grave danger — смертельная опасность
- conscious — в сознании
- managed — смог
- appoint — назначить
- guardian — опекун
- property — собственность
- signature — подпись
The Dutchess cried, «My poor Edvard has to suffer so much». She doubted that it could be good for the patient to lose so much blood, when he was already so weak. She was very worried. Next day the Duke was running a temperature and hardly able to breathe. Next day the Duke was bled for the sixth time. «It was too terrible,» the Dutchess agonised. «There was hardly a spot on his dear body which hasn’t been touched by cutting. He was very exhausted yesterday after all that had been done to him by those cruel doctors.» On Friday ten days after the Duke took to his bed, Sir William said that the royal family should be informed that he was in grave danger. He told the Dutchess the truth: «human help could no longer needed.» Still conscious, the Duke managed to ask for his will to be written, appointing the Dutchess the only guardian of their child and leaving her property. He tried to hold the pen, worrying that his signature might not be clear.
* * *
Text №5 «The Death of the Duke»
Words for the text:
- widow — овдоветь
- a family vault — семейный склеп
- funeral — похороны
- mourn — носить траур
Next morning the fifty-two-year-old Duke died holding the Dutchess`s hand. Only a month ago he was a healthy strong man. His wife was terrified. Hardly able to speak English, she was in the country she didn’t know, without even money to leave Woolbrook Cottage. She had a sick baby and a distressed twelve-year-old daughter. Aged only thirty-two she had been widowed twice over. «She kills all her husbands,» said people. The public were shocked that the Duke of Kent of all the brothers should have died. «He was the strongest of the strong. Never before ill in his life and now to die of the cold when half the kingdom have colds. It was very bad luck indeed.» The Duke of Kent was buried on the night of the 12 February in the family vault at Windsor. Prince Leopold paid for the funeral. England didn’t mourn for the Duke for a long time. At Windsor, King George was dying.
Вы прочитали 5 текстов про историю Англии (the History of England, 1819 год) на английском языке уровня intermediate