R. Ruark

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    Unit 4

     

    A Foul Play

    R. Ruark

     

    In 1943 Lieutenant Alexander Barr was ordered into the Armed Guard aboard the merchant ship, like many other civillian officers with no real mechanical skills - teachers, writers, lawyers.

    His men were the rag-tag of merchant service and knew very little of it. Lieutenant Alec Barr had his crew well in hand except one particularly unpleasant character, a youngster called Zabinski. Every ship has its problem child, and Zabinski was Alec's cross. If anybody was drunk and in trouble ashore, it was Zabinski. If anybody was smoking on watch, or asleep on watch, it always was Zabinski. Discipline on board was hard to keep and Zabinski made it worse.

    Alec called the boy to his cabin. "I've tried to reason with you," he said. "I've punished you with everything from confinement to ship to extra duty. I've come to the conclusion that the only thing you may understand is force. I've got some boxing gloves. Navy Regulations say they should be used for recreation. We are going to have some."

    "That's all right", Zabinski said smiling.

    Alec announced the exhibition of boxing skill. A lot of people gathered on deck to watch the match.

    It didn't take Lieutenant Barr long to discover that he was in the ring with a semiprofessional. They were fighting two-minute rounds. But from the first five seconds of the first round Alec knew that Zabinski could knock him out with a single punch if he wanted to. But Zabinski didn't want to, he was toying with his commander, and the snickers grew into laughter.

    In the third round Alec held up a glove. "Time out!", he said. "I'm going to my cabin, I'll soon be back". He turned and ran up to his cabin. In the cabin there was a safe. Alec's duty was to pay wages to his personnel. Alec Barr opened the safe and took out a paper-wrapped roll of ten-cent coins. He put this roll of silver coins into his glove and returned on deck.

    "Let's go!" he said and touched gloves with Zabinski. It had pleased Zabinski before to allow the officer to knock him from time to time because it gave him a chance for a short and painful punch. But now the silver-weighted glove crashed into the boy's chin and Zabinski was out. He was lying on the floor motionless. Alec Barr looked briefly at the boy. "Somebody throw some water on him," he said coldly to the seamen. And he went up to his room to clean his cuts and put the roll of coins back to the safe. After that Lieutenant Alexander Barr had no more personnel trouble aboard ship.

     


     

    foul play нечестная игра
    lieutenant лейтенант
    be ordered into the Armed Guard быть призванным в вооруженную охрану
    a merchant ship /service торговое судно / рейсы торгового флота
    like other officers как и другие офицеры / подобно другим офицерам
    civilian гражданский (ант. военный)
    mechanical skills знание механики / квалификация, компетентность в области механики
    rag-tag случайные люди, сборная солянка
    to have smb well in hand держать в ежовых рукавицах, контролировать, управляться
    crew команда (корабля)
    an unpleasant character неприятный тип
    a youngster мальчишка, юнец
    a problem child трудный ребенок, черная овца, пепито дьяболо
    a cross крест
    to be in trouble находиться в трудном положении, иметь неприятности
    ashore на берегу
    on watch на вахте
    to keep discipline поддерживать дисциплину
    a cabin каюта
    to reason with smb урезонить к-л, поговорить по хорошему, уговорить к-л
    to punished smb with smt наказывать к-л каким-то образом
    confinement to ship удерживать на корабле (в т.ч. под стражей), не разрешать сходить на берег, не пускать в увольнительную,
    an extra duty наряд вне очереди
    to come to the conclusion that придти к заключению, что
    force сила
    boxing gloves боксерские перчатки
    Navy Regulations морской воинский устав
    recreation отдых, развлечение
    exhibition of boxing skill демонстрация боксерского искусства / искусства боксерского боя
    on deck на палубе
    It didn't take him long to do ему не пришлось долго… / ему не понадобилось много времени, чтобы
    to discover that обнаружить, что
    in the ring на ринге
    a semiprofessional полупрофессионал
    to knock smb out with a single punch выбить / отправить в нокаут к-л с одного удара / одним ударом
    to toy with smb играть с к-л (иносказательно)
    a commander катретранг, капитан судна
    snickers смешки, хихиканье
    in the third round во время 3 раунда
    to hold up a hand поднять руку
    to pay wages платить зарплату
    personnel персонал, работники
    paper-wrapped завернутый в бумагу
    a roll of ten-cent coins столбик / колбаска 10-центовых монет
    it gave him a chance for smt это дало ему возможность сд. ч-л
    a painful punch болезненный удар
    a silver-weighted glove нагруженная серебряными монетами перчатка
    to crash into обрушиться на / врезаться в
    be out потерять сознание, вырубиться
    motionless неподвижный, без движения
    to looked briefly at посмотреть быстро, мимолетно / бросить (короткий, быстрый, беглый, мимолетный) взгляд
    to throw water on smb плеснуть на к-л водой
    a seaman моряк, матрос
    a cut порез, рана
    aboard ship на борту корабля

     


    I

    Find in the text English equivalents for the folloving words and expressions:

    был назначен, на борту торгового корабля, команду корабля в подчинении, “трудный” ребенок, спать на вахте, поддерживать дисциплину, наряд вне очереди, демонстрация боксерских умений, на ринге, отправить в нокаут одним ударом, выплачивать зарплату, завернутый в бумагу, лежать без движений.

     

    II


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