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The Elevator by William Sleator

The Elevator by William Sleator

The Elevator by William Sleator


It was an old building with an old elevator — a very small elevator, which could carry only three people. Martin, a thin twelve-year-old, felt nervous in it from the first day he and his father moved into the apartment. Of course he was always uncomfortable in elevators, afraid that they would fall, but there was something especially unpleasant about this one. It had a baleful atmosphere. Perhaps this was because of the poor lighting and the dirty brown walls. Perhaps it was because of the door, which never stayed open long enough, and slammed shut with a loud noise. Perhaps it was the way the elevator shuddered each time it left a floor, as if it was exhausted. Maybe it was simply too small. It seemed crowded even with only two people in it.
Coming home from school the day after they moved in, Martin tried the stairs. But they were almost as bad, windowless, shadowy, with several dark landings where the lights were not working. His footsteps echoed behind him on the cement, as though there was another person climbing, getting closer. By the time he reached the seventeenth floor, which seemed to take forever, he was out of breath.
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Concrete Island by J. Roger Baker

Concrete Island by J. Roger Baker

Concrete Island by J. Roger Baker


When he found the first one, Simon didn’t tell anybody. He hid it in the pocket of his dark grey overall suit and joined the other children who were playing in the sand-pit. That night, when his mother kissed him good night and went out, he examined his discovery.
It was most interesting: soft, but not squashy, a beautiful new color, and the scent was strange. He sniffed it again, it made him feel uneasy somewhere inside. It reminded him of something, but he couldn’t remember what.
The next day its color was darker, almost black. Later it got nasty and squashy and Simon threw it away and went to look for another.
He ran across the paved playing area and climbed down the vertical ladder to the lower level. This was forbidden territory for the children. The sun was hot.
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The Pedestrian by Ray Bradbury

The Pedestrian by Ray Bradbury

The Pedestrian by Ray Bradbury


Ray Bradbury (1920-June 5, 2012) was one of America’s best-known science fiction and fantasy writers. He has inspired generations of readers to dream, think and create. His most chilling stories comment on the human consequences of progress. ‘Science ran too far ahead of us too quickly,’ he once said, ‘and the people got lost in a mechanical wilderness.’ Bradbury believed that one purpose of science fiction ‘is to warn about negative things that might happen in the future if care is not taken in the present’.

It was a misty evening in November. Leonard Mead went out into the silent street, hands in pockets. He loved walking in silence. He would stand at an intersection and peer down long moonlit avenues in four directions, deciding which way to go. But it really made no difference; he was alone in this world of 2053 A.D., or almost alone.
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Which of two – Какое из двух

Which of two – Какое из двух

Which of two – Какое из двух


Некоторые слова (например — comic and comical, historic and historical, classic and classical) кажутся очень похожими друг на друга, но на самом деле есть большая разница между ними.
Fast or quick?
Эти два часто используемые слова не являются полностью взаимозаменяемыми.
Fast относится к скорости движения или действия:
a fast train — быстрый поезд,
a fast car — быстрый автомобиль,
a fast runner — быстрый бегун.
Quick относится к продолжительности события или действия по времени:
a quick glance — быстрый взгляд,
a quick reply — быстрый ответ,
a quick meal – быстрая еда,
a quick decision — быстрое решение.
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Luck by Mark Twain

Mark Twain

Mark Twain


I was at a dinner in London given in honor of one of the most celebrated English military men of his time. I do not want to tell you his real name and titles. I will just call him Lieutenant General Lord Arthur Scoresby.
I cannot describe my excitement when I saw this great and famous man. There he sat. The man himself, in person, all covered with medals. I could not take my eyes off him. He seemed to show the true mark of greatness. His fame had no effect on him.
The hundreds of eyes watching him, the worship of so many people did not seem to make any difference to him.
Next to me sat a clergyman, who was an old friend of mine. He was not always a clergyman. During the first half of his life, he was a teacher in the military school at Woolwich. There was a strange look in his eye as he turned to me and whispered, “Between you and me — he is a complete fool.” He meant, of course, the hero of our dinner.
This came as a shock to me. I looked hard at my friend. I could not have been more surprised if he had said the same thing about Napoleon, or Socrates, or Solomon.
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Pastoral after Nevil Shute

Nevil Shute

Nevil Shute

Gervase rang up Mr Ellison in the middle of the morning. She said, «This is Section Officer Robertson speaking from the aerodrome. Mr Ellison, you know everybody round here. Who lives in Kingslak House?»
«I don’t know, I could find out for you.”
«Could you? I want to know this morning, if I can.» She hesitated. «I tell you what it’s about. There’s a lake there with a lot of trout in it. Some of us were wondering if the owner of the house would let us go fishing there.»
«I get you,» he said. «Give you a ring back in half an hour.»
He telephoned later in the morning. «About those trout you want to fish,” he said. «You haven’t got a hope. Nobody’s allowed near them.»
«Who does the house belong to?”
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Quotes and proverbs about friends and friendship

Quotes and proverbs about friends and friendship

Quotes and proverbs about friends and friendship


A friend is one who knows us, but loves us anyway. Fr. Jerome Cummings — Друг это тот, кто знает нас, но любит нас в любом случае. Джером Каммингс

What is a friend? A single soul in two bodies. Aristotle — Что такое друг? Одна душа в двух телах. Аристотель

A friend to all is a friend to none. Aristotle — Друг для всех – друг ни для кого. Аристотель

The only way to have a friend is to be one. R. W. Emerson — Единственный способ иметь друга – быть им. Р. У. Эмерсон

Only your real friends will tell you when your face is dirty. Italian Proverb — Только ваши настоящие друзья скажут вам, когда ваше лицо грязное. Итальянская пословица
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