ubcWCsry rbcWW

HISTORV
Cerphilly Castle, near Cardiff. An inner ward with towers is surrounded by an outer wall.
_The
river forms a natural defense for the casf/e.
LIFE IN MEDIEVAL ENCLAND
The king and his court
A king's duties were to keep orderl in his realm and to defend
it against enemies abroad. He did this with the help of a small
council. This included the Chanceltor,
2
who was in charge
3
of
justice,
and the treasurer,4 who looked afters the king's
clothes and
jewels,
and also the money which was paid in
taxes to the king.
Other royal servants arranged for the supply6 and transport
of food, drink, horses, dogs, and other necessary goods which
the king took with him on his travels from one royal estateT
to another. For one Christmas feast Henry III and his court
ate 5,000 chickens, 1,000 partridges, hares and rabbits, 10,000
eels, 36 swans, 54 peacocks, and 90 boars, besides large quan-
tities of eggs and cream.
424
1. to keep order
=
mantenere I'ordine
2. Chancellor
['ca:nsala]
=
cancelliere.
3. to be in charge (of)
=
avere la responsabilit (di)
4. treasurer
['tregare*]
=
tesoriere.
5. to look after
=
avere
cura di.
6. supply
[sa'plai] =
for-
n itu ra.
7. estate
[is'teit]
=
pro-
priet (terriera).
Law and
justice
People began to take their cases to the royal courts of law
rather than to the court of the local baron because only the
king could offer trial by
iury.t
ln this, a
iury
of twelve men
decided whethere an accused person was innocent or guilty.
Punishments became more
just.
A murderer was hanged,
to
or.
burnt, if a woman. A thief was sometimes executed, but more
often he lost the hand with which he had stolen. The penalty
for slanderingll a neighbour was to have the tongue cut out,
while a scoldin gt' wife was ducked in a pond. Some of-
fenders were put in the stocks
13
for one day, so that others
coutd pettla them with stones or mud.
The castle
Castles were usually built on a hill, and were surrounded by
strong watls and sometimes by a moat.
ls
Besides the baron and his family, the castle housed the usual
crowd of smiths, armourers, grooms and soldiers who accom-
panied their lord on his travels. Pages and squires, boys and
young men of good family also Iived there.
During the day the lord often went hunting16 with his squire.
They might go on foot and hunt with a falcon which was
trained
17
to catch birds and animals. At other times they
hunted on horseback,
18
sending their hounds after deer, wild
boar and other animals. A feast usually followed these hunt-
ing expeditions.
Afler ih" feast the company was entertained
le
by travelling
jugglers,20
acrobats and minstrels.
A royal court of law.
8. trial by
iury =
processo
con giu ria.
9. whether... or
=
se ... o.
10. to hang
[hn] =
impic-
care.
1 1. to slander
['sla:nde*]
=
calunniare.
12. scolding
['skeuldir3] =
bisbetica.
13. stocks
=
ceppi, go-
gna.
14. to pelt
=
colpire (sca-
gliando).
15. moat
lmaut] =
fossato
(di casf etlo).
16. to go hunting
=
an-
dare a caccia.
17. to train
=
addestrare.
18. on horseback
=
a ca-
vallo.
19. to entertain
[ente'tein]
=
intrattenere, divertire,
20.
juggler
['gngla*]
=
gio-
coliere.
425
Food
Rich families in the Middle Ages ate more food than we
should consider necess ary today. For breakfast in Lent, when
no meat was eaten, one
person
usually ate: a loaf of bread, a
quart of beer, a dish of butter, a piece of salt-fish, a dish of
sprats2l or three white herring.
At one of their f easts, as a
-
f irst cou rse,22 the guests had
chicken broth, fowl, rnutton, geese and custard. The second
course consisted of a mixture of meat and herbs, lamb, pork,
veal, roasted pigeons, baked rabbits, pheasants, ven ison,
23
jelly,
and other delicacies.
The cooks of the Middle Ages were extremely skilful. We
know many recipes which were used in those days, Here is
one of them:
Take fiss and boit them in wine and
grind
them small,24 Put
them in a vesse/ and add
powder pepper, cannel, cloves,
powder ginger, raisins, saffrnzs and salt. Then make a low"
coffin26 and
put this stuff therein, Put cut dates and fresh
salmon in it, or fresh ee/s, and boil them in a little wine, Cover
the coff in with the same
paste and
put into the oven to bake.
At the feasts of the rich the poor were given soup, boiled beef
and roast pork.
Roasting sucking-pig and fowl on a spif.
21 . sprat
[sprt]
=
spratto
(variet di pesce).
22. courso
[kc:s] =
por-
tata,
23, venison
['venzn]
=
cacciagione o carne di cer.
vo.
24. to grlnd somethlng
small
=
tritare in piccoli
pezzi.
25. salfron
['sfran]
=
zal-
f erano,
26. colfln
['kofin]
=
in-
volucro (a forma allungata).
Lefti a cook inspecfs
the dinner, Right: meat
and
poultry
are chopped
up before serving,
A villein's life
Though poor people could have some meat at the feasts of
the rich people, they usually lived on bread
,
cheese,
vegetables and any fish, rabbit, hare or other animal or bird
which could be caught.The only animals which villeins kept
were one or two cows
(to give milk) and a pig, so that they
rarely had any meat except some bacon. Villeins lived in huts
set atongzT the village street. Their huts were made of mud
and stones, with a hole in the roof to let the smoke out. The
only furniture was a table and one or two stools. They slept
on mattresses of straw, in the clothes they wore during the
day.
Villeins were not free men: they had to work for their lord
and could not leave the village or find another lord.Any
villein who tried to run away was flogged2s and might have
his tongue or ears cut off .
The towns
Any villein who reached a town and stayed there for a year
and a day without being caught became a f ree man.
During the Middle Ages the town grew in population and im-
portance. London was the greatest city in England
,
f ollowed
by York a,nd Bristol. A town was governed by a mayor aqq
atderme fr,'e chosen f rom among the richest citi zens.30
Markets were held weekly in each town. People came from
the country to exchange their farm produce3l for goods made
in the town. Once a year a f air took place at important cen-
tres like Cambridge or in villages near the capital. Merchants
came also f rom abroad to sell luxuries
t'
(*ine,
cloth, ribbons,
etc.) in exchange for English wool, tin, coal, iron, etc. There
was even a travelling dentist who pulled out bad teeth for a
small fee.
33
Learning and education
As in Saxon times, there were schools at monasteries and
cathedrql.s,but many towns had their own grammar
schools.3a The boys wl'ro went there learnt how to rud, write
and speak Latin. Books were scarce, because they all had to
be copied by hand before the invention of printing.
Pupils were harshty" beaten if they made a mistake or did
not pay attention in class. Among the offences for which boys
of Westminster School could be punished were not washing
properly, f ighting, gigsling or scuff Iing'u in church, swearing,
and having pillow f ights3T at bedtime.
Some boys went on to the schools at Oxford and Cambridge,
which became famous as centres of learning where the best
teachers could be found. There they studied arithmetic,
music, geometly,
astronoffry, law, medicine and theology.
Most students'o at the universities came f rom rich f amilies.
Still,
tn
some villeins got permission f rom their lords to leave
the village to study.
Cirls were kept at home or sent to some great house to learn
how to behave.
27. to set along
=
disporre (lungo).
28. to flog
=
frustare, staf-
f ila re.
29. alderman
['c:ldamen]
=
consigliere (comunale).
30. the richest citizens
=
i cittadini pi ricchi.
31 . produce
['prcdju:s]
prodotti (ag ricoli).
32. luxury
['lnkJaril -
og-
getto di lusso.
33. fee
[fi:] =
retribuzione,
emolumento.
34. grammar school
scuola second aria (ad in-
dirizzo umanistico).
35. harsh
[ha:J]
=
severo,
du ro.
36. giggling or scuff ling
=
ridacchiare od azzuttarsi.
37. pillow f ight
[fait]
battaglia con cuscini.
38. Most students
maggior parte degli studen-
ti.
39. Still
=
tuttavia, non-
dimeno.
427
fUIONC Y fVIRTT R S A N D COft,IfVI RCC
A
JOINT-STOCK COMPANY
A
Joint-Stock Company is a group
of six or more persons
who
have a charter from the government permitting
them to do
business according to
I
certain rules. A
Joint-Stock Company
raises its capital by selling shares. Every share represents a
sum of money contributed to the company. There are Or-
dinary Shares and Preference Shares. Ordinary Shares give
the shareholder a dividend which is a corresponding poriion
of the company's profits. Preference Shares give a flxed rate
of interest'which must be paid before the diviclends on Or-
dinary Shares.
The shareholders of a
Joint-Stock Company are responsible
for the payment
of the company's debts. This financial
responsibility is called Iiability and it can be limited or
unlimited. ln a
Joint-Stock Company the sharehotders must
pay
the company's debts even if3 they have to sell all their
private property
to do so. ln a
Joint-Stock Company limited
1, according to
=
secon-
do, in conformit a.
2. rate of interest
di interesse.
3. even if
=
anche se.
v)
i1',
P
428
"YotJ'll
have to hurry the breakfast, sir, if's time for your
business lunch!"
by shares or by guarantee the shareholders have on ly a
limited Iiability. They can be compelled to sell shares to pay
the company's debts or they may have to contribute a certain
sum of money if the company is wound up.
If a company wishes to increase its capital it can issue eithera
new shares or debentures. A debenture is not a share; it is a
sum of money lent to the company which must pay it back at
a f ixed rate of annual interest.
When six or more persons want to form a new company they
are called the "promoters". The promoters must prepare the
Memorandum of Association
5
and the Articles of Associa-
tion.6 The Memorandum of Association states the name, pur-
pose, and capital of the company and the nominal value of
its shares. The Articles of Association state the rules by which
the company will be governed. The Memorandum and the Ar-
ticles must be approved by the statutory meeti ngj of the
shareholders. The shareholders must then elect a Board of
Directorss and the Board of Directors must choose a Chair-
man, a Vice-Chairman and a Managing Director. Every year
the Board of Directors must cal I a meeting
e
of the
shareholders and present the annual balance sheet and a
report on the company's affairs.
COI{\TERSATION
(Mr Hobson and Sir Anthony Munton meet at the Stock Ex-
change)
Mr Hobson Cood morning, Sir Anthony. I didn't expect to
see you this week. I thought you were in the South of
France.
Sir Anthony I came back early because I have a lot of work
with the new company.
Mr Hobson Which new company? You are connected
10
with
so many companies.
Sir Anthony This is the National Furniture Company. lt is
really a merger, a collection of smalter companiesll
who have decided to unite. You know the old sayi ng:rz
< United we stand, divided we fall>. Well, that's true
in the f urniture industry nowadays.
Mr Hobson But is this a good mornent to invest in furniture?
Sir Anthony Yes, lthink it is. The government have made it
easier
13
for people to borrow money to buy houses.
There is a boom in the building trade. New houses
mean new furniture.
Mr Hobson And what financial backingto have you got?
Sir Anthony There is a group of manufacturers who hold
2Ao/o, I have 1O%o, and so has George Fielding.
4. either
['aia*]
... or
=
o
... o.
5. Memorandum of Asso-
ciation
6. Articles of Association
=
Regolamento lnterno.
7. statutory meeting
=
assemblea slatutaria.
8. Board of Directors
=
Consiglio di amministrazio-
ne.
9. to call a meeting
=
in-
dire un'assemblea.
10. to be connected (with)
=
essere associalo (a),
essere in relazione (con).
11. smaller companies
=
societ minori (pi piccole).
12. the old saying
vecchio detto (proverbio).
13. The government have
made it easier (for)
=
ll
governo ha reso pi facile
(a).
14. backing
['bki4] =
aP-
poggio, sostegno.
429
Mr Hobson Ceorge Fielding! He is a big name. That will cer- 15. That will certainly
tainly help.
15
Fielding has a high reputation in the
help
=
Sar certamente
business world. He certainly ur not made any
d'aiuto'
mistakes in the last ten years. lf he has taken 10% of
the shares, people will have confidence in the com-
pany and you will get a lot of support.
Sir Anthony I hope so. Anyway, there was a meeting of the
promoters yesterday. We have decided to issue a
number of Preference Shares as well as Ordinary ones.
We have already prepared the Articles of Association
and the Memorandum and next month we shall call
the statutory meeting of shareholders.
Mr Hobson And the Board of Directors?
Sir Anthony Probably myself, Fielding, O'Brien, Harcourt,
Lord Hackett...
Mr Hobson Lord Hackett? lsn't he too old? He must be
more than eighty.
Sir Anthony Yes, of course, he isn't very active nowadays.
But he still has a lot of influence. I think he will be
useful. The small shareholders like him.
Mr Hobson And they like you too, Sir Anthony. Don't forget
that.
Vocabulary
stock
[stckJ
azioni, titoli influence influenza
joint-stock
com- societ per
['influens]
pany azion i
share
L[ea*]
azione, titolo to raise
[reiz]
raccogliere
shareholder azionista (capitale)
['Jea'haulda*]
to contribute contribuire
charter
['a:te*]
patente
[kcn'tribju:t]
payment pagamento
to increase aumentare
['peimant] [in'kri:s]
debt
[det]
debito to state
[sreir]
specificare,
liability responsabilit
dich iarare
flaia'bilitiJ
to approve approvare
debenture obbligazione
[e'pru:v]
[di'bene*]
to elect
[i'lekt]
eleggere
promoter fondatore to invest
[in'vest]
investire
[pre'meute*]
to hold held detenere
purpose
['pe:pas]
scopo, finalit held
[heuld]
value
['vlju:J
valore
lheld]
chairman
presidente
to wind up sciogliere,
['ceeman]
wound up liquidare
vice-chairman vice-presidente wound up
['vais'eaman] [uaind] [uaund]
managing direc- consigliere
tor
[di'rekte*]
delegato fixed
[fikst]
fisso
balance
['blans]
bilancio responsible (for) responsabile (di)
balance sheet bilancio
[ris'pcnsebl]
[Ji:t]
d'ese rcizio limited
['limitid]
limitato
merger
['me:ga*]
fusione (di ditte) unlimited illimitato
conf idence f iducia
[nn'limitid]
['kcnfidens]
private
['praivit]
privato
support
[se'pc:tJ
appoggio statutory statutario
['sttjutari]
430
London is famous all over the wortd
1
for its beautifut parks.
They cover large areas and are the pride of every Londoner.
Today we are going to explore Kensington Cardens, one of
the most charming2 of them. A bus will take us to the Royat
Albert Hall, that immense oval amphitheatre where concerts,
boxing matches,
3
mass meetings and religious rallies
a
are
held. After a look at this imposing building we will enter the
park,
just
under the statue of Prince Albert,
Queen
Victoria's
hurband, who is reading a book* under the high canopys of
the AIbert Memorial.
After a f ew steps through the park, we will arrive at the
Round Pond,6 a stretch of
quiet water surrounded by boys
and girls of all ages, saitingt boats of every kind.
On a day with a good breeze, you will find kiteso of all sizes,
shapes and colours flying high in the sky.When the pond
f reezes,
e
it is a splendid place to skate.
At a few minutes'walk from the Round Pond you will come
across
10
a very f amous little statue, that of Peter Pan, the
hero of Sir
J.M.
Barrie's play. Every English child loves it.
Leave Peter Pan and walk on until
you get to the Serpentine-
This gently curving lake gives a Iot of pleasure to oarsmh, "
f ishermen, swimmers, ducks, swans and dogs. You can f ish in
the Serpentine, and skate on it in winter months.
The Serpentine Lido deservest2 a visit. It is a delightfully
modern building, where you can stop for a drink. You'll like
its unusual design.
R1IOUND
LONDON
The Round Pond rn
Kensingtan Gardens.
1. all over the world
=
in
tutto il mondo.
2. charming
['a:min] =
in-
cantevole,
3. boxing metch
[mc] =
incontro di box.
4. religious rally
['rli] =
raduno religioso.
5. canopy
['knepi] =
baldacch ino.
6. pond
lpcnd] =
laghetto,
stagno,
7. to sail
lseiU =
tar navi-
ga re,
8. kite
[kait] =
aquilone.
9. to freeze (froze frozen)
ffril.z
frouz 'frauznl
=
gela'
re.
10. to come across
=
im-
battersi.
1 1. oarsman
['c:zmenl -
rematore.
12. to deserve
[di'za:v] =
meritare.
*
Prince Albert is not
hold ing a Bible, as is
generally supposed, but a
catalogue of the Great Ex-
hibition held in 1851, of
which he was the chief pro-
moter and organizer.
431
CEOFFREY CHAUCER
Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400) is considered the Father of English Poetry. His masterpiece, The
cant_erbury lales, gives us a full portrait
of medieval days. The Prioress belongs to the Prologue to
the Canterbury Tales.
The prioress*
Also there was a nun, a Prioress,
I
And she went smiling, innocent and coy;z
The greatest oath she swore was by Saint Loy;
t
And she was known as Madame Eglantine.
Full wella she sang the services diine
I nton ing
-in
her nose right pretti ly;
t
And fairo she spoke her French and f luently
After the schoolT of Statford-at-the-Bow,
(The
French that Paris spoke she didn't know).
Well taught she was at table; she would lets
No food fall from her lips; she never wete
Her fingers deeply in the sauce;10 with care
-,
.,.F
:'l
.f
"*+{+f
A portrait
/ Cnaucer from
an eaily edition of The
Canterbury Tales.
The friar was a
pleasant
fellow. He frequented
innkeepers and was good
company to all.
The steward was a
successful guardian of his
lord's lands and money, The
terror of tenants and
peasanfs.
Full well
=
Benissimo.
lntoning in her nose ...
=
Con un'intonazione
nasale ben agg raziata.
lair
[fee*J =
correttamente.
After the school
=
Secondo la (gli insegnamen-
ti della) scuola.
she would let
=
lasciava.
to wet
[wet]
=
intingere.
sauce
[sc:s]
=
salsa, unto.
*
The Prioress
qui presentato nella versione
moderna di F.E. Hill, anzich in quella originale.
Chaucer usava I'inglese del suo tempo, il Middle
English.
1 . a nun, a Prioress
l'praiaris]
=
una monaca, una
priora.
2. coy
[kciJ
=
pudica.
3. The greatest oatl*[u0)...
=
ll giuramento pi
grave che faceva era nel nome di Sant'Eligio.
432
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
She raised
11
each morsel; wetl would she beware'2
Lest any drop upon her breast should fall;
13
ln manners
1o
she delighted above all.15
Always she wiped her upper.ljp so clean
t6
That never a f leck of grease" was to be seen
Within her cup when she had drunk. When she
Reached for18 her food, she did it daintily.tn
Pleasant she was, and loved a
jest
as well
20
And in demeanour2l she was amiabte.
Ever to use the ways of court she tried,
And sou ght" to keep her manner dignif ied
,
'
That all folk should be reverent of her.
But, speaking of her heart and character,
Such pity23 had she, and such charity
That if she saw a trapp'd mouse she woutd cry24
lf it had died, or even if it bled;
2s
And she had little dogs to which she fed26
Fine roasted meat, or mitk, or daintyz7 bread:
How woutd she weep28 if one of them were dead,
Or any one shoutd strike2e it viciousty:
30
She was all heart and sensibility!
The ship's captain had much
to repent of. Chaucer tells
how he stole wine and T,vas
merciless with
prisoners.
Aciording to Chaucer, the
prioress
enjoyed life to the
f ull.
The canon's yeoman had
grown thin in the service of
a clergyman.
20. ajest as well
=
pure uno scherzo.
21. demeanour
[di'mi:ne*] =
contegno.
22. lo seek sought sought
[si:k] [sc:tJ =
cercare.
23. Such pity
=
Tale compassione.
24. she would Gry
=
piangeva.
25. lo bleed bled bled
sangue.
to which she fed
=
a cui dava (da mangiare).
dainty
['deinti] =
prelibato.
to weep wept wept
[wi:p] [wept] =
piangere
(sommessamente).
29. lo strike struck struck
[straikl [strnkJ =
colpire.
30. viciously
['viJasli] =
con cattiveria, con dispetto.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
to raise
[reiz]
=
sollevare.
well would she beware
[bi'uea*J
=
ben si dipor-
tava (stava ben attenta).
Lest ... should fall
=
per timore che
cadesse.
ln manners
=
Nelle buone maniere.
above all
=
sopra tutto.
to wipe one's upper lip clean
=
pulirsi il labbro
superiore
(asciugandoselo).
a fleck of grease
[gri:s] =
una macchia d'unto.
to reach for
=
allungare la mano per prendere.
daintily
['deintili] =
squisitamente, delicatamen-
te.
26.
27.
28.
433
BRANI DI TRADUZIONE DALL'ITALIANO
1
Bob Posso prendere
I
la tua Vespa per qualche minuto, Tom?
Tom No, non puoi! Non sai guidare abbanstanza bene
2
per avventurarti
3
nella strada.
E potresti fracassarti contro un lampione, od investire una vecchia signora. Puoi
provare in giardino, se vuoi, ma sta attento:
potresti cadere nella vasca dei pesci
a
e spaventare i suoi abitanti, oltre ad inzuppare te stesso
'
e lo scooter. Se mi
aspetti, ti potr dare una lezione di guida
6
fra qualche minuto, e pu darsi che tu
impari qualcosa da me. Non puoi aspettarti di sapere guidare bene senza aver
preso nessuna lezione.
Quando
saprai guidare come si deVe,
7
potrai prendere a
prestito la mia Vespa per un giro in citt. Ma ora non posso prestartela,
le voglio
troppo bene.
o
E poi potresti romperti il collo.
'
2
Mr Sullivan arriv al suo ufficio in ritardo, l solito, ll suo capo lo stava aspettando.
"Posso sentire la tua storia, Sullivan?" gli chiese subito.
"Potrei sedermi, signore?,, disse
Sullivan.
"Sono
senza fiato.
'u
Lei non pu immaginare quello
che successe stamattina.
Uscii alla solita ora, ma mia moglie mi chiam indietro. Twitty, il nostro canarino, era
scappato dalla sua gabbia,
ed ella non riusciva a prenderlo.
Sa, non potevamo lasciarlo
volare nella casa, abbiamo tre gatti. Dopo mezz'ora Twitty era di nuovo nella sua gab-
bia. Decisi allora di prendere un taxi per
venire in citt. Ne cercai uno, ma non riuscii a
trovarlo. Poi vidi Thomas, un vecchio amico, che andava in citt nella sua automobile.
"Puoi darmi un
passaggio, Thomas?" gli chiesi. E salii sulla sua macchina. Tutti sanno
che Thomas non sa guidare molto bene, ma stamattina guidava
malissimo. Dopo solo un
miglio Thomas non pot
evitare una collisione con un furgone, e io lo lasciai li. Avrei
potuto telefonare, ma non ci pensai.
11
Che potevo f^are? Cominciai a camminare, e dopo
mezz'ora arrivai alla stazione della metropolitana.
12
Ed eccomi qui.
Se Twitty non fosse
scappato,..."
"Due
ore in ritardo, Sullivan" disse il capo. "Non
posso
tollerare
13
ci. E
c' un saccq di lavoro in questi giorni".
"Potrei fermarmi dopo le cinque, signore", disse
Mr Sullivan a questo punto.
"Potrebbe essere un'idea, Sullivan" disse il capo, e se ne and.
la
3
"Devo essere esaurito, non riesco a ricordare nulla, dimentico le cose che dovrei fare,
dico cose che non dovrei dire, rido quando dovrei essere triste e mi sento triste quando
dovrei essere allegro. Che cosa devo fare?
lo credo che la causa dei miei guai sia dover fare le stesse cose noiose ogni giorno
dell'anno. Perch, bisogna che lo ammetta, il lavoro che faccio mi annoia J molte.
1t
Non avrei dovuto scegliere
questa professione: guadagno molto, devo dire, ma preferirei
guadagnare meno e non sentirmi cosi infelice. Avrei dovuto fare il pittore,
16
quella la
professione che avrei dovuto scegliere, ed ora sarei un uomo felice, anche se squat-
irinato. Ma non ho avuto fede in me stesso,
l7
ed ho dovuto scegliere una
professione
1. pntndere (a prestito)
=
to borrow
['bcrau]
2. abbastanza bene
=
well enough
[i'mfl
3. awenturarsl
(ln)
=
to venture (on)
4. Yasca del pescl
=
fish pond
5. te stesSo
=
yourself.
6. lezlone dl gulda
=
driving lesson
7. como sl deve
=
properly
['prcpali]
8. voler bene (a)
=
to be fond (of)
9. rompersl il collo
=
to break one's neck
434
10. senza f iato
=
out of breath
1 1. pensarci
=
to think of it
12. stazione della metropolitana
=
underground
station o tube station
13. tollerare
=
to stand (stood stood)
14. andarsene
=
to go away
15. annolare a morte
=
to bore to death
16. fare ll pittore
=
to be a painter
17, in me stesso
=
in myself
[mai'self]
che mi sta uccidendo lentamente. Ma devo ribellarmi, devo cambiare vita, professione,
abitudini.
Dovr sfidare le critiche della gente, vero, ma dovrei preoccuparmi di questo? Bisogna
che io cambi attivit, e faccia qualcosa
che mi lasci vivere serenamente, o finir in un
manicomio".
4
Devono essere le sette. Sono appena arrivato a casa. Tutti dovrebbero essere a casa a
quest'ora, noi pranziamo
alle sette, ma non vedo anima viva.
18
E
(il) pranzo dovrebbe
essere pronto, ma non vedo niente in cucina. Suppongo che nessuno abbia fame stasera.
Lizzie doveva preparare (il) pranzo stasera, ora ricordo. Dovrebbe essere in cucina,
cucinando
qualcosa. lncidentalmente, Lizzie sar una ragazza intelligente e simpatica,
ma una cuoca da frana.
le
Dovrebbe iscriversi ad una scuola serale, come ho fatto io
t'anno scorso. Non sar un grande chef, ma me la cavo
20
a cucinare. Si suppone che tut-
ti sappiano cucinare oggigiorno, tagazze e ragazzi. ll mondo sta cambiando, suppongo
che vi stiate rendendo conto di ci. Ma io so cucinare, e Lizzie no, e questo abbastan-
za buffo.
Non vedo ancora nessuno. Mi chiedo dove siano tutti, dovrebbero essere qui a quest'ora.
Suppongo che cuciner io stasera. Vediamo ... una frittata, patate fritte e macedonia di
frutta
2l
per finire. Ce ne dovrebbe essere ancora una scatola in cucina. Non sar un gran
men, ma quello che posso preparare in dieci minuti.
5
Tom Vorresti una tazza di caff, Bob?
Bob Si, grazie.
Tom O vuoi del t, invece?
Bob No, grazie, (il)
caff andr bene.
22
Tom
Quanto
zucchero vuoi nel caff?
Bob Voglio cinque zollette,
23
grazie. Mi piace berlo dolce, ma non troppo.
Tom Vuoi passarmi il latte, per-favore? Ed anche quella scatola di biscotti. Oh,
questa
scatola non vuole aprirsi,
a
vuoi darmi quel
coltello?... Ecco fatto,25 voglio che
tu assaggi questi
biscotti e mi dica se ti piacciono. Non sono ingrassanti
26
e ti
daranno un mucchio di calorie.
Bob
Questi
biscotti non sono male, devo dire, mi piacerebbe
che anche mia madre li
comprasse.
Tom Credo che ti siano piaciuti, la scatola gi vuota. Vuoi che ne apra un'altra?
Bob Se insisti, Tom e vorrei un'altra tazza di caff; anche questo caff non affatto
male.
27
6
Sam Hai visto Donald?
Lucy No. Non so dove sia. Lo stavi aspettando?
Sam Sf, doveva venire qui alle
quattro e mezza Nessuno sa dirmi dove pu essere,
speravo che tu sapessi dove fosse.
Lucy Avresti dovuto immaginare che non si sarebbe fatto vivo.
28
un ragazzo cosi
sbadato,
2e
non riesce a ricordarsi di nulla. Non pu darsi che sia ancora a ca-
sa? Perch non gli telefoni?
18. anima viva
19. una cuoca da f rana
20. cavarsela
21 . macedonia di frutta
=
f ruit salad
22. andr bene
=
will do
23. zolletta
=
lump
[a.mp]
24. non vuole aprirsi
=
won't open
25. Ecco fatto
=
Here we are
26. ingrassante
=
fattening
['ftniq]
27. affatto male
=
bad at all
435
Sam Posso usare il tuo telefono? Crazie ... La linea
30
occupata.
31
Cli dar un col-
po di telefono
32
appena arriver a casa. Se tu dovessi vederlo, digli che lo sto
cercando. Avrebbe
potuto telefonare almeno! Dovevamo parlare
anche di quel-
la gita che vorremmo fare domenica
prossima. Vorrei che venissi anche tu.
Lucy Te l'ho gi detto, sono occupata domenica. Dovr rimanere in citt, perch al-
cuni miei parenti devono arrivare qui da Londra. Mi spiace molto.
Sam Ti soiace se chiamo ancora Donald?
Lucy Fa
iure.33
Sam .......... Niente da fare.
3a
Me ne vado. Ci vediamo domani.
35
Arrivederci.
7
lulia
Ciao, Mary. Sono molto contenta di vederti, non sapevo che tu fossi ancora in
citt. Tuo fratello mi aveva detto che
eri partita.
Mary Effettivamente36
partii, ma potei restare in campagna tre giorni soltanto, perch
oggi una mia amica deve arrivare
qua da Parigi. una ragazza francese che ho
incontrato al mare l'anno scorso. L'ho invitata a passare qualche giorno in ln-
ghilterra.
lutia Quanti
anni ha? carina?
Mary Ha diciott'anni ed molto carina. Se verrai con me alla stazione, potrai vederla.
Iulia A che ora arriva il suo treno?
Mary Alle undici meno venti. La mia amica, che non ha mai veduto Londra, vorrebbe
fermarsi qui una settimana prima di partire per la Scozia, dove siamo state in-
vitate da una mia zia.
lulia
La tua amica sa parlare inglese?
Mary Sa dire qualcosa, con una
pronuncia molto buffa.
8
David Non arrivato
Jack?
Iohn
No, a che ora doveva arrivare qui?
David Aveva detto che sarebbe venuto alle 5, dovrebbe essere qui
ormai.
lohn
Non devi aspettarti la puntualit da
Jack:
un ragazzo cosi distratto!
David Se non dovesse arrivare entro
"'
qualche minuto, penso che dovremo telefonargli
per ricordargli il nostro appuntamento. Dovevamo andare insieme al mio club
per incontrarvi Bob. Bob dev'essere gi l, forse dovremmo telefonare anche a
lui.
lohn
E poi dovevamo
parlare di quella gita che vorremmo fare domenica ventura.
Forse
Jack
si dimenticato anche della gita.
David Non probabile che si dimentichi di quella gita. Mary ha detto che si sarebbe
unita
38
a noi domenica ventura, e tu sai che Mary piace
moltissimo a
Jack.
lohn
Dover aspettare qualcosa che ho sempre odiato: vado a telefonare a
Jack,
tu
aspettami
qui. Faccio in un attimo.3e
David Telefona anche a Bob, per favore. Non vorrei che pensasse
che noi ci siamo
dimenticati di lui.
28. larsl
yivo
=
to show up (col/.).
34. Nlente da fare
=
Nothing doing.
29. sbadaio
=
lorgetful, vague
[veigl. 35. Gi vedlamo domani
=
See
you tomorrow.
30. llnea
=
lirie. 36. Ellottivamenle
=
As a matter of fact.
31. occupato
=
engaged
[in'geigd]. 37. entro
=
within
[ui'inl.
32. dare un colpo dl telefono
=
to give a ring.
38. unlrci a
=
to
join
[!cin].
33. Fa purc
=
Please do. 39. Facclo ln un attlmo
=
I won't be a minute.
436
JOHCS
Having been married twenty years, a couple decided to celebrate by taking a little trip.
While talking over their plans
one evening, the husband now and then glanced into the
next room where a little old lady sat knitting. "The only thing", he finally said in a hush-
ed voice, "is that for once l'd like to be by ourselves. l'd like to take this trip without
your mother".
"My mother!" exclaimed the wife, "l thought she was
your motherl"
A hurricane shot a man and his wife right through the roof of their modest cottage. A
neighbour who saw them exclaimed: "There go Tom and Sally! First time they've gone
out together in twenty years!"
A husband was deep in a book when his wife called to him: "Bill, there's a man at the
door with a funny face.."
Without thinking Bill replied: "Tell him you've got one".
"For the last time", a husband shouted towards the bedroom, "are
you ready to go?"
"For heaven's sake, be quiet", retorted his wife. "l've been telling you for the last hour
that l'll be ready in a minute".
"l simply must divorce this woman", a husband explained to the court.
"She insisted on keeping a pet goat in our bedroom. The smell was so terrible that I
couldn't suffer it any longer".
The
judge
shook his head. "That sounds bad", he said, "but couldn't you open a
window?"
"Whatl", cried the husband.
"And let all my pigeons get
out?"
"My wife doesn't understand me", said a man to his friend.
"Does
yours?"
"l don't know. l'Ve never heard her mention your
name".
right bloody Solomon that
judge
turned
to be!"
/------'
7