Читать книгу 1984. A2 - Джордж Оруэлл, George Orwell - Страница 3

When Winston reached the door, he realised that the notebook was still on the table. He left it open, anyone could see “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER”. The letters were big enough to see it from here. He inhaled and opened the door. It was Mrs. Parsons, his neighbour.

“Can you please take a look at the kitchen sink? There's a problem with it, and my husband isn't home.”

Mr Parsons worked with Winston. He was overweight, energetic, and incredibly stupid, but Mrs. Parsons appreciated his skills.

Winston followed her into the old flat, which smelled of boiled cabbage and sweat. The place was messy, as if wild animals ran around the rooms all day. Winston started working in the sink.

“Hands up! You're a traitor! A thought-criminal! A spy! I'll shoot you!” someone shouted from behind.

Mrs. Parsons' children jumped around Winston with their toy guns, but for Winston, they felt real. Mrs. Parsons apologised for the noise nervously and thanked Winston. Her grey face looked helpless and frightened. As he was leaving, one of the boys threw a toy gun at him.

“Goldstein!” the boy screamed. Mrs. Parsons apologised again. She looked older than she was.

Back at his flat, the telescreen spoke loudly. “Attention! There's news from the war!”

The images on the screen showed soldiers, prisoners, and a lot of blood. The voice announced that the chocolate ration would be reduced. Bad news, Winston thought. He moved to the window and looked at the posters outside. He wondered who he was writing the diary for. The Thought Police would definitely destroy it after reading. He continued writing: From the age of Big Brother to the time when thought is free – greetings!

Winston noticed ink on his fingers. This detail could betray him, so he went to the bathroom and scrubbed his hands with soap. It was harsh and unpleasant, but he was happy with the result.

He thought about hiding the notebook, but knew this was useless: someone would definitely discover it. So he picked some dust from his room and put it on the notebook. If anyone opened it, the dust would leave a trace.

Glossary

apologise [ə'pɒlədʒaɪz] – v извиняться

appreciate [ə'pri:ʃieɪt] – v ценить

harsh [hɑ:ʃ] – adj суровый

helpless ['helpləs] – adj беспомощный

incredibly [ɪn'kredəbli] – adv невероятно

inhale [ɪn'heɪl] – v вдыхать

ink [ɪŋk] – n чернила

overweight [ˌəʊvə'weɪt] – adj грузный

ration ['ræʃən] – n паек

scream [skri:m] – v вопить

scrub [skrʌb] – v скрести

shoot [ʃu:t] – v застрелить

sink [sɪŋk] – n раковина

spy [spaɪ] – n шпион

sweat [swet] – n, v пот, потеть

trace [treɪs] – n след

traitor ['treɪtə] – n предатель

unpleasant [ʌn'plezənt] – adj неприятный

useless ['ju:sləs] – adj бесполезный

wonder ['wʌndə] – v желать знать