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A Christmas carol by CH. Dickens




MORE RICHES FOR CROESUS

The Harvard-Cornell expedition to Sardis, Turkey, which last summer discovered the remains of King Croesus’ gold workshop, returned to the site this summer and unearthed a new quarter of the city. The findings indicate that the ancient capital of Lydia was even larger and wealthier than previously believed.

This summer’s findings, which include several new refining sites, suggest that the city may have contained as many as 50,000 inhabitants and was capable of producing several hundred ounces of gold per week during the 6th century, B.C., when Lydia was the richest nation in the world.

The new area of the city was found by accident when a small boy came across a mound of pottery in a dry stream bed some 50 yards from the expedition’s camp.

Among the other findings of the expedition headed by George M.A.Haufmann of Harvard, were a pair of gold ornaments, through to be ear-plugs,¹ and a mausoleum believed to be that of a Persian satrap whose empire overran Lydia in 547 B.C.

 

Notes on the text:

1. ear-plugs – серьги

 

It was Christmas Eve. Ebenezer Scrooge was in his office, the office, of Scrooge and Marley. His clerk, poor Bob Cratchit, was working. Suddenly, Scrooge’s young nephew came into the office.

“Hello uncle. Merry Christmas!” he said happily. “Do you want to come and have Christmas dinner with us tomorrow?” “Christmas?” Scrooge replied. “Bah! Humbug!” Scrooge hated Christmas Day.

His nephew went away. Later two men came to the office, asking for money for the poor.

“Bah! Are there no prisons for these people?” Scrooge refused to give even a penny. Then, when it was time to close the office, Bob Cratchit asked for the day off, because it was Christmas”. “All right”, Scrooge said, “but be” here early the next morning”. That evening Scrooge was sitting in front of his fire at home when, suddenly, he saw a ghost in front of him. “Who are you?” Scrooge asked nervously.

“In life, I was Jacob Marley, your partner. I am wearing these chains and I can never be in peace, because when I lived I only thought about money. But I am here to help you. You have a chance to escape my terrible destiny. Tonight three ghosts will visit you”. Then the ghost of Marley disappeared.

Scrooge went to bed and fell asleep. But in the night he woke up. The figure of a strange old man appeared near his bed.

“I am the Ghost of Christmas Past. Of your past”, it told Scrooge. The ghost took Scrooge to scenes of Christmases from the past. In one scene Scrooge saw himself as a boy at school. He was reading a book. All the other boys had gone home for Christmas. In another scene Scrooge saw himself as a young man. He was talking to his girlfriend, who he didn’t marry because she didn’t have any money. Scrooge began to feel sadder and sadder.

“Stop! Show me no more!” he cried. Finally the ghost brought him home and Scrooge fell asleep again. Later that night, Scrooge woke up again.

“I am the Ghost of Christmas Present. Look at me!” said the second ghost, laughing. He was a large man with a beared, wearing a green robe. He took Scrooge to the house of Bob Grathit and his family. It was cold in the house and Bob and his family were sitting around a very small Christmas pudding.

“What a wonderful pudding. Merry Christmas everyone!” cried Bob, Scrooge felt said, because he could see how poor the Cratchits were, Bob’s smallest child, Tiny Tim, was weak and ill. The ghost finally took scrooge to a very poor area of London. There were two poor children out in the street.

“Can’t we do something to help these children?” he asked the ghost, who repeated what Scrooge had said before.

“Are there no prisons?” The ghost laughed and disappeared. Then, the third ghost appeared. He was dressed in black and looked…

“Are you the Ghost of Christmas Future?” Scrooge asked nervously.

The ghost did not answer. It took Scrooge and showed him the scenes of the future. In one, people were talking about Scrooge’s death, but not one person was unhappy about it. The ghost also took him to the Cratchit family. The family was very sad. The little boy, Tiny Tim, had died.

The next morning. Scrooge opened his window and asked, “What day is it today?”

“Why sir, it’s Christmas Day”, replied a young boy in the street.

Scrooge was very happy. He gave money to the boy to buy an enormous turkey for the Cratchit family. Then he went out into the street.

“Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!” He wished everybody he saw Merry Christmas. He met the man who had asked the money for the poor and gave him a large some of money. Scrooge then went and visited his nephew and had the best Christmas dinner in his life. The next day he went to his office early. He waited for Bob Cratchit.

“You are late!” said Scrooge in an angry voice.

“Yes, I am very sorry…” replied poor Bob.

“In that case, I’m afraid I’m going to… increase your salary! Merry Christmas, Bob!”

From that day, Scrooge was the happiest man in the world. And people always said of him: “He knew how to celebrate Christmas.

 

Words to the text:

humbug! – чепуха

ghost – привидение, дух

bah! – ба! (неодобрительный возглас)

enormous turkey – огромная индюшка




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