Around the World in 80 Days. A2 - Верн Жюль Габриэль

Жюль Верн

Around the World in 80 Days. A2

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Адапт. текста, словарь и упражнения А. Грек.

© ООО «Издательство АСТ», 2023

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Chapter 1

Phileas Fogg and Passepartout

In 1872, the Reform Club in Londons Pall Mall was a club for men only. Phileas Fogg went to the Reform Club every day. He left his house at 7 Savile Row at 11.30 in the morning and walked to the club. He had his lunch and his dinner there. He read the papers at the club, and he played cards. He left late in the evening and walked back to Savile Row. He went to bed at 12 oclock.

Phileas Fogg was a cold man. He didnt talk much, and nobody knew much about him. But everything in his life had to be right. His washing water had to be at 31 °C not 30 °C and not 32 °C.

At 9.37 on the morning of 2nd October 1872 his servant, James Forster, brought him water at 30 °C, not 31 °C. So this servant had to go. Phileas Fogg sat at home in his Savile Row house. He waited for his new servant.

The new servant came. He was about thirty years old.

You are French, said Phileas Fogg, and your name is John?

No, said the new servant. My name is Jean, Mr Fogg. They call me Jean Passepartout, because in French a passepartout can open every door. When things are bad, I can always get out. I can get out of anything!

Tell me about your work, said Phileas Fogg.

I am a good man and I can do a lot of different jobs, said Jean Passepartout. I was a fireman in Paris. And look! Passepartout did a high jump, then put his left leg and then his right leg on his head. He was a strong man.

But I left France in 1867, said Passepartout, and I came to England. I want to be a servant. I am looking for a quiet life. People say that you are the quietest man in Britain. So I want to work for you. I want to live quietly now. I want to forget the name Passepartout.

Ill call you Passepartout, said Phileas Fogg. What time is it?

Passepartout pulled out a big watch and looked at it.

It is 11.29, Mr. Fogg, he said.

All right. From now, 11.29 on 2nd October 1872, you are my servant.

With those words, Phileas Fogg put on his hat and went out. There was nobody in the house, then, only Passepartout.

Here I am, the Frenchman thought. But what do I do?

He went into every room in the house. He found his room, and in it there was a timetable. Everything was there, starting from 8 oclock. Phileas Fogg got up at that time.

8.23 Bring tea.

9.37 Bring washing water (31 °C).

11.30 PF goes to the Reform Club.

Then, from 11.30 in the morning to midnight, everything was on the timetable. Mr. Fogg always went to bed at midnight.

Passepartout smiled. This is right for me, he thought. Mr. Fogg is the man for me!

Glossary:

club клуб

late поздно

things вещи

strong сильный

have to приходится

servant слуга

get out выбраться

look for искать

quiet тихий, спокойный

timetable расписание, график

midnight полночь

only только

much много

wait ждать

about около

French француз

anything что угодно

Chapter 2

The bet

It was 6.10 in the evening at the Reform Club. Phileas Fogg was in the card room. He was at a card table with the same five men as yesterday and the day before and the day before that.

Phileas Fogg and the five men didnt usually talk when they played cards. But this evening, before the game started, the men talked about a newspaper story. A thief walked into the Bank of England and took fifty-five thousand pounds. Then he walked out again. One of the men at the card table, Ralph, had a very good job at the Bank of England.

Theyll catch the man, Ralph said. The best detectives are at every port. They know that the man is tall. He wears expensive clothes. Theyll find him.

Oh, I dont know, said Stuart, another man at the table. The world is a very big place.

It was a big place, said Phileas Fogg.

What do you mean was? Is it smaller now? said Stuart.

Yes, said Ralph. I think Mr. Fogg is right. You can go round the world more quickly now.

All right, said Stuart. You can go round the world in about three months, but that doesnt mean.

Not three months, said Phileas Fogg. Eighty days.

Foggs right, said Ralph. The Rothal to Allahabad railway, in India, is open now. Look todays Times has a timetable for a journey round the world. And he showed them, on the centre page of the paper.

London to Suez railway and ship

Suez to Bombay ship

Bombay to Calcutta railway

Calcutta to Hong Kong ship

Hong Kong to Yokohama ship

Yokohama to San Francisco ship

San Francisco to New York railway

New York to London ship and railway

80 days

Yes, said Stuart, eighty days. Its all right on paper. But a lot of things can happen in eighty days. They can stop you on the way.

No, they cant, Mr. Stuart, said Phileas Fogg.

Well, why dont you try, Mr. Fogg?

Go round the world in eighty days? said Phileas Fogg. All right. I have twenty thousand pounds in Barings Bank. Ill bet all of it.

Twenty thousand pounds! cried Ralph. Something will happen on the journey, and youll lose all your money. Nothing will stop me, Phileas Fogg said. In the end, Phileas Foggs five friends took the bet. Each person will pay you four thousand pounds thats twenty thousand pounds when we see you again here in the Reform Club in eighty days at the end of your journey round the world, said Ralph. Or you have to pay us twenty thousand pounds. Thats the bet.

Phileas Fogg thought for a minute. Today is Wednesday, 2nd October. So I have to be back here, in this room in the Reform Club, on Saturday, 21st December at 8.45 in the evening.

At 7.25, Phileas Fogg said good night to his friends and left the Reform Club. At 7.50, he opened the door of his house in Savile Row and went in.

Mr. Fogg? Is that you? said Passepartout. He looked at the timetable. This was not on the timetable.

We are leaving in ten minutes for Dover and Calais, said Phileas Fogg. We are going round the world.

Passepartouts eyes opened wide very wide. He opened his arms then jumped on one leg.

Round the world! he said.

In eighty days, said Phileas Fogg. We have to go now. Now!

But your bags?

Im not taking any bags. Well, one small bag. We can buy things on the way. Bring down my coat. Wear strong shoes. Go!

At 8 oclock, Passepartout was ready with a small bag. A quiet life, he thought. Where is my quiet life?

Phileas Fogg was ready. He had a book under his arm Bradshaws, a railway and ship timetable. He took the bag from Passepartout and put a lot of money into it. Then he gave the bag to Passepartout.

Look after it, he said. Theres twenty thousand pounds in it.

At the station, Phileas Fogg saw his five friends from the Reform Club.

Youre here to say goodbye? Thats kind, he said. Ill have stamps in my passport for each country. You can see them when I come back.

We wont look at your passport, said Ralph. Youre an Englishman.

At 8.40, Phileas Fogg and Passepartout took their places in the train, and at 8.45 the train started.

Some days later, the police at Scotland Yard had a letter from their detective, Detective Fix.

Suez, 9th October

To Scotland Yard, London

I am following the bank thief, Phileas Fogg. Send a warrant to Bombay now.

Fix (detective)

Glossary:

bet пари

thief вор

railway железная дорога

journey путешествие

happen случаться

try пытаться

way путь

warrant ордер

card table карточный стол

usually обычно

catch ловить, поймать

another еще один

Chapter 3

Detective Fix

On Wednesday, 9th October a small thin man waited for a ship at Suez, Egypt. The ship, a fast ship, was the Mongolia. The man was Detective Fix. He was at the port because he wanted to find the Bank of England thief.

Fix looked at everybody. He wanted a tall man in expensive clothes. When the Mongolia arrived at the port, Phileas Fogg left the ship. He had to get a stamp in his passport. He went back to the ship. Fix watched him.