Страница 10

Они уже успели занять места в лингафонном кабинете.

О: — Дадут.

С: — Он так сказал?

О: — Я так сказала. Все, Свет, завязываем. Вроде пронесло, и ладно. Вон, звонок был, и народ уже подгребает…

С: — Нет, так я все равно не понимаю…

ЕВ: — What don't you understand, Sveta? If it's The Past Perfect Continous, we'll come to it right away. And may I ask you, who's absent today?

Новая англичанка Елена Васильевна Прекрасная отличается некоторыми любопытными качествами. Во–первых, она непонятно отчего прекрасно говорит по–английски. Во–вторых, у нее прекрасно получается внезапно появляться и изчезать. В-третьих, она действительно прекрасна.

С: — Good afternoon, Elena Vasil'evna. Nobody is not absent today, ай, Олька, даже если я чего не так сказала, это еще не повод щипаться! I am sorry, Elena Vasil'evna.

ЕВ: — I hope you are. And you, too, Olga. Using double negation in English certainly deserves a capital punishment, but unfortunately schools don't go corporal anymore, so we must try to restrain ourselves, is it clear?

О: — I do apologize, Elena Vasil'evna.

ЕВ: — There we go. And now to the 3rd Chapter — everybody please break into pairs and check your partner's retelling!

Класс покорно начинает гудеть, а Елена Прекрасная (вообще–то ее фамилия — Красовская, но об этом все уже успели забыть) подходит к Светке и наклоняется поближе:

ЕВ: — Света, вон Вадик сидит без пары, иди–ка давай к нему, а я Олю проверю.

С: — А чего я к нему, он меня, знаете, как на прошлой неделе обозвал-ЕВ: — Вот и помиритесь, только по–английски.

С: — Так мы уже… опять она щиплется, ладно–ладно, пошла уже.

О: — Chapter 3. As we already know from the previous chapter, poor Oliver…

ЕВ: — That's a great retelling, Olga, and now listen. How was your conversation? Speak fast and quietly.

И она туда же.

О: — Which conversation?

ЕВ: — Oh, come on, you know which conversation I'm talking about. Смирнов и Яблочкин, я прекрасно отличаю морской бой от пересказа! Back to work, please! The one with the Deputy Headmaster.

О: — Is this how his job is called in English?

ЕВ — They don't have such a job there, I was improvising.

О: — Interesting, how come they don't have it? On the other hand, who needs such a guy in a school without any socialistic competition and stuff like that, all those: «Which teacher gets more medals?», «Which gets best grades?», «Which school has all those brilliant kids, who might have some problems with their behavior, but they are just so smart that we have to give them a chance because we need better results to show to the authorities…»

ЕВ: — Oh, well, as if they don't have some sort of a capitalistic competition there — the schools are definitely graded against one anoth- Olga. Do you mean what I think you mean?

О: — I guess so.

ЕВ: — Gee, but that's great! I hoped he'd realize that, but he's so stuck‑I mean, reserved, that you'll never know. Anyway, that means we don't have to worry, he'll fix it all.

О: — Do you think he can?

ЕВ: — Absolutely. He's the one in control, I can tell. In a discreet way, you know.