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Winter cruise






Captain Erdmann knew Miss Reid very little till the Friedrich Weber reached Haiti. She came on board at Plymouth, but by then he had taken on a number of passengers, French, Belgian and Haitian, many of whom had traveled with him before. The Friedrich Weber was a freighter sailing regularly from Hamburg to Cartagena on the Columbian coast and on the way touching at a number of islands in the West Indies. She carried phosphates and cement from Germany and took back coffee and timber, but her owners, the brothers Weber, were always willing to send her out of her route if a cargo of any sort made it worth their while. The Friedrich Weber was prepared to take cattle, mules, potatoes or anything else that offered the chance of earning an honest penny. She carried passengers. There were six cabins on the upper deck and six below. The accommodation was not luxurious, but the food was good, plain and abundant, and the fairs were cheap. The round trip took nice weeks and was not costing Miss Reid more that forty-five pounds. She looked forward not only to seeing many interesting places, with historical associations, but also to acquiring a great deal of information that would enrich her mind.

The agent had warned her that till the ship reached Port du Prince in Haiti she would have to share a cabin with another woman. Miss Reid did not mind that, she liked company and when the steward told her companion was Madame Bollin she thought at once that it would be a very good opportunity to rub up her French. She was only very slightly disconcerted when she found that Madame Bollin was coal-black; she told herself that one had to accept the rough with the smooth and that it takes all sorts to make a world. Miss Reid was a good sailor, as, indeed, was only to be expected, since her grandfather had been a naval officer, but after a couple of roughish days the weather was fine and in a very short while she knew all her fellow-passengers. She was a good mixer. That was one of the reasons why she had made a success of her business, she owned a tea-room at a celebrated beauty spot in the West of England and she always had a smile and a pleasant word foe every customer who came in. she closed down in the winter and for the last four years had taken a cruise. You met such interesting people, she said, and you always learnt something. It was true that the passengers on the Friedrich Weber weren`t of quite so good a class as those she had met the year before on her Mediterranean cruise, but Miss Reid was not a snob, and though the table manners of some of them shocked her somewhat, determined to look upon the bright side of things, she decided to make the best of them. She was a great reader and she was glad, on looking at the ship`s library, to find that there were a lot of books by Phillip Oppenheim, Edgar Wallace and Agatha Christie, but with so many people to talk to she had no time for reading, and she made up her mind to leave them till the ship emptied herself at Haiti. «After all», she said, «human nature is more important than literature.»

Miss Reid had a great many interesting talks with her fellow-passengers and she was really sorry when the ship at length reached Port du Prince and the last of them disembarked. The Friedrich stopped two days there during which she visited the town and the neighbourhood. When they sailed she was the only passenger. The ship was skirting the coast of the islands, stopping off at variety of ports to discharge or take on cargo.

«I hope you will not feel embarrassed alone with so many men, Miss Reid,» said the captain heartily as they sat down to midday dinner. She was placed on his right hand and at table besides sat the first mate, the chief engineer and the doctor. «I`m a woman of the world, Captain. I always think if a lady is a lady gentlemen will be gentlemen».

 

1. Answer the following questions:

1. Was the Friedrich Weber an ocean-going liner or a cargo ship? 2. What was the freighter`s regular route? 3. What were her ports of call on the way from Germany to Cartagena? 4. What did the Friedrich Weber carry from Germany and what cargo did she take back? 5. Did the Friedrich Weber carry only cargo or did she carry passengers as well? 6. In what case were the brothers Weber willing to send the Friedrich Weber out of her route? 7. How many cabins were there on the upper deck and how many below? 8. What were the accommodation and the food on board the Friedrich Weber like? 9. Was the cruise on board the Friedrich Weber expensive? 10. How long did the round trip take? How much did it cost Miss Reid to make the round trip? 11. Miss Reid looked forward to seeing many interesting places, didn`t she? Was it the only reason for her taking the cruise? 12. Where did Miss Reid embark the ship? 13. How many passengers where there on board the Friedrich Weber when Miss Reid boarded the ship at Plymouth? 14. Did Miss Reid have the cabin to herself or did she have to share it with another woman? 15. Did she have to share her cabin during the whole cruise or till the ship reached Port du Prince? 16. Why did not Miss Reid mind sharing a cabin? 17. Why was Miss Reid glad to hear that her companion`s name was Madame Bollin? 18. Was Miss Reid greatly disappointed or only slightly disconcerted when she found that Madame Bollin actually was not French? 19. Was Miss Reid a poor sailor or a good one? 20. What was the weather like during the cruise? 21. Why did Miss Reid make friends easily? 22. What did Miss Reid do for a living? 23. Why did she close down in the winter? 24. Why did Miss Reid like taking a cruise? Why did she always look forward so much to her winter cruises? 25. Why did Miss Reid think that the passengers on the Friedrich Weber were not of quite so good a class as those she had met before on her Mediterranean cruise? Did she mind it or did she make up her mind to look on the bright side of things? 26. Was Miss Reid an avid reader? 27. Why did Miss Reid have no time for reading during the cruise? Which did she find more important, human nature or literature? Did she enjoy her talks with her fellow-passengers? 28. Where did all the passengers except Miss Reid disembark? Did Miss Reid feel embarrassed to find herself the only passenger left on board the ship? 29. How many days did the ship spend at Port du Prince? 30. Why did the freighter stop at a variety of ports on her voyage back?

 

2. a) What is the Russian for:

freighter; steward; first mate; a celebrated beauty spot; to sail from … to; to rub up one`s French (English, etc.); she was a good mixer; she was a great reader; the accommodation was luxurious; the food was good, plain and abundant; the ship emptied herself; it takes all sorts to make a world; to accept the rough with the smooth; to look upon the bright side of things.

 

b) What is the English for:

верхняя палуба; ветреный день; неспокойное море; плыть по бурному морю; Средиземное море; поездка по Средиземному морю; поездка туда и обратно; садиться на судно; заходить в порт (о судне); перевозить грузы; брать груз; загружаться; отплыть; сойти на берег; ехать в одной каюте с кем-либо; обогатить; проезд стоит дешево.

3. a ) Reproduce the text as it is.

b) Retell «Winter Cruise» on the part of Miss Reid/ the captain/ the first mate.

4. Describe the freighter «Friedrich Weber».

5. Paraphrase the following:

1. The Friedrich Weber was a cargo vessel. 2. He is very sociable and easily makes friends. 3. The Friedrich Weber was a freighter plying between Hamburg and Cartagena and on the way calling at a number of Islands in the West Indies. She reads a lot and her chief interest is literature. 5. The round trip lasted nine weeks and did not cost the passengers a lot of money. 6. We had the cabin to ourselves. 7. This will be a good opportunity to brush up my English. 8. One has to accept things as they come. 9. The ship emptied herself at Haiti. 10. After a couple of windy days the weather was fine again. 11. What time are we due at Southampton? 12. There was still plenty of time for us to board the ship. 13. It was midsummer and it was not easy to book a cabin (a berth) on the boat. 14. The ship slowly moved out of the harbour. 15. The boat leaves at 10.45 p.m.






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