Английский язык с Джеком Лондоном. В далекой стране (рассказы)

But the most of it was of the kind which built up brawn and sinew, but did not tickle the palate. True, there was sugar in plenty for two ordinary men; but these two were little else than children. They early discovered the virtues of hot water judiciously saturated with sugar, and they prodigally swam their flapjacks and soaked their crusts in the rich, white syrup. Then coffee and tea, and especially the dried fruits, made disastrous inroads upon it. The first words they had were over the sugar question. And it is a really serious thing when two men, wholly dependent upon each other for company, begin to quarrel.

Weatherbee loved to discourse blatantly on politics (Уэзерби любил крикливо разглагольствовать о политике; to discourse — ораторствовать; рассуждать; излагать в форме речи, лекции, проповеди; blatantly — крикливо), while Cuthfert, who had been prone to clip his coupons and let the commonwealth jog on as best it might (тогда как Катферт, который привык стричь купоны и давал государству продвигаться вперед, как только оно могло: «как лучше оно могло»; prone to — склонный /к чему-либо/, подверженный /чему-либо/; commonwealth — государство; держава; to jog on — медленно, но упрямо двигаться вперед; to jog — подталкивать; двигаться), either ignored the subject or delivered himself of startling epigrams (либо игнорировал эту тему, либо произносил неожиданные эпиграммы; to deliver oneself of — произносить, высказывать; startling — поразительный, потрясающий

). But the clerk was too obtuse to appreciate the clever shaping of thought (но конторщик был слишком туп, чтобы оценить остроумное придание формы мысли = то, как он облекал мысль в остроумную форму; to shape — придавать форму, формировать), and this waste of ammunition irritated Cuthfert (и эта напрасная трата боезапаса раздражала Катферта). He had been used to blinding people by his brilliancy (он привык ослеплять людей своим блеском; used to — привыкший к), and it worked him quite a hardship, this loss of an audience (и эта потеря аудитории создавала ему настоящую муку;

quite — действительно, в самом деле). He felt personally aggrieved and unconsciously held his mutton-head companion responsible for it (он чувствовал себя лично оскорбленным и бессознательно считал своего тупоголового товарища в ответе за это; to hold — полагать, считать; mutton-head — болван, дурак, баран; mutton — баранина; баран).

coupon ['kHpOn], appreciate [q'prJSIeIt], audience ['LdIqns]

Weatherbee loved to discourse blatantly on politics, while Cuthfert, who had been prone to clip his coupons and let the commonwealth jog on as best it might, either ignored the subject or delivered himself of startling epigrams. But the clerk was too obtuse to appreciate the clever shaping of thought, and this waste of ammunition irritated Cuthfert. He had been used to blinding people by his brilliancy, and it worked him quite a hardship, this loss of an audience. He felt personally aggrieved and unconsciously held his mutton-head companion responsible for it.