Английский язык с У. С. Моэмом. Мистер Всезнайка. Рассказы / W. S. Maugham. Mr. Know-All. Stories

When the time came for them to start working they decided that they would go into the same firm; but that was not so easy; Jean tried to get Riri a job in the exporting house that had engaged him, but could not manage it, and it was not till a year later that Riri got something to do. But by then trade was as bad at Le Havre as everywhere else, and in a few months he found himself once more without employment.

Riri was a light-hearted youth, and he enjoyed his leisure (Рири был беспечным молодым человеком и получал удовольствие от ничегонеделания; leisure — досуг; свободноевремя). He danced, bathed and played tennis (он танцевал, купался и играл в теннис). It was thus that he made the acquaintance of a girl (именно таким образом от познакомился с одной девушкой) who had recently come to live at Le Havre (которая недавно переехала: «приехала» жить в Гавр). Her father had been a captain in the colonial army (ее отец был капитаном в колониальной армии) and on his death her mother had returned to Le Havre (и после его смерти ее мать вернулась в Гавр), which was her native place (который был ее родным городом: «городом, в котором она родилась»). Marie-Louise was then eighteen (Марии-Луизе тогда было восемнадцать лет). She had spent almost all her life in Tonkin (она провела почти всю свою жизнь в Тонкине). This gave her an exotic attraction for the young men who had never been out of France in their lives (это делало ее необычайно привлекательной для молодых людей, которые никогда в своей жизни не бывали за /пределами/ Франции; exotic — экзотический; необычный, эксцентричный; attraction — притяжение, тяготение; привлекательность), and first Riri, then Jean, fell in love with her (и сперва Рири, а затем и Жан влюбились в нее).

light-hearted ["laIt'hQ: tId], leisure ['leZq], captain ['kxptIn], colonial [kq'lqunIql], exotic [Ig'zOtIk]

Riri was a light-hearted youth, and he enjoyed his leisure. He danced, bathed and played tennis. It was thus that he made the acquaintance of a girl who had recently come to live at Le Havre. Her father had been a captain in the colonial army and on his death her mother had returned to Le Havre, which was her native place. Marie-Louise was then eighteen. She had spent almost all her life in Tonkin. This gave her an exotic attraction for the young men who had never been out of France in their lives, and first Riri, then Jean, fell in love with her.