James Baldwin - Английский язык с Робинзоном Крузо (в пересказе для детей) (ASCII-IPA)

I then found that I could bend it quite easily (затем я обнаружил, что мог согнуть его довольно легко) . Little by little I shaped it until I had made quite a good pickax of it (мало-помалу я придавал ему /нужную/ форму, пока я не сделал из него довольно хорошую киркомотыгу; shape — форма; to shape — придавать форму, формировать; делать по какому-л. образцу) . Of course, it was heavy and not at all pretty (конечно, она была тяжелой и совсем не красивой) . But who would look for beauty in a pickax (но кто бы стал искать красоту в киркомотыге) ?

I at first felt the need of some light baskets (на первых порах я чувствовал необходимость = мне не хватало легких корзин) in which to carry my fruit and grain (в которых /мог бы/ носить мои плоды и зерно) . So I began to study how baskets are made (поэтому я стал теперь изучать, как делаются/сделаны корзины; to study — изучать, исследовать /внимательно, тщательно/; рассматривать, обдумывать, взвешивать) .

It was not until I had searched almost every nook on the island (только после того, как я обыскал каждый уголок острова) that I found some long slender twigs (я нашел длинные гибкие прутья) that would bend to make wicker ware (которые бы гнулись, чтобы сделать ивовую лозу = которые можно было гнуть, как ивовую лозу; wicker — ивовый прут, лоза; ware — изделия) . Then I spent many an hour learning how to weave these twigs together (затем я провел много часов, учась, как сплетать эти прутья вместе) and shape them into the form of a basket (и придавать им форму корзины) .

In the end (в конце концов) , however (тем не менее) , I was able to make as good baskets as were ever bought in the market (я был способен делать такие хорошие корзины, которые когда-либо покупались на рынке) .

I had quite a goodly number of edge tools (у меня было довольно большое количество режущих инструментов; goodly — большой, большого размера; крупный, внушительный) . Among these there were three large axes (среди них было три больших топора) and a great store of hatchets (и большой запас топориков) ; for you will remember that we carried hatchets to trade with the savages (так как вы должны помнить, что мы везли топорики, чтобы торговать/обмениваться с дикарями) . I had also many knives (у меня было также много ножей) .

But all these became very dull with use (но все они стали тупыми от использования) . I had saved a grindstone from the wreck (я спас точильный камень с остова корабля) , but I could not turn it and grind my tools at the same time (но не мог крутить его и точить инструменты в одно и то же время) .

I studied hard to overcome this difficulty (я напряженно думал, как преодолеть эту трудность) . At last (наконец) , I managed to fasten a string to the crank of the grindstone in such a way that I could turn it with my foot (мне удалось прикрепить веревку к ручке точильного камня так, что я мог вертеть его ногой) .

My tools were soon sharp, and I kept them so (мои инструменты вскоре были острыми, и я держал их такими = поддерживал в таком состоянии) .

ripen ['raIp(@)n], scythe ['saID], sword [sO:d], measure ['meZ@], bushel [buSl], necessary ['nes@s(@)rI], thrash [Tr&S], harrow ['h&r@u], field [fi:ld], flour ['flau@], yeast [ji:st], salt [sO:lt], dough ['d@u], until [@n'tIl], axe [&ks], manage ['m&nIdZ], fasten [fA:sn]

MY barley ripened and was ready to be harvested. I had neither scythe nor sickle to cut it down.

But you will remember that I had two old swords which I had found in the ship. With one of the swords I cut off the heads of the barley and dropped them into a big basket I had made. I carried these heads into my cave and thrashed out the grain with my hands.

When all my harvesting was done, I measured the grain. I had two bushels of rice and two bushels and a half of barley.

This pleased me very much. I felt now that I should soon be able to raise grain enough for food.

Have you ever thought how many things are necessary for the making of your bread?

You have nothing to do but eat the bread after others have made it. But I had to sow, to reap, to thrash, to grind, to sift, to mix, and to bake.

To do all these I needed many tools.

I had no plow to turn up the ground. I had no spade nor shovel with which to dig it. But with great labor I made me a wooden spade, which was better than nothing.

After the ground was turned up, I sowed the seed by scattering it with my hands. But it must be covered so it would grow, and I had no harrow. I cut down the branch of a tree, and dragged it over the field. This, I think, was the way that people in old times harrowed their ground.

The third thing to be done was to build a fence around my field. After that came the reaping, the curing, the carrying home, the thrashing, the parting of the grain from the chaff, the grinding.

I needed a mill to do the grinding. I needed a sieve to sift the flour. I needed yeast and salt to mix with the dough. I needed an oven to bake it.

I had to do without the most of these things. And this made my work very slow and hard.

I was very lucky in having saved so many tools from the wreck, and for this I was indeed thankful. What a hard case I would have been in if I had saved nothing at all!

From time to time, as I felt the need of things I made a number of tools that served me very well. They were not such tools as you would buy at the store, but what did it matter?

I have already told you about the shovel which I made from a piece of hard wood. Next to the shovel I needed a pickax most of all.

Among the many things that I had saved from the wreck, I found an old crowbar. This I heated in the fire until it was almost white hot.

I then found that I could bend it quite easily. Little by little I shaped it until I had made quite a good pickax of it. Of course, it was heavy and not at all pretty. But who would look for beauty in a pickax?

I at first felt the need of some light baskets in which to carry my fruit and grain. So I began to study how baskets are made.

It was not until I had searched almost every nook on the island that I found some long slender twigs that would bend to make wicker ware. Then I spent many an hour learning how to weave these twigs together and shape them into the form of a basket.