TEXT. A FRIEND IN NEED by William S

TEXT. A FRIEND IN NEED by William Somerset Maugham (abridged)
Maugham, William Somerset (1874-1965): an English writer. He achieved a great success as a novelist with such novels as "Of Human Bondage", "The Razor's Edge" and others, as a dramatist with Ms witty satirical plays "Our Betters", "The Circle", etc., but he is best known by his short stories.
At the beginning of his literary career Maugham was greatly influenced by French naturalism. Later on, his outlook on life changed. It became cool, unemotional and pessimistic. He says that life is too tragic and senseless to be described. A writer can't change life, he must only try to amuse his reader, stir his imagination. And this is where Maugham achieves perfection: his stories are always fascinating. Maugham's skill in depicting scenes and characters with a few touches is amazing and whether he means it or not his novels, stories and plays reveal the vanity, hypocrisy and brutality of the society he lives in. So does the story "A Friend in Need". Burton, a prosperous businessman, is not.in the least concerned about the troubles and needs of those who have failed in life. Without a moment's hesitation he sends a man to death just because his presence bores him, and later on he remembers the fact with a "kindly chuckle".
When Maugham described people and places in his short stories, he did it mostly from his personal experience.
"It's rather a funny story," he said. "He wasn't a bad chap. I liked him. He was always well-dressed and smart-looking. He was handsome in a way, with curly hair and pink-andwhite cheeks. Women thought a lot of him. There was no harm in him, you know, he was only wild. Of course he drank too much. Those sort of fellows always do. A bit of money used to come in for him once a quarter and he made a bit more by card-playing. He won a good deal of mine, I know that."
Burton gave a kindly little chuckle. I knew from my own experience that he could lose money at bridge with a good grace.
"I suppose that is why he came to me when he went broke, that and the fact that he was a namesake of mine. He came to see me in my office one day and asked me for a job. I was rather surprised. He told me that there was no more money coming from home and he wanted to work. I asked him how old he was.
"Thirty-five," he said.
"And what have you been doing hitherto?" I asked him.
"Well, nothing very much," he said.
I couldn't help laughing.
"I'm afraid I can't do anything for you just yet," I said. "Come back and see me in another thirty-five years, and I'll see what I can do."
He didn't move. He went rather pale. He hesitated for a moment and then told me that he had had bad luck at cards for some time. He hadn't been willing to stick to bridge, he'd been playing poker, and he'd got trimmed. He hadn't a penny. He'd pawned everything he had. He couldn't pay his hotel bill and they wouldn't give him any more credit. He was down and out. If he couldn't get something to do he'd have to commit suicide.
I looked at him for a bit. I could see now that he was all to pieces. He'd been drinking more than usual and he looked fifty. The girls wouldn't have thought so much of him if they'd seen him then.
"Well, isn't there anything you can do except play cards?" I asked him.
"I can swim," he said.
"Swim!"
I could hardly believe my ears; it seemed such an insane answer to give.
"I swam for my university."[1]
I got some glimmering of what he was driving at. I've known too many men who were little tin gods at their university to be impressed by it.
"I was a pretty good swimmer myself when I was a young man," I said.
Suddenly I had an idea.
Pausing in his story, Burton turned to me.
"Do you know Kobe?" he asked.
"No," I said, "I passed through it once, but I only spent a night there."
"Then you don't know the Shioya Club. When I was a young man I swam from there round the beacon and landed at the creek of Tarumi. It's over three miles and it's rather difficult on account of the currents round the beacon. Well, I told my young namesake about it and I said to him that if he'd do it I'd give him a job. I could see he was rather taken aback.
"You say you're a swimmer," I said.
"I'm not in very good condition," he answered.
I didn't say anything. I shrugged my shoulders. He looked at me for a moment and then he nodded.
"All right," he said. "When do you want me to do it?"
I looked at my watch. It was just after ten.
"The swim shouldn't take you much over an hour and a quarter. I'll drive round to the creek at half past twelve and meet you. I'll take you back to the club to dress and then we'll have lunch together,"
"Done," he said.
We shook hands. I wished him good luck and he left me. I had a lot of work to do that morning and I only just managed to get to the creek at Tarumi at half past twelve. But I needn't have hurried; he never turned up."
"Did he funk it at toe last moment?" I asked.
"No, he didn't funk it. He started all right. But of course he'd ruined his constitution by drink and dissipation. The currents round the beacon were more than he could manage. We didn't get the body for about three days."
I didn't say anything for a moment or two, I was a trifle shocked. Then I asked Burton a question.
"When you made him that offer of a job, did you know he'd be drowned?"
He gave a little mild chuckle and he looked at me with those kind and candid blue eyes of his. He rubbed his chin with his hand.
"Well, I hadn't got a vacancy in my office at the moment.

Результаты (китайский) 1:

文本。朋友在需要由 William 萨默塞特毛姆 (节选)毛姆、 萨默塞特 William (1874年-1965 年): 英国的作家。他作为一名小说家与作为"的人性枷锁"，"剃刀边缘"和其他人，作为一个剧作家与 Ms 诙谐讽刺戏剧"我们更佳"、"圆"等，这类小说取得了巨大成功，但最出名的是由他的短篇小说。他的文学生涯初毛姆被深受法国自然主义。稍后，他的人生观改变了。它变得很酷，不是感情用事和悲观。他说，生活是太悲惨和毫无意义的将被描述。一个作家不能改变生活，他必须只试图逗他的读者，激发他的想象力。这是毛姆在那里达到完美: 他的故事都是非常引人入胜。在描绘场景和人物几笔毛姆的技能是惊人的不管他意味着它不是他的小说，故事和戏剧揭示的虚荣，虚伪和他生活在社会的残酷。"朋友在需要"的故事也是如此。伯顿，一个繁荣的商人，是 not.in 最不关心的麻烦和需要在生活中失败者。没有片刻的犹豫他发送一个男人死只是因为他的存在令他，乏味和稍后他记得"慈祥的笑"的事实。当毛姆描述了人和他的短篇小说的地方时，他做到了大多来自他的个人经历。"这是相当有趣的故事，"他说。"他不是个坏家伙。我喜欢他。他始终是穿着考究、 智能看。他长得帅的方式，与卷曲的头发和粉色白色的脸颊。妇女想了很多的他。有没有伤害他，你知道，他只是野生。当然他喝得太多。这些排序研究员总是做。一点钱用来为他每个季度，他有点卡玩的更多。他赢了我很多钱，我知道。伯顿和善地咯咯一小。我从我自己的经验知道他可能丢失钱在欣然的桥梁。"我想这就是为什么他来到我当他一文不名，和他是与我同名的事实。他来看我，在我的办公室一天，我想找份工作。而惊讶了。他告诉我，没有更多的钱，从家里来，他想要的工作。我问他多大年纪。"三十五，"他说。"和你一直做什么到目前为止吗?"我问他。"好了，不很多，"他说。我忍不住大笑。"我怕我不能只是还没有为你做任何事情，"我说。"回来，在另一个三十五岁，见到我，我看看我可以做。"他没有动。他脸色相当苍白。他犹豫了一会儿，然后告诉我，他有坏运气打牌一些时间。他没有愿意坚持桥、 他打扑克，他输了个精光。他没有一分钱。他已典当了他拥有的一切。他付不起他的酒店账单，他们不会给他任何更多的信贷。他穷困潦倒。如果他找不到事情做，他要自杀。我看着他一点点。我可以看到现在是所有成碎片。他喝了比平时多，他看上去五十岁。如果他们看见他然后女孩不是会想那么多的他的。"好吧，不是那里什么你可以做除了打牌吗?"我问他。"我可以游泳，"他说。"游"!我简直不能相信我的耳朵;似乎这种疯狂的答案给。"我为我的大学游泳了"。[] 1我有点明白了他的意思。我知道太多人的小小锡神灵在他们的大学，它留下深刻的印象。"我是一个很好的游泳者自己一个年轻人的时候，"我说。突然一个主意。伯顿停在他的故事，转向了我。"你知道科比吗?"他问。"不，"我说，"我通过了这一次，但我只花了一晚。"那你就不知道谷俱乐部。一名年轻男子的时候我游从那里灯塔周围，降落在垂水溪。它是超过三英里，它是相当困难的电流圆的指路明灯。嗯，告诉了我同名的年轻人，我对他说，是否他会做它，我会给他一份工作。我能看到他宁愿被吓了一跳。"你说你是一名游泳运动员，"我说。"我不是在非常好的条件，"他回答。我没说什么。我耸耸肩膀。他看着我一会儿，然后他点了点头。"好吧，"他说。"你什么时候我去做?"我看看我的手表。这是刚过十点。"游泳不应该带你多了一个多小时和四分之一。我会开车，圆溪在 12:30 下午，见到你。我会带你回到俱乐部要穿衣服，然后我们会在一起，吃午饭""做，"他说。我们握了握手。我祝他好运，他离开了我。我有很多工作要做那天早上，我只是设法到达 12:30 下午到达垂水湾溪。但我不必匆忙;他从未露面。""做他临阵脱逃脚趾在最后一刻吗?"我问。"不，他没有临阵脱逃。他开始好了。但当然他毁了他的饮料和耗散的宪法。灯塔周围水流湍急超过他能管理。我们都没找到尸体三天左右"。我没说什么为一两秒钟的时间，一件小事感到震惊。然后我问伯顿的问题。"当你提出的一份工作给他时，你知道吗他会被淹死?他给小温和笑道，他与那些种类和坦率的蓝眼睛，他看着我。他用手摩挲着下巴。"好吧，我没有一刻我办公室里有一个空缺。