MONEY WORRIES
Maggie is worried; she has been given a notice. She and her husband are discussing prospects of gettina another job.
Maggie: I've got some bad news, Jim. I've been given1 a month's notice.2
Jim: What! But you've always got on so well3 with Mr. Smi-thers. What's happened?
Maggie: Oh, it's nothing personal. It's just that the firm is moving to Birmingham.4 Anyone who wants to, can go along, of course.
Jim: But Maggie, you've been there5 such a long time. What will you do?
Maggie: Yes, do you know: by the end of the month I'll have been working there for six years.
Jim: It does seem a long time. And I'll have been teaching at Grayson Street Modern6 for seven years. Perhaps it's time we both had a change.7 It's not good to get into a rut.8
Maggie:
What
worries me is how we're going to go on paying off the mortgage9 on
the house if I don't get another job right away. And then there's the loan from
your father and the money we owe to the bank.
Jim: We'll have finished paying off the bank quite soon and father won't mind if he has to wait a bit longer.
I'm not at all extravagant about clothes
Maggie: But even if I do get another job quickly, it probably won't be so well paid. Quite likely we shan't even have saved enough to go on holiday by July.
Jim: Well, maybe our pay increase will have come through by then.10 The union11 is quite hopeful about it.
Maggie: The trouble is we're simply living above our income,12 Jim. Only millionaires can afford to buy all those books.
Jim: Well, I like that! What about those hats you're always coming home with.
Maggie: I'm not at all extravagant about clothes, Jim. I bought this dress I'm wearing now on my twenty-first birthday. Do you realise that in exactly ten days from now I'll have been wearing it for no less than five whole years?
Jim: All right, Maggie! I hadn't forgotten about your birthday. But don't let's get away from the point.13 What are you going to do about getting another job?
Maggie: You know, I thought of asking Jane whether they want anyone in her agency. My French is rather rusty14 but I could brush it up15 quite easily.
Jim: Good idea! It would be nice if you could work together with Jane.
Maggie: I did have one other idea, Jim, but I don't know how you'll feel about it.16
Jim:What is it?
Maggie: I thought we might let the spare room for a while,17 just to tide us over the summer.18 We'll have finished doing it up19 in a week or so,20 and then we can advertise in the local paper.
Jim:I don't like the idea of having a stranger to live with us.
Maggie: Well, it need only be till the end of the year. By that time we'll have settled our debts and everything I'll be back to normal.21
Jim: Oh, all right.Let's advertise and see what happens.
ВЫБРАННЫЕ ПРЕДЛОЖЕНИЯ
Эти предложения иллюстрируют использование времени Future Perfect и Future Perfect Continuous:
By the end of the month I'll have been working there for six years. And I'll have been teaching at Grayson Street Modern for seven.
We'll have finished paying off the bank quite soon. We won't have saved enough to go on a holiday by July. Maybe our pay increase will have gone through by then.
ПОЯСНЕНИЯ
1 I've been given... мне дали, я получила...
2 a month's notice предупреждение об увольнении за месяц до увольнения
3 you've always, got on so well вы всегда так хорошо ладили.
4 Birmingham большой город в центральной части Англии, промышленный центр
5 you've been there здесь: работаешь там (на фирме)
Grayson Street Modern = Grayson Street Secondary School название школы, в которой преподаёт Джим. В Англии дети начинают ходить в школу в возрасте пяти лет. До одиннадцати лет они являются учениками начальной школы (primary school). Потом переходят в среднюю школу. Обучение в школах обязательно для всех детей до 15 лет. Перед окончанием начальной школы дети сдают экзамен (так называемый eleven plus examination). Дети, сдавшие лучше всех этот экзамен (около 20/о общего числа детей) имеют право поступить в среднюю школу с гуманитарным направлением (grammar school). Остальные дети идут в так называемые secondary modern school полупрофессиональные школы. Некоторые идут в технические школы technical schools, т.е. разные профессиональные школы. Джим преподаёт в secondary modern school. Школьная система, опирающаяся на отборе детей в возрасте 11 лет, подвергается критике передовой части английской общественности. Одной из попыток избежать этот отбор являются так называемые comprehensive schools, где ученики или группы учеников изучают те предметы, к которым у них есть способности.
Всё выше сказанное относится к бесплатным школам, находящимся в ведомстве Министерства просвещения. Кроме этих школ, в Англии существует много частных школ, где обучение стоит очень дорого. Это так называемые public schools, которые вопреки своему названию не являются общественными школами.
7 it's time we both had a change; здесь: нам с тобой пора менять работу.
8 get into a rut идти по проторенной дороге (rut что-либо привычное) э go on paying off the mortgage продолжать выплачивать долг по закладной
10 will have come through by then будет к тому времени введена
11 The union; Джим имеет в виду National Union of Teachers Профсоюз учителей.
12 we're simply living above our incomeмы превышаем наши возможности; мы живём не по средствам.
13 don't let's get away from the pointдавайте не отклоняться от темы.
14 My French is rather rusty я запустила французский (доел.: мой французский ржавый).
15 I could brush it up могла бы вспомнить; могла бы освежить в памяти (brush up чистить).
16 how you'll feel about it... что ты на это скажешь?
17 for a while на некоторое время
18 to tide us over the summer продержаться это лето
19 doing it up оборудовать её (квартиру)
20 in a week or so приблизительно через неделю
21 everything'll be back to normalвсё будет no-старому, по прежнему; всё вернётся к норме.
I did have one other idea, Jim.
У меня была ещё одна идея, Джим.
УПРАЖНЕНИЯ
I. Заполните пропуски по образцу первого предложения:
1. We have settled almost all our debts.
We'll have settled all our debts by the end of the year.
2. We have almost
finished paying off the bank.
We'll ... ... quite soon.
3 Harry has dug up
almost all the rhododendron roots.
He'll
... ...
by five o'clock.
4.
We have almost
finished doing up the room.
We'll ... ... in a week or two.
5.
Maggie has planted
almost all the rose bushes.
She'll
... ...
by tea time.
6. Maggie has used up all the cooking sherry.
She'll ... ... by the end of the week.
7. I have spent almost all my money.
I'll ... ... by the end of the month.
8. We have looked
through almost all the leaflets.
We'll ... ... in another ten minutes.
II. Заполните пропуски. Первое предложение является образцом.
1. I have been working with Austin and Ford for a long time.
By the end of the month I'll have been working with them for six years.
2.
I have been teaching
at Grayson Street Modern for a long time.
By the end of this term ... ... for seven years.
3. I've been wearing this dress for a long time.
In exactly ten days from now ... ... for five years.
4 Robert has been waiting for Jane for a long time.
In another five minutes ... ... for a -whole hour.
5. Maggie and Jane have been shopping all the morning.
In another quarter of an hour ... ... for five hours.
6. We've been living
in this house for quite a long time.
By the 15th of May ... ... for ten years.
III. Заполните пропуски по образцу первого предложения:
1. It's time we both had a change.
2. It's time you went ...
3. It's time I did ...
4. It's time he wrote ...
5. It's time you finished ...
6. It's time she told ...
Maggie has been looking for another job. She has just come jor an interview at the travel agency where Jane works.