acquaintance [ǝˈkweɪnt(ǝ)ns], occasion [ǝˈkeɪʒ(ǝ)n], client [ˈklaɪǝnt], idea [aɪˈdɪǝ]
During the first week or so we had no callers, and I had begun to think that my companion was as friendless a man as I was myself. Presently, however, I found that he had many acquaintances, and those in the most different classes of society. There was one little sallow rat-faced, dark-eyed fellow who was introduced to me as Mr. Lestrade, and who came three or four times in a single week. One morning a young girl called, fashionably dressed, and stayed for half an hour or more. The same afternoon brought a grey-headed, seedy visitor, looking like a Jew pedlar, who appeared to me to be much excited, and who was closely followed by a slip-shod elderly woman. On another occasion an old white-haired gentleman had an interview with my companion; and on another a railway porter in his velveteen uniform. When any of these nondescript individuals put in an appearance, Sherlock Holmes used to beg for the use of the sitting-room, and I would retire to my bed-room. He always apologized to me for putting me to this inconvenience. "I have to use this room as a place of business," he said, "and these people are my clients." Again I had an opportunity of asking him a point blank question, and again my delicacy prevented me from forcing another man to confide in me. I imagined at the time that he had some strong reason for not alluding to it, but he soon dispelled the idea by coming round to the subject of his own accord.
It was upon the 4th of March, as I have good reason to remember (это было четвертого марта, как я хорошо запомнил: «как у меня есть хорошая причина помнить»), that I rose somewhat earlier than usual (когда я поднялся несколько раньше, чем обычно), and found that Sherlock Holmes had not yet finished his breakfast (и обнаружил, что Шерлок Холмс еще не закончил завтрак). The landlady had become so accustomed to my late habits (наша хозяйка настолько привыкла к моим поздним привычкам) that my place had not been laid nor my coffee prepared (что мое место еще не было накрыто, а кофе не подан; to prepare — готовить). With the unreasonable petulance of mankind (с необоснованной раздражительностью человечества; unreasonable — неразумный; необоснованный) I rang the bell and gave a curt intimation that I was ready (я позвонил в колокольчик и довольно резко сообщил: «дал резкое указание», что я готов; to ring — звонить; curt — отрывисто-грубый, резкий; intimation — сообщение, указание). Then I picked up a magazine from the table and attempted to while away the time with it (затем я схватил журнал со стола и попытался скоротать время за ним; to pick up — поднимать, подбирать), while my companion munched silently at his toast (пока мой компаньон молча жевал свои гренки). One of the articles had a pencil mark at the heading (заголовок одной из статей был помечен карандашом: «одна из статей имела карандашную отметку у заголовка»), and I naturally began to run my eye through it (и, естественно, я стал пробегать ее глазами).
accustom [ǝˈkʌstǝm], petulance [ˈpetjǝlǝns], mankind [mænˈkaɪnd]
It was upon the 4th of March, as I have good reason to remember, that I rose somewhat earlier than usual, and found that Sherlock Holmes had not yet finished his breakfast. The landlady had become so accustomed to my late habits that my place had not been laid nor my coffee prepared. With the unreasonable petulance of mankind I rang the bell and gave a curt intimation that I was ready. Then I picked up a magazine from the table and attempted to while away the time with it, while my companion munched silently at his toast. One of the articles had a pencil mark at the heading, and I naturally began to run my eye through it.
Its somewhat ambitious title was "The Book of Life (ее несколько претенционный заголовок был «Книга жизни»; ambitious — честолюбивый; претенциозный)," and it attempted to show how much an observant man might learn (и она пыталась показать, как много наблюдательный человек может узнать) by an accurate and systematic examination of all that came in his way (внимательно и систематически изучая все, что происходит у него перед глазами). It struck me as being a remarkable mixture of shrewdness and of absurdity (она произвела на меня впечатление как примечательная смесь проницательности и абсурда; to strike — поражать, производить впечатление). The reasoning was close and intense (доводы были последовательны и убедительны; reasoning — объяснения; аргументация; close — тщательный; подробный; intense — упорный, настойчивый), but the deductions appeared to me to be far-fetched and exaggerated (но выводы показались мне притянутыми за уши и преувеличенными; far-fetched — надуманный, натянутый, искусственный; far — далеко; to fetch — принести, достать; приносить убитую дичь /о собаке/; достигать). The writer claimed by a momentary expression (автор утверждал, что по мимолетному выражению лица; to claim — заявлять, утверждать), a twitch of a muscle or a glance of an eye (подергиванию мускула или движению глаз; glance — быстрый взгляд), to fathom a man's inmost thoughts (может узнать самые потаенные мысли человека; to fathom — измерять глубину; понимать). Deceit, according to him, was an impossibility in the case of one trained to observation and analysis (человека, искушенного в наблюдении и анализе, по его словам, невозможно обмануть: «обман, по нему, был невозможностью в случае человека, тренированного в наблюдении и анализе»; deceit — обман; according to — согласно; по; impossibility — невозможность). His conclusions were as infallible as so many propositions of Euclid (его /такого человека/ выводы были столь же непогрешимы, как теоремы Евклида). So startling would his results appear to the uninitiated (такими поразительными покажутся результаты непосвященным) that until they learned the processes by which he had arrived at them (что, пока они не узнают, как он пришел к ним; process — прием, способ; to arrive — достигать, приходить) they might well consider him as a necromancer (они могут счесть его колдуном; necromancer — некромант, человек, занимающийся черной магией; колдун).
ambitious [æmˈbɪʃǝs], mixture [ˈmɪksʧǝ], deceit [dɪˈsi:t]
Its somewhat ambitious title was "The Book of Life," and it attempted to show how much an observant man might learn by an accurate and systematic examination of all that came in his way. It struck me as being a remarkable mixture of shrewdness and of absurdity. The reasoning was close and intense, but the deductions appeared to me to be far-fetched and exaggerated. The writer claimed by a momentary expression, a twitch of a muscle or a glance of an eye, to fathom a man's inmost thoughts. Deceit, according to him, was an impossibility in the case of one trained to observation and analysis. His conclusions were as infallible as so many propositions of Euclid. So startling would his results appear to the uninitiated that until they learned the processes by which he had arrived at them they might well consider him as a necromancer.
"From a drop of water," said the writer (по капле воды, — говорил автор), "a logician could infer the possibility of an Atlantic or a Niagara (человек, умеющий аналитически мыслить: «логик», может вывести существование: «возможность /существования/» Атлантического океана или Ниагарского водопада; to infer — заключать; делать вывод) without having seen or heard of one or the other (не видев ни того, ни другого и не слышав о их существовании: «не видев и не слышав ни о том, ни о другом»). So all life is a great chain (итак, вся жизнь — великая цепь /причин и следствий/), the nature of which is known (природа которой становится известной) whenever we are shown a single link of it (всякий раз, когда нам показывают ее единственное звено). Like all other arts (подобно всем другим искусствам), the Science of Deduction and Analysis is one (наука дедукции и анализа такова) which can only be acquired by long and patient study (что может быть постигнута долгой и кропотливой учебой; to acquire — приобретать; овладевать; patient — упорный; настойчивый) nor is life long enough to allow any mortal to attain the highest possible perfection in it (а жизнь не столь длинна, чтобы позволить какому-либо смертному достичь высшей степени совершенства в ней; possible — возможный). Before turning to those moral and mental aspects of the matter which present the greatest difficulties (прежде чем обратиться к тем моральным и интеллектуальным аспектам дела, которые представляют наибольшие сложности), let the enquirer begin by mastering more elementary problems (пусть исследователь начнет с овладения более простыми приемами; enquirer — тот, кто спрашивает, делает запрос; спрашивающий; to master — овладевать, усваивать; elementary — азбучный, примитивный, простой; problem — проблема; вопрос; задача). Let him, on meeting a fellow-mortal (пусть он, встречая такого же смертного; fellow — товарищ, коллега, собрат), learn at a glance to distinguish the history of the man (научится с первого взгляда определять жизненный путь человека; to distinguish — различить; разглядеть; history — события прошлого), and the trade or profession to which he belongs (и ремесло или профессию, которую он практикует: «которой он принадлежит»). Puerile as such an exercise may seem (каким бы детским ни казалось это занятие; puerile — юношеский, ребяческий, детский), it sharpens the faculties of observation (оно оттачивает наблюдательность; to sharpen — заострять; точить; sharp — острый; faculty — дар, способность), and teaches one where to look and what to look for (и учит, куда смотреть и на что обращать внимание). By a man's finger nails (по ногтям человека), by his coat-sleeve (по его рукаву), by his boot (по его ботинку), by his trouser knees (по тому, как сидят брюки у него на коленях: «по коленям его брюк»), by the callosities of his forefinger and thumb (по мозолям на указательном и большом пальцах), by his expression (по выражению лица), by his shirt cuffs (по манжетам рубашки)— by each of these things a man's calling is plainly revealed (по каждой из этих деталей легко можно узнать профессию человека: «по каждой из этих вещей профессия человека явственно обнаруживается»; calling — профессия; деятельность, род занятий; to reveal — обнаруживать, показывать). That all united should fail to enlighten the competent enquirer in any case is almost inconceivable (и почти невозможно представить, чтобы все это вместе взятое не дало компетентному исследователю необходимых сведений в любом деле: «что все вместе может не просветить компетентного исследователя в каком угодно случае является почти непредставимым»; to fail — потерпеть неудачу; не иметь успеха)."
infer [ɪnˈfǝ:], Niagara [naɪˈæɡ(ǝ)rǝ], puerile [ˈpjuǝraɪl], callosity [kæˈlɔsǝtɪ]
"From a drop of water," said the writer, "a logician could infer the possibility of an Atlantic or a Niagara without having seen or heard of one or the other. So all life is a great chain, the nature of which is known whenever we are shown a single link of it. Like all other arts, the Science of Deduction and Analysis is one which can only be acquired by long and patient study nor is life long enough to allow any mortal to attain the highest possible perfection in it. Before turning to those moral and mental aspects of the matter which present the greatest difficulties, let the enquirer begin by mastering more elementary problems. Let him, on meeting a fellow-mortal, learn at a glance to distinguish the history of the man, and the trade or profession to which he belongs. Puerile as such an exercise may seem, it sharpens the faculties of observation, and teaches one where to look and what to look for. By a man's finger nails, by his coat-sleeve, by his boot, by his trouser knees, by the callosities of his forefinger and thumb, by his expression, by his shirt cuffs — by each of these things a man's calling is plainly revealed. That all united should fail to enlighten the competent enquirer in any case is almost inconceivable."
