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

When he was asked to a party he went and, though a trifle dull, was agreeable. He was not affronted if he was neglected. He liked people, but with an aloofness that prevented intimacy. He lived thriftily, but with sufficient comfort. He never owed a penny. I imagine he had never been a man whom sex had greatly troubled, and if in his younger days he had had now and then a passing affair with a visitor to the island whose head was turned by the atmosphere, his emotion, while it lasted, remained, I am pretty sure, well under his control.

I think he was determined (я думаю, что он был полон решимости) that nothing should interfere with his independence of spirit (чтобы ничто не помешало независимости его духа). His only passion was for the beauty of nature (единственным предметом страсти для него была красота природы; passion — страсть; предметстрасти, увлечение), and he sought felicity in the simple and natural things that life offers to everyone (и он искал счастья в простых и естественных вещах, которые жизнь предлагает всем; to seek; thing — вещь, предмет; вещь, явление

). You may say that it was a grossly selfish existence (вы можете сказать, что это было чрезвычайно эгоистичное существование; grossly — грубо, вульгарно; чрезвычайно, глубоко; existence — существование, наличие; жизнь, существование). It was (так оно и было). He was of no use to anybody (он никому не был полезен; use— употребление, использование; польза, толк, выгода), but on the other hand he did nobody any harm (но, с другой стороны, он никому не причинял вреда; hand— рука, кисть руки; сторона). His only object was his own happiness (его единственной целью было его собственное счастье; object— предмет, вещь; /конечная/ цель, намерение, движущий мотив

), and it looked as though he had attained it (и было похоже, что он его достиг).

interfere ["Intq'fIq], independence ["IndI'pendqns], felicity [fI'lIsItI]

I think he was determined that nothing should interfere with his independence of spirit. His only passion was for the beauty of nature, and he sought felicity in the simple and natural things that life offers to everyone. You may say that it was a grossly selfish existence. It was. He was of no use to anybody, but on the other hand he did nobody any harm. His only object was his own happiness, and it looked as though he had attained it.

Very few people know where to look for happiness (очень немногие /люди/ знают, где искать счастье; to look for smb., smth. — искатьчто-либо, кого-либо); fewer still find it (и еще меньше находят его). I don’t know whether he was a fool or a wise man (я не знаю, был ли он глупцом или мудрецом; fool — глупый; wise — мудрый; умный). He was certainly a man who knew his own mind (определенно, он был человеком, который твердо знает, чего хочет; mind— ум, разум; намерение, желание

). The odd thing about him to me was that he was so immensely commonplace (для меня в нем странным было то, что он был таким чрезвычайно заурядным; odd— нечетный; странный, необычный;commonplace— банальный; серый, неинтересный /о человеке/).

whether ['weDq], certainly ['sWtnlI], immensely [I'menslI]