Вопрос № 348799 - Английский язык

Sir Isaac Newton was often so deeply interested in difficult problems that he became quite absent-minded. One day a gentleman came to see him, but was told that Sir Isaac was busy in his study and that nobody was allowed to disturb him.

As it was dinner-time, the visitor sat down in the dining-room to wait for the scientist. The servant came in and placed on the table a boiled chicken under a cover. An hour passed, but Newton did not appear. The gentleman, feeling hungry, ate the chicken, and covering up the skeleton, asked the servant to prepare another one for his master.

Before the second chicken was ready, however, the scientist entered the room, apologizing for his delay. Then he added: «As I feel rather tired and hungry, I hope you will excuse me a little longer, while I take my dinner, and I will be at your service.» With these words he lifted the cover, and without emotion turned round to the gentleman and said: «See what strange people we scientists are. I quite forgot that I had dined already.»

At this moment the servant brought in the other chicken. The visitor explained how matters stood. After a hearty laugh, the hungry scientist sat down to dine.

Every day in one of the streets of Vienna you could see a blind man playing the violin. His dog sat near him with a cap in its mouth. People, who were passing them, dropped coins into the cap.

One day, when the weather was very cold, the man was playing for a long time, but nobody wanted to give him anything. The poor man thought that he would have to go to bed without supper. He was so tired and so weak that he stopped playing.

At the moment a young man came up to him and said: “Give me your violin. I shall help you”. And with these words he began to play. He played so well that people began to gather and soon there was a big crowd. Everybody was eager to listen to the fine music and to thank the young man for the pleasure.

Soon the cap was full of money. “I don’t know how to thank you”, said the blind man”. “Who are you?” “I am Paganini”, was the answer.

There are numerous anecdotes about the difficulties of people travelling in foreign countries without knowledge of the language of that country. Here’s the story of two Americans travelling in Spain.

They were unable to speak a word of Spanish. One day, while eating in a restaurant in a small village, they were having considerable difficulty in explaining to the waiter what they wanted.

One of them wanted a glass of milk. The waiter seemed unable to understand. Finally, on the back of the menu the man drew a picture of a cow. The poor waiter, however, still seemed puzzled.

Finally he left and was gone from the restaurant for half an hour or so. He returned very pleased with himself. There were two tickets for a bullfight in his hand.

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