1. The answer was not long In coming — ответ не заставил себя ждать

2. to bring fame — принести славу Edison's First Invention

When Edison was a boy of fifteen, he worked as a tele­graph operator. He had to be on duty from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.¹ and give a signal every hour to prove that he did not sleep. The signals were made with astonishing exactness. One night an inspector arrived and saw Edison sleeping in a chair.

He was about ² to shake him when he caught sight ^a of a mechanism on a table near the telegraph instrument. He waited to see what would happen. When the hand of the clock pointed to the hour, the instrument got busy * and one lever threw open the key while the other sent the signal over the wire.

The inspector seized the sleeping boy, roused him and "fired" ^B him. That is why the first of Edison's numerous inventions was never patented.

Notes

1. p.m.— после полудня, днем, вечером; a.m.— до полудня, ут­ром

2. was about — собирался, намеревался

3. to catch sight — увидеть

4. to get busy — sd. заработать, начать действовать

5. to "fire" — sd. выгнать

The Useful Gate

For a long time Edison's guests wondered why the gate to his garden was so difficult to open. A friend of his ¹ said:

"The gate to your garden is so heavy that I have to use all my strength to open it. I cannot understand the reason. You are such a brilliant man. I'm sure ² you could have invented something better."

"The gate seems to be quite all right," ³ Edison answered with a smile. "In fact,⁴ it is quite a brilliant invention."

"You are joking, aren't you?" s

"Not a bit.⁶ The gate is connected with a pump. Every­body who comes in pumps twenty litres of water out of the well."

). a friend of his — его приятель

2. To be sure — быть уверенным

3. the gate seems to be quite all right—< калитка в полном поряд­ке

4. In fact — в самом деле

Б. aren't you? — не правда ли? 6. not a bit — ничуть, нисколько

Х-Rays by Post¹

This happened when X-ray treatment² was still a new invention. W. К,- Roentgen, the discoverer of X-rays, received a letter from a man. The man asked to send him "several X-rays with instructions how to use them". He explained that he had been shot in the chest and the bullet still remained there. "I should like very much ⁹ to go to you myself but unfortunately I have no time."

The scientist replied: "I am very sorry but we have no X-rays now. And besides, it is very difficult to send them by post. But there is a simpler thing you can do: send your chest by post to me."

Notes

1. X-rays by post — рентгеновские лучи no почте

2. X-ray treatment — лечение рентгеновскими лучами S. I should like very much — я бы очень хотел

At a Banquet

After their discovery of radium and polonium Marie and Pierre Curie visited London. They were invited to a banquet organized in their honour by some very rich people. Marie looked at the ornaments of the ladies with great admiration. Suddenly, to her surprise, she saw that her husband was also looking at the brilliant diamonds with great interest.

At home Marie Curie asked her husband to explain his strange behaviour at the banquet.

"1 had nothing to do," answered Pierre, "so I was trying to calculate how many laboratories could be built for the diamonds that each lady had around her neck."

The Sense of Humour"

Once Professor Thomson (Lord Kelvin)' was unable to stay for the class, so he placed a sign on the door which read as follows: "Professor Thomson will be unable to meet his classes ¹ today."

Some college student, seeing his chance to display his sense of humour ² after reading the notice came up and erased the letter "c" in the word "classes". The professor noticing the laughter wheeled around, came back, looked at the student, then at the sign with the "c" erased—calmly erased the "1" in "lasses",⁸ looked at the student and pro­ceeded on his way.*

Notes

1. to meet one's classes — зЭ. прийти на (свои) занятия (букв. встретиться)

2. to display his sense of humour — показать свое чувство юмора

3. lass — девушка; ass — осел

4. to proceed on one's way — продолжать свой путь

Science and Imagination „

Once David Gilbert (1862-1943) was asked about one of his former students.

"Oh, this one?" remembered Gilbert. "He has become a poet. He had too little imagination for mathematics."

Problems of Cosmic and Cosmetic Physics

Lise Meitner (1878-1968) was the first woman-physicist In Germany. The title of her dissertation "Problems of Cosmic Physics" seemed absurd to one of the journalists. In his article about L. Meitner which he published in a newspaper he "corrected" the title of her dissertation and wrote "Problems of Cosmetic Physics".

Mr. Planck Was Not Convinced

Max Planck (1858-1947), the outstanding German phys­icist, was one of the founders of quantum theory. Once, when he was still young, he visited a seventy-year-old professor and told him that he wanted to study theoretical physics.

"Young man," said the professor, "why do you want to spoil your life? Theoretical physics is, in general,¹ complet-

Б8

ed, and you cannot hope to find anything new in it. Is It worth while ² to study a science in which you can expect no discoveries?"

Notes