Никоненко Тамара Петрівна

   Hinemoa was the beautiful daughter of a Maori chief who lived on the shore of a great lake. One day Hinemoa’s father had a great holiday at which all young men were present. Each young man tried to dance as well as he could because each hoped to win the heart and hand of the young lady.
   Hinemoa liked one of them most of all. He was a young man from a small island of the lake, and he loved Hinemoa very dearly. But when Hinemoa told her father that she loved him, the old chief got very angry and said that the young man was not noble. “Noble or not,” answered Hinemoa, “he is the man I love!” This made the chief still more angry. He said, “If he comes to the shore again, I will kill him.”
   Every night Hinemoa went to the shore of the lake but she never found a canoe there which could take her over the water. Hinemoa’s father had told his men to take canoes away every night and hide them. However, Hinemoa didn’t lose hope. She decided to swim to the island.
   One night she started on her long dangerous swim. The night was dark and she could not see the island. She was a strong swimmer but after many hours she became weak. Just then the moon came out and she saw that the island was quite near. A few minutes more and she felt the stones under her feet. At the place where she came ashore there was a hot spring. She entered the warm water, rested and warmed her cold body. Then she found the young man. They became husband and wife. They lived happily for many years.
   The hot spring that gave Hinemoa life and strength is known even now as Hinemoa’s Bath.

   A rich businessman was on holiday by the beach in Mexico when a small fishing boat docked nearby with just one man on board. Inside the boat were several large tasty-looking fish. “That’s quite a fine catch”, noted the businessman. “How long did it take you to pull those in?” “Only a little while”, said the fisherman. “So why don’t you stay out fishing longer and catch more fish?” said the rich man. “This is enough to take care of the needs of my family”, replied the fisherman. “But what do you do with all the rest of your time?” asked the businessman. The fisherman said, “I sleep late, I fish a little, I spend time with my wife and play with my children. Then I rest in the afternoon. In the evening, I visit the rest of my family or stroll into the village where I have a drink with my friends. I have a full and busy life”.
   The rich man scoffed. “I have a business degree from one of the best universities in the world. I can help you. If you spent more time fishing, you could buy a bigger boat with the profits you make. With the profits from the bigger boat you could buy several more boats until eventually you would own a whole fleet of fishing boats. Then instead of selling the fish to a middle-man you could sell the fish directly to the processor and increase your profit margin. Eventually, you could open up your own canning factory and become a wealthy business owner. Of course, you would have to leave this village by the sea where you live and move to the capital and maybe even later to another country to manage your business”. “How long would all of that take?” the fisherman wanted to know. “Oh, at least 15 years”, replied the businessman. “But what then?” asked the humble fisherman.
   The businessman laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right, you can sell your company. You would become rich. You could make millions”. “Millions!” exclaimed the fisherman. “Then what?” “Then you could retire to a little village by the sea”, said the businessman, “where you could sleep late, you could fish a little, spend time with your wife, play with your kids, then rest in the afternoon. In the evening, you could stroll into the village and have a drink with your friends. You see how wonderful things would be!”
Vocabulary
to scoff – насміхатися
profit margin – тут: прибуток
humble – скромний

   Renata Smith, a divorced mother of two young girls, Sabrina aged ten and Joey aged six, lives in Sheffield. She is typical of today’s one-parent single-in-come families living on the breadline struggling to make ends meet.
   Renata was working as a secretary in the city when she met Tom, a lorry driver, at a party. They went out together for six months and then they decided to get married. At first she and Tom lived with her parents but then, when Renata was expecting Sabrina, they moved into a council flat. Tom had to spend a lot of time away from home and, soon after the birth of their second child, he left Renata to live in another city.
   Renata set about bringing up girls on her own, though her mother was always ready to help when she could. Money was the most pressing problem, and Renata, who had given up her job when Sabrina was born, had to look for work. After two months she managed to find a post as Personal Assistant to the Sales Director of a local company. She has been working there for nearly two years now and enjoys spending her days in the office. When she’s not at work, the girls have priority. They are the most important thing in her life, and she is determined to be both mother and father to them. She doesn’t want them to suffer from the fact that their father does not live with them, and she does everything possible to privide them with a rich and rewarding life.
Vocabulary
divorced – розлучений
income – заробіток
breadline – черга безробітних за безкоштовним харчуванням
to make ends meet – зводити кінці з кінцями
to set about – починати, ставати до чогось
on one’s own – самостійно
to reward – винагороджувати, шанувати