Никоненко Тамара Петрівна

   This happened many years ago when I lived in Paris and was very poor. A lady had read a book of mine and wanted to have a talk with me. She asked me to give her a small luncheon at a restaurant, which she named. I was very young and I couldn’t say “no” to a lady. I had only eighteen francs, all the money till the end of the month. “A small luncheon will not cost more than fifteen francs”, I thought.
   So we met at the restaurant, which she had chosen. She was a woman of forty, and she talked a lot. When the waiter brought the menu, I saw that the prices were very high, but she said, “I never eat much for luncheon”. And she ordered a piece of salmon. “Will you have anything while we are preparing it?” asked the waiter. “No”, she answered, “I never eat more than one thing. I want caviar”. I knew that I had not enough money to pay for caviar, but I couldn’t tell her that. For myself I ordered the cheapest thing on menu, a beefsteak. “What will you drink?” I asked her. “My doctor lets me drink only champagne!” It seemed to me that my face became white…
   She ate the caviar, and ate the salmon, she drank champagne and took a peach, which was not in season. She talked of art, literature and music… But all I wanted to know was what the “small” luncheon would cost me.
   “You know”, she said as she was eating the ice-cream, “I usually don’t eat luncheon. I have a cup of coffee in the morning and then dinner. But if I must eat luncheon, then I never eat more than one thing”.
   The bill came, and when I had paid it, I had the whole month before me and not a penny in my pocket. I am not a bad man. But I’m glad that today she weighs more than three hundred pounds (about 130 kilogrammes). So I had my revenge at last.
Vocabulary
a luncheon – пізній сніданок
salmon – лосось
champagne – шампанське
caviar – ікра
I had my revenge – Я був відомщений.

   It’s hard to believe that the first personal computer, the prototype of the computer now found in homes and offices around the world, was developed less than thirty years ago. The original PC, as it’s known, came in a form of an electronic kit, a piece of hardware strictly for the hobbyist. The software for that machine – the language that allows us to tell the computer what we want it to do – was developed by William Gates.
   Bill Gates was born in 1955 in Seattle. He became interested in computers when he was 13 years old. Bill attended Harvard University. There he began to develop the computer language called Basic. Later William returned to Seattle where he established the Microsoft Company in 1975. It employed only three workers at first. Microsoft developed software for established American companies like General Electric, City Bank and International Business Machines company, known as IBM. In 1981 IBM began selling a personal computer that used Microsoft products as part of its operating System. By then Microsoft had already 129 workers.
   Today four of five of the world’s personal computers run on Microsoft software, on what is called Microsoft DOS or on its latest incarnation – Windows. Windows system makes it much easier to use a computer. It’s through the Windows system that we may gain access to the Internet, the global computer network.
   Microsoft does thousands of millions of dollars in business each year. It now has more than 16 thousand workers in 48 countries. Microsoft produces computer programmes in  30 languages and sells them in more than 100 countries.
   Thanks to the success of his company, William Gates has earned about seven billion dollars. He is one of the richest men in the world.
Vocabulary
an electronic kit – електронний конструктор
hardware – апаратне забезпечення
software – програмне забезпечення
an incarnation – втілення
an access – доступ

   The sun had three daughters: the eldest was Autumn, the middle was Summer and the youngest was Spring. They led a merry life in their father’s home. But then it was time to send them to the Earth. The Sun’s children were to become the seasons. First to fly was Spring. She was so pretty and young. When sending her on her journey the Sun decided to make her a present of eternal youth. Three months later the Sun sent Summer to the Earth. The father decided to make her a present of eternal beauty. And at last it was time for Autumn to leave her father’s house. “Take all my wealth”, the Sun told her. “I give you all the gold I have; be kind, give people all you have, and people will love you”.
   On the other side of the world Winter, the only daughter of Frost was getting ready for her journey. Her father worried about her. She was a plain girl. She had no rich clothes, because the father couldn’t give her any presents. Frost got together all the wealth he had and it was just a handful of silver. Winter stepped on to the Earth. It became cold. The birds flew away. People put on warm clothes and hurried to the shelter of their houses. No one asked Winter into his or her houses. Winter started to work. She made little snowflakes and tossed them to the sky, and the snowflakes started to fall slowly down on the Earth. The Earth was changing. She threw all her silver on the Earth. The silver mixed with the snow and began to sparkle. The icicles were talking to each other like bells. And the drawings Winter made on the windows were like a work of art. All over the Earth people began to talk about Winter and started to wait for her to come, because the best present Winter gave them was Christmas.
Vocabulary
eternal youth – вічна молодість
shelter – сховище
to toss – кидати
to sparkle – блищати