Analytical reading-Part 35

Jack London

From The White Fang

D

ark spruce forest frowned on either side of the frozen waterway. The trees had been stripped by a recent wind of their white covering of frost, and they seemed to lean toward each other, black and ominous, in the fading light. A vast silence reigned over the land. The land itself was a desolation, lifeless, without movement, so lone and cold that the spirit of it was not even that of sadness. There was a hint in it of laughter, but of a laughter more terrible than any sadness—a laughter that was mirthless as the smile of the Sphinx, a laughter cold as the frost and partaking of the grimness of infallibility. It was the masterful and incommunicable wisdom of eternity laughing at the futility of life and the effort of life. It was the Wild, the savage, frozen-hearted Northland Wild.

                But there was life, abroad in the land and defiant. Down the frozen waterway toiled a string of wolfish dogs. Their bristly fur was rimed with frost. Their breath froze in the air as it left their mouths, spouting forth in spumes of vapour that settled upon the hair of their bodies and formed into crystals of frost. Leather harness was on the dogs, and leather traces attached them to a sled which dragged along behind. The sled was without runners. It was made of stout birch—bark, and its full surface rested on the snow. The front end of the sled was turned up, like a scroll in order to force down and under the bore of soft snow that surged like a wave before it.

Notes and comments:

Practice spelling and make sentences of your own with the following homonyms: reign, rain, rein

attach-affix-annex-append-tack = прикрепвам (се), закрепвам, закачам (се), залепям (се), лепвам (се), прилепвам (се) (to); прибавям, притурям, добавям, слагам

A tube was attached to the apparatus.—Една тръба беше прикрепена към апарата.

to affix a label to a parcel—слагам/залепвам етикет на колет/пратка

to annex a territory to a country—анексирам територия

You must append a label to your trunk.

to tack a notice to the wall—закачам обява на стена

to tack a carpet to a floor—заковавам с гвоздейчета килим/мокет в пода

to tack a moral on to the end of a story—добавям поука към края на историята/разказа

drag-haul-pull-tow-draw-tug = тегля, изтеглям, дърпам, влача (се), тътря (се), мъкна (се)

to drag a net (in fishing)—изтеглям рибарска мрежа

to drag a heavy piece of furniture across a room—влача тежки мебели

to draw water from a well—вадя вода от кладенец

to haul a boat on shore—изтеглям лодка на брега

to haul down the sails—спускам корабни платна

to pull out a cart—изтеглям каруца

to pull out a tooth—изваждам зъб

to pull by the sleeve—дърпам за ръкава

to pull one’s ears—дърпам ушите на

one vessel tows another—тегли на буксир

to tow a vessel into harbour—изтеглям на буксир в пристанището

to tow a ship into its berth—изтеглям кораб до мястото му на кея

to tug a cart out of the mire—изтеглям каруца от калта

to tug at somebody’s hand (of a child): The child tugged at his mother’s hand.

Look up in your dictionary the meanings of the following range of expressions, so that, with time, you can incorporate them into your active vocabulary.

above all, all at once, all being well, all in all, all over, all the same, it’s all the same to me, overall, all told, all in, be at a loss, be a bad loser, be lost without, lose count, lose face, lose heart, lose interest, lose one’s balance, lose one’s head, lose one’s life, lose one’s nerve, lose one’s temper with, lose one’s way, lose oneself in, lose patience, lose touch, lose weight, lose any sleep over, at a glance, at a loss, at all times, at any moment, at any rate, at cross purposes, at least, at all events, at long last, at our expense, at random, at short notice, at the expense of, at the last minute, by all means, by any chance, by means of, by name, by sight, by the thousand, by the way, by myself, by way of, get carried away, carry on, at high tide, highbrow, highlight, highlights, high-rise, high season, high street, high tech, in high spirits, it’s high time, upper case, middle-aged, middlebrow, middle class, at low tide, feeling low, keep a low profile, lowbrow, lower case, low-rise, make do with, make out, make room/way, make up to, make it up to someone, do away with, do up, do without, dos and don’ts, over and done with, have something to do with, have nothing to do with, in addition to, in brief, in cash, in comparison with, in detail, in difficulty, in doubt, in fun, in ink, in pencil, in view of, in a whisper, in writing, get ahead/on, get along/on with, get at, get away, get going, get into, get down to, get on for, get nowhere, get over/across, get round to something, get through, get together, come of age, for ages, space age, Stone Age, under age, fresh air, fresh start, fresh water, new blood, newcomer, old boy, old girl, old flame, old hand, old master, old times, old wives’ tale, as old as you feel, young at heart, give away, give or take, give rise to, give way, give-and-take, take account of, take apart, take to pieces, taken aback, take down, take in, take it for granted, take part in, take the day off, take to, take up, take-off