The Watchmaker
“I feel I have to admit I’ve always had a keen interest in time,” said an elderly watchmaker taking a break from his sophisticated work.
There was a watch mechanism resting on the table in front of him which he had already been fixing for nearly an hour. The watch was a vintage framed in gold, and the work was extremely delicate. The watchmaker addressed a visitor, who was reading a magazine while waiting patiently in an armchair in the corner of the workshop. He put the magazine aside and said, “The concept of time definitely contains philosophy and mystery, which people are prohibited to perceive by their limited five senses.” Here the visitor paused studying the reactions of the watchmaker and continued, “Otherwise, the scientists have managed to prove that intellect is the human’s sixth sense.”
“Indeed. And interestingly enough, humans can only move forward along the time line, while they cannot go back to the starting point again. At the same time, we can return to the original point if we move in space. What a pleasure to have a philosophic talk when the wise companion understands you.”
“H’m! I would argue with you about the return to the starting time point. You know, there’ve been some instances. And I would not agree with you about the time line too. The time is flowing in the spiral.”
The puzzled watchmaker looked at his strange guest. The man was not tall, medium build, wearing a suit, but without a tie. He had a black wide-brimmed hat on, which for some reason he refused to take off in the room, so the shop owner could not fully discern his facial features. However, he drew particular attention to his prominent, determined chin.
“Your thoughts are really intriguing.”
The tired watchmaker could not have helped but get up groaning and come up to his interlocutor.
“Have a sit,” the guest offered.
The watchmaker sat in the armchair opposite to him and with his back to the working desk. Only then he was able to glance into the eyes of the weird visitor. The watchmaker felt something repellent in his cold stare and he asked shivering: “Who are you?”
“Me? Soon you will understand.”
The old man was frightened to the bits, but gave no sign of it. He did not want to discuss anything more with the stranger and wanted to get rid of him the quicker the better. Не returned to the subject of the item being repaired.
“Oh! By the way, your watch. You are the owner of a rare miraculous specimen. You could get for it a decent amount of money at auction. But I cannot understand the cause of the fault. All mechanisms are in good working condition, but the hands refuse to go. I need time to determine the root cause. Will you come back tomorrow?”
“You are wrong. I am not the owner of the watch at all. But you are,” the guest said meaningfully. “And the hands don’t go just because that your time is up. Look behind.”
The old watchmaker turned his head towards the working desk. In horror he saw himself or, rather, his senseless body with the head resting on the desk right in front of the watch. His numb hands clutched the screwdriver and tweezers. The desk was in the far corner of the room, but the watchmaker felt, with every fiber of his soul, that the second hand of the watch gave a slight tremble. It started moving for a new heart of someone else to beat in the Universe.
I. Find English equivalents to the following Russian phrases.
– признаюсь, меня всегда интересовала категория времени.
– коллекционные часы в золотом обрамлении.
– работа тонкая и требовала деликатного обращения.
– в понятии времени определённо существует философия и таинство.
– время развивается по спирали.
– озадаченный часовщик.
– чудесный редкий экземпляр.
II. Translate the following words and word-combinations.
– the watchmaker
– be keen on
– his sophisticated work
– a vintage
– to perceive
– instance
– puzzled
– a wide-brimmed hat
– the interlocutor
– the weird visitor
– a rare miraculous specimen
– to get rid of
– repellent
– a decent amount of money
– the root cause
– the screwdriver
– the tweezers
III. Find adjectives in the text. Make up your own sentences with them.
IV. Unscramble the words in bold.
1. There was a watch hmnieamcs resting on the table in front of him.
2. The watch was a vgintae framed in gold.
3. The katamwrceh addressed a visitor.
4. There have been some tsnasecni.
5. The concept of time definitely contains hoolyhipps and mystery.
6. The time is flowing in the prsali
7. You are the owner of a rare miraculous peesminc.
8. I need time to determine the otro cause.
9. His numb hands clutched the cevsidrrewr
10. It started moving for a new life-being of someone else in the venuseir
V. Give definitions of the following verbs.
–to discern
–to admit
–to comprehend
–to prove
–to prohibit
–to groan
–to clutch
–to perceive
VI. Grammar.
1. Find and translate sentences in the Past Simple Tense.
2. Find and translate a sentence with homogeneous parts.
3. Find and translate one sentence in the Present Perfect Tense.
4. Find and translate one sentence in the Past Perfect Continuous Tense.
5. Find sentences with the direct speech. Change them into the indirect
speech.
VII. Answer the following questions.
1. Where did the strange visitor come to?
2. What had the watchmaker been repairing for nearly an hour?
3. What subject has the watchmaker always been keen on?
4. Whose watch did the guest bring to fix?
5. In your opinion, why did the guest refuse to take off his hat inside?
6. What facts did the stranger tell the watchmaker about the time?
7. Will you describe the reaction of the watchmaker to the words of his
interlocutor about time?
8. What is the main message of the story?
9. Who do you think the weird guest was?
10. Do you believe in the rebirth of souls?
VIII. Say whether the following sentences are true, false or not given in the text.
Say what is wrong with the false ones.
1. The watchmaker had been fixing his own vintage watch.
2. The watch was with the golden chain.
3. The visitor wasn’t wearing a tie.
4. According to the weird guest, the time is flowing in the celestial spiral.
5. There were many other tools on the desk.
6. The numb hands of the watchmaker clutched the flat screwdriver.
7. The second hand of the watch started moving for a new galaxy
in the Universe.
8. The stranger appeared to be a wizard.
IX. Speaking.
1. Describe the watchmaker and the stranger.
2. Act out the dialogue between the watchmaker and the stranger.
3. What another title of the story would you suggest? Why?
4. Speak about time as a philosophical concept.
5. Give the summary of the story.
X. Which of the sayings best summarises the main idea of the story?
1. There is a time and place for everything.
2. You can’t buy an inch of time with an inch of gold.
3. Every seed knows its time.
4. Men fear, but time fears the pyramids.
XI. Solve a crossword puzzle.
Across:
2/ Very strange or unusual and difficult to explain.
3/ A particular example or case of something.
4/ Having all the best or most typical qualities of something, especially
from the past
8/ What we measure in minutes, hours, days, etc.
10/ A strong feeling of shock or fear.
Down:
1/ A tool for turning screws.
5/ The whole of space and everything in it, including the Earth, the planets
and the stars.
6/ The ability to think in a logical way and understand things.
7/ Something strange or unknown that cannot be explained or understood.
9/ A person who makes and repairs watches and clocks as a job.
