The early days of telephone

After Jerome K. Jerome

I think the telephone is really a good thing. All people say it is. But perhaps I don't know how to use it. I once lived in a room with a telephone and I must say it was a very hard life for me.

Suppose you want to see a man who lives near your house. You can put on your hat and go over to his house. But you look at the telephone. You think it is better to phone him before you go. You ring up many times, but you get no answer. You get very angry and sit down to write a letter to the Company. You want to ask why their girls don't answer you. But then you ring up once more and this time you get an answer. You shout:

"Why don't you answer? I have rung twenty times in the last half hour." (It is not quite so. You have rung only six times but you are very angry.) "I shall write to the Company. I cannot get an answer when I ring." You have finished. Now you wait for the answer. In some minutes it comes from very, very far away.

"What — what do you say? I can't hear what you say."

"I say I have rung twenty times and I cannot get any answer. I shall write about it to the Company."

"You want what? What number?"

"I don't ask any number. I say, 'Why don't you answer when I ring?'"

"Eight hundred and what?"

You cannot repeat your question once more, so you say you want number four-five-seven-six.

"Four-nine-seven-six?" says the girl.

"No; four-five-seven-six."

"Did you say seven-six or six-seven?"

"Six-seven — no. I say seven-six, no — wait a minute. I don't know what I want now..."

"Well, you must know," says the young lady. "I cannot wait here all the morning."

So you find the number in the book again, repeat it, and then she tells you that you are in connection. Then you stand waiting for some time.

"Are you there?" you cry many times, and then—oh, how glad you are! — you hear:

"Yes; what is it?"

"Oh; are you four-five-seven-six?"

"What? Who are you?"

"Eight-one-nine, Jones."

"Bones?"

"No, Jones. Are you four-five-seven-six?"

"Yes; what is it?"

"Is Mr Williamson at home?"

"Will I what — who are you?"

"Jones! Is Mr Williamson at home? Will-i-am-son!"

"You are the son of what? I can't hear what you say."

When he understands that you wish to know if Williamson is at home he says — or so you think — "Will be at home all the morning."

So you take your hat and go to his house.

"I've come to see Mr Williamson," you say.

"Very sorry, Sir," is the answer, "but he is not at home."

"Not at home? But you've just said to me over the telephone, 'He will be at home all the morning.'"

"No, it was: 'He will not be at home all the morning.'"

You go back to your room, sit down before the telephone and look at it. What can you do? Nothing.

Ответьте на вопросы.

1. Did the storyteller think the telephone was a good thing or did he think it made life harder?

2. What was it the storyteller wanted to write to the Company about?

3. Why did he have to look for the number in the book again?

4. What did the person at Williamson's house hear when the storyteller said over the phone 'Jones' and later 'Will-i-am-son'?

5. How did it happen that Jones went to Williamson's house and didn't find him at home?

6. Do you think the telephone in its early days was a con­venience?

7. Is it a convenience now?

Работа в парах. Обсудите с партнером, с какими проблемами сталкивались люди на заре развития телефонной связи и какие проблемы испытываем мы в настоящее время. Расскажите о своих выводах в аудитории. Воспользуйтесь речевыми моделями.

In my opinion – По моему мнению

On the one hand – С одной стороны

On the other hand – С другой стороны

It goes without saying – Само собой разумеется

All is well that ends well – Все хорошо, что хорошо кончается

That’s all there is to it – Вот и все, что можно сказать по этому поводу.