Sherlock Holmes: The Valley of Fear. Adaptacja klasyki z ćwiczeniami - ebook
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Sherlock Holmes: The Valley of Fear. Adaptacja klasyki z ćwiczeniami - ebook
The Valley of Fear autorstwa Arthura Conan Doyle'a wydana w 1915 roku jest czwartą i zarazem ostatnią powieścią o przygodach najsłynniejszego detektywa wszechczasów – Sherlocka Holmesa. Powieść dzieli się na dwie części. Pierwsza rozpoczyna się z chwilą, gdy Holmes otrzymuje zaszyfrowany list zapowiadający zabójstwo niejakiego Johna Douglasa. Gdy zagadkowe morderstwo staje się faktem, detektyw i doktor Watson rozpoczynają śledztwo, które prowadzi ich do geniusza zła, profesora Moriarty'ego.Część druga odsłania kulisy zabójstwa Douglasa. Akcja przenosi nas do tytułowej Doliny Trwogi – miejsca drastycznych zbrodni...
Angielski. The Valley od Fear to niekonwencjonalny sposób nauki języka, który łączy lekturę wciągającej historii z rozwiązywaniem pomocniczych ćwiczeń. Podczas czytania opowieści w naturalny sposób przyswoisz słownictwo i konstrukcje leksykalno-gramatyczne oraz utrwalisz umiejętność czytania ze zrozumieniem. Na końcu książki znajdziesz klucz odpowiedzi i praktyczny słowniczek angielsko-polski.
Czytaj adaptację i...:
- wciągnij się w intrygującą opowieść o tajemniczej zbrodni i śledztwie prowadzącym do zaskakującego rozwiązania,
- sprawdzaj znaczenie słówek, nie odrywając się od książki dzięki tłumaczeniom na marginesach,
- poznaj angielskie słownictwo na poziomie podstawowym i średnio zaawansowanym (A2-B1),
- ćwicz umiejętność czytania ze zrozumieniem,
- rozwiązuj 65 urozmaiconych ćwiczeń leksykalnych i gramatycznych.
Adaptacja klasyki gatunku ze słowniczkiem i ćwiczeniami!
| Kategoria: | Angielski |
| Zabezpieczenie: | brak |
| ISBN: | 978-83-66237-57-5 |
| Rozmiar pliku: | 1 012 KB |
FRAGMENT KSIĄŻKI
Wstęp
Szukasz metody, dzięki której czytanie powieści w języku angielskim stanie się prostsze niż kiedykolwiek? Jeśli czytasz w tym języku artykuły i inne krótkie teksty, ale wciąż obawiasz się sięgnąć po dłuższą lekturę, ANGIELSKI. THE VALLEY OF FEAR to pozycja idealna dla ciebie. Łączy ona przyjemność lektury z solidnym treningiem leksykalno-gramatycznym na poziomie A2/B1. Sherlock Holmes poprowadzi cię przez tytułową Dolinę Trwogi (także tej językowej) i otworzy przed tobą świat lektury książek napisanych po angielsku.
ANGIELSKI. THE VALLEY OF FEAR to niekonwencjonalny kurs skierowany do młodzieży i dorosłych zainteresowanych innowacyjnymi metodami nauki oraz chcących zasmakować angielszczyzny w jej najlepszym wydaniu. Praca z kursem pozwala poznać bogate słownictwo oraz konstrukcje gramatyczne w kontekście, czyli w sposób najbardziej sprzyjający zapamiętywaniu.
ANGIELSKI. THE VALLEY OF FEAR to gatunek stworzony dla osób, które intrygują zagadki i eksperymenty – w Dolinie Trwogi nie sposób się nudzić! Ta błyskotliwa powieść napisana przez Arthura Conana Doyle’a została wydana po raz pierwszy w 1915 roku i jest czwartą, ostatnią powieścią z cyklu o Sherlocku Holmesie. Lubisz zagadki kryminalne i angielskie poczucie humoru? Uwielbiasz Sherlocka Holmesa? ANGIELSKI. THE VALLEY OF FEAR będzie dla ciebie doskonałą rozrywką!
Nowo poznane słownictwo możesz przećwiczyć w licznych zadaniach o różnym stopniu trudności. Podręcznik zawiera klucz odpowiedzi, w którym sprawdzisz rozwiązania ćwiczeń.
Tłumaczenia najtrudniejszych słów i zwrotów znajdziesz na marginesach, co umożliwi ci poznanie ich znaczenia bez konieczności zaglądania do słownika – zbiorczy indeks znajdziesz na końcu kursu. Tekst powieści został zaadaptowany do poziomu A2/B1, zachowano jednak styl charakterystyczny dla Arthura Conana Doyle’a.
Pełna i aktualna oferta książek, kursów oraz programów multimedialnych Wydawnictwa EDGARD znajduje się na naszej stronie internetowej www.jezykiobce.pl.
Życzymy zabójczo skutecznej nauki!1 “I THINK—” SAID I.
“Please, do,” Sherlock Holmes said impatiently.
I believe that I am a very patient man; but I’ll admit that I was annoyed at the sarcastic interruption.
“Really, Holmes,” said I severely, “you test my patience sometimes.”
He was too busy with his own thoughts to answer. He leaned on his hand, with his untouched breakfast in front of him, and he stared at the piece of paper which he had just taken out from an envelope. Then he took the envelope itself, held it up to the light, and studied it very carefully.
“It is Porlock’s writing,” said he thoughtfully. “I almost have no doubt that it is Porlock’s writing, though I have seen it only twice before. The Greek e is very special. But if it is Porlock, then it must be something very important.”
He was speaking to himself rather than to me; but my irritation disappeared because his words sparked my interest.
“Who then is Porlock?” I asked.
“Porlock is just a nickname; but behind it there is a tricky and two-faced personality. In one of his letters he informed me that the name was not real, and told me not to look for him. Porlock is important because he is in touch with a great man. Have I ever told you about Professor Moriarty?”
“The famous scientific criminal, famous among crooks but unknown to the public.”
“Very nice!” cried Holmes. “You are developing an unexpected sense of humour, Watson. I must learn to protect myself from it. But Moriarty is not just a criminal but the greatest schemer of all time and the organizer of every crime. That’s genius, Watson. But our day will surely come.”
“I hope to see that!” I exclaimed. “But you were speaking of this man Porlock.”
“Ah, yes—the so-called Porlock is a link in the chain. And not a good link. He is the only weak link in that chain, actually.”
“But no chain is stronger than its weakest link.”
“Exactly, my dear Watson! That’s why Porlock is extremely important. In the past, he gave me information, for a mere ten pounds, which helped to prevent crimes.
I cannot doubt that, if we had the key to the code, we should find such information in this letter.”
Again, Holmes flattened out the paper on his unused plate. I stood up and stared down at the mysterious message:
534 C2 13 127 36 31 4 17 21 41
DOUGLAS 109 293 5 37 BIRLSTONE
26 BIRLSTONE 9 47 171
“What do you make of it, Holmes?”
“It is obviously some secret information.”
“But what can we do with a cipher message without the cipher?”
“At this moment, nothing.”
“Why do you say ‘at this moment’?”
“Because there are many ciphers which I can decipher easily. But this is different. It is clearly a reference to the words in a page of some book. Until I am told which page and which book I am powerless.”
“But why ‘Douglas’ and ‘Birlstone’?”
“Clearly because those words are not on the page in question.”
“Then why hasn’t he given the name of the book?”
“You should understand, my dear Watson, that you don’t put the cipher and message in the same envelope. I shall be surprised if we don’t get another letter of explanation in the second post, or even the book itself.”
Holmes’s calculation was true because within a few minutes Billy, the page, brought the letter which we were expecting.
“The same writing,” remarked Holmes, as he opened the envelope. “And actually signed,” he added. “Come, we are getting close, Watson.” He frowned, however, as he looked at the letter.
“Dear me, this is very disappointing! I am afraid, Watson, that all our expectations of Porlock will come to nothing.
“DEAR MR HOLMES :
“I cannot continue. It is too dangerous—he suspects me. I can see that he suspects me. He came to me quite unexpectedly when I was going to send you the key to the cipher. I was able to cover it up. But I read suspicion in his eyes. Please burn the cipher message, which can now be of no use to you.
FRED PORLOCK.”
impatiently – z niecierpliwością
believe – wierzyć
admit – przyznawać
annoyed – zirytowany
interruption – wtrącenie
lean on – opierać
untouched – nietknięty
hold sth up – trzymać
thoughtfully – z namysłem
disappear – znikać
nickname – pseudonim, przezwisko
tricky – skomplikowany, zawiły
two-faced – dwulicowy
be in touch – być w kontakcie
crook – oszust
schemer – intrygant, matacz
surely – z pewnością
exclaim – wykrzykiwać
be the weak link in the chain – być najsłabszym ogniwem łańcucha
extremely – niezwykle
mere – zaledwie
prevent – zapobiegać, powstrzymywać
flatten out – rozprostowywać, wygładzać
unused – nieużywany, nietknięty
stare down at – spoglądać na
obviously – oczywiście, z pewnością
cipher – szyfrować
decipher – rozszyfrowywać
powerless – bezradny
page – boy, posłaniec
remark – zauważać
frown – marszczyć brwi
disappointing – rozczarowujący
suspect – podejrzewać
unexpectedly – nieoczekiwanie
suspicion – podejrzenie2 HOLMES SAT FOR SOME time holding the letter between his fingers and frowning, as he stared into the fire.
“After all,” he said at last, “there may be nothing in it. He probably felt guilty himself and that’s why he noticed a hint of accusation in the other’s eyes.”
“The other is, I presume, Professor Moriarty.”
Of course! When anyone talks about ‘He’ you know whom they mean. There is only one ‘He’.”
“But what can he do?”
“Hum! That’s a big question. When you have one of the first brains of Europe up against you, and all the powers of darkness at his back, there are many possibilities. Anyhow, Friend Porlock is evidently very scared—please, compare the writing in the note to that on the envelope. The one is clear and firm. The other I can hardly read.”
“Why did he write at all? Why did he not simply forget about it?”
“Because he was afraid I could ask him to explain his first letter, and possibly bring trouble for him.”
“No doubt,” I said. “Of course, it’s pretty annoying to think that an important secret may be on this piece of paper, and that it is impossible to solve it.”
Sherlock Holmes had pushed away his breakfast and lit the pipe which was the companion of his deepest meditations. “I wonder!” said he, leaning back and staring at the ceiling. “Perhaps some things have escaped your Machiavellian intellect. Let us think reasonably. This man’s reference is to a book. That is our point of departure.”
“Not a very clear one.”
“Let us see. Maybe it is not that impossible. What information do we have about this book?”
“None.”
“Well, well, it is surely not quite as bad as that. The cipher message begins with a large 534, does it not? We may suppose that 534 is the page number. So our book has already become a large book which is surely something. The next sign is C2. What do you make of that, Watson?”
“Chapter the second, no doubt.”
“Hardly that, Watson. You will, I am sure, agree with me that if the page is given, the number of the chapter is unimportant.”
“Column!” I cried.
“Brilliant, Watson. You are brilliant this morning. It must be column. So now, you see, we begin to visualize a large book printed in double columns which are quite long, because one of the words in the document is two hundred and ninety-third. One more guess, my dear Watson. The book can’t be an unusual one because he wasn’t going to send it to me. Instead of that he had planned to send me the clue in this envelope. He says so in his note. This means that he thought I could find the book easily myself. In short, Watson, it is a very common book.”
“It certainly sounds probable.”
“So we need to look for a large book, printed in double columns and in common use.”
“The Bible!” I cried triumphantly.
“Good, Watson, good! But not, if I may say so, quite good enough! It is very unlikely that such a book can be near one of Moriarty’s associates. Besides, there are so many editions of the Holy Book that he could not expect two copies to have the same number of pages. This is clearly a standardized book. He knows for certain that his page 534 will exactly agree with my page 534.”
“But very few books are like that.”
“Exactly. Our search is narrowed down to standardized books which anyone may possess.”
“The train timetable!”
“There are difficulties, Watson. The vocabulary is very limited. We will eliminate the timetable. The dictionary is, I fear, unacceptable for the same reason. What then is left?”
“An almanac!”
“Excellent, Watson! An almanac! Let’s take Whitaker’s Almanac. It is in common use. It has the right number of pages. It is in double column.” He picked the yearly magazine from his desk. “Here is page 534, column two. Write down the words, Watson! Number thirteen is ‘Mahratta.’ Not, I fear, a very promising beginning. Number one hundred and twenty-seven is ‘Government’; which at least makes sense. Now let us try again. What does the Mahratta government do? Alas! The next word is ‘pig’s-bristles.’ We are finished, my good Watson!”
He looked disappointed and irritated. I sat helpless and unhappy, staring into the fire. Suddenly, Holmes dashed to a cupboard, and came back with a second yellow-covered volume in his hand.
“We pay the price, Watson, for being too up-to-date!” he cried. “Today is the seventh of January so we have very properly looked at the new almanac. It is more than likely that Porlock took his message from the old one. Now let us see what page 534 has for us. Number thirteen is ‘There,’ which is much more promising. Number one hundred and twenty-seven is ‘is’—’There is’”—Holmes’s eyes were shining with excitement, and his thin, nervous fingers counted the words—”’danger.’ Ha! Ha! Capital! Write that down, Watson. ‘There is danger—may—come—very—soon—one.’ Then we have the name ‘Douglas’—‘rich—country—now—at—Birlstone—House—Birlstone—confidence—is—pressing.’ There, Watson!”
I was staring at the strange message which I had written as he deciphered it.
“What a strange way of expressing his meaning!” said I.
“On the contrary, he has done remarkably well,” said Holmes. He was still enjoying his success when Billy opened the door and Inspector MacDonald of Scotland Yard came into the room.
Those were the early days at the end of the ‘80’s, when Alec MacDonald was not yet so famous. He was a young but trusted detective, who had done very well in several cases. His tall, thin figure looked very strong while his big forehead and shiny eyes spoke of the sharp intelligence. He was a silent, precise man with a serious nature and a hard Scottish accent.
Holmes had helped him twice already in his career so the Scotchman had a lot of affection and respect for his amateur colleague, and he consulted Holmes in every difficulty. Holmes was not very open to friendship, but he was tolerant of the big Scotchman, and smiled at the sight of him.
“You are an early bird, Mr Mac,” said he. “I wish you luck with your worm. I fear this means that there is some new problem.”
“I came so early because…”
The inspector had stopped suddenly, and was staring with a look of absolute amazement at a paper on the table.
“Douglas!” he stammered. “Birlstone! What’s this, Mr Holmes? Man, it’s witchcraft! Where did you get those names?”
“It is a cipher that Dr. Watson and I have had occasion to solve. But why—what about the names?”
The inspector looked from one to the other of us in astonishment. “Just this,” said he, “that Mr Douglas of Birlstone Manor House was horribly murdered last night!”
accusation – oskarżenie
presume – zakładać, przewidywać
evidently – ewidentnie
bring trouble – sprowadzać kłopoty
solve – rozwiązywać
light the pipe – zapalać fajkę
escape – umykać
reasonably – rozsądnie
point of departure – punkt wyjścia
suppose – podejrzewać
clue – wskazówka, wątek
probable – prawdopodobny
associate – wspólnik
narrow down – zawężać
train timetable – rozkład jazdy pociągów
difficulty – trudność, problem
almanac – almanach
at least – przynajmniej
make sense – mieć sens
bristle – szczecina
dash – spieszyć (gdzieś)
be up-to-date – być na bieżąco
confidence – pewność siebie
decipher – rozszyfrowywać, odczytywać
on the contrary – przeciwnie
remarkably – wybitnie, wyjątkowo
affection – uczucie, sentyment
amazement – zdumienie
witchcraft – czary, czarna magia
horribly – strasznie1. Wybierz właściwą odpowiedź.
1. Why is Holmes too busy to answer Watson’s question?
a. because he is having breakfast
b. because he is reading a newspaper
c. because he is studying a strange letter he has received
d. because he is writing a letter
2. Who is Professor Moriarty?
a. a well-known criminal
b. a scientist studying crime
c. a scientific criminal
d. a police officer
3. Sherlock thinks that the code is
a. a part of an address.
b. a reference to the words in a book.
c. somebody’s last name and phone number.
d. a geographic position.
4. What information does the second letter contain?
a. the key to the cipher included in the first letter
b. another cipher message
c. a description of the crime committed
d. a refusal to cooperate
5. Alec MacDonald respected Holmes because
a. he helped him twice in his career.
b. he was a famous amateur detective.
c. he was very friendly to MacDonald.
d. he helped him to become a policeman.
2. Znajdź w tekście fragmenty, które wyjaśniają poniższe pytania.
1. How does Sherlock know that Porlock was scared?
………………………….
2. Why did Porlock write the letter?
………………………….
3. What makes Sherlock think that the book mentioned in the letter was the Bible?
………………………….
4. Who is Alec MacDonald?
………………………….
3. Połącz wyrażenia z ich polskimi odpowiednikami.
---------------------------------- ---------------------------------------
1. two-faced a. punkt wyjścia
2. to be in touch b. sprowadzać kłopoty
3. to be the weak link the chain c. dwulicowy
4. flatten out d. rozprostowywać, wygładzać
5. bring trouble e. być w kontakcie
6. point of departure f. być najsłabszym ogniwem (łańcucha)
7. narrow down g. przeciwnie
8. on the contrary h. zawężać
---------------------------------- ---------------------------------------
1. ... 2. ... 3. ... 4. ... 5. ... 6. ... 7. ... 8. ...
4. Uzupełnij zdania poprawnymi formami słów podanych w nawiasach.
1. This person is (extreme) ................................... dangerous.
2. (sure) ................................... they would understand what the problem is.
3. She regarded her (thought) ................................... for a full minute before responding.
4. Mary waited (patient) ................................... in the car.
5. She (obvious) ................................... wants you to stay.
6. “What you’re planning to do is (horrible) ................................... stupid,” said Paul.
7. It’s not (reasonably) ................................... to expect perfect weather during summer holidays in the UK.
8. Louise is a (remarkable) ................................... talented singer.
Szukasz metody, dzięki której czytanie powieści w języku angielskim stanie się prostsze niż kiedykolwiek? Jeśli czytasz w tym języku artykuły i inne krótkie teksty, ale wciąż obawiasz się sięgnąć po dłuższą lekturę, ANGIELSKI. THE VALLEY OF FEAR to pozycja idealna dla ciebie. Łączy ona przyjemność lektury z solidnym treningiem leksykalno-gramatycznym na poziomie A2/B1. Sherlock Holmes poprowadzi cię przez tytułową Dolinę Trwogi (także tej językowej) i otworzy przed tobą świat lektury książek napisanych po angielsku.
ANGIELSKI. THE VALLEY OF FEAR to niekonwencjonalny kurs skierowany do młodzieży i dorosłych zainteresowanych innowacyjnymi metodami nauki oraz chcących zasmakować angielszczyzny w jej najlepszym wydaniu. Praca z kursem pozwala poznać bogate słownictwo oraz konstrukcje gramatyczne w kontekście, czyli w sposób najbardziej sprzyjający zapamiętywaniu.
ANGIELSKI. THE VALLEY OF FEAR to gatunek stworzony dla osób, które intrygują zagadki i eksperymenty – w Dolinie Trwogi nie sposób się nudzić! Ta błyskotliwa powieść napisana przez Arthura Conana Doyle’a została wydana po raz pierwszy w 1915 roku i jest czwartą, ostatnią powieścią z cyklu o Sherlocku Holmesie. Lubisz zagadki kryminalne i angielskie poczucie humoru? Uwielbiasz Sherlocka Holmesa? ANGIELSKI. THE VALLEY OF FEAR będzie dla ciebie doskonałą rozrywką!
Nowo poznane słownictwo możesz przećwiczyć w licznych zadaniach o różnym stopniu trudności. Podręcznik zawiera klucz odpowiedzi, w którym sprawdzisz rozwiązania ćwiczeń.
Tłumaczenia najtrudniejszych słów i zwrotów znajdziesz na marginesach, co umożliwi ci poznanie ich znaczenia bez konieczności zaglądania do słownika – zbiorczy indeks znajdziesz na końcu kursu. Tekst powieści został zaadaptowany do poziomu A2/B1, zachowano jednak styl charakterystyczny dla Arthura Conana Doyle’a.
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Życzymy zabójczo skutecznej nauki!1 “I THINK—” SAID I.
“Please, do,” Sherlock Holmes said impatiently.
I believe that I am a very patient man; but I’ll admit that I was annoyed at the sarcastic interruption.
“Really, Holmes,” said I severely, “you test my patience sometimes.”
He was too busy with his own thoughts to answer. He leaned on his hand, with his untouched breakfast in front of him, and he stared at the piece of paper which he had just taken out from an envelope. Then he took the envelope itself, held it up to the light, and studied it very carefully.
“It is Porlock’s writing,” said he thoughtfully. “I almost have no doubt that it is Porlock’s writing, though I have seen it only twice before. The Greek e is very special. But if it is Porlock, then it must be something very important.”
He was speaking to himself rather than to me; but my irritation disappeared because his words sparked my interest.
“Who then is Porlock?” I asked.
“Porlock is just a nickname; but behind it there is a tricky and two-faced personality. In one of his letters he informed me that the name was not real, and told me not to look for him. Porlock is important because he is in touch with a great man. Have I ever told you about Professor Moriarty?”
“The famous scientific criminal, famous among crooks but unknown to the public.”
“Very nice!” cried Holmes. “You are developing an unexpected sense of humour, Watson. I must learn to protect myself from it. But Moriarty is not just a criminal but the greatest schemer of all time and the organizer of every crime. That’s genius, Watson. But our day will surely come.”
“I hope to see that!” I exclaimed. “But you were speaking of this man Porlock.”
“Ah, yes—the so-called Porlock is a link in the chain. And not a good link. He is the only weak link in that chain, actually.”
“But no chain is stronger than its weakest link.”
“Exactly, my dear Watson! That’s why Porlock is extremely important. In the past, he gave me information, for a mere ten pounds, which helped to prevent crimes.
I cannot doubt that, if we had the key to the code, we should find such information in this letter.”
Again, Holmes flattened out the paper on his unused plate. I stood up and stared down at the mysterious message:
534 C2 13 127 36 31 4 17 21 41
DOUGLAS 109 293 5 37 BIRLSTONE
26 BIRLSTONE 9 47 171
“What do you make of it, Holmes?”
“It is obviously some secret information.”
“But what can we do with a cipher message without the cipher?”
“At this moment, nothing.”
“Why do you say ‘at this moment’?”
“Because there are many ciphers which I can decipher easily. But this is different. It is clearly a reference to the words in a page of some book. Until I am told which page and which book I am powerless.”
“But why ‘Douglas’ and ‘Birlstone’?”
“Clearly because those words are not on the page in question.”
“Then why hasn’t he given the name of the book?”
“You should understand, my dear Watson, that you don’t put the cipher and message in the same envelope. I shall be surprised if we don’t get another letter of explanation in the second post, or even the book itself.”
Holmes’s calculation was true because within a few minutes Billy, the page, brought the letter which we were expecting.
“The same writing,” remarked Holmes, as he opened the envelope. “And actually signed,” he added. “Come, we are getting close, Watson.” He frowned, however, as he looked at the letter.
“Dear me, this is very disappointing! I am afraid, Watson, that all our expectations of Porlock will come to nothing.
“DEAR MR HOLMES :
“I cannot continue. It is too dangerous—he suspects me. I can see that he suspects me. He came to me quite unexpectedly when I was going to send you the key to the cipher. I was able to cover it up. But I read suspicion in his eyes. Please burn the cipher message, which can now be of no use to you.
FRED PORLOCK.”
impatiently – z niecierpliwością
believe – wierzyć
admit – przyznawać
annoyed – zirytowany
interruption – wtrącenie
lean on – opierać
untouched – nietknięty
hold sth up – trzymać
thoughtfully – z namysłem
disappear – znikać
nickname – pseudonim, przezwisko
tricky – skomplikowany, zawiły
two-faced – dwulicowy
be in touch – być w kontakcie
crook – oszust
schemer – intrygant, matacz
surely – z pewnością
exclaim – wykrzykiwać
be the weak link in the chain – być najsłabszym ogniwem łańcucha
extremely – niezwykle
mere – zaledwie
prevent – zapobiegać, powstrzymywać
flatten out – rozprostowywać, wygładzać
unused – nieużywany, nietknięty
stare down at – spoglądać na
obviously – oczywiście, z pewnością
cipher – szyfrować
decipher – rozszyfrowywać
powerless – bezradny
page – boy, posłaniec
remark – zauważać
frown – marszczyć brwi
disappointing – rozczarowujący
suspect – podejrzewać
unexpectedly – nieoczekiwanie
suspicion – podejrzenie2 HOLMES SAT FOR SOME time holding the letter between his fingers and frowning, as he stared into the fire.
“After all,” he said at last, “there may be nothing in it. He probably felt guilty himself and that’s why he noticed a hint of accusation in the other’s eyes.”
“The other is, I presume, Professor Moriarty.”
Of course! When anyone talks about ‘He’ you know whom they mean. There is only one ‘He’.”
“But what can he do?”
“Hum! That’s a big question. When you have one of the first brains of Europe up against you, and all the powers of darkness at his back, there are many possibilities. Anyhow, Friend Porlock is evidently very scared—please, compare the writing in the note to that on the envelope. The one is clear and firm. The other I can hardly read.”
“Why did he write at all? Why did he not simply forget about it?”
“Because he was afraid I could ask him to explain his first letter, and possibly bring trouble for him.”
“No doubt,” I said. “Of course, it’s pretty annoying to think that an important secret may be on this piece of paper, and that it is impossible to solve it.”
Sherlock Holmes had pushed away his breakfast and lit the pipe which was the companion of his deepest meditations. “I wonder!” said he, leaning back and staring at the ceiling. “Perhaps some things have escaped your Machiavellian intellect. Let us think reasonably. This man’s reference is to a book. That is our point of departure.”
“Not a very clear one.”
“Let us see. Maybe it is not that impossible. What information do we have about this book?”
“None.”
“Well, well, it is surely not quite as bad as that. The cipher message begins with a large 534, does it not? We may suppose that 534 is the page number. So our book has already become a large book which is surely something. The next sign is C2. What do you make of that, Watson?”
“Chapter the second, no doubt.”
“Hardly that, Watson. You will, I am sure, agree with me that if the page is given, the number of the chapter is unimportant.”
“Column!” I cried.
“Brilliant, Watson. You are brilliant this morning. It must be column. So now, you see, we begin to visualize a large book printed in double columns which are quite long, because one of the words in the document is two hundred and ninety-third. One more guess, my dear Watson. The book can’t be an unusual one because he wasn’t going to send it to me. Instead of that he had planned to send me the clue in this envelope. He says so in his note. This means that he thought I could find the book easily myself. In short, Watson, it is a very common book.”
“It certainly sounds probable.”
“So we need to look for a large book, printed in double columns and in common use.”
“The Bible!” I cried triumphantly.
“Good, Watson, good! But not, if I may say so, quite good enough! It is very unlikely that such a book can be near one of Moriarty’s associates. Besides, there are so many editions of the Holy Book that he could not expect two copies to have the same number of pages. This is clearly a standardized book. He knows for certain that his page 534 will exactly agree with my page 534.”
“But very few books are like that.”
“Exactly. Our search is narrowed down to standardized books which anyone may possess.”
“The train timetable!”
“There are difficulties, Watson. The vocabulary is very limited. We will eliminate the timetable. The dictionary is, I fear, unacceptable for the same reason. What then is left?”
“An almanac!”
“Excellent, Watson! An almanac! Let’s take Whitaker’s Almanac. It is in common use. It has the right number of pages. It is in double column.” He picked the yearly magazine from his desk. “Here is page 534, column two. Write down the words, Watson! Number thirteen is ‘Mahratta.’ Not, I fear, a very promising beginning. Number one hundred and twenty-seven is ‘Government’; which at least makes sense. Now let us try again. What does the Mahratta government do? Alas! The next word is ‘pig’s-bristles.’ We are finished, my good Watson!”
He looked disappointed and irritated. I sat helpless and unhappy, staring into the fire. Suddenly, Holmes dashed to a cupboard, and came back with a second yellow-covered volume in his hand.
“We pay the price, Watson, for being too up-to-date!” he cried. “Today is the seventh of January so we have very properly looked at the new almanac. It is more than likely that Porlock took his message from the old one. Now let us see what page 534 has for us. Number thirteen is ‘There,’ which is much more promising. Number one hundred and twenty-seven is ‘is’—’There is’”—Holmes’s eyes were shining with excitement, and his thin, nervous fingers counted the words—”’danger.’ Ha! Ha! Capital! Write that down, Watson. ‘There is danger—may—come—very—soon—one.’ Then we have the name ‘Douglas’—‘rich—country—now—at—Birlstone—House—Birlstone—confidence—is—pressing.’ There, Watson!”
I was staring at the strange message which I had written as he deciphered it.
“What a strange way of expressing his meaning!” said I.
“On the contrary, he has done remarkably well,” said Holmes. He was still enjoying his success when Billy opened the door and Inspector MacDonald of Scotland Yard came into the room.
Those were the early days at the end of the ‘80’s, when Alec MacDonald was not yet so famous. He was a young but trusted detective, who had done very well in several cases. His tall, thin figure looked very strong while his big forehead and shiny eyes spoke of the sharp intelligence. He was a silent, precise man with a serious nature and a hard Scottish accent.
Holmes had helped him twice already in his career so the Scotchman had a lot of affection and respect for his amateur colleague, and he consulted Holmes in every difficulty. Holmes was not very open to friendship, but he was tolerant of the big Scotchman, and smiled at the sight of him.
“You are an early bird, Mr Mac,” said he. “I wish you luck with your worm. I fear this means that there is some new problem.”
“I came so early because…”
The inspector had stopped suddenly, and was staring with a look of absolute amazement at a paper on the table.
“Douglas!” he stammered. “Birlstone! What’s this, Mr Holmes? Man, it’s witchcraft! Where did you get those names?”
“It is a cipher that Dr. Watson and I have had occasion to solve. But why—what about the names?”
The inspector looked from one to the other of us in astonishment. “Just this,” said he, “that Mr Douglas of Birlstone Manor House was horribly murdered last night!”
accusation – oskarżenie
presume – zakładać, przewidywać
evidently – ewidentnie
bring trouble – sprowadzać kłopoty
solve – rozwiązywać
light the pipe – zapalać fajkę
escape – umykać
reasonably – rozsądnie
point of departure – punkt wyjścia
suppose – podejrzewać
clue – wskazówka, wątek
probable – prawdopodobny
associate – wspólnik
narrow down – zawężać
train timetable – rozkład jazdy pociągów
difficulty – trudność, problem
almanac – almanach
at least – przynajmniej
make sense – mieć sens
bristle – szczecina
dash – spieszyć (gdzieś)
be up-to-date – być na bieżąco
confidence – pewność siebie
decipher – rozszyfrowywać, odczytywać
on the contrary – przeciwnie
remarkably – wybitnie, wyjątkowo
affection – uczucie, sentyment
amazement – zdumienie
witchcraft – czary, czarna magia
horribly – strasznie1. Wybierz właściwą odpowiedź.
1. Why is Holmes too busy to answer Watson’s question?
a. because he is having breakfast
b. because he is reading a newspaper
c. because he is studying a strange letter he has received
d. because he is writing a letter
2. Who is Professor Moriarty?
a. a well-known criminal
b. a scientist studying crime
c. a scientific criminal
d. a police officer
3. Sherlock thinks that the code is
a. a part of an address.
b. a reference to the words in a book.
c. somebody’s last name and phone number.
d. a geographic position.
4. What information does the second letter contain?
a. the key to the cipher included in the first letter
b. another cipher message
c. a description of the crime committed
d. a refusal to cooperate
5. Alec MacDonald respected Holmes because
a. he helped him twice in his career.
b. he was a famous amateur detective.
c. he was very friendly to MacDonald.
d. he helped him to become a policeman.
2. Znajdź w tekście fragmenty, które wyjaśniają poniższe pytania.
1. How does Sherlock know that Porlock was scared?
………………………….
2. Why did Porlock write the letter?
………………………….
3. What makes Sherlock think that the book mentioned in the letter was the Bible?
………………………….
4. Who is Alec MacDonald?
………………………….
3. Połącz wyrażenia z ich polskimi odpowiednikami.
---------------------------------- ---------------------------------------
1. two-faced a. punkt wyjścia
2. to be in touch b. sprowadzać kłopoty
3. to be the weak link the chain c. dwulicowy
4. flatten out d. rozprostowywać, wygładzać
5. bring trouble e. być w kontakcie
6. point of departure f. być najsłabszym ogniwem (łańcucha)
7. narrow down g. przeciwnie
8. on the contrary h. zawężać
---------------------------------- ---------------------------------------
1. ... 2. ... 3. ... 4. ... 5. ... 6. ... 7. ... 8. ...
4. Uzupełnij zdania poprawnymi formami słów podanych w nawiasach.
1. This person is (extreme) ................................... dangerous.
2. (sure) ................................... they would understand what the problem is.
3. She regarded her (thought) ................................... for a full minute before responding.
4. Mary waited (patient) ................................... in the car.
5. She (obvious) ................................... wants you to stay.
6. “What you’re planning to do is (horrible) ................................... stupid,” said Paul.
7. It’s not (reasonably) ................................... to expect perfect weather during summer holidays in the UK.
8. Louise is a (remarkable) ................................... talented singer.
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