Page 83 - 4710

definite means towards the achievement of his ideals, which were rather vague, he could
give no concrete answers to the problems he put forth, but he was a truly great inquirer, and
his unparalleled penetration into life gives us, his true heirs, an opportunity to answer his
questions better than he could himself. His works are truly immortal, and will retain their
immortality as long as the human race exists. It is only natural that the greatest minds of the
world admired Shakespeare and acknowledged his unsurpassed merit; among them were
Goethe, Pushkin, Victor Hugo, and many others.
A writer is a true classic, if every new generation finds new and hitherto unperceived
aspects of his works; such is the case with Shakespeare. His popularity all over the world
grows from year to year. Performances of major Shakespearian parts are a kind of actors,
examination for the right to be called great. Productions of Shakespeare, translations of
Shakespeare, critical works on Shakespeare are an indicator of the cultural level of any
given nation.
2. Tell the story of Shakespeare’s life. What was Shakespeare’s contribution to world
literature?
3. Translate into English.
Драматург; історик; імовірно; дивовижна плеяда; перевершити, затьмарити;
схопити і передати найскладніші аспекти людської вдачі; відзначитися і в комедії, і в
трагедії; приписувати (2); збільшувати, вихваляти; освічений співрозмовник;
видатний професор; невизначений, сумнівний; безбородий; осудливий; непристойний,
безсоромний; занурений у воду, обтяжений боргами; дратівливий, примхливий;
співпраця; невідоме співавторство; теорія змови; проклін, прокляття; історичні
докази; цитована епітафія; перевіряти; твердження; відлюдний, самотній; по суті,
істотно; неперевершений; основні людські пристрасті та психологічні риси;
утримуватися, уникати; легкий у використанні слів; понад.

UNIT 9
OUTSTANDING FIGURES
1. Read the following text, translate it into Ukrainian.
Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday (February 12)
Of all presidents in the history of the United States, Abraham Lincoln is probably the
one that Americans remember the best and with deepest affection. His childhood in the
frontier of Indiana set the course for his character and motivation later in life. He brought a
new honesty and integrity to the White House. He would always be remembered as “honest
Abe”. Most of all, he is associated with the final abolition of slavery. Lincoln became a
virtual symbol of the American dream whereby an ordinary person from humble beginnings
could reach the pinnacle of society as president of the country.
Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in Kentucky, and spent the first
seven years of his life there. They were difficult years in which Thomas Lincoln, Abe’s
father tried to make a living as a carpenter and farmer. The Lincolns moved from farm
around Kentucky, until 1816, when the family left to settle in Indiana. The United States
was still young, and the midwest was a wild, unsettled frontier. They stopped in the middle
of a forest in Spencer County, Indiana. Neighbors were few and far away, and the family
lived in a three-sided shelter until Abe’s father cleared enough land and built a log cabin.
Abe and his sister helped with the heavy daily tasks that came with farming. He
cleared the woods for farmland with his father, and became so skilled at splitting logs that
neighbors settling into the Indiana territory paid him to split logs. At the time, he confessed
that he did not really like manual labor. He wrote later that although he was very young, an
axe was put into his hand, and he “was almost constantly handling that most useful

85