1984. A2

Джордж Оруэлл

1984. A2

© Темурян К. Т., адаптация, словарь, упражнения, 2024

© ООО «Издательство АСТ», 2024

Part one

Chapter 1

It was a cold, bright day in April. Winston Smith hurried through the glass doors of Victory Mansions to avoid the cold wind. The wind blew dust and small pieces of paper through the streets.

The corridors smelled of boiled cabbage and old carpets. There was a huge coloured poster on the wall. It showed a man's strong face with dark eyes and a thick black moustache. The face stared down at everyone, like it was watching them. Below the man's face, there was a phrase: BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU.

Winston took the stairs to get to his flat on the seventh floor. The lift, as usual, wasn't working because the Party often turned off the power during the day to save energy for Hate Week. When Winston finally reached his flat, he opened the door and entered. A loud voice came from a large screen on the wall. The telescreen showed programmes, but also controlled everything that happened in the room. The rule was to never turn it off.

Winston looked out of the window. Below him, the streets were empty, except for the posters of Big Brother that hung everywhere. Helicopters flew low over the rooftops, looking into people's windows to check what they were doing. In the distance, there were enormous buildings: the Ministry of Truth, responsible for news, education, and art; The Ministry of Peace, responsible for war; The Ministry of Love, responsible for law and order; and the Ministry of Plenty, responsible for economic affairs.

Winston wrote down the date in his diary. His handwriting was messy, and he made many mistakes. He wrote about his memories, and another one came to mind.

In the Records Department, where Winston worked, people were getting ready for Hate. He spotted two people. One of them was a girl with freckles on her face. Winston immediately disliked her: he believed she was more dangerous than others. The other person was a man named O'Brien. He worked for the Party, and the room got quiet when he walked in.

The face of Emmanuel Goldstein appeared on the screen. In the past, Goldstein was one of the Party leaders – along with Big Brother – but later betrayed him, escaped, and disappeared. The room got loud: everyone was angry. The whispers in the audience soon became shouts, and someone threw a Newspeak dictionary at the screen. For a moment, Winston's hatred towards Goldstein shifted into hatred towards Big Brother.

Winston looked at his writing again. The handwriting was no longer awkward, and he felt he was writing words down automatically: DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER. He felt fear: the Thought Police would start looking for him. They usually arrested people at night.

Suddenly, there was a knock on his door. Were they here? Already! The knocking continued. Winston's heart was beating loudly as he got up from his chair and moved towards the door.

Glossary

affair [ə'feə] – n дело

awkward ['ɔ:kwəd] – adj неуклюжий

betray [bɪ'treɪ] – v предавать

dust [dʌst] – n пыль

escape [ɪ'skeɪp] – v сбежать

freckle ['frekl] – n веснушка

handwriting ['hændˌraɪtɪŋ] – n почерк

hang (hung, hung) [hæŋ] – v вешать, висеть

hatred ['heɪtrɪd] – n ненависть

helicopter ['helɪkɒptə] – n вертолет

hurry ['hʌri] – v спешить

peace [pi:s] – n мир, покой

plenty ['plenti] – n изобилие

responsible [rɪ'spɒnsəbl] – adj ответственный

rooftop ['ru:ftɒp] – n крыша

shift [ʃɪft] – v изменяться

spot [spɒt] – v замечать

stare [steə] – v пристально смотреть

whisper ['wɪspə] – n, v шепот, шептать

Chapter 2

When Winston reached the door, he realised that the notebook was still on the table. He left it open, anyone could see “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER”. The letters were big enough to see it from here. He inhaled and opened the door. It was Mrs. Parsons, his neighbour.

“Can you please take a look at the kitchen sink? There's a problem with it, and my husband isn't home.”

Mr Parsons worked with Winston. He was overweight, energetic, and incredibly stupid, but Mrs. Parsons appreciated his skills.

Winston followed her into the old flat, which smelled of boiled cabbage and sweat. The place was messy, as if wild animals ran around the rooms all day. Winston started working in the sink.

“Hands up! You're a traitor! A thought-criminal! A spy! I'll shoot you!” someone shouted from behind.

Mrs. Parsons' children jumped around Winston with their toy guns, but for Winston, they felt real. Mrs. Parsons apologised for the noise nervously and thanked Winston. Her grey face looked helpless and frightened. As he was leaving, one of the boys threw a toy gun at him.

“Goldstein!” the boy screamed. Mrs. Parsons apologised again. She looked older than she was.

Back at his flat, the telescreen spoke loudly. “Attention! There's news from the war!”

The images on the screen showed soldiers, prisoners, and a lot of blood. The voice announced that the chocolate ration would be reduced. Bad news, Winston thought. He moved to the window and looked at the posters outside. He wondered who he was writing the diary for. The Thought Police would definitely destroy it after reading. He continued writing: From the age of Big Brother to the time when thought is free – greetings!

Winston noticed ink on his fingers. This detail could betray him, so he went to the bathroom and scrubbed his hands with soap. It was harsh and unpleasant, but he was happy with the result.

He thought about hiding the notebook, but knew this was useless: someone would definitely discover it. So he picked some dust from his room and put it on the notebook. If anyone opened it, the dust would leave a trace.

Glossary

apologise [ə'pɒlədʒaɪz] – v извиняться

appreciate [ə'pri:ʃieɪt] – v ценить

harsh [hɑ:ʃ] – adj суровый

helpless ['helpləs] – adj беспомощный

incredibly [ɪn'kredəbli] – adv невероятно

inhale [ɪn'heɪl] – v вдыхать

ink [ɪŋk] – n чернила

overweight [ˌəʊvə'weɪt] – adj грузный

ration ['ræʃən] – n паек

scream [skri:m] – v вопить

scrub [skrʌb] – v скрести

shoot [ʃu:t] – v застрелить

sink [sɪŋk] – n раковина

spy [spaɪ] – n шпион

sweat [swet] – n, v пот, потеть

trace [treɪs] – n след

traitor ['treɪtə] – n предатель

unpleasant [ʌn'plezənt] – adj неприятный

useless ['ju:sləs] – adj бесполезный

wonder ['wʌndə] – v желать знать

Chapter 3

At night, Winston saw strange dreams. He dreamt of his mother – a tall, silent woman with magnificent hair. He last saw his parents when he was about ten years old.

In his dream, his mother was in a boat, holding his younger sister in her arms. The boat was sinking, and they were both looking at him with sad eyes. Winston felt guilty, as if their lives were a sacrifice. When he woke up, he thought about the past. His mother's death was a tragedy that seemed impossible now: today, there were only fear, hatred, and pain.

A sudden noise from the telescreen reminded Wilson that it was time for exercise. His body ached, but he followed the instructions from the telescreen. His arms and legs moved automatically while he was thinking about the past. Was there a time when the country wasn't at war? There used to be peace, but a bomb followed. He remembered how his parents grabbed him by the hand and ran to hide.

He thought about the world history: now, in 1984 (if it really was 1984), Oceania was at war with Eurasia and in alliance with Eastasia. Before that, it was different, but the Party did not allow anyone to remember the past. The Party controlled the past and, this way, controlled the future too. This frightened Winston: could the Party make him believe in anything – or erase it from his memory?

Winston tried to remember when Big Brother first appeared – but he couldn't. According to the Party, Big Brother started his legendaryachievements many years ago. And when did the Party first appear? Winston knew that there was no Party when he was little. Yet, there was no way of proving it: whatever the Party said was the truth.

“Smith!” a loud voice screamed from the telescreen. “Work harder!”

Winston started sweating. He knew he couldn't show any shock or irritation, so he continued the exercise.

Glossary

according to [ə'kɔ:dɪŋtu:] – prep согласно

ache [eɪk] – v болеть

achievement [ə'tʃi:vmənt] – n достижение

alliance [ə'laɪəns] – n союз

erase [ɪ'reɪz] – v стирать

frighten ['fraɪtən] – v пугать

grab [ɡræb] – v хватать

guilty ['ɡɪlti] – adj виноватый

irritation [ˌɪrɪ'teɪʃən] – n раздражение

legendary ['ledʒəndri] – adj легендарный

magnificent [mæɡ'nɪfɪsənt] – adj великолепный

prove [pru:v] – v доказывать

remind [rɪ'maɪnd] – v напоминать

sacrifice ['sækrɪfaɪs] – n жертва

silent ['saɪlənt] – adj тихий, безмолвный

sink [sɪŋk] – v тонуть

sudden ['sʌdən] – adj внезапный

tragedy ['trædʒədi] – n трагедия

whatever [wɒt'evə] – adv всё, что

Chapter 4

Winston sat at his desk, getting ready for work. He put on his glasses to look at the four pieces of paper beside him. Winston's job was to correct old newspaper articles, so they matched what the Party wanted people to believe.

In Winston's office, there were holes in the walls called memory holes. When Winston needed to destroy something, he put it in a memory hole. After that, no one could ever see these papers again.

Winston read the four messages. In one of them, for example, Big Brother made a prediction about the war, but it turned out to be wrong. Winston now had to rewrite the news to make it seem like Big Brother was always right. Another one mentioned the chocolate rations: although the Ministry of Plenty promised to keep the chocolate rations on the same level, they became smaller. Winston had to correct the numbers to make everyone believe the change was planned.

When Winston finished rewriting the news, he sent them through memory holes. Winston believed he wasn't lying – he just replaced one piece of nonsense with another. And he wasn't the only person who did this: his whole department at the Ministry of Truth was changing history. They also corrected books, films, and other records.

Wilson saw a colleague across the hall. Winston didn't know that person at all. In the department, people rarely talked about their jobs. They hardly ever saw each other – unless they were all attending a Hate event. After all, they were too busy writing newspapers, films, books, and everything else.

Winston finally got to the fourth message. It spoke about some Mr Withers, who was now non-existent. Big Brother used to praise him a lot, but now any information about him in Big Brother's speeches had to be different. So, Winston invented a man – Mr Ogilvy, who didn't exist an hour ago, but was now a fact.

The Party wanted to control everything people knew about the past. The Ministry of Truth also produced newspapers and entertainment for the poorer people called “proles.” These were filled with sports, crime stories, and gossip to distract them.

Glossary

beside [bɪ'saɪd] – prep рядом с

distract [dɪ'strækt] – v отвлекать

entertainment [ˌentə'teɪnmənt] – n развлечение

exist [ɪɡ'zɪst] – v существовать

gossip ['ɡɒsɪp] – n сплетня

mention ['menʃən] – v упоминать

non-existent [ˌnɒnɪɡ'zɪstənt] – adj несуществующий

nonsense ['nɒnsəns] – n чепуха

praise [preɪz] – v хвалить

prediction [prɪ'dɪkʃən] – n предсказание, прогноз

turn out [tɜ:n aʊt] – v оказываться, заканчиваться

unless [ən'les] – conj если не

Chapter 5

Winston was standing in line for lunch in the noisy canteen. He noticed his friend Syme, who was a linguist. He was working on the new Newspeak Dictionary. They sat down at a table, and Winston started eating.

“Did you see the prisoners yesterday?” Syme asked.

“I was busy,” Winston replied, but Syme continued looking at him. “How's the dictionary?”

“We're working slowly, but it's fascinating! When we finish, everyone will have to learn the language again. You may think we're inventing new words, but in fact, we destroy them. It's so beautiful. Of course, it's Big Brother's idea. You see, the aim of Newspeak is to make our thinking narrow. This way, even thinking against the Party will be impossible. Every text will mean the opposite of what it meant before.”

Winston was sure Syme would soon disappear. He was too intelligent and spoke too honestly. He continued eating his bread with cheese and listened to the conversation at the table next to them.

A man was speaking loudly, but Winston couldn't understand a word. Suddenly, he heard one phrase, “We should erase Goldsteinism completely.” The woman sitting next to him agreed. Syme compared their conversation to the sounds ducks made. Winston now knew Syme would disappear.

Mr Parsons walked in the canteen with a loud greeting. He found Winston, apologised for his sons' behaviour, and reminded Winston he was collecting money for another Hate event. Mr Parsons was actually proud of his children – they were trained to watch and report any signs of disloyalty, even from their parents.

Winston nodded politely, but he felt fear. The idea that the Party could limit thoughts made him panic. He looked around. Everyone was dressed in blue uniforms and looked ugly.

After lunch, Winston walked back to his desk, thinking about the Party. When he saw someone, he could tell who would survive and who would disappear. As Winston sat down at his desk, he looked up and saw the girl with dark hair. She didn't look at him, but Winston felt his heart race. He still couldn't decide if she was an enemy or someone who, like him, hated the Party but was too afraid to say it.

Glossary

aim [eɪm] – n цель

canteen [kæn'ti:n] – n столовая

compare [kəm'peə] – v сравнивать

disloyalty [dɪs'lɔɪəlti] – n неверность

enemy ['enəmi] – n враг

fascinating ['fæsɪneɪtɪŋ] – adj увлекательный

honestly ['ɒnɪstli] – adv честно

limit ['lɪmɪt] – v ограничивать

linguist ['lɪŋɡwɪst] – n лингвист

narrow ['nærəʊ] – adj узкий

prisoner ['prɪzənə] – n заключенный

proud [praʊd] – adj гордый

race [reɪs] – v колотиться (о сердце)

sign [saɪn] – n признак

survive [sə'vaɪv] – v выживать

Chapter 6

Winston wrote in his diary, “If there is hope, it lies in the proles.” He believed the proles, the working class majority, could destroy the Party – but only if they realised their power. He remembered a moment when he saw a riot and thought the proles were finally rising. A loud cry from a crowd of women on the streets had filled him with hope. But when he arrived, he saw they were fighting over some saucepans. Winston felt disappointed.

Winston wrote further, “They will not understand until they start a riot.”

The Party claimed it freed the proles from evil but at the same time treated them as inferiors. So, as long as they worked, their other activities didn't matter. They were always busy looking after their homes and their children and doing hard physical work, so there was no need to control them. Most of their homes didn't have a telescreen. The Party always said:,“Proles and animals are free.” The only requirement for them was basic patriotism.

Winston's body started aching again. Every thought in his head led him to one question: what was life like before the Revolution? Not long ago, he borrowed a children's history book from Mrs. Parson. He finally opened it.

Before the glorious Revolution, the world wasn't as beautiful as it is today. It was dark, dirty, and miserable. People had no food to eat, no clothes to wear, and no roof to sleep under. Children worked at factories for bread and water. The Revolution improved lives.

Winston wondered how much of this could be a lie. After all, it could be true that, for average

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