Charlie Ewell

Name? I said to myself. It's Charlie Ewell, and I'm a young guy who works in a bank. I don't like the job; I don't make much money, and I never will. I've lived in New York for over three years and haven't many friends. Well, there's really nothing to say — I see more movies than I want to, read too many books, and I'm sick of meals alone in restaurants. I have ordinary abilities, looks and thoughts.

"What are you looking for, what do you want?" the man asked.

"Escape," I said.

"From what?"

"Well, from New York. And cities in general. From worry. And fear. And the things I read in my newspapers. From loneliness. From never doing what I really want to do or having much fun. From selling my days just to stay alive. From life itself — the way it is today, at least. From the world."

(from Jack Finney)

to have ordinary abilities — мати пересічні здібності

to escape — зникати, тікати (від чогось)

fear — страх

loneliness — самотність

Text 10

Mental and Physical Job

Five or six o'clock in the morning. You must gather yourself together for the day. Every day is something special. It is like a house. The foundation for the day must be laid.

Men are fortunate who have definite tasks. I have always envied bricklayers. There the bricks are. A definite task like that takes your mind off yourself and others. You get up in the morning and begin to lay bricks. As you work your mind clears. You speak to your fellow workmen. The day starts well.

For such people as lawyers, doctors, school-teachers, editors, writers, people whose work is at least partly mental, the mood in which such people start a day is all important.

The task the school-teacher has would frighten me. There is a whole room full of children. Children are usually quick and responsive. The day starts. What is the teacher's mood? It will affect every one of the pupils.

I know personally a lot of actors. There is an actor reading the same part every evening. No two performances are exactly alike. He is the same man he has been on other nights, is well and strong. What is the matter with him?

And they, poor men, have daily to go through the same little annoyances the rest of us do.

(from Sherwood Anderson)

Text 11

Applying for a Job

— Sit down, please, Mr. Sloan. We have your letter in answer to our advertisement. I'd like to talk with you about your qualifications for the position.

— (Mr. Sloan, taking a seat) I suppose you have received a great many replies to your advertisement.

— I haven't counted the exact number of replies, but I would say that at least fifty persons answered. Naturally, many who wrote don't have the qualifications we require — but we have picked out the ten or twelve best replies and plan to interview these applicants. Your letter was among the ten or twelve we picked out.

— I am very glad to know that my letter was acceptable. It is sometimes very difficult to answer a newspaper advertisement well.

— As to your letter, Mr. Sloan, I would say that it was one of the best we received. I am always amazed at the poor letters most people write when applying for a position. They use any old kind of writing paper that seems to be handy. They write illegibly and include many personal factors which are not important. At the same time they fail to state simply and clearly their qualifications for a job. Incidentally, you mentioned in your letter that you had already done considerable work in selling.

— I was Field Representative for five years of one of the large commercial schools. I enrolled new students for the school.

— What did your work consist of exactly?

— The school supplied me with leads, which were generally simply the names of prospective students who had telephoned or written to the school requesting information. I had to visit such students in their homes, talk with their parents, etc. The job also involved some public relations work, since I had to visit high schools and talk with student groups about the advantages of commercial training.

— This job for which we are interviewing applicants is somewhat similar — except, of course, you would be selling computers rather than commercial courses. We pay a straight commission of ten per cent on all sales, with a drawing account of fifty dollars a week to start. Your school experience would be very useful, since in this job you would also call upon schools and colleges. You would visit computer classes, demonstrate new machines, and talk with school officials and commercial teachers in an effort to interest them in buying our computers. The job occasionally involves some travelling.

— I'm prepared to travel if necessary. As I started in my letter, I have my own car.

— That is important. We give you an allowance for all automobile and travelling expenses.

— I am sure that I could do the work well. I also feel that I have the necessary qualifications.

— Frankly, Mr. Sloan, I was very favourably impressed by your letter. Since talking with you I feel even more strongly that you are perhaps the right man for the job. However, we naturally want to interview the remainder of the applicants before we make any final decision.

— I included the names of several references in my letter. I can also send you copies of personal recommendations from my last two employers.

— Incidentally, in that connection, the young man whom I interviewed just before you sent along two letters of reference with his application. One was from the minister of his church and the other from his Sunday School teacher. I told him that the two references proved that he was a good person on Sundays but 1 was more interested in his conduct on weekdays. He laughed and thought it was a good joke. If we decided to hire you, Mr. Sloan, when could you start working?

— I could start almost immediately. I would like to give my present employer a week or ten days' notice, but otherwise I would be free to begin any time.

— That's fine. (Rising to indicate end of interview). You'll no doubt hear from us, Mr. Sloan, writing the next five days. As soon as we have interviewed the remainder of the applicants we will make our final decision. We can telephone you or send you a telegram. Thank you very much for coming in to see us. It has been a real pleasure to talk with you.

— Thank you. Sir! Then I'll wait to hear from you.

(from magazine "LifeLines")

in answer to one's advertisement — у відповідь на чиюсь об'яву

to fail to state simply and clearly — не удаватися викласти все просто і зрозумію

to enrol new students —вербувати нових студентів

somewhat similar — чимсь схожа

to call upon schools — (звертатися) заходити у школи

in an effort to interest smb. in buying — намагаючись зацікавити покупкою

expenses — видатки

the right man for the job — підходящий для роботи чоловік

You'll no doubt hear from us. — Ви, без сумніву, одержите від нас відповідь.

Text 12