LESEPROBE

Story 1

The Invitation1 Problem

  1. 1invitation – Einladung

When Sophie and James decided2 to spend3 their first Christmas together, they imagined4 something simple5. A small tree, a nice dinner, and a quiet evening by the fire6.

  1. 2to decide – beschließen, sich entscheiden
  2. 3to spend – ausgeben; verbringen
  3. 4to imagine – sich vorstellen
  4. 5simple – einfach, schlicht
  5. 6by the fire – am Kamin, am Kaminfeuer

They forgot about the families.

"My parents want us to come to their house," James said one November evening.

"My parents want the same thing," Sophie replied7.

  1. 7to reply – antworten

They looked at each other8. This was a problem.

  1. 8each other – einander, sich gegenseitig

James's family — the Harringtons — were quiet intellectuals. His father was a retired9 university professor. His mother wrote poetry10. Christmas at their house involved11 classical music, thoughtful12 conversations, and a carefully prepared13 meal eaten in respectful14 silence15.

  1. 9retired – pensioniert, im Ruhestand
  2. 10poetry – Gedichte, Lyrik
  3. 11to involve – beinhalten, mit sich bringen
  4. 12thoughtful – tiefgründig, nachdenklich
  5. 13to prepare – vorbereiten; zubereiten
  6. 14respectful – respektvoll, andächtig
  7. 15silence – Stille, Schweigen

Sophie's family — the Brennans — were the opposite16. Her father was a former17 rugby player. Her mother was the loudest person in any18 room. Christmas at their house involved shouting19, dancing, party games, and enough20 food for thirty people, even though21 only twelve ever22 came.

  1. 16opposite – Gegenteil
  2. 17former – ehemalig
  3. 18any – irgendein; jeder beliebige
  4. 19shouting – Geschrei, lautes Rufen
  5. 20enough – genug
  6. 21even though – obwohl
  7. 22ever – je, jemals

"We could alternate23," James suggested24. "My family this year, yours next year."

  1. 23to alternate – sich abwechseln
  2. 24to suggest – vorschlagen

"That won't work25. My mother will cry. She cries at everything, but especially26 at rejection27."

  1. 25to work – arbeiten; funktionieren, klappen
  2. 26especially – besonders
  3. 27rejection – Zurückweisung, Ablehnung

"My mother will write a disappointed28 poem29. She published30 the last one in a literary journal31. It was called 'Abandoned32 at Advent'. I was only ten minutes late."

  1. 28disappointed – enttäuscht
  2. 29poem – Gedicht
  3. 30to publish – veröffentlichen
  4. 31literary journal – Literaturzeitschrift
  5. 32to abandon – im Stich lassen, verlassen

Sophie thought carefully. "What if33 we invite34 both35 families to our flat?"

  1. 33what if – was wäre, wenn
  2. 34to invite – einladen
  3. 35both – beide

James went pale36. "Both families? Together?"

  1. 36to go pale – blass werden

"It's a big flat."

"Sophie, your father once arm-wrestled37 a stranger38 at a restaurant because the man said cricket was boring. My father's idea of excitement39 is a new translation40 of a Greek tragedy."

  1. 37to arm-wrestle sb – sich mit jdm. im Armdrücken messen
  2. 38stranger – Fremder, Unbekannter
  3. 39sb's idea of sth – jds. Vorstellung von etw.; excitement – Aufregung, Nervenkitzel
  4. 40translation – Übersetzung

"It could work," Sophie insisted41. "We just42 need to plan carefully."

  1. 41to insist – beharren, darauf bestehen
  2. 42just – nur, bloß

And so the planning began.

Sophie made lists. James made spreadsheets43. They discussed food, decorations, music, and seating arrangements44 with the seriousness45 of a military operation.

  1. 43spreadsheet – Tabelle, Kalkulationstabelle
  2. 44seating arrangement – Sitzordnung
  3. 45seriousness – Ernst, Ernsthaftigkeit

"We'll have two zones," Sophie decided. "The living room will be the quiet zone — books, soft46 music, intellectual conversation. The kitchen and dining room will be the fun zone — games, loud music, dancing."

  1. 46soft – weich; leise, sanft

"And people can move47 between zones?"

  1. 47to move – sich bewegen, wechseln

"Exactly48. Everyone will be comfortable49."

  1. 48exactly – genau
  2. 49to be comfortable – sich wohlfühlen

James looked at the plan. It was detailed, logical, and almost certainly50 doomed to fail51.

  1. 50almost certainly – so gut wie sicher, höchstwahrscheinlich
  2. 51doomed to fail – zum Scheitern verurteilt

"This is going to be a disaster," he said.

"Probably52," Sophie agreed53 cheerfully54. "But it will be our disaster. Our first Christmas disaster together."

  1. 52probably – wahrscheinlich
  2. 53to agree – zustimmen
  3. 54cheerfully – fröhlich, gut gelaunt

James smiled despite55 his worry56. There was something wonderful about the word "our" when Sophie said it.

  1. 55despite – trotz
  2. 56worry – Sorge

"All right," he said. "Let's invite them all."

That night, they sent two very different messages. To the Harringtons: "We would be delighted57 to host58 Christmas dinner this year." To the Brennans: "CHRISTMAS AT OURS59!!! Come early, stay late, bring everyone!"

  1. 57to be delighted to do sth – sich sehr freuen, etw. zu tun
  2. 58to host sth – etw. ausrichten, Gastgeber sein
  3. 59at sb's – bei jdm. zu Hause /umgangssprachlich/

The replies60 came quickly61.

  1. 60reply – Antwort
  2. 61quickly – schnell

From James's mother: "How lovely62. We shall63 bring a good wine and some reading material64."

  1. 62how lovely – wie schön, wie reizend
  2. 63shall – werden /gehoben/
  3. 64reading material – Lesestoff, Lektüre

From Sophie's mother: "BRILLIANT65!!! I'M BRINGING THE KARAOKE MACHINE!!!"

  1. 65brilliant – großartig, super /umgangssprachlich/

James put down his phone and looked at Sophie.

"The karaoke machine," he said quietly66.

  1. 66quietly – leise

Sophie took his hand. "It's going to be fine."

It was not going to be fine. But it was going to be memorable67.

  1. 67memorable – unvergesslich, denkwürdig