II. Can, may, must

1. Глагол CAN. Кроме своего основного значения, передающегоумение, способность или объективную возможность совершить дей­ствие, глагол саn (в утвердительной форме) выражает предположе­ние и переводится словами может быть, возможно, мог и т. п. илисомнение (в вопросительной и отрицательной форме) и переводитсясловами неужели, не может быть, чтобы и т. п. Форма could пере­дает меньшую уверенность предположения или сомнения. Перфект­ная форма инфинитива после саn и could относит действие к про­шедшему времени или она означает, что действие могло состояться,но не состоялось.

It could be true but it is advisable to find out first what has really happened there. Может быть, это и правда (что сомнительно), но лучше сначала выяснить, что же в действительности там про­изошло.

2. Глагол MAY. В языке газетных статей глагол may чаще всеговыступает в значении предположения и переводится словами мо­жет быть, возможно Форма might указывает на меньшую уверен­ность предположения, на сомнение. Перфектная форма инфинитивапосле may относит действие к прошедшему времени.

The Chancellor's measures might help towards an agreement on an incomes policy. But this still has to be proved. Мероприятия, пред­ложенные министром финансов, может быть, и помогут дос­тичь соглашения по политике доходов. Но это еще нужно доказать.

Two factors may temporarily have increased their caution. Воз­можно, два фактора временно усилили их осторожность.

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Примечание. 1. Глагол may может выступать также в качестве вспо­могательного глагола, образуя форму сослагательного наклонения, главным образом в придаточных предложениях цели после that, so that, lest и в при­даточных уступительных после whatever, however и т. п В таких случаях may не переводится

They are determined to achieve this aim, however difficult it may seem Они полны решимости добиться этой цели, какой бы трудной она ни казалась

2 После глаголов саn и may слово well означает вполне, с успехом

The EU Commission's fate could well be decided by the tenor of the committee's report Вполне возможно, что судьба Комиссии Европейско­го Союза будет определена тональностью ее доклада

3. Глагол MUST. Основное значение глагола must — долженст­вование. Кроме того, глагол must (в утвердительной форме) часто употребляется в значении предположения со значительной долей уверенности и переводится словами должно быть, вероятно, по всей вероятности и т. п. Перфектная форма инфинитива после must означает, что предположение относится к прошедшему времени.

They must have known about it for a certain time. Они, должно быть, уже в течение некоторого времени знали об этом.

Примечание Предположение со значительной долей уверенности, относящееся к прошлому, может также передаваться глаголом will с пер­фектным инфинитивом

Some kind of decision will have been taken by now. К настоящему вре­мени какое-то решение уже по всей вероятности принято, (...вероятно, они уже приняли какое-то решение.)

They will have finished that discussion by now. К этому моменту (сей­час) они, наверняка, закончили это обсуждение.

Проанализируйте и переведите следующие предложения.

1. « Sooner or later the country [China] will have to come to under­stand that society and the world we are living in simply cannot purchasestability at the expense of freedom.»

2. By spurring inflation, some economists say, consumers and compa­nies could be persuaded to spend more now.

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3. To the U.S. nearly $100 million in equipment offered by Congressto Iraqi opposition groups may seem like a gift horse for the Iraqi Kurds.But the Iraqi Kurds themselves fear it may in fact be a Trojan horse thatcould bring them fresh disasters.

4. To cope with regulations of different governments, Intel is consid­ering building chips that can be electronically reprogrammed with differ­ent encryption strengths after they are built.

5. A reformed second chamber could have powers to block constitu­tional changes until after further general elections or a referendum. Sucha chamber might perform the «checking» role that the judges might oth­erwise assume [Britain].

6. Even in a panic-market, someone must buy the «damped» shares,but stocks were dropping from 2 to 10 points... before a buyer could befound for them. Sound stocks at shrunk prices — and nobody to buythem. It looked as if US Industries' little partners were in a fair way tobankrupt the firm.

7. A single nuclear bomb exploding in the atmosphere over the UnitedStates could lead to a nationwide power blackout because U.S. powerstations are too vulnerable, according to an official study.

8. Months of wrangling over fishing rights have led to tension be­tween EU governments, and there are fears that this could spill over toembitter discussion of a series of other problems at the two-day meetingstarting on Monday.

9. The foreign banks are launching a counterattack into markets fordomestic loans and services that until now have been dominated by theJapanese banks They are also exploring some new fields that the Japa­nese banks could not, or would not touch

10. The report noted that companies could claim back the entire costof investments in plant and machinery in tax relief— one of the most fa­vorable tax benefits of any industrialized nation.

11. Berlin left open the possibility that its assistance program could bepaid for through outright grants and that government-to-government lar­gess might be arranged for other development projects.

12. Britain both could have and should have stayed out of the SecondWorld War, leaving Russia to crush Hitter's Germany.

13. People in Russia say that the former president could have been abetter president if he had been able to be elevated one degree above thepolitical combat he faced.

14. Now OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) willbegin to force employers to give workers their medical records and also

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the records of air pollution inspections conducted by the company which could have caused poor health to the worker, declared the head of the OSHA Administration.

15. If Japan's population had been half its present level, or—more rea­sonably — one-third, the country could have enjoyed a relatively highlevel of industrialization while continuing to produce enough foodstuffsto prevent disaster in the event of cutoffs in international trade.

16. Secret «briefings» were used to discredit the probe which is tryingto root out corruption in the London police. Ex-chief constable of Dorsetwas bitterly assailed by Metropolitan Police Commissioner and City ofLondon police chief. Secret briefings followed yesterday in a shamelessattempt to discredit him. His view is that as many as 25 police officerscould be brought to trial.

17. Outlining circumstances in which Washington might use nuclearweapons may seem a surreal exercise.

18. Situations in which America may have to choose between rivalpolicies advocated by her European partners are bound to arise.

19. Such is the speed of history today that, when this is published, somany new and perhaps more shocking developments may have takenplace that the events herein detailed may seem even more remote.

20. In reality the Pope may not have been anxious to see his sugges­tion, advanced from the marble rostrum of the General Assembly on Oc­tober 4, enacted a bare six weeks later.

21. EU sources said France will favor protectionist measures in criticalsectors, but because of German resistance this may not be agreed to at theEU level.

22. Some economic analysts predict that the tax-cutting and thesplurge in consumerism may backfire on the Likud [one of the Israeliparties].

23. The relationship between Japan and the United States has beenevolving rapidly since Pear! Harbor. First, the two countries were bitterenemies, then occupier and occupied, then big brother and eager emulatorand now it may have reached the, point of role reversal.

24. In the big cities, the contest may have generated too much enthu­siasm, creating a fog of names, that voters may find hard to penetrate.

25. Cheap oil might merely aggravate the twin evils of corruption andbad management in oil-producing countries.

26. Some excuse for the behaviour of Tory chieftains might be pro­vided if it could be shown that the leadership battle revolved round centralissues of public importance. But throughout, the dispute has been con­cerned with personalities and patronage — gang warfare in all its sterility.

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27. When the delegates are taken to see the outstanding work of theRoad Research Laboratory, and the examples of brilliant design and con­struction of British technicians and workers, they will be able to comparein their minds' eye what might be, with what is.

28. Finally, a new political balance in Europe, based on effectiveunity, might turn out to be the precondition of disengagement.

29. The Prime Minister mentioned that a more radical stand on someissues might have enabled the party to have avoided defeat.

30. There were signs that this tour might have marked a turning point..31. Discussions could explore the economic problems that might fol­low disarmament and the question of security.

32. Such problems, as a rule, may begin well before the trial and con­tinue after the appeal.

33. Thus the Government appears to be sending conflicting signals tothe United States at a time when government officials and industrialists inthis country are expressing deep concern over the policies the Americanadministration might take both in the south Asia region and with regard toaid to developing Third World nations.

34. A senior research scientist said their requests for information weremet by delays of years and they had received no classified informationsince November.

They state « one might as well ask whether the present Administration is as honest as the previous one.»

35. As a result, the government might try to close the gap by increas­ing taxes. But in its turn that would also cut purchasing power.

36. The sinking of the Nissho Maru will be recorded as an accidentthat might have been avoided

37. If cash-strapped producers cut expenditure faster than consumersspend their windfall, the effect of lower oil prices might even be to slowworld economic growth.

38. He might have fallen into the trap but he understood the danger intime.

39. The victory of the Liberal Party with an overall majority over theProgressive Conservatives and the New Democratic Party reduces thebargaining position of the New Democratic Party. NDP, with growingtrade union support, might have been expected to do better.

40. Just as oil's scarcity seemed a fact of life in the 1970s, its abun­dant flow might be too easily taken for granted to-day.

41. In a covering letter, the majority leader of Congress suggested thatmembers might use his analysis in preparing public comments about theadministration package.

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42. Piracy in the harbor here, for years a petty annoyance, has reachedsuch an outrageous level that shipping agents representing lines from theUnited States, Europe and the Far East are concerned that their maritimeunions might boycott the port.

43. He said he expected that a committee concerned with energy is­sues would be set up. Although this Committee would not be empoweredto discuss the question of oil prices, which remains the prerogative ofOPEC, it seems that security of supplies, as well as energy sharing, andthe search for alternative energy sources, might be valid subjects for dis­cussion.

44. The prospect that exports might be boosted means that the meas­ures announced Friday will be scrutinized closely in Europe and theUnited States.

45. At the Mexico meeting, optimists at the Vienna talks declared itmight be possible to lay foundations for a deal about global energy sup­plies. If the energy outlook can be stabilized it might be possible to strikea new deal about aid that would open both OPEC and Western purses andmarkets.

46. The impression that the Government and the G.P.O. [General PostOffice] are prepared to turn a blind eye on the operations of the radio pi­rate stations has been encouraged by the delay in introducing legislationto outlaw them. The legislation is more complex than might have beenimagined The penalty clauses may well require requisition of the com­pany's assets on land as well as the stations.

47. It was the sort of message for which the smaller members of thealliance may well have been waiting.

48. In the opinion of some political connoisseurs, that measure maywell improve the prospects of the Conservative party with the nation as awhole.

49. The British Premier and the French President might well talk alsoabout the Middle East —a region which least of all has claims to beingcalled static.

50. The Norwegian Foreign Minister has said that the Security Coun­cil might well be given greater powers over the financing of peacekeep­ing.

51. What can the West do to increase the chances of success, howeverdefined? For a start, it can and should do its utmost to tell the Serb peopleat large that the outside world bears no animus against them.

52. The Home Secretary told chief constables that they must recruitthousands more officers from ethnic communities and should aim to maketheir manpower mirror the communities they cover.

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53. The U.S. government spends millions every year policing theeconomy against agreements among competitors to restrict supply andthereby raise prices. Such conspirators ordinarily must meet in darkest se­crecy, and can go to jail if they get caught. Yet here is the administrationpressuring Japanese automakers to do precisely what it ordinarily forbids.

54. We must not assume that the free play of public opinion must reg­ister itself in parliamentary forms.

55. The US President outlined a foreign policy of active involvementoverseas, saying Americans «must embrace the inexorable logic ofglobalization».

56. In the long run, if Brazil is to avoid foreign-exchange problemsand boost its growth rate, it must do more than just tinker with the currentpolicy mix.

57. In massive demonstrations in colleges all over the country yester­day, students showed exactly what they thought of the Government's planto treble the fees of overseas students. If the Education Minister didn't getthe message three weeks ago, when more than 4,000 students lobbiedtheir MPs, then it surely must have been rammed home on him yesterday.

58. It must have been hard for them to agree to this resolution, but atthat time there was no alternative course open to them.

59. Meanwhile it will not have escaped notice that some members (ofEU) seem to be contemplating just that sort of un-European behaviour.

60. The visit will have been a pleasant and useful excursion for theState Secretary.