SHORT STORIES
Дополнительные тексты для чтения
Questions
1. What is the main reason of ecological problems?
2. What are the main ecological problems?
3. Why should the ecological problems should be a universal concern?
4. What steps are taken to fight ecological problems?
Приложение 2
Additional texts for reading
At the shop
mother: I sent my little boy for two pounds of apples and you sent only apound and ahalf.
shopkeeper: My scales are all right, madam. Have you weighed your little boy?
a shopkeeper— лавочник
a pound— фунт (англ, мера веса = 454 г)
scales — весы
to weigh [wei] — взвешивать
Johnny's grammar
Voice on phone: Are your father and mother at home? little johnny: They was, but they isn't now. voice: They was, but they isn't? — Where's your grammar!
Johnny: She is out too.
grammar['graema] — грамматика grandma['graenma:] — бабушка
First time at school
Emily had been to school for the first time. «Well, darling, what did you learn? » asked her mother. «Nothing», sighed Emily hopelessly. «I've got to go back again tomorrow».
failure— неудача to sigh— вздыхать Emily['emili]—Эмилия hopelessly—безнадёжно darling— дорогой, -ая I've gotto... — мне нужно
An unexpected answer
teacher: what do elephants have that no other animals have?
pupil: Little elephants.
unexpected — неожиданный an elephant— слон
Sleeping in summer
The teacher told the pupils about the bear sleeping in winter. After explaining it to the children, she said:
«Can anyone tell me of any other animal that sleeps in winter?»
A little boy's hand went up, and the teacher said: «Well, Peter, you may tell us of one».
«Santa Claus», said Tommy, «only he does it in the summertime».
He knew it
The teacher of geography was trying to teach a small boy the points of the compass.
He explained: «On your right is the East, your left is the West, and in front of you is the North. Now what is behind you?»
The boy thought a moment, and then cried: «I knew it. I told Mother you would see the patch on my pants».
geography — география
the points of the compass — части света по компасу
would see — увидите
a patch — заплата
pants [pasnts]—разг. штаны
An unusual answer
The grocer was busy serving customers but he noticed, x small boy standing near an open box of sweet biscuits. «Well, my boy», said the grocer, «What are you up to?» «Nothing».
«Nothing? Well, it looks as if you were trying to take a biscuit».
«You are wrong, mister. I'm trying not to».
to notice ['noutis]—замечать
biscuits — печенье
a grocer — бакалейщик
what are you up to? — что ты замышляешь?
to serve — обслуживать
a customer — покупатель
it looks as if you were trying... — похоже будто ты пытаешься...
How то raise children
· Daddy, do you think Mother knows how to raise children?
· What makes you ask that?
· Well, she makes me go to bed when I'm wide awake—and she makes me get up when I am awfully sleepy!
to raise [reiz] — здесь: воспитывать
I'm wide awake — мне нисколько не хочется спать
daddy — папочка
awfully sleepy — совсем сонный
The twins
Two brothers were twins. It was bathing time and from the twins' bedroom came sounds of laughter and loud crying. Their father went up to find out the cause. «What's the matter up here?» he asked. The laughing twin pointed to his crying brother. «Nothing», he giggled, «only Nurse has given him two baths and hasn't given me any at all».
lucky — счастливый, удачливый
cause — причина
twins — близнецы
to point (to) — указывать (на)
bathing time — время купания
to giggle — хихикать
a sound — звук
Nurse — няня
laughter — смех
to give a bath — выкупать
loud crying — громкий плач
at all — совсем
He khew another word
Bob: Have you noticed that in the English language there is only one word in which «su» at the beginning of the word are pronounced as [Ju]?
Bill: Really? What is the word?
Bob: Sugar,
Bill: Are you sure?
to pronounce[pranauns] — произносить really?— здесь: вот как?
I, myself and me
I gave a little party this afternoon at three;
It was very small,
Three guests in all —
Just I, myself, and me.
Myself ate up the sandwiches,
While I drank up the tea,
And it was I
Who ate the pie
And passed the cake te me.
myself — (я)сам
a sandwich— бутерброд
aparty — званый обед
a pie— пирог
aguest — гость
topass — передавать
The professor could not answer it
Old Mr. Hampton is a very clever man. He has a lot of degrees. Yet the other day he could not answer his granddaughter's question.
«Grandpa», she said, «I saw something so funny running across the kitchen floor without any legs. What do you think it was?»
Grandpa thought and thought, but at last he had to give it up. «What was it?» he asked. «Water», replied the little girl triumphantly.
a degree— учёная степень
to give up— сдаться, отказаться от чего-либо
the other day— на днях
across— через
triumphantly— торжествующе