Then he said, “What are you three doing? Why are you sitting and crying?”
“Oh!” says the father, “look at that horrid mallet! Just think: if you and our daughter marry, and you have a son, and he grows up and comes down into the cellar to bring the beer, the mallet will fall on his head and kill him. How awful! How awful!” And then they all started to cry worse than before.
But the gentleman smiled, and took the mallet, and then he said, “I travelled many miles, and I never met such big sillies as you three before. Now I shall start my travels again, and when I can find three bigger sillies than you three, then I’ll come back and marry your daughter.” So he wished them good-bye, and went away. The three sillies were all crying because the girl lost her sweetheart.
Well, he travelled a long way, and at last[57] he came to a woman’s cottage. It had some grass on the roof. And the woman was trying to get her cow to go up a ladder[58] to the grass. So the gentleman asked the woman what she was doing. “Look at all that beautiful grass,” she said, “I’m going to feed my cow with it.” “Oh, you poor silly!” said the gentleman, “you must cut the grass and throw it down[59] to the cow!”
Well, that was one big silly.
Then the gentleman came to an inn. In the morning he saw a strange man. He hang his trousers on the knobs of the chest of drawers[60] and ran across the room and tried to jump into them. At last he stopped and wiped his face with his handkerchief. “Trousers,” he says, “are the most terrible kind of clothes in the world. Who could invent such things?! I usually spend an hour to get into my trousers every morning!” So the gentleman laughed, and showed him how to put the trousers on.[61]
So that was another big silly.
Then the gentleman came to a village. Outside the village there was a pond, and round the pond was a crowd of people. And they had rakes, and brooms, and pitchforks, and they were piercing the water of the pond. The gentleman asked what was the matter. “Don’t you see,[62]” they say, “Moon fell down into the pond, and we can’t catch it!” So the gentleman laughed, and told them to look up into the sky, and that it was only the shadow in the water. But they didn’t listen to him, and abused him.
And he saw more and more sillies, even more than three. So the gentleman came back home again and married the farmer’s daughter. And if they didn’t live happily, that’s nothing to do with you or me.[63]
Упражнения
1. Выберите правильный вариант:
1. The farmer’s daughter was smart.
2. The farmer’s daughter was not clever.
3. The farmer’s daughter was very kind.
4. The farmer’s daughter was not tidy.
2. What is a mallet?
1. a hammer with a large wooden head
2. a cutting tool with a metal edge
3. a heavy iron bar
4. tool with a pair of jaws
3. What is an inn?
1. a farm in which the farmer gives animals some food
2. a place where one can buy meals
3. a small hotel
4. an institution for the medical care
4. Why was the woman trying to get her cow to go up a ladder?
1. She wanted to teach it how to fly.
2. She wanted to test her ladder.
3. She wanted to give the cow some good grass.
4. The cow asked her itself.
5. What did the gentleman teach the strange man?
1. He taught him a nice song.
2. He showed him how to travel.
3. He did not teach him anything.
4. He showed him how to put the trousers on.
6. Why did the girl begin to cry?
1. She was angry.
2. She fell down.
3. She was sorry for her future son.
4. She did not want to marry.
7. Выберите нужный предлог:
outside – at – into – over
1. The beer was running all _____________ the floor.
2. Look _____________ that horrid mallet.
3. _____________ the village there was a pond, and round the pond was a crowd of people.
4. I usually spend an hour to get _____________ my trousers every morning.
8. Ответьте на вопросы:
1. How many persons are mentioned in the story?
2. What have you learned about them?
3. What do you like and what don’t you like in them?
4. What would you do if you were the main character of the story?
5. What is the end of the story?
6. How can you explain the title of the story?
7. Retell the story.
9. Заполните таблицу:
Ответы:
1. The farmer’s daughter was not clever.
2. a hammer with a large wooden head
3. a small hotel
4. She wanted to give the cow some good grass.
5. He showed him how to put the trousers on.
6. She was sorry for her future son.
7.
1. The beer was running all over the floor.
2. Look at that horrid mallet.
3. Outside the village there was a pond, and round the pond was a crowd of people.
4. I usually spend an hour to get into my trousers every morning.
9.
The Old Woman and Her Pig
An old woman was sweeping her house, and she found a sixpence. “What,” said she, “shall I do with this little sixpence? I will go to market, and buy a little pig.”
While she was coming home, she came to a stile: but the pig did not want to go over the stile.
She went a little further, and she met a dog. So she said to the dog, “Dog! bite the pig; the pig doesn’t go over the stile; and I shan’t get home tonight.” But the dog refused.
She went a little further, and she met a stick. So she said, “Stick! stick! beat the dog! The dog doesn’t bite the pig; the pig doesn’t get over the stile; and I shan’t get home tonight.” But the stick refused.
She went a little further, and she met a fire. So she said, “Fire! fire! burn the stick; the stick doesn’t beat the dog; the dog doesn’t bite the pig; the pig doesn’t get over the stile; and I shan’t get home tonight.” But the fire refused.
She went a little further, and she met some water. So she said, “Water, water! quench the fire; the fire doesn’t burn the stick; the stick doesn’t beat the dog; the dog doesn’t bite the pig; the pig doesn’t get over the stile; and I shan’t get home tonight.” But the water refused.
She went a little further, and she met an ox. So she said, “Ox! ox! drink the water; the water doesn’t quench the fire; the fire doesn’t burn the stick; the stick doesn’t beat the dog; the dog doesn’t bite the pig; the pig doesn’t get over the stile; and I shan’t get home tonight.” But the ox refused.
She went a little further, and she met a butcher. So she said, “Butcher! butcher! kill the ox; the ox doesn’t drink the water; the water doesn’t quench the fire; the fire doesn’t burn the stick; the stick doesn’t beat the dog; the dog doesn’t bite the pig; the pig doesn’t get over the stile; and I shan’t get home tonight.” But the butcher refused.
58
was trying to get her cow to go up a ladder – пыталась заставить свою корову взобраться наверх по лестнице