Сборник лучших английских сказок. Уровень 1. Группа авторов

the finest she ever saw.

      About half an hour afterwards, she said, ‘Shepherd, do you think you could get me one more?’

      He replied, ‘I may, when I have baited[42] my hook’; and after a little while he brought out another, which was finer than the first, and the princess was so delighted that she gave him leave to go to sleep, and promised to excuse him to her father.

      In the morning the princess told the king, to his great astonishment, that Jack must not be beheaded, for he had been fishing in the hall all night; but when he heard how Jack had caught such beautiful fish out of his pocket, he asked him to catch one in his own. Jack readily undertook the task, and told to the king to lie down. Than Jack pretended to fish in his pocket, having another fish concealed[43] ready in his hand, and pricking[44] him with a needle, he held up the fish, and showed it to the king.

      His majesty was surprised, and the princess and Jack were married the same day, and lived for many years in happiness and prosperity[45].

EXERCISES

      1) True or false?

      1. A nobleman had two sons.

      2. On his way to princess Jack found an egg, a stick and a nut.

      3. After answering the three questions Jack was married to the princess immediately.

      4. Jack said that he was hunting in his pocket.

      5. Jack was a shepherd.

      6. Jack pulled three fish out of his pocket.

      2) Fill in the gaps using words in brackets.

      1. The nobleman… (to have) three sons, two of whom… (to be) clever, but the third one… (to be) a fool.

      2. ‘Where… (to do) that come from?’… (to say) the princess.

      3. He… (to take) his bottle and bag and… (to go) to the court.

      4. In his way he had… (to cross) a river and he… (to see) several pretty fish swimming there.

      5. Jack… (to catch) some and… (to put) them into his pocket.

      6. He was immediately… (to lead) to the hall where the king’s daughter… (to sit) ready to see her lovers.

      7. The shepherd… (to pull) the fish out of his pocket and… (to show) it her, and she… (to say) it… (to be) the finest she ever… (to see).

      3) Translate the following sentences:

      1. У аристократа было три сына: два умных, а третий – дурак.

      2. Джек снова засмеялся, когда нашёл изогнутую ореховую палочку.

      3. Что за отряд хорошеньких дам у нас тут?

      4. Дошли слухи, что кто угодно может попробовать сразиться за женитьбу на принцессе.

      5. Джек вытащил из кармана и предъявил принцессе яйцо, изогнутую ореховую палочку и орех.

      6. Тот, кто сможет продержаться без сна целую ночь, женится на принцессе.

      7. Джек насадил приманку на крючок и поймал рыбку у себя в кармане и в кармане у короля.

      4) Match the synonyms. Sometimes there can be more than one synonym to each word:

      doze ____________________

      tell

      hide ____________________

      shriek ____________________

      say ____________________

      show ____________________

      nap ____________________

      cry ____________________

      conceal ____________________

      sleep ____________________

      produce ____________________

      5) Retell the fairy-tale.

      Three Feathers

      Once upon a time there was a girl who was married to a husband that she never saw. And the way this was, was that he was only at home at night, and would never have any light in the house. The girl thought that was funny, and all her friends told her there must be something wrong with her husband, some great deformity[46] that made him want not to be seen.

      Well, one night when he came home she suddenly lit a candle and saw him. He was handsome enough to make all the women of the world fall in love with him. But scarcely[47] had she seen him when he began to change into a bird, and then he said: ‘Now you have seen me, you shall see me no more, unless you are willing to serve seven years and a day for me, so that I may become a man once more.’ Then he told her to take three feathers from under his side, and whatever she wished through them would come to pass[48]. Then he left her at a great house to be laundry-maid[49] for seven years and a day.

      And the girl used to take the feathers and say: ‘By power of my three feathers may the copper[50] be lit, and the clothes washed, and ironed, and folded, and put away to the missis’s satisfaction.’

      And then she had no more care about it. The feathers did the rest[51], and the lady had never had a better laundress[52]. Well, one day the butler[53], who decided to have the pretty laundry-maid for his wife, said to her, he should have spoken before but he did not want to annoy her. ‘Why should it when we work together?’ the girl said. And then he felt free to go on[54], and explain his master is to pay him seventy pounds, and how would she like him for a husband.

      And the girl told him to bring her the money, and he asked his master for it, and brought it to her. But as they were going upstairs, she cried ‘O John, I must go back, sure I’ve left my shutters[55] undone, and they’ll be slashing and banging all night.’

      The butler said, ‘Never you trouble, I’ll put them right’, and he ran back, while she took her feathers, and said: ‘By power of my three feathers may the shutters slash and bang till morning, and John neither be able to fasten[56] them nor get his fingers free from them.’

      And so it was. The butler neither could leave the shutters, nor[57] keep the shutters from opening as he closed them. And he was angry, but could not help himself, and he did not care to tell of it and get the laugh on him, so no one knew.

      Then after a bit the coachman[58] began to notice her, and she found he had forty pounds with the master, and he said she might have it if she would take him with it.

      So after the laundry-maid had his money in her apron

42

bait – насаживать приманку на крючок

43

conceal – скрывать

44

prick – укалывать

45

prosperity – преуспевание

46

deformity – недостаток, уродство

47

scarcely – едва

48

come to pass – исполниться, случиться

49

laundry-maid – прачка

50

copper – зд. котёл

51

do the rest – сделать остальное

52

laundress – прачка

53

butler – дворецкий

54

go on – продолжать

55

shutters – жалюзи

56

fasten – зд. закрепить

57

neither… nor… – ни… ни…

58

coachman – кучер