Редьярд Киплинг: Маугли / Mowgli

“Just like the wolf pack,” thought Mowgli.

After some months, Mowgli was allowed to take a herd of buffaloes to graze. He was happy. At last he had been accepted as one of the village.

He sat on Rama, the fat, black buffalo, and followed the herd. The buffaloes grazed all through the day; the children played and then slept in the afternoon. They returned to the village before sunset.

One day Grey Wolf came and said, “Shere Khan is coming to kill you.”

“Now we shall have some action,” said Mowgli. “But we need others to help us.”

“I am here,” said a voice. Mowgli yelled with joy when he saw Akela.

“Oh Akela, you haven’t forgotten me! I have thought of you often. Thank you for coming. Now here is the plan,” Mowgli said to the two wolves. “We will divide the herd into two. Grey Brother, you take care of one and Akela, you take care of the other.”

The two wolves chased the buffaloes, as they had been told to do. They ran swiftly into the herd and separated it into two halves. The buffaloes, terrified to see the wolves after them, ran and crashed into one another, picked themselves up and ran on.

Mowgli was sitting on Rama’s back and watching. He heard Shere Khan’s growl. The tiger was ready to pounce on him, when he heard the deafening noise of the large herd of buffaloes running towards him from both sides.

Shere Khan knew that he was trapped. He tried to run into the jungle, but there was nowhere he could go. There were frightened buffaloes everywhere, running like mad animals. They ran over him, crushing him, and ran on.

Mowgli got off Rama’s back. Then he and Grey Brother began to skin Shere Khan. He, Mowgli, had vowed to take back the tiger’s skin to the Council Rock. He would keep that promise.

Buldeo, the village headman, came up to him and said, “Let me skin the tiger. I will give you one rupee.”

“Go away,” shouted Mowgli. “The skin is mine.”

Before Buldeo could speak again, Grey Brother jumped up. Buldeo screamed and raced back to the village.

1. Переведите на английский язык:

прогонять, хижина, посреди ночи, стадо, заход солнца, оглушающий, сдержать обещание, вождь.

2. Заполните пропуски словами из списка.

bright, rubbing, hugged, swiftly, accepted

1. But one woman named Messua came and ___________ Mowgli.

2. In the middle of the night, he felt a cold nose __________ his face.

3. Mowgli was a _________ boy, and soon learnt many things in the village.

4. At last he had been ____________ as one of the village.

5. They ran _______ into the herd and separated it into two halves.

3. Ответьте на вопросы:

1. What happened when Mowgli went to the village?

2. What happened in the middle of the night?

3. What work was Mowgli given after a few months?

4. What did Grey Brother tell him one day?

5. How was Shere Khan trapped?

6. What happened when Mowgli began to skin the tiger?

4. Переведите на русский язык:

to hug, cot, to sit at the meetings, buffalo, to yell, to separate into two halves, to pounce, towards, to skin, rupee.

Carrying the skin of Shere Khan, Mowgli proudly walked back to the village. He was sure the villagers would be proud of him. After all, he had skinned a tiger! But as he approached the village, he saw them shouting at him to go away. They were waving big sticks at him. Mowgli saw Messua crying, as he turned away towards the jungle.

Grey Brother and Akela were waiting for him. The three silently walked to the cave of Mother Wolf. Tears of joy sparkled in her eyes when she saw him.

Mowgli laid Shere Khan’s skin at her feet, saying, “Mother, I have done as I had promised. Here is Shere Khan’s skin.”

“I knew you would kill Shere Khan, my son,” replied Mother Wolf.

Mowgli picked up the skin.

“Now I will go to the Council Rock, so that the pack can see the skin.”

He climbed the Council Rock and threw the skin on it.

“See for yourselves, O wolf pack, that I have killed Shere Khan and have returned with his skin, as I had promised.”

The wolf pack rose and said, “You and Akela will lead us. You are the brave ones.”

“No, I will never lead your pack. You had once driven me away. You had said that I was not your brother. So I turn my back on you. From now on, I will hunt alone.”

With these words, Mowgli jumped down from the Council Rock. Grey Brother and Akela were waiting for him. So were Baloo and Bagheera. They happily walked away from the wolf pack and into the jungle, their home.

1. Переведите на английский язык:

с гордостью, приближаться, махать, блестеть, взобраться.

2. Заполните пропуски словами из списка.

happily, carrying, shouting, threw, silently

1. ___________ the skin of Shere Khan, Mowgli proudly walked back to the village.

2. But as he approached the village, he saw them _________________ at him to go away.

3. The three ___________ walked to the cave of Mother Wolf.

4. He climbed the Council Rock and _________ the skin on it.

5. They _________ walked away from the wolf pack and into the jungle, their home.

3. Ответьте на вопросы:

1. Did the villagers welcome Mowgli when he returned with the tiger’s skin?

2. What did he first do when he returned to the jungle?

3. Was Mother Wolf happy to see him?

4. What did Mowgli do when he went to the Council Rock with the tiger’s skin?

5. What was Mowgli’s reply, when the wolf pack said that Akela and he should lead them?

4. Переведите на русский язык:

silently, proud, tears of joy, to promise, to pick up.

aboutо, об

above над

acсeptпринимать

actдействие; действовать

actionдействие

actuallyдействительно, на самом деле

addдобавлять

afraid: be afraidбояться

afterпосле, затем

after allв конце концов

afternoonдень

againснова

againstпротив; напротив

agoтому назад

agreeсоглашаться

airвоздух

allвесь, вся, все

aliveживой

allowпозволять

aloneодин, одинокий