П. Трэверс - Mary Poppins / Мэри Поппинс. Книга для чтения на английском языке

“Well, it’s a pity that it is time for you to go home,” said Mr. Wigg. “It was a very pleasant afternoon, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, very pleasant,” said Michael sadly.

“Very, very pleasant,” said Jane and kissed Mr. Wigg’s cheek. “We shall never forget it.”

1. Practice the pronunciation of the following words.

2. Agree or disagree.

1. Mary Poppins put her hat straight before a shop window.

2. Today she was wearing a brown coat with black buttons and a grey hat.

3. The door opened, and they saw a very fat lady.

4. Jane, Michael and Mary Poppins went upstairs.

5. There was a bright fire in the fireplace, and in the centre of the room there was a small table with flowers in a beautiful vase.

6. Jane and Michael looked round the room and saw a round fat man in the corner.

7. They wanted to be polite and tried not to laugh, but they could do nothing.

8. Then a very strange thing happened. Jane and Michael became very heavy and fell on the floor.

9. Mary Poppins put her hands down at her sides and, laughing merrily, she flew up through the air and sat down near Jane.

10. And they had very nice dinner with soup, meat and fruits, and talked and laughed all the time.

3. Put the following sentences in the right order.

1. The table, with the cups and bread and butter, and biscuits and chocolates and cake, flew up through the air and stopped near them.

2. It was the first sad thought of the afternoon, and suddenly the Laughing Gas went out of them, and they came down on the floor.

3. Mr. Wigg smiled at the children. “My dear,” he said to Mary Poppins, “it’s my Birthday today.”

4. Jane, Michael and Mary Poppins went upstairs. Mary Poppins knocked at the door.

5. “It is time to go home.” It was Mary Poppins’s voice.

6. Jane and Michael became very light and flew up in the air.

7. He looked so funny, that Jane and Michael began laughing, too.

8. And they had very nice tea with cake, biscuits and chocolates, and talked and laughed all the time.

9. There was a bright fire in the fireplace, and in the centre of the room there was a very large table with four cups, bread and butter, biscuits, chocolates and a very large cake.

10. If my Birthday comes on Friday and I laugh on that day, I become filled with Laughing Gas.

11. “Come in! Come in! And welcome!” said a loud and merry voice from the room.

12. “Hullo,” said Mr. Wigg. “It’s very nice of you. You saw that I could not come down to you, so you came up to me.”

4. Fill in the blanks with the following words:

bring, smart, thin, merry, serious, ceiling, hanging, air, surprise, laughed.

1. I can get down only if I think about something ______.

2. The next moment they were ________ under the ceiling near Mr. Wigg.

3. To the great ________ of Jane and Michael, she put her hands down at her sides and flew up through the air and sat down near Jane.

4. “My Uncle has asked me to ________ you to tea today,” she said.

5. The door opened, and they saw a very _____ lady.

6. They had very nice tea with cake, biscuits and chocolates, and talked and ________ all the time.

7. One day I went to the circus and I laughed so much that I flew up to the ________ and could not get down until midnight.

8. She thought that she looked very ________ .

9. “I say,” said Mr. Wigg to the children, “there are no chairs here, but I think you can sit on the ________ .

10. “Come in! Come in! And welcome!” said a loud and ________ voice from the room.

5. Fill in the blanks with prepositions or adverbs where necessary.

1. Jane, Michael and Mary Poppins got ___ the bus.

2. She liked to look ___ herself ___ shop windows.

3. Go upstairs and ___ the first door ___ the landing.

4. Mary Poppins knocked ___ the door.

5. There was a bright fire ___ the fireplace, and ___ the centre ___ the room there was a very large table ___ four cups, bread and butter, biscuits, chocolates and a very large cake.

6. They looked ___ the ceiling, and ___ their surprise they saw a round, fat man, who was hanging ___ the air.

7. I think I must explain ___ you why I am here.

8. Everything seems funny ___ me.

9. I can laugh ___ everything that I see.

10. And Mr. Wigg began to shake ___ laughter.

11. You see, when my Birthday comes ___ Friday, it always happens ___ me.

12. If my Birthday comes ___ Friday and I laugh ___ that day, I become filled ___ Laughing Gas.

13. And ___ the great surprise ___ Jane and Michael, she put her hands down ___ her sides, and ___ a laugh, ___ even a smile, she flew up ___ the air and sat down ___ Jane.

14. Usually people begin ___ bread and butter.

15. And he cut a large piece ___ cake ___ everybody.

6. Find in the text the sentences in which the following word-combinations are used. Use them in sentences of your own.

As soon as; began to shake with laughter; come along; turned the corner; it’s very nice of you; don’t make me laugh; to their surprise; stopped laughing.

7. Find in the text the English equivalents of the following words, word-combinations and sentences. Use them in sentences of your own.

Сошли с автобуса; вы уверены? привести вас к чаю; его зовут мистер Уигг; они повернули за угол; Мэри Поппинс позвонила в дверной звонок; вежливый; даже; я горжусь этим; в этот день; конечно; приятно; странно; поведение; я очень сожалею; пора идти домой.

8. Who said the following words? Under what circumstances?

1. Are you sure your Uncle is at home?

2. How can you call me Mrs. Wigg?

3. How do you do, Mrs. Wigg.

4. I have never seen such a sight.

5. We must think of something serious.

6. It was a very pleasant afternoon, wasn’t it?

7. I see you don’t like it. I am very sorry. But you see that I can’t help it.

8. Think of something funny and come up here.

9. Is it because he has a wig on his head?

10. It is time to go home.

9. Act out the following conversations.

1. Michael, Jane, Mary Poppins, Miss Persimmon, from the beginning of the episode up to “… Go upstairs and to the first door on the landing.”

2. Mr. Wigg and Mary Poppins, from the moment they entered the room, up to “… I won’t laugh – if I can.”

3. Mr. Wigg, Jane, Michael, Mary Poppins, when they asked Mary Poppins to come up to them, from “ I see you don’t like it, my dear…” up to “… But I see that you cannot come down.”

10. Answer the following questions.

1. Whom did Michael, Jane and Mary Poppins go to see one day?

2. What question did Michael ask Mary Poppins about her Uncle’s name? What did Mary Poppins answer?

3. What did Mary Poppins use for a mirror to put her hat straight? What did she like to do when she was walking along the street?

4. What was Mary Poppins wearing that day? How did she think she looked?

5. Who opened the door when they rang the bell? How did Miss Persimmon look? What kind of voice did she have? Why was she angry? How did she show that she was angry?

6. What did the children see in Mr. Wigg’s room when they entered?