Елена Миклашевская - Зачем им столько времен?

«Kansas (be) my homeland. There (be) no place like home,» (answer) Dorothy.

The Scarecrow (smile), «I (stuff) with straw. It (grow) in the field by the farmers. My clothes (make) by the tailor and my boots (make) by the shoe-maker. Where (be) my home?»

Dorothy (not/know) what to say, and they (be) silent for some time.

«Now you (tell) me something,» (ask) Dorothy.

The Scarecrow (look) at her. «My life (be) so short yet. I (take) to the field and (leave) there. At first the birds (frighten) of me, but soon they (stop) being afraid. One day I (tell) about the brains by one of the crows. Now this (be) what I (want) most of all – brains. I (hope) that the Great Wizard (give) them to me».

Answer the questions:

1. What did the Scarecrow ask Dorothy about?

2. What did Dorothy tell him about her country?

3. What couldn’t the Scarecrow understand?

4. Why couldn’t the Scarecrow say where his homeland was?

5. What did he want most of all?

Vocabulary: hide (hid, hidden) – прятать, edge – край, the rest of – остальное

Tenses to use: Present Simple, Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past Perfect, Past Simple Passive,

We (sit) in the field near the river. Harris (prepare) the food and we (wait) with our plates.

«You (have) a spoon?» Harris (ask). «I (need) a spoon».

The basket (be) behind us and George and I both (turn) to get a spoon. It (take) five seconds. When we (look) back again, Harris and the food were gone. It (be) an open air, no trees, nowhere to hide. He (not/fall) into the river, because we (be) between him and the water. But Harris (disappear)!

Sadly, we (look) at each other and at the place where Harris and the food (be). And then, to our horror, we (see) Harris’s head – and only his head – in the grass. The face (be) red and very angry.

«Say something!» George (cry). «You (be) alive or dead? Where (be) the rest of you?»

«Oh, don’t be stupid!» Harris’s head (say), «you (tell) me to sit there». And from the middle of the grass Harris (appear), dirty and wet.

Harris (not/know) that he (sit) on the edge of the hole. It (hide) by the grass. Then, suddenly, he (fall) backwards into it.

Harris still (believe) that George and I (plan) it.

Answer the questions:

1. What was each of the friends doing in the field near the river?

2. What happened when George and the narrator turned to get a spoon?

3. What did they see some time later? How did Harris’s head look?

4. What had happened to Harris?

Vocabulary: ladder – лестница-стремянка, hammer – молоток, nail – гвоздь.

Tenses to use: Present Simple, Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past Perfect, Past Simple Passive, Future Simple Passive.

Uncle Podger (keep) everybody in the house busy when he (do) a job. One day he (come) home with a picture.

«I just (buy) it,» he (say), «where we (put) it? I (do) it myself.»

Then he (take) off his coat and (begin). One of the girls (send) out to buy some nails, and then one of the boys (send) to tell her the size of the nails.

«Now, Bill,» he (shout), «you (go) and (get) my hammer, and Jim (bring) me a ladder, and the light (hold) by Maria.»

Then he (lift) the picture up – and he (drop) it. He (try) to catch the glass – and he (cut) his finger. So, for a long time he (run) around the house and he (shout) at everybody.

Half an hour later, the finger (tie) up, a new glass (bring), and everything (be) ready. Uncle Podger (try) again. The chair (hold) by two people, a nail (give) by the third, the hammer (pass) by the fourth. He (take) the nail… and he (drop) it. Everybody (get) down to look for it. At last, the nail (find), but then the hammer (lose). We (find) the hammer for him, but he (lose) the mark for the picture on the wall. So, it (look) for by each of us, and each of us (find) it on a different place.

Uncle Podger (try) again. This time he (fall) off the chair on the piano. His head and his body (hit) the piano at the same time. The music (be) beautiful, but Uncle’s words (not/be). Aunt Maria (say) that she (not/want) the children to listen to those terrible words.

«The next time you (put) a picture on the wall, please, tell me,» she (say), «then I (go) and (spend) a week with my mother.»

At midnight the picture (be) on the wall. It (not/be) put very straight, and the wall around it (not/look) well. But Uncle Podger (be) proud. «You see, it (be) gust a little job,» he (say).

Answer the questions:

1. What was the first thing Uncle Podger did when he started to put the picture on the wall?

2. What happened when everything was ready? Why was there a half an hour delay?

3. How were the children arranged before the second attempt? What was the problem this time? What made Aunt Maria angry?

5. How did Uncle Podger feel when the picture was finally on the wall?

Vocabulary: spin – крутиться

Tenses to use: Present Simple, Past Simple, Future Simple, Present Perfect, Past Perfect, Past Simple Passive, Past Perfect Passive, Past Perfect Continuous, Future-in-the-Past Simple.

1

In the evening we (meet) to pack the things for the journey. After we (move) the table to the window, we (put) everything in the middle of the room. I (say) that I (pack). I also (say) that I (be) very good at packing. They (agree). George (light) a pipe and (sit) down in the armchair. Harris (put) his feet on the table and (light) a cigarette.

It (not/be) what I (expect). I (think) I (tell) them what to do, and then I (sit) and (watch). But I (say) nothing, and (start) the packing. It (seem) a longer job than I (think), but in the end it (finish).

After the suitcase (close), Harris (ask), «You (pack) the boots?»

I (look) around and (see) the boots. It (make) me angry. Why Harris (not/say) earlier?

I (open) the suitcase and (put) the boots in it. When I (be) about to close it, I (remember) about my toothbrush. I (not/be) sure if I (pack) it. Of course, I (have) to look for it, and of course, I (find) George’s and Harris’s eighteen times, but I (not/find) mine. In the end, I (find) it inside the boot.

When I (finish), George (tell) me) that the soap (not/pack) yet. I (answer) that I (not/care) and (close) the suitcase.

It (be) late in the evening, and the food (not/be) packed yet. Harris (say) that he and George (do) the rest of the packing. I (agree) and (sit) down.

2

They (begin) happily as they (want) to show me how to do it. I (make) no comment. I only (wait). I (know) that it soon (be) very exciting. I (be) right.

They (start) with breaking a cup. Then Harris (pack) the jam on the top of a tomato. After that, they (have) to pick out the tomato with a teaspoon. Then it (be) George’s turn, and he (step) on the butter. I (not/say) anything, but (sit) on the edge of the table and (watch) them. It (make) them worried and excited. They (step) on things, they (pack) pies at the bottom, and (put) heavy things on top. They (upset) salt over everything.

Then they (begin) to pack the butter. As Harris already (step) on it, he (have) to get it off his shoe. After that, they (decide) to put it into the teapot. When the butter (put) inside it, they (have) another idea, (get) it out of the teapot and (put) it down on the chair. Harris (sit) on it, and it (stick) to him. Then they (run) round the room looking for it, (meet) in the center and (look) at each other.