But when he was leaning over the chest she caught him by the two heels, and threw him into the chest, and locked it. So there he was, both ‘crooked and straight’!
Then he begged for pen and ink, which she brought him, but he was not allowed out.
When his letter came, telling the king, his father, he was to be let free when Gobborn and Jack were safe home, the king saw he must let them go away.
As they left Gobborn told him: now that Jack was done with this work, he should soon build a castle for his witty wife far superior to the king’s, which he did, and they lived there happily ever after.
EXERCISES
1) True or false?
1. Gobborn Seer had three sons.
2. Jack had to bring his father the skin and the value of it as well.
3. The girl washed the skin in the stream and took the wool from it.
4. Jack knew how to shorten the way.
5. Gobborn Seer and his son were building a castle.
6. The king wanted to trick Gobborn Seer and Jack.
7. Gobborn asked Jack’s wife for a screwdriver.
2) Fill in the gaps using words in brackets.
1. One day he… (to send) his son out to sell a sheepskin.
2. So he… (to try) again, and nobody… (to wish) to buy the skin on those terms.
3. The girl… (to wash) the skin in the stream,… (to take) the wool from it, and… (to pay) him the value of it, and… (to give) him the skin to carry back.
4. Jack… (to spy) her and… (to tell) her how his old father… (to have) a wish to meet her.
5. King… (to be) so afraid they should build some other king a castle, he… (to want) to take their lives tomorrow.
6. She… (to catch) him by the two heels and… (to throw) him into the chest.
3) Fill in the gaps with the following words:
reach up, catch up, outshine, shorten the way, come off
1. It’s dangerous,… the roof immediately!
2. This castle should… all the others in beauty.
3. He… with his father an hour ago.
4. This road is too long, we must… somehow.
5. Jack’s wife tried to… into a chest after a tool.
4) Translate the following sentences:
1. Никто не хотел покупать овечью шкуру на этих условиях.
2. Остроумная жена рассказала Джеку как сократить путь.
3. Джек снова нагнал своего отца.
4. Отец и сын начали строить замок, который должен затмить все остальные.
5. Близкие друзья собрались в вестибюле.
6. Они не могли закончить работу из-за отсутствия одного инструмента.
5) Retell the fairy-tale.
The Hobyahs
Once there was an old man and woman and a little girl, and they all lived in a house made of hempstalks. Now the old man had a little dog named Turpie and one night the Hobyahs came and said, ‘Hobyah! Hobyah! Hobyah! Tear down the hempstalks, eat up the old man and woman, and carry off the little girl!’ But little dog Turpie barked so that the Hobyahs ran off; and the old man said, ‘Little dog Turpie barks so that I cannot sleep nor slumber, and if I live till morning I will cut off his tail.’ So in the morning the old man cut off little dog Turpie’s tail.
The next night the Hobyahs came again, and said, ‘Hobyah! Hobyah! Hobyah! Tear down the hempstalks, eat up the old man and woman, and carry off the little girl!’ But little dog Turpie barked so that the Hobyahs ran off; and the old man said, ‘Little dog Turpie barks so that I cannot sleep nor slumber, and if I live till morning I will cut off one of his legs.’ So in the morning the old man cut off one of little dog Turpie’s legs.
The next night the Hobyahs came again, and said, ‘Hobyah! Hobyah! Hobyah! Tear down the hempstalks, eat up the old man and woman, and carry off the little girl!’ But little dog Turpie barked so that the Hobyahs ran off; and the old man said, ‘Little dog Turpie barks so that I cannot sleep nor slumber, and if I live till morning I will cut off another of his legs.’ So in the morning the old man cut off another of little dog Turpie’s legs.
The next night the Hobyahs came again, and said ‘Hobyah! Hobyah! Hobyah! Tear down the hempstalks, eat up the old man and woman, and carry off the little girl!’ But little dog Turpie barked so that the Hobyahs ran off; and the old man said, ‘Little dog Turpie barks so that I cannot sleep nor slumber, and if I live till morning I will cut off another of his legs.’ So in the morning the old man cut off another of little dog Turpie’s legs.
The next night the Hobyahs came again, and said ‘Hobyah! Hobyah! Hobyah! Tear down the hempstalks, eat up the old man and woman, and carry off the little girl!’ But little dog Turpie barked so that the Hobyahs ran off; and the old man said, ‘Little dog Turpie barks so that I cannot sleep nor slumber, and if I live till morning I will cut off another of his legs.’ So in the morning the old man cut off another of little dog Turpie’s legs.
The next night the Hobyahs came again, and said ‘Hobyah! Hobyah! Hobyah! Tear down the hempstalks, eat up the old man and woman, and carry off the little girl!’ But little dog Turpie barked so that the Hobyahs ran off; and the old man said, ‘Little dog Turpie barks so that I cannot sleep nor slumber, and if I live till morning I will cut off little dog Turpie’s head.’ So in the morning the old man cut off little dog Turpie’s head.
The next night the Hobyahs came again, and said ‘Hobyah! Hobyah! Hobyah! Tear down the hempstalks, eat up the old man and woman, and carry off the little girl!’ And when the Hobyahs found that little dog Turpie’s head was off they tore down hempstalks, ate up the old man and the woman, and carried the girl in a bag.’
And when the Hobyahs came to their home they hung up the bag with the little girl in it, and every Hobyah knocked on the top of the bag and said, ‘Look me! look me!’ And then they went to sleep until the next night, for the Hobyahs slept in the daytime.
The little girl cried a great deal, and a man with a big dog came that way and heard her crying. When he asked her how she came there and she told him, he put the dog in the bag and took the little girl to his home.
The next night the Hobyahs took down the bag and knocked at the top of it, and said ‘Look me, look me!’ and when they opened the bag the big dog jumped out and ate them all up; so there are no Hobyahs now.
EXERCISES
1) True or false?
1. An old man and an woman had a little boy.
2. Turpie was a little dog.
3. In the morning the old man cut off little dog Turpie's tail.
4. The Hobyahs came to the old man’s house ten times.
5. The Hobyahs sleep at night.
6. A man with a big dog put the dog in a bag and took the girl.
7. The big dog ate all of the Hobyahs.
2) Fill in the gaps using words in brackets.
1. When the Hobyahs… (to find) that little dog Turpie’s… (to be) there they… (to tear) down hempstalks,… (to eat) up the old man and the woman, and… (to carry) the girl in a bag.
2. They… (to go) to sleep until the next night, for the Hobyahs… (to sleep) in the daytime.
3. The little girl… (to cry) a great deal, and a man with a big dog… (to come) that way and… (to hear) her crying.
4. He… (to ask) her how she… (to come) there and she… (to tell) him.
5. When they… (to open) the bag the big dog… (to jump) out and… (to eat) them all up.
3) Translate the following sentences:
1. Жили-были старик со старухой в доме из стеблей конопли.
2. Старик сказал: «Пёсик лает так громко, что я не могу ни спать, ни дремать».
3. Хобья! Съедим старика со старухой и утащим девочку!
4. Когда хобьи пришли к себе домой, они повесили сумку с девочкой и легли спать до следующей ночи.
5. Девочка плакала изо всех сил.
6. Когда хобьи сняли сумку и стали по ней стучать, из неё выпрыгнула большая собака и съела их всех.
4) Answer the following questions:
1. Why are there no Hobyahs now?
2. Who heard the little girl crying?
3. How many times did the Hobyahs come to the old man’s house?
4. What happened to the girl at Hobyahs home?
5) Retell the fairy-tale.
English fairy tales about Jack and others
Tom Tit Tot
Once upon a time, there was a woman[95], and she baked five pies. And when they came out of the oven, they were very hard to eat. So she says to her daughter:
“Daughter, put the pies on the shelf and leave them there a little, and they will come again[96].” That is[97], the crust will become softer.
But the girl says to herself, “Well, if they come again, I will eat them now.” And she ate them all.
Well, when supper-time came, the woman said, “Go and get one of the pies. I think they came again now.”
The girl went and looked, and there were only dishes. So she comes back and says, “No, they did not come again.”
“No?” says the mother.
“No,” says the daughter.
“Well,” said the woman, “I’ll[98] eat one for supper.”
“But you can’t[99] if they didn’t[100] come,” said the girl.
“But I can,” says she. “Go you and bring the best pie.”
“Best or worst,” says the girl, “I ate them all, and you can’t eat the pie till it comes again.”
Well, the woman was very angry, and she took her spinning to the door, and she began to sing:
“My daughter ate five, five pies today.
My daughter ate five, five pies today.”
The king was coming down the street, and he heard her song. So he stopped and said, “What were you singing, my good woman?”
The woman told him these other words instead of that[101]:
“My daughter span five, five skeins today.
My daughter span five, five skeins today.”
“Oh!” said the king, “I never heard of anyone who could do that.” Then he said, “Listen, I want a wife, and I’ll marry your daughter. During eleven months of the year, she will have everything that she wants; but the last month of the year she will spin five skeins every day, and if she can’t, I shall kill her.”
“All right,” says the woman; she thought only about a grand marriage. Her daughter was very happy. “I’ll marry a king!” she thought. “And in eleven months the king will forget about skeins.”
Well, so they were married. And for eleven months the girl had all she liked to eat, all the dresses she liked to wear, and all the friends she liked.
When the time came, she began to think about the skeins. But the king did not say any word about them, and she decided that he forgot them.
However, the last day of the last month he takes her to a new room. There was nothing in it but a spinning-wheel and a stool. And he says, “Now, my dear, I’ll shut you here tomorrow with some food and some flax, and if you do not spin five skeins by the night, your head will be cut[102].” And he went away.
The girl was very frightened; she didn’t know how to spin, and what will she show the king tomorrow? Nobody will come to help her. She sat down on a stool in the kitchen and began to cry.
Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door. She stood up and opened it, and she saw a small black impet with a long tail. He looked at her and asked:
“Why are you crying?”
“Why do you ask?” says she.
“Tell me,” said he, “why are you crying.”
And he turned his tail around.
So the poor girl told him about the pies and the skeins and everything.
“I’ll help you,” says the little black impet, “I’ll come to your window every morning and take the flax and bring it ready at night.”
“What do you want for that?” says she.
He said, “I’ll give you three guesses every night to guess my name, and if you don’t guess it before the end of the month, you will be mine[103].”
“Well,” she thought, “I’ll guess his name for sure[104]”. “All right,” says she, “I agree.”
The next day, her husband took her into the room, and there was the flax and her food.
“This is the flax,” says he, “and if you don’t spin it this night, you’ll lose your head.” And then he went out and locked the door.
So the girl heard a knock near the window. She stood up and opened it, and there was the little old impet.
“Where’s the flax?” says he.
“Here it is,” says she. And she gave it to him.
When the evening came, the knock came again to the window. The girl stood up and opened it, and there was the little old impet with five skeins of flax on his arm.
“Here it is,” says he, and he gave it to her.
“Now, what’s my name?” says he.
“Is that Bill?” says she.
“No, it isn’t!” says he, and he twirled his tail.
“Is that Ned?” says she.
“No, it isn’t!” says he, and he twirled his tail.
“Well, is that Mark?” says she.
“No, it isn’t!” says he, and he twirled his tail harder and flew away.
When her husband came in, there were the five skeins ready for him. “Well, I shan’t[105] kill you tonight, my dear,” says he; “you’ll have your food and your flax in the morning,” says he and goes away.
Every day he brought the flax and the food, and every day that little black impet came mornings and evenings. And all the day the girl was trying to guess his name in order to[106] say it when the impet came at night. But she did not say the right name. By the end of the month, the impet began to look very angrily, and twirled his tail faster and faster.
Finally, the last day came. The impet came at night with the five skeins and said:
“Do you know my name?”
“Is that Nicodemus[107]?” says she.
“No, it isn’t,” he says.
“Is that Sammle[108]?” says she.
“No, it isn’t,” he says.
“Is that Methusalem[109]?” says she.
“No, no, no!” he says.
Then he looks at her and says: “Woman, there’s only tomorrow night, and then you’ll be mine!” And he flew away.
She was very afraid. But the king came. When he sees the five skeins, he says:
“Well, my dear, if I see the skeins ready tomorrow night, I shan’t kill you. And I’ll have supper here.” So he brought supper and another stool for him, and they sat down.
Suddenly, he stops and begins to laugh.
“What’s up?[110]“ says she.
“Oh,” says he, “I was hunting today, and I went very far in the wood. And I heard a song. So I got off[111] my horse, and I went forward. I saw a funny little black man. He had a little spinning-wheel, and he was spinning wonderfully fast, and he was twirling his tail. And he was singing:
“Nimmy nimmy not,
My name’s Tom Tit Tot.”
When the girl heard this, she became very happy, but she didn’t say a word.
Next day, that little impet looked very maliceful when he came for the flax. And when the night came, she heard the knock. She opened the window, and the impet came into the room. He was grinning, and his tail was twirling very fast.
“What’s my name?” he asked when he was giving her the skeins.
“Is that Solomon[112]?” she says.
“No, it isn’t,” he said and came further into the room.
“Well, is that Zebedee[113]?” says she again.
“No, it isn’t,” says the impet. And then he laughed and twirled his tail like a wheel.
“Take time[114], woman,” he says, “next guess, and you’re mine.” And he lifted his black hands.
The girl smiled and said:
“NIMMY NIMMY NOT,
YOUR NAME’S TOM TIT TOT!”
When the impet heard her, he cried awfully and flew away into the dark, and she never saw him any more.
EXERCISES
1. Выберите правильный вариант:
1. The woman lies to the king; she tells him that her daughter can spin five skeins.
2. The woman lies to the king; she tells him that her daughter can spin three skeins.
3. The woman lies to the king; she tells him that her daughter can spin six skeins.
4. The woman lies to the king; she tells him that her daughter can spin two skeins.
2. Where does the king shut the girl?
1. The king shuts the girl in a castle with no food.
2. The king shuts the girl in a room with impets.
3. The king shuts the girl in a castle room with a spinning wheel.
4. The king shuts the girl in a basement with ugly rats.
3. What is an impet?
1. a noble man
2. an animal
3. a big bird
4. a small demon
4. Why does the girl agree to marry the king?
1. Because she knows how to spin.
2. Because she does not need her head.
3. Because she thinks that he will forget about his promise.
4. Because she has nobody to marry.
5. What is a skein?
1. a machine for spinning
2. a length of yarn or thread in a loose coil
3. a round piece of wool
4. silk bobbin
6. What is Tom Tit Tot’s payment?
1. three jars of gold
2. the girl herself
3. the pies
4. the kingdom
7. Выберите правильный вариант:
1. The king helped his wife to spin.
2. The king is very kind.
3. The king killed the impet.
4. The king learned the impet’s name.
8. What does it mean, “the pies will come again”?
1. The pies have legs.
2. The pies will be ready soon.
3. The pies left, but they promised to return.
4. The pies usually come and go away.
9. Why did the impet twirl his tail?
1. He was nervous.
2. He was proud of his tail.
3. He had nothing to play with.
4. He did not know what to do with his tail.