It looks as if I would never be 4 страница

2.5 Vocabulary in focus.

Find the expressions in the story that correspond to the following

definitions:

Leave something unnoticed = let somebody get away with something

Go as an uncontrolled crowd =

Make a movement aiming to hit =.

Forget to be careful or watchful =

Walk unsteadily =

Disappear from view =

Go somewhere secretly and quietly =

Move in a certain direction =

2.6. Storing vocabulary.

Paraphrase the following sentences using the verbs from the list below.

1. When she saw the amount of housework, her smile disappeared.

2. Photographers used to crowd around the princess, wherever she appeared.

3. He knew Mum wasn't going to leave his misbehavior unnoticed.

4. He almost fell over, bending under the weight of groceries.

5. The board members directed their steps to the conference room.

6. The man brandished his stick at the barking dog.

7. The runaways managed to creep past the guard on the gate.

8. Let my attention wander for a moment, and made a mistake as a result.

Choose from: to swarm, to head for, to sneak, to vanish, to stagger, to drop one's guard, to swing, to let someone get away with something.

2.7. Colloquial English.

There are several phrases spoken by the characters in colloquial English. Could you possibly convey them into literary English?

"Lost your nerve?" — Have you decided to act cowardly?

"Afraid you'll get a faceful of Tucker's fist?"=

"Think we're in trouble with Barber?" =

"Step back! Give 'em room!" =

2.8. Grammar.

Here we can do nothing but pay attention to another good way of expressing yourselves. Complete the sentences below.

1. With the whole class giggling, Mary Ellen could do nothing but...

2. Though they realized it was silly, the boys could...

3. Having heard the motorbike approaching, the kids...

4. When the fistfight began, the two friends...

5. When asked by the teacher, the two boys…

2.9. The language of fistfight.

Study the text again paying attention to some very violent verbs. Check on the exact moment when one of the boys grabbed,

crouched,

punched,

swung, ducked,

clutched, butted,

staggered, and stumbled.

III. POST-READING

3.1. Feelings.

Grade Six is crucial time for starting a relationship, isn't it? Tucker should have known better when to ask Mary Ellen to wait for him after school. Do you think the 12-year-old girl felt comfortable after the note had been read aloud? Make your choice and explain in good English.

She was

I. pleased because everyone knew Tucker was after her;

II. shocked by the indecency of Tucker's proposal;

III. unhappy because the note came from Tucker, not Phil;

IV. satisfied feeling it served that Tucker boy right;

V. afraid of other girls who'd tease her because of Tucker's freckles;

VI. (your choice).

3.2. Teacher's DO NOTS.

It goes without saying that the fistfight described in the story was provoked by the awkward way in which the teacher reacted to a simple classroom episode. Teachers should not read others' notes aloud. Work in small groups and generate lists of Do Not's for any teacher. When finished, compare the list you developed with those of other students. Check on the most "popular" do not's, and try to remember them well — just in case, you know. Teachers, do not

1) read your students' notes aloud in class;

2)

3)

4)

5)

3.3. Roleplay: first (not fist) fight.

Act out a visitation to a school/college psychologist. The problem of yours is a fight (not fistfight, pray!) you've just had with your best friend.

3.4. Underground project: maledicta.

With great caution, engage in the above mentioned project exploring the realm of swear language. Find out as many fowl ways as you can of saying "You're a not what I'd call a clever person". And don't even think of using any of your findings in classroom communication!!!

THE UNOPENED DOOR

by Teresa Bateman

I. PRE-READING

1.1. SHARE some of your emotional problems with the group. Say if you ever experienced great trouble having no one to share your problems with? Have you ever felt really lonely?

1.2. IMAGINE growing up in a sheltered environment. Do you think life is harder for the daughters of kings and presidents? Talk in pairs.

1.3.FANTACIZE about the lives of real princesses. Is it always like a paradise? Is it not?

II. READING

2.1. Understanding the title.

Read the exposition to the story, The Unopened Door. Guess the sort of test the Princess will have to pass.

It was the day before the coronation, and Princess Meredith of Dulcevia was in the schoolroom with her tutor. She gazed with displeasure at the books in front of her.

"Why do I have to learn these things?" she demanded. "As queen, I will have advisers. Isn't that right?"

Her tutor, Lindqvest, nodded slowly, adjusting his eyeglasses. "Well," she continued, "then why must I study? Surely my advisers will tell me all I need to know." "True," replied her tutor. "Yet, as queen, yours will be the final word. Advisers have their purpose, but you must learn to trust your 0wn mind and heart."

"Oh, all right." Meredith sat down unhappily...

2.2. Reading for pleasure and enrichment.

Just like Meredith, you've learnt by now that the story is to be read to the end. Read and say why the doors remained unopened.

The following words will be helpful to understand the events better.

Gulp — swallow quickly

Leap — move fast, jump

Pace — walk with slow steps to and fro

Grope — find something by feeling with your hands

Flicker — cast unsteady light going on and off

Burden — worrying or difficult responsibility

Wield — hold a weapon or anything symbolizing power

Whim — a sudden feeling that you want to do something for no reason

Cripple — seriously damage or weaken

Wail — cry out with a long high sound

"Besides," continued Lindqvest, "you still must pass Hhe test to prove that you are worthy to rule." Meredith looked up in surprise. "Test? What test?" The tutor gulped. "Oh dear," he murmured. "I shouldn't have said anything."

Meredith stood up and gripped his arm. Her blue eyes looked dark and stormy. "Maybe not, but you've spoken, and I demand an explanation. Geography? Embroidery? Swordplay? What kind of

test is it?"

"I"ve said too much already," Lindqvest replied, freeing himself and hurrying to the door. "I can tell you no more." "Do all rulers take this test?" she asked. "Yes, all rulers of Dulcevia have passed this test since the kingdom was founded."

She hesitated, but went on. "Have any... failed the test?"

He looked away. "Yes, a few have failed."

Meredith leaped to the point. "But I've never heard of anyone failing to become king or queen of Dulcevia. The only ones who haven't gone on to rule were those who died unexpectedly before the coronation, and they—" She stopped and her eyes widened. "They died unexpectedly," she repeated slowly.

"They failed the test," Lindqvest said, and left.

Meredith walked to the window. "They failed the test," she echoed. "What test? How did they fail?"

Meredith couldn't study. She spent the afternoon thinking about her parents, who had died only three months ago when the royal yacht had gone down in a terrible storm. How she longed for her mother's embrace and her father's warm glance! She felt too young to rule — and terribly alone.

At dinner she toyed with the roast duck, pushing it around her plate. She spent the evening pacing in her room until finally she donned her nightclothes and slipped into bed.

When was this test going to take place? The coronation was the next morning. Perhaps Lindqvest was mistaken. Perhaps there was no test at all.

She slipped into a troubled sleep.

The clock was striking midnight when Meredith woke suddenly, thinking she'd heard someone call her name. But she was alone. The dying embers of the fire cast long fingers of shadow that groped across the floor. She slipped out of bed to throw on more wood.

As her feet touched the floor, she shivered. The castle seemed full of quiet ghosts. There was a sound from the hallway. Forgetting the fire, Meredith ran to the door and peered out.

The candles in the hall were swaying in a breeze that ruffled Meredith's hair. She looked down the hall to where an oak door stood wide open.

Meredith rubbed her eyes. Was she dreaming? In all her life, that door had never been open. Nobody seemed to have the key, and since it appeared to lead only to a small closet like its twin on the lower floor, nobody seemed to care. Now it stood wide open.

2.3. Give it a break.

Stop reading for a while and name at least three things that lie in store for Meredith if she enters this never-to-be-opened door.

2.4. Read on.

Think if you've guessed right.

Gathering up her long nightgown in one hand, Meredith ran quietly down the hall to the open doorway and peered inside.

Before her, a stone staircase spiraled upward, its treads worn smooth. The only light came from the candles flickering in the hall. They cast long shadows that mounted the stairs like a procession of gray monks. Meredith shivered. She took a candle from a sconce in the hallway and, shielding it, joined the shadows in their climb up the spiral staircase.

At the top of the stairs, there was a landing with two doors. Both were locked, and large brass keys hung beside them. Meredith put the candle on the floor and reached for the first key.

"Meredith," a voice whispered from behind the first door.

Her hand dropped to her side. She stood frozen, hardly daring

to breathe.

"Meredith," it said again. "Open the door. Let me out."

"Who are you?" Meredith asked.

"Don't you know?" the voice answered. "I'm your heart's desire. I called you. Open the door and let me out, and you shall have your

fondest wish."

Meredith pictured her parents alive again. Her mother's kiss. Her father ruling the kingdom. Herself relieved of the burden of

leadership.

"Yes," the voice whispered. "Even that. I can grant you your heart's desire, but not while imprisoned in this stone tower. Let me out, and you will not have to rule the kingdom."

Her hand reached again for the key. "Meredith!" the voice came from behind the second door.

She hesitated. "Yes?"

"Let me out, Meredith. I will grant you power so that you need no longer fear your ability to rule. With me, you will master and control your people. Release me, and together we will reign supreme."

Meredith pictured herself in royal splendor, wielding her scepter as her people cowered before her. She could be terrible or merciful, as it suited her mood. She stood taller at the vision, and a small smile tugged at her lips.

"Yes," said the voice behind the second door, "Even that. Unlock the door. No one will order you about again or make decisions for you. Let me out, and together we will rule."

Meredith thought of Lindqvest and her studies. He would never again tell her what to do. She reached for the second key.

"Meredith," came the voice from the first door. "Your heart's desire. Your parents. No need to rule the kingdom."

"Meredith," came the second voice, louder than the first. "The power to rule. Your every word, your every whim, will be law!"

She looked at first one door, then at the other. The voices grew, argued, swirled around her like a riptide, pulling her first one way and then another. She felt as though she were drowning. She found her hand reaching for first one key and then the other. She covered her ears and screamed, "STOP!"

There was silence. Her hands dropped to her sides as she wearily faced the doors. "I have made my decision."

2.5. Give it another break.

Think about the Princess's decision. This is the climax of the whole story. What do you think the decision is? There are not so many choices for Meredith, are there? Please, explain your point of view.

2.6. Read to the end.

Finish off reading and say if your understanding of Meredith's character proved to be correct.

Meredith turned to the first door. "I cannot always have my heart's desire. Without my own sorrow, I could never understand the sorrow of my subjects. Even were my parents alive again, someday I would have to rule. To be granted my heart's desire would cripple my ability to care for my people."

"Ah," came the second voice. "Then you have chosen wisely. You have chosen me."

"No," Meredith replied, clenching her fists at her sides. "A queen does not crave power. It is a privilege to serve people. I do not desire the people to serve me."

Wearily she reached down to pick up the candle. Strangely, it seemed no shorter now than when she had first started up the stone staircase.

"I choose neither of you," she said. "I must face my own challenges to the best of my ability."

She turned and descended the stairs as the two voices wailed, pleaded, and screamed behind her. When Meredith stepped into the hallway, she found Lindqvest waiting beside the door. He looked at her with compassion and a touch of relief. Wordlessly, he took her candle and returned it to the sconce. Then he handed her a large key. She swung the door closed, firmly locked it, then gave the key back.

Lindqvest smiled. "Your Majesty," he murmured, bowing low before her for the first time. "As you command, so be it." He waved the key in the air, and it turned into a golden crown, which he placed gently on her tousled hair.

"Tomorrow, you will be crowned before the people. Tonight, you have earned the right to be queen."

"And if I had failed?" Meredith asked, reaching up to touch the

crown.

"Behind each door lies death," Lindqvest stated, walking her to her room. "You chose as only a true queen would choose."

2.7. True or false?

Meredith, the princess of Dulcevia, from what we know about her... is a lazy young lady.

1. seems to be unprepared for a royal role.

2. looks like an ordinary girl, nothing special about her.

3. dreams about an easy-going life of a monarch.

4. shows all the worst qualities a young ruler might display.

5. stands the test but not without hesitation.

6. understands at last that all that has been engineered by evil Lindquest.

7. will probably become a just and fair queen, the pride of her people.

2.8. Understanding points of view.

Scan the story and try to explain which of the characters said the following and why.

1. Why do I have to learn these things? As queen, I will have advisers.

2. Advisers have their purpose, but you must learn to trust your own mind.

3. I've said too much already, I can tell you no more.

4. Yes, even that. I can grant you your heart's desire.

5. With me, you will master and control your people. We will reign supreme.

6. I have made my decision.

7. I must face my own challenges to the best of my ability.

8. Tonight, you have earned the right to be queen.

2.9. Vocabulary.

Match the words with their definitions.

To gaze To adjust To long for To peer To grant To crave To murmur To shiver Compassion Splendor

to shake slightly because of cold or fear to say something in a soft, low voice to look at something attentively and for a long time strong feeling of sympathy for someone to make small changes to improve the position to have an extremely strong desire for something to look very carefully or hard to give somebody something they have asked for impressive beauty or richness to want something very much, especially the impossible

2.10. Storing vocabulary.

Paraphrase the following sentences using the words from Exercise 2.9.

1. Move the mirror a bit, to see the traffic better.

2. Princess Diana was admired for being sympathetic and helpful.

3. She's an insecure child who always demands attention.

4. The man was silently staring into the fire.

5. The company was given an official permission to start the project.

6. The girl was eager to have some excitement, something new.

7. He pronounced her name in a quiet low voice.

8. What an awful handwriting! One has to look closely at each line.

9. The kids were watching the horror movie, trembling and pale with fear.

10. The forest stood still in its autumnal magnificence.

2.11. Grammar.

Meredith was too young to rule. At least she felt so. Her tutor, on the other hand, was wise enough not to tell her too much. Or, maybe, he couldn't? Speak about the characters using the pattern below.

Meredith was	too awkward inexperienced desperate surprised self-assured () to ___________
Lindquest, her tutor, was	wise jaded old compassionate experienced () enough to __________

2.12. Shadow theatre grammar.

The candles in the story cast long shadows that mounted the stairs like a procession of grey monks. What a striking comparison! If you were the author, what would you compare the shadows with?

The shadows mounted the stairs like

III. POST-READING

3.1. Discussion.

Meredith thought leadership to be a burden. What do you think about leadership? Try to give your own definition.

LEADERSHIP

is a joyful experience because...

a quality one should be born with because...

a terrible responsibility so that...

(and a lot more…)

3.2. Dreams: a challenge for a princess.

Now it's time for dreams. In your wildest dreams you might have seen yourself as a young princess. What do you think you'd be busy with, if you were one? Speak about it. If were a young tsarina, Says a college student gaily, I would..

3.3. Project work: princess Diana.

A more information about life and activities of one of the most famous princesses of all time, and continue the report. The beginning liven in the box below.

Diana (1961-1997),

Princess of Wales.

From 1979 until 1981 Diana worked as a kindergarten teacher in London.

On February 24,1981, her engagement to Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, was announced. They married and had two sons: Prince William Arthur Philip Louis (born June 21, 1982) and Prince Henry Charles Albert David (born September 15,1984). By the late 1980s the strains in the marriage had been widely publicized, and…

THE GREAT WHITE MAN-EATING SHARK

by Margaret Mahy

I. PRE-READING

1.1. SHARE your most memorable reminiscence of a joke you played on someone, or a joke they played on you.

1.2 DISCUSS the importance of being playful. When do you think a person should stop being playful and start being serious?

1.3. ANALYZE one human faculty, the sense of humor. What do you think of the essence of this quality? Try to be outrageously serious about it.

II. READING

2.1. Anticipating something sharkish.

Read the first passage from the story written by Margaret Mahy and say if the narrator's tone is (1) ironical, (2) humorous, or (3) satirical. What sort of story do you think this one is going to be?

There was once a boy called Norvin who was a good actor but rather plain. In fact, he looked very like a shark. He had small sharkish eyes, a pointed sharkish head, and sharp sharkish teeth. Unfortunately, there are not many plays written with good parts for sharks, so Norvin took up swimming instead. He soon became a good swimmer and learned to shoot through the water like a silver arrow.

2.2. Reading for pleasure and enrichment.

Read the story and answer the question: Do you think it is sometimes dangerous to be carried away by your own little trick? The following words will be helpful to understand the events

better.

Resentful — angry and upset about something

Dorsal fin — a thin body part on the back of a swimming creature

Headland — an area of land sticking into the sea

Inflatable — filled with air to make it float

Cruise — sail along slowly

Plumber — a man who fixes water pipes, etc.

Nuzzle up to — gently rub or press your nose against someone

To and fro — backward and forward

Norvin lived near a wonderful beach called Caramel Cove, but he had to share it with lots of other swimmers. When Norvin tried shooting through the water like a silver arrow, the other swimmers got in his way. This made him cross and

resentful.

What's the use of being able to shoot through the water like a silver arrow if everyone gets in my way? he thought. So he came up with a wicked plan.

Out of plastic he made himself the dorsal fin of a great white man-eating shark. Then he strolled around the headland, thought a few sharkish thoughts, strapped on the fin, and slid into the clear blue water.

Mrs. Scorpio was bobbing harmlessly up and down in the waves, when suddenly she saw the dorsal fin of a great white man-eating shark heading straight for her.

If you are swimming and see a great white man-eating shark heading straight for you, the thing to do is to leave the water in a quiet and dignified way. But Mrs. Scorpio did not know this. "Shark! Shark!" she yelled and flung herself onto the san screaming and kicking with terror.

What a panic there was! Up and down Caramel Cove peopi I grabbed up their children, their dogs, and inflatable canoes. Wit^j moments the sand was crowded with dripping bodies, and the sea] was completely empty. Everyone stared despairingly at the cruising dorsal fin. Many people thought they could just make out the shape I of a great white man-eating shark cutting through the water] beneath it. Norvin wore the expression a great white man-eating shark always wears when it is hungry, and his acting was so good I that even when he came up to breathe, people were convinced he I was actually looking for prey.

It was a very hot day, but nobody dared to go swimming again.

Norvin had the whole of Caramel Cove to himself. He spent all afternoon shooting backward and forward like a silver arrow. At last he swam out around the headland and vanished from sight. Norvin had the entire beach to himself for three whole days.

However, a few brave people, tired of seeing Norvin shooting to and fro, started swimming again. Others joined them, and soon everyone was splashing around happily once more, enjoying the swimming and the summer.

But Norvin had grown used to having the beach to himself. He strolled around the headland, put on his dorsal fin, and swam back into Caramel Cove.

Mr. Dorsey, the plumber, was showing his little boy, Courtney, how to stand on his head in the water —something a plumber sometimes has to do. Suddenly, he found himself nose to nose with Norvin. He did not recognize Norvin, of course. He thought he was nose to nose with a great white man-eating shark.

"Shark! Shark!" he yelled. Grabbing up Courtney, he flung himself onto the sand, kicking and screaming in terror.

Within minutes Norvin had the beach all to himself once more. He shot to and fro like a silver arrow, while others watched longingly from the beach. Soon they could stand it no longer. In a week Caramel Cove was once more splashing and bubbling with happy swimmers.

Norvin, however, was becoming greedy. He wanted Caramel Cove all to himself, all the time. So he strolled around the headland and put on his dorsal fin once more. Then he swam back to Caramel Cove, laughing to himself as he thought of all the terror he would cause. But suddenly, he felt he was not alone. Someone was swimming beside him. Who could it be? He looked out of the corner of his eye. There nuzzling up to him, was a great white man-eating shark — a female – Norvin was such a good actor that she did not realize he was merely pretending to be a shark. She gave him a very loving glance.

"You are the shark of my dreams," she said. "Marry me at once, r i shall lose my temper and bite you!"

Norvin shot like a silver arrow, dorsal fin and all, toward the beach and flung himself onto the sand where he lay, kicking and screaming with terror. Everyone could see at a glance just what he had been up to.

The people of Caramel Cove put up a shark net across the mouth of the bay, but for the rest of the summer, Norvin sat on the beach, watching other swimmers shoot backward and forward like silver arrows. He had had such a terrible shock that — shark net or not — he was too frightened to go swimming for a long, long time. Though he was a plain boy, he had made rather a good-looking shark, and I think he was very wise not to take any dangerous chances.

2.3. True or false?

1. Norvin was a sharkishly good swimmer.

2. He was plain-looking but a crocodile at heart.

3. Norvin scared everyone out of their wits and out of the water.

4. The beach population used silver arrows against the shark.

5. When summer comes, even plumbers are fond of sea waters.

6. Sharks normally waste little time on courting, and marry at once.

7. It's risky to pose as a good-looking shark when you are in the sea.

8. Norvin will forget to be a trickster in the future.

2.4. Understanding the author's intonations.

Pay special attention to the following phrases from the story. Explain the secret of their humorous impact. How does the author's humour actually work? Unfortunately, there are not many plays written with good parts for sharks, so Norvin took up swimming instead.

Then he strolled around the headland, thought a few sharkish thoughts, strapped on the fin, and slid into the clear blue water.

If you are swimming and see a great white man-eating shark heading straight for you, the thing to do is to leave the water in a quiet and dignified way.

Mr. Dorsey, the plumber, was showing his little boy, Courtney, how to stand on his head in the water — something a plumber sometimes has to do

She (the female shark) gave him a very loving glance.

think he was very wise not to take any dangerous chances.

2.5. Sharkish behavior in focus.

Norvin thought a few sharkish thoughts. Try to imagine what his thoughts could be. Act ravishingly sharkish now!

1. I am a hungry shark looking for prey. I could swallow anything!

2.1 am a swimmer who shoots through the sea like a silver arrow! I could...

3.I am...! I could...!

4. I...! I...!

5.!!!!!!!!!

6. (any other?)

2.6. Storing vocabulary.

Paraphrase the following using the expressions from the story.

1. The students were nervous, walking backward and forward in the hall.

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