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"Windy day. You must be here for your jacket."
"Yes, ma'am. But I need a refund, not the jacket."
"Refund? I thought you were picking it up."
"Changed my mind."
As she counted Mama's money into my hand, I stared at the floor, trying not to cry. Then it hit. Without me, Beans would be dead. But I could live without the jacket. Stuffing the money into my pocket, I pushed open the door and ducked into the wind. But something was different. I felt the sun, soft and warm. For the wind, at that moment, had stopped. I'd never known such stillness. Taking a deep breath, I raised my head, gazed at the sky, and walked — not headed, walked — home.
2.3. True or false?
1. Amelia's family was for from being well-off.
2. Walking in West Texas meant struggling with the wind.
3. Amelia took to the puppy because it was a thorough — bred one.
4. Amelia didn't buy a new jacket, she chose another article of clothing instead.
5. The Sneeds were good neighbours, friendly and helpful.
6. Amelia bought the puppy from Mooney as it was the only way out.
7. Amelia's mother understood her daughter's feelings and bought her the jacket.
2.4. Points of view.
What did they mean by saying so?
"In West Texas everything starts on a windy day."
"This isn't your dog. Don't get carried away."
"Cold is cold. Hungry is hungry. And to me, suffering is suffering. I had to help."
"Mama'd kill me when I got home."
"Without me Beans would be dead — but I could live without the jacket."
2.5. Vocabulary in focus.
Study the following words and their definitions. Then do Part Two of the exercise.
Head (to) = to move in particular direction
Put on layaway = to keep the goods for you before you pay the full price
Take to = to start to like
Bug = to annoy
Stick to (doing) = to keep doing
Refund = a sum of money given back to one not satisfied with the goods
Fix = to repair
Garbage/trash = waste
Mean = unkind or nasty
Using the expressions above, paraphrase the following sentences.
1. This VCR works by fits and starts. I'd like my money back, please.
2. If you don't stop pestering me, you'll get it hot.
3. He is really a nasty type, never saying a kind word or as much as a hallo.
4. It's common knowledge that modern urban areas produce too much waste.
5. Keep doing your homework — it's none of your business what's happening outdoors.
6. I could never develop any sympathy towards rude and disrespectful people.
7. I have never been good at repairing different electrical devices.
8. The student directed his steps towards the Headmaster's office.
2.6. Colloquial English in focus.
Put the colloquial phrases into standard English.
1. "Mama, I gotta help."
2. "Sure is cold. Anything happening?"
3. "Folks are talking about the pup. Say he is pitiful."
4. "You gonna take him in?"
5. "I kinda like him and figured you might sell him."
2.7. Grammar in focus.
Think of other scenarios according to which the story events could/might have happened.
e.g. Without Amelia, the puppy might have died.
2.8. Using words creatively.
Amelia never liked windy days. She had special vocabulary for them: mean winds, cap — gloves — jacket — freeze — your — nose winds, trash day winds. Think of other ways of calling winds bad names. You might as well think of creative ways to call winds in a more pleasing manner: jolly winds, news-bringing winds,_______________________________
III. POST-READING
3.1. Feelings.
There is one short phrase in the story. It goes like this, "Then it hit". Try to interpret the meaning of this phrase. What kind of feeling(s) did the girl experience at that moment?
3.2.Roleplay.
The members of the family must have had a lot to discuss that evening. Dramatize one of the possible scenarios of such a conversation. Don't forget one thing though: the family is poor.
Character cast: Mama, Amelia, Nico. Scene: a small kitchen in their house.
3.3. Last but not least.
Does the story have anything to do with seasons? Prove that it does — or doesn't.
DISCUSSION (STORIES 1 — 5)
A 'SEASONED' DISCUSSION
As far as you can see, the four stories in the first section deal with the four seasons of the year — winter, spring, summer and autumn. How do the authors convey the spirit of the seasons in their stories? Share as many observations as possible. WINTER TALES
The story entitled Castles is a perfect fairy-tale to be told to wide-eyed kids sitting by the fire on a winter evening. Imagine yourselves to be such girls and boys listening to a master storyteller. Choose the right kind of tale to entertain your audience with.
MEET THE CHARACTER
Select a character that not only appears in this section but also appeals to you. Describe his/her personal achievements thoroughly like a good mentor should. Presentation in the first person singular is not unwelcome.
CROSS-CULTURAL STUDIES
There is a story in this section, Beans, that deals with no particular season at all. Yet the cultural background is obvious: the family is of Mexican American origin. To the best of your ability, discuss the role Spanish-speaking culture played — and plays — in the American "melting pot" of nations.
WEATHER AND CLIMATE
Cultural diversity is closely connected with climatic differences. Discuss the effects of climate and weather on the development of human culture. Do you think American culture is uniform, be it Alaska (Breakup) or the prairies (Beans)?
BIRDS OF A FEATHER
Bird watching must be a great occupation indeed. Discuss various aspects of this pastime, both positive and otherwise. Remember some famous works of literary and other forms of art depicting bird life. If you ever wanted to choose a bird as symbol, which one would you pick? Prepare to explain your choices.
JEREMY JAMES AND THE GINGER BEAR
I. PRE-READING
1.1. SHARE your ideas about festive cooking. Should it always be traditional only or, on the contrary, innovative and experimental?
1.2. DISCUSS the rituals and customs related to various high days that exist in Belarus. Do you find them very different from those in the rest of the world?
1.3. PROVE that the magic of holidays is an essential part of our life. It is needed not by children only, is it?
II. READING
2.1. UNDERSTANDING THE TITLE. Read the title of the story written by Marion Dane Bauer again. Does it make your mouth water?
2.2. Reading for pleasure and enrichment. Read the story and answer the question: Did Jeremy learn anything else that night apart from the art of baking? The following words will be useful for better understanding of the events.
Thatched roof — a straw-covered roof
Moat — a deep hole filled with water around a castle or fort
Steeple — a tall pointed tower on the roof of a church
Bear — to carry, especially something important
Sniff — to breathe air in through your nose
Teeny — very small
Haunches — part of your body at the back between waist and legs
Licorice — a black plant substance, used in medicines and sweets
Jeremy James was luckiest boy in his entire village. His parents, you see, were the village bakers, and every day of the year Jeremy James had biscuits and buns, cream puffs and scones, tortes layered with jelly and puddings bulging with fruit.
But the best time of all to be the bakers' son was just before Christmas, because that was when Jeremy James's papa and mama made gingerbread.
And oh... what gingerbread! It came out of the oven as hot as a summer day, as fragrant as a wood fire on winter nights. It came out of the oven shining like new copper, crunching between the teeth like honeyed rusks, and melting on the tongue like Christmas itself.
And best of all, the gingerbread came out of the oven ready to be shaped into the most wondrous kingdom Jeremy had ever seen.
There was a church and a school, a tailor's shop and a greengrocer's, a chemist's and an ironmonger's. There were cottages with thatched roofs and tall, narrow houses leaning against one another. There was a manor fit for a lord and lady, and a fine castle on a marzipan hill.
There was even a jail with peppermint-stick bars. And in the woods a ginger bear lurked, almost hidden, amidst dark, chocolate trees.
Each day when Jeremy James woke up, he would rush downstairs to see what his parents had added to the gingerbread kingdom during their early morning baking. A bridge over the castle moat. A cobbler's shop in the shape of a shoe. A statue of the king in the village square.
And each day, all the people of the village would come and stand outside the bakery window to admire and exclaim over the gingerbread kingdom.
And each day Jeremy James grew sadder and sadder because he knew exactly what was going to happen on Christmas day.
His parents would give the gingerbread kingdom away.
The vicar would come for the church, and the schoolmaser for the school. The tailor, the greengrocer, the chemist, the ironmonger, all would smile as they carried away their shops. And the laughing cobbler would run down the street with thу ingerbread shoe. The lord and lady would hold the manor high as they bore it away, and the children would dance in the village square, each clasping the house most like his or her own. The sheriff would deliver the gingerbread jail to the prisoners, and the king himself would present the castle to the queen for her Christmas dessert.
And Jeremy James would be left with the marzipan hill, the dark, chocolate woods and, because no one ever noticed him, the ginger bear.
One year, late on Christmas Eve, Jeremy James slipped out of bed and tiptoed downstairs to the bakery. He wanted to take one last look at the gingerbread Kingdom before his parents gave it away. He stood for a long time gazing at it, and then, finally, he reached out and broke the steeple off the gingerbread church.
"This will be mine forever," he said, and he began to eat... and eat... and eat!
By the time he had finished the church, the school, the cobbler's shop, three houses, and half of the castle, he was feeling rather full.
In fact, he was quite uncomfortably stuffed. But his heart was still hungry for the gingerbread kingdom he had never had, so he picked up the tailor's shop and took a large bite. Just one, so that a bit of the tailor's shop would be his, too.
And then he did the same with the bridge, the manor, the statue of the king, and on and on.
All went well — if well is what it was — until Jeremy James came to the ginger bear.
As he picked up the bear, the clock struck twelve, and Jeremy James said to himself, "It's Christmas. I'd better hurry." And he opened his mouth wide to bite the bear's head off.
The bear, however, opened his mouth wide as well.
"Don't do that!" Jeremy James commanded.
"Why not?" the bear growled.
"Because I'm going to eat you," Jeremy James told the bear.
"No, you're not," the ginger bear replied, growing larger and opening his mouth even wider. "I'm going to eat you!"
Jeremy James dropped the piece of gingerbread, but the bear only grew bigger still. He sniffed Jeremy James's elbow. "Perhaps you'd like a Christmas pudding instead," Jeremy James offered as he looked around for a means of escape.
"Not really," the ginger bear replied, growing large enough to lick the soft tip of Jeremy James's ear.
"A peppermint stick? A marzipan hill? A chocolate tree? Jeremy James beseeched.
The bear leaned down to nibble the ends of Jeremy James's hair. "What I've always wanted for Christmas," he confided, "is a boy."
Jeremy James squeezed his eyes shut. The bear's breath smelled like a forest floor.
"If you eat me," he told the bear in a small voice, "I would be greatly missed in the village."
"Just one bite?" the ginger bear urged.
"Even one and I would be quite spoiled," the boy said in a smaller voice still.
The great bear shook his head sadly. "I'm truly sorry, but I've been waiting for a very long time." And he opened his mouth the widest of all.
"Perhaps," Jeremy James whispered, "you'd like a gingerbread boy instead. Gingerbread is very tasty, you know."
The bear closed his mouth. He sat back on his haunches. He licked the tip of his own licorice nose. "Someone once told me that gingerbread melts on the tongue like Christmas itself," he murmured.
"It does," Jeremy James agreed. "And we can make some, you and I."
So the two of them set to work. They measured and mixed, they rolled and cut, they baked and assembled with frosting. They made enough gingerbread boys to satisfy ten bears. And then, remembering Christmas morning, Jeremy James and the ginger bear made a new kingdom as well.
They even added a bakery. Behind its spun sugar window was another complete gingerbread kingdom in miniature with its own teeny bear lurking in its own tiny woods. Jeremy James said it was for Mama and Papa.
Sleepily, bear and boy climbed the stairs to Jeremy James's room. "Now we're friends," Jeremy James said, as he held back the covers for the ginger bear to join him in bed.
The bear settled his furry head next to Jeremy James's on the pillow. "And friends share everything," he said with a contented growl.
Jeremy James gave the bear an enormous hug. "I'm the luckiest boy in the entire village," he told his bear.
2.3. True or false?
1. Jeremy James was both greedy and gluttonous.
2. Jeremy's parents used gingerbread to promote their business.
3. Jeremy was always hungry and would welcome even a dry crust of bread.
4. Eating gingerbread was Jeremy's only chance to have it for himself.
5. The bear was hard to oblige.
6. Making gingerbread was the beginning of a long and beautiful friendship.
7. Jeremy spent the most wondrous Christmas night in his life.
8. All what happens in the story is nothing but a dream.
2.4. Points of view.
Explain what they meant by saying the following.
1. The village boys: "Look at that Jeremy James! He is one lucky guy!"
2. The bear: "What I've always wanted for Christmas is a boy."
3. Jeremy: "I am the most unlucky person in this village."
4. The bear: "We're friends now, and friends share everything."
5. Jeremy: "That will be mine forever."
6. Jeremy: "Even one bite would spoil me."
2.5. Verbs in focus.
The author uses various verbs to describe the bear's behaviour and actions. Find the exact verbs that match the definitions given below.
· to make a low, threatening sound
· to hide, keep out of view
· to take tiny bites
· to tell a secret
· to pass the tongue over
· to request earnestly, try to persuade
· to breathe air in through the nose
2.6. Storing vocabulary.
Fill in the gaps using the words below.
1. The boy was... into the fire and paid no attention to the conversation.
2..... flowers grew in abundance, which attracted thousands of bees.
3. He... to his friends that he didn't have much hope for his marriage.
4. The children were carried away by... tales of princesses and dragons.
5. When adults, we're often ashamed of childish fears that used... in our hearts.
6. We have to find... to advertise this product yet.
7. Don't... me to stay here! It's no use.
8. The dog... at any stranger who came close.
Choose from the following: fragrant, wondrous, to lurk, to gaze, to growl, to beseech, a means, to confide.
2.7. Idioms in focus.
Study the table below and match the expressions with appropriate definitions.
| cakes and ale eat one's cake and have it sell like hot cakes a piece of cake take the cake a slice of the cake | be worse than anything else you can imagine part of the money available for everyone pleasure and fun have two incompatible things at once to be sold quickly and in large amounts very easy |
Fill in the correct idiom. It's a piece of cake, isn't it?
1. I've heard some pretty crazy ideas, but this one...!
2. Are these videos popular? — Popular? Why, they....
3. How do you start this washing-machine? —... I'll show you.
4. My boss is never giving me any bonuses, but I want..., too.
5. Life isn't all..., you have to do some work.
6. You have to choose between these two options — you....
2.8. Grammar in focus.
Some nouns are difficult to handle. They are: means, series, species, crossroads, politics, news, police, statistics, measles, athletics, economics, etc. Choose the right forms.
1. Endangered species is/are to be protected.
2. The crossroads was/were jammed; the police had its/their hands full.
3. Criminal statistics is/are depressing these days.
4. Measles is/are a children's disease dangerous for adults.
5. Athletics is/are not only for achievers; it/they can be relaxing, too.
6. Politics is/are a very controversial sphere of human activity.
7. The next series is/are on Channel 1 at the weekend.
2.9. Comparisons.
Jeremy exclaimed that Christmas gingerbread was as hot as a summer day, as fragrant as a wood fire on a winter night. Make up more comparisons using the information below. What can you associate with these?
| as cold as | nails |
| as hard as | the hills |
| as cool as | ice |
| as old as | the ABC |
| as happy as | a daisy |
| as easy as | a lark |
2.10. Tasty words.
Jeremy James describes his parents' gingerbread most appetiz-ingly. It is shining like new copper, and it's melting on the tongue like Christmas itself. Now it's your turn to become a gourmet. Describe your favourite dishes, Belarusian or otherwise, so that everybody's mouths turned water.
e.g. What I am particularly fond of is babka, golden brown like a girl's suntanned skin and fragrant like autumn woods. There is nothing like...
III. POST-READING
3.1. Feelings.
That Christmas night must have been a great test for Jeremy as he must have experienced a wide range of emotions — from horrific fright to triumphant delight. Try to recollect how it all was — in Jeremy's own words, that is.
3.2. ROLEPLAY.
It's Christmas morning and the baker goes down to his gingerbread kingdom and — what does he see? Has it been elves or fairies? The kingdom has changed! Act out this scene of great astonishment. The roles may be Jeremy, his father, his mother, and some village folk.
3.3. Project work: Christmas cards. tradition. They present interesting examples of homespun poetry. Read through some (to get inspiration from), and then write your own variant of a rhymed Christmas wish.
God bless the master of this house, Likewise the mistress, too, And all the little children, Who round the table go, And all the other people Who live both far and near. I wish you a Merry Christmas, And a Happy New Year!
It's your turn now. Christmas rules, OK?
THE PRINCESS WHO KICKED BUTT
I. PRE-READING
1.1. SHARE your ideas about the tradition of giving names. Is it really a 'tradition'? Is there anything 'traditional' about it?
1.2. DISCUSS the trends and fashions (if any) that exist in name-giving these days. Recollect as many examples as you can to help illustrate your ideas.
1.3. PROVE (or disprove) the idea that a well-chosen name speaks volumes about the person who bears it.
II. READING
2.1. Understanding the title.
The title of the story written by Will Shetterly suggests that the atmosphere of the story should be: a) tragic; b) comic; c) something else. What do you think?
2.2. Reading for pleasure and enrichment.
Read the story and answer the question: Does a name make a person or it's quite the contrary? The following words will be useful for better understanding of the events.
Slay — to kill
Trip — to hit with your foot while walking and fall
Civility— polite behaviour which most people normal consider
Abdication — giving up the royal position
Hostler— a man who took care of horses
Wiry — thin but strong
Buck— to jump with four feet off the ground
Duck— to lower your head quickly
Fly —the front part of trousers with a zipper
Nip – to bite lightly
Once upon a time, there was a land ruled by the King Who Saw Both Sides of Every Question and the Queen Who Cared for Everyone. When their first child was born, the Fairy Who Was Good with Names arrived at the castle in a cloud of smoke and said, "Your daughter shall be known as the Princess Who Kicked Butt."
Before anyone could say another word, the fairy sneezed twice and disappeared. When the smoke cleared, the king said, "What did the fairy say?"
The queen frowned. "She said, our daughter shall be called, ah, the Princess Who Read Books, I think."
"Hm," said the king. "I'd rather hoped for the Princess Who Slew Dragons. But reading books is a sign of wisdom, isn't it? It's a fine title."
"I think she'll be happy with it," said the queen.
So the Princess Who Kicked Butt was surrounded with books from her earliest days. She seemed happy to spend her time reading, when she wasn't riding or dancing or running around the kingdom talking with everyone about what they were doing and why.
One day when the princess was older than a girl but younger than a woman, a page hurried into the throne room where the king and queen were playing cards while they waited for some royal duties to do. The princess sat on a nearby window seat, reading The Count of Monte Cristo.
"Your Majesties!" the page cried. "The Evil Enchanter of the Eastern Marshes demands to be admitted into your presence!"
"Well, then!" the king said. "Admit him immediately, lest he be angered by the delay."
"At once," said the page.
"Or perhaps," said the king (and the page turned back to face him so quickly that he almost fell over), "we should make the enchanter wait a few minutes, lest he think he can easily sway us to his whims."
"As you wish," said the page.
"Wait, wait," said the king. "Go at once to admit the enchanter. We would not have him think us rude."
"I go," said the page, turning to do so.
"But," said the king (and here the page did trip on the carpet as he turned), "if the enchanter is demanding to be admitted, that's rather rude, isn't it?"
The queen said, "For an evil enchanter, being rude might be the best manners." Then she asked the page, "Have you had enough to eat? If you're dizzy from hunger, we should give you a raise."
"Thank you. Your Majesty," said the page. "But I had a raise just last week and I ate an excellent lunch."
The queen nodded. "Be sure you have milk with every meal. Milk builds strong bones."
"I don't think there's anything wrong with his bones, Mama," said the princess, who secretly liked the page.
The king smiled. "If the enchanter's being polite, we should be polite, too, and if he's being rude, we'll look better by answering rudeness with civility. Don't dawdle, page. Admit him at once."
"At once," said the page, sprinting for the throne-room doors.
"Unless..." The king barely had time to open his mouth before the doors opened and the page returned. "Your Majesties, I give you the Evil Enchanter of the Eastern Marshes!"
The king smiled at the Evil Enchanter.
"Welcome to our castle, unless you'd rather not be."
"Oh, I'd rather be," said the Evil Enchanter. "Indeed, I feel most welcome to your lands, your people, and your treasure."
"Oh, good," said the king.
"I don't think so, dear," said the queen.
"I think he means that he feels welcome to keep our lands, people, and treasure."
"I do," said the Evil Enchanter. "And I shall. My immediate marriage to your daughter followed by Your Majesties' abdication in my favor would be the simplest solution. Oh, and triple the taxes on the people. That would make a fine wedding present."
"Yes, I suppose so," said the king.
"Dear!" said the queen.
"- if I intended to permit that," said the king.
"I won't marry him," said the princess, thinking it best to give her position on the matter as soon as possible.
The queen turned to her. "Oh, my poor darling, people will suffer no matter how you choose!"
"It's kind of you to notice," said the Evil Enchanter.
"You're right, my dear," the king told the queen. "We shall decide, not she." He nodded at the princess. "And I say you shall marry this evil enchanter, lest he be provoked to further mischief."
"What?" said the princess, the Evil Enchanter, and the page simultaneously.
"But," said the king (and in different ways, the princess, the Evil Enchanter, and the page relaxed), "if we permit this, the enchanter's next demand will surely be even more unforgivable. Therefore, I say you shall not marry him."
"That's your last word?" said the Evil Enchanter.
"It is," said the king.
"Very well," said the Evil Enchanter and waved his arms once in a broad pass, and he, the king, and the queen disappeared in cloud of smoke, just as the king said "Unless -"
The princess and the page stared at the places where the three people had been. "What shall we do, Your Highness?" asked the page.
"Why, I'll rescue them, of course," said the princess.
"I'll accompany you!" cried the page.
"Don't be silly. Someone has to run the country while I'm gone," said the princess. Before the page could reply, the princess strode from the throne room out to the royal stables.
The royal hostler bowed as she said, "I need a horse."
"Of course," he gestured toward a lean, midnight-black mare. "This is Arrives Yesterday, the fastest horse in the land."
"Won't do," said the princess. "Of course not," said the royal hostler, stepping to the next stall, which held a broad-shouldered golden stallion. "This is Carries All, the sturdiest horse in the land."
"Won't do," said the princess. She stepped to the next stall, which held a wiry horse with black and white splotches on its gray hide. "And this?"
The hostler swallowed and said, "This is Hates Everything, the angriest horse in the land."
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