It looks as if I would never be 15 страница

WEIRD, WONDERFUL MRS BECKER

I. PRE-READING

1.1. SHARE your memories of a very special New Year and Christmas celebration. Try to recollect all the details that made it so unique.

1.2. In PAIRS, discuss the problem of Secrets and Surprises. Do you think we people need them?

1.3. In GROUPS of three or four, share recollections of very extraordinary events you were involved in. Rate these events in the order of their uniqueness.

II. READING

2.1. Understanding the title.

The title of the story written by Claire Blatchf ord is interesting from the linguistic point of view. What do you think of the alliteration used in it? What about the comma too? What do these details suggest?

2.2. Reading for pleasure and enrichment.

Read the story and answer the question: Was Mrs Becker really wonderful — or simply weird? The following words will be useful for better understanding of the events.

Dough — a mixture of flour and other ingredients ready for baking

Shovel — to move stones or dirt with a special spade

Fumble — to move with your hands, carelessly or awkwardly

Wade — to walk through water that is not deep

Stomp — to walk with heavy steps especially when angry

Advent — a period of four weeks before Christmas

Mrs Becker is weird," Cat said at suppertime one evening soon after Thanksgiving.

"Caitlin, please don't talk that way about our new neighbor. We hardly know her," Cat's mother replied.

"But she is weird," Cat insisted. "Her front door was wide open when we got off the bus today, and she was carrying rocks into her house. They were covered with mud. Who in the world would want a lot of dirty rocks in their house?"

"Maybe she has an aquarium," Cat's father suggested.

Cat shook her head. "They were way too big for that. They were as big as the rocks in Mr. Turnbull's stone wall."

Mr. Yates raised his eyebrows. "How old do you think Mrs. Becker is?" he asked Mrs. Yates.

"About Gammy's age."

"She got us mixed up again, too," Cat added.

Cat was eleven, and Lisy, although she was only half an inch shorter than her sister, was eight. When people confused the two or, worse yet, asked if they were twins, Cat got cross. Very cross. It wasn't fair that she had such a tall younger sister.

"I'll make cookies for her sometime soon," Cat's mother de­cided.

"Cookies?" echoed Lisy. She loved making cookies. Even more, she loved eating raw cookie dough.

The next afternoon when Cat and Lisy got off the bus, there was Mrs. Becker in a blue parka in front of her house. This time she was shoveling earth from her garden into three bushel baskets.

"Hi," she said, pausing to wave at them. The bun of white hair on top of her head looked as though it was about to unravel.

"Hi," said Cat.

"Did you have a good day?"

"O.K.," answered Cat. She really had had a good day, but she wasn't sure how friendly to be with this strange lady who dug in her garden in December.

"Looking forward to Christmas?"

Both girls nodded.

"Me, too. It's my very favorite time of year."

"I have to do my homework now," Cat said. She nudged Lisy with her elbow, and they started up the driveway to their house.

"She's watching us," Lisy whispered while Cat fumbled for the key in her pocket and then unlocked the door. Once inside, Cat dumped her schoolbag on the kitchen table. "What's she doing?" Cat wondered.

Together they went into the living room and peered out from behind the curtains. Mrs. Becker had resumed her digging. When the baskets were full she carried them, one by one, up the front steps and into her house.

At suppertime that night, Cat announced, "Mrs. Becker is really weird. She took a lot of earth into her house."

"Black earth," Lisy added.

Mr. Yates raised his eyebrows again. "She seems nice enough," he said, "but that is an odd thing to do."

"Are you still going to make cookies for her?" Lisy asked.

Mrs. Yates nodded. But there was no time for baking that evening, nor the next, nor the one after that. Mrs. Yates was too busy wrap­ping packages to send to relatives. Then there were the Christmas cards to write and address. Secretly Cat hoped her mother would forget all about cookies for Mrs. Becker.

On the afternoon of the nineteenth, everyone was predicting the season's first snowfall, and on the morning of the twentieth, Mr. Yates woke the girls with the good news: "No school!"

"Yippee!" Cat yelled, jumping out of bed.

The snow was coming down so thick and fast she could barely see their garage. Mr. Yates left early to catch the train, but Mrs. Yates stayed home. After breakfast the girls bundled up, went out, and waded around the backyard, heads bent, snowf lakes stuck to their eyelashes. Lisy got cold and went in, but Cat continued to brave thestorm. She crouched under the forsythia bush and pretended she was in an abandoned wolf's den.

Sugary smells greeted her as she came in for lunch.

"Don't take your snow pants off yet," her mother said. "I want you to take these cookies to Mrs. Becker." "Me?"

"It'll only take a few minutes."

"What about Lisy? Isn't she coming?"

"Her snow pants are soaked."

"Mine are, too."

Cat stuck her tongue out at Lisy, who was licking the mixing bowl. Cat took the bag with the cookies and stomped back outside. If she fell into one of the holes in Mrs. Becker's yard and froze to death, they'd be sorry!

She made it to Mrs. Becker's front door without any mishaps and rang the bell. A second later the door flew open, and there was Mrs. Becker in a red sweater with a spray of holly sticking out of the bun on top of her head.

"Here-are-cookies-from-my-mother," Cat said in one breath.

"Thank you," Mrs. Becker said, taking the bag. "I'm baking, too. Let's have a swap."

Before Cat knew what had happened, she was inside the house, and the door was shut. Mrs. Becker hurried into her kitchen. Cat looked around. There was a cuckoo clock on the wall in front of her. She peered into the living room, and her mouth fell open.

"Wow!"

The entire floor in that room was covered with moss and grass-real moss and grass! There wasn't a chair or a table or a TV in sight. Instead there were potted plants of all sizes and shapes half-buried in the grass. Rocks (the big rocks Cat had seen Mrs. Becker carrying into her house) lined a path leading to a Christmas tree in the center of the room. Can­dles and straw birds adorned the tree. A gold star shone from its top.

"Come," Mrs. Becker said.

Cat jumped. She hadn't heard her return.

"Those are paper-whites, here are tulips," Mrs. Becker said, pointing at some buds as they went down the path. "I'm hoping they'll bloom on Christmas Eve." "Is it... is it always like this in here?" Cat asked.

Mrs. Becker laughed. "No, this is my Advent garden."

Cat looked puzzled.

"The rest of the year I have furniture, but the four weeks before Christmas I change everything. We did it as children. My father would tell my sister and me a fairy tale as we made the garden. It's about a poor family that lived deep in a forest. One Christmas Eve when they had nothing to eat, the ice and snow suddenly melted away. The light grew warmer, and the flowers opened. They found all kinds of nuts and berries to eat while the birds sang, 'It's Christmas!' "

Cat didn't say anything. She felt she'd slipped into another world. She stood there smelling the earth and grass while the snow outside swirled up against the windows and the wind whistled.

"I know you wondered what I was doing the day you came home and I was carrying the rocks into the house,"

Mrs. Becker said. "I decided I wouldn't tell you then; I'd invite you and your sister over for a surprise on Christmas Eve."

Cat turned to her. "Can we still come?" "Yes."

"Mum and Dad, too?"

"Of course! But try to keep it a secret till then."

"Lisy can't keep secrets," said Cat, "but I can."

"I know you can," Mrs. Becker said with a smile. "You're older." Then she leaned over, broke a little spray of holly off a plant, and gave it to Cat.

2.3. True or false?

1. Cat and Lisy were twins.

2. Mrs Becker was a newcomer in their neighbourhood.

3. The girl considered their new neighbour very special.

4. Mrs Becker never noticed the girls watching her.

5. Mrs Becker had a greenhouse so she needed rocks and soil.

6. Cat was eager to go to Mrs Becker's place.

7. Making a Christmas garden was Mrs Becker's invention.

8. Cat was enchanted both by Mrs Becker and her Advent garden.

2.4. Prove that...

1. Cat was observant and imaginative for her age.

2. The girls' Mum wanted her daughters to be respectful.

3. Cat was sensitive about being an elder sister.

4. Mrs Becker was shrewd and perceptive.

5. Mrs Becker valued family traditions.

2.5. Vocabulary in focus.

Study the words and their meanings, and fill the gaps with the appropriate words.

· weird — unusual, different, very strange, mysterious

· cross — angry

· to unravel — to separate, loosen

· a mishap — a small mistake or accident

· to adorn — to decorate

· to make a swap — to exchange

· to confuse — to think wrongly that one person or thing is something else

1. I seem to know everything but when it comes to writing tests — I always... facts and figures.

2. We are both tired of listening to our old CDs — why not...?

3. I wonder what made her put on such a dress. Even for a New Year costume it looks....

4. Being... and resentful never helped anybody. Better make a fresh start.

5. Wow! The cat has been playing with my yarn again. It'll take years to... it.

6. John is really the perfect victim — he keeps getting into all possible....

7.... with all sorts of flowers the hall looked really festive.

2.6. Grammar in focus.

Sometimes children wouldn't do what their parents want. The same happened with the characters of the story. Say what they wouldn't want to do.

e.g. Mother wanted her daughters to take cookies to their neighbour. However, Lisy wouldn't go. She explained it saying that...

2.7. More grammar.

Would is also used for repeated action. For example, Mrs Becker's father would tell her Christmas stories when she was a little girl. Then they would make a Christmas garden together. Share your memories of the past with the group mates.

e.g. When I was very young and lived in..., I often...

2.8. Holidays and high days.

Match the high days with their descriptions.

Epiphany or Twelfth Night	On this day, according to Christianity, the day of Christ's Resurrection is marked.
Shrove Tues­day or Pancake Day	On this day Christians remember how Jesus was first shown to three Wise Men from the fast and received gifts from them.
Palm Sunday	On this day, four Sundays before Christmas, Christians begin preparations for the birthday of Jesus Christ.
Easter	On this day, you'd better confess your sins and eat a lot of pancakes.
Advent	On this day, according to the Christian leg­end, Jesus was welcomed when entering Jerusalem.

2.9. Work and play idioms.

Work (and play) with the following idioms. Match the idioms with their meanings correctly. Work out (or play, why not) short stories that require such idioms.

	Play for time	A	Работать на износ
	In the works	B	Детские игрушки
	Child's play	C	(Находиться) в работе
	Play possum	D	Тянуть время
	Work like a nigger	E	Творить чудеса
	Work wonders	F	Работать как проклятый
	Play for high stakes	G	Притворяться
	Work one's guts out	H	Идти на большой риск

III. POST-READING

3.1. Feelings.

Christmas comes in the middle of winter, yet it's the warmest holiday of the year all over Christendom. It's the most magical, the most fantastic, the most... well, you continue now. Don't forget 'merry, either.

3.2. Dreams of childhood

If you went back to your childhood in a dream, what do you think you would see? Share some of your recollections.

3.3. Roleplay.

Act out a scene from Mrs Becker's childhood. Role-play a conversa­tion between the girl and her daddy on the eve of Christmas.

3.4. Poetry corner.

Read the poem written by David McCord and prepare to analyze it — VERY attentively. Answer the following questions:

1. Why the 'stocking'?

2. Who is 'he'?

3. How can one 'weigh' his wants?

4. What does it mean, 'missed'?

5. Is there any difference between the things you

6. should, would and could do?

7. What does the last phrase mean?

From: A Christmas Package

My stocking's where

He'll see it - there!

One-half a pair.

The tree is sprayed,

My prayers are prayed,

My wants are weighed.

I've made a list

Of what he missed

Last year. I kissed

My father, mother,

Sister, brother;

I've done those other

Things I should

And would and could.

So far, so good.

THE FARTHEST CHRISTMAS

I. PRE-READING

1.1. SHARE your understanding of the phenomenon of boredom. What do you think causes it? Have you ever experienced intolerable boredom?

1.2. DISCUSS the traditions and rituals that bore you stiff. Is there any such ritual that you simply cannot stand?

1.3. ARGUE the following statement: "Holidays do not happen by themselves; they are to be created."

II. READING

2.1. Understanding the title.

The title of the story written by Glen Rapoza suggests the idea that the celebration took place: a) very far away; b) very long ago; c) before Christmas. Which is your choice?

2.2. Reading for pleasure and enrichment.

Read and answer the question: What puzzled the children most of all? The following words will be useful for better understanding of the events.

Thruster — a device for pushing the spaceship forward

Freight carrier — a rocket for carrying goods and supplies

Be geared for — to be prepared for a special purpose

Chamber, a cubicle — small living spaces on board

Padded — covered with soft material

Hull — the main part of a ship or spacecraft

Air lock — a special room designed for changing pressure

Celestial — related to the skies; simply astonishingly beautiful

The spacecraft was like a giant ornament in the sky, motion­less and glimmering amidst the stars. It was a huge ship, its mirrored surface unbroken save for the main thrusters protruding like candles from the rear of the craft.

The ship had been designed primarily as a freight carrier for the trans-Martian run but occasionally the USS Prancer would trans­port a small group of passengers to the Martian Colonies. One of the cargo holds had been especially converted for such passengers, and it was there in sleeping cubicle 23 that little Richard Glen sat with his chin in his hands and with nothing to do.

RG (as he was more commonly called) was big for his age and very intelligent as well. His parents were both scientists for the Interplanetary Commission, and he and his dad were on their way to meet his mom at the Phobos weather station. Unfortunately for RG, what he thought was going to be the biggest adventure of his life had turned into the worst experience since his bout with tonsillitis.

Admittedly, not everything had been bad-the trip on the space shuttle to the orbital docking station had been fun, but that hadn't lasted very long. And besides, he had been on orbital flights before.

It was the interplanetary flight that RG had been really looking forward to, but to his dismay, the three-month trip to Mars was turning out to be more boring than a thousand rainy days at home.

First of all, there was absolutely nothing for RG to do. The old freighter really wasn't geared for passengers and certainly wasn't equipped for children. Since the craft was mainly used for cargo, the only view of the outside was through the navigational windows at the front of the ship, and only crew members were allowed up there. The only difference between night and day was the dimming of the corridor lights between 12:00 and 6:00 a.m., and despite the spaceship's tremendous speeds, there was no sensation of motion within the ship itself.

Every day was like the one before, and it seemed to RG that he had been on this ship for two years instead of two months. In fact, the only thing RG had to look forward to was Christmas time. It had always been RG's favorite time of year, but he was beginning to think that even Christmas was going to be a disappointment on the Prancer.

"Will I get a lot of presents this Christmas?" RG asked his dad one day.

RG's father smiled. "Well, you have behaved pretty well on this trip. So I think Santa will be good to you. By the way, I saw Sunny over on B deck. She was looking for you."

RG pushed himself off his bunk and planted his feet on the walking strips with a metallic clunk. Since there was no gravity on the ship, everyone had to wear electromagnetic shoes in order to walk in a somewhat normal fashion. The shoes had built-in pressure switches that would turn on the magnetic current when stepped on and then turn it off as each foot would lift up. All the corridors were lined with thick metal walking strips, and they often reverberated with the clip-clop of someone walking from one place to another.

"Was Sunny in the rec room?"

"Uh-huh. But be careful in there."

Sunny was the only other child aboard the Prancer on this trip. Naturally RG would rather have had another boy to hang around with, but Sunny was O.K.

"Hey, RG, watch me do this somersault!"

The rec room was the only place where RG was allowed to remove his deck shoes. It was a huge chamber, and every wall was fully pad­ded. RG watched impassively as Sunny somersaulted through the air from one wall to another. He then undipped his shoes and propelled himself into the air until his hands touched the padded ceiling.

"Hi, Sunny, what's new?"

"New? Nothing's new. Everything's the same around here- bor­ing, boring, boring!" Sunny said as she somersaulted to the other side of the room. RG did a twist and then jumped down to the floor.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. That's why I can't wait until Christmas. I keep trying to imagine what Santa's going to bring me. What do you think you'll get?"

Sunny grabbed a rail and halted. "I hate to tell you this, but Santa isn't bringing anything to either of us."

"Why do you say that?"

"Think, RG, think! It takes Santa all night just to get around to all the kids on Earth. How is he going to have time for us? We're mil­lions of miles away. It would take Santa months to reach us. Besides, even Santa and his reindeer have to breathe. The air is awful thin outside the ship. I tell you, RG, I've been away for Christmas before, but this is the farthest Christmas I've ever had." Sunny jumped to the floor and clipped on her deck shoes.

"See you later, RG. I'm going to get something to eat."

RG said nothing as Sunny walked out of the room. The logic of her words had confirmed his worst fears — they were too far away to have Christmas.

"Don't you believe any of that!"

RG spun around. It was Big Pete, one of the maintenance crew. Reaching out with his huge arm, he slapped RG on the back.

"Don't you worry, RG, Santa has ways of doing things that even Sunny can't figure out. By the way, is your father in his cubicle?"

RG nodded.

"Well, I'm off to see him. Take care, lad."

RG limply waved his hand and then looked away.

Christmas day dawned on the Prancer just like any other day. RG was almost afraid to open his eyes. He knew it would just be the same old routine. As he slowly unstrapped himself, he noticed his dad's bunk was empty. He also noticed there were no presents to be seen. RG clipped on his deck shoes and was ready to leave his cubicle when his father walked in.

"Good morning, RG. I'm afraid Santa is going to be a little late this Christmas. How about some breakfast?"

RG shrugged and followed his father down the corridor that led to the cafeteria. As they approached the cafeteria entrance, there was a sudden buzz on the ship's loudspeaker, and RG's father stopped in his tracks.

"That's odd — sounds like an outer hull alarm. I think we'd bet­ter check the emergency air lock."

Walking as fast as possible, they rushed down to D corridor where Sunny and her parents were already waiting. Sunny was pointing frantically at the flashing light on the air lock door.

"RG, there's somebody in there!"

RG's father nodded in agreement. "I think you all better stand back while I release the hatch."

There was a sudden rush of air as the hatch began to open. Slowly a huge dark form came into view within the air lock. It was a large man carrying a big sack, and as he stepped out into the corridor, the walkway lights reflected brightly off his huge, cherry red spacesuit. RG couldn't quite see through the polarized face shield of the man's helmet, but he was certain that there were bristles of whiskers pressed against the glass. As they all stood there dumbfounded, the man in the red spacesuit set the large sack before the children's feet and waved his big arm in the air to say farewell. Then he stepped back into the air lock, shut the hatch and was gone.

RG just stared at the sack that lay before his feet. It was stuffed full of games and toys and books and good things to eat. Sunny was still staring at the vacant air lock. "RG, that was Santa Claus!"

The boy smiled. "I told you he'd come. Now all we need is a Christmas tree!"

RG's father laughed. "I'll tell you what. I don't know where I can get a Christmas tree, but I think we might have something even better. Come with me."

Making their way to the front of the ship, RG saw that the usually locked door to the navigational room was wide open. As they entered the chamber, RG looked through the dome-shaped observatory win­dows at the most beautiful view he had ever seen. It was as if they were standing in space, alone in the heavens. Mars shone brightly before them like a candied apple, and the stars sparkled brilliantly like a million candles on a celestial tree. The sun stood high above, shining as a star once did over Bethlehem so many years ago. Placing his hand on his son's shoulder, RG's father smiled.

"Merry Christmas, son!"

2.3. True of false?

1. The space journey was a thrilling experience for the boy.

2. RG had little to do on board the spaceship.

3. Because of no gravity, RG could walk about the ship easily.

4. Sunny was a level-headed girl: she thought Santa was a fairy tale.

5. Christmas had never been celebrated in space before.

6. The kids didn't guess who the visitor with gifts really was.

7. After the incident, the kids would believe in Santa even more.

8. Visiting the navigational room was a much better present for the boy.

2.4. Points of view.

What did they mean by saying so?

"Nothing's new. Everything's the same around here — boring, boring, boring!"

"We are too far away to have Christmas."

"Santa has ways of doing things that even Sunny can't figure out."

"RG, that was Santa Claus!"

"I don't know where I can get a Christmas tree, but I think we might have something even better."

2.5. Verbs in focus.

Match the verbs with their definitions. Translate the sentences

below using the newly defined verbs.

	hang around with	A	think about a problem until you understand it
	turn into	B	become visible
	turn out	C	become something by changing
	figure out	D	result in or develop
	stop in one's tracks	E	spend a lot of time with someone
	come into view	F	stop suddenly due to surprise, fear, etc.

1. Наконец перед уставшими путниками появился Изумрудный город.

2. Сколько можно болтаться с друзьями! Пора заняться чем-нибудь!

3. Золушки не всегда превращаются в прекрасных принцесс.

4. Вопреки всем мрачным прогнозам Санта все-таки по­явился.

5. Туристы так и замерли перед роскошной витриной магазина.

6. Все долгие приключения окончились довольно благополучно.

2.6. Storing vocabulary.

Fill in the gaps with the appropriate words from the list below.

1. The driver was... as his passenger continued to scream at him.

2. The car did... before coming to a stop.

3. I can't see how this plastic sheet... into a tent.

4. The ship brought a... of tropical fruit and was stopped at the customs.

5. The sound of a passing train... through the house.

6. After a near fatal... of the disease he decided to lead a healthy life.

Choose from: cargo, bout, somersault, reverberate, dumb­founded, convert.

2.7. Grammar in focus.

A three-month trip was a long time for RG. Think of some­thing that might have brightened the boy's days on board the spacecraft.

e.g. A field trip to a nearby planet lasting 6 hours? —

The boy would have liked to make a 6-hour field trip to a nearby planet.

Other options: a bag of sweets weighing 5 kilos, an interactive movie consisting of 12 series, etc.

2.8. Studying comparisons.

Pay more attention to comparisons used in the story. "The spacecraft was like a giant ornament in the sky, motionless and glimmering amidst the stars... It was a huge ship, its mirrored surface unbroken save for,the main thrusters protruding like candles from the rear of the craft..." Make your own compari­sons now.

e.g. Life on board the spaceship was like... Sunny's words were like... etc.

III. POST-READING

3.1. Christmas quiz.

Some of the things people have or do at Christmas have become uite familiar. Check if you understand what these things are like. о the quiz below.

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