The sun had three daughters: the eldest was Autumn, the middle was Summer, and the youngest was Spring. They led a cheerful life in their father's home. But then it was time to send them to the

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The sun had three daughters: the eldest was Autumn, the middle was Summer, and the youngest was Spring. They led a cheerful life in their father's home. But then it was time to send them to the Earth. The Sun's children were to be the seasons.

First to fly was Spring. She was so pretty in her youth that when sending her on her journey the Sun decided to make her a present of eternal youth. "People must like her," he thought.

Three months later they sent Summer to the Earth, "You are a beauty!" said the Sun, saying good-bye, to his daughter. "I shall make you a present of eternal beauty."

And at last itwas time for Autumn to leave her father's house. "Take all my wealth,'' the Sun told her. "I give you all the gold I have. Be kind, give people all you have, and people will love you."

And on the other side of the world Winter, the only daughter of Frost, was getting ready for her journey. She was also to become a season on the Earth.

Her father worried about her. She was a very plain girl. She had no rich clothes. He couldn't make her any presents. Frost got together all the wealth he had and it was just a handful of silver. And that was all Winter had when she stepped on to the Earth.

It became very cold. The birds flew away. The water in the rivers soon turned into ice. People put on warm clothes and hurried to the shelter of their houses, where they closed the doors and windows. No one asked Winter into their houses. No one wanted to look at her. No one wanted to have anything to do with the plain and cold girl.

Then she started to work. She made little snowflakes and tossed them to the sky, and the snowflakes started to fall slowly down on the Earth. The Earth was changing. Snow covered the fields. There was white snow on the trees and the houses. Winter wanted to make everything beautiful. It was hard work. But she did not feel tired. She was ready to give all she had to people. She threw all her silver on the Earth. The silver mixed with the snow and it began to sparkle.

Winter forgot about time. She did not see how the door of one house opened and a man came out and stopped in surprise. Everything was sparkling. The houses looked like ice palaces. The icicles were talking to each other like bells. And the drawings Winter made on the windows were like a work of art. Children were skiing and skating.

All over the Earth people began to talk about Winter. They started to wait for her to come. They wanted everything to be as light and clear as it is on a sunny, snowy, winter day. They started singing songs about her and writing poems and music to her.

But still Winter knew that when she was on the Earth people very often spoke of Spring, waited for Summer and placed their hopes on Autumn. And they were never sorry to say good-bye to Winter.

eternal – вечный, wealth – богатство, plain – неприметный, невзрачный;

handful - горстка, to step – ступать, shelter – укрытие, to have to do smth. with smb. - иметь скем-л. lело, to toss – подбрасывать, to place hopes on – возлагать надежды на, a palace – дворец, to mix – смешивать

Questions

1. What is the genre of the story? What makes you think that it is a …?

What is it about?

2. Are all the four seasons of the same origin?(Do they have the same parent (father?))

3. Are the Seasons male or female characters in the story?

4. What is Spring’s magic power according to the fairy-tale?

5. What did father (the Sun) presented his middle daughter (Summer) with when he sent her to the Earth?

6. What was Autumn’s wealth?

7. What did Winter come onto the Earth with?

8. Were people glad to meet Winter? Why?

9. How did she win people’s hearts?

10. How would you entitle this story?

11. Do you feel about seasons the way it is described in the end of the fairy-tale?