Тексты на английском языке для чтения в 9 классе

In 1608 an Englishman, Thomas Coryate by name, was in Italy. He liked the country and wrote down everything which he found interesting.

But there was one thing which he thought more interesting than any others.

On one of the pages Thomas wrote: ''When the Italians eat meat, they use forks. They do not eat meat with hands, they say, people do not always have clean hands".

Before Thomas Coryate went to England, he bought a few forks.

When he got home, Thomas Coryate gave a dinner party to show the forks to his friends. When the servants put the meat on the table, he took out a fork and began to eat like the Italians.

Everybody looked at him. When he told his friends what it was, they all wanted to take a good look at the strange thing. All his friends said that the Italians were very strange, because the fork was very inconvenient.

But Thomas Coryate didn't agree with them. He said it was not nice to eat meat with the fingers, because people didn't always have clean hands.

Everybody was angry at this. Did Mr. Coryate think that people in England didn't always have clean hands? And weren't the ten fingers we had enough for us?

Thomas Coryate wanted to show that it was very easy to use the fork. But the first piece of meat he took with the fork fell to the table. His friends began to laugh and he had to take the fork away.

Fifty years passed before people in England began to use forks.

Слова и выражения:

inconvenient - неудобный

2

Once upon a time in a small village there lived a young man. His name was Jack. He had a wife and old parents. The family was so poor that there were no nice things in their house.

One day Jack went to town to look for a job.

Some time passed and he came back with a box full of presents for everybody. He gave his mother a shawl, his father a warm cap and a shirt, his wife a beautiful dress.

All of them liked the presents very much and were glad to have them. But Jack's wife wanted to know what else there was in the box.

So, when Jack went to see his friends, she opened the box and saw a beautiful young woman in it.

She got very angry and began to cry. When her father-in-law heard it, he asked why she was crying. She told him she was so angry because there was a young woman in the box.

The old man thought it was strange and decided to look at the young woman. But when he opened the box, he saw no young woman there. An old man was looking at him from the box.

Jack's father told his daughter-in-law there was an old man in the box and not a young woman. But she didn't believe him and went on crying. She said Jack didn't love her.

When Jack's mother heard the young woman's story, she didn't believe her either. She looked into the box and saw an old woman there.

So they began to look into the box in turn and Jack's wife saw a beautiful woman, Jack's father saw an old man, and Jack's mother saw an old woman there.

Soon Jack returned home, and when he came into the room, he saw his wife, his mother and father at the box.

He laughed at them because they didn't know what they saw in the box.

What was there in the box? Can you guess?

Слова и выражения:

a shawl -шаль

a father-in-law -свёкор

a daughter-in law -невестка, сноха

to guess - догадываться

3

Weddings are associated with many traditions. The date of a wedding is very important. May is traditionally unlucky for weddings. But today many young people in England marry between Easter and May.

For every bride her wedding dress is very important. At most weddings brides get married in white. People think that many other colours are unlucky, for example, green, yellow and red, but the bride can be dressed in blue.

They say that the bride's dress must have "something old and something new". "Old" means the past, "new" means the future.

Even a modern bride will not wear her dress before the wedding. The groom mustn't see her before the ceremony in the wedding dress. The bride can't try on her veil at the same time as the dress. Many brides put it on for the first time on the day of the wedding. Some brides even believe that the wedding dress mustn't be finished until the wedding morning.

An important thing is a wedding cake. Today the cake is first cut by the bride. They say that pieces of cake bring good luck.

Слова и выражения:

a wedding - свадьба

a groom - жених

a bride - невеста

a veil - фата

4

Mr. and Mrs. Williams had always spent their summer holidays in England in the past, in a small boarding-house at the seaside. One year, however, Mr. Williams made a lot of money in his business, so they decided to go to Rome and stay at a really good hotel while they went around and saw the sights of that famous city.

They flew to Rome, and arrived at their hotel late one evening. They expected that they would have to go to bed hungry, because in the boarding houses they had been used to in the past, no meals were served after seven o'clock in the evening. They were therefore surprised when the clerk who received them in the hall of the hotel asked them whether they would be taking dinner there that night.

"Are you still serving dinner then?" asked Mrs. Williams.

"Yes, certainly, madam," answered the clerk. "We serve it until half past nine."

"What are the times of meals then?" asked Mr. Williams.

"Well, sir," answered the clerk, "we serve breakfast from seven to half past eleven in the morning, lunch from twelve to three in the afternoon, tea from four to five, and dinner from six to half past nine."

"But that hardly leaves any time for us to see the sights of Rome!" said Mrs. Williams in a disappointed voice.

Слова и выражения

boarding-house - пансионат

to go around - ходить, путешествовать (по городу)

to see the sights - осматривать достопримечательности

to be used to -иметь привычку к чему-либо

to serve meals - подавать еду на стол

hardly -едва, вряд ли

disapрointed - разочарованный

5

Once upon a time there lived two sisters. The elder sister had a son. The boy was one year old. The two women loved the boy dearly.

One day the sisters quarreled and at night the younger sister tried to leave the house with the baby. The elder sister saw it and stopped her.

"You cannot take the boy! He's my son!" said the elder sister.

But the younger sister wanted to have the boy very much and she said: "I'll tell the judge the boy is mine. I love the baby so much that the judge will believe me."

So in the morning they went to the judge. Each woman told him that the baby was hers.

The judge thought a little and then called his servants.

"Cut the child into two halves and give each woman the half of the boy," he said.

The younger sister didn't say a word, but the elder sister told the judge: "I'm not the child's mother. Give him to my sister and let him live."

The judge then said to the servants: "Give the boy to the elder sister. She is the real mother."

Слова и выражения:

To quarrel - ссориться

a judge - судья

a servant -слуга

6

Mrs. Black was having a lot of troubles with her skin, so she went to her doctor about it. He couldn't find anything wrong with her, however, he sent her to the local hospital for some tests. The hospital, of course, sent the results of the tests direct to Mrs. Black's doctor, and the next morning he telephoned her to give her the list of the things that he thought she shouldn't eat, as any of them might be the cause of her skin trouble.

Mrs. Black carefully wrote all the things down on a piece of paper, which she then left beside the telephone while she went out to the ladies meeting.

When she got back home two hours later, she found her husband waiting for her. He had a big basket full of packages beside him, and when he saw her, he said: " Hullo, dear. I have done all your shopping for you."

"Done all my shopping?" she asked in surprise. "But how did you know what I wanted?"

"Well, when I got home, I found your shopping list beside the telephone," answered her husband, "so I went down to the shops and bought everything you had written down."

Of course Mrs. Black had to tell him that he had bought all the things the doctor didn't allow her to eat.

Слова и выражения

local- местный

to send smth. direct - направить что-либо прямо, непосредственно куда-либо

cause- причина, источник

skin trouble - болезнь кожи

package - свёрток

shopping list - список покупок

to allow - позволять, разрешать

7

It was a very foggy day in London. The fog was so thick that it was impossible to see more than a foot or so. Buses, cars and taxies were not able to run and were standing by the side of the road. People were trying to find their way about on foot but were losing their way in the fog. Mr. Smith had a very important meeting at the House of Commons and had to get there but no one could take him. He tried to walk but found he was quite lost. Suddenly he bumped into a stranger. The stranger asked if he could help him. Mr. Smith said he wanted to get to the Houses of Parliament. The stranger told him he would take him there. Mr. Smith thanked him and they started to walk there. The fog was getting thicker every minute but the stranger had no difficulty in finding the way. He went along the street, turned down another, crossed a square and at last after about half an hour's walk they arrived at the Houses of Parliament. Mr. Smith couldn't understand how the stranger found his way.

"It was wonderful," he said. "How did you find the way in this fog?"

"It was no trouble at all to me," said the stranger. "I am blind."

Слова и выражения:

fog - туман

the House of Commons - палата общин

blind - слепой

8

This is a story about a well-know millionaire, John D. Rockfeller, and was told by a friend of his. This friend said that though Rockfeller gave away millions, Rockfeller himself was very mean about small sums of money.

One day he went to stay at a hotel in New York and asked for the cheapest room they had. Rockfeller said, "What is the price of the room?" The manager told him.

"And which floor is it on?" Again the manager told him.

"Is this the lowest priced room you have? I am staying here by myself and only need a small room."

The manager said, "That room is the smallest and the cheapest we have," and added, "But why do you choose a poor room like that? When your son stays here he always has our most expensive room; yours is our cheapest."

"Yes," said Rockfeller, "but his father is a wealthy man; mine isn't."

Слова и выражения:

mean- скупой

9

Jack, an old sailor who spent many years in the Navy, was walking along the country road when he came to a farm house. The farmer was standing at the door and Jack said, " I have been walking all day looking for work. Will you give me a job?"

"Have you ever done any farm work?" said the farmer.

"No," said Jack. "I have been a sailor all my life, but I will do any job you like to give me."

"All right," said the farmer. "I'll give you a chance. Do you see that flock of sheep scattered over the hillside?"

''Yes," answered Jack.

''Well,'' said the farmer. ''Get them all through that gate and into the yard."

"Right,'' said Jack. ''I'll do that.''

About an hour later the farmer went to the yard. Jack was leaning on the gate wiping his forehead.

''Did you get them all?'' said the farmer.

''Yes,'' said Jack. The farmer looked around to be sure enough all the sheep were gathered in the yard and the gate was shut. Then the farmer saw a hare running round among the sheep. The sailor saw that he was looking at it.

''Yes,'' he said, ''that little fellow there gave me more trouble than all the rest put together.''

Слова и выражения:

the Navy - морской флот

a flock - стадо

to be scattered - быть разбросанным

hillside - склон холма

to lean - опираться, облокачиваться

to wipe - вытирать

forehead - лоб

10

Two men were travelling in a very wild and lonely part of America. For days they had not even seen a house, only a few huts made of wood, or tents made of skins. Then one day they met an old Indian who earned his living by trapping animals for their fur. They found that he knew their language and they had a little conversation with him. One of them asked if he could tell them what the weather would be like within the next few days.

''Yes,'' he said. ''Rain is coming, and wind. Then there will be snow for two days, but after that there will be bright sunshine.''

''Isn't that wonderful?'' said one man to his friend. ''These old Indians know more of the secrets of Nature than we do with all our science. They have not been spoiled by civilization.'' Then he turned to the Indian.

''Tell me,'' he said, ''how you know all that.''

The Indian replied: ''I heard it on the radio.''

Слова и выражения:

a hut - хижина

to trap - ставить капканы

fur - мех

11

Once on April, 1, a coach was going along a country road when it suddenly slowed down and stopped. It was full of passengers who anxiously watched the driver turn switchers and press buttons. However it was not of any use. The driver turned to the passengers and said in a sad voice: ''This coach is getting old. It doesn't run as well as it used to some time ago. I am afraid there is only one thing that we could do if we want to get to the place today. I wonder if all of you could help me.'' The passengers willingly agreed as no one wanted to spend a lot of time in the middle of nowhere.

The driver said: ''So, this is what you do to get the coach to start. I will count three, and when you hear ''three'' I want you all to lean forward as hard as you can. I hope it will help us. It usually does. Well, ready everyone?'' The passengers shouted back to the driver that they were ready, leaned back and waited.

The driver started to count and as he said ''three'' everyone leaned forward. And the greatest surprise was that the coach did start! Of course it wasn't a surprise for the driver and some of the passengers who had already understood that they all had been laughed at. In fact the driver didn't have to give a merry cry ''April Fool'' because all the passengers were laughing at the driver's joke.

Слова и выражения;

a coach - междугородный автобус

anxiously - зд. с надеждой

willingly - охотно

to lean - потянуться , вытянуться, откинуться

12

Once a little mouse who was not on very good terms with cats like all mice, decided to give herself a treat of cheese. To do this she had to cross over to the other side of the kitchen where the table was. She knew the cheese was there because she could feel its wonderful smell. But there was a small problem. The mouse was not sure if there were any cats in the house. She certainly wouldn't like to run the risk of being eaten so she sat inside the wall near the mouse hole and listened.

It must be mentioned that our mouse was not an ordinary one. She was the sort of gifted and she had some logic. She was taught to think twice before doing something to avoid unpleasant consequences. That was why she didn't hurry.

At last she heard someone barking. The mouse thought: ''It must be a dog. Dogs don't eat mice, and cats don't usually live where dogs are. It means I can get to the cheese quite safely.'' That was absolutely logical.

But to the mouse's greatest surprise as soon as she got out the mouse hole she was attacked by a big cat and eaten in some time. The thing is that it was the cat who was barking. ''Indeed, knowing foreign languages can open new possibilities and give you a wider picture of the world,'' said the cat to himself and made off a bird's song.

Слова и выражения:

to be on terms- быть в каких-либо отношениях

to give oneself a treat - угоститься, побаловать себя

to run the risk - подвергаться риску

gifted - одарённая, талантливая

to avoid - избежать

consequences - последствия

to bark - лаять

make off - зд. выдать, воспроизвести (в звуке)

13

Once a teacher was giving a class a lesson on sports and keeping fit. The class consisted of thirty twelve-year-old boys who usually listened to their teacher attentively. The teacher told them about the importance of keeping fit. They discussed jogging, going to gyms, doing morning exercises. The boys seemed interested, and the teacher was pleased they had understood what he was trying to say.

''Swimming is also helpful if you want to be in a good form. You are lucky if you live near a river or a sea, because you can go swimming every morning, afternoon or evening. The more you swim, the stronger your arms and legs are. Swimming also gives you a lot of energy. I've got a friend who lives near a river. Every day he gets up and swims across the river three times before breakfast.'' said the teacher.

As he looked at the class he noticed that one boy was smiling. ''Why are you smiling, Pete? You don't believe that a trained person can do that, do you?'' asked the teacher. The boy said ''Yes, sir, I do. I was just thinking about your friend. I guess he should do that four times.'' The teacher was surprised at the boy's answer. ''Why on earth is that?'' he asked. ''To get back to his clothes and his breakfast,'' said the boy.

Слова и выражения:

attentively - внимательно

to keep fit - поддерживать форму (спортивную)

jogging - бег трусцой

14

Once upon a time a Frenchman was traveling in England. He had only started learning English a month ago so he didn't speak the language well enough. He thought he knew a lot of grammar, but he knew he had some problems with vocabulary, so he always took a pocket French-English dictionary with him. Apart from that he was rather absent-minded and often left this dictionary at the hotel where he was staying.

One day he took a trip to Oxford. When he got there he suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to have his breakfast. He was so hungry that he decided to have a meal in a cafe`. He wanted to take a typical English breakfast - some bacon, eggs, toasts and coffee. When a waiter came up and asked what he would like to order the Frenchman realized in horror that he didn't remember the English for ''eggs''. He searched his pockets for the dictionary but it wasn't there. ''What am I to do?'' he thought (in French, of course).

The waiter was looking at the silent customer impatiently. Eventually the Frenchman had an idea. He asked the waiter: ''What do you call a bird that makes a cock-a-doodle-doo?'' ''A cock, sir,'' answered the waiter. ''And what about his children which have not been born yet?'' he went on. ''Do you mean eggs?'' said the waiter with a smile. ''Oh, yes, that's the word! Bring me two of them, some bacon, toasts and coffee,'' replied the Frenchman with relief.

Слова и выражения:

vocabulary -словарный запас

a pocket- карман

apart from that - несмотря на это

to search - обыскивать, проверять

in horror - в ужасе

silent - безмолвный. молчащий

impatiently- нетерпеливо

eventually - случайно

relief - облегчение

cock-a-doodle-doo - кукареку

15

Once there was a bookseller in a small town who didn't like to spend his money. One day, when he was working in a shop, heavy box of books fell down on his foot and hurt it. When he told his wife about it, she suggested going to the doctor. But the bookseller refused. He said that he had a better plan. He would wait until the doctor came into the shop next time to buy something and ask about his foot. He understood that if he went to see the doctor, he would have to pay him.

Luckily the next day the doctor came into the shop and bought some books. As the bookseller was wrapping the books, he told the doctor what had happened to his foot. The doctor agreed to have a look at it. After he had examined the bookseller's foot, he told him what to do with it. He also took out a piece of paper from his briefcase and wrote a prescription for some ointment. The bookseller was very pleased that he wouldn't have to pay the doctor any money. But the doctor understood that his knowledge had been used for free. Of course, he didn't like it. So, when the bookseller gave those carefully wrapped books to the doctor and said that they were five pounds, the doctor said it was exactly the money he charged for a visit. It goes without saying the bookseller was furious, but he couldn't do anything about it as the doctor was right.

Слова и выражения:

to hurt - ударять, причинять боль

to refuse - отказаться

to wrap - заворачивать во что-то

a briefcase - докторский саквояж

a prescription - рецепт

ointment - мазь

for free - бесплатно

exactly - зд. именно

to charge - оценивать

furious - вне себя от ярости

it goes without saying - не стоит и говорить, что ...