Text “A cake of soap” (Домашнее чтение)

НЕМЦЫ (АНГЛИЙСКИЙ КАК ВТОРОЙ ИНОСТРАННЫЙ)

Домашнеечтение: text “A cake of soap”

1) прочитайте и переведите текст (перевод должен быть выполнен в письменной форме. Обратите внимание, что текст написан в прошедшем времени (Past Simple/Indefinite), прямая речь – в настоящем (Present Simple/Indefinite));

2) составьте глоссарий (т.е. выпишите все незнакомые слова, их транскрипцию и перевод. Не забудьте их выучить!);

3) подготовьте краткий пересказ (можно очень краткий, но осмысленный).

Устные темы:

1.  About myself

2.  My family

3.  About my friend

4.  My working day (Daily routine).

5.  My day off (Pastime and leisure).

6.  My home/flat.

7.  My hobby

A Cake of Soap

Norman Gortsby sat on a narrow bench in the park. From the bench he could see the street with its noisy and heavy traffic. It was 30 minutes past six and it was almost dark.

There was an old poor man in a brown coat on the bench near him. Some minutes later he left and soon after that a young man sat down on the bench. He said, “Today I have made[1] the worst mistake in my life”.

“Yes?” said Gortsby.

“I came to London this morning. It is my first visit to this city, you know. When I checked in at the hotel I went out to send a letter to my mother and to buy a cake of soap, as I do not like hotel soap. I walked a little but when I decided to come back to the hotel I could not remember its name or the name of the street it is in. And I am afraid I will spend the night in the park, as I have got no money and no friends in London. Do[2] you find my story impossible?” asked the young man.

“I do not find you story impossible but I do not think that you can show me the soap”, said Gortsby.

The young man began looking for the soap in his coat. “I have lost it”, he said in a moment.

“It is too much to lose a hotel and a cake of soap on one afternoon”, said Gortsby.

The young man did not say a word and left.

A few minutes later Gortsby saw a small white parcel near the bench. Yes, it was a cake of soap. Gortsby went to look for the young man. He saw him at the traffic lights.

“I am sorry I did not believe you. Here is some money and your cake of soap. Do not lose it again. It has been a good friend to you”, said Gortsby.

The young man thanked Gortsby and said “Good-bye”.

When Gortsby came back to the bench he saw the old poor man in the brown coat near the bench.

“What are you looking for[3]?” Gortsby asked him.

“I have lost a cake of soap”.

1.  About myself

Let me introduce myself. My name is ... I am ... years old. I am a ... (profession). I am also a student. I study at the University. I want to know two foreign languages – German and English.

I am married. My husband’s name is ... I have a child/two children – a boy and a girl/two boys/two girls. Her/his name is...

I am single. I live with my parents. My mother’s name is... My father’s name is...

I have a lot of friends. We go in for sports together.

I have grandparents. My grandparents are already retired. They like gardening and spend all their time growing tomatoes, potatoes, onions, strawberries and raspberries.

2.  My family

There are four of us in our family: my mother, father, my younger brother and me. I think our family is friendly and united. We spend a lot of time together, visit theatres, museums, go to the cinema.

My mother’s name is ... She is a kind and nice woman. She can cook very well. She is fond of reading.

My father’s name is ... He is an engineer. He can do many things around the house.

My brother’s name is ... He is ... years old. He studies at the university. He wants to become a doctor.

There are three/four of us in my family. My husband, my daughter/son (my children) and I.

My husband’s name is ... He is ... years old. He works as a ....

My son’s (daughter’s) name is .... He/she is ... years old. He/she goes to school. He/she is a pupil of the second form.

He/she goes to the kindergarten. He/she likes playing with other children.

We have a lot of relatives: cousins, aunts and uncles, because my Granny has a son and two daughters, five grandchildren, two nieces and one nephew. But they don’t live in Gomel. They live in different towns. They come to see us and we usually have a good time together. I am happy to have such a family.

3.  About my friend

I am very sociable and have a lot of friends. All of them make my life interesting. But my best friend is Martha. We have been friends for ten years already. We have much in common: the same interests and attitude to life. Very often our opinions coincide, sometimes they differ. But we never quarrel.

I like her appearance. She is a tall blonde with blue eyes. She is not a beauty, but rather attractive. She possesses a sense of humor and often makes me laugh. When we meet we can talk about everything. I am happy to have such a true and sincere friend. I will never let her down.

4.  My working day (Daily routine).

On week-days I usually get up at a quarter to seven. I make my bed and do my morning exercises. Then I go to the bathroom, take a shower, clean my teeth and comb my hair. After that I dress myself and go to the kitchen to cook breakfast. Then I go to work. I return home late in the evening. Once a week I give the flat a big clean. I mop the floors and dust the furniture. I don’t do much washing as I have a washing machine. The technical progress makes our lives much easier. There are a lot of electric and electronic appliances that make the housework better and faster. 

5.  My day off (Pastime and leisure).

In my opinion an ideal day off is the time you spend with your friends or relatives. I am for active rest. There are many places you can go to like cinemas, theatres, museums, cafes, parties. You can also go out of town. A day off for me is a nice possibility to escape from the daily routine. I never get up late on Saturdays and Sundays because I don’t want to waste my time sleeping. When the weather is fine I usually go to the countryside with my family. When I spend the whole day in the open air I feel rested and fit for work. 

6.  My home/flat.

I live in a big multi-storeyed block of flats in Gomel. Our flat is on the fifth floor. There are three rooms in it: a living-room and two bedrooms. There is a kitchen, a bathroom and a toilet there, too.

Our living-room is light and comfortable. There is only one window in it, but it’s very large. There is modern furniture in our living room. In the evenings or at the weekends we like to sit in this room, to watch TV, to listen to music or just talk.

I spend a lot of time in my bedroom which I use as a study.

Our kitchen is small but it is nice. There is a cooker there, a refrigerator, a table and four chairs. I always try to cook tasty things for my family.

I like my flat and I think there is no place like home.

7.  My hobby

Hobbies differ like tastes. I think the most popular kind of hobbies is collecting. People collect coins, stamps, postcards, toys, stones, pictures and so on. Some collections become very large and valuable. Many people like to spend their free time working in the garden where they grow unusual plants. Some people are keen on travelling. They travel all over the world and take pictures of the places they visit. At present many men have a new hobby – playing computer games. As for me I like ... It helps me to relax and forget about all my problems.