Aldar kose and the snake

Once upon a time Aldar Kose made friends with a snake. Soon they went hunting. On their way the friends found a bar of gold as big as a head of a horse. They didn’t want to share the gold between each other. What should they do? Then the snake said “Let this gold go to you if you are older than I am or let this gold go to me if I am older than you are”.

Aldar Kose agreed and they began to recollect their age. The snake said that she was born when the Sun was a small as an ear and the Earth was as small as a saddle. Aldar Kose heard the snake’s words and burst into tears. The snake asked him about the reason of his tears. Aldar Kose replied:

At that very moment when the Sun was as small as an ear and the Earth was as small as a saddle and you were born, my elder son died. This is the reason of my crying.

The snake believed Aldar Kose and the bar of gold went to him. Thus, Aldar Kose appeared to be very smart and it helped him to outwit the snake.

Vocabulary:

saddle – седло

to outwit – перехитрить

• Are these sentences true or false? Write T or F:

1. The friends found a jug of gold. ( )

2. They shared the gold between each other. ( )

3. The snake was born when the Sun was small. ( )

4. Aldar Kose was younger than the snake. ( )

5. The snake didn’t believe Aldar Kose. ( )

A deceived fat man

A fat man went to visit his relative. He took a gift for his cousin. It was a cauldron full of millet. The man put it on his head. He was merry and looked forward to treating tasty food at his cousin’s. So, the man was walking merrily and on his way he was picking on the passers- by.

Suddenly he saw Aldar Kose riding his grey horse and waving his lash. He must have been in a hurry to some place. The fat man called Aldar Kose:

• Hey! Aldar Kose! Where are you hurrying to? Wait a little bit. They say you have deceived Satan. As for me you will never be able to deceive me! Aldar Kose got worried and answered:

• You have chosen a bad time for jokes, dear man. The end of the world is coming soon. Look. The sky is on fire. Sooner or later it will fall dawn.

The fat man got frightened and looked up into the sky. At that very moment the cauldron fell off the fat man’s head and the millet scattered around.

• Oh! What have I done? – shouted the fat man. Aldar Kose answered:

• It is very difficult to deceive a clever man. A silly man always deceives himself.

Vocabulary:

cauldron – котёл

passers by – прохожие

• What proverb is the most suitable for the tale?

1. At fool at forty is a fool indeed.

2. A wise man changes his mind, a fool never will.

3. He who is born a fool is never cured.

• Write answers to these questions. You don’t need to write complete sentences.

1. What did a fat man take as a gift for his relative?

2. What did a fat man ask Aldar Kose about?

3. Why did a fat man fall off the cauldron?