Easy Reading in English. Методическое пособие по домашнему чтению для студентов II курса неязыковых специальностей педагогических вузов

3)The boy was five;

4)He was very naughty;

5)The mother was kind and allowed the child to take a Snickers bar;

6)The boy obeyed her;

7)The rest of people in line broke into spontaneous applause.

5.Put 10 questions to the text and let your fellow students answer them.

6.Give your criticism of the mother’s behaviour and say what you would do in her place.

7.Divide the text into meaningful parts and entitle each of them in the form of an expression or a sentence.

8.Search for the key-words and expressions in each part.

9.Retell the text using the plan and the key-words and expressions.

10.Formulate the main idea of the text.

11.Express your opinion upon it.

ON EDUCATION

(By F.P. Dunne)

Mr Smith was worried. His little Bobbie was already six years old and it was time for the family to decide his career. It was difficult, however, to choose a suitable school for little Bobbie Smith. The boy was such a bright little chap. At last Mr Smith made up his mind to drop in on Mr Brainer, his neighbour, and ask him for advice. Everybody in the neighbourhood believed Mr Brainer to be a very clever old gentleman.

“It’s a serious question,” Mr Brainer said, “and it seems to worry people more than it used to. Nowadays they start talking about the education of the child before they choose the name. It’s like this: ‘This kid talks in his sleep. He’ll make a fine lawyer.’ Or, ‘Look at him fishing up in Uncle Tom’s watch pocket. We must train him for a banker.’ Or, ‘I’m afraid he’ll never be strong enough to work. He must go into the church.’

“To my mind, Smith, we are wasting too much time, thinking of the future of our young, and trying to teach them … what they ought not to know till they are grown-up. We send the children to school as if it was a summer garden where they got to be amused instead of a reformatory where they are sent to be reformed. When I was a kid I was put at my ABC the first day I set foot in the school; and my head was sore inside and out before I

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went home. Nowadays things seem to be quite different. Now the first thing we teach the future businessmen and politicians of our nation is waltzing, singing and cutting pictures out of a book. In my opinion it would be much better to teach them toughness, that’s what they need in life.”

Notes

to drop in on = to go to a person’s house for a short visit what they ought not to know – чего они не должны знать a summer garden – sort of kindergarten

a reformatory – исправительное заведение для малолетних преступников

my head was sore inside and out – у меня просто разламывалась голова

toughness – жестокость; упорство

Assignments

1.Read and translate the text into Russian.

2.Give the English equivalents for:

1)быть обеспокоенным;

2)подходящая школа;

3)пойти в школу;

4)взрослый;

5)по моему мнению;

6)принять решение;

7)нанести случайный визит;

8)дать кому-л. образование банкира;

9)жестокость, упорство;

10)адвокат.

3.Make up 5 English sentences using the words and expressions from task 2.

4.Look through the text and arrange the following sentences according to the logic of the story:

1)Nowadays things seem to be quite different;

2)It was time for the family to decide the career of Bobbie;

3)Mr Smith was worried;

4)Toughness – that’s what they need in life;

5. They start talking about the education of the child before they choose the name.

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5. Find the right answer to the following questions among the given variants:

1)Why did Mr Smith make up his mind to drop in on Mr Brainer one day?

a) Mr Brainer was his neighbour;

b) Mr Smith would like to ask him for advice;

c) Mr Brainer was considered to be a very clever old gentleman.

2)Why does the question about a child’s education seem to worry people more than it used to?

a) Times change;

b) A proper education is necessary for modern times;

c) Nowadays they start talking about the education of the child before they choose his name.

3)What is a modern school like?

a)a summer garden where the children get to be amused;

b)a reformatory where they are sent to be reformed;

c)the place to be taught to read, write, etc.

6.Divide the text into meaningful parts and entitle each of them in the form of an expression or a sentence.

7.Search for the key-words and expressions concerning:

a)the characters;

b)the proper education for children.

8.Retell the text using the plan and the key-words and expressions.

9.What is the main idea (the author’s message) of the text?

10.Express your opinion upon what you’ve read.

HOW TO EDUCATE A CHILD

(After “My Family and Other Animals” by Gerald Durrell)

Gerry was ten years old when he and his family left England to go and live on the Greek island of Corfu.

Hardly had we settled into the Strawberry-pink Villa when Mother decided that I was running wild, and that it was necessary for me to have some sort of education. But where to find this one on a remote Greek island? Asusualwhenaproblemarose,theentirefamilyflungitselfwithenthusiasm

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into the task of solving it. Each member had his or her own idea of what was best for me.

“Plenty of time for him to learn,” said Leslie; “after all he can read, can’t he? I can teach him to shoot, and if we buy a boat I can teach him to sail.” “But, dear, that wouldn’t really be much use to him later on.” Mother pointed out adding vaguely, “unless he was going into the Merchant Navy

or something.”

“I think it’s essential that he learns to dance,” said Margo, “or else he’ll grow up into one of these awful tongue-tied idiots.”

“Yes, dear, but he doesn’t need to learn that sort of thing till later. He should get some sort of grounding in things like mathematics and French … and his spelling’s awful.”

“Literature,” said Larry, with conviction, “that’s what he wants, a good solid grounding in literature. The rest will follow naturally. I’ve been encouraging him to read some good stuff.”

“But don’t you think Rabelais is a little old for him?” asked Mother doubtfully.

“What he wants is a healthy outdoor life; if he takes up shooting and sailing…” began Leslie.

“Oh, stop talking like a bishop … you’ll be in favour of cold baths next.”

“Now, now, there’s no sense in fighting,” said Mother. “Gerry needs educating, and what we want is someone who can teach him and who’ll encourage him in his interests.”

“He appears to have only one interest,” said Larry bitterly, “and that’s this awful urge to fill things with animal life. I don’t think he ought to be encouraged in that. I went to light a cigarette only this morning, and a great bumble-bee flew out of the box.”

“It was a grasshopper with me,” said Leslie gloomily.

“Yes, I think this sort of thing ought to be stopped,” said Margo. “He doesn’t mean any harm, poor little chap,” said Mother pacifically.

“I wouldn’t mind being attacked by bumble-bees, if it led anywhere,” Larry pointed out. “But it’s just a phase … he’ll grow out of it by the time he’s fourteen.”

“He’s been in this phase from the age of two,” said Mother, “and he’s showing no signs of growing out of it.”

“Well, if you insist on stuffing him full of useless information, George can have a shot at teaching him,” said Larry.

“That’s a brain-wave!” said Mother delightedly.

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Notes

Gerry – Gerald Durrell (b. 1925) – Дж. Даррелл, известный англий-

ский писатель-натуралист, автор многих книг о животных

Merchant Navy – торговый флот

Rabelais, Francois (1494-1553) – Ф. Рабле, французский писатель-

сатирик, автор романа «Гаргантюа и Пантагрюэль»

to have a shot at smth./doing smth. – приложить руку к чему-л. That’s a brain-wave! – Вот это находка (идея)!

Assignments

1.Read and translate the text into Russian.

2.Name the antonyms to these words from the text:

1)to have no education;

2)to give up smth;

3)unconvincing;

4)to get smattering knowledge in a subject;

5)to dissuade smb. from doing smth.

3.Match the words into expressions from 2 columns:

4.Answer the following questions:

1)How old was Gerry when Mother decided that he needed some sort of education?

2)What made Mother come to such a decision?

3)Why was the problem hard to solve?

4)How did the family treat the problem?

5)What did Leslie think his younger brother needed?

6)Why didn’t Mother quite agree with her son?

7)What did Margo think essential for Gerry?

8)What did Mother think Gerry should learn first of all?

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9)What did Larry think most important and how did he encourage his little brother in it?

10)What was the point of argument between Leslie and Larry?

11)What sort of teacher did Mother think her son needed?

12)What seemed to be Gerry’s interests?

13)How did they express themselves?

14)Did Larry think these interests would last? Mother?

15)Who was finally chosen to teach Gerry? Why?

5.Finish the following sentences:

1)Gerry’s family left England to go and …;

2)It was necessary for him …;

3)Each member had his or her own idea of …;

4)His mother wanted him to get …;

5)Gerry was interested in ….

6.Divide the text into some meaningful parts.

7.Search for the key-sentences to entitle each part of the text.

8.Retell the text using the plan.

9.Give the main idea of the text.

10.What do you think of all the ideas to educate Gerry? Can you offer yours?

THE KINDERGARTEN

“I know what will happen,” Mr Brainer went on to say. “You’ll send Bobbie to what Germans call a Kindergarten. And it’s a good thing for Germany, because all a German knows is what one tells him; and his graduation papers are a certificate that he needn’t think any more. But we have introduced it into this country, and one day I dropped in on Mary Ellen and saw her Kindergarten. The children were sitting around on the floor and some were molding dogs out of mud and wiping their hands on their hair, and some were singing, and some were sleeping, and a few were dancing. And one boy was pulling another boy’s hair.

‘Why don’t you punish the little savage, Mary Ellen?’ said I.

‘We don’t believe in corporal punishment,’ said she. ‘School should be pleasant for the children,’ she said. ‘The child whose hair is being pulled is learning patience, and the child that is pulling the hair is discovering the futility of human endeavour.’

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‘Oh, well,’ I said, ‘that’s very interesting, indeed. Times have certainly changed since I was a boy,’ I said. ‘Put them through their exercises,’ I said, ‘Tommy, spell “cat,” I said.

‘Go to the devil,’ said the little angel.

‘Very smartly said,’ said Mary Ellen. ‘You should not ask him to spell,’ she said. ‘They don’t learn that till they go to college,’ she said, ‘sometimes not even then,’ she said.

‘And what do they learn?’ I said.

‘Playing.’ she said, ‘and dancing, and independence of speech and beautiful songs, and sweet thoughts, and how to make home homelike,’ she said.

‘I won’t put them through any exercise today,’ I said.

‘Mary Ellen,’ I said in whisper. ‘Do you never feel like whipping them?’

‘The teachings of Freebull and Pitzotly are contrary to that,’ she said. ‘But I’m going to be married and leave school on Friday the 22nd of January and on Thursday the 21st I’m going to ask a few of the darlings to the house and stew them over a slow fire.’”

Notes

the futility of human endeavour – тщетность человеческих усилий very smartly said – очень умный ответ

Do you never feel like whipping them? – И вам никогда не хочется отшлепать их?

Freebull – искаженное от Froebel – немецкий педагог, основатель детских садов, Pitzotly - от Pestallozi – выдающийся швейцарский педагог

to stew over a slow fire – зажарить на медленном огне

Assignments

1.Read and translate the text into Russian.

2.Give the Russian equivalents for:

1)to punish the little savage;

2)corporal punishment;

3)to discover the futility of human endeavour;

4)to put smb. through any exercise;

5)to feel like whipping smb.

3.Arrange the words in the right order to make the sentence in English:

1)corporal, in, don’t, punishment, we, believe;

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2)be, school, children, pleasant, the, for, should;

3)till, college, don’t, they, go, to, learn, they, that;

4)dancing, they, independence, learn, and, beautiful, speech, and, of, songs, playing;

5)never, the, Mary, children, like, feels, whipping, Ellen.

4.Put 5 key-questions to the text and let your fellow students answer them.

5.Give facts to prove:

1)It’s a good thing for Germans to know that their graduation papers are a certificate that they needn’t think any more;

2)One day Mr Brainer dropped in on Mary Ellen to see her Kindergarten;

3)He offered to put the children through exercises;

4)Mr Brainer was for corporal punishment of children;

5)They were learnt to anything but studying to spell, etc.

6.Divide the text into meaningful parts and entitle each of them in the form of an expression or a sentence.

7.Search for the key-words and expressions in each part.

8.Retell the text using the plan and the key-words and expressions.

9.Define the main idea of the text and express your opinion upon it

10.Think of the possible further outcome of the events.

FRANCIE’S FIRST EXPERIENCES AT SCHOOL

(After “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” by Betty Smith)

Francie was seven. She waited for her school days impatiently. She wanted all of the things that she thought came with school. She wanted the friendship of other children. She wanted to drink from the school water fountains in the yard. Most of all, she wanted to have a notebook and a pencil box with new pencils and a yellow ruler.

Francie expected great things from school. She thought she’d come home from school that first day knowing how to read and write. But all she came home with was a bloody nose gained by an older child striking her head down on the stone when she had tried to drink from the water fountain.

Francie was disappointed because she had to share a seat and a desk meant only for one. She had wanted a desk to herself.

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She had been in school but half a day when she knew that she would never be a teacher’s pet. That was a privilege of a small group of girls … girls in clean new dresses whose parents were rich. These darlings were not made to share seats. Miss Briggs, the teacher, seated them in the best places in the front row. Miss Briggs’ voice was kind when she spoke to these fortune-favoured few and angry when she spoke to the great crowd of unwashed.

Francie learned more that first day than she realized. She learned of the class system of a great Democracy. She was hurt by teacher’s attitude. It was clear that the teacher hated her and others like her for no other reason that they were what they were. The teacher acted as though they had no right to be in school. She acted as though they had no right to live.

The unwanted children were not friendly among themselves. They hated each other as much as the teacher hated them. They copied teacher’s angry manner when they spoke to each other.

Three thousand children crowded into school that had been built for only a thousand. Dirty stories were passed around by children.

One of them was that the lady principal, a heavy, cruel middle-aged woman who smelled always of gin, got disobedient boys into her office and made them take down their trousers and whipped them.

Of course, corporal punishment was not allowed in schools. But who, outside, knew? Who would tell? Not the whipped children, certainly. It was a tradition that if a child told his parents that he had been whipped in school, he would receive a second home whipping because he had not behaved in school. So the child took his punishment and kept quiet.

Francie liked school in spite of all cruelty and unhappiness. She felt that she was doing a certain part of something, part of a community gathered under a leader for one purpose.

Of course, not all of the teachers were bad.

There were bright moments when Mr. Morton came to Francie’s room to teach music. He was a specialized teacher who went around to all of the schools in that area. It was holiday-time when he appeared. He understood and loved children and they loved him. Besides, there was Miss Pernstone, the special drawing teacher, who also came once a week. Ah, she was from another world. Her face was kind, and like Mr. Morton, she loved the unwashedandunwantedchildrenmorethanthecared-forones.Theteachers didn’t like her. The two visiting teachers were the gold and silver sun rays in the grey river of school days.

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Notes

Brooklyn – один из районов Нью-Йорка, населенный преимущественно бедняками и семьями среднего достатка.

Assignments

1.Read and translate the text into Russian.

2.Translate into English:

1)Первоклассники всегда с нетерпением ждут День Знаний;

2)Они всегда ожидают многого от школы;

3)Фрэнси была сильно разочарована своим первым днем в школе;

4)Немногие ученики являются любимыми учителем;

5)Их называют счастливчиками;

6)Слухи распространились по всей школе;

7)Непослушные ученики молча принимали наказание;

8)Неухоженные дети входили в группу детей, чьи родители были бедными;

9)Несмотря на все неприятности, Фрэнси любила школу;

10)Эти 2 учителя были «золотым и серебряным солнечными лучами в серой реке школьных дней».

3.Finish the sentences:

1)Francie wanted all of the things that …;

2)She thought she’d come home …;

3)Francie was disappointed …;

4)She learned more …;

5)The unwanted children were …;

6)There were bright moments …;

7)The two visiting teachers were ….

4.Say whether you agree with the following statements:

1)Francie didn’t want to go to school;

2)She thought that she would learn to read and write the first day at school;

3)Francie wasn’t disappointed by her first day at school;

4)Francie became Miss Briggs’ pet;

5)She was hurt by teacher’s attitude towards her;

6)The poor children were friendly among themselves;

7)The school where Francie studied was overcrowded;

8)Corporal punishment was forbidden at school and the children were not whipped;

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