In return for his kindness to the king, the poor fisherman was made its first mayor. Today the village is known as Littleport.

Dictation 19*

The Invisible Ghost

Chester's most famous ghost has never been seen – but invisibility has not stopped her activities. She is known as Sarah, and haunts a shop in Eastgate Street that now sells chocolates.

She was said to be a charming young woman who fell in love with a rascal. He left her on her wedding day, and Sarah was so heartbroken that she returned to her home in Eastgate Street and hanged herself.

Exactly when this happened is not known, but her presence is still very active in the shop – and she does not take kindly to having it doubted. A tourist from the United States expressed the opinion that ghost stories were "rubbish", and moments later was pushed headlong down the stairs by an unseen hand.

Sarah may not wish to be reminded of her unhappy love affair, either. Heart-shaped boxes of chocolates on display for St Valentine's Day have been found mysteriously scattered about the shop.

A burglar who once broke into the shop overnight and pocketed the day's takings, fled unaccountably, leaving behind all this tools and a clear set of fingerprints. Was Sarah responsible? If so, the police are very grateful to her!

Dictation 20

The Quarrelsome Giants

The Wrekin Hill was said to have been made by two quarrelsome giants. They dug the earth from the River Severn, and when they had made the Wrekin Hill they both lived inside it. But being quarrelsome, they each wanted the bigger part.

At first they shouted abuse at each other – which caused some uncommonly high winds to blow round the Wrekin at the time. Soon, however, they came to blows. One struck at the other with his spade, missed, and split the rock now called the Needle's Eye.

He was about to strike a second blow, but a raven prevented him by pecking at his eye. The enormous tear the giant shed formed the pool known as the Raven's Bowl, which never dries up, even in mid-summer.

The quarrel continued, the giant with the spade chasing his companion round and round the Wrekin until both were dizzy, and the whole neighbourhood shook. Then, with a final blow, he knocked the other giant unconscious and quickly imprisoned him in the Hill.

If you should pass that way at midnight, you may still hear the captured giant groan.

1 Данные тексты ориентированы на студентов с высоким уровнем владения английского языка.