Miss Martha was 40 years old but she was not married. She had her own shop, where she sold bread, both fresh and stale which was cheaper.

There was customer who called at her shop two or three times a week. The man was not young but he was very pleasant. He wore cheap clothes but they always looked nice on him. He always bought stale bread and never fresh. Miss Martha decided that he was very poor. She always thought of him and was always sorry that she could not invite him to have dinner with her.

She wanted to talk to him, to know more about him. She liked the man and began wearing her best dress.. She wanted to help the poor man but didn’t know how.

Once when her customer called on her to buy state bread, Miss Martha had an idea and a good one, as she thought, to help him. She put some butter in the state bread.

The next day two men came into the shop. One of them was her customer and the other - young man. The customer was very angry and couldn’t speak to her. So the young man told Miss Martha everything: “We work together in the same office. We use stale bread to take away pencil lines from our plans. We have worked at a plan of a new district for six months. We finished it this morning and began taking away pencil lines from it with your bread. You see, as there was butter in the bread the plan is good for nothing and we can’t show this plan to anybody now.”

When the men left Miss Martha went to her room upstairs, took off her best dress and put on her old brown one.

daily bread -повседневный хлеб was not married - была незамужней

fresh and stale -свежий и черствый cheaper - дешевле

customer -покупатель pleasant -приятный

wear (wore) - одеваться poor -бедный

to invite - пригласить butter – масло

to use - использовать district - район

began taking away pencil lines from it with your bread- начали стирать карандаш с помощью хлеба

You see -понимаете

plan is good for nothing - план испорчен upstairs -наверх

The text is about daily bread. Miss Martha wanted to help the poor man because he wore cheap clothes but they always looked nice on him. He always bought stale bread and never fresh. She decided to put some butter in the stale bread. But he used stale bread to take away pencil lines from his plans.

1. What do you know about Miss Martha? Find this extract and read it aloud.
2. Why did she want to help the poor man? She wanted to help the poor man because he wore cheap clothes but they always looked nice on him. He always bought stale bread and never fresh.
3. What did she decide to put in the stale bread? She decided to put some butter in the stale bread.

1. Read the text and say in 2-3 sentences what it is about.

His First Money

Somebody once asked Mark Twain whether he could remember the first money he ever earned.

“I remember quiet well”, the famous writer answered. “It happened at school. Schoolboys in those days had very little respect for their teachers and even less for their desks.

The boys used pens and pencils and even knives to draw stars and faces, or to write their names on their desks. At last, the school principal said: “The next time anybody does such a thing, he will have to pay five dollars, or he will receive a beating in front of the whole school.

“Soon after that, I had to go to my father and ask him to give me five dollars. I was honest enough to explain that I could agree to receive a beating instead, but he said: “No, I can’t allow you to connect our name with such things. So I’ll pay the five dollars. But you must suffer for what you have done. I’ll give you the beating here, at home.

“So he beat me, and then gave me the five dollars to take to school. But I decided that the beating didn’t hurt so much, and another beating at school wouldn’t be worse. So I told them to give a beating in front of the whole school and I kept the five dollars. And that was the first money I ever earned.”

Ever -когда-либо To earn -зарабатывать

Quiet -достаточно To happen -происходить

Respect -уважать Principal -директор

A beating -порка, наказание

Honest enough -достаточно честен To allow -позволить

To suffer -страдать, нести наказание

To hurt -причинять боль Worse -хуже

To keep (kept) -сохранять, хранить

The text is about first money of Mark Twain. He used pens and pencils and even knives to draw stars and faces, or to write their names on their desks at his school. Mark Twain received the beating two times but earned his first money.

1. Had schoolboys in those days a respect for their teachers and for their desks? Schoolboys in those days had not a respect for their teachers and for their desks.
2. What did the school principal say? Find this extract and read it aloud.
3. How many times did Mark Twain receive the beating? Mark Twain received the beating two times.

1. Read the text and say in 2-3 sentences what it is about.

A Laconic Answer

There was in a time when the people of Greece were not united but instead there were several states each of which had its own ruler.

Some of the people in the southern part of the country were called Spartans and they were famous for their simple habits and their bravery. The name of their land was Laconia, so were sometimes called Lacons.

One of the strange rules which the Spartans had was that they should speak briefly and never use more words than were needed. A short answer is often called laconic that is such an answer as a laconic would give.

There was in the Northern part of Greece a land called Macedonia. This land was at one time ruled by a king named Philip. Philip of Macedonia wanted to become master of all Greece. So he raised a great army and made war upon the other states, until nearly all of them were forced to call him their king.

Then he sent a letter to the Spartans in Laconia and said: “If I go down into your country, I will level your great city to the ground.”

In a few days an answer was brought back to him. When he opened the letter he found only one word written there.

That word was “If”.

Greece –Греция Instead -вместо (этого)

States -государства Ruler -правитель

Simple habits -простые привычки Bravery -храбрость

Were sometimes called -(их) иногда называли

Lacons -лаконцы, жители Лаконии Rule- правило, править

Spartans -спартанцы Briefly кратко

Than were needed – чем это было необходимо Land – земля

Raised a great army –собрал большую армию

Made war -«пойти войной» To force - заставить

Level to the ground -сравнять с землей Was brought back - был дан

The text is about a laconic answer of Spartans. They gave a short answer to

a king named Philip from Macedonia.

2. What were the Spartans famous for? Find this extract and read it aloud.

3. What land was ruled by a king named Philip? A king named Philip ruled by a land called Macedonia.

4. What was Spartans’ answer? The Spartans’ answer was “If”.

1. Read the text and say in 2-3 sentences what it is about.

One More Funny Story

One of Mark Twain’s hobbies was fishing. He went fishing whenever he had a chance, even in the closed season, when fishing was not allowed anywhere in lakes and rivers. Like all fishermen, he sometimes invented stories about the number of fish he caught.

One hot day during the closed season, Mark Twain was fishing as usual, under a low bridge. A man who was walking across the bridge happened to notice Mark Twain and began to watch him.

At last he asked: “Have you caught many fish? ”

“Not yet”, Mark Twain answered. “I have only just begun. But yesterday I caught thirty great big fish here.”

“ You were very lucky ”, the man said. “Do you know who I am? ’

“No”, Mark Twain said. “I don’t think I ever happened to meet you before ”.

“I’m the fishing inspector in this place. Do you know that this is the closed season? ”

Mark Twain thought quickly. He understood how foolish he had been. “Do you know who I am? ” he asked aloud.

“No, of course not”, answered the inspector.

“I am the biggest liar on the Mississippi”, Mark Twain told him.

Whenever –всегда, когда Anywhere -везде

Invented -придумывал Number -количество

Caught - поймал Bridge -мост

Happened to notice -заметил To watch -наблюдать

You were very lucky – вам очень повезло

I ever happened to meet you before -(что) когда-либо встречал вас раньше

Foolish –глупый Liar- лгун, обманщик

The text is about one more funny story of Mark Twain. He went fishing whenever he had a chance, even in the closed season, when fishing was not allowed anywhere in lakes and rivers. A fishing inspector saw him.

1. What happened one day? Find this extract and read it aloud.
2. What did the fishing inspector ask Mark Twain? The fishing inspector asked Mark Twain if he caught many fish and if he knew who he was.
3. What did Mark Twain say? Mark Twain say that he was the biggest liar on the Mississippi.