Reading is fun. "Poor Little Pet"

Poor Little Pet

Pre –Reading Activities

1. Share your ideas.

Why do we have pets? Which pet is right for you?

2. Study the new vocabulary and make up your own sentences with them.

Bridge- a card game for four players who play in pairs

Gobble-to eat something very fast, in an impolite or greedy way

Malicious- very unkind and cruel

Clatter-to move quickly and noisily

Occurrence -something that happens 

Swallow -to make food or drink go down your throat and to your stomach

Match a word to the correct definition.

Poor Little Pet

This happened in England shortly after World War II. Mrs. Reed intended to give a party. She wanted to invite her friends for dinner and a game of bridge. It was easy enough to ask people to come, but far more difficult to provide a meal for them.

She was thinking about it when her maid-servant announced that there was a man at the back door offering to sell mushrooms.

The lady, accompanied by the little terrier, came down to the kitchen and found there a rather disreputable-looking stranger with a basket over his arm. The lady knew nothing about mushrooms and she asked the man if they were not poisonous. The man reassured her that they were good. The lady paid the money at once, ordering her servant to empty the basket and return it to its owner. While the servant was emptying the basket she dropped a mushroom, and the terrier immediately gobbled it.

Seeing that, the stranger said that the dog knew what was good. Pocketing the money, he laughed a malicious laugh and left the kitchen.

The guests arrived at the appointed hour and were served a dish of mush rooms, which they liked very much. While the usual clattering of forks and knives was in progress, the hostess noticed that the servant’s eyes were red with tears. Calling her aside, Mrs. Reed asked her what was the cause of her tears. The girl said that she did not want to upset the lady, but she was crying because the dog had died.

The terrible truth flashed through the lady’s brain. She saw her duty clearly and addressing the guests she said that the mushrooms she had offered them were poisonous. She added that if they wished to save their lives they should act quickly.

There was a general outburst of emotions. Some of the gentlemen swore, some of the ladies cried. Then one man suggested going to the nearest hospital to have the contents of their stomachs pumped out. All rushed for their dear lives. The staff of the hospital were surprised to see a group of patients in evening dress. Naturally no one thought of playing cards after that occurrence.

On arriving home, the lady asked where the terrier’s body was.

‘Oh,’ said the servant, still sobbing, ‘the gardener has buried it in the gar­den, for it was so badly smashed, and we didn’t even have enough time to put down the number of the car that so cruelly ran over the poor little pet.’

 After Reading Activities

1. Mark the correct variant.

1. What kind of celebration was Mrs. Reed going to have?

a) a lunch    b) a wedding party

c) a house-warming party  d) a dinner and a game of bridge

2. What was the man at the back door selling?

a) apples  b) berries

c) mushrooms d) potatoes

3. Who accompanied the lady to the kitchen?

a) little dog   b) a little cat

c) a maid-servant   d) her husband

4. What did she ask the man about?

a) If the mushrooms were fresh.

b) If the mushrooms were not poisonous.

c) If the mushrooms were tasty.

d) How much they cost.

5. What happened when the servant was emptying the basket?

a) The servant dropped a mushroom.

d) The servant dropped two mushrooms.

c) The servant dropped the basket on the floor.

b) The servant overturned the basket.

6. What did the terrier do?

a) He sniffed at the mushroom.

d) He played with the mushroom.

c) He swallowed the mushroom.

b) He touched the mushroom with his paw.

7. Why were the servant’s eyes red?

a) Because the dog died.

d) Because the dog had eaten the meat.

c) Because she had been peeling onions.

b) Because her husband had died.

8. What did the guests do when they got to know that the mushrooms were poisonous?

a) They drank some medicine.

d) They didn’t know what to do.

c) They called for an ambulance.

b) They rushed to the hospital.

9. Why did the dog die?

a) He had been poisoned with a mushroom.

d) He had been run over by a car.

c) He had been run over by a bicycle.

b) He had been poisoned by a neighbour.

10. Where was the dog buried?

a) in the cemetery b) n the garden

c) n the field  d) n the forest

2. Here are some answers. What are the questions?

1. This happened in England shortly after World War II.
2. Mrs. Reed invited her friends for dinner and a game of bridge.
3. The man at the back door sold the mushrooms.
4. The lady was accompanied by the little terrier.
5. The lady knew nothing about mushrooms.
6. The man reassured her that the mushrooms were good and not poisonous.
7. The lady ordered her servant to empty the basket and return it to its owner.
8. The terrier immediately swallowed a mushroom.
9. The girl said that she was crying because the dog had died.
10. They all rushed to the hospital.
11. The stuff of the hospital were surprised to see a group of patients in evening dress.
12. The servant answered that she hadn’t even had enough time to put down the number of the car that so cruelly had run over the poor little pet.

3. Read the summary of the text. There are some mistakes in it. Find out and correct them.

This happened in England before World War II. Mr. Reed intended to give a party. She wanted to invite her friends for a lunch. It was easy for her to provide a meal for them but she wanted something delicious. Suddenly her man-servant announced that there was an old lady at the back door and she was offering to sell berries and mushrooms. The lady liked mushrooms very much and knew everything about them. She asked the old lady to empty the basket, but all of a sudden she dropped some mushrooms and the lady’s cat immedi­ately gobbled them. The guests didn’t like mushrooms but they were served a dish of fried mushrooms. Mrs. Reed noticed that the eyes of her man-servant were red. She asked what was the cause of his tears. The man-servant answered that the lady’s cat had died.

The terrible truth flashed through the lady’s brain. She quickly sent the guests to their homes.

4. Write a short story on the topic:

‘The worst birthday I have ever had.’