The Tale of Two Bad Mice- казка Розробка вправ до уроку з позакласного читання з англійської мови

The Tale of Two Bad Mice

After Beatrix Potter

Once upon a time there was a very beautiful doll’s house: it was red with white windows, and it had real muslin curtains and a front door. Two dolls called Lucinda and Jane lived there. Jane was the cook; but she never did any cooking, because the dinner was bought¹ ready-made. There were two red lobsters, some ham, a fish, a pudding, some pears and oranges. They were not real, but they were very beautiful.

One morning Lucinda and Jane went out. There was no one in the nursery. Tom Thumb put his head out of the hole near the fireplace. Tom Thumb was a mouse. A minute later, Hunca Munca, his wife, put her head out, too.

The doll’s house was not far from the fireplace. Tom Thumb and Hunca Munca came into the house and went upstairs to the living room. Such a lovely dinner was on the table! There were spoons, and knives and forks, and two dolly-chairs — all so comfortable! Tom Thumb wanted to cut the ham, but it was very hard. “Give me some fish, Hunca Munca!” said Tom. Hunca Munca tried every spoon but the fish didn’t come off the plate.

Then Tom Thumb lost his temper.¹ He put the ham on the floor, and broke it with the shovel — bang, bang, smash, smash! The ham flew all into pieces, for under the paint there was nothing but plas­ter! Tom Thumb and Hunca Munca broke up the pudding, the lob­sters, the pears and the oranges.

Then they went to the dolls’ bedroom. Tom Thumb took Jane’s clothes out of the chest of drawers and he threw them out of the window. With Tom Thumb’s help Hunca Munca brought a chair, a bookcase, a birdcage, and some other small things to the mouse hole. The bookcase and the birdcage didn’t go into it. Hunca Munca left them behind the house, and went to get a cradle. Suddenly the dolls came into the nursery. The mice ran back to their hole. Now Hunca Munca has got the cradle and some of Lucinda’s clothes.

So that is the story of the two Bad Mice, — but they were not so very, very naughty. Tom Thumb paid for everything he broke. He found a sixpence² under the rug; and upon Christmas Eve, he and Hunca Munca put it into one of the stockings of Lucinda and Jane.

 lost his temper ['tempo] — потерял терпение

 sixpence ['sikspens] — шестипенсовая монета

1. Vocabulary

Real (food, story, life, fruits, fish, meat

Cook – She was a cook. She’d like to be a cook. My aunt is a nice cook. Who is the cook?

Ready-made-fish, meat, cutlets, pie.

Nursery – The children were in the nursery. Their nursery was bid and nice. It’s warm in the nursery.

Fireplace – near the fireplace, not far from fireplace. We have no fireplace. Come and sit at the fireplace.

To try – try this knife. He tried every pen but they didn’t write. Can I try this pencil?

Break (broke) – I didn’t break this chair. We have breaks between lessons. He broke the window.

Hole – You have a hole in your sock. Mice live in holes. There are many holes in the wall.

A cradle – a cradle is a small bed for a baby. He’s cradle was in the corner of the room.

To pay (paid) – I shall pay for the broken vase. You must pay for it. When will you pay? I cannot pay.

To find (found) I cannot find my gloves. Help me to find this street. He found only one foot.

II. False or True:

1. It`s a story of a nice little girl.
2. The dolls lived in a doll’s house.
3. One of the dolls was a cook.
4. She did cooking every day.
5. The food was not real.
6. One morning the dolls were out.
7. Tom Thumb was a cat
8. His wife was Flopsy
9. They lived in the wardrobe
10. When the dolls were out the mice came to their house
11. The doll’s house was on the fireplace
12. They saw the food on the table and began to cat
13. They couldn’t eat because the food was not real
14. Tom Thumb got angry and began to break everything
15. In the doll`s bedroom the mice saw the beds and went asleep.
16. They took many doll`s things and brought to their hole.
17. Among the things they had skates, sledges and skis.
18. The mice were very naughty.
19. Tom Thumb paid for everything he broke.

III. Find and read:

•               about the doll’s house,
•               about the ready-made dinner,
•               what Tom Thumb and Hunca Munca saw in the living room,
•               how Tom paid for everything he broke.

IV. Say who did the following:

1. ... never did any cooking.
2. ... put his head out of the hole near the fireplace.
3. ... went upstairs to the living room.
4. ... tried to cut the ham but it was very hard.
5. ... tried every spoon but the fish did not come off the plate.
6. ... put the ham on the floor and broke it with a shovel.
7. ... broke up the pudding, the lobst­ers, the pears and the oranges.
8. ... took Jane’s clothes out of the chest of drawers and threw them out of the window.
9. ... brought a cradle, a bookcase and a birdcage to the mouse hole.
10. ... went to bring a cradle.
11. ... ran back to the hole.
12. ... found a sixpence under the rug.
13. ... put the sixpence into one of the stockings of Lucinda and Jane.

V. Answer the questions.

1.                 Who lived in the doll’s house?
2.                 Why didn’t Jane do any cooking?
3.                 Why do you think the mice were naughty?
4.                 Were Tom Thumb and Hunca Munca kind? Why do you think so?
5.                 Are you naughty sometimes?

VI You are Hunca Munca (Tom Thumb). Look at the pictures and tell the story of the doll’s house.

VII Find in the text the verbs in Past Indefinite

was (be)   came (come)

had (have)   wanted (want)

called (call)   tried (try)

did (do)   lost (lose)

Were (be)   flew (fly)

Went (go)   broke (break)

Put (put)   threw (throw)

Ran (run)   brought (bring)

    Paid (pay)