Unit 11

THE SNAKE AND THE BELL by L. Becke

When I was a child of eight years of age, a curious incident occurred in the house in which our family lived. The place was Mosman's Bay, one of the many picturesque indentations of the beautiful harbour of Sydney. In those days the houses were few and far apart, and our own dwelling was surrounded on all sides by the usual Australian forest far back from the main road.

The building itself was in the form of a quadrangle enclosing a courtyard, on to which nearly all the rooms opened; each room having a bell over the door, the wires running all round the square, while the front-door bell; hung in the hall.

One cold and windy evening about eight o'clock, my mother, my sisters, and myself were sitting in the dining-room awaiting the arrival of my brothers from Sydney – they attended school there, and rowed or sailed the six miles to and fro every day, generalIy returning home by dusk. On this particular evening, however, they were late, on account of the wind blowing rather freshly from the north-east; but presently we heard the front-door bell ring gently.

" Here they are at last, " said my mother; " but how silly of them to go to the front-door on such a windy night! "

Julia, the servant, candle in hand, went along the lengthy passage, and opened the door. No one was there! She came back to the dining-room when the bell again rang – this time vigorously. My eldest sister threw down the book she was reading, and with an impatient exclamation herself went to the door, opened it quickly, and said sharply as she pulled it inwards – " Come in at once, you stupid things! " There was no answer, and she stepped outside on the veranda. No one was visible, and again the big bell in the hall rang!

She shut the door angrily and returned to her seat, just as the bell gave a curious, faint tinkle.

" Don't take any notice of them, " said my mother, " they will soon get tired of playing such silly tricks, and be eager for their supper."

Presently the bell gave out three clear strokes. We looked at each other and smiled. Five minutes passed, and then came eight or ten gentle strokes.

" Let us catch them, " said my mother, rising, and holding her finger up to us to preserve silence, as she stepped softly along the hall, we following on tiptoe.

Softly turning the handle, she suddenly threw the door wide open, just as the bell gave another jangle. Not a soul was visible!

My mother – one of the most placid-tempered women who ever breathed, now became annoyed, and stepping out on the veranda, addressed herself to the darkness – " Come inside at once, boys, or I shall be very angry. I know perfectly well what you have done; you have tied a string to the bell-wires, and are pulling it. If you don't stop you shall have no supper."

No answer – except from the hall bell, which gave another tinkle.

" Bring a candle and the step-ladder, Julia, " said our mother, " and we shall see what these foolish boys have done to the bell-wire."

Julia brought the ladder; my eldest sister mounted it, and began to examine the bell. She could see nothing unusual, no string or wire, and as she descended, the bell swayed and gave one faint stroke!

We all returned to the sitting-room, and had scarcely been there five minutes when we heard my three brothers coming in, in their usual way, by the back door. They tramped into the sitting-room, noisy, dirty, and hungry, and demanded supper in a loud voice. My mother looked at them angrily, and said they deserved none.

" Why, mum, what's the matter? " said Ted; " what have we been doing now, or what have we not done, that we don't deserve any supper, after pulling for two hours from Circular Quay."

" You know perfectly well what I mean. It is most inconsiderate of you to play such silly tricks upon us.

Ted gazed at her in astonishment. " Silly tricks, rnother! What silly tricks? " (Julia crossed herself, and trembled visibly as the bell again rang.)

My mother, at once satisfied that Ted and my other brothers really knew nothing of the mysterious bell-ringing, quickly explained the cause of her anger.

" Let us go and see if we can find out, " said Ted. " You two boys, and you, Julia, get all the lanterns, light them, and we'll start out together – two on one side of the house and two on the other."

We ran out, lit three lanterns, and my next eldest brother and myself, feeling horribly frightened, were told to go round the house, beginning from the left, and meet Ted at the hall door, he going round from the right.

With shaking limbs and gasping breath we made our portion of the circuit, sticking close to each other, and carefully avoiding looking at anything. We arrived on the veranda, and in front of the hall door, quite five minutes before Ted appeared.

" Well, did you see anything? " he asked, as he walked up the steps, lantern in hand.

" Nothing, " we answered.

Ted looked at us contemptuously. " You miserable little curs! What are you so frightened of? You're no better than a pack of women and kids. It's the wind that has made the bell ring, or, if it's not the wind, it is something else which I don't know anything about; but I want my supper. Pull the bell, one of you."

Then Ted, raised his lantern so as to get a look upwards, and gave a yell.

" Oh, look there! "

We looked up, and saw the twisting coils of a huge carpet snake, which had wound its body round and round the bell-wire on top of the wall plate. Its head was downwards, and it did not seem at all alarmed at our presence, but went on wriggling and twisting.

Then the step-ladder was brought out, and Ted, seizing the reptile by the tail, uncoiled it with some difficulty from the wire, and threw it down upon the veranda.

It was over nine feet in length, and very fat, and had caused all the disturbance by trying to denude itself of its old skin by dragging its body between the bell-wire and the top of the wall.

NOTES:

1. indentation – извилина (берега);

2. step-ladder – лестница-стремянка;

3. carpet snake – большая неядовитая змея до 3 метров в длину.

Упражнения и Задания по Тексту

Assignment # One – Задание № 1

Найдите в тексте английские эквиваленты следующих слов, выражений и оборотов:

1. любопытный случай – ____________________________________________________;

2. дома были разбросаны – _________________________________________________;

3. в форме прямоугольника – _______________________________________________;

4. ожидая приезда – _______________________________________________________;

5. туда и обратно – ________________________________________________________;

6. в сумерках – ___________________________________________________________;

7. как глупо с их стороны – __________________________________________________;

8. резко сказала – _________________________________________________________;

9. прижав палец к губам – __________________________________________________;

10. на цыпочках – __________________________________________________________;

11. резко распахнула дверь – ________________________________________________;

12. уравновешенная женщина – ______________________________________________;

13. не заслуживают ужина – __________________________________________________;

14. причина гнева – _________________________________________________________;

15. прижавшись друг к другу – ________________________________________________;

16. презрительно – _________________________________________________________;

17. привяжи колокол – ______________________________________________________;

18. обвилась вокруг шнура – _________________________________________________;

19. схватив змею за хвост – __________________________________________________;

20. освободиться от старой кожи – ____________________________________________.

Assignment # Two – Задание № 2

Дайте русские эквиваленты следующих слов, выражений и оборотов из текста; Составьте по три предложения с каждым их этих оборотов:

attend school (a lecture) – ____________________________________________________;

__________________________________________________________________________

on account of smth. – ________________________________________________________;

__________________________________________________________________________

take no notice of – __________________________________________________________;

__________________________________________________________________________

be (get) tired of doing smth. – _________________________________________________;

__________________________________________________________________________

play a trick on smb. – ________________________________________________________;

__________________________________________________________________________

avoid doing smth. – _________________________________________________________;

__________________________________________________________________________

be alarmed – ______________________________________________________________;

__________________________________________________________________________

Assignment # Three – Задание № 3

Ответьте на следующие вопросы:

1) Where did the incident happen? How old was the author of the story at that time?

________________________________________________________________________

2) What was peculiar about the house?

________________________________________________________________________

3) Where did the elder brothers study? Prove that it was a long way from the house.

________________________________________________________________________

4) What was the weather like that evening?

________________________________________________________________________

5) Who opened the door when they heard the bell for the first time?

________________________________________________________________________

6) Why was the boy's eldest sister angry?

________________________________________________________________________

7) What was the mother’s plan? What made her annoyed?

________________________________________________________________________

8) Did they find anything when they had examined the bell?

________________________________________________________________________

9) What assured everybody that the boys knew nothing about the bell-ringing?

________________________________________________________________________

10) What did Ted suggest they should do?

________________________________________________________________________

11) Find in the text the sentences which prove that the children were frightened.

________________________________________________________________________

12) What did Ted notice on the wall?

________________________________________________________________________

13) It was the snake who had played the trick, wasn't it?

________________________________________________________________________

Assignment # Four – Задание № 4

Перескажите рассказ от лица: 1) Матери; 1) одного из мальчиков; 2) Тэда.

Assignment # Five – Задание № 5

Найдите в тексте все Глаголы неправильного спряжения и Заполните таблицу, давая их формы. Перед выполнением Упражнений 5 и 6 Вам необходимо ознакомиться с параграфами 48, 49, 50 и 51 5 Главы «Глагол» 1 Части «Части Речи в Английском языке» Первого тома Единого Грамматического комплекса. Всю необходимую Вам справочную информацию Вы можете найти во Втором томе в Приложениях «Таблица Времен Активного и Пассивного залогов». Проверить употребление форм причастий 1 и 2 (Participles 1 & 2) (вторая, третья и четвертая формы глаголов) можно по Таблицам “Спряжение Неправильных глаголов». Обращаю внимание на то, что таблиц две: в одной дается список неправильных глаголов в алфавитном порядке – ее я рекомендую применять для быстрого поиска необходимого слова, во второй глаголы даны по типам образования формы – на эту таблицу необходимо ориентироваться при заучивании наизусть:

Assignment # Six – Задание № 6

Найдите в тексте все Предложения с Причастиями. Перед выполнением Упражнения Вам необходимо ознакомиться с параграфами 48, 49, 50 и 51 и с параграфами 110, 111, 112, 113 и 114 «Причастие – Неличные формы глагола»5 Главы «Глагол» 1 Части «Части Речи в Английском языке» Первого тома Единого Грамматического комплекса. Всю необходимую Вам справочную информацию Вы можете найти во Втором томе в Приложениях «Таблица Времен Активного и Пассивного залогов». Проверить употребление форм причастий 1 и 2 (Participles 1 & 2) (вторая, третья и четвертая формы глаголов) можно по Таблицам “Спряжение Неправильных глаголов». Обращаю внимание на то, что таблиц две: в одной дается список неправильных глаголов в алфавитном порядке – ее я рекомендую применять для быстрого поиска необходимого слова, во второй глаголы даны по типам образования формы – на эту таблицу необходимо ориентироваться при заучивании наизусть:

Assignment # Seven – Задание № 7

Задайте вопросы к словам, выделенным подчеркнутым наклонным шрифтом:

1) A curious incident occurred in the house in which our family lived.

_______________________________________________________________________?

2) One cold and windy evening they were sitting in the dining-room awaiting the arrival of the boys.

_______________________________________________________________________?

3) Ted uncoiled the snake from the wire and threw it down upon the veranda.

_______________________________________________________________________?

Assignment # Eight – Задание № 8

Переделайте следующие предложения в Повелительном наклонении, содержащие Прямую речь (Direct Speech) в Косвенную речь (Indirect Speech). Перед выполнением Упражнения Вам необходимо ознакомиться с параграфами 69, 70 и 71 «Прямая и Косвенная речь» 5 Главы «Глагол» 1 Части «Части Речи в Английском языке» Первого тома Единого Грамматического комплекса. Всю необходимую Вам справочную информацию Вы можете найти во Втором томе в Приложениях:

1) “Come inside at once, boys! ” Mother said.

_______________________________________________________________________?

2) “Don't take any notice of them”, she said.

_______________________________________________________________________?

3) “Bring a candle and the step-ladder, Julia”, said Mother.

_______________________________________________________________________?

4) “Get all the lanterns and light them, boys”, she said.

_______________________________________________________________________?

Assignment # Nine – Задание № 9

Работа с Текстом. Обсудите с другими членами Вашей группы следующие темы:

1) Follow through the text how the anger and annoyance of the family were increasing.

2) Find in the text in what way the writer describes the voice of the bell.

3) Which sentences prove that Ted being the eldest brother wanted to take all the initiative and make everybody think that he knew the real cause of the disturbance.

Assignment # Ten – Задание № 10

Перескажите основное содержание рассказа не более, чем в 15 предложениях.