Tommy’s house. Marina Nitsinska
Чтение книги онлайн.
Читать онлайн книгу Tommy’s house - Marina Nitsinska страница 5
Название: Tommy’s house
Автор: Marina Nitsinska
Издательство: Издательские решения
Жанр: Учебная литература
isbn: 9785005191397
isbn:
8. The root of a plant that is used to flavour food. It has a sweet spicy flavour and is often sold in powdered form. (noun)
9. A dirty or untidy state of things or of a place. (noun)
Down
2. A round fruit with a thick reddish skin. It contains lots of small seeds with juicy flesh around them. (noun)
4. An aromatic or pungent vegetable substance used to flavour food, e.g. cloves, pepper. (noun)
5. Tidiness, neatness. (noun)
10. A particular kind of tea or coffee. (noun)
DISCUSSION TASKS
I Say true or false. Correct the false statements.
1. Tommy’s favourite dish was porridge.
2. Tommy preferred cornflakes with milk for breakfast.
3. The boy ate pancakes with plum jam.
4. Mum allowed Tommy to help her in the kitchen.
5. Tom could find a piece of freedom when Granny was in the kitchen.
6. Tommy was glad to learn how to slice vegetables.
7. Tommy was happy to see Lilly in the kitchen.
8. Lilly was quiet and accurate there.
9. Granny turned over a bowl of fish soup.
10. Granny’s tea was a remedy for all diseases.
II Explain why:
1. Tommy really liked to spend time in the kitchen.
2. The boy did his granny’s errands with pleasure.
3. Tom wasn’t glad to see Lilly in the kitchen.
4. Lilly behaved like that in the kitchen.
5. Tommy didn’t want the girl to help him.
TALKING POINTS
I Describe your kitchen.
II Tell about your favourite dish.
III Answer the following questions.
1. What is your least favourite food?
2. Do you like cooking?
3. What do you prefer for breakfast/lunch/dinner?
CHAPTER 4
The Library
Later he headed for the Library, the place of intellect in the house. The boy thought that his mum was still there, but she had already left.
It was a snug room, panelled in black oak, with large windows and purple curtains. It had a special smell of wood and ink. Fine curled leaves and buds of the carved ornament on the wall were replicated on different subjects in the house – on the family china print, and on the embroidery on the cushions and coverings. That tracery always reminded of the invisible presence of family roots and standards2.
There was a very high wooden bookcase, dark of age, full of different dictionaries, thick volumes of directories and books of all genres – adventures, detectives, novels, science fiction, poems, fantastic and fairy tales.
Tommy had a special ritual of choosing a book. He climbed the ladder to get to the upper shelves of the bookcase and slowly ran his fingertip over the many-coloured spines of the books3, reading the titles and the names of the books’ authors. The process was really serious for the boy. It took him quite long. Some books attracted him by their uncommon prints, others by bright covers or even by the special paper and printer’s ink smell of the pages. He was able to define if the book was fresh or old only by its smell.
Sometimes the kid chose a book just to look at the pictures. He thoroughly followed each line of a drawing with his observant look and could distinguish grade and grade4. Tommy saw the pictures thousand times and was able to reproduce them in detail even with his eyes closed. They were alive for him.
A lot of incredible stories captured his attention. The boy spent hours, reading in the old rocking chair in front of the fireplace, he was absorbed in the imaginary world of books so deep that forgot about time.
Another object that aroused the child’s interest was ivory chess. The ancient chess box had been on the bureau long before Tommy’s birth. Sometimes he played with his father when he had spare time, although the boy more often played chess with himself. The chessmen came to life in his hands, and the battle on the chessboard was a real intellectual challenge for the kid.
Tommy often climbed to his favourite place on the wide window sill behind the curtains, where he twisted the globe, dreaming about travelling around the world. He imagined trekking through rain forests, observing wild animals of jungles, admiring the ocean from the shore and from his yacht. Inspired by the literature characters, he was longing for adventures. He couldn’t know that inside the house something wonderful was possible and waiting for him.
HELPFUL WORDS AND NOTES
snug room [snʌg] [rum] – уютная
комната
to climb the ladder [klaɪm] [ðə] [lædə] – подниматься, взбираться по лестнице
uncommon print [ʌnkɔmən] [prɪnt] – необычный, редкий шрифт
printer’s ink smell [prɪntəz] [ɪŋk] [smel] – запах книжной печати, типограф. краски
to capture attention [kæpʧə] [əten(t)ʃ(ə)n] – завладеть вниманием, увлечь
rocking chair [rɔkıŋ] [ʧeə] — кресло-
качалка
to be absorbed in smth [əbzɔ bd] —
погружаться, СКАЧАТЬ
Fine curled leaves and buds of the carved ornament on the wall were replicated on different subjects in the house – on the family china print, and on the embroidery on the cushions and coverings. That tracery always reminded of the invisible presence of family roots and standards. – Утончённые завитые листья и бутоны резного орнамента на стене повторялись на разных предметах в доме – на рисунке на фамильном фарфоре и на вышивке на диванных подушках и покрывалах. Этот узор всегда напоминал о незримом присутствии родовых корней и устоев.
…slowly ran his fingertip over the many-coloured spines of the books… – медленно проводил кончиком пальца по разноцветным корешкам книг
He thoroughly followed each line of a drawing with his observant look and could distinguish grade and grade. – Он тщательно прочерчивал каждую линию рисунка своим внимательным взглядом и мог уловить тончайшие оттенки.