Черная курица, или Подземные жители / The Black Hen - Антоний Погорельский

4 Fill in the words from the box.

dolls crown clothes metal

1) Alyosha took off his ____ and went to bed.

2) The knights were in fact some pieces of ____.

3) Alyosha wanted to touch the ____.

4) The King had a beautiful ____ on his head.

5 Fill in the prepositions.

1) The people and animals ____ the picture looked funny.

2) The knights fell ____ pieces.

3) Alyosha saved Blacky ____ the cook.

4) The Minister was a man ____ black.

You read in the text about three rooms (the rooms of the Dutch ladies and the King's hall). Draw a picture of any room and describe it. Draw a picture of your room and describe it.

Chapter 5

The King looked at Alyosha.

"I want to give you something for your help. What do you want? Tell me," he said.

"Don't be afraid, Alyosha," said the Minister in his ear.

"What do I ask for?" thought Alyosha. He tried to think. But there wasn't any time for it. So he said:

"I want to know my homework without reading it," he said.

"Oh, you're a lazy boy. I didn't know that," said the King.

He said something to a little boy near him. The boy brought a gold plate with a hemp seed.

"Take it," said the King. "It's a magic seed. Now you can always get good marks without studying. But remember one thing. You must never say a word about me or my people. Don't forget that."

Alyosha took the hemp seed and put it in his pocket.

"Thank you for the present, sir. I promise not to tell anyone about your people."

The King smiled at him and said:

"OK. You can stay here longer and see how we live. Good-bye."

Then the King got up and left. The little people came up to Alyosha. They thanked him too:

"You are so brave! You saved our Minister! Thank you!"

The Minister came up to Alyosha.

"What do you want to see? The garden or the King's zoo?" he asked.

"Can we go to the garden and to the zoo?" asked the boy.

"OK. Let's go to the garden first," said the Minister and smiled.

The garden was very beautiful. Alyosha saw many bright little stones of all colours on the roads. There were many small lamps on every tree. But the trees looked a little strange. They were red, green, brown, white and blue. Alyosha came up to one of the trees and touched it.

"Oh! These are not real trees," he said. "But they are very nice."

"This is moss," said the Minister. "But it is taller and thicker than in your forests. The King bought this moss far from here. He gave a lot of money for it."

From the garden they went into the King's zoo. Here Alyosha saw wild animals in gold cages.

"Oh, there's a rat in the cage over there! It's funny," thought the boy. But he didn't say that to the Minister.

After the walk Alyosha and his friend came back for supper. In the big hall the boy saw a table with cakes and fruit on gold plates. There were gold bottles and glasses there too.

"Eat what you like," said the Minister, "but you can't take anything with you."

"Thank you, but I'm not hungry," said Alyosha. "Please, tell me about your people," asked Alyosha.

"We live under your school. Nobody knows about us because we don't go out now. Many years ago we often went out. People could see us then. Now we always stay under the ground. Many of your people can't keep a secret. When somebody says a word about us, we go away at once. We go far, far away. It's always a problem to leave our things and go somewhere with all our children and animals. Do you understand me? You saved my life, Alyosha. I asked the King to let me take you here. You know how we live. We don't want to go away from this place. We like it here. So please don't tell anybody about us."

"I promise to keep your secret," said Alyosha. "But tell me, dear Blacky, why are you a hen? And why are you so afraid of the old Dutch ladies?"

Blacky started saying something, but Alyosha's sleepy eyes closed. He woke up in the morning in his bed.

Helpful Words & Notes

What do I ask for? — Что бы мне попросить?

hemp seed — конопляное семечко.

Let's = Let us — Давай.

over there — вон там.

I'm not hungry — мне не хочется есть.

keep a secret — хранить тайну.

Exercises

1 Match the two parts of the sentences.

1) Alyosha wanted

2) The King wanted

3) Alyosha asked Blacky

4) Alyosha promised

a) to keep Blacky's secret.

b) to know his homework without learning it.

c) to thank Alyosha for saving his minister.

d) to take him to the garden and to the zoo.

2 Complete the sentences.

1) A little boy brought a gold plate with ___.

a) an apple seed

b) a gold key

c) a hemp seed

2) The Minister and Alyosha went to ___ first.

a) the garden

b) the zoo

c) the library

3) Alyosha saw ___ in a gold cage.

a) a horse

b) two rats

c) a rat

3 Fill in the words.

1) I want to know my ___ without reading it.

2) You can always get good ___ without studying.

3) Thank you for the ___, sir.

4) The King bought this ___ far from here. He gave a lot of ___ for it.

5) Many of your people can't keep a ___.

6) It's always a ___ to leave our things and go somewhere with all our children and animals.

4 Complete the chart.

5 Explain why:

1) the King called Alyosha a lazy boy.

2) Alyosha didn't have anything for supper with Blacky.

3) Blacky asked Alyosha to keep their secret.

6 Imagine that you are Minister Blacky. Say:

a) why you are a hen;

b) why you are afraid of the old Dutch ladies.

Chapter 6

Alyosha didn't know what to think. He remembered Blacky and the Minister, the King and the knights, the Dutch ladies and the zoo very well.

"Was it a dream? Did it really happen?" he thought.

Then the boy thought about the hemp seed. He took his coat. The seed was in the pocket.

"Let's see how the King keeps his word," he thought. "Lessons start tomorrow, but I still don't know my History lesson. The headmaster told me to learn four pages from the book."

The boys came back to school after the holidays. The second lesson that day was History. It was the headmaster's lesson. Alyosha was afraid to look at the headmaster. He put his hand in his pocket. The hemp seed was there. At last the headmaster said:

"Now we're going to listen to Alyosha. Alyosha, please say your lesson."

Alyosha came up to the headmaster and opened his mouth. He didn't know his homework. But at that moment he started talking. He said his lesson without any mistakes.

"Very well," said the headmaster.

But Alyosha was not happy.

"I didn't learn that," he thought. "I don't like it at all."

Alyosha became the best pupil at once. He got only very good marks. He always knew his homework without studying. He never made any mistakes in his tests. All this time Alyosha didn't see Blacky. At first he called her in the evening. But she didn't come to see him.

"I know she is busy. She's the minister," he thought.

Then he remembered her only from time to time.

Soon all St. Petersburg knew about a very clever boy. The inspector of schools came to Alyosha's school four times to listen to him. The headmaster was happy. His school was famous now. Many mothers and fathers asked him to take their children.

At first Alyosha's gift made him sad. But then he started thinking a lot of himself. "I am better and cleverer than the other children," he thought. And he showed it to the other boys. He was no longer a good and kind boy. He became proud and naughty.

One day a voice inside him said:

"Don't be so bad, Alyosha! Yes, you have this gift. But you are not better than the other children."

But Alyosha didn't listen to that voice. Each day everyone liked him less and less. The headmaster didn't know what to do with him. He told the boy to learn more and more. But it didn't help. Alyosha didn't study at all, but he always knew his homework very well.

One day the headmaster told him to learn by heart twenty pages. But Alyosha was more naughty than usual. So he didn't even open the book.

"Why should I learn something? I've got my magic seed," he thought.

The next day the headmaster opened the book and said:

"Alyosha, please say your lesson."

Alyosha stood up and came up to the headmaster. Everyone looked at him. Alyosha opened his mouth … and nothing happened!

"What is happening?" said the headmaster. "Say your lesson."

Alyosha couldn't say a word. He didn't know the lesson.

"What does this mean, Alyosha?" the headmaster asked. "Why don't you speak?"

Alyosha put his hand in the pocket. The seed wasn't there. It was terrible!

"I'm sorry," said the boy. He started crying.

The headmaster became very angry.

"Go to the bedroom," he said, "and learn your lesson. Now!"

Helpful Words & Notes

how the King keeps his word — как король держит слово.

At first — Сначала.

from time to time — время от времени.

he started thinking a lot of himself — он начал зазнаваться.

to learn by heart — выучить наизусть.

than usual — чем обычно.

Why should I learn something? — С какой стати я должен что-то учить?

Exercises

1 Answer the questions.

1) Did the King keep his word?

2) When did the magic seed help Alyosha for the first time?

3) Was Alyosha happy then?

4) How did the King's present change Alyosha?

5) Why did the headmaster tell him to learn twenty pages by heart?

6) What happened at the History lesson the next day?

2 Match the two parts of the sentences.

1) Alyosha

2) Everyone

3) The headmaster

4) The boys

5) St. Petersburg

a) came back to school after the holidays.

b) never made any mistakes in his tests.

c) knew about a very clever boy.

d) liked him less and less.

e) told the boy to learn more and more.

3 Choose right.

1) Alyosha always / never knew his homework without studying.

2) He never / always made mistakes in his tests.

3) At first Alyosha's gift made him happy / sad.

4) The headmaster told the boy to learn more and more / less and less.

5) Each day the other pupils liked Alyosha less and less / more and more.

4 Fill in the prepositions.

1) Can you learn two pages ____ heart?

2) Alyosha started thinking a lot ____ himself.

3) Alyosha was afraid ____ look at the headmaster.

4) At first the boy called Blacky ____ the evening.

5) Then he remembered her only ____ time to time.

5 Say why:

1) Alyosha became proud and naughty.

2) Blacky didn't come to see Alyosha.

3) the inspector of schools came to listen to Alyosha.

6 Is it important to keep your word? Do you always keep your word?

Chapter 7

Alyosha went to the bedroom. But he didn't take the book. He started looking for the hemp seed. First he looked in all his pockets. Then he looked under the bed. No seed!

"It may be in the yard," Alyosha thought. "I played there yesterday. I lost it there. But how can I get it back? I can't leave the room now."

The boy decided to call Blacky.

"Dear Blacky!" he said. "Dear Minister! Please, come to me. Give me another seed!"

But Blacky didn't come. Alyosha sat down on a chair and started crying again. Soon it was time for dinner. The door opened. The headmaster came into the bedroom.

"Do you know the lesson now?" he asked Alyosha.

"No," said the boy.

"Then learn it!" said the headmaster angrily. He left the bedroom. Soon he came again. He brought Alyosha a glass of water and a piece of bread.

Alyosha started reading his book. He tried hard to learn the text by heart. But it was hard for him now.

He stopped studying long time ago. In the evening he knew only two pages.

It was time to go to bed. The boys came into the bedroom. With them came the headmaster again.

"Alyosha, do you know the lesson?" he asked.

"Only two pages," said Alyosha.

"I see. Then you can learn it in the morning," said the headmaster. "Sorry, but no breakfast for you. Only some bread and water again."

The headmaster left. Alyosha tried to speak to the other boys. But his friends didn't like him any longer. So no one said a word to him. Alyosha went to bed in tears. But he couldn't sleep. He was very sad.

"Blacky doesn't want to see me either," he thought.

Suddenly the sheet started moving.

"Blacky! Blacky!" said Alyosha in a low voice.