nâkamais augstâk iepriekðçjais saturs Angïu valoda DU TSC
Nâkamais: A SEA STORY Augstâk: ang1 Iepriekðçjais: THE OPEN WINDOW

Read the story and get a general idea.

MY UNCLE TOM

My uncle Tom worked on the railway. It wasn't a big station, it was a little place called Lowton Cross. Only about two trains a day stopped there, and Tom was station-master, chief porter all in one. In fact Tom did any work that came along. Lowton Cross was the pride of his heart; the waiting room was cleaned every day by the chief cleaner (Tom); the chairs were polished by the chief polisher (Tom); and the tickets were sold, and collected, by the ticket-collector (Tom) - sometimes there were as many as four tickets a day, - and the money was counted every evening by the chief clerk (Tom).

That station was run well: Tom was very strict about rules. He knew what a passenger was allowed to do and was not allowed to do. He was there for 50 years and then he had to retire. There is no doubt that Tom did his job well; in all the 50 years he never missed a single day. So the Railway Company wanted to thank him for his job. A man from the head office was asked to go to Lowton Cross to do it.

Tom was thanked and was given a small cheque as a present. He was very pleased, of course, but he said to the man, "I don't need the money. But can I have something that will remind me of the happy days I have spent in Lowton Cross?" The man asked him what he wanted. "Well, sir, could the Company let me have a part of an old railway carriage. It doesn't matter how old or broken it is. I want to put it in my garden, and every day I can go and sit in it."

About a week later a carriage was sent and was taken into Tom's garden.

Tom worked at it, and it was cleaned and painted and polished. Soon we went to see Tom. It was a bad day for a visit. It began to rain as we got off the train, and by the time we got to Tom's house it was raining hard. We knocked, but there was no answer. Tom wasn't in the house. We thought he was sitting in the carriage. Sure enough, he was there, but he was not sitting in the carriage; he was outside, on the step of the carriage, smoking his pipe. His head was covered with a sack. We asked him why he did not go inside the carriage. "Can't you see," said Tom, "the carriage they sent me was a non-smoker."

EXERCISES

I Learn and practise the pronunciation of the following vocabulary.

1. the railway - dzelzceïð - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{æåëåçíàÿ äîðîãà}}$

2. a station-master - stacijas saimnieks - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{õîçÿèí ñòàíöèè}}$

3. a chief porter - galvenais nesçjs - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{ãëàâíûé íîñèëüùèê}}$

4. work that come along - darbs, kas pagadîjâs - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{ðàáîòà, êîòîðàÿ ïîäâîðà÷èâàëàñü}}$

5. the pride of his heart - dvçseles lepnums - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{ãîðäîñòü äóøè}}$

6. a waiting room - atpûtas telpa - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{êîìíàòà îòäûõà}}$

7. a ticket-collector - kontrolieris - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{êîíòðîëåð}}$

8. a clerk - ierçdnis, klerks - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{êëåðê}}$

9. to run the station - vadît darbu stacijâ (stacijas darbu) - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{ðóêîâîäèòü ðàáîòîé ñòàíöèè}}$

10. strict - stingrs - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{ñòðîãèé}}$

11. to allow - atïaut - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{ïîçâîëÿòü}}$

12. to retire - aiziet pensijâ - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{óõîäèòü íà ïåíñèþ}}$

13. doubt - ðaubas - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{ñîìíåíèå}}$

14. job - darbs - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{ðàáîòà}}$

15. to miss - nokavçt (izlaist) - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{ïðîïóñêàòü}}$

16. the head office - pârvalde (galvenâ mîtne) - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{óïðàâëåíèå}}$

17. to be pleased - bût apmierinâtam - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{áûòü äîâîëüíûì}}$

18. to remind smb of smth - atgâdinât kâdam par kaut ko - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{íàïîìèíàòü êîìó-íèáóäü}}$ $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{î ÷åì-ëèáî}}$

19. a railway carriage - dzelzceïa vagons - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{æåëåçíîäîðîæíûé âàãîí }}$

20. to send (sent) - sûtît - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{ïîñûëàòü}}$

21. to polish - pulçt - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{ïîëèðîâàòü}}$

22. to get off - noiet no - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{ñîéòè ñ (ïîåçäà)}}$

23. to knock - pieklauvçt - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{ïîñòó÷àòüñÿ}}$

24. sure enough - protams - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{êîíå÷íî}}$

25. a sack - maiss - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{ìåøîê}}$

26. a non-smoker - (vagons) nesmçíçtâjiem - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{(âàãîí) äëÿ íåêóðÿùèõ}}$


II Answer the questions.

1. Who worked on the railway?

2. Was Lowton Cross a big station?

3. How many trains a day stopped there?

4. What work did Tom do?

5. Did anybody else work at the station?

6. Was the station run welt?

7. Was Tom strict about rules?

8. How long has he worked there?

9. Did Tom do his job well?

10. Why did the company want to thank Tom?

11. Who came to thank Tom?

12. What was given to Tom?

13. Why didn't he want a cheque?

14. What did he want to get from the head office to remember the happy days he had spent in Lowton Cross?

15. Where was an old carriage placed?

16. What did Tom do with the old carriage?

17. What was the weather like when they went to see Tom?

18. Where was Tom?

19. Why was he sitting on the step of the carriage on a rainy day?


III Read and reproduce the dialogues.

1.

M. Good morning, Tom!

T. Good morning, Mr. Johson!

M. I've come to thank you, Tom. The Railway Company is very grateful to you for the whole job you've done!

T. I'm certainly very pleased!

M. I'm honoured to give you this small cheque as a present.

T. Oh, no. I don't need the money. But can I have something that will remind me of the happy days I have spent in Lowton Cross.

M. What can it be, Tom?

T. Well, sir, could the company let me have a part of an old railway carriage?

M. An old railway carriage?

T. Yes, I'd like to put it in my garden and every day I can go, and sit in it.

M. Sure, you'll have it very soon.

2.

A. Let's go to visit our uncle Tom, Bob?

B. With pleasure! And we shall be able to see his carriage.

A. Oh yes, you know, uncle Tom has worked a lot at it. He has cleaned it, painted and polished.

B. He must be missing his work.

A. But where is uncle Tom, he is not in the house?

B. He must be near his carriage!

A. He can't be near, it's raining so hard! He must be inside the carriage.

B. Oh, here he is, sitting on the step of the carriage, smoking his pipe!

A. Smoking a pipe? In this hard rain?

B. Yes, and his head is covered with a sack!

A. Uncle Tom, why aren't you sitting inside the carriage?

B. Why are you sitting in this rain?

T. Can't you see, the carriage they sent me is a non-smoker.


IY Make up and act out dialogues, using the following vocabulary.

1. Good morning, I've come to thank you, grateful, I'm very pleased, I'm honoured, a small cheque, as a present, I don't need, to remind of, let me have, a railway carriage, sure.

2. Let's go to visit, with pleasure, we'll be able to see, a lot of, to clean, to paint, to polish, he must be missing, near the carriage, inside the carriage, to sit in the rain, a non-smoker.


Y Prove it by the facts from the story.

1. Lowton Cross was a little railway station.

2. Uncle Tom was the only worker at the station.

3. He liked his work very much.

4. Tom was very strict about rules.

5. He has worked for a long time.

6. The Railway Company was grateful to Torn for his good job.

7. Tom didn't want to part with the railway,

8. He worked a lot at his carriage.

9. The weather was bad when we went to visit uncle Tom.

10. Uncle Tom respected the rules of the railway greatly.


YI Retell the story according to the given plan.

1. Uncle Tom worked at a small railway station.

2. He was the only worker at the station.

3. The station was run well.

4. Uncle Tom had to retire.

5. The Railway Company wanted to thank him for his job.

6. Uncle Tom wanted to have something to remind him of his happy days at the station.

7. He repaired the carriage and placed it in his garden.

8. Uncle Tom's relatives came to visit him on a rainy day.


YII Topics for discussion.

1. How do you like uncle Tom?

2. What do you think about his life?

3. Was his life interesting?

4. Would you like to live the same kind of life?

5. Are you strict about rules of life?

6. What would you prefer as a present for your work, a cheque or a carriage? Why?

7. Is it good to be strict about rules or bad? What is better? Why?

nâkamais augstâk iepriekðçjais saturs Angïu valoda DU TSC
Nâkamais: A SEA STORY Augstâk: ang1 Iepriekðçjais: THE OPEN WINDOW

2002-06-06