An Ardent Fisherman
| One of my friends told me once that his hobby was fishing. He became an ardent fisherman in his early boyhood. And now he always goes fishing during his summer holidays. He always dreams of the big catch he will make and how he will give half of it to his friends and the other half to his relatives. But very often he catches no fish at all. |
| Neck or nothing. Cut your coat according to your cloth. Don't count your chickens before they are hatched. Care killed the cat. |
| Lesson 5 |
А теперь прочитайте шутку и скажите, какая из пословиц могла бы стать наиболее удачным окончанием.
Will You Punish a Boy?
| Tommy: Will you punish a boy for a thing that he did not do? |
| Teacher: No, Tommy, I shall not punish a boy for a thing he did not do. Why do you ask? |
| Tommy: I ask because I did not do my homework. |
| Practise what you preach. It is no use crying over split milk. The devil is not so black as he is painted. To make a silk purse out of the sow's ear. |
| Lesson 6 |
А теперь прочитайте диалог и скажите, какая из пословиц могла бы стать наиболее удачным окончанием.
| - Hallo, Jane! |
| - Hallo, Mike! So glad to see you! |
| - And I am glad to see you too. But you look so exited. What’s the matter? |
| - Tomorrow I’ll take my first exam. Naturally I can’t help feeling excited. |
| - What exam will it be? |
| - Literature. I am afraid I shan’t pass it. Then what shall I do? |
| - Nonsense! Don’t talk like that! Everything will be all right. |
| Brevity is the soul of wit. No news is good news. Don't trouble trouble until trouble troubles you. East or West, home is best. |
| Lesson 7 |
А теперь прочитайте диалог и скажите, какая из пословиц могла бы стать наиболее удачным окончанием.
| - I say, Mary, do you like Mark Twain’s books? |
| - It goes without saying. My favorite character is Tom Sawyer. |
| - I like him too, though sometimes he didn’t behave very well. And I think he liked to boast. He sometimes reminds me of the proverb ... ? |
| A good beginning makes a good ending. Great boast, small roast. Don't cross a bridge till you come to it. Bad news travels fast. |
| Lesson 8 |
А теперь прочитайте историю и скажите, какая из пословиц могла бы стать наиболее удачным окончанием.
The Calf and the Cap
| Lord S. was going along the village street one day when he met the son of one of his farmers. The boy was trying to lead an obstinate calf which was struggling very hard. |
| “Why don’t you take off your cap?” said Lord S. |
| “That I will, sir,” said the boy, “if you, Lordship, will hold my calf.” |
| Scratch my back and I'll scratch yours. The rotten apple injures its neighbours. Hunger is the best sauce. Appetite comes with eating. |
| Lesson 9 |
А теперь прочитайте историю и скажите, какая из пословиц могла бы стать наиболее удачным окончанием.
An Unpleasant Mistake
| The train stopped at the border and the passengers were told to get their bags ready for examination by the customs officer. One of the passengers had bought many boxes of cigarettes, and they were in his bags. He knew the customs limits on cigarettes, and the number he had was far more than allowed. He was afraid that they would count how many boxes he had and would take half of them away from him. So he took some boxes out of his bags and put them into his pockets. But when all his pockets were filled, there were still many boxes left. Something had to be done. The passenger went out into the corridor and saw a man standing alone at the window. “Will you help me?” he said going up to the man. |
| “I’d be glad to ,” the man answered. |
| “Please, put these cigarettes into your pockets until the customs examination is over.” |
| “Why can’t the cigarettes be left in your bags?” the other man asked. |
| “Because I have too many. I am afraid they will take some of them.” |
| “All right,” the man said. “Give them to me. But I must tell you now that I won’t return them to you.” |
| “Why not?” the man asked in surprise. |
| “Because I am the customs officer,” was the answer. |
| Appearances are deceitful. What is done cannot be undone. An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Catch the bear before you sell his skin. |
| Lesson 10 |
А теперь прочитайте историю и скажите, какая из пословиц могла бы стать наиболее удачным окончанием.
The Lion and the Mouse
| A lion was sleeping under a tree. Suddenly he heard a noise and opened his eyes. He saw a little mouse quite near his nose. He caught the mouse by the tail. The mouse was frightened and cried, “Oh, please, sir, let me go!” |
| “Why did you make so much noise?” said the lion angrily. |
| “I’m sorry. I was only looking for something to eat. Let me go. I’ll be able to help you some day.” |
| The lion laughed, but he let the mouse go; he was a kind lion. Now one day a young hunter was walking in the forest when he heard the lion’s roar. He called up the other hunters and they put up a net near the lion’s drinking place. When the lion was thirsty he went to the river. He did not see the net and was caught in it. He roared and struggled and struggled and roared, but the ropes held him and he could do nothing. At last he was tired and hungry and lay still. Suddenly he saw a mouse. The little animal was working on the net with her sharp teeth. Soon she cut the first rope, then another and another. At last the lion was able to free himself. |
| “You laughed at me when I promised to help you,” said the mouse. “When I heard your roar I ran to help you, and now see what I have done for you.” |
| Every cloud has a silver lining. First think, then speak. One good turn deserves another. To tell tales out of school. |
Lesson 11
| 1. Two heads are better than one. | Две головы лучше одной (дословный перевод). |
| Ум хорошо, а два лучше (русская пословица). | |
| Пословица в ситуации: I want to know what you really think I should do. Two heads are better than one, you know, even mine is one of them. | |
| 2. Still waters run deep. | Тихие воды имеют глубокое течение. |
| В тихой воде омуты глубоки. В тихом омуте черти водятся. | |
| Пословица в ситуации: "I don’t understand the proverb ‘Still waters run deep’ quite clearly. Can you explain it to me?" "The proverb has the meaning that the fact that a man says little does not mean that he does not think profoundly, while those who talk the most have no depth of feeling." | |
| 3. Don’t halloo till you are out of the wood. | Не радуйся, пока не выбрался из лесу. |
| Не говори «гоп», пока не перепрыгнешь. Не радуйся раньше времени. | |
| Пословица в ситуации: Don’t halloo till you are out of wood. You had better wait for the results of the experiment instead of boasting that you have done something wonderful. | |
| 4. Curiosity killed a cat. | Любопытство погубило кошку. |
| Любопытство до добра не доводит. Много будешь знать, скоро состаришься. | |
| Пословица в ситуации: “I am sorry,” he said, “I know I shouldn’t have come.” “They say that curiosity killed the cat, but I never believed it when I was your age.” | |
А теперь прочитайте историю и скажите, какая из пословиц могла бы стать наиболее удачным окончанием.
The Tortoise and the Hare
| In a forest near a river there lived a hare who was very proud of himself. Most of all he liked to talk about the way he could run. Of course, the other hares did not like him and refused to listen to him. |
| “I must stop boasting,” he thought, “then my friends will talk to me again.” |
| But he forgot all about his decision when he saw a tortoise. He looked at her shot legs and cried, “Oh, I’m so glad that I am not a tortoise!” he was going to run away when the tortoise called out to him, “If you can run so fast, let’s have a race.” |
| The hare began to laugh, “Have a race with you? I can get to the finish and back before you cross the starting line.” |
| The tortoise said, “Do you see that big tree over there? The finish will be at that tree.” |
| The tortoise was very clever and she wanted to teach the hare a lesson. |
| The hare ran off as fast as he could and the tortoise started slowly after him. The hare ran very fast and soon he was not far from the tree. He thought, “I shall wait for the tortoise here and when she comes near enough, I shall run to the finish and be the first.” |
| But the day was very hot and he soon fell asleep. Some time later he woke because he heard somebody laughing. He looked around and saw that the tortoise was nearly at the finish. The other hares were watching her and laughing. The proud hare got up and run as fast as he could, but the tortoise had already reached the tree. The other hares laughed and said to each other, “He boasted very much, but could not win a race against a tortoise, who is one of the slowest animals in the forest.” |
| Two heads are better than one. Still waters run deep. Don't halloo till you are out of the wood. Curiosity killed a cat. |
| Lesson 12 |
А теперь прочитайте диалог и скажите, какая из пословиц могла бы стать наиболее удачным окончанием.
| - Why are you wearing a coat and a warm dress? It’s not autumn yet. Why don’t you put on a light dress if you want to wear a coat? |
| - Well, you see, the fact is I’ve caught cold and I am afraid of getting worse; that’s why I’ve put on a coat. …? |
| - I see. |
| A stitch in time saves nine. Little strokes fell great oaks. There's many a slip between the cup and the lip. Everything is good in its season. |
Lesson 13