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A magician was working on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. The audience would be different each week, so the magician allowed himself to do the same tricks over and over again.

There was only one problem: the captain's parrot saw the shows each week and began to understand how the magician did every trick. Once he understood he started shouting in the middle of the show.

«Look, it's not the same hat.»

«Look, he is hiding the flowers under the table.»

«Hey, why are all the cards the Ace of Spades?»

The magician was furious but couldn't do anything; it was, after all, the captain's parrot.

One day the ship had an accident and sank. The magician found himself on a piece of wood in the middle of the ocean with the parrot, of course.

They stared at each other with hate, but did not utter a word. This went on for a day, and another and another.

After a week the parrot said. «OK, I give up. Where's the boat?»

Study the words and expressions given below:

magician фокусник

cruise круиз

to stare уставиться

to allow oneself позволять себе

over and over again снова и снова

to start shouting начинать кричать

the Ace of Spades карт. туз пик

to utter a word произносить слово

to give up сдаваться

Exercises to the text

1. Answer the questions to the text:

1. What sort of a ship the magician was working on?

2. What did the magician allow himself to do each week?

3. What did the captain's parrot begin to understand?

4. What did he shout in the middle of the show?

5. Why couldn't the magician do anything?

6. Where did the magician find himself after the ship had sunk?

7. Why did the parrot give up?

2. Fill in the blanks with the words from the text:

1. The ______ would be different each week.

2. The magician allowed himself to do ______ tricks.

3. Once the parrot understood he started ______.

4. Look, he is ______ the flowers.

5. The magician was ______ but couldn't do anything.

6. One day the ship had an ______ and sank.

7. They ______ at each other with hate.

3. Match the two parts of each sentence:

4. Match the words and expressions in the left column to those in the right one:

5. Translate from Russian into English:

1. Там была только одна проблема.

2. Попугай начал понимать, как фокусник делает свои фокусы.

3. Однажды поняв, он принялся кричать в середине представления.

4. Смотрите, он прячет цветы в шляпе.

5. Фокусник был в бешенстве, но он не мог ничего поделать.

6. В конце концов, это был попугай капитана.

7. Так продолжалось день, потом другой и еще один.

Revise English Grammar

В предложениях A magician was working on a cruise ship и The magician allowed himself to do the same tricks over and over again используются две основные формы прошедшего времени английского глагола – прошедшее длительное и прошедшее простое.

В вопросе Where did the magician find himself after the ship had sunk? используется третья основная форма прошедшего времени английского глагола – прошедшее совершенное время.

Проверьте свои знания этих временных форм (в случае необходимости используйте грамматический комментарий; раздел 4).

6. Fill in the blanks with appropriate forms of the verbs:

1. When the magician worked on a cruise ship he (to allow) _______ himself to do one and the same trick over and over again.

2. The magician (to hide) _______ the flowers under the table while he was doing his tricks.

3. There (to be) _______ only one problem yesterday.

4. There (to be) _______ three problems yesterday.

5. As soon as the captain (to see) _______ the show he started shouting at the magician.

6. He (to shout) _______ all day long.

7. After the ship (to sink) _______ the magician found himself on a log of wood.

8. When a week (to pass) _______, the parrot (to say) _______ that he was giving up.

7. Make as many special questions to the sentences given as possible:

1. A magician was working on a cruise ship in the Caribbean.

2. The captain's parrot began to understand how the magician did every trick.

3. He started shouting in the middle of the show.

4. He is hiding the flowers under the table.

5. The magician found himself on a piece of wood in the middle of the ocean with the parrot.

8. Render the joke.