Читать книгу Mary Poppins / Мэри Поппинс. Книга для чтения на английском языке - Памела Трэверс, П. Л. Трэверс - Страница 2

Jane, Michael and Mary Poppins got off the Bus. “Are you sure your Uncle is at home?” said Jane.

Mary Poppins sniffed.

“My Uncle has asked me to bring you to tea today,” she said. “Do you think he is not at home?”

“Why is your Uncle called Mr. Wigg?” asked Michael. “Is it because he has a wig16 on his head?”

“He has no wig,” said Mary Poppins. “And he is called Mr. Wigg because his name is Mr. Wigg. And if you ask any more questions, we will go Back Home.”

Mary Poppins put her hat straight17 before a shop window. She liked to look at herself in shop windows18. Today she was wearing a blue coat with silver buttons and a blue hat. She thought that she looked very smart.

“Come along19,” she said. They turned the corner and went up to Number Three, Robertson Road. Mary Poppins rang the door bell.

The door opened, and they saw a very thin lady.

“Is he at home?” said Michael.

“How do you do, Mrs. Wigg,” said Jane politely.

“Mrs. Wigg!” said the thin lady angrily. Her voice was even thinner than she herself. “How can you call me Mrs. Wigg? No, thank you! I am Miss Persimmon20 and I am proud of it! Mrs. Wigg, indeed! Go upstairs and to the first door on the landing.” And she went away along the corridor.

Jane, Michael and Mary Poppins went upstairs. Mary Poppins knocked at the door.

“Come in! Come in! And welcome21!” said a loud and merry voice from the room.

Mary Poppins opened the door, and they went in. They saw a large room. There was a bright fire in the fireplace, and in the centre of the room there was a very large table with four cups, bread and butter, biscuits, chocolates and a very large cake.

“I am very glad to see you,” said a voice. Jane and Michael looked round the room, but saw nobody. Then they saw that Mary Poppins was looking at the ceiling. They looked at the ceiling, too, and to their surprise22 they saw a round, fat man, who was hanging in the air.

Mr. Wigg smiled at the children. “My dear,” he said to Mary Poppins, “it is my Birthday today.”

“Oh,” said Mary Poppins.

Mr. Wigg looked at the children again.

“I see you are surprised,” he said. “I think I must explain to you why I am here. You see, I am a very merry man and like to laugh very much. Everything seems funny to me. And I can laugh at everything that I see.”

And Mr. Wigg began to shake with laughter23.

“Uncle Albert!” said Mary Poppins, and Mr. Wigg stopped laughing.

“Oh, I am sorry, my dear,” he said to Mary Poppins. “I won’t laugh – if I can.” He turned to the children. “You see,” he said, “when my birthday comes on Friday, it always happens to me.”

“But why —” began Jane.

“But how —” began Michael.

“If my birthday comes on Friday and I laugh on that day, I become filled with Laughing Gas24. The Laughing Gas is very light, and when it fills me25 I simply cannot stand on the ground. As soon as26 I begin laughing, or even smiling, I fly up like a balloon. And I can get down only if I think about something serious.” Mr. Wigg began laughing again, but then he looked at Mary Poppins and stopped.

“It is strange, of course,” he said, “but very pleasant. Does it ever happen to you?27 ” he asked Jane and Michael.

Jane and Michael shook their heads.

“One day,” said Mr. Wigg, “I went to the Circus and I laughed so much that I flew up to the ceiling and could not get down until midnight, and then, of course, at twelve o’clock I suddenly fell down. Because, you see, it was already Saturday and not my birthday. It’s strange, isn’t it? And funny, isn’t it? And now it is Friday again and my birthday, and you two and Mary have come to visit me, and it is very nice. Oh, don’t make me laugh28, please, don’t make me laugh —”

And Mr. Wigg began laughing and shaking under the ceiling again, and could not stop.

He looked so funny, that Jane and Michael began laughing, too. They wanted to be polite and tried not to laugh, but they could do nothing. They laughed more and more, and soon they fell down and were rolling and rolling on the floor, and could not stop laughing.

“Really!” said Mary Poppins. “Really, such behaviour!”

“I can’t help it29, I can’t help it,” cried Michael, and he was still rolling on the floor. “It is so funny. Oh, Jane, isn’t it funny?”

Then a very strange thing happened. Jane and Michael became very light and flew up in the air! The next moment they were hanging under the ceiling near Mr. Wigg.

“Hello!” said Mr. Wigg. “It’s very nice of you. You saw that I could not come down to you, so you came up to me!

It’s really very, very nice of you.” And all the three of them began laughing again.

“I say,” said Mr. Wigg to the children when they stopped laughing, “there are no chairs here, but I think you can sit on the air. Look at me, I am sitting.”

And indeed, Mr. Wigg was sitting on the air. Jane and Michael tried to sit down, too, and found that they also could sit on the air and that it was very comfortable.

Mr. Wigg looked down at Mary Poppins. “I see you don’t like it, my dear,” he said. “I am very sorry. But you see that I can’t help it.”

Mary Poppins looked very serious. “Well, I must say,” she said, “I have never seen such a sight30. And at your age31, Uncle —”

“Mary Poppins, Mary Poppins, come up here!” said Michael. “Think of something funny and come up here.”

“Come, Mary Poppins, come up here,” said Jane. “Please come up here! Think of something funny!”

“Oh, she can do it even if she does not think of funny things,” said Mr. Wigg.

“Well, it is all very silly,” said Mary Poppins. “But I see that you cannot come down.”

And to the great surprise of Jane and Michael, she put her hands down at her sides and without a laugh, without even a smile, she flew up through the air and sat down near Jane.

“That’s right, Mary,” said Mr. Wigg. “Now we can have tea. Oh! I didn’t think of it! We are here and the table is down there on the floor. Quick! We must think of something serious. Something sad, very sad, and then we shall get down.”

They began thinking. They thought and thought, but could not think of anything serious.

“Mary,” said Mr. Wigg, “can’t you do something? We want our tea.”

Jane and Michael could not believe their eyes. The table, with the cups, and bread and butter, and biscuits and chocolates and cake, flew up through the air and stopped near them. Now they were sitting round the table!

“Good girl!” said Mr. Wigg. He smiled. “Usually people begin with bread and butter,” he said to Jane and Michael. “But it is my birthday today. Let’s begin with the Cake!”

And he cut a large piece of cake for everybody.

And they had very nice tea with cake, biscuits and chocolates, and talked and laughed all the time.

“IT IS TIME TO GO HOME.” It was Mary Poppins’s voice. It was the first sad thought32 of the afternoon, and suddenly the Laughing Gas went out of them, and they came down on the floor.

“Well, it’s a pity that it is time for you to go home,” said Mr. Wigg. “It was a very pleasant afternoon, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, very pleasant,” said Michael sadly.

“Very, very pleasant,” said Jane and kissed Mr. Wigg’s cheek. “We shall never forget it.”

EXERCISES

1. Practice the pronunciation of the following words.

2. Agree or disagree.

1. Mary Poppins put her hat straight before a shop window.

2. Today she was wearing a brown coat with black buttons and a grey hat.

3. The door opened, and they saw a very fat lady.

4. Jane, Michael and Mary Poppins went upstairs.

5. There was a bright fire in the fireplace, and in the centre of the room there was a small table with flowers in a beautiful vase.

6. Jane and Michael looked round the room and saw a round fat man in the corner.

7. They wanted to be polite and tried not to laugh, but they could do nothing.

8. Then a very strange thing happened. Jane and Michael became very heavy and fell on the floor.

9. Mary Poppins put her hands down at her sides and, laughing merrily, she flew up through the air and sat down near Jane.

10. And they had very nice dinner with soup, meat and fruits, and talked and laughed all the time.

3. Put the following sentences in the right order.

1. The table, with the cups and bread and butter, and biscuits and chocolates and cake, flew up through the air and stopped near them.

2. It was the first sad thought of the afternoon, and suddenly the Laughing Gas went out of them, and they came down on the floor.

3. Mr. Wigg smiled at the children. “My dear,” he said to Mary Poppins, “it’s my Birthday today.”

4. Jane, Michael and Mary Poppins went upstairs. Mary Poppins knocked at the door.

5. “It is time to go home.” It was Mary Poppins’s voice.

6. Jane and Michael became very light and flew up in the air.

7. He looked so funny, that Jane and Michael began laughing, too.

8. And they had very nice tea with cake, biscuits and chocolates, and talked and laughed all the time.

9. There was a bright fire in the fireplace, and in the centre of the room there was a very large table with four cups, bread and butter, biscuits, chocolates and a very large cake.

10. If my Birthday comes on Friday and I laugh on that day, I become filled with Laughing Gas.

11. “Come in! Come in! And welcome!” said a loud and merry voice from the room.

12. “Hullo,” said Mr. Wigg. “It’s very nice of you. You saw that I could not come down to you, so you came up to me.”

4. Fill in the blanks with the following words:

bring, smart, thin, merry, serious, ceiling, hanging, air, surprise, laughed.

1. I can get down only if I think about something ______.

2. The next moment they were ________ under the ceiling near Mr. Wigg.

3. To the great ________ of Jane and Michael, she put her hands down at her sides and flew up through the air and sat down near Jane.

4. “My Uncle has asked me to ________ you to tea today,” she said.

5. The door opened, and they saw a very _____ lady.

6. They had very nice tea with cake, biscuits and chocolates, and talked and ________ all the time.

7. One day I went to the circus and I laughed so much that I flew up to the ________ and could not get down until midnight.

8. She thought that she looked very ________ .

9. “I say,” said Mr. Wigg to the children, “there are no chairs here, but I think you can sit on the ________ .

10. “Come in! Come in! And welcome!” said a loud and ________ voice from the room.

5. Fill in the blanks with prepositions or adverbs where necessary.

1. Jane, Michael and Mary Poppins got ___ the bus.

2. She liked to look ___ herself ___ shop windows.

3. Go upstairs and ___ the first door ___ the landing.

4. Mary Poppins knocked ___ the door.

5. There was a bright fire ___ the fireplace, and ___ the centre ___ the room there was a very large table ___ four cups, bread and butter, biscuits, chocolates and a very large cake.

6. They looked ___ the ceiling, and ___ their surprise they saw a round, fat man, who was hanging ___ the air.

7. I think I must explain ___ you why I am here.

8. Everything seems funny ___ me.

9. I can laugh ___ everything that I see.

10. And Mr. Wigg began to shake ___ laughter.

11. You see, when my Birthday comes ___ Friday, it always happens ___ me.

12. If my Birthday comes ___ Friday and I laugh ___ that day, I become filled ___ Laughing Gas.

13. And ___ the great surprise ___ Jane and Michael, she put her hands down ___ her sides, and ___ a laugh, ___ even a smile, she flew up ___ the air and sat down ___ Jane.

14. Usually people begin ___ bread and butter.

15. And he cut a large piece ___ cake ___ everybody.

6. Find in the text the sentences in which the following word-combinations are used. Use them in sentences of your own.

As soon as; began to shake with laughter; come along; turned the corner; it’s very nice of you; don’t make me laugh; to their surprise; stopped laughing.

7. Find in the text the English equivalents of the following words, word-combinations and sentences. Use them in sentences of your own.

Сошли с автобуса; вы уверены? привести вас к чаю; его зовут мистер Уигг; они повернули за угол; Мэри Поппинс позвонила в дверной звонок; вежливый; даже; я горжусь этим; в этот день; конечно; приятно; странно; поведение; я очень сожалею; пора идти домой.

8. Who said the following words? Under what circumstances?

1. Are you sure your Uncle is at home?

2. How can you call me Mrs. Wigg?

3. How do you do, Mrs. Wigg.

4. I have never seen such a sight.

5. We must think of something serious.

6. It was a very pleasant afternoon, wasn’t it?

7. I see you don’t like it. I am very sorry. But you see that I can’t help it.

8. Think of something funny and come up here.

9. Is it because he has a wig on his head?

10. It is time to go home.

9. Act out the following conversations.

1. Michael, Jane, Mary Poppins, Miss Persimmon, from the beginning of the episode up to “… Go upstairs and to the first door on the landing.”

2. Mr. Wigg and Mary Poppins, from the moment they entered the room, up to “… I won’t laugh – if I can.”

3. Mr. Wigg, Jane, Michael, Mary Poppins, when they asked Mary Poppins to come up to them, from “I see you don’t like it, my dear…” up to “… But I see that you cannot come down.”

10. Answer the following questions.

1. Whom did Michael, Jane and Mary Poppins go to see one day?

2. What question did Michael ask Mary Poppins about her Uncle’s name? What did Mary Poppins answer?

3. What did Mary Poppins use for a mirror to put her hat straight? What did she like to do when she was walking along the street?

4. What was Mary Poppins wearing that day? How did she think she looked?

5. Who opened the door when they rang the bell? How did Miss Persimmon look? What kind of voice did she have? Why was she angry? How did she show that she was angry?

6. What did the children see in Mr. Wigg’s room when they entered?

7. Was Mr. Wigg in the room when the children and Mary Poppins entered? Why couldn’t the children see him?

8. How did Mr. Wigg look?

9. Mr. Wigg was a merry man, wasn’t he? What did he like to do? What could he laugh at?

10. What always happened to Mr. Wigg if his birthday came on Friday and he laughed on that day?

11. What happened to Mr. Wigg one day when he was at the circus on his birthday?

12. Why did Jane and Michael begin laughing?

13. What strange thing happened to Michael and Jane when they were laughing and could not stop?

14. Did Mr. Wigg like it when the children flew up to the ceiling? What did he say to them?

15. What did Michael and Jane ask Mary Poppins to do?

Did she fly up to them?

16. What did Mary Poppins do with the table?

17. Did they enjoy their tea? What was the first sad thought of the afternoon? Why did they all come down on the floor?