Читать книгу Boost up your English - Александр Чумаков, Иван Иванович Мазур - Страница 11

Hi! This is Alex. Welcome to the mini-story for «Harry the Hamster». You know what I am going to do, right? Yes, I’m going to ask the story. I want you to answer the questions fast and automatically. I want you to train your brain, teach your brain to answer very quickly. I don’t want you to translate from your language to English or from English to your language. Of course, you can answer with one or two words. It’s okay. Short answers are fine. Let’s go!

Harry was a small, smart and significant hamster.

What kind of hamster was Harry?

Right! Harry was small, smart and significant.

Where did Harry the hamster live?

Yes, you are absolutely right. He lived in a spacious, gorgeous and very comfortable cage.

Why was Harry significant?

The reason he was significant was that Harry never slept in his life. He couldn’t sleep. He never had dreams. No dreams for Harry.

What? Oh, my Lord! He never slept in his life. He never had dreams. No dreams for Harry. Poor Harry.

Did Harry the hamster want to have dreams?

Of course, he did. Harry the hamster wanted to have dreams.

He often said, «How much I want to have colorful, fantastic and vivid dreams! But I cannot sleep.»

What did he often say?

He often said, «How much I want to have colorful, fantastic and vivid dreams! But I cannot sleep.»

Did Harry the hamster want to have colorful, fantastic and vivid dreams a lot or a little?

A lot, very much. He often said, «How much I want to have colorful, fantastic and vivid dreams!»

Every day hundreds of people came to see him. Every day many reporters interviewed him. And every day a lot of scientists examined him.

Why did hundreds of people come to see him?

They did it, because Harry the hamster was significant. He was not like other, any other hamster in the world. He never ever slept in his life.

What about reporters? Did reporters interview him?

Yes, sure, they did. Many reporters interviewed him.

Why did many reporters interview Harry?

They did it, because they wanted to know more about Harry as an individual.

They wanted to know how it felt not to sleep at all.

Did many reporters study Harry? Did they examine Harry?

No, they didn’t study him. They didn’t examine him. Many reporters talked to him. They interview him.

Who examined Harry the Hamster?

Scientists did. A lot of scientists looked at Harry the Hamster. A lot of scientists examined him.

What did a lot of scientists do with or to Harry the hamster?

Right you are. They examined him. They looked at him carefully. They studied him.

Did a lot of scientists want to know why he couldn’t sleep?

Yes, exactly. A lot of scientists examined Harry the hamster because they wanted to know the reason why he couldn’t sleep.

Did the scientists find out the reason why Harry couldn’t sleep?

No, they didn’t. The scientists didn’t find out the reason why he couldn’t fall asleep. They didn’t find out the reason why Harry still couldn’t sleep. They didn’t find out the reason why Harry still couldn’t have vivid dreams.

And how did Harry the hamster feel?

Of course, he felt frustrated, depressed and unhappy.

Why did Harry the hamster feel that way? I mean frustrated, depressed and unhappy?

It’s obvious. He felt frustrated, depressed and unhappy because no one could help him to fall asleep. Nobody could help him to have vivid fantastic and beautiful dreams.

But one day… you know there is always a day that turns your life around, the day that changes everything.

The day when a woman appeared out of nowhere and she said, «You want to have vivid dreams, don’t you Harry?»

«Yes, I do. I really really want to have vivid, fantastic and beautiful dreams. But I cannot sleep. I cannot fall asleep, so I cannot have dreams. No one can help me.»

«I can», the woman said. «I am here to help you, Harry. I can help you. I do can solve your problem.»

Harry the hamster got very much excited. He couldn’t believe his ears.

How did Harry the hamster feel?

Of course, he felt very much excited. He felt very happy. He really really wanted to have vivid, fantastic and beautiful dreams. That is why he got very much excited.

And the woman said, «Your problem is that you live in the cage. You must liberate yourself from that cage. Go and live like a free hamster. Smell the flowers. Then and only then you will have vivid, fantastic and beautiful dreams.» As soon as the woman finished speaking, she disappeared without a trace.

What was Harry’s problem?

His problem was that he lived in the cage.

What did the woman say Harry to do in order to have vivid dreams?

She said to him that he must liberate himself from the cage.

It means he must leave his spacious, gorgeous and very comfortable cage, right?

Yes, that’s what it means. The woman said to Harry to leave the cage. She said to him that he must liberate himself to become a free hamster.

Why must Harry the hamster liberate himself from the cage?

To start having vivid, fantastic and beautiful dreams, of course.

The woman said «Your problem is that you live in the cage. You must liberate yourself from that cage. Go and live like a free hamster. Smell the flowers. Then and only then you will have vivid, fantastic and beautiful dreams.»

Smell the flowers? What did the woman mean when she said «smell the flowers»?

Well, she actually meant enjoy life and don’t worry about your future.

Oh, I see. And what would Harry have if he went to the woods and if he smelled the flowers?

If Harry went to the woods, if he smelled the flowers he would have vivid, fantastic and beautiful dreams.

Only when he liberates himself, right?

Yes, that’s right. Only when Harry the hamster liberates himself from the cage he will have vivid, fantastic and beautiful dreams.

As soon as the woman finished speaking she did what?

Correct. She disappeared without a trace.

Was the woman gone as soon as she finished speaking?

Yes, she was. The woman was gone. She disappeared without a trace.

Could Harry the hamster see the woman?

No, he couldn’t see her. She disappeared without a trace. She was gone.

Why couldn’t he see the woman?

I’ve just said, because she was gone. He couldn’t see her because she disappeared without a trace.

What do you think Harry the hamster did next?

Next of course, he immediately left his spacious, gorgeous and very comfortable cage. He went to the woods. He became a free hamster.

Where did Harry go when he left his cage?

He went to the woods.

He went to the woods why? Yes, why?

He went to the woods to become a free hamster.

What was Harry the hamster doing the whole day in the woods?

The whole day Harry the hamster was running and jumping. He met different animals. He smelled the flowers.

What happened by the end of the day?

By the end of the day Harry the hamster felt exhausted and without knowing how he fell asleep.

Did Harry the hamster realize how he fell asleep?

No, he didn’t realize that. He didn’t realize how he fell asleep. He fell asleep without knowing how.

Why did Harry fall asleep?

He fell asleep because he felt exhausted.

Was Harry the hamster super tired by the end of the day?

Yes, exactly. By the end of the day he was super tired. He felt exhausted. And because of that he fell asleep by the end of the day without knowing how.

What happened while he was sleeping?

And of course, while he was sleeping, he had vivid, fantastic and beautiful dreams. When Harry the hamster woke up, he was in seventh heaven.

He was in seventh heaven. What do you mean by saying he was in seventh heaven? What is that?

I mean he was very happy.

Where was Harry when he woke up?

He was in seventh heaven. When Harry the hamster woke up, he was in seventh heaven. He was very happy.

Why was Harry in seventh heaven?

It is obvious. He was very happy. He was in seventh heaven because he fell asleep and he had vivid, fantastic and beautiful dreams.

And this is the end of the mini-story for «Harry the Hamster». You know what to do, right? Listen and answer the questions. Feel confident and be in seventh heaven when you speak English. This is the best way to start speaking English the way you never did before. Okay, I’ll see you next time.