‘Hello, Huckleberry!’ Tom said.
‘Hello.’
‘What’s that you’ve got?’
‘A dead cat.’
‘Let me see it, Huck. I say, Huck, what are dead cats good for, Huck?’
‘Good for? Cure warts with.’
‘But say – how do you cure them with dead cats?’
‘You take your cat and go to the graveyard about midnight when somebody who was bad has just been buried. And when it’s midnight a devil will come, or maybe two or three, but you can’t see them, you can only hear something like the wind, or maybe hear them talk; and when they’re taking that fellow away, you throw your cat at them and say, ‘Devil follow corpse, cat follow devil, warts follow cat, I’m done with you!’ And all your warts will disappear.’
‘Sounds exciting! Hucky, when are you going to try the cat?’
‘Tonight. I think, they’ll come after old Hoss Williams tonight.’
‘But they buried him Saturday. Didn’t devils get him Saturday night?’
‘How could they. Devils don’t work at weekends.’
‘Let me go with you!’
‘Of course – if you aren’t afraid.’
‘Or no, I’m not afraid. Will you meow?’
‘Yes – and you meow back, if you get a chance.’
When Tom reached the little school house, the teacher said:
‘Thomas Sawyer!’
Tom knew that when the teacher called him by his full name, it meant trouble.
‘Thomas Sawyer, come up here. Why are you late again, as usual?’
Tom was going to lie, when he saw Becky.
To show his braveness he said:
‘I STOPPED TO TALK WITH HUCKLEBERRY FINN!’
‘What did you do?’
‘I stopped to talk with Huckleberry Finn.’ ‘Thomas Sawyer, these are the most shocking words I have ever heard. And he whipped Tom.
‘Now, sir, go and sit with the girls!’ Sitting with a girls was considered a punishment. But the only vacant seat was next to Becky.
So Tom was happy.
He tried to make friends with the girl. At first he drew pictures – a house then a man. The drawing was ugly but the girl liked it.
‘It’s so nice’ said Becky. ‘I wish I could draw.’
‘It’s easy,’ whispered Tom, ‘I’ll teach you.’
‘Oh, will you? When?’
‘At noon. Do you go home to dinner?’
‘I’ll stay if you will.’ Becky was interested.
‘Good. What’s your name?’
‘Becky Thatcher. What’s yours? Oh, I know.
It’s Thomas Sawyer.’
‘They call me Thomas when they are angry with me. I’m Tom when I’m good. You call me Tom, will you?’
‘Yes.’
Now Tom began to write something, hiding the words from the girl. She was curious and wanted to see it.
‘Please let me see.’
‘No I won’t – you’ll tell the teacher.’ ‘No, I won’t ever tell ANYbody.’
At last Becky took the sheet herself and read: ‘I LOVE YOU.’
‘Oh, you are bad!’ And she hit him, but reddened and looked pleased.
Just at that moment the teacher seized Tom by the ear, and returned him to his own seat, while all the kids were laughing.
During the lunch interval Tom asked:
‘I say, Becky, have you ever been engaged?’
‘What’s that?’
‘Why, engaged to be married.’
‘No.’
‘Would you like to?’
‘I think so. I don’t know. What is it like?’
‘You only just tell a boy you will never love anybody but him, and then you kiss and that’s all. Anybody can do it.’
‘Kiss? What do you kiss for?’
‘Well, they always do that.’
‘Everybody?’
‘Yes, everybody who is in love with each other. Do you remember what I wrote at the lesson?’
‘Yes.’
Unfortunately Tom mentioned his “engagement” with another girl, Amy Lawrence. Becky burst out crying. She refused to talk to Tom.
Tom went away, and Becky had to return to classes and hide her sorrow.
poke – шарить
broom – метла, щетка
bend – наклоняться
pantry – кладовая, буфет
switch – хлыст, плетка
trick – трюк
enough – достаточно
You can’t learn an old dog new tricks – горбатого могила исправит
to make the long story short – короче говоря
model boy – образцовый мальчик
within – в течение
new-comer – новичок, вновь прибывший
of either sex – любого пола
week-day – будний день
stranger – незнакомец
keeping face to face and eye to eye – держались лицом к лицу, глаза в глаза друг с другом
glory – слава
whitewash – побелка
long-handled brush – кисть с длинной ручкой
pump – колонка
personate – изображать
steamboat – пароход
watered – зд. текли слюнки
old chap – старина
That put the thing in a new light – дело предстало в новом свете
core – серединка
thoroughly – тщательно
the before mentioned things – вышеупомянутое
coats – зд. слои
reward – награда
to show off – рисоваться (валять дурака)
commit a crime – совершить преступление
do his best – приложить максимум усилий
trade – зд. обменять
frankly speaking – честно говоря
with all his might – изо всех сил
the seat of honor – почетное место
This was a thunderbolt out of a clear sky – Это был гром среди ясного неба (пословица)
disciple – апостол
It is loose – он шатается
a chunk of fire – горящая головешка
warts – бородавки
burst out crying – расплакалась
1. Ответь на вопросы:
1) Who did Tom live with?
2) In what room did she find Tom?
3) How did Tom manage to escape?
4) Was Aunt Polly strict?
5) Who is Sid?
2. Поставь предложения в правильном порядке:
1) Each of the boys said he was going to beat the other one.
2) Tom chased him home, and waited at the gate for some time, inviting the enemy to come outside.
3) Aunt Polly asked him difficult questions about his classes – she wanted to make him tell her the truth.
4) Tom forgot his girlfriend, Amy Lawrence right at once.
05) Mary had collected two Bibles in this way – it cost her two years of work.
06) Mary took care of the process.
07) Tom’s mouth watered for the apple, but he continued working.
08) The visitors were: Judge Thatcher, brother of the village lawyer and a well-dressed lady, his wife.
09) The teacher gave Tom the prize.
10) On his way to school Tom met Huckleberry Finn, the local drunkard’s son.
3. Выскажи свое мнение о:
1) Tom Sawyer
2) Aunt Polly
3) Sid
4) Huckleberry
5) Becky
4. Что обозначают выделенные слова?
1) The drawing was ugly but the girl liked it.
2) ‘I say, Becky, have you ever been engaged?’
3) All mothers forbade their children to approach him.
4) He doubted that the boy knew a dozen verses, not to speak of two thousand.
5. Поставь глаголы, встречающиеся в тексте, в прошедшее время:
1) Know – ________________
2) See – __________________
3) Meet – _________________
6. Вставь правильную форму глагола to be в прошедшем времени: was или were.
1) Anyway, Mr. Walters was glad that there _____ a prize-winner in his class.
2) Monday mornings _____ always like that because they began another week’s suffering in school.
3) You take your cat and go to the graveyard about midnight when somebody who _____ bad has just been buried.
4) He even had shoes on – and it _____ only Friday.
7. Выбери правильный вариант в соответствии с текстом: true или false (правда/ложь).
1) Huck and Tom went to the same school.
2) Tom and Huck were friends.
3) Tom and Huck went to the graveyard to bury the dead cat.
4) Becky was angry with Tom because he kissed her.
5) Tom painted the fence by himself.
8. Ответь, о ком идет речь:
1) _______________ told aunt Polly that Tom hadn’t been to school.
2) _______________ threw a flower to Tom.
3) _______________ gave Tom a knife as an award.
4) _______________ were the important guests in the Sunday school.
5) _______________ was going to the graveyard with Tom.
6) _______________ was Tom’s new love.
9. Вставь подходящее слово:
bright great happy depressed
1) Saturday morning came, and all the summer world was _____ and fresh.
2) When he looked at the fence, so long and high, he felt_____.
3) Tom’s army won a _____ victory, after a long and hard battle.
4) Tom was so _____ with his new love that he even wasn’t offended when Aunt Polly accused him of stealing sugar.
10. Объясни, почему:
1) Tom forgot his first love.
2) Aunt Polly was strict to him.
3) Tom got the prize, although he hadn’t learnt the verses.