Materiały przygotowawcze

  Edycja jesienna  2021

MATERIAŁY PRZYGOTOWAWCZE DLA KL. IV  

                            OPOWIADANIE DLA KL.IV 

                           CAN DETECTIVE MARCEL HELP?

Where is my tablet, Joan?’ asks Philip.

It’s Saturday morning. Philip and his sister Joan are alone at home. Philip is 10 and Joan is 13. Their mum and dad work on Saturdays. They sometimes hide Philip’s tablet. They don’t want him to play computer games all the time.

‘I can’t find my tablet.,’ says Philip. ‘I want to play games. I’m bored.’

‘Read a book,’ says Joan.

‘I don’t like reading. I want to find my tablet.’

‘So ask a detective Marcel.’

‘Who is the detective Marcel? I don’t know him,’ says Philip.

‘Ha ha!’ laughs Joan. ‘He is a very special detective and he helps many people.

‘Can he help me, too?’ asks Philip.

‘Hmm …,’ Joan smiles. ‘The detective is in this story,’ she points to the book with a picture of a mouse.

‘So how can he help me?’ asks Philip

‘If you listen to the detective’s story, you won’t be bored,’ says Joan.

‘OK, so I want to listen.’

Joan starts to read the book:

Marcel is a French mouse. He’s a detective and he lives in Paris.(…) Every November he visits London. His old friend – Henry – has a small flat there.

Marcel loves London. The beautiful buildings … the big black taxis …. The museums and shops. He loves Paris, but he loves London too.

This story is about one of Marcel’s November holidays. It starts on a Tuesday afternoon. Marcel is walking from Knightsbridge station to Henry’s flat. He has two heavy bags with him.

Henry’s address is 42 Old Wilton Street. Marcel looks at the numbers. Yes, here it is. Number 42. He sees a sign. It says: ‘Professor J.T. Barton’. Marcel looks at it and thinks, ‘That’s new.’ Then he goes down to Henry’s flat.

Henry opens the door and smiles. ‘Marcel!’ he says. ‘Come in, come in!’

‘Hello, Henry,’ Marcel says. ‘How are you?’ (His English is very good.)

‘I’m very well. And you?’ (…) Henry takes Marcel’s coat. ‘Now,’ he says, ‘let’s have some tea.’

The two friends sit in big chairs. They drink tea and talk.

At five o’clock Marcel says, ‘There’s a new person in number 42 …’

‘Barton,’ Henry says. ‘Professor Barton. He’s very, very clever. (…) After tomorrow he’s going to be famous!’

‘Famous?!’ Marcel looks at his English friend. ‘Why?’

‘It’s a very interesting story,’ Henry says. ‘He has some letters. They were under the floor of an old woman’s house in Oxford.’

‘And …?’ Marcel says.

‘And they’re from Shakespeare to his son,’ Henry says.

‘Shakespeare!’

‘Yes.’ Henry smiles. ‘(…). The old lady telephoned Professor Barton, and the Professor visited her. They talked about the letters and she said, “I want to give them to the British Museum in London. Can you do that for me?”’

‘And Professor Barton said yes?’

‘That’s right.’

‘Where are the letters now?’ Marcel asks.

‘In the professor’s flat. He’s going to give them to the British Museum tomorrow morning at ten o’clock. A lot of journalists and TV people are going to be there.’

Suddenly there’s a big BANG and then a long WHIZZ!

‘What’s that noise?’ Marcel asks. He goes to the window. Then he remembers. ‘Oh – fireworks. Of course, it’s the 5^th of November – your “Guy Fawkes Day”.’

Then a man walks down the steps from 42 Old Wilton Street.

Marcel looks at him. ‘Is that Professor Barton?’ he asks.

‘Yes,’ Henry answers. ‘He always goes to the cinema on Tuesday evenings.’

‘Aha!’ Marcel says. (…)

‘Oh, you want to look at the Shakespeare letters.’ He smiles. ‘OK. Why not?’

After tea the two mice visit Professor Barton’s flat. There’s a small hole near the front door… The flat is very big, with a lot of old chairs and books. There are some beautiful pictures, too.

‘Come with me,’ Henry says.

He walks across the floor. Then he starts to climb a very tall bookcase. Marcel is behind him. They go up and up and up for a long time. (…) There’s a small, white button in the bookcase. Henry smiles at Marcel and presses it. Suddenly, some of the books start to move. (…)

‘Ah, I understand.  There’s a safe,’ Marcel says. (…)

Henry smiles at Marcel and opens the safe. But suddenly his mouth falls open. ‘Oh no!’ he says.

‘What’s wrong?’ Marcel asks.

‘They’re not here,’ Henry says. ‘The Shakespeare letters. They’re not here!’ (…)

But that’s not all. There’s a big hole at the back of the safe, and a lot of smoke, too.

Marcel looks at Henry. Henry Looks at Marcel. Then they climb into the safe.

‘Look,’ Marcel says. He can see a room in number 40 Old Wilton Street. He can see a person, too – a tall woman in a red dress. She’s sitting at a table and talking on the telephone. (…)

‘That’s right,’ the woman says. ‘I’m going to New York. Yes, this evening’. She writes on a notepad. ‘ Thank you.’

There’s a bag on the bed in front of her. In it Marcel can see some letters. The woman closes the bag. After that, she walks to the door. She opens it, and then closes it behind her. (…)

‘That woman’s got the letters,’ says Marcel. ‘Let’s telephone the police.’

‘No, there isn’t time,’ Marcel says. ‘Do you know her?’

‘The woman? No, I don’t.’

‘Who usually lives in that flat?’

‘Two old women, but they are on holiday in Spain. Oh, Marcel, what are we going to do?’

‘Come with me.’ (…) The two mice run into the old women’s flat. Then they climb up a table. On the table there’s a yellow light and a small, white notepad. Marcel looks at it. ‘Aha! I was right. Can you see? “Concorde – 7.20”.’ (…)

‘Where are we going now?’ Henry asks.

‘Heathrow Airport, of course,’ Marcel says.

At 6.05 the two mice are in Old Wilton Street. It’s dark and cold. They walk quickly to Knightsbridge station. There are a lot of fireworks. BANG! WHEE! POP! WHOOSH!

Marcel remembers the very big BANG!!! in the professor’s flat. ‘That was clever,’ he thinks.

There are hundreds of people at Knightsbridge station. (…)

Marcel can hear a noise. ‘Quick, Henry,’ he says. ‘A train is coming.’

A sign on the front of the train says, ‘Heathrow’. The doors open and the mice get on.

There are fifteen stations before Heathrow. (…)

At Heathrow the mice get off. Marcel looks left and right. There are a lot of signs. Then suddenly Henry smiles. ‘Marcel, look! That blue sign says “Concorde”.’ …

The mice start to run again. They come to a door. It says, ‘CONCORDE’, but it’s closed. …

‘Oh no,’ says Henry.

But then two men with big bags open the door and go in. The mice go in, too. They look at the people in the room. The American woman is sitting on a chair and listening to music. She’s  reading a newspaper, too. Her bag is on the floor.

‘OK – let’s go,’ Marcel says. He takes a small knife from his coat. …

Marcel stops in front of the American woman’s bag…. Then he climbs up the bag. After a short time he starts to make a hole in it with his knife … and climbs into the bag. Now he can see some jeans – a radio – some books. Then suddenly he sees the Shakespeare letters.

‘Good,’ he thinks. He puts the letters on his back and starts to climb down again.

Henry sees him and smiles.

The American woman looks at … her bag. ‘Hey!’ she says. ‘What …? Two mice! What’s this?’ (…) The mice run very quickly with the Shakespeare letters. They can hear the American woman behind them. She’s running very quickly, too. … Then Marcel hears a big noise! He looks behind him. The American woman is on the floor… Then she stands up and looks for the mice, but she can’t see them.

At nine o’clock Marcel and Henry are back at Professor Barton’s flat in Old Wilton Street. They’re very happy. Marcel is sitting on the table. The Shakespeare letters are in front of him. He’s reading them. Henry is standing at the window. He’s watching the fireworks. Suddenly he sees a man in a brown coat. It’s Professor Barton. He’s coming home.

The professor is smiling. Then he walks into his flat and suddenly he stops smiling. … he goes to the safe. It’s open. He looks in it and says, ‘Oh no!’

Then he sees the Shakespeare letters on the table. ‘But … I don’t understand.’ He looks at the safe. Then he looks at the letters – and then he looks at the safe again. ‘Why are the letters here?’ he says. ‘When …? How …? I don’t understand.’

In the morning, Henry and Marcel go to the British Museum. It’s a cold day, and it’s raining.

In the museum there are a lot of journalists and TV people… Professor Barton starts to talk about the Shakespeare letters. Then he gives the letters to a man from the museum.

‘Thank you very much, Professor,’ the man says.

Henry smiles at his French friend. ‘And thank you, Marcel,’ he says.

 

Joan finishes to read the book.

‘Wow! The story is very funny!’ says Philip.  Then he sees another book on the table.

‘Why is the book here?’ he says. ‘When …? How …? I don’t understand.’

Then he sees a little mouse. The mouse runs down the leg of the table.

‘I won’t be bored.’ Philip says. ‘Thank you very much, Marcel.’

Philip smiles at his sister. ‘And thank you, Joan,’ he says.

∞ THE END ∞

[Materiał własny; zawiera fragmenty ‘Marcel and the Shakespeare Letters’, Stephen Rabley; wyd. Longman (rozróżnione czcionką Calibri)].

Objaśnienia:

Zaleca się posłuchać wymowy nowych słów korzystając np ze słownika https://www.diki.pl/

alone – sam, sami

hide – chować

They don’t want him to … oni nie chcą, żeby on

all the time – przez cały czas

find – znaleźć

bored – znudzony;  he is bored – on się nudzi

I don’t know him – nie znam go

laugh – śmiać się;   she laughs – ona śmieje się

smile – uśmiechać się;    she smiles – ona uśmiecha się

you won’t be bored – nie będziesz się nudził

live – mieszkać;  he lives – on mieszka

visit – odwiedzać;   he visits – on odwiedza

flat – mieszkanie

building – budynek

(he) is walking – (on) idzie (spacerem)

sign – szyld, znak

think – myśleć   he thinks – on myśli

let’s have some tea – napijmy się herbaty

clever – mądry

he’s going to – wyrażenie to ma 2 znaczenia: zamierza oraz będzie – kiedy przewidujemy, że coś się wydarzy (i mamy podstawy, żeby to przewidywać)

he’s going to be famous – on będzie sławny

ale: He’s going to give … – on zamierza dać …

They were – one były, oni byli

(she) telephoned – (ona) zadzwoniła

(he) visited – (on) odwiedził

They talked – oni rozmawiali

(he) said – (on) powiedział

a lot of – dużo

journalists – dziennikarze

suddenly – nagle

remember – przypomnieć sobie, pamiętać

Guy Fawkes Day – angielskie święto ludowe obchodzone hucznie 5 listopada

walk down the steps – schodzić po schodach

mice – myszy;   mouse – mysz

hole – dziura

across the floor – po podłodze

climb – wspinać się

there’s – jest, znajduje się

there are – są, znajdują się

button – przycisk

bookcase – biblioteczka

press – przyciskać; (he) presses – (on) przyciska

move – poruszać się, przesuwać

safe – sejf

his mouth falls open  – jego usta się  otwierają

What’s wrong? – co jest nie tak?

that’s not all – to nie wszystko

smoke – dym

person – osoba

notepad – notatnik

there isn’t time – nie ma czasu

Do you know her? – znasz ją?

who – kto

usually – zazwyczaj

I was right – miałem rację

Heathrow Airport – lotnisko położone na skraju Londynu, największe w Europie.

hear – słyszeć

get on – wsiadać (np. do pociągu)

get off – wysiadać (np. z pociągu)

go in – wchodzić

put – położyć; he puts – on kładzie

look for – szukać; (she) looks for – (ona) szuka

(they) are back – (oni) są z powrotem

another – inny, kolejny

 

SENTENCJE W J. ANGIELSKIM DLA KL. IV

Books let you travel without moving your feet  –  Książki pozwalają  podróżować bez poruszania stopami.

Jhumpa Lahiri  

Books are the mirrors of the soul – Książki są zwierciadłem duszy  (dosł.: zwierciadłami duszy).

Virginia Woolf

A single rose can be my garden… a single friend – my world – Pojedyncza róża może być moim ogrodem… pojedynczy przyjaciel – moim światem.

Leo Buscaglia

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift – Wczoraj to już historia. Jutro jest tajemnicą. Dzisiejszy dzień jest darem.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Without music, life is a journey through a desert – Bez muzyki, życie jest podróżą przez pustynię.

Pat Conroy

Wherever you go, go with all your heart – dokądkolwiek idziesz, idź całym swoim sercem.

Confucius

Life is like a mirror. Smile at it and it smiles back at you – Życie jest jak lustro. Uśmiechnij się do niego, a ono odwzajemni Twój uśmiech.

Peace Pilgrim

 

PIOSENKI DLA KL. IV

Podane linki odsyłają do nagrań wraz ze słowami piosenek oraz do ich tłumaczenia. Prosimy zwrócić uwagę na to, że tłumaczenie na portalu tekstowo.pl jest amatorskie, więc mogą zdarzyć się pewne niedociągnięcia.

1. Sia – One Plus One

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnr5G7VhoJk

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,sia,1_1.html

2. Cocoon, (feat Lola Marsh) – I Got You

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Df6mHKu3abY

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,cocoon,i_got_you_feat__lola_marsh_.html

3. Marnik, Tiscore – Hold Me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H31Tcik4w6k

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,marnik__tiscore_1,hold_me__feat__my_parade__1.html

4. Meghan Trainor – Better When I’m Dancin’ | One Voice Children’s Choir

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYeuZrqL6kc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqtULu9LN5s

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,meghan_trainor,better_when_i_m_dancing.html

 

Edycja jesienna 2021  

MATERIAŁY PRZYGOTOWAWCZE DLA KL. V  i VI   

OPOWIADANIE DLA KL. V i VI

FRIENDSHIP AND BIRDS

Today is the first day of summer holidays. No school for five weeks! But Emily is not happy. Her parents want to send her to the country. A cousin of Emily’s mum lives there, with her daughter – Silvia.

‘I’m not going!’ said Emily. ‘You can’t send me away.’

‘It’s only for a month, until you feel better,’ said her mum.

‘But I don’t like the countryside,’ answered Emily.

‘You know what the doctor said. You’re often ill and you need fresh air. You need to rest, of course – without the Internet and a mobile.’

‘But I love surfing the Internet,’ said the girl. ‘What am I going to do there!?’

‘You can make friends with Silvia,’ answered mum. ‘She is keen on reading. The friendship will be good for you.’

‘I don’t want to be friends with Silvia. I don’t want you to tell me who to be friends with.’

At that moment Emily’s sister – Agnes came to the room.

She is two years older than Emily. Agnes likes reading and she tries to make her sister read more.

‘That reminds me of great friendship between two boys,’ said Agnes. ‘In the beginning, they also didn’t want to be friends.’

‘Everything reminds Agnes of stories which she read,’ Emily thought and said, ‘Sounds interesting.’

‘I can tell you the story, if you want.’

‘OK. It’s better than talking about my stay at the country.’

The girls sat comfortably in the armchairs.

‘So listen,’ said Agnes:

The story starts on the first day of summer holiday. Sam is sitting and watching birds at Blue Moon Beach. Sam is fifteen. He lives with his parents in their hotel – Blue Moon Hotel. This hotel is near the Blue Moon Beach. Sam thinks that it is the best beach in the world. The sand is white, the water is warm and blue.

Sam is fond of watching the birds that live near their hotel. He likes the sea eagles best. They are the kings of all the birds. Sam is worried because now there are fewer sea eagles. There are lots of houses and there aren’t many trees now. Sea eagles need trees.

One day Sam sees two people on the beach. They are talking quietly. These people are wearing dark clothes, shoes and socks. This is strange. No one wears shoes and socks at Blue Moon Beach. But Sam isn’t afraid of these people.

 

‘Who are the strange people?’ asked Emily.

‘Wait and you’ll see,’ said Agnes. ‘I’ll read more of the story to you.’

She took out the book from somewhere (she always had a book with her) and started to read:

 

‘How are your birds today, Sam?’ Dad asks. (…)

‘I want to see if there are eggs in the nest. Sea eagles always have two eggs.’

‘Eggs?’ Dad says. ‘It’s a long time since I saw a baby sea eagle.’

‘Yes,’ I say.

(…) After lunch I help my father. We clean the kitchen. I wash the pots and Dad washes the floor. I like to work with Dad. Some boys don’t see their fathers very often. But Dad and I are good friends.

Mum comes out of the office. (…)

‘Dad and I have nearly finished cleaning the kitchen, Mum,’ I say.

‘I need to talk to you now,’ Mum says. ‘A boy is coming here today with his mother. His name is Tim Bailey. I want you to show him the village. Take him to the beach.’

‘But Mum, I want to watch the sea eagles. They’ll have baby sea eagles in the nest soon.’

‘Sam, please listen. Tim’s mother, Mary, was my best friend at school. They live in the city now. Tim’s father died after being sick for a long time. Mary is very sad. Tim is sad too. I asked them to come here. The sea air will be good for them. Tim needs a friend. I told his mother you will be Tim’s friend.’ (…)

I don’t want to be friends with Tim. I don’t want Mum telling me who to be friends with. I want to swim and watch the sea eagles.

‘Mum – do I have to?’

‘Yes, you do.’

‘All right, Mum,’ I say. 

∞

‘This is my son, Sam,’ says Mum to Tim and his mother.

‘Hello, Sam,’ says Tim’s mother. Tim doesn’t speak.

Tim is tall and thin. He has black hair and he is very white. Maybe he never goes out in the sun. (…) I look at Tim and he looks at me. We don’t smile. (…)

‘Take Tim to the beach, Sam,’ says Mum.

‘Come on, Tim,’ I say.

‘Wear a hat, Tim,’ says his mother. ‘Stay in the shallow water. Be back in an hour.’

Tim says, ‘Mum, stop it.’ He looks at me and says, ‘Come on.’ He doesn’t wait for me. He walks away. (…)

I follow Tim to the beach. I stand on the sand and look for Tim. For a minute I can’t see him. But then I see him at the other end of the beach. I walk along the beach.

‘You don’t have to stay with me,’ Tim says. ‘You don’t want to, do you? Our mothers are friends. We’re not friends.’

What can I say?

‘Just go away,’ Tim says. He sits on the sand and looks out to sea.

‘Okay, I will,’ I say.

I go to the rocks. I sit quietly and watch the mother sea eagle. She has not left the nest all day. I watched the eagles making the nest. (…) Now one sea eagle is always sitting in the nest.

I look down at the beach. I can’t see Tim. Maybe he went back to the hotel.

The men are on the beach again. The bigger man is talking into a mobile phone. The other one is looking out to sea and up into the sky. What is he looking for? The men are walking towards me. The bigger man puts his mobile phone away. He looks at me, then talks to the other man. They both look at me then walk away. Who are they?

I see the second sea eagle flying over the beach. He flies in circles, looking for food. (…)

Just as the bird flies near me, a boy climbs up the rocks next to the nest.

It is Tim. It is hard to climb those rocks. They are big and there aren’t many places to put your hands and feet. Tim doesn’t see me. He walks towards the sea eagles’ nest.

Oh, no! Both the sea eagles are flying away. Tim has scared them. When people go near a nest, the birds fly off. And the eggs – the eggs will get cold!

‘Get away!’ I scream at Tim.

I jump up and run towards him. I’m very angry…Tim sees me. Now he looks scared. The sea eagles are flying in circles above us.

‘Get away,’ I scream again.

Tim doesn’t want to come near me. He tries to climb down the rocks to get away from me. He’s going very fast. Suddenly he falls off the rocks. I hear him hit the water.

‘He’ll be okay,’ I think. ‘I’ll wait for him to swim back to the beach. City boys should stay in the city.’ I start walking back to the beach. Then I hear Tim screaming from the water, ‘Help! Help! I can’t swim.’

Suddenly I’m very scared. (…) I run over the rocks and jump into the deep water. There are no other people near us. I swim out to Tim. We are both very scared.

‘It’s okay,’ I say to him. ‘I’ll help you. Hold onto me.’

Tim holds onto me. We both go under the water. Then I swim and I pull Tim up. We both get our heads above the water.

‘Lie back in the water, Tim,’ I say. ‘Just try. I’ll hold you.’

I hold onto his arm. He lies back in the water. I start swimming. … I talk to Tim as I swim. ‘It’s okay, Tim. We’re nearly there.’

When we get to the shallow water, Tim and I just sit in the water. Then we get out and we both lie down on the warm sand. I am very tired.

‘Thanks,’ says Tim. ‘I was very scared.’

‘I was too,’ I say.

‘Why did you scream at me on the rocks?’ asks Tim.

‘Because you were near the sea eagles’ nest,’ I say. ‘They are scared of us.’

‘Oh,’ says Tim. ‘I don’t know much about birds.’

‘Look there. Do you see them? Both the sea eagles are flying over the water. One of them needs to go back to the nest to sit on the eggs. I’m worried about the eggs. They must stay warm.’

‘I’m sorry,’ says Tim. He watches the sea eagles. ‘They are beautiful.’

‘I think so too,’ I say. …’Come on. We must hurry. We’re late.’

We walk quickly back to the hotel. I’m worried. What will Tim say to his mother? (…)

Tim’s mother comes running from the hotel.

‘Tim, where have you been? You’re late! And you’re all wet! You didn’t go in the water, did you? Oh, Tim!’ She is very angry with him.

‘Sorry, Mum,’ he says. ‘I tried to swim. I couldn’t do it. Sam saved me.’

‘Tim – how could you?’ His mother is going to cry.

‘I won’t do it again, Mum. Sorry.’

She looks at me. ‘Thank you so much, Sam. Thank you for saving Tim.’

I don’t know what to say. My mother comes out of the hotel. Tim’s mother calls to her, ‘Sam saved Tim. Tim can’t swim. Your son is a hero!’

I don’t think I’m a hero. I feel bad. Tim didn’t try to swim. I screamed at him and he fell into the water. We both know it. I look at Tim and he looks at me. He smiles and I smile back.

‘My hero!’ says Mum. ‘Come in and put on some dry clothes, both of you. Then I’ll make you some hot chocolate.’

(…) Mum makes the best hot chocolate in the world. I drink it very slowly. Tim does too. We’re sitting in the kitchen. Mum is back in her office. Dad comes in.

‘I hear my son is a hero,’ he says. ‘Well done, Sam.’

‘Thanks, Dad – but…’ I feel bad. Everyone thinks I’m a hero.

‘Sam swims very well, Mr Martin,’ says Tim quickly. ‘And he’s going to help me learn about sea eagles.’

‘You and your sea eagles, Sam,’ says Dad. He smiles at Tim. ‘Sam is always talking about those birds.’ (…)

After dinner, Tim and I sit outside. It is a warm night but it is very dark. There is no moon. Our mothers are sitting inside, talking and talking. Dad is in the kitchen, cooking. He cooks all the meals for the people who stay at Blue Moon Hotel. … ‘It’s good to be out here,’ says Tim. ‘It’s quiet. My mother talks and talks. She asked you a lot of questions about this afternoon. I’m sorry about that. But she worries about me.’

‘That’s okay,’ I say.

‘After Dad died…’ Tim stops, then he says, ‘It’s just Mum and me now. She only has me.’

What can I say? I don’t speak for a minute.

Then I say, ‘I’m worried about the sea eagles. They need to keep the eggs warm all the time. I’m going to have a look. I like to go for a walk at night. If you’re quiet, you see a lot of birds and animals who come out at night. Do you want to come with me?’

‘No, thanks. Mum says I can’t go out at night.’ (…)

‘Okay. We’ll go out after your mother goes to bed.’

Tim thinks for a minute. ‘Okay. I’ll come. Mum won’t know.’

Later, Tim and I walk very quietly down the stairs and out of the hotel. (…) Tim’s mother is in her room. We walk down to the beach. We go along a road towards the rocks. It is very dark.

‘People never come here at night,’ I say to Tim.

‘Don’t they?’ he says. ‘Then what is that truck doing there?’

‘What truck?’ I ask.

‘Look – over there.’

There is a truck. It is under some trees. Tim and I walk over to the truck. The back doors of the truck are open so we look inside. There are a lot of boxes, bags, nets and ropes in the truck.

‘Oh, no,’ I say.

‘What’s wrong?’ Tim asks me.

‘We must be careful, Tim,’ I say quietly. ‘I think bird smugglers use these things.’ (…)

‘Why are there bird smugglers here?’ asks Tim.

‘The sea eagles!’ I say. ‘Bird smugglers take sea eagles and other birds. Then they sell the birds for a lot of money in other countries.

I open one of the bags. It has some bird food in it. Another bag has some fish in it. Sea eagles love fish.

‘You’re right, Sam,’ says Tim. ‘What do we do now?’

‘We need to stop the bird smugglers,’ I say to Tim. ‘And quickly.’

‘We must get help,’ says Tim. ‘I’ll stay here and watch the truck. You go and get help.’

‘Okay. I’ll go and get Constable Carter. He’s the police officer here in Blue Moon Beach. But first I want to see what the smugglers are doing. I want to tell Constable Carter all about them. I want to see if the sea eagles are okay too.’

‘Okay, but be very careful, Sam,’ says Tim. ‘And be quick!’

‘I’ll be careful. You be careful too, Tim. Stay here under this tree. They must not see you. Stay away from the truck,’ I say.

‘Okay,’ says Tim.

I run through the trees. I know the way to the nest very well. I’m really worried about the sea eagles – and their eggs. I try to be quiet. I’m scared the smugglers will see me or hear me. (…)

Suddenly, I hear some people coming. Then I see two men. They are the men I saw on the beach this morning.

‘Come on, come on,’ one says. ‘We mustn’t stay here too long. The boat is waiting for us at Sunshine Bay.’

‘Okay, okay,’ says the other man. ‘Ow! It bit me!’

The men have the sea eagles. They are the smugglers! I am angry. I want to scream at them. But most of all, I want to get the birds back. So I am quiet and I don’t move. I can see that the men have knives. I don’t want the birds to get hurt. And the men are both bigger and stronger than me. What can I do to stop them? It’s best to leave this to the police, I think. Constable Carter will know what to do. I move quietly behind a tree.

‘What’s that?’ says the smaller man. He looks towards me. It is very dark. Can he see me? I am really scared. I close my eyes.

‘What’s what?’ says the other one.

‘Over there. I saw…’

‘Come on, Mac. It’s dark. You can’t see a thing. Stop worrying. We’re nearly at the truck.’

The truck – Tim! The men walk on. They are carrying the birds. The birds are making a lot of noise. Has Tim heard the men and the birds? I follow the men quietly. I hear some noise, then I hear the truck start. I run. The truck isn’t there any more.

‘Tim? Tim!’ I call. ‘Tim!’

Where is Tim? Did the smugglers see him? Is Tim in the truck with the birds? Is he hurt?

‘Tim! Tim!’

There’s no answer. …

I must get help. I start running. The hotel is closer than Constable Carter’s house. Dad will know what to do. But Mum and Dad will be very angry with me. It was wrong to take Tim out at night. It was wrong to look for the birds after we saw the truck. Worst of all, it was wrong to leave Tim with the truck. His mother will be very worried and very angry. No, I won’t go to the hotel. I’ll run to Constable Carter’s house. Blue Moon village isn’t very big. I know where he lives. His house is next to my school. It is only two kilometres from the beach….

I heard where the smugglers are going – Sunshine Bay. I can tell Constable Carter. Perhaps he’ll phone the police officer there. And that police officer can stop the smugglers. It’s very dark but I know the roads well. I run and run. Will Constable Carter be at home? The police officer in Sunshine Bay must stop the truck.

I’m very worried about Tim and the birds. Is Tim okay? I try not to cry. It is late at night. There are no cars on the road. There are no houses here. Then I see it – the truck! It’s stopped on the side of the road. I stop running.

The two smugglers are standing beside the truck. The bigger one is very angry. He hits the truck. ‘You drive this truck every day. You must know what’s wrong with it. Why won’t it go? We must get out of here.’

The second man just stands there. He looks very unhappy.

I need to open the back doors of the truck. I need to see if Tim is in there. I need to get the sea eagles out. I walk very quietly and very slowly to the truck.

The men are at the front of the truck now. One of them is talking on his mobile phone.

He says, ‘Yes, we’re at Blue Moon Beach. Yes, we have the birds. But we can’t drive the truck.’ He is quiet, then he says, ‘It just stopped. I don’t know why. We can’t start it again.’ Then he says, ‘Okay, we’ll wait for you to call us back. But don’t be long.’

I am at the back door of the truck. Very quietly I start to open the door. I am very, very scared.

‘Psst… Sam!’

The voice comes from the dark trees beside the truck. I stare into the trees.

‘It’s me,’ Tim calls quietly.

I walk very slowly over to the trees. I see Tim. He’s under the biggest tree.

We talk very quietly. ‘Are you okay, Tim? Are you hurt?’

‘I’m all right,’ he says.

‘I’m sorry, Tim,’ I say to him.

He smiles at me. ‘Why?’

‘Because I left you with the truck. Because I didn’t go to the police officer’s house. I went to look at the birds.’

‘That’s okay,’ says Tim. ‘I stopped the smugglers. I stopped their truck.’

‘You stopped the truck? How?’ I forget to be quiet and Tim puts his hand over my mouth.

‘Sh! Be quiet and I’ll tell you. After you left me, I thought about what to do. I know a lot about trucks and cars. My grandpa has a farm. He works on his trucks and cars. I help him. I love it. So I knew what to do with the smugglers’ truck. I got under it and I hit the fuel pipe with a rock.’

‘What’s a fuel pipe?’ I ask quietly.

The men are sitting in the truck now. They must be waiting for the mobile phone to ring. The windows are closed so they can’t hear us.

‘You don’t know much about cars and trucks, do you?’ says Tim with a smile. ‘The fuel pipe takes petrol to the engine. The engine needs petrol to go.’

‘I know that!’ I say.

‘Okay. So I hit the fuel pipe again and again. Now the petrol can’t get through to the engine.’

‘Well done!’ I say.

‘Then those men came back with the birds and they put the birds in the back of the truck. I watched from behind a big rock,’ says Tim. ‘The men were careful with the birds, though. They didn’t hurt them.’

‘What about the eggs?’ I ask. ‘Did the smugglers take them too? Are they in the truck? They mustn’t get cold.’

‘I don’t know where the eggs are,’ says Tim. ‘I didn’t see them.’

‘What happened next?’ I ask.

‘Well, the men got into the truck and the engine started. I was worried. I thought, ‘There’s petrol left in the engine and the fuel pipe.’ I didn’t know what to do, so I jumped into the back of the truck. The truck went for a while but then the engine stopped. So I jumped out… and here I am.’

I smile, but then Tim says, ‘What do we do now?’

‘I don’t know,’ I say. ‘I want to get the birds out of the truck, but we can’t. They will make a lot of noise and the men will hear. Also the birds are very heavy. We can’t carry them far.’

‘We need to go to the police officer’s house,’ says Tim.

‘But we can’t leave. The smugglers will see us.’

We both sit quietly for a while. Then I know what to do.

‘Tim! We need to get some ropes and nets out of the truck. We must do it very quietly.’

Tim comes with me to the truck. We open the back door very slowly. I look in. I can’t see the sea eagles. I see some large boxes. Perhaps the birds are in them. I take some ropes out of the truck. This must work!

I’m standing at the back of the truck. The bigger man gets out of the truck. He is talking on his mobile phone again. He is angry.

‘No, we can’t wait,’ he says. ‘You must come and get us now.’

Suddenly he sees me.

‘I know who you are!’ I scream at him. ‘You’re a bird smuggler. You have sea eagles in your truck. I’m going to get the police!’ I start running away from the truck.

‘Hey!’ He puts his mobile phone away. ‘You! Stop!’ He shouts to the other smuggler, ‘Mac! Come here, quickly. I’ve found a boy. He knows about the birds.’

I hear the truck door opening. Mac shouts, ‘Stop!’ too. They both run after me. I look back at them. The bigger man is holding his knife! I am very scared.

I jump over some ropes on the road.

‘Now, Tim, now!’ I shout.

Tim is standing on the other side of the road. He is holding onto the ropes. He pulls them. Suddenly there are nets and ropes in front of the smugglers. Both men run into the nets. The bigger man drops his knife. He puts his hands up to try to get out of the nets. Tim pulls the ropes. I help him.

The men are shouting. Tim and I are screaming. We sit on the smugglers but the men are very strong and very angry. We can’t hold them for very long. Will they get out of the nets?

‘Help! Help!’ I shout.

‘Get off me!’ shouts the bigger man.

A car drives up and stops.

‘Is that you, Sam?’ It’s the police officer, Constable Carter. He is getting out of his car.

‘Sam? Are you okay? I had a phone call from the people down the road.

They said they heard a lot of people shouting. Who are these men?’

‘Oh, Constable Carter – it’s so good to see you. These men are bird smugglers! They put the sea eagles in the back of their truck.’

The men try to get away from us. But Constable Carter soon has them in the back of the police car. He calls on his radio for more police. He sees the knife on the ground.

‘Sam! These men had knives!’

‘I know. Tim and I had to help the sea eagles, Constable Carter,’ I say quietly. ‘Can we look in the truck now? I need to know the birds are okay.’

I look into the boxes. The birds are not hurt. Best of all, the eggs are in one of the boxes.

Constable Carter looks at the birds and the eggs. ‘Well done, boys!’

‘What will Mum say?’ says Tim.

We both smile.

Tim and I help Constable Carter put the sea eagles – and their eggs – back in the nest. It’s not easy. The birds are very heavy and they don’t like us holding them.

The other police officers have taken the smugglers away. They are going to go to Sunshine Bay to look for the smugglers’ friends and their boat.

Tim and I go back to Blue Moon Hotel. Constable Carter comes with us. Dad and Mum are in bed. They both come to the front door. We all go into the front room. Constable Carter tells them about the birds and the smugglers. I was right – my parents are very angry. They are happy Tim and I are okay but they are not happy with me.

Mum gets Tim’s mother. She walks in and sees Tim.

‘Tim – why aren’t you in bed?’

Tim doesn’t speak. He doesn’t look at his mother.

My mother says, ‘Constable Carter, this is Mary Bailey, Tim’s mother.’

Constable Carter says, ‘Good evening, Mrs Bailey. I’m Steve Carter. I’m the police officer here in Blue Moon Beach. Your son Tim and his friend Sam are heroes. They helped the police catch two bird smugglers.’

Tim’s mother opens her eyes very wide. ‘What? Bird smugglers?’

‘Let’s sit down and listen to the boys’ story,’ says Dad.

Mum says, ‘I’ll make some hot chocolate.’

Soon, we’re all drinking hot chocolate.

Constable Carter says, ‘Sam, Tim, tell us more. When did you know about the smugglers?’

I say, ‘I saw those men on the beach this morning. They were looking at the sea eagles, and the nest. And tonight we saw the things in the back of their truck – the boxes and the ropes and the nets. Then I knew.’

‘Why didn’t you go and get Constable Carter?’ asks Dad.

‘Or come back home?’ says Mum.

‘That’s a good question,’ says Mrs Bailey. ‘It is the job of the police to catch smugglers. Tim, I’m very angry. Why did you go out? I told you not to go out at night. Those men…’

She starts to cry. Mum goes to her and holds her hand.

‘Now, Mary. Don’t cry,’ says Mum. ‘Tim is okay. Boys will be boys.’

‘No,’ says Mrs Bailey. ‘Not my Tim. I need him. It’s just the two of us now.’

My family and Constable Carter do not speak. Tim is quiet for a minute. Then he looks at his mother and says, ‘I’m sorry, Mum. But I’m fifteen. I need to try new things.’

She looks at him. She gives him a small smile. ‘Oh, Tim. Where has my little boy gone? You’re right. But no more catching smugglers. Okay?’

‘Okay, Mum,’ says Tim, with a big smile.

‘I want to hear more about it,’ says Dad. ‘You were very clever to stop the truck.’

‘Tim stopped the truck,’ I say.

‘And we caught them with their own nets!’ says Tim.

Tim and his mother stay with us for two weeks. Tim and I tell our story again to Constable Carter and some other police officers. They did not catch the other bird smugglers in the boat at Sunshine Bay. But Tim and I are just happy the sea eagles are okay.

I show Tim lots of things at Blue Moon Beach. Soon he can name most of the birds. Every day we go to the beach and I teach him to swim. We go out deeper every day.

Some mornings, Mrs Bailey sits on the beach and watches. She smiles a lot more these days.

Tim teaches me things too. He teaches me about cars. We climb under Dad’s car and Tim shows me the fuel pipe. He shows me how he used the rock on the smugglers’ truck.

Tim and his mother are going home tomorrow. I don’t want them to go. Tim wants to stay too.

Tim and I walk down to the beach and have a swim. Then we go out to the rocks. Tim wants to have one last look at the sea eagles. … One of the birds flies down to the nest. Then we hear a noise coming from the nest. It’s a bird noise, but it’s not like the noise I’ve heard sea eagles make before.

‘What’s making that noise?’ asks Tim.

‘Let’s go and see,’ I say. ‘Come on.’

We go a little closer to the nest, and what do we see? A baby sea eagle!

Only one. Perhaps the other egg got cold. But this baby sea eagle looks strong and well. Its mother is giving it a small fish to eat.

Tim and I look up. We watch the other sea eagle flying in circles over Blue Moon Beach.

‘In three months the baby will be flying too,’ I say.

‘I’ll come back and see that,’ says my friend Tim.

 

‘That’s the end,’ said Agnes

‘Wow! Fantastic!’ said her sister. ‘I’d like to stay at home and listen to more stories.’

‘But Emily, you and your new friend can read great books together.’

‘Maybe you’re right?’ said Emily and smiled. ‘And I’ll explain to her how to use the Internet.’

 

∞  The end  ∞

[Materiał własny; zawiera fragmenty ‘Blue Moon Beach’, Sue Murray; wyd. Self-publishing (rozróżnione czcionką Calibri)].

Objaśnienia:

Zaleca się posłuchać wymowy nowych słów korzystając np. ze słownika https://www.diki.pl/

send away – odesłać

until – dopóki nie

feel better – poczuć się lepiej

need – potrzebować

rest – odpocząć

of course – oczywiście

What am I going to do there? – co ja tam będę robić?

make friends – zaprzyjaźnić się

be keen on – lubić, być zapalonym (do czegoś), przepadać (za czymś)

friendship – przyjaźń

I don’t want you to … – nie chcę, żebyś …

(she) came – weszła;  come – wejść

make her sister read – skłonić swoją siostrę do czytania

remind of – przypomnieć o

(she) thought – pomyślała;   think – myśleć

they sat – usiadły;   sit – siedzieć

comfortably – wygodnie

be fond of – bardzo lubić

sea eagle – orzeł bielik

fewer – mniej;  few – mało (w odniesieniu do rzeczowników policzalnych)

lots of – mnóstwo

be afraid of – bać się

you’ll see – zobaczysz

(she) took out – wyjęła;   take out – wyjąć

nest – gniazdo

since I saw –  od kiedy widziałem

pots – garnki

(we) have nearly finished – prawie skończyliśmy

 I want you to…. – chcę żebyś

(he) died – umarł;   die – umrzeć

do I have to? – czy muszę?

shallow – płytka

follow – podążać za

other – inny

You don’t want to, do you?  – nie chcesz, prawda?

Just go away – po prostu odejdź

she has not left – ona nie opuszczała

he went back – wrócił

look for – szukać

towards – w kierunku

put away – odłożyć

both – obaj

fly off – odfrunąć

get away! – odejdź!

scream at … – krzyczeć na

fall off – spaść

hit – uderzyć

deep – głęboka

hold onto me – trzymaj się mnie

pull up – wyciągać

lie – leżeć

Where have you been? – gdzie byłeś?

wet – mokry

You didn’t go in the water, did you? – nie wchodziłeś do wody, prawda?

angry – zły, rozzłoszczony

I couldn’t – nie mogłem, nie umiałem

save – uratować

hero – bohater

he fell into – wpadł do; fall – wpaść

put on – założyć

he’s going to – on zamierza

have a look –  spojrzeć, ‘rzucić okiem’

go out – wyjść

(she) won’t know – nie będzie wiedziała

truck – ciężarówka

over there – o, tam

rope – lina

smugglers – przemytnicy

constable – posterunkowy

suddenly – nagle

We mustn’t – nie wolno nam

it bit – tutaj: udziobał;  bite- ugryźć, ukąsić

most of all – przede wszystkim

move – poruszyć, przesunąć

knives – noże; knife – nóż

get hurt – zranić

leave – zostawić, odejść

carry – nieść

Has Tim heard? – czy Tim usłyszał?

It was wrong – to było niewłaściwe

village – wioska

perhaps – być może

stare into – wpatrywać się

I left – zostawiłem;  leave- zostawić

forget – zapomnieć

I knew – wiedziałem

fuel pipe – rura paliwowa

rock – kamień

petrol – benzyna

engine – silnik

far – daleko

for a while – przez chwilę

I’ve found – znalazłem

net – sieć

get off me! – zejdź ze mnie!

get out of the car – wysiadać z samochodu

soon – wkrótce

I had – miałem;  have – mieć

we had to – musieliśmy

I saw – zobaczyłem;  see- zobaczyć

They were looking at – oni patrzyli na

catch – łapać

I told you not to…. – mówiłam ci, żebyś nie…

Where has my little boy gone? –  tu: gdzie się podział mój mały chłopiec?

we caught – złapaliśmy

explain to her – wyjaśnić jej

 

SENTENCJE W J. ANGIELSKIM DLA KL. V i VI

 

To read – is to live more, it is to live more intensively – Czytać – to  żyć bardziej, to żyć intensywniej.

Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Books are a uniquely portable magic – Książki są wyjątkowo przenośną magią.

Stephen King

Life is like a mirror. Smile at it and it smiles back at you  – Życie jest jak lustro. Uśmiechnij się do niego, a ono odwzajemni twój uśmiech.

Peace Pilgrim

A single rose can be my garden… a single friend – my world – Pojedyncza róża może być moim ogrodem… pojedynczy przyjaciel – moim światem.

Leo Buscaglia

The secret of getting ahead is getting started – Sekretem robienia postępów jest (w ogóle) rozpoczęcie.

Mark Twain

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving — Życie jest jak jazda na rowerze. Żeby utrzymać równowagę, musisz cały czas poruszać się naprzód.

Albert Einstein

Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened  –  Nie płacz, że to się skończyło, uśmiechnij  się, bo to się wydarzyło.

Dr Seuss

Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground   –   Trzymaj swój wzrok utkwiony w gwiazdach, a stopy na ziemi.

Theodore Roosevelt

PIOSENKI  DLA KL. V i VI

Podane linki odsyłają do nagrań wraz ze słowami piosenek oraz do ich tłumaczenia. Prosimy zwrócić uwagę na to, że tłumaczenie na portalu tekstowo.pl jest amatorskie, więc mogą zdarzyć się pewne niedociągnięcia.

1. Sia – Sunshine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whsUD8TF5mE

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,sia,sunshine.html

 

2. Bruno Mars – Marry You

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dElRVQFqj-k

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,bruno_mars,marry_you.html

 

3. Cocoon, (feat Lola Marsh) – I Got You

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Df6mHKu3abY

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,cocoon,i_got_you_feat__lola_marsh_.html

4. Sanah – Heal me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIJ58-N8rz4

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,sanah,heal_me.html

5. Throwback – Michael Patrick Kelly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TtpiLyX-38

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,michael_patrick_kelly,throwback.html

 

 

Edycja jesienna 2021        

MATERIAŁY PRZYGOTOWAWCZE DLA KL. VII  i VIII

OPOWIADANIE DLA KL. VII i VIII

ALIENS AND BOOKS

 ‘My new teacher must be an alien,’ said a red-haired girl with brown eyes.

She looked at the boy sitting next to her on a bench and reading a book. He had dark hair and hazel eyes.

The girl named Alice and the boy who is called Chris are good friends. They have known each other since their childhood. 

They differ in many ways. Alice is energetic, cheerful and a bit naive. Chris is serious but with a good sense of humour, sensitive and reasonable.

The girl is mad about computers, surfing the Internet and she can’t live without her smartphone. The boy is keen on reading and he prefers talking about books to using new technology.

But they get on very well and they like spending time together.

And now, Alice is busy with her smartphone, while Chris is reading a book.

It is a warm sunny day. They are in their favourite park in Sheffield. There are 50 parks in the ‘green city’ but this park is best-loved by the teenagers because of its charming paths, duck ponds and a small parkour area.

‘What did you say?’ Chris asked and put away his book.

‘My new teacher, Mrs Chapter must be an alien,’ repeated Alice.

‘Ha ha! What?’ Chris laughed. ‘What a funny coincidence!’ he added.

‘A coincidence? What do you mean?’ asked Alice.

‘You called your new teacher an alien. And look at the title of my book.’ Chris pointed to the cover ‘ALIEN AT SCHOOL’.

‘Well, indeed, it’s funny,’ the girl agreed.

‘But why do you think your new teacher is an alien?’

‘Eh, she is taking our class on a trip to the Isle of Man. I wish I didn’t have to go,’ answered Alice.

‘Wow! I wish I were going,’ sighed Chris.

‘The problem is that we’re going to the place where there’s no Internet, no coverage and we can’t even take our mobiles,’ continued Alice. ‘Can you imagine a week without any devices?!’

‘Sure. There are lots of interesting things to do. But … be careful,’ the boy lowered his voice. ‘Something very important is happening…’

‘What?’

‘A comet is close to our planet and intergalactic meetings are possible,’ explained Chris.

‘But what are intergalactic meetings?’ asked Alice.

‘They’re voyages of aliens to the Earth. These voyages can happen only in special moments. So Mrs Chapter may be an alien and she may kidnap you during the trip and take you to another planet.’

‘You are kidding, aren’t you!?’ the girl looked at Chris with a shocked expression.

‘Yes, of course I’m kidding,’ the boy smiled. ‘I’ve just read about intergalactic meetings in my book but you called Mrs Chapter an alien first.’

‘Ha ha,’ laughed Alice. ‘Well, I knew you were kidding. I don’t think Mrs Chapter can kidnap anybody. And yet, she is a bit strange.’

‘Why strange?’ asked Chris.

‘First of all, she is crazy about reading. She says that reading makes us more imaginative, makes our memory better, improves our communication and everyone should read. But who cares about readi…,’ the girl stopped, looking at her friend’s book.

‘Mrs Chapter is absolutely right,’ said Chris. ‘And thanks to reading we can travel through space and time and sometimes enter a magic world. It’s great fun.’

‘But I don’t like reading,’ answered Alice.

‘If you don’t like reading, you haven’t found the right book, as J.K. Rowling said,’ replied Chris

‘What’s more,’ the girl continued, ‘the teacher says that most teenagers are hooked on mobiles and the Internet!’.

‘Well … Maybe she is right? Just look around,’ the boy pointed to nearby benches.

On one of the benches there were three teenagers with smartphones in their hands. They weren’t talking, they were all looking at their devices. On another bench there was a boy watching something on his tablet. A girl walking with a dog on a lead also had a mobile in her hand.

Alice felt a bit embarrassed for a moment. She didn’t know what to say.

They sat in silence for a while.

‘What about your book? Is it interesting?’ Alice asked, suddenly.

‘Yeah, it’s really gripping and funny,’ replied Chris.

‘What’s it about?’

‘The story is set in a small town near Boston. A sixteen-year-old girl called Jenny and her school friends notice something strange in their new school. They try to discover the secret.

‘What’s the secret?’ asked Alice.

‘Hmm…,’ Chris thought for a moment. ‘Do you want me to read the book to you? Or at least some extracts?’

‘Sure, I’m curious,’ Alice answered eagerly.

‘So listen to Jenny’s story,’ the boy started reading.

Chapter One: The New Teacher

My town is beautiful and very green. I live here with my parents and my dog, Fred. I go to  school at Jefferson High and I want to become a journalist. In my free time I play volleyball and I listen to heavy metal music.

It was the first day of high school. I was excited. I already knew most of my classmates, but I didn’t know my new teachers.

I got up, ate my breakfast and went to school. In the street I met my friend, Dana; her house is near mine and we always walk to school together.

‘I hope our new teachers are men. And I hope they’re handsome!’ Dana said. Dana loves talking about boys.

‘Yes, I need something new and interesting in my life,” I answered.

We arrived at school and went into our classroom. A young man was inside.

‘Hello, boys and girls. I’m your new science teacher. My name is Mr. Adams. I hope to work well with you this year.’

Dana and I looked at Mr. Adams. He was tall and thin. He had blond hair and brown eyes. He seemed friendly.

‘We’re lucky! I think he’s a very handsome teacher!’ Dana said to me.

‘Yes, he is!’ I answered. (…)

At that moment the noise of an airplane attracted our attention.

Everyone in the class looked out of the window, but the sun was in front of us. It bothered our eyes. We turned away from the window. Except Mr. Adams. He was at the window and was looking directly at the sun. The sun didn’t irritate his eyes!

‘Gee!’ I thought, ‘How can he look at it like that?!!’

The airplane then passed and the lesson continued.

When the hour finished, another man walked in. This one had black hair and green eyes. His

nose was small and pointed, and he had strangely high cheekbones.

‘What a weird looking teacher!’ I said to Dana.

‘Wow, you’re right!’ she exclaimed.

The teacher didn’t smile and spoke coldly to the class. ‘I’m your English teacher. I want you to be on your best behaviour this year. The lesson can begin. And remember, no talking!’

Everyone in class was evidently shocked, but no one said anything.

Another student, Steve, raised his hand.

‘What?’ asked the new teacher in his cold voice.

‘Excuse me, but what’s your name?’

‘Mr. Stone,’ he answered.

I then noticed that his voice wasn’t just cold: it was metallic and monotonous! (…) Mr. Stone read a poem from our English Literature book. His voice was weird, very weird. It had no emotion. It was almost robotic! (…) The other teachers we met that morning were Miss Smith, the arts teacher, and Mrs. Ching, who taught math. Both seemed nice. Miss Smith, in particular, was a very cheerful person.

Chapter Two: Clues

I always eat lunch at school. That day I ate with Dana and Paul Miller, another friend from my class. Paul was a very intelligent boy. He was always the best at math. His parents were divorced and he lived with his father and his black cat, Apollo. He missed his mother. She lived with another man and didn’t want to see Paul. His father was never at home, so Paul was very lonely. He didn’t have many friends at school (…). He loved Apollo very much and spent a lot of time with him.

‘What do you think about our new teachers?’ I asked my friends.

‘I think Mr. Adams is very attractive!’ said Dana.

‘Did you see how he looked at the airplane? The sun didn’t bother him!’ exclaimed Paul.

‘You’re right!’ I said. ‘But did you hear Mr. Stone? He speaks like a robot! His voice is cold and metallic!’

‘He’s unfriendly too!’ added Dana.

‘That’s true!’ I said.

‘Look!’ said Paul. ‘Look what he’s eating!’  We looked at Mr. Stone. He sat away from the other teachers and he didn’t have a normal lunch. There was a glass in front of him. It was full of a dense, green liquid. There were some black pills in his hand. He put two of them in the glass. The green liquid started to bubble, and it changed colour: it started to become red!

Then he took the glass and drank the mysterious red formula.

I looked at Paul and he looked at me. We were disgusted and frightened.

Dana tried to be rational. ‘Maybe it’s a new diet. Maybe that’s why he’s so thin!’ she said.

I didn’t agree. There was something strange about Mr. Stone.

That afternoon and the next day we met our other new teachers. We also had English again. Mr. Stone came in and sat down.

‘Miller. Paul Miller. Tell me something about yourself.’ Paul was surprised. English teachers don’t usually ask personal questions!

‘Well, Paul? Don’t you have anything to say?’

‘Uh, well, I enjoy astronomy, I have a cat…’

 Mr. Stone asked everyone to say something about their life and hobbies.

‘Maybe he wants to create a relationship with us, but he’s such a cold person! How bizarre!’ I thought.

Then, looking at him more carefully, I noticed something: his eyes weren’t green anymore! They seemed a darker, different colour! I raised my hand.

‘May I go to the bathroom?’ I asked.

As I walked towards the door, I looked at Mr. Stone’s eyes again. I was right! They were yellowish brown. They looked like amber!

Chapter Three: Aliens

That afternoon I sat on my bed and thought about my first two days of high school. I wanted to know more about Mr. Stone. I decided to go and visit Paul.

Paul was in front of his computer.

He was very interested in astronomy, the occult, and life on other planets.

‘Hi, Paul. What are you doing?’ I asked.

‘I’m on the Internet. I’m in contact with the International Space Fan Club. Listen to this. Something very important is happening. A comet is passing through the Virgo constellation. There are the right connections for intergalactic meetings! The Earth has been in the Virgo

constellation since last week.’

‘But what are intergalactic meetings?’ I asked. (…)

 

‘Ha-ha! I asked you the same question,’ interrupted Alice.

‘Yeah,’ replied Chris, ‘and do you remember my answer?’

‘Sure. They’re voyages of aliens to our planet. These voyages can happen only in special moments,’ said Alice.

‘That’s right. So keep listening’:

‘Aliens can travel to our planet for different reasons. Sometimes they want to study us humans. Some people say that aliens may come to Earth to conquer the planet.’ (…)

‘Maybe Mr. Stone is an alien!’ I exclaimed.

‘Gee, aren’t you exaggerating? Come on, get real!!’

‘Well, his voice doesn’t seem human, his eyes change colour, and do you remember the green

liquid and the black pills he had for lunch?’ (…)

‘Even if his eyes change colour, I still don’t believe he’s an alien.’

‘But the comet explains everything: it entered the Virgo constellation last week, and Mr. Stone is a new teacher. (…) No one knows where he comes from!’ I said.

‘Maybe’ Paul’s eyes lit up. ‘Maybe that’s why he asked us all those personal questions: he wants to study us!’

‘Yes! You see, all clues indicate that he is an alien! So, what can we do?’ I asked.

‘We can spy on him. Maybe we can follow him to his house. We can see where he lives and what he does at home. However, we must be very careful. He doesn’t seem to have emotions. He might get angry if he discovers we suspect him. We’ll try to follow him tomorrow, after school, OK?’ said Paul.

The next morning before school, I took Fred out for a walk in the park. (…)

The park was empty. It was dawn. A lonely bird chirped in the trees. The grass was wet with dew. There was peace all around.

Suddenly, I noticed something, or someone, moving behind the bushes. I got closer to see who, or what, it was.

In the clearing, there was a man. He was looking up and his arms were raised; he bent down and touched the ground. Then he stood straight again, face and hands again directed to the sky. After about a minute, he turned around … It was Mr. Stone!

Was he communicating with the universe? With his planet? Was he really an alien?

I quickly walked away. Fortunately, Fred didn’t bark.

I took my dog home and then met Dana. We walked to school. I wanted to tell her about Mr. Stone, but I didn’t. It was too difficult. Besides, I couldn’t tell her about the afternoon plan, because it was too dangerous for three people to follow the teacher.

During the morning I thought about Mr. Stone.(…) I was scared, but also excited.

Chapter Four: Too Much Imagination?

When the science class started, Mr. Adams walked in.

‘Come on, boys and girls. Today we’re going to the science laboratory!’ he announced.

Chris stopped reading here. ‘In this chapter the students had a task to do in the school lab,’ said the boy. ‘Mr Adams helped Jenny and his arms touched hers. An electric shock ran through the girl and she jumped. She didn’t know what to think. “Were all my teachers weird, or was I just too imaginative?” Jenny thought.

But later Mr Adams explained to her that his arm was artificial as a result of an accident. The teacher said, “ It’s an electric prosthesis and sometimes it can give electric shocks.” He seemed a little embarrassed. Jenny was surprised and sorry.

Then, during lunch she told Paul and Dana about Mr. Adams’ electric prosthesis.’

Chris moved back to the book and continued reading:

We finished our chocolate milk and went out to have a break. At the door we met Mr. Stone. His head was down; he seemed deep in thought.

“Hi!” Dana said to him “Oh. Uh, hi…,” he said ,surprised, lifting his head.

His eyes were green again!

‘Wow, that Mr  Stone is really a mystery!’ Dana exclaimed. 

I still didn’t want to tell Dana the whole story, so I changed the subject. Fortunately, the bell interrupted us. Before entering class at one o’clock, I took Paul aside. I quickly told him about what I had seen in the park.

‘Wow…I wonder what we’ll see this afternoon!’ remarked Paul.

Chapter Five: Mr  Stone

When the school day finished, Paul and I hid behind some bushes and watched the school gate. We saw many classes go home, and some teachers. But we didn’t see Mr Stone. The minutes passed. (…)

At that moment, through the bushes, we saw a man with black hair and very high cheekbones walk past.

‘It’s him!’ I whispered.

‘Wait! He mustn’t suspect that we are following him,’ Paul said.

We waited two minutes.

‘OK. We can go,’ I said.

We followed him at a distance and finally we saw him go into a house. It was a pretty, pink, two-storey building. There was a lawn in front of it and a big tree on the side. We crept up to the window and carefully looked inside. Mr. Stone put his briefcase down and opened the refrigerator. He took out another bottle of that horrible green liquid and put it on the table. Then he went upstairs.

‘Now what can we do?’ Paul whispered.

‘No problem! I can climb the tree!’ I said.

‘Are you sure?’

‘Of course. Don’t forget I play volleyball!’

‘Be careful!’

I went to the tree. It wasn’t very high and it was easy to climb. From my position I could see his room. Mr. Stone was there.

‘What’s happening?’ whispered Paul.

‘He’s sitting in front of a mirror,’ I said. ‘His hands are on his head. Oh no!!!’

‘What? What?’ asked Paul.

The teacher was totally bald, and his head was covered with disgusting, brown warts! (…)

Suddenly I noticed my reflection in Mr Stone’s mirror and Mr Stone noticed it, too! He brusquely turned around and stared at me. I was paralysed with fear. My mouth fell open. I was expecting the worst. Instead, Mr. Stone didn’t look angry. He actually seemed very sad. He opened the window.

‘You students think I’m weird. Come inside. I want to tell you something.’

‘Uh, Mr. Stone, I’m terribly sorry …,’ I started to say. I was extremely embarrassed.

‘Don’t worry. Since you’re here, please come in.’

I climbed down the tree. Paul was very nervous.

‘Come on, Jenny, let’s go away before it’s too late!’

‘No, Paul. I’m going in.’

‘But…‘

I went towards Mr. Stone’s front door, so Paul followed. The teacher opened the door and made us sit down in his living room.

‘Do you want something to drink?’ he asked.

‘No, nothing, thank you,’ I answered.

‘W-What are those … warts on your head?’  asked Paul, ignoring the look I gave him.

‘These warts are the results of a throat tumour. You see, I started smoking as a teenager (…) . Chemotherapy made me lose all of my hair, and I developed these warts.

You’ve probably noticed my voice. Unfortunately, the tumour destroyed my vocal chords. So now I speak with a voice implant.

The tumour has caused very serious changes in my life. I started to suffer from depression and I still see a psychiatrist. I also moved, hoping to start a better life in a new environment. (…) You see, I’m not married, and the illness has made me very lonely. People don’t like illnesses; they stay away from sick people. Sick people bother them.’

‘Mr Stone, we really feel terrible about our behaviour,’ I said.

‘Yes, we really apologise. We hope you can forgive us,’ added Paul.

‘Don’t worry! In a sense, I’m glad this happened. I haven’t talked like this to anyone for a long time. You see, I want to be friends with my students. That’s why I asked your class so many questions. But it’s very hard for me to smile, or be cheerful. Try to understand, if I’m strict or unpleasant.’

I smiled at Mr. Stone. I was very moved. ‘We understand,’  I said softly.

‘May I ask you a question?’  said Paul.

‘Paul!’ I exclaimed.

‘It’s OK. Ask me anything you want,’  answered Mr  Stone.

‘What’s that stuff  you eat at lunch?’

‘Oh … Did that scare you? The green liquid and the black pills are part of my treatment. They include protein and other nutritional substances.’

‘And why, excuse my curiosity, were your eyes amber-coloured yesterday?’

‘Well, I tried some coloured contact lenses. I wanted to do something different. I thought that a new look could make me feel better, but it didn’t work.’

‘Mr. Stone,’ I began, ‘I saw you at the park, this morning …’

‘Gee, I probably appeared very strange to you, with all those movements!’ he said. ‘My doctor suggested early-morning exercise, in fresh, clean air. You really have watched me these last few days, I must say!’

Paul and I looked at each other. We felt rude and very silly. We were ashamed for being so inconsiderate.

‘Well, Mr. Stone, we don’t know how to thank you for your hospitality and kindness,’  I said. ‘We really don’t deserve it. Our behaviour… ‘

‘That’s enough, that’s enough, don’t worry. Thank you for your company. I’ll see you tomorrow at school. And remember, if you ever want to come and visit me, you’re always welcome.’

‘Thank you very much. We’ll come again,’  said Paul.

Paul and I left Mr. Stone’s house, and walked home.

‘Well, I think we’ve learned a lesson,’ Paul said. ‘We must remember that many people in this world are suffering; many people have problems; and, if they act in strange ways, there are reasons. There isn’t an alien behind every bush. There’s a person, just like you and me. And maybe this person needs friendship and a helping hand.’

I looked at Paul with affection and admiration. His words expressed my own thoughts perfectly. We had let our imagination and superficiality dominate us. This made us forget human feelings and problems. (…)

‘Hey, Paul,” I said. ‘I want to celebrate! This adventure is over. I feel relieved. Let’s go to the ‘Rainbow” and buy an ice-cream.’

‘OK, Jenny! Good idea!’

‘Let’s call Dana, too!’ I added, thinking it was the moment to inform her about everything.

‘Sure!’

We stopped at Dana’s house and invited her.

Chapter Six: Thanks to a Missing Watch

We sat down at the ‘Rainbow’ and ordered three sundaes.

‘Dana, we have news about Mr. Stone!’ I said.

‘Yes, although it’s a very long story,’ Paul added.

We told her everything: the news on the comet and the intergalactic meetings; our plan to spy on Mr. Stone; finally, the teacher’s sad story.

Dana’s expression went from surprised, to worried, to ashamed, during our tale. ‘Our class must be much nicer to him!’ she said. ‘But this comet… maybe aliens will come to Earth!”

“Dana, please, I don’t even want to hear the word ‘alien’!” I exclaimed.

‘Let’s keep our eyes open for people in need, not for aliens!’ Paul added.

‘OK, OK, sorry!’  said Dana.

I noticed that it was already dark. I looked at the time … my watch wasn’t on my wrist!

‘Oh no! My watch!’ I exclaimed. Then I remembered. ‘I left it in the gym! I took it off at recess, to play volleyball. I must go immediately and get it!’

‘But, Jenny, I’m sure that the janitor will find it and put it in a safe place,’ said Paul.

‘I don’t trust him. That watch is so important to me. It was a gift from my grandfather (…).

‘But the school’s closed now!’ Dana commented.

‘No, not today. Mrs. Ching is at school all evening, because she’s preparing some tests.’ (…)

‘OK. Well, I’ll see you tomorrow then. I have to go home and start my homework,’ Paul said.

‘Me too,’ Dana added.

We left the “Rainbow” and I went towards the school. The back door was open. I went in.

Our gym is on the ground floor, but I didn’t go there directly. Something stopped me. I felt a strange sensation. I didn’t know what it was.

Something wanted me to climb the stairs and go up to the classrooms. I felt afraid. The school was dark and silent. I shivered.

“Where am I going? Why am I climbing these stairs? “I thought. My heart beat faster and faster (…). I desperately wanted to run away and return home, but I couldn’t. The mysterious force inside me made me go on. (…) I looked around the second floor. I was terrified. Everything was silent. The long, dark hall was very frightening.

Then I noticed something: a light was on in the computer room! I crept to the door. Someone inside was working on a computer. I could hear fingers clicking on the keys. Slowly, very slowly, I opened the door. Just a crack.

It was Mr. Adams! He was typing a kind of code on the screen. Was it a password? Then he took a small, plastic object from his pocket. It looked like a key. He inserted it in the diskette slot. The screen blacked out. It flickered. Then something appeared: it was the face of an alien!!!!

The alien had a green head and big, red eyes. It didn’t have hair and it didn’t have a nose. Its mouth and ears were very small.

Then Mr Adams put his hands on his head. He was pulling at his hair. It started to come apart! He was taking off his hair, and his face! A green, bald head surfaced: I realised that he was identical to the alien on the screen! He put his ‘face’ on the computer table. Then the false Mr Adams started talking.

‘Klyreg calls base. Klyreg here. Klyreg calls base.’

‘ALTANK PILLEX, Klyreg. How is your mission proceeding?’ said the alien on the screen with a mechanical voice.

‘For now everything is OK. But I’m already tired of this mask (…)’.

‘Tell me, does anyone suspect you?’ said the alien.

‘No, I don’t think so. (…).’

‘Ha ha! You’re wrong! I’m here now!’ I thought.

‘I hope you’re right. Our mission can’t fail. The spaceship must come this Friday. We’ll land in the old, abandoned airfield. We’ll wait for you there. By 9:30 p.m. you must be ready. You must have the two students to take to Mitrax. We can’t be late. When the comet leaves the Virgo constellation, we won’t be able to travel anymore. The intergalactic doors close on Friday, at midnight,’  said the alien on the screen.

‘I know. Don’t worry. I must still choose the two students, but I think I know who I want.’

‘How will you capture the students? You can’t touch them because you’re electric.’

‘Aha! So the story of his prosthesis was a big, fat lie!” I thought.

‘On Friday evening there is a family-teachers’ meeting. During the meeting I’ll leave the other teachers. While the parents are listening to the teachers, I’ll ask the students to come with me. I’ll invent an excuse. Then I’ll take them to the science lab and I’ll spray them with my hypnotising spray. Once they’re hypnotised, they’ll do everything I say. They won’t be able to think, or rebel. We’ll go out of the building by the fire-escape exit and walk to the airfield,’ said Mr Adams/Klyreg.

‘I’m sure he wants me!’ I said to myself.

‘Be at the airfield by 9:30 p.m. then, Klyreg. Good luck. ALTANK PILLEX.’

‘ALTANK PILLEX, Gortz,’ said Mr Adams/Klyreg to the alien on the screen. Then he took the key out and the computer screen returned to normal.

I silently closed the door and quickly (…) escaped down the stairs and ran out of the building.

I stopped running when I was far from the school. My watch was still in the gym, but at that point I didn’t care.

I had a lot of difficulty sleeping that night. I decided to tell Paul and Dana, but no one else: no one would believe me.

Chapter Seven: The Plan

The next day, as soon as I arrived at school, I went to the gym to look for my watch. Fortunately, it was still there. At lunchtime I took Dana and Paul to an empty table and started my story. I decided to get to the point immediately. ‘Mr Adams is an alien!’ I said.

‘No, not again! Are you doing this on purpose? (…)’ Paul exclaimed angrily. ‘I thought you wanted to stop all this. I thought you were ashamed of your behaviour! First Mr Stone, now Mr Adams!’ he continued, while Dana raised her eyebrows (…) and suppressed a smile.

‘I know I seem crazy,’ I said, feeling tears in my eyes. ‘But I’m telling you the truth. I saw him with my own eyes! Please listen to me.’

I told them everything, from my mysterious sensation to the conversation between Mr Adams/Klyreg and the alien on the computer screen. Both my friends looked terrified and shocked. They finally believed me.

‘Besides,’ I added, ‘do you remember how he looked at the sun? It’s incredible!’ I continued, ‘He’s green and his name is Klyreg. Other aliens are coming in a spaceship on Friday evening. They’re going to land in the old abandoned airfield near our high school. They want to take two students with them to Mitrax!’

‘Mitrax?’ asked Paul.

‘Yes. It must be the name of their planet.’

‘This Friday?’ added Dana.

‘Exactly. During the family-teachers’ meeting. He’s going to hypnotise them with a spray and take them on his spaceship.’

‘Today is Thursday! We only have a day to do something!’ exclaimed Paul.

‘I have an idea!’ I said.

‘What?’ asked my friends.

‘We can try to find the hypnotising spray and take it away from him. It can only be in two places: somewhere in his house, or somewhere in the science lab.’

‘Good idea! This afternoon after he goes home, we can look for the spray in the lab; if the spray isn’t there, tomorrow morning we won’t go to school. We’ll get into his house in some way and take the spray,’ added Paul.

‘But we don’t even know where he lives!’ objected Dana. ‘Well, we’ll find out!’ I said.

‘So we want to steal his hypnotising spray. Maybe Matt can help us. He has a key that opens all doors,’ Dana said.

Dana’s brother Matt is a policeman.

“Are you sure he’ll give it to you? I don’t think he’ll believe this story,” I said.

‘Of course not! How can he believe something like this? I obviously have to steal the key.’

‘I hope he doesn’t notice. (…)’ Paul commented.

(…) It’s the only way to enter where we want. Don’t worry. I’ll be careful. Gee, Mr. Adams is so friendly and handsome! It’s difficult to believe that he’s a horrible, green alien! Well, this afternoon I’ll get the key.’

‘Remember, don’t say anything to anyone,’ I said. ‘This is our secret.’

‘OK. Don’t worry.’

‘I hope everything will be OK,’ Paul said.

We went to our afternoon classes. I couldn’t wait for the day to finish. I was nervous and excited.

Chapter Eight: Paul’s Decision

I constantly thought of the day before. I remembered when he took off his face. Behind that blond hair there was a bald, green head. Behind those brown eyes, two red ones. And behind the nose, nothing! I shivered.

 

 ‘Ha ha!’ Alice interrupted. ‘You can’t judge a book by its cover.’

‘Yes, that’s true. But keep listening:’

After school, I went with Dana to her house. Paul, instead, stayed at school to make sure that Klyreg went home. When Dana and I arrived at her house, there was no one there.

‘I hope Matt didn’t take the key with him!’ said Dana.

We went in. Dana went to her brother’s room. I heard her open many drawers. I crossed my

fingers.

‘Here it is!’ Dana exclaimed.

‘Oh, great! Now let’s go back to school!’ I said. (…)

We went back to school. Paul was sitting on the steps.

‘Has Klyreg left?’ I asked.

‘Yes. We can go in,’ Paul answered.

We went up to the science lab. When we arrived, we noticed that the door was open. Someone was whistling inside.

‘Oh no! It’s the janitor!’ Paul whispered.

‘Let’s hide in the bathroom!’ Dana suggested. ‘It’s already been cleaned, so he won’t come in.’

We quickly entered the girls’ bathroom and hid. After some time the janitor walked away. We heard him go down the stairs.

‘OK, now!’ Paul said.

We entered the lab and looked around. We opened the chemical cabinet with Matt’s key and examined every container.

There weren’t any sprays or strange bottles. So we tried the refrigerator.

‘What’s this?!’ I said.

Inside the refrigerator there was a spray without a label. It was very difficult to open and it had a bizarre phosphorescence.

‘Wow! It’s probably Klyreg’s hypnotising spray! (…)

‘Excellent! (…)’ Paul said. (…)

We carefully went out of the lab and left the building.(..)

 

Here, Chris skipped over that part of the story. ‘Later Jenny talked with her friend on the phone,’ he said and went on reading:

‘Listen, can you come to my house now?’ asked Paul. ‘I need to talk to you.’

There was something strange in his voice.

‘Paul, are you OK?’ I asked.

‘Yes, I’m fine. I’ll tell you everything when you arrive, OK? Please come. It’s important.’

I took the bus and arrived at Paul’s house. He was alone, as always. He was in his room with his cat, Apollo, in his arms.

‘I want to go to Mitrax with Klyreg,’ Paul said.

‘What?!!’

‘Yes, I want to go to Mitrax with Klyreg!’ Paul repeated.

‘Are you kidding? You’re crazy!’

‘No, I’m not crazy. Look at my life. My mother doesn’t love me. She went away and never wants to see me. How do you think I feel? My father is always working. He doesn’t care if I’m here or in Timbuktu! (…) At school everyone thinks I’m strange; you’re my only true friend in class. Jenny, I’m not happy here. Try to understand. This world isn’t for me. (…). I want to test my destiny and see what happens to me. Honestly, I really don’t think that Klyreg wants to hurt us students.’

‘How do you know?’ I asked angrily, shocked at what he was saying.

‘He doesn’t give me that impression. I’m sure the aliens just want to study us. I feel I can trust them. Also, you know I love space. I’ve always been interested in astronomy and alien life. This is a fantastic opportunity to see life on another planet, in another galaxy. This is my dream! This opportunity will never exist again. If aliens come to Earth at the next intergalactic meeting, they certainly won’t come to our town again!’

Listening to Paul, I started to understand his point of view. But it was terrible to think that Paul didn’t have anyone. No one really cared about him. I was very sad.

‘Running away to another planet isn’t the right solution to your problems,’ I said.

‘But I’ve tried to talk to my father about my problems. I’ve tried many times. Nothing has changed. Listen, I want to go to Mitrax. I feel it’s the right thing for me. Something inside is pushing me to go.’

Maybe going to Mitrax was the best thing for Paul, although I still couldn’t believe it.

‘If you’re convinced … But I’ll miss you, a lot. I’ll never see you again,’ I said.

‘Nothing is forever. You will see me again, I promise.’

‘Don’t make promises you can’t keep,’ I said, with tears in my eyes.

‘Believe me, Jenny. Sooner or later, when the next intergalactic door opens, I’ll return. And I’ll have many new things to tell you!’

‘Listen,’ he continued, ‘we must organise our plan for tomorrow evening! When Klyreg takes the two students to the science lab, he’ll open the fridge but he won’t find the spray. At that point he won’t be able to do anything, because he can’t touch us. (…)’

‘Then he won’t be able to study us anymore!’ I interrupted.

‘Exactly. So, when he sees that his mission has failed, the only thing he can do is go to the airfield and leave with his spaceship. He can’t stay any longer because he can’t miss his spaceship. And the spaceship can’t wait for him. I won’t come to the family-teachers’ meeting; I’ll wait for Mr. Adams at the airfield.’

I looked at Paul sadly . ‘Good luck. I’ll wait for you,’ I said.

Paul picked up Apollo and gave him to me. ‘I want you to keep him. Take care of him for me.’(…)

‘Oh, Paul, thanks for Apollo. Thank you very much.’ I stroked the black cat and he purred.

Chapter Nine: Friday Night

I went back home. (…) That night I didn’t sleep. I thought about the next day, about Paul’s decision, about Klyreg. Apollo mewed in the darkness.

On Friday morning I got up early. I felt very tense.(…) During the morning the principal came to remind us of the meeting.

‘Don’t forget that this evening there’s the family-teachers’ meeting. I hope to see all of you with your parents.’

‘Sure!’ I thought. ‘And during the meeting one of your teachers will try to kidnap two students and take them to a mysterious planet!’

When the school day finished, I went to the ‘Rainbow’ for some ice-cream with Paul and Dana. Paul told Dana about his decision. She was obviously very surprised and disappointed.

Those moments we had passed together were very special. I will never forget that last afternoon with Paul. Our friendship seemed stronger than before. We felt more united because of our separation.

Finally, after dinner, my parents and I walked to school. We sat down in the auditorium and the meeting started. At one point I saw Mr Adams get up and go towards Dana’s family. I saw him whisper something to Dana’s parents and then to Dana. She got up from her chair and followed him. Together they walked towards Steven’s family. Steve is another one of my classmates. I’m sure Klyreg chose him because Paul was absent. In fact I noticed him looking for Paul.

Steve, Dana and Mr Adams left the auditorium.

‘So he didn’t choose me!’ I thought. I looked at my watch: 9:05. Twenty-five more minutes. Suddenly I had an irresistible impulse. I wanted to see what was happening. I got up.

‘Jenny, where are you going?’ my mom asked.

‘’I’m going to the science lab. Don’t worry!’ I said, and I quickly walked away. The door of the lab was closed. Inside I heard Mr. Adams opening the fridge. I imagined his anger.

‘Oh, no!’ he exclaimed. ‘Where is it?’

‘Where is what, Klyreg?’ Dana asked. ‘Are you talking about the hypnotising spray? You lost, Klyreg!’ she exclaimed triumphantly.

‘W-What? You know …?’ Klyreg was shocked.

‘What spray? What are you saying?’ said Steve, who didn’t know anything about it.

‘What courage Dana has!’ I thought. (…) It was stupid to make him angry. But in the end, it seems that Paul was right. Klyreg wasn’t really a bad alien.

‘Well, I don’t think you need us anymore!’ Dana said.

The door opened and she walked out. ‘Come on, Steve. Everything’s OK. Let’s go back to the meeting!’

Then Klyreg came out. He seemed confused and helpless. I looked at my watch.

‘Klyreg, it’s 9:17. Go. Don’t miss your spaceship,’ I said, almost with compassion.

Klyreg looked at me, even more surprised. Then he went to the fire-escape exit and ran away. At that moment I thought of Paul. I followed Klyreg down the fire-escape stairs and out of the building. Our school is very close to the old airfield, so Klyreg and I reached it at 9:24. The spaceship was already there, waiting for Klyreg. Its portal was open, but all the lights were off. The aliens from Mitrax didn’t want anyone to see them. Paul was there too. When he saw Klyreg, he ran towards him.

‘Klyreg! Listen! I want to come with you! Take me with you! You can study me! I know you won’t hurt me!’

Klyreg was literally shocked.

‘Come then, Paul. Hurry!’ he said, recovering from his amazement.

‘Paul!’ I shouted.

‘Jenny!’ He ran to me and we embraced. ‘This crazy adventure has finally finished. Fortunately everything ended well for everyone,’ Paul said.

‘Think about me sometimes,’ I said.

‘I’ll always think of you. And remember, I’ll be back!’

‘Paul!’ Klyreg shouted. He was on the stairs of the spaceship. ‘The portal is closing!’

‘Have fun in Mitrax, you space lover!’ I said, laughing and crying at the same time.

Paul went up the stairs and the portal closed behind him. The spaceship lights turned on and it silently went up into the dark night sky. I watched it disappear into the blackness. Then I hurried back to school.

My parents were still at the meeting with everyone else. No one seemed to suspect anything. Dana and Steve sat calmly near their parents. I, too, went back to my mother and father, smiling innocently.

Today six months have passed. Everyone at school now knows the truth about Mr Adams, although not everyone totally believes my story. We have a new science teacher. Her name is Miss Lundberg, and for the moment she seems normal. ..

Dana and I have been to visit Mr Stone a few times, and his relationship with our class has really improved. He seems a happier person, and this pleases me a lot.

Steve is now Dana’s boyfriend and they make a nice couple. (…)

Apollo is now a member of our family. Fred is a little jealous of him, but they’re usually friends. I told my parents the entire story. They seem to believe me, especially because no one can find Paul. In the beginning, his father looked for him, but he soon stopped worrying.

Sometimes Dana and I talk about Klyreg and our adventure.

We remember Paul. On many evenings, alone in my garden, I look up at the sky and think about him.

‘Good night, Paul, wherever you are. See you soon.’

 

‘Wow! Very impressive!’ exclaimed Alice when her friend finished reading. ‘I think I’ve found the right book!’

‘Glad to hear,’ answered Chris.

‘Do you reckon Paul will come back’?

‘Yeah, I’m sure he will. And he’ll be able to tell Jenny about his adventure,’ the boy replied. Then he added, ‘and I hope you will tell me all about your trip to the Isle of Man when you come back.’

‘I’ll text you as soon as we get there… Oh no! Well, we’re not allowed to take our smartphones,’ she remembered.

‘That’s OK. You can send me a postcard then, can’t you?’

Alice thought for a moment and said, ‘A postcard? I’ve never sent a postcard before. It must be difficult.’

‘Not really. Anyway, let’s meet here after your return, shall we?

‘Great, on this bench,’ the girl agreed.

 

The next day Alice went on the school trip. Three days passed and Chris, to his surprise, got a postcard. It said:

Hi Chris,

It’s fantastic here! We go sightseeing during the day and at night we look at the stars. The skies here are crystal clear and perfect for star gazing. We also talk about books. I told my new friends the story you had read to me on the bench and they liked it very much.

The teachers here are great and I think none of them is an alien J. Mrs Chapter turned out to be a very nice and funny person. She says that thanks to reading, we install new software into our brains.

I can’t wait to see you!

Alice

Chris smiled. ‘I’m looking forward to seeing you, Alice,’ he thought.

The next days passed and, after her return, Alice met Chris in the park, just as they had arranged before.

The girl looked happy and relaxed. ‘I brought you a souvenir,’ she said.

‘Wow! Thanks a lot!’ Chris answered and looked at the thing. It was a star map of the sky.

‘We were fond of looking at the stars in the clear sky, but I couldn’t get them for you,’ said Alice.

‘The map is fantastic!’ he replied and then looked closely at his friend. ‘But Alice, where is your smartphone? You always carry it with you, don’t you?’

‘Oh, never mind. I’ve forgotten it and left it at home.’

THE END

[Materiał własny; zawiera cytaty z Alien at School, Michelle Brown, Wyd. Cideb Editrice  (rozróżnione czcionką Calibri)]

Objaśnienia:

Zaleca się posłuchać wymowy nowych słów, korzystając np. ze słownika https://www.diki.pl/

alien – kosmita

red-haired – rudowłosa

bench – ławka

hazel – orzechowe, piwne (oczy)

They have known each other – znają się

since their childhood – od dzieciństwa

differ – różnić się

cheerful – pogodna, wesoła

a bit – trochę

naïve – naiwna

a good sense of humour – duże poczucie humoru

sensitive – wrażliwy

reasonable – rozsądny

mad about – zwariowana (na punkcie czegoś)

be keen on – lubić, być zapalonym do czegoś, przepadać za czymś

prefer – woleć

they get on very well – mają bardzo dobre relacje, bardzo dobrze ‘dogadują się’

busy – zajęta

best-loved – ulubiony

charming – urocze

path – ścieżka

pond – staw

put away – odłożyć

coincidence –  zbieg okoliczności

What do you mean? – co masz na myśli?

indeed – rzeczywiście

agree – zgodzić się

I wish I didn’t have to go – chciałabym nie musieć jechać

I wish I were going – chciałbym jechać, żałuję, że nie jadę

sigh – westchnąć

coverage – zasięg

device – urządzenie

There are lots of interesting things to do – jest mnóstwo rzeczy do robienia

lower – zniżyć

voice –głos

voyage – podróż, wojaż

kidnap – porwać

during  – podczas

You are kidding, aren’t you? – żartujesz, nieprawdaż?  (zwróć uwagę, że tego typu konstrukcji (nieprawdaż?, dobrze?) jest więcej w tekście  i różnią się w zależności od zdania głównego

shocked expression – zszokowany wyraz twarzy

I’ve just read – właśnie przeczytałem

First of all – przede wszystkim

imaginative – pomysłowy, twórczy

improve – udoskonalić, polepszyć

you haven’t found – nie znalazłeś

be hooked on – być uzależnionym od, mieć bzika na punkcie czegoś

nearby – pobliski

lead – smycz

embarrassed – zakłopotana

for a while – przez chwilę

suddenly – nagle

gripping – wciągająca, porywająca

story is set – historia rozgrywa/toczy się

Do you want me to …. – czy chcesz, żebym ….

extract  – fragment

curious – ciekawa

eagerly – z zapałem

handsome – przystojny

arrive at school – przybyć  do szkoły

He seemed friendly– sprawiał wrażenie przyjacielskiego

attract attention – przyciągnąć uwagę

It bothered our eyes – raziło nas w oczy

pointed – szpiczasty

weird–looking – dziwnie wyglądający

exclaim -wykrzyknąć

in particular – w szczególności, zwłaszcza

dense – gęsty

liquid – płyn

pills – pigułki

disgusted – zniesmaczony

amber – bursztyn

interrupt – przerwać

conquer – podbić

exaggerate – przesadzać, wyolbrzymiać

his eyes lit up – jego oczy rozbłysły;  light up – rozbłysnąć 

however – jednakże

suspect – podejrzewać

chirp – ćwierkać

dew – rosa

he bent down – pochylał się, robił skłony;  bend – pochylać się

turn around – odwrócić się

bark – szczekać

announce – ogłosić, zapowiedzieć

explain – wyjaśnić

artificial – sztuczny

recess – przerwa (amer.)

deep in thought – głęboko zamyślony

fortunately – na szczęście

aside – na stronę

I told him about what I had seen – powiedziałam mu co zobaczyłam (zobaczyłam wcześniej)

remark – zauważyć, wypowiadać (uwagę)

lawn – trawnik

we crept up – podkradliśmy się;  creep – podkradać się, skradać

briefcase – teczka, aktówka

bald – łysy

wart – brodawka

reflection – odbicie

brusquely – obcesowo

stare – wpatrywać się

instead – w zamian, zamiast

(he) made us sit down – skłonił nas, żebyśmy usiedli

tumour – guz

vocal chords – struny głosowe

suffer from – cierpieć na

apologise – przeprosić

forgive  – wybaczyć

stuff – rzeczy (szczególnie, gdy mówimy o rzeczach, których nazw nie znamy)

nutritional – odżywczy

contact lenses – soczewki kontaktowe

ashamed – zawstydzony

inconsiderate – nierozważny, nietaktowny

hospitality  – gościnność

deserve – zasługiwać

affection – uczucie, sympatia

admiration – podziw

superficiality – płytkość, powierzchowność

feel relieved – poczuć ulgę

order – zamówić

sundae – deser lodowy

although – pomimo że

immediately – natychmiast

janitor – woźny (amer.)

sensation – wrażenie, odczucie

crack – szpara, szczelina

flicker – migotać, mrugać

appear – pojawić się

come apart – rozpadać się 

take off – zdjąć

surface – powierzchnia

you’re wrong – mylisz się

abandoned – opuszczone

capture –  schwytać

be able to – być w stanie, móc

on purpose – celowo

suppress a smile – tłumić uśmiech 

incredible – niewiarygodny, niesamowity

constantly – stale

judge a book by its cover – oceniać książkę po okładce

cross fingers – trzymać kciuki

It’s already been cleaned – była już posprzątana

we hid – schowaliśmy się;   hide – chować

label – etykieta

bizarre – dziwaczny

skip – pominąć

destiny – przeznaczenie, los

trust – ufać

opportunity – okazja, możliwość

convinced – przekonany

fail – nie powieźć się

stroke – głaskać

purr – mruczeć

mew – miauczeć

tense – spięty, zdenerwowany

principal – dyrektor (amer.)

disappointed – rozczarowany

irresistible – nieodparty, przemożny

confused – pomieszany, zdezorientowany

helpless – bezradny

compassion – współczucie

the lights were off – światła były wyłączone

embrace – uścisnąć, obejmować

innocently – niewinnie

entire – cały, kompletny

impressive – robiący wrażenie

reckon – sądzić, przypuszczać (potocz.)

be allowed to – mieć pozwolenie na, wolno (coś robić)

gazing – wpatrywanie się intensywnie

turn out  – okazać się

I’m looking forward to seeing you – czekam z niecierpliwością, żeby cię zobaczyć

arrange – zorganizować, planować

be fond of  – bardzo lubić

never mind – mniejsza o to, nieważne

 

SENTENCJE W J. ANGIELSKIM DLA KL. VII i VIII

Miracles start to happen when you give as much energy to your dreams as you do to your fears – Cuda zaczynają się dziać, gdy zaczniesz poświęcać tyle energii swoim marzeniom, co poświęcasz swoim obawom.

Richard Wilkins

Not all those who wander are lost — Nie wszyscy ci, którzy błądzą, są zgubieni.

1. R. R. Tolkien

The secret of getting ahead is getting started – Sekretem robienia postępów jest (w ogóle) rozpoczęcie.

Mark Twain

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving — Życie jest jak jazda na rowerze. Żeby utrzymać równowagę, musisz cały czas poruszać się naprzód.

Albert Einstein

Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened  –  Nie płacz, że to się skończyło, uśmiechnij  się, bo to się wydarzyło.

Dr Seuss

Books let you travel without moving your feet –  Książki pozwalają  podróżować bez poruszania stopami.

Jhumpa Lahiri

To read – is to live more, it is to live more intensively – Czytać – to  żyć bardziej, to żyć intensywniej.

Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Pray for the best, prepare for the worst, and expect the unexpected – Módl się o najlepsze, przygotuj się na najgorsze i spodziewaj się czegoś niespodziewanego.

Gary Busey

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are –  Rób co możesz, za pomocą tego  co masz, tam gdzie jesteś.

Theodore Roosevelt

Weak people revenge. Strong people forgive. Intelligent people ignore – Słabi ludzie mszczą się. Silni ludzie wybaczają. Inteligentni ludzie ignorują.

Albert Einstein

Life is like a mirror. Smile at it and it smiles back at you – Życie jest jak lustro. Uśmiechnij się do niego, a ono odwzajemni twój uśmiech.

Peace Pilgrim

 A single rose can be my garden… a single friend – my world – Pojedyncza róża może być moim ogrodem… pojedynczy przyjaciel – moim światem.

Leo Buscaglia

 

PIOSENKI  DLA KL. VII i VIII

Podane linki odsyłają do nagrań wraz ze słowami piosenek oraz do ich tłumaczenia. Prosimy zwrócić uwagę na to, że tłumaczenie na portalu tekstowo.pl jest amatorskie, więc mogą zdarzyć się pewne niedociągnięcia.

1. Sia – Soon We’ll Be Found

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI_xgoNAOO8

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,sia,soon_we_ll_be_found.html

2. FRIENDS – Marshmello & Anne-Marie

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CY8E6N5Nzec

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,marshmello__anne_marie,friends.html

3. Sanah – Heal me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIJ58-N8rz4

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,sanah,heal_me.html

 

4. Cocoon, (feat Lola Marsh) ♡ I Got You

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Df6mHKu3abY

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,cocoon,i_got_you_feat__lola_marsh_.html

5.Minelli – Rampampam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aA753KLYIQ

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,minelli,rampampam.html

6. Throwback – Michael Patrick Kelly 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TtpiLyX-38

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,michael_patrick_kelly,throwback.html

7. U2 – I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfqxK4WDz6I

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,u2,i_still_haven_t_found_what_i_m_looking_for_.html

 

 

              

MATERIAŁY PRZYGOTOWAWCZE DLA SZKOŁY BRANŻOWEJ I STOPNIA

 Edycja jesienna 2021

OPOWIADANIE DLA SZKOŁY BRANŻOWEJ I STOPNIA

THE INTERVIEW

It was a sunny Thursday. Lily was walking along a narrow street, lost in her pleasant thoughts. She was on her way from school.

‘Hi Lily.’ The girl heard a voice behind her.  

She turned round and saw her friend Ava.

‘Oh, hi! What a surprise! How have you been?’ said Lily. She was glad to see the girl.

‘I’ve been great, thanks,’ answered Ava. ‘And you look happy. What’s happened?’

‘Yeah, I am happy and so excited because we are doing a school project,’ explained Lily.

‘And ….  whaat?  You are excited about a school project?’ asked Ava with disbelief. ‘What can be exciting about school projects?!’  

‘First, it’s about the topic, and second, it involves questioning people, especially teenagers,’ answered Lily. ‘And guess what!’ she added.

‘I haven’t got a clue,’ said Ava.

‘I’ve got new neighbours,’ Lily explained and continued,  ‘They moved in about a week ago.  It’s a family with twin boys who are our age. I’ve seen only one of them. I haven’t seen the other one yet.’

‘And you’ll have an opportunity to question them, won’t you?’ said Ava.

‘Yes, that’s right.’

‘What is he like?’ asked Ava.

‘Well, I don’t know him yet, but he seems to be a bit shy,’ answered Lily.

‘And what does he look like?’

‘He is handsome, of medium height with curly dark hair,’ Lily said with a smile.

‘Oh, I see…’

‘And, as I said, I’m really keen on the project topic,’ continued Lily.

‘Oh yes. What’s the topic?’

‘We asked our teacher the same question,’ said Lily. ‘But she didn’t answer at once. She gave us a puzzle to solve. Listen:

What’s one thing everybody can do? It  makes you more imaginative, makes your memory better, improves your personal relationships.  Thanks to the thing you can travel through space and time and sometimes enter a magic world.’

‘I don’t know,’ Ava said, thinking. ‘Maybe it’s coaching?’

‘No, it isn’t,’ answered Lily. ‘I’ll give you a clue. It’s to the mind what exercise is to the body.

 ‘Aha, I know! It’s reading!’ exclaimed Ava.

‘Bingo!’ replied Lily.

‘ My dad says that thanks to reading, people install new software into their brains,’ added Ava.

‘He is right,’ Lily agreed and looked at her watch. ‘Oh dear, it’s late. I must go now, before the library closes.’

‘Ok,’ said Ava. ‘Why don’t we meet tomorrow then?’

‘Great idea!’ Lily said happily.

***

On Sunday morning Lily went for a walk. She was strolling along the river bank which was covered with beautiful forget-me-nots. While she was admiring the wild plants and the rural landscape, she saw a boy. It was her new neighbour. The boy was sitting on a bench and reading a book.

‘What a lucky break,’ thought Lily. ‘I will be able to interview him’

The boy looked up and noticed Lily. He smiled at her. ‘You are my neighbour, aren’t you?’ he said.

‘Yes, I am. My name is Lily.’

‘I’m Derek. Nice to meet you.’

‘Me too,’ answered Lily. ‘I can see you’ve got a book. Do you like reading?’

‘Sure. I’m really into mystery and adventure stories; books like this,’  Derek pointed to the book which he was holding in his hand. ‘The title is ‘Dead Man’s Island.’

‘Sounds interesting,’ said Lily.

‘Yes, it’s really gripping,’ It’s a story about people, who have ‘a skeleton in the cupboard’, said Paul.

‘Oh dear, is it a horror story?’ asked Lily

‘No, no. I’ve just used an idiom which means: when someone has a secret and doesn’t want other people to know about it,’ explained Derek.

‘Oh yes, silly me’, laughed Lily.

‘Would you like me to tell you the story?’

‘Sure, I’d love to.  I’m all ears,’ said Lily eagerly.

‘So listen:

It tells the story of a girl called Carol. At the beginning of the story, she is an ordinary teenager who grows up happily in Hong Kong. She lives with her parents, goes to school, has a lot of friends and likes pop music. Her favourite singer is Jake Rosso. Carol listens to his records all the time and she has hundreds of his photos on her bedroom wall.

One day Jake Rosso dies in a car accident. Later, even worse things happen: her beloved dad dies in a plane crash. Carol is very unhappy and then she begins to feel angry. She starts getting into trouble. She meets some new friends who are different from her other friends. Carol’s mother – Mrs Sanders doesn’t like them because she thinks they are bad people and they do dangerous things. Carol knows that her mum is angry but she doesn’t care. Her new friends take drugs and Carol begins to take drugs too. Then, some of the people are arrested by the police. Luckily Carol isn’t arrested but she has to leave the college where she studies. It is a bad time. So Mrs Sanders and the girl decide to come back to England, where they used to live many years ago. Carol wants to forget what’s happened. She wants to forget what she has done and begin a new life, be a new person.

A month later, they come back to England. They stay in a hotel in London.

It is the beginning of the summer and there are a lot of tourists there. Carol and her mum go sightseeing. They visit Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London and go to restaurants and theatres in the evenings. They begin to forget the bad times in Hong Kong. But Mrs Sanders needs a job and Carol needs to go on studying.

One evening they find a suitable job advert in a newspaper. It is for a temporary job as a secretary on a private island in Scotland. The conditions of the offer are very good. So Carol’s mum calls Greta Ross whose phone number is given in the advert. The women make an appointment for a job interview. They meet in the Savoy Hotel.

And here – I think – the mystery starts.

Greta Ross asks some strange questions. For some reason she is interested to know how long Mrs Sanders and her daughter have been away from England. Then she makes a slightly strange phone call.’

Suddenly Derek stopped telling the story. ‘I’ve finished reading here,’ he said.

‘What a pity,’ answered Lily. ‘I got curious about the plot.’

‘So why don’t we read the rest of the book together?’ the boy offered.

‘Great idea!’ agreed Lily.

‘I’ll read aloud if you want,’ said Derek. ‘I’ll move back to the description of the meeting with Greta Ross in the Savoy Hotel. Remember, Carol is the narrator – she tells the story. Listen:

Greta Ross was waiting for us. She was about thirty years old and very beautiful. She wore an expensive red dress and her hair was very long and dark.

‘This is my daughter, Carol,’ said my mother.

‘Hallo, Carol,’ said Greta Ross.

‘Hallo,’ I said.

‘Carol is eighteen years old,’ said my mother. ‘Can she come with me, if I get the job? Perhaps she can help in the house or in the gardens. She likes gardening.’ (…)

‘Perhaps,’ said Greta Ross. ‘There’s a small farm on the island.’

‘I’d like to work on the farm,’ I said.

Greta Ross looked at my mother. ‘How long did you live in Hong Kong, Mrs Sanders?

‘For seven years,’ answered my mother. ‘My husband died in a plane crash last year, so we’ve come back to live in England.’

‘Where did you live before Hong Kong?

‘We lived in India for three years.’

Then Greta Ross took my mother into a room and asked her more questions. I waited outside.

Soon after, the door opened and my mother came out. She was smiling.

Greta Ross said, ‘Please wait here for a minute, Mrs Sanders. I want to make a phone call.’ She went back into the room, and closed the door. I was sitting on a chair near the door, and I could just hear Greta Ross’s voice speaking on the phone.

‘I think I’ve found someone,’ she was saying. ‘She has a daughter, but the girl can work in the garden or on the farm . . . Don’t worry, they’ve been away from England for ten years. . . It’ll be all right, I tell you. . . Don’t worry.’

After a few minutes, Greta Ross put down the phone and came out of the room.

‘You’ve got the job,’ she told my mother.

My mother was pleased. ‘Thank you,’ she replied.

I was pleased, too, but now I was worried about that phone call. I didn’t understand it.

The Island

We went to Scotland the next day, first by plane, then by train. Greta Ross travelled with us.

I looked out of the train window and saw fields and villages and mountains. ‘Mum is right,’ I thought. ‘Scotland is a very beautiful place.’

‘You’re going to be my husband’s secretary,’ Greta Ross told my mother. ‘He’s a businessman, but he never leaves the island. He does all his work by telephone and letter and computer. He invests money in companies, all over the world.’

‘Do many people live on the island?’ I asked.

‘Not many,’ said Greta Ross. ‘You’ll meet them soon.’

‘Greta Ross is young,’ I thought. ‘Is her husband young, too? How can a young man buy an island? Is he very rich?’

‘And why does he never leave the island?’ interrupted Lily. ‘There’s another mystery.’

‘I think so, too,’ answered Derek. ‘But keep listening.’

After the train, we went on Mr Ross’s boat, which took us out to the island. The boatman was a young man. He had dark hair and was brown from the sun.

‘This is Tony,’ said Greta Ross. ‘He works for Mr Ross.'(…)

Soon we were near the island. I could see the beaches and the cliffs. The boat slowed down.

‘There are dangerous rocks around the island,’ explained Tony. ‘A lot of them are under the water and you can’t see them. I have to be careful. But the rocks keep other boats away, and that pleases Mr Ross.’

‘Why?’ I asked.

Tony looked at Greta Ross but she wasn’t listening.

‘Mr Ross doesn’t like visitors to the island,’ Tony said in a quiet voice. (…)

‘Why doesn’t Mr Ross like visitors?’ I thought. ‘Has he something to hide?’

‘I am curious too,’ Lily interrupted again.

But Derek didn’t mind her words and kept reading:

When we arrived on the island, my mother and I followed Greta up to the house. It was very big and there were trees all around it. A woman was waiting inside the house.

‘This is Mrs Duncan, Tony’s mother,’ said Greta. ‘She’s the housekeeper and her husband is the gardener. Mrs Duncan will take you up to your rooms. I’m going to tell Mr Ross you’ve arrived.’

The housekeeper was a little woman with short hair. She went up the stairs, and my mother and I went after her.

My room was next to my mother’s. I looked out of the window and saw the gardens at the back of the house. A man was working in the garden, near some trees. ‘Is that Mr Duncan?’ I thought. I looked between the trees and saw the sea. ‘It’s a beautiful house and a beautiful island.’

That evening, we had dinner with Mr and Mrs Duncan and Tony. We ate in the big kitchen.

‘What happened to Mr Ross’s last secretary? asked my mother.

‘She’s in hospital,’ replied Mrs Duncan. ‘She’s going to be away all summer.’

‘Isn’t Mrs Ross lonely here?’ I said.

‘No,’ said Mrs Duncan. ‘She likes painting a lot. She has a room upstairs and goes there to paint. She’s very good. Sometimes she goes to different places on the island to paint pictures.’

We finished eating our meal. Soon after, Greta Ross came into the kitchen.

‘Mr Ross wants to see you and your daughter now, Mrs Sanders,’ she said. ‘Follow me, please.’

We followed her through the house and into a big room. This was Mr Ross’s office and he was sitting behind a desk.

I was surprised. He was a young man, about thirty. He had a moustache, short dark hair, and he wore glasses. Mr Ross was speaking into the telephone.

‘Who does he look like?’ I thought. ‘Is it Tony Duncan?’

‘Mr Ross is talking to a business friend in New York, ‘said Greta. ‘Please, sit down.’

While we were waiting, I looked around the office. There were three telephones, a computer, and lots of books and papers.

There was another door and I could see a smaller room, next to the office. There was a smaller desk and another computer in there.

Mr Ross finished speaking on the phone, then looked carefully at my mother and me. For a few seconds he didn’t speak, and just watched us. Then he said, ‘I’m pleased to meet you, Mrs Sanders. I need some help with my work. My secretary is in hospital, and there’s a lot of work to do. Sometimes you’ll have to work late at night, because of time differences in New York and Tokyo. Is that all right?’

‘Yes, that’s all right,’ said my mother.(…)

He looked at me.(…) ‘Greta says you like gardening. There’s a big garden here, so you can help Mr Duncan. And there’s a farm. Dan and Stella Parks live in the farmhouse and work on the farm. You can help them, too. We have some animals. Some sheep, a few cows and chickens. And there’s a horse called Smoke. He’s grey, like his name. Can you ride?’

‘Yes,’ I said. ‘I can ride a horse.’

‘You can ride Smoke around the island, if you like.’

‘I’d like that,’ I said. ‘Thank you.’

‘And we grow vegetables and fruit,’ he said. ‘I work on the farm sometimes. I enjoy it.’

I smiled at him but he didn’t smile back.

‘Carol will enjoy working on the farm,’ said my mother. ‘Won’t you, Carol?

‘Yes,’ I said.

‘Mr Ross looks sad,’ I thought. ‘But how did he get all his money? And why does he hide away on an island?’

The Photograph

I worked in the garden for the first two days. The weather was hot and sunny. I liked working with Mr Duncan, and he was pleased with my work.

‘You’re a good gardener,’ he said.

‘I’ve always liked gardening,’ I said. ‘But I’m studying at college to be a farmer.’

Sometimes I saw Greta Ross.

‘She likes to be alone,’ I thought. Once or twice I saw Greta go out with her painting things. She went up on the hills or down to the beach.

Mr Duncan took me to the farm and I met Dan and Stella Parks. They were very friendly. (…)

So I worked on the farm with Mr and Mrs Parks. They were nice people. I helped with the cows and the chickens, and went up on the hills with Mr Parks and his dog to look at the sheep.

One afternoon I went out riding. Smoke was a big, lazy, friendly horse. I enjoyed riding and Smoke knew his way around the island very well. I learned new places to go to. I rode along the cliff top and then in between some trees. When we came out of the trees, I saw the house from the other side. I tried to find the window of my room. Which one was it?

Suddenly, I saw a face at one of the windows. The face was looking at me. It was there for just a second or two, then it moved away quickly.

‘Who was that?’ I thought. ‘Was it Mr Ross? And which room was it?’

I didn’t see my mother very much that first week. She worked all day and in the evenings. She wrote letters to South America, Japan, Canada and Australia. Sometimes, she worked after I was in bed.

‘Mr Ross works hard,’ she told me. ‘He invests money in many companies and countries. But it’s not his money.’

‘It’s not!’ I was surprised by this.

‘No, it’s his wife’s money. And she bought the island. It’s her island, her house, her farm. Everything belongs to her.’

‘How strange. But why does Mr Ross always look sad? And why does he never leave the island? I asked.

‘I don’t know,’ said my mother. ‘He says he likes it here and likes working on his farm. It’s strange, I know.’

Sometimes, when I finished work, I walked along the beaches or the cliffs. Or I went swimming in the sea. I liked swimming. Greta Ross often came to the beach to swim, but Mr Ross never came.

‘Stay away from the rocks, Carol,’ Greta Ross told me. ‘They’re very dangerous.’ (…)

Sometimes I took my camera to the beach and took photographs of some of the boats that went by. I took photographs of the birds on the cliffs. There were other small islands near our island, and boats with tourists stopped at them. But no boats stopped at our island. They kept away from the dangerous rocks.

Tony was right. The island did not have visitors.

One day, I was walking back to the house, and had my camera with me. I stopped and looked at the big house.

Mr Duncan was working in the garden in front of it. At first, he didn’t see me.

‘I’m going to take a photograph of the house,’ I thought. ‘The sun is in just the right place, and it will make a good picture.’

I looked at the building through my camera, and took the photograph. Mr Ross was coming out of a door. He was in my picture, too, and he looked angry.

‘That’s all right,’ I thought. ‘It’s still a good photograph.’

But Mr Duncan was running across the grass. He came quickly up to me and said, ‘Give me your camera.’ He looked very worried.

‘What’s wrong?’ I asked in surprise. I gave him the camera.

‘Never take photographs of Mr Ross,’ he said. And then he opened the back of my camera and took out the film.

‘Hey! What are you doing?’ I said. ‘You’ll spoil my film!’ (…)

‘Sorry,’ he said, and he put the film into his pocket. ‘But no pictures of Mr Ross. He doesn’t like people to take pictures of him.’

Mr Ross was watching us. He saw the camera and he saw Mr Duncan take out the film, but he said nothing. Then he turned and went back into the house.

Later, I told my mother about Mr Duncan and the camera. ‘He spoiled my film,’ I said.

‘I don’t understand,’ she said. ‘Why did he do that?

‘I don’t know,’ I said, ‘but there’s something strange about Mr Ross.’

About a week later, I finished work early one day and came back to the house. My mother was working in her small room, next to Mr Ross’s office. Mrs Duncan was in the kitchen. Greta Ross was painting in her room upstairs.

I went to my room and began reading a book. I was sitting beside the window. After half an hour, I got tired of reading. I looked out at the rain, and the grey sea and rocks between the trees. (…) I got up and went out of my room. I walked along the passage and turned a corner. Then I saw the door at the end of the passage. There was a large plant in a plant pot outside the door.

‘Where does that door go?’ I thought. ‘I haven’t seen it before.’ I remembered the face at the window in my first week on the island. ‘Perhaps it’s the door to that room,’ I thought.

I walked along to the door and turned the handle. The door didn’t move. It was locked.

‘What are you doing!’ said a voice behind me.

I turned round quickly and saw Greta Ross. She looked angry.

‘That room is private,’ she said

‘I’m sorry,’ I said. ‘I didn’t…’

‘Stay away from there,’ she told me.

I told my mother about the locked door.

‘What’s behind it?’ I said. ‘Is it a secret?

‘I don’t know,’ said my mother. ‘It doesn’t matter. Mr Ross can have locked rooms if he wants them.’

‘I think he does have secrets,’ I said. ‘There’s something strange about him. There’s something strange about this island. Somebody isn’t telling us something. Something important.’

My mother laughed. ‘Stop playing detective, Carol,’ she said.

The Locked Room

Two days later there was a storm in the middle of the night. I was hot and I couldn’t sleep. I got out of bed, went across to the window and looked out at the night. Black clouds hurried across the sky, and the trees moved wildly in the wind. The rain made a loud noise on the window.

I opened my window and put my head out into the wind and the rain. I looked at the other windows in the house. Most of them were dark. But one window had a light in it.

‘Somebody isn’t sleeping,’ I thought. ‘Which room is that?’

There were six windows between my window and the room with the light.

‘And there are six doors between my room and the locked door!’ I thought. ‘That light is in the locked room. Somebody’s in there!’

I put on my dressing-gown and went out of my room. The house was dark, and at first I couldn’t see very well.

I walked along the passage and turned the corner. There it was, the locked room. And there was a light under the door! I went nearer and heard noises.

‘Somebody’s moving about in the locked room,’ I thought. ‘Who is it?

Then the light went off and the door opened. I was afraid to move.

Somebody came out of the room, and into the dark passage. Lightning suddenly lit up the house, and I saw who it was.

‘It’s Mr Ross!’ I thought. ‘What was he doing in that room in the middle of the night?’

I didn’t move and he didn’t see me. He locked the door of the room carefully. He didn’t put the key in his pocket, but hid it in the plant pot next to the door.

‘He’s coming along here,’ I thought. ‘I must get back to my room.’

And I ran back along the passage.

Mr Ross heard me. ‘Who’s that?’ he called.

I didn’t answer, but ran into my room and closed the door. He came along the passage and stopped outside my door. Then he walked past and went on down the stairs.

I took off my dressing-gown and went back to bed. I was shaking because I was afraid.

‘Now I know how to get into the locked room,’ I thought. ‘But what’s in there?’

There was no storm in the morning, but it was still raining. I got up early and worked on the farm. There were eggs from the chickens and I put them in boxes. I helped to milk the cows and then took them out to the field. Later, I went back into the house for breakfast.

 ‘Did you sleep all right last night?’ asked Mrs Duncan. ‘Or did the storm wake you up?’

‘I. . . slept all right,’ I said. I didn’t want to tell her about the light in the locked room, or about Mr Ross.

After breakfast, I went back upstairs. Mr Ross was talking on the telephone in his office. My mother was working at her desk. I knew that Mrs Duncan was in the kitchen and that Mr Duncan was working in the garden.

‘Where’s Mrs Ross?’ I thought.

Then I looked out of the window and saw her with Tony Duncan. They were walking to the boat.

‘He’s taking her out in the boat,’ I thought. ‘Perhaps she’s going to Edinburgh.’

The boat moved away from the island and I waited until it was out at sea. Then I opened the door of my room.

There was nobody in the passage and I ran along to the locked room. The key was still in the plant pot and I took it out. My hand was shaking. Then I unlocked the door.

A Dead Man

I went into the room . . . and I was very surprised.

The room was full of strange things. Coloured shirts and suits. Three guitars. And there were posters and photographs on the walls. I looked at the posters.

Jake Rosso’s face looked down at me.

I looked at the dead Jake Rosso’s picture, and I remembered all the photographs on the walls of my room in Hong Kong. I could never forget that face – the face of my favourite singer.

Then, while I was looking at his face, something strange happened. I began to see another face in the posters. An older face, and with a moustache, but the same face.

I saw the face of Mr Ross.

‘No!’ I said. ‘It’s not true!’ But it was, I knew it was.

‘Mr Ross is . . . Jake Rosso!’

‘No!’ said a voice behind me.

I turned round and saw Mr Ross. He was standing in the doorway. He looked . . . afraid.

‘I don’t believe you!’ I said.

‘You have to believe me!’

I looked at the posters. ‘Who is that, if it’s not you?’

‘It’s Jake Rosso. He was . . . my brother.’

‘That’s not true!’ I shouted. ‘I don’t believe you. Listen, Jake Rosso was my favourite singer – I had hundreds of photos of him. I still have all his records. I loved him, do you understand? Thousands of people loved him.’

‘He’s dead,’ Mr Ross said quietly.

‘No!’ I shouted. ‘You’re Jake Rosso! You look different now, yes. You’ve got short hair, you’ve got a moustache now, and you wear glasses. But you’re. . . Jake. . . Rosso.

You were my favourite pop star, so I know.’

Mr Ross said nothing, and watched my face.

‘He doesn’t know what to do,’ I thought. ‘He knows I don’t believe him, and he’s afraid.’

Then he said, ‘It was you in the passage last night, wasn’t it?’

‘Yes,’ I answered.

He looked angry. ‘I was wrong to give your mother a job,’ he said. ‘I thought it was OK because you came from Hong Kong. And I needed help with my work. I needed a good secretary.’

‘Does your other secretary know who you are?’ I asked.

‘Do the other people on the island know?’

Mr Ross didn’t answer, but walked across to the window. He was thinking.

‘What’s he going to do?’ I thought.

Then he turned round. ‘OK, you’re right. I . . . I am Jake Rosso.’

‘ I knew it!’

He looked worried and unhappy. ‘Can you keep a secret? A very important secret?’

I thought for a minute, then I said, ‘Yes, I can keep a secret.’

Then he told me. ‘The other people on this island are my family.’

‘Your family?’ I said.

‘Yes. My real name is James Duncan, and Mr and Mrs Duncan are my father and mother. Tony is my younger brother, and his wife, Lisa, is my secretary. It’s she who’s in hospital.’

‘And Dan and Stella Parks? I asked.

‘My mother’s sister and her husband,’ he said.

‘But what are you doing here on this island? I don’t understand.’

‘I’ll tell you,’ he said. He sat down on a chair and took a guitar in his hands, but he didn’t play it. ‘You were right. I was a famous pop star. I was very rich, and I had a beautiful wife. But things went wrong.’

‘How?’

‘I took drugs,’ he said. ‘I drank a lot of alcohol. I got drunk and crashed cars. I did stupid, terrible things. I knew it was wrong but I couldn’t stop doing it. I was . . . crazy, for a time.’

‘I can understand that,’ I told him. ‘I’ve taken drugs, too.’

He looked surprised. ‘You have?’

‘Yes,’ I said. ‘After my father died, I was very unhappy and things went wrong for me too. But go on with your story.’

He went on. ‘One night, I was driving my car. I was drunk and – and I hit somebody. A young girl. She. . . died. I killed her.’

‘Oh, no!’

‘Yes,’ he said. ‘She was fifteen years old. I wanted to die, too. The money didn’t matter any more. Nothing mattered any more.’

‘What did you do after the accident? I asked.

‘I drove on in the car. I didn’t stop, and I didn’t tell the police. I had killed someone and I was afraid.’ He looked afraid now. He put the guitar down and went on with his

story. ‘So I made a plan. Jake Rosso had to die, too. It was the best thing to do. And so . .  I “killed” him.’

‘But you’re still alive.’

‘My family know I’m alive, but no other people know.’

He looked at me. ‘But now you know.’

‘How did you do it? I asked.

‘I told my family about my plan and I told Greta, my wife. At first they didn’t like it. But after a long time, they said OK. Then I faked the car crash.’

‘Faked it?

‘Yes,’ he said. ‘I put some of my things in the car. A guitar, and some clothes. Then I pushed my car over a cliff and burned it. The police found the burned car and thought I was dead. Everybody thought I was killed in the car crash.’

‘But you faked the crash,’ I said.

‘Yes.’

‘What did you do then?’

‘My family hid me away for months. I tried to change into a different person – shorter hair, a moustache, quiet suits. All my money went to Greta and she changed her name to Ross. I told her to buy this island. Now I invest her money, the money that was mine. And now I’m “James Ross”.’

‘What about “Jake Rosso”? I asked.

‘Jake Rosso took drugs,’ he said. ‘Jake Rosso got drunk and crashed cars. He killed a young girl, so he had to “die”. I can never forget the girl. I think about her every day.’

‘And that’s why you always look so sad,’ I thought.

I looked around the room. ‘Why do you keep a room like this? Why do you keep the guitars, the posters and photographs?’

James Ross did not speak for a minute. Then he said, ‘I need to remember my old life, and what Jake Rosso was like. I’m never going to sing again and I’m never going to take drugs. But I need this room, to remember.’

I looked at the posters and the photographs. And I looked at his sad face. ‘I’m not going to say anything. I won’t tell my mother, I won’t tell anybody.’

James Ross looked at me. ‘I think you understand,’ he said.

‘I do,’ I said. ‘I’ve done bad things. I want to forget them, too. I needed to get away, to hide, too. That’s why we came to England, to begin a new life. Yes, I understand.’

He took my hand, and we walked out of the room and closed the door.

I never went into the room again, and I didn’t tell anybody.

My mother and I left the island at the end of the summer. Soon after, I went to college.

My life is better now. I work on a farm in England and my mother works in an office. My mother doesn’t worry about me, because I’m happier now.

I haven’t been back to the island. But I know there’s a ‘dead man’ living there.

∞

 ‘The end,’ said Derek and closed the book.

There was silence for a moment.

Then Lily said, ‘it’s a gripping story but also eye-opening.’

‘I totally agree with you,’ replied Derek.

Suddenly, Lily heard footsteps behind her. She turned round and saw …. another Derek.

‘I can’t believe my eyes!’ she exclaimed. ‘Two Dereks!’

But Derek laughed. ‘Don’t bother, nobody can tell us apart. I’d like you to meet my twin brother Jack,’ he said.‘ And this is Lily, our neighbour.’

‘Nice to meet you, Lily,’ said Jack.

‘Me too,’ the girl answered.

‘Nice neighbourhood,’ said Jack. ‘I’m glad we’ve moved here.’

‘Yeah,’ agreed Derek. ‘And the people here are very pleasant,’ he added, looking at Lily.

‘Oh dear! I almost forgot,’ said Lily. ‘I’m doing my school project about reading. Do you mind if I ask you some questions?’

‘No, not at all,’ replied Derek.

‘Go ahead,’ added Jack.

‘So, my first question is: How often do you read?’ said Lily.

‘As much as possible. I’m really keen on reading,’ answered Derek.

‘To be honest, I don’t read unless I have to,’ said Jack.

‘I see,’ replied Lily and asked her next question, ‘Do you prefer fiction or non-fiction?’

‘Fiction,’ answered Derek.

‘Non-fiction; I mean: game instructions,’ joked Jack.

‘Ha ha,’ laughed Lily and kept asking, ‘Were you encouraged to read books when you were a child?’

‘Yes, we both were encouraged to read.’

‘Do you agree with the statement: teenagers would read more books if they didn’t have so much homework?’

‘I’m not sure,’ said Derek.

‘I think, more teenagers would read books if teenage books were as interesting as games,’ 

‘Are you fond of computer games, Jack?’ asked Lily.

‘Yes, I am. I prefer playing games to reading books,’ the boy answered.

‘Lily stopped asking questions and thought for a moment. Then she said, ‘More questions are written in my notebook which is at home. I didn’t expect to meet you here. But thanks for your help.’

‘Don’t mention it,’ answered Derek.

‘You must be a diligent student, aren’t you?’ said Jack.

‘Oh, I do my best,’ replied Lily.

‘I’ve got an idea,’ said Derek. ‘Let’s meet tomorrow to finish the interview, shall we?’

‘That would be great,’ agreed Lily. ‘Why don’t you come to my place. I’ll show you my book collection and my mum will make a delicious cake.’

‘Sounds great!’ exclaimed the twins.

‘Books … ,’ said Derek.

‘Delicious cake …,’ added Jack.

Then Jack looked at his smartphone and said, ‘I’m afraid I have to go now.’

‘Why do you have to go?’ asked his brother.

‘I’m meeting up with my new friends,’ Jack replied.

‘Really?’ Derek was surprised. ‘What are you going to do together?’

‘Take drugs and drink alcohol,’ said Jack.

‘Oh no! You must be joking!’ exclaimed Lily.

‘Of course, I’m joking. I’m not so stupid,’ laughed Jack and added, ‘It was nice talking to you. Bye for now.’

And he walked away in a hurry. Lily and Derek watched him for a moment.

Then  the girl said, ‘Your brother has a good sense of humour.’

‘Yes, that’s right,’ agreed Derek. ‘He often makes me laugh. And I can depend on him.’

‘You must get on very well, don’t you?’

‘Yes, it’s true.’

It was getting late so the teenagers said goodbye and went back to their houses.

***

Next afternoon Lily was waiting for the twins. The cake was ready and the books were in their place in the bookcase. And on the table there was a notebook with questions for the school project. When she heard a doorbell and opened the door, she saw only one boy standing in the doorway.

‘Hello,’ he said.

‘Hello,’ answered Lily.

‘My brother asked me to apologise to you for not coming. He can’t make it today,’ said the boy.

‘No problem,’ answered Lily and thought, ‘But which one is he? Is it Derek or is it Jack?’

‘Please, come in,’ she added.

The boy entered the room and looked around. He noticed a bookcase next to the table with cake on it.

‘Wow! What a large collection! You’ve got the Harry Potter series,’ he said excitedly.

‘Great!’ thought Lily.

At that moment she knew which of the twins it was  🙂 .

*** THE END ***

[Materiał własny; zawiera cytaty z Dead Man’s Island, John Escott, Wyd. Oxford University Press 2000 (rozróżnione czcionką Calibri)]

Objaśnienia:

Zaleca się posłuchać wymowy nowych słów, korzystając np. ze słownika https://www.diki.pl/

lost in thoughts  – pogrążona w myślach

How have you been? –  jak się masz? Co u ciebie?

disbelief – niedowierzanie

involve – dotyczyć, obejmować, wiązać się z ..

question – zadawać pytania

I haven’t got a clue  – nie mam pojęcia

clue – wskazówka

move in  – wprowadzić się

… who are our age  –  …którzy są w naszym wieku

What is he like?  – jaki on jest?

what does he look like – jak on wygląda?

(dla porównania: What does he like? – co on lubi?

he seems to be … – sprawia wrażenie, że jest …

a bit – trochę

of medium height – średniego wzrostu

be keen on – lubić, interesować się, pasjonować się

puzzle – zagadka, łamigłówka  

it makes you ..- sprawia, że stajesz się

he makes me laugh  – skłania mnie do śmiechu

improve – udoskonalać, poprawiać

relationship – relacja, związek

coaching – w j. polskim używa się najczęściej nazwy angielskiej

(interaktywny proces rozwoju, poprzez metody związane z psychologią)

Why don’t we meet? – a może byśmy się spotkały?

stroll – przechadzać się

rural – wiejski

landscape – krajobraz

lucky break – szczęśliwy traf

I will be able to … – będę mogła, będę w stanie …

interview – wywiad, przeprowadzać wywiad

You are my neighbour, aren’t you? – jesteś moją sąsiadką, nieprawdaż?  (zwróć uwagę, że tego typu konstrukcji (nieprawdaż?, dobrze?) jest więcej w tekście  i różnią się w zależności od zdania głównego)

be into – interesować się, fascynować się

gripping – porywająca, wciągająca (np. książka)

Sure, I’d love to! – pewnie, z chęcią!

I’m all ears – ‘zamieniam się w słuch’

ordinary – zwykła

grow up –  dorastać

accident –  wypadek

take drugs – brać narkotyki

they used to live – mieszkały

go sightseeing – zwiedzać

advert –  ogłoszenie

temporary job – praca tymczasowa

make an appointment – umówić się na  spotkanie (służbowe lub na wizytę u lekarza)

be away from – być poza, z dala od

What a pity – jaka szkoda

get curious – zaciekawić się

perhaps – być może, możliwie

interrupt – przerwać

keep reading – nadal czytać, kontynuować

stay away from – trzymać się z dala

spoil – zepsuć

lock – zamknąć na klucz

locked – zamknięte na klucz

light went off – światło zgasło

keep a secret  – dotrzymać tajemnicy

He went on – on kontynuował

The money didn’t matter – pieniądze nie liczyły się

fake a car crash – upozorować wypadek samochodowy

eye-opening – pouczająca

tell apart – rozróżnić

Do you mind if I –  czy mogę (dosł.: czy masz coś przeciwko jeśli …)

No, not at all – nie, wcale (oznacza zgodę w odpowiedzi na pytanie: Do you mind…)

Go ahead – śmiało

I don’t read unless I have to – nie czytam, chyba że muszę / jeśli nie muszę

I mean – mam na myśli

encourage – zachęcić

statement – stwierdzenie

be fond of  – bardzo lubić

Don’t mention it – nie ma o czym mówić

diligent – pilna

I do my best – staram się, robię co w mojej mocy

Bye for now – na razie

a good sense of humour – duże poczucie humoru

depend on –  polegać na

get on very well – mieć dobre relacje, zgadzać się

apologise  – przeprosić

excitedly – z przejęciem, z podekscytowaniem

 

SENTENCJE W J. ANGIELSKIM DLA SZKOŁY BRANŻOWEJ I STOPNIA

Not all those who wander are lost. — Nie wszyscy ci, którzy błądzą, są zgubieni

J. R. R. Tolkien

The secret of getting ahead is getting started – Sekretem robienia postępów jest (w ogóle) rozpoczęcie

Mark Twain

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving — Życie jest jak jazda na rowerze. Żeby utrzymać równowagę, musisz cały czas poruszać się naprzód.

Albert Einstein

Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened  –  Nie płacz, że to się skończyło, uśmiechnij  się, bo to się wydarzyło

Dr Seuss

Books let you travel without moving your feet –  Książki pozwalają  podróżować bez poruszania stopami

Jhumpa Lahiri

To read – is to live more, it is to live more intensively – Czytać – to  żyć bardziej, to żyć intensywniej. Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Follow your heart, but take your brain with you –  Idź za głosem serca, ale rozum zabieraj ze sobą.
Alfred Adler

Pray for the best, prepare for the worst, and expect the unexpected – Módl się o najlepsze, przygotuj się na najgorsze i spodziewaj się czegoś niespodziewanego

Gary Busey

Miracles start to happen when you give as much energy to your dreams as you do to your fears – Cuda zaczynają się dziać, gdy zaczniesz poświęcać tyle energii swoim marzeniom, co poświęcasz swoim obawom.

Richard Wilkins

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are –  Rób co możesz, za pomocą tego  co masz, tam gdzie jesteś.

Theodore Roosevelt

Weak people revenge. Strong people forgive. Intelligent people ignore – Słabi ludzie mszczą się. Silni ludzie wybaczają. Inteligentni ludzie ignorują.

Albert Einstein

PIOSENKI  DLA  SZKOŁY  BRANŻOWEJ I STOPNIA

        Podane linki odsyłają do nagrań wraz ze słowami piosenek oraz do ich tłumaczenia. Prosimy zwrócić uwagę na to, że tłumaczenie na portalu tekstowo.pl jest amatorskie, więc mogą zdarzyć się pewne niedociągnięcia.

 1. FRIENDS – Marshmello & Anne-Marie

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CY8E6N5Nzec

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,marshmello__anne_marie,friends.ht

 

2. Sanah – Heal me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIJ58-N8rz4

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,sanah,heal_me.html

3. Sia – Soon We’ll Be Found

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI_xgoNAOO8

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,sia,soon_we_ll_be_found.html

4. Cocoon, (feat Lola Marsh) ♡ I Got You

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Df6mHKu3abY

 

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,cocoon,i_got_you_feat__lola_marsh_.html

5.Minelli – Rampampam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aA753KLYIQ

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,minelli,rampampam.html

6. VNV Nation – Illusion 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nflF6f2MvMg

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,vnv_nation,illusion.html

7. Bruno Mars – Marry You

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dElRVQFqj-k

 

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,bruno_mars,marry_you.html