Materiały przygotowawcze

MATERIAŁY PRZYGOTOWAWCZE DLA KL. IV 

EDYCJA JESIENNA 2024 

OPOWIADANIE DLA KL. IV   

SURPRISES FOR LEO

 ‘I’ve got a surprise for you,’ says Leo’s mum.

‘What is it?’ the boy asks.

Leo loves surprises. He is ten years old and he likes listening to mysterious stories. He wants to be a detective or a scientist.

‘Come with me and see,’ says mum.

They go to the garden. There is a tall boy with blond hair under a tree. He is Leo’s cousin Jim.

‘Wow!’ shouts Leo. He likes his cousin very much.

Jim is 15 years old. He reads a lot of books and is very clever. And he always has time for Leo.

‘Hi Leo,’ says Jim. ‘I’ve got a surprise for you.’

‘Wonderful! I love surprises!’ says Leo. 

‘Come with me,’ says Jim.

They go to the lake and see a boat. There are a lot of colourful lights, bells and books on the boat.

‘Fantastic!’ shouts Leo. ‘Is it yours?’

‘It’s my parents’ boat but the things on it are mine,’ says Jim.

Leo takes one of the books with the title, “School Detectives.” ‘Can we read it?’ he asks.

‘Sure,’ says Jim.

They sit down and start to read the book.

*

Kim is 9 years old. Her favourite hobby is playing football, and she likes dancing and singing too. She loves all animals, especially her big furry brown cat called Simba!

Tony is 9 years old too. His favourite hobby is playing on the computer. He doesn’t like sports or dancing or singing. He hasn’t got a pet. He likes wild animals but he doesn’t like pets… Especially cats. Especially big furry brown cats!

You can see that Tony and Kim are different!

They go to the same school. Tony likes talking about his science projects but Kim doesn’t. Kim likes running and jumping and skipping but Tony doesn’t!

Kim lives next door to Tony. (…) But they don’t walk to school together and they don’t walk home together. In fact, Kim and Tony never talk to each other!

One morning, Kim is late to school. The teacher is angry. No playing in the playground for Kim today!

‘You can write a poem about being on time for school,’ says the teacher.

‘A poem? Me?’ asks Kim.

It’s time for the break. Tony doesn’t go to the playground.

‘Are you coming to play?’ asks Tony’s friend.

‘No, I’m working on my robot,’ says Tony.

Kim and Tony don’t talk. The window is open and suddenly they hear men talking. (…)

‘This is a good window to get into the school,’ says one man.

‘Let’s come at night and get the computers,’ says the other.

‘OK. At 8 p.m. See you tonight!’

‘Oh, they are robbers!’ thinks Kim.

She goes and tells the teacher about the robbers but the teacher doesn’t listen.

‘Kim, don’t tell stories. Go and write your poem!’

Kim goes back to the classroom.

‘What now?’ she asks.

‘Let’s stop them! I’ve got an idea!’ says Tony. He does a drawing.

‘Look!’ he says. ‘When you open the window, the bell rings.’

Kim is very surprised.

‘Ok. Let’s try,’ she says. ‘Let’s meet after school.’

Tony quickly helps Kim with her poem. (…)

In the evening, Kim and Tony go back to school together. Tony has a lot of things in his school bag! Kim takes Simba.

‘Oh! Is your cat coming with us?’ he asks.

‘Yes! He can help us,’ says Kim. ‘Hurry up!’

Next to the school, Tony is working on his idea. Kim watches and Simba watches too.

‘Now, how can we put this wire on the school bell?’ asks Tony.

‘I can do it!’ says Kim.

Kim climbs up a tree and jumps onto the roof. Simba goes with her. She puts the wire on the bell. Tony watches her.

Then Kim stands up and goes back to the tree.

‘Ok. I’m coming down,’ she says. Let’s hide in that bush behind you!’

‘Well done, Kim!’ says Tony.

The robbers arrive in a van. They stop the van next to the school and two of them go to the window. Tony, Kim and Simba are behind the bush. They watch the men.

One of the robbers is tall with a big head and a long nose. The other is short and very thin. He has a long nose, too.

The short thin robber opens the window and …..

The bell is ringing loudly! Simba is making a loud noise too! The robbers are standing by the window. They don’t know what to do next!

There’s a police car coming down the road.

‘That’s the school bell!’ says one of the policemen.

 ‘Let’s go and see why it’s ringing,’ says the other.

The policemen aren’t surprised to see the robbers.

‘Hello, Big John and Clever Joe,’ they say. ‘So, you’re stealing computers again!’

‘Help, officer! There’s a lion!’ shout the robbers.

Tony and Kim are very happy! Simba is happy too!

‘Let’s go to the police station,’ say the policemen and take the robbers to the car.

When the car disappears, Kim and Tony go home. They are learning an important lesson. You can be different but still be friends… And Tony is learning that big furry brown cats aren’t so bad after all!

*

‘And I am learning another important lesson,’ says Leo. ‘It is good to be creative and sporty and… to read books.’

‘Great!’ says Jim. ‘But now let’s go. Your mum wants us to come back for dinner.՚

                                                                                              ∞ The end ∞
[Materiał własny; zawiera zaadaptowane fragmenty ‘School Detectives, Jane Cadwallader; z serii Eli Readers].

Słowniczek:
Zaleca się posłuchać wymowy nowych słów, np. w słowniku https://www.diki.pl/

Zauważ, że często, kiedy mówimy o jednej osobie (3 os. l.poj.), wówczas przy nazwie czynności pojawia się końcówka –s (lub –es)

 np. ask – pytać; the boy asks– chłopiec pyta           say – mówić; she says – ona mówi

surprise – niespodzianka
listen (to) – słuchać (czegoś)
mysterious – tajemnicze
want (to) – chcieć
scientist – naukowiec; science – nauka  
shout – krzyczeć
clever – mądry, bystry
lake – jezioro
yours – twój, twoja, twoje (używamy, jeśli za tym słowem nie stoi rzeczownik)
parents’ boat – łódka rodziców
thing – rzecz
mine – mój, moja, moje (używamy, jeśli za tym słowem nie stoi rzeczownik)
favourite – ulubione
especially – szczególnie
furry – puszysty, futrzany
different – różny, różni
skip – podskakiwać
together – razem
talk to each other – rozmawiać ze sobą
playground – plac zabaw
be on time – być na czas (punktualnie)
break – przerwa
suddenly – nagle
hear – słyszeć
the other – ten drugi
robber – rabuś
drawing – rysunek
bell – dzwonek  
ring – dzwonić
surprised – zdziwiony  
a lot of – dużo
wire – drut, przewód
roof – dach
hide – chować (się)
bush – krzak
Well done! – dobra robota!
arrive – przybyć
noise – hałas
They don’t know – oni nie wiedzą
what to do – co zrobić
policemen – policjanci; policeman – policjant  
steal – kraść
disappear – znikać
learn – uczyć się
important – ważne
still – nadal
after all – mimo wszystko
creative – pomysłowy, wynalazczy
sporty – wysportowany
(she) wants us to come back – chce, żebyśmy wrócili 

SENTENCJE  DLA  KL. IV 

1. Books are the doors to other worlds – Książki są drzwiami do innych światów.
    P.L.Travers
2. Something very magical can happen when you read a good book – Coś bardzo magicznego może się wydarzyć, gdy czytasz dobrą książkę
    J.K. Rowling
3. Reading is a discount ticket to everywhere – Czytanie to bilet ze zniżką do każdego miejsca. (dosłownie: wszędzie)
    Mary Schmich
4. Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow – Ucz się z dnia wczorajszego, żyj dniem dzisiejszym, pokładaj nadzieję na jutro.
   Albert Einstein
5. Every master was once a beginner – Każdy mistrz był kiedyś początkującym.
   Robin S. Sharma
6. A warm smile is a free gift for others – Ciepły uśmiech to darmowy prezent dla innych.
   Leo Buscaglia
7. A rainbow is the sky’s promise after the storm – Tęcza to obietnica od nieba po burzy
    Chinese proverb
8. A walk in the forest is like a conversation with nature – Spacer po lesie jest jak rozmowa z naturą.
   Japanese proverb

PIOSENKI DLA KL. IV

Podane linki odsyłają do nagrań  z dodanym zapisem słów piosenek oraz do ich tłumaczenia. Proszę zwrócić uwagę na to, że tłumaczenie na portalu tekstowo.pl jest amatorskie, więc mogą zdarzyć się pewne niedociągnięcia.

1. Sunshine Reggae – Laid Back

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s3GBcYBGxM

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,laid_back,sunshine_reggae.html

2. Beautiful Life – Ace Of Base

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPxakH3PMZo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmteQBW5oTo

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,ace_of_base,beautiful_life.html

3.  Octopus’s Garden –  The Beatles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCjK2YW8bM0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBlM1Czf_CE

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,the_beatles,octopus_s_garden.html

4. Sunshine Day – Brady Bunch
   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KPvmBc9urA  (w zapisie słów na wideo powinno być: The summer sun shows me the way zamiast: has show)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZPnafkCB3g (I’ll take a walk, zamiast: I’ll taker a walk)

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,the_brady_bunch,it_s_a_sunshine_day.html

 

MATERIAŁY PRZYGOTOWAWCZE DLA KL. V i VI 

EDYCJA JESIENNA 2024 

OPOWIADANIE DLA KL. V i VI 

JOSH’S KINGDOM AND THE DETECTIVE DIARY

‘Look, that’s Josh,’ says Tina and points at the boy in the distance.

‘Yes, it’s him,’ says Emma.

Josh is the new boy in their class. He is very mysterious and different from the other kids. He doesn’t play computer games or spend much time online. But nobody knows what he really likes doing.

‘Hi, Josh!’ Tina calls out.

Josh turns around and smiles. ‘Hi, Tina. Hi, Emma. Where are you going?’ he asks.

‘We’re just walking,’ says Emma. ‘And you?’

‘I’m going to my special place,’ says Josh.

‘Special place?’ Tina and Emma ask at the same time.

‘Yes,’ Josh says. ‘Do you want to see it?’

‘Sure!’ say the girls together. They are very curious.

They heard that Josh has a special place. Some kids at school say it is a secret laboratory, others think it is a magic study or a music studio where he plays the drums.

Now Emma and Tina will know the truth.

 Josh leads them down a small path that goes behind some trees. At the end of the path, there is a little wooden house. Josh opens the door, and they go inside. It is like a small kingdom! There are beautiful pictures and old maps on the walls, some strange antique things, and lots of books on the shelves.

‘Wow!’ exclaims Tina. ‘It’s amazing! So this is your special place.’

‘Yes,’ says Josh. ‘I love reading and learning about history and mysteries. I come here every day.’

‘What are you going to read today?’ asks Emma.

Josh takes one of the books from a shelf. ‘This is a detective and archaeology book,’ he says. ‘A girl named Sally solves a mystery and writes a diary about it.’

‘Sounds interesting,’ says Tina.

‘Do you want to read it together?’ Josh asks.

‘Sure!’ exclaim the girls. 

They all sit down, and Josh starts to read the book aloud.

*

A difficult case

This new case is very difficult. I really enjoy solving mysteries but this time I just don’t know what to do. (…)

I’m going to write about everything that has happened and then maybe I’ll understand it all!

11^th March: A visit to the Egyptian Museum

I visit the Egyptian Museum with my class and Mr Sanderson, our history teacher. The museum is beautiful, but there aren’t many people. There are some lovely things in the Pharaoh Room! I look at everything very carefully and . . . I see a beautiful beetle made of black stone. There’s a beetle like this on my father’s desk.

‘I’ve got one too! I’ve got one too!’ I shout.

‘What?’ the teacher asks.

‘A black beetle!’ I answer, red with embarrassment.

‘My parents bought it in Egypt. It’s not exactly the same … mine has a small lump above one eye and it lights up in the dark.’

‘Of course it’s not the same! Yours is only a souvenir,’ says Paul. ‘It isn’t antique.’

My classmates laugh and I become even redder. As red as a beetroot. Sometimes Paul is really horrible!

12^th March: In the head teacher’s office

After the P.E. lesson the head teacher called me into his office.

‘Sally Wilkinson, what did you do yesterday at the Egyptian Museum?’

‘Me? I didn’t do anything.’

‘The manager of the museum called me. Well?’

‘But . . . I only shouted . . . I only shouted a little!’

The head teacher tells me that it is forbidden to shout in museums. (…)

12^th March – Evening

It’s evening, I’m in my bedroom. Suddenly Dad shouts, ‘Sally, Sally, come here now!’ He’s angry.

Now what is it?

I go into his study and he says, ‘Sally, you know you mustn’t play in my study!’

Dad’s desk is a mess. It isn’t my fault, I didn’t play in his study.

Why does everyone always think everything is my fault?

13^th March: The supply teacher

The head teacher comes into the classroom with a woman that we don’t know.

‘Good morning everyone! Unfortunately, Mr Sanderson is ill. This is Miss Robertson, she’s your history teacher. I want you all to be good for her!’

The supply teacher is young and she has long, black hair.

‘Well!’ she says, ‘I believe you’re doing a project on the Egyptians. Have you got any Egyptian objects at home?’

I’ve got a papyrus,’ answers Thomas.

I’ve got a bottle full of desert sand,’ says Anna.

‘Sally’s got a beetle!’ says Lisa.

‘Great!’ says Miss Robertson, ‘Bring them tomorrow and we’ll have a special lesson without books.’

I like the new teacher a lot, she has some good ideas.

13^th March – Afternoon: The black limousine

I go home after school and there is a black limousine parked outside my house.

The windows are dark, but I can see the driver and two people sitting in the back. A limousine in our neighbourhood! How strange!

14^th March: The beetle with the lump

I take my souvenir to school and discover that a lot of my classmates have beetles too. Their beetles are colourful, but mine is black, and has a lump above one of its eyes. It really is very ugly.

The lesson is really interesting and I’m happy when, at the end, Miss Robertson tells us that we’ll be looking at all the objects again the next day. She tells us to put them away in our lockers until then.

14^th March – Afternoon: The woman

In the afternoon, I go for a ride on my bike and I see the black limousine again, but this time, it’s in the town centre. I decide to follow it. The driver is driving very slowly and I cycle behind him.

He turns right, then left and then finally; he stops in front of a supermarket. The driver gets out and opens the back door. An elegant woman gets out of the car. But … I know that woman, she looks like someone … no, it’s impossible!

The woman goes into the shop and after a while she comes out with a carrier bag. Then she gets back into the car and the man drives away at top speed.

I pedal as fast as I can and chase after the car, but it is too fast. Oh no! It’s too far away now.

15^th March: Where is my beetle?

10 am: history lesson

Miss Robertson tells us to get our objects from our lockers. I open mine and discover that my beetle isn’t there!

‘My beetle!’ I shout, ‘Where is it? Where is it? It’s not here!’

‘It was so ugly that it decided to run away,’ says Paul.

Everyone laughs, so I go to the teacher. I feel a bit shy, but I say, ‘Miss Robertson, my beetle with the lump has disappeared.’

‘A beetle with a lump?’ The teacher laughs too, ‘What are you talking about? I don’t remember a beetle with a lump!’

I’m very angry! The teacher is lying! Why?

Yesterday she saw my beetle, she picked it up and looked at it very carefully and now … why is she lying?

15^th March – Evening: I’m going to be Sally ‘Holmes’

I can’t sleep. I’ m thinking about my beetle and Miss Robertson lying… Miss Robertson! The woman in the black limousine was Miss Robertson!

Well … maybe there’s a connection between Miss Robertson, the limousine and my beetle!

And the mess on Dad’s desk! They were looking for the beetle!

Lisa says that I’m too suspicious, that I see mysteries where there aren’t any but this time there really is a mystery. I’ve decided! Tomorrow, I’m going to be Sally “Holmes”, great detective. I’m going to solve this mystery!

I’m tired, but before I turn out the light, I’m going to write down all the things I’ll need for my investigation.

Disguise: my brother’s baseball cap, mum’s sunglasses

Things I need: dad’s binoculars, camera, mp3 player

Plan of action:

1. Find the black limousine.

2. Find out who it belongs to.

3. And then?

I don’t know what the third point is going to be yet, but I’m sure that I will think of something tomorrow. I have to go to sleep now, it’s late.

16^th March: The investigation begins

I wake up early and start to get ready. I put on Stephen’s cap and Mum’s sunglasses and then, with my disguise on, I ride off into town on my bike.

I want to find the limousine and discover who those people are.

There it is! The limousine is parked in front of the Majestic Hotel. Oh no, it’s leaving. Luckily, the driver is going slowly and I can follow him.

The car stops outside a hardware shop and the driver goes in. After a while, he comes out with a big box which he puts in the car before driving off.

After a few minutes, the car stops outside the supermarket. This time, the woman gets out and goes into the shop. She comes out after five minutes with two carrier bags.

The driver puts the bags in the car and drives off again.

Finally, the car stops outside Mr Sanderson’s house. The two men and the woman get out of the limousine and go into the house.

But . . . why are those people going into Mr Sanderson’s house?

I can’t go too near the house because it’s daytime and I don’t want them to see me. I decide to go home now and come back in the evening, when it’s dark.

16^th March – 6.30 pm: The wait

I’m in my bedroom. It’s getting dark now and I’m going to go back to Mr Sanderson’s house to find out who those people are. I want to continue my investigation because I’m sure that I’m close to solving the mystery but the problem is … I’m scared!

I’m going to speak to Stephen and ask him to come with me. He’s 17 and he’s not afraid of anything.

16^th March – 8.30 pm

We go out. Stephen tells Mum and Dad that he’s going to get a geography book from his friend’s house and that I’m going with him. (…)

16^th March – 8-45 pm

We are outside Mr Sanderson’s house. The limousine isn’t there anymore. We climb up a tree to look into the house and then … Oh no!

My history teacher is tied to a chair. He looks very frightened.

We are shocked and silent for a moment but then Stephen says, ‘We have to call the police.’ He takes his phone out of his pocket but he doesn’t telephone the police, he telephones the fire brigade.

16^th March – 9.05 pm: The Rescue

Stephen and I go back to Mr Sanderson’s house and we hide behind a car.

After a few minutes the fire engine arrives and my brother and I go towards it.

‘I’m Mr Brown, the fire chief. Did you telephone?’ one of the firemen asks Stephen.

‘Yes, I did,’ answers Stephen. (…)

Stephen tells them the whole story.

The fire chief and a group of firemen go towards the house and Stephen goes with them.

Mr Sanderson is in the kitchen and the firemen break the window and go in and free him. A few minutes later, the police and an ambulance also arrive.

The paramedics take Mr Sanderson to hospital.

He is very pale and doesn’t feel very well.

The fire chief asks Stephen to tell him the whole story again and then he tells us to go home.

Stephen tells me not to tell Mum and Dad anything. I think that’s a very good idea.

17^th March – Morning: A surprising morning!

I wake up suddenly. Dad is shouting, ‘Stephen, Stephen, wake up! Come into the kitchen. Now!’

Stephen and I go into the kitchen together. There is a newspaper on the table. Mum and Dad are reading it and they are very angry.

‘Where were you yesterday evening? Where did you take Sally?’

‘Why?’ asks Stephen.

‘This is why! Look at today’s newspaper!’

Stephen and I go to the table. There is a big photo of Stephen on the front page of the newspaper. Beside the photo it says: 

BOY FINDS TEACHER TIED UP AT HOME. POLICE ARREST THREE PEOPLE
Stephen Wilkinson, a courageous seventeen-year-old boy, found a teacher from his school tied up in his own kitchen.
The police arrested two men and a woman at the Majestic Hotel.
The woman, Jennifer Robertson, was working as a supply teacher at the David Hume Secondary school, as a replacement for Mr Sanderson, the history teacher who disappeared a few days ago.
The teacher is in hospital and doesn’t know why they did this to him.
In the room at the Majestic Hotel the police found a papyrus from the National Museum in Cairo…

I read the article out loud. I am so angry. I discovered the mystery about Mr Sanderson, not Stephen.

I really am very angry!

18^th March: EUREKA!

At school, everyone is talking about Stephen.

They say, ‘Your brother is a hero!’ I am even angrier than I was yesterday. I found the teacher and Stephen is the hero! It’s not fair!

During break, I walk past the noticeboard. There is a copy of the newspaper article with my brother’s photo, and suddenly I have an idea. The papyrus!

I go closer to the newspaper article and look carefully at the photo of the papyrus. Eureka!

Now I understand! My beetle is the key to the mystery.

18^th March – Afternoon: Now what?

Now I know how to solve the mystery, but I don’t know what to do. I need help.

Maybe I should tell Mum. Yes, Mum will understand and she’ll help me. (…)

18^th March – Evening: The Key

Mum says she’ll help me. We go to the Majestic Hotel. Mrs Paterson, the owner of the hotel, is Mum’s friend. She lets us go into the criminals’ room.

The police have already looked in here,’ she says ‘What exactly are you looking for?’

‘Well … I don’t really know,’ I answer.

Mum and I look everywhere, but we don’t find anything.

My hands are really dirty and I go into the bathroom to wash them. When I turn on the tap, the water stays in the sink for a long time and goes down the pipe very slowly. Why?

I look carefully and … oh! ‘The beetle with the lump is there, in the pipe! That’s why those people were at the hardware shop! They went to buy some tools to get the beetle out.’

Mum looks down the pipe and says, ‘Find the tools. Perhaps we can use them.’

They are in a cupboard, and mum uses them to open the pipe, and we finally get our Egyptian souvenir back.

Mum takes me home and then she goes to the police station.

19^th March: Now I’m a heroine

This morning Mum calls me for breakfast and when I go downstairs, she points to the newspaper on the table and says, ‘Read it!’

There’s an article about me in the newspaper!

FOURTEEN-YEAR-OLD SALLY WILKINSON HELPS THE POLICE TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY OF WHY MR SANDERSON DISAPPEARED
The key to the mystery is a beetle with a lump! The British and Egyptian police worked together last night and by using the Internet they discovered that the little beetle is very precious. It is the key to a room. It opens the door of the room in the ancient pyramid of Hatmen, where the pharaoh’s daughter played. 

20^th March: The letter

We got a letter from Cairo this morning! Mum and Dad asked me to open it! Wow! How exciting! I wonder what it says!

Dear Mr and Mrs Wilkinson and family,

All of us here at the National Museum in Cairo are very grateful to Miss Sally Wilkinson for discovering the key to another part of Egypt’s ancient history. We would like to invite you all to spend two weeks in our country.

This really is a wonderful surprise. What a great end to my investigation!

*

‘Cool story,’ says Tina when Josh finishes reading and puts the book away.

‘Thank you for sharing your kingdom with us,’ says Emma.

Josh smiles. ‘I think that everyone has something special to share. What do you like?’

‘Listening to music, mainly,’ answers Tina.  

‘What kind of music do you like listening to?’ asks Josh.

‘Pop, rap,’ says Tina.

‘And soul,’ adds Emma.

‘Wow! Great!’ Josh exclaims. Then he adds, ‘Maybe we can read more books together… and listen to music. Experiences are always more fun with friends.’

∞ The end ∞
[Materiał własny; zawiera zaadaptowane fragmenty ‘The Egyptian Souvenir, Mary Flagan; z serii Eli Readers].

Słowniczek:
Zaleca się posłuchać wymowy nowych słów, np. w słowniku https://www.diki.pl/

kingdom – królestwo
diary – dziennik, pamiętnik
mysterious – tajemniczy
curious – ciekawy, zaciekawiony 
hear – słyszeć; czas przeszły: heard
lead – prowadzić
path – ścieżka  
exclaim – wykrzyknąć
solve a mystery – rozwiązywać tajemnicę, zagadkę  
aloud – na głos, głośno
case – sprawa, przypadek
beetle – żuk
embarrassment – zażenowanie
exactly – dokładnie
mine – mój (używamy, jeśli za tym słowem nie stoi rzeczownik)
lump – guzek, wypukłość
yours – twój (używamy, jeśli za tym słowem nie stoi rzeczownik)
souvenir – pamiątka (z podróży)
classmate – kolega / koleżanka z klasy
beetroot – burak
forbidden – zabroniony
suddenly – nagle
mess – bałagan
fault – wina
supply teacher – nauczyciel na zastępstwie
object – przedmiot
desert – pustynia
sand – piasek
neighbourhood – okolica, sąsiedztwo
discover – odkrywać, dowiadywać się
She tells us to… – ona mówi nam żebyśmy….
put away – odłożyć
them – je, ich
locker – szafka (np. w szkole)
get out of (the car) – wysiadać z (samochodu)
look like – wyglądać jak
someone – ktoś
impossible – niemożliwe
carrier bag – reklamówka
get into (the car) – wsiadać do (samochodu)
top speed – maksymalna prędkość
chase after somebody – ścigać kogoś
disappear – zniknąć
lie – kłamać; she is lying – ona kłamie (teraz)
connection – związek, połączenie
look for – szukać
suspicious – podejrzliwy
turn out – wyłączać (światło)
investigation – dochodzenie, śledztwo
disguise – przebranie
binoculars – lornetka
find out – dowiedzieć się
belong to – należeć do
leave – opuszczać, odjeżdżać
hardware shop – sklep z narzędziami
daytime – pora dzienna
get dark – ściemniać się
be scared – bać się, być przestraszonym (zwłaszcza w danej chwili)
be afraid of – bać się (odnosi się do ogólnego, długotrwałego lęku przed czymś)
anything – tutaj: niczego
tied – przywiązany
frightened – przestraszony, przerażony
call the police – dzwonić na policję
fire brigade – straż pożarna
rescue – ratunek, akcja ratunkowa
fire engine – wóz strażacki
arrive – przybyć
towards – w kierunku, w stronę  
break the window – stłuc szybę
paramedic – ratownik medyczny
pale – blady
He tells me not to … – on mówi mi żebym nie …..
newspaper – gazeta
courageous – odważny
a seventeen-year-old boy – siedemnastoletni chłopiec
find – znaleźć; czas przeszły: found
replacement – zastępstwo
fair – sprawiedliwe
noticeboard – tablica ogłoszeń, gazetka ścienna
key – klucz
owner – właściciel
She lets us go – ona pozwala nam pójść
criminals’ room – pokój przestępców
turn on – odkręcać, włączać
tap – kran, kurek
pipe – rura
heroine – bohaterka
precious – cenny, drogocenny
ancient – starożytny
grateful to somebody for something – wdzięczny komuś za coś
invite – zaprosić
share – dzielić, współdzielić
listen to something – słuchać czegoś
experience – doświadczenie, doznanie 

SENTENCJE  DLA  KL. V i VI 

1. Books are a uniquely portable magic – Książki to wyjątkowo przenośna magia
    Stephen King
2. Reading is a discount ticket to everywhere – Czytanie to bilet ze zniżką do każdego miejsca. (dosłownie: wszędzie)
    Mary Schmich
3. The man who loves books is richer than others – Człowiek kochający książki jest bogatszy od innych.
    Ralph Waldo Emerson
4. Diligence is the mother of good luck – Pilność jest matką powodzenia.
    Benjamin Franklin
5. The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page – Świat jest księgą, a ci, którzy nie podróżują, czytają tylko jedną stronę
    St. Augustine
6. Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you will land among the stars – Celuj w księżyc. Nawet jeśli nie trafisz, wylądujesz wśród gwiazd.
    Les Brown
7. In a world where you can choose to be anything, choose to be KIND – W świecie, w którym możesz wybrać, kim chcesz być, wybierz bycie życzliwym.
    Jennifer Dukes Lee
8. If you want to see the rainbow, you must bravely endure the rain – Jeśli chcesz ujrzeć tęczę, musisz dzielnie przetrwać deszcz.
    Augustus
9. You recognise true friends not only in hard times, but also by how they react to your happiness – Prawdziwych przyjaciół poznajesz nie tylko w trudnych chwilach, ale także po tym, jak reagują na twoje szczęście.
    Unknown

PIOSENKI DLA KL. V i VI

Podane linki odsyłają do nagrań  z dodanym zapisem słów piosenek oraz do ich tłumaczenia. Proszę zwrócić uwagę na to, że tłumaczenie na portalu tekstowo.pl jest amatorskie, więc mogą zdarzyć się pewne niedociągnięcia.

1. Reach for the Stars – S Club 7

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqUoJ_uu284

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,s_club_7,reach.html

2. A Place In This World – Taylor Swift

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgZ2q0yyUGA&list=PL5dfn402jj4nosZJdFsggiFaWaeBriv6q&index=4

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,taylor_swift,place_in_this_world.htmlteledysk

3. You’re the First, My Last, My Everything – Michael Bublé, Engelbert Humperdinck

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLY5la40tEk

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,barry_white,my_first__my_last__my_everything.html

4. Beautiful Morning – Ace Of Base

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61Ur4d-iQq0

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,ace_of_base,beautiful_morning.html

Słowa ‘…hard words is still in …’ zostały stworzone na potrzeby piosenki, ale są gramatycznie niepoprawne. Właściwa forma to ‘…hard words are still in…’

5. What Love Is – Zimmer90 (from Emil‘s kitchen)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWU3xCEQV34

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Am6s60T_Bk

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,zimmer90,what_love_is.html

6. Sunny – Boney M., Billie Eilish (2 wersje)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhxSW15fjD8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEda46taX2A

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,boney_m_,sunny.html

 

MATERIAŁY PRZYGOTOWAWCZE DLA KL. VII i VIII 

EDYCJA JESIENNA 2024

OPOWIADANIE DLA KL.VII i VIII

THE  DETECTIVE’S  SECRET

‘How’s it possible that Martin knows so much about others?’ asked Melanie, sitting down at the table with her three friends in the school canteen.

‘Yeah,’ agreed Paula. ‘He has been at our school for just a week and knows things about people that no one else does.’

‘It’s true,’ said Alice. ‘Martin recommended a good vet to me when my kitty was feeling unwell. But I didn’t tell anybody about my sick cat!’

‘Absolutely,’ added Tom. ‘He even knew that I was planning a trip to Scotland and gave me two important pieces of advice.’

‘And he knew about my secret birthday party,’ said Paula.

‘Amazing!’ said Melanie. ‘Maybe he is a spy?’

‘No, no. He is so nice and friendly and …’ started Alice, but Tom interrupted, ‘Shh, he’s coming over.’

‘Hi, guys,’ said Martin, ‘can I join you?’

‘Sure! Sit down,’ the others invited him.

Martin smiled and said, ‘I guess you were talking about me.’

Everybody felt embarrassed at that moment, but Martin smiled again and added, ‘Don’t worry, I don’t mind.’

‘But… but how did you know we were talking about you?’ asked Tom.

‘First, you stopped talking when I was coming closer, and also…’ 

At that moment, the bell rang and everyone rushed to class. It was maths – Martin’s favourite class.

For the next few days, interest in Martin grew. He was surrounded by an air of mystery, but there was also some gossip about him.

One Saturday morning, Alice and Tom were walking through the park – they both were fond of walking – when they suddenly bumped into Martin. He was dressed in sportswear and was jogging along the paths.

‘Hi there!’ he called out cheerfully, but he didn’t stop. Instead, he grabbed Alice by the hand, shouting, ‘Run with me!’

Surprised by his unusual behaviour, Alice and Tom joined Martin. After a while, tired but satisfied, they sat down on a bench next to a large bag.

‘Jogging is one of the ways I develop my detective skills,’ Martin said after a moment. ‘Doing sport helps the brain work better.’

‘Really?’ asked Alice. ‘And what are the other ways?’

‘Hmm… My mum says I have been observant since I was born,’ laughed Martin. ‘But the most important way for me is … wait a moment.’ He opened his large bag and took out a book.

‘Sherlock Holmes Short Stories,’ Alice read the title aloud.

‘Yeah,’ said Martin. ‘I read a lot of detective stories. I’ve learned to observe details and put them together to figure things out.’

‘Can we read one story together?’ asked Tom.

Martin’s eyes lit up. ‘Sure,’ he said happily. He opened the book and added, ‘See how Holmes notices the small things. The way a person dresses, how they talk – it all gives clues.’

Then he started to read the story aloud.

*

One Saturday morning I went to visit my friend Sherlock Holmes, but he already had a visitor. His visitor was a large man with a red face, small eyes and bright red hair.

‘I see you’re busy, Holmes. I’ll come back another time,’ I said.

‘You came at the perfect time, my dear Watson,’ said Holmes warmly. (…)

Then he turned to the visitor, ‘Dr Watson helped me in many of my most successful cases, Mr Wilson. I am sure he can help me with your case, too.’

The large gentleman got up from his chair and said, ‘I’m very pleased to meet you, Dr Watson.’ Then we all sat down.

‘I know you like unusual, difficult cases, Watson, and this case is very unusual. Mr Wilson, please tell your story to Dr Watson.’

Mr Wilson took an old, dirty newspaper out of his pocket and began looking at the advertisements in it. I watched him carefully. (…)

Holmes smiled and said, ‘I see you’re trying to be a detective, Watson. Well, it’s clear that Mr Wilson was a workman in the past and he also lived in China for some time. Recently, he did a lot of writing.’

Mr Wilson was very surprised. ‘How do you know all of these things, Mr Holmes? You are right – in the past I was a workman.’

‘Your hands show it, Mr Wilson,’ Holmes said. ‘Your right hand is bigger than your left. You used your right hand a lot.’

‘But how did you know that I wrote a lot recently?’

‘I looked at the sleeves of your shirt, Mr Wilson. The material of the right sleeve is much thinner. That shows you were writing at a desk.’

‘Well, but China?’

‘You have a tattoo of a pink fish on your right hand. That tattoo is only done in China. You see, I like studying tattoos. And there is a Chinese coin on your watch chain.’

Then Holmes asked, ‘Have you found the advertisement, Mr Wilson?’

‘Yes, here it is,’ he said, pointing to it with his big, red finger. It was an advertisement in the Morning Chronicle of two months before.

THE RED-HEADED LEAGUE.
Man needed for new job at League.
Pay: four pounds a week. Work: office-based.
Job only open to people with red hair. Come to Red-Headed League offices, 7 Pope’s Court, Fleet Street, London at 11 o’clock, Monday morning. DUNCAN ROSS

‘What does it mean?’ I asked, after reading this strange advertisement twice.

Holmes laughed happily. ‘It’s very unusual, Watson, isn’t it? And now, Mr Wilson, please tell us everything about yourself, your home, your work and this Red-Headed League.’

‘Well, I have a shop below my house at Saxe-Coburg Square in London. It isn’t a very big business and I don’t make much money now. I only have one assistant in the shop. Luckily he wants to learn the business, so he accepts half pay.’

‘What is your young assistant’s name?’ asked Holmes.

‘His name is Vincent Spaulding. He’s an excellent worker and he could make more money in another shop, but he’s happy with me.’

‘It’s unusual to have an excellent assistant,’ said Holmes. ‘Tell me more about him.’

‘Spaulding loves photography and spends a lot of time in the cellar developing his pictures. He’s sometimes there for hours! But he’s a very good worker. (…) About two months ago, Spaulding came into my office with this newspaper in his hand and said, “Look at this advertisement! The Red-Headed League is a club for men with red hair and it’s offering a job to men with red hair. You should apply for the job – you have bright red hair!”

I asked him, “What’s the pay?”

He said, “Four pounds a week, and you can easily continue working here.”

Well, Mr Holmes, two hundred pounds a year is very useful to me. So I asked Spaulding for more information. He showed me the advertisement and said, “I’ve heard that the club’s money came from a rich American, Ezekiah Hopkins. He was a strange man with red hair. He died and left all of his money to the Red-Headed League. The money is used to give easy jobs to men with red hair. Only men with bright red hair can get these jobs. The club doesn’t accept men with dark red hair or light red hair. You can get the job easily!”‘

‘I decided to ask Spaulding to come with me to the Red-Headed League’s offices,’ continued Mr Wilson. ‘I closed the shop for the day and we went to Fleet Street.

Fleet Street was full of red-haired men, and Pope’s Court looked like a basket of oranges. But few men had bright red hair like mine. Spaulding pushed through all the people and we got to the office.

A small man with bright red hair sat at the table and spoke to lots of red-headed men. He said “No” to all of them, and then he talked to me in a friendly way.

“This is Mr Jabez Wilson,” said my assistant, “and he would like the job in the League.”

“His hair looks fine,” the man said. “Congratulations – the job is yours!”

He shook my hand warmly and said, “My name is Duncan Ross and I am the Secretary of the League. When can you begin?”

“Well, I have a business already,” I said.

‘”Oh, don’t worry about that, Mr Wilson!” said my assistant. “I can look after the shop for you.” (…)

You see, Mr Holmes, I do most of my work in the evening. I could easily work for Mr Ross in the morning. And I knew Spaulding could look after the business in the morning.

“Your job is to copy the Encyclopaedia Britannica. And you must never leave the office until two o’clock,” said Mr Ross.

The next morning, I started working at Pope’s Court. Mr Ross showed me the beginning of the letter “A” in the encyclopaedia and then he left. Every day I finished work at two o’clock. Each week Mr Ross gave me four pounds in gold. This continued for about eight weeks and I nearly finished copying the letter “A”. Then, suddenly, everything ended.’

‘Ended?’ asked Holmes.

‘Yes, it happened this morning. I went to work at ten o’clock but the door was locked. There was a notice on the door that said:

THE RED-HEADED LEAGUE DOES NOT EXIST ANY MORE

Sherlock Holmes and I started laughing.

‘I can’t see anything funny!’ said Mr Wilson angrily. ‘If you think this is funny, I’ll leave!’

‘No, no!’ cried Holmes. ‘Your case is very unusual, but there is something a bit funny about it. Please, Mr Wilson, continue.’

‘I asked the people in the building but no one knew about Mr Duncan Ross or the Red-Headed League. I was angry and confused.’

‘What did you do then?’ asked Holmes.

‘I went home to Saxe-Coburg Square and told Spaulding. He was surprised and did not know what to say. So I decided to come to you, Mr Holmes, because I don’t want to lose four pounds a week!’

‘This is possibly a very serious case,’ said Holmes.

‘Of course it’s a serious case, I’m losing four pounds a week!’

‘You can’t be too angry, Mr Wilson, the League paid you thirty-two pounds for eight weeks’ work. And you learnt many things about the letter “A” in the encyclopaedia. Now, I’d like to ask you some questions. When did Vincent Spaulding start working for you?’

‘About three months ago.’

‘What is he like?’

‘He’s small but not thin, and he moves quickly. He’s about thirty years old and has a white mark just above his eyes.’

Holmes was suddenly excited.

‘A white mark!’ he cried. ‘And does he have little holes in his ears for earrings?’

‘Yes, he does.’

‘Hmmm,’ said Holmes, sitting back in his chair. ‘Well, Mr Wilson, I want to think about this case. Today is Saturday – on Monday I’ll have an answer.’

‘Well, Watson,’ said Holmes when our visitor left, ‘what do you think of this strange case?’

‘I don’t know, Holmes. It’s very mysterious and confusing.’

‘Yes, I agree,’ replied Holmes. ‘I must work hard on this case.’

‘What are you going to do?’

‘I’m going to smoke my pipe. Please don’t speak to me for fifty minutes.’ Holmes sat down in his chair, closed his eyes and started smoking his old black pipe.

Suddenly, he jumped up and put his pipe down on the table.

‘There is a concert of classical music at St James’s Hall this afternoon,’ Holmes said. ‘Let’s go and listen!’

‘Yes, I’m free today,’ I replied.

‘Good! Put on your hat and come. I want to have some lunch first.’

We went to see Saxe-Coburg Square – it was quite poor and ugly. There was some grass in the middle of the square and old houses around it. One of them had a shop window and shop door, as well as a house door. Outside the shop, we saw a sign with the name JABEZ WILSON painted in big white letters. This was Mr Wilson’s shop.

Holmes stopped and looked at the shop for a moment. Then he stood in front of the shop, and hit the large stones of the street with his walking stick. Finally he knocked on the shop door.

A young man opened the door immediately.

‘Can you tell me the way to the Strand?’ asked Holmes.

‘Third right, fourth left,’ answered the assistant quickly.

‘A very clever man,’ said Holmes, as we walked away.

‘Do you know him?’ I asked.

‘No, but I looked at the knees of his trousers.’

‘And what did you see?’

‘What I expected to see.’

‘And why did you hit the stones of the street?’

‘My dear doctor, this is a time for looking, not for talking. Let’s go and look at the street behind the square.’

We left the square and we were soon in one of the noisiest streets in London.

‘We did our work well, Watson,’ said Holmes. ‘Now let’s have some lunch, and then go to the concert.’ Holmes was a very good musician and he loved concerts.

After the concert, he said, ‘Do you want to go home now, Watson?’

‘Yes, I do, Holmes.’

‘I have many things to do,’ he said. ‘This case at Saxe-Coburg Square is serious. Someone is planning a serious crime, but I think we can stop it. Let’s meet tonight.’

‘At what time?’

‘At ten o’clock.’

‘I’ll be at Baker Street at ten.’

‘Good! There will possibly be danger tonight so bring your gun.’ He waved his hand and walked off.

I was quite confused about this case but Holmes, of course, was not. I saw and I heard exactly the same things as Holmes saw and heard, but he seemed to understand everything – and I understood nothing.

When I arrived at ten o’clock, there were two carriages outside the door at Baker Street. Two visitors were there too: a policeman called Peter Jones, and a tall, thin man with a sad face.

‘Watson, I think you know Mr Jones? Let me introduce you to Mr Merryweather, the director of the City and Suburban Bank.

He is going to be part of our adventure tonight.’

‘I hope you’re right, Mr Holmes,’ said Mr Merryweather, ‘because I didn’t go to my usual card game with my friends this evening. And I have never missed my card game in thirty-seven years!’

‘I think this will be an exciting night, Mr Merryweather,’ said Holmes. ‘You are going to save thirty thousand pounds. And you, Jones, are going to catch a terrible criminal.’

‘John Clay, the murderer and bank robber!’ exclaimed Jones. ‘He’s young but he’s the cleverest and most dangerous criminal in England.’ (…)

‘It’s time to go now,’ said Holmes looking at his watch. ‘Mr Merryweather, please go with Mr Jones in the first carriage, and Watson and I will follow you in the second one.’

During the journey, Holmes spoke very little but he sang some of the music from the concert that afternoon. Finally the two carriages arrived at the City and Suburban Bank in the main street near Saxe-Coburg Square. Mr Merryweather took his keys and opened a side door of the bank. We went through many doors and dark corridors. Then he took a lamp and we went to a big cellar. There was a strong smell of earth and there were a lot of big boxes on the cellar floor.

‘The ceiling looks strong,’ said Holmes, holding up the lamp.

‘The floor is strong too,’ said Merryweather, hitting it with his stick. ‘Oh dear, it sounds empty!’

‘Please speak quietly!’ said Holmes. ‘Please sit down on one of those boxes and don’t say or do anything.’

Mr Merryweather sat down silently. Holmes put the lamp on the floor and took out a magnifying glass from his pocket. He carefully looked at the cracks between the large stones of the floor.

‘We probably have one more hour,’ said Holmes. ‘The thieves can’t do anything until Mr Wilson is in bed. Then they’ll work very quickly. Well, Watson, I’m sure you understand that we’re in the cellar of one of London’s biggest banks. Mr Merryweather is the director of the bank and he’ll explain the situation to you.’

‘You see, Dr Watson, it’s our French gold,’ the director said very quietly. ‘Inside these big boxes, there are thirty thousand pounds in gold coins! That is why the worst criminals are interested in this cellar.’

‘Gentlemen, now we must wait in the dark,’ said Holmes, turning off the lamp. Suddenly everything was black.

‘They will soon be here,’ he continued, ‘so we must hide behind the boxes. When they come, we must be ready to act quickly. These are dangerous men. If they shoot at us, Watson, you must shoot at them.’

I put my gun on top of a box and I was ready to shoot.

‘There is only one way for them to escape,’ Holmes continued, ‘through Wilson’s house and into Saxe-Coburg Square. Did you do what I asked, Jones?’

‘Yes, Mr Holmes. Three policemen are waiting outside Mr Wilson’s house,’ said Jones.

‘Very good! Now we must be silent and wait,’ said Holmes.

We waited for an hour and a quarter but in the dark it seemed much longer. My legs and arms were tired. Suddenly, I saw some light through the cracks in the floor. Someone pushed up a big stone and a white hand appeared. The light became brighter and a face appeared. It was Mr Wilson’s assistant. The young man looked around and then climbed up into the cellar. He helped another man to climb out of the hole. Both men were small and the other man had bright red hair.

Holmes ran forward and caught Mr Wilson’s assistant.

‘Jump down the hole again, Archie!’ cried the assistant.

The other man climbed down quickly. Mr Wilson’s assistant had a gun in his hand, but Holmes hit it to the floor with his stick.

‘You don’t have a chance, John Clay,’ said Holmes.

‘I know, but my friend escaped.’

‘There are three policemen waiting for your friend outside Mr Wilson’s house,’ said Holmes smiling.

‘Oh, really!’ John Clay answered calmly. ‘You did everything perfectly. Well done, Mr Holmes.’

‘Well done to you!’ Holmes answered. ‘Your idea of the Red-Headed League was new and unusual!’

When Jones took John Clay to the police station, Mr Merryweather said, ‘I don’t know how to thank you, Mr Holmes! You stopped one of the biggest bank robberies in history.’

‘This was a very interesting case,’ said Holmes.

In the early hours of the morning, Holmes and I returned to Baker Street.

‘You see, Watson,’ Holmes said, drinking his cup of tea, ‘the reason for the Red-Headed League was very simple: Clay and his friend Duncan Ross wanted to get Mr Wilson away from his shop for several hours every day.’

‘But how did you know that they were planning a bank robbery?’ I asked.

‘Well, Watson, I thought of the assistant’s hobby: photography. We knew that the young man spent a lot of time in the cellar developing his pictures. Mr Wilson described Vincent Spaulding to me, and I knew immediately that he was John Clay, the famous bank robber. Clay was doing something in Mr Wilson’s cellar – he was in the cellar for several hours a day for many weeks. And what was he doing? He was digging a tunnel to another building.

You were surprised when I hit the stones in Saxe-Coburg Square with my stick. Well, I wanted to know if the tunnel was in front of the house or behind it.

Then I rang the bell. I didn’t go into the shop, because I only wanted to see Spaulding’s trousers. The knees of his trousers were dirty with brown earth.

When I discovered that the City and Suburban Bank was behind Mr Wilson’s house, I suddenly understood everything!’

‘But how did you know that the robbery was tonight?’ I asked him.

‘My dear Watson, they closed the League office because they weren’t interested in Mr Wilson’s work any more. So I knew the tunnel was finished and they had to use it soon. Saturday night was the best time for them because no one could discover the robbery until Monday morning. So I knew the robbery was tonight.’

‘You solved this mysterious case beautifully, Holmes,’ I said.

‘Thank you, Watson. Well, at least this case wasn’t boring!’

*

‘So as you can see…’ started Martin when he finished reading. But Tom interrupted, ‘I know, I know what you’re going to say: detective stories aren’t just about solving crimes. They teach you to pay attention to the world around you, to think critically.’

‘Great!’ exclaimed Martin. ‘That’s exactly what I wanted to say,’ he laughed.

‘And you wanted to say,’ added Alice, ‘that reading and learning help you see new possibilities and make life more exciting.’

‘Excellent! And I wanted to say “Let’s go to lunch at my place,”’ laughed Martin.

∞ The end ∞

[Materiał własny; zawiera fragmenty opowiadania “The Red-Headed League” ze zbioru  Sherlock Holmes Short Stories, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; Wyd. Oxford University Press]

Słowniczek:
Zaleca się posłuchać wymowy nowych słów, np. w słowniku https://www.diki.pl/

others – inni
recommend something to somebody – rekomendować coś komuś
kitty – kotek
feel unwell – czuć się źle; czas przeszły: felt
important – ważny
advice – rady; a piece of advice – rada
spy – szpieg
interrupt – przerwać
join – dołączyć
invite somebody – zaprosić kogoś
guess – zgadywać, domyślać się
embarrassed – zażenowany
rush – pędzić
grow – rosnąć; czas przeszły: grew
surrounded by – otoczony przez
air of mystery – aura tajemniczości
gossip – plotki (a piece of gossip – plotka)
both – oboje
be fond of something – bardzo coś lubić
suddenly – nagle
bump into somebody – spotkać przypadkowo, natknąć się na kogoś
jog – biegać (rekreacyjnie, dla zdrowia)
path – ścieżka
cheerfully – wesoło, radośnie
instead – w zamian, zamiast tego
grab – chwycić, złapać
behaviour – zachowanie
bench – ławka
develop – rozwijać
skills – umiejętności
observant – spostrzegawczy, uważny, wnikliwy
since – od (często używane z czasem Present Perfect do wskazania momentu rozpoczęcia jakiejś czynności lub stanu, który trwa do chwili obecnej)
figure something out – zrozumieć coś, rozwiązać jakiś problem
light up – rozbłysnąć, rozpromienić się; czas przeszły: lit up
clue – wskazówka, trop
case – sprawa, przypadek
advertisement – ogłoszenie
workman – pracownik fizyczny, robotnik 
sleeve – rękaw
red-headed – rudowłosy
league – liga
cellar – piwnica
develop pictures – wywoływać zdjęcia
apply for something – aplikować, ubiegać się o coś (np. o pracę)
few – mało, niewiele (dotyczy rzeczowników policzalnych)
mine – moje (używamy, jeśli za tym słowem nie stoi rzeczownik)
push through – przepchnąć się przez
in a friendly way – przyjaźnie, przyjacielsko
yours – twoje, tutaj: pańskie (używamy, jeśli za tym słowem nie stoi rzeczownik)
look after – opiekować się
exist – istnieć 
confused – zdezorientowany
confusing – dezorientujący, niejasny
mark – znamię, plama
sign – tutaj: szyld
walking stick – laska
knee – kolano
expect – spodziewać się, oczekiwać
wave – pomachać
carriage – tutaj: powóz
Let me – tutaj: pozwól że
introduce somebody to somebody – przedstawiać kogoś komuś
miss – tutaj: opuścić
rob – rabować, okradać (np. bank); robber – rabuś; robbery – rabunek, napad (na bank)
follow somebody – podążać za kimś
journey – podróż 
arrive at – przybyć do (budynku lub miejsca), arrive in – przybyć do (państwa, miasta)
magnifying glass – szkło powiększające, lupa
crack – pęknięcie, szczelina
explain something to somebody – tłumaczyć coś komuś
be interested in something – interesować się czymś 
turn off – wyłączyć
escape – uciekać
appear – pojawić się, ukazać się
catch – złapać; czas przeszły: caught
away from – z daleka, w odległości
dig – kopać
pay attention to something – zwracać uwagę na coś
possibility – możliwość, prawdopodobieństwo (coś, co może się wydarzyć)
at my place – u mnie (w domu)

SENTENCJE  DLA  KL. VII i VIII 

1. Reading gives you the ability to reach higher ground and keep climbing – Czytanie daje możliwość wspięcia się na wyższy poziom i dalszego wspinania się.
   Oprah Winfrey
2. Something very magical can happen when you read a good book – Coś bardzo magicznego może się wydarzyć, gdy czytasz dobrą książkę
   J.K. Rowling
3. Reading is an antidote to the disappearance of silence in a noisy world – Czytanie to antidotum na zniknięcie ciszy w hałaśliwym świecie.
   Agnes Roy
4. Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you will land among the stars – Celuj w księżyc. Nawet jeśli nie trafisz, wylądujesz wśród gwiazd.
   Les Brown
5. Wolves don’t care about what the rams think of them – Wilki nie przejmują się tym, co sądzą o nich barany
   Unknown
6. If you want to see the rainbow, you must bravely endure the rain – Jeśli chcesz ujrzeć tęczę, musisz dzielnie przetrwać deszcz.
   Augustus
7. You recognise true friends not only in hard times, but also by how they react to your happiness – Prawdziwych przyjaciół poznajesz nie tylko w trudnych chwilach, ale także po tym, jak reagują na twoje szczęście.
   Unknown
8. Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful – Życie nie musi być doskonałe, żeby było wspaniałe
   Annette Funicello
9. Life has as many colours as you are able to find in it – życie ma tyle kolorów, ile potrafisz w nim znaleźć
   Unknown
10. True hospitality involves finding accommodation not just for the body, but also for the soul – Prawdziwa gościnność polega na znalezieniu miejsca (dosł. zakwaterowania) nie tylko dla ciała, ale także dla duszy
   Anthony de Mello
11. Every exit is an entrance somewhere else – Każde wyjście jest wejściem do czegoś innego.
   Tom Stoppard

PIOSENKI DLA KL.VII i VIIII 

Podane linki odsyłają do nagrań  z dodanym zapisem słów piosenek oraz do ich tłumaczenia. Proszę zwrócić uwagę na to, że tłumaczenie na portalu tekstowo.pl jest amatorskie, więc mogą zdarzyć się pewne niedociągnięcia.

1. The Sound Of Silence – Disturbed (CYRIL Remix), Simon & Garfunkel (w 2 wersjach)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P7vSmlZEh8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCtouot15cA

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,simon__garfunkel,the_sound_of_silence,strona,8.html

2. Live Your Beautiful Life – Lights Follow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arfOYk0kjXE

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,lights_follow,live_your_beautiful_life.html

3. River – Charlie Puth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-rqD7l16uY

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,charlie_puth_,river.html

4. Happy Together – Miley Cyrus, The Turtles (2 wersje)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6GB60iGL8s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiPcgmSQ5uI

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,miley_cyrus,happy_together.html

5. Stay Beautiful – Taylor Swift

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRDzn4bPkvc&list=PL5dfn402jj4nosZJdFsggiFaWaeBriv6q&index=9

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,taylor_swift,stay_beautiful.html

Wyrażenie if it don’t zostało stworzone na potrzeby piosenki, ale jest gramatycznie niepoprawne. Właściwa forma to if it doesn’t. Również zwrot: There’s pretty girls jest niepoprawny; powinno być There are pretty girls.

6. What Love Is – Zimmer90 (from Emil‘s kitchen)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWU3xCEQV34

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Am6s60T_Bk

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,zimmer90,what_love_is.html

7. Lean On – Major Lazer & DJ Snake

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

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,pentatonix,lean_on.html

MATERIAŁY PRZYGOTOWAWCZE

DLA  SZKÓŁ BRANŻOWYCH KL. I-III oraz TECHNIKUM i LICEUM KL. I-II

EDYCJA JESIENNA 2024

OPOWIADANIE
DLA SZKÓŁ BRANŻOWYCH KL. I-III oraz TECHNIKUM i LICEUM KL. I-II

In the Footsteps of Sherlock

‘How beautiful,’ said Jane when at last all five friends reached the slope where the cabin stood.

The sun was setting, painting the sky in pink and orange. The wooden cabin looked cosy, with soft light glowing through the windows. She instinctively wanted to take a picture, but then she remembered one of the rules: no phones.

‘Enjoy the beautiful views and keep them in your memory, not in photos,’ Mr Green had said with a warm smile before their expedition to the mountains.

He was their new teacher – young, enthusiastic, and always a bit old-fashioned. He rode his bicycle to school every day, and sometimes he even used a scooter. He was particularly fond of reading. The students adored him, even if his ideas were sometimes a bit… different.

Mr Green had given them a unique opportunity: a five-day stay in his cabin in the mountains. He set only one condition: no phones, no laptops, no internet. Instead, he expected long walks, a lot of reading, and shared conversations.

At first, the idea didn’t appeal to them. None of them were keen on reading, and the thought of no technology for five days seemed almost impossible. But the idea of staying in a cosy cabin in the mountains was too tempting to pass up. So they decided to treat it as a kind of challenge.

Now, as they entered the cabin, they were greeted by the smell of wood and a charming silence. They found a lot of books on the wooden shelves, exactly as Mr Green had promised.

‘Let’s get our rooms first and unpack, then choose a book to read,’ ordered Luke.

‘Right,’ the others agreed and went upstairs.

After a while, everyone was back in the room with the books.

‘I didn’t realise that we are so disciplined,’ laughed Kelly.

‘We’ll see about that,’ said Mila. She looked at Luke and Matt taking books off the shelf. One of the books – Sherlock Holmes Short Stories – reminded her of Mr Green’s answer to her question. ‘Of course, Mila,’ he had said in a friendly way, ‘you can read detective stories as well. They aren’t just about solving crimes. They teach you to pay attention to the world around you, to think critically, and to look beyond the obvious.’

So the friends chose a detective story as the first one to read in the cabin. They sat comfortably around the fireplace and began reading aloud, taking turns.

*

The case of the three Garridebs began late in June 1902, soon after the end of the South African War. Sherlock Holmes had just spent several days in bed, as was his habit from time to time, but that morning he came out of his bedroom with a pile of handwritten papers in his hand and a look of amusement in his grey eyes.

‘My dear Watson, here is a chance for you to make some money,’ he said. ‘Have you ever heard the name Garrideb?’

I admitted that I had not.

‘Well, if you can find a man called Garrideb, both you and he will be rich.’

‘How can that be so?’ I asked.

‘Ah, that’s a long story – rather an amusing one, too. Quite unusual, in fact. A man is coming to see me about it in a few minutes, so I won’t begin the story until he arrives. But Garrideb is the name we want.’

The telephone book was on the table beside me, and I turned over the pages in rather a hopeless hunt for a Garrideb. But to my surprise there was this strange name in its correct place.

‘Here you are, Holmes! Here it is!’

Holmes took the book from my hand.

‘“Garrideb, N.,” he read, ‘“136 Little Ryder Street.” I am sorry to disappoint you, Watson, but this Garrideb is the person who is employing me. That is the address on his letter. We want another Garrideb to match him.’

Just then our housekeeper, Mrs Hudson, came in and handed me a card.

‘Why, here is another!’ I cried. ‘The first name is different. This is John Garrideb, a lawyer from Kansas in America.’

Holmes smiled as he looked at the card. ‘I am afraid you must make one more effort, Watson,’ he said. ‘I already know about this gentleman, though I certainly did not expect to see him here this morning. But he will be able to tell us a good deal that I want to know.’

A moment later he was in the room. Mr John Garrideb was a short, powerful man with a round fresh face. It was easy to believe that he was an American businessman or lawyer. He looked rather childlike, and had a broad, fixed smile on his face. But his eyes were surprising. I have rarely seen a pair of human eyes which were brighter, quicker or sharper. His speech was American, but not very noticeably so.

‘Mr Holmes?’ he asked, looking at each of us in turn. ‘Ah, yes! The photographs of you in the newspapers are not unlike you, sir, if I may say so. I believe you have had a letter from another Garrideb – Mr Nathan Garrideb – haven’t you?’

‘Please sit down,’ said Sherlock Holmes. ‘I think we have a good deal to discuss.’ He picked up the pile of papers. ‘You are, of course, the Mr John Garrideb who is mentioned in these legal documents. But surely you have been in England for some time?’

‘Why do you say that, Mr Holmes?’ A sudden look of suspicion appeared in the man’s eyes.

‘Because all your clothes are English.’

Mr Garrideb laughed uncomfortably. ‘I’ve read of your clever tricks as a detective, Mr Holmes, but I never thought I would be the subject of them myself. How do you know my clothes are English?’

‘By the shoulders of your coat, the toes of your shoes – how could anyone doubt it?’

‘Well, well, I had no idea that I looked so much like an Englishman. But I came to England on business some time ago, and so – as you say – nearly all my clothes were bought in London. But I suppose your time is valuable, and I am not here to talk about fashions! Please let us now discuss those papers which you have in your hand.’

It was clear that in some way Holmes had annoyed our visitor, who now had a much less friendly expression on his round childlike face.

‘Have patience, Mr Garrideb!’ said my friend gently. ‘Dr Watson could tell you that these little tricks of mine are sometimes very useful in the end, in solving mysteries. But why hasn’t Mr Nathan Garrideb come with you?’

‘Why did he bring you into this affair at all?’ asked our visitor, with sudden anger. ‘What have you to do with it? Here was a bit of professional business between two gentlemen – and now one of them is employing a private detective! I saw him this morning, and he told me of the stupid thing he had done – and that’s why I’m here. But I do feel annoyed about it!’

‘Nobody suspects you of anything, Mr Garrideb. Mr Nathan Garrideb is only anxious to achieve something which, I believe, is equally important to both of you. He knew that I had means of getting information, and therefore it was natural that he should come to me.’

The anger gradually disappeared from our visitor’s face.

‘Well, I’m beginning to understand now,’ he said. ‘When I went to see him this morning and he told me he had written to a private detective, I just asked for your address and came along immediately. I don’t want the police mixed up in a private matter. But if you are happy just to help us find the man, there can be no harm in that.’

‘Well, that is exactly what I am going to do,’ said Holmes. ‘And now, sir, as you are here, you had better give us a clear account of the whole affair. My friend here, Dr Watson, knows nothing of the details.’

Mr Garrideb looked at me in a way that was not particularly friendly. (…)

‘I’ll tell you the main facts, then. If you came from Kansas I would not need to explain to you who Alexander Hamilton Garrideb was.

‘He made his money by buying and selling houses and land, and afterwards he made a second fortune in the Chicago wheat market. Then he spent the money in buying more land, along the

Arkansas River, west of Fort Dodge — and in the end he owned a piece of land as big as Kent or Sussex here in England. (…)

‘He had no relatives – or, if he had, I never heard of any. But he took a kind of pride in his unusual name. That was what brought us together. I was a lawyer at Topeka, and one day I had a visit from the old man, who was very excited about meeting another man with his own name. And he was determined to find out if there were any more Garridebs in the world. “Find me another!” he said. I told him I was a busy man and could not spend my life wandering round the world in search of Garridebs.

“But that is exactly what you are going to do if everything goes according to my plan,” he replied. I thought he was joking, but I soon discovered that he was extremely serious.

‘He died less than a year later, and after his death a will was found. It was the strangest will that had ever been seen in the State of Kansas. His property was divided into three parts, and I was to have one on condition that I found two Garridebs who would share the rest. Each of the three shares is worth five million dollars, but until I have found two other Garridebs none of the money is to be paid out.

‘It was such an opportunity for me that I simply left my practice as a lawyer and set out to look for Garridebs. There is not a single one in the United States. I searched the whole country very thoroughly, sir, but discovered no Garridebs at all. Then I tried England, where I found the name of Mr Nathan Garrideb in the London telephone book. I went to see the gentleman two days ago and explained the whole matter to him. But, like myself, he is alone in the world, with some female relatives, but no men.

According to the old man’s will, the three Garridebs must all be adult men. So you see we still need one more man, and if you can help us to find him we will be very ready to pay your charges.’

‘Well, Watson,’ said Holmes, with a smile. ‘I said this was rather an amusing case, didn’t I? Mr Garrideb, I think the first thing you should do is to put a small advertisement in the newspapers.’

‘I have done that already, Mr Holmes. There were no replies.’

‘Oh, how disappointing! Well, it is certainly a very interesting little problem. I may look into it for you if I have time. It is interesting, Mr Garrideb, that you should come from Topeka. I had a friend there who used to write to me – he is dead now – old Dr Lysander Starr, who was a member of the town council in 1890.’

‘Good old Dr Starr!’ said our visitor. ‘His name is still honoured. Well, Mr Holmes, I suppose the only thing we can do is to report to you and let you know how we progress. You will probably hear from us within a day or two.’ Then the American left.

Holmes had lit his pipe, and he sat for some time with a strange smile on his face.

‘Well, what do you think about all that?’ I asked at last.

‘I am wondering, Watson – just wondering!’

‘About what?’

Holmes took his pipe from his lips.

‘I was wondering, Watson, what this man could possibly hope to achieve by telling us such a large number of lies. I nearly asked him what his real purpose was — there are times when a sudden, sharp attack is the best way of dealing with such a person – but I decided that it would be better to let him think he had tricked us. Here is a man with an English coat and English trousers, both showing signs of having been worn for at least a year: but according to his pile of papers, and according also to his own account, he is an American from Kansas who has only recently arrived in London. There have been no advertisements about Garridebs. You know that I miss nothing of that sort. The small advertisements have often been useful to me in my cases, and I could not possibly have failed to notice one like that. I never knew a Dr Lysander Starr of Topeka. Almost everything our visitor said was a lie. I think he really is an American, but he has been in London for years, and his voice has gradually become less and less American. What is his aim, then? What is the purpose of this strange search for Garridebs? The problem is worth our attention. Clearly this man is a criminal, but he is a strange and imaginative one. We must now find out if our other Garrideb is a liar too. Just ring him up, Watson, please.’

I did so, and heard a weak voice, rather like that of a goat, at the other end of the line.

‘Yes, yes, I am Mr Nathan Garrideb. Is Mr Holmes there?

My friend took the telephone from me and I heard his half of the conversation that followed.

‘Yes, he has been here. I believe you don’t know him … How long?… Only two days!… Yes, yes, of course, to receive five million dollars would be very nice. Will you be at home this evening? I suppose Mr John Garrideb will not be there?… Very good, we will come then. I would rather see you in his absence… Dr Watson will come with me… Yes, in your letter you mentioned you did not go out often… Well, we shall be with you at about six o’clock. You need not mention it to the American lawyer… Very good. Goodbye!’

On that lovely spring evening, Little Ryder Street looked golden and beautiful in the setting sun. The particular house to which we were directed was a large, old fashioned eighteenth-century brick building. On the ground floor there were two tall, wide windows: these belonged to the very large living room of the person we had come to see, who had only the ground floor of the house. As we went up to the door, Holmes pointed to the name GARRIDEB on a small plate.

‘That name plate has been there for years, Watson,’ he remarked. ‘Its surface is quite worn, and it has lost its original colour. So at least Garrideb is his real name!’

The house had a common hall and staircase, and there were a number of names painted in the hall.

Mr Nathan Garrideb opened the door for us himself, explaining that the housekeeper left at four o’clock. He was a very tall, thin man with a bent back. He seemed to be about sixty years old. He had no hair on his head, and the skin of his face looked dull and dead. It was easy to see that he never took any exercise. He wore large round glasses and had a small beard: but though he looked rather strange, he seemed pleasant. The room was as strange as Mr Nathan Garrideb himself. It looked like a kind of shop. It was both broad and deep and there were cupboards and glass cases everywhere, crowded with old bones and pieces of stone. On either side of the door, there stood a case of flying insects, pinned onto cards. All kinds of things were scattered on a large table in the centre of the room. Among them I noticed several powerful magnifying glasses. As I looked round, I was surprised at the number of different subjects Mr Garrideb was interested in. Here was a case of ancient coins. There was a collection of tools from the Stone Age. On a shelf behind the table I saw a row of model heads of monkeys or ancient men. (…) As he stood in front of us now, he held a piece of soft leather in his right hand with which he was polishing a coin.

‘From Syracuse. And of the best period,’ he explained, holding it up. ‘You will find a chair there, Mr Holmes. One moment, please: I will just put those bones somewhere else. And you, sir – ah, yes, Dr Watson – would you mind putting that Japanese flowerpot out of your way? You see around me all the little interests of my life. My doctor is always telling me I ought to take more exercise, but why should I go out? There are so many things to keep me here!’

Holmes looked round him with interest.

‘But do you never go out?’ he asked.

‘Hardly ever. Now and then I take a carriage and go and buy some new things for my collection, but I very rarely leave this room for any other reason. I am not very strong, and my scientific studies keep me very busy. But you can imagine, Mr Holmes, what a shock – what a pleasant shock – it was for me when I heard of this piece of good luck. Only one more Garrideb is needed to make the affair complete, and surely we can find one. I had a brother, but he is dead, and female relatives do not count. But there must be other Garridebs in the world, aren’t there? I had heard that you handled strange cases, and that was why I wrote to you. Of course, this American gentleman is quite right, and I should have taken his advice first. But I acted with the best intentions.’

‘I think you acted very wisely,’ said Holmes. ‘But are you really anxious to become the owner of a large piece of land along the Arkansas River in America?’

‘Certainly not, sir. Nothing could make me leave my collection. But this gentleman, Mr John Garrideb, has promised to buy my share of the property from me as soon as we have become the owners of the Garrideb land. Five million dollars was the amount of money he mentioned. There are several unusual things on the market at the present moment which I need for my collection, but which I cannot buy because I lack a few hundred pounds. Just think what I could do with five million dollars! I already have the beginnings of a great national collection!’

The eyes behind his glasses were shining. It was very clear that Mr Nathan Garrideb was ready to take any amount of trouble to find the third Garrideb.

‘I just called to meet you, Mr Garrideb,’ said Holmes, ‘and there is no reason why I should interrupt your studies for more than a few minutes. I like to be in personal touch with those I work for. There are very few questions I need to ask you. I have your letter, with its very clear account, in my pocket, and I heard more of the matter when the American gentleman called. I believe that until this week you had no idea of his existence?’

‘That is so. He called last Tuesday.’

‘Did he tell you of his visit to me today?’

‘Yes, he came straight here after seeing you. He had been very angry before that.’

‘Why should he be angry?’

‘He seemed to think that my employing a detective was an insult to him as a man of honour. But he was quite cheerful again when he returned.’

‘Did he suggest any course of action?’

‘No, sir, he did not.’

‘Has he received, or asked for, any money from you?’

‘No, sir, never!’

‘And you can see no possible purpose he may have?’

‘No, none, Mr Holmes; except what he has told me – to find a third Garrideb.’

‘Did you tell him of our appointment this evening?’

‘Yes, sir, I did.’

Holmes sat in silence for a few moments. I could see that the affair was still a mystery to him.

‘Have you any very valuable things in your collection?’

‘No, sir. I am not a rich man. It is a good collection, but not a very valuable one.’

‘You have no fear of thieves?’

‘None at all.’

‘How long have you lived in these rooms?’

‘For nearly five years.’

Holmes’s questions were interrupted by a loud knocking at the door. As soon as it was opened, the American lawyer burst excitedly into the room.

‘Here you are!’ he cried, waving a newspaper high in the air.

‘Mr Nathan Garrideb, you are a rich man, sir! Our business is happily finished, and all is well. As for you, Mr Holmes, we can only say we are sorry to have put you to all this trouble for nothing.’

He handed the newspaper to the old man, who stood reading an advertisement which the American had marked. Holmes and I leaned forward and read it over his shoulder. This was it:
HOWARD GARRIDEB
MAKER OF FARM MACHINERY
Steam and hand plows, farmers’ carts and all other appliances
Grosvenor Buildings, Aston, Birmingham

Excellent!’ cried our excited host. ‘So now we have found our third man.’

‘I had begun making inquiries in Birmingham,’ said the American, ‘and I have just been sent this advertisement from a local paper. We must hurry and get in touch with this Mr Howard Garrideb. I have already written to him to say that you will see him in his office tomorrow afternoon at four o’clock.’

‘You want me to see him?’ said Mr Nathan Garrideb, as if this suggestion were a great shock to him.

‘Well, what’s your opinion, Mr Holmes?’ asked Mr John Garrideb. ‘Don’t you think it would be better for him to go?

Here am I, a wandering American with a strange story. Why should Mr Howard Garrideb believe what I tell him? But you, Mr Garrideb, are an Englishman with an honourable position in the world, and he will certainly take what you say seriously. I would go to Birmingham with you if you wished, but I have a very busy day tomorrow – and I could easily come and join you there later if you needed me.’

‘Why, I have not made such a journey for years!’ said Mr Nathan Garrideb.

‘It is the easiest little journey in the world, Mr Garrideb. I have already found out the time of your train. You leave at twelve o’clock and should be in Birmingham shortly after two. Then you can come back home in the evening. You only have to see this man, explain the matter, and get a signed statement of his existence. Good heavens!’ he added a little angrily. ‘Considering that I’ve come all the way from America, it’s surely a very small thing to ask you to do – to travel a hundred miles in order to find the last of the three Garridebs!’

‘Mr John Garrideb is quite right,’ said Holmes. ‘I think what he says is very true.’

Mr Nathan Garridebs back seemed to become more bent than ever as he said sadly: ‘Well, I will go if I must. It is certainly hard for me to refuse you anything, Mr Garrideb, considering the hope that you have brought into my life.

‘Then that is agreed,’ said Holmes, ‘and no doubt you will let me have a report as soon as you can.’

‘I’ll arrange that,’ said the American. ‘Well,’ he added, looking at his watch, ‘I must go now. I’ll call here tomorrow,’ he said to Mr Nathan Garrideb, ‘and see you off at the station. Are you coming my way, Mr Holmes? No? Well, then, goodbye! We may have good news for you tomorrow night.’

I noticed that my friend seemed happier when the American left the room. The thoughtful look had disappeared from his face.

‘I wish I could examine your collection, Mr Garrideb,’ he said. ‘In my profession all sorts of strange bits of knowledge can be useful and this room of yours is full of information.’

Mr Garrideb seemed to shine with pleasure and his eyes were bright behind his big glasses.

‘I had always heard, sir, that you were a very intelligent man,’ he said. ‘I could show you everything now, if you have the time.’

‘Unfortunately,’ Holmes answered, ‘I have not. But your collections are all so well arranged that they hardly need your personal explanation. If I were to call here tomorrow, I suppose you would not object to my looking around in your absence?’

‘Of course not! You would be very welcome. My rooms will, of course, be shut up, but Mrs Saunders is always in the house until four o’clock and would let you in with her key.’

‘Well, it so happens that I am free tomorrow afternoon. If you would kindly explain to Mrs Saunders that I will be here, I would be very grateful. – Oh, Mr Garrideb, what is the name of the company through which you rented these rooms?’

Garrideb was surprised at this sudden question.

‘Holloway and Steele, in the Edgware Road. Why do you ask?’

‘Because I am interested in the history of houses, Mr Garrideb,’ Holmes replied, laughing. ‘I was wondering if this one was built in the days of Queen Anne, or of King George the First.’

‘Oh, King George, without any doubt.’

‘Really? I should have thought it was built a little earlier. But I can easily find out for certain. Well, goodbye, Mr Garrideb. I wish you success in your journey to Birmingham!’

We saw the property company’s offices as we walked along the Edgware Road, but they were closed for the day, so we made our way back to Baker Street. It was not until after dinner that Holmes mentioned the Garrideb affair again.

‘Our little problem is nearly solved,’ he said. ‘No doubt you too have worked it out in your own mind.’

‘I don’t understand it at all, Holmes,’ I replied.

‘Everything will be clear tomorrow. Did you notice anything strange about that advertisement?’

‘I saw that the word “plough” was wrongly spelt.’

‘Oh, you noticed that! Well done, Watson; you improve all the time. Yes, “plow” is bad English but good American. The printer had copied the advertisement exactly as he received it. It was in fact an American advertisement, but we were expected to believe that it was put in by an Englishman. How do you explain that?’

‘I can only suppose that this American lawyer put the advertisement in himself. But I have no idea what his aim in doing so can have been.’

‘Well, there are three possible explanations. One thing is very clear: he wanted good old Mr Nathan Garrideb to go off to Birmingham. Of course I could have told the old man that his journey was useless. But I decided it would be better to let him go, and allow the affair to develop according to the intentions of the Kansas lawyer. Tomorrow, Watson – tomorrow will be a day of action!’

Holmes was up and out early the next morning. When he returned at lunchtime I noticed he had a very serious expression on his face.

‘This is a more dangerous affair than I had expected, Watson,’ he said. ‘I have to warn you, though I know that the danger will only be an additional attraction to you! I think I know my Watson by now. But there is danger, and you should realize this.’

‘Well, this will not be the first danger that we have shared, Holmes. And I hope it will not be the last! What is the particular danger this time?’

‘I have found out who Mr John Garrideb, the Kansas lawyer, really is. He is the murderer, “Killer” Evans – an evil and terrible man.’

‘I am afraid I have never heard of him.’

‘Ah, it is not part of your profession to keep these details of the history of crime in your memory! I have been down to see our friend Lestrade at Scotland Yard. The London police may lack imagination, but they are remarkably thorough, and I had an idea that I might get on the track of our American friend “Mr John Garrideb” by looking through their records. I soon found a photograph of his round, smiling face. The names under it were James Winter, Morecroft, and “Killer” Evans.’ Holmes pulled out an envelope from his pocket. ‘I noted down a few of the other points about him. He is forty-four years old. He was born in Chicago. He is known to have shot three men in the United States, but he got out of prison by means of political influence. He came to London in 1893. In January 1895, he shot a man in a quarrel over a card game in a nightclub on Waterloo Road. The man died, but he was shown to have started the quarrel. The dead man was Rodger Prescott, who was famous as a forger in Chicago. Killer Evans was sent to prison, but came out last year. Since then the police have been watching his movements, but he seems to have been leading an honest life. He is a very dangerous man, who usually carries a gun, and is not afraid to fire it. That is our man, Watson!’

‘But what is his aim in this Garrideb affair?’ I asked.

‘Well, that is becoming clearer. I have been to the property office. Mr Nathan Garrideb, as he told us, has been at Little Ryder Street for five years. The rooms were empty for a year before he moved in. Before that, they were let to a mysterious gentleman called Waldron, who was well remembered at the office. He suddenly disappeared and nothing more was heard of him. He was a tall, very dark man with a beard. Now, Prescott, the man whom Killer Evans shot, was, according to our friends at Scotland Yard, also a tall, dark man with a beard. My guess is that Prescott, the American criminal, used to live in Little Ryder Street, in the room where old Mr Garrideb keeps his collection. So at last we have a connection, you see.’

‘And where is the next clue?’

‘Well, we must go now and look for that.’

He took a gun from the drawer and handed it to me.

‘I have my own gun with me,’ he said. ‘If Killer Evans begins shooting we must be prepared. I’ll give you an hour for your afternoon sleep, Watson, and then I think it will be time for our Little Ryder Street adventure.’

It was just four o’clock when we reached Mr Nathan Garrideb’s strange home. Mrs Saunders was about to leave, but she let us in. The door shut with a spring lock and Holmes promised to make sure that everything was safe before we left.

Soon afterwards the front door of the house closed and we saw Mrs Saunders pass the windows. We were now alone in the lower part of the house. Holmes made a rapid examination of the rooms. There was one cupboard in a dark corner which stood out a little from the wall. It was behind this that we hid, while Holmes spoke to me in a whisper.

‘Evans wanted to get the old gentleman out of his room — that is very clear; but as the collector never went out, Evans’s problem was not an easy one to solve. It seems that all his lies about the Garrideb will and the Garrideb land had no other purpose than to get Mr Nathan Garrideb away from the house for one day.

One has to admit, Watson, that Evans’s lies did have a certain cleverness about them – though the old collector’s unusual name gave him an opportunity which he could hardly have expected.’

‘But what can the man possibly want here?’ I asked.

‘Well, that is what we are here to find out. I don’t think it has anything whatever to do with our client. It is something connected with the man that Evans killed – a man who may have been involved with him in some kind of criminal activities. There is some guilty secret in this room, I think. At first, I thought Mr Nathan Garrideb might have something in his collection that was more valuable than he realized – something worth the attention of a big criminal. But when I discovered that the evil Rodger Prescott used to live here, I realized that there must be some quite different explanation. Well, Watson, the only thing we can do now is to have patience and wait and watch.’

We did not have to wait long. A few moments later we heard the front door of the house open and shut. Then there was the sound of a key in the lock, and the American was in the room. He closed the door quietly behind him, gave a quick look round the room to check that he was alone, threw off his coat, and walked up to the table in the centre of the room with the firm step of a man who knows exactly what he has to do and how to do it. He pushed the table to one side and pulled up the floor covering on which it stood. Then he rolled it completely back, took a tool from his inside pocket, and knelt down to work on the floor. A moment later we heard the sound of sliding boards, and a square hole appeared in the floor. Evans struck a match, lit a lamp, and disappeared down the hole.

This was clearly our opportunity. Holmes touched my wrist as a signal, and together we moved quietly across the room towards the hole. But in spite of our efforts to make no noise, Evans must have heard a slight sound as we passed over the old floorboards, since his head suddenly came up out of the open space and he looked anxiously around the room. When he saw us, a look of anger, disappointment and hatred appeared on his face. This gradually changed to a broad smile as he realized that two guns were aimed at his head.

‘Well, well!’ he said coldly as he climbed up out of the hole.

‘You have been too clever for me, Mr Holmes. I suppose you realized from the first that I was telling lies. Well, sir, you have beaten me and …’

In a sudden movement he pulled out a gun from an inside pocket and fired two shots. I felt a sudden hot tearing pain, as if a red-hot iron had been pressed against the top of my leg. There was a crash as Holmes’s gun came down on Evans’s head. I saw the man lying on the floor with blood running down his face, while Holmes searched him for other weapons. Then my friend’s arms were round me and he was leading me to a chair.

‘You’re not hurt, Watson? Oh, please say that you’re not hurt!’

I did not mind the wound – I would not have minded many wounds – because if I had not been hit I should never have known the loyalty and love that Holmes felt for me, feelings which he almost always hid beneath his unemotional expression and manner. For a moment I saw tears in those clear, hard eyes of his; and the firm lips were shaking. I suddenly realized that Holmes had a great heart as well as a great mind. That moment of realization was my reward for years of service.

‘It’s nothing, Holmes. It’s just a small wound.’

He had made a long tear in my trousers with his pocket knife.

‘You are right!’ he cried. ‘The skin is hardly broken.’ He turned to our prisoner and gave him a cold, hard look. ‘It is a lucky thing for you. If you had killed Watson, you would not have got out of this room alive. Now, sir, what have you got to say?’

He had nothing to say. He only lay there and looked at us with a child’s anger. I leaned on Holmes’s arm, and together we looked down into the small room at the bottom of the hole in the floor. It was still lit by the lamp which Evans had taken down with him. We saw a lot of old machinery, great rolls of paper, a quantity of bottles, and – tidily arranged on a small table – a number of neat little piles.

‘A printing press – for printing forged notes,’ said Holmes.

‘Yes, sir,’ said our prisoner, struggling to his feet and then sinking into a chair. ‘Prescott was the greatest forger there has ever been in London. That’s his machine, and those piles on the table are 2,000 of his bank notes. Each of them is worth a hundred pounds and is good enough to pass for real money. Help yourselves, gentlemen, and let me go. Let’s make a deal!’

Holmes laughed.

‘We don’t do things like that in this country, Mr Evans. You shot this man Prescott, didn’t you?’

‘Yes, sir, and I was sent to prison for five years for doing it, though it was he who pulled out his gun first. Five years in prison – when I ought to have been given a reward by the King! There isn’t a man living who could see the difference between a Prescott note and a Bank of England one, and if I hadn’t killed him, he would have filled London with them. I was the only man in the world who knew where he made them. Can you blame me for wanting to get to the place? And when I found the old bone collector with the unusual name sitting right on top of it, of course I had to do what I could to get rid of him. Perhaps it would have been wiser simply to shoot him. It would have been very easy to do that, but I have a soft heart and can’t begin shooting unless the other man has a gun too. But, Mr Holmes, what have I done wrong? I haven’t used that machinery down there. I haven’t hurt old Mr Garrideb. What crime are you charging me with?’

‘Only attempted murder, I think,’ said Holmes. ‘But that isn’t our job. It will be a matter for Scotland Yard. Just ring them up, Watson, would you, please? The call won’t be completely unexpected.’

So those were the facts about Killer Evans and his invention of the three Garridebs. We heard later that our poor old friend Mr Nathan Garrideb never got over the disappointment of not receiving any of the Garrideb money. (…)

It was a happy day at Scotland Yard when the Prescott machinery was discovered; they knew that it existed, but after Prescott’s death they had never been able to find out where it was. Many high officials at the Yard could now sleep more peacefully at night, and felt so grateful to Evans for leading them to Prescott’s press that they would gladly have given him the reward of which he had spoken. But the judge took a less favourable view of the case, and Killer Evans was sent back to the prison which he had so recently left.

*

After finishing the last sentence of the story, the room fell silent for a moment.

Suddenly, Jane looked at the window. ‘Hey, do you guys notice something strange?’ she asked, pointing. ‘The window’s slightly open, but it was closed when we arrived at the cabin, and we didn’t open it, did we?’

The others turned to look, intrigued.

‘No, we didn’t,’ Matt confirmed. ‘Maybe it was the wind?’

Jane shook her head. ‘But there’s no draught, and the curtains aren’t moving.’

‘Look closer,’ said Mila. ‘There’s a vase with flowers on the windowsill, and it wasn’t there before.’

They all walked over to the window. Matt looked outside. ‘Look!’ he cried. ‘There are footprints in the wet soil!’

‘Yes, and they’re very small,’ Luke noticed. ‘I think it was children who opened the window from the outside and placed the flowers there while we were upstairs. Mr Green must have hired them to welcome us this way.’

‘What other tasks will the children be responsible for?’ Matt wondered aloud.

‘Wow!’ laughed Mila. ‘We’re starting to think like Sherlock Holmes! Mr Green’s lessons are already kicking in.’

The others laughed as well, but deep down, they all felt a bit wiser. The cabin was now filled with the warmth of their shared experience.

‘I know this might sound like a cliché, but I believe this is the beginning of our adventure in reading,’ said Mila.

‘And in learning to see the world with new eyes,’ added Luke.

‘Yeah,’ agreed Kelly. ‘There’s so much to discover if you just pay attention.’

∞ The end ∞

[Materiał własny; zawiera fragmenty opowiadania “The Three Garridebs” z Sherlock Holmes Short Stories autorstwa Sir Arthura Conana Doyle’a; z serii Penguin Readers; wyd. Pearson Education Limited

Słowniczek:

Zaleca się posłuchać wymowy nowych słów, np. w słowniku https://www.diki.pl/

slope – zbocze
cabin – chata (np. w górach)
cosy – przytulny
glow – 1) świecić się, jarzyć się 2) poświata, blask
particularly – szczególnie
be fond of sth – bardzo coś lubić
opportunity – możliwość, okazja
a five-day stay – pięciodniowy pobyt
appeal to sb – podobać się, przemawiać do kogoś
none of them – żadne z nich
be keen on sth – lubić coś, być zapalonym do czegoś, przepadać za czymś
tempting – kuszący
pass up – przepuścić, przegapić (np. okazję)
charming – uroczy
remind sb of sth / sb – przypominać komuś coś / kogoś
in a friendly way – przyjacielsko, przyjaźnie, serdecznie
look beyond the obvious – dostrzec więcej niż to, co wydaje się oczywiste
take turns – zmieniać się, robić coś na zmianę
case – 1) sprawa, przypadek 2) opakowanie, obudowa
amusement – rozbawienie
disappoint – rozczarować
employ – zatrudnić
effort – wysiłek
you have …. haven’t you? – nieprawdaż? Zwróć uwagę, że w tekście jest więcej tego typu wyrażeń, tzw. question tags (tłumaczonych jako: prawda? nieprawdaż? dobrze?). Różnią się one konstrukcją, w zależności od zdania głównego.
suspicion – podejrzenie, nieufność
patience – cierpliwość
affair – sprawa, kwestia
explain to sb – wyjaśnić komuś
take pride in sth – być dumnym z czegoś
according to sth – zgodnie z czymś, według czegoś
will / last will – ostatnia wola, testament
property – własność, mienie, nieruchomość
set out – wyruszyć
charge – 1) opłata, koszt 2) zarzut oskarżenie
advertisement – ogłoszenie
town council – rada miejska
lie – 1) kłamstwo, kłamać
lie – 2) leżeć (lie – lay – lain; lying – leżący)
arrive in – przybyć do (państwa, miasta); arrive at – przybyć do (miejsca / budynku)
I would rather do sth – wolałbym raczej coś zrobić
common – 1) wspólny 2) pospolity
scattered – porozrzucane
be interested in sth – interesować się czymś
carriage – tutaj: powóz
handle – radzić sobie z czymś; zajmować się czymś (np. problemem lub sytuacją)
few – mało, niewiele (dotyczy rzeczowników policzalnych)
insult – zniewaga, obraza
appointment – spotkanie (umówione spotkanie np. służbowe, z lekarzem)
plow (amer); plough (bryt) – pług
inquiry – dochodzenie, śledztwo
signed – podpisany
statement – oświadczenie
refuse – odmówić
see sb off – odprowadzić kogoś
I wish I could – żałuję, że nie mogę
object to sth – sprzeciwiać się czemuś, mieć coś przeciwko
improve – polepszać, poprawiać, udoskonalać
lack sth – nie mieć czegoś, brakować czegoś
remarkably – niezwykle, wybitnie, wielce
thorough – dokładny, skrupulatny
influence – wpływ
quarrel – kłótnia, sprzeczka
forger – fałszerz; forge – fałszować, podrabiać
move in – wprowadzić się
clue – wskazówka, sugestia
spring lock – zamek z zapadką sprężynową
cleverness – pomysłowość, inteligencja, spryt
involved in sth – zaangażowany w coś, uwikłany w coś
tool – narzędzie
knelt down – ukląkł (kneel down – uklęknąć)
wrist – nadgarstek
in spite of – pomimo
wound – rana
reward – nagroda
printing press – prasa drukarska
struggle – wysilać się, zmagać się
help yourself – proszę bardzo, weź sobie; help yourselves – weźcie sobie
make a deal – zawrzeć układ, zrobić interes
blame sb for sth – winić kogoś za coś
get rid of sth/sb – pozbyć się czegoś / kogoś
grateful to sb for sth – wdzięczny komuś za coś
confirm – potwierdzić
draught – przeciąg
windowsill – parapet okienny
soil – gleba
hire – najmować, zatrudniać
kick in – zacząć działać (np. lekarstwo), wejść w życie
deep down – w głębi duszy, w głębi serca
cliché – frazes, banał

SENTENCJE
DLA SZKÓŁ BRANŻOWYCH KL. I-III oraz TECHNIKUM i LICEUM KL. I-II 

1. To read is to live more; it is to live more intensively – Czytać – to żyć bardziej, to żyć intensywniej.
   Carlos Ruiz Zafón
2. Reading is an antidote to the disappearance of silence in a noisy world – Czytanie to antidotum na zniknięcie ciszy w hałaśliwym świecie.
   Agnes Roy
3. Something very magical can happen when you read a good book – Coś bardzo magicznego może się wydarzyć, gdy czytasz dobrą książkę
   J.K. Rowling
4. Diligence is the mother of good luck – Pilność jest matką powodzenia.
   Benjamin Franklin
5. Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you will land among the stars – Celuj w księżyc. Nawet jeśli nie trafisz, wylądujesz wśród gwiazd.
   Les Brown
6. Life has as many colours as you are able to find in it – Życie ma tyle kolorów, ile potrafisz w nim znaleźć
   Unknown
7. Wolves don’t care about what the rams think of them – Wilki nie przejmują się tym, co sądzą o nich barany
   Unknown
8. Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow – Ucz się z dnia wczorajszego, żyj dniem dzisiejszym, pokładaj nadzieję na jutro.
   Albert Einstein
9. We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone – Nie możemy pomóc każdemu, ale każdy może pomóc komuś
   Ronald Reagan
10. Not all those who wander are lost – Nie wszyscy ci, którzy błądzą, są zgubieni
   J. R. R. Tolkien
11. Happiness is not about getting all you want; it is about enjoying all you have – Szczęście nie polega na zdobywaniu wszystkiego, czego pragniesz, lecz na cieszeniu się tym, co już masz
   Buddhist proverb

PIOSENKI 
DLA SZKÓŁ BRANŻOWYCH KL. I-III oraz TECHNIKUM i LICEUM KL. I-II

Podane linki odsyłają do nagrań  z dodanym zapisem słów piosenek oraz do ich tłumaczenia. Proszę zwrócić uwagę na to, że tłumaczenie na portalu tekstowo.pl jest amatorskie, więc mogą zdarzyć się pewne niedociągnięcia.

1. Stay Beautiful – Taylor Swift

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRDzn4bPkvc&list=PL5dfn402jj4nosZJdFsggiFaWaeBriv6q&index=9

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,taylor_swift,stay_beautiful.html

Wyrażenie if it don’t zostało stworzone na potrzeby piosenki, ale jest gramatycznie niepoprawne. Właściwa forma to if it doesn’t. Również zwrot: There’s pretty girls jest niepoprawny; powinno być There are pretty girls.

2. The Sound Of Silence – Disturbed (CYRIL Remix), Simon & Garfunkel (2 wersje)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P7vSmlZEh8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCtouot15cA

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,simon__garfunkel,the_sound_of_silence,strona,8.html

3. Wings – Birdy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0_TKe27ABc

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,birdy,wings.html 

4. River – Charlie Puth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-rqD7l16uY

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,charlie_puth_,river.html

5. Die with a Smile – Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FODhNe9FrH0

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

6. Happy Together – Miley Cyrus, The Turtles (2 wersje)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6GB60iGL8s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiPcgmSQ5uI

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,miley_cyrus,happy_together.html

7. Nazareth – Where Are You Now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiSsBhIUCB8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sX4w0OOMYeY

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,nazareth,where_are_you_now.html

MATERIAŁY  PRZYGOTOWAWCZE 

DLA TECHNIKUM KL. III – V oraz LICEUM KL. III i IV

EDYCJA JESIENNA 2024

OPOWIADANIE
DLA KL. III – V TECHNIKUM oraz KL. III i IV LICEUM

Masters of Deduction

 ‘So, you three want to be detectives, don’t you?’ Miss Wilson asked with a smile, as she welcomed her nephew, Ethan, and his two friends into the large room. She was an elderly, distinguished lady, with her slightly silver hair neatly pinned up.

‘Who does the woman remind me of?’ thought Ella. ‘Maybe a character from a book?’

Miss Wilson, a retired police officer who had experienced a lot, had agreed to give them some tips for their upcoming exam.

‘I’m glad you came here,’ she said and added, ‘Excuse me for a moment.’ When she left the room, Ella and David looked around with delight. There were several stylish, old-fashioned pieces of furniture there that reflected the owner’s personality.

Soon, Ethan’s aunt was back, carrying a tray with home-made cookies and cups of fragrant tea.

‘I wish I had known earlier how tough this criminology exam would be,’ sighed Ella reaching for a cookie.

‘Miss Wilson, what’s the best way to prepare?’ asked David. ‘I mean, besides studying the textbooks.’

‘Above all, read books, especially detective stories,’ Miss Wilson answered. ‘They teach you to be observant, to think logically, and to see connections where others might not.’

‘So, you think we can improve our minds by reading?’ asked David.

‘Exactly,’ Miss Wilson confirmed. ‘And remember,’ she added, laughing, ‘unlike in the movies, rarely do criminals misplace their buttons at the crime scene.’

Everyone burst out laughing, and the exam stress simply vanished. The three friends felt grateful to Miss Wilson for creating such a relaxing atmosphere.

 After a moment, Ethan’s aunt suggested, ‘How about reading a detective story together?’

‘Great idea! We’d love to!’ everyone agreed enthusiastically.

‘So, let’s start with a story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,’ Miss Wilson said, taking a book from the antique bookcase. ‘Pay attention to the way Sherlock Holmes draws conclusions from small details. A great example is the short message to one of the characters in the story, from which he was able to find the house that was crucial to the case.’

Miss Wilson handed the book to Ella, and then the girl began to read aloud.

*

It was a cold and windy day towards the end of March. Sherlock Holmes and I were sitting at lunch when there was a knock at the door and a telegram was brought in. Holmes read it and quickly wrote a reply, but he said nothing to me about it. The matter must have remained in his thoughts, though, as he kept looking at the telegram. At last, after lunch, he read it out loud to me:
Have just had a strange experience. May I consult you?
Scott Eccles, Post Office, Charing Cross. (…)

‘And did you agree to see Mr Scott Eccles?’

‘My dear Watson, need you ask? You know how much I enjoy exercising my brain.’ Just then there was the sound of footsteps on the stairs. ‘Ah! Here comes our visitor now.’

The visitor was tall, fat and very serious. His grey hair stuck out from his head and his red face seemed to be swollen with anger.

‘I have had a very strange and unpleasant experience, Mr Holmes,’ he said immediately, ‘and I have come to you for an explanation!’

‘Please sit down, Mr Scott Eccles,’ said Holmes gently. ‘Now tell me exactly why you have come to me.’

‘Well, sir, there has been no crime, and so I could not go to the police. But when you have heard the facts, you must admit that I could not leave the matter where it was. (…) I made some inquiries of my own before coming to you. I went to the property company first. They told me that Mr Garcia has paid his rent and that everything is in order at Wisteria House.’

‘My dear sir,’ Holmes said with a laugh, ‘you are like my friend Dr Watson, who has a bad habit of beginning his stories at the end. Please arrange your thoughts and let me know exactly which events have sent you out in search of advice and help. Begin at the beginning.’

But there was an interruption. Mrs Hudson showed Tobias Gregson and another police officer into the room. Gregson was a Scotland Yard detective. He shook hands with Holmes, and introduced the other officer as Mr Baynes of the Surrey police. Then he turned to Mr Scott Eccles.

‘Are you Mr John Scott Eccles, of Popham House, Lee?’

‘Yes, I am.’

‘We have been following you about all morning.’

‘But why? What do you want?’ he asked.

‘We want a statement from you,’ said Gregson, ‘about the death of Mr Aloysius Garcia, of Wisteria House, near Esher.’

Mr Scott Eccles’s face was white now. ‘Dead? Did you say he was dead?’

‘Yes, sir, he died last night.’

‘But how did he die? Was it an accident?’

‘It was murder, without any doubt.’

‘Oh God! This is terrible! You don’t mean – you don’t mean that I am suspected?’

‘A letter of yours was found in the dead man’s pocket. It shows that you were intending to spend last night at his house.’

‘And so I did.’

‘Ah!’ Gregson took out his notebook.

‘Wait a moment, Gregson,’ said Holmes. ‘You want a plain statement from Mr Scott Eccles, don’t you?’

‘And it is my duty to warn Mr Scott Eccles that it may be used against him.’

‘Mr Scott Eccles was going to tell us about it when you entered the room. Give our friend a glass of brandy, please, Watson. Now, sir, please try to forget the presence of these police officers and tell us everything.’

Our visitor swallowed his brandy, and the colour began to return to his face.

‘I am unmarried,’ he began, ‘and I have many friends. One of these is Mr Melville, an older gentleman who lives in Kensington. A few weeks ago I went to dinner at the Melvilles and they introduced me to a young man called Garcia. He told me that he worked for the Spanish government in London, but he spoke perfect English. He was very good-looking and had excellent manners. He seemed to like me very much, and only two days later he came to see me at Lee. Before long he invited me to spend a few days at his house, Wisteria House, between Esher and Oxshott in Surrey. I arranged to begin my visit yesterday evening.

‘Garcia had already described his household to me. There was a Spanish servant and an excellent American-Indian cook.

‘I hired a carriage at Esher Station. Wisteria House is about two miles away, on the south side of the village. It is quite a big house, in its own grounds, but is in extremely poor condition.

‘Garcia opened the door to me himself, and gave me a very friendly welcome. Then the Spanish servant showed me to my bedroom. He seemed as dark and sad as the house itself.

‘At dinner I was the only guest. Garcia did his best to entertain me, but I could see that his thoughts were wandering. He kept drumming with his fingers on the table and he seemed to be very impatient. The meal itself was neither well cooked nor well served. Many times that evening I wished I had been back at home.

‘Towards the end of dinner the servant brought Garcia a note. I noticed that my host’s behaviour became even stranger after he had read it. He no longer attempted to make conversation, but only sat and smoked. At about eleven o’clock I went to bed. Some time later Garcia looked in at my door and asked me if I had rung the bell. I said that I had not. He said he was sorry about coming to my room so late; it was, he told me, nearly one o’clock. When he had gone I fell asleep, and I did not wake up until almost nine. I had asked the Spanish servant to call me at eight, and I was surprised at his forgetfulness. I jumped out of bed and rang the bell. Nobody came. I rang again and again, but still nothing happened. I thought that perhaps the bell was out of order. I dressed quickly and then ran angrily downstairs to order some hot water, but there was no one there. I shouted in the hall. There was no answer. Then I ran from room to room. There was nobody anywhere. I knocked at Garcia’s bedroom door. No reply. I turned the handle and walked in. The room was empty, and the bed had not been slept in. He too had gone! The foreign host, the foreign servant, the foreign cook – all had disappeared in the night! That was the end of my visit to Wisteria House.’

Sherlock Holmes rubbed his hands with pleasure. ‘And what did you do next?’ he asked.

‘I was very angry. At first I thought it was a joke. I packed my bag, left the house, and walked into Esher. I called at Allan Brothers, the main property company in the village, and asked some questions about Mr Garcia and Wisteria House. I thought that perhaps Garcia had gone away suddenly in order to avoid paying the rent. But the man there thanked me for warning them, and told me that Garcia had paid the rent several months ahead. (…) After this I went to see Melville, at whose house I had first met Garcia, but he really knew very little about the man.

Then I sent that telegram to you. A friend of mine had mentioned your name to me: he said you gave advice in difficult cases.’

Mr Scott Eccles turned now to Gregson. ‘I have told the whole truth, officer. I know nothing more about Mr Garcia and his death. I only want to help the police in every possible way.’

‘I’m sure of that, Mr Scott Eccles,’ answered Gregson. ‘Your story agrees perfectly with all the facts of the case. For example, there was that note which arrived during dinner at Wisteria House. What did Garcia do with it after he had read it?’

‘He rolled it up and threw it into the fire.’

‘Well, Mr Baynes?’ asked Gregson, turning to the other police officer. Baynes was a country detective, a fat man with a red face and bright, clever eyes. He smiled and took a small piece of paper out of his pocket. Its edges were burnt.

‘Garcia threw badly,’ he said. ‘The letter was only slightly burnt, as it fell into the fireplace and not into the fire. Shall I read it out loud to these gentlemen, Mr Gregson?’

‘Certainly, Mr Baynes.’

‘It says: “Our own colours, green and white. Green open, white shut. Main stairs, first passage, seventh on the right, green door. D.” The note is written on cream-coloured paper. It has been folded over three times and is addressed to Mr Garcia, Wisteria House. The letter is in a woman’s handwriting, but we think the address was written by someone else.’

‘But what has happened to Garcia?’ asked Mr Scott Eccles.

‘He was found dead this morning in a field near Oxshott, about a mile from his home. It’s a lonely place, and the nearest house is a quarter of a mile away.’

‘Had he been robbed?’ asked Holmes.

‘No, there was no attempt at robbery,’ replied Baynes.

‘All this is terrible,’ said Mr Scott Eccles, ‘but why am I mixed up in the affair?’

‘Because the only paper in Mr Garcia’s pocket was your letter, sir,’ answered Baynes. ‘It was the envelope of this letter which gave us the dead man’s name and address. When we reached his house at half past nine this morning, we found neither you nor anyone else inside. Mr Gregson tracked you down at Charing Cross Post Office by means of your telegram.’ (…)

‘Mr Baynes, do you know exactly when the man was killed?’ asked Holmes.

‘He had been lying in the field since one o’clock. There was rain at about that time, and the murder certainly happened before the rain.’

‘But that is quite impossible, Mr Baynes!’ cried Scott Eccles. ‘He spoke to me in my bedroom at one o’clock.’

‘It is certainly strange,’ said Sherlock Holmes with a smile, ‘but not impossible.’

‘Have you formed any opinion about this affair, Watson?’ asked Holmes, later the same afternoon.

‘As the servants have disappeared, I think that perhaps they were concerned in the crime,’ I said.

‘It is possible,’ he said. ‘But why should they attack him on the one night when he had a guest?’

‘But why did they run away?’ I objected.

‘That, Watson, is the problem. Mr Scott Eccles’s strange experience is also a mystery. Why should a pleasant young man like Garcia want the friendship of a rather stupid middle-aged person like Scott Eccles? What is Scott Eccles’s most noticeable quality? He is clearly an honest man, an old-fashioned Englishman whom other Englishmen believe and trust. You saw how those two policemen accepted his strange story! Garcia wanted him as a witness, Watson.’

‘But what was he supposed to witness?’

‘He could have sworn that his host was at home at one o’clock this morning. When Garcia told him it was one, it was probably no later than midnight.’

‘What is your explanation of the message? “Our own colours, green and white—”’

‘That sounds like a horse race,’ Holmes replied. ‘And “Green open, white shut” must be a signal. The rest of the note seems to be an appointment. There may be a jealous husband somewhere in this case. Then there is the signature –’

‘The man was a Spaniard. Perhaps the letter D stands for Dolores, since that is a common female name in Spain.’

‘Good, Watson, very good – but quite impossible. A Spaniard would write to another Spaniard in Spanish. The writer of this note is certainly English. The affair is still very mysterious. I have sent a telegram which may bring us some helpful information.’

When the answer to Holmes’s telegram came, he passed it across to me. It was only a list of names and addresses. ‘“Lord Harringby,” ’ I read, ‘“The Dingle; Sir George Ffolliott, Oxshott

Towers; Mr Hynes, Purdey Place; Mr Henderson, High Gable …” I don’t quite understand, Holmes.’

‘My dear friend, have you forgotten the message that “D” sent to Garcia? “Main stairs, first passage, seventh on the right…” The house we are looking for has more than one staircase, and one of the passages contains at least seven doors. It must be a very large house, Watson, and it is probably within a mile or two of Oxshott. My telegram was to Allan Brothers, the property company. I asked them to send me a list of all the large houses in the Oxshott area, and here it is.’

We travelled down to Esher by train later in the afternoon and took rooms in the village at the Bull Hotel. We went along to Wisteria House with Mr Baynes that evening. The house was in darkness, except for a low light in one window on the ground floor.

‘There’s a policeman inside,’ Baynes explained. ‘I’ll knock at the window.’ He crossed the grass and knocked on the glass. I heard a cry and saw a policeman jump up nervously from his chair. A moment later he opened the front door to us. He was shaking violently.

‘What’s the matter, Walters?’ asked Baynes.

‘I am glad you have come, sir. It has been a long wait; it’s a lonely, silent house, and that strange thing in the kitchen, too.

When you knocked at the window, I thought the devil had come again.’

‘What do you mean?’ Baynes asked sharply. (…)

 ‘It was about two hours ago. It was just beginning to get dark. I was reading. I don’t know what made me look up, but there was a horrible face at the window. I shall see it in my dreams, sir.’

‘A policeman should never talk in that way, Walters.’

‘I know, sir. But it really frightened me. It wasn’t black, sir, and it wasn’t white. It was a kind of light brown. And it was very large, sir – twice the size of your face. And it had big eyes, and great white teeth like a wild animal’s.’

‘I think you must have been dreaming, Walters!’ said Baynes.

‘We can easily find out,’ said Holmes. He lit his small pocket lamp and looked closely at the grass outside the window. ‘Yes, a size twelve shoe, I think. He must have been a big man.’

‘Where did he go?’ I asked.

‘He seems to have walked through these bushes.’

‘Well,’ said Baynes, ‘we have other things to think of now, Mr Holmes. Let me show you the kitchen.’

This was a high, dark room at the back of the house. We saw a pile of straw and a few bedclothes. It appeared that the cook slept there. (…)

‘Look at this,’ said Baynes. ‘What do you think it is?’

He held up his lamp to let us see a strange object on top of a cupboard. It was a black, leathery, dried-up thing shaped like a baby or a small monkey. A band of seashells was tied round it. (…)

‘Interesting!’ said Holmes. ‘Very interesting! Well, there is nothing more for me to do here. Thank you, Mr Baynes. Good night and good luck!’

Over the next few days, Holmes told me nothing of the results of his inquiries. One day he visited a library in London, but he spent most of his time in country walks around Esher and

Oxshott. He pretended to be a collector of rare plants, but he spent many hours in conversation with the village people. His plant box was usually almost empty in the evenings when he came back to the hotel where we were staying.

About five days after the crime I opened my morning paper and saw in large letters:

THE OXSHOTT MYSTERY
A SOLUTION
MURDERER CAUGHT

When I read this out to Holmes, he jumped out of his chair as if he had been stung.

‘Good heavens!’ he cried. ‘So Baynes has got him?’

‘It appears that he has,’ I replied, and read the report out loud to him.

‘Great excitement was caused in Esher and the neighbouring area last night when a man was charged in connection with the Oxshott murder. Our readers will remember that Mr Garcia, of Wisteria House, was found dead near Oxshott last week. On the same night his servant and his cook disappeared. Their flight seemed to show that they had something to do with the murder. The police thought that the dead man might have had gold or jewels in the house, and that robbery was the real reason for the crime. Mr Baynes of the Surrey police made great efforts to track the two servants down. He believed that they had not gone far, and that it would be easy to find their hiding place. The cook in particular was a man of very noticeable appearance, a large, dark-skinned foreigner. This man was seen by one of Baynes’s men, Walters, at Wisteria House on the day after the crime. After this, Mr Baynes decided to move his men from the house to the grounds, where they hid behind the trees every evening. The cook walked into this trap last night. In the struggle, one of the policemen, was badly bitten, but the man was overpowered and taken to the police station. We are told that the prisoner has been charged with the murder of Mr Garcia.’

‘We must see Baynes immediately!’ cried Holmes, picking up his hat.

The house where Baynes was staying was only a short distance away. We hurried down the village street and found that he was just leaving.

‘You’ve seen the paper, Mr Holmes?’ he asked, holding one out to us.

‘Yes, Baynes, I’ve seen it. Please don’t be angry with me if I give you a word of friendly warning.’

‘Of warning, Mr Holmes?’

‘I have looked into the case very carefully, and I think you may be making a mistake. I don’t want you to do anything unless you are sure.’

‘You’re very kind, Mr Holmes.’

‘I am only speaking for your own good.’

It seemed to me that Mr Baynes closed one of his eyes for a moment and gave a slight smile.

‘You have your methods, Mr Holmes, and I have mine.’

‘Oh, very good,’ said Holmes. ‘But don’t blame me if things go wrong.’

‘No, sir. I believe you mean well. But I am dealing with this case in my own way.’

‘Let us say no more about it …’

‘But let me tell you about the cook. He’s a wild man, as strong as a carthorse and as violent as the devil. He hardly speaks a word of English, and only makes noises in his throat like an animal.’

‘And you think that he murdered his master?’

‘I didn’t say so, Mr Holmes; I didn’t say so. We all have our own methods. You can try yours and I will try mine.’

 ‘I don’t understand Baynes at all,’ said Holmes as we walked away together. ‘He seems to be on completely the wrong track. Well, as he says, each of us must try his own way. We shall see the results!’

When we were back in our sitting room at the Bull Hotel, Holmes asked me to sit down.

‘I have many things to tell you about this case, Watson,’ he said. ‘And I may need your help tonight.

‘First of all,’ he went on, ‘I have been thinking about the note that Garcia received on the evening of the murder. We can dismiss the idea that his servants had anything to do with his death. It was Garcia who was planning a crime that night. It was he who invited Scott Eccles, the perfect witness. And it was he who lied to him about the time. I believe Garcia died in the course of a criminal adventure.

‘Who, then,’ Holmes continued, ‘is most likely to have taken his life? Surely the person against whom Garcia’s criminal plan was directed.

‘We can now see a reason for the disappearance of the people in Garcia’s house. They were all involved in his plan. If the plan had succeeded, Garcia would have returned home and Scott Eccles would have been useful to him as a witness. All would have been well. But the attempt was a dangerous one, and if Garcia did not return by a certain time the servants would know he was probably dead. It had been arranged, therefore, that in such a case they would escape to their hiding place. From that hiding place they could make another attempt to carry out the plan. That would fully explain the facts, wouldn’t it?’

The mystery seemed much clearer to me now. I wondered, as I always did with Holmes, why I had not thought of the explanation myself.

‘But why should one of the servants return to Wisteria House?’ I objected.

‘I think that perhaps in the confusion of flight, something valuable, something he could not bear to lose, had been left behind. That would explain both his visits, wouldn’t it?’

‘Yes, you’re right,’ I said. ‘But you were going to tell me about the note that Garcia received at dinner on the evening of the murder.’

‘Ah, yes. That note shows that the woman who wrote it was involved in the plan too. But where was she? I have already shown you that the place could only be some large house, and that the number of large houses is limited. Since we arrived in Esher I have looked at all these houses and made inquiries about their owners. One house, and only one, especially attracted my attention. This was the famous old house called High Gable, one mile out of Oxshott. High Gable is less than half a mile from the place where Garcia’s body was found. The other big houses belong to ordinary, old-fashioned people to whom nothing exciting ever happens. But Mr Henderson, of High Gable, is certainly an unusual man – a man who would be likely to have strange adventures. I therefore decided to give all my attention to Mr Henderson and the people in his house.

‘They are a strange set of people, Watson. The man himself is the strangest of them all. I managed to think of a reason for asking to see him. But I think he guessed my real purpose. He is about fifty years old, strong and active, with grey hair and dark, deep-set eyes. He is a strong, hard, masterful man. Either he is a foreigner or else he has spent most of his life in very hot countries. His face is like leather. There is no doubt that his friend and secretary, Mr Lucas, is a foreigner. He is chocolate brown, a cat-like person with a very gentle, polite voice. Gentle, but poisonous, and evil, I am sure. You see, Watson, we now know of two separate groups of foreigners — one at Wisteria House and the other at High Gable. I think we shall find the solution of our mystery in the connection between these two groups.

‘Henderson and Lucas, who are close and trusted friends, are at the centre of the High Gable group. But there is one other person who may be even more important to us in our present inquiries. Henderson has two young daughters. One is thirteen and the other is eleven. They are taught by a lady called Miss Burnet. She is an Englishwoman, about forty years old. I am particularly interested in Miss Burnet, Watson. There is also one personal servant – a man.

‘This little group forms the real family. They all travel about together. Henderson is a great traveller and is always on the move.

‘It is only within the last few weeks that he has returned to High Gable after being away for a whole year. He is extremely rich, you see. He can easily afford to satisfy any desire as soon as he becomes conscious of it.

‘The house is full of other servants of every kind. You know what the servants of a large English country house are like. They have very little work to do, but they eat meat four times a day!

‘Servants can be very useful to a detective, you know. There is no better way of getting information than making friends with one of them. I was lucky enough to find a former gardener of Henderson’s. His name is John Warner. Henderson dismissed him recently in a moment of temper. Luckily Warner still has friends among the High Gable servants, who all greatly fear and dislike their master. So I had a key to all the secrets of the place.

‘And what a strange group of people it is, Watson! I don’t understand everything yet, but it is certainly unusual. There are two wings to the house. The servants live on one side and the family on the other. The only connection between the two is Henderson’s own personal servant, who serves the family’s meals. Everything is carried to a certain door in the servants’ wing. This door is the only one that communicates with the other wing of the house. The girls and their teacher hardly ever go out, except into the garden. And Henderson never goes out alone. His dark secretary is like his shadow. The servants say that their master is terribly afraid of something. Warner says that he has sold his soul to the devil in exchange for money. Nobody knows where the Hendersons came from, or who they are. They are very violent people. Twice Henderson has struck people with his whip, and has had to pay them a lot of money in order to stay out of the courts.

‘Well, now, Watson, all this new information should help us to judge the situation. It seems certain that the letter came out of this strange house. I believe it was an invitation to Garcia to carry out some attempt which had already been planned. Who can have written the note? It was someone inside the house, and it was a woman. Isn’t the only possible person Miss Burnet, the teacher?

All our reasoning seems to support that idea. But Miss Burnet’s age and character make any idea of a love affair impossible.

‘Let’s say she wrote the note, then she must have been involved in her friend Garcia’s plan. Now he died in trying to carry out that plan.

So she must have felt great bitterness and hatred towards their enemies. She must want revenge, Watson. Could we see her, then, and try to use her?

‘That was my first thought. But Miss Burnet has not been seen since the night of the murder. She has completely disappeared. Is she still alive? Or was she perhaps killed on the night of Garcia’s death? Or is she only being kept prisoner somewhere? If so, her life may still be in danger.

‘Unfortunately the police cannot help us here. It would not be possible to get a court order to search the place. We still lack proof. So I am watching the house. I am employing Warner to stand on guard near the gates. But we can’t let this situation continue. If the law can do nothing, we must take the risk ourselves.’

‘What do you suggest?’ I asked.

‘I know which Miss Burnet’s room is. There is a low roof outside the window. My suggestion is that you and I go there tonight and climb in.’

This idea did not seem very attractive to me. (…) But I could never refuse Holmes anything; his reasoning always persuaded me. I knew that his plan was the only way of solving the mystery of Garcia’s death. I pressed his hand silently to show that I would be ready for even the wildest adventure.

But our inquiries did not have such an adventurous ending. It was about five o’clock, and the shadows of the March evening were beginning to fall, when a countryman rushed into our sitting room in a state of great excitement.

‘They’ve gone, Mr Holmes. They went by the last train. The lady ran away, and I’ve got her in a carriage down below.’

‘Excellent, Warner!’ cried Holmes, jumping to his feet. ‘We shall know the solution very soon now, Watson.’

The woman in the carriage seemed to be very weak and tired. Her head hung down, but she slowly raised it to look up at us.

Her face was thin and sad. In the centre of each of her dull eyes, I saw the signs of opium. She had been drugged!

‘I watched the gates, as you told me to, Mr Holmes,’ said Warner, Henderson’s former gardener. ‘When the carriage came out I followed it to the station. She was like a person walking in her sleep. But when they tried to get her into the train she came to life and struggled. They pushed her in, but she fought her way out again. I took her arm and helped her. I got her into a carriage, and here we are. I shan’t easily forget the master’s face at the window of that train! I could see murder in his eyes. The black-eyed devil!’

We carried Miss Burnet upstairs and laid her on one of the beds. Two cups of the strongest coffee quickly cleared her brain from the mists of opium.

Mr Baynes, whom we had sent for immediately, shook Holmes by the hand. ‘Well done, Mr Holmes! I was on the same track as you from the first.’ (…)

 ‘Then why did you lock up Garcia’s cook?’

Baynes laughed. ‘I took the wrong man in to make Henderson think he was safe,’ he said. ‘He would think we weren’t watching him. I knew he would be likely to run away then. That would give us a chance of getting hold of Miss Burnet.’

‘Tell me, Baynes, who is Henderson?’

‘Henderson is really Juan Murillo, who was once known as “the Tiger of San Pedro”. He was an evil Central American ruler who escaped from the area after an uprising against him, taking

with him many valuables belonging to the nation that he had governed with fear. He was a cruel, cold-hearted thief and everybody hated him.

‘Yes,’ Baynes continued, ‘he escaped. He completely disappeared, and none of his enemies knew where he was. But they wanted revenge, and they did not rest until they found him.

‘The national colours of San Pedro are green and white, as in Miss Burnet’s letter. Murillo called himself Henderson, but he had other names in Paris, Rome, Madrid and Barcelona. His enemies have only recently found his hiding place.’

‘They discovered him a year ago,’ said Miss Burnet, who had sat up and was listening with keen attention. ‘This time Garcia has been killed, but before long our plan will succeed and the

Tiger of San Pedro will be put to death!’ Her thin hands tightened with the violence of her hatred.

‘But why are you mixed up in these foreign political affairs, Miss Burnet?’ Holmes asked. ‘I must take part!’ she cried. ‘Through me this criminal will be punished. Justice will be done. He has carried out many murders and stolen so many valuables. To you his robberies and murders are just crimes that are done in some faraway place. But we know. We have learned the truth in sorrow and in suffering. To us there is no devil as bad as Juan Murillo. For us there can be no peace until we have had our revenge.’

‘No doubt he was a very bad ruler,’ said Holmes. ‘But how are you concerned in the affairs of the State of San Pedro?’

‘I will tell you everything. My real name is Mrs Victor Durando. My husband was the London representative of the San Pedro government. He met me and married me in this country. Oh, he was a fine, honest man! And because he was so honest, Murillo had him shot. All his property was taken away too.

‘Then came the uprising. A secret society was formed with the aim of punishing Juan Murillo for all his crimes. At last we managed to find out that Mr Henderson of High Gable, Oxshott, was really the Tiger of San Pedro. I was given the job of getting closer to him and watching all his movements. I smiled at him, carried out my duties with his children, and waited. The society

had attempted to kill him in Paris once before, but had failed.

‘It was not easy to plan our revenge. Aloysius Garcia and his two servants, all of whom had suffered under the evil rule of Murillo, came to live in the area. But Garcia could do little during the day, as the Tiger was very careful. He never went out alone. His friend Lucas, whose real name is Lopez, always went with him. But at night he slept alone. This gave us our chance. We arranged to make our attempt on a certain evening. Murillo often changed his bedroom, and it was necessary to send Garcia a note on the day itself. The signal of a green light in a window would mean that the doors were open and that it was safe. A white light would mean “Don’t come in tonight”.

‘But everything went wrong for us. Lopez, the secretary, became suspicious. He came up behind me quietly as I was writing the note, and jumped on me as soon as I had finished it.

He and his master dragged me to my room, and then discussed whether or not to murder me with their knives there and then.

In the end they decided that it would be too dangerous. But Garcia had to die! Murillo twisted my arm until I gave them the address. Lopez addressed the note which I had written. Then he sent Jose, the servant, with it. Murillo must have been responsible for the actual murder, as Lopez remained to guard me.

‘After that terrible night, they kept me locked in my room. Oh, they treated me very cruelly! They hardly gave me any food. This afternoon a good meal was brought in to me, but it must have contained opium.

The journey to the station was like a dream. But my energy came back at the station and I managed to break away, with the help of that kind gardener.’

About six months later Lord Montalva and Mr Rulli, his secretary, were murdered in their rooms at the Hotel Escorial in Madrid. The murderers were never caught. Mr Baynes came to see us in Baker Street, and showed us the newspaper report. The descriptions of the two men showed clearly who they really were. Justice had come at last to Murillo and Lopez.

‘It hasn’t been a very neat case, Watson,’ said Holmes later. ‘But everything seems clear now, doesn’t it?’

‘I still don’t understand why that cook returned to Wisteria House,’ I said.

‘There are some strange religions in the State of San Pedro, Watson. The cook came back for one of his gods.’ (…)

‘You mean that leathery black baby we found?’ I asked.

 ‘Exactly,’ replied Holmes. ‘Nothing out of the ordinary.’

*

‘Intriguing story,’ said David as Ella finished reading and closed the book.

‘And that’s exactly…’ Ella began, but Ethan suddenly interrupted. ‘Shh,’ he said, and quickly lay down, pressing his ear to the floor. ‘Someone’s in the basement,’ he whispered.

Miss Wilson laughed, ‘Ethan has been observant since he was born.’

A moment later, the others also began to hear increasingly loud noises coming from below. ‘Well, it looks like we have a practical lesson,’ said Miss Wilson smiling warmly. ‘Your task is to explain the situation and describe the source of those noises.’

‘Well,’ David started, ‘someone is fixing your bookshelf.’

‘How do you know it’s a bookshelf?’ asked Ella.

‘I spotted some books here without their place. You hardly noticed that, did you?’ David answered.

‘And he’s not a professional,’ Ethan added, ‘because his hammering is not regular.’

‘He’s a close acquaintance,’ Ella continued, ‘since he didn’t come here for the key. He’s considerate, as he didn’t enter because he didn’t want to disturb us. I’m sure you confided in him that we would be here.’

‘Very good,’ Miss Wilson nodded approvingly.

‘And he must be someone close to your heart, dear aunt, isn’t he?’ Ethan added.

‘Great heavens! How do you know that?’ Miss Wilson exclaimed.

‘From your warm smile and the blush on your face,’ Ethan answered with a smile.

Miss Wilson blushed even more and said, ‘Impressive! Rarely have I encountered such perceptiveness in people so young.’ Then she added, ‘I’m looking forward to seeing you all succeed.’

∞ The end ∞

[Materiał własny; zawiera fragmenty opowiadania “Wisteria House” ze zbioru  Sherlock Holmes Short Stories, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; z serii Penguin Readers; wyd. Pearson Education Limited]

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you want …, don’t you? – nieprawdaż? Zwróć uwagę, że w tekście jest więcej tego typu wyrażeń, tzw. question tags (tłumaczonych jako: prawda? nieprawdaż? dobrze?). Różnią się one konstrukcją, w zależności
od zdania głównego.
distinguished – dystyngowana, wytworna
neatly – starannie
pinned up – upięte
remind somebody of something/somebody – przypominać komuś coś/kogoś 
retired – emerytowany
upcoming – zbliżający się, nadchodzący
several – kilka
old-fashioned – staroświeckie
a piece of furniture – mebel
fragrant – aromatyczny, pachnący
I wish I had known – żałuję, że nie wiedziałam
sigh – westchnąć
observant – uważny, spostrzegawczy, wnikliwy
confirm – potwierdzić
rarely do criminals misplace – rzadko przestępcy zapodziewają (inwersja językowa)
crime scene – miejsce zbrodni
grateful to somebody for something – wdzięczny komuś za coś
crucial – istotne, kluczowe
stick out – wystawać (stick – stuck – stuck)
swollen – nabrzmiała,  napuchnięta
admit – przyznać, zgadzać się
inquiry – dochodzenie, śledztwo
property company – agencja nieruchomości
rent – czynsz
arrange – poukładać, porządkować, zorganizować
introduce – przedstawić
statement – oświadczenie
suspected – podejrzewany
warn – ostrzec, uprzedzić 
swallow – łyknąć, połknąć
government – rząd 
servant – służący
hire – wynająć
carriage – tutaj: powóz
entertain – zabawiać
wander – błądzić (np. myślami), wędrować
attempt – próbować, usiłować, próba  
he asked me if I had rung the bell – zadzwoniłem dzwonkiem (wcześniej)
forgetfulness – zapominalstwo, zaniedbanie
disappear – zniknąć 
rub – pocierać
burnt – przypalone
passage – tutaj: korytarz
affair – sprawa, afera
track somebody down – wytropić kogoś, znaleźć kogoś
lie – leżeć (lie – lay – lain; present participle: lying)
lie down – położyć się
since – od (często używane w czasach perfect do wskazania momentu rozpoczęcia jakiejś czynności lub stanu)
concerned in something – zaangażowany w coś
witness – świadek, być świadkiem
swear – przysięgać (swear – swore – sworn)
appointment – umówione spotkanie
devil – diabeł
bush – krzak
straw – słoma
leathery – chropowaty, skórzasty
pretend – udawać
stung – użądlony
charge somebody with something – oskarżać kogoś o coś, postawić zarzut (oficjalnie)
flight – ucieczka
effort – wysiłek, staranie
bite – ugryźć (bite – bit – bitten)
blame – winić
dismiss – odrzucić, zwolnić, wyrzucić (z pracy)
evil – zły, nikczemny, nieprzyjemny
desire – ochota, pragnienie
former – dawny, były
in a moment of temper – w chwili złości
servants’ wing – skrzydło (domu) służby
strike – uderzyć (strike – struck – struck)
whip – bat, bicz
court – sąd
judge – osądzić
bitterness – rozgoryczenie, zawziętość
revenge – zemsta
lack – brakować
proof – dowód, dowody
refuse – odmówić
struggle – szarpać się, zmagać się
take somebody in – zatrzymać kogoś (np. na policji)
ruler – osoba rządząca
uprising – bunt, powstanie
justice – sprawiedliwość
sorrow – smutek, nieszczęście 
suffering – cierpienie
suspicious – podejrzliwy
drag – ciągnąć, wlec
there and then – od razu, na miejscu
break away – wyrwać się, uciec
basement – piwnica, podziemna kondygnacja budynku
spot – dostrzec
hammer – uderzać młotkiem
acquaintance – znajomy
considerate – taktowny, uprzejmy
confide in somebody – zwierzyć się komuś
approvingly – z aprobatą
blush – rumienić się, rumieniec
encounter – napotkać
such – taki, taka, takie (dotyczy rzeczownika)
perceptiveness – wnikliwość, spostrzegawczość
look forward to (doing something) – czekać z niecierpliwością na (zrobienie czegoś)

SENTENCJE
DLA KL. III – V TECHNIKUM oraz LICEUM KL. III i IV 

1. The man who loves books is richer than others – Człowiek kochający książki jest bogatszy od innych.
   Ralph Waldo Emerson
2. Reading gives you the ability to reach higher ground and keep climbing – Czytanie daje możliwość wspięcia się na wyższy poziom i dalszego wspinania się.
   Oprah Winfrey
3. Books protect us from the disappearance of the past, allowing us to reach the wisdom of previous generations – Książki chronią nas przed zniknięciem przeszłości, pozwalając nam sięgnąć po mądrość poprzednich pokoleń.
   Agnes Roy
4. Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value – Dąż nie do tego, by odnieść sukces, lecz raczej do tego, by mieć wartość.
   Albert Einstein
5. Wolves don’t care about what the rams think of them – Wilki nie przejmują się tym, co sądzą o nich barany
   Unknown
6. Challenges make life interesting; overcoming them makes life meaningful – Wyzwania sprawiają, że życie staje się interesujące; ich pokonywanie nadaje życiu sens.
   Joshua J. Marine
7. The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page – Świat jest księgą, a ci, którzy nie podróżują, czytają tylko jedną stronę
   St. Augustine
8. A happy person is not the one who has everything, but the one who enjoys everything they have – Człowiek szczęśliwy to nie ten, który wszystko ma, ale ten, który cieszy się wszystkim, co ma.
   Buddhist proverb
9. True hospitality involves finding accommodation not just for the body, but also for the soul – Prawdziwa gościnność polega na znalezieniu miejsca (dosł. zakwaterowania) nie tylko dla ciała, ale także dla duszy
   Anthony de Mello
10. A bit of the fragrance of a rose always remains on the hand that gives it – Odrobina zapachu róży zawsze pozostaje na dłoni, która ją wręcza.
   Mahatma Gandhi
11. Every exit is an entrance somewhere else – Każde wyjście jest wejściem do czegoś innego.
   Tom Stoppard

PIOSENKI
DLA KL. III – V TECHNIKUM oraz LICEUM KL. III i IV 

Podane linki odsyłają do nagrań  z dodanym zapisem słów piosenek oraz do ich tłumaczenia. Proszę zwrócić uwagę na to, że tłumaczenie na portalu tekstowo.pl jest amatorskie, więc mogą zdarzyć się pewne niedociągnięcia.

1. Die with a Smile – Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FODhNe9FrH0

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

2. Lover – Taylor Swift – Remix Feat. Shawn Mendes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5Zay_Hd_7Q

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

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,taylor_swift,lover.html

3. Loreen-Neon Lights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzAuJipO9L0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Akf-Ds1IV6E

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,loreen,neon_lights.html

4. The Sound Of Silence – Disturbed (CYRIL Remix), Simon & Garfunkel (2 wersje)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P7vSmlZEh8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCtouot15cA

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,simon__garfunkel,the_sound_of_silence,strona,8.html 

5. Skip the small talks – Gamma Skies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kLv5s63Ti8

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,gamma_skies,skip_the_small_talk.html

6. Do I Wanna Know? – Arctic Monkeys 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUL2mVdt3xo

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,arctic_monkeys,do_i_wanna_know.html

7. I am not who I was – Chance Peña

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

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,chance_pe_a,i_am_not_who_i_was_1.html