ZADANIA PRZYKŁADOWE I PUNKTACJA

ZADANIA PRZYKŁADOWE i PUNKTACJA

                 

RODZAJE ZADAŃ,  ZASADY PUNKTACJI oraz ZADANIA PRZYKŁADOWE

Pytania konkursowe dotyczą wyłącznie materiału zaprezentowanego w zakładce MATERIAŁY i sprawdzają znajomość:
– treści opowiadań,
– sentencji
– słownictwa i wyrażeń zawartych we wszystkich 3 rodzajach zaprezentowanych materiałów (czyli opowiadań, sentencji i piosenek).

W przypadku sentencji, ich stopień opanowania powinien obejmować umiejętność odtworzenia brakującego wyrazu (patrz: przykłady poniżej). Nie ma natomiast potrzeby zapamiętywania autorów poszczególnych sentencji.

Pytania występują w formie zadań testowych:
– zamkniętych: typu prawda- fałsz, wielokrotnego wyboru i zadań na dobieranie
– otwartych: z luką oraz zadań krótkiej odpowiedzi.

W przypadku zadań zamkniętych przyznaje się:
1 pkt za odpowiedź poprawną
0 pkt za odpowiedź błędną lub brak odpowiedzi

W zadaniach otwartych można uzyskać:
2 pkt (lub 3 pkt w zad.I) za odpowiedź poprawną
1 pkt za odpowiedź z błędami w zapisie
0 pkt za odpowiedź błędną lub brak odpowiedzi.

SCHEMAT ARKUSZA KONKURSOWEGO
dla wszystkich poziomów

Zadania I – V dotyczą opowiadania
Zad. I: pytania otwarte sprawdzające znajomość opowiadania. Nie jest wymagana pełna poprawność ortograficzna ani gramatyczna.
Liczba pytań: 5-6
Zad. II: prawda /fałsz
Liczba pytań: 5-6
Zad. III: układanie wydarzeń w odpowiedniej kolejności
Liczba zdań: 6, w tym jedno fałszywe
Zad. IV: tłumaczenie słów i wyrażeń (użytych w opowiadaniu i zapisanych w słowniczku) na j. angielski. Wymagana jest pełna poprawność ortograficzna i gramatyczna (całkowita poprawność – 2p, a odpowiedź właściwa, ale z błędami w pisowni – 1p).
Liczba pytań: 8-9
Zad. V: wybór odpowiedniego tłumaczenia słowa na j. polski – spośród 4 podanych opcji
Liczba pytań: 6

Zadania VI i VII dotyczą sentencji
Zad. VI: uzupełnianie sentencji brakującym wyrazem. Wymagana jest pełna poprawność ortograficzna (na 2p)
Liczba pytań: 3-4
Zad. VII: uzupełnianie sentencji jednym z czterech podanych wyrazów.
Liczba pytań: 4-5

Zadania VIII – XI dotyczą piosenek
Zad. VIII: dopasowywanie fragmentów wyrażeń.
Liczba pytań: 5
Zad. IX: wybór poprawnego wyrażenia z 3 podanych
Liczba pytań: 5-7
Zad. X: Układanie podanych wyrazów w odpowiedniej kolejności (w kl. 4 SP jest to zad. XI, natomiast zad. X w kl. 4 polega na wyborze tłumaczenia podanych wyrażeń na język polski – z 3 podanych)
Liczba pytań: 2
Zad. XI: uzupełnianie zdań odpowiednim wyrazem lub wyrażeniem. Wymagana jest pełna poprawność ortograficzna i gramatyczna (na 2p). Jeżeli uczeń wpisze wyrażenie, które nie wystąpiło w piosence, a jest poprawne; zostanie ono również uznane.
Liczba pytań: 4-6

PRZYKŁADOWE PYTANIA KONKURSOWE DLA KL. 4
w edycji jesiennej 2024

I. Na podstawie tekstu ‘Surprises for Leo’ i zawartego w nim opowiadania uzupełnij zdania / odpowiedz krótko na pytania.
1. Where do Leo and his cousin read a book? On ………………………
2. Kim’s …..…… is big, furry, and brown.

II. Zaznacz literę T, jeśli dane zdanie dotyczące tekstu ‘Surprises for Leo’ jest prawdziwe lub F – jeśli fałszywe.
1. Leo doesn’t like surprises. T / F
2. Kim and Tony go to the same school. T / F

III. Ułóż wydarzenia kolejno w opowiadaniu o szkolnych detektywach. Wpisz odpowiednią literę obok cyfry oznaczającej kolejność. Jedno zdanie jest dodatkowe i nieprawdziwe.
a. Kim goes and tells the teacher about the robbers.
b. The window is open and suddenly Kim and Tony hear men talking.
c. The policemen take the robbers to the police station.
d. The teacher helps Kim and Tony stop the robbers.
e. One morning, Kim is late to school.
            1. ….. 2. ….. 3. ….. 4. …..

IV. Uzupełnij zdania odpowiednim tłumaczeniem wyrażeń podanych w nawiasie.
1. Jane (chce być) …………………. a scientist.
2. Paul and Sam (rozmawiają ze sobą) ………………………..…… on the phone.

V. Wybierz odpowiednie tłumaczenie podanych słów na język polski. Zaznacz a, b, c lub d.               
1. surprised
   a. bystry     b. mądry     c. zdziwiony     d. tajemniczy
2. bell
   a. dach     b. dzwonek     c. krzak     d. drut

VI. Uzupełnij poniższe sentencje odpowiednim wyrazem. Pierwsza litera wyrazu jest podana. Liczba kropek nie oznacza liczby liter.
1. Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for t………..…….
2. A r……………..…… is the sky’s promise after the storm.

VII. Wybierz poprawne uzupełnienie podanych sentencji. Zaznacz odpowiednią literę.
1. A warm …. is a free gift for others.
   a. look       b. smile       c. sweater      d. water
2. …. are the doors to other worlds.
   a. Computers     b. Films      c. Friends     d. Books

VIII. Utwórz poprawne zwroty, łącząc wyrażenia z kolumny po lewej stronie (1-4) z wyrażeniami po prawej stronie (a-d). Odpowiedzi zapisz poniżej, umieszczając odpowiednią literę przy podanej cyfrze.
1. It’s a                                        a. octopus’s garden
2. Take it                                    b. worry
3. Don’t                                      c. beautiful life
4. In an                                      d. easy
          1. …. 2. ….. 3. …. 4. ….

IX. W każdym przykładzie wybierz poprawne zdanie. Zaznacz literę a, b lub c.
    1. a. A message got we for you       b. We got a message for you         c. We got a message on you
    2. a. I think I’ll go for a walk          b. I think I’ll go to a walk              c. I think I’ll going for walk

X. Wybierz właściwe tłumaczenie podanych wyrażeń na język polski.
1. sunshine day
a. spokojny dzień b. pochmurny dzień c. słoneczny dzień
2. gimme just a little smile (potocznie)
a. dam ci tylko uśmiech b. daj mi tylko mały uśmiech c. daj mi chwilę na uśmiech

XI. W podanym przykładzie ułóż wyrazy i wyrażenia w odpowiedniej kolejności tak, żeby uzyskać poprawne zdanie. Wpisz właściwą literę przy kolejnym numerze.
       a. like       b. be       c. I’d       d. to       e. the sea      f. under           
                   1. …. 2. …. 3. …. 4. …. 5. …. 6. ….
                                                                                                               ♣
                                                             
                                                   PRZYKŁADOWE PYTANIA KONKURSOWE DLA KL. 5 i 6
                                                                   w edycji jesiennej 2024

I. Na podstawie tekstu ‘Josh’s Kingdom and the Detective Diary’ uzupełnij zdania / odpowiedz krótko na pytania.
1 What does Josh like doing in his special place? ……………………………………..
2. Sally brings her ………………. to school for the history lesson with Miss Robertson.

II. Zaznacz literę T, jeśli zdanie dotyczące tekstu ‘Josh’s Kingdom and the Detective Diary’ jest prawdziwe lub F, jeśli fałszywe.
1. Josh takes Emma and Tina to his special place. T / F
2. Sally doesn’t like solving mysteries. T / F

III. Ułóż wydarzenia kolejno w tekście ‘Josh’s Kingdom and the Detective Diary’. Wpisz odpowiednią literę obok cyfry oznaczającej kolejność. Jedno zdanie jest dodatkowe i nieprawdziwe.
a. There is a big photo of Sally’s brother on the front page of a newspaper.
b. Miss Robertson, the supply teacher, asks the students to bring their Egyptian objects for a special history lesson.
c. Sally visits the Egyptian Museum with her class.
d. The firemen break the window and free Mr Sanderson.
e. Sally’s mum visits Mr Sanderson, the history teacher, at his house.
                                       1. …. 2. …. 3. …. 4. ….

IV. Uzupełnij zdania odpowiednim tłumaczeniem wyrażeń podanych w nawiasie na j. angielski.
1. Our coach (mówi nam, żebyśmy) ……………………………… practice every day.
2. Let’s go home now because (ściemnia się) ……………………………….

V. Wybierz odpowiednie tłumaczenie podanych słów na język polski.
1. locker
a. lornetka b. przebranie c. szafka d. bałagan
2. courageous
a. sprawiedliwy b. odważny c. cenny d. starożytny

VI. Uzupełnij umieszczone poniżej sentencje odpowiednim wyrazem. Pierwsza litera jest podana.
1. If you want to see the r…………, you must bravely endure the rain.
2. Reading is a d………….. ticket to everywhere.

VII. Wybierz poprawne uzupełnienie podanych sentencji.
1. The man who loves …. is richer than others.
   a. computers       b. books       c. money       d. flowers
2. …. is the mother of good luck.
  a. Preparation      b. Practice      c. Good decision      d. Diligence

VIII. Dokończ podane wyrażenia 1 – 4, dopasowując do nich wyrażenia a – d. W miejsce kropek wpisz odpowiednią literę.
1. Climb every …      2. I’m ready …       3. Reach for ….       4. I’ll …
     a. to fly       b. be strong       c. mountain       d. the stars

IX. W każdym przykładzie wybierz poprawne wyrażenie. Zaznacz literę a, b lub c.
      1. a. Follow desire heart’s               b. Follow your heart’s desire       c. Follow after your heart’s desire
      2. a. What a morning beautiful      b. What beautiful a morning       c. What a beautiful morning

X. W podanym przykładzie ułóż wyrazy w odpowiedniej kolejności tak, żeby uzyskać poprawne zdanie (pytające). Wpisz właściwą literę przy kolejnym numerze.
                 a. you        b. what       c. do       d. love       e. is       f. know
                   1. ….  2. ….  3. ….  4. ….  5. ….  6. …. ?

XI. Wstaw odpowiedni wyraz tak, aby otrzymać poprawne zdania.
1. I’m alone, ……. my own, that’s all I know.
2. There’s a place waiting just ……. you.
                                                                                                         ♣
                                             PRZYKŁADOWE PYTANIA KONKURSOWE DLA KL. 7 i 8
                                                              w edycji jesiennej 2024

I. Na podstawie tekstu ‘The Detective’s Secret’ uzupełnij zdania / odpowiedz krótko na pytania.
1. Where were Melanie and her friends when they started talking about Martin? In …………..
2. Alice and Tom bumped into Martin while he was ……………………. in the park.

II. Zaznacz literę T, jeśli zdanie dotyczące tekstu ‘The Detective’s Secret’ jest prawdziwe lub F, jeśli fałszywe.
1. Martin reads a lot of detective stories. T / F
2. Alice, Tom and Martin watched a detective film on Martin’s smartphone in the park. T / F

III. Ułóż wydarzenia kolejno w opowiadaniu o Sherlocku Holmesie. Wpisz odpowiednią literę obok cyfry oznaczającej kolejność. Jedno zdanie jest dodatkowe i nieprawdziwe.
a. Mr Wilson discovered that the Red-Headed League didn’t exist any more.
b. Holmes realized that the City and Suburban Bank was behind Mr Wilson’s house.
c. Spaulding showed Mr Wilson the job advertisement for the Red-Headed League.
d. Mr Wilson wanted to rob the bank.
e. Mr Wilson started copying the Encyclopaedia Britannica.
                                      1. …. 2. …. 3. …. 4. ….

IV. Uzupełnij zdania odpowiednim tłumaczeniem wyrażeń podanych w nawiasie.
1. Children always (zwracają uwagę na) ……………………………….. pictures in books.
2. The house was (otoczony przez) ………………….…. beautiful trees.

V. Wybierz odpowiednie tłumaczenie podanych słów na język polski. Zaznacz literę: a, b, c lub d.
1. observant
a. zdziwiony b. obserwujący c. spostrzegawczy d. zdezorientowany
2. interrupt
a. dołączyć b. przerwać c. pędzić d. chwycić

VI. Uzupełnij poniższe sentencje odpowiednim wyrazem. Pierwsza litera jest podana.
1. R……………… is an antidote to the disappearance of silence in a noisy world.
2. If you want to see the r…………., you must bravely endure the rain.

VII. Wybierz poprawne uzupełnienie podanych sentencji.
1. Shoot for the ….. Even if you miss, you will land among the stars.
    a. sky       b. galaxy       c. sun       d. moon
2. Life has as many …. as you are able to find in it.
   a. lessons       b. colours       c. joys       d. adventures

VIII. Dokończ podane wyrażenia 1 – 4, dopasowując do nich wyrażenia a – d. W miejsce kropek wpisz odpowiednią literę.
1. Don’t run ….      2. I’m taking ….       3. Will you ….       4. Blow ….
       a. pictures in my mind       b. be there by my side?       c. a kiss       d. from me

IX. W każdym przykładzie wybierz poprawne wyrażenie. Zaznacz literę a, b lub c.
     1. a. while I sleeping       b. while I was sleeping        c. while I was sleep
     2. a. We will bold and young       b. We was bold and young       c. We were bold and young

X. Ułóż słowa w odpowiedniej kolejności tak, żeby uzyskać poprawne zdanie. Wpisz odpowiednią literę przy kolejnym numerze.
    a. talk       b. come      c. to d. you      e. with     f. I’ve
                     1. ….  2. ….  3. ….  4. ….  5. ….  6. ….

XI. Uzupełnij luki tak, aby otrzymać poprawne zdania.
1. We need someone ………. lean on
2. You’re not lost, no matter where you’…… been.
                                                                              ♣
                             Trwa umieszczanie   PRZYKŁADOWYCH PYTAŃ KONKURSOWYCH
              DLA SZKÓŁ BRANŻOWYCH KL. I-III oraz LICEUM i TECHNIKUM KL. I i II oraz III-V

 

PRZYKŁADOWE PYTANIA KONKURSOWE DLA KL. 4

w edycji jesiennej 2023 

 I. Na podstawie tekstu ‘Emily’s Secret’ i zawartego w nim opowiadania  uzupełnij zdania.

1. Emily’s secret place is in ……………………………
2. ………………..………….. is Maisie’s friend.

II. Zaznacz literę T, jeśli uważasz, że dane zdanie dotyczące tekstu ‘Emily’s Secret’ jest prawdziwe lub F – jeśli fałszywe.                                       

1. Emily likes reading very much. T / F
2. Maisie’s mother and father sell the dolphin to an American. T / F

III. Ułóż wydarzenia kolejno w opowiadaniu o Maisie. Wpisz odpowiednią literę obok cyfry oznaczającej kolejność. Jedno zdanie jest dodatkowe i nieprawdziwe.  

1. Three weeks later Ben is strong and well again.
2. Maisie opens a box with gold under the water.
3. Maisie and her grandfather take the dolphin to the Freeport Animal Hospital.
4. A big American boat hits a dolphin and drives away.
5. Maisie’s grandfather buys two big dogs from Carl Flint.

           1…… 2. ……      3. ……      4. ……     

IV. Uzupełnij zdania odpowiednim tłumaczeniem wyrażeń podanych w nawiasie.

1. Little Sonia is sad and says, ‘(Nie chcę) ………………………… go to school tomorrow.’
2. In the picture, (znajduje się) ………………………..…… a big lion.

V. Wybierz odpowiednie tłumaczenie podanych słów na język polski.

     Zaznacz a, b, c lub d.

1. guest

a.lina        b. gość       c. półka            d. łódź

2. take

a.pamiętać      b. tracić            c. wziąć              d. słyszeć

VI. Uzupełnij poniższe sentencje odpowiednim wyrazem. Pierwsza litera wyrazu jest podana.  Liczba kropek nie oznacza liczby liter. 

1. Follow your h………..…, but take your brain with you.
2. When you open a b……………., you open a new world .

VII. Wybierz poprawne uzupełnienie podanych sentencji. Zaznacz odpowiednią literę.

1. It is nice to be …., but it’s more important to be nice.

       a. friendly      b. happy            c. important            d. smart    

   2. Where words fail, .… speaks.

        a. music     b. art        c. love     d. nature 

VIII. Utwórz poprawne zwroty, łącząc wyrażenia z kolumny po lewej stronie (1-4) z    wyrażeniami po prawej stronie (a-d). Odpowiedzi zapisz poniżej, umieszczając odpowiednią literę przy podanej cyfrze.

1. I will                 a. the sky
2. I’m just a         b. inside
3. Touch              c. fly
4. I feel happy    d. music man
   1. ….     2. …..    3. ….   4. ….

IX. W każdym przykładzie wybierz poprawne zdanie. Zaznacz literę a, b lub c.

1. a. The weather are sweet    b. The weather is sweet     c. The sweet is weather

2. a. Words don’t come easy  b. Words don’t easy come c. Words doesn’t come easy

X. Wybierz właściwe tłumaczenie podanych wyrażeń na język polski.

1. I can’t hide
a. nie mogę ukryć       b. mogę ukryć       c. nie mogę usłyszeć

2. Friday morning
a. piątkowe popołudnie     b. czwartkowy ranek     c. piątkowy ranek

XI. W podanym przykładzie ułóż wyrazy w odpowiedniej kolejności tak, żeby uzyskać poprawne zdanie. Wpisz właściwą literę przy kolejnym numerze.

    a. want      b. I      c. hold      d. to     e. hand      f. your

      1. ….   2. ….   3. ….   4. ….   5. ….   6. ….

 The end 

PRZYKŁADOWE PYTANIA KONKURSOWE DLA KL. 5 i 6
w edycji jesiennej 2023

I. Na podstawie tekstu ‘The Bookworm Club’ uzupełnij zdania.
1. The five friends from the Bookworm Club like ….…..……… very much.
2. In the village, the five teenagers read a book about the mystery around ………………

II. Zaznacz literę T, jeśli zdanie dotyczące opowiadania w tekście ‘The Bookworm Club’ jest prawdziwe lub F, jeśli fałszywe.
1. Uncle Stephen studies history and writes books about history. T / F
2. The thieves want money and jewellery from the cottage in Stonecross. T / F

III. Ułóż wydarzenia kolejno w opowiadaniu zawartym w tekście ‘The Bookworm Club’. Wpisz odpowiednią literę obok cyfry oznaczającej kolejność. Jedno zdanie jest dodatkowe i nieprawdziwe.
a. There is chaos inside the cottage. Mum and Aunty Barbara scream, ‘Thieves!’
b. Mrs Black phones the police.
c. The two families arrive in the village of Stonecross and find their cottage.
d. Uncle Stephen says, ‘Stonecross? Holiday? No, I don’t remember.’
e. The two families visit Stonehenge.
               1. …. 2. …. 3. …. 4. ….

IV. Uzupełnij zdania odpowiednim tłumaczeniem wyrażeń podanych w nawiasie na j. angielski.
1. The bus is going in (przeciwnym kierunku) …………………………..
2. The man (wsiadł do) …………………..…. the car and went to the village.

V. Wybierz odpowiednie tłumaczenie podanych słów na język polski.

1. remember
    a. zwiedzać     b. pamiętać     c. wyjaśniać    d. wracać
2. hill
    a. dolina      b. wzór      c. wzgórze     d. cień

VI. Uzupełnij umieszczone poniżej sentencje odpowiednim wyrazem. Pierwsza litera jest podana.
1. A mind is like a p………….. . It doesn’t work if it doesn’t open.
2. R……………. gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.

VII. Wybierz poprawne uzupełnienie podanych sentencji.
1. … are free but they are worth a lot.
  a. Nice words     b. Books      c. Smiles      d. Drinks

2. The journey of a thousand miles begins with one ….
    a. move       b. step       c. decision      d. start

VIII. Dokończ podane wyrażenia 1 – 4, dopasowując do nich wyrażenia a – d. W miejsce kropek wpisz odpowiednią literę.

1. Years ago when …    2. I’m …        3. I don’t ….       4. I’ve got nothing …
          a. sitting here               b. to do           c. care       d. I was younger

IX. W każdym przykładzie wybierz poprawne wyrażenie. Zaznacz literę a, b lub c.

1.   a. Yesterday you told me    b. Yesterday you tell me     c. Yesterday you tell to me

2.  a. We was sweethearts        b. We is sweethearts           c. We were sweethearts

X. W podanym przykładzie ułóż wyrazy w odpowiedniej kolejności tak, żeby uzyskać poprawne zdanie. Wpisz właściwą literę przy kolejnym numerze.

                a. in      b. I’m      c. with      d. fairytale      e. a       f. love

                         1. ….   2. ….   3. ….   4. ….   5. ….   6. ….

XI. Wstaw odpowiedni wyraz tak, aby otrzymać poprawne zdania.

1. I’d like ……. go out.

2. How long must you wait …….. it?

The end

PRZYKŁADOWE PYTANIA KONKURSOWE DLA KL. 7 i 8
w edycji jesiennej 2023

I. Na podstawie tekstu ‘At the Reading Camp’ uzupełnij zdania.

1. In Magical Town, Mia asked the way to ………………………………….
2. In the detective story, Paul worked at ……………………………

II. Zdecyduj, czy podane zdania są zgodne z tekstem ‘At the Reading Camp’ – zaznaczając literę T, czy fałszywe – F

1. Mia went to a summer camp with Aunt Sophia. T / F
2. Paul and Anna Wain visited Mia and Emma in their room. T / F

III. Ułóż wydarzenia kolejno w opowiadaniu czytanym na obozie. Wpisz odpowiednią literę obok cyfry oznaczającej kolejność. Jedno zdanie jest dodatkowe i nieprawdziwe.

a. Paul hides in the museum and waits for somebody.
b. The police arrest Anna and Paul.
c. The alarm goes off and they notice that the display case is empty.
d. Paul starts his summer job.
e. After lunch, Anna and Paul go to see the necklace, and Anna says that nobody can steal it.
      1. ….   2. ….   3. ….   4. ….

IV. Uzupełnij zdania odpowiednim tłumaczeniem wyrażeń podanych w nawiasie.

1. Rose was invited to the party but she said, ‘(wolałabym zostać) ……………….…..… at home.’
2. The new painting in the living room (wygląda jak) ………………………. a window.

V. Wybierz odpowiednie tłumaczenie podanych słów na język polski. Zaznacz literę: a, b, c lub d.
1. damage
  a. naprawić    b. przerwać    c. chwycić    d. zniszczyć

2. honest
 a. radosny    b. winny    c. uczciwy    d. uroczy

VI. Uzupełnij poniższe sentencje odpowiednim wyrazem. Pierwsza litera jest podana.

1. Once you have read a book you c………. about, some part of it is always with you.
2. There will come a time when you believe everything is finished; that will be the b……………..

VII. Wybierz poprawne uzupełnienie podanych sentencji.

1. Whoever said that nothing was impossible, obviously never tried slamming a …. door.
    a. screen     b. revolving     c. locked     d. sliding

2. A …. is the light in the window of your face that tells people you’re at home.
    a. smile       b. friendly look      c. warm expression      d. welcoming look

VIII. Dokończ podane wyrażenia 1 – 4, dopasowując do nich wyrażenia a – d.  W miejsce kropek wpisz odpowiednią literę.

1. Just keep ….     2. I’ll tell ….     3. Before the sun ….     4. You don’t have to ….
   a. find the answers     b. trying     c. goes down     d. you all about it

IX. W każdym przykładzie wybierz poprawne wyrażenie. Zaznacz literę a, b lub c.
1.  a. You’re in a better place     b. You’re in a gooder place      c. You’re in better a place
2.  a. Blow in the candles           b. Blow the candles                   c. Blow out the candles

X. Ułóż słowa w odpowiedniej kolejności tak, żeby uzyskać poprawne zdanie. Wpisz odpowiednią literę przy kolejnym numerze.

      a. an      b. angel      c. she’s      d. disguise      e. in
            1. ….  2. ….  3. ….  4. ….  5. ….

XI. Uzupełnij luki tak, aby otrzymać poprawne zdania.

1. I used ….… be crazy
2. I’m capable ……. everything

The end

PRZYKŁADOWE PYTANIA KONKURSOWE DLA SZKÓŁ BRANŻOWYCH KL. I-III
oraz LICEUM i TECHNIKUM KL. I i II
w edycji jesiennej 2023

I. Na podstawie opowiadań zawartych w tekście ‘Between and Beyond the Pages’ uzupełnij zdania.
1. In the romantic comedy, William Thacker went to the Ritz Hotel to meet a famous ………….…
2. In Agatha Christie’s short story, Mr Davenheim hid from the police in ……………………………

II. Zaznacz literę T, jeśli podane zdania są zgodne z tekstem ‘Between and Beyond the Pages’ lub F – jeśli fałszywe.
1. The three friends: Jane, Katie and Teddy don’t like reading books. T / F
2. Anna Scott went with William to his sister’s birthday party. T / F

III. Ułóż wydarzenia kolejno w opowiadaniu Agathy Christie. Wpisz odpowiednią literę obok cyfry oznaczającej kolejność. Jedno zdanie jest dodatkowe i nieprawdziwe.

a. On Monday morning, the burglary is noticed.
b. Mr Davenheim talks with Hercule Poirot about his financial problems.
c. After having some tea, Mr Davenheim tells his wife that he is going to the village to post some letters.
d. The police arrest Mr Lowen.
e. Mr Lowen comes to Mr Davenheim’s house and waits for him in his study.
         1. ….   2. ….   3. ….   4. ….

IV. Uzupełnij zdania odpowiednim tłumaczeniem wyrażeń podanych w nawiasie na j. angielski.
1. Mrs Brown is cleaning the attic and (pozbywa się) ………………….… her old clothes.
2. My neighbour (skorzystał z) …………..………… the opportunity and started his own business.

V. Wybierz odpowiednie tłumaczenie podanych słów na język polski.
1. humble
  a. dokładny     b. istotny     c. skromny     d. wnikliwy
2. pawn
  a. zaprzeczać    b. oddać w zastaw    c. wycofać    d. wzruszyć ramionami

VI. Uzupełnij poniższe sentencje odpowiednim wyrazem. Pierwsza litera jest podana.
1. Wealth is the slave of a wise man. The master of a f……..
2. M………….. is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.

VII. Wybierz poprawne uzupełnienie podanych sentencji.

1. Whoever said that nothing was impossible, obviously never tried slamming a …. door.
   a. screen     b. revolving      c. locked       d. sliding
2. A …. is the light in the window of your face that tells people you’re at home.
   a. smile      b. friendly look      c. warm expression      d. welcoming look

VIII. Dokończ podane wyrażenia 1 – 4, dopasowując do nich wyrażenia a – d. W miejsce kropek wpisz odpowiednią literę.

1. So much more …   2. I wish you ….    3. You don’t ….     4. They’re written ….
    a. were right here      b. have to find the answers     c. than this      d. down

IX. W każdym przykładzie wybierz poprawne wyrażenie. Zaznacz literę a, b lub c.

1.   a. I’ve seen it all     b. I’ve saw it all     c. I seen it all
2.   a. Legends are never die      b. Legends never die      c. Legends never dies

X. Ułóż słowa w odpowiedniej kolejności tak, żeby uzyskać poprawne zdanie. Wpisz odpowiednią literę przy kolejnym numerze.   

    a. crazy      b. I know      c. be      d. to      e. I      f. used

          1. ….   2. ….   3. ….   4. ….   5. ….   6. ….

XI. Uzupełnij luki tak, aby otrzymać poprawne zdania.

1. Nobody here ………..…….. how the melody goes.
2. Be a friend ……..… mine.

The end

PRZYKŁADOWE PYTANIA KONKURSOWE
dla kl. III – V Technikum i kl. III i IV Liceum
w edycji jesiennej 2023

I. Na podstawie tekstu ‘Back from the Sky’ i zawartego w nim opowiadania uzupełnij zdania.

1. ………………. smiled and gently hit Kesja and Nila’s vehicles in the sky.
2. Mr Boggis travelled to and searched the village, disguised as …………………….

II. Zaznacz literę T, jeśli podane zdania są zgodne z tekstem ‘Back from the Sky’ lub F – jeśli fałszywe.

1. Kesja and Nila like reading books very much. T / F
2. Rummins sold the the commode and became very rich. T / F

III. Ułóż wydarzenia kolejno w opowiadaniu zawartym w tekście ‘Back from the Sky’. Wpisz odpowiednią literę obok cyfry oznaczającej kolejność. Jedno zdanie jest dodatkowe i nieprawdziwe.
a. Rummins leads Boggis to a large, filthy living-room where the commode is located.
b. The three men go to London in Boggis’s old station-wagon.
c. Boggis walks out into the yard, and tries to hide his excitement and to walk slowly.
d. The dealer starts talking to three men in the yard of a dirty farmhouse.
e. Boggis has an idea to search the countryside for valuable things.
                    1. ….    2. ….   3. ….   4. ….

IV. Uzupełnij zdania odpowiednim tłumaczeniem wyrażeń podanych w nawiasie.

1. Mark and his sisters have (wiele wspólnego) ……………………….
2. When Clara (zbliżyła się do) …………….. the door, she heard the bell.

V. Wybierz odpowiednie tłumaczenie podanych słów na język polski.

1. glance
    a. nabywać     b. zerknąć     c. wpatrywać się     d. pojawiać się

2. trait
    a. wnętrze     b. lada      c. cecha      d. zapach

VI. Uzupełnij poniższe sentencje odpowiednim wyrazem. Pierwsza litera jest podana.

1. L…………………. is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired.
2. If things go w……….., don’t go with them.

VII. Wybierz poprawne uzupełnienie podanych sentencji.

1. You only …. once, but if you do it right, once is enough.
      a. live     b. dream     c. learn d. explore

2. A wise man will make more …. than he finds.
        a. decisions     b. progress     c. opportunities     d. mistakes

VIII. Dokończ podane wyrażenia 1 – 4, dopasowując do nich wyrażenia a – d. W miejsce kropek wpisz odpowiednią literę.

1. I don’t really ….    2. Surrounded ….    3. We’re too….    4. Destiny’s ….
    a. young to get married     b. by friends    c. calling me     d. care

IX. W każdym przykładzie wybierz poprawne wyrażenie.

1   a. Have we meet?     b. Have we met?     c. Did we met?
2   a. I use to was crazy      b. I used be crazy       c. I used to be crazy

X. Ułóż słowa w odpowiedniej kolejności tak, żeby uzyskać poprawne zdanie. Wpisz odpowiednią literę przy kolejnym numerze.

         a. you     b. it     c. meet     d. to    e. was     f. enchanting
           1. ….   2. ….   3. ….   4. ….   5. ….   6. ….

XI. Uzupełnij luki tak, aby otrzymać poprawne zdania.

1. We’ve only ……………… dating for a year.
2. If I had one more chance I …………… do it again.

The end

 

PRZYKŁADOWE PYTANIA KONKURSOWE Z EDYCJI WIOSENNEJ 2023 

Poniżej przykładowych pytań do wszystkich poziomów znajdują się materiały przygotowawcze z edycji wiosennej 2023

PRZYKŁADOWE PYTANIA KONKURSOWE DLA KL. 4

I. Na podstawie opowiadania ‘The Mysterious House’ uzupełnij zdania.

1. At midnight Milly wakes up and hears ……………………………
2. In the big picture, there is …………………………………………

II. Zaznacz literę T, jeśli uważasz, że dane zdanie dotyczące tekstu ‘The Mysterious House’ jest prawdziwe lub F – jeśli fałszywe.                                                  

1. Tom and Milly can’t go into one room in Uncle Henry’s house.  T / F
2. The children play with a big rabbit in Uncle Henry’s house.  T / F

III. Ułóż wydarzenia kolejno w opowiadaniu ‘The Mysterious House’. Wpisz odpowiednią literę obok cyfry oznaczającej kolejność. Jedno zdanie jest dodatkowe i nieprawdziwe.  

a. Billy tells the children his story.

b. Uncle Henry says, ‘You’re late.’

c. Tom and Milly come to Uncle Henry’s house.

d. The children go to the music room.

e. Tom and Milly take the piano to their new house by the sea.

        1. ……     2. ……      3. ……      4. ……     

1. IV. Uzupełnij zdania odpowiednim tłumaczeniem wyrażeń podanych w nawiasie.

1. Little Tony ……………………….. (wygląda przez) the window.
2. Jane smiles and ……………………….. (rozgląda się).

V. Wybierz odpowiednie tłumaczenie podanych słów na język polski. Zaznacz a, b, c lub d.

1. bring

a. pamiętać       b. przynieść       c. zwiedzać       d. przebywać

2. lovely

a. dziwny                b. olbrzymi              c. tajemniczy         d. uroczy

VI. Uzupełnij poniższe sentencje odpowiednim wyrazem. Pierwsza litera wyrazu jest podana.  Liczba kropek nie  oznacza liczby liter. 

1. C…………. are the smiles of nature.
2. Books may be the only true m………

VII. Wybierz poprawne uzupełnienie podanych sentencji. Zaznacz odpowiednią literę.

1. Hard work ….. talent when talent doesn’t work hard.

     a. wins                b. beats            c. helps            d. doesn’t like 

  2. Every day may not be … but there’s something good in every day.

     a. boring         b. happy       c. good     d. mysterious  

VIII. Utwórz poprawne zwroty, łącząc wyrażenia z kolumny po lewej stronie (1-4) z wyrażeniami po prawej stronie (a-d). Odpowiedzi zapisz poniżej, umieszczając odpowiednią literę przy podanej cyfrze.

        1.  You’ve got                a. than I can say                                                        

        2.  I’m singing               b.in say goodbye 

       3. I love you more        c. a friend in me

       4. I don’t want to         d. the rain

1. ….    2. …..    3. ….   4. ….                                                    

IX. W każdym przykładzie wybierz poprawne wyrażenie. Zaznacz literę a, b lub c.

1. a. The sun’s in my heart       b. The sun’s on my heart            c. The sun are in my heart

  2. a. Tell to me please              b. Tell me please                          c. Tell please me

X. Wybierz właściwe tłumaczenie podanych wyrażeń na język polski.

1. A smile on my face

   a. twarz bez uśmiechu       b. łza na twarzy       c. uśmiechy na twarzy     d. uśmiech na mojej twarzy

  2. A little gift

1. a. mały upominek       b. miły prezent           c. mała tęsknota          d. mały smutek

XI. W podanym przykładzie ułóż wyrazy w odpowiedniej kolejności tak, żeby uzyskać poprawne zdanie. Wpisz właściwą literę przy kolejnym numerze.

         a. side      b.you     c. by      d. always      e. my      f. stand  

             1. ….   2. ….    3. ….    4. ….    5. ….    6. ….  

The end 

 

PRZYKŁADOWE PYTANIA KONKURSOWE DLA KL. 5 i 6

w edycji wiosennej 2023 

I. Na podstawie tekstu ‘What Matters’ i zawartego w nim opowiadania uzupełnij zdania

1. The teacher’s surname is Evans but everybody calls her Miss Joyful because ….…………
2. Uncle Fraser lives in (country) ……………………

II. Na podstawie tekstu ‘What Matters’ i zawartego w nim opowiadania uzupełnij zdania

1. The teacher’s surname is Evans but everybody calls her Miss Joyful because ….…………
2. Uncle Fraser lives in (country) ……………………

III. Ułóż wydarzenia kolejno w opowiadaniu zawartym w tekście ‘What Matters’. Wpisz odpowiednią literę obok cyfry oznaczającej kolejność. Jedno zdanie jest dodatkowe i nieprawdziwe. 

a. Uncle Fraser, Megan and Ben have a barbecue on the beach.

b. Megan’s mother comes to White Heather Cottage.

c. Doctor Barns has great news for Megan.

d. The girl travels by train to Scotland.

e. Megan doesn’t want to leave her mum.

        1. ….     2. ….     3. ….     4. ….

IV. Uzupełnij zdania odpowiednim tłumaczeniem wyrażeń podanych w nawiasie na j. angielski.

1. The teacher who ………………………….. (prowadzi kurs) is very nice.
2. My sister is ill, but today she ………………………….. (poczuła się lepiej).

V. Wybierz odpowiednie tłumaczenie podanych słów na język polski. Zaznacz a, b, c lub d.

1. narrow

    a. nudny         b. wąski        c. wygodny      d. ważny

   2. miracle

    a. prom          b. chata          c. brama       d. cud

VI. Uzupełnij umieszczone poniżej sentencje odpowiednim wyrazem. Pierwsza litera jest podana.

1. Happiness is a j………., not a destination.
2. Be yourself; everyone else is already t………….

VII. Wybierz poprawne uzupełnienie podanych sentencji. 

1. There is no frigate like a …. to take us lands away.

      a. ship          b. dream           c. movie       d. book

 2. Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a …. opens to allow in more light.

    a. window      b. door     c. gate        d. brain

VIII. Dokończ podane wyrażenia 1 – 4, dopasowując do nich wyrażenia a – d. W miejsce kropek wpisz odpowiednią literę.                                                                          

We are the Warriors that …    2. Can …       3. I see …      4. We’re coming …

    a. you hear me?    b. wonders     c. built this town      d. alive

IX. W każdym przykładzie wybierz poprawne wyrażenie. Zaznacz literę a, b lub c.

1. a. Tell to him                  b. Tell him                          c. Tell to his
2. a. We was right             b. We been right                c. We were right   

 X. W podanym przykładzie ułóż wyrazy w odpowiedniej kolejności tak, żeby uzyskać poprawne zdanie. Wpisz właściwą literę przy kolejnym numerze.                             

          a. buy        b. I       c. flowers      d. can      e. myself  

                      1. ….     2. ….    3. ….   4. ….    5. ….           

XI. Wstaw odpowiedni wyraz tak, aby otrzymać zdania poprawne gramatycznie.

1. Cry a tear ………. joy.
2. Now it’s time …….. leave the capsule if you dare.

The end 

PRZYKŁADOWE PYTANIA KONKURSOWE DLA KL. 7 i 8

w edycji wiosennej 2023 

I. Na podstawie tekstu ‘Back from the Clouds’ i zawartego w nim opowiadania uzupełnij zdania.  

1. ………………. smiled and gently hit Elettra and Saskia’s carpets in the sky.
2. Angel joined ………………………………. club at her school.

II. Zdecyduj, czy podane zdania są zgodne z tekstem ‘Back from the Clouds’ – zaznaczając literę T, czy fałszywe – F                             

1. Angel and Dirk visit the old woman from the photo.    T / F
2. Mrs H, Angel and Dirk go skiing together.   T / F 

III. Ułóż wydarzenia kolejno w opowiadaniu o Angel. Wpisz odpowiednią literę  obok cyfry oznaczającej kolejność. Jedno zdanie jest dodatkowe i nieprawdziwe.                  

a. Angel and Dirk cross the border for the first time.
b. Angel walks through the gate of her new school.
c. Angel’s dad comes home from work early and says that he has some news.
d. Elettra and Saskia visit Dirk’s parents.
e. One of the photos of an old building catches Angel’s attention.
                                       1. …. 2. …. 3. …. 4. ….

IV. Uzupełnij zdania odpowiednim tłumaczeniem wyrażeń podanych w nawiasie.

1. ………………… (a może byśmy) go there together?
2. They have to ………………….. (wyruszyć) early to get to Lisbon.

V. Wybierz odpowiednie tłumaczenie podanych słów na język polski. Zaznacz literę: a, b, c lub

1. abandoned

  a. ponury      b. zakurzony       c. opuszczony       d. odległy

2. interrupt

 a. podłączyć         b. ustawić         c. zachęcić         d. przerwać

VI. Uzupełnij poniższe sentencje odpowiednim wyrazem. Pierwsza litera jest podana.                            

1. The true s…………. fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.
2. Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of t……………..       

VII. Wybierz poprawne uzupełnienie podanych sentencji.                             

1.  …….. gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.

  a. A game           b. A book       c. Music            d. A good friend

2. Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a ….. opens to allow in more light.

 a. window      b. door       c. gate        d. brain                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

VIII. Dokończ podane wyrażenia 1 – 4, dopasowując do nich wyrażenia a – d.  W miejsce kropek wpisz odpowiednią literę.                                                                      

              1. I’m ….      2. If only ….….      3. I didn’t wanna ….….     4. We used …. ….    

                       a. to play        b. fight       c. I knew       d. getting tired      

 IX. W każdym przykładzie wybierz poprawne wyrażenie. Zaznacz literę a, b lub c.                                                                                           

 1. a. We was right                         b. We been right                                  c. We were right

2. a. Where have you gone?        b. Where  you have gone?                 c. Where have you went?

X. Ułóż słowa w odpowiedniej kolejności tak, żeby uzyskać poprawne zdanie. Wpisz odpowiednią literę przy kolejnym numerze.                                                         

           a. flowers     b. can     c. myself       d. I     e. buy     

                    1. ….   2. ….   3. ….   4. ….   5. ….             

XI. Uzupełnij luki tak, aby otrzymać poprawne zdania                                                  

1. I wish I ……….. a better voice.

 2. I’m sorry ………… blaming you.

The end 

PRZYKŁADOWE PYTANIA KONKURSOWE DLA SZKÓŁ BRANŻOWYCH  KL. I-III i TECHNIKUM KL. I i II

w edycji wiosennej 2023 

 

I. Na podstawie tekstu ‘Mr Right and Miss Right’ i jednego z zawartych w nim opowiadań odpowiedz krótko na pytania.

1. What did Jane and Sara announce on the Internet? …………………………………
2. Why couldn’t Della use the present from Jim? ………………………….

II. Zaznacz literę T, jeśli podane zdania są zgodne z tekstem ‘Mr Right and Miss Right’ lub F – jeśli fałszywe.

1. Jane and Sara don’t use the Internet.    T / F
2. Della and Jim were poor.   T / F

III. Ułóż wydarzenia kolejno w opowiadaniu ‘The Christmas Presents’. Wpisz odpowiednią literę obok cyfry oznaczającej kolejność. Jedno zdanie jest dodatkowe i nieprawdziwe.

a. Della wants to buy her husband something really fine.
b. Jim says, ‘Let’s keep our presents for a time.’
c. Della can’t understand the strange look on Jim’s face, and she is afraid.
d. Madame Eloise cuts and buys Della’s hair.
e. Jim and Della buy a big dog.
                          1. ….  2. ….  3. ….  4. ….

IV. Uzupełnij zdania odpowiednim tłumaczeniem wyrażeń podanych w nawiasie na j. angielski.
1. The children saw a funny picture, and ……………… (wybuchnęły śmiechem).
2. Lisa loves touching stories which ……………………… (skłaniają ją do płaczu).

V. Wybierz odpowiednie tłumaczenie podanych słów na język polski.
1. concern
a. ogłoszenie   b. wyjątek   c. troska   d. rocznica
2. determined
a. przerażony   b. jaskrawy   c. zdecydowany   d. porywający

VI. Uzupełnij poniższe sentencje odpowiednim wyrazem. Pierwsza litera jest podana.
1. If you don’t like to read, you haven’t f………………….. the right book.
2. Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived f………….

VII. Wybierz poprawne uzupełnienie podanych sentencji.
1. It is better to light a candle than ….. the darkness.
    a. walk in     b. light     c. curse      d. be in
2. Don’t cry because it’s over, but …. because it happened.
a. announce    b. smile      c. laugh      d. be happy

VIII. Dokończ podane wyrażenia 1 – 4, dopasowując do nich wyrażenia a – d. W miejsce kropek wpisz odpowiednią literę.

    1. I just wish I ….       2. I’m really ….       3. Why ….     4. I won’t ….

        a. don’t you show me a way        b. knew what to say     c. let you down        d. trying hard

IX. W każdym przykładzie wybierz poprawne wyrażenie. Zaznacz literę a, b lub c.

1.  a. We were good                 b. We been good                  c. We was good
2. a. Would you say me …?     b. Would you tell me ….?     c. Would you tell to me ….?

X. Ułóż słowa w odpowiedniej kolejności tak, żeby uzyskać poprawne zdanie. Wpisz odpowiednią literę przy kolejnym numerze.         

           a. habit       b. treat      c. like     d. a      e. don’t     f. my       g. love

                 1. ….   2. ….  3. ….   4. ….   5. ….   6. ….  7. ….

XI. Wstaw odpowiedni wyraz tak, aby otrzymać poprawne zdania.

1 It’s so hard ………. say goodbye.
2. Our love ain’t (isn’t) water ……….….…. the bridge. (idiom)

The end 

PRZYKŁADOWE PYTANIA KONKURSOWE DLA KL. III i IV TECHNIKUM

w edycji wiosennej  2023 

I. Na podstawie tekstu ‘Plot Twists’ i zawartych w nim opowiadań odpowiedz krótko na pytania.
1. Who does the boy in the bookshop buy a present for? ……………………………………
2. Who was the ‘old beggar’ really? ………………………

II. Zaznacz literę T, jeśli podane zdania są zgodne z tekstem ‘Plot Twists’ lub F – jeśli fałszywe.
1. Ida (the bookseller) helps the boy in the bookshop. T / F
2. Framton Nuttel knows a lot of people in the rural retreat. T / F

III. Ułóż wydarzenia kolejno od najwcześniejszych w opowiadaniu ‘‘The Model Millionaire’’. Wpisz odpowiednią literę obok cyfry oznaczającej kolejność. Jedno zdanie jest dodatkowe i nieprawdziwe.
a. The old ‘beggar’ looks so miserable that Hughie pities him.
b. Hughie gets a wedding present from Baron Hausberg.
c. Hughie Erskine calls in to see one of his friends, Alan Trevor.
d. Laura buys a big house from Alan Trevor.
e. Hughie walks out of the club, feeling very unhappy, and leaving Alan laughing.
f. Alan Trevor tells Hughie who the ‘beggar’ really is.
                    1. …. 2. …. 3. …. 4. …. 5. ….

IV. Uzupełnij zdania odpowiednim tłumaczeniem słów i wyrażeń podanych w nawiasie.
1. Jane is a little ……………….….. (zazdrosna o) her friend’s good looks.
2. It will be difficult to write the essay, ………..… (nieprawdaż)?

V. Wybierz odpowiednie tłumaczenie podanych słów na język polski.
1. self-possessed
a. poirytowany b. słaby c. opanowany d. przygnębiony

2. offhand
a. na oślep b. na poczekaniu c. w nabożnym skupieniu d. niewyraźnie

VI. Uzupełnij poniższe sentencje odpowiednim wyrazem. Pierwsza litera jest podana.
1. Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of t…………..
2. Don’t cry because it’s over, but s…………….. because it happened.

VII. Wybierz poprawne uzupełnienie podanych sentencji.
1. Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more …..
     a. ideas     b. friends     c. light      d. guests

2. To .….. you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world.
   a. some people      b. the world      c. your friends       d. strangers

VIII. Dokończ podane wyrażenia 1 – 4, dopasowując do nich wyrażenia a – d. W miejsce kropek wpisz odpowiednią literę.
     1. I couldn’t turn ….     2. Take me ….     3. Make time ….     4. I’ll ….
                     a. on a date          b. for me          c. be doing this         d. on the TV

IX. W każdym przykładzie wybierz poprawne wyrażenie.
1. a. I can’t help feeling          b. I can’t help feel                c. I can’t to help feeling
2. a. We was right                   b. We been right                  c. We were right

X. Ułóż słowa w odpowiedniej kolejności tak, żeby uzyskać poprawne zdanie. Wpisz odpowiednią literę przy kolejnym numerze.
    a. hard     b. matter    c. how    d. is    e. no     f. it
              1. ….    2. ….  3. ….    4. ….    5. ….    6. ….

XI. Uzupełnij luki tak, aby otrzymać zdania poprawne gramatycznie.

1. I will learn ………….. survive.
2. We could ……. had it all.

The end

MATERIAŁY PRZYGOTOWAWCZE DLA KL. IV 

EDYCJA WIOSENNA 2023

OPOWIADANIE DLA KL. IV 

THE MYSTERIOUS HOUSE

‘It’s boring today,’ says Paul. ‘I can’t play with hens in the garden, and I can’t go to the forest.’

Paul is a boy with dark hair, blue eyes and a nice smile.

He is on holiday at his grandparents’ house. Paul likes coming here every summer. But today he is bored. He looks out of the window. It is raining and it’s cold outside.

The house is old but very nice. It has a lot of rooms. Paul can go all over the house, but there is one room where he can’t go in. The door of the room is locked.

‘I’m bored,’ says Paul.

‘I can tell you a story,’ says his grandma.

‘OK,’ Paul answers.

‘So listen ….

 

Two children, Tom and his sister Milly come to their uncle Henry’s house for some time. They don’t want to stay there. But their parents are moving into a new house where there aren’t any beds. So Mum and the children get into the car and go to Uncle Henry.

‘Uncle is strange, but he’s nice, too,’ says Mum.

The car stops. ‘Here we are,’ says Mum.

The sign on the gate says ‘Manor Hall’.

‘Does Uncle Henry live here?’ asks Milly.

‘Yes, it’s his house,’ answers Mum.

Tom gets out of the car, and Milly follows him.

When the children come to Uncle Henry’s gate, he opens the door. The man is old and he has got white hair and big eyebrows.

‘You’re late,’ he says. ‘Come in.’

‘Sorry,’ says Tom. ‘I’m Tom. How do you do?’

The old man looks angry.

‘And I’m Milly,’ says Milly. ‘Your house is very big.’

‘It is,’ says Uncle Henry. ‘You can explore, but there is one room where you can’t go.’

They walk along a corridor and see a living room with beautiful sofas, and pictures on the walls.

Then they come to a door.

‘This is the music room,’ says Uncle Henry. There is a sign on the door. It says ‘Do Not Enter’.

 

‘In your house there is also one room where I can’t go,’ says Paul. ‘But there isn’t a sign on the door  ‘Do Not Enter’.

Grandma smiles and says, ‘Keep listening.’

 

‘Why can’t we go in there?’ asks Milly. ‘I can play the piano, and I love music.’

Uncle Henry shakes his head. ‘I can’t tell you. But never open this door!’

‘What a strange man,’ Tom says when they are in their bedroom. ‘Why can’t we go into the music room?’ (…)

Later, when they are having dinner in the dining room, Uncle Henry is very quiet.

Then he says, ‘There’s a full moon tonight.’

He gets up and looks out the window. ‘Lock your bedroom door,’ he says, ‘and don’t open it.’

And the children go to their bedroom.

‘I don’t understand,’ Milly says to Tom. ‘Why does Uncle Henry look at the moon? Why can’t we go into the music room? It’s a mystery.’

Tom isn’t listening. He’s reading a book.

‘I want to explore,’ Tom says suddenly.

‘We can’t!’ says Milly.

At midnight Milly wakes up. It’s dark in the bedroom and she can hear a noise.

‘Tom, Tom, get up!’ she says. ‘There’s a strange noise.’

Tom goes to the door and listens. ‘You’re right,’ he says to Milly. ‘I can hear someone singing.’

‘Let’s see.’ He opens the door.

‘No!’ Milly says. ‘There’s a full moon. We can’t go out.’

‘You can stay here, but I want to see who’s singing at midnight.’

Tom opens the door and they run into the corridor.

‘Someone is singing in the music room,’ says Milly.

‘You’re right,’ says Tom. ‘It’s a man and he’s singing a song about the sea.’

‘It’s beautiful,’ says Milly. ‘Is it Uncle Henry?’

Tom isn’t listening. He opens the door of the music room and goes in.

‘Don’t, Tom!’ says Milly. ‘We can’t go into the music room!’

The music room is very big and Milly is afraid.

Tom turns on the light and the singing stops. In the room there’s a piano and there are lots of pictures on the wall. One picture is very big. There’s a ship and a man with long black hair and a black hat. He is a pirate.

The children look at the picture and they can see that the sea is moving.

Tom and Milly are afraid, but they can’t move. The pirate looks at them and smiles. Suddenly he comes out of the picture and into the music room. The man is all white.

‘He’s a ghost,’ shouts Milly. ‘Tom, let’s go.’ (…)

The pirate is near the door so they can’t go.

‘Who’s in my music room?’ the pirate shouts. ‘This is my room!’

‘You’re right,’ says Tom. ‘This is your music room and we’re going to bed.’

The pirate shakes his head. ‘Oh no, you’re not! Sit down. I’m going to tell you my story.’

‘My name is William Bones, but everyone calls me Billy,’ says the pirate.

     ‘The ·year. is 1793. My men and I sail the seven seas in my ship’ The Pearl. We fight pirate ships and we sing songs about the sea. We are very happy because we have lots of treasure.’

‘Then, one day I help an old woman and she paints a picture of my ship. “This picture’s magic,” she tells me. “Before you die, put it in a house near the sea. When you die and the moon is full, your ghost can sail your ship for one night.”

Then the old woman looks at me and she says, “Pirate Billy Bones, remember that the picture must be near the sea.'”

     ‘Now it’s 1850,’ Billy says. ‘When I’m old, I die in my house by the sea. The old woman is right. When the moon is fuIl, my ghost can sail my ship for one night.’

     ‘But then in 1910 someone brings the picture here to Manor Hall,’ the pirate says. ‘This house isn’t near the sea, so I can’t sail my ship. When the moon is full, I sing songs about the sea, and the people in the house are afraid. They are afraid of the ghost. They put my picture in the music room and lock the door.’

Suddenly the door of the music room opens.

Uncle Henry stands there. He looks at Billy Bones and then at Tom and Milly.

‘Oh dear,’ he says. ‘Now you know about the mystery!’

‘Now I must tell you my story,’ says Uncle Henry.

     ‘The year is 1976. I buy this house from an old man. He tells me about the picture and the ghost in the music room. I’m afraid of ghosts and I don’t go into the music room. I lock the door.

Every month when there is a full moon, I hear a pirate singing songs about the sea,’ says Uncle Henry. ‘I know that he is unhappy and I know that he wants to go back to the sea. But I’m afraid and I can’t help him.’

‘I know!’ says Tom. ‘Our new house is in a beautiful place near the sea,’ he says. ‘From my bedroom I can hear the seagulls and the waves. Come with us. We can put your picture in the breakfast room where you can see the sea.’

Uncle Henry begins to smile.

‘How wonderful,’ says Billy Bones.

‘l’m happy that you want to go with Tom and Milly,’ says Uncle Henry. ‘You can go, but you must be quiet. You must sing quietly in their new house.’

‘All right,’ says Billy Bones. ‘Are you afraid of ghosts now, Henry?’

Henry smiIes. ‘No, I’m not, BiIly.’ (…)

The next day Milly and Tom’s mum comes. The children run out of the house.

‘Mum, we have something from Uncle Henry,’ says Milly. ‘lt’s for the new house.’

Mum Iooks at the picture. ‘A ship and a handsome pirate … how lovely,’ says Mum.

Tom and Milly say goodbye to Uncle Henry. They take the picture to their new house by the sea. Pirate Billy Bones stands on his ship and he looks at his new home. He can hear seagulls and he quietly sings a song about the sea.

One day when there is a full moon . . . his ship disappears.

 

‘This is the end of the story,’ says grandma.

‘Very exciting,’ Paul answers.

Suddenly the door of the room opens and grandpa stands there. ‘There’s a full moon tonight,’ he says.

Paul feels excited.

At midnight the boy wakes up. He can hear a noise from the kitchen. He opens the door and he can see …. a cat playing with mice.

Paul smiles and looks around. There is a big kitchen table, and on the table there is a key. Paul takes the key and goes to the locked room. He opens the door…. But there’s no pirate, no pictures, no singing. There’s just …. a huge mess.

‘Each house has its own mystery,’ thinks Paul and goes back to bed.

∞ The end ∞

[Materiał własny; zawiera fragmenty ‘The Mystery of Manor Hall’, Jane Cammack; wyd. OUP (rozróżnione czcionką Arial)].

Słowniczek:

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

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

np.: answer – pytać;  she asks  – ona pyta           say – mówić; says  Milly – mówi Milly

mysterious – tajemniczy

It’s boring – jest nudno

I can’t play – nie mogę bawić się

with – z

hen  – kura

forest – las

smile – uśmiech

grandparents’ house – dom dziadków

he likes coming – lubi przyjeżdżać

here – tutaj

bored – znudzony

look out of  the window –   wyglądać przez okno

It is raining – pada deszcz

outside – na zewnątrz

a lot of – dużo

all over the house – po całym domu

there is = there’s – jest, znajduje się

there are – są, znajdują się

locked – zamknięty na klucz

tell a story – opowiedzieć historyjkę

answer – odpowiedzieć

for some time – na pewien czas

they don’t want to … – nie chcą …

stay – przebywać

move to –  przeprowadzać się do

get into – wsiadać (do samochodu)

strange – dziwny

sign – znak, szyld

Does he live here? – czy on tutaj mieszka?

get out of – wysiadać (z samochodu)

follow him – podążać za nim

gate – brama

eyebrows – brwi

you’re late – spóźniliście się

looks angry – wygląda na rozzłoszczonego

explore – zwiedzać, zgłębiać

Do not enter –  zakaz wstępu, nie wchodzić

also  – również

keep listening – słuchaj dalej

he shakes his head –  on kręci głową

they are having dinner – oni  jedzą obiad

full moon – pełnia księżyca

suddenly – nagle

at midnight – o północy

hear – słyszeć

let’s see – zobaczmy

she is afraid (of) – ona boi się

turn on the light – włączyć światło

the singing stops  – śpiewanie ustaje

lots of  –  mnóstwo

move – poruszać się

come out of – wyjść z

shout – krzyczeć

everyone – każdy, wszyscy

treasure – skarb

before you die – zanim umrzesz

remember – pamiętać

bring – przynieść

seagull  – mewa

wave – fala

something – coś

handsome – przystojny

lovely – urocze

disappear – zniknąć

exciting – ekscytujące

excited – podekscytowany

look around – rozglądać się

key – klucz

just – tylko, po prostu

huge – olbrzymi

mess – bałagan

each – każdy

own – własne

SENTENCJE  DLA  KL. IV

1. Colours are the smiles of nature – Kolory są uśmiechami natury

           Leigh Hunt

2. You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great – Nie musisz być świetny, by zacząć, ale musisz zacząć, by być świetnym.

         Zig Ziglar

3. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard – Ciężka praca pokonuje talent, gdy talent nie pracuje ciężko

         Tim Notke

4. When you are angry, count to ten before you speak. If very angry, count to one hundred – Kiedy jesteś zły, policz do dziesięciu, zanim zaczniesz mówić. Jeśli jesteś bardzo zły, policz do stu.

         Thomas Jefferson

5. Every day may not be good… but there’s something good in every day – Nie każdy dzień może być dobry, ale w każdym dniu może być coś dobrego.

       Alice Morse Earle

6. A book is a dream that you hold in your hands – Książka jest marzeniem, które trzymasz w swoich dłoniach

         Neil Gaiman​

7. Books may be the only true magic – Książki mogą być jedyną prawdziwą magią

         Alice Hoffman

8. Someday … – is not a day of the week – Kiedyś … – nie ma takiego dnia tygodnia

       Janet Dailey

 

PIOSENKI DLA KL. IV

Podane linki odsyłają do nagrań  ze słowami 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. A little love – Fiona Fung

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bew2kL3ifI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w17kpYT1wI

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,fiona_fung,a_little_love.html

 

1. More Than I Can Say – Leo Sayer

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4L0q8qbvZk

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,leo_sayer,more_than_i_can_say.html

 

1. You’ve Got A Friend In Me – Brian Wilson / Robert Goulet / Randy Newman / Christina Perri  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMm0P35BQxg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT_MNFIZ3NM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1-m44JKkL8

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,randy_newman,you_ve_got_a_friend_in_me.html

 

1. I’m singing in the rain – Gene Kelly  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8CFw2wzwmY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sft7OfneZJY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVk-bacM75Y

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,gene_kelly,singin__in_the_rain.html

 

MATERIAŁY PRZYGOTOWAWCZE DLA KL. V i VI 

EDYCJA WIOSENNA 2023

OPOWIADANIE DLA KL.V i VI

WHAT  MATTERS

It is Thursday afternoon. Frank normally likes this day of the week. But not today.

He joined an after-school IT club a month ago. The classes are on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the afternoons. Frank really likes technology, and the teacher who runs the course is fantastic. Her surname is Evans – Miss Evans, but everybody calls her Miss Joyful. Maybe because she smiles all the time.

And now Frank is at home, sitting at the computer.       

‘Hurry up,’ says Frank’s dad, ‘or you’ll be late.’

The boy and his dad are very similar. They are both tall, with brown hair and dark eyes. But their interests differ a lot. Dad isn’t keen on technology. Instead, he is into reading.

‘I’m not going to my class today,’ says Frank.

‘But why?’ asks Dad.

‘Because our computer lab is closed for renovation,’ replies Frank.

‘And the class is cancelled?’

‘No…, not really,’ says Frank.

Dad gets more interested. ‘So what?’

‘This time Miss Joyful is going to change the topic of the class.’

‘What do you mean?’ Dad keeps asking.

‘You know,’ Frank explains to him, ‘Last time Miss Joyful asked us a question: “Can you imagine life without technology, computers, smartphones?”

‘Ha ha,’ laughs Dad. ‘And what did you answer?’

‘No, of course not. Everybody said: “It’s impossible to live without all the stuff.”

‘I can imagine her reaction.’

‘You won’t guess!’ says Frank. ‘She wasn’t surprised at all.’

‘Well … Miss Joyful knows her students very well.’

‘And… this time she is going to ….. read a book to us. The book is about a girl who couldn’t imagine life without technology at first, but then ….’

‘So what are you waiting for? Get ready, quick!’

‘But Dad…’

‘Come on, I’ll see you off to the bus stop.’

And after a while, they both go towards the stop. Then, Frank gets on the bus and waves goodbye to his dad.

After about ten minutes, the boy gets off the bus, and arrives at the school building. Soon, he sees his classmates and Miss Joyful, who smiles at Frank very nicely.

The boy thinks about his dad for a moment and is really grateful to him.

The students and the teacher go to one of the school labs.

‘Here is the book I promised to read to you,’ says Miss Joyful, smiling.

The students sit down comfortably around the teacher.

Miss Joyful opens the book with a unicorn on the cover and says, ‘Listen to the story which happened to a girl called Megan:

It was hot, too hot for London in the middle of July and I was angry. I closed the curtains and returned to my mother’s room. She lay in bed (…) I sat next to her and held her hand.

‘I’m not going,’ I said. I looked at my mother and her face was white like the sheets.

‘It’s only for a month, until I feel better, my darling,’ she said. ‘Then you can come home.’

Doctor Barns stood on the other side of the bed. (…) I could see that he didn’t know what to do. We needed a miracle. ‘Your mother is very unwell Megan,’ he said. ‘She needs to rest and you can’t stay here for the summer holidays.’

‘I don’t want to leave you, mum. You want to send me to the Highlands of Scotland to stay with Uncle Fraser, but I hate the countryside.’

I stood up and looked at the doctor. ‘I’m not going and you can’t make me go!’

But Doctor Barns could make me go… and he did.

I watched the countryside change through the window of the train as we travelled into Scotland. I could see fields and lots of sheep, but where were the people?

Mrs Brown, our help, was with me. She wanted to chat, but I didn’t.

‘The Isle of Skye is beautiful. The air is so fresh,’ she said.

‘I hate fresh air. I like the air in London,’ I said.

We changed trains. The next train we got on was very old. (…)

Then, we caught the ferry at Mallaig. The wind blew my long dark hair, and my pale blue eyes searched the island for people, but it looked so quiet.

‘It’s often misty here,’ said Mrs Brown, giving me a sweet.

I didn’t answer. I could only think that I wanted to go home.

We got off the ferry at Armadale, and I stood by the sea and waited for my uncle. (…) When we saw him, I said goodbye to Mrs Brown.

 ‘Megan,’ a strong voice called. He was a tall man with wavy hair and a big smile. ‘I’m over here.’

He was standing next to a beige pony, and he put my suitcase into a little red trap.

The journey along the narrow roads was uncomfortable, but it was fun too. I could see the bay, the seaweed and the rocks. (…)

‘So, this is your first visit to Skye, Megan. I’m so pleased you’re here,’ my uncle said.

‘I want to bring mum next time, when she’s better,’ I said.

His eyes looked sad. ‘I want her to come here, too.’

We stopped at a place where the view of the mountains was spectacular.

‘The Cuillin Range,’ said Uncle Fraser. ‘This is the best place to see the mountains.’

I got out of the trap and looked around. It was a magical place. There was a ruined castle and below a sandy beach. The waves crashed, and I thought I saw a silvery-white horse playing in the water. It ran and jumped and I am sure that I heard it call me.

‘Uncle Fraser,’ I shouted. ‘There’s a white horse.’ He didn’t hear me and when I turned, the silvery-white horse was not there.

We got into the trap. ‘I saw a silvery-white horse down by the sea,’ I said. Uncle Fraser stopped and looked at me with surprise. ‘Did you?’ but then he said no more. (…)

The roads were very narrow now.

‘We’re nearly home,’ said my uncle. (…)

At the end of the track there was a little white house with a front garden full of flowers. In one field I could see four cows waiting patiently by the gate and in another there were some goats and a donkey.

‘We’re home,’ said Uncle Fraser. ‘Welcome to White Heather Cottage.’

I was shocked. Uncle Fraser lived in a white croft near the sea. (…) There were three rooms downstairs. Inside the croft it was cosy and warm. The kitchen was at the far end and there was a table near the window. A small fire burned. I looked out at the bright orange sky. ‘We have great sunsets here,’ said Uncle Fraser.

He showed me his study. He was a writer and he wrote historical novels. There were pens and paper all over his desk and books everywhere.

‘Crofts don’t usually have an upstairs, but this one does,’ he said.

He took me upstairs to show me my room. It was lovely. There was a wooden bed and a red rug on the floor. Next to the bed there was a chest, which looked like a pirate’s treasure chest. There was a small desk near the window and a vase of fresh white heather.

Uncle Fraser’s bedroom was at the end of the corridor and there was a small bathroom with a bathtub and a pile of soft white towels.

‘It’s very pretty,’ I said to Uncle Fraser. ‘But do you get lonely here?’

‘Oh no. I have friends who live in the village and I have my animals.’

We went downstairs and had dinner. There was homemade bread, creamy butter and goat cheese. For pudding we had wild raspberries and cream. It was a delicious meal.

It was getting dark and I looked for the light switch. Uncle Fraser saw me and smiled. ‘Sorry, Megan, there is no electricity at the croft.’

‘No electricity! So you don’t have a dishwasher,’ I said looking at the plates.

‘No, I’m the dishwasher,’ said my uncle laughing.

‘And you probably don’t have a computer?’ I said.

‘No, and I don’t have a television. On Skye we create our own entertainment. I play the piano after dinner when friends come round, or I read by the light of candles and oil lamps. There are lots of board games in the corner, so we can play chess, draughts, monopoly or scrabble.’

Piano! Board games! I couldn’t believe it. No electricity! I wanted to go home, back to my technological world.

Miss Joyful stopped reading for a moment. ‘That reminds me of something,’ she said, smiling.

Then, she went on reading:

‘So, where is the fridge, Uncle Fraser?’

‘I don’t need one. There is a cold cellar in this croft and I grow most of my food. I milk the cows and goats early in the morning so there is fresh milk every day and I make my own cheese. I buy meat from the butcher’s when I want it. It’s a perfect life, Megan.’

‘Perfect,’ I said to myself as I climbed the stairs to bed. I went into my bedroom and put the candle on my desk.

I looked out of my window.

The moon was bright, and in the heather stood a silvery-white horse.

The following day, I woke up and opened my window. I heard a bird sing and a sheep call under my window. I dressed quickly and went downstairs. A big cat sat in front of the fire. My uncle was in the kitchen. ‘Good morning, Megan. Did you sleep well?’

‘Yes, I did. I slept very well,’ I said ‘and I saw the silvery-white horse again Uncle Fraser, before I went to sleep.’

My uncle looked surprised, but he said nothing and put two bowls on the table.

‘Why do you look surprised, Uncle Fraser, when I tell you about the white horse?’

‘There is a legend Megan, of a silvery-white horse. Some people say it is a unicorn.’

‘A unicorn!’ I said. ‘Maybe the horse I saw was a unicorn. It was a long way away and it was difficult to see. What does the legend say?’

‘I don’t know.’ Uncle Fraser put a big bowl of porridge on the table. ‘A shepherd saw the unicorn, but it was a hundred years ago now.’

This was exciting news. ‘Who can tell us about the unicorn?’

My uncle poured me a glass of fresh milk. ‘Old Mrs McTagerty knows the legend. She’s the old woman who lives on the other side of the village. We can ask her. Now eat your breakfast.’

The porridge was delicious. The cat came and sat next to me.

‘This is Marmaduke,’ said my uncle. ‘Let’s go outside, Megan. I have a surprise for you.’

Uncle Fraser showed me his vegetable garden. There was spinach, carrots, potatoes and leeks.

Near the croft there was a small barn and stables.

I looked inside the first stable.

‘You met Darwin yesterday,’ said my uncle. ‘He’s my trap pony.’

In the second stable there was a cream pony with black spots.

‘This is Moon. My neighbour’s son, Ben, often rides him.’

Uncle Fraser moved to the third stable where there was the prettiest pony. It was beige with a blonde mane and tail and had big dark eyes.

‘This is your pony, Megan, and her name is Dolly.’

When I woke the next day, I felt so happy. I had a pony, a beautiful pony, and I wanted to ride her. Then, I thought of mum. It was fun at the croft, but I missed her. (…)

I could hear voices downstairs. I went into the sitting room.

A boy stood near the fire. He was about my age, but he was very tall and he had wavy blonde hair and pale blue eyes. He was wearing jeans and a checked shirt and he had a box in his hands.

‘Megan, this is Ben, our neighbour,’ my uncle said.

‘Hi,’ I said.

‘Hi Megan,’ Ben gave me the box. ‘I found this,’ he said as he opened it. ‘We can look after it together.’

Inside the box was a baby otter. It looked at me. It was so sweet.

‘Its name is Idris,’ Ben said, ‘and I think it’s hungry.’

Uncle Fraser knew what baby otters like for breakfast. He put some homemade bread in a bowl and poured milk on it. Idris loved it. He ate it all and then licked the plate. (…)

Then, after lunch, my uncle appeared with the pony and trap.

‘Come on, you two. We have to buy Megan some riding trousers, boots and a jacket. We are in the Highlands of Scotland and sometimes mists come down and it can get very cold.’

We drove into Portree, the main town on Skye, and my uncle bought the clothes I needed. Then, we went to the post office and I sent mum a postcard with a Highland cow on it.

Ben had dinner with us in the croft, and after dinner Uncle Fraser played the piano. (…)

Ben came to the croft the next morning. He gave me a riding lesson and then we decided to take Idris out for a walk and pick wild raspberries for tea.

‘Don’t forget your jacket,’ said Uncle Fraser. ‘The weather looks uncertain. And don’t go far.’

‘OK’, we both said.

Idris was happy to go out with us. He ran and jumped among the wild flowers and when we reached the small loch, he swam. Otters are playful animals. Ben and I sat in the warm sunshine. We were really fond of watching Idris.

‘Do you know I saw a unicorn?’ I said to Ben as we walked along a little path.

Ben laughed. ‘Unicorns don’t exist.’

‘That’s what I thought, but Uncle Fraser said that a shepherd saw one here a hundred years ago. There’s a legend, he says, but we need to speak to old Mrs McTagerty.’

Ben looked at me. ‘You want to speak to Dolores McTagerty? Do you know who she is?’

‘No,’ I said eating some more blackcurrants. We went down another path.

‘Some people say she is a witch. She lives in the croft by the beach. She doesn’t come to the village very often.

‘Why do the villagers think she is a witch?’ I asked.

‘Because the wild animals come to her. Eagles fly down and sit on her hand, and the red deer come to her door for food.’

‘That doesn’t mean that she is a witch,’ I said.

‘Well, you can’t go to her house alone. I’ll come with you.’ Ben said, and then he stopped and looked up at the sky.

A cold wind blew and the blue sky was now grey.

‘We must go back,’ said Ben and he put Idris in his pocket. We turned round, but the mist came down. We couldn’t see the path in front of us. We were lost!

‘Walk slowly and hold my hand,’ said Ben.

It was very cold and soon our hair was wet. Thank goodness I had my jacket!

Ben had a small torch and a whistle tied on his jacket, but we were far from any houses and crofts. No one heard our calls.

We walked on until suddenly there was a noise. It came from behind a tall tree.

‘What was that?’ cried Ben shining his torch, but I knew.

Just in front of us, in the circle of torch light, stood the silvery-white unicorn. It bowed its head and looked at me with its dark eyes. It called softly.

‘It’s the unicorn,’ I said. ‘It wants to show us the way home, but  you don’t believe in unicorns.’

Ben smiled, ‘I didn’t, but I do now. Let’s follow it.’

We could see the silvery-white unicorn clearly as we followed it through the wood. Slowly and patiently it led us across the fields to White Heather Cottage. The lights were on, and as we walked through the gate, the unicorn turned and looked at me. Then, it galloped away across the heather.

Uncle Fraser opened the door. His face was pale. ‘Thank goodness you’re home.’

 

Dolores McTagerty lived in a black house, where the sea crashed and the seagulls flew. It  was a wild place. No one went there, not even the fishermen. (…)

‘Take her some raspberry jam,’ said uncle Fraser. ‘Tell her it’s from me.’

Ben and I followed the path to her gate, but when we knocked on the door, no one answered.

‘Let’s go round to the back.’ I said.

Ben wasn’t so sure. ‘She may cast a spell,’ he said, but he came with me.

The back of the house was beautiful. There was some grass, black rocks and then the white sandy beach.

An old lady stood by the rocks, with a shawl about her head. She was surrounded by animals. Red deer ate bread from her hands, birds flew near her and seals sat on the rocks calling to her. The old woman spoke to us. ‘Stand quite still. Now move forward slowly.’

We did as she asked.

She caught a young eagle in her hand and she put it on Ben’s arm. The bird looked at him.

‘You can give the deer some bread,’ she said to me.

The deer were not afraid, because the old woman was there. They took the bread from my hand.

‘That’s all for today,’ Dolores McTagerty said to the animals. The eagle flew into the air, the deer went off across the field and the seals returned to the sea.

Mrs McTagerty looked at us. ‘Let’s go in and have a nice cup of hot chocolate.’

The house was dark from the outside, but inside it was light and cosy.

‘Mrs McTagerty, here is some raspberry jam from my Uncle Fraser,’ I said giving her the jar.

The woman thanked me for the jam, but as she took it, she looked into my eyes. We sat down.

‘It’s her eyes,’ she said to Ben. ‘This girl’s got magic in her eyes.’

‘Has she?’ said Ben. ‘We came to speak to you about the unicorn.’

Dolores McTagerty stared at us. ‘So it’s true,’ she whispered. ‘Kendra, the last unicorn, is back. The seals told me he was here.’

‘Mrs McTagerty,’ I said. ‘The unicorn helped us the other day when the mist came down. Uncle Fraser said that you know the legend.’

‘Oh yes, I know the legend. It’s your magic eyes that woke Kendra from his sleep and now he wants to help. The legend says that Kendra will come back, when he is really needed. You need him, don’t you?’

I nodded. ‘Yes.’ I said softly.

‘Touch the unicorn and you can have whatever wish your heart desires.’

Dolores McTagerty took us to the door. ‘Go and find Kendra.’

 ‘There’s a full moon tonight and the weather’s warm. Let’s have a barbecue on the beach!’ said Uncle Fraser.

‘That’s a great idea!’ I said.

Before the sun set, Ben, Uncle Fraser and I carried our baskets of food to the beach. We collected firewood and soon we had a big fire. The flames jumped and we had a wonderful barbecue.

The moon came out full and bright. Uncle Fraser wore his kilt. He brought his bagpipes and his accordion and played us some bagpipe music first. He was really good. Then Uncle Fraser played his accordion and Ben showed me some Scottish dancing. It was wonderful and I laughed and clapped my hands. Then we sang all the songs we knew.

I walked away from the fire for a moment and phoned home. Mrs Brown answered the phone. Her voice was sad.

‘The doctor’s here, Megan. Your mum’s not well at all. I’ll ring you later.’

I bit my lip, but the tears still fell and I went outside to talk to Dolly. I put my face in her mane until I felt better. ‘Kendra, where are you?’ I said to the wind.

When I sat back near the fire, I saw something silvery-white galloping towards us.

‘It’s Kendra!’ I shouted and I started to run towards the unicorn, my unicorn, the last unicorn.

‘Wait for me,’ shouted Ben, but I couldn’t hear him. The unicorn was close now. I could see the horn in the middle of its forehead and its silvery mane and then it stopped and stood quite still. Its dark brown eyes looked into mine.

Slowly I went up to the unicorn. I brushed its neck and its silken mane. I touched the unicorn’s horn and made a wish.

The moon shone brighter and suddenly I was alone. Kendra was galloping away…

The following day, the bright sunlight woke me up. My mobile phone rang and I jumped out of bed. Where was it? I didn’t use it very much at the croft. I had so many other things to do and phones and televisions were no longer important. I found it in the pocket of my jeans.

‘Hello.’

‘Megan, it’s Mrs Brown. Doctor Barns is here and he wants to speak to you.’

I felt cold. Did he want to tell me something terrible?

‘Good morning, Megan,’ came his loud voice. ‘I have good news, great news. Yesterday evening your mother was very ill. I didn’t know what to do. She had a high temperature and Mrs Brown and I sat with her. Then suddenly at about midnight, she sat up in bed and said, ‘I feel better. Could I have a cup of tea and a slice of toast, please?’ Her temperature was normal. It’s a miracle, Megan, a miracle!’

I ran downstairs to tell Uncle Fraser.

‘The unicorn, he gave me a wish. Mum’s better and it was Kendra’s wish that made her well.’

My uncle turned and walked over to the window and looked out at the sea. I left him alone. He didn’t want me to see his tears of happiness.

I went outside with Idris. Ben was there with Dolly and Moon. He helped me to get on Dolly and, as we took the path that led down to the sea, I told him about mum and Kendra’s wish.

‘It will be alright. I want you to come and visit me in London. I’ll miss you,’ I said.

‘I’ll miss you more,’ said Ben.

A month on Skye passed so quickly. I wanted to see mum, but I didn’t want to leave Ben, Uncle Fraser, the ponies and Idris.

Ben and Uncle Fraser looked at each other. It was a secret look.

‘Megan, you can’t take Idris or Dolly back home, so we have a present for you,’ said Uncle Fraser. ‘It’s outside in the trap. Dolores McTagerty gave it to me and she thinks you will be happy together.’ Sitting on my suitcase was a beautiful cocker spaniel puppy.

‘Thank you,’ I said and I hugged them. ‘She’s beautiful, but I don’t want to leave you.’

‘We can write and speak on the phone. And you can come back soon,’ said Ben.

‘Come back with my sister,’ Uncle Fraser said as he kissed my cheek. ‘Come for New Year. We call it Hogmanay in Scotland. We have wonderful celebrations in the village. There is a custom here which brings good luck for the coming year. When the clock strikes midnight, some of us from the village go to Betty Maculister’s house. We take a piece of bread, some money and some coal. All these things bring good luck. The coal is so that the house is always warm. The bread is so there is always food to eat, and the money so that there is always money. Then we throw ashes out of the back door.’

‘Why do you do that?’ I asked.

‘It’s the old year leaving,’ continued Uncle Fraser.

‘Then we have a party,’ said Ben.

 ‘A fine party,’ my uncle said, ‘we sing and dance until morning. Please, come, Megan.’

I looked at them. Hogmanay on Skye and Betty Maculister’s party, singing songs round the piano with Uncle Fraser, Ben and mum! I wanted this more than anything else in the world!

‘Yes!’ I said and I hugged my uncle again.

Then it was time to go. We rode in the trap to Armadale and when we passed the ruined castle, I thought I saw a silvery-white horse galloping in the waves.

‘Goodbye Kendra,’ I whispered and on the salty air the little white horse called out to me.

Of course, we knew this was not goodbye.

‘That’s the end,’ said Miss Joyful and closed the book.

We all sat in silence for a moment, but we wanted to listen to more stories.

‘So kids, can you imagine life without computers now?’ asked Miss Joyful. ‘And I think,’ she lowered her voice, ‘you all have magic in your eyes …… unless you sit at the computer all the time.’ And she gave us a big smile.

∞ The end ∞

[Materiał własny; zawiera cytaty z The Last Unicorn, Jane Elizabeth Gammack, wyd. Black Cat (wyróżnione czcionką Calibri)]

Słowniczek:

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

join – dołączyć, zapisać się

after-school club – koło zainteresowań

IT – informatyka

class – tu: zajęcia

run the course – prowadzić kurs/zajęcia

similar – podobny

differ – różnić się

be keen on sth– przepadać za czymś, lubić coś   (sth– skrót od something)

instead – w zamian

be into sth – być czymś zafascynowanym, pasjonować się czymś

(computer) lab – pracownia (komputerowa)

renovation – remont

reply – odpowiedzieć

cancelled – odwołane

keep asking – nadal pytać

explain (to someone) – wyjaśnić (komuś)

imagine – wyobrazić sobie

impossible – niemożliwe

stuff – rzeczy

see (someone) off – odprowadzić (kogoś)

both – obaj, oboje

towards – w kierunku

get on – wsiadać (np. do autobusu, pociągu, samolotu, na prom)

wave goodbye – pomachać na pożegnanie

get off –  wysiadać (np. z autobusu, pociągu, samolotu, promu)

arrive at – przybyć (do budynku, na lotnisko)

classmate – kumpel z klasy

grateful (to someone) – wdzięczny (komuś)

promise – obiecać

unicorn – jednorożec

cover – okładka

return – wrócić

(she) lay – leżała (lie – leżeć)

I held – trzymałam  (hold– trzymać)

sheets – pościel

feel better – poczuć się lepiej

miracle – cud

unwell – niezdrów

rest – odpocząć

the countryside – wieś, tereny wiejskie

make me go – zmusić/skłonić mnie do wyjazdu

chat – rozmawiać, pogadać

change trains – przesiąść się do innego pociągu

we caught – złapałyśmy (catch – złapać)

ferry – prom

pale – blade

misty – mgliście

say goodbye – pożegnać się

big smile – szeroki uśmiech

trap – tu: dwukółka (rodzaj pojazdu konnego)

journey – podróż

narrow – wąskie

uncomfortable – niewygodne

bay – zatoka

seaweed – wodorosty

rock – skała

when she’s better – kiedy poczuje się lepiej

view – widok

get out of – wysiąść (np. z samochodu, taksówki)

wave – fala

crash – rozbić się

silvery-white – srebrzystobiały

I heard – słyszałam (hear– słyszeć)

get into – wsiąść (np. do samochodu, taksówki)

patiently – cierpliwie

gate – brama

heather – wrzos

cottage – chata

croft – zagroda

cosy – przytulnie

burn – palić się

sunset – zachód słońca

novel – powieść

wooden – drewniany

chest – skrzynia

look like – wyglądać jak

pile – stos

towel – ręcznik

lonely – samotny

light switch – włącznik światła

entertainment – rozrywka

board game – gra planszowa

draughts – warcaby

remind sb of sth – przypominać komuś coś

(she) went on – kontynuowała  (go on – kontynuować)

grow – uprawiać

look out of – wyjrzeć przez

the following day – następnego dnia

bowl – miska

porridge – owsianka

shepherd – pasterz

pour – nalać

barn – stodoła 

stable – stajnia

the prettiest – najładniejszy

mane – grzywa

miss – tęsknić

about my age – mniej więcej w moim wieku

checked – w kratkę

look after – opiekować się

otter – wydra

lick – lizać

appear – pojawić się

I sent – wysłałam (send – wysłać)

uncertain – niepewna

reach – dotrzeć

loch – jezioro (po szkocku)

be fond of sth – bardzo coś lubić

path – ścieżka

witch – wiedźma, czarownica

be lost – zgubić się

torch – latarka

whistle – gwizdek

I knew – wiedziałam (know – wiedzieć)

believe (in) – wierzyć (w)

follow – podążać (za)

it led – prowadziła  (lead – prowadzić)

seagull – mewa

knock – pukać

cast a spell – rzucić zaklęcie

surrounded (by) – otoczona (przez)

seal – foka

still – spokojnie, bez ruchu oraz nadal

stare (at) – wpatrywać się (w)

whisper – szeptać

You need him, don’t you? –potrzebujesz go, nieprawdaż?

nod – skinąć głową

desire – pragnienie

bagpipes – dudy

I bit my lip – przygryzłam wargę (bite – przygryzać)

tears – łzy

horn – róg

brush – tu: musnąć, dotknąć lekko

make a wish – pomyśleć życzenie

important – ważne

pass – mijać

hug – przytulać, ściskać

custom – zwyczaj

bring good luck – przynosić szczęście

strike midnight – wybijać północ

coal – węgiel

ash –popiół

lower – zniżyć

unless – dopóki nie, chyba że

 

SENTENCJE  DLA  KL. V i VI

1. Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about learning to dance through the rain -W życiu nie chodzi o czekanie, aż burza minie; chodzi o to, by nauczyć się tańczyć w deszczu

         Vivian Greene

 2. Happiness is a journey, not a destination – Szczęście to podróż, a nie cel
   Buddha

 3. Anger is a condition in which the tongue works faster than the mind – Gniew jest stanem, w którym język pracuje szybciej niż umysł

         Unknown

 4. Believe you can and you’re halfway there – Uwierz, że potrafisz i jesteś (już) w połowie drogi

         Theodore Roosevelt

 5. There is no frigate like a book to take us lands away – nie ma fregaty takiej jak książka, by zabrać nas w odległe lądy

        Emily Dickinson

 6. Reading allows us to see and understand the world through the eyes of others – Czytanie pozwala nam widzieć i rozumieć świat oczami innych

         Chris Riddell

 7. Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more light – Za każdym razem, gdy czytasz dobrą książkę, gdzieś na świecie otwierają się drzwi, aby wpuścić więcej światła

        Vera Nazarian

 8. The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing – Jedynym prawdziwym błędem jest ten, na którym niczego się nie uczymy.

        Henry Ford

 9. Be yourself; everyone else is already taken – Bądź sobą; wszyscy inni są już zajęci

         Oscar Wilde      

PIOSENKI DLA KL. V i VI

Podane linki odsyłają do nagrań ze słowami 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. Ground Control to Major Tom – Space Oddity – David Bowie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L82DHQfcF8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaOC9danxNo  wykonanie: kanadyjski astronauta Chris Hadfield

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,david_bowie,space_oddity.html

 

1. Warriors – Imagine Dragons

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUpnn1N1VLs

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,imagine_dragons,warriors.html

1. Wonders – Michael Patrick Kelly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rkym1C8EZgM (w tekście użyto niepoprawnej formy: There’s a million little sparks zamiast: There are a million little sparks)

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

 

1. Flowers – Miley Cyrus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAizT0NOWkM

https://www.groove.pl/miley-cyrus/flowers/piosenka/1022023

 

1. You’re The First, The Last, My Everything – Engelbert Humperdinck / Michael Bublé / Barry White

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahW7fM0wV20

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,barry_white,you_re_the_first__the_last__my_everything_1.html

 

1. Tell him – Vonda Shepard

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3ep6ae2BF0

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,vonda_shepard,tell_him.html

 

MATERIAŁY PRZYGOTOWAWCZE DLA KL. VII i VIII 

EDYCJA WIOSENNA 2023

OPOWIADANIE DLA KL.VII i VIII

BACK FROM THE CLOUDS 

It was a lovely, cloudy day, so Elettra decided to go for a ride. She climbed onto the roof of her villa and took her flying carpet. She got on the carpet and flew up slowly.

The girl was gliding through the air for a long while. She really enjoyed riding among the clouds. She loved the wind blowing through her blue hair.

Then, Elettra noticed a cute soft cloud. She stopped her flying carpet just above the cloud. From there, the girl could admire a vast view below. She noticed a farm with the Cathedral of Silence in the middle.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Elettra saw something moving. When she turned, she saw a green-haired girl on a large carpet. It was her friend Saskia.  

‘How nice to see you,’ said Saskia, stopping her vehicle. ‘How’s it going?’

‘Good, thanks. You?’ said Elettra.

‘Pretty good.’

The girls were glad to see each other. They had a lot in common. They had the same sense of humour and they both were really fond of history.

‘I guess you came here to think something over, didn’t you?’ said Saskia.

‘That’s right. I wanted to think over my project about the Great Social Revolution of 2032.’

‘Oh, well… I know that just before the revolution, lots of people were illusorily happy, they wasted their time scrolling through so-called Facebook and Instagram.’

‘You’re right. Most people were addicted to social media and all the technolo…’

‘Look!’ Saskia interrupted and pointed to something in the sky.

It was one of the silver dogs that love playing tricks. It moved very quickly towards the girls, then smiled and gently hit their carpets with its short tail.

The carpets rocked for a moment and began to fall. After a minute they both landed on the soft grass near the Cathedral of Silence.

‘Ha ha, ha ha,’ laughed the girls.

‘It was very amusing,’ said Elettra. ’I like the tricks.’

‘So do I,’ said Saskia.

The girls looked around. There were a lot of colourful flowers in the lush grass, including blue forget-me-nots and also some trees nearby.

‘This place is nice. Why don’t we stay here,?’ suggested Elettra.

‘Sure.’

After a short while of silence Saskia said, ‘Back to our conversation, do you know that before the revolution, for example in 2022, teenagers didn’t read the writings of Socrates or Marcus Aurelius?’

 ‘Really?’ asked Elettra.

‘Yeah, they were overwhelmed by information on the Internet, mainly fake news. Many people didn’t read books at all, or they read much fewer books than we do today.’

‘So that’s why they couldn’t focus on one thing.’ added Elettra.

‘That’s right,’ said Saskia. Luckily, the Great Social Revolution of 2032 happened, and people turned to reading.’

The girls fell silent.

‘But hang on,’ said Saskia after a while. The girl took something out of a pocket of her carpet and added, ‘It’s a book from those times.’

‘Wow! The book looks very old,’ said Elettra.

‘Yeah, it is old and some pages are missing,’ answered Saskia.

‘What’s the book about?’ asked Elettra.

‘It’s a story with a mystery. It starts when a 15-year-old girl called Angel has a dream.

In the dream it is a beautiful, sunny day. She is walking along a dusty road, feeling happy. Suddenly, a cold breeze makes her shiver. Angel turns around. (…) Behind her, she sees her home and the people she loves. They are not waving, only watching. The girl understands now – she is walking away, and she can never go back.

I think, soon her dream will come true.

Angel lives with her parents in Crowthorne – a small town, not far from London. She has been interested in photography since her childhood.

Every holiday, every weekend trip, she takes pictures. Then, in year 9 of school, she joins an after-school photography club. There, she meets a boy called Carl. He has a good eye for photos, and he always has some helpful advice. They soon become friends, and they spend many hours photographing local sites. They find abandoned factories and houses. Their trips are like adventures. As a result, every time they show their photos in the club, they are always different to the other students’ pictures.

Angel really enjoys her life in Crowthorne.

But one day, her dad comes home from work early and says that he has some news. He is calm, but he can’t hide his excitement…’

Here, Saskia interrupted the story. ‘I’ve stopped reading at this point,’ she said.

‘What a pity,’ answered Elettra. ‘I got curious, what the news is.’

‘So why don’t we read the book together? Or at least some extracts?’

‘Great idea,’ agreed Elettra.

The girls sat closer to each other and started reading Angel’s story:

I was sitting at the kitchen table and watching my Dad. A lot of thoughts ran through my head. “We’re leaving,” he said, “I’ve been promoted.” (…)

“Okay… where are we going?” I asked. “Manchester? Edinburgh? Birmingham?”

“Cyprus,” my Dad said, almost in a whisper. “Nicosia…”

“But why?” I asked, in shock. (…) And how long are we going for?”

“Who knows… Maybe six months, maybe two years. Anyway, let’s celebrate,” Dad said as he went upstairs. (…)

It was like the end of the world for me. I didn’t feel like celebrating. So, when my parents left for the restaurant and I was left alone, I called Carl.(…) I told him the news. I was expecting some sympathy from Carl, but I was surprised.

“What a chance,” he said. “I wish I was going.”

“But, there’s not much time left.”

“Exactly,” Carl said. “So let’s enjoy it.”

I knew he was right, and I tried. But I couldn’t enjoy myself.

 

‘And keep in mind that in those days there weren’t any flying carpets,’ said Saskia stopping reading for a moment. ‘So it was difficult to stay in touch.’

‘Sure, only through the Internet and phones.’

 

We went to my favourite places and photographed them together. I didn’t want to forget. Carl’s pictures were full of sunshine and light, but mine were full of sadness and shadow.(…)

 A week later, we locked the house, and took a taxi to Heathrow. The beautiful autumn weather had ended and we arrived at the airport under rainy skies. I was in a terrible mood. Soon, the plane was above the dark clouds, and I began to feel more optimistic.(…)

When we walked out of the plane, I was dazzled. The runway was lined with palm trees, and all the people were dark-haired and olive-skinned. It felt so exotic. (…)

As we left the airport, we drove past the dried-up salt lake. Behind us, the waters of the Mediterranean sparkled. In front of us, the hills awaited.

“Maybe it’s not going to be so bad,” I said, thinking of the gloomy forests and grey skies of England.

In Nicosia, Mum found us a villa – four big bedrooms, all with balconies, a terrace overlooking the distant Mediterranean, and, best of all, a swimming pool.

Dad began work immediately, but I didn’t have school until the New Year. As a result, Mum and I had a three-week holiday to enjoy ourselves. We spent the first week by the pool and walking around Nicosia. Later in the day, we explored a new part of the island.

But, of course, we only explored some of it, because the island of Cyprus is divided into two halves. There is the south where we were living – the EU member. And there is the north – the Republic of Northern Cyprus. It’s a strange land, an occupied land. Most countries in the world don’t recognise it. So, it’s there, but not there…

The border between the south and the north runs through the middle of Nicosia. It’s called the Green Line – but it’s more than a line. The border is lined with barbed wire and guarded by soldiers. (…)

On December 25th, I texted Carl to say that Christmas dinner was a barbecue on the beach. His reply was a picture of him in a Santa hat. In the background I could see a snowman in someone’s garden. (…)

      My new school was an international high school called Archie Mak. When I walked through the gate, I understood that I was in a different world. (…) There were 17 kids in my class and ten different nationalities.(…)

Every day, as I entered the school building, I looked at the school notice board. There were some messages, although nothing really for me. Then, one morning, a new notice appeared. It was advertising the photography club. The classes were on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school.(…)

“Can I come to the club?” I asked Mrs Heliopolis, the teacher who was running the course.

“Of course, my dear. You’re in!” (…)

That first afternoon, Mrs H. (as everyone called her), explained to us the plan and aims for the spring session.

“Each weekend, I’ll give you an assignment. And on the following Tuesday, I want you to bring me one image. You are free to choose. We’ll all have a look at it and we’ll talk about it.” (…)

When I left the class, Dirk was waiting outside for me, on a bench.  Dirk was the most charismatic member of the photography class.

“Angel… Which way are you going?” he asked. I explained where I lived.

“I’ll come with you,” he said, “I live just round the corner.” (…)

On our walk, I tried to find out something about him. He was Dutch – born in Amsterdam. (…) “So how long have you been here?” I asked.

“For a few years now. Before this we were in Serbia, then Indonesia, then Russia. We were always moving, until we came here. It must be… six… maybe seven years now.”

“Do you speak Greek then?”

“Yes. After a few years, you just discover that you know the language. (…)

One day, I took a bicycle and rode around Nicosia, discovering new parts of the city. Or, rather, discovering new parts of the Greek-Cypriot half of the city. Because wherever I went, I eventually met barbed wire or checkpoints. (…)

The following afternoon, I was sitting with Dirk in a cafe, drinking iced coffee in the sun. I  mentioned my bicycle trip. “You haven’t been over the other side yet?” Dirk asked.

“No. It’s not really allowed, is it?”

“A long time ago it was like that, but not now. You just have to stop at two border posts and sign a couple of documents for a temporary visa.” (…)

After the photography club’s meeting on Thursday, Dirk was waiting for me outside as usual.

“Have you got any plans for the weekend? Would you like to come with me on an assignment?”

“Where?

“Nicosia. But we’ll cross the border.”

“Is it safe?” I asked.

“Yes, it is. But let’s keep quiet about it. Nobody else needs to know. Okay?” (…)

 “Are we allowed to take photos?”

“Of course, it’s not North Korea,” he laughed.(…)

I didn’t know what to expect on the other side. We passed the Turkish checkpoint and walked out into familiar streets. But this was another world. The cars were different. The faces were different. And everyone and everything looked so poor. (…)

“You know,” Dirk said, “the two sides of the city were the same before the invasion – people lived the same lives, wore the same clothes. And now… well, you can see the difference.”

“Is it like this everywhere in the north?”

“In Nicosia… yes. There’s no money. A lot of the people are migrants. They were encouraged to come here from the poor parts of Turkey. (…)

I liked the sense of danger in the beginning. But I soon realised there wasn’t any danger – everything soon seemed normal. Old men sat on chairs outside their homes. Young men played backgammon in cafés and smoked. Nobody watched us. They didn’t care what we were doing. Once or twice, groups of kids even posed for us, asking us to take photos of them.

The following day, I went to Dirk’s house. (…) Dirk had already uploaded his photos onto his laptop.(…) I gave him my memory stick, and he transferred my photos to the laptop.

“Okay, let’s see what we have,” Dirk said, starting a slideshow.

Our trip was only a day ago, and only a couple of miles away, but the pictures seemed like from another planet. There were mosques, unfamiliar brands of cars, images of the kids’ faces, smiling and laughing at the camera. (…) Most of the photos looked impressive.

The slideshow moved to some photos from the area close to the border. Many of the houses looked abandoned. (…)

“Very good,” Dirk said. “I can’t wait to show them to Mrs H.” (…) 

Then, I returned home. I went to my room and started my laptop.

I opened a few photos from the day before. I spent half an hour looking at the images, and one photo caught my attention. It was a picture of an old building near the border. It looked empty, there was a broken window on the ground floor. The other windows were so dirty it was hard to see through them. But there was something – a shape or a shadow. I looked closely and then zoomed in.

“Have you still got my photos?” I asked Dirk a few minutes later on the phone.

“I think so… let me check… yes… Why?”

“Find the one named DS2412… it’s somewhere near the end.”

“Okay,” Dirk said a few seconds later.

“What can you see?”

“An old, empty building…”

“What else? Look more closely… the window on the second floor…”

“Right, I see. It’s a woman, isn’t it? She looks quite old.”

I asked Dirk to have a look at the next three photos – all of the same building. In each one the  woman was visible.

“Can you see it, Dirk? She’s looking straight at the camera. Her hand is raised and her mouth open.”

“Looks almost as if she’s waving to us,” Dirk said. “And saying something.” (…)

“I wonder who she is?”

“I wonder… Whoever she is, she must have a story to tell,” Dirk said.

At the photography club on Tuesday, we showed a selection of our photos. Mrs H. set up a  projector and Dirk connected his laptop to it. We told the class about our trip and began the slideshow. From time to time, the other kids made some positive comments, but Mrs H. didn’t say a word.

“What do you think?” Dirk asked her as he was closing the laptop.

“Not bad…” she said, before standing up. “I’ll be back in a moment.” And she left the room.

“What do you think happened?” I asked Dirk as we were walking home later.

“Well (…) our photos probably reminded her of something.” “Or someone…”

“Anyway,” said Dirk, changing the subject, “what about this woman in the photos? If we go and find her, we will hear an interesting story.”(…)

The following Saturday we returned to the North.(…) We got our day visas, passed the checkpoints and entered the odd world on the other side.(…)

As we walked, we took more photos. All the time we paid attention to finding the house with the old woman in the window.

After going round in circles for a couple of hours, we bought some orange juice from a shop and sat in the shade of a eucalyptus tree.

“I don’t think we’re going to find it,” Dirk said.

“I’m sure we’ve walked along almost every street. And we’ve looked carefully enough.”

We searched for another hour, but still we couldn’t find the house. Finally, we gave up and returned to the Greek side, and walked to Dirk’s house.

After his Mum had prepared us a sandwich, we went to Dirk’s room and copied the photos onto his laptop. They looked similar to the photos of the week before – the same scenes, almost the same light, the same faces. Then, just as we were finishing, we found it.

“Aha!” said Dirk. “There’s the house.”

“Zoom in... zoom in a bit…” I said, but I could already see a familiar shape in the window.

“Yes… there she is…”

We both sat and looked at the picture in silence.

“How is it possible we didn’t know we were looking at the house?” I asked.

“Maybe she was a ghost..”

I looked at Dirk. “Are you serious?”

“Well…”

“But even if she was a ghost, why didn’t we notice the house? You know what this means? We’ll have to go back if we want to know the truth... tomorrow…”

This time, before we set off, we checked an online map and Google Earth to find the house. Once we had crossed the border, we took out a map and began walking. This time, our cameras stayed in our rucksacks and we walked without looking around so much. After half an hour, we knew we were close.

“This is where we were yesterday, isn’t it? Where we stopped for a drink…” Dirk said, pointing to the corner of a small square.

“It is,” I agreed. “And where should the house be?”

“Over there… behind where we sat… round the corner… then somewhere on the left.”

“Are you sure? You mean we were so close yesterday…”

“So it seems. Anyway, what are we waiting for? Let’s go and have a look.”

Two minutes later, we turned a corner and there, just in front of us, was the house. Immediately, we both looked towards the window where the woman had been.

“Nobody,” said Dirk.

“You know, I had a feeling about this… I was sure she would be here, waiting for us.”

“Well, we’re here, so let’s knock on the door.”

I stood just behind Dirk. He knocked twice, quietly. There was no answer, so he knocked several more times, each time a little harder. Still, there was no answer.

“It’s open,” Dirk said, “let’s go in.”

“Helloooo… Is anyone there?” Dirk asked as we went inside. We stopped for a moment and listened. In the silence, I looked around. The only light came from the open door and a window somewhere above. (…)

“Come on,” Dirk said, and we began to walk slowly up the creaking stairs. Every few steps, we stopped and listened. The only sound was the birds in the trees outside. Finally, we arrived at  the second floor.

“This is it,” Dirk whispered.

We looked inside. The light was pale. On a red chair sat an old woman, dressed in black, watching us. I jumped from shock. In a weak voice, the old woman said something. My Greek was improving after my lessons at school, but I couldn’t understand her.

“She’s inviting us to come in. Come on…” said Dirk.

The woman smiled, pointed to a pair of old chairs and we sat down. Dirk started to talk to her in Greek. I looked at the woman. My first impression was that she was very sad. But now I could see she had beautiful, friendly eyes..(…) Slowly, I began to catch her accent and understand more of her words.

Finally, Dirk said something to her, and I realised it was the end of the conversation. We said goodbye and left. (…)

“ Are you going to tell me the whole story?” I asked.

“Well, basically, she said she lives there alone. She wanted to know about you and me.”

“There was more than that, wasn’t there?”

“Yes. She hopes we can help her. To find her husband. That’s why she was waving at us. I said we could try. And she asked if we could come back next week. Then she will tell us more. Show us some photos.”

The following week was so long. School went by very slowly as I waited for Saturday and our next meeting with the mysterious old lady. (…)

I started to think about the old woman, alone in her flat. What must her life be like? (…)

My phone rang – it was Dirk. “What are you doing?” he asked.

“I’m thinking about Saturday.”

“Me too,” he said. “I really think we will be able to help this woman.” (…)

On Saturday, we crossed the border earlier than the previous week. As we paid for our visas, the guard gave us a friendly smile. We walked slowly towards the old woman’s building, and at 10 o’clock we climbed the stairs and knocked on the door.

She was waiting for us and welcomed us into her flat. This time we passed the kitchen and entered a bigger room, where there was more light. As I sat down, I looked quickly around the room. There were several pieces of old, dark, heavy, wooden furniture, and several black and white portraits on the wall.

Almost immediately, she left the room. Five minutes later, she returned with a tray. On the tray, there was a teapot, three glasses, and a plate of cake. She poured the tea. On the table next to her there was a photo album. She opened it and began her story.

The photos were from her younger years. They showed a city and parts of the island which were familiar, but also very different. Nicosia looked so lively and glamorous. (…) The old woman turned the page. The picture showed a brightly-lit street full of beautiful people. She pointed at the middle of the crowd, to a couple on a scooter.

“That’s her,” said Dirk translating.… she remembers it like yesterday.”

I looked at her, expecting to see sadness on her face, but there was only joy – the same joy that was on the face of the young woman in the photo. As she continued, however, the look on her face changed. I felt that we were getting closer to something. Then, she turned the page and there it was – a picture of the sky – and in the sky were planes – and from the planes, men with parachutes were falling. She spoke to Dirk for a while, and then waited while he translated.

“She said this is when the soldiers came. They fell from the sky. Like poison rain. Her husband disappeared. She doesn’t know if he died or not. He just disappeared.(…) And she has been alone ever since.”

She took another photo album from the table, this time a smaller one. For the next ten minutes, we looked through the pictures. Her husband on a farm, then on a horse. (…)There were also photos of her parents, aunts, uncles, cousins. It was a journey back in time, to the Cyprus of  the 60s and 70s.

The final photo was from their wedding day. Underneath it were written two names. Although I didn’t know much of the language, I could easily read the letters. “Eleni” “Dimitrios”. She said something to Dirk and I waited for him to translate.

“She asks if we can help her find him.” (…)

When she’d finished talking, she gave Dirk a piece of paper.

“What’s that?” I asked Dirk.

“Details. Dates of birth. Addresses. Where her husband worked. Things that might help us.”

Not long after, we got up. At the door, she gave Dirk an envelope and asked him something.

1. “Photos in the envelope,” Dirk explained. “And she asked if we can take her picture. Just in case we need it to show to someone.”(…)

When Dirk and I returned from the Turkish part of Nicosia, we went to my house.

We talked about the information from the old woman and how to use it.

“Let’s google a few names,” Dirk said.

“First  I’d rather put that information on the computer,” I suggested.

“Good idea,” said Dirk. “That way we can cut and paste it into Google.”(…)

Then we began our detective work. We had Google in its Cypriot form and English form to help us. From there, we found some websites about missing people from 1974. We also found the Cypriot government’s websites with details of births, deaths and marriages. But, after 3 hours using the various tools, Dirk said, “I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I thought that after a couple of  hours, we might find a few clues… Everything’s on the Internet these days, isn’t  it?”

“Apparently not… Anyway, let’s stop for today,” I suggested.

Dirk agreed and, after helping me load the dishwasher, he went back home. I didn’t stop, however. Once he had left, I continued doing searches and reading various websites.

At 11:30, my phone rang.

“You’re not asleep, are you?” Dirk asked.

“No.”

“I thought so. Have you found anything?”

“Not really.” I said.

“Same here. But I have an idea. There are some refugee groups and organisations where people support each other. (…) They built some houses, built refugee settlements.”

“So that’s where we should go then?”

“It’s worth a try,” said Dirk. (…)

We spent the week organising our first trip. Dirk brought his tablet and we loaded onto it all the information that could be helpful. We had the family information, and the old photos, as well as the pictures of Eleni.

On Saturday morning we were prepared, and we drove out of Nicosia towards our first destination – a refugee settlement not far from the Green Line. (…)

We parked at one end of the village and walked around taking photos. (…)

“If we photograph a few people, we can show them to Eleni. She might recognise some faces.”

After an hour of wandering around the town, we stopped for a Coke in a cafe. It was like the cafes of Nicosia, or in any town or village in the Greek Cypriot territory. There were tables all around, and at each table sat two or three men. Some of them were talking. Others were sitting in silence. Some were playing backgammon. (…)

After a while, a man turned round and started talking to us. He was about 60, with a wrinkled, brown face, a grey moustache, and shining, friendly eyes. To my surprise, he spoke English. He explained to us that he had lived in London for 15 years, but had come home. We talked for a while, before we told him that we were looking for Eleni’s husband.

“What was their name… the family… her husband?” he asked.

We told him, and he went over to another table and sat down. He started talking to a man, and the conversation went on for a while.

“Do you think he might know something?” I whispered to Dirk.

“You never know. The refugees are a close-knit group. And everyone in Cyprus is related to everyone else. If they meet someone, they’re always a cousin, or a cousin of a cousin, even if  they live at the other end of the island.”

Finally, both men stood up and they came over to our table. “He wants to know the details, and to see the photos you have. But he doesn’t speak English.”

Dirk started talking to the man. The man listened carefully, and from time to time, he spoke. Eventually, Dirk thanked the man and he stood up and returned to his table.

“What was that all about?” I asked.

“He’s a refugee. He said he knew three people with the name of Eleni’s husband. One is dead. One emigrated to Australia. The other one he wasn’t sure about. He also said there may be more. Anyway, he will ask some people. We should come back next week.” (…)

The following week we returned. We arrived at the arranged time and looked around, but the man wasn’t there. Dirk went to get us two iced coffees. The groups of men were talking, sitting in silence, playing backgammon, just as the week before. (…) A man, who was sitting alone, was watching us. After a couple of minutes, he came over.

“Are you waiting for  Malamidis?” the man asked. “He’ll be here in a while. He told me to tell you.” The old man sat down. “You’re looking for Dimitrios Leonidas…”

Dirk talked to him while we waited for Malamidis. He showed him the photographs and the man listened to the story with great interest. Then, as I was finishing my iced coffee, Malamidis arrived. The old man greeted him and returned to his table.

“Everyone is interested in the story,” Malamidis said.

A woman brought him a Cypriot coffee and a glass of water and Malamidis told us what he had learnt. First, he told us about the man in Australia. He got married in 1967 to the woman who is still his wife now. “So, he is not the man you are looking for – Eleni’s husband.”

As he was telling us the story, the other men in the coffee shop stopped talking. Everyone was listening to us. (…)

“Now,” he continued, “I also found a few more people with the name Leonidas. But none of them were born in 1939 – so none of them is your Leonidas. (…)

“Okay. Well, thanks a lot,” said Dirk.

We talked to Malamidis for a few minutes more and then stood up to leave.

“Can we take a few photos of this place and the people?” asked Dirk.

The men didn’t mind. Once we had finished, we said farewell and left. (…) 

The following Saturday, we crossed the border again. In fifteen minutes, we arrived at her flat. This time, she saw us from the window and came down to meet us. She seemed very happy to see us, and once we were inside, she went to make tea.

“Did you notice anything?” I asked Dirk, as he took his tablet from his rucksack.

“That she came to meet us?”

“Not only that… There was something else… You really didn’t notice?”

“No. You mean like excitement?”

But I couldn’t say any more because Eleni came in, carrying a tray.

Dirk started telling her about our visit to the refugee village. He told her what Malamidis had told us. As he spoke, Eleni listened very carefully, nodding her head from time to time. (…)

“He’s come back,” Eleni eventually said.

Dirk looked confused. “Who?”

“My husband. Dimitrios.” (…)

I understood more, but Dirk translated Eleni’s words. What a strange coincidence, I thought. We were looking for him, and he came back. But, suddenly, I understood.

“How?” asked Dirk. “How did he know where to find you? How did he know you were looking for him? Did you tell someone… Maybe you did…”

“No,” Eleni said.

We waited for more…

“You must be happy,” Dirk said. (…)

Although Eleni said nothing more about her husband that day, she asked us to come back the following week. We understood that she needed time. We agreed to come back.

More excited than ever, we returned the following Saturday. Everything seemed the same – the trip between the checkpoints, the walk to the flat, Eleni making us tea. But there had been a great change.

This time, Eleni was very talkative and told us stories from her childhood. Then, she began to tell us about her husband – what a wonderful man he had been, and how happy they had been.

And yet, she said nothing about her husband Dimitrios’s return. (…)

“Why did he leave? Did he say?” Dirk asked.

“When the invasion happened… He only left for a day. I think… now… I understand.”

I looked at Dirk’s face, and it was clear he didn’t understand. And, to be honest, neither did I.

After several uncomfortable minutes, Eleni thanked us for our help. Our job was finished. (…)

We said goodbye and wished Eleni all the best. As she closed the door, we began walking down the stairs. Halfway down, in the darkness, a man passed us. (…) We both looked at him. He smiled at us and continued climbing the stairs.

“Did you see who that was?” I asked Dirk.

“I think so… he looked familiar… even in the darkness. The man from the coffee shop?”

“Yes. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” I asked as we came out onto the bright, sunlit street.

“He’s her husband?”

“Exactly. I wonder what happened. He was in that coffee shop when we went there the first time. And the second time. He came and talked to us and listened to what we said. (…)

Dirk stopped. “Should we go back and find out?”

“No. I don’t think it’s a good idea. It’s… It’s not our story anymore,” I said, feeling as unsatisfied as Dirk.

The girls stopped reading for a while.

‘What do you think, Saskia?’ asked Elettra. ‘Why did her husband disappear for so long?’

‘I think he went through difficult times and then lost his memory. It is called amnesia.’

‘Yes, you must be right,’ agreed Elettra. ‘And when he heard his name and Eleni’s name in the coffee shop, his memory came back.’

‘Yeah, it happens,’ said Saskia.

Then, the girls went on reading.

We had some time before we had to go back, so we chose a longer route back to the border crossing. After fifteen minutes in the narrow, dusty streets, we turned a corner. Right in front of us was the Selimiye Mosque. It was so impressive that we decided to photograph it. As we continued our walk, we kept photographing children, old people, groups of young men. Everything and everyone seemed to be saying something in the warm afternoon light. (…)

That evening, after our return, we uploaded our photos from our walk. They were the best photos we had taken, and we decided to show them to Mrs H. the following week.

The slideshow began, and she looked at them with great interest.

“I want you to have an exhibition. These photos should be seen,” she said. “They shouldn’t be left on a hard disk and forgotten. They should be printed out and framed. What do you think?”

“I can agree to that,” I said. I couldn’t hide my excitement. (…)

 

Here, the girls stopped reading.

‘I am impressed by the story,’ said Saskia.

‘So am I,’ agreed Elettra. ‘And thanks to it I’ve got an idea for my project.’

‘Look,’ said Saskia, ‘the old times were harder and some nations were invading others, but lots of people didn’t differ much from us. They also were sensitive to the others’ feelings and helped each other. Teenagers, like Angel and Dirk had their passions…’

At some point, the colour of the light changed.

‘Look! What a wonderful rainbow!’ said Elettra.

The rainbow was ‘upside-down’ and looked like a big smile in the sky.

And the girls smiled as well.

‘I think it’s the silver dog’s job,’ said Saskia. ‘Let’s go and play with him, shall we?’

‘Great!’

And the girls glided through the air, towards the rainbow and the silver dog.

∞ The end ∞

[Materiał własny; zawiera cytaty z Lost World, Kevin Hadley. Wyd. Edgard (wyróżnione czcionką Calibri)]

Słowniczek:

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

flying carpet –  latający dywan

glide – szybować, ślizgać (się)

for a long while – przez dłuższą chwilę

enjoy –  lubić, cieszyć się, dobrze się bawić

notice – zauważyć

admire – podziwiać

vast view – rozległy widok

suddenly –  nagle

out of the corner of her eye – kątem oka

How’s it going? – jak leci?

You? – a ty?  a u ciebie?

a lot in common – wiele wspólnego

sense of humour – poczucie humoru

both – obie, oboje

be fond of – bardzo lubić (kogoś/coś)

think sth over – przemyśleć coś

you came here …, didn’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.

illusorily – iluzorycznie, złudnie

waste – marnować

so-called – tak zwany

addicted (to) – uzależniony od

interrupt – przerywać

play tricks – płatać figle

towards – w kierunku

gently – delikatnie

hit – potrącić, uderzyć

rock – kołysać, trząść

amusing – zabawne

a) – I like ….. b) – So do I – ja też. W tekście jest więcej tego typu wyrażeń. Zawierają słowo ‘so’ (w zdaniach twierdzących) lub ‘neither’ (w przeczeniach np. ‘ja też nie’) oraz odpowiedni operator (np. ‘do’) w zależności od użytego czasu gramatycznego w zdaniu wyjściowym .

lush – bujna

nearby – w pobliżu

Why don’t we …? – a może byśmy …?

Back to – wracając do

the writings – dzieła

overwhelmed (by) – zalewani, zasypywani (przez)

fewer – mniej (dotyczy rzeczowników policzalnych)

focus (on) – skupić się (na)

fall silent – zamilknąć

hang on – zaczekaj

pages are missing – brakuje stron

15-year-old girl – 15-letnia dziewczyna

dusty – zakurzony

breeze – bryza, powiew wiatru

shiver – trząść się

come true – spełnić się

be interested in – interesować się

since – od

trip – wycieczka, krótka podróż

join – dołączyć, zapisać się

after-school club – koło zainteresowań

advice –  rada, rady

local sites – okolica

abandoned – opuszczony

different (to/from) – inny  (od)

the other students’ pictures – zdjęcia innych uczniów

calm – spokojny

excitement – podekscytowanie

What a pity – jaka szkoda

get curious – zaciekawić się

extract – fragment

be promoted – dostać awans

whisper – szept, szeptać

celebrate – świętować

feel like – mieć ochotę na

expect – oczekiwać

sympathy – współczucie

I wish I was going – chciałbym jechać

stay in touch – pozostawać w kontakcie

lock – zamknąć (na klucz)

Heathrow – lotnisko w Londynie

arrive at – przybyć (do budynku, na lotnisko)

arrive in – przybyć (do państwa, miasta)

dazzled – oszołomiona

runway – pas startowy

lined with – otoczone

olive-skinned – o oliwkowej cerze

it felt – wydawało się

dried-up – wyschnięte

the Mediterranean (sea) – Morze Śródziemne

sparkle – błyszczeć

await – oczekiwać

gloomy – ponury

overlooking – z widokiem na

distant – odległy, w oddali

immediately – natychmiast

divided – podzielony

EU member – członek Unii Europejskiej

occupied – okupowany

recognise – uznawać, rozpoznawać

border – granica

barbed wire – drut kolczasty

guarded – strzeżony

text – wysłać SMS

reply – odpowiedź, odpowiedzieć

background – tło, drugi plan

notice – ogłoszenie, notatka

notice board – tablica ogłoszeń

advertise – ogłaszać, reklamować

run the course – prowadzić zajęcia /kurs

You’re in! – witaj ‘na pokładzie!’

aims – cele

session – semester, sesja

assignment – zadanie, projekt

image – zdjęcie

find out – dowiedzieć się

discover – odkryć

eventually – ostatecznie, w końcu

allow – pozwolić

be allowed (to) – być dozwolone, wolno (coś zrobić)

border post – posterunek graniczny

sign – podpisać

temporary visa – wiza tymczasowa

cross the border – przekroczyć granicę

familiar – znajome

invasion – inwazja

encourage – zachęcić

sense (of) – poczucie (czegoś)

backgammon – tryktrak (gra planszowa)

care – przejmować się

pose – pozować

memory stick – pendrive

slideshow – pokaz slajdów

mosque – meczet

unfamiliar – nieznana

brand – marka

impressive – imponujący

can’t wait to – nie móc się doczekać (żeby coś zrobić)

catch someone’s attention – przyciągnąć czyjąś uwagę

zoom in – powiększyć, przybliżyć

visible – widoczny

as if – jakby

whoever – ktokolwiek

set up – ustawić

connect  – podłączyć

remind someone of something – przypominać komuś coś

odd  – dziwny

pay attention (to) – zwrócić uwagę (na)

go round in circles – chodzić w kółko

a bit – trochę

set off – wyruszyć

rucksack – plecak

close – blisko

have a feeling – mieć przeczucie / wrażenie

knock – pukać

creaking – skrzypiący

improve – poprawiać się, polepszać

impression – wrażenie

went by – mijała (go by – mijać)

be able to – móc, być w stanie (coś zrobić)

welcome – zaprosić, powitać

several – kilka

furniture – meble;  a piece of furniture – mebel

tray – taca

pour – nalać

lively – pełen życia

glamorous – wspaniały, olśniewający

brightly-lit – jasno oświetlona

crowd – tłum

joy – radość

parachute – spadochron

fall – spadać

poison rain – toksyczny/zatruty deszcz

disappear – zniknąć

just in  case – na wszelki wypadek

cut and paste – kopiować i wklejać,  kopiuj- wklej

missing – zaginiony

government – rząd

various – różne

tool – narzędzie

clue – trop, wskazówka

apparently – najwidoczniej, ewidentnie

refugee – uchodźca

refugee settlement – obóz dla uchodźców

support – wspierać

destination – cel podróży

wander around – włóczyć się, przechadzać

turn around – odwrócić się

wrinkled – pomarszczony

explain to someone – wyjaśnić komuś

close-knit – zżyty, związany

related to – spokrewniony, związany z

arranged time – umówiona godzina

in a while – za chwilę

greet – przywitać

They didn’t mind – nie mieli nic przeciwko

say farewell – pożegnać się

nod – skinąć głową

confused – zdezorientowany

coincidence – zbieg okoliczności

talkative – rozmowna

to be honest – szczerze mówiąc

sunlit – skąpany w słońcu, słoneczny

go through difficult times – doświadczyć trudnych chwil

amnesia – amnezja (utrata pamięci)

exhibition – wystawa

at some point – w pewnym momencie

upside-down – ‘do góry nogami’

it’s the silver dog’s job – to robota srebrnego pieska

 

SENTENCJE  DLA  KL. VII i VIII

 1. Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away – Życia nie mierzy się ilością oddechów, ale ilością chwil, które zapierają dech w piersiach

         Maya Angelou

 2. Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever – Żyj tak, jakbyś miał umrzeć jutro. Ucz się tak, jakbyś miał żyć wiecznie

        Mahatma Gandhi

 3. Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it – Sukces zwykle przychodzi do tych, którzy są zbyt zajęci, by go szukać

        Henry David Thoreau

 4. Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of travelling- Szczęście nie jest stacją, do której przyjeżdżasz, lecz sposobem podróżowania

        Margaret Lee Runbeck

 5. Words are like keys. If you choose them right, they can open any heart and shut any mouth. – Słowa są jak klucze.Jeśli dobrze je wybierzesz, mogą otworzyć każde serce i zamknąć każde usta.

          Unknown

 6. It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness” – Lepiej jest zapalić świeczkę, niż przeklinać ciemność.

         Eleanor Roosevelt

 7. A good reading strengthens the soul. – Dobra lektura wzmacnia duszę
       Toba Beta

 8. Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more light – Za każdym razem, gdy czytasz dobrą książkę, gdzieś na świecie otwierają się drzwi, aby wpuścić więcej światła

 Vera Nazarian

 9. The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him – Prawdziwy żołnierz walczy nie dlatego, że nienawidzi tego, co jest przed nim, ale dlatego, że kocha to, co jest za nim
G.K. Chesterton

 10. Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything – Muzyka daje duszę wszechświatowi, skrzydła umysłowi, lot wyobraźni i życie wszystkiemu

         Plato

 11. Don’t cry because it’s over, but smile because it happened – Nie płacz, że coś się skończyło, tylko uśmiechnij się, ponieważ to się wydarzyło

        Dr. Seuss

PIOSENKI DLA KL. VII i VIII

Podane linki odsyłają do nagrań ze słowami 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. Somewhere Only We Know – Keane

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THw3gyON6Gk

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,keane,somewhere_only_we_know.html

 

2. Stressed Out – Twenty One Pilots

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1tDFtMjwAE&list=RDf1tDFtMjwAE&start_radio=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl9foWfFr-o

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,twenty_one_pilots,stressed_out.html

 

    3. Hurt – Christina Aguilera

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwCykGDEp7M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=___l8Y21yNM

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,christina_aguilera,hurt.html

 

4. Flowers – Miley Cyrus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAizT0NOWkM

https://www.groove.pl/miley-cyrus/flowers/piosenka/1022023

 

      5. Ugly – Ella Henderson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_Zcw9pH9Kk

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,ella_henderson,ugly.html

 

6. Send Me an Angel – Scorpions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Md-dMS7BeE

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,scorpions,send_me_an_angel.html

 

7. Love Runs Out – OneRepublic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqORD0c4nE8

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,onerepublic,love_runs_out.html

 

MATERIAŁY PRZYGOTOWAWCZE

DLA KL. I – III SZKOŁY BRANŻOWEJ oraz I i II TECHNIKUM

EDYCJA WIOSENNA 2023

OPOWIADANIE

MR RIGHT AND MISS RIGHT

‘Look, Jane,’ said Sara ‘lots of handsome boys on Facebook, thousands of LIKES, but nobody really to talk to.’

‘Yeah,’ her friend replied, ‘they want to meet but I find them boring. I sometimes ask them a question: What do you like doing? And guess what they answer.’

‘Playing computer games?’

‘Bingo!’ said Jane. ‘Of course, there is nothing wrong with playing computer games, is there?’   

‘Yeah,’ replied Sara, ‘as long as that’s not their only concern.’

 ‘That’s right. I sometimes ask them if they have read anything interesting recently.  Guess what they answer.’

‘I think they reply: No, nothing.’

‘That’s right. I wonder why boys aren’t keen on reading,’ said Jane.

‘Not all boys; for example, my younger brother has been interested in reading since his childhood,’ remarked Sara.

‘Wow! So there are some exceptions to the rule.’

The girls fell silent for a while.

Then, Sara exclaimed, ‘I’ve got a great idea! Why don’t we announce a kind of competition on the Internet?’

‘Brilliant!’ agreed Jane. She usually agreed with her friend on everything.

‘I will go on a date with a boy if… if he tells me a touching story on the net; a story which makes me cry.’

‘And for me …. someone who will tell me a funny story with a message.’

‘Like princesses in the old days, who were looking forward to meeting their dream knights,’ sighed Sara dreamily.

‘Ha! Princesses searching for the knights on the Internet!’ remarked Jane.

 Both girls burst into laughter.             

***

‘Look, Tom,’ said Paul. ‘Lots of pretty girls on Facebook, thousands of LIKES but nobody to talk to seriously. All the girls just care about their looks and make-up, and devote a lot of time to their flashy nails.’

‘Yeah, most of them aren’t fond of reading at all,’ said Tom

‘Hey, can you see this post?’ exclaimed Paul. ‘Two girls …. competition…… Sounds intriguing, doesn’t it? ….’

‘Yeah. Something just for us.’

***

‘Look at this! Somebody has posted a story!’ Sara was excited. ‘Let’s read.’

Christmas Presents

One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. Every day, when Della went to the shops, she spent very little money. She bought the cheapest meat, the cheapest vegetables. (…) She saved every cent possible.

Della counted the money again. There was no mistake. One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And the next day was Christmas. She couldn’t do anything about it… So she sat there, in the poor little room, and she cried.  Della lived in this poor little room, in New York, with her husband James Dillingham Young. (…)

Della tried to find work, but times were bad, and there was no work for her. But when James came home, she called him ‘Jim’ and put her arms around him. And that was good.

Della stopped crying and she washed her face. (…) Tomorrow was Christmas Day and she had only one dollar and eighty-seven cents to buy Jim a Christmas present. Her Jim. She wanted very much to buy him something really fine, something to show how much she loved him. (…)

Now, her husband had two very special things. One was Jim’s gold watch. It once belonged to his father, and, before that, to his grandfather. The other special thing was Della’s hair. Quickly, Della let down her beautiful long hair. It fell down her back, and it was almost like a coat around her. Then she put her hair up again, quickly. (…)

Then she put on her old brown coat and her old brown hat, turned, and left the room. (…)

She walked along by the shops and stopped when she came to a door with ‘Madame Eloise – Hair’ on it. (…)

‘Will  you buy my hair?’ Della asked the woman inside.

‘I buy hair,’ Madame replied. ‘Take your hat off and show me your hair.’

The beautiful brown hair fell down.

‘I can give you twenty dollars,’ Madame said, and she touched the hair with her hand.

‘Ok, but please, cut it off quickly’ Della said.

The next two hours went quickly. Della was happy because she was looking around the shops for Jim’s present.

At last she found it. It was a gold chain for The Watch.  Jim loved his watch, but it had no chain. When Della saw this gold chain, she knew immediately that it was right for Jim. She must have it.

The shop took twenty–one dollars from her for it, and she hurried home with the eighty-seven cents.

When she arrived there, she looked at her very short hair in the glass. ‘What can I do with it?’ she thought. For the next half an hour she was very busy. (…)

Her hair was now in very small curls all over her head. ‘Oh, dear. I look like a schoolgirl!’ she said to herself. ‘What’s Jim going to say when he sees me?’

At seven o’clock the dinner was nearly ready, and Della was waiting. (…)

The door opened and Jim came in. His eyes were on Della. She could not understand the look on his face, and she was afraid. He was not angry or surprised. He just watched her, with that strange look on his face.

Della ran to him.

‘Jim,’ she cried. ‘Don’t look at me like that. I sold my hair because I wanted to give you a present. It will soon be long again.’

‘You’ve cut off your hair?’ asked Jim.

‘Yes. I cut it off and sold it,’ Della said. ‘But don’t you love me anymore, Jim? I’m still me.’

Suddenly Jim put his arms around his Della. Then he took something from his pocket and put it on the table.

‘I love you, Della,’ he said. ‘It doesn’t matter if your hair is short or long. But if you open that, you’ll see why I was unhappy at first.’

Excited, Della pulled off the paper. Then she gave a little scream of happiness. But a second later there were cries of unhappiness.

Because there were The Combs – the combs for her beautiful hair. When she first saw these combs in the shop window, she wanted them. They were beautiful combs, expensive combs, and now they were her combs. But she no longer had her hair!

Della picked them up and held them.  Her eyes were full of love.

‘But my hair will soon be long again, Jim.’

And then Della remembered. She jumped up and ran to get Jim’s beautiful present.

‘Isn’t it lovely, Jim? I looked everywhere for it. Now you’ll want to look at your watch a hundred times a day. Give me your watch, Jim! Let’s see it with its new chain.’

But Jim did not do this. He sat down, put his hands behind his head, and smiled.

‘Della,’ he said. ‘Let’s keep our presents for a time. They’re so nice. You see, I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs. And now, let’s have dinner.’

And this was the story of two young people who were very much in love.

***

‘How romantic …’

‘And really touching… This reminds me of a great – ’

‘But look!’ Sara interrupted. ‘There’s another story! I think it’s for you.’

‘Maybe,’ smiled Jane. ‘Let’s read, then.’

***

It Could Be Worse 

Duncan tried not to look at his wife while he read his newspaper, but he knew that she was looking directly at him, and he knew that she was not happy.

‘It could be worse,’ he said quietly, not looking at her cold, angry, blue eyes.

She was a small woman with short brown hair, a tiny nose and a kind smile. When she was happy, Duncan thought that she was possibly the most beautiful woman in the world, but when she was angry, Duncan thought that she was terrifying.

‘What?’ Liz asked. ‘What did you say?’

They were sitting opposite each other at a small table in a tiny caravan. Inside the caravan there was one tiny bed, a tiny oven, and a tiny window which was covered by an old white curtain. It was so small that even Liz could not stand up straight.

‘I said, well, you know, it could be worse.’

‘How?’ asked Liz. ‘How could this be worse? It’s our ten year wedding anniversary. You promised me a romantic, exotic location, but instead, we’re in the middle of the Lake District in the smallest caravan in the world!’

‘This is romantic,’ Duncan argued. ‘You saw those fantastic hills, those beautiful lakes, those green forests. And the location is perfect, right next to Lake Windermere. ‘Go on Liz, look at the view, will you?’ he said, moving the curtain to reveal the countryside.

The countryside, however, was not visible, because large black clouds were now covering the fantastic mountains, the beautiful lakes, and the green forests.

‘Oh,’ said Duncan, then he looked at his wife again. ‘But it could be worse, it’s not…’

But before he could finish speaking, there was a loud crash of thunder, and it began to rain.

His wife’s face was terrifying, but Duncan was determined to be positive about the situation. ‘Well, a little rain is no problem for us. We’re warm and dry in here, so we can watch the storm, open a bottle of wine. Quite romantic, really.’

Liz opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly stopped, as a drip of water fell onto her head.

Looking up, they saw that the rain was falling through several small holes in the roof of the caravan.

‘It’s not a problem,’ Duncan said. ‘I can easily fix that. You open the wine. I’ll be back in a minute.’

Liz was silent, but the expression on her face made Duncan quickly move to the tiny door and push it open. The rain was pouring down now, the dark clouds covering the hills on each side of the impressive Lake Windermere.

It was beautiful, Duncan thought, and he could repair the roof quickly. He was sure that Liz would enjoy the holiday.

Moving to the side of the small caravan, he lifted his leg and began to climb up onto the roof. In only a few seconds he was dripping wet, but he was determined to make his poor wife happy.

Carefully, he moved across to where the holes were and saw the problem.

‘It’s not too bad,’ he shouted, ‘I can fix it if I move this. Yes, it could be worse!’  

And he began to move a piece of plastic into position.

It was then, however, that he heard a strange noise from under his feet. For just a second more he stood there. Then, with a terrible crash, he fell through the roof and landed in the middle of the caravan.

Liz screamed and dropped the bottle of wine that she was holding.

‘Duncan, are you okay?’ she asked as she looked at him lying on the floor.

‘I think so,’ he said, checking that his arms and legs could still move. ‘Yes, I’m okay, nothing broken …. So it could be …’

But before Duncan could finish his sentence, there was another noise, a quiet, squeaking noise.

‘What’s that?’ asked Liz.

‘Probably nothing, but maybe we should…’

Suddenly, the caravan began to move.

‘Get out!’ shouted Liz, then she ran to the tiny door, pushed it open and jumped out.

Duncan was a little slower, because the caravan was now moving much faster and twice he fell while he tried to move to the door.

‘Duncan! Jump!’ he heard Liz shout, but before he could push the door open, there was a loud splash, as the caravan rolled into the water of the impressive Lake Windermere.

For a moment he did nothing, as the cold water of the lake filled the tiny caravan. But as it began to cover his legs, he recovered from his shock, reached up to the hole in the roof and pulled himself up.

‘Are you okay?’ Liz shouted from the side of the lake.

For a moment only, Duncan thought about his reply. Then he smiled, as he rested on the roof of the sinking caravan. ‘It could be worse.’

And for the first time that day, he saw his wife smile, and he thought that she was possibly the most beautiful woman in the world.

***

‘Wow! It’s fantastic, isn’t it?’ said Jane.

‘Yeah, funny and gripping.’

‘But look, there’s a note below.’

‘We can talk about books when we meet. What about today?’

‘Great! Why not,’ said Sara.

‘So let’s stop dillydallying, shall we? We need to finish our project first,’ remarked Jane.

‘Oh, no! I’ve completely forgotten.’

‘Don’t worry. It could be worse.’

∞ The end ∞

Materiał własny. Wykorzystano fragment z The Christmas Presents z ‘New Yorkers –  short stories’,  O. Henry, wyd. OUP  oraz It Could Be Worse z ‘A Little Slice of Heaven’, Dominic Butler, wyd. LektorKlett.

   

Słowniczek:

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

Mr Right – ten jedyny, idealny partner, królewicz z bajki 

Miss Right – ta jedyna, idealna partnerka, wymarzona dziewczyna

reply – odpowiedzieć

find sb boring – uważać, że ktoś jest nudny

there is nothing … is there? – 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.

concern – troska, zainteresowanie

be keen on sth – lubić coś, przepadać za czymś

be interested in sth – interesować się czymś

since – od kiedy, od

exception to sth – wyjątek od czegoś

fall silent – zamilknąć

announce – ogłosić

agree with sb on sth – zgadzać się z kimś odnośnie czegoś

touching – wzruszający

make sb cry  – skłaniać kogoś do płaczu

story with a message – opowieść z przesłaniem

look forward to sth/sb – wyczekiwać czegoś/kogoś z niecierpliwością

remark – zauważyć

burst into laughter – wybuchnąć śmiechem

devote – poświęcać

flashy– jaskrawy

nails – paznokcie

be fond of sth/sb – bardzo coś/kogoś lubić

let down hair – rozpuścić włosy

chain – łańcuszek

immediately – natychmiast

look on sb face –wyraz twarzy

combs – tu: ozdobne grzebyki do włosów

remind sb of sth – przypominać komuś coś

terrifying – przerażający

caravan – przyczepa kempingowa

wedding anniversary – rocznica ślubu

argue – tu: utrzymywać, twierdzić

loud crash of thunder – głośny grzmot

determined – zdecydowany, zdeterminowany

pour down – lać jak z cebra

dripping wet – kompletnie przemoczony

drop- upuścić

lying – leżący; lie – leżeć

squeaking – piskliwy

splash – plusk

recover from shock – dojść do siebie po szoku

pull oneself up – podciągnąć się do góry

sink – tonąć

gripping – porywający, wciągający

dillydally – ociągać się, ‘obijać się’, marnować czas

 

SENTENCJE DLA KL. I – III SZKOŁY BRANŻOWEJ oraz KL. I i II TECHNIKUM

1. Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards – Życie można zrozumieć tylko wstecz, ale trzeba je przeżywać naprzód

           Soren Kierkegaard

2. Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away – Życia nie mierzy się ilością oddechów, ale ilością chwil, które zapierają dech w piersiach

            Maya Angelou

3. Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing  –  Albo napisz coś wartego przeczytania, albo zrób coś wartego napisania.

             Benjamin Franklin

4. FEAR has two meanings: Forget Everything And Run or Face Everything And Rise – STRACH ma dwa znaczenia: Zapomnij o wszystkim i uciekaj lub Staw czoła wszystkiemu i wzrastaj. (polskie tłumaczenie nie oddaje istoty sentencji w j.angielskim, gdzie kluczowe słowo jest utworzone z pierwszych liter poszczególnych wyrazów)

           Zig Ziglar

5. Happiness is a journey, not a destination – Szczęście to podróż, a nie cel
   Buddha

  6.Words are like keys. If you choose them right, they can open any heart and shut any mouth. – Słowa są jak  klucze.Jeśli dobrze je wybierzesz, mogą otworzyć każde serce i zamknąć każde usta.

          Unknown

7. It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness” – Lepiej jest zapalić świeczkę, niż przeklinać ciemność.

            Eleanor Roosevelt

8. Anger is a condition in which the tongue works faster than the mind – Gniew jest stanem, w którym język pracuje szybciej niż umysł

        Unknown

9. A good reading strengthens the soul. – Dobra lektura wzmacnia duszę
   Toba Beta

  10. If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book – Jeśli nie lubisz czytać, (to oznacza, że) nie znalazłeś właściwej książki

         J.K. Rowling

11. Don’t cry because it’s over, but smile because it happened – Nie płacz, że coś się skończyło, tylko uśmiechnij się, ponieważ to się wydarzyło

        Dr. Seuss

PIOSENKI DLA KL. I – III SZKOŁY BRANŻOWEJ oraz  KL. I i II TECHNIKUM

Podane linki odsyłają do nagrań ze słowami 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 One That You Love lyrics – LP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sXFE51qvDY

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,lp,the_one_that_you_love.html

 

2. Be The One – Dua Lipa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnC0E2LMV-s

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,dua_lipa,be_the_one.html

 

3. Try – Colbie Caillat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOP07bw6Qjg&list=RDXOP07bw6Qjg&start_radio=1

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,colbie_caillat,try.html

 

4. Flowers – Miley Cyrus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAizT0NOWkM

https://www.groove.pl/miley-cyrus/flowers/piosenka/1022023

 

5. Hurt – Christina Aguilera

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwCykGDEp7M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=___l8Y21yNM

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,christina_aguilera,hurt.html

 

6. You’re The First, The Last, My Everything – Engelbert Humperdinck / Michael Bublé / Barry White

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahW7fM0wV20

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,barry_white,you_re_the_first__the_last__my_everything_1.html

 

7. Water under the bridge – Adele

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSTPn86J7PM

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,adele,water_under_the_bridge.html

 

MATERIAŁY  PRZYGOTOWAWCZE  DLA KL. III i IV TECHNIKUM

EDYCJA WIOSENNA 2023

OPOWIADANIE DLA KL. III i IV TECHNIKUM

PLOT  TWISTS    

       Ida looked around her new place of work. She really enjoyed all the little routines of her part-time job at The Bookderland, a small family-owned bookshop.

The eighteen-year-old girl carefully arranged books, so that no shelf was too full or empty. Then she came up to the checkout counter, right by the shop’s entrance, to make sure everything was in place there and to greet each customer.

“Hello and welcome to The Bookderland,” Ida chirped when anyone entered the shop.

      On that rainy day, a tall boy with wavy brown hair and dark eyes arrived at the shop. He was about Ida’s age. The boy was standing in the middle of an aisle and looking around helplessly. The girl observed him for a while and then came up to him.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“Oh yes, please.” The boy looked at her. “I’m looking for something, erm… remarkable.”

“Something remarkable,” repeated Ida. “But what kind of books do you like?”

“You know… I’m not very keen on reading,” he explained. “It’s for my girlfriend, as a present.”

“I see. So what kind of books does she like? Is she into adventure stories, fantasy, romance, mystery? Novels or short stories?”

“Everything,” replied the boy. “She’s been fond of reading since she was five. Can you imagine?”

“That’s fantastic!” said Ida.

“Yeah. She especially loves classic short stories with plot twists. But it’ll be difficult to find such stories, won’t it?”

“No, not really. Follow me.” Ida led the boy to another aisle. “Here it is!” she exclaimed triumphantly, pointing to one of the books on the shelf.

“The Best of Saki,” the boy read the title.

“That’s right. And one of the remarkable short stories in this collection is ‘The Open Window’. Would you like me to tell you the story?”

“Oh, I’d be grateful if you could…”

“So listen.”

***

     The story begins with Framton Nuttel, a single man, coming to a rural retreat to cure his nervous condition. His sister had arranged for him to meet her acquaintances in order to prevent him from becoming lonely. “I’ll just give you letters of introduction to all the people I know there,” she said. “Otherwise, you’ll bury yourself and not speak to a soul and your nerves will be worse than ever from moping.”

     On an October day, Mr Nuttel paid a visit to Mrs  Sappleton, but she was not immediately available to greet him. Instead, the man was entertained by her 15-year-old niece, Vera.

“My aunt will be down presently, Mr Nuttel,” said the young lady. “In the meantime, you must put up with me.”

Framton Nuttel tried to have a pleasant conversation while waiting for the aunt. Privately he doubted more than ever whether these formal visits to total strangers would help the nerve cure which he was supposed to be undergoing in this rural retreat.

“Do you know many people around here?” asked the niece.

“Hardly a soul,” said Framton. “My sister was staying here four years ago, and she gave me letters of introduction to some of the people here.”

“Then you know practically nothing about my aunt?” continued the self-possessed young lady.

“Only her name and address,” admitted the caller. He was wondering whether Mrs Sappleton was in the married or widowed state.

“Her great tragedy happened just three years ago,” said the child.

“Her tragedy?” asked Framton; somehow in this restful country spot tragedies seemed out of place.

“You may wonder why we keep that window wide open on an October afternoon,” said the niece, indicating a large French window that opened on to a lawn.

“It is quite warm for the time of the year,” said Framton; “but has that window got anything to do with the tragedy?”

“Out through that window, three years ago to a day, her husband and her two young brothers went off for their day’s shooting. They never came back. In crossing the moor, they were engulfed in a treacherous bog. It had been that dreadful wet summer, you know, and places that were safe in other years gave way suddenly without warning. Their bodies were never recovered.” Here the child’s voice lost its self-possessed note. “Poor aunt always thinks that they will come back some day, they and the little brown spaniel that was lost with them, and walk in at that window just as they used to do. That is why the window is kept open every evening till it is quite dusk. Poor dear aunt, she has often told me how they went out, her husband with his white waterproof coat over his arm, and Ronnie, her youngest brother, singing ‘Bertie, why do you bound?’ as he always did to tease her, because she said it got on her nerves. Do you know, sometimes during still, quiet evenings like this, I almost get a creepy feeling that they will all walk in through that window – “

It was a relief to Framton when the aunt appeared in the room with apologies for keeping him waiting. “I hope Vera has been amusing you?” she said.

“She has been very interesting,” said Framton.

“I hope you don’t mind the open window,” said Mrs Sappleton briskly; “my husband and brothers will be home directly from shooting, and they always come in this way. They’ve been out for birds in the marshes today, so they’ll make a fine mess over my poor carpets.”

She rattled on cheerfully about the prospects for duck shooting in the winter. Framton made a desperate effort to turn the talk to a less ghastly topic, conscious that his hostess was giving him only a part of her attention, and that her eyes were constantly straying past him to the open window. It was certainly an unfortunate coincidence that he should have paid his visit on this tragic anniversary.

“The doctors ordered me a complete rest from mental excitement and physical exercise,” announced Framton, who imagined that everyone – even a complete stranger – was interested in his illness. “On the matter of diet they are not so much in agreement,” he continued.

“No?” said Mrs Sappleton, in a voice which only replaced a yawn at the last moment.

Then she suddenly brightened into alert attention – but not to what Framton was saying.

“Here they are at last!” she cried. “In time for tea, and muddy up to the eyes.”

Framton shivered slightly and turned towards the niece with a look intended to convey sympathetic understanding. The child was staring out through the open window with horror in her eyes. Framton swung round in his seat and looked in the same direction.

In the deepening twilight, three figures were walking across the lawn towards the window; they all carried guns, and one had a white coat over his shoulders. A tired brown spaniel kept close at their heels. Noiselessly they neared the house, and then a hoarse young voice chanted out of the dusk: “I said, Bertie, why do you bound?”

Framton grabbed his stick and hat; the hall door and the drive were dimly noted stages in his headlong retreat.

“Here we are, my dear,” said the bearer of the white mackintosh, coming in through the window. “Who was that who bolted out as we came up?”

“A most extraordinary man, a Mr Nuttel,” said Mrs Sappleton; “could only talk about his illnesses, and dashed off without a word of good-bye or apology when you arrived. One would think he had seen a ghost.”

“I expect it was the spaniel,” said the niece calmly. “He told me he had a horror of dogs. He was once hunted into a cemetery on the banks of the Ganges by a pack of stray dogs and had to spend the night in a newly-dug grave with the creatures snarling and foaming above him. Enough to make anyone lose his nerve.”

***

“Wow!” the boy exclaimed when Ida finished telling the story. “What a trickster the niece is!”  

 “Yeah, and really good at making up tales offhand,” said Ida.

“I think the book will be the most suitable present for my girlfriend.”

At that moment the boy’s eyes strayed to the door of the bookshop. Ida noticed a little fear in his eyes and looked in the same direction.

At the door there was a slim figure, shaking an umbrella.

“Oh no! Let’s wait until she leaves, shall we?” the boy cried and quickly hid behind one of the bookcases.

The figure came in; it was a girl with blonde curly hair. She looked around the shop with a slight smile. Then she walked along the aisle and quickly scanned each shelf.

“Can I help you?” Ida asked.

“Pardon?” The girl looked up. “Oh. No, thanks.” She pulled one of the books from the shelf and began to read it.

The bookseller noted how carefully and reverently the girl turned each page as if it were a rare masterpiece. That reminded Ida of her beloved grandpa, who treated books in the same reverent way.

After a while, the girl smiled and took the volume to the checkout counter.

“Oh no!” thought Ida, looking at the book. It was The Best of Saki.

When the girl went out, the bookseller told the boy what had happened and they both burst into laughter.

“What a coincidence!” said the boy.

“Yeah. And you know your girlfriend’s taste perfectly well, don’t you?” replied Ida.

“I do my best,” he smiled.

“How adorable,” thought Ida, a little jealous of their relationship.

“Anyway, could you help me choose another book?”

“Sure. Let me think…” She wondered for a moment. “Oh yes, I’ve got it! Outstanding Short Stories.”

The boy looked at her, hoping to hear another tale.

Ida understood his look and said, “One of the most enjoyable stories in this collection is ‘The Model Millionaire’ by Oscar Wilde.”

“Sounds promising.”

***

       The story is about a very good-looking young man, Hughie Erskine, who was liked by people for his humble nature and kindness. However, he was not a man of great intelligence and had no money. Hughie had tried different jobs but always failed. Finally, he stopped working and lived on the money given to him by an old aunt. He loved a girl named Laura Merton, the daughter of a former army officer.

Hughie loved her so much that he was ready to kiss her feet; and Laura loved him too. They were the best-looking pair in London, and had no money at all. Her father was very fond of Hughie, but would not hear of any marriage plans.

“Come to me, my boy, when you have got ten thousand pounds of your own, and we will see about it,” he used to say.

        One morning, Hughie called in to see a great friend of his, Alan Trevor. Trevor was a painter. He was a strange, rough man, with a spotty face and an overgrown red beard. But when he took up the brush he was a real master, and his pictures were very popular. He had been much attracted by Hughie at first, just because of his personal charm.

“The only people a painter should know,” he used to say, “are people who are both beautiful and stupid, people who are a pleasure to look at and restful to talk to.”

But after he got to know Hughie better, he liked him quite as much for his bright, cheerful spirits, and his generous, carefree nature. (…)

When Hughie came in, he found Trevor putting the finishing touches to a wonderful life-size picture of a beggar. The beggar himself was standing on a raised platform in a corner of the room. He was a tired old man with a lined face and a sad expression. Over his shoulder was thrown a rough brown coat, all torn and full of holes; his thick boots were old and mended, and with one hand he leant on a rough stick, while with the other he held out his old hat for money.

“What an astonishing model!” whispered Hughie, as he shook hands with his friend.

“An astonishing model?” shouted Trevor. “I should think so! Such beggars are not met with every day. Good heavens! What a picture Rembrandt would have made of him!”

“Poor old man!” said Hughie. “How miserable he looks! But I suppose, to you painters, his face is his fortune.”

“Certainly,” replied Trevor, “you don’t want a beggar to look happy, do you?”

“How much does a model get for being painted?” asked Hughie, as he found himself a comfortable seat.

“A shilling an hour.”

“And how much do you get for your picture, Alan?”

“Oh, for this I get two thousand pounds.”

“Well, I think the model should have a share,” cried Hughie, laughing; “he works quite as hard as you do.”

“Nonsense, nonsense! Look at the trouble of laying on the paint, and standing all day in front of the picture! It’s easy, Hughie, for you to talk.” (…)

After some time the servant came in, and told Trevor that somebody wanted to speak to him. “Don’t run away, Hughie,” he said, as he went out, “I will be back in a moment.”

The old beggar took advantage of Trevor’s absence to rest for a moment. He looked so miserable that Hughie pitied him, and felt in his pockets to see what money he had. All he could find was a pound and some pennies.

“Poor old man,” he thought, “he needs it more than I do, but I won’t have much money myself for a week or two”; and he walked across the room and slipped the pound into the beggar’s hand.

The old man jumped, and a faint smile passed across his old lips. “Thank you, sir,” he said, “thank you.”

Then Trevor arrived, and Hughie left, a little red in the face at what he had done.

He spent the day with Laura, who was charmingly cross that he had given away a pound, and had to walk home because he had no money for transport.

         That night he went to his club at about 11 o’clock, and found Trevor sitting by himself in the smoking room.

“Well, Alan, did you finish the picture all right?” he asked.

“Finished and framed, my boy!” answered Trevor; “and, by the way, that old model you saw has become very fond of you. I had to tell him all about you – who you are, where you live, what your income is, what hopes you have …”

“My dear Alan,” cried Hughie, “I will probably find him waiting for me when I go home. But, of course, you are only joking. Poor old man! I wish I could do something for him. I think it is terrible that anyone should be so miserable. I have got piles of old clothes at home – do you think he would like any of them? His clothes were falling to bits.”

“But he looks wonderful in them,” said Trevor. “I would never want to paint him in good clothes. But I’ll tell him of your offer.”

“Alan,” said Hughie seriously, “you painters are heartless men.”

“An artist’s heart is in his head,” replied Trevor; “and besides, our business is to show the world as we see it, not to make it better. And now tell me how Laura is. The old model was quite interested in her.”

“You don’t mean to say you talked to him about her?” said Hughie.

“Certainly I did. He knows all about the cruel father, the lovely Laura, and the ten thousand pounds.”

“You told the old beggar all about my private affairs?” cried Hughie.

“My dear boy,” said Trevor, smiling, “that old beggar, as you call him, is one of the richest men in Europe. He could buy all London tomorrow and still have money in the bank. He has a house in every capital, eats off plates of gold, and can prevent any country going to war when he wishes.”

“What on earth do you mean?” cried Hughie.

“What I say,” said Trevor. “The old man you saw today in my room was Baron Hausberg. He is a great friend of mine, buys all my pictures and that sort of thing, and asked me a month ago to paint him as a beggar. There’s nothing surprising about that. These rich men have some strange ideas. And I must say he looked fine in those old clothes.”

“Baron Hausberg!” cried Hughie. “Good heavens! I gave him a pound!” and he sank back into his chair in shock.

“Gave him a pound!” shouted Trevor and he roared with laughter. “My dear boy, you’ll never see it again. His business is with other people s money.”

“I think you ought to have told me, Alan,” said Hughie in a bad temper, “and not have let me make such a fool of myself.”

“Well, to begin with, Hughie,” said Trevor, “I never thought that you went about giving your money away in that careless manner. I can understand your kissing a pretty model, but not giving money to an ugly one. Besides, when you came in I didn’t know whether Hausberg would like his name mentioned. You know he wasn’t in his usual dress!”

“I am stupid, aren’t I?” said Hughie. “And he must think so!”

“Not at all. He was in the highest spirits after you left, and kept laughing to himself. I couldn’t understand why he was so interested in knowing all about you, but I see it all now. He’ll keep your pound for you, pay you interest every six months, and have a story to tell after dinner.”

“My dear Alan, you mustn’t tell anyone. I wouldn’t dare show my face if people knew.” “Nonsense! It shows your kindness of spirit, Hughie. Calm down, and you can talk about Laura as much as you like.”

But Hughie refused to stay; he walked home, feeling very unhappy, and leaving Alan Trevor helpless with laughter.

      The next morning, as he was at breakfast, the servant brought him a card on which was written, “Mr Gustave Naudin, for Baron Hausberg”.

“I suppose he wants me to apologise to him for the offence,” said Hughie to himself, and he told the servant to bring the visitor in.

An old gentleman with gold glasses and grey hair came into the room and said, “Have I the honour of speaking to Mr Erskine?”

Hughie agreed that he was Mr Erskine.

“I have come from Baron Hausberg,” he continued. “The Baron-“

“I beg, sir, that you will tell him how truly sorry I am,” said Hughie quickly.

“The Baron,” said the old gentleman with a smile, “has asked me to bring you this letter”; and he held out an envelope.

On the outside was written, “A wedding present to Hugh Erskine and Laura Merton, from an old beggar”, and inside was a cheque for ten thousand pounds.

***

“That’s the end of the story,” said Ida.

“Perfect!” exclaimed the boy. “With a nice plot twist.”

“Right. Glad to hear you enjoyed the tale.”

“You must be well-read, like my girlfriend,” the boy observed. “Sometimes I think she is a little bored with me. I wish I knew such a large number of stories. But now I’ve got interested in tales.”

“Nothing is lost then; our review of books is only the beginning. And you know what? If you start reading, this will be the best plot twist in your relationship with your girlfriend!”

∞ The end ∞

[Materiał własny; zawiera cytaty i adaptowane fragmenty z The Best of Saki, “The Open Window”  wyd. Penguin oraz Outstanding Short Stories, “The Model Millionaire,” Oscar Wilde (retold), wyd. Pearson Education (wyróżnione czcionką Calibri)]

Słowniczek:

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

plot twist – zwrot akcji

eighteen-year-old – osiemnastoletnia

carefully  – starannie, uważnie

checkout counter – kasa

chirp – szczebiotać, ćwierkać

aisle – przejście między rzędami, alejka w sklepie

remarkable – niezwykły, godny uwagi

be keen on sth – lubić coś, przepadać za czymś

explain sth to sb – wyjaśnić coś komuś

be into sth – interesować się, fascynować się czymś (potocznie)

novel – powieść

be fond of sth/sb – bardzo coś/kogoś lubić

since – od kiedy, od

it’ll be …, won’t it? – 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.

such – takie, taki, taka

grateful to sb – wdzięczny komuś

rural – wiejski

retreat – tu: (1) zacisze  (2) ucieczka, odwrót

cure – wyleczyć, kuracja

arrange – zorganizować, zaaranżować

acquaintance – znajomy

letter of introduction – list polecający

otherwise – w przeciwnym razie

moping – bycie przygnębionym

entertain – zabawiać

presently – niebawem, wkrótce

in the meantime – w międzyczasie

put up with sb/sth – znosić (kogoś/coś)

undergo – poddawać się (leczeniu), przechodzić

self-possessed – spokojny, opanowany

indicate – wskazywać

lawn – trawnik

moor – torfowisko, wrzosowisko

engulf – pochłaniać, zalewać

treacherous – podstępny, zdradziecki

bog – bagno

dreadful – okropny, fatalny

dusk – zmierzch, zmrok

tease – droczyć się, drażnić

creepy – budzący grozę, przyprawiający o gęsią skórkę

relief – ulga

briskly – dziarsko, żwawo

marshes – mokradła, moczary

rattle on – paplać, trajkotać

stray – (1) powędrować wzrokiem, błądzić, (2) bezpański

coincidence – zbieg okoliczności

yawn – ziewnięcie

shiver – drżeć

convey – przekazać, wyrazić

sympathetic – pełen współczucia

stare – wpatrywać się

swing round (past tense: swung round) – obrócić się

twilight – zmierzch, półmrok

figure – postać, sylwetka

hoarse – zachrypnięty, ochrypły

grab – chwycić

stick – tu: laska

dimly – słabo, niewyraźnie

stage – etap

headlong – na oślep, nagły, szalony

bearer – niosący, posiadacz

mackintosh – płaszcz przeciwdeszczowy

bolt – rzucić się do ucieczki, czmychnąć

most extraordinary – wielce zdumiewający

a Mr Nuttel – niejaki pan Nuttel

dash off – oddalić się pędem, pędzić

snarl – warczeć (z obnażonymi zębami)

foam – pienić się

trickster – szachraj, oszust

tale – opowieść, opowiadanie, historia

offhand – na poczekaniu, od ręki

until – dopóki nie

scan – przeglądać, przeszukiwać

reverently – w nabożnym skupieniu

reverent – pełen czci, szacunku

remind sb of sb/sth – przypominać komuś kogoś/coś

volume – tu: książka

burst into laughter – wybuchnąć śmiechem

jealous of sb/sth – zazdrosny o kogoś/coś

humble – skromny, pokorny

rough – szorstki

charm – czar, urok

get to know sb – poznać kogoś

spirits – nastrój

spirit – nastawienie, dusza

beggar – żebrak

lined – pomarszczony

miserable – przygnębiony, nieszczęśliwy

share – udział, część

servant – służący

take advantage of sth – wykorzystać coś

pity – współczuć, żałować

slip – wsunąć

faint – słaby, nikły

cross – rozgniewany, poirytowany

income – dochód

bad temper – złość, wzburzenie

apologise to sb for sth – przeprosić kogoś za coś

offence – obraza

well-read – oczytany

I wish I knew – szkoda, że nie znam, chciałbym znać

 

SENTENCJE DLA KL. III i IV TECHNIKUM

 1. Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about learning to dance through the rain – W życiu nie chodzi o czekanie, aż burza minie; chodzi o to, by nauczyć się tańczyć w deszczu

         Vivian Greene

 2. The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails  – Pesymista narzeka na wiatr; optymista oczekuje, że to się zmieni; realista dostosowuje żagle

        William Arthur Ward

 3. Love is the only thing that can be divided without being diminished – Miłość jest jedyną rzeczą, która może być dzielona bez pomniejszania

       Anne Morrow Lindbergh

 4. To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world – Dla świata możesz być tylko jedną osobą, ale dla jednej osoby możesz być (całym) światem    

        Snyder

 5. Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of travelling –  Szczęście nie jest stacją, do której przyjeżdżasz, lecz sposobem podróżowania

        Margaret Lee Runbeck

 6. God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference” – Boże, daj mi pogodę ducha, aby zaakceptować to, czego nie mogę zmienić, odwagę, by zmienić to, co mogę, i mądrość, by poznać różnicę (rozróżnić jedno od drugiego).

       Reinhold Niebuhr

 7. If we encounter a man of rare intellect we should ask him what books he reads – Jeśli spotkamy człowieka rzadkiego intelektu, powinniśmy zapytać go, jakie książki czyta

        Ralph Waldo Emerson

 8. Don’t cry because it’s over, but smile because it happened  –  Nie płacz, że coś się skończyło, tylko uśmiechnij się, ponieważ to się wydarzyło

        Dr. Seuss

 9. A good reading strengthens the soul  –  Dobra lektura wzmacnia duszę
      Toba Beta

10. Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more light –  Za każdym razem, gdy czytasz dobrą książkę, gdzieś na świecie otwierają się drzwi, aby wpuścić więcej światła

        Vera Nazarian

 11. Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything – Muzyka daje duszę wszechświatowi, skrzydła umysłowi, lot wyobraźni i życie wszystkiemu

         Plato

PIOSENKI DLA KL. III i IV TECHNIKUM

Podane linki odsyłają do nagrań wraz ze słowami 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. Better in time – Leona Lewis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uYjVkFXngk

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,leona_lewis,better_in_time.html

 

1. Issues – Julia Michaels

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0GRsWKyaeo

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,julia_michaels,issues.html

 

1. Rolling in the Deep – Adele

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

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,adele,rolling_in_the_deep.html

 

1. Dear Future Husband – Meghan Trainor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5ZdeSVzh74

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

 

1. Flowers – Miley Cyrus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAizT0NOWkM

https://www.groove.pl/miley-cyrus/flowers/piosenka/1022023

 

6. Love Runs Out – OneRepublic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqORD0c4nE8

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,onerepublic,love_runs_out.html

 

7. Duran Duran- Ordinary World

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1PnQT4emS0

https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,duran_duran,ordinary_world.html