MARK TWAIN'S FIRST MONEY
Somebody once
asked Mark Twain whether he could remember the first money he ever earned. "I
remember quite well", the famous writer answered. "It happened at
school. Schoolboys in those days had very little respect for their teachers and
even less for their desks. The boys used pens and pencils and even knives to
draw stars and faces, or to write their names on their desks. At last, the
school principal said; 'The next time anybody does such thing, he will have to
pay five dollars, or he will receive a beating in front of the whole school'.
Soon after that,
I had to go to my father and ask him to give me five dollars. I was honest
enough to explain that I could agree to receive a beating instead, but he said:
'No, I can't allow you to connect our name with such things. So I'll pay the
five dollars. But you must suffer for what you have done. I'll give you the
beating here, at home'.
So he beat me,
and then gave me the five dollars to take to school. But I decided that the
beating didn't hurt so much, and an¬other beating at school wouldn't be worse.
So I told them to give trie a beating in front of the whole school, and I kept
the five dol¬lars. And that was the first money I ever earned".
Task 1. Put "+" next to the true sentences
and "—" next to the false ones.
a) Mark
Twain had to
work to earn
money when he was a schoolboy.
b) The pupils were punished for drawing
and writing on then desks.
c) The pupils had to pay for the desks
they had spoilt.
d) The pupils had to pay money instead of
getting a beating
in front of the
school.
e) Mark Twain preferred being beaten to
paying.
f) He was suffering hard from the beating
he had got in front
of the school.
Task 2. Answer the questions
1. What did the
boys use their pens, pencils and knives for?
A) to make smth
for their friends
B) to play
different games
C) to draw or to
write on the desks
2. Why did the
school principal invent such a strict punishment for student.
A) to make
pupils to learn well
B) to stop
writing and drawing on the desks
C) to make
pupils to do their home task well
3. Why did the
boy’s father decide to pay five dollars?
A) he couldn’t
allow his son to be beaten in front of the whole school
B) he didn’t
want his son to suffer
C) he wanted his
son to buy some pens
4. How much
money did they have to pay?
A) some dollars
B) five pounds
C) five dollars
5. How did the
boy earn the money for the first time?
A) he let him
beat
B) he sold food
C) he worked in
an office
6. What did he
do with the money that father gave him?
A) he spent them
B) he kept them
for himself
C) he gave them
to his father
Task 3. Give the antonyms to the words
pay
honest
instead
agree
suffer
allow
Task 4 Ask 4 questions to the text
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий