Anytime Stories by Donald Bisset
Дата публикации: Dec 11, 2015 7:32:40 PM
Miranda’s Journey
Once upon a time there was a duck who lived in Africa. She was an English duck and her name was Miranda.
Her one wish was to come to England and play with the girls and boys who lived there. So she said good-bye to all her friends: to the lions and tigers and monkeys but not to the crocodiles. She hated crocodiles. She felt sad to leave her friends, but she flew away bravely. For miles there was nothing but forest; then she saw the sea.
Then she came to Italy. She could see children at the sea-side, they were playing with the sand. The mothers and fathers were sitting and doing nothing at all, and Miranda thought it was so silly. Then she came to some mountains and had to fly high to get over them. The air grew colder and colder; snow began to fall. She heard the sound of singing. It was coming nearer and nearer and Miranda recognized a popular French song.
Out of the mist flew a whole flock of French swallows, it was flying south to Italy. As they passed they all dipped their wings in salute. And Miranda dipped hers.
She was getting very tired and hungry. The snow fell faster and faster. She couldn’t see a yard in front of her and flew on blinded by the snow, frozen with the cold. And all the time she thought of summer days on English ponds and of the children she was going to meet and play with. Her beak was always pointing towards London. She flew on for hours like this. The wind and the snow suddenly ceased. Above her she could see the stars, and below the bright lights of a big town. It was London.
She flew down and landed on a pond near an inn. There was a little island in the middle of the pond, with an empty nest on it, just as if it was made for her. She was pleased. She ate some pond grass and got in the nest and was just going to sleep when she heard someone shouting, “Miranda Duck! Miranda Duck!”
“Неге I am!” she said, and jumping out of the nest she swam to the bank of the pond, and there was a messenger boy. “Telegram for you,” said the boy, “sign here, please!” Miranda signed. Then ,with the telegram in her beak she swam back to her nest.
Oh! She was happy. She opened it. It was from the girls and boys in Africa, and in it was written:
Miranda, Miranda, Miranda Duck,
Here is a message to wish you good luck;
From the children of Africa, oh Ducky dear, do
Look after yourself, we're thinking of you
The lights went out at the inn across the road. She could hear the people saying good night to each other. Then all was quiet. She put the telegram under one wing and her head under the other, and went to sleep.
dip verb BrE /dɪp/ ; NAmE /dɪp/ - 2. [intransitive, transitive] to go downwards or to a lower level; to make something do this, synonym fall
bank noun /bæŋk/- 4. the side of a river, canal, etc. and the land near it
inn noun BrE /ɪn/ ; NAmE /ɪn/(old-fashioned, British English) a pub, usually in the country and often one where people can stay the night
(North American English) a small hotel, usually in the country, Inn used in the names of many pubs, hotels and restaurants
Blackie and the Milkman's Horse
Once upon a time there was a horse whose name was Reginald. When he was out delivering the milk he used to meet his friend Blackie, who was a little black dog.
Now Reggie didn’t want to be a milkman's horse; he wanted to be a racehorse and win the Derby. And Blackie who had rather short legs, wanted to run very fast like a greyhound.
One afternoon they were sitting in Reggie’s stable playing snakes and ladders when Blackie had an idea. “Why not eat coal?” he said. “Trains eat coal and they run fast.” And they decided to try.
So they went down to the coal cellar and were just going to take some coal when the landlady came along.
“What! Stealing my coal!” she said, and she picked up a piece of coal and threw it at them. They ran away. Faster than ever in their lives.
Just then the Mayor was looking out of the window. His name was William.
“Upon my word,” he said, “that horse can run fast. I'll bet he could win the Derby.”
“And look at that dog; a greyhound it is! I’ll give them each a medal.”
And he did.
The Derby is a famous English horse race without jumps which is run every year at Epsom, near London, in May or June. Although Derby Day is always a Wednesday, the race is attended by large crowds, and there is a holiday atmosphere. The Derby was first run in 1780 and takes its name from the 12th earl of Derby, who was one of the original organizers of the event. A painting called The Derby Day (1858) by William Frith (1819-1909), now in Tate Britain, is famous as a picture of Victorian life.
snakes and ladders noun - a children’s game played on a special board with pictures of snakes and ladders on it. Players move their pieces up the ladders to go forward and down the snakes to go back.
cellar noun BrE /ˈselə(r)/ ; NAmE /ˈselər/ - an underground room often used for storing things
Upon my word! - Честное слово!
The Sea-Gull and the Tortoise
Once upon a time there lived a sea-gull whose name was Oliver. He lived on a little island with his friend Simon, the tortoise.
All day long Oliver flew over the sea and caught fish. Simon stayed at home under a thick tree and ate cabbage leaves and sang songs. He had a beautiful voice.
One day a large stork flew by and saw Simon all by himself. The stork’s name was Charlie. He was feeling very hungry. “My! Myl” he said “That tortoise would make a good dinner".
He flew down and picked Simon up in his beak and flew away with him.
When he got home he opened the door of a little cage.
“In you go,” he said to Simon. “Here are a lot of cabbage leaves. You eat them up and grow fat.” Then he shut the door of the cage and locked it.
When Oliver got home he looked everywhere for his friend but couldn't find him. The night came; still he went on looking for Simon. When he was flying over a dark forest, he heard the sound of a lovely song far below. Was it — Simon?
Guided by the sound he flew down, and there was his friend singing sadly in the moonlight. Next to him in a big nest was the stork sound asleep.
“S-s-h! Don’t make a sound,” said Oliver. He bit through the wooden bars of the cage with his strong beak and Simon came out.
But they were far from home. And Simon couldn’t fly. Tortoises can’t. So they built a raft and sailed home.
When they got home Oliver tied Simon’s tail to the tree. “You’ll be safe now,” he said.
If ever you are near the island, and, in the evening, when the moon is high in the sky, you hear a song from across the water, you’ll know that it is Simon singing to Oliver. They are very happy.
tortoise noun BrE /ˈtɔːtəs/ ; NAmE /ˈtɔːrtəs/ - a reptile with a hard round shell, that lives on land and moves very slowly. It can pull its head and legs into its shell.
stork noun BrE /stɔːk/ ; NAmE /stɔːrk/ - a large black and white bird with a long beak and neck and long legs, that lives near water but often builds its nest on the top of a high building. There is a tradition that says that it is storks that bring people their new babies
(all) by himself - 1 alone; 2 without help from anyone else
sound asleep - completely asleep; in a deep sleep.
bite (bit, bitten)- [intransitive, transitive] to use your teeth to cut into or through something, bite into/through something She bit into a ripe juicy pear.
If ever you are ..., you hear ..., you’ll know ... - see Conditional/Time Clauses
turtle noun BrE /ˈtɜːtl/ ; NAmE /ˈtɜːrtl/
1. (North American English also sea turtle) a large reptile with a hard round shell, that lives in the sea
2. (North American English, informal) any reptile with a large shell, for example a tortoise or terrapin
tortoise noun BrE /ˈtɔːtəs/ ; NAmE /ˈtɔːrtəs/ - a reptile with a hard round shell, that lives on land and moves very slowly. It can pull its head and legs into its shell.
terrapin noun BrE /ˈterəpɪn/ ; NAmE /ˈterəpɪn/ - a small turtle (= a reptile with a hard round shell), that lives in warm rivers and lakes in N America
Joe's Journey
When the station-master’s daughter at Paddington Station washes the roof, the owls who live there sometimes fall off.
So this year at root-washing time Joe Owl decided:
“I shall visit my Granny in the country, so I shall not fall off the roof.”
So he got on a train which was going to Granny’s house. The engine's name was Cadogan Castle and the engine-driver’s name was Mr. Bostock.
“Have you got your ticket, Joe?” said Mr.Bostock.
“Yes,” said Joe, and showed it to him. And off they went.
When they got to Granny’s house Joe went in and saw his Granny.
And then he had a lovely time in the kitchen, playing with the taps.
Cadogan had a rest and ate some coal, and Mr. Bostock had some tea and ate some syrup sandwiches.
Mr. Bostock split some syrup on the rails. So when Cadogan wanted to start again, he couldn’t. His wheels were stuck.
“Oh, dear!” said Cadogan, but he didn’t cry.
“Puff,” he said. “Puff! Puff! Puff!” but he couldn't move.
Mr. Bostock called Joe; and he and Granny and Joe and Granny’s cat, whose name was Thomas, all pushed Cadogan as hard as they could. But, still he couldn’t move.
Then Joe had an idea. “Cats are very good at licking,” he thought. So he said to Thomas:
“Do you think you could try to lick up the syrup?”
So Thomas licked and licked until all the syrup was licked away. Then he went and had a drink of water.
When Joe got home to Paddington again the stars were beginning to fade and he felt very sleepy, because owls sleep in the day-time.
He flew up into the roof, and he meant to say “Twinkle, twinkle, little star” to himself, but it came out like this:
Twinkle, twinkle, London’s light,
Shine for us with all your might.
Shine for me, shine for the porter,
Shine for the station-master’s daughter.
Shine for the birds asleep in the park.
Shine for the pussy cats out in the dark.
Shine for the horses, shine for the sheep.
And shine for an owl that’s going to sleep.
off they went - "Off we go" is a phrase used to mean "here we go" or "we're starting now!"
here we go (informal) said when something is starting to happen. ‘Here we go,’ thought Fred, ‘she's sure to say something.’
here we go again (informal) said when something is starting to happen again, especially something bad
syrup noun BrE /ˈsɪrəp/ ; NAmE /ˈsɪrəp/ [uncountable]
1. a sweet liquid made from sugar and water, often used in cans of fruit
pears in syrup
a tin of peaches in thick syrup
2. any thick sweet liquid made with sugar, used especially as a sauce
see also corn syrup, golden syrup, maple syrup
syrup sandwiches - бутерброды с патокой
maple noun BrE /ˈmeɪpl/ ; NAmE /ˈmeɪpl/ клен
1. [countable, uncountable] (also maple tree) a tall tree with leaves that have five points and turn bright red or yellow in the autumn/fall. Maples grow in northern countries.
2. [uncountable] the wood of the maple tree
инверсия
And off they went.
But, still he couldn’t move
Binky and His Stripes
Once upon a time a tigress was making some tarts. She banged away at the pastry with her rolling-pin till the air seemed full of flour.
Just then a little tiger was born. But he hadn’t got any stripes. His mother said: “Never mind, dear, we like you just as much without stripes.” But Binky, that was the little tiger’s name, knew he must have stripes. So he set off to look for some stripes.
He met a sergeant who had three stripes on his arm. “Could you give me some stripes, please?” said Binky.
“Stand to attention when you talk to me,” roared the sergeant. “Of course, you can’t have any of my stripes.” Binky ran away. Then he saw some iron railings. A man was painting them. At last the man finished painting and went away.
Binky went and leant up against the railings, first with one side and then the other, and the paint stuck to his coat and made lovely stripes. He began to run home very fast to show his mother, but he got very hot and the sun shone, and the wet paint dripped off him till all his new stripes were gone.
Just then a zebra, called Sam, walked by. Binky couldn't believe his eyes. All those stripes on one animal!
It didn’t seem fair.
“Why are you crying, little tiger?” he asked Binky. “Because I haven’t got any stripes,” said Binky.
“You poor little thing,” said Sam, and he gave Binky a lick. “But you taste rather nice,” he said, and gave him another lick. “Like jam tarts,” and he licked him again and again.
And there was Binky with lots of beautiful stripes. He ran all the way home, and shouted: “Mummy, look, I’ve got some stripes!”
“Well,” said the tigress, “would you believe it! I think it was the flour that hid them when I was making the tarts.”
She was very pleased and asked Sam to stay to tea. They had hay and orange jelly. And after tea, they played with Binky’s bucket and spade.
tart noun BrE /tɑːt/ ; NAmE /tɑːrt/
1. [countable, uncountable] an open pie filled with sweet food such as fruit
a strawberry tart
compare flan, quiche
2. [countable] (British English, informal, disapproving) a woman who you think behaves or dresses in a way that is immoral and is intended to make men sexually excited
That dress makes her look like a tart.
3. [countable] (slang) a prostitute
see pie vs. tart vs. flan vs. quiche vs. пирог
tarty adjective BrE /ˈtɑːti/ ; NAmE /ˈtɑːrti/ (disapproving) - (of a woman) dressing or behaving in a way that is intended to attract sexual attention
This dress doesn’t look too tarty does it?
pastry noun BrE /ˈpeɪstri/ ; NAmE /ˈpeɪstri/ (pl. pastries)
1. [uncountable] a mixture of flour, fat and water or milk that is rolled out flat and baked as a base or covering for pies, etc. сдобное тесто
2. [countable] a small cake made using pastry, сдоба/выпечка
bang away фраз. гл. - усердно работать
rolling pin - a wooden or glass kitchen utensil (= a tool) in the shape of a tube, used for rolling pastry flat, скалка
She banged away at the pastry - она взбивала/раскатывала сдобное тесто.
flour noun BrE /ˈflaʊə(r)/ ; NAmE /ˈflaʊər/ - [uncountable] a fine white or brown powder made from grain, especially wheat, and used in cooking for making bread, cakes, etc
see flour vs. flower (омофоны)
set off - отправился в путь
sergeant noun BrE /ˈsɑːdʒənt/ ; NAmE /ˈsɑːrdʒənt/
(abbreviation Sergt, Sgt)
1. a member of one of the middle ranks in the army and the air force, below an officer
2. (in Britain) a police officer just below the rank of an inspector
3. (in the US) a police officer just below the rank of a lieutenant or captain
Stand to attention - стой смирно, на вытяжку
drip verb BrE /drɪp/ ; NAmE /drɪp/
1. [intransitive] (+ adv./prep.) (of liquid) to fall in small drops
She was hot and sweat dripped into her eyes.
Water was dripping down the walls.
2. [intransitive, transitive] to produce drops of liquid
The tap was dripping.
+ adv./prep. Her hair dripped down her back.
drip something (+adv./prep.) Be careful, you're dripping paint everywhere!
3. [intransitive, transitive] to contain or hold a lot of something
drip with something The trees were dripping with fruit.
drip something His voice dripped sarcasm.
poor little thing - бедняжка
would you believe it! - кто бы мог подумать
hay noun BrE /heɪ/ ; NAmE /heɪ/ [uncountable] grass that has been cut and dried and is used as food for animals, сено
jelly noun BrE /ˈdʒeli/ ; NAmE /ˈdʒeli/ (pl. jellies)
1. [uncountable, countable] (British English) (North American English jello, Jell-O™ [uncountable]) a cold sweet transparent food made from gelatin, sugar and fruit juice, that shakes when it is moved
jelly and ice cream
a raspberry jelly
2. [uncountable] a substance like jelly made from gelatin and meat juices, served around meat, fish, etc.
synonym aspic
chicken in jelly
3. [uncountable, countable] a type of jam that does not contain any pieces of fruit
blackcurrant jelly
compare jam
4. [uncountable] any thick sticky substance, especially a type of cream used on the skin
5. (also jelly shoe) [countable] a light plastic shoe designed for wearing on the beach and in the sea
aspic noun BrE /ˈæspɪk/ ; NAmE /ˈæspɪk/ [uncountable] - clear jelly which food can be put into when it is being served cold
chicken breast in aspic
