Сказки и истории ( на англ. и русск. яз)

[DAS]

A 24 year old boy looking out from the train's window shouted...
"Dad, look the trees are going behind!" dad smiled and a young couple sitting nearby, looked at the 24 year-old's childish behavior with pity. Suddenly he again exclaimed - "dad, look the clouds are running with us !" the couple couldn't resist the temptation and asked the old man - "why don't you take your son to a professional doctor?"

The old man smiled and answered - "I did and we are just on our way from the hospital, my son has been blind since he was born and he has just got his eyes back today..."

Every single person on the planet has a story. Think before you say something.

[Arsenovna]

Why is Charlie so cool ... like? – level 1


In April 2007, a 16-year-old boy named Charlie McDonnell was studying for his exams. But he was bored, so he turned on his laptop computer. He found a website called YouTube and watched a video of another teenager like him. The teenager was sitting in his bedroom and talking about how bored he was. “I can do better than that!” thought Charlie. So he used his laptop and webcam to make his first video, and posted it on YouTube under the name Charlieissocoollike.

YouTube started in 2005 and is now the world’s largest video website. More than 3 billion videos are watched every day on YouTube and a large number of those are video blogs. These are simply videos of people talking to a camera about their lives or things that interest them.

Two days after Charlie posted his first video, he had 150 subscribers, so he decided to make more videos. He soon became quite popular. A few months later, Oprah Winfrey, the famous American TV host, showed one of his videos called How to be English on her programme. In this video, Charlie wears a suit and tie and talks in a funny accent. He shows viewers how to make a cup of tea. Charlie suddenly became very famous in the United States too.

To say thank you to all his fans he made a video called Challenge Charlie, asking people to suggest funny or difficult things for him to do in his videos. Challenges included drinking tomato ketchup, wearing all of his clothes at once and painting himself purple!

Charlie is also a singer and songwriter. His most popular videos are of him singing and playing the ukelele. In Duet with Myself, he uses special effects to sing a duet with himself about what a boring person he is. This has now been watched over 7 million times!

Charlie’s best friend, Alex Day, is also a musician and video blogger. They met through YouTube and started a band together. The band is called Chameleon Circuit, and they have made two CDs and performed several concerts.

With more than one and a half million subscribers, Charlie is the most popular video blogger in the UK. He has now made enough money to buy a house with his friend Alex. But what is the secret of his success? “I make the kind of videos that I want to watch,” he says. And when asked how fame has affected him, Charlie says, "I still sit in my bedroom talking to my camera, and that's what I want to do."

Oh, and how did Charlie do in his exams back in 2007? Well, he passed with nine A grades and one B! He says that he wants to go to university in the future but decided to try and make a career on YouTube before that. So, far, it’s going very well!

Brendan Dunne

[DAS]

A Horror Story by Edgar Poe. The Tell-Tale Heart (in English, for intermediate)

Nervous —very, very nervous I was and I am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease made me very sensitive. All my senses were so sharp and above all was the sense of hearing. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. So, am I mad? Listen and see yourself how calmly I can tell you the whole story.

It is impossible to say how the idea came to my mind; but it started to haunt me day and night. I loved the old man. He had never done me harm. He had never said me a bad word. I didn’t want to have his gold. So, I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this! He had a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so little by little I decided to kill the old man in order not to see the eye ever.

Now this is the point. You think I am mad. But you should see me. You should see how wisely I started to prepare for the work! I had been very kind to the old man during the whole week before. And every night, about midnight, I opened his door— oh, so quietly! And then I put a dark lantern into the opening, all closed, closed, so that no light shone out. And then I put in my head. Oh, you would laugh to see how carefully I put my head in! I moved it slowly —very, very slowly so that I would not disturb the old man’s sleep.

It took me an hour to put my whole head in the opening so that I could see him lying on his bed. And then, when my head was in the room, I opened the door of the lantern carefully — oh, so carefully — I did it just so much that light fell upon the old man’s eye. And this I did for seven long nights —every night just at midnight —but I found the eye always closed; and so it was impossible to do the deed; for it was not the old man who annoyed me, but his Evil Eye. And every morning I went into his room, and spoke to him in a friendly tone, and asked him how he had passed the night. So, you see, he would never suspect that every night, just at twelve, I looked in upon him while he slept.

It is a good one, however, not up to the end! When I was reading this story, I was particularly horrified at the end by this man's behaviour, when he had been interrogated by the police..

[Andrei1]

A Horror Story by Edgar Poe. The Tell-Tale Heart (in English, for intermediate)

Nervous —very, very nervous I was and I am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease made me very sensitive. All my senses were so sharp and above all was the sense of hearing. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. So, am I mad? Listen and see yourself how calmly I can tell you the whole story.

It is impossible to say how the idea came to my mind; but it started to haunt me day and night. I loved the old man. He had never done me harm. He had never said me a bad word. I didn’t want to have his gold. So, I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this! He had a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so little by little I decided to kill the old man in order not to see the eye ever.

Now this is the point. You think I am mad. But you should see me. You should see how wisely I started to prepare for the work! I had been very kind to the old man during the whole week before. And every night, about midnight, I opened his door— oh, so quietly! And then I put a dark lantern into the opening, all closed, closed, so that no light shone out. And then I put in my head. Oh, you would laugh to see how carefully I put my head in! I moved it slowly —very, very slowly so that I would not disturb the old man’s sleep.

It took me an hour to put my whole head in the opening so that I could see him lying on his bed. And then, when my head was in the room, I opened the door of the lantern carefully — oh, so carefully — I did it just so much that light fell upon the old man’s eye. And this I did for seven long nights —every night just at midnight —but I found the eye always closed; and so it was impossible to do the deed; for it was not the old man who annoyed me, but his Evil Eye. And every morning I went into his room, and spoke to him in a friendly tone, and asked him how he had passed the night. So, you see, he would never suspect that every night, just at twelve, I looked in upon him while he slept.

[DAS]

On Courage

"So you think I'm courageous?" she asked.

"Yes, I do."

"Perhaps I am. But that's because I've had some inspiring teachers. I'll tell you about one of them. Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at Stanford Hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liza who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her five-year-old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, 'Yes, I'll do it if it will save Liza.'

"As the transfusion progressed, he lay in a bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, 'Will I start to die right away?'

"Being young, the boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give her all his blood.

"Yes, I've learned courage," she added, "because I've had inspiring teachers."

By Dan Millman

[Arsenovna]

This Short Story The Ugly Tree is quite interesting to all the people. Enjoy reading this story.

Long, long ago, in a dense forest there were thousands of tall and beautiful trees. They were happy, but proud of themselves. Among them there also an ugly tree whose branches were badly twisted. Its roots had uneven curves. All the trees made fun of that ugly tree.

“How are you, hunchback?" the other trees always shouted and their laughter made the ugly tree feel sad. But, he never raised a voice against them. The ugly tree thought, “I wish I were as beautiful as the other trees. Why did God do this to me? Neither can I provide shade to the travelers not can the birds make their nests on me. Nobody needs me."

One day, a woodcutter came to the forest. He took a look at the trees and said, “These trees are lovely. I must cut them." As soon as he picked up his axe the trees became frightened.

‘Chop, Chop, Chop’ went the woodcutter’s axe and one by one the trees started to fall. “None of us is going to be spared," screamed one of the beautiful trees. Soon that tree too was brought to ground by the woodcutter’s axe.

By now, the woodcutter had come near to the ugly tree. He had just raised his axe when suddenly he noticed how crooked the ugly tree was. “Hmm! This crooked tree seems to be useless for me. I cannot make long straight logs of this ugly tree," he thought. And he moved towards another beautiful tree. The ugly tree heaved a huge sigh of relief. He realized that by making him ugly, God had actually given him a boon.

From that day the ugly tree never complained. He was happy with his crooked branches. He never forgot how he was spared from t he woodcutter’s axe, only because he was crooked and ugly.

[Arsenovna]

A Short Story : The Iron Box


This Short Story The Iron Box is quite interesting to all the people. Enjoy reading this story.

Mohan Das was the son of a rich businessman. When his father died, Mohan Das was left with an iron box with valuables in it. One day, Mohan Das had to go to the city on some work. So, he took the iron box and handed it over to his moneylender friend. His name was Ramasewak.

“Please keep this box. My father gave it to me. I will return from city after few days and collect it from you," said Mohan Das to Ramasewak.

“You do not have to worry. I will keep this box safely," said Ramasewak.

Mohan Das started off his journey happily. He knew that his valuable iron box was safe with Ramasewak. A few days later he returned. He went to his friend Ramasewak and asked for the iron box. Ramasewak pretended to look a little surprised, “Oh, the iron box! The rats ate it up. I just could not stop them," he said.

Mohan Das realized that his friend had become greedy and dishonest. Ramasewak was trying to cheat him. Being an intelligent man, he kept quite. “I must figure out a way to get my iron box back from Ramasewak," thought Mohan Das.

Next day, Mohan Das went to Ramasewak and said, “Friend! Can you send your son with me? I need someone to look after my property."

Ramasewak thought for a while. He brooded. “Mohan Das seems to be a fool. May be he will reward my son for looking after his property," thought Ramasewak. Then, immediately he agreed and sent his son with Mohan Das.

Next morning, Mohan Das came running to Ramasewak and said, “Dear friend, a terrible thing has happened. A hawk has carried your son away."

Ramasewak was furious and demanded, “How can a hawk carry off my son?"

“In the same way as the rats can eat up the iron box," answered Mohan Das.

“I am sorry, my friend. I realize my mistake," Ramasewak said with a bit of concern in his voice. He felt ashamed of having tried to cheat his friend. He gave the box back to his friend. Both of them were happy and remained good friends forever. 

[Элис]

Помню, читал) Произвело сильное впечатление на тот момент (прямо мурашки по коже), особенно когда их (исследователей Марса) приняли за сумасшедших и поместили в местную "марсианскую" психушку

На меня  тоже "хроники" произвели большое  впечатление

[DAS]

Рассказы Брэдбери (марсианские хроники)

Помню, читал) Произвело сильное впечатление на тот момент (прямо мурашки по коже), особенно когда их (исследователей Марса) приняли за сумасшедших и поместили в местную "марсианскую" психушку

[Andrei1]

Рассказы Брэдбери (марсианские хроники)

[Arsenovna]

Ksiusha, I like! 

[Ксюша]

Краткая характеристика произведений известных писателей.

Достоевский:
Человек сделал.
Человек страдал.
Человек лишился рассудка.

Чехов:
Человек маялся бездельем.
Человек беспричинно тосковал.
Человек выпил чаю.

Хемингуэй:
Человек вошёл.
Человек сказал: "Идёт дождь".
Человеку ответили: "Да".

Конан Дойл:
Человек курил.
Человек язвил.
Человек раскрыл.


Стругацкие:
Человек прилетел.
Человек помогал.
Человеку не рады.

Уэллс:
Человек полетел на Луну.*
Человек переместился в прошлое.*
Человек воевал с инопланетянами.*
*впервые в мировой литературе

Маркес:
Человек - Хосе.
Человек родил Хуана.
Человек, который Хуан, родил Хуана и Хосе.
Два человека, те, которые Хуан и Хосе, но Хуан, которого родил Хосе, а Хосе не тот, которого родил Хуан, ушли в другую деревню, где Хосе родил Хуана, а Хуан - Хосе, Хосе Аркадио, Аурелиано Аркадио, Хосе Аурелиано и Пруденсио. Но, чтобы не усложнять сюжет, Пруденсио далее в книге не упоминается.

Джордж Мартин:
Человек умер.
И ещё один человек умер.
И вон тот человек, который нравился тебе больше всех в этой книге и на котором держалось развитие сюжета, вот он тоже умер.

Кафка:
Человек - человек.
Человек - не человек.

Мэри Шелли:
Человек?


Воннегут:
Человек умер нелепой смертью.
... но сейчас человек жив, а умер - это через много лет.

Оруэлл:
Человек жил.
Человек усомнился.
Человека нет и никогда не было.

Зощенко:
Гражданин прописался.
Гражданин занимал жилплощадь.
Гражданина явно кто-то на тот свет спровадил. Шутка ли - целых десять метров занимал!

Даниэль Дефо:
Человек.
Другой человек.
Хвала Господу! Другой человек!

Паланик:
Человек.
Другой человек.
А, нет, один и тот же.

[Arsenovna]

The Story in the Bible. An Angel Visits Mary


In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, 'Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.'

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.'

'How will this be,' Mary asked the angel, 'since I am a virgin?'

The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.'

'I am the Lord's servant,' Mary answered. 'May it be to me as you have said.' Then the angel left her.

Luke 1:26-38

The History behind an Angel visiting Mary in the Christmas Story
Mary was probably about 14 to 16 years of age when she gave birth to Jesus. This was a very common age for young women to be engaged and marry in biblical times. So the son of God was the son of a teenage mother. Joseph was probably slightly older, around 30.

Joseph and Mary were a very average couple in Israel at that time. They would have been quite poor. Joseph was a carpenter and this job was seen by some religious leaders as a religious duty rather than a profession. Both Joseph and Mary were descendants of King David of Israel, but at this time his family was in the poorest state it had ever been. Mary was also related to the traditional Priest families of Israel through her cousin Elizabeth.

Nazareth, the town where they both lived, was a small hill town on a caravan route through the country. It also had a center for the temple priests, in which they could come and pray and fast when they were not on duty at the temple. So a wide range of people would travel and visit a town like Nazareth.

Under Jewish law, an engagement like Joseph and Mary's was treated almost like a marriage and could only be broken by an official divorce.

[asdfg]

У обезьянки - a monkey
Была подружка - a frog - лягушка,
А у нее была сестричка,
A fox - лисичка.
Был дружок, а cock - петушок
A rabbit - крольчонок,
A bear - медвежонок,
A duckling - утенок,
A pig - поросенок,
A black cat - черный кот,
И козленок - a goat.
Они жили в лесу - in the wood
И были очень хороши - very good.
А около озера - near the lake
Жила большая змея - a big snake.
И вот однажды - one day
Она решила съесть друзей.

to be continued...

First of all I shall catch the monkey -
Я поймаю сперва обезьянку.

[DAS]

У обезьянки - a monkey
Была подружка - a frog - лягушка,
А у нее была сестричка,
A fox - лисичка.
Был дружок, а cock - петушок
A rabbit - крольчонок,
A bear - медвежонок,
A duckling - утенок,
A pig - поросенок,
A black cat - черный кот,
И козленок - a goat.
Они жили в лесу - in the wood
И были очень хороши - very good.
А около озера - near the lake
Жила большая змея - a big snake.
И вот однажды - one day
Она решила съесть друзей.

to be continued...