THE LITTLE BLACK DUCKLINGMother duck had five ducklings, four yellow and one black. One fine morning mother duck took her little ducklings to a pond. Soon the four yellow ducklings were swimming in the water. But the little black duckling just stood by the pond. “Are you afraid of the water?” asked mother duck. “Yes, mother,” said the little duckling. “But all your brothers are swimming,” mother duck said. And what did the little duckling say to that? “They are yellow, mother. And I am black. Yellow ducklings can swim, but black ducklings can’t.” mother duck was very sad, and the black duckling was sad too. Suddenly, there was a noise. The little duckling turned around. He saw a big puppy running straight at him. Poor little black duckling! He was afraid of the puppy too. So he jumped into the water. And he swam…, and he swam…
1. How many yellow ducklings were there?
2. Who stood by the pond?
3. Why was the black duckling afraid of the water?
4. Who ran straight at the black duckling?
5. What did the black duckling do when he was in the water?
HAPPY BIRHTDAY TO JUMBOAll the animals in the zoo were busy, very busy. But what was Jumbo elephant doing in the little corner? He was sad, oh…..so sad. “Tomorrow will be my birthday,” he said. “And nobody cares about it. They are all so busy.” “Well, never mind,” said Jumbo at last. “I will go and play with them.” So he asked the bears, “Will you play with me?” “Not today,” said the bears. “We are all very busy.” Then Jumbo asked the tiger-cubs, “Will you play with me?” “Oh, no,” said the tiger-cubs. “We don’t have the time.” “Huhuhuh!” cried poor Jumbo. “Nobody to play with me.” Then the next day came. It was Jumbo’s birthday, remember? And what did all the animals do? Well, they brought Jumbo fish-cakes and meat pies, and cream-buns and honey-sweets! Then they sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to Jumbo, the baby elephant.
1. What was happening the animals in the zoo?
2. What did Jumbo say to the bears?
3. What did the tiger-cubs reply to Jumbo?
4. What would happen in the next day?
5. What did the animals do on Jumbo’s birthday?
KIND MRS HEN One fine day Mrs. Hen was walking down the road. She heard two ducks talking. One duck said, “There are little frogs in the pond. I am going there to eat them.” The other duck said, “Oh no, you’re not. I’m going to eat them first.” And so the two ducks began to quack at each other. They quacked and they quacked….and they forgot about the frogs. Now, what did Mrs. Hen do? She ran and she ran to the frogs in the pond. “Frogs! Frogs!” she cried. “You must run away. Soon the ducks will come to eat you up.” But the poor little frogs just looked at Mrs. Hen. They couldn’t run away quickly. Mrs. Hen was very, very kind. She put the frogs on her back and carried them away. Then the ducks came to eat the frogs in the pond. But where were all the frogs? They were safe and happy in kind Mrs. Hen’s house.
1. How many ducks were talking?
2. What was in the pond?
3. The two ducks quacked at each other because……
4. The frogs didn’t run away because……
5. Where did Mrs. Hen take the frogs to?
NASREDDIN, THE WISE MAN; Fate is Not LogicalNasreddin was walking home relaxed throughthe street in his neighborhood. The street was very narrow and the houses were very close to it. When he walked in front of a shabby house, suddenly a man fell from the roof onto him. The man was fixing the roof of his house. The man didn’t injure himself even a bruise. On the other hand, Nasreddin broke his neck. Therefore, he should be hospitalized. When he was in the hospital, most of his friends visited him. One of them asked him, “Nasreddin, what lesson can you take from the accident?” “Nothing but one, don’t believe to the saying that fate is always logical.” “How can you conclude that lesson?” asked his friend further. “The man fell down from the roof. If the fate was logical he would have broken his neck or injured himself. But the reality was he fell from the roof, I broke my neck,” said Nasreddin.
1. What are the antonym of these words?
- Narrow
- Shabby
- Injure
- Logic
- Broken
- Bruise
- Take
- Close
2. What happened with Nasreddin?
3. What did Nasreddin say about this event?
4. Where was Nasreddin brought because of broken neck?
NASREDDIN, THE WISE MAN; A Face on The WindowNasreddin heard news that the richest man in town would give charity to all poor people there. Nasreddin wanted to come there soon but he also had to finish his job at home. So, first he did his job quickly and then ran to the rich man’s house. When he arrived there, there were no people outside the house. He thought he was late. He looked at the house from a distance. Because he saw the rich man through the window, he knocked at the door. A moment later, the servant came up and said, “Sorry, Sir. My Master is out now.” Nasreddin was very disappointed. He knew that the rich man had lied to him. He wanted to get angry but there was no reason for him. He said to the servant, “That’s all right. Although he could not give me any charity, I will give him advice. Tell him later, if he wants to go out, he should not leave his face on the window otherwise somebody will steal it.”
1. When did Nasreddin go? What for?
2. What happened then?
3. What did Nasreddin do to the servant?
4. Did the rich man give Nasreddin his charity? Why?
5. Can you give example of the charity like from the rich man, if he did to give to the poor people?
NASREDDIN, THE WISE MAN; The Thirsty PocketOne evening Nasreddin was invited to a wedding party in a village nearby. It was a great feast. Almost all the villagers were invited to the party. The men were placed in the right room, while the women were placed in the left room. Nasreddin went to the right room, of course. When he arrived, there had been many other guests in the room. A moment later the feast started. Everybody was eating happily. One of them was eating the available food as much as possible . he even tried to put as much food as possible into his pockets. He surely wanted to bring it home. Nasreddin kept an eye on the greedy man. When the man came to the table before him, Nasreddin took a tea pot. He approached the man and stood beside him. Then, he poured the tea into the pockets that were full of food. The other guests laughed at the greedy man to see the event. The greedy man realized that Nasreddin was making fun of him. The man shouted angrily, “Hey, what are you doing, man? Why did you pour the tea into my pockets?” “Sorry, Brother. I don’t play a dirty trick on you,” answered Nasreddin. He put the tea pot back on the table. “Yeah, you make fun of me. And the other guests mock at me for that!” the man shouted more loudly. “I don’t want to make you mocked. I just see how much food your pockets eat just now. I’m only afraid that your pockets get very thirsty. So, I help you give them sufficient drink.”
1. Where did Nasreddin go one evening?
2. Explain the situation there!
3. Why did Nasreddin pour the tea into his pocket?
4. Explain the situation there!
5. Why did Nasreddin pour the tea into his pocket?
BLACK BEAUTYMy name is Black Beauty. When I was a colt, I lived with my mother. Her name was Duchess. When I looked in the pond nearby, I saw a white star on my face. During the day, I ran by my mother’s side. At nigt, I slept curled up next to her. I liked to play with the other colts. They were older than I was. The man who owned us was very kind. He fed us treats. He called my mother Pet. He called me Darkie because I was a dull black color. Sometimes a boy named Dick came to the meadow to pick blackberries. Dick threw stones at us. Most of the time he missed. When he did hit us, it hurt a lot! One day, my master caught the boy and chased him away. When I was older and stronger, my master taught me to wear a saddle and bridle. Then one day, I got to carry my master on my back. After that, I got a new pair of horseshoes. At first, they were uncomfortable. Later, I got used to them. Sometimes, my master let my mother and I pull his carriage. One time, I saw a dog chasing a rabbit in the meadow. More dogs appeared with men chasing them on horseback. My mother told me that the men were hunting the rabbit. I hoped that it got away unharmed. Soon after that, I was sold to Squire Gordon. I went to live at a place called Birtwick Park. I was kept in an open stall in a big stable with other horses. I became friends with a horse named Merrylegs. We had fun playing together. Merrylegs introduced me to Ginger. I liked Ginger, but she had a bad temper. Merrylegs told me that Ginger had been treated badly by another master. Our coachman, John, was very kind to the horses at Birtwick park. I hoped that ginger would soon feel at home here. Once a week. All of the horses at Birtwick got to run in the fields. Merrylegs tried to catch me, but I ran faster than she ran! I also liked to walk next to Ginger. Ginger told me that she had lived in many places. Once, she ran away after throwing her master’s cruel son from her back. After that, Ginger went to live in the city. When Ginger come to Birtwick, she was surprised to see how well the horses were treated. John and our stable boy, James, took good care of us.
We were very happy when the children from the village came to visit. They liked to ride Merrylegs. Later, we helped ourselves to some apples. Our early days at Birtwick Park were fun and carefree. One day, my master took John and me to a town far away. I was hitched to a carriage, and we went on our way. It rained a lot during the journey. My master’s business in town took a long time. It was late afternoon when we set out for home. The wind was fierce. A tree fell right in our path. We were trapped! We turned around to go back. When we got to the toll bridge, I could tell that it was not safe. No matter how much my master yelled, I wouldn’t move. The man from the tollgate came out and said, “The storm damaged the bridge.” I was a hero for saving my master’s life. After a long trip back, we arrived at Birtwick Park, safe and sound. I had a soft bed of straw and a wonderful supper waiting for me that night! A few weeks later, I learned that James had gotten a new job as a coachman. Before James left Birtwick, he took our master to visit some friends. Ginger and I pulled the carriage. That night, we stopped to rest at an inn. James led us to a stable. Two men rubbed us down. We fell asleep. A short time later, the smell of smoke woke me up! In a little while, a terrible fire broke out! At last, kames came to lead us out of the stable. I looked all around, but I didn’t see Ginger. At a little while later, I saw James leading ginger outside. I was happy and relieved to see my friend Ginger! After that, we went to visit our master’s friends. When we got back to Birtwick Park, we met our new stable boy, Joe Green. Joe was very young for a groom. He learned how to care for us by practicing on Merrylegs.
It was time for James to say good-bye. I was sad to see him go. One night after James left, John took me to go for the doctor for our mistress. After a long journey, we returned. I got very sick. Joe tried to car for me, but he didn’t know what to do. John took care of me and nursed me back to health. Our mistress grew worse. Squire Gordon took her to a warmer country. The horses were sold to new masters. John took Ginger and me to our new coachman, Mr. York, at Earlshall Park. We were sad to leave Merrylegs. At Earlshall Park, we went riding every day. Pulling the mistress’s carriage was hard work. Our new owner, the Earl, told Mr. York to break us in gently. But the Earl/s wife was not happy with us. Ginger didn’t like our new home. She tried to run away again. Ginger became a hunting horse. She was gone for a long time. But one day, I saw her in the meadow. I was glad that Ginger was back.
After I was injured in a riding accident, the Earl found me a new owner in bath. I was sad to leave Earlshall Park. I was put to work as a job horse and hired out to anyone who needed a horse. I was worked hard and not taken care of. Then, I was sold at a horse fair. I was sold to a man named Jeremiah Barker. Everyone called him Jerry. Jerry drove a cab in the city. His wife was named Polly. They had two children. It was my job to pull the carriage. When I got back home, Polly and the children brought me apples to eat. And on Sunday, I got to rest. Sometimes I drove people into the city. After many months, I met Ginger! She was pulling a cab.
That winter, Jerry became very sick. The family moved to the country so that he could get better. Once again, I was sold. It was hard to say good-bye to the children. I went to work for a baker. I had to pull heavy loads of food. When the work became too hard for me, I was sold to a man named Nicholas Skinner. He owned many cabs and worked his horses very hard. One day, I had to pull too many passengers. My feet slipped out from under me, and I fell to the ground. A kind man helped me to my feet. He told Mr. Skinner that I should rest for several days. After that, I was taken to a horse sale, where farmers came to buy horses. An older man and a young boy looked me over. They seemed very kind. Mr. Thoroughgood bought me for his grandson, Willie. Each morning and evening, Willie fed me hay and oats. He brought me carrots in the meadow, where he petted me all afternoon. Soon, I was well enough to pull Willie and his grandfather in their carriage. One day, Willie introduced me to a new coachman. The coachman stared at me for a long time. “White star on the forehead, one white foot ….”, he said. “It must be Black Beauty!” the man cried. “I’m Joe Green, Beauty. Do you remember me, your old stable boy?” I nuzzled Joe to let him know that I was happy to see him. Now, in Joe Green’s care once again, I felt like I was home!
1. Who is the first owner of the Black Beauty?
2. Who is Black Beauty?
3. Explain, the appearance of the Black Beauty?
4. Who is the last owner of Black Beauty?
5. How many times the Black Beauty move from one owner to the last?
THE LITTLE TURTLEOnce upon a time, there lived a little turtle inside a pet shop with many other turtles. One day there was a little girl named Freya wishing to have a turtle pet. Then Freya picked the little turtle to be bought and took it home. Freya also bought a little round plastic aquarium that has a bridge and mini palm trees. The aquarium was filled with some gravel. It seemed quite comfortable for the little turtle. Freya didn’t forget to buy its food. The food looked like a tiny grain and a bit smelly. The pet shop owner told her how to take care a turtle pet. The water must be changed every other day. It needs plenty of sunshine. “Do not forget to feed it every day!” he said. “Not too much and not too little.” Freya took the little turtle home. She was very happy. She put the little turtle in the beautiful garden at her house. Freya loved the little turtle very much. Apparently the little turtle wasn’t very happy inside its aquarium. It always tried to get out. One day the aquarium was empty. The little turtle had made it to get out. Freya was devastated. The little turtle is much happier now. It lives freely in the garden. Freya can even see it every now and then.
1. How many turtles in the pet shop?
2. Did Freya get the turtle?
3. What did she do with the turtle?
4. What happened when Freya looked the aquarium?
5. What happened with the little turtle at last?
THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOODIn merry old England, near the town of Nottingham, there lived a famous outlaw named Robin Hood. Robin was the finest archer in all the land. Robin lived in Sherwood Forest with his merry band of men. They lived a carefree life. They held archery contest and practiced their fighting skills. Robin and his men always helped people in time of need. Robin was not always an outlaw. One day when he was young, he went to Nottingham for an archery contest. “Who have we here?” a gruff forester called. “My name is Robin and I’m off to Nottingham to win the archer’s prize,” Robin said. “Do you think you will beat us?” the forester scoffed. “I will prove I’m the best archer in Nottingham,” he said. Robin’s arrow flew straight to its mark. “He’s killed one of the king’s prize deer.” A man shouted. “He’ll pay dearly for that.” “I’ll stop him,” the forester leader bellowed. He aimed an arrow right at Robin. Robin hid behind a giant oak tree. He drew his deadly bow to protect himself. It hit the forester. “The lad did it,” one man said. “The Sheriff of Nottingham will hear of this.” Word quickly spread throughout Nottingham. Robin was now an outlaw.
…………………….
On the day of Ellen’s wedding, Robin and his band went to the church in disguise. Suddenly, Robin shouted, “This is not this maiden’s true love!” Robin convinced Ellen’s father to allow his daughter to marry Allan-a-Dale. With her father’s blessing, Ellen wed her true love. A long time passed. King Henry died. Then one day, King Richard turned from the crusades to take his rightful throne. “I want to meet this outlaw,” King Richard said when he heard of Robin’s fame. Disguised as simple friars, the king and his men entered Sherwood Forest. “Halt,” Robin ordered. The black robed friar revealed his true identity. “You have done more good than bad,” the King said. “You have my pardon.” Robin was an outlaw no longer. “You and your band will be my royal rangers,” the King said. There was nothing the sheriff could do. Robin was named a noble. Robin served King Richard for many years. When a new king came into power after King Richard died, Robin longed to return to Sherwood Forest. One day, he blew on his horn. Suddenly, all of Robin’s merry men appeared. “I am no longer a noble,” Robin said. “I am Robin Hood, friend of the poor.” The new King heard of Robin’s return to Sherwood Forest. He sent his men to find Robin. A fierce battle followed. The sheriff of Nottingham was the first to fall. Robin vowed never to fight again. “I will shoot one last arrow,” he said. “Where it falls is where I will live the rest of my days.” Robin Hood spent the rest of his days in Sherwood Forest.
1. Who is Robin Hood?
2. Where did he come from?
3. What did he do?
4. Why did sheriff of Nottingham want to catch Robin?
5. Where did Robin spend the rest of his days?
A TRICKY DONKEY“Let’s go, Oinx, we’ll be late. I still have a lot to sell,” he ordered Buma, my owner. I could not walk as quickly as I was younger. Instead, I fell down. “Oh, come on. We’re almost there.” I got up and tried again. I did not want to look weak in front of my owner. “There you go, Buma smiled though I knew he was anxious. We were late. Buma was a good man. We spent many times together since he was a poor merchant. I was a donkey and as you heard, my name was Oinx. I had to get up early and carry some goods to the market. Buma and I stayed there until afternoon, then taking back the rest home.
1. Who is Oinx?
2. Who is Buma?
3. What is Buma?
4. Which is running faster, donkey or deer?
5. What is donkey for usually?
THE BRAVE FARMEROnce there lived a poor farmer and his wife. One stormy night the farmer went out to search for his cow. He couldn’t see very well because of the darkness and the rain. But at last he found the animal. He took it home and tied it to a pole in front of his house. The next morning the farmer’s wife was shocked. “Husband, there’s a tiger tied to the pole outside our house!” she screamed. Sure enough, a huge tiger was tugging at the rope. The farmer turned pale with fright. “I thought it was my cow!” he said. Soon the story of what the farmer has done spread all over the land. Before long the story reached the ears of the king. He sent for the farmer and said, “I’m glad there are brave men like you in my kingdom.” Then he gave the farmer a sack of gold. The farmer didn’t dare to tell the king that he had led the tiger home by mistake. So he took the gold and lived very happily with his wife. One day the King’s enemies rode into his country. The King at once sent for the farmer and said, “You’re the bravest man in my kingdom. I want you to lead my army into battle. I’ll give you my own horse to ride.” The farmer had never been so scared in his life! But he didn’t dare to refuse the King. “What shall I do, Wife?” he said when he returned home. “I don’t even know how to ride a horse! How can I lead hundreds of men into battle? Oh, if only I’d told the truth about the tiger!” Soon the King’s horse arrived. It was a fine-looking animal. It tossed its head and rolled its eyes at the nervous farmer. “Try and get on to its back,” the farmer’s wife whispered. “Then I’ll tie you to the saddle so you won’t fall off.” After trying many times, the farmer managed to get on to the horse’s back. His wife tied him firmly to the saddle. Then, before the farmer could stop it, the horse gallope off towards the enemy camp! The frightened farmer held on tightly. The nearer the horse got to the camp, the more afraid the farmer grew. At last he tried to stop the horse by grabbing at a young tree. But the tree was uprooted and the farmer rode on, waving the trunk. When the enemy sentry saw this he yelled, “The King has sent a giant to attack us! He rides like the wind on a huge black horse and pulls up trees in his anger!”
The warning passed from soldier to soldier. By the time it reached the last soldier, it changed to” An army of giants is coming! They pull up trees in their anger!” The enemy soldiers were so frightened and they jumped on their horses and fled. So when the farmer reached the camp, it was empty. He untied himself and fell off his horse. Then he found a letter of surrender left by the soldiers. Slowly the tired farmer led his horse back to the palace. The King was very pleased with him for chasing the enemy away. He gave the farmer many sacks of gold and jewels as a reward. From then on the farmer and his wife lived in great happiness and you can be sure the he never lied again as long as he lived!
1. What did the famer do in one stormy night?
2. Why couldn’t he see very well?
3. What did the farmer’s wife see tied to the pole?
4. Why did the farmer’s wife tie him to the saddle of the King horse?
5. Who did the enemy sentry think the King had sent?
BOND-WOMANLife as a bond-woman in the new tobacco lands of the Americas is almost unendurable. Yet Verity has chosen to live in the raw, bustling British Colony of Virginia. Faced with a death-or-transportation sentence after being falsely accused of theft in harsh seventeenth-century London, Verity grasped at life. Deported from England, auctioned on the Jamestown quayside like an animal, she faces seven long years as the slave of Gray Garnett, owner of the plantation Endeavour. He believes her to be a thief and a harlot and treats her as such. How can Verity retain her self-respect when the man who owns her life and soul threatens to capture her heart as well?
1. What is Bond-Woman?
2. Who is Gray Garnett?
3. What is the name of Bond-Woman?
DEMOLITION MANJohn Spartan had almost stopped Simon Phoenix in 1997. As San Angeles burned around them, he cornered Phoenix in the master criminal’s fortress-and collared him as the place exploded. That mad Spartan a hero-except in the eyes of the law that he broke to get his man. And that law put him on ice along with his fiendish foe. Now the forces of the law had activated Spartan again. Again he wore a police uniform. Again he was the only one who could stop Phoenix, even if he had to ignore all orders, infuriate all superiors, and defy all the power of city hall.
1. Who is John Spartan?
2. Who is the Demolition Man?
3. What uniform did Spartan wear?
4. Who can deactivate Phoenix?
THE MONKEY AND THE PRINCEIn ancient times, there was a prosperous kingdom. Its people lived happily and peacefully. This kingdom was ruled by a wise king. His people loved him, but he didn’t have a descent. One day, the King hunted in the jungle. He found a monkey child, ”What a pity this monkey’s child. It’s barbaric the man who killed his mother,” said the King. Being a pity, the King brought the monkey child to the palace. “I will make this monkey as my friend than I’m lonely in the palace,” said the King. From now the monkey lived in the palace. The King loved it very much. He looked after the monkey gladly. Day after day, the monkey grew bigger and bigger. But it is as really strange, the monkey often dreamt by itself. The King only watched it from far away. “Hi monkey, what’s the matter so you look depressed,” asked the King one day. “My Lord, I feel lonely living here. I am only your friend. I want to have a wife,” said the monkey. Hearing what the monkey had asked, the King soon made his palace sentries to publish news to all countries. “Whoever will marry his monkey, the King will give a lot of presents.” That is the news. Even the news reached to a widow had three girls. “Hi…darling my oldest daughters…marry the monkey as soon as possible. After you marry him, we will be rich sudden,” said the widow. “OK mum…” the oldest answered. “But after you become his wife, we can take away the kingdom, and the palace will become our possession.” That is the entire widow’s bad target. “Don’t tell this case to your youngest sister,” she added. Soon the oldest daughter married the monkey. Her family then lived in the palace, except the youngest daughter, because she wasn’t invited to live the palace. But not for long time, the oldest daughter died, because of serious illness. The second daughter was asked to replace the oldest. But like the oldest daughter, she also died because of illness. Having lost friend, the monkey become hopeless and he fell serious illness. The King tried to find the physician to treat his sick monkey. But there was no result. One day the youngest daughter came to the palace. She was begged to become the wife of the monkey. She was forced to obey the command. But when she heard that the monkey was being sick. The youngest daughter pitied him. Unconsciously her eyes were tearing. “Hi…monkey, don’t die, I am willing to become your wife,” said the youngest daughter. Unconsciously she dropped her tears on the monkey’s body. Suddenly a miracle happened. The monkey changed into a handsome prince. “Thanks the daughter, you willingness freed me from a curse of the bad old sorceress,” said the prince. At the end the prince married the youngest daughter and lived happily.
1. What did the King find in the jungle when he hunted?
2. What happened after the King find it?
3. What announcement did the King spread?
4. Who is the prince?
5. why didn’t the youngest daughter die when marry the monkey?
