The story of narcissus

Long, long ago, when birds and flowers and trees could talk, a beautiful fountain sprang up in the midst of a forest. Little sunbeams crept between the leaves, and, as they fell upon it, made it shine like silver.

One day a lad, who had been hunting in the forest, lost sight of his friends. While looking for them, he saw the fountain shining in the sunlight through the trees. He at once turned to it, for he was hot and thirsty.

He stooped down to bathe his burning forehead, and to cool his dry hot lips. But as he bent over the water, he saw his own face in it, as in a glass. He thought it-must be some lovely water-fairy, that lived within the fountain, and as he looked he forgot to drink. The bright eyes, the curly hair, the round cheeks, and the red lips were beautiful to him; and he fell in love with that image of himself, but knew not that it was his own image. It smiled when he smiled, and as he spoke, the lips of the face moved as though speaking too, though no sound came from them. "I love you with all my heart," said the lad. The image smiled and held out its arms, but still was dumb. The lad spoke to it again and again, and getting no answer, he at last began to cry. The tears fell upon the water, and ruffled it, so that the face looked wrinkled. Thinking it was going away, he said: "Only stay, beautiful being, and let me look at you, even if I may not touch you." He forgot everything but that lovely face. Day after day, night after night, he stayed there, till he grew thin and pale, and at last died. Just at the water's edge, where the lad had died, there grew one strange little flower, all alone. "He has been changed into a flower," his friends said. "Let us call it after our dead friend." So they named the flower Narcissus in memory of him and it is called Narcissus to this very day.

Supplement.

Texts not introduced in the exercises

Section Three

Ex. 13

Days and months. Asking the time

"Do you know the days of the Week?"

"Yes, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday."

"Now, let's assume that today is Wednesday. What day will tomorrow be?"

"Thursday."

"And the day after tomorrow?"

"Friday."

"What day was yesterday?"

"Tuesday."

"And the day before yesterday?"

"Monday."

"As it happens, last Monday was my birthday."

"Is that so? Well, many happy returns of the day."

"Thank you. And now, let's have the names of the months."

"Certainly. January. February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December."

"Good... Oh, can you tell me the right time please?"

"Well, my watch says five past two, but if's no use relying on it, because sometimes it's fast and sometimes it's slow."

Section Four

Ex. 13

"Have we time for another coffee?"

"I think so."

"Shall I give you some?"

"Yes, please."

"Do you take sugar?"

"No, thank you."

"Will you have a cigarette?"

"In a moment."

"Have you paid the bill?"

"Not yet."

"Shouldn't we be going now?"

"All right."

"Oughtn't we to take a taxi?"

"If you like."

* * *

"How long will you be out?"

"Not long."

"When will you be back?"

"Soon after ten."

"What are you going to do?"

"Nothing very interesting."

"Where are you going?"

"Just down the road."

"Who are you going to see?"

"Tom."

"Why are you going to see him?"

"Just for a little chat."

"What about?"

"Nothing in particular."

Ex. 15

Our sitting-room

Let's have a look at this picture of our sitting-room. As you come into the room you notice a piano with a low music-stool in front of it. Next to the piano is a tall bookcase standing against the wall. On the left is a large window. Under the window there's a radiator, but, you can't see it because it's behind the settee. On the settee there are two cushions. The fireplace is at the other end of the room. On each side of the fireplace there's an armchair. An old lady is sitting in one of the chairs, but nobody's sitting in the other one: it's empty.

In the centre of the mantelpiece there's a clock and above it an oval mirror. On the right you can see a standard lamp. Opposite the fireplace you can see a small table with an ash-tray and some newspapers on it. By the table there's a small chair. On the extreme right there's a radio-set. The floor is covered with a beautiful thick carpet. An electric light is hanging from the middle of the ceiling. At night when it gets dark we switch on the light and draw the curtains: During the day, the light comes in through the window.

Section Five

Ex.22

A: You're on holiday, aren't you?

B: No, I'm not.

A: You're not working, are you?

B: Yes, I am.

A: You work in London, don't you?

B: No, I don't.

A: It's nearly time for tea, isn't it?

B: No, it isn't.

A: You're not hungry, are you?

B: Yes, I am.

A: You'll soon be going home, won't you?

B: No, I shan't.

Section Six

Ex. 19

Balzac as a handwriting expert

Balzac, the famous French writer, was a man of great talent. But he himself was proud of his ability to tell a person's character by his or her handwriting. He often told his friends that he could tell anybody's character exactly by his handwriting.

One day a woman friend brought him a young boy's exercise book. She said that she wanted to know what Balzac thought of the boy's character.

Balzac studied the handwriting carefully for a few minutes. The woman, however, told him that the boy was not her son and that he might tell her the truth.

"All right," said Balzac. "I shall tell you the truth." And he said that the boy was a bad, lazy fellow.

"It's very strange," said the woman smiling. "This is a page from your own exercise book, which you used when you were a boy."

Section Seven

Ex. 9

A: Is it going to rain?

B: I hope not.

A: Ought we to take our coats?

B: I think so.

A: Shall we be late?

B: We might be.

A: Is the car all right?

B: I expect so.

A: Will it break down?

B: I doubt it.

A: Have you got enough petrol?

B: I hope I have.

Ex. 17

My bedroom

At night when I feel tired and sleepy, I go up to my bedroom and switch on the electric light. I take off my shoes, undress and put on my pyjamas. Then I get into bed and switch off the light.

After a few minutes I fall asleep. I sleep the whole night through.

Punctually at seven-thirty in the morning, the alarm-clock rings and wakes me up. I get out of bed, put on my dressing-gown and slippers, and go into the bathroom, where I turn on the hot and cold taps. While the water's running into the bath, I wash my face and neck, clean my teeth, and shave. My shaving things are on the shelf above the basin. Then I turn off the taps and have my bath. Sometimes I have a shower. When I've dried myself with a towel, I get dressed.

On the dressing-table in front of the looking-glass, you'll see a hairbrush and a comb, a hand-mirror, a bottle of scent and a powder-box. These, of course, don't belong to me, but to my wife. In the chest of drawers I keep clean linen such as shirts, collars and handkerchiefs, besides things like socks and ties. The dirty linen is put in a linen basket and sent to the laundry. In the wardrobe I keep my suits and other clothes, which I hang on coat-hangers.

Ex. 19

The smoking chimney

One afternoon Professor N. was walking along a country road when he saw a farmer eating his supper alone in the road before his house. The professor approached the farmer and asked him:

"Why are you eating here alone?"

"Well, sir," answered the farmer after a short pause, "the chimney smokes."

"That is too bad," said the professor. "You must have it repaired. Let's have a look at it."

And before the farmer could say a word the professor tried to enter the farmer's house. As soon as he opened the door a broom fell on his shoulders and a woman's voice cried:

"Go away, you old rascal, or I'll kill you..."

The professor left the house quickly. The farmer sat in the road looking very unhappy. The professor approached him and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Never mind," said he, "my chimney smokes sometimes too."

Section Eight

Ex. 6

A: When I went out it was dark.

B: Was it?

A: Just at first I couldn't see.

B: Couldn't you?

A: After a while I got used to it.

В: Did you?

A: I went to Tom's and he wasn't there.

B: Wasn't he?

A: So I walked around and then came back home.

B: Oh?

A: And now if you like we'll go to the pictures.

B: Lovely.

Ex. 15

Mark Twain in France

Mark Twain, the famous American writer, was travelling in France. Once he was going by train to Dijon. That afternoon he was very tired and wanted to sleep. He therefore asked the conductor to wake him up when they came to Dijon. But first he explained that he was a very heavy sleeper. "I'll probably protest loudly when you try to wake me up," he said to the conductor. "But do not take notice, just put me off the train anyway."

Then Mark Twain went to sleep. Later, when he woke up, it was night-time and the train was in Paris already. He realized at once that the conductor had forgotten to wake him up at Dijon. He was very angry. He ran up to the conductor and began to shout at him. "I have never been so angry in all my life," Mark Twain said.

The conductor looked at him calmly. "You are not half so angry as the American whom I put off the train at Dijon," he said.

Section Nine

Ex. 12

Planning a holiday

"I say, what are you and your sister going to do for your holiday this year?"

"Well, I don't know. I should like to take my sister for a tour to the Baltic Sea, but then she can't very well leave her children. What are you doing?"

"We shall go to the sea, I expect - for part of the time, anyhow. Then my wife and 1 may go off alone for a week or so in the car."

"Leaving the rest of the family behind, I suppose!"

"Oh yes. They'll be quite safe with their grandmother - and, besides, they're ever so much happier playing about on the sands than spending long days in the car."

"Where do you go, as a rule?"

"We've tried many seaside-places on the east and south coasts: on the whole, I think we prefer the south. However, it really doesn't seem to matter very much, as long as the youngsters get a good sandy beach."

"What do you do? Take rooms, or stay at a hotel, or what?"

"We've done both, and this year we're taking a furnished house. Why don't you make up your mind to join us? Find a house near by, and make a large party. It'll be great fun."

"For my own part, I should love it. I'll talk it over with my sister, and see what she thinks about it."

"Do, and let me know as soon as you can."

"Right. I will."

Ex. 16

The king and the critic

A king liked to write stories, which he thought were very good. The people to whom he showed them were afraid to criticize them. They said that his stories were good.

One day he showed some of them to a well-known critic, who said that his stories were bad. The king got angry with him and sent him to prison.

After some time the king pardoned the critic and when he returned invited him to his palace to dinner. Again he showed him some of his stories and again asked him what he thought of them.

The critic turned to the guards who were standing behind him and said: "Take me back to prison."

Section Ten

Ex. 14

A street in London

We're in Oxford Circus, half-way along Oxford Street, one of the busiest streets in the West End of London, and that street over there is Regent Street, famous all over the world for its splendid shops. Near one of the street corners you can see the entrance to the subway leading to the Underground Railway, or "Tube" as we call it.

On both sides of the street there are shops, banks and restaurants. In the roadway there's a constant stream of cars, taxis, buses and lorries. In some parts of London there are trolley-buses and trams as well. The noise is deafening, but one soon gets used to it. The pavements are crowded with people, and it's dangerous to attempt to cross the road until the traffic is stopped, either by a policeman on point duty or by the red traffic lights. In any case, before crossing the road, take care to look to your right, and when you reach the middle of the road, look to your left.

At night, the streets are lit by electricity, or in some districts, by gas. You can see the lamp-posts and standards on the pavements, and on the "islands" in the middle of the road. The main streets are flooded with light from the brilliant shop-windows and the illuminated signs and advertisements, so that after dark everything looks as bright as in broad daylight.

Ex. 15

The bullet-proof jacket

A man once called on a general, and showed him a jacket which he had invented for soldiers, and which, he said, was bullet-proof.

"Oh!" said the general. "Put it on!"

Then he rang the bell, and said to the servant: "Tell the captain to load his gun and come here."

The inventor of the bullet-proof jacket disappeared, and the general never saw him again.

Section Eleven

Ex. 9

Woman: Good morning!

Salesman: Good morning, madam. Can I help you?

W.: Yes, you can. I'd like to buy a watch, please.

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