UNIT 17

ITS A MYSTERY

Ex. 7 Reading a. The text is a story from Slovenia. Before you read it, answer these questions. 1. Do you think an evil giant would be a nice person to meet? 2. What do you think a bloodthirsty dog likes doing? 3. If someone terrorised the lives of people in a village, would they be happy? 4. What kind of animal growls? A dog? A cat? A bird? 5. If someones face turned purple, would they be happy or angry? 6. If something is buried under a pile of rocks, can you see it? THE EVIL GIANT FROM SMARNA GORA In every society, there is history and there is mythology, and there are stories that are a mixture of both. Sometimes the stories, for example, explain how a tradition began or how part of the country was born. This story from Slovenia explains how a particular mountain came into existence A long time ago, an evil giant lived in the region around Smarna Gora. He lived in a cave with a huge bloodthirsty dog, his only friend and companion. All the farmers who lived in the area were afraid of the giant, who stole their cattle, destroyed their fields and terrorised their lives. There was a 16-year-old boy, Kajzerjev Janez, a poor widows son, who lived in a village near the cave. Kajzerjev worked hard all day and looked after his mother. One day, he made up his mind to kill the giant. He kept putting off the day when he would do it. Finally, early in the morning on a cold spring day, he put a rabbit in a bag, picked up a big stick and set off. A crowd of terrified villagers watched the boy as he crossed the river Sava and approached the cave. Kajzerjez soon came across the giants dog. The giants dog woke up, and growled deeply. Unfortunately, the noise woke the giant up. Then the dog made a sudden leap towards the boy. Kajzerjev opened his bag, and let the rabbit out. The dog ran after the rabbit. The boy smiled. He had got rid of the guard dog. When the giant saw this, his face turned purple with anger and he started walking towards the boy, determined to kill him. Suddenly, he sneezed so loudly that the villagers screamed with fear. The sneeze was so powerful that it blew the boy back across the river into the crowd. The villagers ran away and the giant started to throw huge rocks at the boy. He carried on throwing rocks all day until there was a huge pile of rocks on the other side of the river. In the evening, the giant crossed the river and looked at the big pile of rocks he had made. He was sure that the boy was buried under the rocks so he sat on top of the pile. Suddenly, he sank into the pile of rocks, screaming and roaring. He couldnt escape and he disappeared, never to be seen again. And the boy? He had already escaped, and was back in the village, where the villagers were cheering and shouting. The place where the giant disappeared is the rocky formation between Smarna Gora and Grmada. b. Read these sentences from the text. Each one contains a phrasal verb (in italics). Decide which of the other two sentences has a similar meaning. 1. A poor widows son made up his mind to kill the giant. a. He decided to kill the giant. b. He invented a story that he killed the giant. 2. He put a rabbit in a bag and set off. a. He put a rabbit in a bag and started his journey. b. He put a rabbit in a bag and then let the rabbit get out of the bag. 3. He got rid of the dog. a. The dog was no longer a problem. b. He had ridden on the back of the dog. 4. He carried on throwing rocks all day. a. He carried the rocks and then threw them. b. He continued to throw rocks all day.

5. He worked hard and look after his mother. a. He worked hard and watched his mother. b. He worked hard and took care of his mother. 6. He kept putting off the day when he would do it. a. He cancelled the day when he would do it. b. He postponed the day when he would do it. 8. Do the (a) and (b) sentences mean more or less the same? 1. a. I have to look this word up. b. I have to check the meaning of this word in a dictionary. 2. a. She woke up at about midnight. b. She went to bed at about midnight. 3. a. Eric put off doing his homework until the next day. b. Eric decided to wait until the next day before doing his homework. 4. a. The policeman told them to stop but he carried on throwing rocks. b. When the policeman told them to stop throwing stones, he stopped. 5. a. Our class set off for London at about six oclock. b. We arrived in London at six oclock. 9. a. Read the text: A MYSTERY SHIP The American ship Mary Celeste, found, abandoned in the mid-Atlantic in 1872, is one of the most famous of the mystery ships. On December 4th of that year, about 400 miles off the coast of Portugal, a lookout on the English ship Dei Gratia saw another ship approaching with no-one on board. It was the Mary Celeste which had left New York harbour with a cargo of alcohol on November 7th, eight days ahead of the Dei Gratia. The captain of the English ship sent men to investigate and they returned pale and shaken. There was nobody, living or dead, aboard the Mary Celeste, nor was there any clue to what might have happened. There was plenty of food and water, and there was no sign of violence. A longboat was missing, as were the ship's papers and the navigation books. It was evident that the ship had been abandoned quickly, for pipes, tobacco, and the crew's oilskins were still aboard. And on the deck of the captain's quarters was a child's doll. Ten people had disappeared - Captain Briggs, his wife and two-year-old daughter and a crew of seven. Numerous theories have been advanced to explain their disappearance. It has been suggested that Captain Briggs, fearing his cargo of alcohol might explode, ordered everyone into the longboat. This boat was tied to the Mary Celeste by a tow-rope and may have become separated from it in heavy seas. No-one will ever know. The fate of the passengers aboard the Mary Celeste remains one of the most baffling in the history of the sea. b. Find words in the text that mean: 1. someone who is watching for danger from a ship or building 2. shocked and upset 3. some information or an object that suggests the answer to a problem 4. a sailing ships largest boat 5. to vanish 6. thick waterproof clothing 7. a rope used to pull something along behind you 8. mystifying, puzzling, something you cannot understand

c. In pairs, decide if these sentences are true or false: 1. The English ship Mary Celeste was found abandoned near the coast of Portugal. 2. They found nobody aboard Mary Celeste. 3. The Captain and his nine crew had completely disappeared. 4. It has been suggested that they ran out of food and water. 5. Nothing was missing from the ship. 6. The ship had been abandoned quickly. 7. Another theory is that the cargo of alcohol they were carrying exploded, killing everyone. 8. Nobody will ever know the fate of the people aboard Mary Celeste. 10. Fill in the gaps with the most appropriate phrasal verb: hung up, kept on, 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. eat out, take down, put on, get by, get away with, made up, take after, get along with, put off

He tried to __________ his jacket before his tie was tied. My family was able to ________ on very little money when I was young. Whenever we get tired of cooking, we ________ at our favorite Italian restaurant. Carlos ________ on his sister because he was so tired of listening to her whining on the phone. She spoke so quickly I couldn't __________ her address before she hung up. Dad wondered where I'd been, and I _______ a story about being at Grandma's The twins seem to ________ each other just fine. He was getting very heavy, but he just __________ eating. Students knew the paper was due on Monday, but they ___________ their study session until it was too late. 10. John does ________ his father, doesn't he? 11. I don't know how those thieves think they can _________ a robbery in broad daylight like that. 11. Match the statements with the replies: 1. I dont like this programme! 2. Can I go with you on a picnic? 3. Its hot! 4. These cakes are delicious! 5. I cannot see the letters well. him 6. It is dark. 7. Marion rejected Tom again! 8. I have a lot of work to do. 9. I feel so tired! 10. Your speech was so short! f. I suddenly dried up. g. You should doze off for a while. h. Of course, tag along! i. Turn on the light, please! j. I hope you wont eat them up! a. Take off your coat! b. Will you switch off the telly? c. Youd better draw up a plan of action! d. Put your glasses on! e. I cant understand why she turned