The Lion And The Mouse

Once when a Lion was asleep a little Mouse began running up and down upon him; this soon wakened the Lion, who placed his huge paw upon him, and opened his big jaws to swallow him. ‘Pardon, O King,’ cried the little Mouse: ‘forgive me this time, I shall never forget it: who knows but what I may be able to do you a turn some of these days?’
The Lion was so tickled at the idea of the Mouse being able to help him, that he lifted up his paw and let him go. Some time after the Lion was caught in a trap, and the hunters who desired to carry him alive to the King, tied him to a tree while they went in search of a wagon to carry him on.
Just then the little Mouse happened to pass by, and seeing the sad plight in which the Lion was, went up to him and soon gnawed away the ropes that bound the King of the Beasts. ‘Was I not right?’ said the little Mouse.
Little friends may prove great friends.

Pre-reading tasks:

1. Answer the questions:

1. Do you know any fables in Russian? Give your examples.

2. What is the name of famous Russian writer of fables?

3. Do you know any foreign writers of fables? Give your examples.

4. How do you understand the word “fable”? Is it a poem, a story or anything else?

5. Read the title of the fable. In your opinion, what is it about?

2. Study some words from the text. Do they help you to understand the events described in it? Read the words aloud, mind your pronunciation.

Paw – |pɔː|- лапа

Jaw – |dʒɔː|- пасть

Swallow – |ˈswɒləʊ|- глотать

Trap – |træp| - капкан

Wagon – |ˈwaɡ(ə)n|- повозка

Plight – |plaɪt| - положение

Gnaw – |nɔː| - грызть, перегрызать

Rope – |rəʊp| - веревка

Bound - |baʊnd|- связанный

3. Which words are necessary to sign the pictures? Choose the correct words from the list below

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The list of words:

Paw

Jaw

Swallow

Mouse

Trap

Wagon

Lion

Plight

Reading tasks:

4. Read the text of the fable. Say why, in your opinion, the mouse helped the lion to stay alive. Is it a good dead?

5. Read the text again and explain how you understand the underlined expressions. Why didn’t the lion eat the mouse?

6. Find and read the main idea of the text. How do you understand it?

7. Find in the text the sentence in Future Simple. Why is it used there?

Post-reading tasks:

8. Say true, false or don’t know. Correct the sentences, if necessary.

1. The lion was not asleep when he met the mouse.

2. The mouse was small and grey.

3. The mouse asked the lion to be kind.

4. The lion did not let the mouse go.

5. The hunters were old.

6. The mouse gnawed away the ropes.

7. Little friends may prove great friends.

9. Find in the fable the verbs in Past Simple. Which of them are regular? How do you understand it?

10. Read the proverbs. Which of them is the most suitable for the text you’ve read? Why?

1. A friend to all is a friend to none.

2. A friend in need is a friend indeed.

3. A goose is no playmate for a pig.

Learn the proverbs. Do you know any Russian equivalents to these proverbs?

11. Choose the correct answer to the questions.

1. What wakened the lion?

1. The mouse

2. The sun

3. The hunters

2. Why did the lion open his big jaws?

1. He wanted to drink some water.

2. He wanted to cry.

3. He wanted to eat the mouse.

3. Did the lion let the mouse go?

1. No, he ate the mouse.

2. Yes, but he was tickled.

3. Yes, he did it with pleasure.

4. Why did the hunters decide not to kill the lion?

1. They wanted to carry him alive to their children.

2. They wanted to carry him alive to the king.

3. They wanted to carry him to the circus.

5. Why was the mouse a good friend?

1. He gnawed away the ropes and saved the lion.

2. He killed the hunters.

3. He decided not to help the lion.

12. Correct the grammar mistakes and explain your choice.

1. Once the lion is asleep…

2. “Forgive me this time, I never forgot it…”

3. He lifted up his paw and will let him go.

4. He gnawd away the ropes…

5. Little friends may to prove great friends.

13. The title of the story is “The Lion and the Mouse” and it is quite simple, at first sight. Think of your own title to this story.

14. Try to retell this fable in a few words. How do you understand the morality of this story?

15. Write your own short fable with the same morality.