Uther`s Promise.
A few years passed, and in time the Queen gave birth to a son. Uther had completely forgotten his promise to Merlin until the day Merlin came to claim what was his. He entered the chamber where the Queen was playing with her baby son. Uther followed behind. His face was deathly pale. The Queen saw by her husband's expression that something terrible had happened. She rose to greet him.
"What is it Uther? You do not look well."
He explained the promise he had made to Merlin. Igraine, the Queen, was furious.
"You fool! You would give up your own child for the price of a sword?"
Uther turned to Merlin.
"Please Merlin, I beg you, don't take our child! I'll give you anything else you ask."
"You gave me your word of honour. The child is mine."
And with that, he took the baby from Igraine's arms. She screamed for the King to take the child back, but Uther was weak against Merlin's powers. Merlin cast a spell over the King and Queen, which kept them from moving. When Merlin was gone, the spell went with him, so the King took Excalibur to the forest to find Merlin and his son.
Heavy clouds came over the sky, and it began to rain. Uther called out for Merlin as he moved through the forest. The rain, and his wish to see his son, prevented Uther from seeing the thieves hiding in the trees. A thief jumped on Uther's back.
"Give us the sword and we will let you live."
Uther couldn't reach Excalibur. He tried to grasp it, but one of the thieves stabbed him with a knife. As he fell, he touched Excalibur. It gave him the strength to rise and fight, but he was badly injured. He knew he was going to die, and crawled to the nearest rock to rest. The rain poured down on him as he called out to Merlin.
"Merlin! I have kept my promise. I will leave Excalibur in this rock, but you must make my son a king."
Uther rose up with all his strength and pushed Excalibur into the rock right up to the handle. The King fell down on the ground and died next to that rock. Merlin appeared beside Uther.
"No man shall pull this sword from this rock unless he is the next king of England."
Изучающее чтение.
Предтекстовой этап.
I. Выполните частичный перевод на русский язык (незнакомые слова). Просмотрите текст и закончите предложения.
Uther`s wife`s name is
a) Ingrid b) Igraine c) Imelda
The King`s wife said
a) “Uther killed him” b) “Merlin you are a thief!”
c) “No, don`t take my baby!”
The King killed the thief with
a) a knife b) a gun c)a sword
The men want Excalibur so that they can rule
a) Scotland b) England c) Ireland
Uther pushes the sword into
a) a tree b) a stone c) a rock
Текстовый этап.
Прочтите текст, разделите его на смысловые части.
Прочтите все глаголы в прошедшем времени, передающие динамику повествования.
Послетекстовый этап.
I. Ответьте на вопросы.
Why was the Queen angry?
Why did Merlin refuse to change the agreement?
What was the weather like?
Who attacked Uther?
What did the thieves want?
What happened when Uther's hand touched Excalibur?
What did Uther do with Excalibur?
Who would be the next person to pull the sword from the rock?
II. Скажите, являются ли ответы на вопросы кратким пересказом.
III. Обсудите данные темы:
Have you ever made a promise to someone? Did you keep your promise or break it?
Has anyone ever stolen anything from you? What was it?
Where would you hide something you didn't want anyone to find?
What kind of man should a King be?
IV. Прочитайте три описания. Выберите, кто из этих людей будет королём Англии, расскажите о нём.
William
Age: 18
Description: Medium-height, short, fair hair, hlue eyes. Personal abilities: Horseriding, sword-fencing Personality: shy, intelligent
2 George
Age: 50
Description: Tall, medium-length brown hair, green eyes. Personal abilities: Horse-riding, hunting, sword-fencing, archery (using a bow and arrow) Personality: confident, friendly, intelligent
3 Henry
Age: 32
Description: Tall, long dark hair, brown eyes. Personal abilities: sword fencing, archery. Personality: confident, cruel, aggressive.
