1.

My Faourite
Story?
A fairy tale (pronounced /feritel/) is a type of short story
that typically features folkloric fantasy characters, such as
fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants, mermaids, or
gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. Fairy tales may
be distinguished from other folk narratives such as legends
(which generally involve belief in the veracity of the events
described)[1] and explicitly moral tales, including beast fables.
a. Define with your own words what a fairy tale represents.
b. Tell your favorite story and what it is about.
c. Define the items that build up a story.

2. Little Red Riding

Hood
Once upon a time, there was a pretty young girl named
Little Red Riding Hood. She lived in a small village with her
parents. One day, Little Red Riding Hoods mother called to
her saying, Your grandmother is sick. Take this basket of
food to her. Be careful and do not talk to any strangers
along the way. The path is long and dangerous.
Little Red Riding Hood started walking through the
forest, towards her grandmothers house. As she walked, a
hungry Wolf watched her carefully. The Wolf ran ahead of
Little Red Riding Hood and waited for her on the path. Good
day, little girl, said the Wolf. Good day, Mr. Wolf, replied
Little Red Riding Hood politely. What do you have in the
basket? asked the Wolf. The girl answered, Some food for
my grandmother, who is sick and weak, and who lives in the
first house on the other side of the river. The Wolf smiled
and wished her well.
The Wolf then rushed to the grandmothers house. Seeing
the grandmother in bed, the Wolf ate the old woman in one
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bite, but he found her thin and tough, and he was still
hungry. So, the Wolf dressed in the grandmothers clothes
and cap and lay down in her bed, waiting for Little Red Riding
Hood.
When Little Red Riding Hood arrived, she approached her
grandmothers bed. She was surprised by what she saw, and
she said, Grandma, why do you have such big arms, and
ears, and eyes. The Wolf, speaking in the grandmothers
voice responded, So that I can hold you and hear you and
see you. The girl continued, And why do you have such big
teeth? At this point, the Wolf jumped out of bed and
shouted, So that I can eat you! The Wolf attacked the girl,
and ate her. Then, feeling full, he fell asleep and started to
snore.
As the Wolf slept, a woodsman passed by the
grandmothers house. He heard the loud snoring and looked
through the window, where he saw the Wolf. Quickly and
quietly, the woodsman crawled through the window, and cut
open the Wolfs belly, freeing Little Red Riding Hood and the
grandmother. He then put two heavy stones in the Wolfs
belly and sewed up the cut. Then, he carried the Wolf to the
river and threw him into the water. The Wolf, with the heavy
stones in his belly, sank and drowned.
T ASK :
Read the text on the other side of this page again.
When you have finished, follow the instructions below:
1. Label:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Orientation (setting / characters)

Complication
Rising Action (5 events)
Climax
Resolution

2. Circle:
a. Adjectives (in blue)
b. Adverbs (in red)
3. Underline:
2

a. Action Verbs (once)

b. Dialogue (twice)

3.Snow White and the

Seven Dwarfs
Once upon a time in a great castle, a Prince's daughter
grew up happy and contented, in spite of a jealous stepmother.
She was very pretty, with blue eyes and long black hair. Her
skin was delicate and fair, and so she was called Snow White.
Everyone was quite sure she would become very beautiful.
Though her stepmother was a wicked woman, she too was very
beautiful, and the magic mirror told her this every day,
whenever she asked it.
"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the loveliest lady in the
land?" The reply was always; "You are, your Majesty," until the
dreadful day when she heard it say, "Snow White is the
loveliest in the land." The stepmother was furious and, wild
with jealousy, began plotting to get rid of her rival. Calling one
of her trusty servants, she bribed him with a rich reward to take
Snow White into the forest, far away from the Castle. Then,
unseen, he was to put her to death. The greedy servant,
attracted to the reward, agreed to do this deed, and he led the
innocent little girl away. However, when they came to the fatal
spot, the man's courage failed him and, leaving Snow White
sitting beside a tree, he mumbled an excuse and ran off. Snow
White was all alone in the forest.
Night came, but the servant did not return. Snow White,
alone in the dark forest, began to cry bitterly. She thought she
could feel terrible eyes spying on her, and she heard strange
sounds and rustlings that made her heart thump. At last,
overcome by tiredness, she fell asleep curled under a tree.
Snow White slept fitfully, wakening from time to time with
a start and staring into the darkness round her. Several times,
she thought she felt something, or somebody touch her as she
slept.
At last, dawn woke the forest to the song of the birds, and Snow
White too, awoke. A whole world was stirring to life and the
little girl was glad to see how silly her fears had been. However,
3

the thick trees were like a wall round her, and as she tried to
find out where she was, she came upon a path. She walked
along it, hopefully. On she walked till she came to a clearing.
There stood a strange cottage, with a tiny door, tiny windows
and a tiny chimney pot. Everything about the cottage was
much tinier than it ought to be. Snow White pushed the door
open.
"l wonder who lives here?" she said to herself, peeping
round the kitchen. "What tiny plates! And spoons! There must
be seven of them, the table's laid for seven people." Upstairs
was a bedroom with seven neat little beds. Going back to the
kitchen, Snow White had an idea.
"I'll make them something to eat. When they come home,
they'll be glad to find a meal ready." Towards dusk, seven tiny
men marched homewards singing. But when they opened the
door, to their surprise they found a bowl of hot steaming soup
on the table, and the whole house spick and span. Upstairs was
Snow White, fast asleep on one of the beds. The chief dwarf
prodded her gently.
"Who are you?" he asked. Snow White told them her sad
story, and tears sprang to the dwarfs' eyes. Then one of them
said, as he noisily blew his nose:
"Stay here with us!"
"Hooray! Hooray!" they cheered, dancing joyfully round the
little girl. The dwarfs said to Snow White:
"You can live here and tend to the house while we're down the
mine. Don't worry about your stepmother leaving you in the
forest. We love you and we'll take care of you!" Snow White
gratefully accepted their hospitality, and next morning the
dwarfs set off for work. But they warned Snow White not to
open the door to strangers.
Meanwhile, the servant had returned to the castle, with the
heart of a roe deer. He gave it to the cruel stepmother, telling
her it belonged to Snow White, so that he could claim the
reward. Highly pleased, the stepmother turned again to the
magic mirror. But her hopes were dashed, for the mirror replied:
"The loveliest in the land is still Snow White, who lives in the
seven dwarfs' cottage, down in the forest." The stepmother was
beside herself with rage.
"She must die! She must die!" she screamed. Disguising
herself as an old peasant woman, she put a poisoned apple
with the others in her basket. Then, taking the quickest way
4

into the forest, she crossed the swamp at the edge of the trees.
She reached the bank unseen, just as Snow White stood waving
goodbye to the seven dwarfs on their way to the mine.
Snow White was in the kitchen when she heard the sound at
the door: KNOCK! KNOCK! "Who's there?" she called
suspiciously, remembering the dwarfs advice.
"I'm an old peasant woman selling apples," came the reply.
"I don't need any apples, thank you," she replied.
"But they are beautiful apples and ever so juicy!" said the
velvety voice from outside the door.
"I'm not supposed to open the door to anyone," said the little
girl, who was reluctant to disobey her friends.
"And quite right too! Good girl! If you promised not to open up
to strangers, then of course you can't buy. You are a good girl
indeed!" Then the old woman went on.
"And as a reward for being good, I'm going to make you a gift of
one of my apples!" Without a further thought, Snow White
opened the door just a tiny crack, to take the apple.
"There! Now isn't that a nice apple?" Snow White bit into the
fruit, and as she did, fell to the ground in a faint: the effect of
the terrible poison left her lifeless instantaneously.
Now chuckling evilly, the wicked stepmother hurried off.
But as she ran back across the swamp, she tripped and fell into
the quicksand. No one heard her cries for help, and she
disappeared without a trace.
Meanwhile, the dwarfs came out of the mine to find the
sky had grown dark and stormy. Loud thunder echoed through
the valleys and streaks of lightning ripped the sky. Worried
about Snow White they ran as quickly as they could down the
mountain to the cottage.
There they found Snow White, lying still and lifeless, the
poisoned apple by her side. They did their best to bring her
around, but it was no use. They wept and wept for a long time.
Then they laid her on a bed of rose petals, carried her into the
forest and put her in a crystal coffin. Each day they laid a flower
there.
Then one evening, they discovered a strange young man
admiring Snow White's lovely face through the glass. After
listening to the story, the Prince (for he was a prince!) made a
suggestion.
"If you allow me to take her to the Castle, I'll call in famous
doctors to waken her from this peculiar sleep. She's so lovely
5

I'd love to kiss her!" He did, and as though by magic, the

Prince's kiss broke the spell. To everyone's astonishment, Snow
White opened her eyes. She had amazingly come back to life!
Now in love, the Prince asked Snow White to marry him, and
the dwarfs reluctantly had to say good bye to Snow White.
From that day on, Snow White lived happily in a great
castle. But from time to time, she was drawn back to visit the
little cottage down in the forest.
Task:
Read the text on the other side of this page again.
When you have finished, follow the instructions below:
1.Label:
f. Orientation (setting /
characters)
g. Complication
h. Rising Action (5 events)
i. Climax
j. Resolution
2.Circle:
c. Adjectives (in blue)
d. Adverbs (in red)
3.Underline:
c. Action Verbs (once)
d. Dialogue (twice)

4.Talking About
Halloween
The History of Halloween
Halloween is an ancient festival, which has its roots in
the Celtic festival of Samhain (Sah-ween), this was when the
Celts (the ancient inhabitants of Great Britain) celebrated their
New Year and the day they believed that the souls of those who
6

had died that year progressed to the underworld. It was said to

be a night when ghosts, demons and witches roamed the earth
and people tried to placate them with offerings of nuts and
berries.
Nowadays these offerings are more likely to be the Mars
Bars and Snickers (formerly Marathons) given out to children
trick or treating, but it remains a day when we can
acknowledge our fears and celebrate forces we do not
understand. Today in the UK it is celebrated on All Hallows Eve,
the night of October 31, the last night of October which was
originally the eve of Samhain.
Trick or Treat
Many of today's Halloween traditions are associated with
America, however they originated in Celtic history. For example
the custom of 'trick or treat' originated in England as Mischief
Night' when children declared one lawless night' of unpunished
pranks (usually May Day eve or Halloween). In the late 19 thC,
the Irish belief that 'the little people' or fairies played pranks on
Halloween, led boys and young men to carry out practical jokes
on that night, Nowadays children dress up in costumes and go
from door to door where they knock on the door, or ring the
doorbell, and yell 'Trick or treat!'. The idea being that the
owners of the house give the children a treat (sweets or money)
or the children will play a trick on them - I believe that in legal
terminology this is called extortion!
Jack o' Lanterns
It was the Irish who brought the tradition of the Jack
O'Lantern to America. The practice of carving Jack-o'-lanterns
goes back to the Irish legend of Jack, a lazy but shrewd farmer
who tricked the Devil into a tree, then refused to let the Devil
down unless the Devil agreed to never let Jack into Hell . The
story goes that the Devil agreed, but when Jack died, he was
too sinful to be allowed into Heaven, and the Devil wouldn't let
him into Hell. So, Jack carved out one of his turnips, put a
candle inside it, and began endlessly wandering the Earth for a
resting place. He was known as Jack of the Lantern, or Jack-O'Lantern.
Nowadays the typical Jack-o'-lantern is a pumpkin whose top
and stem have been carved off and inner membranes and
seeds scooped out to leave a hollow shell. Sections of a side are
7

carved out to make a design, usually a face. It is possible, using

thicker and thinner sections cut with differing tools, to create
surprisingly detailed and realistic designs. A light source
(traditionally a candle) is placed inside the pumpkin and the top
is put back into place (often after a "chimney" is carved in the
lid in order to allow heat to escape). The light illuminates the
design from the inside. Jack-o'-lanterns are generally made for
Halloween, and were originally made from large turnips, beets
and swedes, before the introduction of the now more familiar
pumpkin from the Americas.
This text is available under the terms of the GNU Free
Documentation Licence.
Superstitions associated with Halloween
It was believed to be the night when the barrier between the
living world and that of the spirits was at its weakest. In the old
days people lit bonfires to ward away evil spirits and in some
places they used to jump over the fire to bring good luck.
Now we light candles in pumpkin
lanterns called Jack-o'-Lanterns.
This is intended to scare away evil
spirits from the home.
Halloween was also a time to honour
the dead, and divine the future.
Halloween Costumes
It's traditional for people
(especially children) to dress up at
Halloween. In the past this wasn't
done just for fun, it was thought that
the costume would confuse any evil spirits so they wouldn't
play any pranks on you.
Nowadays Halloween costumes can range from cute to
downright scary. The simplest costume has to be draping a
white sheet over your head and making a couple of holes for
the eyes, but a lot of people go all out as vampires, witches, or
a character from a horror film.
Task: Draw your favorite mask!

4. Life Is not Fair

Sayings about life:
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Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.

Helen Keller
Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you
represents determinism; the way you play it is free will.
Jawaharlal Nehru
Our life's a stage, a comedy: either learn to play and take it
lightly, or bear its troubles patiently.
Palladas
The grand essentials of life are something to do, something to
love, something to hope for.
Thomas Chalmers
The great blessings of mankind are within us and within our
reach; but we shut our eyes, and like people in the dark, we fall
foul upon the very thing we search for, without finding it.
Seneca
(7 B.C. - 65 A.D.)
Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be
understood.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
'Every cloud has a silver lining'
There's always something good in bad times.

'A stitch in time saves nine'

Act early and you can save a lot of time.

'Nothing ventured nothing gained'

You have to try or you won't get anything.
9

'Out of the frying pan into the fire'

From one problem to another. By one's effort to get out of a
very bad situation, one managed to get into an even worse
one.

'One man's meat is another man's poison'

People often don't like the same things.

'Don't look a gift horse in the mouth'

Don't question good luck.

'You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink'
You can give a person a chance, but you can't make him or her
take it.

'The grass is always greener on the other side'

You always think that other people lives are better than yours.

'The best things in life are free'

We don't have to pay for the things that are really valuable, like
love, friendship, good health etc.

10

'Don't cross your bridges before you come to them'

Don't worry about problems before they arrive.

'It was the last straw that broke the camel's back'
There is a limit to everything. We can load the camel with lots
of straw, but finally it will be too much and the camel's back will
break. And it is only a single straw that breaks its back - the last
straw.

This can be applied to many things in life. People often say

"That's the last straw!" when they will not accept any more of
something.

'Where there's a will there's a way'

If we have the determination to do something, we can always
find the path or method to do it.

'Marry in haste, and repent at leisure'

If we get married quickly, without thinking carefully, we may be
sorry later. And we will have plenty of time to be sorry.

'The best advice is found on the pillow'

If we have a problem, we may find the answer after a good
night's sleep.

11

Task:
Read and discuss the sayings.
Choose one saying and analyze it in 10 lines.

6.Poems and Carols.

Before the Ice
"Before the ice is in the pools,
Before the skaters go,
Or any cheek at nightfall
Is tarnished by the snow,
Before the fields have finished,
Before the Christmas tree,
Wonder upon wonder
Will arrive to me!"
Emily Dickinson
American Poetess
(1830 - 1886)
Frosty the Snowman
Frosty the snowman was a jolly happy soul,
With a corncob pipe and a button nose,
And two eyes made out of coal.
Frosty the snowman is a fairy tale, they say,
He was made of snow but the children
know how he came to life one day.
There must have been some magic in that
Old silk hat they found.
For when they placed it on his head,
He began to dance around.
O, Frosty the snowman
Was alive as he could be,
And the children say he could laugh
And play just the same as you and me.
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Thumpetty thump thump,

Thumpety thump thump,
Look at Frosty go.
Thumpetty thump thump,
Thumpety thump thump,
Over the hills of snow.
Frosty the snowman knew
The sun was hot that day,
So he said, "Let's run and
we'll have some fun
now before I melt away."
Down to the village,
With a broomstick in his hand,
Running here and there all
Around the square saying,
Catch me if you can.
He led them down the streets of town
Right to the traffic cop.
And he only paused a moment when
He heard him holler "Stop!"
For Frosty the snowman
Had to hurry on his way,
But he waved goodbye saying,
"Don't you cry,
I'll be back again some day."
Thumpetty thump thump,
Thumpety thump thump,
Look at Frosty go.
Thumpetty thump thump,
Thumpety thump thump,
Over the hills of snow.
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
Oh! You better watch out,
You better not cry,
You better not pout,
I'm telling you why:
Santa Claus is coming to town!

13

He's making a list,

He's checking it twice,
He's gonna find out
who's naughty or nice.
Santa Claus is coming to town!
He sees you when you're sleeping,
He knows when you're awake.
He knows when you've been bad or good,
So be good for goodness sake!
So...You better watch out,
You better not cry
You better not pout,
I'm telling you why.
Santa Claus is coming to town.
Little tin horns,
Little toy drums.
Rudy-toot-toot
and rummy tum tums.
Santa Claus is coming to town.
Little toy dolls
that cuddle and coo,
Elephants, boats
and Kiddie cars too.
Santa Claus is coming to town.
The kids in Girl and Boy Land
will have a jubilee.
They're gonna build a toyland town
all around the Christmas tree.
Oh....You better watch out,
You better not cry.
You better not pout,
I'm telling you why.

14

Santa Claus is comin'

Santa Claus is comin'
Santa Claus is comin'
To town.
Task:
Discuss about Christmas.
Find other Christmas carols and poems.

7. The Ugly Duckling

Once upon a time down on an old farm, lived a duck
family, and Mother Duck had been sitting on a clutch of new
eggs. One nice morning, the eggs hatched and out popped six
chirpy ducklings. But one egg was bigger than the rest, and it
didn't hatch. Mother Duck couldn't recall laying that seventh
egg. How did it get there? TOCK! TOCK! The little prisoner was
pecking inside his shell.
"Did I count the eggs wrongly?" Mother Duck wondered. But
before she had time to think about it, the last egg finally
hatched. A strange looking duckling with gray feathers that
should have been yellow gazed at a worried mother. The
ducklings grew quickly, but Mother Duck had a secret worry.
"I can't understand how this ugly duckling can be one of
mine!" she said to herself, shaking her head as she looked at
her last born. Well, the gray duckling certainly wasn't pretty,
and since he ate far more than his brothers, he was outgrowing
them. As the days went by, the poor ugly duckling became
more and more unhappy. His brothers didn't want to play with
him, he was so
clumsy, and all the farmyard folks simply laughed at him. He
felt sad and lonely, while Mother Duck did her best to console
him.
"Poor little ugly duckling!" she would say. "Why are you so
different from the others?" And the ugly duckling felt worse
than ever. He secretly wept at night. He felt nobody wanted
him.
"Nobody loves me, they all tease me! Why am I different from
my brothers?"
Then one day, at sunrise, he ran away from the farmyard. He
stopped at a pond and began to question all the other birds.
15

"Do you know of any ducklings with gray feathers like mine?"
But everyone shook their heads in scorn.
"We don't know anyone as ugly as you." The ugly duckling did
not lose heart, however, and kept on making inquiries. He went
to another pond, where a pair of large geese gave him the
same answer to his question. What's more, they warned him:
"Don't stay here! Go away! It's dangerous. There are men with
guns around here!" The duckling was sorry he had ever left the
farmyard.
Then one day, his travels took him near an old
countrywoman's cottage. Thinking he was a stray goose, she
caught him.
"I'll put this in a hutch. I hope it's a female and lays plenty of
eggs!" said the old woman, whose eyesight was poor. But the
ugly duckling laid not a single egg. The hen kept frightening
him.
"Just wait! If you don't lay eggs, the old woman will wring your
neck and pop you into the pot!" And the cat chipped in: "Hee!
Hee! I hope the woman cooks you, then I can gnaw at your
bones!" The poor ugly duckling was so scared that he lost his
appetite, though the old woman kept stuffing him with food and
grumbling: "If you won't lay eggs, at least hurry up and get
plump!"
"Oh, dear me!" moaned the now terrified duckling. "I'll die of
fright first! And I did so hope someone would love me!"
Then one night, finding the hutch door ajar, he escaped. Once
again he was all alone. He fled as far away as he could, and at
dawn, he found himself in a thick bed of reeds. "If nobody
wants me, I'll hid here forever." There was plenty a food, and
the duckling began to feel a little happier, though he was
lonely. One day at sunrise, he saw a flight of beautiful birds
wing overhead. White, with long slender necks, yellow beaks
and large wings, they were migrating south.
"If only I could look like them, just for a day!" said the duckling,
admiringly. Winter came and the water in the reed bed froze.
The poor duckling left home to seek food in the snow. He
dropped exhausted to the ground, but a farmer found him and
put him in his big jacket pocket.
"I'll take him home to my children. They'll look after him. Poor
thing, he's frozen!" The duckling was showered with kindly care
at the farmer's house. In this way, the ugly duckling was able to
survive the bitterly cold winter.
16

However, by springtime, he had grown so big that the farmer

decided: "I'll set him free by the pond!" That was when the
duckling saw himself mirrored in the water.
"Goodness! How I've changed! I hardly recognize myself!" The
flight of swans winged north again and
glided on to the pond. When the duckling
saw them, he realized he was one of their
kind, and soon made friends.
"We're swans like you!" they said, warmly.
"Where have you been hiding?"
"It's a long story," replied the young swan,
still astounded. Now, he swam majestically
with his fellow swans. One day, he heard children on the river
bank exclaim: "Look at that young swan! He's the finest of
them all!"
And he almost burst with happiness.
The End
Task:
What is the moral of this story?
Relate to happenings from you own life.

8. Valentines Day
Every February 14th, candies, flowers, and gifts are
exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St.
Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we
celebrate this holiday?
Weve found 2 different legends ... Enjoy!
The first legend, and perhaps the best known, began in Rome,
when the Emperor, Claudius II, was involved in many bloody
and unpopular campaigns. Claudius the Cruel as he was
called, was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his
military leagues. He believed that the reason was that Roman
men did not want to leave their loves or families. So, he
cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome!
The good Saint Valentine, who was a priest in Rome, in the
year 269 A.D., together with his friend Saint Marius, defied
Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers
in secret.
17

When Valentine's actions were discovered, he was sentenced to

be beaten to death with clubs and to have his head cut off.
But while in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with
a young girl, who may have been his jailor's daughter, who
visited him during his confinement. Before his death on the
14th day of February, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter,
which he signed
" From your Valentine"
In 496 A.D., Pope Gelasius set
aside February 14 to honor St.
Valentine.
Another legend says that Valentine's Day
started ...
in ancient Rome, on February 14th, a holiday to honor Juno.
Juno was the Queen of the Roman Gods and Goddesses. The
Romans also knew her as the Goddess of women and marriage.
Then, the following day, February 15th, began the Feast of
Lupercalia.
In those days, the lives of young boys and girls were strictly
separate. However, on the eve of the festival of Lupercalia, the
names of Roman girls were written on slips of paper and placed
into jars. Each young man would draw a girl's name from the jar
and would then be partners for the duration of the festival with
the girl whom he chose. Sometimes the pairing of the children
lasted an entire
year, and often, they would fall in
love and would
later marry.
In the United
States, Miss Esther Howland is given
credit for
sending the first valentine cards.
Commercial valentines were introduced in the 1800's and
now ... well .. you know the rest....
Task:
Debate about the importance of St. Valentines Holiday
and its correspondent in Romanian.
Draw Valentine Cards for the ones you love.
Tell a love story.

9. Mothers Day

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Mother o Mine
Rudyard Kipling (1891)
If I were hanged on the highest hill,
Mother o mine, O mother o mine
Mother o mine, O mother o mine!
I know whose love would follow me still,
If I were drowned in the deepest sea,
I know whose tears would come down to me,
Mother o mine, O mother o mine!
Mother o mine, O mother o mine
I know whose prayers would make me whole,
Mother o mine, 0 mother o mine!
If I were damned of body and soul,
(This is the dedication to
Kiplings novel, The Light That Failed.)
Task:
Arrange the sentences in order to rebuild the poem.
Describe your mother.

10. Cinderella
Once upon a time... there lived an unhappy young girl.
Unhappy she was, for her mother was dead, her father had
married another woman, a widow with two daughters, and her
stepmother didn't like her one little bit. All the nice things, kind
thoughts and loving touches were for her own daughters. And
not just the kind thoughts and love, but also dresses, shoes,
shawls, delicious food, comfy beds, as well as every home
comfort. All this was laid on for her daughters. But, for the poor
unhappy girl, there was nothing at all. No dresses, only her
stepsisters' hand-me-downs. No lovely dishes, nothing but
scraps. No nice rests and comfort. For she had to work hard all
day, and only when evening came was she allowed to sit for a
19

while by the fire, near the cinders. That is how she got her
nickname, for everybody called her Cinderella. Cinderella used
to spend long hours all alone talking to the cat. The cat said,
"Miaow", which really meant, "Cheer up! You have
something neither of your stepsisters have and that is beauty."
It was quite true. Cinderella, even dressed in rags with a dusty
gray face from the cinders, was a lovely girl. While her
stepsisters, no matter how splendid and elegant their clothes,
were still clumsy, lumpy and ugly and always would be.
One day, beautiful new dresses arrived at the house. A
ball was to be held at Court and the stepsisters were getting
ready to go to it. Cinderella, didn't even dare ask, "What about
me?" for she knew very well what the answer to that would be:
"You? My dear girl, you're staying at home to wash the dishes,
scrub the floors and turn down the beds for your stepsisters.
They will come home tired and very sleepy." Cinderella sighed
at the cat.
"Oh dear, I'm so unhappy!" and the cat murmured "Miaow".
Suddenly something amazing happened. In the kitchen, where
Cinderella was sitting all by herself, there was a burst of light
and a fairy appeared.
"Don't be alarmed, Cinderella," said the fairy. "The wind blew
me your sighs. I know you would love to go to the ball. And so
you shall!"
"How can I, dressed in rags?" Cinderella replied. "The servants
will turn me away!" The fairy smiled. With a flick of her magic
wand... Cinderella found herself wearing the most beautiful
dress, the loveliest ever seen in the realm.
"Now that we have settled the matter of the dress," said the
fairy, "we'll need to get you a coach. A real lady would never go
to a ball on foot!" "Quick! Get me a pumpkin!" she ordered.
"Oh of course," said Cinderella, rushing away. Then the fairy
turned to the cat.
"You, bring me seven mice!"
"Seven mice!" said the cat. "I didn't know fairies ate mice too!"
"They're not for eating, silly! Do as you are told!... and,
remember they must be alive!"
Cinderella soon returned with a fine pumpkin and the cat with
seven mice he had caught in the cellar.
"Good!" exclaimed the fairy. With a flick of her magic wand...
wonder of wonders! The pumpkin turned into a sparkling coach
and the mice became six white horses, while the seventh
20

mouse turned into a coachman, in a smart uniform and carrying

a whip. Cinderella could hardly believe her eyes.
"I shall present you at Court. You will soon see that the Prince,
in whose honor the ball is being held, will be enchanted by your
loveliness. But remember! You must leave the ball at midnight
and come home. For that is when the spell ends. Your coach will
turn back into a pumpkin, the horses will become mice again
and the coachman will turn back into a mouse... and you will be
dressed again in rags and wearing clogs instead of these dainty
little slippers! Do you understand?" Cinderella smiled and said,
"Yes, I understand!"
When Cinderella entered the ballroom at the palace, a
hush fell. Everyone stopped in mid-sentence to admire her
elegance, her beauty and grace.
"Who can that be?" people asked each other. The two
stepsisters also wondered who the newcomer was, for never in
a month of Sundays, would they ever have guessed that the
beautiful girl was really poor Cinderella who talked to the cat!
When the prince set eyes on Cinderella, he was struck by her
beauty. Walking over to her, he bowed deeply and asked her to
dance. And to the great disappointment of all the young ladies,
he danced with Cinderella all evening.
"Who are you, fair maiden?" the Prince kept asking her. But
Cinderella only replied:
"What does it matter who I am! You will never see me again
anyway."
"Oh, but I shall, I'm quite certain!" he replied.
Cinderella had a wonderful time at the ball... But, all of a
sudden, she heard the sound of a clock: the first stroke of
midnight! She remembered what the fairy had said, and
without a word of goodbye she slipped from the Prince's arms
and ran down the steps. As she ran she lost one of her slippers,
but not for a moment did she dream
of stopping to pick it up! If the last
stroke of midnight were to sound...
oh... what a disaster that would be!
Out she fled and vanished into the
night.
The Prince, who was now madly in
love with her, picked up her slipper
and said to his ministers,
"Go and search everywhere for the
21

girl whose foot this slipper fits. I will never be content until I
find her!" So the ministers tried the slipper on the foot of all the
girls... and on Cinderella's foot as well... Surprise! The slipper
fitted perfectly.
"That awful untidy girl simply cannot have been at the ball,"
snapped the stepmother. "Tell the Prince he ought to marry one
of my two daughters! Can't you see how ugly Cinderella is!
Can't you see?"
Suddenly she broke off, for the fairy had appeared.
"That's enough!" she exclaimed, raising her magic wand. In a
flash, Cinderella appeared in a splendid dress, shining with
youth and beauty. Her stepmother and stepsisters gaped at her
in amazement, and the ministers said,
"Come with us, fair maiden! The Prince waits to present you
with his engagement ring!" So Cinderella joyfully went with
them, and lived happily ever after with her Prince. And as for
the cat, he just said "Miaow"!
The End
Task:
Read the text on the other side of this page again.
When you have finished, follow the instructions below:
1.Label:
k. Orientation (setting / characters)
l. Complication
m. Rising Action (5 events)
n. Climax
o. Resolution
2.Circle:
e. Adjectives (in blue)
f. Adverbs (in red)
3.Underline:
e. Action Verbs (once)
f. Dialogue (twice)

11. Happy Easter

22

Easter (Old English ostre; Latin: Pascha; Greek Paskha,

from Hebrew: Pesa ) is a Christian festival and holiday
celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day
after his crucifixion at Calvary as described in the New
Testament.Easter is the culmination of the Passion of Christ,
preceded by Lent, a forty-day period of fasting, prayer, and
penance.
The last week of Lent is called Holy Week, and it contains the
days of the Easter Triduum, including Maundy Thursday (also
known as Holy Thursday), commemorating the Last Supper and
its preceding foot washing, as well as Good Friday,
commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus.Easter is
followed by a fifty-day period called Eastertide, or the Easter
Season, ending with Pentecost Sunday.
Easter is a moveable feast, meaning it is not fixed in relation to
the civil calendar. The First Council of Nicaea (325) established
the date of Easter as the first Sunday after the full moon (the
Paschal Full Moon) following the March equinox. Ecclesiastically,
the equinox is reckoned to be on 21 March (although the
astronomical equinox occurs on 20 March in most years), and
the "Full Moon" is not necessarily on the astronomically correct
date. The date of Easter therefore varies between 22 March and
25 April. Eastern Christianity bases its calculations on the Julian
calendar, whose 21 March corresponds, during the 21st
century, to 3 April in the Gregorian calendar, and in which
therefore the celebration of Easter varies between 4 April and 8
May.
Easter is linked to the Jewish Passover by much of its
symbolism, as well as by its position in the calendar. In many
languages, the words for "Easter" and "Passover" are identical
or very similar. Easter customs vary across the Christian world,
and include sunrise services, exclaiming the Paschal greeting,
clipping the church and decorating Easter eggs, a symbol of the
empty tomb. Additional customs that have become associated
with Easter and are observed by both Christians and some nonChristians include egg hunting, the Easter Bunny, and Easter
23

parades.
In the UK Easter is one of the major Christian festivals of the
year. It is full of customs, folklore and traditional food. However,
Easter in Britain has its beginnings long before the arrival of
Christianity. Many theologians believe Easter itself is named
after the Anglo-Saxon goddess of the dawn and spring - Eostre.
In Britain Easter occurs at a different time each year. It is
observed on the first Sunday after the first full moon following
the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. This means
that the festival can occur on any Sunday between March 22
and April 25. Not only is Easter the end of the winter it is also
the end of Lent, traditionally a time of fasting in the Christian
calendar. It is therefore often a time of fun and celebration.
The Friday before Easter Sunday and the Monday after are a
bank holiday in the UK. Over Easter schools in the UK close for
two weeks, just enough time to digest all the chocolate.
Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter. Christians
remember it as the day of the Last Supper, when Jesus washed
the feet of his disciples and established the ceremony known as
the Eucharist. The word Maundy" comes from the French word,
"Mande," meaning "command" or "mandate and is taken from
the command given by Christ at the Last Supper, "love one
another as I have loved you.
In Britain, the Queen takes part in the Ceremony of the Royal
Maundy, which dates back to Edward 1. This involves the
distribution of Maundy Money to deserving senior citizens (one
man and one woman for each year of the sovereign's age),
usually chosen for having done service to their community.
They receive ceremonial red and white purses which contain
coins made especially for the occasion. The white purse
contains one coin for each year of the monarch's reign. The red
purse contains money in place of other gifts that used to be
given to the poor.
In the 17th century, and earlier, the King or Queen would wash
the feet of the selected poor people as a gesture of humility,
and in remembrance of Jesus's washing the feet of the
disciples. Suffice to say that doesn't happen anymore, in fact
the last monarch to do this was James 2.
Symbols of Easter
24

Many of the symbols and traditions of Easter are connected

with renewal, birth, good luck and fertility.
The Cross
Of course as it is a Christian festival one of the main symbols is
a cross, often on a hill. When Jesus was crucified, the cross
became a symbol of suffering. Then with the resurrection,
Christians saw it as a symbol of victory over death. In A.D. 325,
Constantine issued a decree at the Council of Nicaea, that the
Cross would be the official symbol of Christianity.
Palms
The week of Easter begins on Palm Sunday. Why Palm Sunday?
Well, in Roman times it was customary to welcome royalty by
waving palm branches, a bit like a ticker-tape parade. So, when
Jesus arrived in Jerusalem on what is now known as Palm
Sunday, people welcomed him with palm branches carpeting
the streets and waving them. Today, on Palm Sunday,
Christians carry palm branches in parades, and make them into
crosses and garlands to decorate the Church.
Easter Eggs
Easter eggs are a very old tradition going to a time before
Christianity. Eggs after all are a symbol of spring and new life.
Exchanging and eating Easter eggs is a popular custom in
many countries. In the UK before they were replaced by
chocolate Easter eggs real eggs were used, in most cases,
chicken eggs. The eggs were hard-boiled and dyed in various
colors and patterns. The traditionally bright colours represented
spring and light. Sadly, nowadays if you gave a child in Britain a
hard-boiled egg on Easter Sunday, you would probably end up
wearing it!
An older more traditional game is one in which real eggs are
rolled against one another or down a hill. The owner of the egg
that stayed uncracked the longest won. Even today in the north
of England, for example as at Preston in Lancashire, they still
carry out the custom of egg rolling. Hard boiled eggs are rolled
down slopes to see whose egg goes furthest. In other places
another game is played. You hold an egg in the palm of the
hand and bang against your opponent's egg. The loser is the
one whose egg breaks first.
Nowadays people give each other Easter eggs made of
chocolate, usually hollow and filled with sweets. On TV you will
see adverts for Cadbury's Creme Eggs, a very sweet
25

confectionery. The catchphrase for the adverts is "How do you

eat yours?" And Britain children hunt for (chocolate) Easter
eggs hidden about the home or garden by the Easter bunny.
The Easter Bunny
Rabbits, due to their fecund nature, have always been a symbol
of fertility.The Easter bunny (rabbit) however may actually be
an Easter hare. The hare was allegedly a companion of the
ancient Moon goddess and of Eostre.
Strangely the bunny as an Easter symbol seems to have it's
origins in Germany, where it was first mentioned in German
writings in the 16th Century. The first edible Easter bunnies
appeared in Germany during the early 1800s, they were made
of pastry and sugar.
In the UK children believe that if they are good the "Easter
Bunny " will leave (chocolate) eggs for them.
Sadly hare hunting (hare coursing) used to be a common
pastime at Easter. But this might please some of the more
fundamentalist Christians, who consider the fluffy fellow to be
unchristian.
Morris Dancers/Morris Dancing
Morris dancing is a traditional English form of folk dance which
is also performed in other English-speaking countries such as
the USA and Australia. The roots of morris dancing seem to be
very old, probably dating back to the Middle Ages.
In the dance men dress up in costumes with hats and ribbons
and bells around their ankles. They dance through the streets
and one man often carries an inflated pigs bladder on the end
of a stick. He will run up to young women in the street and hit
them over the head with the pigs bladder, this is supposed to
be lucky (men)!
Easter bonnet/Dressing Up For Easter
Easter was once a traditional day for getting married, that may
be why people often dress up for Easter. Women would make
and wear special Easter bonnets - decorated with flowers and
ribbons. Even today in Battersea in London there is a special
Easter Parade, where hand-made bonnets are shown off.
Hot Cross Buns
Hot cross buns, now eaten throughout the Easter season, were
first baked in England to be served on Good Friday. These small,
lightly sweet yeast buns contain raisins or currants and
sometimes chopped candied fruit. Before baking, a cross is
26

slashed in the top of the bun. After baking, a confectioners'

sugar icing is used to fill the cross.
An old rhyme was often sung by children awaiting their sugary
treat:
"Hot cross buns,
hot cross buns,
one a penny, two a penny,
hot cross buns.
If you do not like them,
give them to your sons,
one a penny, two a penny,
hot cross buns."
Task:
Discuss about differences between celebrating Easter in
the UK and Romania.
Make Easter cards.

12. The Sleeping

Beauty

A long time ago there were a king and queen who said
every day, "Ah, if only we had a child," but they never had one.
But it happened that once when the queen was bathing, a frog
crept out of the water on to the land, and said to her, "Your
wish shall be fulfilled, before a year has gone by, you shall have
a daughter."
What the frog had said came true, and the queen had a little
girl who was so pretty that the king could not contain himself
for joy, and ordered a great feast. He invited not only his
kindred, friends and acquaintances, but also the wise women,
in order that they might be kind and well disposed towards the
child. There were thirteen of them in his kingdom, but, as he
had only twelve golden plates for them to eat out of, one of
them had to be left at home. The feast was held with all
manner of splendor and when it came to an end the wise
women bestowed their magic gifts upon the baby - one gave
virtue, another beauty, a third riches, and so on with everything
in the world that one can wish for.
When eleven of them had made their promises, suddenly
27

the thirteenth came in. She wished to avenge herself for not
having been invited, and without greeting, or even looking at
anyone, she cried with a loud voice, "The king's daughter shall
in her fifteenth year prick herself with a spindle, and fall down
dead." And, without saying a word more, she turned round and
left the room.
They were all shocked, but the twelfth, whose good wish still
remained unspoken, came forward, and as she could not undo
the evil sentence, but only soften it, she said, it shall not be
death, but a deep sleep of a hundred years, into which the
princess shall fall.
The king, who would fain keep his dear child from the
misfortune, gave orders that every spindle in the whole
kingdom should be burnt. Meanwhile the gifts of the wise
women were plenteously fulfilled on the young girl, for she was
so beautiful, modest, good-natured, and wise, that everyone
who saw her was bound to love her.
It happened that on the very day when she was fifteen
years old, the king and queen were not at home, and the
maiden was left in the palace quite alone. So she went round
into all sorts of places, looked into rooms and bed-chambers
just as she liked, and at last came to an old tower. She climbed
up the narrow winding staircase, and reached a little door. A
rusty key was in the lock, and when she turned it the door
sprang open, and there in a little room sat an old woman with a
spindle, busily spinning her flax.
"Good day, old mother," said the king's daughter, "what are
you doing there?"
"I am spinning," said the old woman, and nodded her head.
"What sort of thing is that, that rattles round so merrily," said
the girl, and she took the spindle and wanted to spin too. But
scarcely had she touched the spindle when the magic decree
was fulfilled, and she pricked her finger with it.
And, in the very moment when she felt the prick, she fell down
upon the bed that stood there, and lay in a deep sleep. And this
sleep extended over the whole palace, the king and queen who
had just come home, and had entered the great hall, began to
go to sleep, and the whole of the court with them. The horses,
too, went to sleep in the stable, the dogs in the yard, the
pigeons upon the roof, the flies on the wall, even the fire that
was flaming on the hearth became quiet and slept, the roast
meat left off frizzling, and the cook, who was just going to pull
28

the hair of the scullery boy, because he had forgotten

something, let him go, and went to sleep. And the wind fell, and
on the trees before the castle not a leaf moved again.
But round about the castle there began to grow a hedge
of thorns, which every year became higher, and at last grew
close up round the castle and all over it, so that there was
nothing of it to be seen, not even the flag upon the roof. But the
story of the beautiful sleeping Briar Rose, for so the princess
was named, went about the country, so that from time to time
kings' sons came and tried to get through the thorny hedge into
the castle. But they found it impossible, for the thorns held fast
together, as if they had hands, and the youths were caught in
them, could not get loose again, and died a miserable death.
After long, long years a king's son came again to that
country, and heard an old man talking about the thorn hedge,
and that a castle was said to stand behind it in which a
wonderfully beautiful princess, named Briar Rose, had been
asleep for a hundred years, and that the king and queen and
the whole court were asleep likewise. He had heard, too, from
his grandfather, that many kings, sons had already come, and
had tried to get through the thorny hedge, but they had
remained sticking fast in it, and had died a pitiful death.
Then the youth said, "I am not afraid, I will go and see the
beautiful Briar Rose." The good old man might dissuade him as
he would, he did not listen to his words.
But by this time the hundred years had just passed, and
the day had come when Briar Rose was to awake again. When
the king's son came near to the thorn hedge, it was nothing but
large and beautiful flowers, which parted from each other of
their own accord, and let him pass unhurt, then they closed
again behind him like a hedge. In the castle yard he saw the
horses and the spotted hounds lying asleep, on the roof sat the
pigeons with their heads under their wings. And when he
entered the house, the flies were asleep upon the wall, the cook
in the kitchen was still holding out his hand to seize the boy,
and the maid was sitting by the black hen which she was going
to pluck.
He went on farther, and in the great hall he saw the whole
of the court lying asleep, and up by the throne lay the king and
queen. Then he went on still farther, and all was so quiet that a
breath could be heard, and at last he came to the tower, and
opened the door into the little room where Briar Rose was
29

sleeping.
There she lay, so beautiful that he could not turn his eyes
away, and he stooped down and gave her a kiss. But as soon as
he kissed her, Briar Rose opened her eyes and awoke, and
looked at him quite sweetly.
Then they went down
together, and the king awoke, and the queen, and the whole
court, and looked at each other in great astonishment. And the
horses in the courtyard stood up and shook themselves, the
hounds jumped up and wagged their tails, the pigeons upon the
roof pulled out their heads from under their wings, looked
round, and flew into the open country, the flies on the wall
crept again, the fire in the kitchen burned up and flickered and
cooked the meat, the joint began to turn and sizzle again, and
the cook gave the boy such a box on the ear that he screamed,
and the maid finished plucking the fowl.
And then the marriage of the king's son with Briar Rose was
celebrated with all splendors, and they lived contented to the
end of their days. The End
Task: Task:
Read the text on the other side of this page again.
When you have finished, follow the instructions below:
1.Label:
p. Orientation (setting /
characters)
q. Complication
r. Rising Action (5 events)
s. Climax
t. Resolution
2.Circle:
g. Adjectives (in blue)
h. Adverbs (in red)
3.Underline:
g. Action Verbs (once)
h. Dialogue (twice)

13.Beauty and The

30

Beast
Once upon a time . . . as a merchant
set off for market, he asked each of
his three daughters what she would
like as a present on his return. The
first daughter wanted a brocade dress,
the second a pearl necklace, but the
third, whose name was Beauty, the
youngest, prettiest and sweetest of
them all, said to her father:
"All I'd like is a rose you've picked specially for me!"
When the merchant had finished his business, he set off
for home. However, a sudden storm blew up, and his horse
could hardly make headway in the howling gale. Cold and
weary, the merchant had lost all hope of reaching an inn when
he suddenly noticed a bright light shining in the middle of a
wood. As he drew near, he saw that it was a castle, bathed in
light.
"I hope I'll find shelter there for the night," he said to
himself. When he reached the door, he saw it was open, but
though he shouted, nobody came to greet him. Plucking up
courage, he went inside, still calling out to attract attention. On
a table in the main hall, a splendid dinner lay already served.
The merchant lingered, still shouting for the owner of the
castle. But no one came, and so the starving merchant sat
down to a hearty meal.
Overcome by curiosity, he ventured upstairs, where the
corridor led into magnificent rooms and halls. A fire crackled in
the first room and a soft bed looked very inviting. It was now
late, and the merchant could not resist. He lay down on the bed
and fell fast asleep. When he woke next morning, an unknown
hand had placed a mug of steaming coffee and some fruit by
his bedside. The merchant had breakfast and after tidying
himself up, went downstairs to thank his generous host. But, as
on the evening before, there was nobody in sight. Shaking his
head in wonder at the strangeness of it all, he went towards the
garden where he had left his horse, tethered to a tree.
Suddenly, a large rose bush caught his eye.
Remembering his promise to Beauty, he bent down to
pick a rose. Instantly, out of the rose garden, sprang a horrible
beast, wearing splendid clothes. Two bloodshot eyes, gleaming
31

angrily, glared at him and a deep, terrifying voice growled:

"Ungrateful man! I gave you shelter, you ate at my table and
slept in my own bed, but now all the thanks I get is the theft of
my favourite flowers! I shall put you to death for this slight!"
Trembling with fear, the merchant fell on his knees before the
Beast.
"Forgive me! Forgive me! Don't kill me! I'll do anything you say!
The rose wasn't for me, it was for my daughter Beauty. I
promised to bring her back a rose from my journey!" The Beast
dropped the paw it had clamped on the unhappy merchant.
"I shall spare your life, but on one condition, that you bring me
your daughter!" The terror-stricken merchant, faced with
certain death if he did not obey, promised that he would do so.
When he reached home in tears, his three daughters ran to
greet him. After he had told them of his dreadful adventure,
Beauty put his mind at rest immediately.
"Dear father, I'd do anything for you! Don't worry, you'll be able
to keep your promise and save your life! Take me to the castle.
I'll stay there in your place!" The merchant hugged his
daughter.
"I never did doubt your love for me. For the moment I can only
thank you for saving my life." So Beauty was led to the castle.
The Beast, however, had quite an unexpected greeting for the
girl. Instead of menacing doom as it had done with her father, it
was surprisingly pleasant.
In the beginning, Beauty was frightened of the Beast,
and shuddered at the sight of it. Then she found that, in spite of
the monster's awful head, her horror of it was gradually fading
as time went by. She had one of the finest rooms in the Castle,
and sat for hours, embroidering in front of the fire. And the
Beast would sit, for hours on end, only a short distance away,
silently gazing at her. Then it started to say a few kind words,
till in the end, Beauty was amazed to discover that she was
actually enjoying its conversation. The days passed, and Beauty
and the Beast became good friends. Then one day, the Beast
asked the girl to be his wife.
Taken by surprise, Beauty did not know what to say.
Marry such an ugly monster? She would rather die! But she did
not want to hurt the feelings of one who, after all, had been
kind to her. And she remembered too that she owed it her own
life as well as her father's.
"I really can't say yes," she began shakily. "I'd so much like to . .
32

." The Beast interrupted her with an abrupt gesture.

"I quite understand! And I'm not offended by your refusal!" Life
went on as usual, and nothing further was said. One day, the
Beast presented Beauty with a magnificent magic mirror. When
Beauty peeped into it, she could see her family, far away.
"You won't feel so lonely now," were the words that
accompanied the gift. Beauty stared for hours at her distant
family. Then she began to feel worried. One day, the Beast
found her weeping beside the magic mirror.
"What's wrong?" he asked, kindly as always.
"My father is gravely ill and close to dying! Oh, how I wish I
could see him again, before it's too late!" But the Beast only
shook its head.
"No! You will never leave this castle!" And off it stalked in a
rage. However, a little later, it returned and spoke solemnly to
the girl.
"If you swear that you will return here in seven days time, I'll
let you go and visit your father!" Beauty threw herself at the
Beast's feet in delight.
"I swear! I swear I will! How kind you are! You've made a loving
daughter so happy!" In reality, the merchant had fallen ill from
a broken heart at knowing his daughter was being kept
prisoner. When he embraced her again, he was soon on the
road to recovery. Beauty stayed beside him for hours on end,
describing her life at the Castle, and explaining that the Beast
was really good and kind. The days flashed past, and at last the
merchant was able to leave his bed. He was completely well
again. Beauty was happy at last. However, she had failed to
notice that seven days had gone by.
Then one night she woke from a terrible nightmare. She had
dreamt that the Beast was dying and calling for her, twisting in
agony.
"Come back! Come back to me!" it was pleading. The solemn
promise she had made drove her to leave home immediately.
"Hurry! Hurry, good horse!" she said, whipping her steed
onwards towards the castle, afraid that she might arrive too
late. She rushed up the stairs, calling, but there was no reply.
Her heart in her mouth, Beauty ran into the garden and there
crouched the Beast, its eyes shut, as though dead. Beauty
threw herself at it and hugged it tightly.
"Don't die! Don't die! I'll marry you . . ." At these words, a
miracle took place. The Beast's ugly snout turned magically into
33

the face of a handsome young man.

"How I've been longing for this moment!" he said. "I was
suffering in silence, and couldn't tell my frightful secret. An evil
witch turned me into a monster and only the love of a maiden
willing to accept me as I was, could transform me back into my
real self. My dearest! I'll be so happy if you'll marry me . . ."
The wedding took place shortly after and, from
that day on, the young Prince would have nothing but roses in
his gardens. And that's why, to this day, the castle is known as
the Castle of the Rose.
Task: Retell the story with the students own words.

14. Childrens
Day
The World Conference for the Well-being of Children in Geneva,
Switzerland, proclaimed June 1 to be International Children's
Day in 1925. It is usually marked with speeches on children's
rights and wellbeing, and other events involving or dedicated to
children.
A similar event, Universal Children's Day, falls on 20
November. It was established by the United Nations in 1954
and aims to promote the welfare of children around the world.
A chimney sweep is a worker who clears ash and soot from
chimneys. The chimney uses the pressure difference caused by
a hot column of gas to create a draught and draw air over the
hot coals or wood enabling continued combustion. Chimneys
may be straight or contain many changes of direction. During
normal operation a layer of creosote builds up on the inside of
the chimney restricting the flow. The creosote can also catch
fire, setting the chimney and the building alight. The chimney
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KNOW?

must be swept to remove the soot. This was done by the

master sweep.
In the United Kingdom, the master sweeps took apprentices,
who were boys from the workhouse or bought them from their
parents and trained them to climb chimneys. Boys as young as
four climbed hot flues that could be as narrow as 9 inches
square. Work was dangerous and they could get jammed in the
flue, suffocate or burn to death. As the soot was a carcinogen,
and as the boys slept under the soot sacks and were rarely
washed, they were prone to Chimney Sweeps Cancer. From
1775 onwards there was increasing concern for the welfare of
the boys, and Acts of Parliament were passed to restrict, and in
1875 to stop this usage.[1] Lord Shaftesbury, the philanthropist,
led the later campaign. In the United States, Black children
were hired from their owners and used in the same way, and
were still climbing after 1875.
In the German States, master sweeps belonged to trade guilds.
[2] and did not use climbing boys. In Italy, Belgium, and France
climbing boys were used.
Task:
Play games.
Discuss about Childrens Day and how they imagine.
Make posters having as a theme Childrens Day.

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