Water on the windows in winter

It was evening when I came to the village. The moon had not yet risen. Presently, within two hours or less, it would top the eastern ridge of the further mountains and give light to the whole sky. They were waiting, the people from the valley. There must have been three hundred or more, waiting there in groups beside the huts. All of them were armed, some with rifles, with grenades, others, more primitive, with picks and axes. They had kindled fires, on the village track between the huts, and had brought provisions too. They stood or sat before the fires eating and drinking, smoking and talking. Some of them had dogs, held tightly on a leash.

The owner of the first hut stood by the door with his son. They too were armed. The boy had a pick and a knife thrust in his belt. The man watched me with his sullen, stupid face.

«Your friend is dead,» he said. «He has been dead these many hours.»

I pushed past him and went into the living-room of the hut. Candles had been lit. One at the head of the bed, one at the foot. I bent over Victor and took his hand. The man had lied to me. Victor was breathing still. When he felt me touch his hand, he opened his eyes.

«Did you see her?» he asked.

«Something told me you would,» he said. «Lying here, I felt that it would happen. She’s my wife, and I’ve loved her all these years, but you only have been allowed to see her. Too late, isn’t it, to be jealous now?»

The candlelight was dim. He could not see the shadows by the door, nor hear the movement and the whispering without.

«Did you give her my letter?» he said.

«She has it,» I answered. «She told you not to worry, not to be anxious. She is all right. Everything is well with her.»

Victor smiled. He let go my hand.

«So it’s true,» he said, «all the dreams I had of Monte Verità. She is happy and contented and she will never grow old, never lose her beauty. Tell me, her hair, her eyes, her smile — were they still the same?»

«Just the same,» I said. «Anna will always be the most beautiful woman you or I have ever known.»

He did not answer. And as I waited there, beside him, I heard the sudden blowing of a horn, echoed by a second and a third. I heard the restless movement of the men outside in the village, as they shouldered their weapons, kicked out the fires and gathered together for the climb. I heard the dogs barking and the men laughing, ready now, excited. When they had gone I went and stood alone in the deserted village, and I watched the full moon rising from the dark valley.

ON DECEMBER THE third the wind changed overnight and it was winter. Until then the autumn had been mellow, soft. The leaves had lingered on the trees, golden red, and the hedge-rows were still green. The earth was rich where the plough had turned it.

Nat Hocken, because of a war-time disability, had a pension and did not work full-time at the farm. He worked three days a week, and they gave him the lighter jobs: hedging, thatching, repairs to the farm buildings.

Although he was married, with children, his was a solitary disposition; he liked best to work alone. It pleased him when he was given a bank to build up, or a gate to mend at the far end of the peninsula, where the sea surrounded the farm land on either side. Then, at midday, he would pause and eat the pasty that his wife had baked for him, and sitting on the cliff’s edge would watch the birds. Autumn was best for this, better than spring. In spring the birds flew inland, purposeful, intent; they knew where they were bound, the rhythm and ritual of their life brooked no delay. In autumn those that had not migrated overseas but remained to pass the winter were caught up in the same driving urge, but because migration was denied them followed a pattern of their own. Great flocks of them came to the peninsula, restless, uneasy, spending themselves in motion; now wheeling, circling in the sky, now settling to feed on the rich new-turned soil, but even when they fed it was as though they did so without hunger, without desire. Restlessness drove them to the skies again.

Black and white, jackdaw and gull, mingled in strange partnership, seeking some sort of liberation, never satisfied, never still. Flocks of starlings, rustling like silk, flew to fresh pasture, driven by the same necessity of movement, and the smaller birds, the finches and the larks, scattered from tree to hedge as if compelled.

Nat watched them, and he watched the sea-birds too. Down in the bay they waited for the tide. They had more patience. Oyster-catchers, redshank, sanderling and curlew watched by the water’s edge; as the slow sea sucked at the shore and then withdrew, leaving the strip of seaweed bare and the shingle churned, the sea-birds raced and ran upon the beaches. Then that same impulse to flight seized upon them too. Crying, whistling, calling, they skimmed the placid sea and left the shore. Make haste, make speed, hurry and begone; yet where, and to what purpose? The restless urge of autumn, unsatisfying, sad, had put a spell upon them and they must flock, and wheel, and cry; they must spill themselves of motion before winter came.

Perhaps, thought Nat, munching his pasty by the cliff’s edge, a message comes to the birds in autumn, like a warning. Winter is coming. Many of them perish. And like people who, apprehensive of death before their time, drive themselves to work or folly, the birds do likewise.

The birds had been more restless than ever this fall of the year, the agitation more marked because the days were still. As the tractor traced its path up and down the western hills, the figure of the farmer silhouetted on the driving-seat, the whole machine and the man upon it would be lost momentarily in the great cloud of wheeling, crying birds. There were many more than usual, Nat was sure of this. Always, in autumn, they followed the plough, but not in great flocks like these, nor with such clamour.

Nat remarked upon it, when hedging was finished for the day. «Yes,» said the farmer, «there are more birds about than usual; I’ve noticed it too. And daring, some of them, taking no notice of the tractor. One or two gulls came so close to my head this afternoon I thought they’d knock my cap off! As it was, I could scarcely see what I was doing, when they were overhead and I had the sun in my eyes. I have a notion the weather will change. It will be a hard winter. That’s why the birds are restless.»

Nat, tramping home across the fields and down the lane to his cottage, saw the birds still flocking over the western hills, in the last glow of the sun. No wind, and the grey sea calm and full. Campion in bloom yet in the hedges, and the air mild. The farmer was right, though, and it was that night the weather turned. Nat’s bedroom faced east. He woke just after two and heard the wind in the chimney. Not the storm and bluster of a sou’ westerly gale, bringing the rain, but east wind, cold and dry. It sounded hollow in the chimney, and a loose slate rattled on the roof. Nat listened, and he could hear the sea roaring in the bay. Even the air in the small bedroom had turned chilclass=»underline» a draught came under the skirting of the door, blowing upon the bed. Nat drew the blanket round him, leant closer to the back of his sleeping wife, and stayed wakeful, watchful, aware of misgiving without cause.

Then he heard the tapping on the window. There was no creeper on the cottage walls to break loose and scratch upon the pane. He listened, and the tapping continued until, irritated by the sound, Nat got out of bed and went to the window. He opened it, and as he did so something brushed his hand, jabbing at his knuckles, grazing the skin. Then he saw the flutter of the wings and it was gone, over the roof, behind the cottage.

It was a bird, what kind of bird he could not tell. The wind must have driven it to shelter on the sill.

Решите тест. Вставьте правильный ответ. Напишите правильную форму. Объясните почему именно та форма. Срочно.
1

The plane ___ at 10 tomorrow morning.
A

is going to land

I ___ paint my living room green.
A

It’s very cold in here. Oh, I ___ the window.
A

Mary ___ her parents this evening.
A

The seminar ___ at 8 a.m. on Monday.
A

is going to start

I’m sure it ___ hot tomorrow.
A

This film is awful. We ___ watch it.
A

are not going to

Eveline ___ at her granny for a couple of days. They arranged it long ago.
A

I promise I ___ of your dog.
A

am going to take care

Look! The sky is dark. It ___.
A

is going to snow

A new swimming pool ___ on 10 June.
A

is going to open

Jerry and Carol ___ married next Saturday.
A

I’m thirsty. I think I ___ a glass of water.
A

am going to have

We ___ for dinner at 3 p.m. today.
A

Our train ___ in Moscow at 6 tomorrow morning.
A

is going to arrive

The working day has already started. ___ type her report?
A

Is she going to

Mike ___ ping-pong with his father on Friday evening.
A

I promise I ___ to the party without you.
A

What time ___? At 9 in the evening.
A

does the performance begin

is the performance beginning

is the performance going to begin

It’s very cold today, so Tom ___ on a winter coat.
A

is going to put

I expect you ___ the exam.
A

are going to pass

There isn’t any juice left. I ___ some.
A

Linda ___ a massage at 5 this evening.
A

Try this dress! I’m sure it ___ you.
A

is going to suit

Holidays are coming. ___ any interesting places?
A

Английский язык. 2 класс

Конспект урока

Английский язык, 2 класс

Урок № 27. It’s windy!

• познакомимся c новыми словами по темам «Погода», «Страны»;
• научимся рассказывать о погоде в разное время года, составлять рассказ по теме, вести беседу по теме.

Task 1. Составь предложения о погоде, поставив слова в правильном порядке.

1. snowy/often/it’s/winter/in.
2. August/hot and sunny/it’s/in/usually.
3. spring/in/cloudy/sometimes/it’s.
4. never/in/snowy/it’s/July.

Task 2. Подбери подписи к изображениям.

rainy, sunny, foggy, snowy, stormy, hot, windy, cloudy, cold, warm, frosty, dry, cool, wet.

Task 3. Найди 11 слов по теме «Погода».

Task 4. Разгадай кроссворд по теме «Погода».

Task 5. Выбери ту одежду, которую ты носишь в дождливые дни.

Task 6. Заполните таблицу, распределив слова по категориям «Лето», «Осень», «Зима», «Весна».

Rainy, sunny, snowy, stormy, hot, cold, frosty, wet, cool, snowstorm, windy.

Task 7. Прочитай определения и заполни пропуски рядом с ними, используя слова rainbow, clouds, snow, sun, wind.

1. They can be grey or white. ______
2. It has many colours and you can see it after the rain. ___
3. You can see it in the sky. ____
4. This is frozen water that comes from clouds. ____
5. Where there is a lot of this, you can fly your kite. ____

Task 8. Восстанови разговор двух друзей, поставив предложения в правильном порядке.

I like rainy weather a lot. And you?

Hello, Mike! How are you?

Yes, it is. It’s sunny and warm.

Hello, Nick! I’m fine. And you?

I’m OK, too. The weather is fine today, isn’t it?

And the temperature is twenty degrees above zero. By the way, what type of weather do you like best?

Oh, nice. But I like snow, so my favourite season is winter.

Task 9. Посмотри на таблицу и составь предложения по образцу.

Образец: It’s Russia. It’s frosty. It’s thirty degrees below zero.

Шаблон: It’s ____. It’s _____. It’s ______ .

Task 10. Прочитай предложения, определи являются ли они правдой (True) или ложью (False).

1. When it rains, the weather is wet.
2. When it rains, you wear a swimsuit.
3. You can see the rainbow after the rain.
4. When it rains, there is the sun in the sky.
5. In Russia it is often rainy in winter.

Task 11. Набери на клавиатуре слова.

Task 12. Закончи предложения о погоде, подчеркнув подходящие по смыслу слова.

1. Put on your sweater, it is very (cold/hot) today.
2. It is (cloudy/rainy) today. Take your umbrella.
3. Let’s go to the beach. It’s very (foggy/sunny) now.
4. It’s (snowy/wet) today. Let’s make a snowman.

Task 13. Восстанови письмо Энн другу по переписке, поставь предложения в правильном порядке.

Шаблон на экране:

3. ______ 4. _______ 5. ________ 6. ________

What’s the weather like in your place?

It’s summer here now.

Thanks for your letter.

The temperature is 25 degrees above zero.

The weather is hot and sunny.

Task 14. Составь вопросы о погоде, используя данные ответы.

1. I like sunny weather best.
2. In summer I usually swim in the river.
3. No, I don’t. I don’t like rainy days.
4. It’s snowy today.
5. The temperature is 5 degrees below zero.

РАЗБОР РЕШЕНИЯ ТРЕНИРОВОЧНОГО ЗАДАНИЯ 9

Task 9. Посмотри на таблицу и составь предложения по образцу.

Образец: It’s Russia. It’s frosty. It’s thirty degrees below zero.

Шаблон: It’s ____. It’s _____. It’s ______ .

В данном задании проверяется умение обучающихся составлять краткие монологические высказывания по новой теме с опорой, совершенствуются навыки продуктивного вида речевой деятельности, а именно – говорения. Упражнение имеет коммуникативную направленность, обучающемуся необходимо сообщить о погоде в разных странах мира, имея данные в таблице. Кроме того, работа с данными заданием может быть продуктивно продолжена, например, можно попросить обучающихся в парах побеседовать о погоде в разных странах, то есть составить уже диалогические высказывания по теме. Исходя из таблицы, очень легко даже для второклассника составить правильные ответы:

1. It’s England. It’s cool. It’s ten degrees above zero.
2. It’s the USA. It’s sunny and warm. It’s twenty degrees above zero.
3. It’s China. It’s stormy. It’s ten degrees below zero.
4. It’s India. It’s rainy and wet. It’s twenty-five degrees above zero.

РАЗБОР РЕШЕНИЯ ТРЕНИРОВОЧНОГО ЗАДАНИЯ 10

Task 10. Прочитай предложения, определи являются ли они правдой (True) или ложью (False).

1. When it rains, the weather is wet.
2. When it rains, you wear a swimsuit.
3. You can see the rainbow after the rain.
4. When it rains, there is the sun in the sky.
5. In Russia it is often rainy in winter.

Методическая ценность данного задания состоит в том, что оно развивает и совершенствует один из самых трудных видов речевой деятельности – чтение. В данном упражнение совершенствуются навыки чтения с целью извлечения полной информации из данных утверждений. Выполняя данные упражнения, обучающиеся успешно справляются с подобными заданиями итоговой аттестации. Правильные ответы: 1 T 2 F 3 T 4 F 5 F

Лексические единицы, изученные в данном уроке: Rainy, sunny, foggy, snowy, stormy, hot, windy, cloudy, cold, freezing, warm, dry, frosty, cool, wet, terrible, fine, lightning, thunder, snowstorm, rainbow, weather forecast, England, Portugal, Japan, Sweden, India, Australia, China, Egypt, cap, gloves, hat, boots, umbrella, sweater, shorts, sunglasses, scarf, raincoat, T-shirt, sandals, coat, degrees above (below) zero.

Поговори с одноклассником, используя образец. (Английский в фокусе. 2 класс. Учебник для общеобразовательных организаций / Н. И. Быкова, Д. Дули, М. Д. Поспелова, В. Эванс. – М.: Express Publishing : Просвещение, 2018. – С. 102 № 2.)