Никоненко Тамара Петрівна

1. In the fifteenth century people knew only four continents.
2. They knew nothing about such a big continent as America.
3. The man who was thought to be the discoverer of America was born in 1451 in Spain.
4. Knowing that the Earth was round, Columbus decided to reach India by sailing to the east.
5. It was very easy for him to organize his expedition as everybody wanted to help him.
6. The voyage was very dangerous and difficult.
7. On the 12^th of October Columbus’ ships reached land.
8. Columbus’ third voyage to America took place in 1493.
9. In 1493 Columbus discovered some other islands of the West India.
10. On the third voyage Columbus came to South America.
11. In 1506 Columbus died in Spain being sure that he had reached the New World.

1. When Edison was a boy of fifteen, he worked as a telegraph manager.
2. But at night there was much work and the telegraph operators usually worked hard.
3. The boss ordered each operator to give a signal every ten minutes to show that he was awake.
4. Edison’s signals always came at the same time, at the beginning of each new hour.
5. One night the boss sent his mother to see how well the boy was working.
6. So one day the boss sent an inspector to see how well the boy was working.
7. When the inspector opened the door, he saw Edison sleeping in his chair.
8. The inspector saw a block with a mechanism on the table.
9. The inspector wanted the boy to show how the mechanism could work.
10. Edison awoke and was told that he had lost his job.
11. This story explains why the first of Edison’s many inventions was patented.

   Once an Englishman went to the seashore for his summer holidays. He asked his housekeeper to post him all letters that she would receive during his absence. She promised him to do that.
   The Englishman rested very well. A month passed but he received no letters. He thought it strange and he telephoned his housekeeper: “Why didn’t you post me my letters?” “Because you didn’t leave me the key of the letter-box,” was the answer.
   The Englishman apologized and promised to send her the key. In some days he put the key into an envelope, wrote down his address on it and posted the letter. Another month was passing but still he didn’t receive any letters. When at the end of the month he came back home he spoke angrily with his housekeeper. “But what could I do?,” asked the poor woman. “The key which you posted was in the locked letter-box too”.

1. William Caxton is the first English printer.
2. He was born in London.
3. His father was a doctor.
4. William Caxton didn’t want to become a farmer.
5. William worked in an office which traveled to different countries.
6.  William liked to read new books which were printed in America.
7. When William was thirty he started his own business in Belgium.
8. Then he left his business and began to read French books.
9. He began interested in printing and at last he learned it.
10. William Caxton brought his printing press to Washington.
11. All people liked his work very much.
12. William Caxton printed his first book in 1477.
13. It was not the first book printed in English language.
14. William Caxton printed about fifty books.
15. He translated thirty books from French.

   Once a farmer went to the nearest town to sell some butter and eggs there. It didn’t take him long to sell his goods. After he had sold all the butter and eggs he decided to go to the inn to have his dinner there.On coming to the inn he sat down at a table, called a waiter and ordered his dinner. Then he looked around and saw a group of people who were speaking about the local lawyer. “The lawyer is very clever and always gives good advice to his clients,” said one of the men.
   After dinner the farmer went to the lawyer and asked give him some advice. The lawyer asked the farmer what advice he needed. “You can give me any advice you like,” answered the farmer. The lawyer smiled, took a piece of paper, wrote a few words and gave it to the farmer. The farmer took the paper mid without reading it left the lawyer’s office.
   Late in the evening the farmer returned home. His wife asked him to gather in the hay. But the farmer was very tired and was about to go to bed. He didn’t know what to do. Then he remembered that he had the lawyer’s advice in his pocket. He took the paper out and read the following words: “Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.” Then the farmer left the house to gather in the hay. He worked for some hours and at last the hay was gathered in.
   At night there was a storm and the farmer was very glad that he had followed the lawyer’s advice and that his hay was not ruined.
Vocabulary
an inn – готель
a lawyer – адвокат
hay – сіно
storm – буря
to ruin – руйнувати, занапащати