Story - The two shepherds

Story

The two shepherds

  There were two shepherds and they’ve grown up together since boyhood. There was great fondness between them, even love. They lived close to each other and their houses were very close together. But there was no boundary between them. Each had his own flock of sheep and they grazed the same land. 

   But one day one shepherd said to the other:

-         -            Do you see that lamb that’s following your flock? That lamb belongs to my flock. You can see by the markings.

-        -            What are you talking about? The lamb is clearly mine. Can you not see how she follows her mother?

       Well, the two friends began to argue. They became angry. They stood face to face. There was dispute. They almost came to blows. But then they turned their backs and they walked away. One in one direction towards his home, the other away to his home. And from that moment there was no communication between them. They did not speak. They did not even look at each other. Their friendship was broken.

     But then one day one of the shepherds saw a stranger coming... over the hill. And the stranger was carrying a bag, it seemed a heavy bag upon his back.

-                Hey friend! I have work for you. You are welcomed. Come! Come! Do you see that house over there. I will pay you well if you will build a fence between my house and that house. Make it a strong fence. Make it a high fence that no sheep can jump over. Make it so tall that no man can see over it. Build this fence and I will pay you what I have.

       And then the shepherd went into his small house, and he went into his bed and then he tried to sleep but he could not, for the stranger was working through the night. He could hear banging and soring all through the night. And in the morning when the shepherd got out of his bed, there in the doorway stood that stranger once again he had the bag on his back.

-                What?! You could not have finished already!

       The stranger did not say a word. He turned and walked away. And the shepherd came out of house into the morning sunshine and there... between his house and the other shepherd’s house stood the most beautifully crafted wooden ... bridge. And stepping on to the bridge from the other side was his ... friend.

-                What a fine idea! To build a bridge between our houses. What dispute is this we have had over one lamb? Come my friend!

        And they stepped onto the bridge and there in the middle of the bridge they embraced. The tears run down their cheeks. And then the shepherd remembered and said:

-                Look!

And there was that stranger with the heavy bag on his back and he was walking up over the hill.

-                Hey! Friend! Come back! I have not paid you for what you’ve done!

And the stranger turned and for the first time he spoke. And although he was far away his words carried down to the two friends that stood on the bridge.

-                I must go on. There are always more bridges to build. 

Tasks:

1. Vocabulary 

2. Choose your favourite scene of this story and try to draw it on a sheet of paper.  Do this activity in pairs or groups and then compare drawings.

3. Describe the scene you have drawn. Then talk with your partener(s) about similarities and differences of your drawings. 

4. Recreate the end of the story the way you imagine it. 

Commuting dogs of Moscow

Reckon this as a reading comprehension exercise. Read the following article and answer to the question below: 

"Each morning, like clockwork, they board the subway, off to begin their daily routine amidst the hustle and bustle of the city.

But these aren't just any daily commuters. These are stray dogs who live in the outskirts of Moscow Russia and commute on the underground trains to and from the city centre in search of food scraps.

Then after a hard day scavenging and begging on the streets, they hop back on the train and return to the suburbs where they spend the night.

Experts studying the dogs, who usually choose the quietest carriages at the front and back of the train, say they even work together to make sure they get off at the right stop – after learning to judge the length of time they need to spend on the train.

Scientists believe this phenomenon began after the Soviet Union collapsed in the 1990s, and Russia’s new capitalists moved industrial complexes from the city centre to the suburbs.

Dr Andrei Poiarkov, of the Moscow Ecology and Evolution Institute, said: “These complexes were used by homeless dogs as shelters, so the dogs had to move together with their houses. Because the best scavenging for food is in the city centre, the dogs had to learn how to travel on the subway – to get to the centre in the morning, then back home in the evening, just like people.”

Dr Poiarkov told how the dogs like to play during their daily commute. He said: “They jump on the train seconds before the doors shut, risking their tails getting jammed. They do it for fun. And sometimes they fall asleep and get off at the wrong stop.”

The dogs have also amazingly learned to use traffic lights to cross the road safely, said Dr Poiarkov. And they use cunning tactics to obtain tasty morsels of shawarma, a kebab-like snack popular in Moscow.

With children the dogs “play cute” by putting their heads on youngsters’ knees and staring pleadingly into their eyes to

win sympathy – and scraps.

Dr Poiarkov added: <Dogs are surprisingly good psychologists.>"

SOURCE : http://www.thedogfiles.com/2011/03/21/moscow’s-wild-dogs-ride-subways-to-city-center-in-search-of-food/

Dr Poiarkov said: “Dogs are surprisingly good psychologists.” 

My questions is: Why is it so? Why are dogs good psychologists in a surprising way? 

Video "The Chaos" - 800 Irregularities of English Language

If you can pronounce every word in this poem correctly, you will be speaking English better than 90% of the English speaking population! 

"The Chaos" is a poem demonstrating the irregularity of English spelling. Written by Dutch writer, traveller, and teacher Gerard Nolst Trenité (1870–1946), it includes about 800 examples of irregular spelling and orthography. The first version has got 247 lines. This is a short version of 146 lines brought to you by Larisa Silas(aka me). 

It is also a mnemonic aid for learners of English who can never tell how to pronounce words encountered in writing. 

Many native English-speaking readers will find the poem a revelation.

Phrasal verbs (students "love" the most)

Phrasal verbs with "COME"

Phrasal verbs with "CATCH"

Phrasal verbs with "EAT"

Mixed phrasal verbs 

DO or MAKE

You can learn anything!

Listen carefully and fill in the gaps: 

Nobody's born smart. We all start at zero. Can't  , can't  , certainly can't ______ algebra. Adding, reading, writing,  a bike, nobody's good __ anything first. T______ ___ a time when Einstein couldn't  to 10, and Shakespeare had to learn his _____' s just like   of us.  ___________, we're born to learn. Slowly, surely, you  , slip, crawl,  , and ,and fall, frustrating,  , trying, struggling, until one day, you walk. One foot in front of   , one idea on top the next. Each  answer making your brain a little bit  . Failing is just another work for  . But you keep going. This is  . Knowing that you'll get it even if you haven't gotten it yet. Because the most beautiful,  concepts in the whole  are built on basic ideas that anyone can learn, anywhere can understand.  you are,  you are, you only have to know one thing: You can learn anything.

Do you believe it is possible to learn anything? What’s more important: talent or hard work?

21 English accents

                                 Respect for multi-accented people, like Amy here. 

Words commonly confused

MOMENTARY vs. MOMENTOUS

ADVICE vs. ADVISE

       

TRAVEL related errors

USUAL name or COMMON name

STRANGERS, FOREIGNERS or PEOPLE FROM OTHER COUNTRIES

IN THE COUNTRY vs. IN NATURE

INDUSTRIAL vs. INDUSTRIOUS

JUDICIAL vs. JUDICIOUS

MATERFUL vs. MASTERLY

OFFICIAL vs. OFFICIOUS

POPULAR vs. POPULOUS

ROADS vs. STREETS

AT vs. TO

   GIVE or HAVE

NO vs. NOT

Funky words and phrases

Video - "We are Happy, too"