Практикум по грамматике английского языка : учебное пособие

‘Aesop’s Fable’/’The Company Chairman’
1. A few hours later a mean looking traveller came down the road, and he too 
stopped and asked Aesop, “Tell me, my friend, what are the people of Ath-
ens like?”
2. He looked at them. “Gentlemen, I have something I must say: half of you 
are idiots.”
3. Aesop, the Greek writer of fables, was sitting by the road one day when a 
friendly traveller asked him, “What sort of people live in Athens?”
4. The man frowned and replied, “I’m from Argos and there the people are 
unfriend ly, mean, deceitful and vicious. They’re thieves and murderers, all 
of them.”
5. One day a company chairman got very angry with his board of directors.
6. Aesop replied, “Tell me where you come from and what sort of people live 
there, and I’ll tell you what sort of people you’ll find in Athens.”
7. At this Aesop answered, “I’m happy to tell you, my dear friend, that you’ll 
find the people of Athens much the same.”
8. “Very well,” the chairman said, “I withdraw it—half of your are not idiots.”
9. The man smiled and answered, “I came from Argos, and the people there are 
all friendly, generous and warm-hearted. I love them all.”
10. One of the directors stood up and banged on the table. “I demand that you 
with draw that last observation, Mr. Chairman.”
11. Again Aesop replied, “Tell me where you come from and what people are 
like there and I will tell you what the people are like in Athens.”
12. “I’m afraid you’ll find the people of Athens much the same,” was Aesop’s 
reply.
‘The Farmer’/’The Invitation
’
1. “Well,” said the farmer, scratching his chin, “I’ll tell you what we do.”
2. “Why do I have to use my elbow and my foot?” asked his friend.
3. A man invited his friend and explained to him where he lived.
4. The man went back to the car with a puzzled look on his face and said to his 
wife, “I think he is crazy.”
5. “Come to the third floor,” he said, “and where you see the letter В on the 

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door, push the button with your elbow and when the door opens, put your 
foot against it.”
6. “We eat what we can and what we can’t eat we can.”
7. A curious tourist was passing a huge field of carrots alongside the road when 
he saw a farmer. He stopped and asked him, “What do you do with this large 
crop?”
8. “He said they ate what they could and what they couldn’t they could.”
9. “Well,” exclaimed the man, “You’re not going to come empty-handed, are 
you?”