Елизавета Хейнонен - The Book of Riddles. Лексические задачки

The customer studied the menu, and said to the waiter:

“I think, I will have the chicken – and the younger, the better.”

adviceсовет; customerпосетитель ( ресторана ); waiterофициант; the younger, the betterчем моложе, тем лучше

What did the waiter bring him?

Someone had stolen some bananas from the zoo. The gorilla hung out a warning: “Who stole my bananas? If I catch the thief, I will tear off his paws, and twist his ears! Gorilla.”

betпари; steal(stole, stolen) украсть; hang out(hung out, hung out) вывесить; warningпредупреждение; catchпоймать; thiefвор; tear offоторвать; pawлапа; twist his earsнадеру ( букв .: выкручу) ему уши

The next day, the Gorilla read under his own announcement: “You won’t. Wanna bet?”

These words were followed by a signature.

Who had dared to challenge the Gorilla? This rebus may give you a clue.

announcementобъявление; You won’t. Wanna bet?Не надерёшь. Спорим?; followследовать ◊ These words were followed by a signature.За этими словами следовала подпись; dareпосметь, осмелиться; challengeбросить вызов

One day, Johnny’s mother said to her little son:

“This is not the way to read a book, Johnny. You skip several pages at a time.”

“I’m doing it on purpose,” Johnny answered, and explained why he was doing that.

Well, why? What was the book about?

thrillerтриллер, остросюжетная книга; way здесь : способ ◊ This is not the wayto read a book.Книгу так не читают; skipпропускать; перескакивать; pageстраница ◊ you skip several pages at a timeты перескакиваешь через несколько за раз; on purposeнамеренно, специально; explainобъяснять; What was the book about?О чём была книга?

Solve this rebus to get a clue.

Samuel was out for a walk when it started raining. He did not have an umbrella, and he wasn't wearing a hat. His clothes were soaked, yet not a single hair on his head got wet.

in the rainпод дождём; was out for a walkпрогуливался; he wasn’t wearing a hatон был без шляпы; clothesодежда; soakedнасквозь промокший; yetнесмотря на это; singleодин; get wetнамокнуть, промокнуть.

How could this happen? Solve this rebus to get a clue.

If you don’t know, this rebus may help you find the right answer.

Two mothers are talking.

One of them said, “My son is very smart. He is only two years old, but he can already read his name from right to left, and from left to right.”

“And what is his name?” the other woman asked.

What was the boy’s name? If you don’t know, this rebus may help you find it out.

One day, the emergency service received a phone call.

“Please, send someone immediately! A cat has burst into my room!”

“Er… What do you mean? What cat?”

“A cat! Don’t you understand? C-A-T. Cat! He burst into my room, and is heading for me!”

emergencyчрезвычайное происшествие ◊ emergency service received a phone callв службу спасения поступил звонок; immediatelyнемедленно; burst(burst, burst) intoврываться в; What do you mean?Что вы имеете в виду?; What cat? Какой кот?; Don ’ t you understand? Неужели вы не понимаете?; Ну как вы не понимаете?!; head for sb/ sthнаправляться к кому-либо или чему-либо

“Wait a minute. Do you want to say that a burglar broke into your house, and is going to steal your cat?’

“No! I am speaking about a cat. A real cat! The one that says “meow”. My life is in serious danger!”

“How can a cat pose a threat to your life? Who is speaking, anyway?”

Who, indeed?

burglarвор; break (broke, broken) intoпроникнуть в; stealкрасть; dangerопасность; threatугроза ◊ pose a threatпредставлять собой угрозу; Who is speaking, anyway?А кто это вообще говорит?; indeedв самом деле

“If there were four flies on the table and I killed one, how many would be left?” asked the teacher.

Several children raised their hands, but only Mary gave the right answer.

flyмуха; how many would be leftсколько останется; raiseподнимать

What was that answer?

Suppose, you had ten sweets and you hid two of them. How many sweets have you got now?

supposeпредположим; sweetконфета; hide(hid, hidden) прятать

Solve this rebus to see the right answer.

A bird catcher went to the forest to catch birds. By the end of the day, he caught only one bird.

“Let me go,” the bird begged him. “My husband and my hungry children are waiting for me.”

“So what? I am hungry, too. I will take you home with me, cook you, and have my supper.”

bird catcherптицелов; catch(caught, caught) ловить, поймать; Let me go.Отпусти меня; begумолять; husbandмуж, супруг; waitждать; So what? И что с того?

He put the bird in the cage, and headed home. On the way, he was caught in a storm. Lightning forked the sky, one thunderclap followed another. The bird catcher realized that would never get out of the forest alive. He lay down on the ground and waited for the Death to come for him.

cageклетка; headed homeзашагал по направлению к дому; on the wayпо дороге; was caught in a stormпопал под сильный дождь; lightningмолния; fork здесь : прорезать; thunderclapудар грома; realizeпонять; aliveживой; lie down(lay down, lain down) лечь, опуститься; groundземля; deathсмерть; come for sbприйти за кем-либо

Suddenly he heard the bird’s voice.

“Get up, hunter, and hide under that big tree.”

At that very moment, another lightning lit up the forest, and the bird catcher saw a big tree. He jumped up, and hid under its branches. Right above his head, there was a hole in the tree. In that hole, there lived the bird’s family.

“A bird catcher caught me,” said the bird to her husband. “He is hiding under the branches of our tree. He is cold and hungry. We must have pity on him.”

light up(lit up, lit up) осветить; branchветка; right above his headпрямо над его головой; holeдупло; have pityжалеть, пожалеть

Upon hearing her words, the second bird turned to the bird catcher.

“You are my guest,” he said. “What can I do for you?”

“I am cold,” the bird catcher answered.

The bird left his nest, and soon came back with a piece of charcoal. He made a fire, and put some dry brushwood into it. The bird catcher got warm.

“I am hungry,” he said. “Give me something to eat.”

The bird answered:

“We, forest creatures, eat what we can get. But you will not die of hunger. I will now enter the fire, and you can eat me. I only have one thing to ask of you: Let my wife go. If you don’t, our children will die of hunger.”

upon hearing her wordsуслышав её слова; turn toповернуться к; leave(left, left) покидать; nestгнездо; charcoalдревесный уголь; dryсухой; brushwoodхворост; forest creaturesлесные твари; die of hungerумереть с голоду; enter the fireвойти в огонь; Let my wife go.Отпусти мою жену.