Елизавета Хейнонен - The Book of Riddles. Лексические задачки

To enter the World of Riddles, you must first open this magic door. Find the right key for each of the four keyholes.

Well done! Now you can come in, and here is your first riddle.

“I have some good news and some bad news for you,” the owner of an art gallery said to a painter, whose works were at the exhibition in his gallery.

“What is the good news?” the painter asked.

“The good news is that one of the investors has shown great interest in your works. He asked me if they would go up in price after your death.”

ownerвладелец; art galleryкартинная галерея; exhibitionвыставка; show great interest inпроявить большой интерес к; priceцена ◊ go up in priceвырасти в цене; deathсмерть

“And what did you say?”

“I said that they would double in price after you’re gone, and he bought all your paintings.”

“All eighteen of them? That’s good news, indeed. And what’s the bad news?”

“The bad news is the identity of the buyer.”

doubleудвоиться; after you’re gone здесь : после вашей смерти; the identity of the buyerличность покупателя

Who showed so much interest in the works of the painter? This rebus may help you find the right answer.

A man who stuttered was asked why he did so.

“It’s my p-p-p-peculiarity,” he answered. “Everybody has s-s-s-some p-p-p-peculiarity.”

“I don’t have any,” said the questioner.

“Don’t you s-s-s-stir your t-t-t-tea with your r-r-r-right hand?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Th-that’s your p-p-p-peculiarity. Most p-p-p-people __________.”

peculiarityхарактерная черта; stutterзаикаться; stirмешать; most peopleбольшинство людей; sentenceпредложение

Finish the sentence. What do most people do? This rebus may help you find the right answer.

One day, a snail was robbed while walking in the park. She went to the police.

“How did it happen?” they asked her.

“I don’t know,” the snail answered. “It all happened too quickly.”

robberyограбление; one dayоднажды; snailулитка; robограбить; while walking in the parkкогда она прогуливалась в парке; happenслучаться, происходить ◊ How did it happen?Как это случилось?; too quicklyслишком быстро; solveрешать; find outузнать, выяснить

Who robbed the snail? Solve this rebus to find out.

One day, the teacher asked the class:

“Which of you has heard of Archimedes?”

“I have,” said little Johnny. “Archimedes was a scientist. He was taking a bath and cried, “Eureka!”

“What is Eureka?” the teacher asked.

“Eureka means “I have found it”.

“What did he find?”

Johnny blurted out what he thought was the right answer.

What did he say?

eurekaэврика; scientistучёный; meanозначать; blurt outвыпалить, брякнуть

Max decided to take a shortcut through the forest when he came across an old house he had never seen before. The house seemed deserted. He took a step inside, and the next moment the door behind him slammed shut.

shortcutкороткий путь, путь напрямик ◊ take a shortcutсрезать путь; come acrossнаткнуться на; seemказаться; desertedзаброшенный; take a stepсделать шаг; insideвовнутрь помещения; slam shutзахлопнуться

“Anybody here?” he asked.

A husky voice replied, “I’m here.”

“And who might you be?”

“I’m the keeper of this house.”

“Why can’t I see you?”

“You cannot see me because ghosts can’t be seen in the daytime.”

Anybody here?Здесь есть кто-нибудь?; huskyхриплый; voiceголос; replyответить; And who might you be?И кто же вы такой?; keeperхранитель; ghostпривидение, призрак

“Am I your prisoner?”

“No. However, you cannot leave this house unless you find the key to the door. If you don’t, you’ll stay here forever. You’ve only got one try.”

“Can you at least give me a hint?” Max asked.

“Very well,” the voice croaked. “The key is hidden behind one of the paintings in the drawing room. Find it, and you are free.”

prisonerпленник; howeverоднако; unlessесли только ты не; stayоставаться; foreverнавсегда; tryпопытка; at leastпо крайней мере; hintнамёк; croakхрипеть, прохрипеть; прокаркать; hide(hid, hidden) прятать

These are the paintings Max saw in the drawing room. Which of them hides the key?

An elephant tamer is talking to a journalist.

“I hear you used to tame other animals,” the journalist said.

“That’s right,” answered the elephant tamer. “I switched to elephants only a while ago. I have become shortsighted, you know.”

What animals did the tamer work with before he became shortsighted?

tamerукротитель; used to tameраньше дрессировали; that’s rightсовершенно верно; switch toпереключиться на; a while agoнекоторое время тому назад; shortsightedблизорукий ◊ I have become shortsighted, you know.Я, видите-ли, стал близоруким

Johnny fell ill, and his mother called the famous doctor Pill.

“Are you really the famous doctor Pill?” the seven-year-old boy asked. “The one who spent several years in Africa treating wild animal?”

“The very same,” answered the doctor.

“Were you not eaten by cannibals?”

“No. Like they say, the rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated. I’m still alive and kicking.”

fall(fell, fallen) illзаболеть; famousзнаменитый; pillпилюля; treatлечить; wildдикий; the very sameон самый; like they sayкак говорится; rumourслух, слухи; exaggerateпреувеличивать ◊ the rumours of my death have been greatly exaggeratedслухи о моей смерти сильно преувеличены; stillвсё ещё; alive and kickingжив и здоров

“Can you prove it?”

The doctor smiled.

“Prove what? That I’m alive?”

“No. That you’re really the famous doctor Pill.”

“Sure. Here. I hope this photo will convince you.”

The doctor took a photo out of his wallet and gave it to the boy.

Here is that photo:

proveдоказывать; smileулыбаться; Here.Вот, держи ( говорят, протягивая какой-либо предмет собеседнику ); hopeнадеяться; convinceубедить, убеждать; walletбумажник

Johnny looked at the photo and said, “You’re a liar!”

“But Johnny,” his mother cut in. “How can you talk to the doctor like that?”

“But don’t you see that he is lying?” Johnny asked. “This photo is a fake! He has never been to Africa, and I can prove it!”

liarлжец; cut inвмешаться в разговор; How can you talk to the doctor like that?Как ты разговариваешь с доктором!?; don ’ t you seeнеужели ты не видишь; lieлгать; fakeподделка; clueключ (к разгадке)

What made Johnny think that the doctor was lying? If you don’t know, this rebus may give you a clue.

After the summer holidays, the teacher asked her class to write an essay on how and where the children had spent their vacation. Johnny worked on his essay for almost an hour, yet he wasn’t sure how the teacher would take it.