Чудесные приключения

Ч 84  
Чудесные приключения: Книга для чтения на 
английском языке / Адаптация, комментарии, словарь Ю. Б. Голицынского — СПб.: КАРО, 2010. — 
160 с.: ил. — (Серия «Reading with exercises»).

 
 
 
ISBN 978-5-9925-0552-8.

Пособие включает в себя отрывки из произведений классиков английской литературы: «Короля Лира» В. Шекспира, «Робинзона Крузо» Д. Дефо, «Путешествий Гулливера» Дж. Свифта, «Николаса Никльби» Ч. Диккенса. Сборник также содержит 
полные тексты сказок Р. Киплинга «Как носорог получил свою 
кожу», «Как кит получил свою глотку», легенду о Беовульфе и 
рассказ О. Уайльда  «Преданный друг». Тексты адаптированы 
для учащихся средней школы, снабжены вопросами для проверки понимания текста и словарем.
Все тексты записаны на компакт-диск, прослушивание которого поможет школьникам освоить произношение и научиться 
понимать английскую речь на слух.

УДК 373.167.1:820/89
ББК 81.2 Англ-922

УДК 373.167.1:820/89
ББК 81.2 Англ-922
 
Ч 84

Художник
О. В. Воронова

© КАРО, 2010
Все права защищены
ISBN 978-5-9925-0552-8

В дополнение к книге можно приобрести 
тематический аудиоматериал на диске в формате МР3, 
подготовленный издательством

BEOWULF

BEOWULF

As you know, in very old times people had 
no books. They could not read or write. In their 
free time they gathered together to tell stories 
and sing songs. At that time there were men 
who walked about the country1, and stopped 
now at one place, now at another2. They sang 
long songs about great heroes and great events. 
These men were called “bards”. People loved 
to listen to their songs and stories.
Later, when some of the people learned to 
read and write, they wrote down many of these 
songs. One of them was The Song of Beowulf3, which tells about a brave and strong 
hero who fought for the good of4 the people.

1 walked about the country — ходили по стране
2 now... now... — то... то...
3 Beowulf ['beIAwulf] — Беовульф
4 for the good of — на благо

I

A long, long time ago the king of Denmark was 
Hrothgar1. He was brave, just and kind, and his 
people loved him. He built a large and beautiful 
palace for himself and his warriors. Men came 
from all parts of the country to look at the fi ne 
palace. Every evening many people gathered in 
the palace, and they ate and drank, told stories 
and sang songs, danced and laughed.
Not far from the palace there was a large lake. 
A great monster lived in that lake. His name was 
Grendel. Grendel heard the singing and laughing 
in Hrothgar’s palace every evening and did not 
like it. He was lonely in his lake and he was very 
angry with the warriors because they were making 
merry2. He got more and more angry every day.
Late one night Grendel got out of his lake and 
went to Hrothgar’s palace. Soon he came near it. 
It was still and dark inside, and Grendel went in. 
There were many warriors in the palace, but they 
were all asleep. Grendel killed one of the warriors and drank his blood. Then he killed another 
warrior and drank his blood, too. That night the 
monster killed thirty warriors and drank their 
blood. Then he took the bodies of the dead men 
and went back to his lake.

1 Hrothgar ['hrDFMC:] — Хротгар
2 were making merry — веселились

BEOWULF

The next night Grendel came to the palace 
again. Again he killed thirty warriors, drank 
their blood and carried their dead bodies into the 
lake.
Night after night, month after month, winter 
after winter the terrible monster came to the palace and killed men. There was no laughing and 
singing now. The bravest and strongest warriors 
could do nothing against him. Their spears, arrows 
and swords could not kill Grendel. This went on1 
for twelve years.

II

On the other side of the sea was the country 
of the Geats2. There was a young man among the 
Geats whose name was Beowulf. He was very 
brave and strong. He was the strongest man in 
the whole country. He was stronger than thirty 
men. One day he heard about the terrible monster 
Grendel, who killed thirty warriors every night in 
Denmark. Beowulf wanted to help King Hrothgar. 
He found fourteen strong, brave warriors among 
his friends, got on a ship with them and sailed off3 
across the sea. They sailed the whole night, and 
in the morning they came to Denmark.

1 This went on — Это продолжалось
2 Geats [Mi:ts] — гиты (или джуты) (народ, живший на 
юге Скандинавского полуострова)
3 sailed off — пустился в плавание

When they got off the ship, they saw a man on 
horseback. He was one of King Hrothgar’s warriors. “Who are you and what are you doing here?” 
he asked them.
“We are warriors from the country of the Geats,” 
answered Beowulf. “We know about Grendel. We 
want to help you to fi ght the monster.”
The warrior took Beowulf and his friends to1 
Hrothgar’s palace. King Hrothgar smiled when 
he saw the Geats.
“I am glad to see you and your friends, brave 
Beowulf,” he said, “but I must tell you that your 
task will not be easy. You must know that many 
warriors spent a night in the palace. They tried to 
kill the monster, but they are all dead now.”
“I am not afraid,” said Beowulf, “I shall stay in 
the palace for the night and meet Grendel. And 
I shall fi ght without sword or spear or arrows, 
because they won’t help against him.”
Night came. Everybody left the palace. Only 
Beowulf and his friends remained. Beowulf told 
his fourteen friends to lie down and sleep. He himself waited for Grendel in the dark.
Grendel appeared in the middle of the night. 
He quickly entered the palace, killed one of the sleeping warriors and began to drink his blood, as he always did. But at that moment he saw Beowulf, and 
a terrible fi ght began. They fought for a long time. 

1 took... to — отвёл к...

BEOWULF

BEOWULF

Grendel was very strong, but Beowulf was stronger. 
He caught Grendel by the arm and tore it off1. The 
monster howled and ran out of the palace. He ran 
back to his lake and died there.

1 tore it off — оторвал её

III

In the morning King Hrothgar and his men 
came to the palace. They looked with great surprise at Grendel’s arm, which was hanging from 
the ceiling in the middle of the palace. Then they 
went to the lake. The water of the lake was red 
with Grendel’s blood.
People from all parts of the country came to 
look at Beowulf and thank him. Everybody was 
very glad. Till late at night they talked, sang and 
laughed in the palace as before1.
At night everybody went to sleep. But the troubles 
of Hrothgar and his men were not over. An ugly 
witch came out of the lake and quickly ran to the 
palace. She was Grendel’s mother. She ran into 
the palace, caught one of the warriors, killed him 
and carried him to the lake.
“I ask you to help me once more2, brave Beowulf,” said Hrothgar.
“I shall gladly help you, King Hrothgar,” answered Beowulf. “Let us go to the lake at once. I shall 
kill this witch.”
They got on their horses and rode to the lake. 
When they reached it, they saw that the lake was 
not quiet and its water was black. They waited. It 
became cold and dark. The witch did not appear. 
The warriors did not know what to do. Then Beowulf got off his horse and jumped into the lake.

1 as before — как и прежде
2 once more — ещё раз

BEOWULF

BEOWULF

When his feet touched the bottom, the witch 
jumped on him and tried to kill him, but she could 
not. Then Beowulf saw the witch’s cave and ran 
into it. And here he was very surprised. There was 
no water in the cave. In the middle of the fl oor 
there was a bright fi re. In the light of the fi re Beowulf saw a magic sword on the wall. He quickly 
took it and killed the witch with it.
At that moment the sun appeared over his head, 
and he saw the dead body of Grendel in a corner 
of the cave.
Beowulf took the magic sword and came out of 
the lake. His friends were happy to see him alive.
In the palace Beowulf told King Hrothgar and 
his warriors about his fi ght with the witch. King 
Hrothgar thanked Beowulf many times and gave 
him and his men many rich presents. When Beowulf and his friends were going home, many people 
came to say good-bye to him and to thank him 
again and again.

QUESTIONS AND TASKS

1. Why was Grendel angry with the warriors?
2. Find sentences in the text to show how strong Beowulf 
was.
3. How did Beowulf kill Grendel?
4. Describe in detail the fi ght of Beowulf and the witch.
5. What do you think: why did people write The Song of 
Beowulf?
6. With what heroes of Russian literature can you compare 
Beowulf? Why?