Anne of Green Gables. Аня из Зелёных Крыш. Адаптированная книга на английском языке.

Matthew Cuthbert, wearing his white suit, at half past three was riding out of Avonlea. The horse wasn’t the best, so he was riding not so fast. Matthew didn’t come out of home in Green Gables very often, so this was unusual. But where was he going?

His sister Marilla sent him off to get an orphan1 boy.

Matthew and Marilla were a brother and a sister, they were in their fifties. Marilla was a tall and thin woman, she had dark hair with some grey parts. Matthew had grey hair and a beard2. He was afraid of women and thought they laughed3 at him.

They thought about adopting4 a boy all winter. Matthew was not so young anymore, he couldn’t work as hard as he used to.5 A boy would be such a help. They wanted a boy of ten or eleven years old: old enough to help and young enough to teach him everything.

Marilla’s friend Mrs. Rachel told her that adopting a child is a very foolish6 thing to do. Marilla wanted to bring a strange child home not knowing his parents and not knowing the boy’s personality7. She also told her some stories she heard about orphan children and awful8 things they did.

“Well, I hope everything will be all right,” said Marilla to her friend.

Exercise: What are these words?

orphan

to laugh

enough

adopt

personality

Matthew Cuthbert and his slow horse were going down the road to the train station. He needed to pick a boy from there.

He came to the station but there was no train. He thought he came too early. He looked around and tried to find a sign9 of any boy. However, there was a girl. She sat there waiting for something or somebody. Matthew walked past her to the officer.

“Excuse me, when is the five-thirty train going to arrive?” asked Matthew.

“The five-thirty train was here and went away half an hour ago,” the officer answered. “But there is a passenger for you from the train – a little girl.”

“But I came here for a boy,” said Matthew.

“But I came here for a boy,” said Matthew.

The officer whistled10. “A mistake. Mrs. Spencer came off the train with that girl and said you and sister were adopting11 her from a children’s home.”

A girl was about eleven years old, she was wearing an ugly yellow dress and a grey hat. Under the hat she had two thick braids12 of red hair. Her face was small and white, she also had freckles