I. Reading, страница 145, часть 2 - гдз по английскому языку 8 класс учебник Демченко, Севрюкова

I. READING

1. a. Read a blogger's post. Why does he admire Terry Pratchett?

28 April. Sir Terry Pratchett died in 2015 but he will forever be remembered as one of the greatest fantasy, science fiction, and children's author. His works have been translated into 36 languages, and he is the second most-read (after J.K. Rowling) writer in the UK. He also holds a record for the most shoplifted (stolen from a shop) books in Britain. To many of us, he was like a kindly uncle or grandfather who always had a wonderful story to tell. Today is Sir Terry's birthday, and I'd like to write a few words about this outstanding man and talented author.

Pratchett is best known for his "Discworld" series of comic fantasy novels. They are set on the Discworld, a flat world balanced on the backs of four elephants which, in turn, stand on the back of a giant turtle, Great A'Tuin. The books are hilariously funny and full of the most memorable characters you could ever hope to meet: heroes, witches, wizards, and villains. The books aren't just great fun or great fantasy. They reveal Pratchett's view on human nature. The author used ideas from J.R. Tolkien and Shakespeare as well myths, fairy tales, and folklore to draw parallels with current (текущими / бягучымі) events.

The final book in the "Discworld" series, which is a collection of 41 novels, was published after his death. In 2007 Terry Pratchett got seriously ill, but he continued to work and even produced a couple of books that became bestsellers. By and by, his motor skills and memory became worse and he couldn't type, but it didn't stop him from writing. Thanks to new technology, he produced a total of 10 books through dictation.

The inspiration for many of Pratchett's books was probably his large lifelong interest in space. He read fantasy books as a child and even dreamed of becoming an astronomer himself. As an adult, Sir Terry built a small observatory [əb’zɜːvətri] in his back garden. NASA named a small asteroid after him. His first short story appeared in a school magazine. He was only 13 at that time. Pratchett worked on his craft ever since, improving it and shaping it to become the style of writing that made him the favourite of millions.

When Pratchett was knighted in 2009 for “the services in literature”, he created his own coat of arms and got a sword made for himself. After all, what's a knight without his sword? But he didn't just go to the store to pick one out. Pratchett actually dug (выкопал / выкапай) some ore (руды / руды) from his backyard, added some iron from a meteorite and brought everything to a local blacksmith.

At the end of his life Pratchett gave the keys to his Discworld kingdom to his daughter, who is a video games writer. And who knows, maybe we’ll see a video game based on Discworld one of these days.

b. Read out the paragraph which describes the Discworld series.

c. Are the statements true or false?

1. More British people read Pratchett's books than books written by J.K. Rowling. 2. All his life the writer was interested in astronomy. 3. Pratchett stopped writing when he couldn't control his hands any more. 4. Pratchett started writing when he was still at school. 5. Pratchett's daughter created a video game which was based on the "Discworld" series.

d. Answer the questions.

1. When is Pratchett's birthday? 2. Is Terry Pratchett a British or an American author? 3. What unusual example of Pratchett’s popularity does the blogger give? 4. What is the main difference between the Discworld and our world? 5. What did Pratchett do to become a real knight?

d. Ответьте на вопросы.

1. Когда день рождения Пратчетта?

2. Терри Пратчетт британский или американский автор?

3. Какой необычный пример популярности Пратчетта приводит блогер?

4. Какое главное различие между Плоским миром и нашим миром?

5. Что сделал Пратчетт, чтобы стать настоящим рыцарем?

Ответ:

1. Pratchett's birthday is on April 28.

2. Terry Pratchett is a British author.

3. The blogger gives an unusual example of his popularity: Pratchett's books hold a record for being the most shoplifted in Britain.

4. The main difference is that the Discworld is a flat world balanced on the backs of four elephants, which stand on the back of a giant turtle, Great A’Tuin.

5. He created his own sword. He dug some ore from his backyard, added iron from a meteorite, and brought everything to a local blacksmith to make it.

Перевод:

1. День рождения Пратчетта — 28 апреля.

2. Терри Пратчетт — британский автор.

3. Блогер приводит необычный пример его популярности: книги Пратчетта держат рекорд как самые часто краденые из магазинов в Британии.

4. Главное различие в том, что Плоский мир — это плоский мир, который покоится на спинах четырёх слонов, которые, в свою очередь, стоят на спине гигантской черепахи, Великого А’Туина.

5. Он создал собственный меч. Он выкопал руду на своем заднем дворе, добавил железо из метеорита и отнёс всё местному кузнецу, чтобы тот его изготовил.