The time came to go to bed. Alyosha quickly took off his clothes and got into his bed. He looked at the other bed …. and the white sheet started moving again. And again the boy heard a voice: "Alyosha! Alyosha!" Then Blacky came out from under the bed and flew up on Alyosha's bed. He was very happy to see the hen.
"O! Hello, Blacky!" he cried. "Are you OK?"
"Yes," said the hen. "But I could be dead because of you."
"What do you mean?" asked Alyosha.
"You're a good boy," said Blacky, "but you didn't listen to me yesterday. It's bad. I told you not to touch anything. But you talked to the cat. The cat woke the parrot. The parrot woke the old ladies. The old ladies woke the knights. The knights started fighting with me."
"I'm sorry, dear Blacky," said Alyosha. "I promise to listen to you.
Always! Please, take me with you again."
"OK," said the hen.
1 Answer the questions.
1) Where did Blacky take Alyosha?
2) What did the cat do?
3) Who started fighting with Blacky? Why?
4) When did Alyosha see Blacky again?
5) What did Alyosha promise her?
2 Put the sentences in the right order.
1) Alyosha and Blacky went to the rooms of the Dutch ladies.
2) In the second room the boy saw a beautiful gold cage with a parrot and a cat.
3) Alyosha didn't see the end of the fight because he fainted.
4) The old ladies opened their eyes and sat up in bed.
5) Two knights jumped off the wall and started fighting with Blacky.
6) In the first room Alyosha saw beautiful old chairs and tables.
7) The cat started mewing loudly.
3 Choose right.
1) Blacky flapped her wings, and the door closed / opened.
2) Alyosha put on / took off his clothes and went upstairs to have breakfast.
3) Alyosha touched / talked to the cat.
4) The old ladies woke / woke up the knights.
4 Complete the sentences.
1) "The door is closed, and I haven't got the ____," said Alyosha.
2) There was a big ____ in the cage.
3) "I'm afraid the ____ are not sleeping now," said Blacky.
4) "Was it real? Or was it a ____?" thought Alyosha.
5) "We never get ____ from the black hen," said the headmaster's wife.
5 Fill in the prepositions.
1) The hen said something ____ a strange voice.
2) Alyosha didn't listen ____ to Blacky and talked to the cat.
3) Alyosha saw many portraits of the knights ____ the walls.
4) It was time to go ____ bed.
5) Blacky could be dead ____ Alyosha.
6 Say why:
1) Alyosha and Blacky didn't need a candle in dark rooms and corridors.