10 Minute English – 26. Коротка історія “The Kind Dog Catcher”

Дозволимо цього разу собі трохи розслабитися і почитати щось добре і світле, наприклад, класичну американську  bed-time story (історію на ніч) про доброго ловця собак. У історії буде багато песиків! Історія підійде усім від рівня Starter. 

 Mr. Goodkind liked dogs so much that he went to the Mayor of the town and said, “May I be the dog catcher?”

  “Fine,” said the Mayor. “We will pay you two hundred dollars a month. Here is your desk. Here is a yard with a fence around it where you put the stray dogs. When an owner comes to get his dog, he must pay one dollar for the dog’s food. Put the money in the dog-catcher desk.”

  The phone rang. “Dog catcher!” said a lady. “A stray dog frightened my little boy. Please, come and catch him.”

  Mr. Goodkind went off in the dog-catcher lorry.

  The dog jumped up into the lorry, gave Mr. Goodkind a kiss, and they went away. Mr.Goodkind put him in the dog yard and gave him some dinner.

  The telephone rang. “A stray dog frightened my little girl,” said a lady. “Please, come and catch him.”

  Mr. Goodkind went out again. The second dog jumped up into the lorry, gave Mr. Goodkind a kiss, and they went off. Mr.Goodkind put him in the yard with some dinner.

  The third time the telephone rang. Mr. Goodkind brought back the third stray dog.

  Then Mr.Goodkind said to the first dog, “Let me see your licence.” He said, “Your name is Sandy. Your owner is Mr. Green. I’ll ring him up and tell him you are here.”

  He looked at another licence. “Your name is Jack,” he said. “Your owner is Mr. Carbarn. I’ll ring him up and tell him you are here.”

  But the third dog had no licence.

  The dog catcher rang up Mr. Green and Mr. Carbarn, “Your dog is here.” The owners came, paid one dollar each and took their dogs away.

  Then Mr.Goodkind said to the Mayor, “Can we advertise this stray dog in the newspaper? Maybe we will find his owner.”

  The Mayor looked at the dog-catcher desk and said, “No, we have no money to advertise stray dogs.”

  “Then I’ll pay for it myself,” Mr Goodkind said. He put an advertisement in the newspaper.

  No owner came. But some children came, “May we take the stray dog?” they said.

  Before Mr. Goodkind could answer, the Mayor spoke up. “Did you bring one dollar?” he asked the children.

  They said no.

  “Did you bring two dollars to buy a licence for the dog?”

  They said no.

  “I’ll pay for it myself,” Mr.Goodkind said. “Will you give the dog a good home?”

  “Yes!” said the children.

  They kissed Mr.Goodkind, the dog kissed him as well, and they all went off together. 

  Every day Mr. Goodkind put dogs in the dog yard. He gave them good dinner and telephoned his owners.

  But every day there was some dog without a licence. Mr.Goodkind advertised in the newspaper. And he paid for it himself.

  Soon he could no pay for his little grey house. He moved to one room. Then he had to move in with the stray dogs.

  The Mayor did not like this idea. “You couldn’t find homes for all the dogs!” he said. “Stop it!”

  “But every dog needs a home, Mayor,” said Mr. Goodkind

  Then the Mayor sat down at his desk and thought. He had an idea.

  “We’ll have a ball!” cried the Mayor. “We’ll have it in the town hall. We’ll have ice cream. We’ll invite everyone. The people’ll come and pay a dollar. We’ll find homes for all dogs!”

  Everyone came to the ball. The Mayor stood at the door and took a dollar from everyone who came. They danced and ate ice cream and sang song.

  When the ball was over, the Mayor and Mr. Goodkind counted the money.

  “Seven hundred dollars!” cried the Mayor.

  They put the money in the dog-catcher desk. “Now you’ll find homes for dogs, Goodkind,” said the Mayor.

  So that night, tired but happy, Mr.Goodkind went back to his little grey house. And he took three stray dogs with him, because he liked dogs so much.

By Jane Thayer

Vocabulary:
The Mayor of the town – мер містечка
A dog catcher – ловець собак
A yard with a fence – двір з парканом
A stray dog – безхатній пес
An owner – власник
To frighten – налякати
To go off – поїхати
A lorry – вантажівка
To jump up into - застрибнути
A licence – ліцензія
To ring smb up – зателефонувати
To take the dogs away – забрати песиків
To advertise – опублікувати оголошення  
To put an advertisement – опублікувати оголошення  
As well – також
To move – переїхати
To move in – переїхати до когось
A ball – бал / вечірка
To count – рахувати
To put – покласти
To be tired – бути втомленим