Билет № 1

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ROBIN HOOD AND THE GOLDEN ARROW

Robin Hood was a legendary hero who was well known and loved by the poor people of England. He lived in a forest far from the towns, and when the poor were oppressed by the rich, he helped them by giving them food and shelter. The sheriffs tried to arrest him but they did not succeed in doing so. Once the sheriff of N. decid­ed to organize a shooting contest in order to catch him because he knew Robin Hood to be a very good shot and was sure that he would take part in the contest by all means. The prize was a golden arrow.

On learning about the forthcoming contest Robin Hood gathered his men and discussed whether they should take part in it. Finally it was decided that although the risk of participating in the contest was great, they should all go, Robin Hood among them.

The day of the contest was fine and clear. The town was decorated with flags, and the field for the contest was full of people. The sheriff looked for Robin Hood and his men everywhere. He knew that they were always dressed in green. To his disappointment, however, he could not find anybody who looked like them. The contest was won by a fellow dressed in red, who had come from a village with a whole company of young men. After re­ceiving the prize the fellow left the town, and nobody ever thought that it was Robin Hood. While leaving the town Robin Hood shot an arrow through the sheriff's open window. There was a paper attached to it with the fol­lowing words: "Robin Hood thanks the sheriff for the golden arrow."

Зав.кафедрой Полушина Л.Н.

Билет № 2

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NAPOLEON AND JOSEPHINE

Josephine came from a noble family. She was six years older than Napoleon. When they met, she was 33 and Napoleon was 27. She was not charming, attractive or good-looking. She had ugly teeth, no money and two children to take care of. She was deeply in debt. When the French revolutionists had cut off the head of her first husband Josephine was left without means. She had heard about Napo­leon and was eager to see him. She figured a small way to do it. She sent her son to ask Napoleon if the boy might have the sword of the dead father. Naturally Napoleon answered "yes". The next day Josephine went to the palace to thank Napoleon for his kindness. Napoleon was immensely impressed by her personal­ity and her manners. Two days later she invited him to her house for tea. He was delighted and flattered as in those days he was not yet the hero he was destined to become. When he came to tea she told him that he was the greatest general the history had ever known. Two months later their engagement was announced. Napo­leon's motto was "Time is everything" and once he said: "I may lose battles but no one will ever see me losing seconds". Two days after the wedding he waged war against Italy. It was a brilliant campaign. The amazing part of it was that even on the battlefields Napoleon found time to write his wife most passionate letters absolutely every day. In 1933 eight of his letters to Josephine were sold at public auction for $ 30.000.

Зав.кафедрой Полушина Л.Н.