Любимые герои

Л 93  
Любимые герои: Книга для чтения на английском языке/ Адаптация, комментарии, упражнения и словарь Ю. Б. Голицынского — СПБ.: 
КАРО, 2010. — 192 c.: илл. — (Серия «Reading with 
exercises»). 

 
 
 
ISBN 978-5-9925-0604-4.

В пособие вошли отрывки из классических англоязычных 
произведений: «Оливер Твист» Чарльза Диккенса, «Джейн 
Эйр» Шарлотты Бронте, «Остров сокровищ» Роберта Льюиса 
Стивенсона, «Загадка Торского моста» Артура Конан Дойля, 
«Всадник без головы» Томаса Майн Рида, «Янки из Коннектикута при дворе короля Артура» Марка Твена. Сборник также 
содержит фрагменты британского эпоса о короле Артуре и рыцарях Круглого стола и отрывки из английских народных баллад о Робин Гуде. Тексты адаптированы для учащихся средней 
школы и снабжены вопросами для проверки понимания содержания. 
 Все тексты и задания записаны на компакт-диск, прослушивание которого поможет школьникам освоить произношение и научиться воспринимать английскую речь на слух.

УДК 373.167.1:820/89
ББК 81.2 Англ-922

УДК 373.167.1: 820/89
ББК 81.2 Англ-922
 
Л 93

Художник
О. В. Воронова

© КАРО, 2010
Все права защищены
ISBN 978-5-9925-0604-4

В дополнение к книге можно приобрести 
тематический аудиоматериал на диске в формате МР3, 
подготовленный издательством

King Arthur and the Knights 
of the Round Table

In the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries people liked to read 
and tell long tales about brave knights and their fair ladies1. 
The brave knights rode on horseback from place to place 
about the country. When they met other knights, they had a 
fight to see who was stronger. Sometimes the knights left their 
own country and went to far-away places. They did not return for years and years. Their fair ladies waited for them in 
big stone castles with high towers.
These tales were called romances. The romances about 
King Arthur2 and his knights of the Round Table were wellknown in England. The table at which King Arthur and his 
knights sat and had their feasts was circular. This showed 
that each knight was as good and brave as his neighbour, 
and even as King Arthur himself.

KILWICH AND OLWEN

I

Everybody knew good King Arthur and his brave 
knights of the Round Table. People often came to 
their castle at Camelot3 to ask for help.
One day a young knight came to Camelot.
“What do you want?” asked King Arthur.

1 fair ladies ['fLA'leIdIz] — прекрасные дамы
2 King Arthur ['C:FA] — король Артур
3 Camelot ['kBmIlDt] — Камелот (резиденция короля 
Артура)

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table 

“I ask for help, my lord,” was the answer.
“You may ask for anything you like1,” said King 
Arthur, “except my sword, my ship and my wife.”
“My name is Kilwich2,” said the young man, 
“and I am looking for Olwen3, the daughter of Yspadaden4, because she is destined to become my wife5. 
But I cannot fi nd her.”
“I don’t know the young lady,” said King Arthur, 
“but we shall start at once and look for her.”
All the knights of the Round Table were ready 
to go with King Arthur. He took Sir Kay6 and Sir 
Bedivere7, because they were very strong and brave. 
He took Gurhyr Gwalstatt8 because he could speak 
the languages of all people, animals, birds and 
fi sh. He also took some other brave knights to help 
them.
They rode a long way. At last they saw a big 
castle. In front of the castle they saw a shepherd 
with a lot of sheep and asked him:
“Whose is this castle and whose are these 
sheep?”
“Don’t you know?” said the man. “They belong 
to Yspadaden. And who are you?”

1 anything you like — все, что хочешь
2 Kilwich ['kIlwItS] — Килвич
3 Olwen ['DlwAn] — Олвен
4 Yspadaden [Is'pBdAdAn] — Испададен
5 she is destined to become my wife — ей предназначено стать моей женой
6 Sir Kay [sA:'keI] — сэр Кэй
7 Sir Bedivere [sA:,bedI'vIA] — сэр Бедивер
8 Gurhyr Gwalstatt ['MurIA'MwC:lStC:t] — Гурир Гвалштат

Kilwich and Olwen

“We are the knights of the Round Table and we 
are looking for Yspadaden’s daughter Olwen.”
“Your task is hard. But come to my house: my 
wife and I will tell you about Yspadaden, that cruel 
man.”
When they were in the shepherd’s house, his 
wife told them about Yspadaden. “That man is 
really terrible,” she said. “He has killed twentythree of our sons. Now we have only one son. We 
are hiding him from Yspadaden.” She opened a 
door in the wall and out came a tall young man 
with yellow hair.
“You must not hide such a fi ne strong boy,” said 
Sir Kay. “Let him come with us. I shall take care 
of him.”
Then they asked about Olwen. The shepherd 
told them that she came to his house every Saturday. Kilwich was very happy to hear it: that day 
was Saturday.
Soon Olwen came. She was very beautiful. She 
was wearing a red dress, her hair was like fl ax, 
her eyes were large and bright. She sat down near 
Kilwich and spoke to him.
“I know why you are here,” she said. “I also 
know that you love me. If you really want to marry 
me, go at once to my father and speak to him. But 
he knows that when I marry, he will die.”
And she went away.
King Arthur and his knights went to the castle. 
But it was not easy for them to get in. They had 
to fi ght and kill nine warriors at the door and their 

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table 

nine dogs. At last they came to the hall where 
Yspadaden was sitting.
“So you want to marry my daughter?” the terrible old man said to Kilwich. “But fi rst you must 
fulfi l four tasks that I shall give you.”
“I shall fulfi l them,” said Kilwich.
“Wait till I tell you what the tasks are. Listen.
“Far away from here, in a very big castle lives 
a giant, Gwernach1 by name. You must kill this 
giant and bring me his sword. This is your fi rst 
task.
“Next, you must go and fi nd Mabon2, the son of 
my forester Modron3. He disappeared many years 
ago, when he was only three days old. This is your 
second task.
“Now, can you see that large fi eld through this 
window?
“I sowed nine bags of fl ax there. Go to that fi eld, 
pick up the seeds and bring them to me. This is 
your third task.
“Then you will go to the forest and catch two 
wolf cubs. You will bring these cubs to my castle 
on a rope which you must make from the beard of 
Dillus4 the robber. This is your fourth task.
“Only if you fulfi l all my tasks, will Olwen be 
your wife.”

1 Gwernach ['MwA:nAtS] — Гвернач
2 Mabon ['meIbAn] — Мейбон
3 Modron ['mDdrAn] — Модрон
4 Dillus ['dIlAs] — Диллус

Kilwich and Olwen

II

King Arthur decided to help Kilwich and sent 
his knights to fulfi l the tasks.
Sir Kay was the fi rst to go1. He went to look for 
the giant Gwernach. When he found the castle, he 
said to the guards at the door, “I know how to polish swords. I can polish your master’s sword better than any other man. Let me in.2”
Soon Sir Kay was sitting in front of the giant 
and polishing his sword. When the sword was very 
sharp, Sir Kay suddenly turned to Gwernach and 
killed him with it. Then he left the castle, got on 
his horse and rode back to King Arthur with the 
giant’s sword at his side.
Gurhyr Gwalstatt went to fulfi l the second task. 
His task was to fi nd Mabon, the son of the forester 
Modron. He asked very many people, but nobody 
knew the man. Then he asked many animals and 
many birds. The animals and the birds could not 
tell him anything about Mabon, they were all too 
young. Then he went to the river to ask the fi sh. 
He asked many fi sh, big and small, but they could 
not tell him anything. At last one big fi sh said:
“I know where the man is. He is a prisoner in 
a big castle far from here. I can take you there, 
but you must know that the castle has very thick 
walls and many warriors stand on guard3.”

1 was the fi rst to go — пошел первым
2 Let me in. — Впустите меня.
3 stand on guard — стоят на страже

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table 

Gurhyr Gwalstatt went back to King Arthur 
and told him what he had learned from the fi sh. 
Then King Arthur said, “Let us go and save Mabon.” 
As you know King Arthur and his knights were 
brave, they were not afraid of any warriors. They 
asked the big fi sh to take them to that castle. They 
fought the warriors who stood on guard, saved 
Mabon and went back.
The next day Gurhyr Gwalstatt was walking 
about near Yspadaden’s castle. He saw an ant-hill 
around which the grass was burning. The ant-hill 
was already beginning to burn. Gurhyr Gwalstatt 
ran up to the ant-hill and quickly put out the fi re1.
“Thank you very much, kind man!” cried the 
ants. “What can we do for you? Tell us your wish 
and we shall fulfi l it.”
“Thank you,” said Gurhyr Gwalstatt in the ant 
language. “I want your help very much. Go to that 
fi eld and gather all the seeds of fl ax in it. I want 
them for Yspadaden.”
“We shall be glad to do it,” said the ants and 
went to the fi eld. In the evening all the seeds were 
in a great heap. Gurhyr Gwalstatt put the seeds 
into nine bags.
Now King Arthur had to fulfi l the last task. He 
took Sir Kay and Sir Bedivere to help him, and 
they went to look for the robber Dillus. When they 
found him, he was asleep. Sir Kay and Sir Bedivere went softly up to him and cut off his beard. 
They made a strong rope from the robber’s beard 

1 put out the fi re — погасил огонь

Kilwich and Olwen

and then went to look for some wolf cubs. They 
caught two cubs and tied them with the rope.
Then King Arthur and his knights, together 
with Kilwich, the shepherd’s son, and Mabon, the 
son of the forester Modron, all went to Yspadaden’s 
castle.
Kilwich went up to Yspadaden and said:
“Here in my hand is the sword of the giant Gwernach; by my side stands Mabon, the son of Modron, 
who disappeared when he was only three days old. 

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table 

See, here are nine bags of the seeds of fl ax. Here 
is a rope from the beard of the great robber Dillus and here are the two wolf cubs, which I hold 
with the rope from the robber’s beard. Is your 
daughter mine now?”
“She is yours,” said Yspadaden, “but don’t thank 
me. You must thank King Arthur, who did all this 
for you. I lose my daughter, and I must lose my 
life.”
Then the shepherd’s son took out his sword and 
killed the murderer of his twenty-three brothers.
After that the knights had a great feast in Yspadaden’s castle, and Olwen became the wife of Kilwich. They lived happily for many years.

QUESTIONS AND TASKS

1. What were the four tasks Kilwich and his friends had to fulfil? Who really fulfilled them?
2. How did Sir Kay kill the giant Gwernach?
3. Why was it so difficult to find Mabon, the son of Modron 
the forester?
4. What helped Gurhyr Gwalstatt to fulfil the third task?
5. What was the most difficult part of the fourth task? Why 
do you think so?
6. Explain why the shepherd’s son killed Yspadaden.