A snowball tree

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A SNOWBALL-TREE

One handsome boy was in love with a pretty girl Kalyna. But her parents didn’t allow him to marry her. They wanted him to marry a rich girl Ganna instead.

Kalyna came to his wedding. She invited him to dance. Then they went to the garden and then to the river. Ganna saw them together there. Kalyna cried out: “You will not live with my beloved!” She pulled Ganna into the water. Both girls drowned.

Ganna was buried in the cemetery, but Kalyna, as a murderer was buried on the steep slope. A bush with bitter red berries grew there. People called it a snowball-tree. It became a symbol of girl’s beauty and love.

Many our famous writers wrote about a snowball-tree. T.Shevchenko loved it very much. A very big snowball-bush still grows in Kyrylivka, not far from the place where his house was.

The great Kobzar mentioned a snowball-tree 365 times in his works.

The Ukrainian people always planted it near their hous­es. They put snowball-berries on the windowsills in winter. There is still a distinctive sign about the snpwball-tree: if you make a pipe of a snowball-tree, a son will appear in the family. Snowball-tree tea is the best medicine for cold.

When people came to congratulate a father on the birth of a baby, they brought bread as a symbol of good luck, money as a symbol of wealth, snowball-berries as a symbol of beauty of their native land.

Complete the sentences.

 One handsome boy was in _____with a pretty girl Kalyna.

  1. sure
  2. famous
  3. love

2.They wanted him to marry a______ girl instead.

  1. a) rich
  2. b) poor
  3. c) angry
  4. Kalyna came to his   .

a)family

b)wedding

c)school

3.

4.You will not live with my_______.

a)friend

b)beloved

c)sweetheart

5.Both girls _______.

  1. a) danced

b)drowned

c)argued

6.A bush with bitter__     berries grew there.

  1. a) red

b)grey

c)green

7.It became a symbol of girl’s_______            and love.

beauty

happiness

wedding

The great Kobzar mentioned a/an    365 times in his works

apple-tree

snowball-tree

cherry-tree

  1. Answer the questions.
  • What happened to Kalyna and Ganna?
  • Did T.Shevchenko love a snowball-tree?
  •  How many times did the great Kobzar write about a snowball-tree in his poems?
  • Where do Ukrainian people put the snowball-berries in winter?
  •  Is a snowball-tree a medicine?
  • What does a snowball-tree symbolise?
  1. Fill in the missing words.

One handsome boy was in____with a pretty girl Kalyna.But his parents didn’t_____want him to marry her. Kalyna came to his    . She______Ganna into the water.  Many our famous_____________ wrote about a snowball-tree. A very big snowball-bush is still        in Kyrylivka. The Ukrainian people always_____ it near their houses. Snowball-tree tea is the best__________ for cold.

Keys: Task 2: 1-c, 2-a, 3-b, 4-b, 5-b, 6-a, 7-a, 8-b;

Task 3: 1) both girls drowned, 2) yes, he did, 3) 365 times, 4) on the windowsills, 5) yes, it is, 6) beauty and love;

Task 4: love, allow, wedding, pulled, poets, grows, planted, medicine.

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