Pollyanna ebook

Pollyanna / Pollyanna

SeriaCzytamy w oryginale to atrakcyjna pomoc dla uczących się języka angielskiego. Śledząc losy bohaterów powieści możemy na bieżąco porównywać tekst angielski i polski, ucząc się na podstawie wielkiej literatury. Adaptacja została przygotowana z myślą o czytelnikach średniozaawansowanych, jednak dzięki wersji polskiej z książki korzystać mogą również początkujący.

Aby zmienić wersję językową – kliknij w numer akapitu.

Zapraszamy na www.44.pl gdzie dostępne są dodatkowe pomoce do samodzielnej nauki: angielska wersja audio (format mp3) oraz zeszyt ćwiczeń z kluczem odpowiedzi.

Pollyanna

[ 1 ] One June morning Miss Polly Harrington finished reading a letter and entered the kitchen. Nancy, who was washing the dishes, noticed that Miss Harrington was not calm like her usual self, but seemed to be in a hurry.

[ 2 ] “Nancy...”

[ 3 ] “Yes Ma’am,” Nancy replied automatically.

[ 4 ] “Nancy, stop working when I’m talking to you! When you are done with the washing, go to the attic and prepare the small room there. Clean it. It will be a room for my niece, who is going to stay and live with me.”

[ 5 ] “A little girl? Coming here, Miss Harrington? It will be so nice!”

[ 6 ] “Nice?” Miss Polly asked stiffly. “I have just received a letter which says that her father has died, so she has no one, and, as a good person knowing my duties, I am going to raise that child.”

[ 7 ] Nancy knew for sure from that cold tone of voice that Polly Harrington wasn’t expecting her niece with an open heart.

[ 8 ] A couple of hours later she finished preparing the room, muttering to herself all the time about how inhuman and stiff Polly Harrington was. Then she went to the garden to talk to Old Tom, the gardener. Old Tom had worked for the Harrington family for over thirty years. He explained to Nancy that the small girl must be a child of the oldest Harrington daughter, Jane. Twenty-five years ago she fell in love with a poor minister, and even though her entire family was against this relationship, she married him, and they moved to another city. Later she died, and since that day Miss Polly was the only living mistress of the Harringtons’ big house. Polly Harrington was only fifteen at the time of her sister’s marriage. She didn’t marry, herself, and was living a sad and lonely life, changing everything into a duty. Tom and Nancy’s conversation was interrupted by a sharp voice calling:

[ 9 ] “Nancy, come here immediately!”

[ 10 ] She ran and found Miss Polly in the room in the attic. The room, though clean, was poorly furnished. Apart from a bed, two chairs, a table and a small desk, there wasn’t anything else there. Due to the closed windows, it was very hot inside.

[ 11 ] “Nancy, there was a fly. The windows must have been opened! Didn’t you know that they cannot be opened when there are no screens on them?”

[ 12 ] “But it was hot, and I wanted to let some fresh air in.”

[ 13 ] “I have ordered screens for this room, but as they are not here yet, the windows must remain closed. Do remember this. Also, my niece arrives tomorrow. You and Timothy will collect her from the station. In the telegram it states that Pollyanna will be wearing a red dress and a straw hat. She has light hair. That should be enough for you to recognise her among the crowd.”

[ 14 ] Nancy looked puzzled. [ 15 ] “But you...”

[ 16 ] “No, I shall not go there myself. It’s not necessary.” Then Miss Polly walked out of the room leaving Nancy behind.

[ 17 ] The next day at the station Nancy knew on the spot that the slender girl with the eager, freckled face was the one they had come to collect.

[ 18 ] “Miss Pollyanna?”

[ 19 ] “I’m so glad to see you. I’m so glad you came!” she said, and without waiting for any reply, the girl embraced Nancy.

[ 20 ] “You are?” Nancy asked surprised.

[ 21 ] “Oh yes. I’ve been wondering what you would look like, and what the house looks like. It is so lovely that I will have my own room and my aunt. After my father died, there were only the ladies from the Aid. But even though they were so kind to me, they weren’t my family. And now I have you, Aunt Polly.”

[ 22 ] When she stopped talking to catch her breath, Nancy said:

[ 23 ] “It will be all right, but I’m not your aunt. She stayed at home. I’m Nancy. I help in the house with the washing and cooking.”

[ 24 ] “Oh, well I’m glad it’s you, and there is also my aunt, still waiting for me.”

[ 25 ] “You can see her house from over here,” said Timothy – the Aunt Polly’s servant, interrupting their conversation and pointing at a big white house surrounded by trees.

[ 26 ] “Oh how lovely. Is my aunt rich?” Pollyanna wanted to know.

[ 27 ] “Yes, she is.”

[ 28 ] “So I will have all the nice things in my room then – the carpet, pictures, curtains. We were poor and couldn’t afford such things, but now I will have them all.” Nancy had no answer to that.

[ 29 ] When they arrived, Miss Polly didn’t even rise from the chair to meet her niece.

[ 30 ] “How do you do Pollyanna...” She hadn’t finish the sentence before the girl began hugging and kissing her.

[ 31 ] “Oh, Aunt Polly, how perfectly lovely. This house, Nancy and you.” Miss Harrington was terrified by such behaviour and commanded Pollyanna to stand still so she could look at her.

[ 32 ] “I’m not very much to look at. I have freckles and don’t have a nice dress. My father...”

[ 33 ] “Never mind what your father said. Don’t talk about him to me,” Aunt Polly interrupted immediately. “Let’s go to your room. Your trunk should be there by now.” Pollyanna’s eyes were nearly full with tears, but she followed her aunt obediently.

[ 34 ] “This is your room,” she explained when they entered the empty room, where there was not a single thing Pollyanna had dreamed about. “Do not open the windows in order not let flies in. Screens have been ordered. Supper is at six. Nancy will help you to unpack,” she said, and then she left the room.

[ 35 ] A couple of minutes later Nancy found the girl kneeling beside her bed, covering her face with both hands.

[ 36 ] “You poor little girl. It will be ok.”

[ 37 ] “Oh, Nancy, I’m so ungrateful. I wanted all those nice things, and I wasn’t glad for having a home and Aunt Polly and the beautiful view out of the window. And I’m so glad there’s no mirror in the room, so I don’t have to look at my freckles. I’m sure it’s going to be a very nice place.”

[ 38 ] Nancy pretended to be busy unpacking, because she had no idea what to say to cheer Pollyanna up.

[ 39 ] After the unpacking was done, Nancy left to prepare supper, and Pollyanna, not telling anyone, left the house to explore the town.

[ 40 ] Because her little walk wasn’t that short, she was late for supper. When she came back, Nancy was waiting for her in the kitchen.

[ 41 ] “Your aunt