UNIT 12: THE POWER OF STORIES

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READING 1: THE BROTHERS GRIMM
The Brothers Grimm
Long before J.K. Rowling, there were Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm—two young men
from Germany who loved a good story. The Grimm brothers never expected to be
storytellers for children. But today, their fairy tales are read and loved in over 160
languages.
Once Upon a Time Jacob and Wilhelm were introduced to folktales—traditional stories
people memorized and told again and again—as
university students. The brothers loved these stories of
adventure and magic. Soon they began to collect
traditional folktales from storytellers in Germany. Many
of these tales were similar to stories told in France, Italy,
Japan, and other countries. Between 1812 and 1814, the
Grimm brothers published two books. These included
stories like Hansel and Gretel and Little Red Riding
Hood.
Grimms' tales reflected traditional life and beliefs in Germany. For example, forests are
common in Germany, and this image appears often in the Grimms' stories. For medieval'
Germans, the forest was a dangerous place. In Grimms' fairy tales, witches, talking
animals, and other magical beings live in the forest. People's lives change forever when
they visit this place.
Children's Stories
Although Grimms' fairy tales are now considered children's stories; the brothers first
wrote them primarily for adults. Many of the early tales were dark and a little scary.
Later, the brothers changed die text of some of the original stories. They "softened"
many of the tales and also added drawings. This made them more appropriate for
children. Like the early tales, though, each of today's stories still has a moral: work hard,
be good, and listen to your parents.
Task 1. Choose the best answer for each question.
1. What is the main purpose of the reading?

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Doughlas, N. (2015). Reading Explorer 1: Student’s Book, 2nd edition. Cengage Learning. P. 89-91.
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 a. to describe the Grimm brothers and their stories
b. to explain why storytelling is important in Germany
c. to examine two of the Grimms' fairy tales
d. to compare the Grimms' stories to modern children's stories
2. The Grimm brothers __________.
a. invented the fairy tales in their books
b. always wanted to write children's stories
c. became interested in folktales as students
d. were actually French but moved to Germany
3. In the passage, what does them refer to?
a. the Grimm brothers
b. the children
c. the fairy tales
d. the adults
4. Which sentence about the Grimms' later fairy tales is true?
a. They were for adults.
b. They had pictures.
c. Children didn't like them.
d. They were darker.
5. In the passage, what does moral mean?
a. interest
b. text
c. story
d. message
Task 2. Complete the information with words from the reading passage.

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Task 3. Complete the information with the correct form of words given. Two words
are extra.
although appropriate collection magical memorize
primarily reflect scary soften text
In Finland, there once was a region known as Viena Karelia. The people here were great
storytellers and had many folktales and legends. The most famous is the Kalevala. This
is a(n) (1.) ________ of several poems that forms one long story. The Kalevala tells
tales of (2.) ________ beings and (3.) ________ monsters.
For centuries, storytellers, called rune singers, have learned and spoken the Kalevala
from memory. Today, Jussi Huovinen is Finland's last great rune singer. When he dies,
the ancient line of rune singers will end, (4.) ________ because no one has (5.) ________
the entire Kalevala.
But there is good news. (6.) ________ Jussi Houvinen is the last rune singer, the
Kalevala will not die with him. Today, there is a written (7.) ________ of the Kalevala
for people to read. Also, British author Tolkien (who wrote The Lord of the Rings) read
the Kalevala. Many of the Kalevala's ideas are (8.) _______ in Tolkien's stories. Some
characters in Tolkien's books also speak a language similar to the ancient Finnish
language used in the Karevala.
Task 4. Match the words from task 3 with the correct definition.
1. any written material: ___________________________________________________
2. mainly, mostly: _______________________________________________________
3. making you feel afraid: _________________________________________________
4. despite: _____________________________________________________________
5. suitable for a particular person or situation: _________________________________
6. a set or group of something: _____________________________________________
7. to show (e.g., in a mirror): ______________________________________________
8. to learn something so you remember it exactly: ______________________________
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READING 2: THE TALES OF SEVEN RAVENS
The Tales of Seven Ravens
Once upon a time, there lived a man and a woman who had seven sons. The couple
wanted a daughter very much, and finally, they had a girl. She was very pretty, and her

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Doughlas, N. (2015). Reading Explorer 1: Student’s Book, 2nd edition. Cengage Learning. P. 93-95.
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parents loved her very much. One day, the father needed water for the child. So he sent
the seven brothers to a well in the forest to get it. Once there, though, the boys began to
fight and the water jug fell into the well …
The youths looked into the well and thought of their father. They were afraid to go home.
Hours passed. "Where are those boys?" shouted the father angrily. "They are probably
playing a game and have forgotten about the water. I wish they were all turned into
ravens!" And when he looked up, he saw seven black birds flying away. The father was
shocked. "What have I done?" he thought. But it was too late. He could not take back
his words.
In time, the girl grew up and discovered she had
brothers. The story of their misfortune affected her
deeply, and she decided to find them. For years she
searched and did not stop. She was determined to find
her brothers. Finally, she found their home. To enter,
she needed a special key made from a chicken bone,
which she did not have. The girl thought for a moment,
and then took a knife and cut off one of her fingers.
With it, she opened the front door and went inside. On
a table, there were seven plates and seven cups. She ate and drank a little from each. In
the last cup, she accidentally dropped a ring that her parents had given her.
Eventually, the ravens returned for their meal. The girl hid behind the door and watched.
When the seventh raven drank from his cup, something hit his mouth. The raven
recognized it immediately—it was his parents’ ring. "I wish our sister were here," he
said, "and then we could he free." At that moment, their sister ran to them, and suddenly
the ravens were human again. The brothers kissed their sister, and all eight of them went
home together happily.
Task 1. Choose the best answer for each question.
1. What is this story mainly about?
a. a father who leaves his children
b. a bad witch who lives in a forest
c. a sister who saves her brothers
d. magical birds who help children
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2. In the passage, what does turned into mean?
a. changed to
b. interested in
c. a circled around
d. returned to
3. Why does the girt cut off her finger?
a. so she can remove a ring from her finger
b. because her finger is stuck in a door hole
c. because a bad witch makes her do it
d. so she can use it to enter the ravens' house
4. How do the ravens become human again?
a. Their sister kisses them.
b. They eat a magic ring.
c. One raven makes a wish.
d. They drink from a special cup.
5. What is the moral of this story?
a. Your parents always know best.
b. A wish can change your life.
c. Don't talk to strange people.
d. Work hard and you will be happy.
Task 2. Put the events below in order from 1- 6.
a. One raven finds the ring and wishes he could see his sister.
b. The ravens change back into humans and return home with their sister.
c. The girl finds the house of the seven ravens.
d. The father makes an angry wish. His sons change into birds.
e. The girl drops her ring into one of the raven's cups.
f. The girl learns she has brothers and she searches for them.
Task 3. Complete the information with the correct form of words from the box.
One word is extra.
accidentally determine deeply
affect immediately youth

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Sol Guy and Josh Thome want to tell you a story—a real-life fairy tale. In one story, a
poor child grows up and helps thousands of people in East Africa. In another, a
successful hip-hop artist from Brazil builds community centers and helps children.
These people are (1.) ________ to make changes and improve lives. Guy and Thome's
TV show, 4REAL, tells these people's stories.
Each 4REAL show takes a celebrity (an actor or musician) to a different country. There,
the celebrities meet young people who are helping others. Many of these (2.) _______
are poor, but they aren't sitting and waiting for help. They want to do something (3.)
________ - now, today. Their energy is amazing. 4REAL's stories will (4.) _______ you
(5.) _______ . "Once you see what [these] people are [doing], you'll never think about
these issues in the same way," says Thome.
Task 4. Complete each sentence with the best answer.
1. If something happens accidentally, it happens _________.
a. by chance b. because you planned it
2. If you hide something, you people to see it.
a. want b. don't want
3. If something happens suddenly, it happens _________.
a. slowly b. quickly
4. You recognize a person or thing you ________.
a. know b. don't know
5. If something shocks you, it surprises you in a ________ way.
a. bad b. good

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