Page 82 - Unit 1 - Exercise 1A

Page 82 - Unit 1 - Exercise 1A

The Little Fir Tree

The Little Fir Tree stands in the forest. Sometimes children play there. ‘What a nice little fir tree,’ they say. But the Little Fir Tree doesn’t like that. ‘I don’t want to be a little tree,’ she thinks. ‘I want to be big.’

In autumn men chop down the large trees and take them away. ‘Where do they go?’ asks the Little Fir Tree. ‘People use the big trees to make ships, and the ships sail to other countries,’ say the birds. ‘Oh, those trees are lucky,’ says the Little Fir Tree.

The birds say: ‘Be happy here in the beautiful forest.’

But the Little Fir Tree doesn’t listen to them.

At Christmas the m en come with their axes again. They take young trees this time. ‘Take me,’ says the Little Fir Tree, but they never do. Winter turns to spring and then summer again.

Then, one Christmas the men chop down the Little Fir Tree. They throw her into a cart with some other trees and take them to a big house. Later a man points and says: ‘Take that tree into the house.’ Inside the house people put her into a pot. Then they hang decorations on her - red, blue, and silver. They put candles on her branches, a big gold star on her head and presents around the pot.

The next day there are lots of people in the living room. ‘What a beautiful Christmas tree,’ they say.

The Little Fir Tree feels very proud. ‘I want to stay here forever,’ she thinks.

But the next day two servants come. They take the little tree to the attic an d throw her into a dark corner. ‘This isn’t very nice,’ she thinks.

Some mice are there, too. She tells them about the forest with the birds a n d the flowers. ‘What a beautiful place,’ say the mice. ‘Yes,’ thinks the Little Fir Tree. ‘It is beautiful there and I want to go back.’

A few months later, people come into the attic a n d take the Little Fir Tree outside. ‘Oh, they’re taking me back to the forest,’ she thinks.

But a boy says: ‘Look at the ugly old Christmas tree. It’s all dry and brown.’ Then the gardener takes his axe. He chops the tree into pieces and throws them on a fire.

And that is the end of the Little Fir Tree!