Lisa’s stories about Bunnies

1. The Lisin Family

Klava and Peter Lisin live in a big city. They have two children: Elza is seven years old, and Mark is ten. The family has a cosy apartment on the top floor of an old brick house. They also have a small dacha in the country.

Every winter, the family goes to the dacha. They love this family tradition. Right now, they are preparing for the New Year holiday. Klava is packing warm clothes, and Peter is checking the car. The children are putting their favourite toys in a bag. Elza has already packed her toy kitten. Mark has just found his robot.

«Do we have everything?» asks Klava.

«Yes, we do,» says Peter. «We will leave in one hour.»

2. Winter Fun at the Dacha

Last year, the family went to the dacha in December. They built a big snowman. Mark and Elza rolled the snowballs. Peter put the snowballs together. Klava decorated the snowman with a bucket, a carrot, and a scarf. The children laughed and sang songs. They had a wonderful time.

This year, they are going again. The weather is cold but sunny. The snow is falling softly. The family has just arrived at the dacha. The house looks beautiful. There are lights on the trees. Everything is white.

«Look at the snow!» shouts Elza. «It is so beautiful!»

«I can’t wait to build another snowman,» says Mark.

3. The Sunny Bunnies

In the Lisins’ city apartment, there is a beautiful crystal vase. It stands on a shelf in the living room. This vase is very old and very valuable. But it is also a home. The Sunny Bunnies live inside it.

There are four bunnies in the city: Sam, Aiko, and their two babies, Ozya and Motya. Sam is brave. Aiko is kind. The babies are very small and love to sleep.

The bunnies are not ordinary rabbits. They are sunbeams. They shine and sparkle. When the sun comes through the window, they dance and play. They have lived in this vase for many years. They love the Lisin family.

At the dacha, Grandma Iskra and Grandpa Bucks live in another crystal bowl. They are older and very wise.

4. The Robbery

One night, something terrible happens. The family is at the dacha. The apartment is dark and quiet. Suddenly, two men come to the balcony. They are wearing Santa Claus suits. Their names are Maris and Juris. They have climbed up a rope ladder.

The balcony door is old. It opens with a sad noise. The cat Murik is sitting on the windowsill. He sees the men. He hisses and runs under the sofa.

«What are you waiting for?» asks Maris. «Let’s work.»

Juris opens a big bag. The men take many things: two laptops, two cameras, and a yellow suede jacket. Then Maris sees the crystal vase.

«Here it is!» he says. «This is the real treasure.»

The men put the vase in the bag. The baby bunnies, Ozya and Motya, are sleeping inside. They do not wake up. The thieves leave the apartment and drive away in an old car.

5. Sam Sends a Message

In the morning, Sam and Aiko are very worried. Their babies are gone. Sam feels afraid, but he is brave. He must do something.

«I will send a message,» he says.

Sam uses the light. He jumps from mirror to mirror. The message travels very fast. It goes through the city, over the fields, and to the dacha. Grandpa Bucks sees the light and understands the Morse code.

«Something bad has happened,» says Bucks.

Grandma Iskra reads the message. «The babies are kidnapped!» she says.

The old bunnies are shocked. They have never seen such a thing. But they must stay calm. «We will help them,» says Bucks. «We have a plan.»

6. The Family Returns Home

The Lisin family is still at the dacha. But they notice strange bright lights. The sunbeams are behaving strangely. Peter remembers an old book about Morse code. He reads the signals.

«Something is wrong at home,» he says. «We must go back now.»

The family quickly packs. They get into the car and drive to the city. When they arrive, they see the balcony door is open. The apartment is messy. The crystal vase is gone.

«Oh no!» cries Klava. «Our vase!»

Peter looks around. «They have taken my yellow jacket too. And the laptops.»

The children are sad, but they have their favourite toys with them. The family feels helpless. But they have not lost hope.

7. The Newspaper Ad

The next day, Peter buys a newspaper. He reads the classified ads. Suddenly, he sees something interesting: «For sale: handmade crystal vase, antique, perfect condition.»

«That is our vase!» says Klava.

She sends a message to the seller: «I am interested in the vase. I will buy it.»

The seller answers: «Meet me at the Amore restaurant tomorrow at 11:00.»

Peter and Klava look at each other. They are nervous but determined. They will go to the restaurant. They have a plan to get the vase back.

8. At the Amore Restaurant

The next morning, the sun is shining. The sunbeams are helping the family. Sam and Aiko are also going to the restaurant. They will watch and wait.

At 11 o’clock, Peter and Klava enter the restaurant. It is a glass building in the city park. They see two men in Santa Claus suits at a far table. The men are wearing sunglasses.

«Hello,» says Klava. «We have come about the vase.»

One man nods. He takes the vase out of a bag. The vase shines brightly in the sun. It is beautiful.

Suddenly, Sam and Aiko see their babies inside the vase. They are still sleeping. The parents rush forward. They enter the vase and take their babies. The whole bunny family is together again! They dance and sparkle on the ceiling.

Peter looks at the men. «We will buy this vase,» he says. «And we want the yellow jacket too. For the same money.»

The men look confused. Then Maris understands. «This is a trap!» he shouts.

9. The Escape

The men jump up from the table. They run to the door. The waitress almost falls. The men run outside. Their car is waiting. The driver is a woman named Ursula. She starts the engine.

Peter tries to catch them, but the car is too fast. It disappears down the road. The men have escaped.

Peter is angry. Klava is sad. But they still have the Santa Claus bag. Peter will draw the men’s faces. The family will go to the police.

10. Hope for the Future

Now, the family is waiting. They have reported the crime to the police. The police are looking for the thieves. Peter has drawn two faces. The drawings are very good.

The Sunny Bunnies are safe. Sam, Aiko, and the babies are resting in a small glass bowl. They have sent a message to Grandma Iskra and Grandpa Bucks: «We are safe. Thank you.»

The crystal vase is still missing, but the family has not lost hope. They know the vase is very special. They will find it.

«We are together,» says Klava. «That is the most important thing.»

Peter smiles. «Yes. And we will find our vase. I am sure of it.»

The children are playing in the living room. The sun is shining through the window. The sunbeams are dancing on the wall. It looks like a happy sign. Maybe the vase will come home soon.

A. Before You Read

Talk with a partner or write answers.

1. Do you have a family? Who is in your family?

2. Where do you live — in a house or an apartment?

3. Do you like winter? What do you do in winter?

4. Do you have any family traditions? What are they?

B. New Words

Match the words with the meanings.

C. Read Chapter 1

Klava and Peter Lisin live in a big city. They have two children: Elza is seven years old, and Mark is ten. The family has a cosy apartment on the top floor of an old brick house. They also have a small dacha in the country.

Every winter, the family goes to the dacha. They love this family tradition. Right now, they are preparing for the New Year holiday. Klava is packing warm clothes, and Peter is checking the car. The children are putting their favourite toys in a bag. Elza has already packed her toy kitten. Mark has just found his robot.

«Do we have everything?» asks Klava.

«Yes, we do,» says Peter. «We will leave in one hour.»

D. Comprehension Check

Write T (true) or F (false).

a. The Lisin family has three children.

b. Mark is older than Elza.

c. The family lives in a house in the country.

d. They go to the dacha every summer.

e. Klava is checking the car.

f. Elza has packed her robot.

a. How many children do Klava and Peter have?

b. Where does the family live?

c. What is the family tradition?

d. What is Klava doing right now?

e. What has Elza already packed?

f. When will the family leave?

E. Grammar Focus: Present Continuous

Look at the examples.

· Klava is packing warm clothes.

· Peter is checking the car.

· The children are putting their toys in a bag.

We use am / is / are + verb + -ing for actions happening now.

Complete the sentences with the Present Continuous.

1. Mark ____________ (look) for his robot.

2. Elza ____________ (pack) her bag.

3. The parents ____________ (prepare) for the trip.

4. I ____________ (read) a story now.

5. They ____________ (go) to the dacha today.

F. Grammar Focus: Present Perfect

Look at the examples.

· Elza has already packed her toy kitten.

· Mark has just found his robot.

We use have / has + past participle for actions that happened a short time ago or are still important.

Complete the sentences with the Present Perfect.

1. Peter ____________ (check) the car.

2. The children ____________ (put) their toys in the bag.

3. Klava ____________ (not / finish) packing.

4. We ____________ (already / see) this film.

5. She ____________ (just / arrive) at the dacha.

G. Vocabulary Practice

Complete the sentences with the correct word.

packs, apartment, tradition, favourite, dacha, cosy

1. The Lisin family lives in a big ____________.

2. They also have a small ____________ in the country.

3. Going to the dacha every winter is a family ____________.

4. Elza’s ____________ toy is a kitten.

5. Klava ____________ warm clothes for the trip.

6. The apartment is small but very ____________.

H. Speaking

Work with a partner. Ask and answer.

· What is your family like?

· Where do you live?

· What are you doing right now?

· What have you just done today?

· What will you do next weekend?

I. Writing

Write 5—7 sentences about your family.

Use these questions to help you:

· Who is in your family?

· Where do you live?

· What do you do together?

· What are you doing this week?

· What is your favourite family tradition?

Start like this:

My name is… I live in …. I have ….

J. Fun Activity: Draw Your Family

Draw a picture of your family. Label the people and write one sentence about each person.

Example:

This is my mother. She is cooking.

B. New Words

1-b, 2-a, 3-d, 4-c, 5-e, 6-f

D.1 True or False

a. F

b. T

c. F

d. F

e. F

f. F

D.2 Answer the Questions

a. They have two children.

b. They live in a big city, in an apartment.

c. They go to the dacha every winter.

d. Klava is packing warm clothes.

e. Elza has already packed her toy kitten.

f. They will leave in one hour.

E. Present Continuous

1. is looking

2. is packing

3. are preparing

4. am reading

5. are going

F. Present Perfect

1. has checked

2. have put

3. has not finished

4. have already seen

5. has just arrived

G. Vocabulary Practice

1. apartment

2. dacha

3. tradition

4. favourite

5. packs

6. cosy