Many of us think that Norway is cold, snowy and polar bears walk in the streets…
Well, the truth is that Norway is situated so far north in Europe that winters are very cold, but in the summer temperatures often rise (rosną) above 25 degrees Celsius (stopni Celsjusza).
Do not expect to see polar bears wandering (spacerujące) around Oslo! They live on the island of Spitsbergen, which is located much further (dalej) north – close to the North Pole. This is where polar bears are fooling around (włóczą się).
Norway is also very interesting for Vikings lovers! The Viking plundered (plądrowli) Europe in the 10th century and the treasures the brought back (przywieźli) on their great ships are still excavated (odkrywane) by archeologists today.
But what Norway is best known for, and what people travel from all over the world to see, is the magnificent scenery. The waterfalls (wodospady), mountains, fjords, glaciers (lodowce) and islands. And have you heard of trolls? There are many myths and stories about trolls, children are still afraid of them, so are many adults! If you want to find out more about these creatures living in the lonely mountains and the wild forests of the country, stay with us!
- We think that Norway… – ‘that’ – ‘że’ (także ‘który’ – w zależności od kontekstu); zapamiętaj, że jeżeli ‘that’ łączy dwa zdania, a w każdym jest podmiot, wówczas może zostać pominięte, np.: I think that you are beautiful – I think you are beautiful.
- It is situated – jest usytuowana; strona bierna w czasie teraźniejszym, czyli: be (w odpowiedniej formie) + III forma czasownika.
- Temperatures often rise – temperatury często rosną; Present Simple – opisujemy prawa natury, coś co dzieje się regularnie.
- Do not expect = Don’t expect – nie spodziewaj się; tryb rozkazujący.
- Interesting – interesujący; uwaga! nie pomyl z ‘interested’ – zainteresowany.
- Have you heard of trolls? – czy kiedykolwiek słyszałeś o trollach? – Present Perfect; coś co wydarzyło się w przeszłości ma skutki teraz: czy słyszałeś w przeszłości i czy wiesz teraz?
Zadanie
Wypełnij luki odpowiednimi słowami z ramki.
animals; at; believe; cross; lived; more; ways; well; were; some
Who are trolls?
Trolls seem to be just a legend but many people _______________ (1) you can still meet them.
Trolls were different – sometimes big, sometimes small. Their characters differed as _____________________ (2). Most often, though, they were very old, ugly and malicious (podstępne). They were similar to orks but bigger, stronger and _______________ (3) aggressive. Nobody wanted to meet them!!!
Trolls lived in deep forests, mountains and caves, some of them _______________ (4) in the sea. They _______________ (5) looking for silver, gold and other valuable things. They could even kill for them.
They were very active _____________ (6) night! In the morning, farmers would discover that their ______________ (7) were sick, or some may had disappeared from the stable. Coping with trolls was quite difficult. ________________ (8) people would leave “presents” for them. There was a chance they wouldn’t enter the houses or stables.
Luckily, there were some _______________ (9) to get rid of trolls (people could try at least). They hated sun because… it could turn them into stone. People could always trust in Christianity: Church bells, a ______________ (10) or even words like “Jesus” or “Christ” would work against the trolls as well.
Odpowiedzi
1 believe; 2 well; 3 more; 4 lived; 5 were; 6 at; 7 animals; 8 some; 9 ways; 10 cross.
Did you know that…?
- Norwegians are excellent at winter sports! Norwegian children are said to be born with their skis on. The Norwegian people can be proud of the numerous Olympic medals that they have won for skiing.
- What do tourist buy as a souvenir from the country of fjords? Barbie dolls! Barbie dressed in the Norwegian traditional costume, known as bunad, is a popular souvenir.
- Norway is not a member (członkiem) of the European Union! In a 1972 referendum the people of Norway refused (odmówili) to join the EU. The same situation occurred (tu: miała miejsce) in 1994.
Zadanie
Odpowiedz na pytania dotyczące tekstu, wybierając A, B lub C.
Legends of Norway
Norway is well known because of its mythological creatures (istoty) – trolls! Who are they? Where do they come from? What is their history?
Trolls (in Norwegian ”troll”) are fairytale (bajkowe) creatures from Norse Mythology (mitologia nordycka). They remind (przypominają) us of the ogres (ogry) of England (also called ”trolls” at times) or giants (giganty). Usually they are big, but there are also smaller trolls. Whatever size (rozmiar) they are not friendly. What’s more! They are really horrible and mean (wredne)!
The original meaning of the word ”troll” is unknown (nieznany). It might have been ”supernatural” or ”magical”. Another suggestion is that it means ”someone who behaves violently (z przemocą, agresywnie).”
The problem with the history of trolls is that there are different theories. One of the explanations (wyjaśnienia) for the troll myth is that the trolls are the remains (pozostałości) of an ancestor-cult (kult przodków).
As Christianity spread (rozprzestrzeniło się), worshipping dead ancestors in this way said to be a pagan (pogański) cult. The times changed and people started forgetting about their old habits (zwyczaje). But they didn’t forget the trolls. In Norse sagas, trolls are often the restless (niezaznające spokoju) dead who disturb (przeszkadzać) the living.
The influence (wpływ) of trolls on Norwegian culture is huge. There are, for example, many places in Norway (and whole Scandinavia, of course) that are named after trolls. The most famous in Norway are trollfjorden, trollheimen, trollhetta, trollstigen, trolltindan and trollveggen.
1. Were trolls similar to any other creatures?
A. No, they were completely different.
B. They were similar to dwarves.
C. They were similar to ogres.
2. What is the original meaning of ”troll”?
A. There are different versions.
B. It means ”big and ugly”.
C. It means ”somebody friendly”.
3. Who did the people of ancient Scandinavia worship?
A. Trolls.
B. Their dead ancestors.
C. Nobody.
4. Are there any places in Norway in which names are connected with trolls?
A. There are a lot of different places!
B. Four or five places. Not more.
C. There are no such places.
Odpowiedzi
1C; 2A; 3B; 4A.
Zadanie
Zdecyduj, czy podane pod tekstem zdania są prawdziwe, czy fałszywe.
Fjords
Norway is a beautiful country. The natural wonders you can see there are definitely breathtaking (zapierające dech w piersi)! If you look for “fjords” on internet, you will see what I’m talking about!
But what is “a fjord”? It is a long, narrow estuary (ujście rzeki) with steep (strome) sides. During the recent (ostatnia) ice age valleys were formed by a glacier (lodowiec) when the sea was at a much lower level than it is today. At the end of the ice age, the climate warmed up again and glaciers retreated (cofnął się). Sea level rose (podniósł się) because the ice of the glaciers melted (stopniał). Water filled the valleys and the fjords were created.
Many people say that that fjords are the most beautiful and extraordinary (niezwykłe) creations of the world! Norway is a perfect place to explore them. The Songnefjord is the second largest fjord in the world (after Scoresby Sund on Greenland). It is situated in Western Norway and it stretches (rozciąga się) for 203 kilometres inland (w głąb lądu) to the small village of Skjolden. Cliffs surrounding the fiord are 1000 metres or more high!
If you don’t suffer from seasickness (choroba morska), you can go on a cruise (rejs). You can stay in a fantastic cabin, eat great food, swim in a swimming pool and, of course, admire the magnificent landscapes (widoki)! If you are not a great fan of ships and ferries (promy), you can always enjoy hiking (turystyka piesza)! Many travel agencies offer great programmes for walkers.
But fjords are not the only thing to see! High in the mountains you can visit farms and see how lucky the people are to live there. After a long day you can go down to small towns full of beautiful historic harbours (porty) and colourful wooden (drewniane) houses.
You have to know that fjords can be found not only in Norway. You can see such incredible places in New Zealand, Alaska, Iceland or even Scotland and Ireland. Anyway, many people say that Norwegian fjords are the most beautiful. So, where are going for your next holidays?
TRUE FALSE
Fjords were formed by a glacier in the ice age. true false
The largest fjord in Norway stretches for 1000 metres. true false
If you have a seasickness, you can go on a cruise. true false
No people live in the fjords. true false
You can see fjords in different countries all over the world. true false
Odpowiedzi
1 true; 2 false; 3false; 4 false; 5 true
A quick quiz
Are you a troll?
Trolls are said to be horrible! They are also ugly and stinky (śmierdzący)! Bad behaviour, being malicious (złośliwy) is the first step to become a troll. Are you a troll? Answer the questions below with “yes” or “no” and check.
1. Do you have many beautiful things that you don’t want to show to anybody?
2. Do you desire things that other people have?
3. Do you hate people if they have something better than you have?
4. Do you wish people bad luck (niepowodzenie)?
5. Do you like making jokes (robić żarty) that people don’t laugh at?
6. Do you laugh when somebody falls over (przewraca się)?
Mostly YES
If you don’t stop behaving like this, you will become a real troll! You may not be ugly yet, be warned! You mustn’t be horrible and mean to everybody! Don’t be so selfish! Generousity give a lot of joy as well as being nice!
Fifty-fifty
There are two people inside you: one is good, nice and friendly, the other… is a troll. If one day you are an angel helping and bringing joy, on the next day you destroy everything around – you won’t have many friends!
Mostly NO
Very well, you are a good person. You help people and you are always kind. Even if you don’t like somebody, you don’t want to hurt them. You may be angry sometimes, but everybody has weak times.