82 The Star-Child Once two poor woodcutters returning home through the wood see
a star falling down, follow it and find a baby wrapped up in a cloak
of golden tissue. One of the woodcutters takes the child home; he and
his wife bring him up together with their own children. The Star-Child
grows up to become really beautiful in appearance but proud, cruel and
selfish. He becomes a master over some other children and calls them
his servants; together they play jokes on those who are weak and poor.
Once a poor beggar-woman comes to the village. The children led by
the Star-Child throw stones at her and mock her. The beggar-woman
hears that the Star-Child was found in the forest and claims that she
is his mother. She recognizes the gold cloak and the chain of amber the
Star-Child was wearing when he was found. The woman says the child
was stolen from her by the robbers and she has been wandering in search
of him.
The Star-Child refuses to recognize his mother in the beggar and
refuses to kiss her. He is punished for his cruelty and becomes as ugly
as a toad. The children don’t want to play with him anymore. The Star-
Child understands how much cruelty hurts and goes away in hope to
find his mother. He wanders over the world for three years and at last
comes to the gate of a big city. Two soldiers guarding the gate sell him
to an old man and the boy becomes his slave. The old man is a magician;
he makes the boy work for him and treats him badly. A hare helps him
to find three pieces of gold – white, yellow and red – after the Star-
Child rescues him from the trap. The boy has had pity for the Hare; as
a reward he becomes beautiful again. In the city he meets the beggar-
woman, kisses her and begs her to forgive him. He has learned his lesson
so he is forgiven and finds out that his mother and father are King and
Queen. He becomes the ruler of the city after them – the most merciful
and just of all the rulers.
При проверке выполнения упражнения 42 учащимся было бы по-
лезно не просто называть правильный вариант, но в ряде случаев и
объяснять, почему другие варианты не подходят. Например, в пункте
2 ученики, по существу, выбирают между причастием первым и при-
частием вторым(