40 ! natural classic i’m a very keen reader, but selecting the book with a natural history theme, which has influenced me most was some challenge, until i thought back to my childhood. then it was easy. where the book came from is a mystery, and i have never met anyone who has heard of it. it is rita richie’s the golden hawks of genghis khan. i read it when i was about 10 years old and i remember to this day the effect it had on me. set in 1218, it is a story of a rich boy whose parents are dead. he is growing up in the splendid city of samarkand and has a fascination for hawks, those magnificent hunting birds. there is a great deal of mystery surrounding his past, but he is led to believe that a band of mongols killed his father to steal a rare type of bird the golden hawk. determined to get these birds back, he runs away from samarkand and joins a group of people travelling to the country of mongolia. what follows is a grand adventure centred on the city of karakorum, where the great mongol chief genghis khan was then based. the book combines adventure, mystery, honour, friendship, danger, suffering all seen through the eyes of the young hero, jalair. i still find this fantasy a thrilling read. jalair’s great love for the birds was enviable and inspiring. but most of all it was the sense of place that stayed with me. the book gives the reader an idea of the vast open spaces of central asia and its huge skies, without the use of the long descriptive passages that would bore a child. there are no boundaries. the emptiness of the gobi desert, the tian shan mountains and the excitement of riding through forests and over rolling hills fascinated me. the book gave me more than hawks, horses and a desire for wild places. it also gave me a set of values. the mongols in the golden hawks were totally uninterested in possessions, a characteristic that is absolutely essential for people who spent their lives travelling from place to place. they were never mean. generosity, good will and optimism were highly valued, hard work was enjoyed and the rest was pure fun. they simply loved life. two years ago, i fulfilled a lifelong ambition and went riding in mongolia’s mountains. i was not disappointed task 1. for each of the questions 1–10 decide which of the statements are true or false on the basis of what is stated or implied in what you have heard and put a «+» if a statement is true and a «–» if a statement is false next to the corresponding number on your answer sheet. remember: you are not allowed to take notes at any time when the text is being read to you. 1.the author hasn’t read a good history book for a long time. 2.the book the author is telling about was borrowed from a library. 3.the main character of the book is genghis khan. 4.the action takes place in the 13 th century. 5.jalair is an orphan. 6.mongols take the boy as prisoner.. 7.the mongols’ chief is dead at the beginning of the story. 8.jalair’s father’s nickname was golden hawk. 9.the boy is eager to find those who killed his father. 10.the book was interesting to read because it had a lot of pictures in it task 2. for each of the questions 11–20 decide which of the answers (a, b, c or d) best complete the statements on the basis of what is stated or implied in what you have heard and mark the corresponding letter with a «+» on your answer sheet. 11. one can make a conclusion that the writer: a) is an educated person; b) can hardly read; c) has always been fond of nothing but history; d) is an experienced traveller. 12.the city where the boy lived was probably: a) like slums; b) a wonderful place to live; c) the capital city of mongols; d) the place for training hunting birds. 13.one can make a conclusion that the boy’s father was: a) a successful businessman; b) a good hunter; c) a mongol; d) a beggar. 14.jalair seems to: a) be a promising traveller; b) become a merchant in future; c) follow in his father’s footsteps; d) be a relative of genghis khan. 15.the geographical name not mentioned in the text is: a) karakorum; b) gobi; c) tian shan; d) everest. 16.jalair is trying to get to: a) the heart of mongolia; b) asia; c) mongolia’s mountains; d) samarkand. 17.the book most probably was written: a) with a lot of facts and details; b) in a pretty simple language; c) in mongolia; d) by an eyewitness. 18.jalair’s travel must have been: a) hard and dangerous; b) extremely boring; c) thrilling and exciting; d) quite simple. 19.the mongols in the book: a) are strong and merciless warriors; b) differ from the traditional image; c) are keen on collecting valuables; d) have no positive features at all. 20.which of the following is not true about the writer? a) she has not regretted going to mongolia; b) she is an unemotional person; c) she was able to realize her old dream; d) she knows how to handle a horse.
