leg for his table. He took his axe¹ and began to hit the piece of wood with the axe. Suddenly he heard a very small voice: "Don't hit me so hard!"3 Master Antonio looked about the room. There was nobody who could say these words. Again he took the axe and began to work with it. "Oh! Oh! Don't hit me, don't hit me any more!" cried the same voice. At that moment his friend Geppetto came in. "Master Antonio," said Geppetto. "I came to ask you something." "I am ready to help you" answered Antonio. "Will you give me a piece of wood?" asked Geppetto. Geppetto wanted to make a nice wooden puppet. This puppet must know how to dance and to jump like an acrobat. Geppetto wanted to show it to the people. Master Antonio was a kind old man and he gave Geppetto the piece of wood. Geppetto thanked Master Antonio and went home with it. Geppetto lived in a small room. There was only a chair, a bed and an old table in the room. He took a knife and began to cut out his puppet. First Geppetto made the puppet's hair. Then he made his head and then his eyes. When the eyes were ready, they looked at Geppetto. He began to cut out the nose. 1 axe [æks] - топор 2 to hit [hit] (hit) — ударять 3 Don't hit me so hard! — Не колоти меня так сильно! 4 Geppetto [dzǝ' petǝu] - Джепетто 5 puppet ['papit] — кукла 6 acrobat [´ækrǝbæt] - акробат 7 knife [naif] - нож 8 cut out вырезать