(B+) - Strings in the Wind and a Film - A true winter story!

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Strings in the Wind and a Film! A true story about Hans Kratky

This true story happened more than seven years ago. But, for Hans Kratky it's still just as real as if it only happened last week. It was the day that his kite went away with the wind.

It was January the first. Hans Kratky was trying out his brand new video camera when he had an idea. Why not make a film of his house from above? A bird's eye view.

And, this was not only a very good idea, but simple as well. And, the only thing needed was a kite to carry the camera into the sky. And, that was no problem. Hans Kratky could easily make one himself. And so he got going. And, two days later, his kite was ready and waiting with camera fixed firmly on board.

And the take-off was perfect! Up into the sky went camera and kite. And, as Hans pulled the strings he was happy. His film, he was sure, would be a success.

But, then came the gust. It was so strong and so sudden that it took the strings right out of his hands! There was nothing Hans could do except sadly look-on as his kite and camera went away on the wind and into the cold winter sky.

But, all's well that ends well, and soon the kite found itself tangled up in a tree with the camera still shooting as if nothing had happened. All was not lost. And, later that day, Hans and his wife and their friends sat down to enjoy Hans's unforgettable film. And, it was full of surprises.

The beginning was perfect. There were the wonderful pictures as the kite rose gracefully higher and higher. And the views were impressive. And, far below, Hans's house looked amazingly small. And, again came the gust. And, the swingings and tossings looked great on the screen. But, the best was to come at the end. It was a finale fit for an Oscar, and, it all took place in the tree which was holding the kite!

Instead of coming up from the ground to rescue his camera and kite, Hans Kratky came down head first from above! The camera, which was still filming, was hanging upside-down in the tree. Everything was back-to-front and upside-down. And, so brilliant was this ending, that Hans's wife Petra thought the whole thing was great. And, she was glad she had given Hans the camera for Christmas.

And, Hans was glad, too. His dream had come true. He had made a film of his house from above and it was all his own work. Or, was it? Not quite. The wind and the tree had played important roles, too. Without them there would have been no surprises and no video either! Everything would have gone with the wind. Hans had had not only a very good day, but, lots of luck, too!

Hans Kratky. A man and his kite and a wondeful film.

Vocabulary

according – laut

after all – immerhin

amazing – erstaunlich

back-to-front – verkehrt

giant – riesig

got going - (to get going/got going/got going) – anfangen

graceful – graziös

gust – Windstoß/Bö

home made – Hausgemacht

impressive – beeindruckend

kite – Drachen

launching – abschießen

quite – ganz

rescue – (rescue/rescued/rescued) – retten

rose – (rise/rose/risen) – stieg

straight after – direkt nach . ..

strings - Schnüre

sudden – plötzlich

swayed – (to sway/swayed/swayed) ) - schwanken

take off, the – Abflug

tangled – (to tangle/tangled/tangled) - eingewickelt

tossings – wälzen

upside-down – verkehrt

Questions

What was Hans Kratky doing on January the first?

What was Hans Kratky's idea?

How long did Hans Kratky need to make his kite?

What took the strings out of Hans Kratky's hands?

Where did the kite land?

Why was everything upside-down?

Who gave Hans Kratky the camera for Christmas?

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