Book 12



Text 338




      Mr and Mrs Taylor had one child. He was a boy, he was seven years old, and his name was Pat. Now Mrs Taylor was expecting another  child.
       Pat had seen babies in other people's houses and had not liked them very much, so he was not delighted about the news that there was soon going to be one in his house too.
       One evening Mr and Mrs Taylor were making plans for the baby's arrival. "This house won't be big enough for us all when the baby comes. I suppose we'll have to find a larger house and move to that," said Mr Taylor finally.
       Pat had been playing outside, but he came into the room just then and said, “ What are you talking about? "
     "We were saying that we'll have to move to another house now, because the new baby's coming,' his mother answered.
    "It's no use," said Pat hopelessly. "He'll follow us there."

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

1. Did Pat have any brothers or sisters at the beginning of this story?
2. Why was he not happy to hear that his mother was expecting a baby?
3. What did his father say one evening about the baby's arrival?
4. Where was Pat when his father said this?
5. What did he do?
6. What did he ask?
7. What did his mother answer?
8. What did Pat answer?
9.
10.



B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.


C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?


1. Mr and Mrs Taylor had a son.
2. Pat was five years old.
3. Mrs Taylor was going to have another baby.
4. Pat did not like babies.
5. Pat was not happy about the new baby.
6. Mr and Mrs Taylor lived in a large house.
7.
8.
9.
10


Text 339




      An important businessman went to see his doctor because he could not sleep at night. The doctor examined him carefully and then said to him, " Your trouble is that you need to learn to relax. Have you got any hobbies? "
      The businessman thought for a few moments and then said, “No, doctor, I haven't. I don't have any time for hobbies."
     "Well," the doctor answered, 'that is your main trouble, you see. You don't have time for anything except your work. You must find some hobbies, and you must learn to relax with them, or you'll be dead in less than five years. Why don't you learn to paint pictures?'
     "All right, doctor," the businessman said. "I'll try that."
     The next day he telephoned the doctor and said, “That was a very good idea of yours, doctor. Thank you very much. I've already painted fifteen pictures since I saw you."

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


1. Why did the businessman go to his doctor?
2. What did the doctor tell him? (He told him that ....)
3. What did the businessman answer?
4. What did the doctor say was the businessman's main trouble?
5. What did he advise him to do?
6. What did he say would happen if he did not follow his advice?
7. What did the businessman answer?
8. What did he tell the doctor the next day on the telephone?
9.
10.

B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?


1. The businessman wanted to sleep less at night.
2. The businessman had trouble in sleeping at night because
he did not relax enough.
3. The businessman did not have any hobbies, because he
wanted to relax when he was not busy.
4. The doctor said that he would be dead in five years
unless he learned some hobbies and relaxed while he was
doing them.
5. The doctor advised him not to do anything except his
work, or he would be dead in less than five years.
6. The businessman started a hobby, but he did not relax
while he was doing it.


Text 340



       Mary's mother was nearly seventy, and Mary and her husband wanted to give the old lady a nice birthday present. She liked drinking tea, so Mary ordered an electric machine which made the tea and then woke you up in the morning. She wrapped it up in pretty
paper and brought it to her mother on her birthday. Then her mother opened the package. Mary showed her how to use it.
      "Before you go to bed, put the tea in the pot and the water in the kettle," she explained to the old lady, "and don't forget to switch the electricity on. Then, when you wake up in the morning, your tea will be ready."
       After a few days, Mary's mother rang up and said, "Perhaps I'm being rather silly, but there's one thing I'm confused about: why do I have to go to bed to make the tea?

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


1. How old was Mary's mother?
2. What did Mary and her husband buy her mother?
3. Why did they choose this for her?
4. What could the machine do?
5. What happened when Mary brought her mother the present?
6. What did Mary tell her mother?
7. What did Mary's mother do a few days later?
8. What did she tell Mary on the telephone?
9.
10.


B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?


1. Mary's mother was old.
2. She did not like tea very much.
3. Mary sent her mother a nice present by post.
4. The machine switched itself on in the morning.
5. The kettle did not need electricity
6. Mary's mother thought she could only make the tea when she was in bed.
7.
8.
9.
10.


Text 341




         Mr Grey was the manager of a small office in London. He lived in the country, and came up to work by train. He liked walking from the station to his office unless it was raining, because it gave him some exercise.
         One morning he was walking along the street when a stranger stopped him and said to him, 'You may not remember me, sir, but seven years ago I came to London without a penny in my pockets. I
stopped you in this street and asked you to lend me some money, and you lent me five pounds, because you said that you were willing to take a chance so as to give a man a start on the road to success.'
         Mr Grey thought for a few moments and then said, Yes, I remember you. Go on with your story.'
       " Well," answered the stranger, "are you still willing to take a chance? "

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


1. Where did Mr Grey work?
2. Where did he live?
3. How did he get from his home to his office?
4. Why didn't he go from the station to his office by bus every day?
5. What happened to him one day in the street?
6. What did the stranger say?
7. What did Mr Grey answer?
8. And what did the stranger ask then?
9.
10.

B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?


1. Mr Grey only walked to his office when the weather was
good.
2. He walked because he was poor.
3. He had helped the stranger some years before.
4. He had been willing to take a chance because he wanted to help the man.
5. The stranger had been successful since then.
6. Now he wanted to give Mr Grey his money back.
7.
8.
9.
10.








Text 342



        During the Second World War it was difficult to travel by plane, because the seats were needed for important government and army people.
        Mr Brown worked for the government during the war. He was a civilian, and he was doing very secret work, so nobody was allowed to know how important he was except a very few people.
       One day he had to fly to Edinburgh to give a lecture to a few top people there, but an important army officer came to the airport at the last minute, and Mr Brown's seat was given to him, so he was not
able to fly to the city to give his lecture.
       It was not until he reached the city that the important officer discovered that the man whose seat he had taken was the one whose lecture he had flown to the city to hear.

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:



1. Why did ordinary people find it diflicult to go by planc during the
Second World War?
2. Whom did Mr Brown work for?
3. Was he in the army?
4. What work did he do?
5. Why were only very few people allowed to know how important he was?
6. Why did he have to fly somewhere one day?
7. Why didn't he manage to get there?
8. What did the important oflicer lind out when he got to the city?
9.
10.

B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?


1. It was difficult for government and army people to find
seats on planes during the Second World War.
2. Mr Brown was an important person.
3. He wanted to go to Edinburgh by plane one day.
4. His scat was givcn to somebody else because he was late.
5. The important oflicer went to Edinburgh to give a lecture.
6. The important oflicer arrived in time for Mr Brown's
lecture, because he went by plane.
7.
8.
9.
10.




Text 343


 
        Peter Judd joined the army when he was eighteen, and for several months he was taught how to be a good soldier. He did quite well in everything except shooting. One day he and his friends were practising their shooting, and all of them were doing quite well except Peter. After he had shot at the target nine times and had not hit it once, the officer who was trying to teach the young soldiers to shoot said, "You’re quite hopeless, Peter! Don't waste your last bullet too! Go behind that wall and shoot yourself with it!"
         Peter felt ashamed. He went behind the wall, and a few seconds later the officer and the other young soldiers heard the sound of a shot.
         "Heavens!" the officer said. "Has that silly man really shot himself?"
         He ran behind the wall anxiously, but Peter was all right. " I'm sorry, sir," he said, “but I missed again."

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?


1. Peter was good at everything.
2. Peter was not good at shooting.
3. A lot of the other soldiers were bad at slhooting too.
4. One of Peter's nine bullets hit the target.
5. The ollicer was not pleased with him.
6. The oflicer thought that Peter had shot himself.
7.
8.
9.
10.




Text 344



         Mr Richards worked in a small seaside town, and he and his wife had a comfortable house near the sea. During the winter they were quite happy there, but every summer a lot of their relatives used to want to come and stay with them, because it was a nice place for a holiday, and it was much cheaper than staying in a hotel. 
       Finally one June Mr Richards complained to an intelligent friend of his who lived in the same place. "One of my wife's cousins intends to bring her husband and children and spend ten days with us next month again. How do you prevent all your relatives coming to live with you in the summer?"
       "Oh," the friend answered, “that isn't difficult. I just borrow money from all the rich ones, and lend it to all the poor ones. After that, none of them come again."

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


1. Where did Mr and Mrs Richards live?
2. What was their house like?
3. Why were they happier in winter than in summer?
4. Why did their relatives want to visit them?
5. Who did Mr Richards ask for advice then?
6. What did he say to him?
7. And what did his friend answer?
8. Why did the friend's relatives not want to visit him again?
9.
10.

B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?


1. Mr and Mrs Richards did not have many relatives.
2. Mr and Mrs Richards often went to stay with their relatives in the summer.
3. Mrs Richards's cousin decided to visit them.
4. Mr Richards was not at all happy about this.
5. A friend of his told him how to stop visitors.
6. He borrowed money from his poor relatives, and lent money to his rich ones.
7.
8.
9.
10.


Text 345



       Mrs Scott bought a new house last year. The walls of the rooms had been painted a short time before, and Mrs Scott liked the colours, but the person who had sold her the house had taken the curtains with him, so Mrs Scott had to buy new ones, and of course she wanted to buy ones whose colours would go with the walls of her rooms. She discovered that her comb was exactly the same colour as these walls, so she always took it with her whenever she went to look for cloth for curtains.
      In one shop she showed the shopkeeper the comb and then looked at various cloths for curtains for half an hour with him, until he got tired and said to her, " Madam, wouldn't it be easier just to buy some
cloth you like, and then find a new comb to go with that? "

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


1. Why did Mrs Scotl not want to have the walls of her new house painted?
2. Why did she have to buy new curtains?
3. What kind of curtains did she want?
4. Why dicd she take her comb with her when she went looking for cloth?
5. What happened in one shop?
6. How did the shopkeeper feel alter some time?
7. What did he say to Mrs Scott?
8. Why couldn't Mrs Scott follow his advice?
9.
10.


B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?


1. When Mrs Scott bought her new house, she did not have the walls painted.
2. She kept the curtains which the last owner had had.
3. She liked curtains whose colour was rather like the walls.
4. She liked curtains whose colour was very different from the walls.
5. Her comb and the curtains were the same colour.
6. Her comb and the walls were the same colour.
7. One shopkeeper suggested that she shoud get a comb of a different colour instead of cloth like the comb.
8. One shopkeeper suggested that she should buy some cloth which was like the comb and then find another comb which she liked.


Text 346




       Helen lived with her sister Mary. Both of them were about seventy- five years old, and neither of them had ever married. They had a small, old car, and when they wanted to go somewhere, which they
did very rarely, Mary always drove, because her eyes were better.
      One weekend they drove to a large town to look at some thingswhich they had read about in the newspaper. Neither of them had been to that town before.
      They were driving along in a lot of traffic when they turned right into a street which cars were not allowed to go into. There was a policeman there, and he blew his whistle, but Mary did not stop, so he got on to his motor-cycle and followed them.
      After he had ordered them to stop, he said, " Didn't you hear me blow my whistle? "
     "Yes, we did," admitted Mary politely, “but Mummy told us never to stop when men whistle at us."

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


1. Where did Mary and Helen drive one day?
2. What did they do in the town?
3. What did the policeman do?
4. And what did Mary do?
5. What did the policeman do then?
6. What did he say to Mary when he stopped her:?
7. And what did Mary answer?
8. Had her mother really meant that she should not stop when a policeman blew his whistle?
9.
10.

B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?


1. Helen and Mary were sisters.
2. They were quite young.
3. They were both married.
4. Mary drove their car.
5. A policeman tried to stop her one day.
6. She did not stop, because she did not hcar him blow his whistle.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Text 347



       In England nobody under the age of eighteen is allowed to drink in a public bar. 
       Mr Thompson used to go to a bar near his house quite often, but he never took his son, Tom, because he was too young. Then when Tom had his eighteenth birthday, Mr Thompson took him to his usual bar for the first time. They drank for half an hour, and then Mr Thompson said to his son, " Now, Tom, I want to teach you a useful lesson. You must always be careful not to drink too much. And how do you know when you've had enough? Well, I'll tell you. Do you see those two lights at the end of the bar? When they seem to have become four, you've had enough and should go home. "
       "But, Dad," said Tom, "I can only see one light at the end of the bar."

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


1. Who can drink in public bars in England?
2. Why did Mr Thompson not take Tom to his usual bar for a long time?
3. When did he take him?
4. What did they do there?
5. What did Mr Thompson say then?
6. And what did Tom answer?
7. Who had had enough to drink, Tom or his father?
8. How did Tom know this?
9.
10.

B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?


1. When Tom was under eighteen, his father took him to a public bar.
2. It was the first time that he had taken him to his usual bar.
3. There was one light at the end of the bar.
4. Mr Thompson wanted to teach Tom not to drink too much.
5. Mr Thompson thought he saw four lights.
6. Tom only saw two.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Text 348




    Mr and Mrs Davis had four children. One Saturday Mrs Davis said to her husband, " The children haven't got any lessons today, and you're free too. There's a fun-fair in the park. Let's all go." 
    Her husband was doubtful about this. "I want to finish some work,"
he said.
   " Oh, forget about it and come to the fair!" his wife said.
   So Mr and Mrs Davis took the children to the fun-fair. Mr Davis was forty-five years old, but he enjoyed the fun-fair more than the children. He hurried from one thing to another, and ate lots of sweets and nuts.
   One of the children said to her mother, " Daddy's behaving just like a small child, isn't he, Mummy?"
   Mrs Davis was quite tired of following her husband around by now, and she answered, " He's worse than a small child, Mary, because he's got his own money! "

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


1. How many children did Mr and Mrs Davis have?
2. Where did Mrs Davis suggest that they should take them?
3. How did Mr Davis feel about this?
4. What did he say?
5. What did his wife answer?
6. What did he do at the fair?
7. What did one of the children say about him&
8. What did Mrs Davis answer?
9.
10. 

B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?



1. Mr Davis and his children did not work on Saturdays.
2. Mr Davis was eager to go to the fun-fair, but his wiſe was not.
3. The children enjoyed the fun-fair, but Mr Davis did not.
4. He behaved like a small child.
5. Mrs Davis got tired.
6. Mr Davis did not like the ſun-fair because he was a rich man and wanted something better than that.
7.
8.
9.
10.


Text 349






      Mr Jones bought some things from a big shop last month, and whenhe got the bill a few days ago, he thought that there was a mistake in it, so he telephoned the shop and asked to speak to the Accounts Department. " Who do you want to speak to in the Accounts Department? " the telephone operator asked.
     " It doesn't matter to me," Mr Jones answered. He did not know the names of any of the people who worked there. He heard nothing for a few seconds and then the operator said, " Hullo, you wanted to speak to someone in the Accounts Department, didn't you? "
     " Yes, that's right," Mr Jones answered.
     " Would you like to speak to Mr Hankinson?" the operator said.
     " Yes, that'll be all right," Mr Jones said patiently. " It doesn't matter who I speak to."
     " I'm sorry,"  the operator answered, " but Mr Hankinson isn't in today."

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


1. Why did Mr Jones telephone the big shop?
2. What did the telephone operator ask him?
3. What did he answer?
4. What happened then?
5. What did Mr Jones say?
6. What did the operator ask him then?
7. What did Mr Jones answer?
8. And what did the operator say?
9.
10.

B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?


1. Mr Jones got a bill from a big shop.
2. He believed that the bill was wrong,
3. He only knew Mr Hankinson in the Accounts Department.
4. The telephone operator tried to get Mr Hankinson for him.
5. Mr Hankinson was not in the Accounts Department that day.
6. The telephone operator helped Mr Jones a lot.
7.
8.
9.
10.





Text 350




     Mr Hodge was a chicken farmer. He had hundreds of chickens, and sold the eggs and the meat and got quite a lot of money for them, but he lived in a very hot part of the country, and he found that his hens laid hardly any eggs in the summer. So he decided to put airconditioning into his chicken-house so that the hens would lay well all through the year and he could get more eggs and in that way earn more money.
     The owner of the company which sold the air-conditioning came to see him, and when he saw Mr Hodge's house, he thought that he might be able to persuade him to buy some air-conditioning for that  too.
    " Your wife would be much happier and more comfortable then," he
said to Mr Hodge. But Mr Hodge was not interested.
      " My wife doesn't lay eggs,' he said.


Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


1. What work did Mr Hodge do?
2. How did he earn his money?
3. Why did he not get so much money in the summer?
4. Where did he decide to put air-conditioning?
5. Why did he decide this?
6. What did the owner of the air-conditioning company hope to do?
7. What reason did he give for having air-conditioning in the house?
8. What did Mr Hodge answer?
9.
10.

B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.


C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?


1. Mr Hodge's chickens laid a lot of eggs when the weather
was hot.
2. Mr Hodge wanted air-conditioning for his chickens.
3. The owner of the air-conditioning company sent a man
to see Mr Hodge.
4. The owner of the company wanted to sell as much air-
conditioning as possible.
5. Mr Hodge agreed to have air-conditioning in his house too.
6. Air-conditioning in his house would not bring him more
money.
7.
8.
9.
10.











Text 351


      George Banks was a clever journalist. He worked for a good newspaper, and he liked arguing very much. He argued with anybody, and about anything. Sometimes the people whom he argucd with were as clever as he was, but often they were not.
      He did not mind arguing with stupid people at all: he knew that he could never persuade them to agree, because they could never really understand what he was saying; and the stupider they were, the surer they were that they were right; but he often found that stupid people said very amusing things.
     At the end of one argument which George had with one of theseless clever people, the man said something which George has alwaysremembered and which has always amused him. It was, " Well, sir,you should never forget this: there are always three answers to cvery question: your answer, my answer, and the correct answer."

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


1. What was George's job?
2. What did he work for?
3. What was his hobby?
4. Why did he not mind arguing with stupid people?
5. How did stupid people argue?
6. Why did he enjoy that?
7. What did one stupid person say to George?
8. What did George think of this answer?
9.
10.

B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.


C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?


1. George only argued with people who were less clever than
he was.
2. Stupid people understood what he said, because he
spoke very clearly
3. Stupid people believed that they were always right.
4. George was sometimes amused by stupid people.
5. The stupid man thought that both he and George were
wrong.
6. George soon forgot what this man had said.





Text 352



       Pat came over from Ireland to England with his wife one year to find work. He got quite a good job with a building company, and as he did not drink or smoke, he saved up quite a lot of money. 
        His wife's parents were still in Ireland, and one day she got a telegram to say that her mother was ill, so Pat gave her some money and she went to Ireland to see her.
         After a week, Pat wanted to write a letter to her, but he could not read or write very well, so he went to his priest and asked him to do it for him. Pat told the priest what he wanted to say, and the priest wrote it down. After a few minutes Pat stopped, and the priest said, " Do you want to say any more?"
"Only, “Please excuse the bad writing and spelling”," Pat said.

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


1. Why did Pat come to England?
2. How did he manage to save money?
3. Why did his wife have to go to Ireland?
4. What did Pat want to do a week later?
5. Why didn't he write the letter?
6. Who wrote it for him?
7. What did the priest say after Pat had finished?
8. And what did Pat answer?
9.
10.

B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.


C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?


1. Pat brought his wife to England with him.
2. He did not spend all his money.
3. His mother-in-law came to England too, because she was
4. Pat went to see his mother-in-law because she was ill.
5. Pat wrote a letter to his wife after a week.
6. He asked his wife to excuse the priest's bad writing and spelling
7.
8.
9.
10.


Text 353


       Mark went to a barber's shop and had his hair cut, but when he came out, he was not happy with the result, and when his friend George saw him, he laughed and said, " What's happened to your hair, Mark? "
       Mark said, " I tried a new barber's shop today, because I wasn't at all satisfied with my old one, but this one seems even worse. "
       George agreed. "Yes, I think you're right, Mark. Now I'll tell you what to do next time you go into a barber's shop: look at all the barbers’ hair, and then go to the one whose own hair has been cut the worst."
      "The one whose hair's been cut the worst? " Mark repeated. But that would be foolish!
" Oh, no, it wouldn't, " answered George. “Who do you think cut that man's hair? He couldn't cut it himself, could he? Another of the barbers cut it—and he must have been a worse barber than the one whose hair he cut.'

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


1. How did Mark feel when he came out of the barber's shop?
2. What did his friend George do when he saw him?
3. And what did George say?
4. What was Mark's answer?
5. What did George suggest then?
6. And what did Mark answer?
7. What did George say then?
8. Which barber would have the best haircut?
9.
10.

B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.


C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?

1. Mark's hair was cut badly.
2. He had not been to that barber's shop before.
3. It was better than the one he used to go to before.
4. His friend George advised him to choose the barber whose hair looked the worst.
5. Barbers cut each other's hair.
6. The barber whose hair is cut the worst cannot be the worst barber.
7.
8.
9.
10.





Text 354




     Mrs Harris's husband died when she was forty-five years old. Shehad a son, who was eighteen years old at that time.
     Mrs Harris was not a widow for very long. She met a nice man who was a few years older than she was, and two years after her first husband had died, she married for the second time. Her son, Peter, was twenty years old then.
     Mrs Harris had a nice, quiet wedding in the village church, and after that, they had the usual party at her house for her family and her new husband's, and for some of their friends, but Peter was very late for the party. At last he hurried in, kissed his mother, and said, I'm sorry I'm late, Mum, but I've been looking everywhere for a card which says, “ To my Mother, for her Wedding,” and I haven't been able to find one."


Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


1. Why did Mrs Harris marry when she was forty-seven?
2. Who was Peter?
3. How old was he then?
4. What kind of wedding did Mrs Harris have?
5. What happened after the wedding?
6. Why was Peter late?
7. What had he been looking for?
8. Why hadn't he been able to find it?
9.
10.

B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.


C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?

1. Mrs Harris was twenty-five when Peter was born.
2. She was forty-seven when she married her second husband.
3. She married him at her house in the village.
4. Peter was in a card shop when his mother's wedding party started
5. He found the card he wanted in the last shop he went to.
6. He did not find the card he wanted.
7.
8.
9.
10.





Text 355



        A long time ago, when aeroplanes were not very big or strong yet, all passengers had to be weighed with their luggage, so that planes did not have to carry more than it was safe to carry. Then later, when aeroplanes became bigger and stronger, only the luggage had to be weighed; and now very often, the luggage has to be measured instead of being weighed, because size is more important to the airlines than weight. Aeroplanes are so big and strong now, that they can carry almost any weight.
        But before a passenger can travel by Hawaiian Airlines, he or she still has to be weighed. Once when one fat man was asked by the airlines' clerk how much he weighed, he thought for a few seconds and then said to her:
       "With or without my clothes?"
       “Well, sir," the girl answered, “how are you planning to travel?'

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


1. Why did aeroplane passengers have to be weighed a long time ago?
2. Why did they not have to be weighed some years later?
3. What happens to luggage now?
4. Why is it treated in this way?
5. What still happens at Hawaiian Airlines?
6. What did the airlines' clerk there ask one fat man?
7. What did he answer?
8. What did the clerk say then?
9.
10.

B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.


C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?


1. Aeroplane passengers were weighed a long time ago.
2. Later, only the luggage was weighed.
3. Even now, aeroplanes are not strong enough to carry
heavy weights.
4. Hawaiian Airlines only weigh fat passengers.
5. One fat man did not know whether the airlines' clerk
wanted his weight with clothes or without.
6. He wanted to travel without his clothes.
7.
8.
9.
10.



Text 356




      When Dick was six years old, he went and stayed with his grandparents in the country for a few weeks in the summer. He talked a lot with his grandmother while he was there, and she told him a lot of interesting things about their family which he had not known before. When he came home again to his own parents, he said to his father,
      " Is it true that I was born in London, Daddy?"
      " Yes, it is, Dick," his father answered.
      " And were you really born in Germany? " Dick asked.
      " Yes, that's right," his father answered. “I was."
      " And is it true that Mummy was born in Ireland? " Dick continued.
      His father said, " Yes, it is, but why are you asking me all these questions? "
Dick answered, “Because when Granny told me all those things while I was with her, I couldn't understand how we had all met."


Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


1. Whom did Dick visit when he was six?
2. How did Dick find out a lot of interesting things about his family?
3. Whom did he talk to about these things when he came home?
4. Where had Dick been born?
5. Where had his father been born?
6. And where had his mother been born?
7. What did his father say when he asked a lot of questions?
8. And what did Dick answer?
9.
10.

B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.


C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?

1. Dick and his grandmother talked to each other a lot.
2. Dick already knew a lot about his family.
3. His grandmother told him a lot about it.
4. Dick's parents had been born in the same country.
5. Dick had been born in a different country.
6. Dick had met his parents in Germany.
7.
8.
9.
10.




Text 357



      When Dave Perkins was young, he played a lot of games, and he was thin and strong, but when he was forty-five, he began to get fat and slow. He was not able to breathe as well as before, and when he walked rather fast, his heart beat painfully.
       He did not do anything about this for a long time, but finally he became anxious and went to see a doctor, and the doctor sent him to hospital. Another young doctor examined him there and said, " I don't want to mislead you, Mr Perkins. You’re very ill, and I believe that you are unlikely to live much longer. Would you like me to arrange for anybody to come and see you before you die? "
       Dave thought for a few seconds and then he answered, " I'd like another doctor to come and see me."


Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


1. What was Dave like when he was young?
2. What happened to him when he was forty-five?
3. What did he do about it at first?
4. What did he do later?
5. What did his doctor do?
6. What did the young doctor in the hospital say to Dave?
7. What did he ask him?
8. And what did Dave answer?
9.
10.

B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.


C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?

1. Dave was fat and slow until he was forty-five.
2. As soon as Dave had trouble in breathing and walking, he
went to see a doctor.
3. Dave was afraid he was ill.
4. The young doctor thought Dave was going to die soon.
5. He wanted Dave to see another doctor first.
6. Dave did not trust the young doctor.
7.
8.
9.
10.


Text 358




     Joe was one of those people who love the sound of their own voice. He never had anything interesting to say, but he talked and talked and talked, and every story he told reminded him of another one, so that he never stopped for a second to let anybody else say anything.
     One evening he was invited to a party by someone whom he had met only a few days before and who did not know him very well yet. They had a good meal, and then they had some music and dancing. Joe danced once with a pretty girl and then suggested that they should sit and talk. He talked and talked and talked, and was just beginning, “And that reminds me of the time...," when the girl said,
“The time? Yes, you're quite right! " She looked at her watch quickly
and said, " Look how late it is. I must go."


Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


1. What kind of person was Joe?
2. What happened whenever he found someone to talk to?
3. What happened one evening?
4. What did Joe and the pretty girl do?
5. What did Joe do then?
6. What was he saying when the girl stopped him?
7. What did she do?
8. And what did she say?
9.
10.


B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.


C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?


1. Joe liked talking very much.
2. People did not enjoy listening to him.
3. He stopped other people saying anything.
4. He was invited to a party by an old friend.
5. Joe wanted to talk instead of dancing.
6. A girl asked Joe to talk instead of dancing.
7. Joe was probably going to say, And that reminds me of the time that I was . . .,' but the girl stopped him.
8. Joe was probably going to say, 'And that reminds me of the time. It's late. I must go,' but the girl stopped him.
9.
10.




Text 359



      Matthew Hobbs was sixteen years old. He had been at the same school for five years, and he had always been a very bad pupil. He was lazy, he fought with other pupils, he was rude to the teachers, and he did not obey the rules of the school. His headmaster tried to make him work and behave better, but he was never successful—and the worst thing was that, as Matthew grew older, he was a bad influence on the younger boys.
       Then at last Matthew left school. He tried to get a job with a big company, and the manager wrote to the headmaster to find out what he could say about Matthew.
       The headmaster wanted to be honest, but he also did not want to too hard, so he wrote, “If you can get Matthew Hobbs to work for you, you will be very lucky.”

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


1. How did Matthew behave at school?
2. What did his headmaster do about it?
3. Did he succeed?
4. What made things even worse?
5. What did Matthew do when he left school?
6. What did the manager of the company do?
7. How did the headmaster feel about this?
8. What did he write to the manager?
9.
10.

B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.


C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?

1. Matthew had come to his school when he was eleven.
2. He was always a good boy.
3. The younger boys learnt good manners from him.
4. Matthew got a job with a big company.
5. His old headmaster got a letter from the manager.
6. The headmaster answered the letter cleverly.
7.
8.
9.
10.





Text 360



      Harry came to his mother one morning while she was having her breakfast, and said to her, "No one at my school likes me, Mother. The teachers don't, and the children don't. Even the cleaners and the bus drivers hate me."
     "Well, Harry," his mother answered, “perhaps you aren't very nice to them. If a few people don't like a person, he or she may not be responsible for that; but if a lot of people don't, there's usually something wrong, and that person really needs to change."
       “ I'm too old to change," Harry said. “I don't want to go to school."
        " Don't be silly, Harry," his mother said, going towards the garage to get the car out. You have to go. " You're quite well, and you still have a lot of things to learn. And besides that, you're the headmaster of the school."

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


1. What did Harry say to his mother?
2. When did he say this?
3. What did his mother answer?
4. And what did Harry say then?
5. What was his mother's answer?
6. And what did she do while she was saying that?
7. Why did she do this, do you think?
8. What did you think Harry was when you started reading this
story?
9.
10.

B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.


C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?


1. Harry was a schoolboy.
2. He liked going to school.
3. His mother wanted him to go to school too.
4. His mother thought he should change, because a lot of people did not like him.
5. She thought he might be too ill to go to school that day.
6. He was the headmaster.
7.
8.
9.
10.



Text 361





       Mrs Watson was a doctor's wife. She had a nice neighbour, Mrs  Potts. They often did each other's shopping.
       One day, Mrs Potts had to go to Dr Watson because she was ill, so Mrs Watson said, “I'll do your shopping today, Beryl?'" Mrs Potts told her that she only wanted a sheep's kidney.
       Mrs Watson went to the shops, and when she came back, she went to Mrs Potts's house, but she was not there, so she went to her own house. She looked in her husband's waiting-room, but Mrs Potts was not there either, so she went into her husband's office. Her husband told her that Mrs Potts had just left him and gone to the lavatory.
        Mrs Watson ran out into the crowded waiting-room just in time to catch Mrs Potts. She shouted, "Here's your kidney! " and ran and gave her the parcel.

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


1. What work did Mrs Watson's husband do?
2. Who was Mrs Potts?
3. How did she and Mrs Watson help each other?
4. Why did Mrs Watson offer to do Mrs Potts's shopping one day?
5. What did Mrs Potts ask her to get?
6. Where did Mrs Watson look for Mrs Potts when she came back?
7. Where was Mrs Potts?
8. What did Mrs Watson shout to her when she found her at last?
9.
10.

B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.


C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?


1. Mrs Potts lived near Mrs Watson.
2. Mrs Watson was ill.
3. Mrs Watson did Mrs Potts's shopping.
4. During this time, Mrs Potts went to the lavatory and then to Dr Watson's office.
5. Mrs Watson stopped Mrs Potts as she was leaving.
6. Dr Watson had cut Mrs Potts's kidney out.
7.
8.
9.
10.





Text 362



      Jim was intelligent, but he hated hard work. He said, 'You work hard, and earn a lot of money, and then the government takes most of it. I want easy work that gives me lots of money and that the
government doesn't know about.'
     So he became a thief—but he did not do the stealing: he got others to do it. They were much less intelligent than he was, so he arranged everything and told them what to do.
    One day they were looking for rich families to rob, and Jim sent one of them to a large beautiful house just outside the town.
    It was evening, and when the man looked through one of the windows, he saw a young man and a girl playing a duet on a piano.
    When he went back to Jim, he said, “ That family can't have much money. Two people were playing on the same piano there."

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


1. Why did Jim become a thief?
2. How did he steal things?
3. What was his job in this?
4. Why was he good at it?
5. What did he send one of his men to do one evening?
6. What did the man see?
7. What did he say to Jim?
8. What mistake did he make?
9.
10.

B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:

1. difficult
2. lazy
3. little
4. more
5. old
6. poor
7. small
8. spend
9. stupid
10. ugly

C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?

1. Jim was clever, but lazy.
2. He didn't like paying taxes.
3. He always used clever people to steal for him.
4. They tried to find rich families.
5. One of his men played a duet on a piano with a girl.
6. The girl's family was poor.
7.
8.
9.
10.





Text 363



     Fred sometimes liked to go to a bar to have a drink before he went home after work. There were some tables and chairs in the bar, but it was too early for most people when Fred was there, so he seldom found anyone to talk to.
     Then one evening he went into the bar and saw a man playing draughts at a table, but he could not see anyone in the chair opposite him. He went nearer to look, and was very surprised to see that the man was playing against a dog. When it had to move one of its draughts, it stood on its back legs on the chair.
     Fred watched while the two played their game, and when the dog lost, Fred went up to its owner and said, “I've never seen such a clever dog before.'
     ‘Well,' answered the other man, he isn't really very clever. I always win.'

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


1. Where did Fred sometimes go after work?
2. Why did he seldom find anyone to talk to there?
3. What did he see one evening?
4. Why was he very surprised when he went nearer?
5. How did the dog manage to play?
6. Who won?
7. What did Fred say then?
8. What did the dog's owner answer?

B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.


C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?

1. Fred always had his drink at home.
2. He talked to a lot of people in a bar.
3. A man was playing draughts with a dog in the bar one evening
4. The dog moved the draughts itself.
5. Fred was very surprised.
6. The dog sometimes won the game.
7.
8.
9.
10.




Text 364



      Henry was from the United States and he had come to London for a holiday.
      One day he was not feeling well, so he went to the clerk at the desk of his hotel and said, 'I want to see a doctor. Can you give me the name of a good one?'
      The clerk looked in a book and then said, 'Dr Kenneth Grey, 61010.'
      Henry said, “Thank you very much. Is he expensive?"
     "Well," the clerk answered, 'he always charges his patients two pounds for their first visit to him, and £1.50 for later visits.'
       Henry decided to save 50p, so when he went to see the doctor, he said, “I've come again, doctor."
       For a few seconds the doctor looked at his face carefully without saying anything. Then he nodded and said, "Oh, yes." He examined him and then said, "Everything's going as it should do. Just continue with the medicine I gave you last time."

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


1. Why did Henry have to ask someone else for the name of a doctor?
2. What did the clerk do?
3. What did Henry ask him then?
4. And what did the clerk answer?
5. What did Henry decide?
6. What did he do?
7. What did he say to the doctor?
8. And what was the doctor's answer?
9.
10.

B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.


C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?

1. Henry wanted the clerk at the hotel to send a good doctor to his room.
2. The clerk gave him the name and address of a doctor.
3. Henry wanted to know how much it cost to go to him.
4. The first visit to the doctor cost less than later visits.
5. Henry tried to make the doctor believe that he had been to him before.
6. The doctor knew that he had not seen Henry before.



Text 365





       Mrs Jenkins was the owner of a small restaurant in Southampton. Southampton is a big port. Mrs Jenkins had two young waitresses and a cook to help her.
      One day a sailor came into the restaurant, sat down at one of the tables, ordered what he wanted from the waitress and then got up and left again after a few minutes. The owner of the restaurant was surprised when she saw this, so she called the waitress and asked her  why the man had left before having his meal.
     "Well," the waitress answered, ‘he asked for some of our fried rabbit, and when I went out into the kitchen to order it from the cook, the cat was just on the other side of the door and I stepped on its tail
by mistake. It made a terrible noise, of course, and then the man got up from his table and went out very quickly.'

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


1. What was Mrs Jenkins's job?
2. Who did she have working for her?
3. What did the sailor do?
4. Why was Mrs Jenkins surprised?
5. What did she do then?
6. What did she ask the waitress?
7. And what did the waitress answer?
8. What had the sailor thought?
9.
10.

B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.



C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?

1. Mrs Jenkins's restaurant was very big.
2. A sailor came in, but he did not like the waitress, so he went out again.
3. Mrs Jenkins was surprised when the sailor left.
4. The sailor ordered rabbit for his meal.
5. The cat made a noise because its tail hurt.
6. The restaurant gave people cat’s meat instead of rabbit's.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Text 366



      There is a prison in Iceland which allows its prisoners to go out without any guards to work every day. They work on the farms near the prison during the day, and come back to have their evening meal
and to sleep every evening. Before they are allowed to go out like this, they have to promise to come back every evening. If they do not promise this, they are not let out.
      One night one of the prisoners was invited to have a meal and a drink with the family of the farmer he was working for, so he came back to the prison very late. He had to knock at the gate several times
before the guard came to let him in. The guard did not like being disturbed at this time, so he said to
the prisoner angrily, 'If you come back so late again, I won't let you in.'

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


1. In what way is the prison in this story different from most others?
2. What work do the prisoners do?
3. What do they have to do in order to be allowed to work outside?
4. What happens if they do not do this?
5. Why was one prisoner very late one night?
6. What did he have to do to get into the prison again?
7. How did the guard feel about this?
8. What did he threaten to do iſ the prisoner was late again?
9.
10.

B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.


C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?


1. The guards in the prison in Iceland were on the farms
with the prisoners during the day.
2. The prisoners had to have their evening mcal on the farms.
3. They spent the night in the prison.
4. One prisoner had his mcal on a farm one evening.
5. The guard did not like opening the gate late at night because he was afraid.
6. He did not let the prisoner in.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Text 367




       Peter was 10 years old, and he was having painting lessons every   week at a small private class.
       During the Christmas holidays, he had a party at his home, and he wanted to invite one of the other students, but he only knew her name — Celia Poe. He did not know her address or her telephone number.
       Peter's mother looked in the telephone book and said, " Well,  there are only four Poes here, so I'll telephone each of them and ask whether they have a daughter who has painting lessons.”
       She telephoned the first one, and the telephone rang for rather a long time before a woman answered. Peter's mother said, “Excuse me. Is that the Mrs Poe who has a daughter who takes painting lessons?"
       " No, it isn't," the woman answered. "This is the Mrs Poe who had to get out of her bath to answer the telephone!'

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


1. How old was Peter?
2. Where did he study painting?
3. Why did he want to telephone Celia?
4. Why was it not easy to do this?
5. How did his mother plan to help him?
6. What did she say to the first woman she telephoned?
7. And what was the woman's answer?
8. How did the woman feel, do you think?
9.
10.

B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.


C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?

1. Peter studied painting with a lot of other children.
2. One of the other students was called Celia.
3. There were a lot of Poes in the telephone book.
4. The first one that Peter's mother telephoned was Celia's mother.
5. Peter's mother spoke to Mrs Poe politely.
6. The woman was in her bath when the telephone rang.
7.
8.
9.
10.

















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