Book 13




Text 368

Jack Hawkins was the football coach at an American college, and he was always trying to find good players, but they weren't always smart enough to be accepted by the college. 

     One day the coach brought an excellent young player to the dean of the college and asked that the student be allowed to enter without an examination. "Well," the dean said after some persuasion, "I'd better ask him a few questions first." 

     Then he turned to the student and asked him some very easy questions, but the student didn't know any of the answers. 

     At last the dean said, "Well, what's five times seven?" 

The student thought for a long time and then answered, "Thirty-six."

 The dean threw up his hands and looked at the coach in despair, but the coach said earnestly, "Oh, please let him in, sir! He was only wrong by two."

    

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


  1. What was Jack Hawkins's job at the college?
  2. What kind of players was Jack always trying to find?
  3. Why were some good players not accepted by the college?
  4. Whom did the coach bring to the dean one day?
  5. What did the coach ask the dean to do?
  6. Why did the dean decide to ask the student some questions?
  7. How did the student perform on the easy questions?
  8. What was the last question the dean asked?
  9. What answer did the student give to the multiplication question?
  10. Why is the coach's final comment humorous?



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

  1. Good — __________
  2. Smart — __________
  3. Enter — __________
  4. Easy — __________
  5. Last — __________
  6. Young — __________
  7. Excellent — __________
  8. Wrong — __________
  9. Long — __________
  10. Accept — __________


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


  1. Jack Hawkins was a basketball coach. ________
  2. The coach was looking for new teachers for the college. ________
  3. All good players were smart enough to enter the college. ________
  4. The coach wanted the student to take a difficult examination. ________
  5. The dean refused to ask the student any questions. ________
  6. The student answered all of the dean's questions correctly. ________
  7. The dean asked the student what six times seven was. ________
  8. The student answered "Thirty-five." ________
  9. The coach said the student was only wrong by one. ________
  10. The coach wanted the student to be admitted without an examination. ________





Text 369

        John was ten years old, and he was a very lazy boy. He had to go to school of course, but he was bored there and tried to do as little work as possible. His father and mother were both doctors and they hoped that he would become one, too, when he grew up, but one day John said to his mother, "When I finish school, I want to become a garbage collector."
       "A garbage collector?" his mother asked. She was very surprised. "That's not a very pleasant job. Why do you want to become a garbage collector?"
         "Because then I'd only have to work one day a week," John
answered.
        "Only one day a week?" his mother said. "What do you mean?"
        "Well," John answered, "I know that the ones who come to our house only work on Wednesday, because I only see them on that day."

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

  1. How old was John?
  2. Why was John bored at school?
  3. What professions did John's parents have?
  4. What did John's parents hope he would become in the future?
  5. What job did John want to have after finishing school?
  6. Why was John's mother surprised by his career choice?
  7. What reason did John give for wanting to become a garbage collector?
  8. On which day did the garbage collectors come to John's house?
  9. What misunderstanding did John have about the garbage collectors' work schedule?
  10. How does John's answer show that he was a lazy boy?

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

  1. lazy × __________
  2. bored × __________
  3. pleasant × __________
  4. surprised × __________
  5. finish × __________
  6. little × __________
  7. grow up × __________
  8. work × __________
  9. come × __________
  10. possible × __________

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

  1. John was twelve years old.
  2. John loved school and worked very hard.
  3. John's father was a teacher.
  4. John's mother was a nurse.
  5. John's parents wanted him to become a lawyer.
  6. John wanted to become a pilot when he finished school.
  7. John thought garbage collectors worked every day of the week.
  8. The garbage collectors came to John's house on Friday.
  9. John's mother was happy and not surprised by his choice.
  10. John believed garbage collectors only worked one day a week because he only saw them on Wednesday



Text 370


       Soon after Dave left college, one of his uncles, who was rich and
had no children of his own, died and left Dave a lot of money, so
he decided to set up his own real estate agency.
       He found a nice office, bought some new furniture and moved
in. He had only been there for a few hours when he heard someone coming towards the door of his office.
     "It's my first customer!" he thought. He quickly picked up the
telephone and pretended to be very busy answering an important call from someone in New York who wanted to buy a big and expensive house in the country.
      The man knocked at the door while this was going on, came
in and waited politely for the agent to finish his conversation.
Then he said to him, "I'm from the telephone company, and I was
sent here to connect your telephone."

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


  1. What happened to Dave soon after he left college?
  2. Why did Dave receive a lot of money?
  3. What business did Dave decide to start?
  4. What did Dave buy for his new office?
  5. How long had Dave been in his office when he heard someone approaching?
  6. What did Dave think when he heard the person coming to his office?
  7. Why did Dave pick up the telephone?
  8. Who did Dave pretend to be talking to?
  9. How did the visitor behave while Dave was pretending to be busy?
  10. Who was the visitor, and why had he come to the office?

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

  1. rich × __________
  2. own × __________
  3. new × __________
  4. nice × __________
  5. quickly × __________
  6. busy × __________
  7. important × __________
  8. expensive × __________
  9. big × __________
  10. polite × __________


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


  1. Dave inherited money from his aunt.
  2. Dave's uncle had several children.
  3. Dave decided to open a restaurant.
  4. Dave rented an old office with broken furniture.
  5. Dave had been in the office for several weeks before hearing someone at the door.
  6. Dave thought the visitor was a worker from the telephone company.
  7. Dave pretended to talk to someone from London.
  8. The visitor interrupted Dave while he was speaking on the phone.
  9. The visitor came to buy an expensive house in the country.
  10. The visitor was from the telephone company and came to connect Dave's telephone.


                            





Text 371


        Mr. Smith lived in the country, but he worked in an office in the
big city, so five days a week he went to work by train every - morning and came home the same way.
        One morning he was reading his newspaper on the train when
a man sitting behind him, who Mr. Smith had never met before, leaned forward, tapped him on the shoulder and spoke to him. The man said, "You're not leading a very interesting life, are you? You get on the same train at the same station at the same time every morning, and you always sit in the same seat and read the same newspaper."
        Mr. Smith put his paper down, turned around, and said to the
man angrily, "How do you know all that about me?"
       "Because I'm always sitting in this seat behind you," the man
answered.

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

  1. Where did Mr. Smith live?
  2. Where did he work?
  3. How did he travel to work every day?
  4. What was Mr. Smith doing on the train one morning?
  5. Who spoke to Mr. Smith?
  6. What did the man say about Mr. Smith's life?
  7. According to the man, what did Mr. Smith do every morning on the train?
  8. How did Mr. Smith react when he heard the man's comments?
  9. Why was Mr. Smith surprised that the man knew so much about him?
  10. How did the man know all those details about Mr. Smith?


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

  1. big × __________
  2. morning × __________
  3. same × __________
  4. interesting × __________
  5. behind × __________
  6. forward × __________
  7. always × __________
  8. angrily × __________
  9. home × __________
  10. country × __________


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


  1. Mr. Smith lived in the city and worked in the countryside.
  2. He traveled to work by bus every day.
  3. Mr. Smith usually slept on the train.
  4. The man sitting behind Mr. Smith was his close friend.
  5. The stranger said that Mr. Smith had a very exciting life.
  6. Mr. Smith changed trains every morning.
  7. Mr. Smith always sat in a different seat.
  8. The man did not know anything about Mr. Smith's daily routine.
  9. Mr. Smith laughed when the man spoke to him.
  10. The man knew about Mr. Smith because he always sat behind him on the train.


















Text 372



      Lisa was an attractive young woman, and she always combed her
hair neatly and wore pretty clothes. She worked in a small town and earned enough money to take a vacation in the mountains during the summer.
      The first time that Lisa went there, she discovered that she hadn't brought enough money. At first she was worried, but then she remembered that she had brought her checkbook with her and went to the bank to cash a check. The bank teller had never seen Lisa before, but he knew that a lot of people were stealing checkbooks and using them, so he said to her, "Can you identify yourself, please?"
       Lisa had never been asked to do this in her home town, so she looked puzzled for a moment; but then she took her mirror out of
her handbag, looked at it, and then said happily, "Yes, it is me."

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


  1. How is Lisa described at the beginning of the story?
  2. Where did Lisa work?
  3. What did Lisa do with the money she earned?
  4. Where did she go for her vacation?
  5. What problem did Lisa discover after arriving there?
  6. What did Lisa remember she had brought with her?
  7. Why did Lisa go to the bank?
  8. Why did the bank teller ask Lisa to identify herself?
  9. How did Lisa react when the teller asked for identification?
  10. Why is the ending of the story funny?

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


  1. attractive × __________
  2. young × __________
  3. neatly × __________
  4. pretty × __________
  5. small × __________
  6. enough × __________
  7. summer × __________
  8. first × __________
  9. worried × __________
  10. happy × __________


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


  1. Lisa was an old woman.
  2. She worked in a large city.
  3. Lisa did not care about her appearance.
  4. She went to the beach for her vacation.
  5. Lisa had more than enough money for her trip.
  6. She forgot to bring her checkbook.
  7. The bank teller knew Lisa very well.
  8. Lisa showed the teller her passport as identification.
  9. The teller asked Lisa to identify another customer.
  10. Lisa looked in her mirror and said, “Yes, it is me.







Text 373


        A large store was having its spring sale on shoes and boots. It was the first day of the sale, and the shoe department was full of women who were eagerly trying to buy them. There were all kinds of shoes and boots in a variety of colors, and the prices had been reduced a lot, because the store wanted to get rid of as many as possible in order to make room for their new stock.
     The cashiers were kept busy, and at one moment a woman came to one of them with her money in her hand and said, "I don't need a bag, thank you. I'm wearing the shoes I bought." She pointed to them on her feet.
    "Would you like a bag to put your old shoes in then?" the cashier asked politely as she took the woman's money.
    "No, thank you," the woman answered quickly, "I've just sold those to someone else."

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


  1. What kind of sale was the store having?
  2. Which department of the store was especially busy?
  3. Why were many women in the shoe department?
  4. What kinds of products were on sale?
  5. Why had the prices been reduced so much?
  6. What did the store want to make room for?
  7. Why were the cashiers very busy?
  8. What did one woman say when she paid for her shoes?
  9. Why did the cashier offer her a bag?
  10. What had the woman done with her old shoes?

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

  1. large × __________
  2. spring × __________
  3. full × __________
  4. eagerly × __________
  5. buy × __________
  6. reduced × __________
  7. busy × __________
  8. new × __________
  9. politely × __________
  10. quickly × __________


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


  1. The store was having a spring sale on shoes and boots. ________
  2. The sale was on the last day of the month. ________
  3. Many women were trying to buy shoes. ________
  4. The shoes were available in only one color. ________
  5. The store reduced prices to sell more old stock. ________
  6. The cashiers had very little work during the sale. ________
  7. The woman told the cashier she needed a large bag for her new shoes. ________
  8. The woman was wearing the shoes she had just bought. ________
  9. The cashier asked if she wanted a bag for her old shoes. ________
  10. The woman said she had already sold her old shoes to someone else. ________









                                    






Text 374


Fred had a very rusty old car, but his father said that he had to sell
it before he would buy him a new one.
"You have to learn the value of money, Fred," his father said.
"It doesn't grow on trees, you know. You should learn to be a
good businessman."
But nobody seemed to want to buy the car from Fred. He put a
"For Sale" sign in the back window of the car, and he put another
sign on the bulletin board in his college dormitory, but nothing
happened. Then one day he was driving to another town, and
stopped at the entrance to a toll booth where he had to pay before
being allowed to use the road.
The attendant said, "Two dollars and fifty cents."
"I accept," said Fred. "It's yours." Then he put the car keys into
the surprised attendant's hand, and held out his other hand for
the two dollars and fifty cents.

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


  1. What kind of car did Fred have?
  2. What condition did Fred's father set before buying him a new car?
  3. Why did Fred's father want him to sell the car himself?
  4. What did Fred's father say about money?
  5. What did Fred do to try to sell the car?
  6. Where did Fred place the second "For Sale" sign?
  7. What happened after Fred advertised the car?
  8. Where was Fred driving one day?
  9. What did the toll booth attendant say to Fred?
  10. Why was the attendant surprised at the end of the story?


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

  1. old × __________
  2. rusty × __________
  3. buy × __________
  4. good × __________
  5. learn × __________
  6. value × __________
  7. another × __________
  8. entrance × __________
  9. allowed × __________
  10. surprised × __________


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


  1. Fred had a brand-new sports car.
  2. Fred's father promised to buy him a new car immediately.
  3. Fred's father said that money grows on trees.
  4. Fred quickly found a buyer for his car.
  5. Fred only placed one advertisement for the car.
  6. The second sign was placed in a shopping mall.
  7. Fred was driving home when the story ended.
  8. The toll booth attendant wanted to buy the car.
  9. The toll fee was five dollars.
  10. Fred handed the car keys to the attendant and asked for the two dollars and fifty cents. ✅









Text 375


       A traveling salesman had to walk so much that his feet often hurt. His doctor told him that salt water was the best thing for them, so the salesman decided to go to the sea for his vacation that year. Since all of the hotels near the sea were expensive, he went to a small hotel far away from the beach.
      In the morning he went down to the calm sea with a bucket, went over to the lifeguard and asked whether he would be allowed to take a bucket of salt water. The lifeguard seemed very surprised but said, "Yes, although you'll have to pay twenty-five cents for it."
      The salesman gave the lifeguard twenty-five cents, filled his bucket, took it to his hotel and put his feet in the water.
     After lunch, he came down to the beach again. The tide had gone out now, so the sea was much lower. The salesman thought, "That man has a very good business. He must have sold thousands of buckets since this morning."

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


  1. What was the traveling salesman's problem?
  2. What did his doctor recommend for his feet?
  3. Where did the salesman decide to spend his vacation?
  4. Why did he choose a hotel far from the beach?
  5. What did he take with him to the sea?
  6. Whom did he ask for permission to take salt water?
  7. How much did the lifeguard charge him for a bucket of salt water?
  8. What did the salesman do with the salt water at the hotel?
  9. What had happened to the sea after lunch?
  10. Why did the salesman think the lifeguard had a very good business?

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


  1. hurt × __________
  2. best × __________
  3. expensive × __________
  4. small × __________
  5. far × __________
  6. morning × __________
  7. calm × __________
  8. allowed × __________
  9. lower × __________
  10. thousands × __________


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

  1. The salesman worked as a teacher.
  2. His doctor advised him to avoid salt water.
  3. He chose an expensive hotel near the beach.
  4. He went to the sea carrying a suitcase.
  5. The lifeguard refused to let him take any water.
  6. The salesman paid one dollar for the bucket of water.
  7. He used the water to wash his clothes.
  8. After lunch, the sea level was higher than in the morning.
  9. The salesman understood that the tide had gone out.
  10. The salesman thought the lifeguard had sold thousands of buckets of water during the day. 








Text 376


       An important businessman was asked to give a twenty-minute speech in another city. He was too busy to write it himself, so he asked his secretary to put one together for him out of a large book of speeches which she had on her desk. She typed one out for him, and he picked it up just in time to rush off to his plane. But when he gave his speech, it ran on for an hour, and the audience was getting very restless and bored by the end of it. When the businessman got back to his office, he complained to his secretary about this. "I told you it was supposed to be a twenty-minute speech!" he said to her bitterly.
        "That's what I gave you," she answered, "the original and two copies. The original for you to read at the meeting, and two copies for the files, after you had checked them."

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


  1. Why couldn't the businessman write the speech himself?

  2. Who did the businessman ask to prepare the speech?

  3. Where did the secretary get the speech from?

  4. Why did the businessman have to leave the office quickly?

  5. How long was the speech supposed to last?

  6. How long did the speech actually last?

  7. How did the audience react to the speech?

  8. What did the businessman say to his secretary when he returned?

  9. Why did the secretary give the businessman three copies of the speech?

  10. What mistake did the businessman make during his speech?

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

  1. important → ______________________
  2. busy → ______________________
  3. large → ______________________
  4. bitterly → ______________________
  5. restless → ______________________
  6. bored → ______________________
  7. original → ______________________
  8. together → ______________________
  9. rush → ______________________
  10. end → ______________________


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


  1. The businessman wrote the speech without any help. _______
  2. The speech was planned to last one hour. _______
  3. The secretary created the speech from a newspaper. _______
  4. The businessman traveled by bus to another city. _______
  5. The audience clapped happily throughout the speech. _______
  6. The businessman thanked his secretary for making the speech longer. _______
  7. The secretary gave the businessman only one copy of the speech. _______
  8. The businessman forgot to attend the meeting. _______
  9. The businessman accidentally read the original speech and the two copies. _______
  10. The secretary threw away the extra copies after typing the speech. _______









Text 377


        A young man was called up for army service, but he didn't want to become a soldier. When he went for his medical exam, he pretended that his eyesight was very bad.
       The doctor pointed to the eye chart on the wall and said,
      "Please read the top line."
      "The top line of what?" the young man asked.
      "The top line of the chart," the doctor replied.
      "What chart?" the man asked.
      "The one on the wall," the doctor said.
     "What wall?" the man asked.
      Finally, the doctor decided that the man's eyes were not good enough for army service.
       That evening the same young man was at a movie when another man came in and sat next to him in the dark. When the lights went on, the young man saw that his neighbor was the doctor who had examined him earlier. Immediately he said,
      "Excuse me, ma'am, but does this bus go to Main Street?"

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:



  1. Why was the young man called up for army service?

  2. Why didn't the young man want to become a soldier?

  3. What did the young man pretend during his medical examination?

  4. What did the doctor ask the young man to read?

  5. How did the young man respond to the doctor's questions?

  6. Why did the doctor decide that the young man was not fit for army service?

  7. Where did the young man go that evening?

  8. Who sat next to the young man at the movie?

  9. What did the young man say when he recognized the doctor?

  10. Why is the ending of the story funny?

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

  1. young → ___________________________
  2. bad → ___________________________
  3. dark → ___________________________
  4. evening → ___________________________
  5. sat → ___________________________
  6. next → ___________________________
  7. went → ___________________________
  8. immediately → ___________________________
  9. replied → ___________________________
  10. enough → ___________________________

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


  1. The young man wanted to join the army. _______
  2. The doctor asked the young man to read the bottom line of the eye chart. _______
  3. The young man clearly read every line on the chart. _______
  4. The doctor believed the young man had excellent eyesight. _______
  5. The doctor accepted the young man for army service. _______
  6. The young man went to a restaurant after the medical examination. _______
  7. The doctor did not recognize the young man at the movie theater. _______
  8. The young man asked the doctor if the movie was starting soon. _______
  9. The young man pretended not to recognize the doctor by asking if the bus went to Main Street. _______
  10. The medical examination took place in the movie theater. _______














Text 378


       A young officer on a small vessel was being tested on his knowledge of what to do if someone fell overboard while he was - in charge of the ship. A big can was thrown into the sea, and the officer had to pretend it was a man who had fallen in and try to save it. The officer was inexperienced, and the first thing that happened was that the can was pulled under by the ship's propeller. The officer quickly stopped the ship and went backwards. There was a loud crash as he struck the can again. Then he went forwards, went around in a circle, and struck the can once more straight in front of the ship.
     A sailor who was observing all this now said, "Excuse me, sir, but if I'm ever unfortunate enough to fall into the sea while you're steering the ship, please let me swim to shore by myself!"

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


  1. Who was being tested at the beginning of the story?

  2. What was the purpose of the test?

  3. What was thrown into the sea during the test?

  4. What did the can represent?

  5. What happened to the can the first time?

  6. What did the officer do after the can was pulled under the ship?

  7. How many times did the ship strike the can?

  8. Who was watching the officer during the test?

  9. What did the sailor say to the officer?

  10. Why is the ending of the story funny?



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

  1. young → ___________________________
  2. small → ___________________________
  3. overboard → ___________________________
  4. quickly → ___________________________
  5. forwards → ___________________________
  6. loud → ___________________________
  7. inexperienced → ___________________________
  8. unfortunate → ___________________________
  9. save → ___________________________
  10. fell → ___________________________


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


  1. The officer was being tested on how to repair a ship. _______
  2. A wooden box was thrown into the sea during the test. _______
  3. The can represented a piece of lost cargo. _______
  4. The officer rescued the can without any problems. _______
  5. The ship never hit the can. _______
  6. The officer sailed only in a straight line. _______
  7. The sailor praised the officer for his excellent skills. _______
  8. The officer was very experienced at steering the ship. _______
  9. The sailor said he would rather swim to shore by himself if he fell into the sea. _______
  10. The test took place on a large passenger ship. _______



















Text 379


        When George Jones finished college, he became a clerk in a big company, hoping to advance to higher positions as time went on. He did his work reasonably well, but he wasn't very smart, so when the older employees retired from higher positions, it was never Jones who was promoted.
       After he had been with the company for fifteen years without ever being promoted, a smart young man, straight from college, came to work in the same department, and after a year, he was promoted above Jones.
       Jones was angry that he hadn't been promoted instead of this young man, so he went to his manager and said, "I've had sixteen years' experience on this job, yet a new man has been promoted over my head after having been here only one year."
     "I'm sorry, Jones," answered the manager patiently, "but haven't had sixteen years' experience: you've had one year's experience sixteen times." 


Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


  1. What job did George Jones get after he finished college?

  2. What did George Jones hope would happen as time passed?

  3. How well did George Jones do his work?

  4. Why wasn't George Jones promoted to a higher position?

  5. Who joined the company after George Jones had worked there for fifteen years?

  6. What happened to the new employee after one year?

  7. Why was George Jones angry?

  8. What did George Jones tell his manager?

  9. How did the manager explain why Jones had not been promoted?

  10. What lesson can be learned from this story?



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


  1. finished → ___________________________
  2. big → ___________________________
  3. higher → ___________________________
  4. smart → ___________________________
  5. older → ___________________________
  6. retired → ___________________________
  7. promoted → ___________________________
  8. angry → ___________________________
  9. patiently → ___________________________
  10. same → ___________________________

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


  1. George Jones became a teacher after finishing college. _______
  2. George Jones was promoted several times during his first fifteen years. _______
  3. George Jones was considered the smartest employee in the company. _______
  4. The new employee had many years of work experience before joining the company. _______
  5. The new employee worked in a different department from George Jones. _______
  6. George Jones was happy when the young man was promoted. _______
  7. The manager said that George Jones had gained sixteen different years of experience. _______
  8. George Jones never spoke to his manager about the promotion. _______
  9. The manager explained that George Jones had repeated the same year's experience sixteen times. _______
  10. George Jones left the company immediately after talking to the manager. _______









Text 380


      Mr. Johnson had never been up in an airplane before and he had read a lot about air accidents, so one day when a friend offered to take him for a ride in his own small plane, Mr. Johnson was very worried about accepting. Finally, however, his friend persuaded him that it was very safe, and Mr. Johnson boarded the plane.
     His friend started the engine and began to taxi onto the runway of the airport. Mr. Johnson had heard that the mostdangerous parts of a flight were the take-off and the landing, so he was extremely frightened and closed his eyes. After a minute or two he opened them again, looked out of the window of the plane, and said to his friend, "Look at those people down there. They look as small as ants, don't they?"
   "Those are ants," answered his friend. "We're still on the
ground."

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:


  1. Why was Mr. Johnson worried about flying in an airplane?

  2. Who invited Mr. Johnson to go for a ride?

  3. What kind of airplane did Mr. Johnson's friend own?

  4. How did Mr. Johnson's friend convince him to take the flight?

  5. What did the pilot do before the plane took off?

  6. Which parts of a flight did Mr. Johnson believe were the most dangerous?

  7. What did Mr. Johnson do because he was frightened?

  8. What did Mr. Johnson think he saw through the window?

  9. What was his friend's reply?

  10. Why is the ending of the story funny?

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

  1. never → ___________________________
  2. small → ___________________________
  3. worried → ___________________________
  4. safe → ___________________________
  5. dangerous → ___________________________
  6. opened → ___________________________
  7. friend → ___________________________
  8. take-off → ___________________________
  9. up → ___________________________
  10. frightened → ___________________________


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

    1. Mr. Johnson had flown in many airplanes before. _______
    2. Mr. Johnson asked his friend to take him flying. _______
    3. The airplane was a large passenger jet. _______
    4. Mr. Johnson believed that the middle of the flight was the most dangerous part. _______
    5. The plane took off immediately after the engine started. _______
    6. Mr. Johnson kept his eyes open during the whole flight. _______
    7. The people outside the window looked as small as birds. _______
    8. The plane was already high in the sky when Mr. Johnson looked outside. _______
    9. The plane was still on the ground when Mr. Johnson thought the people looked like ants. _______
    10. Mr. Johnson enjoyed the flight from the beginning and was never afraid. _______













    • Text 381


           A man got into a train and found himself sitting opposite a woman who seemed to be about thirty-five years old. Soon they began talking to each other, and he said to her, "Do you have a family?"
         "Yes, I have one son," the woman answered.
         "Oh, really?" said the man. "Does he smoke?"
         "No, he's never touched a cigarette," the woman replied.
         "That's good," the man continued. "I don't smoke either.
          Tobacco is very bad for one's health. And does your son drink wine?"
         "Oh, no," the woman answered at once, "he's never drunk a drop of it."
        "Then I congratulate you, ma'am," the man said. "And does he ever come home late at night?"
         "No, never," his neighbor answered. "He goes to bed im-mediately after dinner every night."
        "Well," the man said, "he's a wise young man. How old is he?"
        "He's six months old today," the woman replied proudly.

    Exercises:

    A) Answer these questions:


    1. Where did the man meet the woman?

    2. What did the man ask the woman at the beginning of their conversation?

    3. How many children did the woman say she had?

    4. Did the woman's son smoke?

    5. What did the man say about tobacco?

    6. Did the woman's son drink wine?

    7. What did the woman say about her son's bedtime?

    8. Why did the man congratulate the woman?

    9. How old was the woman's son?

    10. Why is the ending of the story funny?

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

    1. old → ___________________________
    2. soon → ___________________________
    3. began → ___________________________
    4. good → ___________________________
    5. bad → ___________________________
    6. late → ___________________________
    7. night → ___________________________
    8. wise → ___________________________
    9. young → ___________________________
    10. immediately → ___________________________


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


    1. The man met the woman on a bus. _______
    2. The woman said she had one son. _______
    3. The woman's son smoked cigarettes regularly. _______
    4. The man believed smoking was bad for health. _______
    5. The woman's son drank wine every day. _______
    6. The woman said her son often came home late at night. _______
    7. The woman's son went to bed after dinner every night. _______
    8. The man thought the woman's son was a responsible young man. _______
    9. The woman's son was six months old. _______
    10. The man knew the woman's son was a baby before asking his questions. _______










    Text 382

          It was a Saturday evening in late July, and Joe and his girlfriend had been to the movies. After that they ate supper in a small restaurant, and now they were sitting together on a bench in the park, enjoying the cool air and the moonlight.
         After a long time, the girl said dreamily, "Joe, do you think my eyes are like bright stars shining in the clear night sky?"
         Joe looked at her quickly, and then answered, "Yes."
         "And do you think my teeth are like pearls reflecting the light of the moon?" she continued in the same dreamy voice.
        "Yes," he answered again after another quick look.
        "And do you think my hair is like a golden waterfall in the  moonlight?" she went on.
        "Yes," he repeated.
        "Oh, Joe!" she said happily, throwing her arms around him, "You say the most wonderful things!"

    Exercises:

    A) Answer these questions:


    1. What did Joe and his girlfriend do before they went to the restaurant?

    2. When did Joe and his girlfriend go to the park?

    3. Where did they have supper after the movie?

    4. What were they enjoying while they sat on the bench?

    5. How did the girl describe her eyes?

    6. What did the girl compare her teeth to?

    7. Why did Joe look at the girl quickly before answering?

    8. How many times did Joe answer "Yes" to the girl's questions?

    9. How did the girl react after hearing Joe's answers?

    10. What does the story show about Joe's way of answering?

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

    1. late → ___________________________
    2. small → ___________________________
    3. cool → ___________________________
    4. long → ___________________________
    5. together → ___________________________
    6. bright → ___________________________
    7. clear → ___________________________
    8. happy → ___________________________
    9. wonderful → ___________________________
    10. quickly → ___________________________


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


    1. Joe and his girlfriend went to the cinema before sitting in the park. _______
    2. They had supper at a large restaurant with many people. _______
    3. They were sitting on a bench and enjoying the night atmosphere. _______
    4. The story happened on a Sunday morning. _______
    5. The girl compared her eyes to stars in the sky. _______
    6. Joe gave a long speech about how beautiful she was. _______
    7. The girl compared her teeth to pearls. _______
    8. The girl compared her hair to a silver river. _______
    9. Joe refused to answer the girl's questions. _______
    10. The girl was pleased with Joe's answers. _______








    Text 383

           Mr. Grey was a biology professor, and he had a big collection of extremely rare bones which he was very proud of. Then one year he managed to get a new and better job at another university. Because Mr. Grey was very busy, his wife made the arrangements for all their possessions to be taken in a moving van to their new home while he was away at work.
         The following week three men started taking the things out of Mrs. Grey's house and loading them into the van, when one of them brought out a large wooden box. He was just about to throw it into the van with all the other things when Mrs. Grey ran out of her house and said, "Please treat that box very gently! That one has all of my husband's bones in it."
        The man was so surprised that he nearly dropped the box on
    his feet.

    Exercises:

    A) Answer these questions:


    1. What was Mr. Grey's profession?

    2. What kind of collection did Mr. Grey have?

    3. Why was Mr. Grey proud of his collection?

    4. Why did Mr. Grey need to move to another place?

    5. Who arranged for their possessions to be moved?

    6. Why was Mr. Grey not at home during the move?

    7. What did one of the workers find while moving the things?

    8. What did the worker want to do with the wooden box?

    9. Why did Mrs. Grey ask the worker to be careful with the box?

    10. Why was the worker surprised at the end of the story?


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

    1. big → ___________________________
    2. rare → ___________________________
    3. proud → ___________________________
    4. new → ___________________________
    5. better → ___________________________
    6. busy → ___________________________
    7. all → ___________________________
    8. large → ___________________________
    9. gently → ___________________________
    10. surprised → ___________________________


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


    1. Mr. Grey was a biology professor. _______
    2. Mr. Grey collected rare bones. _______
    3. Mr. Grey was unhappy with his bone collection. _______
    4. Mr. Grey moved to another university for a new job. _______
    5. Mr. Grey personally packed all their belongings. _______
    6. Three men helped move the family's possessions. _______
    7. The wooden box contained Mrs. Grey's personal jewelry. _______
    8. Mrs. Grey asked the worker to handle the box carefully. _______
    9. The worker knew immediately that the box contained bones. _______
    10. The worker was surprised by Mrs. Grey's words. _______











    Text 384

         A rich young man decided that he would like to do some diving in the sea, so he bought a rubber suit and all the other things that he needed, and took some lessons at a diving school. Then one day he walked into the water by himself and began to explore the bottom of the sea.
        He saw a lot of beautiful fish and other things, and then, after half an hour, he suddenly saw a man waving his arms and legs around wildly near the bottom of the sea. He was wearing only a bathing suit.
        The rich young man was very surprised to see him, so he took out a plastic notebook and a special pencil, which could write under water, and wrote, "What are you doing here?"
        He showed the notebook to the other man, who then took the pencil and wrote, "Drowning!"

    Exercises:

    A) Answer these questions:


    1. Why did the young man decide to go diving?

    2. What did he buy before he started diving?

    3. Where did he learn how to dive?

    4. How did he enter the water?

    5. What did he see at the bottom of the sea?

    6. What was the other man doing underwater?

    7. What was the other man wearing?

    8. Why did the young man use a notebook and pencil?

    9. What question did the young man write?

    10. Why is the man's answer "Drowning!" surprising and funny?

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

    1. rich → ___________________________
    2. young → ___________________________
    3. bought → ___________________________
    4. needed → ___________________________
    5. beautiful → ___________________________
    6. bottom → ___________________________
    7. suddenly → ___________________________
    8. near → ___________________________
    9. surprised → ___________________________
    10. write → ___________________________

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


    1. The young man wanted to learn diving. _______
    2. He bought a rubber suit and other diving equipment. _______
    3. He learned diving at a swimming pool only. _______
    4. He explored the sea by himself. _______
    5. He saw many beautiful fish underwater. _______
    6. The other man was wearing a complete diving suit. _______
    7. The young man was surprised when he saw the other man. _______
    8. The notebook and pencil could be used under water. _______
    9. The other man wrote that he was enjoying the sea. _______
    10. The other man was drowning when the young man found him. _______
















    Text 385


           Mr. Scott thought that he was very good at fixing household appliances when they broke, so when Mrs. Scott told him that she needed a new vacuum cleaner, he said, "What's wrong with the old one? I can easily fix it."
          Mr. Scott fixed the vacuum cleaner, but the same thing happened again several times, until one day, after he had unscrewed all the parts, and had gone to have lunch, Mrs. Scott added a few extra pieces to the pile on the floor.
        "Do you know," she said to her friend, Mrs. Brown, the next morning, "if I'd just taken away a few pieces, he'd have noticed that they were missing, and would have gone out and bought some more. But when he couldn't find places for all the pieces that were on the floor, he gave up and agreed to buy me a new machine."

    Exercises:

    A) Answer these questions:


    1. What did Mr. Scott think he was good at?

    2. What did Mrs. Scott need to buy?

    3. Why didn't Mr. Scott want to buy a new vacuum cleaner?

    4. What did Mr. Scott do to the old vacuum cleaner?

    5. Did the vacuum cleaner work well after Mr. Scott fixed it?

    6. What did Mr. Scott do after he took all the parts apart?

    7. What did Mrs. Scott add to the pile of pieces?

    8. Why did Mrs. Scott add extra pieces?

    9. What did Mr. Scott decide to do in the end?

    10. Why is the ending of the story funny?



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

    1. good → ___________________________
    2. old → ___________________________
    3. new → ___________________________
    4. easily → ___________________________
    5. fixed → ___________________________
    6. same → ___________________________
    7. extra → ___________________________
    8. missing → ___________________________
    9. noticed → ___________________________
    10. bought → ___________________


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


    1. Mr. Scott believed he was good at repairing household appliances. _______
    2. Mrs. Scott wanted a new washing machine. _______
    3. Mr. Scott offered to repair the vacuum cleaner. _______
    4. The vacuum cleaner broke again several times. _______
    5. Mr. Scott threw the vacuum cleaner away immediately. _______
    6. Mr. Scott took the vacuum cleaner apart before lunch. _______
    7. Mrs. Scott removed some pieces from the pile on the floor. _______
    8. Mrs. Scott added extra pieces to confuse her husband. _______
    9. Mr. Scott finally agreed to buy a new vacuum cleaner. _______
    10. Mr. Scott successfully repaired the vacuum cleaner at the end. _______







    Text 386


          When Mrs. Green retired from her job in a big city, she went to live in an attractive village out in the country, and began to go into the nearest town every Saturday to buy food. She tried several stores and finally chose the most convenient one and began to shop there regularly every week.
          After she had visited the store several times, the cashier began to recognize her and to smile and say, "Good morning, Mrs. Brown," whenever she came to pay for the things she had bought.
         At first Mrs. Green didn't mind this, but after a few weeks, she said to the cashier one Saturday, "Excuse me, but my last name's Green, not Brown." The cashier smiled cheerfully and said, "I'm sorry."
         But the following week, she said to her, "Do you know, Mrs. Brown, there's another lady who comes to our store every Saturday who looks just like you."

    Exercises:

    A) Answer these questions:


    1. Why did Mrs. Green move to a village?

    2. What did Mrs. Green do every Saturday?

    3. How many stores did Mrs. Green try before choosing one?

    4. Why did she choose that particular store?

    5. Who recognized Mrs. Green when she came to the store?

    6. What name did the cashier use for Mrs. Green?

    7. When did Mrs. Green tell the cashier about the mistake?

    8. How did the cashier react when Mrs. Green corrected her?

    9. What did the cashier say about another lady?

    10. Why did the cashier continue calling Mrs. Green "Mrs. Brown"?


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

    1. retired → ___________________________
    2. big → ___________________________
    3. attractive → ___________________________
    4. nearest → ___________________________
    5. convenient → ___________________________
    6. regularly → ___________________________
    7. several → ___________________________
    8. began → ___________________________
    9. cheerful → ___________________________
    10. another → ___________________________


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


    1. Mrs. Green moved from a city to a village after retirement. _______
    2. Mrs. Green went shopping every Saturday. _______
    3. She chose the first store she visited. _______
    4. The cashier recognized Mrs. Green after several visits. _______
    5. The cashier called her Mrs. Green every time. _______
    6. Mrs. Green was upset immediately when the cashier made the mistake. _______
    7. Mrs. Green told the cashier that her last name was Green. _______
    8. The cashier apologized after learning the correct name. _______
    9. The cashier said another woman looked like Mrs. Green. _______
    10. Mrs. Green never returned to the store again. _______













    Text 387


          Helen was going to have her first baby very soon. One evening it was time to take her to the hospital, so her husband, Sam, helped her get into the car and drove her there. A nurse took Helen to her room and told Sam that he could go home and she would call him when the baby arrived, but Sam said he would rather wait at the hospital. The nurse smiled and said, "There's a waiting room at the end of the hall."
          Sam was walking anxiously up and down in the corridor at about midnight when the nurse came out of his wife's room and said, with a happy smile, "Which would you have preferred, a boy or a girl?"
        "A girl," answered the husband. "I have an older sister, and she was always very kind to me when I was a child."
       "Well," said the nurse, "It's a boy this time."
       "That's all right," answered Sam cheerfully. "That was my second choice."

    Exercises:

    A) Answer these questions:


    1. Why did Helen need to go to the hospital?

    2. Who took Helen to the hospital?

    3. What did the nurse tell Sam after Helen arrived?

    4. Why did Sam decide to stay at the hospital?

    5. Where did the nurse tell Sam to wait?

    6. How was Sam feeling while he waited?

    7. When did the nurse come out of Helen's room?

    8. What question did the nurse ask Sam?

    9. Why did Sam prefer to have a girl?

    10. Why is the ending of the story funny?

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

    1. first → ___________________________
    2. soon → ___________________________
    3. evening → ___________________________
    4. husband → ___________________________
    5. happy → ___________________________
    6. end → ___________________________
    7. old → ___________________________
    8. kind → ___________________________
    9. second → ___________________________
    10. cheerfully → ___________________________


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


    1. Helen was expecting her first baby. _______
    2. Sam took Helen to the hospital by car. _______
    3. The nurse asked Sam to leave the hospital immediately. _______
    4. Sam decided to wait at the hospital for the baby. _______
    5. The waiting room was near the end of the hall. _______
    6. Sam was sleeping when the nurse came out. _______
    7. The nurse asked whether he preferred a boy or a girl. _______
    8. Sam wanted a boy because he had a kind older sister. _______
    9. Helen gave birth to a boy. _______
    10. Sam was unhappy because the baby was not a girl. _______







         



    Text 388

           It is often very difficult these days to find someone to come and fix your television set, or your washing machine, or any other -household appliance if it breaks. Everybody wants to sell you new products, but nobody wants to fix them when they stop working.
          One day Mrs. Harris discovered that her bathroom faucet was leaking, so she phoned her plumber. Three days later, he arrived. Mrs. Harris was unhappy about the delay, which had caused her a lot of trouble.
         "Well, you've finally arrived!" she said to the plumber. "I called you three days ago."
         The plumber was not at all disturbed by this. He simply took a piece of paper out of his pocket and looked at it.
       "Three days ago?" he said. "That was the 21st, wasn't it? Well, I'm sorry, but I've come to the wrong place. I was looking for Mrs. Smith's house, not yours. She phoned me on the 20th."

    Exercises:

    A) Answer these questions:


    1. Why do people often have difficulty finding someone to repair household appliances?

    2. What household problem did Mrs. Harris discover?

    3. Who did Mrs. Harris contact to fix the problem?

    4. How many days passed before the plumber arrived?

    5. Why was Mrs. Harris annoyed with the plumber?

    6. How did the plumber respond to Mrs. Harris's complaint?

    7. What did the plumber check before speaking?

    8. Why did the plumber realize he was at the wrong house?

    9. Who was the person the plumber was supposed to visit?

    10. What mistake did the plumber make?


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

    1. difficult → ___________________________
    2. new → ___________________________
    3. sell → ___________________________
    4. fix → ___________________________
    5. stop → ___________________________
    6. arrived → ___________________________
    7. unhappy → ___________________________
    8. wrong → ___________________________
    9. before → ___________________________
    10. disturbed → ___________________________


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


    1. People often prefer to repair old appliances instead of replacing them. _______
    2. Mrs. Harris had a leaking bathroom faucet. _______
    3. Mrs. Harris called a plumber for help. _______
    4. The plumber arrived three weeks later. _______
    5. Mrs. Harris was happy about the delay. _______
    6. The plumber checked a note from his pocket. _______
    7. The plumber came to repair Mrs. Smith's house. _______
    8. Mrs. Smith had contacted the plumber before Mrs. Harris. _______
    9. The plumber immediately fixed Mrs. Harris's faucet. _______
    10. The plumber had gone to the wrong address. _______



         




    Text 389


          A certain old gentleman was very unhappy about modern education, and thought that young people nowadays were not being taught the importance of knowing the difference between right and wrong.
          One day he was taking a walk in the park near his home when he saw some young boys standing around a small cat. The old gentleman went up to the boys and asked them what was happening. One of the boys said to him, "We're having a contest. We're telling lies, and the one who tells the biggest one gets to keep the cat."
         The old gentleman thought that this was a good opportunity to teach the boys a useful lesson, so he said to them, "I've never told a lie in my life." All at once there was a great shout from all the boys, and they said, "You've won! You can take the cat!"

    Exercises:

    A) Answer these questions:


    1. Why was the old gentleman unhappy about modern education?

    2. What did he think young people were not learning?

    3. Where was the old gentleman walking?

    4. What did he see the young boys doing?

    5. What were the boys having a contest about?

    6. What was the prize for the boy who told the biggest lie?

    7. Why did the old gentleman decide to speak to the boys?

    8. What did the old gentleman say about himself?

    9. How did the boys react to the old gentleman's statement?

    10. Why is the ending of the story funny?


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

    1. old → ___________________________
    2. unhappy → ___________________________
    3. modern → ___________________________
    4. young → ___________________________
    5. near → ___________________________
    6. small → ___________________________
    7. good → ___________________________
    8. useful → ___________________________
    9. biggest → ___________________________
    10. right → ___________________________


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


    1. The old gentleman liked modern education very much. _______
    2. He believed young people should learn the difference between right and wrong. _______
    3. The old gentleman saw some boys in a park. _______
    4. The boys were playing with a dog. _______
    5. The boys were having a contest about telling lies. _______
    6. The winner of the contest would receive money. _______
    7. The old gentleman wanted to teach the boys a lesson. _______
    8. The old gentleman said he had never told a lie in his life. _______
    9. The boys gave the cat to the old gentleman because they believed he won. _______
    10. The old gentleman planned to take the cat from the beginning. _______







        







    Text 390




          One day, when Mr. Smith came home from work, he found his wife very annoyed about something. Mr. Smith always thought that he was more sensible than his wife, so he started to give her a lecture on the importance of always remaining calm.
         Finally he said, "It's a waste of your strength to get excitedabout small things. Train yourself to be patient, like me. Now, look at the fly that has just landed on my nose. Am I getting excited or annoyed? Am I swearing or waving my arms around? No, I'm not. I'm perfectly calm."
        Just as he had said this, Mr. Smith started shouting. He jumped up and began to wave his arms around wildly and swear terribly. He couldn't speak for some time, but at last he was able to tell his wife: the thing on his nose hadn't been a fly, had been a bee.

    Exercises:

    A) Answer these questions:


    1. What did Mr. Smith find when he arrived home from work?

    2. How did Mrs. Smith feel when Mr. Smith came home?

    3. What did Mr. Smith think about himself compared to his wife?

    4. What did Mr. Smith tell his wife to do?

    5. Why did Mr. Smith think people should not get excited about small things?

    6. What insect did Mr. Smith think was on his nose?

    7. How did Mr. Smith try to prove that he was calm?

    8. What happened after Mr. Smith said he was perfectly calm?

    9. Why did Mr. Smith start shouting and moving his arms?

    10. What was actually on Mr. Smith's nose?

    B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:
    1. arrived → ___________________________
    2. wife → ___________________________
    3. annoyed → ___________________________
    4. sensible → ___________________________
    5. important → ___________________________
    6. calm → ___________________________
    7. small → ___________________________
    8. patient → ___________________________
    9. started → ___________________________
    10. wildly → ___________________________


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


    1. Mr. Smith came home from work one day and found his wife upset. _______
    2. Mr. Smith believed his wife was more sensible than him. _______
    3. Mr. Smith gave his wife advice about staying calm. _______
    4. Mr. Smith said that getting excited about small things was a good idea. _______
    5. Mr. Smith used a fly as an example of something small. _______
    6. Mr. Smith stayed calm when the insect landed on his nose. _______
    7. Mr. Smith began shouting and waving his arms. _______
    8. The insect on Mr. Smith's nose was a fly. _______
    9. Mr. Smith was bitten by a bee. _______
    10. The story is funny because Mr. Smith did the opposite of what he advised. _______





        







    Text 391





             Two businessmen were invited to dinner at the home of a college professor. One of the men did not have much education and was worried that he might make a fool of himself, but his friend said, "Don't worry. Just do what I do, and don't talk about anything that you don't really understand." 
            The first man managed to get through the dinner successfully, but by the end of the evening he had had a lot to drink, and began to get careless.
           A guest asked him whether he liked Shakespeare, and he answered confidently, "It's very pleasant, but I prefer scotch." There was an uncomfortable silence in the room, and soon people began to leave.
          When the two friends were out of the house, the second man said to his friend, "You certainly made a fool of yourself making that silly remark about scotch."
         "What do you mean?" asked the other man. "What was wrong with it?"
         "Everybody knows that Shakespeare isn't a drink," his friend replied. "It's a kind of cheese."

    Exercises:

    A) Answer these questions:


    1. Who invited the two businessmen to dinner?

    2. Why was one of the businessmen worried before the dinner?

    3. What advice did his friend give him?

    4. How did the first man behave during most of the dinner?

    5. What happened to him by the end of the evening?

    6. What question did one guest ask him?

    7. How did the man answer the question about Shakespeare?

    8. Why did the guests become uncomfortable?

    9. What did the second businessman criticize his friend for?

    10. What mistake did the second businessman make at the end of the story?


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

    1. invited → ___________________________
    2. dinner → ___________________________
    3. worried → ___________________________
    4. education → ___________________________
    5. successfully → ___________________________
    6. careless → ___________________________
    7. pleasant → ___________________________
    8. uncomfortable → ___________________________
    9. leave → ___________________________
    10. wrong → ___________________________


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


    1. Two businessmen were invited to dinner at a professor's home. _______
    2. Both businessmen had a lot of education. _______
    3. One man was afraid of saying something embarrassing. _______
    4. The friend advised him not to talk about things he did not understand. _______
    5. The first man left the dinner before anyone else. _______
    6. The man had been drinking during the evening. _______
    7. A guest asked him if he liked Shakespeare. _______
    8. The man said he preferred scotch to Shakespeare. _______
    9. The second man correctly explained that Shakespeare was a type of cheese. _______
    10. The story is funny because both men misunderstood Shakespeare. _______

          



    Text 392


          Senior citizens are permitted to travel cheaply on a bus if they have a special card. Women may get the card when they are sixty.
          Mrs. Matthews lived in the country but she went into town once a week to buy food and other things for the house, and she usually went by bus. She always had to pay the full price for her ride.
         Then she reached the age of sixty and got her senior citizen's card, but when she used it for the first time on the bus, it made her feel very old.
         The bus driver had often seen her traveling on the bus before,
    and he noticed that she was feeling unhappy, so after she had paid her money, he winked at her and whispered, "Don't forget to give your mother's card back to her when you see her again."
         Mrs. Matthews was very happy when she heard this.

    Exercises:

    A) Answer these questions:


    1. What special benefit do senior citizens receive when traveling by bus?

    2. At what age may women get a senior citizen's card?

    3. Where did Mrs. Matthews live?

    4. Why did Mrs. Matthews go into town every week?

    5. How did Mrs. Matthews usually travel to town?

    6. What did Mrs. Matthews have to do before she got her special card?

    7. How did Mrs. Matthews feel when she used the card for the first time?

    8. Why did the bus driver decide to speak to Mrs. Matthews?

    9. What did the bus driver say about the card?

    10. How did the driver's joke change Mrs. Matthews' feelings?


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

    1. senior → ___________________________
    2. cheaply → ___________________________
    3. special → ___________________________
    4. country → ___________________________
    5. once → ___________________________
    6. full → ___________________________
    7. first → ___________________________
    8. old → ___________________________
    9. unhappy → ___________________________
    10. back → ___________________________


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


    1. Senior citizens can get cheaper bus travel with a special card. _______
    2. Women receive the card when they are fifty years old. _______
    3. Mrs. Matthews lived in the countryside. _______
    4. Mrs. Matthews went shopping in town every week. _______
    5. She traveled to town by train. _______
    6. Mrs. Matthews paid the normal bus price before turning sixty. _______
    7. She felt proud and young when she first used the card. _______
    8. The bus driver recognized Mrs. Matthews from previous trips. _______
    9. The driver joked that the card belonged to her mother. _______
    10. Mrs. Matthews felt better after hearing the driver's words. _______










           




    Text 393


           Mr. Thompson did not learn to drive a car until he was almost thirty, because he was a very nervous person who always had the convenience of someone else to drive him-first his mother and then his wife. But at last he decided to take lessons, and managed to pass his driving test on the second attempt, although he still wasn't very good at parking.
          A week later he drove into town by himself and was trying to park between two other cars when he damaged one of them slightly.
          When he wrote to the insurance company about the accident, they sent him a form to fill in describing it, and one of the questions on the form was, "How could the driver of the other car have prevented the accident from happening?"
         Mr. Thompson thought for a minute and then wrote, "He could have parked his car on another street."

    Exercises:

    A) Answer these questions:


    1. Why did Mr. Thompson not learn to drive until he was almost thirty?

    2. Who used to drive Mr. Thompson before he learned?

    3. Why did Mr. Thompson finally decide to learn to drive?

    4. How many times did he take the driving test before passing?

    5. What driving skill was still difficult for Mr. Thompson?

    6. What happened when Mr. Thompson drove into town alone?

    7. What did Mr. Thompson do after the accident?

    8. What did the insurance company ask him to complete?

    9. What question on the form made Mr. Thompson think carefully?

    10. Why is Mr. Thompson's answer funny?


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

    1. nervous → ___________________________
    2. always → ___________________________
    3. convenience → ___________________________
    4. first → ___________________________
    5. passed → ___________________________
    6. good → ___________________________
    7. damaged → ___________________________
    8. other → ___________________________
    9. prevented → ___________________________
    10. another → _______________________

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


    1. Mr. Thompson learned to drive when he was a teenager. _______
    2. Mr. Thompson was a nervous person. _______
    3. His mother and wife usually drove him before he learned. _______
    4. Mr. Thompson passed his driving test on the first attempt. _______
    5. Parking was still difficult for Mr. Thompson. _______
    6. He damaged another car while parking in town. _______
    7. Mr. Thompson ignored the accident and drove away. _______
    8. The insurance company sent him a form to complete. _______
    9. Mr. Thompson blamed the other driver for parking nearby. _______
    10. Mr. Thompson thought the accident could have been avoided if the other car had parked somewhere else. _______





        
       



    Text 394

           One evening Mrs. Alda asked her husband to take her to a very expensive restaurant in the city, because a lot of movie stars and
    other famous people ate there, and she was curious to see some of them.
           Soon after Mr. and Mrs. Alda had ordered their meal, a very
    attractive man and woman came into the restaurant and sat down at a table nearby. They were beautifully dressed, and Mrs. Alda said to her husband, "Look at those people, George! I'm sure I've seen their pictures somewhere."
          The man and woman gave their order to the waiter, and whenhe brought Mr. and Mrs. Alda their soup, Mrs. Alda said to him,
         "Who are those people? Do you know them?"
         "Oh, they're nobody famous," he answered at once.
         "Really?" Mrs. Alda asked with surprise. "How do you know
    that?"
        "Because they asked me who you were," he answered.

    Exercises:

    A) Answer these questions:


    1. Why did Mrs. Alda want to visit the expensive restaurant?

    2. What kind of people usually ate at the restaurant?

    3. What did Mrs. Alda hope to see there?

    4. Who came into the restaurant after Mr. and Mrs. Alda ordered their meal?

    5. Where did the attractive couple sit?

    6. What did Mrs. Alda think about the couple?

    7. What did Mrs. Alda ask the waiter?

    8. What did the waiter say about the couple?

    9. How did the waiter know that the couple were not famous?

    10. What makes the ending of the story humorous?

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


    1. expensive → ___________________________
    2. famous → ___________________________
    3. curious → ___________________________
    4. attractive → ___________________________
    5. nearby → ___________________________
    6. beautifully → ___________________________
    7. ordered → ___________________________
    8. surprised → ___________________________
    9. came → ___________________________
    10. nobody → ___________________________


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


    1. Mrs. Alda wanted to eat at a very expensive restaurant. _______
    2. Many famous people visited the restaurant. _______
    3. Mrs. Alda was not interested in seeing celebrities. _______
    4. A man and a woman entered the restaurant after the Aldas ordered their meal. _______
    5. The couple were dressed very poorly. _______
    6. Mrs. Alda thought she recognized the couple. _______
    7. Mrs. Alda asked the waiter about the couple. _______
    8. The waiter said that the couple were famous movie stars. _______
    9. The couple had asked the waiter who Mr. and Mrs. Alda were. _______
    10. The waiter’s answer suggested that the couple were not famous. _______










          
        



    Text 395


            An artist who did not have much money, but was a very kind man, was coming home by train one day. He gave his last few coins to a beggar, but then he saw another one, and forgot that he did not have any money. He asked the man if he would like to have lunch with him, and the beggar accepted, so they went into a small restaurant and had a good meal.
            At the end, the artist could not pay the bill, of course, so the beggar had to do so.
           The artist was very unhappy about this, so he said to the beggar, "Come home with me in a taxi, my friend, and I'll give you back the money for lunch."
         "Oh, no!" the beggar answered quickly. "I had to pay for your lunch, but I'm not going to pay for your taxi home too!"

    Exercises:

    A) Answer these questions:


    1. What kind of person was the artist?

    2. How much money did the artist have when he was traveling home?

    3. Who did the artist give his last coins to?

    4. What did the artist do when he saw another beggar?

    5. Where did the artist and the beggar go together?

    6. Why couldn't the artist pay the bill?

    7. Who paid for the meal?

    8. Why was the artist unhappy after the meal?

    9. What did the artist offer to do after lunch?

    10. Why did the beggar refuse to take a taxi with the artist?


    B)  Which words in the story  mean the opposite of:
    1. artist → ___________________________
    2. little → ___________________________
    3. kind → ___________________________
    4. last → ___________________________
    5. another → ___________________________
    6. accepted → ___________________________
    7. good → ___________________________
    8. unhappy → ___________________________
    9. back → ___________________________
    10. quickly → ___________________________


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


    1. The artist was a rich and famous person. _______
    2. The artist was kind and generous. _______
    3. The artist gave his remaining coins to a beggar. _______
    4. The artist remembered that he had no money when he invited the second beggar. _______
    5. The beggar agreed to have lunch with the artist. _______
    6. They ate at a large and expensive restaurant. _______
    7. The artist was able to pay the restaurant bill. _______
    8. The beggar paid for the lunch. _______
    9. The artist offered to return the money by taking a taxi home together. _______
    10. The beggar agreed to pay for the taxi. _______













            





    Text 396
















          



    Text 397


            George and Carol were medical students at the same college and, like many other college students, they enjoyed playing jokes on people. Both of them smoked, but they knew that their professors were strongly against it, because smoking was dangerous to one's health. One day they decided to play a joke on their professor.
           At one of their medical lectures there was always a skeleton in the room so that the professor could show the students the different bones in the human body.
           That afternoon, Carol and George put a cigarette in the mouth of the skeleton that was to be used for their next lecture.
          When the professor came in, he began talking and then noticed the cigarette. He went up to the skeleton, took the cigarette out
    of its mouth and said, "You really should give them up, old boy.
    Look what they're doing to you!"

    Exercises:

    A) Answer these questions:


    1. What were George and Carol studying?

    2. Why did George and Carol know that their professors disliked smoking?

    3. What did George and Carol like doing in college?

    4. Who did they decide to play a joke on?

    5. Why was there a skeleton in the medical lecture room?

    6. What did George and Carol put into the skeleton's mouth?

    7. When did they put the cigarette in the skeleton's mouth?

    8. What did the professor notice during the lecture?

    9. What did the professor say to the skeleton?

    10. Why was the professor's comment funny?

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

    1. same → ___________________________
    2. many → ___________________________
    3. enjoyed → ___________________________
    4. dangerous → ___________________________
    5. against → ___________________________
    6. different → ___________________________
    7. next → ___________________________
    8. old → ___________________________
    9. take out → ___________________________
    10. started → ___________________________


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


    1. George and Carol were medical students. _______
    2. They attended the same college. _______
    3. They disliked playing jokes on people. _______
    4. Both students smoked cigarettes. _______
    5. Their professors encouraged students to smoke. _______
    6. Smoking was considered harmful to health. _______
    7. The skeleton was used to teach students about human bones. _______
    8. George and Carol put a cigarette in the skeleton's mouth. _______
    9. The professor ignored the cigarette completely. _______
    10. The professor joked that smoking was damaging the skeleton. _______










          

































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