Book 15
Text 458
Some villagers were going to celebrate an important wine festival in a few days' time, so they borrowed a huge barrel from the nearest town, put it in the village square, and determined that each of them should empty a bottle of the best wine he had into it, so that there should be plenty at the feast.
One of the villagers thought he would be very clever. 'If I pour a bottle of water in, instead of wine, no one will notice it,' he said to himself, because there will be so much excellent wine in the barrel that the water will be lost in it.'
The night of the feast arrived. Everybody gathered in the village square with their jugs and their glasses for the wine. The tap on the barrel was opened-but what came out was pure water. Everyone in the village had had the same idea.
Exercises:
A) Answer these questions:
1. Why did the villagers borrow the barrel?
2. How did they plan to fill it?
3. What did the villager who put the water in expect the others
to do?
4. What did they in fact do?
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
B) Which words in the story mean the opposite of:
1. collected
2. very big
3. decided
4. very good
5. thought
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Text 459
Can you think of a sentence in which the word 'and' appears five times, without any words in between? There is one at the end of this story.
There was once an inn which was called 'The Horse and Cart'. It had a sign outside it which had a picture of a horse and cart on it, but the sign was getting very old, so the owner of the inn decided to have a new one made. He went to a painter and asked him to paint one, and to write 'The Horse and Cart' on it in large letters.
A few days later, he went to see how the painter was getting on. He liked the picture of the horse and cart very much, but he did not like the writing at all. He said to the painter, 'No, no! There's too much space between HORSE and AND and AND and CART!'
Exercises:
A) Answer these questions:
1. What is strange about the last sentence in this story?
2. Why did the inn sign have a picture of a horse and cart on it?
3. Why did the owner of the inn want a new sign?
4. What didn't he like about the writing on the new sign?
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.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Text 460
The young man did so. The doctor looked at him for amoment without getting up from his chair and then said, 'All right. Put your clothes on again.'
' But you haven't examined me at all!' the young man said
in a troubled voice.
' It isn't necessary,' the doctor said gently. 'When I told you to take your coat and shirt off, you heard me all right, so you aren't deaf. You saw the chair I pointed to, so your eyesight's good enough for the army. You managed to take your clothes off and to sit on the chair, so your body must be healthy, and you understood what I told you to do and did it without a mistake, so you must possess enough intelligence for the
army.'
Exercises:
A) Answer these questions:
1. What was the young man being medically examined for?
2. What worried him?
3. How did the doctor know that the young man was not deaf?
4. How did he know that he could see all right?
5. How did he know that his body was all right too?
6. How did he know that he was intelligent enough for the army?
7.
8.
9.
10.
B) Which words in the story mean the opposite of:
1. calm
2. sick
3. tighten
4. fiercely
5. lack
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Text 461
A man had to go to court, and he asked his lawyer which judge would be hearing his case. His lawyer told him and then
said, 'Do you know him?'
The man answered, 'No, but I wanted to know his name so that I could send him a dozen bottles of good wine.'
The lawyer was terribly shocked. 'You can't do that,' he said. 'You would be breaking the law very seriously, and you would be sure to lose the case.'
Some weeks later the case was heard, and the man won it. As he was leaving the court, he said to his lawyer, 'My present to the judge was quite successful, wasn't it?'
The lawyer was even more shocked than before, and said,
'What? Did you really send him that wine after what I told you?'
'Yes, certainly,' answered the man. 'But I put my opponent's name on the card which I sent with the wine.'
Exercises:
A) Answer these questions:
1. Why did the man ask his lawyer the name of the judge who
would hear his case?
2. Why was the lawyer shocked?
3. What shocked the lawyer even more after the case had
been heard?
4. What had the man done to win his case?
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.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Text 462
A man was telling one of his friends the secret of his contented married life. 'My wife makes all the small decisions,' he explained, and I make all the big ones, so we never interfere in each other's business and never get annoyed with each other. We have no complaints and no arguments.'
'That sounds reasonable,' answered his friend sympathetically. 'And what sort of decisions does your wife make?'
'Well,' answered the man, 'she decides what jobs I apply for, what sort of house we live in, what furniture we have, where we go for our holidays, and things like that.'
His friend was surprised. 'Oh?' he said. 'And what do you
consider important decisions then?”
'Well,' answered the man, 'I decide who should be Prime Minister, whether we should increase our help to poor coun-tries, what we should do about the atom bomb, and things like that.'
Exercises:
A) Answer these questions:
1. What was the secret of the man's happy marriage?
2. What sort of decisions did the wife make?
3. What sort of decisions did the husband make?
4. Which of the two was able to carry out his or her
decisions?
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.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Text 463
John was the only son of a wealthy American businessman. Usually he was taken to school by the chauffeur in his father's beautiful car, before the chauffeur took John's father to his office. One evening his father told him that he had to go to the airport early the next day, so he would need the car at the time that John had to go to school. He said that John's mother, who possessed another car, would still be in bed at
the time he had to leave the house.
'Well, how will I get to school if you need your car and Mummy is still in bed?' John asked. His father thought this was a good opportunity to teach him a lesson about how hard life was for the less fortunate people of the world, so he answered, 'You'll go in the same way as every other child in the world goes-in a taxi.'
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.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Text 464
At the entrance to a big office in London there was a book which all employees had to sign when they arrived each morning. At nine o'clock, the manager's secretary, who lived in a small flat above the office, had to draw a red line under the last name in the book, and anyone who came after that had to explain why he was late.
Whenever there was a thick fog in the city, the first person to arrive late usually wrote 'Delayed by fog' under the red line in the book, and then everybody else who came after that just put 'ditto' underneath.
But one foggy morning, the first man to arrive late wrote 'My wife had a baby early this morning' instead of 'Delayed by fog' under the red line in the book. Twenty or thirty people who came after him put 'ditto' underneath this as usual.
Exercises:
A) Answer these questions:
1. Why did the employees have to sign the book?
2. What was a common reason for being late?
3. What was the first man's reason on the day this story deals with?
4. What meaning did the rest of the employees really intend when
they wrote 'ditto' that morning?
5. What did their 'ditto' seem to mean?
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. The manager knew who were late, because they had to come
and explain to him.
2. The manager could see who were late by looking at the names
under the red line in the book.
3. 'Ditto' usually meant 'Delayed by fog'.
4. 'Ditto' usually meant 'I came after that'.
5. The man whose wife had had a baby arrived before anyone else.
6. The man whose wife had had a baby was the last person to
arrive.
7. The man whose wife had had a baby arrived before all the others
who were late.
8. The people who wrote 'ditto' that morning did not read what
the first man had written.
9. The people who wrote 'ditto' that morning meant that the first
man's wife had had a baby.
10. The people who wrote 'ditto' that morning really meant
'Delayed by fog'.
Text 465
A policeman returned to his police station one evening and reported to the sergeant that he had found an old car with no number plates.
'Where was it?' asked the sergeant.
'In Ecclesiastes Street, beyond the bridge,' answered the policeman.
The sergeant opened the report book and began to write. When he reached the name of the street, he began to spell aloud: 'E-c-l'. He looked at this for a few seconds, then crossed it out and wrote 'E-c-k'. Then he became annoyed, decided that he was already too busy with other jobs, and said to the policeman, 'Write the report yourself.'
The policeman had a try too, but after a minute, he put his helmet on and began to go out slowly.
'Where are you going?' the sergeant asked.
'Back to Ecclesiastes Street,' answered the policeman. 'I'm going to push the car round the corner into Green Street.'
Exercises:
A) Answer these questions:
1. What report did the sergeant want to write in the book?
2. Why did he become annoyed?
3. Why did the policeman give up too?
4. Why did he want to push the car into Green Street?
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
B) Which words in the story mean the opposite of:
1. amused
2. rapidly
3. idle
4. silently
5. on this side of
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Text 466
The leader of a band was finding it extremely difficult to prepare for an important performance, because the members of the band were never all present at any one of the rehears-als. Then the last rehearsal before the show came, and again some of the members were not there. At the end of the rehearsal, the leader said to all the members of the band who
were present, 'I have been making a note of those who have been absent from our various rehearsals. Here it is.' He took a piece of paper out of his pocket and looked at it. 'I see that the only man who has been hard-working and faithful enough to be present every time is the drummer.'
The drummer went very red, stood up and answered, 'Well, I thought it was the only right thing to do, as I won't be able to come to the show tomorrow.'
Exercises:
A) Answer these questions:
1. What made it difficult for the leader of the band to do his work
properly?
2. How did he know who had been at previous rehearsals?
3. Who had never missed a rehearsal?
4. Why had he been so hard-working and faithful?
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. What was the leader of the band trying to do?
a. To prepare for a big rehearsal.
b. To find a hard-working and faithful drummer.
c. To get ready for an important show.
2. What was on the piece of paper that the leader of the band had?
a. The names of people who had been present at rehearsals.
b. The names of people who had been absent from rehearsals.
c. The name of the drummer.
3. How many members of the band had attended every rehearsal?
a. All of them.
b. One of them.
c. None of them.
4. Why did the drummer go very red?
a. Because he was proud of what the leader of the band had
said about him.
b. Because he was ashamed.
Text 467
A man was tired of living in his old house in the country and wanted to sell it and buy a better one. He attempted to sell it for a long time, but was not successful, so at last he decided to solve the problem by using an estate agent.
The agent promptly advertised the house, and a few days later, the owner saw a very attractive photograph of it, with a wonderful description of its gardens, in an expensive magazine.
After the house owner had read the advertisement through, he hastened to telephone the estate agent and said to him, 'I'm sorry, Mr. Jones, but I've decided not to sell my house after all. After reading your advertisement in that magazine, I can see that it's just the kind of house I've wanted to live in all my life.'
Exercises:
A) Answer these questions:
1. Why did the man want to sell his house?
2. Why did he finally have to go to an estate agent?
3. What did the estate agent do about selling the house?
4. How did he lose a sale by being too good at his job?
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.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Text 468
In 1861 a Civil War started in the United States between the Northern and the Southern States. The war continued with great bitterness until 1865, when the Northerners were victorious. However, even today, many Southerners have not forgotten their defeat, or forgiven the Northerners.
A few years ago, a party of American tourists were going round one of the battlefields of the Civil War with a guide who came from one of the Southern States. At each place, the guide told the tourists stirring stories about how a few Southern soldiers had conquered powerful forces of Northerners there.
At last, one of the tourists, a lady who came from the North, stopped the guide and said to him, 'But surely the Northern army must have won at least one victory in the Civil War?'
'Not as long as I'm the guide here, madam,' answered the
Southern guide.
Exercises:
A) Answer these questions:
1. Who won the American Civil War?
2. How do Southerners feel about this today?
3. Why did the guide only tell tourists about Southern victories?
4. Why did one of the tourists object to this?
5. What was the guide determined not to do?
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.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Text 469
Jean was a very beautiful young girl, so she was quite used to some men showing their admiration for her, and to others being confused and shy when they saw her.
One summer, when Jean was travelling abroad, she went into a café in a small town, sat down and waited to be served.
The young waiter was talking to someone at the bar when she came in, and at first he did not pay any attention to her, because he had not looked at her properly. Then he turned round and saw how beautiful she was. His face went bright red, and he hurried over to take her order.
'I'd like coffee without cream, please,' Jean said.
The waiter hurried out, and came back a few minutes later without the coffee.
'I'm very sorry,' he said, 'but we haven't got any cream. Would you like your coffee without milk?'
Exercises:
A) Answer these questions:
1. How did Jean's beauty affect some men?
2. How did it affect other men?
3. How did it affect the young waiter in this story?
4. What did he do that showed that he was confused?
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. Some men admired Jean because she was confused.
2. Some men admired Jean because she was beautiful.
3. Jean made some men shy.
4. Jean was shy of some men.
5. At first, the waiter wasn't in a hurry to serve Jean because he
hadn't seen how beautiful she was.
6. At first the waiter wasn't in a hurry to serve Jean because he
was confused.
7. The waiter's face reddened because he was hurrying.
8. The waiter's face reddened because Jean was so beautiful.
9. Coffee without cream tastes the same as coffee without milk.
10. Coffee without milk tastes different from coffee without cream.
Text 470
Carol and Susan were great friends. They were in the same class at school, and they often visited each other's homes at weekends.
When they were both eight years old, Carol's mother had a baby. Carol was overjoyed to have a little sister and was always talking about her to Susan, who had no brothers or sisters.
At first Susan was very interested in the new baby, but after some time she began to get rather discontented with Carol's continual talking about it. She also felt a little jealous.
One morning when the two girls were in the school playground, Carol said to Susan cheerfully, 'Do you know, Sue, my baby sister gained nearly two hundred grams in weight this week.'
'That's not very much,' answered Susan. 'I know a baby that gains five kilograms a day.'
'Oh, that can't be true!' answered Carol scornfully. 'Whose baby is it?'
'An elephant's,' said Susan.
Exercises:
A) Answer these questions:
1. How many children did Susan's parents have?
2. Why did Susan get tired of hearing about Carol's sister?
3. What did Carol boast to Susan about one morning?
4. What did Susan do to try to make Carol boast less?
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
B) Which words in the story mean the opposite of:
1. lost
2. satisfied
3. respectfully
4. very sad
5. sadly
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Text 471
A priest who was walking through a small town saw a blackboard outside the front door of a school. It had been washed and put out to dry in the open air.
There was a piece of chalk at the foot of the blackboard, so the priest took it and wrote in large letters, 'I'm a priest and I pray for you all.'
A lawyer happened to pass next and when he saw what the priest had written, he added under it, 'I'm a lawyer and I defend you all.'
Then a doctor came by, took the piece of chalk and wrote on the blackboard, 'I'm a doctor and I cure you all.'
Finally an ordinary citizen stopped, looked at what the others had written, thought for a few seconds and then added, 'I am an ordinary citizen and I pay for you all.'
Exercises:
A) Answer these questions:
1. What did the priest claim?
2. What was the lawyer's claim?
3. What did the doctor claim that he did?
4. What did the ordinary citizen remind them of?
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.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Text 472
George was a quiet, serious young man. He had been studying particularly hard one year, and when he passed his examinations, his friend Jim went to give him his congratulations and then had an earnest conversation with him.
'You've never been to a dance, George,' he said. 'It's boring always studying and never enjoying oneself. Come out with me this evening.'
'Perhaps you're right, Jim,' replied George after a moment's hesitation.
So they went to a dance and had an enjoyable time. But George drank more than he was used to, and by midnight Jim had become worried about him, so he said, 'Now we'll walk home in the cool air.'
On their way home, they came to a bridge, and George looked down at the river below attentively. The stars were reflected in its smooth surface.
'What are those lights down there?' George inquired.
'They're the stars, George,' Jim replied.
'The stars?' George said. 'Well, then, how did I get up here?'
Exercises:
A) Answer these questions:
1. Why did Jim think that George needed a change?
2. What sort of change did he want him to have?
3. Why did Jim feel worried?
4. Why did the stars seem to be below George?
5. Why was George puzzled?
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.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Text 473
One year Miss Wyatt decided to have a holiday in Italy. She did not speak much Italian, but wherever she went, she was fortunate enough to find people who knew enough English to be able to understand what she wanted, until one day she decided to have lunch in a charming little restaurant in a village in the south of Italy.
She had seen some nice mushrooms in the market of another village near there and thought they would taste very good, so when the waiter came to take her order for lunch, she inquired whether she could have some mushrooms for her meal, but she had great difficulty in explaining to him, because she did not know the Italian word for mushrooms.
At last she took out a pencil and drew a picture of a mushroom. The waiter's face brightened at once, and he hastened out to the kitchen. A minute later he returned, carrying an umbrella.
Exercises:
A) Answer these questions:
1. Why did the poorness of Miss Wyatt's knowledge of Italian
not interfere with her enjoyment of her holiday most of the
time?
2. Where did she have trouble in making herself understood?
3. Why did she think she would like some mushrooms?
4. How did she try to show the waiter what she wanted?
5. Why did he bring her an umbrella?
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
B) Which words in the story mean the opposite of:
1. asked
2. hurried
3. attractive
4. trouble
5. became happier
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Text 474
Tom saw an advertisement in a newspaper for a beautiful, modern bicycle which cost £54.99, so he went to the shop which had put the advertisement in and asked to see one of their wonderful bicycles.
The shopkeeper was very happy to show one to Tom, who
examined it carefully and then turned to the shopkeeper, saying, "There isn't a lamp on this bicycle, but there was one on the bicycle in your advertisement.'
'Yes, sir,' answered the shopkeeper, but the lamp isn't included in the price of the bicycle. It's an extra.'
'Not included in the price of the bicycle?" Tom said angrily. 'But that's not honest. If the lamp's in the advertisement, it should have been included in the price you gave there.'
'Well, sir,' answered the shopkeeper calmly, 'there's also a girl on the bicycle in our advertisement, but we don't supply one of them with the bicycle either.'
Exercises:
A) Answer these questions:
1. How did Tom find out about the bicycle which cost £54.99?
2. What did he object to about the bicycle in the shop?
3. Why was there no lamp on that bicycle?
4. What did Tom think about this?
5. What was the shopkeeper's explanation?
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. In the picture in the advertisement, there was a lamp on the
bicycle, but no girl.
2. In the picture in the advertisement, there was a girl on the
bicycle, but no lamp.
3. In the picture in the advertisement, the bicycle had a lamp
and a girl on it.
4. Tom became angry because there was only one lamp on such
an expensive bicycle.
5. Tom became angry because the lamp was an extra.
6. The bicycle cost £54.99 with the lamp, but without the girl.
7. The bicycle cost £54.99 with the girl, but without the lamp.
8. The bicycle cost £54.99 without either the lamp or the girl.
9.
10.
Text 475
In the United States, gifts by a company or a person to a charity which is approved by the government can be used to reduce the company's or the person's tax. (This is, of course, to encourage people to give money to charities.) One day the secretary of a world-famous charity had a telephone call from a tax officer, who said, 'A certain gentleman who says that his name is Howard Vine claims to have given your society $15,000 in gifts last year. I am telephoning to find out whether he did in fact do so.'
'Howard Vine, did you say?' answered the secretary of the charity cautiously. 'Wait a moment, please. I'll have a look in our records.'
After half a minute, the tax officer heard the secretary's voice again. 'Mr. Howard Vine hasn't given us $15,000 yet,' the secretary said delightedly, but he's going to now!'
Exercises:
A) Answer these questions:
1. How can people in the United States reduce their tax?
2. Why does the government allow this?
3. What had Mr. Vine done?
4. Why was the secretary of the charity so happy?
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
B) Which words in the story mean the opposite of:
1. boldly
2. unhappily
3. unknown
4. disapproved
5. increase
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
7.
9.
10.
Text 476
Then one summer he decided to have a holiday in a beautiful place in the mountains where there were a lot of streams.
'I ought to be able to have some good fishing there,' he said
to himself.
The first morning after he arrived, he walked to the nearest stream with his fishing-rod. He saw an old man standing beside the water, so he asked him whether it was a private stream. The old man answered that it was not, so David then said to him, 'Well, then it won't be a crime if I catch some fish here, will it?'
'Oh, no,' answered the old man, 'it won't be a crime, but it
will certainly be a miracle.'
Exercises:
A) Answer these questions:
1. Why did David decide to have a holiday in a place where there
were a lot of streams?
2. Why did he ask the old man whether the stream was private?
3. What did the old man think would be a miracle?
4. Why did he think this?
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.
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)?
1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Text 477
A young man had a new girl-friend, whom he wanted to impress, so he invited her to go to a world-famous restaurant with him one evening. They dined wonderfully and had numerous drinks; they danced until midnight, and there was a polished musical entertainment. The girl enjoyed the entire evening, and was suitably impressed by everything she saw, including several film stars.
Then the waiter brought the bill at the end of the evening, and when the young man saw how much he had to pay, he was so shocked by the total that he went as white as a sheet.
The helpful waiter, who was watching his face, thought he might be going to faint, so he quickly poured out a glass of ice-cold water and emptied it over the young man's head.Then he took the bill back and added to it: 'Iced water: 50 p'.
Exercises:
A) Answer these questions:
1. Why did the young man invite his girl-friend to such an expensive
restaurant?
2. Was he successful in what he wanted to do?
3. Why did he go pale?
4. Why did the waiter pour iced water over him?
5. What did the waiter then do which showed how expensive the
restaurant was?
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.
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)?
1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Text 478
Jack had gone to the university to study history, but at the end of his first year, his history professor failed him in his examinations, and he was told that he would have to leave the university. However, his father decided that he would go to see the professor to urge him to let Jack continue his studies the following year.
'He's a good boy,' said Jack's father, and if you let him pass this time, I'm sure he'll improve a lot next year and pass the examinations at the end of it really well.'
'No, no, that's quite impossible!' replied the professor immediately. 'Do you know, last month I asked him when Napoleon had died, and he didn't know!'
'Please, sir, give him another chance,' said Jack's father. 'You see, I'm afraid we don't take any newspapers in our house, so none of us even knew that Napoleon was ill.'
Exercises:
A) Answer these questions:
1. Why did Jack have to leave the university?
2. What did his father try to do?
3. What example did the professor give to show how bad a student
Jack was?
4. What was his father's excuse for him?
5.
6.
7.
8.
9
10.
B) Which words in the story mean the opposite of:
1. answered
2. at once
3. get better
4. opportunity
5. persuade
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Text 479
Mr. Briggs got a job with an insurance company after he left school and went around visiting people in their homes to sell them life insurance.
One day, after he had been working for the company for about a year, the insurance manager sent for him and said, 'Mr. Briggs, I have been looking at your record as a salesman with our company, and there is one thing that surprises me about it. Why have you been selling insurance only to people over 95 years old, and why have you been giving them such generous conditions? You'll ruin our company if you go on
like that.'
'Oh, no sir,' answered Mr. Briggs at once. 'Before I started work, I looked at the figures for deaths in this country during the past ten years, and I can tell you that extremely few people die at the age of 95 or above each year.'
Exercises:
A) Answer these questions:
1. What surprised the manager about Mr. Briggs's work?
2. What did he think the result of Mr. Briggs's behaviour would be?
3. What was Mr. Briggs's explanation?
4. What mistake had he made?
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.
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. Briggs worked in his office all the time.
2. Mr. Briggs worked outside his office some of the time.
3. Mr. Briggs's job was to sell life insurance to very old people.
4. Mr. Briggs himself chose to sell insurance to very old people only.
5. He gave the old people very good conditions.
6. He gave the old people he sold life insurance to very hard
conditions.
7. He did not want to ruin the company he worked for.
8. He wanted to ruin the insurance company.
9. He was quite right in what he was doing, because few people
of 95 or more die each year.
10. Although few people of 95 or more die each year, this did not
mean that he was right in what he was doing.
Text 480
For a long time Dr. Jackson had wanted to get a permanent job in a certain big modern hospital, and at last he was successful. He was appointed to the particular position which he wanted, and he and his wife moved to the house which they were now to live in. The next day some beautiful flowers were delivered to them, with a note which said, 'Deepest sympathy'.
Naturally, Dr. Jackson was annoyed to receive such an extraordinary note, and telephoned the shop which had sent the flowers to find out what the note meant.
When the owner of the shop heard what had happened, he apologized to Dr. Jackson for having made the mistake.
'But what really worries me much more,' he added, 'is that the flowers which ought to have gone to you were sent to a funeral, with a card which said, "Congratulations on your new position"."
Exercises:
A) Answer these questions:
1. What did Dr. Jackson succeed in doing?
2. What annoyed him about the note on the flowers he had
received?
3. Why was the owner of the shop worried about the card
which had gone to the funeral?
4. Why had two such unsuitable cards been sent?
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10
B) Which words in the story mean the opposite of:
1. general
2. pleased
3. old-fashioned
4. usual
5. lasting a short time
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Text 481
During the Second World War, Winston Churchill was the British Prime Minister. One day he had to go to the British Broadcasting Corporation (the BBC) to make an important speech to the nation.
An hour before the time of this speech, he stopped a taxi in the street and asked the driver to take him to the BBC; but the taxi-driver, who did not recognize him, said he could not take him anywhere just then, because he wanted to go back to his home at the other end of London to hear Churchill make a speech on the radio.
Churchill was so pleased when he heard this answer that he gave the man a pound, which was worth quite a lot in those days.
' All right, get in,' said the driver happily, opening the door of the taxi. 'I'll take you, and to hell with Churchill and his speech!'
Exercises:
A) Answer these questions:
1. Why did Churchill want to go to the BBC?
2. Why did the taxi-driver not want to take him?
3. How did Churchill feel about this?
4. What did not please him after that?
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.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Text 482
A poor farmer who had always lived in the country and had never visited a big town won a lot of money, so he decided that he could now afford a holiday in an excellent hotel by the sea.
When lunch-time came on his first day there, he decided to go and eat in the restaurant of the hotel. The head waiter showed him to his table, took his order and went away. When he looked at the farmer again, he had a surprise! The farmer had tied his table napkin round his neck.
The head waiter was very annoyed at this and immediately told one of the other waiters in the restaurant to go to the man and inform him, without being in any way insulting, that people did not do such a thing in restaurants of that quality.
The waiter went to the farmer and said in a friendly voice,
'Good morning, sir. Would you like a shave, or a haircut?'
Exercises:
A) Answer these questions:
1. What made it possible for the farmer to afford to stay in an
expensive hotel?
2. What surprised the head waiter?
3. How did he want the other waiter to speak to the farmer?
4. How did the waiter try to make the farmer understand that he
should not tie his table napkin round his neck?
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.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Text 483
A man and his wife had arranged to have a holiday at the seaside. They were waiting at the railway station for their train when the man saw a weighing-machine near the bench on which they were sitting. It was one of those weighing- machines that give cards on which one's fortune is printed as well as one's weight.
The man decided to weigh himself, so he went to the machine, got on it, put a penny in, and a card came out. The man took it back to his wife, and she read it out to him, because he had not got his glasses.
On the card was written, 'You are a leader of men and have a masterly character. You have great intelligence and are
attractive to women.'
After she had read this out, the man's wife turned the card over, looked at the back for a moment and then remarked,
'It's got your weight wrong too.'
Exercises:
A) Answer these questions:
1. Why were the man and his wife at the station?
2. What information did the weighing-machine provide?
3. Why did the man have to take the card to his wife to read?
4. Which of the things written on the card did the wife believe?
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
B) Which words in the story mean the opposite of:
1. brain power
2. mentioned
3. strong
4. charming
5. fate
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Text 484
A man went to see his doctor one day because he was suffering from pains in his stomach. After the doctor had examined him carefully, he said to him, 'Well, there's nothing really wrong with you, I'm glad to say. Your only trouble is that you worry too much. Do you know, I had a man with the same trouble as you in here a few weeks ago, and I gave him the same advice as I'm going to give you. He was worried because he couldn't pay his tailor's bills. I told him not to worry his head about the bills any more. He followed my advice, and when he came to see me again two days ago, he told me that he now feels quite all right again.'
'Yes, I know all about that,' answered the patient sadly.
'You see, I'm that man's tailor.'
Exercises:
A) Answer these questions:
1. Why did the man go to see his doctor?
2. What did the doctor say about the man's health?
3. What advice had the doctor given to a previous patient?
4. Who was the previous patient?
5. What were the results of the doctor's advice to him?
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.
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 man's stomach pains were imaginary.
2. The man's stomach pains were caused by too much worry.
3. The doctor told him about a man who had come to him with
different pains.
4. The doctor told him about another patient who had come to
him with stomach pains.
5. The earlier patient had made some clothes for the new one.
6. The new patient had made some clothes for the earlier one.
7. The earlier patient hadn't paid his tailor, because his doctor
had advised him not to.
8. The earlier patient hadn't paid his tailor because he was worried.
9. The earlier patient had paid his tailor, and then he had felt quite
all right again.
10. The tailor was worried because the earlier patient hadn't paid
him.
Text 485
Mary wanted to be a nurse when she left school, but in the meantime, she joined the Red Cross and had some limited training.
She was taught that, in case of an accident-and they were plentiful in her town-she should give first aid at once and then send for a doctor.
One day, there was an accident in a busy street, and when Mary arrived soon after, she saw a man bending over a woman who had been accidentally knocked down by a car and was lying motionless in the street.
Mary ran up, pushed the man away, informed the crowd that she was a Red Cross nurse and began to help the wounded woman.
After a few minutes, the man who had been bending over the woman when Mary arrived touched her on the shoulder and said, 'When you reach the part about sending for a doctor, don't worry. I'm here already.'
Exercises:
A) Answer these questions:
1. Was Mary a fully trained nurse?
2. Why was the woman lying in the street?
3. Why did Mary push away the man who was bending over the
woman?
4. What was the man?
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
B) Which words in the story mean the opposite of:
1. extensive
2. quiet
3. rare
4. intentionally
5. moving
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Text 486
A tourist was standing outside a very big church in Germany when a wedding party got out of some cars and went into the church. Everybody was very well dressed, and there were a lot of photographers, so the tourist thought,'The people getting married must be famous.' He turned to a man who was standing beside him and said, 'What is the name of the man who is getting married?'
The man answered, 'Ich spreche kein Englisch.'The tourist thanked him and went into the church. As he was coming out of another door, a coffin was carried out. There had been a funeral service in one of the side
chapels of the church.
The tourist turned to one of the people in the church and said, 'Whose funeral was that?"
The man answered, 'Ich spreche kein Englisch.'
'Well,' said the tourist, 'his marriage didn't last long.'
Exercises:
A) Answer these questions:
1. Why did the tourist think that the people getting married
must be famous?
2. Did the man he asked tell him the name of the man who was
getting married?
3. What did the tourist think the name of the man who was
getting married was?
4. Why did he later think that his marriage hadn't lasted long?
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.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?
1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Text 487
A priest had to take services in several churches every Sunday, and one of them was in the centre of a big city where there were lots of offices, but very few people lived, so hardly anyone ever went to this church on a Sunday. The priest used to go there in a taxi, and one Sunday he arrived as usual and told the taxi-driver to wait while he read the service. When he entered the church, he found that there was only one man there, so he inquired whether he would be willing to have a shortened service.
'No,' replied the man firmly and without any hesitation, 'I'd like to have the full service, without omitting anything.'
When the priest said the last prayer and left, he discovered that the man in the church had been his taxi-driver, whose meter had been adding up the pence throughout the service.
Exercises:
A) Answer these questions:
1. Why did few people go to the church in this story?
2. How did the priest get there?
3. Why did he want a shortened service?
4. Why did the man in the church not want one?
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.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
C) Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)?
1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.