Text 488

Harry Marsh was a driving examiner who had to test people who wanted to get a driving-licence. One day he came out of his office as usual and saw a car at the side of the road, with a young man in it. He got into the car beside the driver and told him to check the lights,then the brakes and then all the other usual things. The driver performed everything promptly and faultlessly, without saying a word. Then Harry told the driver to start his engine and drive forward. Then he told him to turn right into a side road, stop, go backwards into another side road and then drive to the office again. On the way, the driver said to Harry politely, "Could you please tell me why we are doing all these things? I was passing through this town and only stopped to look at my map.

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

1. What was Harry's job?
2. What did he see outside his office one day?
3. What did he do?
4. What did he tell the young man to do?
5. What did the young man do?
6. How did the young man do ?
7. What did Harry tell him to do after that?
8. What did the young man ask him after he had finished?
9. Why had his car been parked outside Harry's office?
10.How do you think,what was Harry`s face after guy told him that he stopped and was just looking at his map?

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

1. in
2. finish
3. rudely
4. left
5. never
6.slowly
7.doubtfully
8. with
9. shout
10. village

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

1. Harry was a truck driver.

2. Harry saw a truck driver at the side of the road.

3. The young man needed some help.

4. The car had problems with brakes.

5. People who wanted a driving licence had to have a test first.

6. If a driver could check all the things like lights and brakes, Harry passed him.

7. The young man had a lot of faults in his performance.

8. Harry gave the young man a driving test by mistake.

9. Harry asked the young man to drive him to his office because he was late.

10. The young man came to have a driving test by mistake

Text 489

George was a newspaper reporter who worked for a small local newspaper in a country town. Nothing much ever happened there.

One day George's boss sent for him.

"George," he said, "James Bright is making a speech at the Town Hall tonight. I want you to go and report on it for us."

" James Bright? " said George. " He's a terrible old fool. He never says anything worth reporting."

"Bright is our best-known local politician," said the boss. " We'll have to print a report on that speech."

So George went to the meeting and Bright spoke for two hours without stopping. When George got back to the office at last, the boss was waiting for him.

" Well, George," he said. "What did the old man say?"

Absolutely nothing,' said George.

The boss wasn't surprised. All right, George,' he said. 'You'd better not write more than two and a half columns on it."

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

1.Who was George?
2. What did George's boss ask him to do one day?
3. What did George answer?
4. And what did his boss say then?
5. What happened at the meeting?
6. How long was the meeting?
7. What did George's boss ask him when he came back?
8. What did George answer?
9. How did his boss feel about this?
10. And what did he tell George to do?

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

1.played
2.foreign
3.big
4. few
5.next
6.front
7.worse
8. with
9. young
10. clever

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

1. George was a shopkeeper.

2.George worked in the city.

3. James Bright was a manager.

4. George's boss sent George to " World News" to report the speech.

5. The boss said that James Bright was an old fool.

6. George had a high opinion of James Bright.

7. George had to film James Bright's speech.

8. James Bright spoke for three hours.

9. A few people visited Kames Bright's speech.

10.George's wife waited George in the office.

11. George's boss told him to write quite a lot about his speech.

Text 490

Many years ago an English lady in Africa was invited by an important local chief to be the first person to use his new bath - the first one in that part of Africa.

The lady went into the bath-house, turned on the taps and got into the nice, warm water. But when she looked up, she was frightened to sеe an eye watching her through a hole. She got out, dressed and ran outside. She saw an old man and a donkey there. He was carrying a petrol tin of hot water in one hand, and one of cold water in the other, and in front of him were two funnels.

" Why were you watching me in my bath?" the lady asked him angrily.

The man answered politely, " I have to see which tap you turn on, madam, or I don't know whether to pour in hot or cold water."

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

Where did the English lady live many years ago?
Who invited the lady to use the new bath?
Why was the bath special in that area?
What did the lady do when she entered the bath-house?
How did the lady feel when she saw an eye watching her?
What did the lady do after she saw the eye?
Who did the lady see outside the bath-house?
What was the old man carrying?
Why did the old man watch which tap the lady turned on?
Why did the lady misunderstand the situation?

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

1.ugly
2.foreign
3.rude
4.warm
5.asked
6.back
7.down
8. turn off
9. politily
10.inside

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

The story happened many years ago in Africa.

An English lady was invited by a local chief.

The bath was the first one in that part of Africa.

The lady was unhappy because the water was too cold.

The lady saw someone looking at her through a hole.

The lady stayed in the bath and ignored the eye.

An old man and a donkey were outside the bath-house.

The old man carried only cold water.

The old man needed to know which tap was turned on.

The old man was trying to spy on the lady for fun.

Text 491

Mr. Edwards and Mr. Wilson were friends. They were sitting in a train when another man came in. There was going to be an election soon, and Mr. Edwards and Mr. Wilson began talking about politics. Mr. Edwards supported the Labour Party strongly.

Suddenly the third man began to argue with Mr. Edwards. He supported the Conservatives.

They argued for a long time, and then Mr. Edwards said, " Well, I can't make you change your mind, and you can't make me change mine, so let's have an agreement: I won't vote for the Labour Party, and you won't vote for the Conservative Party. Then we'll be able to stay at home comfortably, and nobody will lose anything. The other man agreed.

They all got out at the same station, and Mr Edwards drove Mr Wilson home in his car.

' That's the fifteenth person, I've made that agreement with,' he said to him.

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

1. Who were Mr. Edwards and Mr. Wilson?
2. What transport did they take?
3. What did they talk about?
4. How many people were in the carriage?
5. How long did they talk?
6. Did they fight?
7. Where did they get out?
8. What did they agree about?
9. Who won?
10. How many people did Mr. Edwards cheat?

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

1. enemies
2. out
3. finished
4. weakly
5. short
6. find
7. without
8. nobody
9. oppose
10. different

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

1. Mr. Edwards and Mr. Wilson were neighbours.

2. They went home by car.

3. Five people were in the carriage.

4. Mr. Edwards was for the Conservative Party.

5. The third man was on Mr Edwards's side.

6. Mr Edwards and the third man disagreed about politics.

7. Each of them agreed to vote for his own party.

8. They went out in the differents railway stations

9. The agreement helped the Labour Party.

10. Mr. Adwards cheated 20 people.

Text 492

Some people were queuing outside the Scala Theatre for tickets for a very popular show. They had to wait for several hours, and during that time they were entertained by a young man who was playing very nicely on a trumpet. The queue enjoyed his music and put quite a lot of money in the box that he had on the ground in front of him.

At last one of the people in the queue said to him, 'You play too well to be a beggar.

" I'm not a beggar,' the young man said. 'I'm studying to be a trumpet player in a big band, and I have to practise several hours every day, so I thought it would be nice to do it in the fresh air instead of in my small room on days when the weather was nice—and also to get a bit of money at the same time.

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

Why did the people have to wait outside the Scala Theatre?
How did the young man entertain the people in the queue?
Why did the audience decide to give the young man money?
What did one person in the queue think about the young man?
How did the young man explain that he was not a beggar?
What was the young man studying to become?
Why did he prefer practising outside instead of in his room?
What two benefits did the young man get from practising outdoors?
How did the weather influence his decision to practise outside?
What lesson can you learn from this story?

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

1. inside

2. old

3. ugly

4. hated

5. little ( few)

6. back

7. next

8. badly

9. worker

10. huge

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

1. Some people were near museum.

2. The people wanted to buy tickets for train.

3. The people bought all tickets very quickly.

4. Part of the show at the Scala Theatre was a popular entertainment by a young man who played the trumpet.

5. The young musician got quite a lot of money from the people in the queue.

6. He played very badly.

7. He played the trumpet in the band at the Scala Theatre,

8. He played in his small room in good weather with his windows open to get fresh air.

9. When the weather was nice, he always used to go to the bank to get a bit of money.

10. The young man did not have a place to live.

Text 493

Mr Richards worked in a shop which sold, cleaned and repaired hearing-aids. One day an old gentleman entered and put one down in front of him without saying a word.

'What's the matter with it?' Mr Richards asked.

The man did not answer. Of course Mr Richards thought that the man must be deaf and that his hearing-aid must be faulty, so he said again, more loudly, 'What's wrong with your hearing-aid, sir?' Again the man said nothing, so Mr Richards shouted his question again as loudly as he could.

The man then took a pen and a piece of paper and wrote: " It isn't necessary to shout when you're speaking to me. My ears are as good as yours. This hearing-aid is my wife's, not mine. I've just had a

throat operation, and my problem is not that I can't hear, but that I can't speak."

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

1. What was Mr.Richards?
2.What did Mr. Richards have?
3. What did an old gentleman bring Mr Richards one day?
4. What did Mr Richards ask him?
5. And what did the old man say in reply?
6. What did Mr Richards think then?
7. What did he do?
8. How did the old man make Mr Richards understand what he wanted?
9. Was the old man deaf?
10. Why had he not spoken to Mr Richards?

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

1. played
2. bought
3. up
4. take
5. quietly
6. right
7. bad
8. answer
9. back
10. rest

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

1.Mr. Richard worked in the market.

2. He sold jewelry.

3. Mr. Richard wife came to visit him.

4. An old gentleman brought a stolen jewelry into the shop where Mr Richards worked.

5. The man did not answer Mr Richards's question because he was deaf.

6. Mr Richards wrote his question down because the old gentleman could not hear him.

7. The old gentleman answered Mr Richards's question in writing.

8. The hearing-aid was the old gentleman's.

9. The old gentleman couldn't speak.

10.Mr. Richard bought hearing-aid.

Text 494

Mrs Grey was old and deaf, and she was in court, accusing at neighbour of allowing his dogs to come into her garden, damage her vegetables and run after her cat and her chickens.

After hearing both sides, the judge thought that it would be best and cheapest for everybody if Mrs Grey and her neighbour could come to some sort of arrangement to settle the matter between themselves, so he asked the lawyer who was representing Mrs Grey to find out how much money she wanted from her neighbour in order to stop the action against him.

Her lawyer explained to her what was happening, but Mrs Grey could not hear what he said, so he repeated loudly, 'The judge wants to know what you will take.'

"Oh, thank you very much," Mrs Grey answered politely. "Please tell him that I'll have a glass of beer."

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

Why was Mrs Grey in court?
What did Mrs Grey accuse her neighbour of doing?
Which animals were mentioned in the story?
Why did the judge want the two neighbours to reach an agreement?
What did the judge ask Mrs Grey's lawyer to find out?
Why did the lawyer have to repeat his question?
What misunderstanding happened between Mrs Grey and her lawyer?
What did Mrs Grey think the lawyer was asking her?
How did Mrs Grey answer the lawyer's question?
Why is the ending of the story funny?

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

1. hearing

2. fix

3. young

4. the worst

5. answered

6. the most expensive

7. lose

8. quietly

9. little ( few)

10. rudely

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

______ Mrs Grey was in court because she wanted to sell her house.
______ Her neighbour's cats damaged her vegetables.
______ The judge immediately fined the neighbour.
______ Mrs Grey wanted to move to another town.
______ The lawyer represented Mrs Grey's neighbour.
______ Mrs Grey clearly heard everything the lawyer said the first time.
______ The judge wanted the neighbours to continue arguing in court.
______ Mrs Grey asked the judge for a cup of coffee.
______ The neighbour admitted that his dogs had never entered Mrs Grey's garden.
______ Mrs Grey misunderstood the lawyer because she was deaf.

Text 495

A man who was bored with living in London and desired to move to the country was looking for a house from which he could get to his office in the city easily every day. One day he saw an advertisement for a suitable house in Hampshire which was claimed to be within a stone's throw of a railway station from which there were frequent trains to London.

He telephoned the house agency and arranged to go down by train the next day and have a look at the house,

The house agent met him at the station and they drove to the house, which was at least a kilometre from the station,

The man who had come to see the house turned to the house agent when they reached it and objected, 'I should be very interested to meet the man who threw that stone you mentioned in your advertisement!

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

Why did the man want to leave London?
What kind of house was he looking for?
Where was the house located?
What did the advertisement say about the house?
How did the man arrange to visit the house?
Who met the man at the railway station?
How far was the house from the station?
Why was the man disappointed when he saw the house?
What did the man mean by his comment about the stone?
Why is the ending of the story humorous?

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

1. hardly
2. seldom
3. up
4. last
5. most
6. interest
7. unwanted
8. avoid
9. caught
10. hate

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

1. A man loved to live in London.

2. The man in this story wanted to live inLondon, but work in the country.

3. He wanted to live near a station.

4. A man called to house agency at the beginning.

5. He saw an advertisement for a house in the street.

6. He saw an advertisement for a house near his office.

7. The house agent met him at the bus stop.

8. He went from London to Hampshire with the house agent.

9. The house was not really only a stone's throw from the station.

10. The house agent met him at the bus stop.

Text 496

A famous writer who was visiting Japan was invited to give a lecture at a university to a large group of students. As most of them could not understand spoken English, he had to have an interpreter.

During his lecture he told an amusing story which went on for her a long time. At last he stopped to allow the interpreter to translate it into Japanese, and was very surprised when the man did this in a few seconds, after which all the students laughed loudly.

After the lecture, the writer thanked the interpreter for his good work and then said to him, " Now please tell me how you translated that long story of mine into such a short Japanese one."

" I didn't tell the story at all," the interpreter answered with a smile.

" I just said, "The honourable lecturer has just told a funny story.Y ou will all laugh, please."'

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

Why was the famous writer invited to the university?
Why did the writer need an interpreter?
What kind of story did the writer tell during his lecture?
Why did the writer stop speaking after telling the story?
Why was the writer surprised by the interpreter?
How did the students react after the interpreter spoke?
What did the writer ask the interpreter after the lecture?
What did the interpreter actually say to the students?
Why didn't the interpreter translate the whole story?
Why is the ending of the story funny?

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

1. unknown
2. take
3. little
4. least
5. boring
6. started
7. cried
8. quietly
9. short
10. play

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

1. The writer was unknown.

2. He came to Mexico.

3. He gave his lecture to all Mexican people.

4. The famous writer spoke Japanese well.

5. He told the students a long funny story.

6. The interpreter took rather a long time to tell the story.

7. The interpreter told the students a different funny story.

8. The students did not understand the lecturer's funny story at all.

9. The students laughed because the interpreter told them to.

10.The writer had a very good interpreter

Text 497

Mr Williams was a gardener and a very good one too. Last year he came to work for Mrs Elphinstone, who was old, fat and rich.

She knew nothing about gardens, but thought that she knew a lot, and was always interfering. One day Mr Williams got angry with Mrs Elphinstone and called her an elephant. She did not like that at all, so she went to a lawyer, and a few months later Mr Williams was in court, accused of calling Mrs Elphinstone an elephant. The magistrate found Mr Williams guilty, so Mr Williams said to him,

" Does that mean that I am not allowed to call this lady an elephant any more? "

"That is quite correct," the magistrate answered.

"And am I allowed to call an elephant a lady? " the gardener asked.

"Yes, certainly," the magistrate answered.

Mr Williams looked at Mrs Elphinstone and said, " Goodbye, lady."

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

1. Who was Mr. Williams?

2. What did he do last year?

3. What did Mr Williams do when he got angry with Mrs Elphinstone?

4. And what did Mrs Elphinstone do about this?

5. What did the magistrate decide?

6. What did Mr Williams ask him then?

7. What did the magistrate answer?

8. What did Mr Williams ask then?

9. And what was the magistrate's answer this time?

10. So what did Mr Williams do then?

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

1. thin

2. new

3. poor

4. happy

5. many

6. lost

7. wrong

8. asked

9. next

10. bad

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

______ Mr Williams worked as a lawyer.
______ Mrs Elphinstone knew a great deal about gardening.
______ Mrs Elphinstone never interfered with the gardener's work.
______ Mr Williams praised Mrs Elphinstone by calling her a flower.
______ Mrs Elphinstone ignored the gardener's rude comment.
______ The magistrate said that Mr Williams was not guilty.
______ Mr Williams was forbidden to speak to Mrs Elphinstone again.
______ The magistrate said that it was illegal to call an elephant a lady.
______ Mr Williams apologized to Mrs Elphinstone in court.
______ At the end of the story, Mr Williams cleverly obeyed the magistrate's decision while still insulting Mrs Elphinstone.

Text 498

There are lots of different kinds of Christian groups in the world, and one of them decided that they would adopt the motto: "There are no problems. There are only opportunities." "People think too much about difficulties which prevent them from doing good deeds," they said, 'and not enough about things that help them to do them.

Once this group was having a big conference in a hotel, when one of the members came up to the conference inquiries desk and said to the girl behind it, 'Excuse me, miss, but I have a problem.

The girl pointed to the motto, and said to the man, " No, sir, you haven't got a problem. You only have an opportunity."

The man smiled patiently at her and answered, " Well, you can call it whatever you like, but there's a young woman in the room I was given when I arrived twenty minutes ago."

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

What did one Christian group decide to adopt?
What was the group's motto?
Why did the group choose this motto?
Where was the group holding its conference?
Why did one of the members go to the inquiries desk?
How did the girl at the desk respond to the man's statement?
Why did the man smile patiently?
What did the man discover when he entered his room?
Why did the girl's reply not solve the man's situation?
Why is the ending of the story humorous?

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

different →
prevent →
good →
big →
arrived →
behind →
young →
smile →
patiently →
opportunities →

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

______ The Christian group adopted the motto, "Every problem has no solution."
______ The conference was held in a school.
______ The members believed people thought too much about opportunities.
______ The man went to the inquiries desk because he had lost his suitcase.
______ The girl immediately called the hotel manager.
______ The man was unhappy because his room was too small.
______ The girl ignored the group's motto.
______ The man had been staying at the hotel for several days.
______ The young woman asked the man to leave the hotel.
______ The man found a young woman in the room that had been given to him.

Text 499

The cautious captain of a small ship had to go along a coast with which he was unfamiliar, so he tried to find a qualified pilot to guide him. He went ashore in one of the small ports where his ship stopped, and a local fisherman pretended that he was one because he needed some money. The captain took him on board and let him tell him where to steer the ship.

After half an hour the captain began to suspect that the fisherman did not really know what he was doing or where he was going so he said to him, 'Are you sure you are a qualified pilot?'

"Oh, yes," answered the fisherman, " I know every rock on this part of the coast." Suddenly there was a terrible tearing sound from under the ship. At once the fisherman added, 'And that's one of them."

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

Why did the captain need a pilot?
Why did the captain stop at a small port?
Who pretended to be a qualified pilot?
Why did the fisherman lie to the captain?
What responsibility did the captain give the fisherman?
Why did the captain begin to doubt the fisherman?
What did the captain ask the fisherman?
What happened suddenly while they were sailing?
What did the fisherman mean when he said, "And that's one of them"?
Why is the ending of the story humorous?

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

cautious →
small →
unfamiliar →
qualified →
local →
pretend →
begin →
terrible →
under →
added →

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

The captain knew the coast very well.
The captain wanted a fisherman to catch fish for the crew.
The fisherman was a qualified pilot with many years of experience.
The captain never questioned the fisherman's ability.
The ship reached its destination without any problems.
The terrible sound came from above the ship.
The fisherman admitted at the beginning that he knew nothing about sailing.
The captain asked the fisherman to repair the ship.
The fisherman warned the captain about every dangerous rock before they reached it.
The ship hit a rock while the fisherman was guiding it.

Text 500

A lot of people go to the seaside for their holidays, and the various towns try to organize entertainment for them.

In one seaside holiday town in the south of England, arrangements were made for a band to play outdoors in a public park every evening for a week. Unfortunately it rained the first evening, and although the band performed well, there was only one person in the audience because, although the band was under cover, the audience were not.

The man was sitting in a chair, wearing a waterproof hat and coat, After an hour, the conductor of the band went to this man and inquired whether he had a special request.

"Yes, I have," said the man. "Please finish as soon as you can. I'm the keeper of this park, and I want to lock the gates and go home."

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

Why do many people go to the seaside?
What did the holiday town organize for its visitors?
Where was the band supposed to perform?
Why did only one person attend the concert?
Why did the band continue playing despite the rain?
How was the man in the audience dressed?
What did the conductor ask the man after an hour?
Who was the only person in the audience?
Why did the man want the concert to end quickly?
Why is the ending of the story humorous?

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

Part 2. Write the Opposite Word

outdoors →
public →
evening →
unfortunately →
under →
finish →
special →
wearing →
lock →
go →

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

______ The holiday town organized a football tournament for visitors.
______ The band performed indoors in a theatre.
______ The weather was warm and sunny on the first evening.
______ Hundreds of people attended the concert.
______ The audience was protected from the rain.
______ The conductor ignored the only person in the audience.
______ The man asked the band to play his favourite song.
______ The man was one of the musicians in the band.
______ The park stayed open all night after the concert.
______ The only person in the audience was the park keeper, who wanted to lock the gates and go home.

Text 501

A very strict officer was talking to some new soldiers whom he had to train. He had never seen them before, so he began: 'My name is Stone, and I'm even harder than stone, so do what I tell you or

there'll be trouble. Don't try any tricks with me, and then we'll get on well together. "

Then he went to each soldier one after the other and asked him his name. 'Speak loudly so that everyone can hear you clearly," he said, 'and don't forget to call me "sir

Each soldier told him his name, until he came to the last one. This man remained silent, and so Captain Stone shouted at him, " When I ask you a question, answer it! I'll ask you again: what's your name, soldier? "

The soldier was very unhappy, but at last he replied. "My name's Stonebreaker, sir," he said nervously.

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

Who was Captain Stone talking to?
How did Captain Stone describe himself?
What warning did he give the new soldiers?
What instructions did he give before asking their names?
Why did the soldiers have to speak loudly?
What happened when Captain Stone reached the last soldier?
Why did Captain Stone become angry?
What was the last soldier's name?
Why was the last soldier nervous before answering?
Why is the ending of the story humorous?

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

strict → ______________________
new → ______________________
harder → ______________________
loudly → ______________________
together → ______________________
silent → ______________________
unhappy → ______________________
last → ______________________
clearly → ______________________
trouble → ______________________

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

______ Captain Stone was friendly and relaxed with the new soldiers.
______ The officer asked the soldiers to whisper their names.
______ The soldiers were told not to call the officer "sir."
______ Every soldier refused to answer the officer's questions.
______ The last soldier immediately answered with confidence.
______ Captain Stone praised the last soldier before hearing his name.
______ The last soldier's name was Strong.
______ The officer introduced himself after asking the soldiers their names.
______ The soldiers were experienced officers.
______ The last soldier was nervous because his surname was Stonebreaker.

Text 502

An old admiral was famous in the navy for his bad temper, so everyone tried hard not to annoy him. One week his ships were going to take part in a big international exercise, so he came on board in the evening, had his dinner and then went to bed. In the morning he had his breakfast early, came up to the bridge and examined the ships in his group carefully. Then he said angrily, "There should be two cruisers in this group, but I can only see one. Where's the other? No one dared to answer, and this made the admiral even angrier. His face became redder and redder.

" Well? " he shouted. 'What are you fools hiding from me? Where's the second cruiser? What's happened to it? Answer me!

At last a young sailor found enough courage to speak.

"Please, sir,' he said, 'you're on it.

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

Why was the admiral well known in the navy?
What was happening with the admiral’s ships that week?
What did the admiral do after coming on board in the evening?
What did the admiral do the next morning?
What did the admiral notice when he checked the ships?
Why did no one answer the admiral’s question?
How did the admiral react when nobody answered him?
What question did the admiral keep repeating?
What did the young sailor finally say?
Why is the ending of the story humorous?

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

old → ______________________
famous → ______________________
bad → ______________________
early → ______________________
carefully → ______________________
angry → ______________________
answer → ______________________
red → ______________________
hiding → ______________________
young → ______________________

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

______ The admiral was famous for being very kind.
______ The ships were taking part in a military exercise.
______ The admiral skipped dinner that evening.
______ The admiral was satisfied with what he saw in the morning.
______ The admiral thought one cruiser was missing.
______ The sailors immediately explained where the cruiser was.
______ The admiral became calmer after hearing no answers.
______ The sailors were afraid to speak to the admiral.
______ The admiral was standing on the missing cruiser.
______ The young sailor explained that the admiral was already on the second cruiser.

Text 503

Miss Jones teaches mathematics at a school. In one of her classes, the boys and girls are about eight years old, and they are not very good at arithmetic, Miss Jones always tries to make the work interesting and amusing as well as usefull.

One day she gave them a question: " If you go to the market to buy vegetables," she said, " and a carrot and a half cost twelve pence, how much will you have to pay for a dozen carrots? "

The pupils began to write in their exercise-books, and for a long time nobody spoke. Then one boy put his hand up and said, "Coulid you repeat thr question, please, Miss? "

The teacher began, "If a carrot and a half - ", but the boy interrupted her.

"Oh, a carrol and a half? " he said. "All this time I've been trying to work it out in cabbages, Miss."

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

What subject does Miss Jones teach?
How old are the pupils in her class?
Why does Miss Jones try to make her lessons interesting?
What problem do the pupils have with mathematics?
What question did Miss Jones ask the class?
What did the pupils do after hearing the question?
Why did one boy raise his hand?
What did the boy ask the teacher to do?
Why did the boy misunderstand the problem?
Why is the ending of the story humorous?

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

interesting →
useful →
good →
long →
begin →
speak →
young →
same →
half →
expensive →

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

______ Miss Jones teaches history at a university.
______ The pupils are very good at arithmetic.
______ Miss Jones tries to make lessons boring.
______ The pupils immediately solved the problem.
______ One boy asked the teacher to repeat the question.
______ The boy clearly understood the problem from the beginning.
______ The problem involved buying vegetables.
______ The teacher was angry with the boy.
______ The boy had been thinking in terms of cabbages instead of carrots.
______ The class was for children about eight years old.

Text 504

When Mr Andrews left university, he got a good job in a big oil company, but after he had been there for a few years, he decided that he would like a change. He also wanted to get a more important

position, so that he could get more money, and perhaps also do more interesting work, so he put an advertisement in several newspapers,saying what experience he had had, describing the kind of job he ihad at that time and the kind he would like to have.

One of the answers he received was from another man who was looking for a job too. This man wrote to him, " Dear Sir, When you get a new job, please be kind enough to give my name and address to your present employer, as I have been trying to find a position like

yours for a long time."

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

Where did Mr Andrews work after leaving university?
Why did Mr Andrews decide to change his job?
What did he hope to gain from a new position?
Where did Mr Andrews place his advertisement?
What did he include in his advertisement?
What kind of replies did he receive?
Who wrote one of the replies to Mr Andrews?
What did the other man ask Mr Andrews to do?
Why did the other man want Mr Andrews’ help?
Why is the ending of the story humorous?

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

good →
big →
few →
important →
more →
interesting →
new →
present →
long →

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

______ Mr Andrews worked in a small shop after university.
______ He wanted a less important job with less money.
______ He placed an advertisement in newspapers.
______ He did not describe his experience in the advertisement.
______ He received many replies from employers.
______ The reply came from another job seeker.
______ The other man already had a good job.
______ The man wanted Mr Andrews to help him find work.
______ Mr Andrews refused to answer the letter.
______ The story is humorous because both men are trying to use each other to improve their job situations.

Text 505

Mary was a university student. She did not have very much money, and her parents were not rich, but she had an uncle who had been fortunate enough to collect great wealth. He had no children, and

Mary was his favourite niece, so he always gave her valuable Christmas and birthday presents.

When her Uncle George's birthday came round, Mary wanted to buy him something really special, but because he was so wealthy, she did not know what to get him. She went into the best shop in her town and explained wihat her problem was to one of the helpful young shop

assistants.

Finally Mary said to her, 'I suppose this isn't the first time anybody has come to you with this problem. What do you have for someone who's already got everything he wants or needs?"

The girl sighed deeply and answered, " Envy. Only envy. "

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

What was Mary’s status as a student?
Why did Mary’s uncle often give her expensive presents?
What was unusual about Uncle George’s financial situation?
Why did Mary want to buy her uncle a special gift?
What problem did Mary face when choosing a present?
Where did Mary go to find a gift?
Who did she ask for help in the shop?
What question did Mary ask the shop assistant?
What did the shop assistant first think about Mary’s problem?
Why is the ending of the story humorous?

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

Part 2. Write the Opposite Word
rich → ______________________
valuable → ______________________
fortunate → ______________________
special → ______________________
best → ______________________
helpful → ______________________
deep → ______________________
always → ______________________
much → ______________________
answer → ______________________

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

______ Mary was a school teacher.
______ Mary had very little money.
______ Her uncle had many children.
______ Uncle George was poor.
______ Mary wanted to buy a simple gift.
______ She went to a cheap market to buy a present.
______ The shop assistant was unhelpful.
______ Mary’s uncle already had everything he needed.
______ The assistant suggested buying envy as a gift.
______ The assistant gave a serious and clever answer to Mary’s problem.

Text 506

Miss Richards was a teacher at a school for boys and girls. She taught chemistry and physics from the lowest to the highest classes in the school. Sometimes the new classes learnt rapidly, but sometimes they were very slow, and then Miss Richards had to repeat things many

times.

One year, the first class had been studying chemistry for several weeks when Miss Richards suddenly asked, " What is water? Who knows? Hands up! "

There was silence for a few seconds, and Miss Richards felt sadness, but then one boy raised his hand.

"Yes, Dick?" said Miss Richards encouragingly. He was not one of brightest children in the class, so she was glad that he could answer.

"Oh, water is a liquid which has no colour until you wash your hands in it, Miss. Then it turns black,' the boy replied with great contence.

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

What subjects did Miss Richards teach?
What kind of school did she work in?
Why did she sometimes have to repeat her lessons many times?
How long had the first class been studying chemistry?
What question did Miss Richards ask the class?
What did she do after asking the question?
Why did she feel sad at first?
Who eventually raised his hand?
Why was Miss Richards glad when the boy answered?
Why is the boy’s answer humorous?

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

teacher → ______________________
question → ______________________
answer → ______________________
begin → ______________________
end → ______________________
few → ______________________
happy → ______________________
right → ______________________
clean → ______________________
loud → ______________________

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

______ Miss Richards taught only biology.
______ The students sometimes learned slowly.
______ The class had been studying chemistry for several weeks.
______ Miss Richards asked the class a question about water.
______ Many students immediately answered the question.
______ Dick was one of the strongest students in the class.
______ Miss Richards felt disappointed when no one answered at first.
______ Dick gave a fully correct scientific definition.
______ The boy said water turns black when you wash your hands.
______ The story is funny because Dick mixed up science with everyday experience.

Text 507

While Mrs Edwards was in town one Saturday, she saw a crash in an avenue: two cars ran into each other. The drivers got out, and an argument arose between them, but then a policeman arrived. He

asked the drivers what had happened, and then he turned to the crowd which had collected round and said, " Did anyone see the accident? " Several people said they had, and Mrs Edwards was one of them.

A week later she was asked whether she was willing to be a witness in a court case concerning the accident, and she said she was; and a month later, a lawyer was questioning her in court. She began everything with, " I think that ...," until the lawyer got angry and said, "You're not here to say what you think: you're here to say what you know."

"I'm sorry," objected Mrs Edwards, " but I'm not a lawyer, so I can't say things without thinking."

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

What did Mrs Edwards see in town one Saturday?
What happened between the two drivers?
Who arrived after the accident began?
What question did the policeman ask the crowd?
Why did Mrs Edwards become involved later?
Where was Mrs Edwards questioned about the accident?
Why did the lawyer become angry with her?
What did Mrs Edwards usually begin her answers with?
What was the lawyer’s instruction to Mrs Edwards?
Why is the ending of the story humorous?

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

town → ______________________
arrive → ______________________
collect → ______________________
several → ______________________
willing → ______________________
begin → ______________________
angry → ______________________
know → ______________________
true → ______________________
think → ______________________

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

______ Mrs Edwards saw a football match in town.
______ Two cars crashed into each other.
______ The drivers immediately agreed with each other.
______ A policeman arrived after the accident.
______ Nobody in the crowd saw the accident.
______ Mrs Edwards refused to go to court.
______ She was questioned by a lawyer in court.
______ The lawyer wanted her to explain her opinions.
______ Mrs Edwards always answered confidently and clearly.
______ The story is funny because she confused “thinking” and “knowing” in court.

Text 508

During World War Two, a lot of young women in Britain were in the army. Joan Phillips was one of them. She worked in a big camp, and of course met a lot of men, officers and soldiers.

One evening she met Captain Humphreys at a dance. He said to her, " I'm going abroad tomorrow, but I'd be very happy if we could write to each other." Joan agreed, and they wrote for several months.

Then his letters stopped, but she received one from another officer, telling her that he had been wounded and was in a certain army hospital in England.

Joan went there and said to the matron, " I've come to visit Captain Humphreys. "

"Only relatives are allowed to visit patients here," the matron said.

"Oh, that's all right," answered Joan. " I'm his sister. "

" I'm very pleased to meet you," the matron said, " I'm his mother!"

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

During which war does the story take place?
Where did Joan Phillips work?
How did Joan meet Captain Humphreys?
What did Captain Humphreys ask Joan after they met?
What happened to their communication after a few months?
Who informed Joan that the captain was in hospital?
Why did Joan go to the hospital?
What rule did the matron explain about visiting patients?
What did Joan say to be allowed to visit the captain?
Why is the ending of the story humorous?

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

young → ______________________
go → ______________________
meet → ______________________
agree → ______________________
write → ______________________
same → ______________________
allow → ______________________
pleased → ______________________
happy → ______________________
certain → ______________________

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

______ Joan Phillips was a nurse during World War Two.
______ She worked in a military camp.
______ She met Captain Humphreys at a party.
______ They immediately got married.
______ They wrote letters for several months.
______ Captain Humphreys never left Britain.
______ Joan received news that he was in hospital.
______ Anyone was allowed to visit hospital patients.
______ Joan said she was the captain’s sister.
______ The matron was actually the captain’s mother.

Text 509

Mrs Black was old and rich. She lived in a splendid house and owned a lot of valuable things. Then she died, and there was a big funeral. Notices were sent out to relatives and friends, and they came from far and near to attend the funeral.

The service took place in Mrs Black's old church, and then her body was taken back to be buried in a special place in her garden. The hearse carrying her body moved along slowly, followed by the

relatives and friends, the women and children in cars, and the men on foot.

One of Mrs Black's cousins saw a poorly dressed man following the hearse and crying bitterly,

The cousin said to him kindly, 'Were you a relative of the dead woman too?'

"No," the man answered.

"Then why are you crying?" the dead woman's relative asked.

"That's exactly why I'm crying,' the poorly dressed man answered.

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

What kind of woman was Mrs Black when she was alive?
What happened to Mrs Black at the beginning of the story?
Why did people come from far and near?
Where did the funeral service take place?
Where was Mrs Black going to be buried?
How did the funeral procession move?
Who noticed the poorly dressed man?
What was the man doing during the funeral?
Was the man a relative of Mrs Black?
Why is the ending of the story humorous?

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

old → ______________________
rich → ______________________
big → ______________________
far → ______________________
slowly → ______________________
dead → ______________________
kindly → ______________________
follow → ______________________
valuable → ______________________
cry → ______________________

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

______ Mrs Black was poor and young.
______ She lived in a small house.
______ Many people attended her funeral.
______ The funeral service was held in her garden.
______ The hearse moved quickly through the streets.
______ The relatives followed the hearse.
______ A poorly dressed man was laughing at the funeral.
______ The cousin spoke kindly to the man.
______ The man was a close relative of Mrs Black.
______ The man was crying because he was not a relative.

Text 510

It was very difficult to find jobs in the north-east of England, and when John lost his, he found it impossible to get a new one. He had soon spent all his money, so he decided to go down to the south of the country, where he had heard that things were better, and that it was easier to find work. The best way to go was by train, so he went to the railway station and got into a train which was going to London.

He was the only passenger in his compartment when another man burst in carrying a gun and said to him, " Your money, or your life! "

" I haven't got a penny,'John answered in fright.

"Then why are you trembling so much?' the man with the gun asked angrily

" Because I thought you were the ticket-collector, and I haven't even got a ticket," answered John.

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

Why did John lose his job?
Why did John decide to travel to the south of England?
How did John travel?
Where was the train going?
What happened in John’s compartment?
What did the man with the gun demand?
What did John say about his money?
Why did the man become angry?
What mistake did John make about the man with the gun?
Why is the ending of the story humorous?

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

difficult → ______________________
lose → ______________________
impossible → ______________________
better → ______________________
easy → ______________________
only → ______________________
rich → ______________________
new → ______________________
afraid → ______________________
even → ______________________

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

______ John easily found a new job in the north-east of England.
______ John had no money left after losing his job.
______ He travelled to the south by train.
______ The train was going to Manchester.
______ John shared his compartment with several passengers.
______ The man carried a knife.
______ The man asked for John’s money or life.
______ John had a lot of money with him.
______ John thought the man was the ticket-collector.
______ John was trembling because he was afraid of the robbery.

Text 511

Mr Grey liked shooting very much, but he did not get much practice at shooting wild animals, and he was not very good at it. One of his troubles was that his eyes were not very good and he had to wear

classes. When it rained and his glasses got wet, he could not see very well.

One day he was invited to go out shooting bears in the mountains. It was rather a rainy day, and by mistake Mr Grey shot at one of the other hunters and hit him in the leg,

There was a court case about this, and at it the lawyer for the other man said, " Why did you shoot at Mr Robinson? "

Mr Grey answered, " I thought that he was a bear. "

"When did you realize that you were wrong?" the lawyer asked.

"When the bear began to shoot back at me," Mr Grey answered.

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

Why was Mr. Grey not very good at shooting wild animals?
Answer: _______________________________
What problem did Mr. Grey have with his eyes?
Answer: _______________________________
Why could he not see well when it rained?
Answer: _______________________________
Where did Mr. Grey go to hunt bears?
Answer: _______________________________
What was the weather like on the day of the hunt?
Answer: _______________________________
Who did Mr. Grey shoot by mistake?
Answer: _______________________________
Which part of the hunter's body was injured?
Answer: _______________________________
Why was there a court case?
Answer: _______________________________
What did Mr. Grey say he thought Mr. Robinson was?
Answer: _______________________________
When did Mr. Grey realize that he had made a mistake?
Answer: _______________________________

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

good → ____________________
wet → ____________________
rainy → ____________________
wrong → ____________________
began → ____________________
much → ____________________
invited → ____________________
wild → ____________________
hit → ____________________
liked → ____________________

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

Mr. Grey was an excellent hunter. ______
Mr. Grey had perfect eyesight and never wore glasses. ______
The weather was sunny on the day of the hunt. ______
Mr. Grey went hunting rabbits in the forest. ______
Mr. Grey accidentally shot himself in the foot. ______
The injured hunter was hit in the arm. ______
There was no court case after the accident. ______
Mr. Grey said that he knew immediately that Mr. Robinson was not a bear. ______
The bear ran away when Mr. Grey fired his gun. ______
Mr. Grey realized his mistake when the "bear" started shooting back at him. ______

Text 512

Army camps always have to be guarded, of course, to make sure that nobody goes in or out without permission, otherwise soldiers could go out when they were not supposed to, and anybody could come in at any time and cause all sorts of trouble.

There is usually a guard composed of several soldiers at each gate, and the men in the guard take turns to stand at the gate with a gun and stop everyone who wants to go in or out to see their passes. The man on guard is told to say, 'Halt! Who goes there?' if anyone comes towards the gate.

A soldier was guarding the gate of a camp at night when he heard a sound in the dark. 'Halt! Who goes there?" he shouted nervously.

" Nobody, " a voice answered.

The soldier thought for a few seconds and then said, "Well-is there anyone with you?"

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

Why do army camps need to be guarded?
Answer: _______________
What could happen if nobody guarded the camp?
Answer: _
Where are guards usually stationed in an army camp?
Answer: _
Who usually makes up the guard at each gate?
Answer: _
What weapon does the guard carry?
Answer: _
Why does the guard stop people at the gate?
Answer: _
When did the soldier hear a sound in the dark?
Answer: _
What did the soldier shout when he heard the sound?
Answer: _
How did the voice answer the soldier's question?
Answer: _
What unusual question did the soldier ask after thinking for a few seconds?
Answer: _______________

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

always → ____________________
in → ____________________
out → ____________________
trouble → ____________________
stop → ____________________
night → ____________________
dark → ____________________
nobody → ____________________
with → ____________________
towards → ____________________

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

Army camps do not need guards. ______
Guards allow everyone to enter the camp without checking passes. ______
Only one soldier guards the entire camp. ______
The soldier was guarding the camp during the day. ______
The soldier heard music coming from the gate. ______
The voice answered, "Everybody." ______
The soldier immediately recognized the person in the dark. ______
The soldier invited the person into the camp. ______
The soldier dropped his gun and ran away. ______
The soldier asked, "Is there anyone with you?" after hearing the answer. ______

Text 513

Joe and Helen Mills had two small children. One of them was six, and the other was four. They always resisted going to bed, and Helen was always complaining to Joe about this, but as he did not come home from work until after they had gone to bed during the week, he was unable to help except at weekends.

Joe considered himself a good singer, but really his voice was not at all musical. However, he decided that, if he sang to the children when they went to bed, it would help them to relax, and gradually they would go to sleep.

He did this every Saturday and Sunday night until he heard his small son whisper to his younger sister, " If you pretend that you're asleep, he stops! "

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

How many children did Joe and Helen Mills have?
Answer: _______________________________
How old was the older child?
Answer: _______________________________
What did the children always resist doing?
Answer: _______________________________
Why couldn't Joe help with the bedtime problem during the week?
Answer: _______________________________
What did Joe think about his singing ability?
Answer: _______________________________
What was actually true about Joe's voice?
Answer: _______________________________
What did Joe decide to do to help the children sleep?
Answer: _______________________________
On which nights did Joe sing to the children?
Answer: _______________________________
What did Joe hear his son whisper to his sister?
Answer: _______________________________
Why did the children pretend to be asleep?
Answer: _______________________________

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

small → ____________________
always → ____________________
after → ____________________
good → ____________________
relax → ____________________
gradually → ____________________
younger → ____________________
asleep → ____________________
weekend → ____________________
whisper → ____________________

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

Joe and Helen had three children. ______
The children enjoyed going to bed early. ______
Joe came home before the children went to bed during the week. ______
Helen never complained about the bedtime problem. ______
Joe knew that he was a terrible singer. ______
Joe sang to the children every night of the week. ______
The children fell asleep immediately because they loved his singing. ______
The son whispered to his older brother. ______
The children asked their father to sing another song. ______
The children pretended to be asleep so that Joe would stop singing. ______

Text 514

Mr Hodges was the owner and editor of a small newspaper. He always tried to bring his readers the latest news.

One day, he received an excited telephone call from someone who claimed that he had just come through a big flood in a village up in the mountains. He described the flood in great detail, and Mr Hodges wrote it all down and printed it in his paper that evening. He was delighted to see that no other paper had got hold of the story,

Unfortunately, however, angry telephone calls soon showed that he had been tricked, so in the next day's paper he wrote: 'We were the first and only newspaper to report yesterday that the village of

Greenbridge had been destroyed by a flood. Today, we are proud to say that we are again the first newspaper to bring our readers the news that yesterday's story was quite false.

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

What was Mr. Hodges's job?
Answer: _______________
What kind of newspaper did Mr. Hodges own?
Answer: _
What did he always try to bring his readers?
Answer: _
What kind of telephone call did Mr. Hodges receive one day?
Answer: _
What did the caller claim had happened in the village?
Answer: _
Where was the village located?
Answer: _
What did Mr. Hodges do after hearing the story?
Answer: _
Why was Mr. Hodges delighted that evening?
Answer: _
How did he discover that the story was false?
Answer: _
What did Mr. Hodges write in the next day's newspaper?
Answer: _______________

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

small → ____________________
latest → ____________________
excited → ____________________
big → ____________________
great → ____________________
delighted → ____________________
angry → ____________________
first → ____________________
destroyed → ____________________
false → ____________________

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

Mr. Hodges worked as a doctor. ______
He owned a large national newspaper. ______
The caller said that there had been an earthquake in the village. ______
The village of Greenbridge was beside the sea. ______
Mr. Hodges ignored the telephone call and did not print the story. ______
Several other newspapers reported the same story that evening. ______
Mr. Hodges learned the truth from a television program. ______
The flood story was completely true. ______
Mr. Hodges refused to mention the mistake in his newspaper. ______
In the next day's paper, Mr. Hodges admitted that the previous story was false. ______

Text 515

While Mr Green was waiting for a bus one morning, a car passed him, going very rapidly. Mr Green just had tine to think, "That fellow's certain to have an accident if..., before that was exactly

what happened: the car hit the side of a bus violently as it was passing, and there was a terrible noise and quite a lot of damage.

Mr Green hurried to see whether anyone had been hurt, but everyone was all right. However, the bus driver asked him to be a witness at the trial, and Mr Green agreed.

At the trial, the judge asked Mr Green, 'How far were you from the place where the accident took place?

Eleven metres and forty-eight centimetres,' Mr Green answered.

The judge was astonished and said, "How do you know the distance so exactly?

"Because I was expecting some fool to ask me,' Mr Green answered.

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

What was Mr. Green doing when the accident happened?
Answer: _______________________________
How was the car moving?
Answer: _______________________________
What did Mr. Green think when he saw the car?
Answer: _______________________________
What happened to the car a few moments later?
Answer: _______________________________
What did the car hit?
Answer: _______________________________
What did Mr. Green do after the accident?
Answer: _______________________________
Were any people injured in the accident?
Answer: _______________________________
Why did the bus driver ask Mr. Green for help?
Answer: _______________________________
What question did the judge ask Mr. Green at the trial?
Answer: _______________________________
Why had Mr. Green remembered the exact distance?
Answer: _______________________________

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

rapidly → ____________________
morning → ____________________
terrible → ____________________
violently → ____________________
hurried → ____________________
all right → ____________________
agreed → ____________________
exactly → ____________________
astonished → ____________________
near → ____________________

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

Mr. Green was driving a bus when the accident happened. ______
The car was moving very slowly. ______
The car hit the back of a truck. ______
Several people were seriously injured in the accident. ______
Mr. Green refused to help the bus driver. ______
The trial took place on the same street where the accident happened. ______
The judge asked Mr. Green about the speed of the car. ______
Mr. Green could not remember the distance from the accident. ______
The judge was not surprised by Mr. Green's answer. ______
Mr. Green gave the exact distance because he expected someone to ask him about it. ______

Text 516

Mr Jones had to drive up from London to Edinburgh in Scotland.

" I'm going to drive at night,' he said to his wife. The roads will be quieter. And if I get hungry, I'll stop at one of the small restaurants at the side of the road and have something to eat.'

The food's terrible in those places, I believe,' his wife said.

"Oh, well, I don't suppose it will kill me," Mr Jones said, laughing. He left at 9 o'clock in the evening, and at about midnight he felt hungry, so he stopped at a small restaurant which was open all night and sat down at a table. A waiter came to him, and Mr Jones asked for ham and eggs.

"And," he said to the waiter, " I like my eggs almost raw, and my ham quite cold.

The waiter laughed and said, " You must have eaten here before! "

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

Where did Mr. Jones have to drive?
Answer: _______________________________
Why did he decide to drive at night?
Answer: _______________________________
What did Mr. Jones plan to do if he became hungry?
Answer: _______________________________
What did his wife think about the food in roadside restaurants?
Answer: _______________________________
What time did Mr. Jones leave London?
Answer: _______________________________
At about what time did he start feeling hungry?
Answer: _______________________________
What kind of restaurant did he stop at?
Answer: _______________________________
What meal did Mr. Jones order?
Answer: _______________________________
How did he like his eggs and ham?
Answer: _______________________________
Why did the waiter laugh?
Answer: _______________________________

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

night → ____________________
quieter → ____________________
hungry → ____________________
small → ____________________
terrible → ____________________
open → ____________________
cold → ____________________
before → ____________________
up → ____________________
laughing → ____________________

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

Mr. Jones was driving from Edinburgh to London. ______
He wanted to drive during the day because the roads would be quieter. ______
His wife believed that the food in roadside restaurants was excellent. ______
Mr. Jones left home at 6 o'clock in the evening. ______
He became hungry early in the morning. ______
The restaurant he visited was closed at night. ______
Mr. Jones ordered fish and potatoes. ______
He liked his eggs well-cooked and his ham hot. ______
The waiter became angry when he heard the order. ______
The waiter joked that Mr. Jones must have eaten there before. ______

Text 517

Mr Robinson won a lot of money on the football pools, but he did not know what the best thing to do with it would be, so he went to a friend who knew a lot about money matters.

This friend said to him, "Go and buy some modern paintings. Their value goes up every year."

Mr Robinson went to a good art shop and looked at some modern paintings. He did not understand them at all, and thought that they were terrible--and also very expensive.

At last he saw a small picture which did not have a price on it. It was square and white, and had a black spot in the middle, and a narrow brass frame. Mr Robinson liked it better than any of the

others in the shop. 'How much is this one?" he said to the shopkeeper.

"That, sir,' answered the shopkeeper, 'is the electric light switch.'

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

A. Comprehension Questions (10)

How did Mr. Robinson get a lot of money?
Answer: _______________
Why did he go to his friend?
Answer: _
What advice did his friend give him?
Answer: _
Where did Mr. Robinson go to buy paintings?
Answer: _
What did he think about the modern paintings?
Answer: _
Why did he not buy the other paintings in the shop?
Answer: _
What did the small picture look like?
Answer: _
Why did Mr. Robinson like the small picture?
Answer: _
What question did he ask the shopkeeper?
Answer: _
What was the "small picture" actually?
Answer: _

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

won →
best →
modern →
good →
expensive →
small →
black →
narrow →
up →
better → ______

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

Mr. Robinson inherited a lot of money from his uncle. ______
He already knew exactly how to spend his money. ______
His friend advised him to buy a new car. ______
Mr. Robinson understood modern paintings very well. ______
He thought the paintings in the shop were cheap. ______
The small picture had a large red circle in the middle. ______
The picture had a gold frame around it. ______
Mr. Robinson liked all the paintings in the shop equally. ______
The shopkeeper sold the small picture to Mr. Robinson. ______
The object that Mr. Robinson liked was actually an electric light switch. ______

Book 16

Text 488

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

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

Text 489

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

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

Text 490

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

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

Text 491

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

1. Who were Mr. Edwards and Mr. Wilson?2. What transport did they take?3. What did they talk about?4. How many people were in the carriage?5. How long did they talk?6. Did they fight?7. Where did they get out?8. What did they agree about?9. Who won?10. How many people did Mr. Edwards cheat?

B) Which words in the story mean the opposite of:1. enemies2. out3. finished4. weakly5. short6. find7. without8. nobody9. oppose10. different

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

Text 492

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

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

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

Text 493

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

1. played2. bought3. up4. take5. quietly6. right7. bad8. answer9. back10. rest

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

Text 494

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

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

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

Text 495

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

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

1. hardly2. seldom3. up4. last5. most 6. interest7. unwanted8. avoid9. caught10. hate

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

Text 496

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

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

1. unknown2. take 3. little 4. least 5. boring6. started7. cried8. quietly9. short 10. play

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

Text 497

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

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

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

Text 498

Exercises:

A) Answer these questions:

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

1. enemies
2. out
3. finished
4. weakly
5. short
6. find
7. without
8. nobody
9. oppose
10. different

1. played
2. bought
3. up
4. take
5. quietly
6. right
7. bad
8. answer
9. back
10. rest

1. hardly
2. seldom
3. up
4. last
5. most
6. interest
7. unwanted
8. avoid
9. caught
10. hate

1. unknown
2. take
3. little
4. least
5. boring
6. started
7. cried
8. quietly
9. short
10. play