Lesson Twenty-one Mad or not
Aeroplanes are slowly drving me mad. I live near an airport and passing planes
Can be heard night and day. The airport was built years ago, but for some reason
It could not be used then. Last year, however, it came into use. Over a hundred
People must have been driven away from their homes by the noise. I am one of
The few people left. Sometimes I think this house will be knocked down by a
Passing plane. I have been offered a large sum of money to go away, but I am
Determined to stay here. Everybody says I must be mad and they are probably right.
Lesson Twenty-two A glass envelope
My daughter, Jane, never dreamed of receiving a letter from a girl of her
Own age in Holland. Last year, we were travelling across the channel
And Jane put a piece of paper with her name and address on it into a bottle.
She threw the bottle into the sea. She never thought of it again, but ten
Months later, she received a letter from a girl in Holland. Both girls write
To each other regularly now. However, they have decided to use the post office.
Letters will cost a little more, but they will certainly travel faster.
Lesson Twenty-three A new house
I had a letter from my sister yesterday. She lives in Nigeria. In her letter,
She said that she would come to England next year. If she comes, she will get a surprise.
We are now living in a beautiful new house in the country. Work on it had begun
Before my sister left. The house was completed five months ago. In my letter,
I told her that she could stay with us. The house has many large rooms and
There is a lovely garden. It is a very modern house, so it looks strange to some people.
It must be the only modern house in the district.
Lesson Twenty-four it could be worse
I entered the hotel manager’s office and sat down.
I had just lost $50 and I felt very upset. ‘I left the money in my room,’ I said,
‘and it’s not there now.’ The manager was sympathetic, but he could do nothing.
‘Everyone’s losing money these days,’ he said. He started to complain
about this wicked world but was interrupted by a knock at the door.
A girl came in and put an envelope on his desk. It contained $50. ‘I found this
Outside this gentleman’s room, ‘she said. ‘Well,’ I said to the manager,
‘there is still some honesty in this world.
Lesson Twenty-five Do the English speak English?
I arrived in London at last. The railway station was big, black and dark.
I did not know the way to my hotel, so I asked a porter. I not only spoke
English very carefully, but very clearly as well. The porter, however,
could not understand me. I repeated my question several times and
at last he understood. He answered me, but he spoke slowly, but I could not
understand him. My teacher never spoke English like that!
The porter and I looked at each other and smiled. Then he said something
And I understood it. ‘You’ll soon learn English!’ he said.
I wonder. In England, each person speaks a different language.
The English understand each other, but I don’t understand them!
Do they speak English?
