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1. Level Beginner. Easy texts

1.1 Text 1. Russian Famous Scientist 5
1.2 Text 2. Famous City 6
1.3 Text 3. Family Holiday 7
1.4 Text 4. Vadims Working Day. 8
1.5 Text 5. Mothers Surprise 9
2. Level Medium. Complicated texts
1.1 Text 1. Shopping: A New Science 10
1.2 Text 2. He's Got a Ticket to Ride For Free 12
1.3 Text 3. Why Pandas Are Black And White? 14
1.4 Text 4. Child Prodigies 16
1.5 Text 5. Walking On The Wild Side 18
1.6 Text 6. Napoleon And Josephine 20
1.7 Text 7. Halloween 22
1.8 Text 8. A Link to Childhood 24
3. Level Advanced. Complex texts
1.1 Text 1. Longest married couple celebrates 77 years of marriage. 26
1.2 Text 2. Where would you prefer to live. 28
1.3 Text 3. Eugene Cernan. 30
1.4 Text 4. Cunning Bicycle. 32

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1. Level Beginner. Easy texts

Text 1
Russian Famous Scientist
This man is the father of the Russian sciences and famous poet. He is also the
founder of Russian literature.
He was born in 1711 in Arhangelsk province. He liked to spend his time fishing
with his father. He began to read himself then he was a little boy. He wanted to study
and then he was 19 he went on foot to Moscow. He wanted to enter the Slavic-Greek-
Latin academy. He entered it and six years later in 1736 he was sent abroad to continue
his studies in chemistry and mining.
He worked hard and he became a great scientist. He was a physicist, a painter and
an astronomer, a geographer, a historian and a statesman. He made a telescope; he
observed a lot of stars and planets with his telescope. He wrote the first grammar of
Russian language. He wrote many poems.
He built a factory near St. Petersburg. It was a factory where glass was produced.
He made a portrait of Peter the First of pieces of glass. He was a founder of the first
Russian University. This University is named after him and it is situated in Moscow.
He died in 1765 but people know and remember him.

Answer the questions:

1. Who is this text about?
2. Do you know this man?
3. What is he famous for?
4. What was his hobby when he was young?
5. How old was he when he died?
6. Who wrote the first Russia grammar?

True or False:
1. This man was born in the 18th century.
2. He went to Moscow by train when he was seventeen.
3. He made the first Russian telephone.
4. The University is named after him and it is situated in Arhangelsk.
5. He wanted to study at medical academy.
Text 2
Famous City
This city is one of the largest cities in the world. Its population is more than 11
million people. It is an industrial and cultural centre of the USA.
Most business is centered in Manhattan Island. The Island is very small, that's why
the sky-scrapers were invented in this town and, especially, in Wall Street. Wall Street
is a narrow street with big houses, but it is well known as the busiest street in the USA.
People do business there.
There are two more world-famous streets Broadway and Fifth Avenue. Fifth
Avenue is the great shopping, hotel, and club avenue.
It is the city that never goes to sleep. Buses and sub-way run all night. There are
cinemas with films that start at midnight. This city is the largest port in America.
There are many places of interest here. They are: the Statue of Liberty, the United
Nations Building, Empire State Building, Columbia University, City Hall and others.
When you come to this city you see lots of cars, big and small, black and yellow,
old and modem; you do not see any trees or flowers in the streets, but only cars.

Answer the questions:

1. What city is described here?
2. Is it a big or small city?
3. Where is it situated?
4. This city is full of parks and gardens, isnt it?
5. Where is business center in this city?
6. What are places of interest in this city?

True or False:
1. Manhattan Island is very bid.
2. In this city buses and sub-way run till midnight.
3. This city is the largest port in USA.
4. The Statue of Liberty is on Manhattan Island.
5. Wall Street is well known as the busiest street in the USA
Text 3
Family Holiday
My name is Ivan. I am eleven years old. My family is not very big. It consists of
four persons. We live in a small village near the capital of our country.
We are easy to get along with. We love each other and enjoy spending time
together. Of course we always celebrate holidays together.
Next Sunday will be an unusual day for our family. It will be our mother's
birthday. My brother Artem (he is 2 years younger than I) and I decided to go to town
and buy a present for her. We will go to town on Saturday after school to do shopping.
We can go to city either by train or by bus. Artem likes to go by bus, but I don't like
buses. I think we will not go by bus, we will go by train. It will take us half an hour to
get to the city.
What will we buy? As we will have a party, we need good sweets, coffee, cheese,
sausage, biscuits and cakes. I know Mother likes cakes very much. So we will buy
cakes. We buy a new dress and a raincoat or an umbrella for her.
It is a great pleasure to make people happy and we want to make our mother
happy.

Answer the questions:

1. Why will boys go to the city?

2. Near what city do the brothers live?
3. How old is Artem?
4. How will they get to the city?
5. Who of the boys likes buses / trains?
6. Why will they buy cakes?

True or False:
1. Next Tuesday will be an unusual day for our family.
2. It will take us half an hour to get to the city.
3. We live in the capital of our country.
4. We will go to town on Saturday before school to do shopping.
5. Mother likes cakes not very much.
Text 4
Vadims Working Day.
Though it was winter Vadim , the agronomist of the farm, had a busy day last
Tuesday. He began his morning with the radio, he listened to the news. At half past
seven he got up, washed, did his morning exercises, dressed and had breakfast.
Vadim liked mornings, because he could see his family, and he could have a talk
with his wife and child. At a quarter to nine Vadim left home.
It was a cold winter day. There was a lot of snow on the ground. The sky wasn't
blue, and the sun didn't shine at all. There weren't any people in the street. It was not far
from his house, so he walked there. The road was white with snow and he couldn't walk
fast.
When he came to the farm, some people wanted to see and talk to him. His
working day began. At 1 p.m. o'clock he went home to have dinner. He had dinner with
his wife and little daughter who did not go to school. He ate his dinner, rested a little,
and went back to the farm. Vadim had to talk to some people, to write some letters. At
5 o'clock he had an important meeting. Only at 8 o'clock p.m. he came home.

Answer the questions:

1. What was Vadim? And where did he work?
2. Did he have a family? Whom did his family consist of?
3. What season and weather is described in the text?
4. How long did his working day last?

True or False:
1. Vadim could see his family in the morning.
2. It was a shinny day.
3. The agronomist ate his dinner at the farm.
4. In the evening he had an important meeting.
5. His family consisted of his wife and his son.
Text 5

Mothers Surprise

Sally was nineteen years old. She always lived with her parents, but now she would
go to university in another town to study to be a doctor. Her mother was sad about this.
She loved her daughter very much, and she thought, "My little girl will be alone for the
first time in her life and she will be very sad."
Sally said goodbye to her father and to her cat, and promised to telephone every
week.
Then every week Sally kept her promise and telephoned. They talked not long, and
Sally was always very happy and never said that she missed her parents. Her mother
was not glad about this. She thought, "Perhaps she's finding the university nicer than her
home."
But then holidays were getting near. And when Sally telephoned her parents, she
said, "The students are very happy that they're going to return home soon"
Sally's mother was glad that the students had said this. "She must really miss us," she
thought. Then she said, "And did you say that too?"
"Oh, yes!" Sally answered. "We all said that it's easy to speak to our parents on the
telephone every week when we're away, but we really miss our pets!"

Answer the questions:

1. Who is described here?

2. How old was the girl?
3. What profession did she choose?
4. Whom do you think Sally missed more?

True or False:
1. The girls name was Sarah.
2. She was going to become a doctor.
3. She studied at medical college.
4. Sally telephoned her parents every day.
5. Her mother missed daughter much
2. Level Medium. Complicated texts

Text 1
SHOPPING: A NEW SCIENCE
Why do so many people love to go shopping? To go shopping is a social ritual.
You meet up with your friends, check out shops, try on clothes and have a hamburger
for lunch. So, you feel at home.
Research has shown that teenagers are changeable in decisions about how and
where to spend their money. Shop owners need to use a number of techniques to attract
shoppers inside their shops. Coming inside a shop, teenagers are three times more likely
to buy something in comparison with adults.
Shopping science can exploit and manipulate our shopping habits. There are some
techniques that are used to attract shopper into the shop.
Outside the shop, the window display is like a big advert. The psychologists apply
a "25 metre rule" to shop windows.
If shoppers are further away than 25 metres, they will not notice the window
display. Any closer and shoppers may look at another shop window.
If shops play music and have lights like a club, shops will tempt us inside. The
club feel also convinces shoppers that the clothes they buy will look good in a club
atmosphere. And if you don't want shoppers hang around too long and crowd your shop,
then you can play the music loud, and the purchase will be made more quickly.
It's not just the clothes that many young people are buying, but the image, the
lifestyle. The young shopper is looking for a brand which tells you about their status
and lifestyle.
So be careful! Think twice before you buy that new dress or a pair of the latest
shoes. You might think you know what you want, but it seems that the shops and
psychologists know better!

VOCABULARY
ritual to exploit
to check out . to manipulate
research window display
changeable , advert
psychologist
decision to tempt , ,
technique ,
to attract feel
to be likely to convince
in comparison to hang around ,
adults purchase
TASKS

1. Answer the questions.

1. Why do so many of us love to go shopping?
2. What has research shown about the way teenagers spend their money?
3. Are teenagers more likely to buy something in comparison with adults?

2. Find these words and word combinations in the text.

; ; ;
; ;
; ;

3. What about you?

1. Are you fond of shopping? Why/Why not?
2. Why do people like shopping?
3. What do you usually buy: clothes, shoes, jewelry, food, books or magazines?
4. Why do people buy summer clothes in winter and vice verse?
5. Do you believe in sales?
Text 2
HE'S GOT A TICKET TO RIDE FOR FREE
In the last nine years, Anton Krotov travelled a lot all over Russia and the world
for nothing. He is a free traveler who has written fourteen books on how to travel on
nothing or very little. The philosophy is simple you rely on people's kindness and
hospitality.
Krotov's books tell us how to find generous people who will help you with food
and accommodation. He also gives information how to hitch-hike, advices how to get a
free bed, food. "People are good. You don't need to be afraid," said Krotov.
The traveller lives in an Old-Curiosity-Shop-flat on Leningradskoye Shosse. On
the walls there are maps that mark his thousands of miles of travel and vivid pictures of
beautiful sights. There are no expensive things, no furniture, and little food. But he
enjoys his way of life.
His door is also usually unlocked. Krotov is welcoming to strangers, too. He is
not afraid of different people. "Some people have stolen things, but so what?" Krotov
said.
It's a budget travel, but a lot of Krotov's advice is about how to talk to people.
Don't lie. Just say you have little money and need somewhere to stay. According to him,
people will always help. Krotov said that, outside Moscow, four out of five bus drivers
will let you go free of charge, as will many train conductors and even an airplane pilot
who flies from Chukotka to Alaska.
In addition to good pieces of advice, the books consider moral aspects. They
contain a list of rules on how to behave in different situations so as not to offend anyone
and enjoy your holiday.
VOCABULARY
for nothing, free of charge Old Curiosity Shop
to rely on ,
hospitality vivid
generous stranger
accommodation , budget travel .

to hitch-hike to lie ,
to consider
advice to offend ,
TASKS

1. Answer the questions.

1. How can you describe his flat?
2. What is Krotov's advice about how to talk to people?
3. Do you think Krotov is a kind man?

2. Find these words and word combinations in the text.

; ; ;
; ; ; ; ;
;

3. What about you?

1. Do you like the way Anton travels? Why?/Why not?
2. Is it interesting to hitch-hike?
3. Where would you like to travel?
4. Why do people like to travel?
5. Do you believe this philosophy?
Text 3
WHY PANDAS ARE BLACK AND WHITE?
A long, long time ago in China there lived a little girl called Chien Min. She lived
all her life with her father and mother in a little house on the edge of a bamboo forest.
Chien Min loved animals and was avery kind to them.
One day Chien Min was walking alone in the forest. Suddenly, she heard a sound.
It was a cry coming from the forest. She was very much afraid but the crying continued
and she decided to see what it was. She went into the forest. There she found a little
white ball of fur; it was a baby panda. The panda was crying and licking its front paw.
There was a big thorn in it. "Oh, you poor little animal!" Chien Min ran to it and sat
beside her. "Give me your paw".
At first the little white panda was afraid. But soon he understood and gave her its
paw. Chien Min took the torn out of its paw. The baby panda was so happy. From that
day, they became the best of friends. Chien Min called the panda Niao-Niao, and they
played together in the bamboo forest every day. Soon Chien Min became friends with
all the pandas in the forest.
One afternoon the girl was sitting on the ground watching the baby pandas
playing happily. Suddenly she saw a big leopard moving in the trees. Chien Min stood
up and shouted a warning. But the leopard jumped onto Niao-Niao. Chien Min forgot
that she was afraid and threw a heavy stone at the leopard. "Go away, leave the panda
alone!" The leopard jumped on the girl and knocked her to the ground. At that moment
the adult pandas arrived. They were making a lot of noise. The leopard became afraid
and ran away back into the forest. The pandas all ran to Chien Min but could do
nothing. She was dead. She had given her life to save Niao-Niao.
All the white pandas met to talk about the little brave. They cried and cried and
their tears fell like rain onto the ground. They beat their paws on the ground and then
wiped the tears from their eyes. Their dirty paws made black marks on their faces. Then
they beat their bodies and left black marks from their dirty paws on their bodies too.
Soon all the white pandas were covered with black marks.
That is why, even today, pandas are black and white.

VOCABULARY
edge , warning
cry , a heavy stone
to be afraid of to knock
to lick adult
paw tear
thorn , to beat ,
to stroke , to wipe
TASKS

1. Answer the questions.

1. Where did Chien Min live?
2. What colour were pandas at that time?
3. How did the pandas change their colour?

2. Find these words in the text.

-, , ,
, , , ,

3. What about you?

1. Do you think it is a true story or a myth?
2. Do you love animals?
3. Do you have a pet at home? What pet?
4. What animal is the cleverest?
5. How can animals help people?
Text 4
CHILD PRODIGIES

Angela Knyazeva is a big fan of the philosopher Descartes and his more modern
followers Spinoza, Kant and Hegel. Her younger sister prefers Heidegger, while they
are both keen on French philosophy.
Angela, who is 14 and a 12-year-old Diana are not average teenagers. They
finished high school, entered Finance Academy and became the youngest students in
Russia.
The fact, that the girls are child prodigies, becomes clear as soon as one of them
starts speaking. "Our future profession is international economics," Angela said in
perfect English.
The parents of the girls noticed from a very early age how their two daughters
picked up things and how they soon began to study with children much older than
themselves. There are, however, problems connected with studying in a class where all
your classmates are 18 years old. "It's not difficult for us," Angela said. "But it's
difficult for them when such a little girl answers questions and receives good marks."
They however do not socialize with their fellow students out of class. The girls
like to spend their free time playing lots of sports, listening to music and watching
television. Of course, they don't watch children's programs their favourites are
current affairs programs. Usually before going to sleep or before going to the academy
the girls listen to Tchaikovsky, Mozart or some ballet music.
And what about the opposite sex? Won't boys be afraid of the girls' superior
intellect and extraordinary abilities? "I think we will be able to make our future
husbands believe that we are not as clever as they," Angela said and then added "I will
let him feel that way, but not too long."

VOCABULARY
prodigy 1. 2.
follower
to be keen on -,
average
to pick up . . -
to socialize
current affairs
ability
superior ,
TASKS
1. Answer the questions.
1. Who is the favourite philosopher of Angela Knyazeva?
2. What philosopher does her younger sister prefer?
3. What is their future profession?
4. When did the parents of the girls notice of abilities of their daughters?
5. Is it difficult for them to study with classmates who are much older than they are?
6. How do the girls like to spend their free time?
7. What music do they listen to?
8. Do you think the girls will be happy in family life?

2. What about you?

1. Have you ever met children with unusual abilities?
2. Is it good or bad when children begin to read very early?
Text 5
WALKING ON THE WILD SIDE
"When I die, I'll come back as a penguin, says Alfred Davis, owner of the largest
penguin collection in the world, housed in the Manhattan Center near Brussels Place
Rogier.
The ground floor is occupied by Espace-Terre-Paix, an unusual organization that
promotes such activities as study of UFOs. The collection itself is a gathering of
anything and everything to do with the birds from penguin-shaped thermos flasks,
oven gloves, umbrellas and tin of antifreeze down to crystal, china and glass birds of all
sizes.
Television crews from around the worlds have been attracted by the Belgium
eccentric, who has appeared on over 60 programmes in France, The Netherlands, the
Czech Republic, Denmark, Portugal, Britain and the United States, not to mention nine
feature films. His obsession has made him famous and won him friends worldwide. He
met celebrities, and was invited to Hollywood by Warner Brothers to meet the stars of
Batman Returns.
David has had more than his own tragedy. After 12 years of marriage he lost his
wife, and their five children all died. As if that wasnt enough, he ended up losing his
job and nearly a leg after an accident he had while working as an army motorcycle
courier. The crash transformed my life, he says. After recovery he became a taxi
driver. One day, I got out of my car and a man who saw me limping shouted
Penguin!. Surprisingly, the two became friends, and the man later gave David the
very first object of his collection.
Ever since, he has regarded the birds as symbols of warmth, kindness and
simplicity. They look after each other.
In the Antarctic, they stand in a circle with their backs to the wind to keep one
another warm. They take it in turns to stand on the outside, working their way towards
the center. They are also very faithful. Every year the same couple gets together, each
calling the other with a unique cry that only the partner recognizes.
David's second wife threw him out of their Liege home, crying: "It's me or the
penguins!" He chose the penguins and has never regretted his decision.

VOCABULARY
to house ,
to occupy
to promote ,
UFO
thermos flask
oven glove
crystal ,
china ,
crew ,
feature film
obsession
celebrity
to recover
to limp
kindness
simplicity
faithful
regret

TASKS

1. Answer the questions.

1. What is the story of his life?
2. How did he start his collection?
3. How does he describe penguins?

2. Find these words in the text.

; ; , ;
; ; ; .

3. What about you?

1. Do you collect anything? Why/Why not?
2. What is your hobby?
3. Do you believe people are less faithful than animals?
4. Can an animal be a mans friend?
Text 6
NAPOLEON AND JOSEPHINE
Josephine came from a noble family. She was six years older than Napoleon. When
they met, she was thirty-three and Napoleon was twenty-seven. She was not charming,
attractive or good-looking. She had ugly teeth, no money and two children to take care
of. She was deeply in debt. When the French revolutionists had cut off the head of her
first husband, Josephine was left without means.
She had heard about Napoleon and wanted to see him. She figured a small plan to
do it. She sent her son to ask Napoleon if the boy might have the sword of the dead
father. Naturally Napoleon answered "yes". The next day Josephine went to the palace
to thank Napoleon for his kindness. Napoleon was impressed by her personality and her
manners. Two days later she invited him to her house for tea. He was delighted and
flattered as in those days he was not yet the hero he was destined to become. When he
came to tea she told him that he was the greatest general in the history.
Two months later their engagement was announced. Napoleon's motto was "Time is
everything" and once he said: "I may lose battles but no one will see me losing
seconds". Two days after the wedding he waged war against Italy. It was a brilliant
campaign. Even on the battlefields Napoleon found time to write his wife most
passionate letters absolutely every day. In 1933 eight of his letters to Josephine were
sold at public auction for $ 30.000.
Here is an extract from one of them: "My dearest Josephine. You have inspired me
with a love which taken away my reason. I can't eat. I can't sleep. I am constantly
thinking about you. I do not care about glory. I value victory only because it pleases
You. I am looking at your portrait every minute and covering it with kisses". Josephine
did not answer his letters.
In the long run he divorced her and married Marie Louise of Austria for political
reasons. Like all Austrians she despised Napoleon. She taught her son to hate his father.
When he began to lose battles she deserted him. When Josephine died, Napoleon visited
her grave and wept. The very last word he spoke was her name.

VOCABULARY
noble to be impressed
ugly
in debt personality
means . manners
to flatter
to figure . , to destine
sword he was destined
kindness engagement
motto to divorce
to lose battles to despise
to hate
to wage war to desert
passionate grave
auction to weep
glory

TASKS

1. Answer the questions.

1. How old were they when they met?
2. How did Josephine attracted Napoleon ?
3. Did Napoleon love Josephine?

2. Find these words in the text.

; ; ; ;
; ; ; .

3. What about you?

1. Do you like this love story? Why/Why not?
2. What is your motto?
3. Do you believe in happy ends?
4. Why do people love each other?
Text 7
HALLOWEEN

Halloween is a festival that takes place on October 31. People once believed that
ghosts roamed the earth on Halloween. They also thought that all witches met on
October 31. Today, most people do not believe in ghosts or witches, but these
supernatural beings are now symbols of Halloween. Halloween parties have such
activities as fortune-telling and story-telling about ghosts and witches. On this day
children dress in costumes and masks and go from door to door saying "trick or treat".
People dont want tricks to be played on them and give the children such treats as
candy, fruit, and pennies.
Some children trick or treat for UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund. They
collect money for the agency in official orange and black boxes. UNICEF uses the
money to provide medical care and other services for poor children throughout the
world.
Many people make jack-o'-lanterns out of pumpkins. Most lanterns have a candle or
some other light inside. People in England and Ireland once carved out beets, potatoes
and turnips to use as lanterns on Halloween. After this custom reached America,
pumpkins began to be used. Today jack-o'-lanterns are used as decorations.
According to an Irish legend, jack-o'-lanterns were named after a man called Jack,
who could not enter heaven because he was a miser. He could not enter hell either,
because he had played jokes on the devil. As a result, Jack had to roam over the earth
with his lantern until Judgment Day.
Fortune-telling began in Europe hundreds of years ago and became an important
part of Halloween. For example, such objects as a coin, a ring and a thimble were baked
into a cake or other food. It was believed that the person who found the coin in the cake
would become wealthy. The one who found the ring would marry soon, but the person
who got the thimble would never get married. Today, some people use such fortune-
telling technique as cardreading in addition to the traditional Halloween methods.

VOCABULARY

to take place
Halloween
ghost ,
to roam
witch
to believe
supernatural
fortune-telling
trick or treat ienrf bkb eujotybt
lantern
jack-o'-lantern ,

pumpkin
to carve
turnip
heaven
miser ,
hell
devil
Judgement Day
coin
thimble

TASKS

1. Answer the questions.

1. When is Halloween?
2. What are the symbols of Halloween?
3. How children celebrate holidays?

2. Find these words in the text.

, , ,
. , , , .

3. What about you?

1. What is your favourite holiday?
2. How do you like to celebrate it?
3. What foreign holidays do you know?
4. Whom do you celebrate holidays with?
5. What presents do you like to get on holidays?
Text 8
A LINK TO CHILDHOOD

"There was a tradition in my family to keep old toys", says Sergei Romanov.
From his granny he got some dolls with porcelain heads and some Chinese tree
decorations. From his father he inherited several mechanical toys. Looking at all these
things Sergei thought it was his duty to follow the tradition and keep the toys of his
childhood for his children and grandchildren. He started collecting old toys, making
dolls himself and repairing broken ones. The hobby took him so strongly that he could
not stop. More and more toys arrived in his house from Moscow and other places as if
attracted by a magnet.
Sergei says that he never sells his toys. If a toy enters his collection, it stays there.
He does not change his toys either as nobody offered him anything interesting.
Each of the toys has its history. The teddy bear was in the Arctic waters on board
the icebreaker Chelyuskin. It was presented to the collector by the daughter of Prof.
Sushkina, who was the only woman in this expedition.
Some toys were witnesses of the blockade of Leningrad during Great Patriotic
War and were saved via the famous Road of Life.
The toy monkey belonged to the daughter of Russia's famous singer Fyodor
Shalyapin. In 1922, leaving the country, the girls gave many of their toys to friends. The
winter portrait of the Shalyapin family painted by famous Russian artist Kustodiev
shows the monkey which is held by one of the girls.
Standard flats are not designed to keep such a collection. Now it is kept in a state-
run organization. Part of the collection is in constant use as Sergei often participates in
various exhibitions. This is not just a collection of toys. He would rather call it a link to
his childhood.
VOCABULARY

to keep expedition
link , witness
porcelain , via
to inherit to belong
duty to design ,
to arrive
to offer state-run
icebreaker to participate
TASKS

1. Answer the questions.

1. What tradition was there in Sergei Romanov's family?
2. What toys did he get from his granny and his father?
3. .What is the history of the teddy bear?

2. Find these words in the text.

; ; ;
; - ; ; .

3. What about you?

1. Did you like to play with toys in your childhood? Why/Why not?
2. What was your favoutite toy?
3. Do you keep your old toys?
4. With what do you play now?
3. Level Advanced. Complex texts
Text 1
Longest married couple celebrates 77 years of marriage.
Fred and Olive
Hodges, who have been
married for 77 years in
April, are about to enter the
Guinness Book of Records
as the UK's longest married
couple. The couple first
met in 1915, then were
separated by the First
World War. They met
again in 1919 and fell in
love. They got engaged and
married - but only after six
years, when they had saved
603 to buy their first
house.
The couple, who are
both 102 met in their teens
as they skated on a frozen
river in Northampton in
1915. Fred had left school
at 15 and started work for
the local gas company;
Olive had left at 14 and
worked in a leather factory.
'I wasn't really
interested at the time, I just
wanted to have fun on the
ice." said Olive. 'Fred came
up behind me and knocked
me down. He told me years
later that he did it because
he wanted to pick me up.'
But, three years later,
when he was 18, Fred
joined the army and was
soon fighting in France.
Many of his comrades were
killed. Fred published a together. I love Fred so
book of his memories, Men much. I don't know what I
of 18 in 1918, in 1988. In would do without him.'
his book he described how Their son John, 73, a
a sudden silence signaled retired professor of
that war was over 'Now I genetics who lives in
knew I was going to have a Austria, is full of praise for
life after all.' his parents. 'They are
Back home in completely devoted to each
Northampton, Fred other.' he said. 'And my
renewed his friendship sister end I could not have
with Olive. The couple had more loving parents.'
a six-year engagement My mother gave up
before their marriage. They her life for her family and
had two children, John and home. Our parents opened
Brenda. Fred became chief doors of opportunity for us
cashier at the gas company. which they never had
Olive stayed at home while themselves and encouraged
the children grew up. The us to go through them.'
couple now has 11
grandchildren and 12 great-
grandchildren. Two years
ago they had to leave their
own home because of
Fred's poor health. They
now live together in an old
people's home in
Welisterough,
Leicestershire.
We have lots of
lovely memories but the
birth of our two children is
the most special, said
Olive. And the best decade
for me was when Fred
retired in the 1960s. His
retirement just meant we
could spend more time
Tasks
Are the statements true or false? Find in the text:
1. Fred and Olive first met in winter.
2. They were from Northampton.
3. Fred joined the army in 1915.
4. They got married in April 1925.
5. They bought a house in Northampton.
6. John and Brenda didn't have children.

What about you?

Do you believe in love for the whole life? or love at a glance?
Is it difficult to live with one person very long?
Tell about your grandparents marriage.
 Text 2
Where would you prefer to live?

Patrick; The best thing about travelling by train ... is that

you get back, to London at the end of it! Ive just been to the
Cotswolds for a week, and I couldn't get back to the City fast
enough. The village where I stayed was terribly quiet. There
were no shops, no restaurants and hardly any people. I dont
want to cook every evening when I'm on holiday - but the nearest
restaurant was a 20-minute drive. That's not too far, you might
say, but Id gone by train. Perhaps there was a cinema and a
theatre next to the restaurant - I never found them either. Ive
always lived in cities - the country is not the place for me.

Nicola: Im an outdoor pursuits instructor and I share a cottage

with three of my colleagues in Snowdoria. During the day I teach
canoeing, mountain-biking and rock-climbing. I love being outside.
After work my friends and I take turns to cook a meal we grow all
our own vegetables and then we play cards or watch TV. Weve
got everything we need here its true, there is not a pub or a
restaurant for miles, but we are all reasonable cookers and there are
supermarkets in the nearest town. I used to work in a solicitors
office, but I had to wear suits and tights every day. I lived in a block
of flats near the centre of Birmingham. I hated my old life.

Alice: I work as an architect. I went to university in Exeter and then just stayed
on afterwards. I've been here for ten years now, but I don't really like the noise
end dirt of city life. So, I'm selling my flat and moving to the Lake District.
When I was a child, I used to visit my grandparents in the Lake District and I
loved it. My grandfather and I went walking every day, and my grandmother
taught me to swim in one of the lakes. My goodness, the water was cold! Three
years ago, I met two other architects - at my grandfather's funeral, In fact. We got talking
and soon became friends. I stained visiting them at weekends, then they suggested that I
move up there and start working with them. What an opportunity! The air is so fresh, and
the views are out of this world. I can't wait to sell my flat.
 Jake: I'm eighteen years old and I live in a small
village in the Peak District, not far from Nottingham. I live
with my parents, and younger brother and sister. I the
problem the problem is that there's nothing to do, and
grew up in this village, so I know everyone here. That's not
nobody of my age to do it with. At the moment I travel into
Nottingham every day to the shop where I work - there's a
bus at 7.30 in the morning and the last bus back in the
evening is at 5.30. From September, however, I'm going to
stay in Nottingham with my aunt and uncle when my cousin goes into the Navy. I can
use his room I'm really looking forward to living in Nottingham. Ill be able to go out
with my friends in the evening and I won't have to get up so early in the morning.

Tasks
Fill in the schedule:

Where does Where does What reasons does the speaker give for wanting to
the speaker the speaker live in one environment or the other?
live now? want to live?
Patrick

Alice
Nicola

Jake

What about you?

1. Where would you prefer to live: in a village or in the town?
2. What advantages and disadvantages can you name?
3. Compare the two possible places to live.
 TEXT 3
Eugene Cernan
The world
will always
remember the
words of the
first man on
the moon. On
July 21, 1969,
Neil
Armstrong
stepped onto
the moons
surface and announced :That's one small
step for [a] man, one giant leap for
mankind.' People also know about Apollo
13 - they have seen the 1995 film in which
Tom Hanks and two fellow actor-
astronauts were saved from disaster. But,
can anyone name the last man on the moon?
Probably not.
The little-known Eugene Cernan was the
last man on the moon. His trip in 1972 came
at the end of a great career in space. He
trained first as fighter pilot before he started
astronaut training in 1963.Three years later,
he piloted Gemini 9. While in orbit, he
stepped into space to do some tests. But
there were problems, and Cernan began
breathing heavily and perspiring. Water
vapors built up inside his helmet and froze
over his visor. Cernan couldn't see, but he
remained calm. He walked in space for two
hours and nine minutes, at that time the
longest space walk anyone had ever done.
In his book The Last Alan on the
Moon, Cernan describes the walk: When
the hatch stood open, I climbed out. Half
my body stuck out of Gemini 9, and I rode
along like a sightseeing bum on a boxcar.
This was like sitting on God's front porch.
We crossed the coast of California in the
full flare of the morning sun, and in a single
glance I could see from San Francisco to
halfway across Mexico.'
By 1972, however, there was no longer
much interest in space exploration. The
space race between the US and the USSR
was won when Armstrong and Edwin
Aldrin landed on the moon in July 1969.
NASA knew that Apollo 17 would be the
last mission, for both the Apollo
programme and for Cernan. The Apollo 17
mission landed on the moon on December
11 three years later.
Cernan and his fellow astronaut Harrison
Schmitt landed in a steep lunar valley
named Taurus-Littrow. They then spent
three days on the moon and took three trips,
each seven hours long, on the moon buggy.
Before leaving, Cernan left what he
hoped would be a lasting mark: 'With a
single finger, I scratched my daughter
Tracy's initials in the lunar dust, knowing
that they would remain there undisturbed
for more years than anyone could imagine.'
That, however, may be less time than
Cernan expected. A spokesman for the
European Space Agency said: "The moon is
again a target. We see it as a springboard to
future exploration of the solar system."
When future astronauts take off from the
moon, they will probably head not back to
Earth but to Mars.
Tasks
Choose the correct ending for each sentence:
1. Cernan's first space mission was
a in Gemini 9.
b in Apollo 17 in 1972.
as a fighter pilot.

2. Apollo 17
d crossed the coast of California,
e landed in the Taurus-Littrow valley,
f will head to Mars.

3. Cernan was on the moon for

g two hours and nine minutes,
h three days.
i seven hours.

4.Before he took off from the moon, he

j started astronaut training.
stepped into space to do some tests.
l wrote TC in the dust.

What about you?

1. Do you want to be a cosmonaut?
2. Do you want to fell weightlessness?
3. What features of character should a cosmonaut have?
Text 4
Cunning Bicycle.

When Mr. Holland was a young man, he played a lot of football, and he had
always been thin and very strong. But then he worked in an office for many years, and
he drove to work in a car, so when he was forty, he was fat and very soft, and he did
not wish to get fatter and softer every year.
One day one of his friends said to him, "Would you like to be thinner, Fred?"
"Of course I would," Mr Holland answered.
"Well," his friend said, "stop going to your office by car, and get a bicycle."
Mr Holland had not ridden a bicycle for many years. "It's very hard to learn to ride
a bicycle again at your age," his wife said.
But it was not too hard for Mr. Holland to do. He usually sat in his living room and
read the newspaper in the evening, but he bought a bicycle for his birthday and
practiced riding that every evening instead. He hoped that it would help him to get
thinner, and he got a lot of pleasure from it.
He found little roads which were not really very narrow, but were too narrow for
cars, and there he got away from the nasty noises of the city, which were becoming too
much for him. They were not really very loud, but they were too loud for Mr.Holland.
Then he began to go to his office on his bicycle. Sometimes all the cars stopped at
a red light, and he went past them to the front, because his bicycle was narrow. Then he
was very happy.
Yesterday he stopped at a red light, and a man came up behind him on another
bicycle. He stopped too and said to Mr. Holland, "Have the police taken your driving
license away too?"
Tasks:
Find the right answers.:
1.Was Mr. Holland fat or thin when he was young?
a) He was fat. b) He was thin.
2.Was he fat, or thin, when he was forty?
a) He was fat. b) He was thin.
3.Who told him to get a bicycle?
a) A friend did. b) His wife did.
4.Was it hard for him to learn to ride a bicycle again?
a) No, it was not. b) Yes, it was very hard.
5.When did he practice?
a) In the evening, b) On his birthday.
6.Did he enjoy riding his bicycle?
a) No, he did not. b) Yes, he did.
7.Why did he like narrow roads?
a) Because they were less noisy, b) Because they were noisier.
8.Why could he pass cars at red lights?
a) Because he did not have to stop at them, b) Because his bicycle was narrower
than the cars.
9.Had the police taken Mr. Holland's driving license away?
a) No, they had not. b) Yes, they had.
10 Had they taken the other man's away?
a) No, they had not. b) Yes, they had.

What about you:

1. Do you go info sports?
2. What kind of sport do you prefer?
3. What would you like best: to watch or to go info sport?
4. Why is it necessary to go info sports?

1. L.A.Hill, Stories for reading. Comprehension 2 / Longman L, SA.- 48 c
2. B. Jones, One page reading / Mediterian L, SA. 173c.
3. Liz Driscoll, Reading Extra / Cambridge University Press L, SA.-124c.
4. www.englisch-hilfen.de
5. www.nativenglish.ru