Conversation

neon englIsh
Conversation

Table of Contents:

Conversation Starters .................................................... pages 3 to 20

Describing Pictures .................................................... pages 21 to 46

Reading .................................................... pages 47 to 116

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Conversation

Teachers Instructions:

The class is for B1-C2 students. You can teach both private and group
classes using this book. The class must be entirely in English. You may
start by breaking the ice asking your students the conversation starter
questions, spend from 15 to 20 minutes on this part.

Right afterwards go to the describing pictures section, ask students to

look at the pictures and describe them using the vocabulary given.
You may ask several questions to keep students talking or put a
countdown of 5 minutes to make them talk the whole time, like some
proficiency tests do. Another possibility is asking students to contrast
and spot similarities and differences of two or more pictures. Spend
from 15 to 20 minutes in this section.

Later on, move to the reading section. On this part just ask students to
read the text twice. Correct their pronunciation and highlight words
that seem hard to say or have a tricky meaning. To finish the class,
spend the last minutes talking about the text. Try to get the most out of
this topic.

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Conversation

CONVERSATION STARTERS

Random Conversation Starters

What was the last funny video you saw?

What do you do to get rid of stress?
What is something you are obsessed with?
Who is your favorite entertainer (comedian, musician, actor, etc.)?
What’s your favorite way to spend time?
Do you have any pets? What are their names?
Where did you go last weekend? What did you do?
What are you going to do this weekend?
What is something that is popular now that annoys you?
What did you do on your last vacation?
What was the last time you worked incredibly hard?
Are you very active or do you prefer to just relax in your free time?
What do you do when you hang out with your friends?
Who is your oldest friend? Where did you meet them?
What’s the best / worst thing about your work / school?
If you had intro music, what song would it be? Why?
What were you really into when you were a kid?
If you could have any animal as a pet, what animal would you
choose?
What three words best describe you?
What would be your perfect weekend?
What do you think of tattoos? Do you have any?
What’s your favorite number? Why?
What’s the most useful thing you own?
Have you ever saved an animal’s life? How about a person’s life?
If you opened a business, what kind of business would it be?
Are you a very organized person?
Have you ever spoke in front of a large group of people? How did it go?
What is the strangest dream you have ever had?
What is a controversial opinion you have?
Who in your life brings you the most joy?
Who had the biggest impact on the person you have become?

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Conversation

What is the most annoying habit someone can have?

Where is the most beautiful place you have been to?
Where do you spend most of your free time / day?
Who was your best friend in elementary school?
How often do you stay up past 3 a.m.?
What’s your favorite season? Why?
Which is more important, a great car or a great house? Why?
What animal or insect do you wish humans could eradicate?
Where is the most beautiful place near where you live?
What do you bring with you everywhere you go?
How much time do you spend on the internet? What do you usually
do?
What is the most disgusting habit some people have?
Where and when was the most amazing sunset you have ever seen?
Which recent news/story is the most interesting?
Where is the worst place you have been stuck for a long time?
If you had to change your name, what would your new name be?
What is something that really annoys you but doesn’t bother most
people?
What word or saying from the past do you think should come back?
How should success be measured? By that measurement, who is the
most successful
person you know?
What is your guilty pleasure?
Was there ever an event in your life that defied explanation?
If you could learn the answer to one question about your future, what
would the
question be?
Has anyone ever saved your life?
What benefit do you bring to the group when you hang out with
friends?
How often do you curse?
What trends did you follow when you were younger?
What do you fear is hiding in the dark?
What was the best time period of your life? What do you think will be
the best time
period of your entire life?

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Conversation

What do you do to improve your mood when you are in a bad mood?
What is the silliest fear you have?
What are some things you want to accomplish before you die?
What is the best room in your house? Why?
Who is someone who is popular now that you really like? Why do you
like them so much?
Where is the best place to take a date?
What smell brings back great memories?
What’s the best pet name you can come up for a specific type of pet?
How often do you
help others? Who do you help? How do you help?
What are you best at?
What makes you nervous?
Who, besides your parents, had the biggest impact on your life?
What weird or useless talent do you have?
What are some strange beliefs that some people have?
Who would be the worst person to be stuck in an elevator with? How
about the best
person to be stuck in an elevator with?
What’s the funniest TV series you have seen?
Which TV show do you want your life to be like?
If you could bring back one TV show that was cancelled, which one
would you bring
back?
How have TV shows changed over the years?
What’s the best sitcom past or present?
What’s the best show currently on TV?
What do you think about game shows? Do you have a favorite one?
What’s the most underrated or overrated TV show?
What do you think about reality TV? Why is it so popular?
Do you like reality TV shows? Why or why not? If so, which ones?
What will be the future of TV shows?
What was the best birthday wish or gift you’ve ever received?
How often do you binge watch shows?
What cartoons did you watch as a child?

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Conversation

Movie Conversation Starters

What was the last movie you watched? How was it?
Do you prefer to watch movies in the theater or in the comfort of your
own home?
What’s the worst movie you have seen recently?
What’s the strangest movie you have ever seen?
What is the most overrated movie?
What’s your favorite genre of movie?
What movie scene choked you up the most?
Do you like documentaries? Why / why not?
When was the last time you went to a movie theater?
Do movies have the same power as books to change the world?
Which do you prefer? Books or movies?
Do you like horror movies? Why or why not?

Book Conversation Starters

What was the last book you read?

What book has had the biggest impact on your life?
What was your favorite book as a child?
Do you prefer physical books or e-books?
What is the longest book you have read?
What was the worst book you had to read for school? How about the
best book you had
to read for school?
What book genres do you like to read?
Do you prefer fiction or nonfiction books?
What book has influenced you the most?
What book has had the biggest effect on the modern world?
Do you think people read more or less books now than 50 years ago?
How fast do you read?
How often do you go to the library?
Now that indie publishing has become easier, have books gotten
better or worse?

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Conversation

Music Conversation Starters

What song always puts you in a good mood?

Which do you prefer, popular music or relatively unknown music?
What was the last song you listened to?
What is your favorite movie soundtrack?
Are there any songs that always bring a tear to your eye?
Do you like going to concerts? Why or why not? What was the last
concert you went to?
Who was the first band or musician you were really into? Do you still
like them?
Records, tapes, CDs, MP3s. Which did you grow up with? What is good
and bad about
each?
What bands or types of music do you listen to when you exercise?
Do you like classical music?
What’s the best way to discover new music?
How has technology changed the music industry?

App Conversation Starters

What are the three best apps on your phone?

What’s the most addictive mobile game you have played?
An app mysteriously appears on your phone that does something
amazing. What does it
do?
How many apps do you have on your phone?
What is the most annoying app you have tried?
Which app seemed like magic the first time you used it?
What is the strangest app you have heard of or tried?
Which app has helped society the most? Which one has hurt society
the most?
What is the most useful app on your phone?
What apps have changed your life a lot?
What do app makers do that really annoys you?

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Conversation

Phone Conversation Starters

How often do you check your phone?

Do you always have to have the latest phone?
What was your first smartphone? How did you feel when you got it?
What is the most annoying thing about your phone?
What kind of case do you have for your phone? Why did you choose
it?
Do you text more or call more? Why?
What will phones be like in 10 years?
Do you experience phantom vibration? (Feeling your phone vibrates
even though it
didn’t.)
How do you feel if you accidentally leave your phone at home?
What do you wish your phone could do?

Sports Conversation Starters

What sports do you like to watch?

Who are some of your favorite athletes?
Which sports do you like to play?
Which sport is the most exciting to watch? Which is the most boring to
watch?
Do athletes deserve the high salaries they receive? Why or why not?
What is the hardest sport to excel at?
Who are the 3 greatest athletes of all time?
What defines a sport? Is fishing a sport? How about video game
tournaments?
Why do you think sports are common across almost all cultures,
present and past?
What do you think the oldest sport still being played is?
How much time do you spend watching sports in a week?
Do you play sports video games? Which ones? Is playing the video
game or sport more
fun? Why?

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Conversation

Restaurant Conversation Starters

What is the worst restaurant you have ever eaten at?

What restaurant do you eat at most?
What’s the worst fast food restaurant?
What is the best restaurant in your area?
Would you eat at a restaurant that was really dirty if the food was
amazing?
What kind of interior do you like a restaurant to have?
If you opened a restaurant, what kind of food would you serve?
What was your favorite restaurant when you were in university? How
about when you
were a child?
What is the strangest themed restaurant you have heard of?
What is the fanciest restaurant you have eaten at?
What is the most disgusting thing you have heard about that
happened at a restaurant?

Travel Conversation Starters

Have you traveled to any different countries? Which ones?

Where is the most relaxing place you have been to?
Where is the most awe inspiring place you have been to?
Do you prefer traveling alone or with a group?
What do you think of tour group packages?
Talk about some of the interesting people you have met while
traveling.
Where would you like to travel next?
What was the most overhyped place you’ve traveled to?
What’s the best way to travel? (Plane, car, train, etc.)
What’s the best thing about traveling? How about the worst thing?
How do you think traveling to a lot of different countries changes a
person?
What is the longest plane trip you have taken?
What do you think of stay-cations? (Vacationing and seeing tourist
attractions where
you live.)

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Conversation

Do you prefer to go off the beaten path when you travel?

Where do you get your recommendations for what to do and where to
stay when you travel?
What is the worst hotel you have stayed at? How about the best hotel?

Technology Conversation Starters

What is your favorite piece of technology that you own?

What piece of technology is really frustrating to use?
What was the best invention of the last 50 years?
Does technology simplify life or make it more complicated?
Which emerging technology are you most excited about?
What problems will technology solve in the next 5 years? What
problems will it create?
Will technology save the human race or destroy it?
What piece of technology would look like magic or a miracle to people
in medieval
Europe?
Can you think of any technology that has only made the world worse?
How about a
piece of technology that has only made the world better?
What technology from a science fiction movie would you most like to
have?
What scifi movie or book would you like the future to be like?
What do you think the next big technological advance will be?

Clothes / Fashion Conversation Starters

Do you care about fashion? What style of clothes do you usually wear?
What is the best pair of shoes you have ever owned? Why were they so
good?
What is your favorite shirt?
What is the most embarrassing piece of clothing you own?
Does fashion help society in any way?
What is a fashion trend you are really glad went away?
Who do you think has the biggest impact on fashion trends: actors
and actresses, musicians, fashion designers, or consumers?

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Conversation

What old trend is coming back these days?

If you didn’t care at all what people thought of you, what clothes would
you wear?
What is the most comfortable piece of clothing you own?
How do clothes change how the opposite sex views a person?

Goals Conversation Starters

What is the craziest, most outrageous thing you want to achieve?

What are some goals you have already achieved?
What personal goals do you have?
What do you hope to achieve in your professional life?
Have your parents influenced what goals you have?
Do you usually achieve goals you set? Why or why not?
What is the best way to stay motivated and complete goals?
What are some goals you have failed to accomplish?
When do you want to retire? What do you want to do when you retire?
What are your goals for the next two years?
How have your goals changed over your life?
How much do you plan for the future?
How do you plan to make the world a better place?

Seasons Conversation Starters

What’s the most refreshing thing on a hot summer day?

What’s the best thing to do on a cold winter day?
Where is the nicest place you have been to in fall?
What is your favorite thing to eat or drink in winter?
Do you prefer summer or winter activities?
What do you like to do in spring?
Did your family take seasonal vacations?
Do you feel like fall and spring are getting shorter?
Which season are you most active in?
Is it better to live where there are four seasons or where one season
takes up most of
the year?

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Conversation

Holiday Conversation Starters

If you could make a holiday, what would it be like? What traditions

would it have? What
would people eat on your holiday?
What is the biggest holiday for your family?
Do you wish there were more or less holidays? Why?
If you had to get rid of a holiday, which one would you get rid of? Why?
What is your favorite holiday?
What kinds of food do you usually eat on your favorite holiday?
Does having a day off for a holiday increase or decrease productivity
at work?
What holidays have been over commercialized?
If some of the lesser known holidays were commercialized, what would
the commercialization look like?
What do you know about the history of some holidays?

Education Conversation Starters

What are some good and bad things about the education system in
your country?
What do you think of online education?
How can governments make education more efficient?
What do you think of standardized tests?
How can technology improve education? Can it hurt education?
Are bigger or small schools better?
Is teaching a skill that can be taught?
What will the future of education be?
What do you think of homeschooling?
How has the education you received changed your life?
What or who has taught you most of the information you use on a
regular basis?

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Conversation

Food Conversation Starters

What is your favorite food?

Do you like spicy food? Why or why not? What is the spiciest thing you
have ever
eaten?
What foods do you absolutely hate?
What food do you know you shouldn’t eat, but can’t help yourself?
Does government have a place in regulating food? To what extent
should government
regulate food?
When was the last time you had a food fight?
What do you get every time you go grocery shopping?
If your life was a meal, what would kind of meal would it be?
What do you think of buffets?
What would you want your last meal to be if you were on death row?
What food looks disgusting but tastes delicious?
When people make mistakes about food (especially foreign food) do
you feel the need to correct them? (i.e. sushi / sashimi or stromboli /
calzone)

Weird Conversation Starters

Time freezes for everyone but you, for one day. What would you do?
If you could call up anyone in the world and have a one-hour
conversation, who would
you call?
You have to relive one day of your life forever. Which day do you
choose?
If your mind was an island, what would it look like?
What flavor of ice cream do you wish existed?
What would your own personal hell look like? How about your own
personal heaven?
A portal to another world opens in front of you. You don’t know how
long it will stay
open or if you’ll be able to get back after you go through. What would
you do?

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Conversation

If you had a personal mascot, what would your mascot be?

You find a remote that can rewind, fast forward, stop and start time.
What would you do with it?
If you were a king / queen, what would your throne look like?
If you were on the run from the police for a crime you didn’t commit,
where would you go?

Casual questions to get to know someone

If you didn’t have to sleep, what would you do with the extra time?
What’s your favorite piece of clothing you own / owned?
What hobby would you get into if time and money weren’t an issue?
What would your perfect room look like?
How often do you play sports?
What fictional place would you most like to go?
What job would you be terrible at?
When was the last time you climbed a tree?
If you could turn any activity into an Olympic sport, what would you
have a good chance
at winning a medal for?
What is the most annoying habit that other people have?
What job do you think you’d be really good at?
What skill would you like to master?
What would be the most amazing adventure to go on?
If you had unlimited funds to build a house that you would live in for
the rest of your life, what would the finished house be like?
What’s your favorite drink?
What state or country do you never want to go back to?
What songs have you completely memorized?
What game or movie universe would you most like to live in?
What do you consider to be your best find?
Are you usually early or late?
What pets did you have while you were growing up?
When people come to you for help, what do they usually want help
with?
What takes up too much of your time?

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Conversation

What do you wish you knew more about?

What would be your first question after waking up from being
cryogenically frozen for 100 years?
What are some small things that make your day better?
Who’s your go-to band or artist when you can’t decide on something
to listen to?
What shows are you into?
What TV channel doesn’t exist but really should?
Who has impressed you most with what they’ve accomplished?
What age do you wish you could permanently be?
What TV show or movie do you refuse to watch?
What would be your ideal way to spend the weekend?
What is something that is considered a luxury, but you don’t think you
could live without?
What’s your claim to fame?
What’s something you like to do the old-fashioned way?
What’s your favorite genre of book or movie?
How often do you people watch?
What have you only recently formed an opinion about?
What’s the best single day on the calendar?
What are you interested in that most people haven’t heard of?
How do you relax after a hard day of work?
What was the best book or series that you’ve ever read?
What’s the farthest you’ve ever been from home?
What is the most heartwarming thing you’ve ever seen?
What is the most annoying question that people ask you?
What could you give a 40-minute presentation on with absolutely no
preparation?
If you were dictator of a small island nation, what crazy dictator stuff
would you do?
What is something you think everyone should do at least once in their
lives?
Would you rather go hang gliding or whitewater rafting?
What’s your dream car?
What’s worth spending more on to get the best?
What is something that a ton of people are obsessed with but you just
don’t get the point of?

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Conversation

What are you most looking forward to in the next 10 years?

Where is the most interesting place you’ve been to?
What’s something you’ve been meaning to try but just haven’t gotten
around to it?
What’s the best thing that happened to you last week?
What piece of entertainment do you wish you could erase from your
mind so that you could experience for the first time again?
If all jobs had the same pay and hours, what job would you like to
have?
What amazing thing did you do that no one was around to see?
How different was your life one year ago?
What’s the best way to start the day?
What quirks do you have?
What would you rate 10 / 10?
What fad or trend do you hope comes back?
What’s the most interesting piece of art you’ve seen?
What kind of art do you enjoy most?
What do you hope never changes?
What city would you most like to live in?
What movie title best describes your life?
Why did you decide to do the work you are doing now?
What’s the best way a person can spend their time?
If you suddenly became a master at woodworking, what would you
make?
Where is the most relaxing place you’ve ever been?
What is the luckiest thing that has happened to you?
Where would you rather be from?
What are some things you’ve had to unlearn?
What are you looking forward to in the coming months?
What website do you visit most often?
What one thing do you really want but can’t afford?
Where do you usually go when you have time off?
Where would you spend all your time if you could?
What is special about the place you grew up?
What age do you want to live to?
What are you most likely to become famous for?
What are you absolutely determined to do?

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Conversation

What is the most impressive thing you know how to do?

What do you wish you knew more about?
What question would you most like to know the answer to?
What question can you ask to find out the most about a person?
When was the last time you changed your opinion / belief about
something major?
What was the best compliment you’ve received?
As the only human left on Earth, what would you do?
Who inspires you to be better?
What do you want your epitaph to be?
What did you think you would grow out of but haven’t?
In what situation or place would you feel the most out of place in?
What’s the dumbest thing you’ve done that actually turned out pretty
well?
They say that everyone has a book in them. What would your book be
about?
What is something you will NEVER do again?
What do you spend the most time thinking about?
What are some of the events in your life that made you who you are?
What do you wish your brain was better at doing?
There are two types of people in this world. What are the two types?
What is the strangest thing you have come across?
What is something you are certain you’ll never experience?
What dumb accomplishment are you most proud of?
If you could make one rule that everyone had to follow, what rule
would you make?
What are you addicted to?
What stereotype do you completely live up to?
What is something you can never seem to finish?
As you get older, what are you becoming more and more afraid of?
What is one of your favorite smells?
What would be the scariest monster you could imagine?
What song or artist do you like but rarely admit to liking?
What would you do if you knew you were going to die in one hour?
What book impacted you the most?
If you had to change your name, what would you change it to?
If life was a game, like some people say, what would some of the rules
be?

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Conversation

Who is / was your most interesting friend?

Have you ever given to any charities?
What is something that your friends would consider “so you”?
What risks are worth taking?
What can you not get right, no matter how many times you try?
If you could convince everyone in the world to do one thing at one
point in time, what would that thing be?
What do you take for granted?
What would be some of the most annoying things about having
yourself as a
roommate?
What’s something you are self-conscious about?
What personality trait do you value most, and which do you dislike the
most?
What small gesture from a stranger made a big impact on you?
What gets you fired up?
What challenging thing are you working through these days?
What irrational fear do you have?
What’s the best and worst piece of advice you’ve ever received?
If you had a clock that would count down to any one event of your
choosing, what event
would you want it to count down to?
What makes a good life?
What do you strongly suspect but have no proof of?
What’s the last adventure you went on?
When do you feel truly “alive”?
What was the most memorable gift you’ve received?
What chapters would you separate your autobiography into?
What do you like most about your family?
What do you hope your last words will be?
What stat for your life would you most like to see?
What are three of the most significant numbers in your life?
What could you do with two million dollars to impact the most amount
of people?
If you were put into solitary confinement for six months, what would
you do to stay sane?

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Conversation

What’s something horrible that everyone should try at least once?

What fact are you resigned to?
Have you ever saved someone’s life?
What were some of the turning points in your life?
What would a mirror opposite of yourself be like?
What are you really good at, but kind of embarrassed that you are
good at it?
What are three interesting facts about you?
Which of your scars has the best story behind it?
What’s the title of the current chapter of your life?
What’s the hardest lesson you’ve learned?
What mistake do you keep making again and again?
What do people think is weird about you?
When people look at you, what do you think they see / think?
What have you created that you are most proud of?
If you could make a 20-second phone call to yourself at any point in
your life, present or future, when would you call and what would you
say?
What annoys you most about the in-groups you are a part of?
What do you have doubts about?
What do you want to be remembered for?
What are some of your personal “rules” that you never break?
What do you regret not doing or starting when you were younger?
If you could have a never-ending candle that smelled like anything
you wanted, what
fragrance would you want it to be?
What’s the best thing about you?
What bends your mind every time you think about it?
What’s the best thing you got from your parents?
What’s one responsibility you really wish you didn’t have?
What is the “holy grail” of your life?
If your childhood had a smell, what would it be?
What are the top three things you want to accomplish before you die?
How close are
you to accomplishing them?
What do you wish you could tell yourself 10 years ago? What do you
think you’d want to tell your current self 10 years from now?

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Conversation

In your group of friends, what role do you play?

Among your friends or family, what are you famous for?
What is the biggest lesson you've never learned?
What’s the most immature thing that you do?
If your life was a book, what would it's title be?
What’s the best and worst thing about getting older?
What’s something that happened or something that someone said
that changed how
you view the world?
What are you most likely very wrong about?
If you had a personal flag, what would be on it?
What lifestyle change have you been meaning to make for a while
now?
What would be your spirit animal?
What incredibly strong opinion or belief do you have that is completely
unimportant in the grand scheme of things?
What chance encounter changed your life forever?
If you could have a video of any one event in your life, what event
would you choose?
If you were forced to relive one 10-minute block of your life again and
again for all eternity, what 10 minutes of your life would you choose?

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Conversation

DESCRIBING PICTURES
At the Office

Helpful Vocabulary:
discussion
point
sheet
colleague
meeting
hold
attentively
business

Helpful Vocabulary
smart
businessman
tie
deal
suit
attire

21
Conversation

Helpful Vocabulary
presentation
businesswoman
face
conference table
towards
deliver

A Walk In the City:

Helpful Vocabulary
temple
Japan
tourist
crooked
brick
lantern
statue

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Conversation

Helpful Vocabulary
drink
squeeze
strawberry
cranberry
sweet
cucumber
sour
decorate

Helpful Vocabulary
giraffe
concrete jungle
hut
tree
modern
wildlife
preserve

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Conversation

Birthdays:

Helpful Vocabulary
excited
clap
shaped
fountain candle
face paint
outdoors

Helpful Vocabulary
co-worker
paper cup
hold up
champagne
cheerful
office

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Conversation

Helpful Vocabulary
gather
unwrap
eager
toy
present
family reunion

Captivating:

Helpful Vocabulary
attire
gown
peach
garden
wedding
bridesmaid
bouquet
friendship

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Conversation

Helpful Vocabulary
employee
break
colleague
office
papers
plant
neat

Helpful Vocabulary
sushi
cutting board
chamomile
rice
raw
seaweed
ginger
chopsticks

26
Conversation

Celebrations & Traditions:

Helpful Vocabulary
Sydney
fireworks
Australia
opera
New Year
celebration
colorful
bright

Helpful Vocabulary
cream
whipped
cloth
star
colorful
biscuit

27
Conversation

Helpful Vocabulary
green tea
bamboo
glass
interesting
garden
teapot
dried
peaceful

Clothes:

Helpful Vocabulary
sandal
floral
pattern
sun hat
skirt
smell
lean
bloom

28
Conversation

Helpful Vocabulary
India
model
embroidery
top
catwalk
bridal
baby pink
sleeveless
fashion show

Helpful Vocabulary
jacket
sneaker
hoodie
jeans
scarf
alley

29
Conversation

Close-Up:

Helpful Vocabulary
anxious
fan
jersey
tense
cheer
worried

Helpful Vocabulary
bored
exhausted
lecture hall
rest
uninterested
tired

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Conversation

Helpful Vocabulary
frown
disgusted
unpleasant
sick
grimace
nauseous
medicine
drink
plate

Communication:

Helpful Vocabulary
bored
exhausted
lecture hall
rest
uninterested
tired

31
Conversation

Helpful Vocabulary
the United Kingdom
postcard
flag
curly
earring
denim
mailbox

Helpful Vocabulary
suit
stairs
concrete
laptop
businessman
tie
break
handrail

32
Conversation

Crafts:

Helpful Vocabulary
art
paint
classroom
mix
in front of
tube

Helpful Vocabulary
group
clay
apron
model
brush
pot

33
Conversation

Helpful Vocabulary
stamp
sheet
imprint
half
happy

Emotions:

Helpful Vocabulary
tear
weep
watery eyes
scared
frightened
sorrow
frown

34
Conversation

Helpful Vocabulary
dark
skin
excited
cheerful
grin
laugh

Helpful Vocabulary
argue
fight
couple
furious
punch
aggressive

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Conversation

Events:

Helpful Vocabulary
ballroom
luxurious
painting
ball
grand
chat
waltz

Helpful Vocabulary
audience
gig
cheer
rock
perform
stage
wild
instrument

36
Conversation

Helpful Vocabulary
parade
fan
lantern
forward
colorful
festival
sidewalk
traditional

Film and TV:

Helpful Vocabulary
studio
talk show
background
filming
cameraman
guest

37
Conversation

Helpful Vocabulary
turn on
couple
popcorn
remote control
bowl
lap

Helpful Vocabulary
cinema
screen
attentively
face
watch
seat
dim

38
Conversation

Friends:

Helpful Vocabulary
hold
fun
dance
sea
shorts
barefoot

Helpful Vocabulary
selfie
cellphone
pose
funny
sunglasses
tongue

39
Conversation

Helpful Vocabulary
joke
meal
laugh
discuss
plate
course

Gadgets:

Helpful Vocabulary
tablet
couch
smartphone
curly
curious
pullover

40
Conversation

Helpful Vocabulary
laptop
mouse
note
checkered
beard
mug

Helpful Vocabulary
gadget
wooden
polka dot
afro
focus on
Millennials
carafe

41
Conversation

Happiness:

Helpful Vocabulary
businessman
fuel
scream
gas station
price
save

Helpful Vocabulary
marshmallow
fire
blanket
twig
picnic
cold

42
Conversation

Hobbies:

Helpful Vocabulary
proud
sunglasses
glove
boat
open sea
happy

Hot Springs:

Helpful Vocabulary
steam
surround
freezing
hot spring
forest
rooftop

43
Conversation

Helpful Vocabulary
floral
dip
surface
steamy
pinned-up
kneel

Helpful Vocabulary
pour
cup
resort
teapot
inn
spring

44
Conversation

How Are You?:

Helpful Vocabulary
excited
fist
thrilled
clench
achievement
laptop

Helpful Vocabulary
confused
float
shrug
dazed
scared
question mark
eyebrow
puzzle
surprised

45
Conversation

Helpful Vocabulary
bite
anxious
terrified
hold
nail
corner

46
Conversation

READING
All Americans know about George
Washington. He was the first
President of the United States of
America, and his face appears on
the iconic one dollar bill. He has
also given his name to the capital
city of the USA, Washington D.C, ....
and to a state, the state of
Washington. No other American is
quite so famous!

An unforgettable president
If you had to sum up George Washington's life in one word, that word
would have to be unforgettable. George's story is one of travel and
adventure, full of risks and, most of all, full of glory. After all, in 1789, he
was elected the first President of the United States, a country that was
to become the most powerful in the world. At the end of his life, in 1799,
George was an international hero. But, if you look back into George's
early years, you will see that things were not always so rosy. George
was sent into the Army as a very young man. For a colonist of his
generation, it was a respectable thing to do. It gave him an
opportunity to make a living, and at the same time see the country,
which at the time was full of wild animals and Indians. It was a tough
life, but an interesting one. One could hunt forever in the vast forests.
One could explore new lands seemingly forever.
A lover of Nature, George became a surveyor with the Army, a job
which led him further and further into the wild, unknown country. As for
the Indians, they were generally friendly, and were good trading
partners. All in all, George's young years were full of carefree
wandering in a new, virgin land. Yet suddenly one day, the threatening
news came: wild animals and Indians were not the only inhabitants of
the woods. Virginia scouts had found French soldiers on the other side
of the Appalachians. It was said that the French claimed all land west
of the mountains for New France. This was bad news for the governor
of Virginia, who wanted the same land — at all costs.

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Conversation

In his quest to get the land beyond the mountains, the governor called
upon his best soldier to deal with the situation: it was young George
Washington, barely 22 years old at the time. The governor told George
to go and find the French, and give them a simple message: leave the
region immediately, or get ready for battle.
Wanting to serve and please his authorities, George did as he was told.
He went over the mountains with a small army, found the French, and
passed on the governor's message. But, of course, the French did not
wish to leave. Inevitably, the conflict developed into a war, known as
the French and Indian War; that is, the French and some Indian allies
fighting the British colonials. For George, it was a difficult time. To cut
a long story short, it was the only time in his life that he had to
surrender an army — at Fort Necessity, near the forks of the Ohio. In
that battle, George nearly didn't become the first President of the
United States. His army was surrounded by the French and Indians,
badly outnumbered, so he had to surrender the fort. Luckily for him, the
French allowed him and his army to leave with their horses and guns.
The battle had been lost, but the English, who were more numerous,
eventually won the war. The French and Indian War was a learning
experience for George, one that he would later exploit in the War for
American Independence. Indeed, twenty years later, George was
dressed in an American uniform, and fighting not against the French,
but against the British. In this war, it is said that George's fiery
leadership inspired his American troops when they were starving and
cold, and he emerged from the war as the greatest general. It was no
surprise that the victorious Americans chose him as their first
president. As for getting his picture on the dollar bill, that didn't come
until after George was long dead and gone, proving that his spirit was
truly an unforgettable one.

WORDS: sum up: to give a brief review or summary - rosy: nice -

colonist : (in the USA at the time) a man from England - make a living:
make enough money to live - hunt : chase wild animals - seemingly:
apparently - surveyor: person who measures land - trading partners:
people with whom one buys and sells - carefree: casual, with no
worries or responsibilities

48
Conversation

- threatening news: news of danger - quest: attempt - deal with:

confront, handle -to cut a long story short: in short - forks of the Ohio:
place where the Ohio River begins, from two other rivers -
outnumbered: having many fewer men than the enemy - fiery:
strongly emotional - starving: without food

Discussion:
What makes an unforgettable character?

49
Conversation

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST COUNTRY IN

THE WORLD - in terms of surface
area? The USA? NO ! CHINA ?
NO ! RUSSIA ? YES !! And the
second biggest country in the
world? Many people are quite
surprised to learn that it is actually
Canada.

CANADA - IT'S NOT the USA

Imagine yourself sitting in a café one day in your home town, when on
the next table you hear some people speaking English with a strong
North American accent. Being a friendly person, you lean over and say,
"Hi! Are you American?" "No," comes the immediate answer.
"Canadian!" Calling a English-speaking Canadian an American can
be as bad as telling a Scotsman that he's English or a Swiss person
he's German. In spite of a common language, there are differences in
culture and national feeling. "No," many Canadians will tell you with
insistence, "We're not Americans! We're Canadians." In the same
way as Quebecers are determined to keep their identity, Canadians
from the other provinces are determined to keep Canada's identity.
Although the Canadian way of life is more and more like the American
way of life, lots of details are different, and many Canadians,
particularly Quebecers, are worried about the survival of their own
differences. Canadians use metres and kilometres and measure
temperatures in Celsius; Americans use feet and miles, and measure
temperature in Fahrenheit. The USA has states, Canada has provinces.
Yet about 80% of Canadians live within 150 km. of the U.S. border, and
this has had a bad effect on the Canadian economy. Like most
European countries, Canada has a national health service, and a good
social security system; but good welfare services have to be paid for
by high taxes, so the cost of living in Canada is high. Because of this,
hundreds of thousands of Canadians often get in their cars and drive
over to the USA to go shopping. This is one cause of economic
problems in Canada.

50
Conversation

Over half of Canada's imports come from the United States, and
Canada has a trade deficit with the USA. But the American influence
is not just a question of shopping. Lots of Canadians drive American
cars, and cars are almost as important in Canada as they are in the
USA. There is television too. While Quebecers tend to watch their own
French-language TV stations, English-speaking Canadians have a
choice between local English-speaking channels, national programs
from CBC, and dozens of American channels brought to them by cable
or satellite. Unless they specifically want to watch local stations, they're
just as likely to tune in to one of the big American channels as they are
to a Canadian channel.
Perhaps it is not surprising if some Canadians are afraid that their
country will soon be just like another part of the USA. If, one day,
Quebec becomes independent, many Canadians fear that the rest of
Canada could break up. Perhaps that's an exaggeration; many
Canadians feel it is a real risk.

SOME SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT CANADA

Canada is the second biggest country in the world, but the population
is only 36 million. Over half of all Canadians live south of a line that
runs, in Europe, through Dijon, Zurich and Budapest. Winter
temperatures regularly go down to -25°C all over Canada, except on
the West Coast. Driving for 12 hours a day, it takes 5 days to go by road
from Montreal to Vancouver. Ottawa, the Canadian capital, is situated
in Ontario, on the border with Quebec. Its biggest suburb, Gatineau, is
in Quebec. A third of the population of Ottawa are French-speakers.
There is a Canadian version of the Loch Ness Monster, the "Turtle Lake
Monster". It is said to be between 3 and 9 meters long, and to live in the
very deep waters of Turtle Lake, Saskatchewan.

A CANADIAN WINTER ...... Brrrr ! It's cold

If there is one thing that unites almost the whole population of
Canada, it is the experience of winter. While in most parts of Europe,
people never know what the winter weather will be like from one week
to the next, Canadians know what winter means. When the last leaves
fall off the trees in Autumn, Canadians know that the winter is coming,
and that it will be cold; or if it is not cold, it will be very cold!

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Conversation

When the Arctic air blows south in the winter months, Canadians know
that the temperature will fall to -20° or lower, perhaps down to -40°;
but because they know that it is going to happen, Canadians are
ready for it! That, as they say, is half the battle of survival! In
Edmonton, the biggest city in the province of Alberta, the first winter
snows can come in October. When this happens, Edmontonians
complain that it is a bit early, but then just get on with normal life.
For most of the winter, which usually lasts from November to April,
daytime temperatures in the city rarely rise above freezing; from time
to time, Arctic winds howl down from the north, and for several days
temperatures in the city may not rise above -20° (and may drop
below -40°).
But in a city where people are used to cold winters, life carries on as
usual. Canadians have to know how to cope with the cold; those who
can't have just two options, to emigrate or to go and live beyond the
Rocky Mountains, beside the Pacific Ocean, in "B.C." – British
Columbia! The easiest way to keep away from the cold of a
Canadian winter is to stay indoors as much as possible! This does not
mean that you have to stay at home, however! Many people keep their
cars in heated basement garages, which they can reach without going
outside. Cars are often kept warm in winter, with electric heaters which
are plugged into power points.
Some shopping centers have underground or indoor parking lots: and
in the city center, it is often possible to walk from one building to
another, underground or above ground, without ever having to go out
in the cold. The biggest shopping center in town has hundreds of
shops, cinemas, an ice rink, a sports centre and an amusement park
all under one roof! The "West Edmonton Mall" is like an indoor city —
and in the heart of winter, it is a good place to go shopping.
Outside, people make the most of the snow, for leisure and recreation.
Skiing, skating and snow-shoeing are popular activities that can be
practiced in the city's parks; many parks also have areas which are
flooded in winter, to provide natural ice rinks, which are lit up in the
evenings. Everyone tries to enjoy the snow as much as possible!
Perhaps this is easier than it is in most parts of Europe; Canadian
snow tends to be dry and powdery. For most of the winter, for example,
you can't make it into snowballs, it's too cold.

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Conversation

There is no point in putting salt on the roads, either, as at -10° and

below, the snow just will not melt, even with salt! The only way to clear
the roads is to use snow-ploughs or snow-blowers.

Constitutional issues
Canada's official Head of State is Queen Elizabeth, who is also the
nominal head of state of 15 other Commonwealth countries. Her
function is purely symbolic. Many Canadians would like Canada to
have a Canadian head of State; but many others want to keep the
monarchy. Opinion is divided, but there is no great opposition to the
Queen as head of state, except in Quebec. It was not until 1982 that
Canada became constitutionally an independent nation! When this
happened, many Canadians were quite surprised, as they thought that
their country had been independent since 1867. In practice they were
right; the Canadian government in Ottawa has governed Canada
since that date. The links between Britain and Canada remain very
strong, all the same. About 40% of Canadians have ancestors from the
British Isles, and about 30% have ancestors from France. In particular,
lots of Scottish people emigrated from Britain to Canada in the 19th
and 20th centuries, and the British Isles remained the main source of
immigration to Canada until the 1980s. Today, most new Canadian
immigrants come from Asia, particularly from southern and south east
Asia.

The first Canadians

Before Europeans came to North America, Canada was inhabited by
native Americans, known today as First Nations, Indians, Inuit or
sometimes as Eskimos. In the Americas, the word "Indians" does not
mean people from India! It means "indigenous people", people who
already live in a place, or were born there. Contrary to popular
imagination, Canada's First Nations were not all nomadic people, and
in eastern Canada, many Indians lived in villages made of wooden
huts. Like Europeans, they grew crops and cultivated small fields.
Different groups of Indians often fought for territory, for good
agricultural land, for the rivers with most fish in them. However, there
was plenty of room for everyone in such a vast country, and food was
not a real problem; the forests were full of wild animals.

53
Conversation

The First Nations living in the western half of Canada were more
nomadic. The great prairies of Western Canada were home to tribes
who lived in teepees; these nomads lived mainly from hunting.
Today, there are about 300,000 officially registered Indians in Canada,
and about a million other Canadians who are partly of First Nation
origin. Indian ceremonies and festivities are an important part of
Canadian culture. Across Canada, there are over 2000 Indian
reservations, many of them relatively poor. However, some Indian
reservations have rich natural resources. In Alberta, First Nation
communities receive hundreds of millions of dollars each year in
royalties for gas and oil extracted from the ground in or under their
reservations.

WORD GUIDE ancestors: grandparents, great grandparents, etc. -

basement: the underground level of a building - border: frontier - cope
with: live with, accept - crops: food plants - flooded: covered with
water - health: medical condition - howl: blow very fast - hunting:
killing wild animals - ice rink: place for skating - parking lot: car park -
plugged into: connected to - power points: sources of electric current -
- tend to: have a habit of (-ing) - trade deficit: a trade deficit is when
a country imports more than it exports - tune in to: select - used to:
accustomed to, familiar with - welfare: services to help people who are
in a difficult situation.

Discussion:
What makes a great place to live? Why?

54
Conversation

GOLD has always attracted people.

At the start of the twentieth
century, and during the nineteenth
century, thousands of men went to
the West of the United States,
looking for gold. The "Gold Rush"
lasted, on and off, for, sixty or
seventy years, then it finished. But
today, there are still men and
women out in the West, looking for
gold, as Andrew Rossiter found
out.

There are still prospectors searching for gold in the American Far
West
It was a blistering hot day in summer. The track leading to "Atlantic
City" (Wyoming) was dry and bumpy, and great clouds of dust blew
up behind the car. In 1870, Atlantic City was a prosperous town, with
several thousand inhabitants, mostly men. It was a strange place to
find a town, mind you, hidden in a little gulch in the middle of a wide
scrub desert. Atlantic City began life as a staging post on one of the
transcontinental trails, taken by emigrants en route for California. Soon
however, it became a roaring gold town, where people could make (or
lose) their fortunes in a day. Few did make a fortune; many found
enough gold to keep them happy, but a lot found nothing, or nothing
much. Then, about seven years after the gold rush began, it finished.
Suddenly, it seemed that there was no gold left in the ground. The
miners packed their tools, their pans, and their bags, and went off
somewhere else, to try their luck again. There were no more emigrants
either; as soon as the first transcontinental railroad had opened in
1869, the old emigrant trails had been completely abandoned. The
hotels closed, the shops closed, the bars closed, the jail closed; and
before long, Atlantic City was a ghost town, uninhabited except by the
occasional rancher or hunter, and the wandering coyotes. I didn't
expect to find much in Atlantic City.

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Conversation

I knew that a few people lived there again now, some of the old houses
had been restored, and others had been built. But I didn't expect much.
We drove round a dusty bend, and there in front of us lay the town, a
couple of dozen wooden buildings, some old, some new, and mostly
pretty plain. Surprisingly there was a fire-station; then, in the middle of
the town, a wooden "saloon". A drink, I thought, something to drink at
last.
I stopped the car in a cloud of dust, and we walked up the steps and
into the saloon. Well if I'd wanted to do a bit of time-travelling, I
couldn't have done much better; walking through that door was like
walking back over a hundred years in time. Inside, the old Western
saloon was still intact, with its big long wooden bar, and enormous
mirrors on the walls. Apart from the electric light, the juke box, and the
tables set for dinner, it was almost perfect. And there in the corner sat
the prospector, with his wife. If he'd been wearing a red gown, I'd have
taken him for Father Christmas, but he wasn't. This old-timer wasn't in
Atlantic City to bring presents, but to find gold. He said his name was
Brad, and he'd been looking for gold in Atlantic City for some time now.
Yes, he'd found some too; not enough to make him a millionaire, but
enough to make him happy.
When the Gold Rush ended in Atlantic City, he told me, it was not
actually because there was no more gold, but because gold was too
hard to find, or not valuable enough. Today, gold is a lot more valuable
than it was a hundred years ago, and modern techniques allow people
to find gold more easily. And that was why Brad and his wife were in
Atlantic City, digging for gold.They were not the only ones, said Brad;
quite a few of the "concessions" are now being worked, and some old
mines are being opened up again. In some places, mining for gold has
become commercially profitable again; but in most cases, the miners,
like Brad, are just amateurs. No, Brad hadn't spent all his life digging in
tunnels and panning in streams, to find a few ounces of gold. In fact,
he was a retired businessman, looking for gold as a hobby, and a nice
way to pass the time in a wild, lonely and beautiful part of North
America. More than gold, no doubt, Brad was looking for a way of life, a
dream of the past. If he had found no gold, he would not have been
too worried. Few of today's amateur gold prospectors are there for the
money; they're there for the fun, the isolation, and the nostalgia!

56
Conversation

The legend of the west will go on inspiring people for many many
years.

WORDS:Bend: corner- Blistering: very hot - en route for: going to -

expect: think that - gulch: valley - jail: prison - mind you: please note
- on and off: from time to time - ounces: grams (1 ounce = about 25
grams) panning: looking - plain: ordinary - prospector: person looking
for gold - retired: a person retires when he/she stops her working life -
roaring: very active - scrub: small bushes - staging post: place where
people stopped for the night, bought provisions, etc. - trails: tracks -
worried: anxious

Discussion:
What makes a person rich?

57
Conversation

The name "Buffalo Bill" is one of the most

famous names in the history of the West.
Once, Bill was known as a great fighter
and a great hunter. Today, people prefer
to remember other sides of his character.
Later in his life, he was a great showman
and one of the first people to see that it
was necessary to protect America’s
natural environment .

Discovering an American folk hero

Buffalo Bill Cody was born on a farm in Scott county, Indiana, on 26th
February 1846.
In those days, life in the American West was a constant struggle for
survival, and native Americans and white pioneers would fight to the
death to protect their homes and their people.
Clearly, young Bill was a tough boy, who knew what he was doing.
Before he was thirteen, he was an expert horse-rider and very good
with a gun; and in those days, when the West was wild, that meant he
had excellent qualifications for a job.
Before the age of twenty, Bill left home and took a job with the Pony
Express company, and very soon he became reputed as one of their
best riders.
It was the time when the West was being opened up. After the Pony
Express, Bill got a job supplying buffalo meat to the men building the
Kansas Pacific rail-road. In the space of 17 months, he claims to have
killed 4,280 buffaloes. This is where he got his name, “Buffalo Bill".
In the 1870s, he worked as a scout for the army, during the "Indian
campaigns", and took part in General Custer’s war against the Sioux.
Once, he killed Chief Yellow Hand in a duel. This was just one of the
exploits that were written about in popular story books. In those days,
anyone who killed Indians was seen as a hero. It is very different today.
Today, we look at the Indian wars in a different light.

58
Conversation

Though many American Indians still call themselves “Indians", the

expression “native Americans" is considered to be more correct. Huge
areas of land have been given back to the Indian nations, and
Americans accept that White pioneers stole it from them in the past.
In fact, Buffalo Bill was one of the first men in modern America to
realize that white Americans and Indians could, and should, work
together. Bill made his peace with the Indians, and when he
established his famous “Wild West Show", he recruited many famous
Indians to work with him. They included Red Cloud, Red Shirt, and even
Sitting Bull. His grandson says, “At its height, there were over 650
people who travelled with the show, including 250 American Indians.
With these Indians, with all the cowboys, they re-enacted the robbery
of the Deadwood stage coach and the Pony Express mail relay
system".
With the money he earned from his show, Bill purchased some land in
Wyoming; but by then the West was already changing dramatically.
Bill, the once-great buffalo-hunter, looked nostalgically at the few rare
buffaloes that were still around, and realized that they had to be
protected. At the same time, he began trying to conserve aspects of
the old Western life that were rapidly disappearing into the twentieth
century. One of the things he did was to help establish America’s first
National Forest reserve in Wyoming.
When he died, aged 70, Buffalo Bill knew that the old West was almost
dead too, except in history and stories. Yet he knew, too, that one of the
most famous names associated with its legends, was his own.

WORDS : showman: man who runs a show - struggle: fight, battle -

survival: existence - pioneer: person colonizing new territory - tough:
strong, resistant - ancestor: grandfather and earlier generations -
expanse: open space - willing to: ready to, prepared to - supply: bring,
provide - claims to have: says he - duel: organized fight between two
people - exploit: action - area: zone - recruit: employ - height most
important moment - re-enact imitate, play - mail: post - purchase:
buy - reserve: protected zone.

Discussion:
What makes a person famous?

59
Conversation

In many ways, Americans

and Europeans do the same
things, have the same
interests, have similar
lifestyles; but in “team
sports”, America and Europe
are two different continents.

Team sports, American style

Europeans play football, and Americans play football; but surprisingly
they do not play the same game. American football is played by men
(and occasionally women) wearing helmets and protective clothing;
the ball is oval. European football is played with a round ball, by
people wearing just socks, shorts, a shirt, and football boots. We
Americans have another popular outdoor game too; baseball - a
classic American game, that is only played seriously in North America.
In Britain, a few people play an "ancestor" of baseball, called "rounders"
- but it is not a popular sport. In today's "global village", lifestyles have
become international. Often, the American model has spread to other
countries of the world. American sports, however, have not spread all
over the world, as American films and American fashions have. On the
contrary, European sports have been more successful internationally.
Indeed, European football is slowly developing in the USA (where we
call it "soccer"). In motor racing too, though it is not really a team sport,
the USA is different. In Europe, South America, Japan and other
countries (including Canada), "motor racing" means "Formula 1"; in
America we have IndyCar racing. The Indianapolis 500 is like a
Formula 1 race, but different. Several famous Formula 1 drivers -
including Nigel Mansell and Jacques Villeneuve - have won the race.
On the other hand, no American IndyCar drivers have ever been
Formula 1 champions. Nevertheless, Americans are beginning to
discover Formula 1 racing, since the first American Grand Prix.
Besides these big sports, America of course has basketball - perhaps
the most successful "export". Invented at Springfield College,
Massachusetts, in 1891, Basketball is quite certainly an "American
game".

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Although it is not as big in Europe as in the USA, basketball has

become much more popular in other countries than any other
American team sport.

WHY IS AMERICA DIFFERENT?

The answer is simple. Until the 1960s, team sports were not played on a
global scale. In Europe, people played European games, and in North
America we played American games. The only real "global" sports were
individual sports, such as golf and tennis. A hundred years ago,
individual rich Americans could travel to Europe on holiday, and play
these two games. But whole teams of sportsmen did not often travel
around the world, it was too difficult and slow!The first worldwide
sports competition was the Olympic Games; but originally the
Olympics were only concerned with athletics; they did not include the
wide variety of sports that they now cover. So, as far as team sports
are concerned, America has grown up with its own tradition; we love
our "football" and our baseball and our basketball. We don't mind if
these sports are not popular in other countries. That way, we can
organize the "World Series" baseball championship, knowing that a US
team will almost always win. From time to time, a Canadian team
wins.... but they're North Americans too, after all.

WORDS A-Z :besides: in addition to - don't mind: are not worried -

helmet: hard hat - on a global scale: all over the world - were only
concerned with: only included.

Discussion:
What is your favorite sport? Why?

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Although he died almost half a

century ago, Elvis Presley, the
"King of Rock 'n' Roll", is still a
hero for millions all over the
world and Graceland, his
home in Memphis, is a major
tourist attraction.

Elvis Presley - still "the King"

It's hot and sticky in the summer in Memphis, Tennessee. The sea is
hundreds of miles away from this city on the Mississippi river, yet that
doesn't stop the tourists from coming. Some come just once, others
make the trip regularly. These are the real fans, those for whom rock 'n'
roll has only one voice, that of "the King" himself: Elvis Presley.
Memphis is the city where Elvis lived for most of his professional life;
and though he died in 1977, Memphis has not forgotten him. On the
contrary, America's most famous rocker (the only one to have had his
picture on a set of U.S. postage stamps!) has become the city's most
famous son — and seems to get more and more important as the
years go by.
Beside Highway 51, just south of the city is Graceland; this is the house
which Elvis bought after he became a star, and which he kept till the
day he died. Today it belongs to his daughter Lisa Marie, but is run as
an Elvis Presley museum: it is the second most visited house in the
U.S.A., after the White House. The people who work at Graceland
seem to be some of Elvis's biggest fans. They live and breathe Elvis! In
the café, there is day-long Elvis on the music system; and as visitors
are taken round Graceland, their guides talk about Elvis as if he were
more than the King — more like the God of rock 'n' roll. "Is it true Elvis
died of drugs?" asks a non-believer in the crowd of visitors being
shown round the house. Most of the other visitors look at her angrily
or in astonishment, as if she has said something terrible.

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"Oh no," says the tour guide. For a moment, her permanent cheek-to-
cheek smile changes into a frown of discontent. "Oh no, that's just a
story, made up to discredit him. You know, Elvis had plenty of friends,
but he sure had some enemies too. They made up a whole bunch of
stories about him. There's no way Elvis took drugs. You know, he was
even a federal agent. You'll see his card downstairs." Then the
guide's 180° smile springs back, and she changes the subject, plunging
into eulogies about the wonderful style with which Elvis decorated his
house.
For a poor boy brought up in a two-room shack in rural Mississippi, it
probably was fairly good style. Elvis's tastes were brash, rather like
those of many other ordinary unsophisticated folk. He liked the good
things in life: girls, guitars and Cadillacs — and he sang about them
regularly. That was one of the reasons why he became such a star.
The other reason was, of course, that Elvis really was a good artist, and
he really did change the face of American popular music. Before Elvis,
the only real rock 'n' roll singers were black, and their style was not
quite the same as that of Elvis. Elvis was the first white rocker, and thus
— in an age where black music, except jazz, was not widely
appreciated outside the black community — he opened up a whole
new branch of American popular music. As a young rocker, he was
America's biggest star, and this reputation followed him into middle
age. His energy and his looks, however, did not. By the time he was
forty, Elvis was a sick man, dependent on drugs. The thin athletic youth
had become a fat, prematurely-aged man. It was not surprising, really,
that he did not survive beyond the age of 42. As for his reputation,
that is a different story. Elvis may have died in 1977; his influence, and
his reputation, are still very much alive today.

WORD GUIDE run: managed, operated - astonishment: great surprise -

frown: scowl, angry look - discredit: give a bad reputation to - bunch
(slang): crowd - plunge: jump - eulogy: flattering words - shack: hut,
very small house - brash: unrefined, uncultured - folk: people -
prematurely-aged : old before he should be

Discussion:
What is your favorite superstar? Why?

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Conversation

If old America was made in New

York or Detroit, modern America is
made in Silicon Valley. But what is
"Silicon Valley", where is it? And
why is it where it is?

The story of Silicon Valley

It is not made of silicon; and it is not a river valley; but forgetting that,
Silicon Valley is probably the most famous valley in the world.
Although it is not the place where the first computer was built (that
was Manchester, England), Silicon Valley, near San Francisco, was the
birthplace of the modern computer industry. For this, we can say
thank you to scientists at the universities in California, and to the
Hippies of the 1960s. It was in the nineteen-sixties that American
"youth culture" really began. California, of course, already existed; but
the Sixties Generation rediscovered it.
At the time there were really two different forms of youth culture; the
"Beach Boy" culture on the one hand, and the anti-establishment
hippies and radical students on the other hand; and they all dreamed
of California.
For the Beach Boys, that meant southern California, where they could
sing about surfing and cars; for the Hippies and radicals, it meant San
Francisco, "flower power" and revolutionary new ideas. The campuses
at Berkeley and Stamford, near San Francisco, were hot-beds of new
ideas, new technology, new culture, and new ways of living. When
they finished university, many of the best students did not look for jobs
with big companies like Ford or Exxon. Instead, they wanted to be free
and run their own operations.... and stay in California, not far from San
Francisco. Silicon Valley is thus a group of small towns, including Palo
Alto and San José, a few miles south of San Francisco. The high-
technology industry was already present around San Francisco. Intel
had been founded in 1968, and in the same year the first computer
mouse was built at Stamford University.

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In 1970, Xerox opened a research center in Palo Alto. There were also
other electronics companies, like Hewlett Packard, and Fairchild, the
world's first "semiconductor" company. Then, in 1976, an electronics
student called Steve Jobs started a small computer company in his
garage; he gave it the same name as the Beatles' record company:
Apple.
Very soon, more companies, like Seagate and Google appeared.
"Silicon Valley" had arrived. There was even a sort of primitive Internet
connecting many addresses in Silicon Valley, called the Arpanet.
Today, Silicon Valley is still the home of the computer industry; it is still
full of high technology, but it is not the only center for high-tech in the
USA. Today here are computer firms all over the USA.... and all over the
world; but Silicon Valley still has the largest concentration of high-tech
companies and research centers.
Microsoft, the world's biggest high-tech company, is not based in
Silicon Valley. It is further north, near Seattle, in the state of
Washington.

WORDS birthplace: the place where a person is born - youth: young

people - on the one hand: on one side - anti-establishment: people
who reject the "established" system of society - radical: very different,
revolutionary - run: organize - company: firm.

Discussion:
What is your favorite place in the world? Why?

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Conversation

Tall buildings, their tips

sometimes hidden in the clouds,
skyscrapers have become the
symbol of modern urban
civilization, and today they are
found worldwide. But until the mid
20th century, they were very much
a distinctive feature of the
American city.

The story of the skyscraper

America has given a lot of things to the world; but in terms of urban
lifestyle, none is as significant and as visible as the skyscraper.
If you ask a person to describe an American city, the chances are that
they will mention the word skyscraper. Tall buildings, their tips
sometimes hidden in the clouds, have become the symbol of the
American metropolis, a symbol of twenty-first century urban
civilization. American cities have not always had skyscrapers, but it is
now almost a century and a half since the first skyscrapers began to
distinguish their skylines. For millions of people coming to America
from Europe, the first proof that they had reached a new world was the
moment when they first caught sight of the skyline of Manhattan.
Surrealistic, superhuman, the skyline was like nothing they had ever
seen in the old world — a concentration of tall buildings, their tops
scraping the sky, hundreds of feet above the ground. These were New
York's famous skyscrapers! This was America!
The first skyscrapers, however, did not develop in New York, but in
Chicago, in the late nineteenth century. Chicago at that time was the
boom town of the United States — New York was just the front door.
Chicago was at the center of the new American adventure, and the
new adventure was the West. Chicago was the point at which the West
began. In the year 1871, a large part of booming Chicago was
destroyed as a major fire engulfed much of the downtown area. The
fire, however, was a great stimulus to architects: not only did it show
them the need to design modern buildings that would not be liable to
burn very rapidly, but it also gave them plenty of opportunities to put
their new

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theories into practice. By the late 1800s architects and engineers had
made great steps forwards. Until the nineteenth century, the height of
buildings had been limited to a maximum of about ten stories as a
result of the building materials used — wood, brick or stone. With the
exception of churches and cathedrals, few earlier buildings went
higher than this, because they could not do so. And even the great
churches of medieval Europe had to respect basic mechanical
constraints. The walls needed to be terribly thick at the bottom, and
often supported by complicated systems of buttresses and flying
buttresses, to stop them falling down.
In the nineteenth century, the Industrial Revolution resulted in the
development of new techniques, notably the use of iron. This allowed
the building of much bigger buildings, in particular railway stations, the
"cathedrals of the Industrial Revolution", and exhibition buildings.
Opened in 1889, the nineteenth century's most famous iron and steel
structure reached unheard-of new heights. The Eiffel Tower, 1010 feet
high, pointed the way to the future: upwards! Yet plain iron and steel
structures had their limitations. They were not really suitable for the
design of human habitations or offices — and in the event of fire, they
could collapse very rapidly. It was in fact the combination of the old
and the new that allowed the development of the skyscraper: the
combination of metal frames and masonry cladding. The metal frame
allowed much greater strength and height, without the enormous
mass and weight of stone-built structures; the masonry cladding
allowed traditional features, such as rooms and partitions, to be
included in the design with relatively few problems. The man generally
considered as the father of this new technique was the Chicago
architect William Jenney. Though Jenney was the father of the metal-
frame building, his own buildings did not go any higher than
contemporary brick or stone buildings already going up in Chicago,
New York, and elsewhere. Jenney's "Home Insurance Building" in
Chicago (photo above) was only ten stories high, and stylistically
similar to other buildings which did not use a metal frame.
It was left to Jenney's successors, notably Lewis Sullivan and David
Burnham, working in Chicago and New York, to go further. Burnham's
"Flat-iron Building" in New York, erected in 1902, reached new heights
for an office building, with 20 stories; and at 290 feet

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(about 90 meters), it is known as New York's first skyscraper.

The reasons for building skyscrapers were clear, particularly in a city
like New York, whose downtown district, Manhattan, could not expand
very easily on a horizontal plane, limited as it was by the Hudson and
East rivers. Apart from upwards, there were not many directions in
which Manhattan could grow. And once the building techniques had
been mastered, vertical expansion became the most desirable solution
for the city's businessmen. Since those early days, and in particular
since the Second World War, skyscrapers have mushroomed in all the
world's big cities; and they keep getting higher and higher. Before the
First World War, New York's "Woolworth Building" had reached 792 feet
(241 meters); and by the Second World War, the Empire State Building
—for many years the world's tallest — had actually passed the Eiffel
Tower. In the 1970s, the enormous twin towers of the World Trade
Center, 107 stories high, went even further. But did they go too far? As
bold icons of modern America, they became the target of terrorism
when radical Islamic terrorists used passenger jets to destroy them, in
the terrible events of 9/11 - the 11th of September 2001. Architectural
dreamers of a hundred years ago or more imagined cities in the sky,
giant buildings where people lived thousands of feet above the
ground, above the clouds, above the pollution. Today, although some
people believe that modern skyscrapers are too high, they now
characterize cities all over the world; and they keep getting higher.
Fires in a few tall buildings, for instance in Dubai, have led to further
questions being asked; but in spite of the occasional disaster,
skyscrapers are here to stay — at least for offices and city hotels.
Symbols of our civilization, they are not likely to be replaced.

WORDS :metropolis : very big city - catch sight of: start to see -
skyline: profile - stories: levels - constraints: limitations - buttresses
and flying buttresses: architectural supports used to hold up tall
buildings, especially in Gothic architecture - in the event of: if there is -
masonry : stone, bricks or concrete - cladding: exterior - partitions:
non-stress-bearing walls (stress: weight, force) - downtown: central -
to mushroom: to appear in lots of different places - giant : enormous

Discussion: Have you ever visited a skyscraper?

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Conversation

Blue jeans are the most popular

type of clothing in the world; but
they are not modern! In fact,
jeans have existed for over 160
years.

Denim - the all-American fashion

In 1996, someone found some very old clothes in an old mine in
Nevada, USA; they included a pair of dirty old jeans. Today, those jeans
are very valuable, and they are now in the Levi Strauss Archival
Collection, in San Francisco. The jeans, which are over 140 years old,
are the oldest pair of Levi's 501 jeans in the world. They are almost
the same as a modern pair of 501's; there are just some small
differences in the detail. For instance, today's 501's have two back
pockets, the old pair just has one.

THE STORY OF JEANS

Jeans were the classic clothes of the American West. In 1853, a
young tailor from Germany, called Levi Strauss, began working in San
Francisco; Levi sold thick canvas to miners; the miners used the
canvas to make tents. One day, a miner told Levi that he could not
find trousers that were strong enough for work in the gold mines. Levi
decided to make some trousers out of canvas. Very soon, he had
sold all the canvas trousers he had made! They were just what miners
wanted.
However, the canvas was rather heavy and stiff. Levi therefore began
to look for a different textile; soon he found a heavy textile from France;
it was called serge de Nimes. Americans just called this de Nimes, and
this name soon got reduced to denim. Denim was a bit lighter than
canvas, but it was very strong; it was ideal for miners. However,
original denim was almost white, and miners did not like the color!

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Conversation

Their denim trousers got dirty as soon as they began working!

Levi Strauss therefore decided to use colored denim, and he chose
dark blue. In 1873,he began to make denim trousers with metal rivets to
make them stronger. This was a radical new idea: "Blue jeans" had
arrived! Levi's jeans were so popular, that his company got bigger
and bigger; soon, other firms were making blue jeans too. Miners liked
them, but so did cowboys and other working men. Blue jeans became
classic American working trousers.
After the Second World War, jeans became popular all over the world.
Today, blue jeans are made over the world – most of them in Asia.
Very few jeans are now made in the USA, because of the cost: but it is
still possible to buy blue jeans that are made in San Francisco.... if you
have a lot of money to spend. Today, there are hundreds of different
brands of jeans. Many top fashion brands, like Armani or Benetton,
make their own blue jeans. But for real authentic jeans, "Levi's" are still
the most popular brand.

JEANS for EVERYONE ?

In America, everyone wears jeans as leisure wear. Some people wear
jeans all the time, even for work. But Americans are perhaps less
formal than other nations.
At the "G7" summit in Denver, in 1997, American President Bill Clinton
gave all his visitors jeans, for a "Western evening". Tony Blair, the British
Prime Minister, put them on, but other European leaders, including
Chancellor Kohl of Germany and Jacques Chirac, the President of
France, refused. Some people still think that jeans are not respectable
clothes! Not the young! Jeans are now the international uniform
worn by young people. Why? That is a good question!

WORD GUIDE for instance: for example - tailor: clothes maker - canvas:
a very strong form of cloth, used for tents or by artists - stiff: rigid -
chose: (from to choose), selected - leisure wear: clothes for free time

Discussion: Do you like wearing jeans? Why?

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Hollywood is one of the best-

known names in the world: but
where is Hollywood exactly? Why
is it so successful? And how did it
begin? Horizon magazine looks at
the answers to these and other
questions.

Hollywood - its life and times

At the start of the 20th century, a new city was beginning to grow on
some flat land near the sea in southern California; its name was Los
Angeles - the name of the old Spanish mission that had been there for
many years. At the same time, a new industry was just being born;
the cinema. In America, they talked of "motion pictures", but this soon
became shortened to "movies".
America's movie industry began life in New York; but by 1910, movie-
makers were moving to Los Angeles. In New York, everything was too
expensive; workers, land, taxes. Worse than that, it was difficult to
make movies in winter, because it was too cold.
By contrast, the Los Angeles region was full of advantages. In
California, they could make films all through the year; and everything
was cheaper. In particular, there was lots of land for sale. The movie-
makers found what they needed a few miles outside Los Angeles; and
before long, large new studios were being built in an area called
Hollywood, at the foot of some small dry hills.
Movies quickly became very popular, particularly after "talkies" first
appeared in 1925. Nevertheless, movies were expensive to make, and
film companies needed money - lots of it. For this reason, Hollywood
rapidly became dominated by a small number of big companies such
as MGM, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros. and Paramount. Since then,
the big companies have had their ups and downs, but most of them
are still there.

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Conversation

Some old names have disappeared, but some new ones have
appeared, companies like Walt Disney and Steven Spielberg's
company Amblin.
Naturally, Hollywood has changed a lot in 80 years! Today, the biggest
studios belong to huge international firms. For instance, News
Corporation, which now owns Fox, also owns newspapers on three
continents (including the Times of London), and satellite TV networks
in America, Europe and Asia. It is only huge companies like Fox that
can afford to make today's very expensive films; and for Titanic -
which was at the time the most expensive film ever - Fox had to get
help from another big company, Paramount!
Once, Hollywood could make films just for America; today it has to
make them for the world. The suburb of Los Angeles has become the
headquarters of a global dream-machine. Perhaps we dreamed
differently in the past. Today, thanks in part to Hollywood, people
everywhere have similar dreams.
We now live in the age of global culture. Hollywood did not invent this
culture - but for better or for worse, it has become one of the most
powerful elements in it. Like it or not, we all now live on planet
Hollywood.

WORD GUIDE Mission: monastery, missionary center - advantages :

good things - for sale: being sold - area : place - ups and downs:
good moments and bad moments - huge: enormous - afford to: have
the money to - suburb: peripheral area of a big city - headquarters:
principal center - global: planetary

Discussion:
Do you watch Hollywood films? What do you think of them?

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Conversation

In September 2000, the world was

hit by an "oil crisis"; the cost of
crude oil reached over 35 dollars
a barrel, and gasoline (which the
British call "petrol") became very
expensive. Even in America. Since
then, the cost of oil has fallen; but
even in the USA, use of oil has
continued to fall.

America's oil - a love affair

During the summer of 2000, lots of car-drivers in America were angry.
The cost of gasoline went above $2 a gallon in some states. The age of
cheap gasoline was over. Today, in 2020, in spite of Covid-19, gas
costs over $ 2 a gallon almost everywhere in the USA. In California,
even regular gas costs above $3 a gallon.
This is very cheap compared to Europe,* * but Americans think that it is
very expensive. The United States is the land of relatively cheap
energy; America is the second biggest producer of oil in the world, but
it is also the biggest importer. In fact, the USA imports over 20% of its
energy, mostly in the form of oil.
There is oil under the ground in many parts of the USA. America's first
oil wells were drilled in the year 1859, in Pennsylvania; and since then,
more and more wells have been made in other states. Today, oil
companies are "fracking", and finding lots more oil under the ground.
The centre of America's oil industry today is the state of Texas; and
America's "oil capital" is the city of Dallas. Texas is by far the biggest
producer of oil in the USA. It was not always the case; the first Texan
oil-wells were opened in 1901, when there was already a big oil industry
in other parts of the USA. But without the oil from Texas, America's
history would have been very different. In 2001, Texans celebrated
their "oil centenary".
Cheap oil and cheap gasoline helped to make modern America. They
shaped America's cities, and they were an essential part of the
American lifestyle.

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Conversation

They were also essential in the great empty states of the West, where
people often have to travel long distances. Today, Americans
consume about 25% of the world's energy.... far more than people in
other countries; but the situation is slowly changing. Americans are
already buying smaller cars, and American cars consume much less
gas than they used to. But in the coming years, they will use less and
less oil. They will have to.
There is still a lot of oil under the ground, but oil and gas must become
more expensive in the future. Over 50% of America's traditional oil
reserves have already been used - mostly since 1950. Nobody knows
when America's oil will start running out, but the first problems could
come in less than 20 years. And as soon as oil starts running out, its
price will go up very quickly!
In conclusion, the "two dollar gallon" was good for America. It has
encouraged Americans to buy smaller cars, and to use less energy.
That way, America's oil will last longer..... perhaps until the age of clean
green energy arrives.

WORD GUIDE case: situation - centenary: 100th anniversary - consume:

use - crude oil: oil that comes out of the ground - drill: make a hole -
fracking: a controversial new technology to extract oil from rocks -
gasoline (USA) = petrol (GB) - a gallon (US) : 3.78 liters - oil well:
crude oil comes out of the ground through oil wells - run out: come to
an end. - throughout the USA - in all the USA

Discussion:
Is petrol a good thing to invest?

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Conversation

Being a teenager and a mother at

the same time is generally not a
good idea, and a program in the
USA helps teens to discover the
reality of having a baby without
actually having one.

Thinking it over with baby

Some twenty thousand babies have ruined the lives of almost a million
teenage girls in the United States; and the number keeps rising week
by week. Fortunately, each girl’s life has only been ruined for periods of
between a day and a week, as the babies in question are passed
round from one potential teenage mother to another, frequently
changing names as fast as they change homes.
As for the babies, they take their tormented lifestyle lying down and
without any fatal psychological consequences; for however real they
may look, these babies, which come in black, white or Asian varieties,
are actually rather sophisticated dolls. Known as the “Baby Think it
Over *” dolls, they are the latest recruits in the battle against America’s
unwanted teenage pregnancies.
Since the dolls were first invented in 1993, hundreds of thousands of
teenage girls have had the chance to learn as realistically as possible
what it is really like to have a young baby to care for.
“When I had to get up every two hours throughout the night, that made
me really mad,” says 17-year-old Cheryl Sherman, a high-school
senior from Illinois. Cheryl’s school is one of a growing number of
American institutions that have bought Baby Think it Over dolls for use
in health and social education classes. In most cases, looking after the
dolls is a voluntary activity, but some schools such as Baltimore’s
Western School of Technology now include mandatory sessions with
the doll in the curriculum.

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Conversation

It was in 1993 that Jim Jurmain, a NASA electronics engineer in San

Diego, saw a television program about the enormous problem of
teenage pregnancies in the United States. When he saw how some
schools and youth clubs were using old-fashioned and inanimate
“flour sack” babies to simulate real babies, he decided to develop a
more hi-tech and animated version of the product.
By early 1995, Baby Think it Over was ready; and apart from the fact
that it does not actually drink and nothing comes out of it at the other
end (though Jim Jurmain is working on this), it behaves pretty well like
a real baby. The lifelike dolls are equipped with a small computer and
programmed to behave like real babies. As an “easy” baby, the doll will
start to cry at unpredictable intervals, about every three or four hours;
when this happens, the teenage “mother” has no alternative but to
“feed” it and cuddle it for as much as half an hour, by holding a key in
its back. She can’t give the key to anyone else, and share the task of
looking after the baby, as the key is attached to her wrist on a locked
bracelet; and she can’t just leave the doll lying on its front until it stops
crying, as this will not stop it crying at all. Besides, the computer inside
will record this as abuse.
After taking a doll for five days, Melanie, a 15-year-old from Boston,
had decided that she would avoid getting pregnant while still at school
or university at all cost. “The first time it started to scream was when
we’d just gone for a cup of coffee at McDonald’s,” she recalls. “That was
really embarrassing. I had to sort it out there in the restaurant”. There
was worse to come; while her friends went out to a party in the
evening, Melanie stayed home with her baby and watched television.
She missed the end of the program she was watching, because baby
was making too much noise, and then spent four very disturbed nights,
as baby kept waking up at all hours, crying for care and attention.
Perhaps, the most difficult thing of all was taking the baby to school,
and having to leave the classroom each time it called for care; had it
been a real baby, Melanie’s school life would have been completely
disrupted; as it was, it was just a matter of three school days, and a
problem that several other girls in her class had already experienced.
At the end of her days of simulated motherhood, Melanie’s illusions
had been shattered: “I don’t want to have a kid now for at least
another ten years,” she declared.

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Conversation

Melanie’s reaction echoes that of most of the teens who have had a
chance to look after the “baby simulator” doll; yet, the doll she had was
programmed on “easy”. It could have been programmed on “hard”,
waking up and screaming much more often, needing regular attention
day and night. Melanie might also have had to look after a new variety
of the doll, that behaves as a baby with an addiction to crack or
cocaine. This model has been added to the range by Rick and Mary
Jurmain, as a doll for the poorest parts of America’s cities, where the
highest levels of teenage pregnancy go hand in hand with the highest
rates of drug abuse and lowest levels of achievement.
Teen pregnancies are one of the three big youth problems in the
United States. According to New York’s Guttmacher Institute, 11% of all
15-19 year olds in the USA get pregnant each year; that’s two girls a
minute on average, and a total of almost a million pregnancies a year.
Of these, 85% are unwanted, and half result in birth. In Europe, the
problem is much less serious; but the dolls are now available in Britain,
which has Europe’s highest teen pregnancy rate.

WORDS:pregnancy: a woman or girl is pregnant when she is going to

have a baby - mandatory: obligatory - curriculum: school program -
cuddle: take in one’s arms - avoid getting - make sure that she did not
get - range: collection - achievement: success

Discussion: Do you know any pregnant teenager?

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Conversation

Angela's Ashes, the

autobiographical novel by Irish
writer Frank McCourt, was a
runaway bestseller; McCourt
told of the terrible misery and
suffering of his childhood in the
poor district of Limerick; but was
it really as bad as that? Here
writer Leanne Meyer tells the
true story of another large Irish
family, and how they coped with
life.

All you need is Love - A (true) Celtic Fairy Story

Angela's Ashes, the autobiographical novel by Irish writer Frank
McCourt, was a runaway bestseller; McCourt told of the terrible misery
and suffering of his childhood in the poor district of Limerick; but was it
really as bad as that? Here, writer Leanne Meyer tells the true story of
another large Irish family, and how they coped with life. The first
thing you notice is the fire. And then you realize that this has more to
do with the family than the outside temperature. Their father used to
stoke the fire each morning to warm them up before school, and this
was also where he would toast the bread, which would blacken their
faces and taste like charcoal. Sadly, their father died a year ago. But as
we speak, "Mammy", at sixty-five, is walking to town to buy the goodies
her boys need for the weekend. What makes their mother
remarkable is that she bore six boys, four of whom still live at home,
along with 12 girls, two of whom are also still at home. Yes, Mammy
was pregnant for 18 years of her life and almost produced a child a
year. All the babies arrived naturally, with the smallest weighing a
good seven pounds and Owen, the biggest, registering a whopping 13
pounds on the scales. After the birth of Susie (the youngest) however,
Mammy moved out of the marital bed and into the "girls's room." As
committed Catholics, who ensured that their family went to confession
every Saturday and mass each Sunday, this was the right and only
way.

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All eighteen children still live in Waterford, Ireland. Not one child has
been lost. Twelve of them have their own families, making Mammy a
grandmother forty-eight times over, with three great-grandchildren as
well. One daughter-in-law claimed that she would break Mammy's
record. Not surprisingly, she gave up after the birth of her tenth child.
Mammy, on the other hand, revealed in raising her brood with not even
the assistance of a disposable nappy.
Meals were cooked in a pot "big enough to bathe a baby in", using all
four plates on the cooker. The twelve girls shared a room and the six
boys shared another. Each room had a double bed, where on average
six kids slept. If you were small enough you slept in the chest of
drawers which has only recently been sold. Otherwise, you had to find
your own spot somewhere between the bed and the chest. When it
came to personal hygiene, you just made sure that you got into the
bath or sink (depending on your size) first. Understanding the scale of
what it means to have twenty people in the house, had to lead to the
question, "How did your father afford it?" This stops the conversation
immediately.
"Daddy was a block layer (a builder) which was a very good job in
those days."
They truly believe that they were blessed; that they did not want for
anything. Yet, they tell stories that fellow countrymen have written
books about, lamenting the conditions in which they grew up. Firstly,
there was the food. They reminisce about how their father used to
make the most delicious chicken soup. But how all that changed when
Carole found the rabbit carcasses in the shed. Their father also later
admitted to using sweetbreads when no rabbit could be found. "You
know testicles form part of sweetbreads."
Then gales of laughter are the only response to what some would
consider a gourmet horror. Then there had to be the pig's head. These
girls, however, are quite practical about how pigs tongue really tastes
like corned beef, and then proceed to tease Susie because their father
used to give her cooked pigs tails to suck on as a baby, and she
apparently "loved it".
Even in midwinter, when building work was scarce and there often
wasn't enough money for electricity,

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they spent time in the upstairs room telling ghost stories, which in
retrospect, they point out is quite silly as they would all be terrified, but
could not switch the lights on.
When sleep came, there was always a fight about who would sleep in
the middle, as this was the warmest place to be.
The only thing the children say they missed while growing up was
being Mammy or Daddy's "pet." There was never space for one child to
be treated differently from another; but that, no doubt, was actually
the key to this abundant family's remarkable coherence.
All this joy in living may sound the stuff of fairy tales; but this is the
story of a real family that is solidly anchored in reality, with moments
of drama and pain.
Often the children missed out on school trips as there was not enough
money to pay for the outing. In fact, daughter Carole was once so keen
to go on a trip that she encouraged her teacher to come and speak to
her parents. Proud Mammy told the teacher that Carole was ill and
would not be able to attend; but, unfortunately for Mammy, Carole was
listening upstairs and shouted down that she was not sick. She went
on that trip and still remembers it as "one of the best days of my life."
Susie is still recovering from the loss of her fiancé at sea. Carole can
recall the horrors of the convent she was sent to when, unmarried, she
announced that she was expecting a baby. Yet, it seems that it is all a
question of attitude and approach to life. It this family, it was all a
matter of love, with no room for self-indulgence and self-
encompassing privacy. All you need is love.

Words A - Zattend: participate - blessed: looked on favorably by God

- brood: young ones - charcoal: partly burned wood - committed:
devout - cope with: deal with, succeed in - gale: storm - goodies: nice
things to eat -gourmet horror: something inedible - nappy: cloth worn
by young babies who are not yet toilet-trained -pet: favorite - plates:
hotplates, burners - pregnant: expecting a baby - reminisce about:
recall - revel in: really love - runaway: very big - scales: apparatus for
measuring weight - self-encompassing privacy: the desire of people
to have their own personal space.

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Conversation

- self-indulgence: egocentric behavior - stoke: disturb - sweetbreads:

the pancreas and thymus - tease: mock - want for: lack - whopping:
very big

Discussion:
Have you ever been in love?

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Conversation

Thanksgiving is perhaps the

most American of America's
festivals. While many countries
have days when everyone eats
a lot, only the Americans have a
day on which they celebrate
having enough to eat. Perhaps,
this may seem rather
superfluous in a country whose
inhabitants are today among
the best-fed in the world; but to
Americans, Thanksgiving is a
reminder that this was not
always the case.

Thanksgiving - a very American festival

The last weeks of the year are a festive time in most countries; but
while Europeans just celebrate Christmas and the New Year,
Americans begin their festive season about a month earlier. The feast
of Thanksgiving, celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November, is
second only in importance to Christmas in the American calendar of
feast days. Thanksgiving is the oldest non-Indian tradition in the
United States, and was first celebrated in the year 1621. It was in this
year that the men and women in Plymouth, one of the first New
England colonies, decided to establish a feast day to mark the end of
the farming year.
As devout Protestants, they called their feast day "Thanksgiving", a day
on which people could celebrate and give thanks to God for the crops
that they had managed to grow and harvest. This was not in fact an
original idea, but was based on the English "Harvest Festival", an old
custom whereby people gave thanks to God once the crops were all in.
In America, however, a successful harvest was more significant than in
England, for any failure to bring in an adequate supply of crops could
be fatal for a new colony, struggling to set itself up in an alien
continent.

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Conversation

Several early North Americans colonies failed because the colonists

were killed off by disease or fighting, and others perished because they
did not have time to prepare enough land and grow enough food for
their needs during the long, cold winter months. The year 1621 was a
particularly bountiful one for the Plymouth colonists, so they "gave
thanks" for their good fortunes.
In the years that followed, other colonies introduced their own
Thanksgiving festivals, each one at first choosing its own date, and
many varying the date according to the state of the harvests. In 1789,
President George Washington gave an official Thanksgiving Day
address in honor of the new Constitution; and Thanksgiving Day, like
Independence Day (July 4th) became one of America's great days.
Nevertheless, at first the date was not fixed nationally; indeed, it was
not until 1863 that President Abraham Lincoln declared that
Thanksgiving Day should be celebrated on the last Thursday of
November. Other presidents made similar proclamations, and the date
of Thanksgiving tended to move around until the year 1941, when
Congress and the President jointly declared that it should henceforth
be fixed on the fourth Thursday of November. Since then, Thanksgiving
Day has remained fixed.

THANKSGIVING RITES
Once a communal festival, where whole communities celebrated
together, Thanksgiving is today the great family festival; but apart
from that, it has not changed greatly.
The heart of Thanksgiving is still the fruit of the land; and the
Thanksgiving feast is based, essentially, on the native American foods
that allowed the early settlers to survive: turkey, corn, potatoes and
squash. The wild turkeys, large birds that lived in the forests of North
America, were like a miracle for the early colonists who could trap
them with ease; and turkey has always been the centerpiece of the
Thanksgiving feast. Potatoes were unknown to Europeans before the
discovery of North America, and it was Indians who taught the early
colonists how to grow them and eat them.

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Conversation

Maize, the great native North American cereal, is another ingredient of

the Thanksgiving meal, eaten in the form of sweet corn. Finally, for
dessert, no Thanksgiving meal is complete without "pumpkin pie", the
traditional tart made from pumpkins, enormous round orange types of
squash.

WORDS: For teachers and students devout: strict, pious - crops: plants
that can be eaten - harvest : picking of fruit, or cutting of cereal crops
- custom: something done regularly - failure (n) : from the verb to
fail, to not succeed - struggle: fight - disease: sickness - bountiful:
abundant - address: speech - henceforth: from that time onwards -
squash: vegetables such as courgettes (zucchini) and marrows.

Discussion:
Do you celebrate important holidays?

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Conversation

In the United States of America,

there are plenty of famous
streets. But of all the streets in
the world, there is one which is
in the news every day: WALL
STREET. This is the street on
which fortunes are made and
lost. But more generally what
goes on on the street is of vital
interest for most Americans.....
and the rest of the world too. As
they say, when Wall Street
sneezes, America catches a
cold.

For Americans, the most important street in the USA is Wall Street
Say "the streets of New York" to a non-American, and they'll probably
think of Times Square, Madison Avenue or Broadway; but mention the
subject to an American and for many the first name that comes to
mind will be Wall Street.
For many, Wall Street is indeed just "the street", probably the most
important street in the USA or even in the world; for what goes on on
Wall Street, more perhaps than what goes on in Congress, can have a
direct influence on the lives of everyone in the USA, if not most people
in the world.
Wall Street is of course the home of the New York Stock Exchange, the
financial heart of the American business world. Each day, billions of
dollars of shares are traded on the floor of the stock exchange on
behalf of companies, pension funds and private individuals wanting to
protect their investments or their life's savings, and make sure that
they too are on the bandwagon of prosperity.
The New York Stock Exchange is the biggest and most active stock
exchange in the world; over half of all adult Americans have some, if
not all, of their savings invested directly on Wall Street, so it is not
surprising that the fluctuations of the Street's famous indexes, the Dow
Jones and the Nasdaq, are followed daily by millions of

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ordinary Americans. When the Dow and the Nasdaq are on a rise,
millions of Americans feel more prosperous; when they are falling,
millions start feeling worried about their financial security and their
retirement years. Yet, more importantly, when Wall Street booms, it is a
sign that the American economy is booming, creating jobs and
prosperity for people throughout the nation; when Wall Street slumps
for more than a short period, it is because the American economy is
slowing down, putting investment and jobs at risk.
Nevertheless, in spite of its periodic crashes and downturns, most
Americans know very well that, by investing directly in the stock
market, they are probably ensuring the best possible long term return
on their investments.
Over time, direct investments on Wall Street have always done better
than most other forms of long-term placement, and logically speaking
this is inevitable. Ultimately, most forms of investment depend on the
performance of the US economy in general, and by investing directly
on Wall Street, American investors are simply ensuring that they
personally take full advantage of the growth of the stock market,
rather than share their gains with banks, investment trusts or other
intermediaries offering investment services.

CRASHES ON THE STREET

The risk of a crash on Wall Street is a reality that must always be borne
in mind: Wall Street "crashed" most spectacularly in the fall of 1929,
when share values dropped over 50% in the space of a few days. By
the time the fall bottomed out in 1932, over 80% had been "wiped off"
the value of shares on the American stock market, and the Great
Depression had begun.
Before 1929, as the stock market boomed, over a million Americans
had been speculating on the Street, borrowing money that they did not
have in order to buy shares for sale at a profit. When the crash came,
hundreds of thousands of these speculators, both individuals and
companies, went bankrupt, causing immense distress and poverty.
More recently, Wall Street crashed in 2007 - 2008, almost triggering a
collapse of the world financial system.

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Conversation

When the stock market eventually stopped falling in March 2009, it had
lost 54% of its value, and many people had lost their life's savings.
Previously in 1997, almost over a third of its value was wiped out in a
few days; but this time the consequences were less dramatic. While
most Americans saw the value of their savings tumble, few went
bankrupt as a result.
In today's America, borrowing money solely for the purpose of
speculating on Wall Street is not a common habit, so the money that
was "lost" in recent crashes was mostly money that people owned
themselves, not money that they owed to someone else.
One day no doubt, in some unforeseen future, Wall Street will crash
spectacularly again; but when that happens there will have to be both
a cause and an effect. The most likely cause will be a major world
crisis; the most likely effect, given today's "global economy", will be a
major economic catastrophe around the world, perhaps similar to the
hyperinflation that affected Germany under the Weimar Republic. If
that happens, society, as we know, will grind to a halt, and most forms
of saving, except perhaps gold and real estate, will lose most of their
value; until that day, Wall Street will remain as one of the nerve centers
of the global economy.

WORDS be on the bandwagon: be part of - bear in mind: remember -

comes to mind: he thinks of - distress: alarm - fluctuation: ups and
downs - grind to a halt: stop - likely: probable - on behalf of: for -
plummet: fall sharply - purpose: reason - real estate: land and
buildings - retirement years: years when one no longer works - share:
investment, bond - slump: go downhill, fall - solely: just - stock: share,
investment - trade: buy and sell - tumble: fall

Discussion:
In your opinion, what is the most important street in Brazil? Why?

87
Conversation

If American athletes so often

take the greatest number of
medals, if American scientists
and thinkers win so many Nobel
Prizes and other awards, and
American businesses dominate
the world, it is largely down to
one word: competition.

COLLEGE SPORT - USA

Since the days of the pioneers, competition has been at the heart of
the American way of life; and in today's USA, there are probably few
areas where the competitive spirit is stronger than in the world of
colleges and universities. Rivalry between institutions is intense, and
nowhere is this more true than on the sports field. Successful sports
teams can be enormous assets to a college's reputation and public
image, which explains why many go to incredible lengths to attract
and recruit top high-school athletes. There is a growing feeling,
however, that in many cases they go too far. Recent media reports
have focused on the extremely high drop-out rate among college
sports scholars. While some abandon their education to take up
lucrative professional contracts, most leave college with no degree,
and no hope of entering the elite world of professional sport either.
Pressured to achieve results in their sport, many have had no option
but to put academic study on the back burner. Their situation was
recently highlighted by Rep. Ron Wilson, a Texas Democrat, who claims
that colleges and universities are cheating many student athletes of a
proper education. "They entice them in with all kinds of promises of
fame and fortune, they get them at university, and then only one out of
ten of them graduates," he said. "The system doesn't really care about
them." One thing the system does care about, on the other hand, is
money. College sport is big money in the USA, and the prestige
attached to high performance athletes, and the colleges they
represent, is enormous. NCAA (National College Athletic Association)

88
Conversation

rules state clearly that all college athletes must be amateurs, yet
college sport is a multi-billion dollar business. Though it is registered
as a tax-exempt charity, the NCAA itself had a budget of 5.64 billion
dollars in 2007. One major source of income for the NCAA is a $6 billion
college basketball contract with CBS television, an 11-year deal signed
in 1999. This and other expensive contracts have drawn a lot of
criticism. Faculty members in many colleges have complained of the
enormous sums of money spent on extensive, high-quality sports
facilities; and many students are increasingly bitter about the favors
bestowed upon college sports champions. Though it concerned a high
school, not a university, the notorious 1999 massacre at Columbine
High School was all about sport. One of the reasons that led Eric Harris
and Dylan Klebold to go on their killing spree was their resentment at
the privileges and status enjoyed by the "jocks", the heroes of the
school's sports teams. Had they waited a year or two, Harris and
Klebold might have emptied their guns on a university campus, not in
a high school. The arguments about the role and status of college
athletes is one that preoccupies many students, athletes or not. It only
takes a few minutes' searching on the Internet to turn up sites and
discussion groups on the subject. The biggest issue right now seems to
be the question of whether college athletes should be paid, like
professionals. NCAA rules are quite clear on this point. Apart from their
sports scholarships, college athletes are not allowed to "receive any
salary, incentive payment, award, gratuity, educational expenses or
expense allowances" nor "use athletics skills for pay in any form". In
reality, the situation is often very different, with many high-
performance college athletes receiving undeclared benefits, including
free prestige cars (such as a BMW) and free housing. Judging by
comments on Internet forums, most college athletes think they
deserve to be paid. Robert Krot, a basketball scholar, wrote: "I play
college basketball, and I barely have time to do anything. There is no
way I could hold a job. I don't come from a wealthy background, so I
have to make do with what I have. College athletes should be paid."But
another writer, called Joss, disagrees; "The value of money is far
greater than you think, it can mess up your mind. I know, because I
play basketball; but you know, what I am also trying to become is a

89
Conversation

microbiologist, because I know I am not guaranteed to be drafted into

the NBA."If, in the years to come, college athletes do get the right to
benefit from professional sponsorship, few people will be terribly
surprised. Corporate sponsorship of university laboratories has helped
the USA become a world leader in scientific research. Corporate
sponsorship of college sport is just another step in the same
direction..... or at least, that is what some people say.

WORDS: athlete: sportsman or woman award: prize - asset:

advantage - drop-out : failure - lucrative: profitable - achieve:
obtain - put on the back burner : give low priority to - highlight: point
out, show - Rep: Representative, member of Congress : cheating:
being dishonest - entice: attract tax-exempt: not having to pay tax
bestow: place - spree: adventure - resentment: indignation -
allowances: money given - barely : hardly - draft: recruit

Discussion:
Do sports help young learners to get to good schools in Brazil?

90
Conversation

They've changed over the years;

they're not the same today as
they were thirty years ago; but
big red double-decker buses
are icons of London, and they
are recognized (and found) all
over the world.

Big Red London Buses

What is the most recognizable symbol of London? Big Ben? The statue
of Eros in Piccadilly Circus? Or could it be something much less artistic
than that? Could it be the big red London double-decker bus? It
certainly could. Big red buses are recognized all over the world as
symbols of London. Visitors climb into London buses to go and see the
Niagara Falls. London buses can be seen driving round Europe to
advertise big department stores, or British events. They don't need to
have the words "London Transport" on the side of them. They are
instantly recognized by millions of people!
It was over 100 years ago, on October 25th 1911, that the London
General Omnibus Company ran their last horse-drawn omnibus
through the streets of the capital. From then on, the monarchs of the
road in London have been those famous red motor buses. The idea
of the "double-decker" is actually much older than the motor bus. It is
simply a continuation of the system that was used for public transport
in the age of horse-drawn vehicles, when some of the passengers sat
inside, and the rest travelled on the roof. Too bad if it was raining!
The earliest double-deckers omnibuses in London were horse-drawn
vehicles. Like some of today's double-deckers, they had steps at the
back, to let people climb up onto the roof. The main difference was
that, in those days, there was no protection for the people travelling on
top. If it rained, they could pull a sort of oil-cloth cover out of the back
of the seat in front of them, and pull it over them; but you still got
pretty wet.

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Conversation

It wasn't until the 1930s that all new buses came equipped with roofs
over the upper deck! Increasingly powerful engines meant that buses
could be bigger and heavier. Like trams, they could then have roofs.
The most famous London buses, however, are not those that filled the
Capital's streets in the 1930s, but the powerful "Routemasters" which
dated from the 1950s and 60s. These are the buses that have been
taken all over the world, the buses that feature in the tourist brochures,
and the ones which have been sold, in miniature, to millions of visitors
and souvenir hunters.

The Routemaster is an icon in itself! These buses were designed

specially for London, by people who knew what London needed, and
they served their purpose well, and did so for half a century! Things
started to go wrong for the London bus in the late 1960s. That was when
the Ministry of Transport decided that it would only give financial help
to bus companies that bought new buses with doors! Suddenly, London
Transport found they could no longer buy any more of their favorite
Routemasters, that they had designed. They had instead to choose
other models. They have been buying other models ever since.

The end of the story

In the late 20th century, five hundred of the solid and popular old buses
were extensively renovated, and put back on the road as good as new,
if not better! But not even the Routemaster could resist the winds of
change. Modern transport systems require one-man buses, not buses
with both a driver and a conductor. So in 2005, the old Routemasters
were finally taken out of normal service. Still, it's not too late to enjoy
travelling on one of these historic buses. Some of the old buses have
been preserved, and were used for a while on two "heritage routes"
through the centre of London, specially for tourists. Route 9 went from
the Royal Albert Hall to Aldwych, via Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar
Square; but the last Routmasters were used on this route in 2014. As of
2020, the only route left is Route 15, which goes from Trafalgar Square to
the Tower of London, via St. Paul's Cathedral. But other old
Routemasters are used by the tourist bus companies, which offer trips

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Conversation

round the center of London. Today, every day, thousands of Londoners

use the big red buses to move - often slowly - around town. Lots of
tourists know that a one-day London bus pass, valid on all regular bus
routes, offers a wonderful way to see Britain's capital city.

WORDS: advertise: publicize, promote conductor: on a bus, the man

who sells tickets, not the driver. - department stores: big shops with lots
of different departments - double-decker: with two levels - drawn: to
draw, to pull - events: occasions, special presentations - horse-drawn:
pulled by horses - hunt: look for- increasingly: more and more -
omnibus: bus - pass: an unlimited ticket - serve their purpose: do what
they are meant to do - trams: buses that run on rails - are valid: can
be used.

Discussion:
What do you think of the London buses?

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Conversation

On the night of April 4th 1968,

someone was waiting opposite
the windows of the Lorraine
Motel, in downtown Memphis.
In front of the motel, a big white
Cadillac was parked; it was the
car in which the Rev. Martin
Luther King was being driven
round, as he traveled through
the southern states, speaking to
audiences in towns and cities,
promoting the cause of non-
violence and civil rights.

Who killed Martin Luther King?

When King stepped out onto the balcony, to take a breath of fresh air
after eating his dinner, a shot rang out. The civil rights leader and
Nobel-prizewinner, the man who preached non-violence, fell to the
ground, fatally wounded. Within minutes, he was dead. The news
spread like wildfire round the USA; the man who had done more,
perhaps, than any other to further the rights of Black people in the
United States of America, had been assassinated, it seemed, by a lone
sniper, a white extremist. Weeks later, a man by the name of James
Earl Ray was arrested and sentenced to 99 years in prison for the
assassination. But is that really what happened?
Though James Earl Ray initially confessed to killing King, it was not
long before he retracted his statement; and to this day, there are those
who do not believe that Ray was actually guilty of the crime for which
he spent almost 30 years behind bars.
Indeed, the calls for Ray's release grew stronger by the year, to the
point that even Dexter King, Martin Luther King's son, now believes that
Ray was not his father's assassin.
But if Ray did not do the deed, who did? And why? Was it just a pure
racist crime? Or was this a political assassination ordered by some
faceless figures in some secret service?

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Conversation

The theory that King was really assassinated by the Secret Service has
been growing more and more popular over recent years, and was even
the subject of an "X-Files" episode. So how real is the conspiracy
theory? And what reasons might anyone, other than a racist, have had
to get rid of a charismatic and peaceful leader like Martin Luther King?
We have to take ourselves back to 1968. Since 1955, King had been at
the front of the Civil Rights movement in the USA. He had given great
support to the year-long bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, which
eventually led to the desegregation of public transportation; he had
used his skills as a passionate orator to inspire black people to stand
up for their rights, in housing, education and other civil rights; and he
had gained the backing of a growing number of whites. He was in the
front line of the anti-segregation demonstrations in Birmingham,
Alabama, in 1963, which probably did more than any other protest to
further the cause of civil rights.
During his brief presidency from 1960 to 1963, Kennedy paved the way
for a Civil Rights Act, which would officially ban race-based segregation
throughout the USA. Though Kennedy was gunned down before he had
time to put the act through Congress, Lyndon Johnson completed the
job, and by the end of 1964, the Civil Rights Act was law, and Martin
Luther King had won the Nobel Prize for Peace.
Racism, however, had not disappeared. More laws, including the 1968
Civil Rights Act, were needed to fully eradicate all forms of official
racism. But even then, laws could not change the deep-seated bigotry
of many southern whites; the more Civil Rights laws were passed, the
more some racist groups felt threatened. 1968 was a crisis year in
many countries. The Civil Rights movement in the USA had more or less
merged with the anti-Vietnam War movement. Black leaders like King
were being joined by the pacifist gurus of a new generation of
educated young white Americans, Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. At the
same time, in the black ghettos of the rustbelt cities, a new and more
aggressive movement had emerged: Black Power. In the opinion of
some observers, America was slowly sliding towards civil unrest on a
large scale. Though King, with his non-violence, was no supporter of
civil conflict, he was the no.1 figurehead of black America. Hence, the
conspiracy theory.

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Conversation

According to the theory, King was assassinated by the government

(whoever that may have been) to prevent the USA from severe civil
conflict. A week before King was assassinated, a peaceful march in
Memphis had been provoked into violence by a gang called "the
Invaders". Nobody knows who was behind the Invaders - but someone
was.
James Earl Ray admitted that he was involved in the assassination of
King, but claimed that he was part of a plot, the dumb guy who was
used by others who tricked him into it. He claimed that the gun that
killed King was actually fired by a man called "Raoul" - but who Raoul
was no one knows. Dexter King, who has studied events surrounding his
father's death in the minutest detail, now believes that Ray was telling
the truth.
In July 1997, a judge in Memphis announced that new scientific tests
suggest that it was not Ray's gun that fired the bullet that killed King.
So if it was "Raoul", not Ray, that really assassinated Martin Luther King,
why did he do it, and on whose orders? Was it the CIA, or some other
secret organization, nervous about rising black militantism and
opposition to the Vietnam War? Or was King's assassination
masterminded by some secret white supremacist organization?
Maybe we will know one day, maybe not.

WORDS: shot: , gunshot, sound of a gun being shot - retracted :

withdrew, denied, took back - release : liberation, freedom, - get rid of
: eliminate, kill - backing :support, help - act : law -eradicate :
eliminate, remove -bigotry : narrow-mindedness, people with narrow
and fixed ideas, extremism - rustbelt : The Rustbelt is the part of the
USA (from Chicago to Virginia) where old-fashioned heavy industries
have gone into decline -

Discussion:
Was Marthin Luther an example to be followed? Why?

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Lucky Jim Conley had raked in

millions at the gaming tables,
quadrupled his winnings in the
stock market, won a fortune in
the state lottery. Jason, the only
child of Lucky Jim and his
beloved Myrna, was used to
having his own way. During the
two years since Mom's death,
Jason had waited patiently for
Lucky Jim to follow suit and
bequeath him full control of the
family wealth. Jason was eager
to be a high roller in his own
right.

Lucky Jim An original short story by Walda Cameron

But Jim's luck was outlasting Jason's patience. After his last medical
exam, Lucky Jim's doc had proclaimed the old man to be fit as a forty-
year-old. "Lucky Jim'll outlive us all, Jason." Not if I have my way,
Jason thought. No way. He breathed in the fog that hung like ghostly
sails around the Lucky Too, as they made their way out to the lobster
grounds. Jim claimed that that was where the biggest and best fish
hung out too. For teachers and students she was a sturdy boat. Twelve
black numbers shone against her white hull. Jason and Lucky Jim sat
in chairs on the bridge. Lucky Jim leaned toward his son and yelled
over the engine's noise: "Fog hanging light makes hungry fish bite."
"Same old crap every time," Jason thought. "But, hey, that's what gave
me my plan. Fishing in the fog....". Jason smiled at his father and
nodded. He wouldn't attempt a reply, since the old man's hearing was
his only failing faculty. "Mind the lobster pots," the old man hollered.
Jason nodded again. He knew exactly where the trap buoys were
located. He'd come here every day for the past two weeks, drawn
diagrams, memorized bobbing floats and channel markers. He'd
disabled the maritime radio, concealed his weapon, left nothing to
chance.

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They were almost there. The buoy's fog horn blasted its rude warning
every fifteen seconds. "I'll tie up at the buoy," Jason called to Lucky
Jim. "You get the lines over." Lucky nodded and moved to the stern,
carrying two fishing poles. Jason put in ear plugs before tieing a
heavy rope over the buoy's flashing light. He pulled it tight under a
square metal box half-way between light and water. A wave gauge?
Weather predictor? Battery casing? The current swung the stern
around. Jason turned toward Lucky Jim. The old man stood at the side
of the deck, profile toward Jason, head bent, intent on preparing his
lines. Jason reached behind him and lifted a three-foot length of two-
by-four.
BAM! Lucky Jim never knew what hit him. Jason dropped the bloodied
weapon overboard, grasped Jim from behind, tossed him over the side.
The satisfying splash soaked Jason. He untied the vessel from the buoy
and headed home, full-throttle. Damn the fog! Lucky Jim's good fortune
had reverted to him. At least the fortune itself had. He smiled. The
perfect crime. No witnesses to contradict his story that Lucky Jim had
slipped on the deck, bumped his head, fallen overboard, been swept
away before his valiant son could save him. Poor Jim was lost. "Yes,
Officer," Jason rehearsed, "Dad and I always fished in the fog. Lucky Jim
thought the fishing was better when clouds met water, but everyone
knew it was Jim's luck that made the fishing good." As Jason eased,
bow-first, into his docking berth, he saw two uniformed figures on the
dock. He cut the engine and climbed from the boat, his eyes wide with
alarm. "Thank God, you're here, officers! There's been a tragic
accident." "We know," the taller cop said. "My fath..." Jason pulled out
the ear plugs. "What did you say?" They cuffed Jason's hands behind
his back and frisked him. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything
you say can and will be used against you..." "Wait! Wait! What's going
on here?" "Don't waste your breath, buddy." said the shorter cop, a
woman with hard eyes. "But, my father's just fallen overboard, I gotta
get help....." "Yeah son, we know all about it......?" Jason's jaw fell. His
eyes glazed with disbelief. He never even noticed when the female cop
cradled his head and shoved him into the back seat of the car. "But
honestly he fell in, I didn't push him," said Jason feebly.

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"Yeah," she said. "That might have made a convincing story last week,
but I guess you didn't notice the infrared camera they just set up on the
buoy out there to catch the lobster thieves.... It can see through the mist
and the night like it's broad daylight.... The moment you reached those
lobster grounds, they had you under surveillance. They thought you
were the guys who've been taking their lobsters...." "But you're a lucky
guy," the male cop continued as he climbed behind the wheel. "The
Coast Guard just picked him up." "And alive!" his partner said as she
took her place beside him. "Alive?" Jason croaked from the back seat.
"Yup," said the driver. "Unconscious, he was, but, last I heard, his heart
was still pumping. Good luck to you. You'll be charged with attempted
murder rather than murder. You'd better pray some of your luck rubs off
on the old man and keeps him kickin'."

WORDS A-Z: bequeath: leave, give - berth: place where a boat ties up -
blast: make a loud noise - bob: go up and down on the surface of the
water - bow (rhymes with cow): front end of a ship or boat - buoy:
large floating marker - conceal: hide - cradle: took hold of - crap:
rubbish, shit - cuff: handcuff, tie - disable: disconnect - eager: keen,
wanting - ear plug: an ear plug stops you hearing noises - ease:
maneuver, move - fit: in good form, healthy - follow suit: do the same -
frisk: check that someone is not hiding weapons - full throttle: full
speed - gauge (rhymes with page): meter, measurer - have one's own
way: get exactly what one wants - holler: shout - hull: the main part of
a boat - in the stock market: on Wall Street - intent on: concentrating
on - jaw: bottom half of the mouth - lobster: a large and expensive
crustacean, like a long crab - no way: certainly not - outlast: last longer
than - rake in: win - rehearse: prepare a speech - revert to: come to -
sails: a sail catches the wind, and makes a sailing ship move forwards
- soak: wet - stern: back end of a boat - sturdy: tough, resistant - was
used to having: was in the habit of having (do not confuse with used to
have) - witness: person who sees a crime - yell: shout - yup: yes

Discussion:
Do you like writing novels?

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Conversation

BOND IS COMING BACK AGAIN....

and the next Bond film, No Time
to Die, due for release in April
2020 (and now put back until
September) , is certain to be an
enormous box-office hit (as all
the others). But who is James
Bond, and where does he come
from ? Author Ian Fleming, the
creator of James Bond, told us
something about the origins of
the world's most famous secret
agent.

WHO IS JAMES BOND ?

In one of the first Bond novels, Ian Fleming tells us that James Bond -
the classic “Englishman"? - was the son of a Scottish father and an
Oriental mother. But perhaps this was not really true.
The title of the 19th Bond film, “The World is Not Enough", was based on
the Latin motto of the Bond family, which is mentioned in one of the
early novels. However, it now appears that the motto is not that of the
Scottish Bonds, but that of a different Bond family, who came from the
South West of England. So perhaps, Bond really is English, not Scottish,
after all. Who knows?
Bond went to school in England, anyway - to Eton College, the same
school as his creator Ian Fleming. This is where Princes William and
Harry were educated, and also many British Prime Ministers, including
David Cameron and Boris Johnson ! It is a school where young people
learn how to move in high society, like Bond does so well.
After leaving school, Bond did not go to university - it wasn’t necessary
in the 1950s...... Oh? You didn’t know Bond was so old? He doesn’t look
it, granted, but he is! Like a few other famous people, he seems to have
found the secret of eternal middle age (we can’t call it “eternal youth",
can we?).
Bond joined the British Secret Service, where he soon got promoted to
the top of the spyrachy, the “double O" category.

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From then on, he was 007, “licensed to kill", and so began a career
which would take him to all the corners of the earth.
In the early days, Bond’s role was quite clear. He was working for the
West, and his main enemies were men from the KGB, and other
dangerous organisations. Since the end of the Cold War, the role of MI6
has changed, and Bond’s job profile has changed with it. Now his main
enemies are the big bosses of organized crime and international
terrorism.
Unlike the Cold War, organized crime is unlikely to come to an end - at
least, not in the near future. We can therefore be sure that James Bond,
the best-known English fictional hero of the 20th century, has many
more exciting adventures ahead of him. Hollywood has already
begun making sure of that! The original films were based on the fifteen
novels written by Ian Fleming; but after the last of these was made into
a film, it was clear that Hollywood was not going to stop! Bond films are
too popular and too profitable to abandon. So Hollywood has invented
new James Bond stories...
In many ways, Bond has changed a lot since the early days. To start
with, several different actors have played the part of Bond, most
notably Sean Connery, Roger Moore and today’s Daniel Craig; but over
the years, Bond movies have become more and more fantastic.
Fleming’s original character was fantastic, because he always came
out alive; his adventures were incredible, but they were based on some
sort of realism. Bond’s original car (his Aston Martin DB5) had gadgets,
but they were all plausible! They were gadgets that would let him
escape if he was being chased. More recently, Bond has had cars that
can fire missiles from the headlights, and do other remarkable things!
In a sense, the modern Bond is Agent Gadget - and the people who try
to get him have some even more amazing gadgets - like the enormous
circular saw that hangs under a helicopter, cutting through everything
that gets in its way (except Bond, of course!). In the next Bond films,
there will surely be lots more amazing things; but Bond will continue to
be the same, cool, calm and collected – the classic Englishman.; Craig
is unlikely to be the last 007, and Bond will doubtless go on entertaining
us for many more years!

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WORDS author: writer - novel: story - motto: proverb, phrase - granted:

that is true - eternal : permanent - spyrarchy: an invented word made
from spy and hierarchy (hierarchy rhymes with spyrarchy) - career :
professional life - MI 6 - The British Secret Service - - job profile: the
work he has to do - ahead of : in front of - plausible: possible, realistic
- headlights: main lights - saw: a sharp instrument for cutting -
collected : sure of himself -

Discussion:
Have you ever watched a James Bond Film? Describe a scene you
remember.

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Conversation

The answer will surprise you: it was

Charles Babbage, in the year 1832.
Babbage, who was born in London in
1791, was a great mathematical genius.
He was a natural inventor, and
invented all sorts of new products.

WHO invented the first computer? And when?

When he finished school, he went to study mathematics at Cambridge
University. Later, he got a job teaching at the university ; and while
Professor of Mathematics in this illustrious university, he designed his
"first difference engine". This was, basically, a hand-operated
mechanical calculator.
He took nine years to build a part of the machine. This machine, which
is in the London Science Museum, can make complex mathematical
calculations. It is a basic mechanical computer. Babbage dreamed
however of more complicated machines. In fact, he did not only
dream; he began to design them. The result was a series of "analytical
engines" which were in fact powerful computers!
His designs contained processors (he called them "mills"), control
units, a memory (he called it a store), and an input/output system.
These are the four essential parts of a modern mathematical
computer! Alas, Babbage was born 100 years too soon! His "second
difference engine" could not use electricity, since this had not yet
become a usable source of power; so Babbage had to make do with
mechanical systems. For this reason, the machine was big and very
complicated, and very expensive. Though Babbage produced
complete plans for the machine, he could not build it. It was too
sophisticated for its age! It was not until almost 160 years later that

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Babbage's "second difference engine" was finally manufactured. The

first working version of this machine was built by the Science Museum
in London, for the Babbage bicentenary in 1991. It can now be seen at
the Museum; a second machine was then built for an American high-
tech millionnaire, who put it in the Computer History Museum, in
Mountain View, California.
Babbage's analytical engines would have used "programs" like those
used in the textile industry to make complicated patterns; but they
were never built. This brilliant mathematician really was too far ahead
of his time !

WORDS: invent: - discover - genius: very clever person - illustrious :

very famous - engine: machine - dream: imagine - powerful: strong -
store: reserve - make do with: use nothing except - working: operating,
functioning - bicentenary: 200th anniversary

Discussion:
How often do you use your computer? What for?
Have you ever invented something?

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Conversation

Bill Clinton's father - a man the

former president never knew -
was a truck driver who gave
his son nothing but his
nationality and his family
name. Bill spent his early years
in a small wooden one-story
house in the small town of
Hope, Arkansas, the kind of
house in which millions of
ordinary working class
Americans still live.

Log Cabins and the White House

In a sense, it is the nearest one can get today to the fabled "log cabin"
in which so many American heroes are fabled to have been brought
up.
Among other recent presidents, both Barack Obama and Ronald
Reagan, but not Donald Trump nor George W Bush, were men who
made their way up to the presidency from fairly simple origins. Reagan
became known first as a minor Hollywood star; his screen image, as a
tough cowboy, at home in the saddle and in log cabins, undoubtedly
helped him in his original struggle for the Republican nomination and
the presidency.
Since the start of the nineteenth century, candidates for the American
presidency have taken pride in demonstrating their humble roots; the
image of the "log cabin" became symbolic of humble proletarian
origins, at a time when the United States were beginning to move west
and occupy new territory, and home-built log cabins were the only
form of housing available for the pioneering homesteaders.

Abraham Lincoln
Yet the only American president who could truthfully claim to have
been born in a log cabin was Abraham Lincoln, who was born in just
such a building on a farm in Hardin County, Kentucky.

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The story of Abraham Lincoln's childhood is one of the great classics of

the American Dream; Lincoln spent his childhood years in a variety of
log cabins, as his father moved from place to place, advancing slowly
westwards. In the winter of 1816-17, the Lincolns lived in a "half-faced
camp", a log cabin which was totally open on one side, in an "unbroken
forest" in the heart of almost uninhabited Indiana. While quite a few
other American presidents have come up from humble roots, some
others whose roots were somewhat more privileged have willingly
disguised the fact.
The classic example was William Harrison, who was elected president in
1840. Harrison campaigned for the presidency using a specially-written
theme tune called the Log Cabin March; indeed, his whole campaign
was won with the slogan "log cabin and hard cider".... but the tune and
slogan were just marketing gambits, neither of which had anything to
do with reality! Harrison, whose father was one of the signatories of the
Declaration of Independence, came from a prosperous New England
family, and was brought up in a palatial home in Virginia. Ironically,
Harrison's attempts to portray himself as a tough man of the people got
him nowhere; standing with neither hat nor coat during his
inauguration ceremony on a bitter winter's day in 1841, he caught
pneumonia and died a month later.
In more recent times, Jimmy Carter, the Democratic president from 1977
to 1981, was also portrayed as a "country boy", and was popularly known
as the peanut farmer from Plains, Georgia. The fact that he was actually
the owner of a very large and prosperous farm and a string of family
businesses, rather than a simple homesteader, was often conveniently
forgotten by those who wanted the president to seem like a simple man
with simple roots.
Then, in the year 2000, the man who was chosen as the 43rd American
president was not someone who had come from nowhere and made it
to the top by his own skills and determination, but a man from a very
privileged background. George Bush Jr. came from an illustrious family
background, being the son of President George Bush Sr., and grandson
of a US senator..... the US equivalent of royalty.
Naturally, there are many people in America who yearn nostalgically for
a return to old ways; but in today's mediatized world, where image is

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everything, and money buys the time and the TV and social media ads
without which images cannot be built, it is hard to imagine the clock
being put back. Besides, although many poor Americans still live in
small wooden houses, few of those who do go on to become politicians.
The age of the log-cabin-raised president is definitely over.

WORDS: bitter: very cold - convenient: useful - gambit: strategy -

homesteader: person establishing a new home or firm in new virgin
territory - log: cut trunk or large branch of a tree - saddle: seat on the
back of a horse - skills: abilities - string: chain, group - take pride in: be
proud of - theme tune: anthem - willingly: happily - yearn: hope.

Discussion:
Have you ever been to a cabin?
Where was the smallest place you have ever been?

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Conversation

It is the original British fast

food. Fish 'n' chips, the original
"carry-out" meal, has been
part of British life for well over
100 years. But will it survive
much longer? Perhaps only in
the form of a luxury for those
who can afford it.

Can "Fish 'n' chips" survive ?

Long before the Big Mac was invented, Britain had its own national form
of fast food. "When I was a young man, it was the sort of thing you'd
have once or twice a week," remembers 82-year-old Arthur Mowbrey.
"Sixty years ago, you'd get a full size portion of cod and chips for
sixpence. It was cheap, and good."Fish 'n' chips was nourishing too. It
was a proper meal, that you could eat in the street on your way home
from work, or during the lunch-break. Wrapped in newspaper, it would
keep warm to the last chip, even on the coldest days of the year. In the
last quarter of a century, things have changed."It's not so popular with
young people these days," says Lizzie, a teenager. "Most of the time, if
young people want to eat out, they'll go for a hamburger or something
like that, or a Chinese take-away. Fish 'n' chips is a bit old-fashioned,
really, I suppose. But there are still cheap chip shops around. I had fish
'n' chips about three weeks ago. We sometimes have it at home, and we
go and get it from the chip shop. It saves cooking!"
Thousands of chip shops, however, have closed in the last twenty-five
years. Some have been turned into Chinese or Indian takeaways, others
have just closed. They have survived best in seaside towns, where the
fish is really fresh, and people visit them more as a tradition than for
any other reason. Yet nothing, perhaps, can save the classic fish 'n' chip
shop from extinction. Fish 'n' chips wrapped in newspaper is already just
a memory of the past. British and European hygiene rules no longer
allow food to be wrapped in old papers, so today's carry-out chip shops
use new paper or styrofoam cartons. Of course, you can still eat fish
and chips with your fingers if you want, but there are now plastic throw-
away forks for those who don't want to get greasy fingers!

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Yet, in spite of these changes, the classic fish 'n' chip shop could
disappear from British streets in a few years' time, for a completely
different reason; lack of fish. For over twenty years, European agriculture
ministers have been trying to solve the fish problem, but with little
success. As a result of modern industrial fishing, some types of fish are
facing extinction in the North Sea and Atlantic. "Overfishing in the North
Sea has reached crisis levels," say Greenpeace. Quotas have been
introduced, but each time there are new restrictions, fishermen in
Britain, France, Spain and other countries protest, because jobs are lost.
Sadly, this is inevitable; and unless strict quotas are applied, thousands
of European fishermen could lose their jobs, as there will be few fish left
to catch (at least, few of the kinds of fish that people want to eat). One
way or the other, sea fish will become rarer, and therefore more
expensive.
The gradual disappearance of the traditional British fish 'n' chips shop is
therefore bound to continue. Fish and chips, however, will survive as a
specialty in pubs and restaurants, and in new up-market fish
restaurants. Comfortable, more expensive fish restaurants, with chairs
and tables, have existed for a long time of course, alongside stand-up
carry-out fish 'n' chip shops. In the years to come, they may be the only
type of fish 'n' chip restaurant to survive. Every town in Britain had its
fish 'n' chip shops. No British town is more than 150 km. from a seaport,
and most are much closer; once railways were built in the nineteenth
century, fresh sea fish could easily be bought in all British towns.
Cheaper than meat, sea fish became a popular source of protein ; by
1870, "fish and chip shops" were springing up all over the country. For a
hundred years, they were the classic popular restaurant, British style.

WORDS: carry-out: meal to eat in the street - can afford: have enough
money for - cod: a type of fish - nourishing: of good quality -- break:
period of rest - wrapped: done up, contained - quarter of a century: 25
years - take away: carry-out, restaurant - saves cooking: means that
there is no need to cook anything - extinction: disappearance -
styrofoam: polystyrene - lack: absence - solve: find an answer to -
inevitable: certain to happen, unavoidable - bound to: certain to - up-
market: high quality - alongside: beside - spring up: appear

Discussion: Have you ever eaten fish n' chips?

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Conversation

Madame Tussaud's is one of

the most popular attractions in
London, Here can you be sure
to see the Queen, the Beatles,
Alfred Hitchcock, and a whole
lot of famous and infamous
people

MEET THE CELEBRITIES in LONDON !

Many people like to see celebrities; but celebrities don't usually like
being looked at - at least, not all day every day! There is, however,
one place in England where you can look at celebrities - lots of them -
every day: this is Madame Tussaud's, the most popular tourist
attraction in London. On most days of the year, queues of visitors can
be seen outside Madame Tussaud's, all wanting to get in and see some
of the most famous people in the world - kings and queens, politicians,
stars, and even famous criminals. They are all inside, just waiting to be
looked at, or talked to.
If you like, you can talk to film stars, politicians and even tyrants in
Madame Tussaud's, but they won't say anything to you, because they
can't! Madame Tussaud's is a wax-works, and the "famous people" in
the building are really made out of wax.
Judging by the popularity of Madame Tussaud's, that does not seem to
be a problem! Ordinary people like looking at extraordinary people,
even if they are only statues. It's better than nothing!
Marie Tussaud was born in Strasbourg in 1765. As a child, she learned
how to make wax models of people, and later went to Paris. Then in 1802
she moved to England, touring round the country with her exhibition of
wax figures. In 1835 (aged 70!), she finally settled in London. "Madame
Tussaud's" has been one of the city's most popular exhibitions ever
since.

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Naturally, the collection has changed and grown; Indeed, it keeps

changing all the time. While there are some historic figures that do not
change, others come and go, and others are "aged" as the years go by.
The most popular figures in the exhibition are royalty and stars.
Princess Diana has been the overall favorite for several years, and other
popular figures include Tony Blair, David Beckham, Brad Pitt and Elvis
Presley.... to mention just a few of them. You can even see the Beatles....
as they were in the 1960s !
Another popular part of the exhibition is the "chamber of horrors", with
its famous murderers and its instruments of torture! At Madame
Tussaud's, it is only the very famous who get a place in the exhibition.
That is not surprising really; it takes about six months to create a really
lifelike wax model.
The sculptors use lots of photos and measurements, in order to obtain
a perfect likeness. For example, it took 450 hours to re-create Spice Girl
Mel B's famous curly hair! In all, a wax figure costs over £40,000 to
make - a lot of money!
And, you ask, what happens to yesterday's famous people? Well, they
are taken out of the collection, and their heads are stored for a while.
Then, if it is clear that no one will ever want to see them again, they are
melted down and re-used for another person!
Many people achieve passing fame; few achieve lasting fame!

WORDS: tyrant: despot, very bad powerful man - wax: a soft paste,
originally made by bees - statue: artificial person, sculpture - settled:
established her fixed home - overall: general - lifelike: realistic, true -
sculptor: artist who cuts forms from a solid substance - likeness:
imitation, copy - while: a period of time - melt: liquefy - achieve: obtain
- fame : celebrity.

Discussion:
Have you ever taken a picture with a celebrity?

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Conversation

For millions of people,

particularly in the United States
of America, boarding a jet plane
for a quick journey to a city
many hundreds or even
thousands of miles away, is very
much a routine act... or at least
it was until Covid-19 struck.
More than any other object, the
jet airliner is the machine that
served to “shrink the globe”,
bringing in the modern age of
international travel and
international economies; yet it
was only in the 1950s that the
first commercial jet passenger
plane took to the skies.

The story of the jet airliner - an invention that changed the way we
live
Radlett, near London; April 1951; with a deafening roar, a great shining
silver airplane hurtles down the runway outside the De Havilland
Company's huge hangers on this airfield just north of London; a minute
later, the world's first jetliner, the Comet, is airborne for the first time as
the property of a commercial airline, B.O.A.C, the precursor of today's
British Airways. At that moment, few of those on the ground watching
the historic take-off could have had any idea of the impact that this
new invention was going to have on civilization in the second half of the
twentieth century. Yet without the jet plane to carry passengers over
vast distances at high speed, be they businessmen, holidaymakers,
politicians or even whole armies, the world in which we now live would
be a very different place. The Comet that took to the skies that day in
1951, after a year of test flights, was of course not the first jet plane. It
was in the year 1930 that an English engineer called Frank Whittle had
patented the first jet engine; but in an all-too common British
twentieth-century manner,

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Whittle and others failed to grasp the commercial and military

potential of his invention, and it was a German company, Heinkel, who
actually produced the first jet aircraft, in 1937.The first British jet aircraft
to fly was an adapted version of the Gloster E-28 in 1941; but in the fever
of the war years, priority was given not to developing experimental
aircraft, but to mass producing those propeller planes, such as the
famous Spitfire, whose performance was guaranteed. So it was not until
1944 that the world's first two real jet aircraft appeared, the
Messerschmitt Me 262 in Germany, and the Gloster Meteor in England.In
the immediate post-war years, with the German aircraft industry out of
action, development of jet aircraft technology progressed rapidly in
Britain, as did aircraft design in general; and within three years of the
ending of the war, the De Havilland company was working on its great
project, the first passenger jetliner.
A year after being handed over to BOAC, the Comet entered
commercial service, with a flight from London to Johannesburg; but it
was a premature beginning. Within two years, two Comets crashed in
mysterious circumstances, and all existing planes were grounded. The
cause of the problem was soon identified: it was metal fatigue, a
problem that had not existed with the smaller, lighter aircraft of earlier
times. By 1955, a solution had been found, Comets were able to take to
the skies again, and transatlantic jet services were reintroduced
between London and major destinations; this time, the age of jet air
travel had really begun.
A pioneering aircraft, the Comet, however, was not a big commercial
success. Over in the USA, Boeing had been working on an American
jetliner, and within weeks of the reintroduction of Comet services by
BOAC, the first Boeing 707’s came into service. Stimulated by sales on
the vast North American market, the 707 was soon established as the
world’s leading jetliner, pushing Boeing to the top as undisputed world
leader in its field. The Comet, France’s Caravelle, and later Britain’s
Vickers VC 10, products of sophisticated but small national aerospace
industries, could not hope to compete in the world markets against the
domination of Boeing; and it was their relative failure that eventually
forced national governments to support the creation of Europe’s first
really successful manufacturer of jetliners, the Airbus Consortium.

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Today, thanks to a steady increase in the size of aircraft and an

improvement in their efficiency, the cost of air travel has fallen by over
80% since the first Comet flights half a century ago. Once the exclusive
reserve of a privileged few, air travel has become a very ordinary event,
and in North America at least, something that is considerably more of a
part of everyday life than taking the train. Thanks to cheap and rapid
air travel, allowing businessmen and politicians to travel vast distances
at relative ease, the nature of trade and international relations has
changed profoundly. Sixty years ago, international meetings of heads of
state were rare events; today they are daily occurrences; sixty years
ago, few people from Northern Europe had ever seen the
Mediterranean, and today’s holiday resorts like Torremolinos or Cap
d'Agde were just sleepy fishing ports; in military terms, the idea of a
“rapid reaction force” was unheard of. But maybe the Golden Age of the
jet plane is already behind us. Concorde, the fabulous supersonic "white
bird" has come and gone; and since Covid appeared, most, if not all, of
the world's Airbus A380 "super-jumbos" have remained on the ground,
too big for the needs of a declining air travel market. So much has
changed since 1950, that it leaves one wondering what people will be
doing in 2050....

WORDS airborne: in the air - deafening: very loud - grasp: understand

- hangar: enormous garage for airplanes - hurtle: go very fast -
jetliner: passenger plane - occurrence: event - patent: register a new
invention - shrink: make something get smaller - trade: commerce -
usher in: introduce, bring in

Discussion:
Do you like flying? Tell us a good or bad experience flying.

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Conversation

For some people it is eating, for

others it is presents, for some it
is Jesus... but for a lot of people,
Christmas means shopping,
more than anything else.

What word goes best with Christmas in modern English?

Christmas will soon be here again. For Britain's shops, specially shops in
cities, November and December are the busiest months of the year. In
fact, some big shops do half their year's business in those two months.
Yet in 2020, with Covid-19, Christmas shopping will not be the same!
Many people do not want to go into cities, or into big shopping centers.
They are afraid of catching Covid. More and more people are now
shopping on the Internet ! Internet shops are safe for shoppers, and
they never shut... not even on Christmas Day !
Most people, however, spend their money before Christmas. "Christmas
shopping" is different from ordinary shopping, and people like to do it
differently. They go to different shops, or different online stores, more
expensive shops very often. They don't just buy food from their
supermarket and clothes from big department stores. They look round,
they take time (if they can), they browse and they choose.
City shops do their best to attract them with exciting windows, and
special offers. In the West End of London, shops spend thousands of
pounds on lights, decorations, and special window displays. Some
visitors come to London, just to see the lights and shop windows; but
others come to shop in famous shops like Harrod's or Hamley's, Europe's
biggest toy shop.
For shop assistants, it is a frantic season. There is not much time to rest.
Just time for a cup of coffee or tea perhaps, then back to work. It's a
good season to pay! As Christmas gets nearer, shops stay open longer,
sometimes until 10 p.m. That means more pay for the staff. It also
means extra staff. Some people find a job, for a few weeks at least.

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Then, at about 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve, it all stops. The shops are
suddenly empty - just a few people running round, looking for last
minute presents. In many shops, there is a small party, a bottle of wine
and mince pies or something like that. And then it's over. The shop
doors close, but the lights stay on. Out in the streets, which were so
busy a few hours before, there is hardly anyone. Just a few people
going home, or singing in the street.
Christmas shopping is over again.... until next October or November.
But for some shops, the doors will only stay closed for a day. After
Christmas shopping, there is New Year shopping! The New Year sales
used to start after January 1st. Now in some shops they start on the day
after Christmas, and the crowds rush back for a few more days. Lots of
things are cheaper now.

WORD GUIDE busy: active - display: show - extra: more, supplementary

- staff: employees - Christmas Eve: 24th December - mince pies:
special Christmas tarts - shutters: shutters protect windows - hurry: go
fast - sale: when shops sell things cheaper than usual

Discussion:
How do you celebrate Christmas?

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