A Spoilt Little Boy in a Bicycle Shop

[l]

Paul: What a beautiful bicycle!

Uncle Bill: Paul! Be careful!

Salesman: Excuse me, sir. This child is too small to ride this bicycle. It's a very difficult bicycle to...

Uncle Вill: Be careful, Paul!

Paul: You always tell me to be careful. Don't help me. I won't fall.

Salesman: But, sir. This is a very special bicycle. It’s…

Paul: Don't pull the bicycle Uncle Bill. I’ll do it myself. 

Вi1l: Be sensible, Paul. This gentleman says it’s a… (Paul falls)

Pau1: It was Uncle Bill's fault. He was holding a bicycle.

A Horrible Accident

[h]

Helen: Hello, Ellen.

Ellen: Hello, Helen. Have you heard? There's been a horrible accident.

Helen: Oh dear! What's happened?

Ellen: Hilda Higgins' husband has had an accident on his horse.

Helen: How awful! Is he injured?

Ellen: Yes. An ambulance has taken him to hospital.

Helen: How did it happen?

Ellen: He was hit by an express train. It was on the crossing just behind his house.

Helen: How horrible!

Ellen: He's having an important operation in hospital now.

Poor Hilda! She's so unhappy!

Helen: Perhaps he'll be all right.

Ellen: I hope so.

             Gossips

                [θ]

Judith: Edith Smith is only thirty.

Ethe1: Is she? I thought, she was thirty-three.

Judith: Edith's birthday was last Thursday.

Ethel: Was it? I thought it was last month.

Judith: The Smiths' house is worth thirty thousand pounds.

Ethe1: Is it? I thought it was worth three thousand.

Judith: Mr Smith is the author of a book about moths.

Ethe1: Is he? I thought he was a mathematician.

Judith: I'm so thirsty.

Ethel: Are you? I thought you drank something at the Smiths'.

Judith: No, Edith gave me nothing to drink.

Ethe1: Shall I buy you a drink?

Judith: Thank you.

The Hat in the Window

[ð]

Miss Brothers: I want to buy the hat in the window.

Assistant: There are three hats together in the window, madam. Do you want the one with the feathers?

Miss Brothers: No. The other one.

Assistant: The small one for three pounds?

Miss Brothers: No. Not that one either. That one over there. The leather one.

Assistant: Ah! The leather one. Now this is another leather hat, madam. It's better than the one in the window. It's a smoother leather.

Miss Brothers: I'd rather have the one in the window. It goes with my clothes.

Assistant: Certainly, madam. But we don't take anything out of the window until three o'clock on Thursday.

A Proud Parent

[r]

Mrs Randal: Are all the children grown up now, Ruth?

Mrs Reed: Oh yes. Laura is the cleverest one. She’s a librarian in the public library.

Mrs Randal: Very interesting. And what about Rita?

Mrs Reed: She’s a secretary at the railway station.

Mrs Randal: And what about Rosemary? She was always a very pretty child.

Mrs Reed: Rosemary is a waitress in a restaurant in Paris. She’a married to an electrician.

Mrs Randal: And what about Jerry and Roland?

Mrs Reed: Jerry drives a lorry. He drives everywhere in Europe.

Mrs Randal: Really? Which countries does he drive to?

Mrs Reed: France and Austria and Greece and Russia.

Mrs Randal: And does Roland drive a lorry to?

Mrs Reed: Oh, no. Roland is a pilot.

Mrs Randal: Really? Which countries does he fly to?

Mrs Reed: Australia and America.

Additional dialogues

 [r]

-  Good evening! My name is Bridget Rees. I've got a room reserved.

- Oh, Miss Rees. We thought you were coming tomorrow. We've reserved a room for you tomorrow night.

- Tomorrow night? But I wrote to you! And made the arrangements by phone! Then I wrote and confirmed the reservation!

      - Don't worry. I'm sure there's a room free tonight. Yes, room 3 is free. Would you sign a register and I'll ring for the porter. He'll carry your cases in your room.

[i]

              Our visitor this evening is the film director Tom Fitz William. This year he’s winner of the “Silver rings” film prize. His prize winning film “Dinner at the Ritz” is set in India. Tim lived in India till he was sixteen and still visits India frequently. The fifth son of an Irish father and an Indian mother he is an Irish citizen but lives in England.

     [j]

- Can I help you?

- Yes, I'm looking for John Yardley.

 - John Yardley? Sorry, I don't know anyone here called John Yardley.

- That's strange. He is the computer manager. I've arranged an appointment.

- I think you've made a mistake. The computer manager is Jennifer Young.

- Oh, this is the office of "Youth in Computers", isn't it?

- No, this is the General Workers Union. "Youth in Computers" is next door.

 [h]

Miss Hariette Harlow, 4, Handburg House, 28 Harlow

Road, Harrow-on-the-Hill, Middlesex, England.

Dear Hariette! I'm having a horrible holiday here. The hotel is huge and high up on a hill. I hurt my heel and had to go to hospital. The weather is hot and I'm hungry. Harry is quite happy however. Next summer I shall stay at home. Harry can go on holiday by himself.                                                    

                                                                                                   Hillary.

 [p]

- Can I help you?

- I hope so. I have a complaint I bought a pullover in your shop. It was a beautiful pullover and very expensive.

- What happened?

- It was a present for a friend abroad. You said you can pack it and post it for me. I was very pleased.

- What's the problem?

- The parcel was damaged in the Post. The paper came off. The pullover was spoilt.

- Hm, dear... I'm sorry if the pullover was spoilt but it happened in the Post. So the Post Office are responsible.

- The Post Office said that the parcel wasn't properly packed. You are responsible.

- We are very experienced in packing parcels. Lots of people send our pullovers as presents. Hundreads of pullovers. I'm sure our parcel was properly packed.

- I'd like to speak to the Department manager, please.

[g]

- I want to improve my English. Is it a good idea to go to a Language School in August?

- I went to an English Summer School a year ago. It was at the Gold School of English.

- Was it good?

-Yes, very good! They were grammar lessons and regular progress tests. And we also played games. That was great!

- What sort of games?

- Guessing games, for example. A simple game is the "bag" game. One group has a big bag, the other group guesses what’s in the bag. It’s a good game at the beginning to get to know each other.

- Did you get to know the other students well?

- Yes, it wasn’t a big group. I've forgotten exactly how many. We got on very well together.

                                                   [l]

Ladies and gentlemen! On your left you will see a lovely castle. This belongs to lord and lady Lovely who lived here with their family. All the land to the left of the road belongs to the Lovelys. They have a famous collection of wild animals including lions, so, please, do not leave the coach until we are safely inside the car park. We are lucky. Lord Lovely is allowing us to leave the grounds and go inside this beautiful stately home. Most people can only look at the castle from outside. The time now is quarter to eleven. Please, return to the coach by quarter past twelve. Don't be late or we'll miss lunch.