Short texts for reading

[Даша]

What is the longest word in the English language?
SMILES: there is a mile between the first and last letters!"

 

[АЛЁНА]

Quick Thinking

One night a hotel caught fire1 and the people who were staying in it ran out in their night clothes.
Two men were standing near the hotel and looking at the fire. "Before I came out," said one of them, "I ran into some of the rooms and found a lot of money there. People don't think about money when they are in panic. When paper money gets into a fire, the fire burns it. So I took all the paper money that I could find. No one will be poorer because I took it."
"You don't know me," said the other man, "and you don't know what I am."
"And where do you work?"
"I'm a policeman."
"Oh!" cried the first man. He thought quickly and then he said, "And do you know what I am?"
"No," said the policeman.
"I'm a writer. I'm always telling stories about things that never took place."

[АЛЁНА]

Not a Robber

A young man who lived in the suburbs' of a big English city was going home from the railway station. It was a dark night and there was nobody in the street. Suddenly he heard somebody walking behind him. The faster he went, the faster the man ran after him. At last he decided to turn into a small street to see what the man would do.2 After a few minutes he looked back and saw that the man was still running after him.

"He wants to rob me," the young man thought. He saw a high garden wall and jumped over it. The other man jumped over the wall too. Now the young man was sure that the man behind him was a robber. But he could not understand why the robber was not in a hurry2 to attack him.

The young man did not know what to do. Then he turned round and said, "What do you want? Why are you following me?"

"Do you always go home in this way? Or are you taking some exercise today?" answered the man. "I'm going to Mr White, but I don't know where he lives. A man at the railway station told me to follow you, because I could find his house very easily as Mr White lives next door to you. Will you go home or will you do some more gymnastics?"

[Tessa]

A man really loved a woman, but he was just too shy to propose to her. Now he was up in his years and neither of them had ever been married. Of course, they dated about once a week for the past six years, but he was so timid he just never got around to suggesting marriage much less living together.
But one day, he became determined to ask her the question. So he calls her on the phone, "June."
"Yes, this is June."
"Will you marry me?"
"Of course I will! Who's this?"

[Andy]

Да, путешествовать дома и быть занятым на молекулярном уровне - тоже вариант, но не такой интересный, как в реале  И для фигуры вредно 

[АЛЁНА]

For Those Who Like to Travel

One day a Paris newspaper gave an advertisement3 about a very cheap4 and pleasant way of travelling - for 25 centimes.5 Many people believed it and sent the money.

A few days later each of them got a letter. The letter read: "Sir, rest in bed and remember that the Earth turns. Paris stands at the 49th parallel. At the 49th parallel you travel more than 25,000 kilometres a, day. You may look out of the window and watch the beautiful sky."

[Andy]

All I know about cats that cat T-shirts are very popular now  8)

[Mari]

Ну вот и решено! Пиши про котиков))

[Даша]

про котиков все точно ЗА, я знаю!))))

[Mari]

А может устроить голосование? Сразу будет видно, какие темы интересны)
Подготовить список тем: про котиков, о кино, о еде и т д

[Даша]

а на какую тему вам больше всего нравятся тексты? о чем хотели бы прочитать и узнать на Английском клубе?

[АЛЁНА]

The Mouse and the Corn

Many, many years ago there lived a king who said that anyone who could tell a story for two years would get1 a piece of land.
First one man tried but his story lasted only two weeks. Another man finished his story after five days. A third man began his story like this:

"Once a farmer planted some corn. When the corn grew the farmer gathered it and put it into a shed. Then the mouse came into the shed and began to eat the corn."

The man went on, "The mouse took a grain of corn, the mouse took a grain of corn, the mouse took a grain of corn..."

The King interrupted the story, "Well, what was after this?"

"I can't tell you," answered the man, "because the mouse hasn't finished eating the corn yet."

"All right," said the king, "you will get a piece of land."

[Даша]

Two robbers were robbing a hotel. The first one said, "I hear sirens. Jump!"
The second one said, "But we're on the 13th floor!"
The first one screamed back, "This is no time to be superstitious."

[Andy]

прекрасные тексты) Особенно впечатляет текст про great doctor  8)
A man asked for a meal in a restaurant. The waiter brought the food and put it on the table. After a moment, the man called the waiter and said:

"Waiter! Waiter! There's a fly in my soup!"

"Please don't speak so loudly, sir," said the waiter, "or everyone will want one."

[АЛЁНА]

A Great Painter and a Great Doctor

Joseph Turner was a great English painter. He had a dog which he loved very much. One day he was playing with his dog. The dog fell and broke his leg. Turner sent for a doctor. But he did not want to send for a vet.1 He sent for the best doctor in London.

When the doctor came Turner said, "Doctor, I'm glad you have come. My dog has broken a leg. I know that you are too great for this work, but please, do it. It's so important to me."

The doctor was angry but he did not show it.

Next day the doctor asked Turner to come to his house. "The doctor wants to see me about my dog," Turner thought.
When Turner got to the doctor's house the doctor said, "Mr Turner, I'm glad to see you. I want to. ask you to paint my door. I know that you are too great for this work, but please, do it. It's so important to me."