Lesson seventy-one: He’s awful!

What’s Ron Marston like, Pauline?

He’s awful!

He telephoned me four times yesterday, and three times the day before yesterday.

He telephoned the office yesterday morning and yesterday afternoon.

My boss answered the telephone.

What did your boss say to him?

He said, ‘Pauline is typing letters. She can’t speak to you now!’

Then I arrived home at six o’clock yesterday evening.

He telephoned again.

But I didn’t answer the phone!

Did he telephone again last night?

Yes, he did.

He telephoned at nine o’clock.

What did you say to him?

I said, ‘This is Pauline’s mother. Please don’t telephone my daughter again!’

Did he telephone again?

No, he didn’t!

 

Lesson seventy-three: The way to King Street

Last week Mrs. Mills went to London.

She does not know London very well, and she lost her way.

Suddenly, she saw a man near a bus stop.

‘I can ask him the way,’ she said to herself.

‘Excuse me,’ she said.

‘Can you tell me the way to King Street, please?’

The man smiled pleasantly.

He did not understand English!

He spoke German.

He was a tourist.

Then he put his hand into his pocket, and took out a phrasebook.

He opened the book and found a phrase.

He read the phrase slowly. ‘I am sorry,’ he said. ‘I do not speak English.’

 

Lesson seventy-five: Uncomfortable shoes

Do you have any shoes like these?

What size?

Size five.

What colour?

Black.

I’m sorry.

We don’t have any.

But my sister bought this pair last month.

Did she buy them here?

No, she bought them in the U.S.

We had some shoes like those a month ago, but we don’t have any now.

Can you get a pair for me, please?

I’m afraid that I can’t.

They were in fashion last year and the year before last.

But they’re not in fashion this year.

These shoes are in fashion now.

They look very uncomfortable.

They are very uncomfortable.

But women always wear uncomfortable shoes!

 

Lesson seventy-seven: Terrible toothache

Good morning, Mr. Croft.

Good morning, nurse.

I want to see the dentist, please.

Do you have an appointment?

No, I don’t.

Is it urgent?

Yes, it is.

It’s very urgent.

I feel awful.

I have a terrible toothache.

Can you come at 10 a.m. on Monday, April 24^th?

I must see the dentist now, nurse.

The dentist is very busy at the moment.

Can you come at 2 p.m.?

That’s very late.

Can the dentist see me now?

I’m afraid that he can’t, Mr. Croft.

Can’t you wait till this afternoon?

I can wait, but my toothache can’t!

 

Lesson seventy-nine: Carol’s shopping list

What are you doing, Carol?

I’m making a shopping list, Tom.

What do we need?

We need a lot of things this week.

I must go to the grocer’s.

We haven’t got much tea or coffee, and we haven’t got any sugar or jam.

What about vegetables?

I must go to the greengrocer’s.

We haven’t got many tomatoes, but we’ve got a lot of potatoes.

I must go to the butcher’s, too.

We need some meat.

We haven’t got any meat at all.

Have we got any beer and wine?

No, we haven’t.

And I’m not going to get any!

I hope that you’ve got some money.

I haven’t got much.

Well, I haven’t got much either!

 

Lesson eighty-one: Roast beef and potatoes

Hi, Carol!

Where’s Tom?

He’s upstairs.

He’s having a bath.

Tom!

Yes?

Sam’s here.

I’m nearly ready.

Hello, Sam.

Have a cigarette.

No, thanks, Tom.

Have a glass of whisky then.

OK. Thanks.

Is dinner ready, Carol?

It’s nearly ready.

We can have dinner at seven o’clock.

Sam and I had lunch together today.

We went to a restaurant.

What did you have?

We had roast beef and potatoes.

Oh!

What’s the matter, Carol?

Well, you’re going to have roast beef and potatoes again tonight!

 

Lesson eighty-three: Going on holiday

Hello, Sam.

Come in.

Hi, Sam. We’re having lunch.

Do you want to have lunch with us?

No, thank you, Tom.

I’ve already had lunch.

I had lunch at half past twelve.

Have a cup of coffee then.

I’ve just had a cup, thank you.

I had one after my lunch.

Let’s go into the living room, Carol.

We can have our coffee there.

Excuse the mess, Sam.

This room’s very untidy.

We’re packing our suitcases.

We’re going to leave tomorrow.

Tom and I are going to have a holiday.

Aren’t you lucky!

When are you going to have a holiday, Sam?

I don’t know.

I’ve already had my holiday this year.

Where did you go?

I stayed at home!

 

Lesson eighty-five: Paris in the spring

Hello, Ken.

Hi, George.

Have you just been to the cinema?

Yes, I have.

What’s on?

‘Paris in the Spring’.

Oh, I’ve already seen it.

I saw it on television last year.

It’s an old film, but it’s very good.

Paris is a beautiful city.

I’ve never been there.

Have you ever been there, Ken?

Yes, I have.

I was there in April.

Paris in the spring, eh?

It was spring, but the weather was awful.

It rained all the time.

Just like London!

 

Lesson eighty-seven: A car crash

Is my car ready yet?

I don’t know, sir.

What’s the number of your car?

It’s LFZ 312G.

When did you bring it to us?

I brought it here three days ago.

Ah yes, I remember now.

Have your mechanics finished yet?

No, they’re still working on it.

Let’s go into the garage and have a look at it.

Isn’t that your car?

Well, it was my car.

Didn’t you have a crash?

That’s right.

I drove it into a lamp-post.

Can your mechanics repair it?

Well, they’re trying to repair it, sir.

But to tell you the truth, you need a new car!

 

Lesson eighty-nine: For sale

Good afternoon.

I believe that this house is for sale.

That’s right.

May I have a look at it, please?

Yes, of course.

Come in.

How long have you lived here?

I’ve lived here for twenty years.

Twenty years!

That’s a long time.

Yes, I’ve been here since 1976.

Then why do you want to sell it?

Because I’ve just retired.

I want to buy a small house in the country.

How much does this house cost?

68,500.

That’s a lot of money!

It’s worth every penny of it.

Well, I like the house, but I can’t decide yet.

My wife must see it first.

Women always have the last word.

 

Lesson ninety-one: Poor Ian!

Has Ian sold his house yet?

Yes, he has.

He sold it last week.

Has he moved to his new house yet?

No, not yet.

He’s still here.

He’s going to move tomorrow.

When? Tomorrow morning?

No. Tomorrow afternoon.

I’ll miss him.

He has always been a good neighbour.

He’s a very nice person.

We’ll all miss him.

When will the new people move into this house?

I thin that they’ll move into the day after tomorrow.

Will you see Ian today, Jenny?

Yes, I will.

Please give him my regards.

Poor Ian!

He didn’t want to leave this house.

No, he didn’t want to leave, but his wife did!

 

Lesson nine-three: Our new neighbour

Nigel is our new next-door neighbour.

He’s a pilot.

He was in the R.A.F.

He will fly to New York next mouth.

The month after next he’ll fly to Tokyo.

At the moment, he’s in Madrid.

He flew to Spain a week ago.

He’ll return to London the week after next.

He’s only forty-one years old, and he has already been to nearly every country in the world.

Nigel is a very lucky man.

But his wife isn’t very lucky.

She usually stays at home!

 

Lesson nine-five: Tickets, please.

Two return tickets to London, please.

What time will the next train leave?

At nineteen minutes past eight.

Which platform?

Platform Two.

Over the bridge.

What time will the next train leave?

At eight nineteen.

We’ve got plenty of time.

It’s only three minutes to eight.

Let’s go and have a drink.

There’s a bar next door to the station.

We had better go back to the station now, Ken.

Tickets, please.

We want to catch the eight nineteen to London.

You’ve just missed it!

What!

It’s only eight fifteen.

I’m sorry, sir.

That clock’s ten minutes slow.

When’s the next train?

In five hours’ time!

 

Lesson ninety-seven: A small blue case

I left a suitcase on the train to London the other day.

Can you describe it, sir?

It’s a small blue case and it’s got a zip.

There’s a label on the handle with my name and address on it.

Is this case yours?

No, that’s not mine.

What about this one?

This one’s got a label.

Let me see it.

What’s your name and address?

David hall, 83, Bridge Street.

Three pounds fifty pence, please.

Here you are.

Thank you.

Hey!

What’s the matter?

This case doesn’t belong to me!

You’ve given me the wrong case!

 

Lesson ninety-nine: Ow!

Ow!

What’s the matter, Andy?

I slipped and fell downstairs.

Have you hurt yourself?

Yes, I have.

I think that I’ve hurt my back.

Try and stand up.

Can you stand up?

Here.

Let me help you.

I’m sorry, Lucy.

I’m afraid that I can’t get up.

I think that the doctor had better see you.

I’ll phone Dr. Carter.

The doctor says that he will come at once.

I’m sure that you need an X-ray, Andy.

 

Lesson One hundred and one: A card from Jimmy

Read Jimmy’s card to me please, Penny.

‘I have just arrived in Scotland and I’m staying at a Youth Hostel.’

Eh?

He says he’s just arrived in Scotland.

He says he’s staying at a Youth Hostel.

You know he’s a member of the Y.H.A.

The what?

The Y.H.A., Mum.

The Youth Hostels Association.

What else does he say?

‘I’ll write a letter soon. I hope you are all well.’

What?
Speak up, Penny.

I’m afraid I can’t hear you.

He says he’ll write a letter soon.

He hopes we are all well.

‘Love, Jimmy.’

Is that all?

He doesn’t say very much, does he?

He can’t write very much on a card, Mum.

 

Lesson One hundred and three: The French test

How was the exam, Richard?

Not too bad.

I think I passed in English and Mathematics.

The questions were very easy.

How about you, Gary?

The English and Maths papers weren’t easy enough for me.

I hope I haven’t failed.

I think I failed the French paper.

I could answer sixteen of the questions.

They were very easy.

But I couldn’t answer the rest.

They were too difficult for me.

French tests are awful, aren’t they?

I hate them.

I’m sure I’ve got a low mark.

Oh, cheer up!

Perhaps we didn’t do too badly.

The guy next to me wrote his name at the top of the paper.

Yes?

Then he sat there and looked at it for three hours!

He didn’t write a word!

 

Lesson 105: Full of mistakes

Where’s Sandra, Bob?

I want her.

Do you want to speak to her?

Yes, I do.

I want her to come to my office.

Tell her to come at once.

Did you want to see me?

Ah, yes, Sandra.

How do you spell ‘intelligent’?

Can you tell me?

INTELLIGENT.

That’s right.

You’ve typed it with only one ‘L’.

This letter’s full of mistakes.

I want you to type it again.

Yes, I’ll do that.

I’m sorry about that.

And here’s a little present for you.

What is it?

It’s a dictionary.

I hope it’ll help you.

 

Lesson One hundred and seven: It’s too small.

Do you like this dress, madam?

I like the colour very much.

It’s a lovely dress, but it’s too small for me.

What about this one?

It’s a lovely dress.

It’s very smart.

Short skirts are in fashion now.

Would you like to try it?

All right.

I’m afraid this green dress is too small for me as well.

It’s smaller than the blue one.

I don’t like the colour either.

It doesn’t suit me at all.

I think the blue dress is prettier.

Could you show me another blue dress?

I want a dress like that one, but it must be my size.

I’m afraid I haven’t got a larger dress.

This is the largest dress in the shop.

 

Lesson One hundred and nine: A good idea

Shall I make some coffee, Jane?

That’s a good idea, Charlotte.

It’s ready.

Do you want any milk?

Just a little, please.

What about some sugar?

Two teaspoonfuls?

No, less than that.

One and a half teaspoonfuls, please.

That’s enough for me.

That was very nice.

Would you like some more?

Yes, please.

I’d like a cigarette, too.

May I have one?

Of course.

I think there are a few in that box.

I’m afraid it’s empty.

What a pity!

It doesn’t matter.

Have a biscuit instead.

Eat more and smoke less!

That’s very good advice!

 

Lesson One hundred and eleven: The most expensive model

I like this television very much.

How much does it cost?

It’s the most expensive model in the shop.

It costs five hundred pounds.

That’s too expensive for us.

We can’t afford all that money.

This model’s less expensive than that one.

It’s only three hundred pounds.

But, of course, it’s not as good as the expensive one.

I don’t like this model.

The other model’s more expensive, but it’s worth the money.

Can we buy it on instalments?

Of course.

You can pay a deposit of thirty pounds, and then fourteen pounds a month for three years.

Do you like it, dear?

I certainly do, but I don’t like the price.

You always want the best, but we can’t afford it.

Some times you think you’re a millionaire!

Millionaires don’t buy things on instalments!

 

Lesson One hundred and thirteen: Small change

Fares, please!

Trafalgar Square, please.

I’m sorry, sir.

I can’t change a ten-pound note.

Haven’t you got any small change?

I’ve got no small change, I’m afraid.

I’ll ask some of the passengers.

Have you any small change, sir?

I’m sorry.

I’ve got none.

I haven’t got any either.

Can you change this ten-pound note, madam?

I’m afraid I can’t.

Neither can I.

I’m very sorry, sir.

You must get off the bus.

None of our passengers can change this note.

They’re all millionaires!

Except us.

I’ve got some small change.

So have I.

 

Lesson One hundred and fifteen: Knock, knock!

Isn’t there anyone at home?

I’ll knock again, Helen.

Everything’s very quiet.

I’m sure there’s no one at home.

But that’s impossible.

Carol and Tom invited us to lunch.

Look through the window.

Can you see anything?

Nothing at all.

Let’s try the back door.

Look! Everyone’s in the garden.

Hello, Helen. Hello, Jim.

Everybody wants to have lunch in the garden.

It’s nice and warm out here.

Come and have something to drink.

Thanks, Carol.

May I have a glass of beer please?

Beer?

There’s none left.

You can have some lemonade.

Lemonade!

Don’t believe her, Jim.

She’s only joking.

Have some beer!

 

Lesson One hundred and seventeen: Tommy’s breakfast

When my husband was going into the dining room this morning, he dropped some coins on the floor.

There were coins everywhere.

We looked for them, but we could not find them all.

While we were having breakfast, our little boy, Tommy, found two small coins on the floor.

He put them both into his mouth.

We both tried to get the coins, but it was too late.

Tommy had already swallowed them!

Later that morning, when I was doing the housework, my husband phoned me from the office.

‘How’s Tommy?’ he asked.

‘I don’t know,’ I answered, ‘Tommy’s been to the toilet three times this morning, but I haven’t had any change yet!’

 

 Lesson One hundred and nineteen: A true story

Do you like stories?

I want to tell you a true story.

It happened to a friend of mine a year ago.

While my friend, George, was reading in bed, two thieves climbed into his kitchen.

After they had entered the house, they went into the dining room.

It was very dark, so they turned on a torch.

Suddenly, they heard a voice behind them.

‘What’s up? What’s up?’ someone called.

The thieves dropped the torch and ran away as quickly as they could.

George heard the noise and came downstairs quickly.

He turned on the light, but he couldn’t see anyone.

The thieves had already gone.

But George’s parrot, Henry, was still there.

‘What’s up, George?’ he called.

‘Nothing, Henry,’ George said and smiled. ‘Go back to sleep.’

 

Lesson One hundred and twenty one: The man in a hat

I bought two expensive dictionaries here half an hour ago, but I forgot to take them with me.

Who served you, sir?

The lady who is standing behind the counter.

Which books did you buy?

The books which are on the counter.

Did you serve this gentleman half an hour ago, Caroline?

He says he’s the man who bought these books.

I can’t remember.

The man who I served was wearing a hat.

Have you got a hat, sir?

Yes, I have.

Would you put it on, please?

All right.

Is this the man that you served, Caroline?

Yes. I recognize him now.

 

Lesson One hundred and twenty three: A trip to Australia

Look, Scott.

This is a photograph I took during my trip to Australia.

Let me see it, Mike.

This is a good photograph.

Who are these people?

They’re people I met during the trip.

That’s the ship we traveled on.

What a beautiful ship!

Who’s this?

That’s the man I told you about.

Remember?

Ah yes.

The one who offered you a job in Australia.

That’s right.

Who’s this?

Guess!

It’s not you, is it?

That’s right.

I grew a beard during the trip, but I shaved it off when I came home.

Why did you shave it off?

My wife didn’t like it!

 

Lesson One hundred and twenty five: Tea for two

Can’t you come in and have tea now, Peter?

Not yet.

I must water the garden first.

Do you have to water it now?

I’m afraid I must.

Look at it!

It’s terribly dry.

What a nuisance!

Last summer it was very dry, too.

Don’t you remember?

I had to water it every day.

Well, I’ll have tea by myself.

That was quick!

Have you finished already?

Yes.

Look out of the window.

It’s raining!

That means you don’t need to water the garden.

That was a pleasant surprise.

It means I can have tea, instead.

 

Lesson One hundred and twenty seven: A famous actress

Can you recognize that woman, Liz?

I think I can, Kate.

It must be Karen Marsh, the actress.

I thought so.

Who’s that beside her?

That must be Conrad Reeves.

Conrad Reeves, the actor?

It can’t be.

Let me have another look.

I think you’re right!

Isn’t he her third husband?

No. He must be her fourth or fifth.

Doesn’t Karen Marsh look old!

She does, doesn’t she!

I read she’s twenty-nine, but she must be at least forty.

I’m sure she is.

She was a famous actress when I was still at school.

That was a long time ago, wasn’t it?

Not that long ago!

I’m not more than twenty-nine myself. 

 

Lesson One hundred and twenty nine: Seventy miles an hour

Look, Gary!

That policeman’s waving to you.

He wants you to stop.

Where do you think you are?

On a race track?

You must have been driving at seventy miles an hour.

I can’t have been.

I was doing eighty when I overtook you.

Didn’t you see the speed limit?

I’m afraid I didn’t, officer.

I must have been dreaming.

He wasn’t dreaming, officer.

I was telling him to drive slowly.

That’s why I didn’t see the sign.

Let me see your driving licence.

I won’t charge you this time.

But you’d better not do it again!

Thank you.

I’ll certainly be more careful.

I told you to drive slowly, Gary.

You always tell me to drive slowly, darling.

Well, next time you’d better take my advice!

 

Lesson One hundred thirty one: Don’t be so sure!

Where are you going to spend your holidays this year, Gary?

We may go abroad.

I’m not sure.

My wife wants to go to Egypt.

I’d like to go there, too.

We can’t make up our minds.

Will you travel by sea or by air?

We may travel by sea or by air?

We may travel by sea.

It’s cheaper, isn’t it?

It may be cheaper, but it takes a long time.

I’m sure you’ll enjoy yourselves.

Don’t be so sure.

We might not go anywhere.

My wife always worries too much.

Who’s going to look after the dog?

Who’s going to look after the house?

Who’s going to look after the garden?

We have this problem every year.

In the end, we stay at home and look after everything! 

 

Lesson One hundred and thirty three: Sensational news!

Have you just made a new film, Miss Marsh?

Yes, I have.

Are you going to make another?

No, I’m not.

I’m going to retire.

I feel very tired.

I don’t want to make another film for a long time.

Let’s buy a newspaper, Liz.

Listen to this!

‘Karen Marsh: Sensational News!

By our reporter, Alan Jones.

Karen Marsh arrived at London Airport today.

She was wearing a blue dress and a mink coat.

She told me she had just made a new film.

She said she was not going to make another.

She said she was going to retire.

She told reporters she felt very tired and didn’t want to make another film for a long time.’

I wonder why! 

 

Lesson One hundred and thirty five: The latest report

Are you really going to retire, Miss Marsh?

I may.

I can’t make up my mind.

I will have to ask my future husband.

He won’t let me make another film.

Your future husband, Miss Marsh?

Yes. Let me introduce him to you.

His name is Carlos.

We’re going to get married next week.

Look, Liz!

Here’s another report about Karen Marsh.

Listen: ‘Karen Marsh: The latest.

At her London Hotel today Miss Marsh told reporters she might retire.

She said she couldn’t make up her mind.

She said she would have to ask her future husband.

She said her future husband would not let her make another film.

Then she introduced us to Carlos and told us they would get married next week.’

That’s sensational news, isn’t it, Kate?

It certainly is. He’ll be her sixth husband! 

 

Lesson One hundred and thirty seven: A pleasant dream

Are you doing the football pools, Brian?

Yes, I’ve nearly finished, Julie.

I sure we’ll win something this week.

You always say that, but we never win anything!

What’ll you do if you win a lot of money?

If I win a lot of money I’ll buy you a mink coat.

I don’t want a mink coat!

I want to see the world.

All right.

If we win a lot of money we’ll travel round the world and we’ll stay at the best hotels.

When we’ll return home and buy a big house in the country.

We’ll have a beautiful garden and…

But if we spend all that money we’ll be poor again.

What’ll we do then?

If we spend all the money we’ll try and win the football pools again.

It a pleasant dream but everything depends on ‘if’! 

 

Lesson One hundred and thirty nine: Is that you, John?

Is that you, John?

Yes, speaking.

Tell Mary I’ll be late for dinner this evening.

I’m afraid I don’t understand.

Hasn’t Mary told you?

She invited Charlotte and me to dinner this evening.

I said I would be at your house at six o’clock, but the boss want me to do some extra work.

I’ll have to stay at the office.

I don’t know when I’ll finish.

Oh, and by the way, my wife wants to know if Mary needs any help.

I don’t know what you’re talking about.

That is John Smith, isn’t it?

Yes, I’m John Smith.

You are John Smith, the engineer, aren’t you?

That’s right.

You work for the Overseas Engineering Company, don’t you?

No, I don’t.

I’m John Smith the telephone engineer and I’m repairing your telephone line. 

Lesson One hundred and fifty one: Sally’s first train ride

Last week, my four-year-old daughter, Sally, was invited to a children’s party.

I decided to take her by train.

Sally was very excited because she had never travelled on a train before.

Sally sat near the window and asked questions about everything she saw.

Suddenly, a middle-aged lady got on the train and sat opposite Sally.

‘Hello, little girl,’ she said.

Sally did not answer, and looked at her curiously.

The lady was dressed in a blue coat and a large, fanny hat.

After the train had left the station, the lady opened her handbag and took out her powder compact.

She then began to makes up her face.

‘Why are you doing that?’ Sally asked.

‘To make myself beautiful,’ the lady answered.

She put away her compact and smiled kindly.

‘But you are still ugly,’ Sally said.

Sally was amused, but I was very embarrassed!

 

Lesson One hundred and fifty three: A walk through the woods.

I live in a very old town which is surrounded by beautiful woods.

It’s a famous beauty spot.

On Sundays, hundreds of people come from the city to see our town and to walk through the woods.

Visitors have been asked to keep the woods clean and tidy.

Litter baskets have been placed under the trees, but people still throw their rubbish everywhere.

Last Wednesday, I went for a walk in the woods.

What I saw made me very sad.

I counted seven old cars and three old refrigerators.

The litter baskets were empty and the ground was covered with pieces of paper, cigarette ends, old tyres, empty bottles and rusty tins.

Among the rubbish, I found a sign which said, ‘Anyone who leaves litter in these woods will be prosecuted.’