Lesson 25 Do the English speak English?
Why does the writer not understand the porter?
I arrived in London at last. The railway station was big, black and dark. I did not know
the way to my hotel, so I asked a porter. I not only spoke English very carefully, but
very clearly as well. The porter, however, could not understand me. I repeated my
question several times and at last he understood. he answered me, but he spoke neither
slowly nor clearly. I am a foreigner, I said. Then he spoke slowly, but I could not
understand him. My teacher never spoke English like that! The porter and I looked at
each other and smiled. Then he said something and I understood it. You'll soon learn
English, he said. I wonder. In England, each person speaks a different language.
The English understand each other, but I don't understand them!
Do they speak English?
Lesson 26 The best art critics
Who is the student's best critic?
I am an art student and I paint a lot of pictures. Many people pretend that they
understand modern art. They always tell you what a picture is 'about'. Of course,
many pictures are not 'about' anything. They are just pretty patterns. We like them
in the same way that we like pretty curtain material. I think that young children
often appreciate modern pictures better than anyone else. They notice more. My sister
is only seven, but she always tells me whether my pictures are good or not. She came into
my room yesterday. What are you doing? she asked.
I'm hanging this picture on the wall, I answered. It's a new one. Do you like it? She
looked at it critically for a moment. It's all right, she said, but isn't it upside down?
Lesson 27 A wet night
What happened to the boys in the night?
Late in the afternoon, the boys put up their tent in the middle of a field.
As soon as this was done, they cooked a meal over an open fire. They were all hungry
and the food smelled good. After a wonderful meal, they told stories and sang songs
by the campfire. But some time later it began to rain. The boys felt tired so they put out
the fire and crept into their tent. Their sleeping bags were warm and comfortable,
so they all slept soundly. In the middle of the night, two boys woke up and began
shouting. The tent was full of water! They all leapt out of their sleeping bags and
hurried outside. It was raining heavily and they found that a stream had formed in the
field. The stream wound its way across the field and then flowed right under their tent!