| 1 |
a few years ago, Robert Monagham, from Ballymena in Northern Ireland, had a very bad day. |
| 2 |
he was crossing the road near his home when a van hit him. |
| 3 |
while he was getting to his feet, another car ran him over and then drove away. |
| 4 |
some people who had been walking past stopped to help Robert. |
| 5 |
they called an ambulance arrived, everyone stepped back. |
| 6 |
everyone except Robert, who didn't realise what everyone had been waiting for and was run over by the ambulance. |
| 7 |
propose to someone. |
| 8 |
i knew that Rory had been trying to find a new job for ajes. |
| 9 |
my brother called while i was watching football. |
| 10 |
Robin and Cecilia hadn't been going/hadn't gone out together for very long when he proposed to her. |
| 11 |
when i got home, i realised that i'd left my mobile at work. |
| 12 |
by the time the others arrived, we had already waited/had already been waiting for over two hours. |
| 13 |
while Angela was walking home, she met an old school friend that she hadn't seen for years. |
| 14 |
a young couple from Bristol, UK, were having terrible problems with their marriage. |
| 15 |
they'd been having arguments almost every day for the last six months, mainly caused by the husband's terrible moods. |
| 16 |
one morning, just before he set off on a three-week business trip, he told his wife that he couldn't stand living with her any more and the marriage was over. |
| 17 |
he also told her that she should get out of his house by the time he got back. |
| 18 |
when he arrived home three weeks later his wife had gone, but she'd left the house in a terrible mess. |
| 19 |
while he was clearing up, he noticed that the phone was off the hook. |
| 20 |
he put it back and thought no more about it. |
| 21 |
a few weeks later the phone bill arrived. |
| 22 |
it was enormous -- over $3000 and he couldn't work out why. |
| 23 |
he immediately called the telephone company to complaind, but was told that the bill was correct. |
| 24 |
it turned out that the phone had been connected to the speaking clock in Australia for a three-week period. |
| 25 |
the wife had played a very expensive trick on her husband and got away with it. |
| 26 |
in 1987 the world's best sailors were competing in the America's Cup yaucht race off the coast of Freemantle, in Western Australia. |
| 27 |
one day, one of the sailors went for a drive in the outback and accidentally ran over the kangaroo. |
| 28 |
the sailor got out and leaned the dead kangaroo against the side of the car. |
| 29 |
then he decided to put his America's Cup team jacket on the animal and take a few pictures to show his friends. |
| 30 |
however, it turned out, that the accident hadn't killed the animal. |
| 31 |
it had only knocked it out. |
| 32 |
while the sailor was taking some photos, the kangaroo came round. |
| 33 |
realising that sth was wrong, the animal immediately ran away. |
| 34 |
taking the sailor's jacket, his passport, 3 credit cards and $1000 cash with it. |
| 35 |
Cecilia Ahern, whose first book became an instant best-seller, was born in Dublin in 1981. |
| 36 |
Cecilia was just 21 when she wrote PS, I love you, which is about Holly, a young woman whose 30-year-old husband dies, but leaves her one last gift. |
| 37 |
the gift is a series of letters, which he tells her to open on the first day of each month. |
| 38 |
the letters, which are meant to help Holly through her grief, encourage her to go on a trip of a lifetime. |
| 39 |
in 2010, Cecelia, now a wealthy author, married her long-time love David Keoghan. |
| 40 |
they got married at a surprise ceremony, where the guests were amazed to find themselves at a wedding and not a christening as they'd been told. |
| 41 |
the bride's father, Bertie Ahern, who is a former Prime Minister of Ireland, proudly walked Cecelia down the aisle. |
| 42 |
among the guests was her brother-in-law, Nicky Byrne, who is a member of the famous pop group, Westlife. |
| 43 |
it was a wedding scenario that Cecelia might have written for one of her own novels. |
| 44 |
Stephen King, who came from a very poor family, began selling stories to friends at school when he was just 12. |
| 45 |
these stories, which he sold for 25 cents, were the beginning of a writing career that has made King the most successful American author in history. |
| 46 |
his first major success came when his manuscript for a book called Carrie was accepted by a publisher in 1973. |
| 47 |
Carrie is about a shy high-school girl whose life is made miserable by other students bullying and making fun of her. |
| 48 |
Carrie then discovers that she has psychic powers, which she uses to seek her revenge. |
| 49 |
all those who were cruel to her are made to suffer. |
| 50 |
Carrie was the book that made King famous, but it almost didn't get published. |
| 51 |
King was disappointed in the manuscript and abandoned it. |
| 52 |
one day, his wife was emptying a bin where King had thrown the manuscript and instead of throwing it out she read it and persuaded her husband to finish it. |
| 53 |
the publishers gave King $2500 advance payment for the manuscript. |
| 54 |
now King's estimated annual income is said to be around $40 million. |
| 55 |
a man from North Karolina had been searching for a special make of cigar. |
| 56 |
and eventually he bought a box of 24. |
| 57 |
he insured them against theft, fire and water damage. |
| 58 |
within a month had smoked all of them. |
| 59 |
he then made an insurance claim saying he'd lost the cigar in a series of small fires. |
| 60 |
the insurance company refused to pay. |
| 61 |
knowing the man had obviously smoked the cigars. |
| 62 |
the man sued the insurance company and won. |
| 63 |
the judge ruled that because the insurers hadn't specified what kind of fire would be unacceptable, the man's claim was valid. |
| 64 |
the insurance company paid the man $15 000. |
| 65 |
but the man didn't get away with it. |
| 66 |
after he cashed his cheque, the insurance company told the police what had happened and the man was arrested on 24 counts of arson. |
| 67 |
he was fined $24 000 and faced a 24-month prison sentence. |
| 68 |
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which is the first book in Larsson's Millenium trilogy, has sold over 30 million copies. |
| 69 |
it's about Mikael Blomkvist. |
| 70 |
a journalist, who is hired by an old man to investigate the disappearance of his grand-niece. |
| 71 |
Blomkvist teams up with the young anarchist, Lisabet Salander, whose computer hacking skills help Blomkvist get the information (that/which) he's been looking for. |
| 72 |
but this is just the beginning of many adventures that/which deepen their friendship. |
| 73 |
Larsson, who was an investigative journalist himself, tragically died without ever knowing of his success. |
| 74 |
one day, shortly after delivering his final manuscript to the publisher, he went to the building where he worked and was forced to take the stairs because the lift wasn't working. |
| 75 |
Larsson, who was a heavy smoker, died of a heart attack when he got to the 7th floor. |
| 76 |
this book, which was about the American Civil War, was made into a famous film. |
| 77 |
the Shakespeare play is about two lovers whose families hate each other. |
| 78 |
the place where this modern novel takes place is Paris. |
| 79 |
this is novel, which is by the Russian writer Tolstoy, is extremely long. |
| 80 |
this book, whose hero is a vampire, is very popular with teenagers. |
| 81 |
the novel that i love the best was written by a Frenchman called Flaubert. |
| 82 |
what exactly is a reading group? |
| 83 |
well, it's basically a few people who meet from time to time to talk about what they liked and disliked about books (which) they've all read. |
| 84 |
what made you decide to set one up? |
| 85 |
i think the main reason (that) we started it was to provide a focus for people to meet and talk about sth other than their work or family. |
| 86 |
and what kind of people do you invite? |
| 87 |
oh, the people who come range from young mums to professional writers. |
| 88 |
who decides on the books (that) you're going to read? |
| 89 |
we all do. whoever comes to the meeting decides on one to read next time. |
| 90 |
the number of meetings (that) we have will depend on how busy we all are. |
| 91 |
no more than one a month. |
| 92 |
do you ever invite guest speakers? |
| 93 |
we do occassionally invite someone whose book we find particularly interesting, but only if they live fairly near. |
| 94 |
a book that i really used to love when i was a child was Black Beauty. |
| 95 |
it's a story which/that takes place in 19th century England at a time when people were often cruelt to animals. |
| 96 |
it's a kind of autobiography written from the horse's point of view about its experiences with a variety of owners. |
| 97 |
as a young horse, Black Beauty lives happily in a place where everyone is kind to him. |
| 98 |
unfortunately, when the owner has to go abroad, he sells him to a family who/that are not so kind. |
| 99 |
he goes on to have a lot of bad experiences, which is the sad part of the story, but it does all end happily in the end. |
| 100 |
although people think of it as a children's book, this is a novel that/which helped to influence thinking about the way we treat animals and so it's a book whose message is timeless. |
| 101 |
can i borrow that Steve Jobs biography? Jill was reading it last night ~ can i borrow that Steve Jobs biography (which/that) jil was reading last night. |
| 102 |
the novel is based on a true story. her mother told her the story ~ the novel is based on a true story (which/that) her mother told her. |
| 103 |
my son lent me this book. i'm trying to finish it before he gets back ~ my son lent me this book, which i'm trying to finish before he gets back. |
| 104 |
i know that woman. she's giving a reading from her book tonight ~ |
| 105 |
i know the women who is giving tonight's book reading. |
| 106 |
did you read that paperback? i lent it to you last week ~ did you read that paperback that/which i lent (to) you last week? |
| 107 |
Jacqueline Wilson is a writer. her books are read by millions of young girls all over the world ~ Jacqueline Wilson is a writer whose books are read by millions of young girls all over the world. |
| 108 |
which comedy programmes or commedians do you find funny? |
| 109 |
do people in you country play practical jokes on one another? |
| 110 |
is there a special day in your country when people play practical jokes on each other? |
| 111 |
why would the left-handed Whopper benefit left-handed people? |
| 112 |
what would the whistling carrot tell you? |
| 113 |
what illusion would the nylon stocking create? |
| 114 |
why wouldn't you need a mouse or keypad with Mental Plex and Gmail Motion? |
| 115 |
most people know that April 1st is called April Fool's Day because we often play practical jokes on each other on this day. |
| 116 |
however, it's not just friends and family you have to beware of - some big companies also do their best to fool the public. |
| 117 |
in 1998 Burger King published an ad in USA today announcing a new item for their menu - the left-handed Whopper. |
| 118 |
this was the same as a normal Whopper, apart from one thing - the burger itself was rotated 180 so that the ketchup would drip out of the right side of the burger instead of coming out of the left. |
| 119 |
the ad fooled thousands of people, despite being published on April Fool's Day. |
| 120 |
in 2002, the British supermarket chain, Tesco, advertised a "whistling carrot". |
| 121 |
the ad explained that the carrot had been genetically engineered to grow with air holes down the side so that it would start whistling when it was fully cooked. |
| 122 |
another famous April Fool's Day joke, this time from 1962, comes from Sweden. |
| 123 |
it was announced on the news that it had become possible to watch colour programmes on black and white TVs because of some new technology the TV station had invented. |
| 124 |
people were told to pull a nylon stocking over the screen so they would be able to watch the programmes in colour. |
| 125 |
since almost everyone in Sweden had a black and white TV in those days, hundreds of thousands of people tried to do this, even though the news was broadcast on the morning of April 1st. |
| 126 |
whereas many of the media's practical jokes are limited to one country, Google wen global with its first April Fool's joke in 2000, claiming you could use telepathy to contol its search engine. |
| 127 |
all you had to do was stare into the Mental Plex. |
| 128 |
a spinning disc on the screen. |
| 129 |
and create a mental image of what you wanted the search engine to find. |
| 130 |
another Google April Fool's joke was Gmail Motion, which was launched on youtube on 1st April 2011. |
| 131 |
they claimed that due to a technological breakthrough, rather than using outdated equipment such as a mouse or trackpad you could now control emails with your body. |
| 132 |
for example, pointing your thumbs backwards over your shoulders would signal 'reply all'. |
| 133 |
as people were already familiar with games which are contolled by bode movements, Gmail Motion seemed quite believable. |
| 134 |
we may all like to think that we couldn't be fooled by pranks like these. |
| 135 |
nevertheless, be careful, next year's April Fool just might be you. |
| 136 |
the story of guy Goma is not one of stupidity. |
| 137 |
a former taxi driver from the French Congo, Mr Goma was at the BBC TV centre for an interview, in the hope of becoming an IT assistant. |
| 138 |
so when a producer came up to him and said, "Guy Kewney, isn't it? About the IT thing?" |
| 139 |
he agreed, because he thought she had just pronounced his surname badly. |
| 140 |
Mr Goma, had taught himself English after he moved to England four years previously, was rushed into a studio, where he found himself in front of the cameras, having questions thrown at him. |
| 141 |
how could he know that the man who'd been sitting on a nearby sofa was also called Guy? |
| 142 |
in fact Guy Kewney was an IT expert, who was waiting to go on live tv to be interviewed about a legal dispute with Apple computers. |
| 143 |
"it all happened so fast," Goma told The Sun newspaper. |
| 144 |
i had just signed my name in reception when someone said 'Follow me'. |
| 145 |
she was walking so fast that i had to jog to keep up with her. |
| 146 |
even though a lady put some make up on me and i was fitted with a microphone, i just thought it was all part of the job interview. |
| 147 |
when i realised i was on air, what could i do? |
| 148 |
i just tried to answer the questions and stay calm. |
| 149 |
viewers of the most-watched TV interview in months - it was posted on youtube - have reacted with a mixture of delight and sympathy to the key moment when the BBC's Karen Bowerman introduced Goma as 'Guy Kewney, head of newswireless.net. |
| 150 |
across his expressive face flit a dozen expressions in a second. |
| 151 |
mainly shock, fear, guilt and embarrassment. |
| 152 |
as he wondered what to do next. |
| 153 |
however, instead of saying there had been a mistake, he answered three questions before the BBC staff became aware of what had happened and brought the item to an early close. |
| 154 |
Mr Goma was finally taken to his interview for the IT post, but despite going such a bad experience, he didn't get the job. |
| 155 |
nevertheless, Mr Goma is now in demand as a celebrity, since hundreds of thousands of people have now watched his television appearance online. |
| 156 |
a woman from California had been trying to get rid of all the bugs in her home for years, but without success. |
| 157 |
then, in December 2001, she bought 19 'bug bombs' which are designed to spread insecticide over a wide area. |
| 158 |
she put all the bug bombs in her house. |
| 159 |
but unfortunately she hadn't read the instructions which warned that no more than one bomb should be used at any one time. |
| 160 |
and they should never be used indoors. |
| 161 |
all 19 bug bombs went off at the same time. |
| 162 |
completely destroying the building and causing over $150 000 worth of damage. |
| 163 |
a number of bugs were also hurt. |
| 164 |
i've always wanted to go to Canada. i can't possibly afford it. ~ i've always wanted to go to Canada. however, i can't possibly afford it. |
| 165 |
i felt tired. i went jogging in the park. ~ in spite of feeling tired, i went jogging in the park. i went jogging in the park in spite of feeling tired. |
| 166 |
i'm fascinated by pOlitics. i could never be a politician. ~ even though i'm fascinated by pOlitics, i could never be a politician. / i could never be a politician, even though i'm fascinated by politics. |
| 167 |
i love watching motor racing. my friend prefers watching basketball. ~ whereas i love watching motor racing, my friend prefers watching basketball. / i love watching motor racing, whereas my friend prefers watching basketball. |
| 168 |
i rarely stay up late. i have to get up at 7 a.m. every day ~ i rarely stay up late as i have to get up at 7 a.m. every day. / as i have to get up at 7 a.m. every day, i rarely stay up late. |
| 169 |
it took absolutely ages to get home last night. the traffic was bad. ~ due to the bad traffic, it took absolutely ages to get home last night. / it took absolutely ages to get home last night due to the bad traffic. |
| 170 |
i sometimes just have a sandwich for supper. i don't always cook. ~ instead of cooking, i sometimes just have a sandwich for supper. / i sometimes just have a sandwich for supper instead of cooking. |
| 171 |
------------------ |
| 172 |
Steve had always wanted to set off to Australia because he had been dreaming about sea voyage since his childhood. |
| 173 |
he managed to persuade his family to come with him, even though Alice were against. |
| 174 |
at first everyone was having a great time, apart from Penny, who were suffering from seasickness. |
| 175 |
then one day there was a terrible storm. |
| 176 |
during the storm Steve and his family removed the sails. The yacht got more stable, but not enogh. |
| 177 |
all of a sudden the boat started filling up with water because waves of the ocean were getting higher and higher. |
| 178 |
Steve discovered that they couldn't radio for help as the radiostaion fell down and broke. |
| 179 |
luckily, Penny spotted an island close by, so the family changed their course to the island. |
| 180 |
all of the family were OK, except for Penny, who injured her leg during the storm. |
| 181 |
despite their situation, everyone was sure they got away with danger. |
| 182 |
the next day Steve tried to repair the boat and the radio. |
| 183 |
however, the boat was being restored. |
| 184 |
meanwhile, Alice and James began searching the island looking for drinking water and food. |
| 185 |
penny couldn't go far due to her wounded leg so she was just lying instead. |
| 186 |
since they didn't have any spare food, they survived on fish and local flora and fauna. |
| 187 |
and in the evenings instead of usual dinner, they ate crabs and shellfish. |
| 188 |
James was enjoying life on the island, whereas the others wanted to return home as soon as possible. |
| 189 |
and although Alice felt well, she was becoming very concerned about Penny's leg. |
| 190 |
after the family had been living on the island for a few days, Steve found that the island was on the active volcano. |
| 191 |
he realised that they had to get off the island as soon as possible, because like in the adventurous novel 'The Mysterious island' people could die due to the volcanic eruption. |
| 192 |
so yes, i got two new clients, so it was a pretty successful trip. |
| 193 |
by the way, how was trip to Poland? |
| 194 |
fine, when i got there. |
| 195 |
what do you mean when you got there? |
| 196 |
did you miss the flight? |
| 197 |
actually, i got to Heathrow in plenty of time because it was such an important meeting. |
| 198 |
i even did a bit of shopping. |
| 199 |
had a bite to eat and when i'd finished that the departure gates still wasn't up on the screen. |
| 200 |
so i took out my iPad and started going through my emails. |
| 201 |
there were loads of them, anyway. |
| 202 |
i just didn't hear them call my flight. |
| 203 |
but you didn't miss the plane. |
| 204 |
no, but i almost wish i had. |
| 205 |
suddenly i heard. |
| 206 |
this is the last call for Ms Gillian Cook. |
| 207 |
please proceed to gate 25 immediately. |
| 208 |
and gate 25 was miles away. |
| 209 |
meanwhile, everyone else was sitting on the plane waiting for me. |
| 210 |
so they were holding the plane for you? i guess so. |
| 211 |
anyway, when i got to the gate, there was no one there, not even anyone from the airline. |
| 212 |
so i went through and there were two possible directions. |
| 213 |
one down some stairs and one along a corridor. |
| 214 |
i went down the stairs and found myself on the tormac. |
| 215 |
and there was a small set of steps going up to the plane. |
| 216 |
hi, i'm home. |
| 217 |
have you had a good day? | no, not really. |
| 218 |
actually, it's been a bit of a nightmare. |
| 219 |
what's happened? | well, first i waited in all morning for the new tv to be delivered, but they never turned up. |
| 220 |
i don't believe it. |
| 221 |
hadn't they promised to be here today? |
| 222 |
yeah, but i'm not suprised to be honest. |
| 223 |
they'd already changed the date of the delivery twice. |
| 224 |
they're so disorganised. i was pretty angry, though | i bet you were. |
| 225 |
anyway, i called them and they said they'd definitely be here next wednesday. |
| 226 |
next wednesday. you must be joking! |
| 227 |
that's the earliest, they could do, they said. |
| 228 |
i told them if they didn't turn up next time i'd cansel the order. |
| 229 |
quite right too. that tv costs a fortune. |
| 230 |
my laptop crashed while i was on the internet. |
| 231 |
i think it's got a virus. |
| 232 |
didn't you installe that anti-virus software? |
| 233 |
not exactly, no. |
| 234 |
well, no wonder you've got a virus. |
| 235 |
i'll have a look at it later if you like. |
| 236 |
i got a call from Jack's teacher. | not again. |
| 237 |
what did he do this time? |
| 238 |
he was caught fighting during the break. | you're kiddin. |
| 239 |
that boy drives me crazy sometimes. |
| 240 |
i keep telling him to stay out of problem. |
| 241 |
why on earth doesn't he listen to me? |
| 242 |
he said that the other boy started this. |
| 243 |
well, he would say that, wouldn't he? |
| 244 |
he could be telling the truth, of course. | yes, perhaps. |
| 245 |
i'll go and talk to him a bit. |
| 246 |
where's him? | in his room. |
| 247 |
there was one piece of good news. |
| 248 |
Eddy called | you mean your brother Eddy? |
| 249 |
guess what? he's going to Gstaad in Switzerland. |
| 250 |
well, that's fantastic news. |
| 251 |
i didn't think he had any money. |
| 252 |
he doesn't. he's going to work there. bar work, i think. |
| 253 |
anyway, he says he needs a break from goting to auditions and being rejected all the time. |
| 254 |
he's been to quite a few auditions recently and he hasn't got a single acting job. |
| 255 |
it's a bit of a problem being his brother-in-law and his agent. |
| 256 |
i wish i could help more. |
| 257 |
did you ask him to come to the barbecue this weekend? |
| 258 |
no, i forgot. i'll call him again later. |
| 259 |
anyway, i'm dying for a cup of tea. do you want one? |
| 260 |
is there anything to eat? i'm starving. |
| 261 |
dinner is in the oven. |
| 262 |
guess what? one of my actors has just got a film contract in CAnada. | wow, that's fantastic news! |
| 263 |
yes, i'm over the moon about it. | i can imagine. no wonder you look so happy. |
| 264 |
and don't forget i get 10 % of what he earns. | you're kidding/joking. |
| 265 |
but wasn't that the job Eddy wanted? | yes, it was. but i'm not surprised he didn't get it, to be honest. |
| 266 |
he wasn't really right for the part. |
| 267 |
but he was still upset. | i bet he was. so i'm glad he's going to Gstaad. |
| 268 |
now there's an idea. |
| 269 |
aren't you due some holiday? | yes, i am. why? |
| 270 |
we could go skiing in Gstaad. | you must be joking!/kidding! That'll cost a fortune. |
| 271 |
Justin and Mary are getting married. | i don't believe it / you're kidding. last week they weren't speaking to each other. |
| 272 |
Sally's boss fired her today. | you must be joking / why on earth did he do that? he'll never find anyone as good as her. |
| 273 |
Ian said it wasn't his fault that we missed the plane | he would say that, wouldn't he? / yes, i bet he did. it's never his fault, is it? | i'm not surprised, to be honest / yes, i can imagine. they've been having problems for ages. |
| 274 |
i'm freezing | i ber you are / well, no wonder you're cold. you didn't bring a coat. |
| 275 |
shall i make you a sandwich? | i'd love one. i'm starving. |
| 276 |
i think you need a break. i'll look after the kids | would you? they've been driving me crazy all day. |
| 277 |
are those shoes too small for you? | i think they must be. my feet are killing me. |
| 278 |
what was the motorway like on the way back? | very busy. it was a complete nightmare. |
| 279 |
will you be late home again? | i'm afraid so. this work is taking forever. |
| 280 |
can i get you some water? | please. i'm dying for a drink. |
| 281 |
did you buy that dress in the end? | no. it was lovely but it cost a fortune. |
| 282 |
could you give me a hand moving this cupboard? | sorry, i've tried but it weighs a ton. |
| 283 |
Clare seems very happy today. | yes, she's over the moon about passing her driving test. |
| 284 |
surely you're not frightened of spiders? | i'm absolutely scared stiff. |
| 285 |
did you have a good evening? | no, i didn't. Mike was late back and i was going out of my mind with worry. |
| 286 |
were you surprised by the lovely things they said about you? | surprised? i was completely speechless. |
| 287 |
sorry i'm late. my car broke down. | oh no, not again! that's the third time this week. |
| 288 |
i know. anyway, it took the mechanic two hours to arrive, so i was a bit annoyed, to say the least. |
| 289 |
i bet you were. would i have been! did he have an excuse? |
| 290 |
not really. he just said it wasn't his fault. | he would say that, wouldn't he? did he manage to fix it? |
| 291 |
he did. but i'm sick of the car now, to be honest i'm going to get a new one. how are you, anyway? |
| 292 |
great, actually. i've just heard i've got a place at university. |
| 293 |
wow! that's fantastic news! well done. |
| 294 |
i can imagine. let's go and celebrate. |
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