Lesson 55 Not a gold mine
What did the team find? Dreams of finding lost treasure almost came true recently.
A new machine called 'The Revealer' has been invented and it has been used to detect
gold which has been buried in the ground. The machine was used in a cave near the seashore
where, it is said, pirates used to hide gold. The pirates would often bury gold in the
cave and then fail to collect it. Armed with the new machine, a search party went into
the cave hoping to find buried treasure. The leader of the party was examining the soil
near the entrance to the cave when the machine showed that there was gold under
the ground. Very excited, the party dug a hole two feet deep. They finally found a small
gold coin which was almost worthless. The party then searched the whole cave thoroughly
but did not find anything except an empty tin trunk. In spite of this, many people are
confident that 'The Revealer' may reveal something of value fairly soon.
Lesson 56 Faster than sound
How fast did the winning car go? Once a year, a race is held for old cars.
A lot of cars entered for this race last year and there was a great deal of excitement
just before it began. One of the most handsome cars was a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost.
The most unusual car was a Benz which had only three wheels. Built in 1885, it was the
oldest car taking part. After a great many loud explosions, the race began. Many of
the cars broke down on the course and some drivers spent more time under their cars
than in them. A few cars, however, completed the race. The winning car reached a speed
of forty miles an hour-much faster than any of its rivals. It sped downhill at the end
of the race and its driver had a lot of trouble trying to stop it.
The race gave everyone a great deal of pleasure.
It was very different from modern car races but no less exciting.
Lesson 57 Can I help you, madam?
Did the woman get what she wanted? A woman in jeans stood at the window of
an expensive shop. Though she hesitated for a moment, she finally went in and asked
to see a dress that was in the window. The assistant who served her did not like the
way she was dressed. Glancing at her scornfully, he told her that the dress was sold. The
woman walked out of the shop angrily and decided to punish the assistant next day.
She returned to the shop the following morning dressed in a fur coat, with a handbag
in one hand and a long umbrella in the other. After seeking out the rude assistant,
she asked for the same dress. Not realizing who she was, the assistant was eager to
serve her this time. With great difficulty, he climbed into the shop window to get
the dress. As soon as she saw it, the woman said she did not like it.
She enjoyed herself making the assistant bring almost everything in the window
before finally buying the dress she had first asked for.