Angļu valoda DU TSC
Nākamais: CONTENTS Augstāk: ang1 Iepriekšējais: THE LOVE DRUG

Read the story and get a general idea.

POST HASTE

"I say, I'm pleased to see you," said the little man standing by the letter-box.

"Oh, hallo," I said, stopping. "Simpson, isn't it?"

The Simpsons were newcomers to the town.

"Yes, that's right," answered Simpson.

"I wonder if you could lend me some money." I put my hand into my pocket. There were no money at all. "You see," he continued, "my wife gave me a letter to post, and I've just noticed it isn't stamped. It must go tonight - it really must. And I don't think the post-office will be open at this time of night, do you?"

It was about eleven o'clock and I agreed that it wouldn't.

"Yes, well," I said, intending to move off. But he looked so unhappy that I really couldn't leave him alone.

"I'll tell you what," I said, "You better walk alone with me to my place and I'll try to find some change for you there."

"It's really very good of you," said Simpson.

At home we managed to find the money he needed. He thanked me and left. I watched him take several steps up the street and then return to me.

"I say, I'm sorry to trouble you again," he said. "The fact is we are still quite strangers here and - well, I'm rather lost, to tell you the truth. Will you tell me the way to the post-office?"

I did my best. But he couldn't understand anything and I had to lead the way to the post-office. Simpson put a penny into the automatic stamp-machine. The coin passed through the machine but with no result.

"It's empty," I explained.

Simpson was so nervous that he dropped the letter on the ground and when he picked it up there was a large black spot on its face.

"Dear me," he said. "My wife told me to post the letter tonight. After all it's not so important but you don't know my wife. I had better post it now."

Suddenly I remember that I had a book of stamps at home. "It will be posted," I said. "But we'd better hurry, or we'll miss the midnight collection."

It took rather a long time to find the book of stamps. But when we found it we saw after all that it was empty. The last thing I could advise him to do was to post the letter unstamped.

"Let the other man pay double postage on it in the morning."

I accompanied him to the post-office in time for the midnight collection. He dropped in his letter, and then, to finish off my job, I took him home.

"I'm so grateful to you, really," he said when we reached his home. "That letter - it's only an invitation to dinner, to Mr. ... Dear me!"

"Why, what's the matter?"

"Nothing. Just something I've remembered."

"What?"

But he didn't tell me. He just opened his eyes and his mouth at me like a wounded goldfish, hurriedly said "Good night," and went inside.

All the way home I was wondering what it was he had remembered.

But I stopped wondering the next morning when I had to pay the postman double postage for a blue envelope with a large black spot on its face.

EXERCISES

I Learn and practise the pronunciation of the following vocabulary.

1. I say - paklausieties - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{ļīńėóųąéņå}}$

2. I'm pleased - es esmu priecīgs - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{˙ šąä}}$

3. a letter-box - pastkastīte - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{ļī÷ņīāūé ˙łčź}}$

4. a newcomer - jaunatnācējs - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{ķīāč÷īź}}$

5. I wonder - interesanti - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{čķņåšåńķī}}$

6. to lend - aizdot - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{äąņü āēąéģū}}$

7. to post a letter - nosūtīt vēstuli - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{īņļšąāčņü ļčńüģī}}$

8. to notice - pamanīt - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{ēąģå÷ąņü}}$

9. to stamp - pielīmēt marku - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{ļščźėåčņü ģąšźó}}$

10. a post-office - pasts - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{ļī÷ņą}}$

11. to intend - gatavoties - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{ķąģåšåāąņüń˙}}$

12. to move off - aiziet prom - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{óéņč}}$

13. change - sīknauda - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{ģåėī÷ü}}$

14. it's good of you - tas ir labi no tavas puses - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{ī÷åķü õīšīųī ń āąųåé ńņīšīķū }}$

15. to manage - mācēt - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{ńóģåņü}}$

16. to trouble - traucēt - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{įåńļīźīčņü}}$

17. to be lost - apmaldīties - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{ēąįėóäčņüń˙}}$

18. to tell the truth - taisnību sakot - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{ļī ļšąāäå ćīāīš˙}}$

19. a coin - monēta - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{ģīķåņą}}$

20. it's empty - tas ir tukšs - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{īķ ļóńņīé}}$

21. to be nervous - būt uztrauktam - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{įūņü āēāīėķīāąķķūģ}}$

22. to drop - nomest - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{óšīķčņü}}$

23. a spot - plankums - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{ļ˙ņķī}}$

24. Dear me! - Mans Dievs! - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{Įīęå ģīé!}}$

25. to advise - dot padomu - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{ļīńīāåņīāąņü}}$

26. to pay double postage - maksāt dubultcenu par vēstules nosūtīšanu - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{ēąļėąņčņü}}$ $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{äāīéķóž öåķó ēą īņļšąāźó ļčńüģą}}$

27. to be grateful - būt pateicīgam - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{įūņü įėąćīäąšķūģ}}$

28. an invitation - ielūgums - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{ļščćėąųåķčå}}$

29. a wounded goldfish - ievainota zelta zivtiņa - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{šąķåķķą˙ ēīėīņą˙ šūįźą }}$

30. to wonder - brīnīties - $\text{\selectlanguage{russian}\inputencoding{cp1251}{šąēäóģūāąņü}}$

II Answer the questions.

1. Whom did the author meet near the post-office?

2. What did the author know about the Simpsons?

3. Did Mr. Simpson want to lend much money?

4. Why did Mr. Simpson want to lend some money from the author?

5. Did the author have any money with him?

6. Where did the author invite Mr. Simpson?

7. Why did the author have to lead Mr. Simpson to the post-office?

8. Could Mr. Simpson get a stamp from the automatic stamp-machine?

9. Was Mr. Simpson quiet?

10. What happened to the envelope?

11. Were there any stamps in the author' s book of stamps?

12. What did the author advise Mr. Simpson to do?

13. Did Mr. Simpson tell the author what letter that was?

14. What did Mr. Simpson remember at the end?

15. Could the author understand everything the next morning?

III Read and reproduce the dialogues.

1.

S. I say, I'm pleased to see you.

A. Hallo! Simpson, isn't it?

S. Yes, that's right. I wonder if you could lend me some money?

A. Unfortunately, I have none with me.

S. You see, my wife gave me a letter to post, and I've just noticed that it isn't stamped.

A. Is it urgent?

S. Yes, it must go tonight, it really must. But will the post-office be open at this time of night?

A. I think, not. It's about 11 o'clock.

S. Help me, please.

A. I'll tell you what, you'd better walk along with me to my place. I'll try to find some change for you there.

S. But the automatic stamp-machine is empty.

2.

S. Dear me! My wife told me to post the letter tonight. After all it's not so important, but you don't know my wife. I had better post it now.

A. It will be posted. I have a book of stamps at home. But we'd better hurry, or we'll miss the midnight collection.

S. Oh, I'm so unhappy, the book of stamps is empty.

A. Post your letter, and that's it. Let the other man pay double postage on it in the morning.

S. I'm so grateful to you, really. That letter - it's only an invitation to dinner, to Mr. ... Dear me!

A. Why, what's the matter?

S. Nothing. Just something I've remembered.

A. What?

S. Just nothing.

IY Make up and act out dialogues, using the following vocabulary.

1. I say, I'm pleased, that's right, I wonder, to lend, unfortunately, to post a letter, to notice, to stamp, urgent, help me, please, some change, an automatic stamp-machine is empty.

2. Dear me, I had better, a book of stamps, to hurry, to miss, to be unhappy, to post, to pay double postage, to be grateful, invitation, What's the matter?

Y Prove it by the facts from the story.

1. Mr. Simpson was a very absent-minded man.

2. The author was helpful.

3. The two men understood each other nicely.

4. They tried hard to get a stamp.

5. The two men couldn't find a stamp.

6. Mr. Simpson was afraid of his wife.

7. There was no necessity to look for a stamp.

8. Mr. Simpson remembered at the end whom the letter was for.

9. The letter was not very important.

10. It was late at night.

YI Retell the story according to the given plan.

1. The author met Mr. Simpson near the post-office.

2. Mr. Simpson couldn't post a letter because it was not stamped.

3. The author helped him a lot in that.

4. The time was too late.

5. They went to the author's home twice.

6. At the end Mr. Simpson remembered whom the letter was for.

YII Topics for discussion.

1. What did you learn about Mr. Simpson's wife?

2. Speak on Mr. Simpson's family life.

3. What can you say about the author, his character, his hobbies etc.

4. Is this story humorous?

5. What places contain humour?

6. Make up a dialogue between the author and Mr. Simpson the next day.

7. Have you ever posted unstamped letters?

8. What party did Mr. Simpson invite the author to?

9. Describe the guests at the party.

10. Speak about the dishes they had.

Angļu valoda DU TSC
Nākamais: CONTENTS Augstāk: ang1 Iepriekšējais: THE LOVE DRUG