Vocabulary: coal – уголь; odd egg – тухлое яйцо.
Tenses to use: Present Simple, Past Simple, Past Continuous.
During my first week in Germany I couldn’t sleep because of cats. In the end, I (collect) a small arsenal – some pieces of coal, a few hard pears, a couple of candle ends, an empty bottle and an odd egg – and, opening the window, I (bombard) the place where the noise (come) from. I (not/think) I (hit) anything. But anyway, they (leave). I (go) to bed thinking that the accident (be) over.
Ten minutes later, I (hear) the door bell. I (go) to the door and (open) it. A policeman (stand) there. He (have) all the things I (throw) from the window in front of him. He (ask),
«These things (be) yours?»
«They (be) mine,» I (say), «But I (not/need) them any longer – you can have them.»
He (ignore) my offer and (say),
«You (throw) these things from the window.»
«You (be) right.»
«Why you (throw) these things from the window?» A German policeman (have) his order of questions; he never (vary) them.
«I (throw) them out of the window at some cats,» I (say).
«What cats?»
It (be) the sort of question that only a German policeman could ask. I (explain) that they (be) unknown to me, but I (offer) to recognize them by their voices if the police would invite all the cats from the area to my house.
The German policeman (not/understand) a joke. He (fine) me – that cat sport (cost) me twelve marks.
Answer the questions: What did the narrator do to stop cat waking him up? What did he try to explain the policeman? What was the result?
16. «Three Men on a Bummel» by Jerome K. Jerome
Vocabulary: phrase book – разговорник
Tenses to use: Present Simple, Past Simple, Past Continuous, Future Simple.
Two day before our trip to Germany, George (show) me a small red book. It (be) an English phrase book for German tourists. It (start) with «On a boat» and (end) with «At the Doctor’s». Some of the examples in the book (be) like this,
«Can you move a little, sir?» – «No, I can’t, madam, because the man next to me (be) very fat.»
George (say), «My idea (be) to get to London and do some shopping with the help of this book. I (buy) a hat and a pair of shoes. I (use) this book and (see) how people understand me.»
We (see) a large boot shop near Waterloo Station, and our experiment (begin). The shopkeeper (do) something with a pair of shoes when we (come). George (look) in the red book and (say),
«My friend, Mr X, (recommend) this shop to me.»
