Have you made any mistakes?
"Oh, yes, a lot. Perhaps the biggest mistake was trying to sell our cakes and
chocolates over the internet. It was a disaster. First of all, it was expensive
to get a professionally designed website set up. Then it was difficult and
expensive to deliver cakes and chocolates to places that were far away. We had
to use special packaging to protect the cakes and chocolates, which was also
expensive. Sometimes, the chocolates arrived late, or despite everything they
were damaged. Then we had to deal with some very angry customers!"
What are your plans for the future?
"We are thinking of setting up our own shop in Torquay with cake and chocolate making facilities inside."
2. Why did Jane Turner start her business? Read aloud the extract which says
about it.
3. How did her chocolate business develop?
4. What mistakes did she make?
№13
1.Read the magazine article and say in 2—3 sentences what it is about.
MYSTERIOUS* DISAPPEARANCE
Agatha Christie wrote some of the best detective stories in English. Her own
life also contains a mystery that has only recently been solved.
The story began like this. At 9.45 pm on December 3rd 1926, Agatha Christie left her home in the south of England, saying that she was going out for a drive in her car. The next morning, her car was found quite far away crashed. The front end of the car was in some bushes, the headlights* were still on. Inside, there were only some women's clothes and Agatha Christie's driving license.
The detective in charge of the case, William Kenward immediately organized
a big search of the area. Policemen came from different parts of the country to
help in the search, even some famous detective writers were asked to help.
Archie Christie, Agatha's husband, told everyone that his wife was suffering
from amnesia*. However, soon the police discovered that the marriage between
Archie and Agatha Christie was not a happy one, and that Archie and Agatha
were having problems. But he could not admit that his marriage was in trouble
because people might have thought that he had had something to do with her
disappearance.
At this point, the police received a letter. In the letter, Agatha told Archie's
brother that she was going away to rest in Yorkshire, Harrogate. The police
now went there and looked for her at all the hotels. But they did not find
Agatha Christie as she had not checked in using her real name. Instead, she had
introduced herself as Neele, a visitor from South Africa.
The situation was very upsetting for the police as they didn't find her. Instead,
the musicians in the dance band at the hotel recognized her.
It was not an easy story to believe and most people did not in fact believe it.
But all what we know now is that she did not do it for publicity. She did it as
she was going through an unhappy time with her husband. Later, in fact, their
marriage broke up and they got divorced. However, her disappearance did make
Agatha Christie the most popular crime writer in the country.
- How did the story begin? Read aloud the extract which says about it.
- What are the details of the police investigation?
- Why did Agatha Christie disappear according to the article?
№14
1. Read the article and say in 2—3 sentences what it is about.
HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY?
Research by Dutch scientists has shown that optimistic people are 50 % less
often suffer from heart disease than pessimistic people. Now scientists know
that positive attitudes produce chemical changes in the brain and body which
strengthen the immune system.
The connection between health and optimism is a complex one. There are
many factors involved. In general, optimistic people are better able to cope
with difficult situations. For example, they are usually sociable people with
lots of friends. When they have to face a difficulty in life, they have people near
them who can give help and emotional support. Optimistic people are also more
likely to have a healthy lifestyle than pessimistic people. All these things affect
a person's chances of coping with illness and of having success in life.
Optimists are open, sociable people with a sense of humour and a positive view
of things. So it is a way of thinking, behaving and feeling. Some people may be
natural optimists or pessimists. This raises the question of whether pessimistic
people can learn to become more optimistic.
There is a lot of evidence to show that it is possible to learn how to be optimistic.
Central to this idea is that we all have a choice about how we view life. Two
people may have to face the same serious problems. A pessimist would feel
negative and believe that the problem could not be solved. An optimist would
examine the situation and try to find a solution. If it is true that we have a
choice about which attitude to take, then experts say we can learn to become
an optimist.
Max More, who describes himself as a dynamic* optimist, writes: "Developing a strong, practical optimistic attitude is one of the best ways of creating personal
power. A complete dynamic optimist cannot be stopped. He cannot be pushed
aside. He will respond to all obstacles, all problems with calmness and will try
to solve these problems creatively. Our way of life will be affected depending
on whether we are optimists or pessimists."
2. Max More is a dynamic optimist. Read aloud the extract which says about it.
3. What are the advantages of being an optimist?
4. Which facts prove that people can learn how to be optimistic?
№15
1.Read the magazine article and say in 2—3 sentences what it is about.
A lawyer
юрист
Idyllic
