Hot Snake

At least firemen have put out a big forest fire in California. Since then, they have been trying to find out how the fire began. Forest fires are often caused by broken glass or by cigarette ends which people carelessly throw away. Yesterday the firemen examined the ground carefully, but were not able to find any broken glass. They were also quiete sure that a cigarette end did not start the fire. This morning, however, a firemen accidently discovered the cause. He noticed the remains of a snake which was wound round the electric wires of a 16,000-volt power line. In this way, he was able to solve the mystery. The explanation wa simple but very unusual. A bird had snatched up the snake from the ground and then dropped it on to the wires. The snake then wound itself round the wires. When it did so, it sent sparks down to the ground and these immediatly started a fire.

A Pretty Carpet

We have just moved into a new house and I have been working hard al mornig. I have been trying to get my new room in order. This has not been easy because I own over a thousand books. To make matters worse, the room is rather small, so I have temporarily put my books on the floor. At the momment, they cover every inch of floor space and I actually have to walk on them to get in or out of the room. A short while ago, my sister helped me to carry one of my old bookcase up the stairs. She went into my room and got a big surprise when she saw all those books on the floor. 'This is the prettiest capet I have ever seen,' she said. she gazed at it for some time then added,'You don't need bookcase at all. You can sit here in your spare time and read the carpet!'

Reward for Virtue

My friend, Herbert, hasalways been fat, but things got so bad recently that he decided to go on diet. He began his diet a week ago. First of all, he wrote out a long list of all the foods which were forbidden. The list included most of the things Herbert loves : butter, potatoes, rice, beer, milk, chocolate, and seewts. Yesterday I paid him a visit. I rang the bell and was not suprised to see that Herbert was still as fat as ever. He led me into his room and hurriedly hid a large parcel under his desk. It was obvious that he was very embarassed. When I asked him what he was doing, he smiled guiltily and then put the parcel on the desk. He explained that his diet was so strict that he had to reward himself occasionally. Then he showed me the contents of the parcel. It contained five large bars of chocolate and three bags of sweets!

Taken for a Ride

I love travelling in the country, but I don't like losing my way. I went on an excursion recently, but my trip took me longer than I expected.

'I'm going to Woodford Green,' I said to the conductor as I got on the bus, ' but I don't know where it is.'

'I'll tell you where to het off,'answered the conductor.

I sat in the front of the countryside. After some time, the bus stopped. Looking round, Irealized with a shock that I was the only passenger left o the bus.

'You'll have to get off here,' the conductor said. 'That is as far we go.'

'Is this Woodford Green?' I asked.
'Oh dear,'said the conductor suddenly. 'I forget to put you off.'
'It doesn't matter,'I said.'I'll get off here.'
'We are going back now,'said the conductor.
'Well, in the case, I would prefer to stay on the bus,'I answered.

The End of Dream

Tired of sleeping on the floor, a young man in Teheran saved up for years to buy a real bed. For the first time in his life, he became the proud owner of a bed which had springs and a mattress. Because the weather was very hot , he carried the bed on to the roof of his house. He slept very well for the first two nights, but on the third night, a storm blew up. A gust of wind swept the bed off the roof and sent it crashing into the courtyard below. The young man did not wake up unto the bed had struck the ground. Although the bed was smashed to pieces, the man was

miraculously unhurt. When he woke up, he was still on the mattress. Glancing at the bits of wood and metal that lay arund him, the man sadly picked up the mattress and carried it into his house. After he had put it into the floor, he promptly went to sleep again.

In Bahasa :

Akhir Sebuah Mimpi

Lelah tidur di atas lantai, seorang lelaki muda di Teheran menabung bertahun-tahun untuk membeli sebuah tempat tidur. Untuk pertamakalinya di dalam hidupnya, Ia menjadi bangga sebagai pemilik sebuah tempat tidur yang ada per dan kasurnya. Dikarenakan cuaca sangat panas, Dia membawa tempat tidur itu ke atas atap rumahnya. Dia tidur nyenyak di malam-malam pertama, tetapi di malam yang ke tiga, sebuah angin badai bertiup. Sebuah hembusan angin yang besar menyapu tempat tidur yang di atas itu dan membawanya ke halaman yang berada di bawahnya. Lelaki muda itu tidak bangun hingga tempat tidurnya membentur tanah. Walaupun tempat tidurnya telah terbelah menjadi dua bagian, ajaibnya lelaki itu tidak terluka. Ketika ia terbangun, dia masih di atas kasur. Pukulan kepingan kayu dan logam yang terletak di sekitarnya, lelaki itu dengan sedih mengangkat kasur itu dan membawanya ke dalam rumahnya. Setelah Dia meletakannya di atas lantai, dengan cepat ia tidur lagi.

Comprehension and Precis

Answer these questions in not more than 80 words.

1. What did a young man in Teheran buy for the first time in his life?
2. Was the weather hot or cold? Did he sleep on the roof of his house or not? (Because)
3. Was the bed swept off the roof during a storm three nights later or not?
4. Was the man unhurt, or was he seriously injured? Was he still on his mattress or not? (not only...but)
5. Was the bed in pieces or not? Did he carry the mattress indoors or not? Where did he put it? Did he go back to sleep or did he stay awake? (As...and)