The tortoise and the hare

There was once a hare who was always boasting of his speed. There is no one in the forest who can run as fast as I can, he told everyone, strutting up and down. Who wants to race me. The other animals were tired of hearing his boasting, but no one ever offered to race him until one day the turtle spoke up. I will race with you, he said in his slow way. The hare burst out laughing, and all the animals looked surprised, for everyone knew the turtle was the slowest of them all. Oho, chuckled the hare. That is a good joke. 

Why, I can beat you without half trying. Wait until you have won before you start to boast, said the turtle. 

So the race course was laid out, and all the animals gathered to see the start. The hare bounded off in  a great burst of speed that left the poor turtle far behind in the dust. Soon the hare looked back. Finding that he could not even see the turtle coming any more , he lay down in the shade of a big tree beside the road to wait a bit, just to make the finish of the race more exciting. 

But waiting made the hare sleepy, and he decided to snatch just a two-minute nap. The two minutes stretched on and on and still the hare slept in the shade of the big tree. All this time the turtle was plodding along the hot, dusty road. He came ever so slowly, but he kept right at it, and soon he passed the hare sleeping by the roadside. The turtle crawled past without making a sound to wake  the careless hare. 

When the hare finally woke up with a start, the line, far ahead, while all the animals stood by cheering. The hare had lost the race by being careless and cocky he could never boast again, and all the animals were glad of that.       

School is on its long journey and while I live in close contact to almost all my students I hear a lot of their daily stories. Mostly I feel sad and I would like to encourage each one of them this evening while giving the possibility to read the following lines:

Just enjoy reading and be your own judge.

It’s wonderful to be ‘man’, to be alive! To be an

ordinary person, to look at the sky, at the sun, at

the flowers and, in the evening, at the stars.

Watching children, laughing, playing, working,

hoping, loving, day-dreaming, being content, is a daily feast.

To be alive

To live simply and normally, to be good, not always

wanting everything, not to be jealous, not to nag or

complain, but to help, to do more, to comfort, to visit a 

sick person, to stand by if someone needs you, to make yourself tired for others, to fall off to sleep in a 

comfy chair, to eat and drink together… and all this

not because you must or because it’s important, but

because it makes sense to you, because you are

human, a fellow-man, because you’re alive.

Do you know the danger that threatens you these

days?

You live in the times of the ‘useful’. What purpose

does it serve? That’s what people ask. What use is

it? Will it pay? People weigh up the cost, the

efficiency and the end-product. People are busy.

People are pre-occupied. People are weighed down.

People calculate. Money must be the result. And

people forget that the beauty of life is found in

moments that are not calculated, when people are

living very ordinarily, very simply. People live longer

and longer but they are not happier and happier. They

begin by working in order to live and they end up working and forgetting to live. They haven’t grasped the essential thing in life. They still continue to believe that a person’s happiness lies in possessing more, eating well and living longer. In these days of so much

knowledge, how can people be so thick? Defend

yourself. You are not a machine made for one particular purpose. You are more than your function, more than your profession, your trade, your work.

You are first and foremost human, made to live, to

laugh, to have love, simply to be a good person.

And that is the only important thing in this world!

Hi there,

If you try to do the following exercises, the answers will be shown during your lesson in the class in the coming session.

fm

GERUND OR INFINITIVE

Q1 …… me if I’ve told you this before.

(a) Stopping                   (b) Stopped                         (c) Stops                    (d) Stop

Q2 All I can say at the moment is: Long ….. the company!

(a) live                     (b) lives                       (c) lived                    (d) living

Q3 Sometimes I wish I …… what the future holds.

(a) know                       (b) known                          (c) knew                        (d) knows

Q4 And at other times I’m glad I …… know what the future holds.

(a) didn’t                         (b) doesn’t                          (c) hadn’t                        (d) don’t

Q5 Let’s …… there tomorrow if it’s fine.

(a) going                         (b) gone                          (c) go                                (d) goes

Q6 Try …… the door really hard if you want to open it.

(a) pushing                        (b) push                               (c) pushes                          (d) pushed

Q7 Try ……. these irregular verbs by next week.

(a) learned                     (b) to learn                      (c) learns                       (d) learning

Q8 I really appreciate your …… me at this difficult time.

(a) helps                         (b) help                         (c) helped                           (d) helping

Q9 I’ll finish now and I look forward to …… you again soon.

(a) seeing                           (b) see                     (c) seen                          (d) having seen

Q10 Please come back soon and ……. the work you started two weeks ago.

(a) finished                              (b) finishing                     (c) finish                          (d) finishes 

Following you will find the same line of stories as before. It is taken from the bedtime story collection. Hope you enjoy reading it.

   The stray, the coal, and the bean

There was once an old woman who picked a mess of beans and made ready to cook them. She built a coal fire on her hearth, with a handful of straw to make it burn better. When the water in the beanpot began to bubble, one of the beans popped out and fell to the hearth. Near it lay a straw, which had fallen there, and soon a red-hot coal jumped out of the fire and joined them. The straw was the first to speak. How did you come here? He asked. I jumped out of the fire, answered the coal. 

If I hadn’t I should certainly have been burned to ashes. If the old woman had kept me in the pot, said the bean, I should have been cooked to pulp. My fate would have been no better, said the straw. All my brothers have turned to fire and smoke, and I would have been with them if I had not slipped through the old woman’s fingers.What shall we do now? Said the coal. I suggest that we go out into the world together answered the bean, since we have all been so lucky as to escape with our lives. The others agreed to this, and all three started out together. Soon they came to a tiny brook, without a bridge or stepping stones. They could not think how to get to the other side until the straw said: I will lay myself across, and you can go over me as if I were a bridge. Then the straw stretched himself from bank to bank, and the coal trotted out on the new bridge. When he got to the center, below suddenly filled him with terror, and he could not go another step. Gradually the straw got hotter and hotter and , until it charred and broke in two and fell in the brook. The  coal slipped down, hissing into the water and disappeared. The bean, which had been waiting on the bank, could not help laughing at this funny sight. 

It laughed and laughed until it burst. And would  have been the end of the bean, if the tailor traveling from town to town had not stopped to rest himself by the brook. He picked up the bean , took out a stout needle and black thread , and stitched it together again. And ever since, all beans have had a black seam.

Happiness is a choice, it is not a chance.

Because man follows the rhythm of the sea.

A human life is so wonderful, so unbelievable.

Year in year out,

day in day out, you move among people and things.

Some days the sun shines and you don’t know why.

You are at peace.

You see only the warm and good sides of life.

You laugh, you dance, you give thanks.

You work seems easy. You get on well with everyone.

You don’t know why. Perhaps you are sleeping well…

Maybe you’ve found a close friend

or you have a sense of security…

You would like this time of calm and deep joy

to last forever.

But suddenly everything changes.

It is almost as if too bright  a sun

has bought on the clouds.

 A kind of indefinable sadness comes over you.

Everything seems black,

You think that no one likes you anymore.

Any trifling thing seems to give you a reason to complain,

to grumble, to be jealous or to reproach.

You think things will go on and on like this,

That this mood will never lift.

And once again you don’t know why.

Perhaps you are tired.

You don’t understand it. Why must it be this way?

Because a human being is a piece of ‘nature’,

interwoven with days of Spring and days of Autumn,

With the warmth of the Summer and the cold of Winter.

Because man follows the rhythm of the sea-

ebb and flow.

Because our existence is a continuous repetition

of ‘living’ and ‘dying’.

If you grasp this, you can carry on,

with courage and trust.

for then you know in yourself that after every night

a new morning will come.

If you can accept this, you will be able to live through

the regular rhythm of ‘up’ and ‘down’,

more deeply, and with a sense of joy.

FUTURE TENSES

Q1 What …… be doing this time tomorrow?

(a) were you                  (b) did you                    (c) have you                  (d) will you

Q2 …… go if you like because I have to do some shopping.

(a) I’m                       (b) I’d                   (c) I’ll                       (d) I’ve

Q3 I…… simply wait until  she comes back.

(a) was                       (b) am                        (c) shall                     (d) do

Q4 He was quite definite about it and assured me he …… come.

(a) wil                            (b) shall                       (c) should                      (d) would

Q5 If they …… arrive late, they will have to get their own metal.

(a) do                            (b) had                        (c) would                      (d) will

Q6 I really hope I …… see you again.

(a) did                                 (b) shall                       (c) should                          (d) would

Q7 What …… happen to the family if he loses all his money?

(a) does                            (b) did                          (c) will                             (d) is

Q8 ……. be buying the house or haven’t you decided yet ?

(a) Did you                          (b) Have you                       (c) Were you                        (d) Will you

Q9 I’m sure they …… get married and live happily ever afterwards.

(a) did                         (b) have                         (c) will                      (d) would

Q10 What do you ……  to do when you leave school ?

(a) wanted                          (b) wanting                          (c) wants                             (d) want

Dear students,

I hope this evening is a little bit different from all those ones passed through the last three months. Such feelings seldom come into one's life. I think excitement is what is on the way for all those who go to school tomorrow. 

Having the feeling that you are doing something, is a great movement. Actually you are.

Good luck with the new season. Enjoy these days because they run fast.

fm  

http://www.123greetings.com/encouragement_and_inspiration/encouragement/encourage114.html

Start each day with positive thinking and keep smiling all day.

The following page is my greeting to you today.

http://www.123greetings.com/events/positive_thinking_day/positive30.html

 “He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have.” ― Socrates

 The three wishes

There once was a poor woodsman who worked hard to provide a living for himself and his wife. One day, as he was about to cut down a fine oak tree, a mall voice cried: Please don’t cut down my tree! The woodsman, in great surprise, stopped and looked about him. He saw no one so one more he lifted his axe. Just as he started to swing it, however, he heard the voice again: Please Mr. Woodsman, don’t harm my tree! 

Again the woodsman stopped, and this time he looked very hard for the owner of the voice. But still he could find no one, and once more he raised his axe. Just then there appeared before him a little man dressed all in green. Don’t , I beg of you, cut down my tree, said the little man. It is my home, and if it is destroyed I shall have nowhere to live. The woodsman, who was a kindly man, agreed, and the little man in green was so grateful that he told the woodsman that he would grant him the first three wishes he and his wife might make, whatever they were. 

The poor man , overjoyed at his good fortune, thanked his little friend and rushed home to tell his wife. Just think, he exclaimed. Now we can have the cottage, the cow, and the chickens for which we have always wished. Stupid, replied his wife. If we can have whatever we like, why not wish for something far finer? I could be a queen and you a prince, and we could live in a golden castle with crystal windows. But the man had his heart set on a pretty cottage. If he had to have a fine castle , he saw no reason why it must be of gold. And so he and his wife argued all day and far into naught about what they should wish for. The fire in the stove went out, and neither of them thought of eating. 

Late at night, though , the woodsman suddenly realized that he had not eaten all day. My , but I am hungry, he said. I do wish I had a bit of sausage. And there in front of him appeared the most delicious-looking sausage you can imagine. Idiot, cried his wife, almost weeping with anger. You have used up your first wish. You and your stupid sausage. Now the woodsman began to lose patience. Oh, I wish the sausage were on the end of your nose, he cried. And there was the sausage, long and shiny, hanging from the end of his wife’s nose. The poor woman burst into tears of rage. Now your second wish is gone, she cried. But we can still have your castle, said the woodcutter, half frightened at what had happened. Don’t you dare wish for a castle, screamed his wife. What kind of a fine lady would I make this sausage on my nose? You get it off. So the woodsman said solemnly, I wish the sausage were off the end of my wife’s nose. Instantly the sausage disappeared into the air, and the woodcutter and his wife sat there in silence. 

They had had their three wishes.

                                         

People without faces, without hearts

Can I warn you

against the coldness

that has come over our world?

A coldness which has frozen so many people.

People live alone

in a dry desert of people;

like ants,

in shops and streets,

in trains and buses

and rented rooms.

People without faces,

without hearts.

Hi everyone,

Your holidays are coming over this week. The first day of the new school year is at your back door.

Most of you still want a few more days away from school. That will not be bad at all, but they will be over some day and the story comes from the beginning. Anyway, some very important issues are on the away waiting for each one of you to decide.

So, spend time practicing and studying as early and as much as you can. Setting aside a certain time each day is best.

Force yourself to spend small increments of time studying every day before it is too late.

Take the study time into your hands and leave us astonished.

You can do that. 

Just start.

ENGLISH GRAMMAR TENSES (2)

Q1 Mike : Please go away. I’m ….. a letter. I need some quiet.

(a) written                   (b) wrote                   (c) writing                           (d) will write

Q2 Sarah: I ……. I won’t make a sound.

(a) promise                      (b) am promising                 (c) did promise                (c) promised

Q3 Mike: That’s what you always ……

(a) said                    (b) are saying               (c) had said                  (d) say

Q4 Sarah: I know but this time I ….. it.

(a) have meant                   (b) mean                      (c) had meant                   (d) will mean

Q5 Mike: I don’t honestly think you ….. telling the truth.

(a) were                       (b) had been                 (c) are                         (d) will be

Q6 Sarah: At least …… me a chance.

(a) give                      (b) gave                  (c) giving                    (d) are giving

Q7 Mike: If I …….., I know I shall regret it.

(a) have                       (b) do                        (c) had                   (d) were

Q8 Sarah: No, you ……

(a) didn’t                    (b) haven’t                       (c) couldn’t                    (d) won’t

Q9 Mike: All right. You …… stay as long as you don’t make any noise.

(a) will                     (b) could                              (b) can                      (d) will

Q10 Sarah: Thank you very much. I shall be as quiet as a mouse but……. just put the TV on.

(a) I’d                    (b) I’ll                    (c) I’ve                          (d) I’m

 The little Red Hen

 Once upon a time, not so very long ago, there were a pig and a duck and a cat and a little red hen who all lived together in a cozy little  house. All day, and every day, the pig just wanted to wallow in his juicy mud puddle, the duck just wanted to swim on her little pond, and the cat just wanted to sit in the sun and wash herself with her red tongue. This left all the work of the house for busy little red hen. 

One day as the little red hen was scratching about in the front yard  , looking for a plump beetle for  her dinner,she came upon a grain of wheat. That gave her an idea. ‘’Who will plant this grain of wheat?’’ she called. ’’Not I,’’ grunted the pig from his puddle. ’’Not I,’’ quacked the duck from her pond. ‘’Not I,’’ purred the cat with a wide yawn.’’ Very well, I will then,’’ –said the little red red hen. 

And she did. 

The grain of wheat sprouted, and it grew, and it grew until it was tall and golden and ripe.’’ Who will cut the wheat?’’ called the little red hen.’’ 

Not I,’’ grunted the pig from his puddle. Not  I , quacked  the duck from her pond. Not I purred  the cat  with a flip of her red tongue. Very well,  will then. And she did. Soon the grains of wheat were all ready to be ground into flour. Who will take the wheat to the mill? Called the little red hen. Not I , grunted the pig from his puddle. Not I , quacked the duck from her pond. Not, I , purred the cat with a toss of her head. 

Very well, I will then, said the little red hen. And she did.  When the wheat came back from the mill, it was a little sack of fine wheat flour. 

Who will make the flour into bread? Called the little red hen. Not I, grunted the pig from his puddle. Not I , quacked the duck from her pond. Not I , purred the cat, stoking her whiskers. 

Very well, I will then, said the little red hen. And she did. Soon the little red hen was taking from the oven the most beautiful crusty brown loaf of bread. 

Who will eat the bread? She called. I will, grunted the pig, scrambling up from his puddle. I will, quacked the duck, paddling in from her pond. I will, purred the cat, with one last quick lick at her paws. 

Oh, no you won’t, said the little red hen. I found  the grain of wheat. I planted the seed. I reaped the ripe grain. I took it to the mill. I baked the bread. I shall eat it myself. 

And she did.

Nobody came

Barry fell dead in the street.

A crowd of inquisitive people gathered around him.

The traffic stopped.

The police picked him up

and deposited him at the morgue.

Three days in succession they waited for a relative,

a friend, an acquaintance to come.

Nobody came.

Then Barry was placed in a special refrigerator.

What a symbol.

A refrigerator for people who are forgotten.

They waited another two weeks.

Still nobody came.

Then one afternoon

he was put in a hearse

and taken to the cemetery-

buried like a lost object.

Barry

was a human being,

a man

alone in the city,

buried long ago

by other people.

ENGLISH GRAMMAR TENSES (1)

Q1 ….. any one object if I turn the heating down?

(a) Do                               (b) Does                        (c) Did                            (d) Doing

Q2 I ….. come to the conclusion that nowadays nobody cares about anything.

(a) will                               (b) had                        (c) do                         (d) have

Q3 No matter what happens next I ….. help you.

(a) am                          (b) have                      (c) will                         (d) would

Q4 They ….. for 3 hours when the storm suddenly broke.

(a) had been running                       (b) have been running     (c) are running            (d) will be running

Q5 I assumed you ….. paying for the repairs until the end of last year.

(a) have been               (b) was been               (c) are being                      (d) had been

Q6 ….. get tired of answering the same questions every day?

(a) Have you ever                    (b) Had you ever                 (c) Do you ever        (d) Are you ever

Q7 She ….. working on that manuscript for 2 years now.

(a) will be                      (b) has been               (c) had been                          (d) is

Q8 I ……. there once a long time ago and haven’t been back since.

(a) went                            (b) go                       (c) have gone                      (d) was going

Q9 She …….. trying to pass her driving test but fails every time.

(a) kept                           (b) is keeping                        (c) had kept                           (d) keeps

Q10 I …….. complete silence now while I try this experiment.

(a) am wanting                          (b) want                       (c) did want                       (d) have wanted

 The fox and the Crow
  

One morning a plain black crow sat on a branch holding in his beak a delicious piece of cheese. Along came a fox, who had smelled the delicious cheese. The fox came and stood under the tree, and bowed politely to the crow. Good morning, my friend ;said the fox. 

How well you are looking today! 

The crow was very pleasant at this, but of course could not reply because of the cheese he held in his mouth. 

Your eyes are the most beautiful I have seen, the fox went on. And, as for your feathers, how black and glossy they are! The crow was even more pleasant, but still said nothing. He just sat on his branch and swelled with pride. But the fox went on. 

I have been told, he continued, how beautifully you sing, and I should like so much to hear you!  

Your voice could not possibly be so lovely as your feathers , but if it were, why, you would be the most wonderful bird  of the whole forest. 

Do sing just a few notes for me, won’t you? This was too much for the crow. He opened his beak wide, cawed loudly, and dropped the cheese right into the mouth of the waiting fox. 

Thank you so much, said the fox, gobbling up the cheese. Your song was very ugly, but your cheese was so delicious. Another time, perhaps you won’t be so ready to believe all the good things you hear about yourself. And, with a wave of his tail, he trotted gaily off into the woods.

The city

High rise after high rise.

Full of people.

So many name-plates,

nicely shining name –plates.

A lot of people,

well cared –for people,

people who don’t know each other.

They see each other.

They stand together in the elevator.

They look straight ahead.

Each one knows that the other person is there,

just as they know that a pole exists,

which must not be bumped into.

People in the city.

People alone in the city

The city is no longer

a likeable, cozy home

for people.

ENGLISH ADVANCED VOCABULARY TEST (2)

Q1 You can have whichever one you went as I’ll let you…… from these examples here.

(a) consider                     (b) deliberate                        (c) choose                           (d) enable

Q2 I think you can clearly see now what I mean as that incident …… that I am obviously right.

(a) decides                            (b) demonstrates                       (c) protests                   (d) highlights

Q3 For the first time in his life …… of going straight home, he called in at a pub on the way back.

(a) instead                          (b) inside                             (c) including                          (d) into

Q4 You can tell me that this piece of furniture is….. to America because of the strong colonial style.

(a) born                          (b) inherent                        (c) special                         (d) native  

Q5 ……. for his age and he is after all only 12, I think his achievement is remarkable.

(a) Permitting                      (b) Discerning                     (c) Allowing                            (d) Regarding

Q6 If you ….. to take that step in your career, you have only yourself to blame if it all goes wrong.

(a) have                            (b) believe                           (c) experiment                    (d) choose

Q7 I’ve always thought of her as the kind of person you can trust, you know the sort you can….. on.

(a) depend                        (b) deter                         (c) defend                           (d) defeat

Q8 It was a totally new experience for us visiting that factory abroad as we were …… to all sorts of new 

techniques.

(a) involved                      (d) intended                        (c) invested                   (d) introduced

Q9 No one had a clue what had actually happened neither the police …… the public.

(a) or                          (b) either                          (c) nor                              (d) never

Q10 All cyclists must now wear some kind of helmet in order to ……. their heads against injury in the event of an accident.

(a) proffer                                (b) protect                   (c) produce                         (d) prevent