Baby! Not A Monkey!

A woman got on a bus, holding a baby.

The bus driver said, “That’s the ugliest baby I’ve ever seen.”

In a huff, the woman slammed her fare into the fare box and took an aisle

seat near the rear of the bus.

The man seated next to her sensed that she was agitated and asked her what

was wrong.

“The bus driver insulted me,” she fumed.

The man sympathized and said, “Why, he’s a public servant and shouldn’t say

things to insult passengers.”

“You’re right,” she said. “I think I’ll go back up there and give him a piece of my mind.” “That’s a good idea,” the man said. “Here, let me hold your monkey.”

What's the meaning?

1. huff

2. slammed

3. fare

4. fare box

5. aisle

6. rear

7. sensed

8. agitated

9. insulted

10. fumed

11. sympathized

Pronunciation Practice

1 got on a bus

2 the ugliest baby

3 in a huff

4 slammed

5 took an aisle seat

6 sensed

7 agitated

8 insulted

9 fumed

10 sympathized

11 passengers

12 go back up there

13 piece of my mind

14 good idea

Questions:

1. What was the woman holding when she got on the bus?

2. What did the driver say to her baby?

3. What did the man who was sitting next to the

woman think of her baby?

Weather Forecast

 

While we were sailing, my friend tuned in to listen to the weather forecast on a local radio station. Over the airwaves, there was a pause and an audible shuffling of papers, followed by a voice saying, “I’m sorry, I can’t find the forecast, but let me look out of the window--Oh! it’s a lovely drying day.”

What’s the Meaning ...

 1. sailing

2. tuned in

3. weather forecast

4. local

5. radio station

6. airwaves

7. pause

8. audible

9. shuffling

10. lovely

Pronunciation Practice

1 tuned in

2 weather forecast

3 radio station

4 airwaves

5 audible

6 shuffling of papers

7 look out of the window

Questions:

1. What were the writer and his friend doing?

2. What were they listening to?

3. Did the radio announcer have a problem

with the forecast? What happened?

Book Sale

“I may want to read it again one day” is the reason why my husband keeps every book he reads. Over 25 years most of them, never opened again after the first reading, have accumulated in our cellar. One day, however, thinking he’d never notice their absence, I donated most of them to a charity book sale. As I stood admiring the empty cellar, I heard Frank call to me, “I’m home early so I can get to the book sale before it closes.”

While he was gone, I prepared for the worst. But when he arrived home empty- handed, I asked him if there had been any books that interested him.

“Yes, there were lots of good ones,” he replied, “but I’ve got them all,”

What’s the Meaning ...

 1. accumulated

2. cellar

3. however

4. donated

5. charity

6. sale

7. admiring

8. empty- handed

Pronunciation Practice

1 reason

2 accumulated

3 cellar

4 absence

5 donated

6 charity

7 admiring

8 worst

9 empty- handed

10 lots of good ones

Questions

1. What does the writer’s husband do to every book he reads?

2. What did she do with the books one day?

3. What did her husband say when he came home from the charity book sale?