The Man Who Took Notice Of All The Notices

My Uncle Tom worked on the railway. It wasn’t a big station. Only about two trains a day stopped there; and Tom was a station master, a chief porter, and a signalman – all in one. In fact, Tom did any work that came along, and there wasn’t a happier man in the whole England.

The chief cleaner (Tom) cleaned the waiting room of the station every day; the chief ticket collector (Tom) sold and collected the tickets – sometimes there were as many as four tickets a day – and the chief clerk¹ (Tom) counted the money every evening.

Tom ran the station very well. He was very strict about the rules. He knew what a passenger was allowed to do and what wasn’t; where a passenger was permitted to smoke and where smoking was forbidden.

He was there for fifty years and then he had to retire. The representative of the Railway Company thanked Tom and gave him a small check as a present. Tom was very pleased but he said: “I don’t need money, but can I have, instead, something that will remind me of the happy days I have spent here? Could the company let me have a part of an old railway carriage, just one compartment? It doesn’t matter how old and broken it is. I want to put it into my back garden and every day I could go and sit in it.”

About a week later, a compartment was sent to him. Tom put it into his back garden, cleaned it, painted it and polished it.

One day, about a year after Tom retired we decided to visit him. It was a bad day for a visit, it was raining hard. We knocked but there was no answer. We went into the garden, sure enough, he was there, but he wasn’t sitting in the carriage, he was outside, on the step of the carriage, smoking a pipe.

“Hello, Tom,” I said, “why are you sitting there, why don’t you go inside the carriage out of the rain?” “Can’t you see?” – said Tom, “the carriage is a non-smoker!”

Note:¹clerk – зд.: бухгалтер.

Ex. 5. Choose the best alternative to complete the sentences.

1. Uncle Tom worked at a small station. It means that … .

a) a few trains left this station

b) a few trains made a stop on this station

c) no trains stopped on this station

2. Uncle Tom was the station master. It means that … .

a) he was in charge of the station operation

b) he was the owner of the station

c) he was allowed to sell tickets

3. Uncle Tom was a ticket collector. It means that … .

a) he had a great collection of train tickets

b) he printed tickets

c) he sold tickets to passengers

4. Uncle Tom was the chief clerk. It means that … .

a) he was in charge of the station’s finances

b) he was in charge of the station’s locomotives and carriages

c) he was in charge of collecting tickets

5. Uncle Tom was very strict about the rules. It means that … .

a) he knew what the train fare was

b) he knew what a passenger was allowed to do and what wasn’t

c) he knew that smoking was forbidden on board the train

6. After fifty years of work Uncle Tom had to retire. It means that … .

a) he got a bonus

b) he stopped working because he has reached a certain age

c) he left his job because he didn’t like it any more.

7. The representative of the Railway Company gave Tom a small check. It means that … .

a) he received a printed piece of paper with an amount of money written on

b) he received a small box filled with all kinds of presents

c) he received a large box filled with all kinds of small presents

8. Instead of money Uncle Tom wanted to have something that would remind him of the happy days he had spent on the station. It means that … .

a) he wantedto have something related to railway

b) he wanted to have something related to his childhood

c) he wanted to have something related to his youth

9. The day Tom’s relatives decided to visit him was a bad one. It means that … .

a) it was raining cats and dogs

b) it was snowing

c) it was very cold and windy

10. Uncle Tom didn’t go inside the car because it was a non-smoker. It means that … .

a) he didn’t smoke

b) he was very strict about the rules

c) he wanted to welcome his guests

Ex. 5. What do you think might be the best translation of the story’s title?

Text С

EUROSTAR

Ex. 1. Practice the reading of the following words.

via, consortium, Belgian, excellent, complimentary, area, to reserve, to walk, apply, adult, to accompany, unfortunately, above, weight, terminal, to convert;

Airline-style 3-course meal, face-to-back airline-style seating, guide dog, luxurious interior design.