Cursos y Masters

OBRAS DEL PROFESOR GALATRO QUE USTED PUEDE COMPRAR EN INTERNET:

    La parábola de la Tierra Negra y de la Tierra Roja

Lupus: impresiones de una paciente

El Universo, la Energía y la Masa

Quince pasos para tu crecimiento interior

Otro Génesis posible

Si te sientes capacitado para transmitir tus conocimientos sobre alguna ciencia, técnica, arte, etc.

y tener así un ingreso económico adicional trabajando desde tu propia casa,

te invitamos a conocer HIT® (Hometeaching Integrated Team):

http://sistemahit.blogspot.com

ANNA IN LONDON

Alan R. Beesley

COLLIER-MACMILLAN LIMITED

Nota de los responsables del sitio:

Por sugerencia de visitantes de las páginas de Capacitación, y ante la imposibilidad de adquirir ejemplares de este libro por no encontrarse en el mercado según sus afirmaciones, hemos decidido reproducirlo. Sabemos que legalmente tiene un Copyright de 1969 y todos los derechos reservados, pero estimamos que la vigencia de esa protección se ha extinguido por haber transcurrido más de 30 años.

De todos modos, en caso de que los propietarios de los derechos nos hagan llegar alguna indicación al respecto, procederemos a retirar este material del sitio.

Daniel Galatro y Olga Román

PREFACE

Anna in London is the first of a new series of Collier-Macmillan Readers. It is an original story about a young German girl who comes to work in London. She lives with an English family and we follow her day-to-day activities at home and in the office, in London and in the country.

At least half the story is presented in dialogue form, which we believe will make for interesting work in class. Students can take turns in reading the parts of the various characters. ... New vocabulary is introduced as required by the story, and since it takes place in a modern, everyday setting, the vocabulary is by nature that of daily life. The style is intentionally colloquial.

Anna in London may be used as a supplementary reader with any basic textbook.

The author, Alan R. Beesley, has had a varied career in journalism and radio, and has taught English from Finland to Nigeria. He is the author of several books on English that are widely used in Scandinavia. The general editor is Euan Reid, Lecturer in English at the West Midlands College of Education, Walsall, Staffordshire. The illustrations are by Michael Jackson.

CHAPTER 1

A BIG DECISION

Mrs. Bond is a widow. Her husband died two years ago. She has three children - two boys and a girl. Michael, the younger son, is thirteen years old. He goes to the local grammar school. Her elder son, John, is twenty-seven. He is an engineer. He works for a large oil company. His job often takes him abroad and he is now in Venezuela.

Mrs. Bond's daughter, Susan, is nineteen. She is studying at a business college in London. She will finish her course next year.

The Bond family live in Putney, a suburb of London. ... They hay quite a large house. It has four bedrooms, a living-room, a dinning-room, a small study, a kitchen, a bathroom and two lavatories. There are also two empty rooms at the top of the house. Susan's parents bought the house when they got married. They paid eight hundred pounds for it. That was a lot of money in those days, but now the house is worth ten times that amount!

Mrs. Bond likes the house but she sometimes think that she will have to sell it and buy something smaller. She has a part-time job at the local Public Library. The work is interesting but the pay is not very good. So the big problem in the lives of the Bond family at the moment is money.

SUSAN: ... but, Mother, you've said many times that this house is too big for us. Why don't we let one of the two empty rooms upstairs?

MRS. BOND: We've discussed this before, Susan. I've told you I don't like the idea. I don't want a stranger in my house.

SUSAN: But we can get five pounds a week for that big back room.

MRS. BOND: That seems a lot. Remember that the room's unfurnished.

SUSAN: Yes, but we've plenty of spare furniture. There's a wash-basin in the room and we can hire or buy an electric cooker. We can make that room look very nice.

MRS. BOND: Hm. Five pounds a week will help us a lot.

SUSAN: Then you agree?

Mrs. Bond thought for a moment. Then she made up her mind.

MRS. BOND: All right. We'll advertise in The Echo next week. (The Echo is the name of the local newspaper. It comes out once a week.)

That week the Bond family worked hard. They cleaned the big spare room at the back of the house. Michael painted the door and window frames. Susan made some new curtains. They took various pieces of furniture from the other rooms. Mrs. Bond bought an electric cooker. It was second-hand but it was a good one. By the beginning of the following week, the room was ready. It really looked very attractive.

Anna Klein arrived in London from Hamburg exactly three weeks ago. This is her first visit to England - and she is not vary happy.

Anna is working in the London sales office of Lufthansa, the big German airline. She is going to be in England for at least two weeks. She likes the job; she likes London. The reason she is not happy is that she cannot find a room of her own. She has looked at many flats but they all have been too expensive. At the moment she is staying with a cousin in Putney. The two girls do not get on well together. Anna knows that she must find a room of her own. She likes Putney. The journey to her office only takes twenty minutes. So the question is: Can she find a room in Putney for a reasonable rent?

On Tuesday, April 15th, Anna asked the manager for her morning off. The manager said that she could have the whole day free. She left the house and got a bus to Putney Bridge. The sun shone brightly upon the water. The river looked very beautiful. Anna Arrived at the offices of The Echo, the local newspaper, at twenty past nine.

At nine o'clock that morning Susan Bond set off for the offices of The Echo. She too crossed Putney Bridge, and arrived at the newspaper office. She went up to the advertising department on the second floor and walked across to the reception desk.

SUSAN: Good morning. I want to put an advertisement in this week's paper. We want to let a furnished room.

CLERK: Certainly, madam. Will you write out the advertisement on this form, please? The charge is ten shillings a line.

Susan took the forms and sat down at a big table in the middle of the room. Opposite her she saw a pretty, dark-haired girl. Susan smiled at her. the girl was also filling in a form. She seemed a little worried. She looked at Susan for a while and finally she said:

GIRL: Excuse me. I'm not quite sure how to say this in English. Do you say "I want to let a room" or "I want to rent a room"?

SUSAN: Well, that depends. Have you got a room, or...

GIRL: NO. I want one.

SUSAN: Then you want to rent a room. You rent a room from someone; you let a room to someone.

GIRL: I see. It's like "borrow" and "lend".

SUSAN: How do you mean?

GIRL: Well, you borrow something from someone and you lend something to someone. I always mix up those two verbs.

SUSAN: You speak very good English. Where do you come from?

GIRL: Germany. My home's in Hamburg. My name is Anna Klein.

SUSAN: How do you do? I'm Susan Bond. (They shake hands) You say you're looking for a room?

ANNA: Yes.

SUSAN: Furnished or unfurnished?

ANNA: Furnished.

SUSAN: Hm. How much do you want to pay?

ANNA: Not more than five pounds a week.

SUSAN: That's funny. We want to let a room, and the rent is five pounds a week. Why don't you come and see it? It's quite near here.

ANNA: You mean that you'll let the room to me?

SUSAN: I don't see why not. I must ask my mother, of course. But it seems the answer for both of us. You want a room; we've got one. And in this way we both save money.

ANNA: How?

SUSAN: We don't have to put two advertisements in the newspaper. So between us we save two pounds.

CHAPTER 2

A ROOM WITH A VIEW

Susan and Anna Left the offices of The Echo together. They crossed the bridge over the river and walked along the busy High Street. Then they climbed a steep hill and took the third turning on the left. The name of the street was Chestnut Avenue.

Anna saw that the right-hand side of the street consisted of blocks of modern flats, while on the left-hand side there were large houses with gardens at the front and back. They stopped at number 24.

It was a tall, well-built house. Anna liked the look of it immediately. Susan walked up a short flight of steps and opened the front door. Anna followed her into the hall.

SUSAN: Mother's out. She works at the library in the mornings. But I can show you the room. It's on the top floor. (They climb the stairs). There are rather a lot of stairs, I'm afraid. Here we are. (She opens a door on the landing at the top of the stairs.)

ANNA: What a lovely room!

SUSAN: You like it?

ANNA: Yes, I do. Very much. (She walks over to the window and looks at the view.) And what a marvellous view! Doesn't the river look beautiful when the sun's shining on it? I do like to live near water. You've got a very nice garden, haven't you?

SUSAN: It's quite big. Can you see the chestnut tree?

ANNA: When I was a child my friends and I built a tree-house in it. (pause). I'm just going to my room for a minute. You stay here and have a good look round. I won't be long.

ANNA: Thank you.

Anna liked the room very much. It was bigger than she expected - about twenty feet (6 meters) long by sixteen feet (5 meters) wide. One end had a curtain in front of it. Anna looked behind the curtain. In one corner there was a wash-basin. She turned on the taps. The water from the hot tap was really hot. There was also an electric cooker, and on a shelf above it there were three new saucepans and a frying pan. Beside the cooker there was a small cupboard. Anna opened it. In it there were plates, cups, saucers and a teapot. In a drawer at the top there were knives, forks and spoons. This part of the room was really a small kitchen. Anna pulled back the curtain and looked at the rest of the room.

The carpet was light grey and covered most of the floor. In front of the gas fire there was a thick red rug. The curtains were also red - but of a lighter shade. The walls were white. The sun was now shining brightly through the window. It was a cheerful, comfortable room.

Beneath the window there was a dressing-table with three drawers and a mirror. There were two armchairs, a small table with three chairs round it, a desk and a bookcase. There were two reading lamps and a few pictures on the walls. Anna did not like the pictures. "I'll soon change those," she thought, for she had already decided that she wanted the room. Next to the gas fire there was a large built-in cupboard for clothes.

Anna went to the window again and looked at the garden below. It seemed a long way down. Apart from the chestnut tree, there were several fruit trees.

Susan came back into the room.

SUSAN: Well, what do you think of it?

ANNA: I love it.

SUSAN: Good. Well, I'll talk about it with my mother this evening. Is there a telephone where I can ring you?

ANNA: No. My cousin isn't on the phone. But there's a telephone box near the house, and I can ring you.

SUSAN: Fine. Ring me at seven o'clock this evening.

ANNA: All right.

SUSAN: Now I must go. I've got a typing class at ten.

ANNA: I've got the day off, but I think I'll go to the office.

SUSAN: Where is your office?

ANNA: In Piccadilly.

SUSAN: Oh, you can get a bus from the High street direct to Piccadilly. I'll walk with you to the bus stop.

Susan got back from the college at half past four. Mrs. Bond was in the kitchen.

MRS. BOND: Did you put the advertisement in The Echo, Susan?

SUSAN: NO.

MRS. BOND: You didn't? Why not? I thought...

SUSAN: It's all right, Mother. I've saved you a pound. I've already let the room for you.

Susan told her mother about her meeting with Anna. Al first Mrs. Bond did not like the idea, but Susan finally persuaded her.

MRS. BOND: ... but I don't know any German. How am I going to speak to the girl?

SUSAN: Oh, Mother, don't be silly! I don't know any German either. But Anna's English is very good. It has to be. She works for Lufthansa and has to talk to English customers every day. She really is a very nice girl. I'm sure you'll like her.

MRS. BOND: All right. I'll have a talk with her.

SUSAN: She's ringing up at seven tonight. I'll ask her to come round.

Anna met Mrs. Bond that evening. The two of them got on very well.

MRS. BOND: Well, that's fine, Anna. We'll be very pleased to have you. When do you want to move in?

ANNA: May I come on Saturday?

MRS. BOND: Yes, of course. I'll be in all Saturday morning.

Anna said good-bye to Mrs. Bond and Susan, and went back to her cousin's. Susan said to her mother:

SUSAN: She's nice, isn't she?

MRS. BOND: Very nice. I hope she'll like it here.

SUSAN. I'm sure she will. She was very pleased with the room. Oh, I must give your pound back.

MRS. BOND: What pound?

SUSAN: The money for the advertisement.

MRS. BOND: No. You keep it. You've earned it.

SUSAN: Thank you. That's good money for an hour's work. I think I'll become a house agent when I finish my course...

So Susan earned her first "wages" and Anna got a room with a view over the river Thames.

CHAPTER 3

A VISIT TO THE SHOPS

Summer has come early this year and the sun is shining brightly through the window. This Saturday morning Anna does not have to go to work. She has already been up for an hour. She has had her breakfast - orange juice, two pieces of toast, and coffee. Se has made the bed and tidied the room. She is now waiting for Susan. They are going to do some shopping. They first shop they go is the grocer's. Mrs. Bond has been a customer there for many years. She does not like supermarkets and big stores. She prefers the smaller shops, where you get personal service.

MR. ATKINS: Good morning, Miss Bond.

SUSAN: Good morning, Mr. Atkins.

MR. ATKINS: How's your mother?

SUSAN: She's fine, thanks. Oh, Mr. Atkins, this is Miss Klein. She's from Germany.

MR. ATKINS: Good morning, Miss Klein. I hope you like it here.

ANNA: Oh yes, I do.

MR. ATKINS: (to Susan) Now, what can I do for you?

SUSAN: I'd like a pound of butter, please. A dozen eggs and half a pound of bacon, and a jar of honey as well.

MR. ATKINS: A small jar or a large one?

SUSAN: A large one, please... and a small tin of Nescafé.

MR. ATKINS: Anything else?

SUSAN: Yes. I'll have a bottle of orange juice and a small packet of salt. I think that's the lot. How much is that?

MR. ATKINS: That comes to one pound, two shillings.

SUSAN: (She gives him a five pound note) I'm sorry. I haven't anything smaller.

MR. ATKINS: Oh, that's all right. Here's your change. Three pounds, eighteen shillings.

SUSAN: Thank you.

Susan and Anna then went to the greengrocer's. (A greengrocer sell fruit and vegetables.) They bought: 1 lb. apples, 4 bananas, 1/2 lb. tomatoes, 1 large cauliflower and a 5 lb. bag of potatoes.

They left the greengrocer's and went next door to the chemist's. (In England a chemist's shop sells medicines, toilet articles - and sometimes other things such as films and cameras.) Anna wanted to buy a new lipstick.

SHOP ASSISTANT: ... Here's a rose-pink one - and this one's a little darker.

ANNA: I'll take the darker one, please.

SHOP ASSISTANT: Thank you madam, will that be all?

ANNA: No, I also want some soap, please. This one will do.

SHOP ASSISTANT: That will be seven and fourpence, madam.

Anna paid the assistant ant the two girls left the shop. They then walked  down the road to the post-office. Anna bought two airmail letters while Susan bought three fivepenny (5 d.) stamps. She took a couple of letters out of her handbag, stuck a stamp on each and posted them in the letter-box.

They bought some meat at the butcher's, some bread at the baker's, and a bottle of milk at the dairy. Finally they went to a shoe shop.

SHOP ASSISTANT: (to Anna) Can I help you, madam?

ANNA: Yes. I want a pair of sandals, please.

SHOP ASSISTANT: Certainly. What size?

ANNA: I don't really know. Sizes are different in England.

SHOP ASSISTANT: I'd better measure your foot. Try this one. It's a 5 1/2.

ANNA: That's very comfortable, but I really wanted a white pair.

SHOP ASSISTANT: I'm afraid we haven't got this style in white, but I can order you a pair.

ANNA: How much do they cost?

SHOP ASSISTANT: Just under two pounds, madam.

SUSAN: That's a reasonable price.

ANNA: Good. Will you order a pair for me then, please? Can I come in for them next Saturday?

SHOP ASSISTANT: Certainly, madam.

It was now nearly one o'clock. They hurried to the bus stop. In ten minutes they were home.

Mrs. Bond met them at the door. She was very excited.

MRS. BOND: Susan, I've just had a letter from John. He's coming home - sometime before the end of the month.

SUSAN: That's marvellous news! (to Anna) John is my brother.

ANNA: Yes, I know.

SUSAN: I think you'll like him, Anna.

CHAPTER 4

THE DAY'S WORK BEGINS

Anna's alarm-clock rang at a quarter past seven as usual. And, as usual, Anna lay in bed for another ten minutes. Then she got up, washed, cleaned her teeth and combed her hair. She put on a white dress with a pale blue collar. It looked simple but attractive. Then she had breakfast.

At a little after eight, Michael, Mrs. Bond's younger son, came and knocked on the door.

MICHAEL: Good morning, Anna! Mother's very excited. John's coming home.

ANNA: Yes, I know - in about two weeks' time.

MICHAEL: No, he's coming on Saturday. That's tomorrow. Mother got a telegram from him last night. I must go now. Bye, Anna!

Anna can travel to work by bus, or by Underground. The bus takes longer, but Anna prefers it. It is a little cheaper than the tub, and it is usually easier to get a seat. Of course, most buses are crowded during the rush-hours - in the morning when people are going to work, and in the early evening when they are coming home.

You have probably seen pictures of London buses. They are mainly double-deckers. If you go upstairs - or "on top" as we call it - you can smoke. You cannot smoke "inside" (downstairs). As Anna gets on the bus, the conductor shouts: "Full up inside. Seats on top only". She climbs the stairs and sits down in one of the front seats.

Twenty-five minutes later the bus stop in Piccadilly. Anna gets off and walks to her office. She gets there at a quarter to nine. Fifteen minutes later one of the office girls opens the main door. The first customer arrives. The day's work has begun.

Anna likes to take things easy, but Susan is always in a hurry, generally late and often absent-minded.

Classes at the business college usually start at nine fifteen, except on Fridays, when the first class begins at ten.

Michael, her brother, usually bangs on her bedroom door at eight o'clock. He did so this morning. "All right," said Susan, but she just turned over and went to sleep again. At half past eight Michael went upstairs and banged on her sister's door again - this time more loudly.

MICHAEL: Susan! It's half past eight. You'll be late for your class.

SUSAN: No, I shan't. I don't have to be there until ten today. It's Friday.

MICHAEL: That's what you think - it's Thursday!

Susan jumped out of bed, hurried into the bathroom, washed quickly and ran back to her room. She put on a white sweater, a dark blue skirt and a pair of dark blue sandals. (She seldom wears stockings in summer). On her wrist she wore a silver bracelet - a present for her last birthday. She combed her hair and went downstairs to the kitchen, where she and her mother usually have breakfast.

MRS. BOND: There's some coffee in the pot. I think it's still hot. (pause) What time will you be back today?

SUSAN: About half past four.

MRS. BOND: Good. Then you can help me with John's room. We must get it ready. (pause) If you have time, can you go to Cleaver's, the draper's? I ordered some curtain material there two weeks ago. I want to put up some new curtains in John's room. I can make them tonight if the material has arrived.

SUSAN: Yes, I can easily go to Cleaver's. As a matter of fact, I'm going with Anna to Hudson's, the radio shop. She's buying a record-player.

MRS. BOND: A record-player? Won't that be very expensive?

SUSAN: You know Anna. She's like me. She can never save any money. (She looks at her watch)  It's nine o'clock. I must run. Bye, Mother.

Mrs. Bond did the washing-up. She had ten minutes before she had to leave for work. She sat down and smoked a cigarette. Suddenly the house seemed very empty. She was glad that she had a job. It was not only that she needed the money; she did not want to be alone all day in an empty house.

CHAPTER 5

TWO NEW ARRIVALS

When Anna left Germany her father gave her some money as a present. "Buy some clothes," he said "or save it for a holiday."  But Anna already had plenty of clothes. And she did not save the money for a holiday because her holiday was not until the following year. In fact, she spent it on a record-player.

Anna paid the shop ten pounds, and agreed to pay the rest of the money in weekly instalments of one pound. A lot of people buy things this way in England. We call the system "hire-purchase or "h.p." Hire" means to pay for the use of something, while "purchase" means the same as "buy".

On Saturday morning a delivery man arrived with a large cardboard box. Mrs. Bond showed him up to Anna's room.

DELIVERY MAN: Whew! That's heavy. Where shall I put it?

ANNA: Over there in the corner, please - near the fire.

DELIVERY MAN: Shall I put a plug on it for you?

ANNA: Yes, please.

MRS. BOND: But Anna, it's enormous! They'll hear it at the end of the street!

ANNA: Oh no! I shan't play it too loudly.

MRS. BOND: I'm only joking.

DELIVERY MAN: There. It's ready. Oh, just a minute. Where is the socket?

MRS. BOND: There's one by the bed, but that's for the reading lamp. The only other one is by the door.

DELIVERY MAN: This lead is too short. You'll need an extension. Shall I get one for you?

ANNA: Please don't bother. Just move the record-player nearer to the door. Thank you. (She gives him two shillings; the man thanks her and goes out.)

MRS. BOND: Anna, are you doing anything tonight?

ANNA: Nothing special.

MRS. BOND: Well, come and have dinner with us.

ANNA: Thank you very much. What time are you going to have dinner?

MRS. BOND: Oh, about half past seven. Come down at seven and we'll have a drink first.

Anna had one really good dress. As tonight was a special occasion, she decided to wear it. She also put on her new shoes. Anna had a bottle of wine in the cupboard - also a present from her father. She decided to give the wine to Mrs. Bond.

Downstairs there was a delicious smell of food - but no Mrs. Bond. Instead she saw a young man with dark, curly hair. He walked over to her.

JOHN: You're Anna, aren't you) I'm John Bond.

ANNA: How do you do?

She held out her hand - with the bottle of wine still in it. They both laughed.

JOHN: What's this? A present for me?

ANNA: It's for tonight's meal.

JOHN: Let's put it in the fridge.

ANNA: No. That will make it too cold. English people think that all whit wines must be ice-cold. They're wrong. (pause) That sounds rather rude, I'm afraid. I meant...

JOHN: Not at all. I don't know much about wine. I drink a lot of beer in Venezuela. Let's go into the living-room. Mother's gone next door to Mrs. Davidson's to borrow some coffee, but I'm sure she and Mrs. Davidson have forgotten all about us now! (They go into the living-room.)

ANNA: (Pause) How long are you home for?

JOHN: Three months.

ANNA: That seems a long time.

JOHN: Not really. We get home leave every two years. I've also saved up ten days' local leave.

ANNA: But don't you spend that in Caracas?

JOHN: Caracas! I'm three hundred miles from Caracas. I'm not working at one of the big oil fields. We're prospecting - looking for new oil. The nearest town is over fifty miles away and it's very small. I sometimes go to San Pedro.

ANNA: Where's that?

JOHN: It's...

But Anna did not find where San Pedro was - at least, not that evening - for just then Mrs. Bond came in.

MRS. BOND: Ah, there you are, Anna. I see you two have already met.

ANNA: Oh, yes.

JOHN: Mother, you haven't changed a bit. You went to Mrs. Davidson's for five minutes and you've been there nearly an hour.

MRS. BOND: Well then, dinner must be ready by now!

CHAPTER 6

THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT

Anna works for Lufthansa as a ticket sales agent. She books people's flights, writes out their tickets, takes the money and answers their questions.

This means that every day she has to deal with people. Most customers are pleasant, but some are rude. You have to be helpful and polite every time. Fortunately, Anna gets on well with most people. But she, too, has days when everything seems to go wrong. Today has been one of them.

She slept badly, and when she woke up she had a slight headache. She had a letter from home. In it her father wrote that her mother was ill. Anna was worried. She tried to telephone home but there was an hour's delay for telephone calls to Germany and she had to go to work. The bus was full and she had to stand. When she got to the office she looked in her handbag and found that her lipstick was not there.

Then there was a difficult customer. She was a well-dressed English woman of about fifty. She had a large dog with her. Anna cannot stand large dogs. "Stupid creature," Anna thought. The customer wanted to go to Munich.

ANNA: There's a flight from London at 20:15.

CUSTOMER: Is it a VC 10?

ANNA: No. It's a Boeing.

CUSTOMER: I did want to go on a VC 10.

ANNA: I'm afraid Lufthansa doesn't use VC 10's.

CUSTOMER: Oh, well, I'll take the 20:15. flight.

Anna wrote out the ticket.

CUSTOMER: I don't need a ticket for him, do I? (She points to the dog.) He can sit between my legs.

ANNA: I'm afraid you can't take a dog of that size with you in the cabin. He will have to go in the luggage compartment - in a special box.

CUSTOMER: Then I shan't go by Lufthansa.

ANNA: You'll find it's the same for all airlines.

CUSTOMER: Very well.  I shan't fly. I shall go by train.

And she went out of the office before Anna could say another word.

Just before lunch, a voice said, "I want a first class ticket to Caracas, please." Anna said, "I'm sorry, Lufthansa doesn't fly to... " She looked up, and the customer laughed. It was John Bond.

JOHN: Don't bother about the ticket, Anna, I shan't need one for another three months - at least I hope I shan't.

ANNA: Then what can I do for you?

JOHN: You can come and have lunch with me.

ANNA: But...

JOHN: Now don't argue. You know the rule: "The customer is always right." What time is your lunch hour?

ANNA: Half past twelve.

JOHN: It's exactly half past twelve now. Let's go.

ANNA: All right. I'll just put these papers away.

They went to an Italian restaurant in Soho, a part of the "West End" of London, where you will find most of the well-known shops, theatres and restaurants.

The time seemed to fly. John told Anna about his life in South America, and about his firm. He was interesting and amusing, and Anna enjoyed listening to him. Towards the end of the meat he said:

JOHN: There's a new film at the Odeon in Leicester Square. Shall we go and see it tonight?

ANNA: Thank you, I'd like to very much.

JOHN: All right, I'll call you at the office at six.

ANNA: No, don't do that. I'll meet you outside the Odeon. I'll be there at about ten to seven.

John met Anna outside the cinema and they went up to the box-office.

JOHN: Two back stalls, please (the seat downstairs in a cinema).

GIRL: I'm sorry, there are no stalls left - circle only (the seats upstairs).

JOHN: All right. Two please.

GIRL: Fifteen shillings or twenty shillings?

JOHN: Twenty shillings.

They enjoyed the programme, especially the main film - an American musical. then John wanted to take Anna to dinner.

ANNA: All right, but I'll pay my own share.

JOHN: Don't be silly. When I take a girl out, I pay.

ANNA: That's an old-fashioned idea.

JOHN: When I'm on leave, I like to spend my money. There's nothing to spend it on in San Pedro.

ANNA: But I want to pay my share.

JOHN: All right, I'll pay for the meal and you can pay for the coffee afterwards.

CHAPTER 7

A BOAT TRIP ON THE THAMES

London is one of the greatest cities in the world; it is also one of the greatest ports. Much of its importance has depended upon its position at the head of the Thames estuary.

Centuries ago, the easiest way into England from the Continent was up the Thames. The Romans sailed up the river in 43 A.D. - and built a bridge across it. The Thames brought England riches and power. For centuries the kings and queens of England, the archbishops and great merchants built their palaces, churches, castles and private houses along its banks.

John and Anna have decided to take a boat trip on this famous river.

JOHN: Shall we go up or down?

ANNA: I don't mind. I'll leave it to you.

JOHN: Let's toss for it. (He takes a penny out of his pocket.) Head or tails?

ANNA: Heads.

JOHN: You win. Choose.

ANNA: Right. Let's go down the river.

You can go in a small motor-boat or on one of the large pleasure-boats. Anna and John chose the pleasure-boat. Although the weather was warm, there were not many passengers and there was plenty of room on the top deck.

Soon they saw a large park on the right.

ANNA: What's the name of that park, John?

JOHN: That's Battersea Park, where the Festival Gardens are. My father took me there during the Festival of Britain. I was only about nine at the time but I can still remember it very well... And that building is Battersea Power Station. It supplies London's electricity.

The boat was going quite fast. The river wound its way to Lambeth Bridge, then to Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament.

ANNA: Are the Houses of Parliament very old?

JOHN: The buildings are not all that old, but the site is. It has been the centre of English government for over nine hundred years. But the Abbey really is old. Most of the present building dates from the 13th and 14th centuries.

They got off the boat at Charing Cross Pier, walked along the Embankment to a small cafe nearby and had a cup of coffee. Then they walked slowly back to the pier. On the other side of the river they could see the Royal Festival Hall, a fine, modern concert hall.

They saw on a notice board that there was a regular boat service to Greenwich, a few miles farther down the river. A boat was waiting, so they decided to go. They passed under Waterloo Bridge, and round a bend in the river. In the distance they could see the great dome of St. Paul's Cathedral.

ANNA: (quickly, before John can speak) St. Paul's Cathedral - the Cathedral Church of the City of London. There was once an old Saxon church on the same site and after that a Norman cathedral.

JOHN: Go on, tell me some more.

ANNA: The cathedral burnt down in the Great Fire of London en 1666. (In fact, a big fire a century earlier did a lot of damage too.) The architect of the present church was Sir Christopher Wren. He started work on it in 1675 and finished thirty-six years later. You see, I've read the guidebook, too!

JOHN: You've certainly done your homework, Anna!

A few minutes later they came to London Bridge. The Romans, Anglo-Saxons and Normans all built bridges at this site. The first stone bridge appeared in the 13th century. Now the nineteenth-century iron bridge is going - the Americans have bought it! It is too narrow for the busy traffic of today.

The next landmark was the Tower of London. Work began on this in 1080. It was built to defend the City of London against enemy ships. The Tower of London has been a fortress, a palace and a prison. Now is a tourist attraction. There you can see the Beefeaters and the Crown Jewels - one of the most valuable collections of jewellery in the world.

Now the boat was entering the Pool of London - the great docks area, where the big ships load and unload their cargo.

Anna and John got off the boat at Greenwich. There was so much to see that they spent nearly two hours there. They visited and admired the National Maritime Museum, the Royal Naval College and the Royal Observatory. then they walked back to the river and looked at the "Cutty Sark", one of the great ocean-going clippers. She carried tea from China and wool from Australia. From 1883 to 1895 she had a faster time than any of the other sailing ships on the run from Australia to England. They did not stop to see over the ship, for sight-seeing can be very tiring.

JOHN: I think we've seen enough for one day. Let's take a taxi back to the West End. And don't tell me I'm being extravagant...

Anna didn't say a word. She was feeling completely exhausted.

CHAPTER 8

A DRIVE IN THE COUNTRY

John Bond has now been home for two weeks. He has bought a second-hand car. He has already spent a lot of time

on the engine. It now runs very smoothly.

This weekend he and Anna are going to drive to Avonford, a small village in Wiltshire. John's cousin, Simon Finch, has a farm just outside Avonford. When he was a boy, John used to spend most of his summer holidays at the farm. Anna is very excited about the visit because she has not yet seen anything of the countryside.

They set off early on Saturday morning. They wanted to get across London before the weekend rush began and the traffic became really heavy. By nine o'clock they were passing through the outer suburbs of London, and a few minutes later they were in the country. It was a pity that the weather was not better. The clouds were dark and low, and there was a cold wind.

They had plenty of time, so John decided to show Anna as much of the English countryside as possible. They got off the main road as soon as they could and drove along narrow country lanes for several miles. Then they came to more open country. The road led them across the Berkshire Downs, a large area of hilly grassland. They stopped for a while and John looked at a map.

JOHN: We've plenty of time. Let's go down to the New Forest. Perhaps we'll see some of the ponies.

ANNA: Ponies?

JOHN: Yes, small horses. They live wild in the forest.

So they drove to the New Forest. This is a densely-wooden area in the south-west part of Hampshire. When William the conqueror was King of England, he used the forest as his private hunting-ground. The New Forest is now one of the most popular tourist attractions in the south of England. There are plenty of places where you can camp - and, as John said, there are the famous wild ponies. Anna and John saw several as they drove slowly through the forest and across the open heath.

After they left the forest, they turned north-west towards Salisbury Plain. The road passed very close to Stonehenge, strange, prehistoric monument that it consists of two circles of huge stone blocks. Inside these are two groups of stones in the shape of a horseshoe.

Scientists think that the early inhabitants of Britain were sun-worshippers: they thought of the sun as a god and they built Stonehenge in honour of that god. On June 21st, the longest day of the year, the rising sun faces the open part of the horseshoe and shines on the centre stone.

John and Anna gazed at the ruins in silence. After a while, Anna said: "I feel cold." There was something strange and frightening about those enormous grey blocks of stone. John took her arm and they walked back to the car.

They drove on. The country became more hilly. On either side of the road they saw rich farmland. Sheep and cows were grazing in the fields. Wild roses grew in many of the hedges. After about half an hour they came to a signpost. It said: Avonford 2 miles.

They turned down a leafy lane, drove past a small pond and came to a pretty little village. It consisted of twenty or so houses, a couple of shops, a church and a pub. The name of the pub was "The Horseshoe". Outside there was a large signboard with a picture of a horseshoe.

JOHN: Shall we stop for a minute and have a drink?

ANNA: All right. (pause) Why do you call them "pubs"?

JOHN: Oh, "pub" is short for "public house" - a place where anybody can buy a drink. Have you ever had cider?

ANNA: I don't think so. What is it?

JOHN: It's an apple drink. It's really a west-country drink. If you go down to Devon or Somerset, be careful. The cider there can be very strong.

They went inside the pub. It was small and rather dark. John ordered two bottles of cider. Anna did not like it. It was much too sweet, she thought.

"We're nearly there", said John as they got back into the car. They crossed the bridge over the river Avon. It was not a very big river.

ANNA: I thought that the Avon was much bigger than this.

JOHN: You're thinking of Stratford-upon-Avon. This isn't the same river. Avon is a common nave for rivers in England. "Afon" is the Welsh word for river, and the "f" is pronounced like a "v".

ANNA: Are there any fish in the river?

JOHN: There used to be when I came here as a boy. I remember catching some big ones. If you want to try your hand, we can borrow a fishing-rod from Simon.

They came to a big white gate. On it was the name: Avonbridge. In the distance they heard the sound of a tractor. It was coming towards them. John stopped and waited. In a few minutes the tractor appeared round the bend in the road and stopped just in front of their car. a man jumped down. It was John's cousin. "Welcome to Avonbridge," he said.

CHAPTER 9

HOME AGAIN

They drove off. The tractor led the way, and John and Anna followed behind it in their car. It was like the royal procession, thought Anna. She could not see the house from where they were. It was round a bend in the road. In fact, it was not really a road; it was a drive made of sand and gravel. The surface was uneven and the car bumped up and down.

The drive was half a mile long. On either side there were big shady trees. It was like a park. They passed a small beech wood, turned a bend in the road  - and there was the house. It was long and low and looked very old.

Lunch was waiting for them when they arrived. Simon introduced Anna to his wife Helen, and his son, Frank, a boy of seventeen or so. They sat round a big oak table in a large and simply furnished room. The ceiling was low. Across it there were thick oak beams.

ANNA: It's a lovely house. It must be very old.

SIMON: My great-grandfather bought it in 1856 - shortly after the Crimean War. He was a soldier. But he had had enough of war...

HELEN: ... and decided to become a farmer.

SIMON: Yes. The farm was much bigger then, but my father had to sell a lot of land. We've got about ninety acres now.

ANNA: That's about forty hectares (1 hectare = 2.471 acres) My uncle's got a farm in Bavaria. I used to spend most of my holidays there when I was a schoolgirl.

SIMON: What sort of farm is it?

ANNA: Well, mainly crops, but he does keep a few cows.

SIMON: We do mixed farming too. We grow a lot of corn. We've also got quite a big herd of dairy cattle and...

HELEN: Once Simon starts talking about the farm, he never stops. (to Simon) Why don't you show Anna round the farm?

So after lunch, Simon took Anna on a tour of the farm. John did not come with them. He borrowed a fishing-rod from his cousin and went down to the river.

Anna and Simon went through a door at the back of the house into a courtyard. A few chickens were pecking at some grains of corn.

ANNA: So you keep chickens too?

SIMON: Only for our own use. This is the stable, though we've only got two horses. My father had twelve, but he sold the lot. (They moved on to a large building made of brick and glass.) And here is the cow-shed. We are very proud of it. It is one of the most modern in this part of the country. (They go inside.)

ANNA: It's luxurious! And so light and airy!

SIMON: You see that thermostat? It controls the central heating. It keeps the temperature in the building at a steady 65º all the year round.

ANNA: (She points to the milking machines.) All the milking is automatic, I suppose?

SIMON: Oh, yes. It has to be nowadays. It's very difficult to get labour - particularly in these parts.

ANNA: How many men are working on the farm at the moment?

SIMON: Only two. Frank, my son, helps at weekends. He's still at school. He wants to be a farmer but he'll have to go to an agricultural college first. Those are our sheep on the hills, but we rent the land from a neighbouring farmer. There's some excellent grass on that slope. (He points to a nearby hill, where most of the flock are grazing.) Anna, I'm afraid we'll have to get back. Frank and I are putting up a new fence around some land by the river.

ANNA: I'll come and help you.

SIMON: No, take things easy today. You can help us tomorrow if you like.

ANNA: then I'll go and see if John has caught any fish.

John was sitting by the river bank. He was smoking a pipe.

ANNA: Have you caught anything?

JOHN: Only one. (He points to a tiny fish on the ground by his side.)

ANNA: Hm. That won't make a very big meal.

JOHN: There's no doubt about it. Fish have got smaller since I was a boy.

Anna slept in a small bedroom beneath the roof. When she woke the next morning, she dressed quickly in jeans and a sweater and hurried down to breakfast. Simon and his son were already out working. John was still in bed, so Anna and Helen Finch had breakfast together in the big farmhouse kitchen. It was an enormous meal - and an interesting one too, because all the food was home-made.

HELEN: The farm doesn't make much money. It's a pity, because Simon works so hard. But we grow all our own fruit and vegetables. the eggs come from our own chickens.

ANNA: What about the bread? Did you make it?

HELEN: Yes - and the marmalade too. We get butter from the dairy... (She puts another plate in front of Anna.) ... and fish from the river - at least we do when John comes down here!

In fact, John caught three fish last night. One weighed just over 2 1/2 pounds.

After breakfast, Anna helped Simon to put up the fence around the field by the river. She was sorry they had to leave immediately after lunch, but John had to meet a business friend in London later that evening. They packed their things and said good-bye to their hosts.

ANNA: Thank you very much indeed. I've had a lovely time.

HELEN: You must come again, Anna.

ANNA: I'd love to.

SIMON: Come down and help us with the harvest.

HELEN: That's not until September. She must come before that. (She gives Anna two enormous bunches of flowers.) Take these back to London with you. Give one of them to Aunt Kathleen.

They reached the outskirts of London at five o'clock but it took them another hour to get to Putney. As soon as they reached home, John hurried up to his room. He was already late for his appointment. Mrs. Bond came out of the living room and Anna gave her the flowers.

MRS. BOND:  Did you have a good time?

ANNA: Marvellous! I liked Helen and Simon very much. And it's a lovely house. But it's good to be home.

She went upstairs to her room. How comfortable it looked. She walked over to the record-player and put on a record. It was a sad jazz tune from the early 1930's. But Anna did not feel sad. She really did feel at home.

THE END 

¿Querés montar tu propia actividad publicitaria? Olga y Daniel te ofrecen la posibilidad de ser un revendedor de espacios publicitarios en su sitio en Internet. ¡Informate ya mismo! click INVITACIÓN VÁLIDA PARA CUALQUIER LUGAR DEL MUNDO