The Girl with Green Eyes

Part 1

'Of course,’ the man in the brown hat said, 'there are good policemen, and there are bad policemen, you know.'

You’re right,' the young man said. ‘Yes. That’s very true. Isn't it, Julie?'

Julie didn't answer and looked bored. She closed her eyes.

There were seven people in the carriage. There was the man in the brown hat; the young man and his wife, Julie; a mother and two children; and a tall dark man in an expensive suit.

The young man's name was Bill. He had short brown hair and a happy smile. His wife, Julie, had long red hair and very green eyes - the colour of sea water. They were very beautiful eyes.

Part 2

Bill and the man in the brown hat talked and talked. The tall dark man took out his newspaper and began to read. Julie opened her eyes and looked at the back page of his newspaper. She read about the weather in Budapest and about the football in Liverpool. She wasn't interested in the weather and she didn't like football, but she didn't want to listen to Bill and the man in the brown hat. ‘Talk, talk, talk,' she thought. 'Bill never stops talking.'

Then suddenly she saw the tall man's eyes over the top of his newspaper. She could not see his mouth, but there was a smile in his eyes. Quickly, she looked down at the newspaper again. She read about the weather in Budapest for the third time. Then she looked at the tall man's hands. They were long, brown hands, very clean. 'Nice hands,’ she thought. He wore a very expensive Japanese watch. 'Japan,’ she thought. 'I'd like to go to Japan.' She looked up and saw the man's eyes again over the top of his newspaper. This time she did not look away. Green eyes looked into dark brown eyes for a long, slow minute.

Part 3

Bill and his new friend went to buy something to eat and drink. The train was nearly at Plymouth. The tall dark man stood up, put the newspaper in his bag, and left the carriage. The train stopped at the station. A lot of people got on the train, and two women and an old man came into the carriage.

The train moved slowly away from Plymouth station, and Bill came back to the carriage. 'Where's Julie?' he said. 'She's not here.'

The little girl looked at Bill. 'She got off the train at Plymouth,’ she said. 'With the tall dark man. I saw them.'

'Of course she didn't!' Bill said. 'She's on this train. She didn't get off.'

‘Yes, she did,’ the children's mother said suddenly. 'I saw her too. The tall man waited for her on the platform.'

‘He waited for her?' Bill's mouth was wide open. 'But... But he read his newspaper all the time. He didn't talk to Julie. And she never talked to him. They didn't say a word.'

'People don't always need words, young man,’ the children's mother said.

'But I don't understand,’ said Bill. 'She's my wife. Why did she go? Why did she leave me? What am I going to do?'

Why did Julie leave her husband?

Illnesses and their Treatment

Exercise 1.

Essential vocabulary

Words

Word combinations

to feel smb’s (one’s) pulse

to write out a prescription (for pills, etc.)

to go to a chemist’s (drugstore)

to follow the doctor’s directions

to catch (a) cold

to have an accident

to be short of breath

to examine a patient (smb’s throat, etc.)

to breathe in deeply

to consult (see) a doctor

to have a nervous breakdown

to keep to a diet (of …); to be on (go on), follow a diet

to have a prescription (medicine, mixture, tonic, etc.) made up

to take medicine (a spoonful of, etc.)

to be wrong with (one’s heart, lungs, etc.); to have smth. wrong with

to be taken ill (to fall ill) with

to be laid up with

to feel sick (and giddy)

to be on sick leave, to give a sick leave

Exercise 2.

Treating a Patient

Last summer Nina, my room-mate, became ill. She felt sick and dizzy. She wasrunning a high temperature and it was clear that she needed to see a doctor. I rushed straight to our health centre and made an appointment for her. In a hour or so the doctor arrived. He was a middle aged man in a white coat. Before trying to diagnose the disease he asked Nina to strip to the waist. The doctor then examined her throat, felt her pulse, listened to her heart and lungs and tested her blood pressure. The following conversation took place between them.

Doctor:I see you’ve taken your temperature. What was it?

Nina: Thirty-eight point seven. And I feel awful. I’ve got a headache and a sore throat. It hurts when I swallow and I’ve got a pain in my side.

Doctor: Let me see your side.

Nina: Doctor, what if it’s appendicitis? What if I need an operation? Doctor, say something, please!

Doctor: There, there. No tears. Take it easy. Everything will be all right. Does it hurt when I press here?

Nina: Oh, yes, it hurts a lot.

Doctor:Well, my dear, I am sorry to say you have the flu and something is wrong with your appendix. If you have another attack, you will be taken to hospital and an operation will be necessary, I am afraid.

Nina: Oh, no.

Doctor: Don’t worry. We’ll hope for the best. Now I’ll write out a prescription for some pills and a mixture. You are to take a tablespoonful of it three times a day. I believe that some injections of glucose will also do you a lot of good.

Nina: And what should I take for my headache?

Doctor: I’ll give you a tablet. Here it is. Good-bye now and cheer up, dear.

Nina: Good-bye, doctor. Thanks a lot.

So I went to the chemist’s to have the prescription filled. Nina and I followed the doctor’s instructions to the letter and in a week she felt much better.

Then I took her to the health centre where she had a chest X-ray and a blood test. Everything was all right. They said she had apparently made a full recovery. I never saw Nina look more pleased.

Assignments after the text:

I

1. Say everything you know about

a) Nina’s condition at the beginning of her illness and before recovery;

b) Nina’s behaviour;

c) the doctor

II

Learn the talk between Nina and the doctor by heart

III

1. Suppose Nina is ill now and her friend has called the doctor. What can you say about Nina’s condition?

2. Recite the talk between Nina and the doctor.

3. Enlarge the talk. Suppose the doctor wants to know if Nina often has a headache, if she has had a pain in her right side before, when it was, if she has had a chest x-ray this year. At the end of the talk the doctor says in what case she will recover soon.

4. How can Nina’s friend tell the teacher about Nina’s illness?

5. Nina is ill now. How would she be treated and looked after if she lived at home, not in the hall of residence?

6. Suppose Nina has been ill for a week already and now she is going to visit the doctor for a final check up.

7. Nina is all right now. She has come to the Institute and is having a talk with her friends. Her friends are interested in Nina’s health and her illness. They ask questions about the beginning of her illness, the doctor’s visit and how Nina has been following the doctor’s instructions.

Nina is worried that she has fallen behind the group as she has missed a lot of classes. Comfort her and tell her what you have been working at all this time, what you have done. And offer her your help.

Exercise 3.

Coping with Stress

Stress is a natural part of living. Crossing a road, going to a party, driving a car, these are all stressful activities. We live in a fast-moving age, so we must learn how to relax properly. Here are some of the most common symptoms of stress: sleeping badly, poor appetite or overeating, drinking too much alcohol, difficulty in concentrating.

How do you deal with these problems? The average business person often has no time to sit down and think the answers over. But if you want to survive, you have to know how to cope with stress. So, here is a guide to reducing the level of stress in your life.

First, take up a hobby, if possible, an active outdoor activity. You won’t worry about your problems when you are concentrating on a hobby that really interests you.

You must take plenty of exercise. This will keep you fit and should also help you to sleep better.

At work, it’s important to make lists of tasks that you need to complete during the day. Write down your thoughts and ideas on paper. Learn to say ‘no’ even to your boss, if you think that colleagues are unreasonable. And, finally, don’t forget that laughter is the best medicine.

1. Answer the following questions:

1. Why is it important to learn how to relax properly?

2. What are the most important symptoms of stress?

3. Is it possible to avoid stress?

4. What situations do you find stressful?

2. Speak about stress in student life.

Exercise 4.

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