Никоненко Тамара Петрівна

   Once an Englishman went to the seashore for his summer holidays. He asked his housekeeper to post him all letters that she would receive during his absence. She promised him to do that.
   The Englishman rested very well. A month passed but he received no letters. He thought it strange and he telephoned his housekeeper: “Why didn’t you post me my letters?” “Because you didn’t leave me the key of the letter-box,” was the answer.
   The Englishman apologized and promised to send her the key. In some days he put the key into an envelope, wrote down his address on it and posted the letter. Another month was passing but still he didn’t receive any letters. When at the end of the month he came back home he spoke angrily with his housekeeper. “But what could I do?,” asked the poor woman. “The key which you posted was in the locked letter-box too”.

Task I. Mark the right statements “True” and the wrong ones “False”.

1. Once an Englishman went to the seashore.
2. He asked his housekeeper to write him the letters.
3. The Englishman did not have a good time.
4. A month passed but he received no letters.
5. The Englishman wanted to know what the matter and he decided to come back home.
6. The housekeeper told the Englishman that she didn’t have the key of the letter-box.
7. The Englishman decided to send her the key.
8. In two days the Englishman received all his letters.
9. The Englishman didn’t receive any letters.
10. The Englishman spoke angrily with his housekeeper.

Task II. Choose the correct answer A, B, C, or D to each question:
1. Once an Englishman went to the seashore for his _____.
A. autumn holidays
B. winter holidays
C. spring holidays
D. summer holidays
2. He asked his _____to post him all letters.
A. housewife
B. housekeeper
C. housemaster
D. householder
3. She _____him to do that.
A. didn’t refuse
B. ordered
C. promised
D. didn’t promise
4. The Englishman rested _____.
A. very well
B. bad
C. not very well
D. not very bad
5. _____ passed but he received no letters.
A. Two months
B. Half a month
C. A month
D. A month and a half
6. He thought it strange and he _____ his housekeeper.
A. wrote
B. phoned
C. sent an e-mail
D. sent a telegram
7. The housekeeper told the Englishman that she _____.
A. didn’t have time to send the letters
B. didn’t want to send the letters
C. had forgotten to send the letters
D. didn’t have the key of the letter-box
8. In some days he put the _____ into an envelope, wrote down his address on it and posted the letter.
A. key
B. money
C. letter
D. a post-card
9. _____was passing but still he didn’t receive any letters.
A. Another week
B. Another year
C. Another month
D. Another day
10. What does the word “letter-box” mean?
A. A special box outside a house where letters, packages are delivered.
B. A container made of paper, plastic.
C. An object that has been wrapped in paper or put in a special envelope, especially so that it can be sent by post.
D. A container for putting things in, especially one with four stiff straight sides.
11. At the end of the month the Englishman _____.
A. received all his letters
B. read all his letters
C. changed his mind
D. came back home

Коновал З.Й., Адамовська Л.М. Англійська мова. Збірник диктантів, текстів для переказів та аудіювання. 7-11 класи. – Тернопіль: “Навчальна книга – Богдан“, 1999. – С. 31-32