Lesson 38 Text A Cant She Type
The well-known banker, T. J. Ellington, was at one time in his younger days the
manager of a New York office. His secretary had been with him for many years,
and knew his ways and habits. She always kept a glass of water on his desk, and
knew that he disliked flowers in the office. He had a habit of interrupting a
letter (when she was writing it down) with a few words on other subjects which
had no connection with the letter; but she knew how to deal with that. She was
never late , and was always willing to work beyond office hours when necessary.
Therefore, when she left the office to get married, Ellington felt rather sorry
for himself.
In those days good secretaries were hard to find. Ellington rang up the office
in the city which had supplied him before; but the woman there said that she
had no one suitable. He tried several other places, but the answer was always
the same. There did not seem to be any secretaries unemployed. But it was
absolutely necessary for him to find someone , and at last he rang up the first
office again and urged the woman to find a girl who could at least type.
Well, she said slowly, theres Miss Steele.
Good! cried Ellington. Send her along at once. I really
must have someone here immediately.
I'm not sure about her, said the woman doubtfully. Why Cant she type Is she
too old
Oh, she's quite young. In fact she's only just left the Secretarial College.
She types very well indeed.
Well, then, what's the matter Send her here at once.
All right, if you say so. But she's a bit simple.
Miss Steele arrived soon afterwards, and he explained her duties to her. At
first she refused to accept the post; she said that she had had no experience
and was not used to such work. But after a further conversation he managed to
persuade her to come, at least for a week or two. She agreed, but her face had
a doubtful expression on it as she went out.
On the following morning Miss Steele arrived at the office ready for work.
Ellington had one letter to which he wished to reply immediately, and he rang
the bell. Miss Steele came in quietly and sat down, pencil in hand and notebook
on knee. Ellington told her to take a letter, and was glad to see that she
could write as fast as he spoke. It was soon done and she went out to type it.
Well , thought Ellington, there doesnt seem to be much wrong with that girl.
A short time later she entered the office again and placed a letter,
beautifuily typed on his desk. He looked at it with pleasure, but read it with
surprise. It was as follows:24th
July, 1976.
Mr James Vandenberg,
His address is on this letter. Here! Take it with yau.Dear Sir,
I thank you for your letter of yesterdays date. I think the question of the
electric motors needs further consideration, and as time is important, it will
probably be best if we meet to discuss it. Theres that cat outside the mindozv
again. Please tell Miss Harper to remove it and keep it away. I've told her
before about it. I should take it as a favour if you would lunch with me on
Friday next. What's happened to my glass of water this morning We may then be
able to settle the matter finally. I don't like flozvers in the office. Please
remove them. I usually lunch at one oclock. Please let me know if that time
will suit you. This letter is zmportant and I want you to type it carefully.
Yours faithfully,
Text B A Quiz on General Knowledge Charles Kent and Tony Smith are playing a
game. They are asking each other questions about general knowledge CHARLES:
When was America discovered, Tony
TONY: I'm not certain. Do you know
CHARLES: America was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492.
TONY: In a way that's right. But the Vikings travelled there long before
Columbus. And what about the Red Indians
CHARLES: All right. Ask me a question now.
TONY: Who invented the electric light bulb
CHARLES: Thats easy. It was invented by Edison.
TONY: Correct. Now fora harder question. Who will be the first tnen on Mars
CHARLES: I can't answer that. But I think Mars will be visited by men before
the
end of this century.
TONY: Ask me a question now.
CHARI.ES: All right. What is the nearest planet to the sun
TONY: Thats easy. It's .. er... Venus. NO. Pluto. No. Wait a minute. It's on
the tip of my tongue. Oh dear, what is the nearest planet to the sun
Question on Text B 7. Read the following passage once. Underline the key words
while reading
and retell the story to your partner. Billy is fourteen years old and in the
ninth grade. He had a part-time job which gets him up every morning at five
oclock. He is a newspaper boy.
Each morning, Billy leaves the house at 5:15 to go to the corner where the
newspapers are. The newspapers were delivered to the corner by truck at
midnight. He always takes a wagon to carry them.
In the winter it is still dark when he gets up, but during the rest of the year
it is light. Billy must deliver the newspapers to the houses of people on his
route in all kinds of weather. He tries to put each paper on the porch where it
will be protected from wind and rain or snow. His customers think he does a
good job. Sometimes they give him tips.
Billy earns about $ 70 per month, and he is saving some of the money to go to
college. He spends the rest on records and clothes. Once a month, he has to
collect money from his customers. Since many of them work during the day, Billy
has to collect the money at night. Sometimes, when Billy is sick, his older
brother has to deliver the newspapers. Once, Billys father had to help.
Billy has seventy customers now, but he hopes to get more soon. Someday, if he
gets many more customers, Billy might win a prize for being an outstanding
newspaper boy. He wants to win a trip to Europe, but he will be happy if he
wins a new bicycle.
[來源: _t_i_n_g_c_l_a_s_s]