The end of a dream
Tired of sleeping on the floor, a young man in Teheran saved up for years to buy a real bed. For the first time in his life, he became the proud owner of a bed which had springs and a mattress. Because the weather was very hot, he carried the bed on to the roof of his house. He slept very well for the first two

Taken for a ride
I love travelling in the country, but I don't like losing my way. I went on an excursion recently, but my trip took me longer than I expected. ' I'm going to Woodford Green,' I said to the conductor as I got on the bus,' but I don't know where it is.' ' I'll tell you where to get off,' answered the conductor. I sat in the

Reward for virtue
My friend, Herbert, has always been fat, but things got so bad recently that he decided to go on a diet. He began his diet a week ago. First of all, he wrote out a long list of all the foods which were forbidden. The list included most of the things Herbert loves: butter, potatoes, rice, beer, milk, chocolate, and swee

A pretty carpet
We have just moved into a new house and I have been working hard all morning. I have ten trying to get my new room in order. This has not been easy because I own over a thousand books. To make matters worse, the room is rather small, so I have temporarily put my books on the floor. At the moment, they cover every inch of

Hot snake
At last firemen have put out a big forest fire in California. Since then, they have been trying to find out how the fire began. Forest fire are often caused by broken glass or by cigarette ends which people carelessly throw away. Yesterday the fire men examined the ground carefully, but were not able to find any broken glass.

Sticky fingers
After breakfast, I sent the children to school and then I went to market. It was still early when I returned home. The children were at school, my husband was at work and the house was quiet. So I decided to make some tarts for tea. In a short time I was busy mixing butter and flour and my hands were soon covered with sti

Not a gold mine
Dreams of finding lost treasure almost came true recently. A new machine called 'The Revealer' has been invented and it has been used to detect gold which has been buried in the ground. The machine was used in a cave near the seashore where it is said pirates used to hide gold. The pirates would often bury gold in the ca

Faster than sound!
Once a year a race is held for old cars. A lot of cars entered for this race last year and there was a great deal of excitement just before it began. One of the most handsome cars was a Rolls Royce Silver Ghost. The most unusual car was a Benz which had only three wheels. Built in 1885, it was the oldest car taking pa

Can I help you, madam?
A woman in blue jeans stood at the window of an expensive shop. Though she hesitated for a moment, she finally went in and asked to see a dress that was in the window. The assistant who served her did not like the way she was dressed. Glancing at her scornfully, he told her that the dress was sold. The woman walked o

A blessing in disguise?
The tiny village of Frinley is said to possess a 'cursed tree'. Because the tree was mentioned in a newspaper, the number of visitors to Frinley has now increased. The tree was planted near a church fifty years ago, but it is only in recent years that it has gained an evil reputation. It is said that if anyone touch

In or out?
Our dog, Rex, used to sit outside our front gate and bark. Every time he wanted to come into the garden he would bark until someone opened the gate. As the neighbours complained of the noise, my husband spent weeks training him to press his paw on the latch to let himself in. Rex soon became an expert at opening the gate. Howeve

The future
At a village fair, I decided to visit a fortune-teller called Madam Bellinsky. I went into her tent and she told me to sit down. After I had given her some money, she looked into a crystal ball and said: 'A relation of yours is coming to see you. She will be arriving this evening and intends to stay for a few days. The moment

Trouble with the Hubble
　　The Hubble telescope was launched into space by NASA on April 201990 at a cost of over a billion dollars. Right from the start there was trouble  with the Hubble. The pictures it sent us were very disappointing because  its main mirror was faulty! NASA is now going to put the telescope right, so it wil

The dead return
　　A Festival for the Dead is held once a year in Japan. This festival is a cheerful occa-sion, for on this day, the dead are said to return to their homes and they are wel-comed by the living. As they are expected to be hungry after their long journey, food is laid out for them. Specially-made lanterns are hung outside ea

A fantasy
　　When the Ambassador of Escalopia returned home for lunch, his wife got a shock. He looked pale and his clothes were in a frightful state. 'What has happened?' she asked. 'How did your clothes get into such a mess?' 'A fire-extinguisher, my dear,' answered the Ambassador dryly. 'University students set the Embassy on fire this