Career Prospects

Susan How have your two sons been doing at school lately, Andy?

Andy Terrible! James never starts working, and Malcolm never stops

working.

Susan You’re joking, of course. I hear that Malcolm is likely to win all

the prizes in the exam this year.

Andy Yes, so his teachers say. But he deserves to do well. He’s always

been so conscientious and hard-working, and he’s been slaving at

his books every evening for months on end recently. He wants to go to Oxford University next year.

Susan Maybe he’ll become a university lecturer himself eventually.

Andy Maybe. But I think he studies too hard; I sometimes wish he’d go

out and enjoy himself for a change.

Susan Yes … What about your younger one?

Andy Well, James teachers say that he has ability, but that he’s too

inconsistent and that he rarely does his best. In other words, he’s not bad when he makes an effort, but he’s too idle. He couldn’t care less about exams. He does his homework in ten minutes every evening and then rushes out to play tennis.

Susan He’s crazy about tennis, isn’t he? Perhaps he can make his

fortune at it. You can make more money from sport than from an

old-fashioned profession these days.

Andy So I believe. But my wife always worries about the children’s

future. She wants James to give up tennis and study law, but I don’t believe in boys to take up careers they’re not cut out for. I wonder how James’ll develop in a couple of years’ time!

1. Read the words and explain the reading rules of :

“W” working – want – when – what – well – how – always – wonder

win – wish

“O” sport – fortune – son – become – not – old – work – homework

couple – sometimes – about – month – one – too – money

“A” care – want – make – law – bad – what – ability – James – hard

start – take – all – rarely – change

“C” course – couple – recently – career – forcing – children – could

lecturer – crazy – inconsistent – conscientious

“E” been – year – effort – teacher – career – every – evening – ten

deserve – best

Read the poem according to the reading rules.

How the water comes down at Lodore

Here it comes sparkling,

And there it lies darkling,

Here smoking and frothing,

Its tumult and wrath in,

It hastens along, conflicting strong;

Now striking and raging,

As if the war waging,

Its caverns and rocks among,

Rising and leaping,

Sinking and creeping,

Swelling and flinging,

Showering and springing,

Eddying and whisking,

Spouting and frisking,

Turning and twisting,

Around and around;

With endless rebound;

Smiting and fighting,

A sight to delight in,

Confounding astounding,

Dizzying and deafening the ear with its sound.

Receding and speeding,

And shocking and rocking

And darting and parting,

And threading and spreading.

And whizzing and hissing,

And dripping and skipping,

And brightening and whitening.

And quivering and shivering,

And glittering and flittering,

And foaming and roaming,

And working and jerking,

And heaving and cleaving,

And thundering and floundering,

And falling and crawling and sprawling,

And driving and riving and striving,

And sprinkling and twinkling and wrinkling,

And sounding and bounding and rounding

And bubbling and troubling and doubling,

Dividing and gliding and sliding,

And grumbling and rumbling and tumbling,

And clattering and battering and shattering,

And gleaming and streaming and steaming and beaming,

And rushing and flushing and brushing and gushing,

And flapping and rapping and clapping and slapping,

And curling and whirling and purling and twirling,

Retreating and meeting, and beating and sheeting,

Delaying and straying and playing and spraying,

Advancing and prancing and glancing and dancing,

Recoiling, turmoiling, and toiling, and boiling,

And thumping and plumping and bumping, and jumping,

And dashing and flashing and splashing and clashing;

And so never ending and always descending,

Sounds and motions for ever and ever are blending;

All at once, and all o’er, with a mighty uproar, –

And in this way the water comes down at Lodore.