Unit 3

DIALOGUE I

Farewell to Rude Manners

A: How do you come to school every day?
B: By bike.
A: So you're lucky. You're not bothered by rude people with their rough behaviour.
B: I don't get it.
A: I come to school by bus every day and sometimes it turns out to be a terrible experience. I mean a bus ride. If the worst comes to the worst, you may find yourself on an overcrowded bus with no order, and in a near-riot. I'm not exaggerating.
B: I see what you mean. I'm sorry for you.
A: During the rush hour you have to fight your way in, and fight your way out when you get off.
B: How terrible!
A: What's more terrible, you often find yourself among people with no manners. This morning I saw something you wouldn't believe unless you saw it with your own eyes.
B: Yes?
A: At the bus terminal there was a big crowd. Because the bus was a little late, the crowd grew bigger and bigger. When the bus finally arrived, the waiting crowd turned into a charging mob, rushing the door.
B: What craziness!
A: Then some young guys pushed hard and elbowed their way to the front. They wanted to get on as fast as possible so they could get a seat. A woman carrying a baby lost her balance and fell down in this mad scramble. But those guys still pushed and pressed their way onto the bus, leaving others to take care of her.
B: It's shocking to see young people behave so badly. This is one of the reasons I don't take buses as a rule. I came across something as dreadful the other day. As it was raining, I didn't ride my bike and took a bus instead. The bus was very crowded. I saw an old lady standing next to the seats reserved for the old and weak.
A: Why didn't she take a seat then?
B: The seats were occupied by two robust young men who totally ignored her presence. It was an elderly man who finally got up and offered her his seat.
A: Those young men were too preoccupied with themselves.
B: Yes. They have the me-first mentality.
A: There're other forms of rudeness that people unblushingly exhibit in public places, such as spitting and littering.
B: I know. The problem is that they don't seem to care about the public code of conduct.
A: Young people have to be told that they should show respect for others before they are respected by others. I really think it's time we did something and bade farewell to all rude manners.
B: I agree. I'm all for developing socialist ethics, and the socialist moral standards ought to be passed down from generation to generation.

DIALOGUE II

Dialogue:

Albert, the careless caretaker, saw a light on in the office one night. He went inside and found the safe had been burgled. The police found all the doors and windows locked. They questioned Albert for several hours. This is part of the interrogation.
P: How did you discover the burglary?
A: I saw a light on in the office. I was puzzled. I thought I'd turned all the lights off.
P: Couldn't you see anything through the windows?
A: No, I couldn't. The windowpanes are opaque.
P: Couldn't someone have been working late?
A: Mm ..., no, that was not possible. I remembered clearly that ... that I'd turned off the lights.
P: Didn't you inspect the offices before you locked up?
A: I, uh, I'm not sure about "inspecting" the office. I always "looked round", though.
P: Could somebody have hidden behind one of the cabinets?
A: Er ..., really can't tell. I might have overlooked some corners.
P: Are you certain that you had only overlooked some corners?
A: Mm ..., it's hard for me to say, sir. Well, you see, it's routine work to me, so I might have ...
P: What? Now, what exactly is your routine work?
A: Well, turn off the lights, close the windows and lock the doors, and, oh yes, see that nobody's locked in!
P: So you seem to know your duty. Then how come the safe was burgled and the doors and windows were locked fast?
A: I'm as baffled as you are, sir. To tell you the truth, I never thought of looking behind the cabinets. The people working late never go behind there. They sit behind their desks, and they walk to and from the cabinets! I've done my duty!
P: Are you sure that your boss will think in the same way you do?
A: Well, how can I tell? You've got me all mixed up! I'm absolutely confused by your questioning!

READING I

A Shopper's Nightmare

The jumper I had been given for my birthday was too small for me, and one day while showing some friends around London, I thought it would be sensible to dash into the large department store where it had been bought and exchange it for a larger one. I told my friends to wait in the car and rushed into the store. The girl I spoke to at the counter was extremely helpful but unfortunately they had no others in my size, so I left with the original gift after putting it and the receipt for it back in my bag.
I dashed out of the store to rejoin my friends, who were still waiting in the car.
"Excuse me. Stop right there! You'd better come with us!"
Suddenly, my arms were grabbed viciously by a stern, bearded man and a surprisingly similar woman. They refused to tell me who they were or what I was accused of. I demanded to know what I had done wrong, but this was met with silence as they marched me through a side entrance to the store and to a small room upstairs. I had always assumed that a receipt would be enough to prove a shopper's innocence in such cases. But when I showed them mine, they looked at me as if I were trying to get away with a particularly cunning trick.
"How do we know that's really your receipt?"
The next person I spoke to was their boss, who came in a few minutes later. When I explained to him what had happened, he seemed totally uninterested. By now, I was furious and upset but I continued to protest that I was innocent and that I was not a shoplifter.
Eventually, and with great reluctance, the two detectives and their boss left to find the shop assistant I had spoken to before.
When the manager arrived a little later, begging forgiveness, it was naturally rather satisfying. But even the most enjoyable visions of managers on their hands and knees and sacked store detectives couldn't really comfort me. Their sudden, ruthless behaviour and their rudeness and insensitivity had left me badly shaken, and I dread to think what would have happened if I had had a less clear-cut case or had been in a more fragile state.


To err is human, to forgive, divine.
—Alexander Pope

READING II

A Letter of Complaint

14 Shakespeare Drive,
Solihull,
West Midlands.
31st July 1986

The Manager,
The Falstaff Restaurant,
Oxford Avenue,
Stratford-upon-Avon,
Warwickshire.

Dear Sir,
I am writing to make a strong complaint about the impolite treatment my guests, my wife and I received when we visited your restaurant last Friday evening.
On booking a table for four by telephone on Wednesday we were assured that there would be ample room for us despite the fact that you had only been open for a few days and were already heavily booked.
We appreciate that there must be great demand for restaurant meals at this time of the year in such a popular and historic area but we were not expecting such an ill-mannered reception on the part of your head waiter.
Our American guests are currently touring the "Shakespeare country" and were looking forward to a traditional English dinner in such a charming, picturesque setting. Our hopes for an enjoyable evening out were immediately ruined when your head waiter informed us that he had received no booking in our name and, consequently, no table was reserved for our party. My wife and I protested at this and asked to speak to the Manager, who, we were told, was unavailable.
Your staff then offered us a table which we all had to share with another couple and no effort was made to smooth over the unpleasantness we had experienced. We also had to wait some considerable time before the menu was brought to us and our order taken.
I trust you will give this complaint your prompt attention as the whole embarrassing incident was a great disappointment to our guests and sets a very bad example of English hospitality.
Yours faithfully,
Edward James
Mr. E.M. James