Paying For One's Education (From SAWADOGO Seydou, Lycée Yadéga, Ouahigouya)
Dick was a clever boy, but his parents were poor, so he had to work in his spare time and during his holidays to pay for his education. In spite of this, he managed to get to the university, but it was so expensive to study there that during the holidays he found it necessary to get two jobs at the same time so as to earn enough money to pay for his studies.
One summer he managed to get a job at a butcher's shop during the daytime, and another in a hospital at night. In the shop, he learnt to cut meat up quite nicely so the butcher often left him to do all the serving while he went into a room behind the shop to do the accounts. In the hospital on the other hand, he was of course, allowed to do only the simplest jobs, like helping to lift people and to carry them from one part of the hospital to another: Dick had to wear white clothes.
One evening at the hospital, Dick had to help a woman from her bed to the place where she was to have an operation. The woman was already feeling frightened at the thought of the operation before he came to get her, but when she saw Dick, she trembled and cries: "No! No! Not my butcher: I won't be operated on by my butcher!" and fainted away.
L. A. Hill, Advanced stories for reproduction
VOCABULARY
A spare time: temps libre
To manage: se débrouiller
To earn money: gagner de l'argent
To faint: s'évanouir (perdre connaissance)
I COMPREHENSION: Multiple choice questions choose the correct letter corresponding to the correct answer.
1) Dick would use his spare time…
a) To study
b) To go on holidays
c) To go and pay for his education
d) To work and earn money.
2) Dick had to find two jobs because…
a) At the university education was free.
b) Education at the university was very cheep.
c) Education at the university was very expensive.
d) Education at the university wasn't expensive at all
3) Dick found his jobs…
a) In a shop and a supermarket.
b) In a hospital and in a factory.
c) In a school and at the university.
d) In a hospital and a shop.
4) In the hospital Dick's work was to…
a) Help the doctor operate the people.
b) Help the nurse to carry the babies.
c) Help to carry sick people from one part to another.
d) Wear white clothes and go around.
5) In the butcher's shop Dick's work was…
a) To serve people who come to eat meat.
b) To control people buying meat.
c) To take the money paid by the people.
d) To cut the meat up.
6) We can easily judge Dick to be…
a) A Lazy and foolish boy
b) An intelligent and hardworking boy
c) An intelligent and Lazy boy
d) A clever and crazy boy
7) The woman fainted…
a) When she saw Dick the butcher
b) When the doctor operated her
c) When the nurse came in the house
d.) Dick and the doctor helped her.
8) Dick had to work hard because…
a) His parents were illiterate..
b) His parents were moneyless
c) His parents were dead.
d) His parents were doctors
II GUIDED ESSAY (10 marks)
Answer these questions
l ) Why does Dick need to pay for his own education? (3-4 lines) (2pts)
2) Why did the woman faint when she saw Dick? (3-4 lines) (2pts)
3) One day your father refuses to pay for your education. What are you going to do? And why? (8-10 lines) (6marks)
III GRAMMAR (4marks)
A. Complete the following sentences with since, for, ago.
1) The woman was operated on two days ….. ................
2) This lady has worked in this factory............... fifteen years.
3) She has not revised her lesson ............. her last test.
4) They have not said a word ............... the beginning of the judgement.
B- Turn the following sentences into the negative form.
1- There was some milk in the bottle.
2- We saw somebody behind the laboratory.
3- They will send you something.
4 - My purse is somewhere in this room.
III TRANSLATE (2 marks)
1) Elle danse depuis trois heures.
2) Personne ne peut lire cette lettre.
3) Comme elle est intelligente!
4) Nous chanterons pendant cinq heures.