Shaw Wrote a Play
Once a poor flower-girl, quite by chance, overheard a conversation between two gentlemen. One of the gentlemen was a professor of phonetics. He was saying to the other that he could teach an uneducated person to speak good English. The girl was very much interested in what they were talking about. She tried to hear every word.
The fact was that she had for a long time been thinking of learning to speak correctly, and now she saw an excellent chance for herself. If she improved her manner of speaking the owners of the big flower shop would give her a job. She asked the two gentlemen to buy a few flowers from her and tried to speak to there but they didn't listen to her and soon went away.
The next day the girl came to the professor's house and asked him to give her lessons. The professor was very much surprised. At first he refused to teach her, saying that it was no use even trying, but then he agreed.
The results of the first lesson were poor. She couldn't produce proper English sounds and was tired of endless exercises. But soon the processor discovered that she was a clever girl. She took a great interest in her lessons and never missed a chance of practicing the sounds. As a result, her English became so good that the people who met her thought that she was a real lady.
The story of the girl can be found in one of Bernard Shaw's most popular plays.
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to refuse - отказывать
proper – правильные
I. The text is about ...
1) a poor girl who worked hard at her English.
2) the work of the professor of phonetics.
3) the lilt of the rich gentleman.
4) the work of the flower-girl.
II. Complete the sentence according to the text.
The flower-girl wanted to...
1) get money from the two gentlemen.
2) learn where the two gentlemen lived.
3) take phonetics lessons.
4) give phonetics lessons.
III. Find the wrong statement.
1) The professor of phonetics gave lessons.
2) The flower-girl wanted to get a good job.
3) The professor could teach anyone to speak good English.
4) The professor wanted to get money from the girl.
IV. Answer the question.
What kind of man was the professor?
1) He was a man of his word.
2) He was a famous man.
3) He was a lazy man.
4) He was a poor man.
V. How can you explain why the girl started visiting the professor's house?
1) She wanted to find a rich husband.
2) She wanted to get a job in his house.
3) She wanted to improve her phonetics.
4) She wanted to spend time with a nice mail.
VI. Choose the synonym to the underlined word.
She never missed a chance of practicing the sounds.
1) an occasion 2) an opportunity 3) an event 4) a case