Man Eats Out and Gets More Than He Ordered

DELTONA, FL, USA. Henry Snowden, 31, decided to eat out one Friday night. He pulled into a drive-up window at Burger King. Hungry as a bear, he ordered a large burger, large fries, and a king-size drink. Snowden got his fast food as well as a big surprise. Stuffed inside out of the paper bags was $4,170!


"I looked at the money as I ate. I knew immediately I should give it back," Snowden said. But Snowden did not return the money right off the bat. He went home to sleep on it. "I've got to say I was tempted to keep it," he admitted.


Snowden went back to Burger King the next day to give back the money. Restaurant workers greeted him with tears in their eyes and gave him lunch on the house. They explained that the restaurant puts its bank deposits in paper bags to prevent robberies. By mistake, a clerk gave Snowden the wrong paper bag.


Burger King may offer Snowden a reward. But Snowden says there's something even better- he has a clear conscience. "I'm glad I did the right thing. I feel better than I've ever felt."



New idioms and expressions


eat out------------------------------- eat in a restaurant

pull into a place --------------- arrive at a place by car, bus, or train

(as) hungry as a bear --------- very hungry

as well as --------------------------- and also

right off the bat --------------- immediately

sleep on it ------------------------- decide later, often the next day

on the house ---------------------- free; paid for by the merchant


About You


1. What do you like to eat when you're as hungry as a bear?


2. Do you like to eat out? Where?


3. Tell about something you did by mistake.


4. How important is it to have a clear conscience?

Man Tries to Turn Over a New Leaf

PORTLAND, OR, USA. Deandre Deangelo seemed like a normal 17-year-old student. When he arrived at Grant High School in Portland in September 1998, he made many friends right away. He was a first-rate student, signing up for a full load of classes, including government, Spanish and geometry. He always handed in his homework on time. He even sang in the school choir.




But three months later, police interrupted the choir practice and arrested Deangelo on the spot. It turns out that he was 17, he was 31! and his real name was not Deangelo, but Michael Backman and forged documents to change his identity and become a high schools student again. He was trying to hide from police for many different crimes.




Grant High School was the chool that Backman attended 13 years earlier. He wanted to turn over a new leaf. " I was trying to return to a time when I was not a criminal, to start again, to get a scholarship and go to college," he told police. Backman is not behind barsfor his new crime as well as his old ones.






About You:




1. Do you sometimes feel that you should turn over a new leaf? If so, what do you want to change about your life?




2. Is it easy to make new friends in your school or town? How do you do it?




3. Do you want to sign up for a class in the future? Which one(s)?




4. Do you always hand in your homework on time?

Engineer is Enthusiastic About Odd New Home

PORTLAD, OR, USA. Bruce Campbell recently bought his dream home. Cambell, 49, is not someone who follows the crowd. Instead of a traditional house in the suburbs, he got a 727! He paid $100,000 for his new home, which used to belong to the Greek Airline Olympic Airways.




Cambell's unusual home is parked on his rural property near the city of Portland. He cleaned the cabin and took out most of the seats. "Now it's a palace in here!" he says. The cabin is huge, but the bathrooms, on the other hand, are tiny. Cambell plans on using the cockpit as his office.




Campbell, an engineer, is enthusiastic about his new home. The plane is much stronger than most homes, he points out. And the roof will never leak!




At present, Mr. Campbell is a bachelor. But what if he meets his soul mate? Then, he jokes, he'll buy a huge 747!






About You:




1. What are you enthusiastic about?




2. Do you like to follow the crowd? (In fashion? In music?)




3. What kind of person would be a sould mate for you?




4. What things do you have to pay for every month?




5. Where are you living at present?




6. What do you plan on doing this weekend?

Bullfighting is in her Blood

SPAIN. When Cristina Sanches was a little girl, she loved to watch her father fight bulls. She knew that bullfighting was a dangerous profession. And she knew that there were no women bullfighters in Spain. But she still wanted to become a matador, to follow in her father's footsteps. So at the age of 12, Cristina started practicing with cows.




Her father was totally opposed to her future plans. "It's impossible. Women don't become bullfighters," he said. But Cristina insisted. "I don't want the role of a traditional woman," she says. Finally her father changed his mind and gave in. He saw that Cristina had bullfighting in her blood. He gave her the green light to attend the most famous school in Spain to learn the ropes of bullfighting. And the he became her trainer.




Now Cristina is a star in her country. As the first female matador, she is always in the the public eye. But it hasn't been smooth sailing for her. She has been hurt three times by bulls. Also, many people are angry about her participation in the sport. Some male matadors refuse to share the bullring with her, and she often hears insults from the audience. "When I hear insults from the crowd," says Cristina, "it makes me try harder. I want those people to eat thier words."




About You:




1. Is your family opposed to any of yuor ideas or dreams?




2. Tell about a time when you were opposed to something but gave in.




3. From what you see on TV and read in the newspapers, who is in the public eye now? What do you know about these people?

Janitor's Dream Comes True

LAS CRUCES,NM, USA. Primo Torres has learned that dreams come true. Born in Juarez, Mexico, Torres grew up in Texas in a poor family. As a child, Torres was a bookworm and he loved school. At 15, he already dreamed of being a teacher.






One day at school, young Torres dropped by to see his guidance counselor. He told the counselor his plans for the future. "But this guy said, 'Primo, you will never be a college material,'" Torres said. "When he told me that, I gave up. He threw cold water on my dream."






After graduating from high school, Torres got a job as a janitor at Mayfield High School in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He cleaned bathrooms and swept floors. The years went by. Now and then, he talks to his wife about his childhood dream of being a teacher.






One day, when Torres was 41 years old, his wife gave him some papers. She had enrolled him in college. "It was strange going back to school at my age," said Torres. " I felt like an old man around all those kids." The words of his first professor changed his life. "Everyone in this room is capable of succeeding. You can all make an A." he said. Torres hit the books and made his frist A in college.
Torres finished college, and now he's teaching at Mayfield High School. His students love him. "My students don't realize that I'm the same man who used to sweep the floors in this school," said Torres.


About You:

1. Tell about a dream you had that came true.

2. Are you a bookworm?

3. For how long do you hit the books on a typical evening?

4. What do you dream of doing in the future? Does your family encourage you to follow your dreams, or do they throw cold water on them?

Money Rains from the Sky

MIAMI, FL, USA. Early one morning, residents in a very poor neighborhood in Miami heard a loud crash. An armored truck had smashed into a guard rail and overturned on a bridge. The truck was carrying millions of dollars. The doors of the truck burst open, and bags of money fell out. The bags broke open, and money flew all over the place. Hundreds of people rushed to get their hands on the cash. "Money is raining from the sky!" they shouted. Altogether, the people stuffed $500,000 into their pockets and bags.




When the excitement died down, the police went from house to house and announced, "if you took money, you must give it back within 48 hours." They waited at the police station, but in the end only two people showed up-a woman and a boy, Herbert Tarvin,11, turned in the 85 cents he picked up.




Herbet's honesty made an impression on people. When officials at Disney World in Orland, Florida, found out about Herbert, they invited him and his entire class to take a trip there. When they arrived, the Disney company rolled out the red carpetfor the 16 children. Herbert and his friends had the time of their lives. "We like to reward kids for good behavior," a Disney spokesperson commented.






About You:




1. Do you want to take a trip? Where? Why?




2. Tell about an occassion when you had the time of your life.




3. When you meet someone new, what makes an impression on you.




4. What time do you usually show up for class?

The Lovesick Elephant

LYON, FRANCE. For Pankov and Mako, it was love at first sight. When the two elephants first saw each other in the Lyon zoo, they fell head over heels in love.




For 34 years, the two elephants looked after each other and were happy. Then one day, Mako got sick. He fell into a ditch by the elephants' cage. A few months later, on a cold January day, he passed away.




Pancov was brokenhearted. Over and over, zookeepers tried to feed her, but she refused to eat. Although Pancov had a sweet tooth, she even refused her favorite treat, sweet spiced wine. Nothing could cheer her up.Pancov didn't eat for four weeks, and she went from bad to worse. On Valentine's Day, a month after Mako's Death, zookeepers found Pancov in the same ditch. The night, she died of a broken heart.






About You:




1. Do you believe in love at first sight, or do you think love grows over time?




2. Do you think animals have emotions?




3. Do you have a sweet tooth?