Dolphins to the Rescue

1) Everybody loves dolphins. Perhaps it's their smile and their playful personality which is so appealing. Dolphins are also very intelligent. Some scientists say that they are more intelligent than humans. There are many people who are alive today because dolphins helped them when they were in danger. It is as if the dolphins have some special telepathic power.

2) Teenager Adam Maguire owes his life to a school of dolphins who came to his aid one afternoon in February 1989. He was surfing near Sydney, Australia. He was quite near the beach but, while he was waiting for the next big wave, he saw a three-metre-long Great White shark swimming towards him. Adam was terrified when the shark took a huge bite out of his surfboard. The shark then attacked Adam and bit him. As soon as the shark tasted Adam's blood, it was clear that it was going to kill him.

3) Luckily some dolphins were playing in the area. The dolphins quickly swam around Adam in circles. As they did so, they leapt and splashed in the water and frightened the shark away. Adam, who was still losing a lot of blood, managed to swim to the beach. He went to hospital, where he had an emergency operation. He recovered and is now able to walk - thanks to the help of the dolphins [7, p. 45-46].

Reading Comprehension Test

1. The author states in the story that people are fond of dolphins because of their

1. sympathy;

2. smile;

3. personality;

4. appearance.

2. According to the text, dolphins have some special telepathic power. This information is

1. true;

2. false;

3. no such information in the text.

3. In this passage the author describes the way several dolphins saved Adam. What’s its number?

1. 1;

2. 2;

3. 3.

4. While surfing, Adam was attacked by a long White shark. The shark managed to do the following

1. to bite his surfboard;

2. to bite Adam;

3. to bite both Adam and his surfboard.

Text III

The Gift

One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. Three times Della counted it. And tomorrow was Christmas. She sat down on the old sofa and burst into tears. She had saved every penny for months and this was the result. Twenty dollars a week doesn't go far. Only $1.87 to buy a present for Jim. Her Jim. She had spent hours planning to buy something nice for him.

She went to the mirror and let down her hair. She let it fall to its full length, below her knees.

There were two possessions of which the Dillinghams were very proud. One was Jim's gold watch, which had been his grandfather's. The other was Della's hair.

She put her hair up again nervously and cried a little again. Then she put on her old brown jacket, her old brown hat and went down the stairs to the street.

She stopped at a sign which read: 'Madame Sofronie. Hair Goods of All Kinds'. She ran up the stairs. 'Will you buy my hair?' asked Della. 'Take your hat off,' said Madame Sofronie, 'and let me look at it.' She let her hair down. 'Twenty dollars,' said Madame.

'Give it to me quickly,' said Della and the woman began to cut off Della's beautiful long hair.

For the next two hours Della searched for a present for Jim. Then she found it. It was a platinum chain for Jim's watch. As soon as she saw it, she knew it was right for Jim. It was like him. Quiet and valuable. It cost $21.

When Della got home, she started to curl her hair. After half an hour, her head was covered in small curls.

At seven o'clock the front door opened and Jim came in. Della whispered to herself: 'Please God, make him think I am still pretty.' Jim looked thin and serious. Poor Jim! He was only twenty-two! His eyes fixed upon Della and there was an expression on his face which frightened her.

'Jim, darling, don't look at me like that. My hair will grow again. I cut it off and sold it because I wanted to buy you a present. I've got a beautiful present for you.' 'You've cut off your hair,' said Jim slowly. 'Yes, but I'm still me without my hair, aren't I?' 'Your hair is gone,' he said again, almost like an idiot. He took a package from his coat pocket and threw it on the table. Della tore at the string and paper. First, an ecstatic scream. Then, hysterical tears.

For there lay the combs — the set of beautiful, tortoiseshell hair combs which she had wanted for so long. She knew they were expensive.

She hugged them closely and said: 'My hair grows very fast, Jim.' Then she jumped up and gave him her present. The platinum watchchain flashed in the light.

'Isn't it beautiful, Jim? Give me your watch. I want to see how it looks on it.'

Jim sat down on the sofa and smiled. 'Dell,' he said, 'let's put our Christmas presents away and keep them for a while. They're too nice to use at present. I sold the watch to buy your combs. Now let's have supper' [7, p. 123].