1. Read the text and answer the questions.

THE LOST RUBY

There was once a king who was always sad. Nothing could please him. He always looked on the dark side of life.

The king had a large house with a wonderful garden. An old man looked after the garden. He was always singing as he worked.

One day the king was walking in his garden when he heard the old man’s song. He asked him, “Tell me, old man,” said the king, “Why are you always so cheerful?”

The old man said:”Sadness can never enter my heart. I have locked it out.”

“Your heart is not a house! No one can escape sadness.” said the king.

The old man just smiled. The king was angry. He decided to prove that he was right, and the old gardener was wrong.

The next day the king went down into the garden again. He took a large ruby from his pocket and gave it to the old gardener. “I want you to look after it for me,” he said. ”But if you lose the ruby, you’ll lose your life.”

The old man took the ruby home and hid it under his bed. That night the king, dressed as a beggar, went to the gardener’s house and stole the ruby. He took it and threw it into the river.

The next morning the king went down into his garden, called the old man over and said,”I want you to bring the ruby to the palace in two days time. And remember, if you lose it…” The old man got home and looked under his bed. When he saw that the ruby wasn’t there he knew he had only two days to live.

Answer the questions.

1. What is this text about?

2. What was the old man’s job?

3. What did the king decide to do?

4. Why did the king go to the gardener’s house?

5. What happened the next morning?

2. Read the text and prove that pets are wonderful companions. Say if pets abroad are being taken good care of. Speak about your pet and the way you take care of it.

An article in the New Scientist says that cats and dogs are wonderful companions. People ask questions and complain, but pets just listen and seem to understand. They never answer back. People with loving pets don’t get so much cold and headaches. Stroking a cat or walking a dog brings your blood pressure down and makes your heart beat more slowly.

The 747 British Airways flight took off from Houston to London at its usual time. However six hours later the captain had a problem. He could see that the temperature in the hold was too high. There was a five-year-old dog called Louise in there and her life was in danger. An emergency landing would cost ₤20,000 and delay the passengers for three hours. In the end the captain told the passengers about the problem and all of them agreed to save the dog’s life. The plane went back to the USA and landed in Boston, where the dog was put on another flight.

In 1993, the British spent ₤1.6 billion on looking after their pets. Over ₤100 million of this was on animal medicine. The most common injury – a broken leg – costs from ₤300 for a cat to ₤1,000 for a dog. One company in New Zealand now gives ‘pet leave’ – if workers’ pets are ill. They can stay at home to look after them.

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