Mr. Richards worked in a shop which sold, cleaned and repaired hearing-aids. One day an old gentleman entered and put one down in front of him without saying a word.

‘What's the matter with it?' Mr. Richards said. The man did not answer. Of course Mr. Richards thought that the man must be deal and that his hearing-aid must be faulty, so he said again, more loudly, 'What's wrong with your hearing-aid, sir?' Again the man said nothing, so Mr. Richards shouted his question again as loudly as he could.

The man then took a pen and a piece of paper and wrote: 'It isn't necessary to shout when you're speaking to me. My ears are as good as yours. This hearing aid is my wife's not mine. I've just had a throat operation, and my problem is not that I can't hear, but that I can't speak.

A- Which of these sentences are true (T) and which are false (F)? Write T or F in the boxes.

1. An old gentleman brought a hearing aid into the shop where Mr. Richards worked.
2. The man did not answer Mr. Richards's question because he was deaf.
3. Mr. Richards wrote his question down because the old gentleman could not hear him.
4. The old gentleman answered Mr. Richards's question in writing.
5. The hearing aid was the old gentleman's.
6. The old gentleman couldn't speak.

B- Answer these questions.

1. What did an old gentleman bring Mr. Richards one day?
2. What did Mr. Richards ask him?
3. And what did the old man say in reply?
4. What did Mr. Richards think then?
5. What did he do?
6. How did the old man make Mr. Richards understand what he wanted?
7. Was the old man deal?
8. Why had he not spoken to Mr. Richards?

C- Put words which end in en in the spaces, whenever this is necessary.

When people repair things in shops, they sometimes:

1. Make them flat, which means that they…. them:
2. Make them smooth, which means that they ... them down:
3. Make them stronger, which means that they ... them;
4. Make them thinner, which means that they ... them down:
5. Make them longer, which means that they...them;
6. Make them shorter, which means that they... them;
7. Make them wider, which means that they... them;
8. Make them narrower, which means that they...them down;
9. Make them sharp, which means that they... them;
10. Or make them straight, which means that they them.