SPORTS

The team is exhausted. They sit in silence in the locker room, waiting for their coach. It is halftime and
they dont know what to do. They are losing 28 0. The coach staggers in. He stinks of smoke and
whiskey and his shirt has a big yellow stain on it. He raises his hand and yells SILENCE!! I
CANNOT UNDERSTAND ANYTHING IF YOU ALL TALK AT THE SAME TIME!! The players look at
each other confused. No one had said anything.
Now, everyone be seated and listen to me. We can still win this game. Just keep defending and
you know scoring. Thats the beauty of basketball. A twenty-eight point lead is NOTHING!! Now if
you gentlemen will excuse me He walks over to the restroom, goes in and shuts the door. The
players hear a loud thud and assume that he has passed out. No one says a word. They look at their
captain. He stands up and speaks to the team. Wellwe should have mentioned that we were
playing soccer and not basketball but I guess its too late now. So, what can I say? Lets go out
there and do our best to limit the humiliation. Okay?
That is all for now. I am Jack Baker. Bye-bye.

INTRODUCING YOURSELF
Hello! My name is Ana. I am twenty-five years old. I live in Miami, Florida with my husband and two
children. I have one son in kindergarten and one daughter in first grade. They both attend public
school. My husband is a mechanic. On weekends, he works at a restaurant as a dishwasher. The
restaurant usually gets more customers on weekends, so they need extra people to wash dishes.

FAMILY.
My name is Sangeeta. I am 11. I live in New Delhi, India with my father, mother, two brothers and
three sisters. My grandparents also live with us. In India, family is very important. It is common to
have grandparents, aunts, uncles and/or cousins living in the same house. My aunts, uncles and
cousins also live nearby. We see each other often. My older brother is a computer programmer. Right
now, he is in Australia. His company sent him there for one year. We all miss him a lot. We write him
letters every week. I want him to come home soon.

I'M JENNIFER
Hi! Im Jennifer! I am 9 years old. I live in Houston, Texas with my mother, father, and two
brothers. I like going to school but I hate doing homework and taking exams. At school I study
English, Spanish, Science, Social Studies and Mathematics. I love going to school and seeing
my friends and teachers every day. I also like to play baseball after school. I dont have any
sisters but my best friend, Olga, is just like my sister. We tell each other everything. We also
study and watch TV together. When I grow up Im going to be a nurse and take care of sick

people.

WORK
Carolina writes an email to her friend about work:
"Hi Cristina, I am sorry I havent called you for so long. How are you? How is your new apartment? I
have been very busy at work. I arrive at the office at 7 am and leave at around 6:30 pm. I just get half
an hour for lunch and a five-minute break in the morning and in the afternoon. I am very tired when I
get home so I just eat, watch some television and go to bed. In the office, I am on the phone all day,
listening to customer complaints and entering them into our computer system. At the end of the day I
have to write a summary of all the calls I received during the day and give my boss a status on the
complaints that are not yet resolved. I do not know how much longer I can do this. I need a vacation,
or even better, I need another job! Ill call you this weekend.
Carolina

A NEW HOME
Francisco stands outside his new house. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the key. He turns
the key in the lock and opens the door. He steps into the living room and looks around. The paint is
peeling off the walls. There is no furniture. The house is dirty and smells bad. He tries to open a
window but it is broken. The house does not have a kitchen or a bedroom but there is a microwave on
the floor on one side of the room. He wonders if it works. The place looks terrible but it is all he can
afford. He covers his nose and mouth with his hand and opens the bathroom door. It is in bad
condition.

AIRPORT
Miguel is standing in line at the airport. It is his turn and he walks to the counter. The lady at the
counter asks him for his ID and she checks his flight details. Yes, he is confirmed on flight 103 from
Los Angeles to Hawaii at noon. He does not have any bags to check in but has one small carry-on
bag that he will take with him. The agent prints out his boarding pass. The airport security officers
walk past him with a big dog. The dog is sniffing around peoples luggage trying to detect drugs and
explosives. Miguel is relieved when he sees the dog walk past him. Suddenly, the dog turns and
begins to sniff his bag and bark. The security officer looks at Miguel. Sir, please bring your bag and
come with me.

I DONT FEEL WELL

Andrs is not feeling well. He was at a party last night and got home at 3 am. He has a headache and
feels nauseous. He had too much to drink and ate too much shrimp. He gets out of bed and realizes

that he is not wearing any pants. He looks around but cannot find them. He goes into the bathroom
and looks around for his pills. He cannot find them. He hears voices. He walks out of the bedroom,
goes down the stairs and into the kitchen. There are people talking and laughing in the kitchen. He
wonders who else came back home with him last night. Then he realizes something. He doesnt have
stairs in his apartment. He is in someone else's home!

MONEY
The bank teller counts the money in front of George and hands it to him. Here you are sir. That is
everything you have in your account. I have closed it as you requested. You should receive a
confirmation in the mail. Have a nice day!
George looks at the money and takes a deep breath. It is everything he has saved. He lost his job a
month ago and cannot find anything else. He has to use all the money from his savings account to
feed his family. They were evicted from their apartment three days ago and now live with relatives.
This money is all he has to survive until he gets another job. He carefully puts the money in his coat
pocket and walks to the exit holding it tight. I will guard this money with my life he whispers to
himself.
Three men wearing masks enter the bank. One pulls out a gun, fires a shot in the air and yells:
Everyone stay calm! This is a robbery! No one will get hurt if you do exactly as you are told!

TRAFFIC
Paul looks at his watch. He is worried. He has fifteen minutes to get to his interview and he is stuck in
a traffic jam. He looks around. Everyone is honking their horns and trying to move into the lane that
seems to be moving faster. They have barely moved in the last thirty minutes. Paul looks out of the
window at the people walking past him on the sidewalk. An old woman walking with a cane passed
him fifteen minutes ago. He cannot be late for this interview. He grabs his suitcase, opens the door
and gets out of the car. He shuts the door and begins to walk quickly down the street. All the cars
behind him begin to honk and the drivers start yelling at him. One yells: HEY! WHERE DO YOU
THINK YOURE GOING? YOU CANT JUST LEAVE YOUR CAR!! HEY!!!! COME BACK!!

PETS
Jacob takes the ladder and leans it against the tree. He starts to climb up and tries not to look down.
He cannot believe he is doing this. His neighbors cat climbed up the tree in front of the house and
cannot climb down. Now normally, Jacob would not offer to rescue a cat in a tree. He is afraid of
heights, ladders and cats. But his neighbor, Anita, is gorgeous and rescuing her cat would be the
perfect way to be a hero and get her attention.
He is almost there. The ladder begins to shake and he looks down and realizes how high he is. He
looks at his beautiful neighbor and decides that it is not worth it. He screams loudly HELP!!! IM

FALLING!!! The cat suddenly jumps from the tree onto his head. They both fall to the ground and the
cat runs to her owner. Anita runs to Jacob, who is lying on the ground.
Thank you so much, she says. That was very heroic! I hope you are not hurt.
It was nothing, he whispers. By the way, if its not too much trouble, would you be so kind as to call
me an ambulance?

RELATIONSHIPS
Renata walks into the restaurant. She sees her boyfriend Diego sitting at a table near the window and
smiles. He sees her and gets up. They hug and sit down. They call the waiter and order two glasses
of wine. He looks nervous and begins to talk. Look, I know this is awkward but let me but Renata
interrupts him.
You dont have to tell me. I know how you feel. I was so excited when you called to invite me to
lunch. I have missed you too. Not seeing each other for a couple of months was the best thing for our
relationship. I realize now that you are the one for me. Lets forget the past. Things will be different
from now on, I promise you.
Diego takes a deep breath and takes a sip of wine. Actually, I invited you to lunch because I didnt
want to tell you over the phone. Im sorry but Ive met someone else.

MOVIES
Saritha is watching a Bollywood movie with her boyfriend Chris. Bollywood movies are filmed in the
Hindi language by the film industry based in Mumbai, India. The B in Bollywood comes from
Bombay, the old name for Mumbai. Traditional Bollywood movies are not meant to be realistic. They
are usually musicals with plenty of dance, romance, action and very often violence. The reason for
their popularity is that most people in India are poor and these films provide an escape from the
reality of their daily lives. For the middle class, they are a way to live out fantasies of falling in love
and marrying the man or woman of their dreams. This is not common in a country where their
spouses are usually selected for them in what are called arranged marriages. When you watch a
traditional Bollywood movie, be prepared for a film, usually not shorter than two and a half hours,
whose main purpose is to entertain.
This is Chris first Bollywood movie. He presses pause and turns to Saritha. Let me see if I
understand this. The hero was just shot six times; fell out of a window on the fourth floor, got on his
motorcycle and came back into the building by crashing through the door. He then escapes with the
girl and they are now singing and dancing together?

MY NAME IS LUCIA

Hello! My name is Lucia. I am 41 years old, married with 2 kids. I live in Hoboken, which is in the
state of New Jersey on the east coast of the United States. I work part-time in a bookstore. It is a
great job. I can read as many books as I want for free and I can spend plenty of time with my kids.
My husband has his own business and works from 8am to 9pm. One day he will sell the business
for a lot of money so that he can spend more time with his family. When I am not working, I spend
most of my time cleaning the house, doing the laundry, paying the bills and cooking for the family. I
would like my husband to sell his business soon so that he can spend more time with us.

MEET KRISTINA
Kristina is very excited to receive an email from her new friend Tasneem. She writes back
telling her about life in Sweden and hopes that she can visit Tasneem in Egypt one day.

Hi Tasneem,
It was so interesting to read about your life in Egypt. It sounds like a fascinating country and I
would love to visit it some day. Let me tell you a little bit about where I live. Sweden is in the
northern part of Europe, in a region called Scandinavia. Stockholm, where I live, is the capital
city. Most people live in the southern part of the country, as the northern part gets too cold.
Sweden is one of the least populated countries in the world. Only about 9 million people live
here and they live mostly in the larger cities, like Stockholm in the south of the country.

It is winter here now and even in the Southern part of the country it gets very cold. We get only
a few hours of sunlight each day. We cant play outside much and so most of our activities are
indoors. However, in the summer, the days are very long. In fact, in the northern part of the
country, the sun shines 24 hours a day, so we call it the land of the midnight sun. Since the
summers are mild and sometimes even warm, we get to play outside a lot during the summer
months.

The official language of Sweden is Swedish. It is closely related to Danish and Norwegian. In
fact, most of us can understand Norwegian, but it is a little harder to understand Danish.
Everyone learns English here along with, at least, one or two other languages. I also study
French and German in school. I would love to learn Arabic one day. Is it difficult?

Family life is also given a lot of importance here and this is supported by the government. For

example, I have a little baby sister at home now and both our parents stay home to take care of
her. In Sweden, both parents get paid time off during the first year after a baby is born, so that
they can take care of their child. People also get a lot of help from the government if they are
unemployed or need to stay home due to illness.
Most swedes are Lutheran, which is a branch of Christianity; however, most of us go to church
only on special occasions.

I have travelled to quite a few countries in Europe but I would love to visit Egypt one day. From
your email, the food sounds really delicious. Maybe you can recommend a book or a website
where I can pick up a few basic sentences in Arabic. That way I wont feel completely lost when
I am there.
Your friend,
Kristina

MEET TASNEEM

This is an email from Tasneem to her new internet friend, Kristina. In this first email, she tells her about
her native land and her life there. They are both eleven years old and interested in learning about other
countries and cultures.

Hi Kristina,
How are you? I hope you are well. Let me start by telling you a little bit about myself and where I live.
My name, Tasneem, means fountain of paradise. Does your name mean something in your language?
As you know I live in Cairo, the capital city of Egypt. It was built on the river Nile, which is the longest
river in the world. At least thats what they tell us in school. I havent seen any other rivers (haha!).

Cairo is really crowded with a population of about 16 million people. People come here from all over the
country to find work. Some people even come from neighboring countries because they cannot find
jobs where the live. What I love about Cairo is that it is a mixture of old and new. You can see
skyscrapers and highways but you also find traditional shops and cafs as well. We accept modern

ideas but we still value our history and our traditions.

Children in Egypt are required to go to school from ages 6 to 12. Though school is free here, I go to a
private school which means my parents have to pay for my education. In addition to English, I also have
classes in Arabic and French. Arabic is the official language of Egypt. Did you know that it is read from
right to left? Arabic is spoken all over the Middle East but each country has its own dialect (maybe more
than one) which is the way people speak when they are chatting with their friends and family. Many of
these dialects are difficult for others to understand, so we learn Standard Arabic in school, which is
understood by people in all Arabic speaking countries.

One thing everyone loves when they visit Egypt is the food. Lunch is usually the biggest meal of the
day. We grill chunks of lamb with tomatoes, onions, peppers and spices. We also cook with Tahini
which is a paste of ground sesame seeds. We mix it with chick peas to make Hummus, or with roasted
eggplant to make Baba Ganoush. We eat our food with Pita which is a kind of bread cooked in large
clay ovens.

Family is very important in Egypt. I live with my parents and younger brother, but it is very common for
Egyptians to have big families. Some of my friends have three, four or even more brothers and sisters!
Some even have their grandparents living with them. Their houses are really crowded, but in Egypt no
one minds. We love having our families nearby. Our religion Islam, is also a very important part of who
we are, and most of us are Muslim. There is, however, a large Christian community here as well. At
home we learn that in order to be a good Muslim, you must love each other, share with those who dont
have as much as you do and never hurt anyone else. We also pray 5 times a day to remain connected
with God.

I look forward to hearing from you. What is life like in Sweden?

Your friend,
Tasneem

THANKSGIVING DAY

Marco is desperate. He has been unemployed for two months and he needs to find a job

soon. He wakes up every morning at 6 am, gets dressed and leaves the house. He hasnt
told his family that he was laid off. He says goodbye to them and leaves the house each
morning at the same time wearing his coat and tie. He then stops at a caf a few miles
away from home, opens his laptop and begins looking for jobs on the internet and sending
out resums.

He hasnt had too many responses. Marco is a victim of the worldwide economic
recession. He is a software engineer. He designed and programmed software for a
financial company. When the financial crisis hit, his company needed to cut costs and so
there was no money to design and implement new computer systems. Marco and many of
his colleagues in Information Technology were let go.

He is now running out of money. The monthly payments for his mortgage are very high. In
two months he has spent half of his savings on paying the bills and buying groceries. He
would accept any job even if it didnt pay as much as the job he had, but he hasnt
received a single call. If he doesnt find something soon, he will lose his home. It is time
for him to think of other options.

The waitress comes over and offers him some more coffee. Yes, please he answers.
She pours him some coffee.
Are you ok, sir? she asks as she finishes pouring the coffee. You dont look well.

I am desperately looking for a job. Do you know anyone who needs someone with my
qualifications? I design and develop computer systems.
A computer guy, huh? she replies. I have a friend who is starting a new business. He
may need someone with your skills. Ill mention your name to him but he probably wont
need someone for at least three to six months.

Wow! That would be great but unfortunately, I am quite desperate. I need something now.
Do you need a cashier or maybe someone to work in the kitchen?
Im sorry, replies the waitress. We dont need a cashier right now. The only position we
have available right now is for a dishwasher. The one we had just quit yesterday.
Ill take it! replies Marco immediately.

THE IMPORTANCE OF GENDER IN SPANISH

The first problem most English speakers encounter when they begin learning Spanish is
gender. In English, we mainly refer to people as he or she. Everything else, including
animals are referred to as it except for some special cases.

Miss Carvajal is teaching her sixth grade Spanish class. Todays lesson is about the
importance of gender in Spanish. She explains that it is really difficult for English speakers to
grasp the idea that there is no neuter gender in Spanish. All nouns are either masculine or
feminine.

She notices that Carlos and Chris are discussing something quietly, instead of paying
attention.
Carlos and Chris! Pay Attention! What are you discussing back there?, she shouts angrily.
Chris tries to impress Miss Carvajal and replies in Spanish: Maestra, Carlos mat un
mosca. He holds up the fly on a piece of paper for her to see.

Miss Carvajal smiles and replies Muy bien Chris! Pero es una mosca. La mosca es
feminina, de acuerdo? She continues teaching.
Carlos whispers to Chris How does she know that it is feminine?
Chris whispers back Her eyesight must be amazing!!

MY NAME IS ROBERT
Hey! Whats up? Im Robert. I am 26 years old and I have just moved into my own
apartment. I love it! I can do whatever I want and I dont have my parents nagging me about
cleaning my room, washing the dishes or taking out the garbage. I just stay up late at night

playing video games or go out drinking with my friends. Then I can sleep till noon the next
day. I dont think I will ever get married or have kids. I love not having any responsibilities.
During the day I work as a waiter in a restaurant a few blocks away. My shift starts at 11 am
and ends at 9 pm. It is hard work but it is fun. I meet interesting people and girls give me
their phone numbers all the time. I would like to have my own restaurant one day and make
more money but it seems like a lot of work. I think Ill just enjoy life for now and worry about
making more money later.

MEET MARTHA RODRGUEZ

Even though it can be difficult, I love my job. Teaching kids can be a lot of fun and
rewarding but also quite challenging. Hi there! My name is Martha Rodriguez and Im a
fourth grade teacher. I am 34 years old, divorced, and have three kids.

Every morning I wake up at six oclock to prepare the lesson for that day. I also read the
newspaper to see if there is anything interesting happening in the world or in the country
that I can share with my students. I teach history and social studies and I find that the
subject can be so much more interesting if you can relate it to what is happening in the
world today. I usually teach around three to four hours during the day and spend the rest
of the time grading tests. Some of the kids stay after class for extra help.

In the evening, I work as a cashier at a supermarket in my neighborhood. Even though I

love teaching, it doesnt pay very well and I am forced to work at a second job to make
ends meet as I have three children to provide for. When they get back from school, I am
still at work, so my eldest daughter, Karla, makes sure they all begin doing their
homework. She also prepares something for them to eat, if they are hungry. When I get
home I help the kids with their homework and get them to bed.

I would like to get married again so that my children can have a father. My husband left me
two years ago for an aerobics instructor he met at his gym. We havent seen much of him
since. I have been trying to meet new people but it is difficult to find the time with two jobs
and three children. Yesterday, the sixth grade music teacher asked for my phone number.

He seems nice. I hope he calls me.

MY NAME IS MARCO
Hi! My name is Marco. I am 17 years old. My parents and I moved to the United States from Peru
2 years ago. I dont have any brothers or sisters; I am an only child. My parents came to the United
States because they could not find work in Peru. My Aunt and uncle had moved here 12 years
earlier and own a restaurant. My father works as a chef and my mother works as a waitress at the
restaurant. It is hard work but they are happy that they now have enough money and that I have the
opportunity to get a good education. Leaving Peru was hard for me. I had a lot of family and
friends there. I could speak very little English and my family didnt have a lot of money. Things are
better now. I have made a few friends and I am learning English fast. I will graduate High School
next year and hope to go to college. After that I will get a job as an Engineer and make a lot of
money so that my parents dont have to work so hard anymore.

RICARDOS NEW LIFE

Moving to a new country is tough especially when you are 17. There are so many new
things to learn and get used to! Im Ricardo and I moved to Los Angeles from Juarez,
Mexico a year ago. I live with my Aunt and her family. They are very nice to me but I
miss my parents and sister back home. They say that Juarez is one of the most
dangerous cities in the world. I dont think it is bad at all. I think bad things happen
everywhere, but most people there are very nice. Plus, the food is delicious. Sometimes
I wish I could go back.

Adjusting to life in the United States is hard. I am in my last year of High School and it
hasnt been easy. The language is the hardest part. I had 10 years of English in school
in Mexico and my parents sent me for private classes as well. Even with all the English I
studied in Mexico, I find it very hard to understand the other kids at school. They talk
really fast and use a lot of slang. Most of them dont bother to talk to me as they already

have their own group of friends.

It is very difficult to make new friends in your last year of High School. I usually eat lunch
alone and after school, I watch TV with my Aunt and her family. It gets boring sometimes
but I dont have a choice.

Fortunately, apart from English, most of my classes are really easy. Physics, Chemistry,
Biology and Mathematics were much harder in Mexico. American history is boring. The
only part I like is the part about the First and Second World Wars. The homework is
usually so easy that I finish it even before the bus arrives to take us home. When Im at
home, I try to read books or watch the news to improve my English.

My cousin Natalia tries to help me with my English, but at home we speak Spanish all
the time with the family. We switch to English, only when its just the two of us. A few
months ago, she invited me to go out with some of her friends, but when they realized
that I didnt understand many American expressions they began to ignore me. After that
I told Natalia that she didnt have to invite me anymore since her friends didnt seem to
like me very much.

Recently, I made a new friend in my Physics class. His name is Jan. His family
immigrated to the United States from Poland 10 years ago. He often invites me to his
house to work on our Physics homework. He usually copies the homework from me
because he doesnt want to read the book or pay attention in class. He talks about
football all the time. It doesnt matter how many times I tell him that I like soccer, not
football, he keeps telling me about every game he watches on TV.

I would stop going to his house but his sister Klaudia is the most beautiful girl I have
ever seen. I keep going to his house hoping that I can talk to her but she barely notices
me. She is in college and is studying to be a lawyer. She is very smart and doesnt have
a boyfriend. I watch every TV show about lawyers so that if she ever does talk to me I
will sound smart. Maybe then she would go on a date with me.

LET'S MEET MICHELLE

Hello! My name is Michelle. I am 36 years old, single and I work in a Bank in New York
City in the finance department. I love working there because it is very interesting and
the people I work with are very nice. I was born in Philadelphia but moved to New York
6 years ago. I dont regret it at all. New York is a fascinating city. There is so much to
do here: museums, theatres, nightclubs, stores, restaurants, etc.

I love eating at different restaurants. There are a variety of restaurants here because
people from all over the world come to live and work in New York City. My favorite food
is Korean food. They make the best barbecue pork in the world. The food is cooked
right in front of you on a stove and there are a variety of vegetarian side dishes that
come with it. That makes it really healthy. I also enjoy eating Italian, Indian and
Chinese food.

On Friday nights and on the weekends I like to go to the theatre. I love watching plays.
When I was little I wanted to be an actress, but most actors are poor and I like having
money. On the weekend I cook or I go to restaurants with friends. I am also taking a
class in French, which I enjoy very much. I think it is important to keep learning new
things as long as you can. Since moving to New York I have taken classes in cooking,
ballroom dancing and swimming. If there is anything you want to learn, there is a
place in New York where you can learn it.

New York is also a great place to meet other single people. I dont have much time to
date but I am seeing someone I met at the French class that I attend. His name is Alex
and we have been going out for a year now. We have a lot of interests in common. We
both love the theatre, trying different kinds of cuisine, and we share a passion for the
French language and culture. I hope that next year, we will be able to go to France
and tour the wine regions. I have always wanted to visit Paris but never had anyone to
go with. I havent introduced Alex to my family yet but we are going to visit them this
weekend. I hope they dont mind that Alex is not Jewish. Oh well, well find out soon
enough.

MICHELLES WEEKEND - PART 1

Michelle had a difficult week at the office. She was very glad that the weekend had
finally begun. She had to work until 8 pm on Thursday and Friday and there was still
one more thing she needed to complete on the weekend before Monday. She decided
that she would take care of it on Sunday night.

She woke up at 7 am on Saturday morning, took a shower and went to the gym to work
out. After that, she had a quick breakfast at home, checked the news on the internet
and replied to her emails. For lunch she met some friends at a small caf where they
talked about the week and she gave them an update about her relationship with Alex.
She told them that she would be visiting her parents in New Jersey on Sunday and that
Alex would come with her for the first time. Her friends told her not to worry and that
everything would work out.

In the afternoon she went to the supermarket and shopped for groceries. She bought
chicken, pasta, lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, and cucumber. She also bought pasta sauce
and salad dressing. Since she is trying to lose weight, she didnt buy any ice cream or
potato chips. She bought some bananas, oranges, apples, grapes and strawberries
instead. After she got home, she marinated the chicken and put it in the refrigerator so
that she would be able to cook it in the oven later.

At 5 pm, she met Alex and they went to their French class together. The topic of that
day was the subjunctive, which is very difficult for English speakers. The only way to
learn it is to practice it as often as possible, so she and Alex had been doing plenty of
written exercises using the subjunctive.

After the class they went home to Michelles house to watch a movie. Michelle put the
chicken in the oven and opened a bottle of wine for them to enjoy during the movie.
The movie was a French film called The Closet, starring Gerard Depardieu and
Daniel Auteuil. As it was a great comedy, they laughed a lot but they also learned
plenty of new French words and expressions.

MICHELLES WEEKEND - PART 2

On Sunday morning Michelle and Alex took the train from New York to New Jersey
where her parents live. The trip took about an hour. Her parents picked them up at the
train station and drove them home. Michelles mother had prepared a delicious Sunday
lunch for them. They started with some delicious appetizers followed by a juicy roast
chicken with sauted vegetables and mashed potatoes. It was delicious. For dessert
they had warm chocolate cake with fruit and ice cream.

Everything seemed to be going well until they began chatting after lunch. Michelles
father wanted to know what Alex did for a living. Alex explained that he wanted to be a
writer and was looking for a publisher to publish a book he had written. Whats the
book about? asked Michelles father.

Its about a man who loses his job as Vice President of a large corporation, replied
Alex proudly. He drives across the country and into Mexico where he discovers that
his true purpose in life is to sell deodorant.
Michelles parents looked a bit surprised and were silent for a few seconds. The same
thought was going through both their minds. If their daughter married this guy, she
would have to earn the money for the two of them. Alex added that for the moment he
made his money selling things on the internet.

On the way home, they talked about the visit. Alex didnt think it went very well. Did
you see their faces when I told them about my book? Michelle laughed. She didnt
think there was any reason to worry. When you become a famous author one day,
theyll realize what a brilliant writer you are. I think they were more worried when I told
them you were not Jewish. They talked and laughed on the way home. It had been a
great weekend overall and they decided to stop for dinner at their favorite Chinese
restaurant.

PETER GOES TO THE MOVIES

Today was the best day of Peters life (according to him). He went to the movies with
Shenaaz. As you already know, Shenaaz moved to San Francisco from Lebanon and
since she didnt have her own books, they sat together in class so that Peter could
share his books with her. They spend most weekends together, watching TV, doing
homework and taking Checkers (Peters dog) to the park. They have a great time
together, talking about school, TV programs and what they would like to do when they
grow up.

Peter is now 11 years old. One day he had an idea. Why dont we go to a movie
together? he asked Shenaaz. Im not sure she replied. Shenaaz had never been to a
movie theatre in the United States. How is it different from renting a DVD and watching
it at home? Peter was very surprised by her question. Its very different! The first thing
is that the screen is huge! The theatre is dark so you can really focus on the movie.
Youre also with other people who are enjoying the movie along with you. Shenaaz
wasnt sure but she agreed to try it.

Shenaaz wasnt sure about which movie she wanted to see either, so she let Peter
decide. Peter loves Jackie Chan so he picked the movie The Spy Next Door which is
a comedy for kids. Shenaaz had never seen a movie with Jackie Chan so she agreed.
Peters mother drove them to the theatre the following afternoon. She gave Peter

money for the tickets and snacks and waited for them outside the theatre.

Once the movie started it was fun. All the other kids in the theatre were laughing. When
Shenaaz didnt understand something, Peter explained it to her. They held hands
during most of the movie. Peter was sure he was in love. He wondered if Shenaaz felt
the same way but he was too afraid to ask. When the movie was over, they walked out
together. On the way out, Shenaaz gave Peter a kiss on the cheek and told him how
much she had enjoyed the movie. She thought that some parts of the movie were a bit
silly but she didnt want to hurt Peters feelings.

On the way home, they stopped for pizza and ice cream. They told Peters mother all
about the movie and decided that they must go to another one. However, the next time
Shenaaz would pick the film. Peter didnt mind. He had just had the best day of his life!

LET'S MEET PETER

Hi! Im Peter. I am 10 years old and live with my parents in San Francisco. I am in the
fifth grade. In the United States we call that elementary school. I love playing sports,
watching cartoons and playing video games. Playing sports is fun and very good for
you.

I have a brother and a sister. My brother is 17 and is in his last year of High School. He
loves sports and going to parties. He never takes me to any parties but sometimes he
takes my sister and me to the beach. My sisters name is Jane. She is 11. She loves
reading and playing soccer. She reads one or two books every week and watches
every soccer game on TV. She gets into trouble at school all the time because she

doesnt do her homework. She pretends to pay attention in class but reads her books
under the desk. My parents sometimes make my brother help her with her homework.
Very often he just does her homework for her so that he can go out with his girlfriend.

I have a girlfriend too. Her name is Shenaaz. She moved to San Francisco with her
parents from Lebanon. She is very pretty. She speaks French and Arabic and is
learning English. She doesnt have her own books yet so we sit together in class and I
share my books with her. On the weekend, she comes over and watches movies with
my family and me. Her parents like her to spend time at our house because she can
learn English with us. At home, they only speak French or Arabic.

When I grow up I want to be a policeman and help catch criminals. My teacher says I
will have to study hard so I will be smarter than the criminals. The cops on TV seem
really smart, so I make sure I get As in everything so I can be smart like them. My Dad
is really smart too. He is a mechanic. He can fix any car in the world. He told me he had
to study really hard too. If I dont become a cop, I want to become a mechanic and fix
peoples cars. I guess I will have to stop playing video games so much and study so
that I can be smart and help people when I grow up.