Томпсон, Тимбер и Кантербери информация.

“TRUTH IS ALWAYS STRANGE, SRANGER THAN FICTION!”
(abridged)
                      I would like to tell you a story about my uncle Theo. He’s my oldest uncle, a tall? Thin? Grey-haired man whose thoughts were always on learning and nothing else. He is quiet and gentle and absent-minded and with about as much sense as a child where money is concerned.
                    Well, he applied for a post in Camford University. It was a very good post and there were hundreds of candidates who applied for it, and about fifteen, including Theo, were asked to be interviewed.
                      Now Camford is a very small town; there is only one hotel in it, and this was full. Theo shared the room with a man who was a self-confident fellow, called Adams, about twenty years younger than Theo, with a loud voice, and a laugh that you could hear all over the hotel. But he was a clever fellow all the same.
                      As a result of the first interview the number of the candidates was reduced to two. Uncle Theo and Adams. They decided to make their final choice after each candidate had given a public lecture in a college lecture hall.
                      For three days Uncle Theo never left his room. He worked day and night at that lecture almost without eating or sleeping. Adams didn’t seem to do any preparation at all.
                      The day of the lecture arrived. They all went into the lecture-hall and Theo and Adams took their seats on the platform. Theo discovered, to his horror, that the typewritten copy of his speech had disappeared! The Dean called Adams first. With despair in his heart, Theo watched Adams calmly take the stolen speech out of his pocket and read it. And how well he read it! When Adams finished there was a great burst of applause. Adams bowed and sat down.
                      Now it was Theo’s turn. But what could he do? With a burning face he could only repeat, word for word, in a low dull voice the lecture that Adams had spoken so eloquently. There was hardly any applause when he sat down.
                      The Dean and the committee went out to decide who the successful candidate was, but everyone was sure what their decision would be. Adams leaned across to Theo and patted him on the back and said smilingly, Hard luck, old fellow, but after all, only one of us could win.
                      Then the Dean and committee came back. Gentlemen, the Dean said, the candidate we have chosen is Mr. Theo Hobdell. Uncle Theo had won! The audience were completely taken by surprise, and the Dean continued, I think I ought to tell you how we arrived at that decision. We were all filled with admiration at the learning and eloquence of Mr. Adams. But you remember, Mr. Adams read his lecture to us. When Mr. Hobdell’s turn came, he repeated that speech word by word from memory. Now a fine memory is absolutely necessary for this post, and what a memory Mr. Hobdell must have! That is why we decided that Mr. Hobdell was exactly the man we wanted!
(from “Essential English” by C.E.Eckersley)
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Английский, однако ж... Для тех, кому в 9-ом экзамен сдавать.

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