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47. Anna Barghini
A nna Barghini is on her way to Stuttgart.
She’s flying business class and thinking
about Karl Polster. She had never thought she
would like a German man... not even in her
wildest dreams. However, just yesterday she
received a letter from Karl. In it, he told her
the truth. The letter was only three paragraphs
long, but Karl must have spent hours working
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on it because it certainly made a strong and
pleasant impression on Anna. First he told her
that he wasn’t the type of person to insinuate
his feelings to anyone. He admitted that he
was very fond of her and that he couldn’t stop
thinking about her. Secondly, he told her that
she was one of the most attractive and intelli-
gent women he had ever met and that, logi-
cally, he had been deeply affected by her
presence. Thirdly, he told her that he knew
very well that her family was wealthy, but he
assured her that money was not, and had never
been, a factor that influenced his feelings
toward people. He was from an upper-middle
class family that had a small, but comfortable
estate and he was not ambitious to amass a
fortune. Finally, he asked her to have dinner
with him her first night in Stuttgart in a small
restaurant in the center of town where he liked
to go when he wanted to enjoy a long, pleas-
ant meal. His uncle owns the restaurant and it
serves the best Alsatian cuisine he has ever
tasted. When Anna finished reading the letter,
she sat still for a moment. She had never re-
ceived such a warm, sincere letter in her life.
Maybe she ought to get to know this Karl Pol-
ster fellow a little better.
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47. Anna Barghini
1. What city is Anna Barghini on her way to?
2. Is she going there by plane or by train?
3. Is she flying tourist class or business class?
4. Who is she thinking about?
5. What kind of man did she think she would never
like?
6. What did she receive just yesterday?
7. Did Karl tell her his true feelings in the letter?
8. How long was the letter?
9. How long did Karl probably spend writing it?
10. What kind of impression did it make on Anna?
11. What type of person did Karl tell her he wasn’t?
12. What did he admit?
13. Who did he say he couldn’t stop thinking about?
14. What did he say about her qualities?
15. How had he been affected by her presence?
16. What did he say he knew about her family?
17. What did he assure her concerning money?
18. What can you say about Karl’s family?
19. What did Karl say about his ambitions?
20. What did he ask her to do with him on her first
night in Stuttgart?
21. Where did he invite her to have dinner?
22. Who owns the restaurant?
23. What kind of food does it serve?
24. What is Karl’s opinion of the food?
25. What did Anna do after reading the letter from
Karl?
26. What hadn’t Anna ever received?
27. What did she decide she ought to do?
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