I work in a large сcompany with about fifty other people, most of whom

I (1) ___________(know) quite well. We (2) ___________ (spend) most of the day together, so

we have all become good friends. In fact, most of my colleagues are so interesting, that I

(3) ___________ (think) of writing a book about them!

(4) ___________ (take) Olivia Key, for example. Olivia (5)___________ (run) the Accounts

department. At the moment she (6) ___________ (go out) with Tom Bet, one of the sales

representatives, and they (7)___________ (seem) very happy together. But everyone – except

Olivia apparently – (8)___________ (know) that Tom

(9) ___________ (fancy) Mary Sundays. But I (10)___________ (happen) to know that Mary

(11) ___________ (dislike) Tom. “I can’t stand people who never

(12) ___________ (stop) apologizing all the time!” she told me. “And besides, I know he (13)

___________ (deceive) poor Olivia. He (14) ___________ (see) Betty from the Overseas

department.” And plenty of other interesting things

(15) ___________ (currently/ go on). For instance, every week we (16) ___________

(experience) more and more problems with theft – personal belongings and even money have

been stolen. When you (17) ___________ (realize) that someone in your office is a thief, it (18)

___________ (upset) you at first. But I (19) ___________ (also/ try) to catch whoever it is

before the police are called in. I’m not going to tell you who

I (20) ___________ (suspect). Well, not yet anyway!

My earliest memory

When I was about three or four, my grandfather, who was Italian, 1. _________ (live) in

London and we children often 2. __________ (spend) weekends at his flat. My grandmother 3.

__________ (die) a couple of years earlier, so I suppose he was in need of company.

We loved going there, as my grandfather 4. __________ (cook) special meals for us and 5.

__________ (take) us for lovely walks in the park. One occasion that I remember really well

was when I 6. _________ (invite) to stay with him on my own, without my brothers and sisters.

On the first day, after lunch, my grandfather 7. _________ (go) for his rest. I 8. _________ (try)

to sleep, but I couldn’t, so after a while I 9. _________ (get up) and 10. _________ (decide) to

explore the flat. Everything was so quiet, so I was convinced that my grandfather 11.

_________ (sleep).

The room I most 12. _________ (want) to explore was my grandfather’s study, I imagine,

precisely because 13. _________ (tell) not to go in there. I opened the door and went in, and

was immediately drawn to his large old desk. I 14. _________ (climb) onto the chair and 15.

_________ (see) on the desk a green pen in a kind of stand, with a bottle of ink.

I picked up the pen and then tried to open the bottle of ink. At that moment I 16. _________

(hear) my grandfather’s voice saying, “Lucy? Where are you? What are you doing?” To my

horror, I 17. ________ (realize) that my grandfather 18. ________ (get up) out of bed and 19.

_________ (come) towards the study. Two seconds later, he 20. _________ (open) the door.

I will never forget the awful feeling of shame that he 21. ________ (catch) me doing something

that he 22. _________ (prohibit) me to do.