Reading passages with Intonation

Passage – 1

There was a time, when people really had a way with words. They said and did whatever
they could, so that each little thing would then be good and clear, both at home and
all over the world. They knew that it was very important to use just a few short words
because most of the long ones were too hard. The only other thing about words is the
number of children who are called names, even if they know how to say something right,
but can’t find a way to use it in a sentence. By the way, many more families have been
after their children to talk right. Well, how about yours?

Passage – 2

Norbert Higgins, a federal judge in Los Angeles, asked whether American Airlines had
rejected qualified applicants by asking about physical disabilities of prospective
employees. It struck Mr. Higgins as curious timing that the American Airlines only
hired the various applicants after a substantial investigation. The offending company
was ordered to pay a hefty fine, and the corporate officers were sentenced to two years
of community service.

Passage – 3

There was a service rep, nicknamed Top Gun at the tech support hotline in Long Beach.
He used his laptop to upload to the network. He’d been at the call centre since
midnight and was getting a backache and leg cramps. Just then, his supervisor stopped
by his work station and suggested a coffee break. Top Gun tore off his headphones and
raced to the break room.

Passage – 4

Bill Brown, a book marketer in New York, thought he’d conquered time management. He
used color coded day planners, and had well-structured workweeks. Time management has
become an essential skill for people juggling paperwork, increased responsibilities,
incessant interruptions and countless deadlines. Here are several pointers to stay
organized and avoid burnout. It helps to look at the big picture, not just the
individual elements. Pinpoint the important goals, review the activity list and
identify deadlines. Keep a time log to manage your daily activities, such as email,
phone calls and staff meetings. Delegate to other staff members and eliminate
unimportant duties. This way, you will be able to focus on your target areas and
maximize your corporate efficiency.

Passage – 5

There’s a mother duck. She lays three eggs. Soon, there are three baby birds. Two of
the birds are very beautiful. One of them is ugly. The beautiful ducklings make fun of
their ugly brother. The poor thing is very unhappy. As the three birds grow older, the
ugly duckling begins to change. His gray feathers turn snowy white. His gangly neck
beautifully smooth. In early spring the ugly duckling is swimming in a small pond in
the back yard of old farm. He sees his shimmering reflection in the clear water. What a
great surprise. He is no longer an ugly duckling. He is grown into a lovely swan.

Passage – 6

The little match girl was out in a snow storm. Her feet were like ice cubes and her
fingertips had frost bite. She hadn’t sold any matches since daybreak and she had a
stomach ache from the hunger pangs, but her stepmother would beat her with a broom
stick if she came home with an empty coin purse. Looking into the bright living rooms
she saw Christmas trees and warm fire places. Out on snow bank she lit a match and saw
the image of a grand dinner table of food before her. As the match stick burned the
illusion slowly faded. She lit another one and saw a roomful of happy family members.
On the last match her grandmother came down and carried her home. In the morning the
passersby saw the little match girl. She had frozen during the night time but she had a
smile on her face.
Sr
# American Phrase Meaning
1 Smell a Rat Something is definitely wrong
2 Fishy something strange
3 Let the cat out of the Bag reveal the secret

4 Straight From the Horse’s Mouth from the very person

5 Get the ball rolling initiate action

6 Get in Some ones hair bother someone and make someone very angry
7 Bury the hatchet make peace / forgive
8 Jump down Someone’s Throat getting angry and scolding
9 Pay Through the Nose paying such a high price
10 Horse around playing around
11 Pull Someone’s Leg fool someone with a ridiculous story
not knowing what to expect and deciding what to
12 Play it by ear
do as we go along
13 Spit it out say it

14 From the cradle to the grave from the beginning till the end

without a strong foundation of facts to support

15 Not Have a Leg to Stand on
his position
16 Get Off Someone’s Back stop bothering
17 Drive Someone Up a Wall annoy them and get them really angry
18 String Someone Along to take some one with
leave someone alone to do all this work without
19 Leave someone High and Dry
any help at all
20 Spill the Beans reveal before time
21 Bite the Dust went down I defeat, losing to a competitor
22 Bend Over Backwards tried very hard
23 Scratch someone’s back to help in return
24 Want a piece of me want to get nasty
25 Sell some one short to underestimate
26 For a song inexpensive
27 Have the world by the tail be successful and happy
28 Pulled string exert influence
29 Bell the cat do the difficult job
30 Go to the Dogs become run-down and in serious need of repair
31 Take the Bull by the Horns acted decisively to correct the situation
32 For the Birds totally uninteresting and meaningless
33 Kick the Bucket died
kept others from enjoying themselves by his
34 Wet Blanket
pessimism and lack of enthusiasm
35 Up one’s Sleeves concealed plan
36 Knock someone’s Socks Off get excited
37 Lose One’s Shirt lost a great deal of money
38 Lemon defective
39 Out of the woods out of danger and difficulty