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Chapter III : TEXTS ANALYSIS

III.1 THE SOUND OF SCIENCE
Last week I took my five-year-old son, Robert, to the Science
Museum.He had always enjoyed going to museum particularly those who
where can press buttons to make things work.He did not like much the
sort where there are bones and bits of pot in glass cases ; but I told him
the Science Museum was not like this.
When I mentioned to him that we were going to the Science
Museum,he puzzled.He asked me what there was to see there,and when
I replied that there was a collection of cars,trains and aeroplanes,and
imitation coal-mine that could walk into ,he looked even more
puzzled.But there was nothing he liked better then climbing on old
railway engines,so he smiled and said he would come.
I told him that we would see models of all the world s most famous
ships,and of all the most useful machines that men had invented over the
years ,I told him that there were was a part of space –ship that cold go
into,and imagine that you were far away from the earth ;and I said that
that we were far from the earth ;and I said that we would probably see a
film showing the development of science from earliest times to the
present day.
But there was one thing I had not prepared my son for.Every
afternoon at four o clock,a man switches on a very powerful electric
current and ;akes it jump between two terminals,like a flash of
lightning.There were notices making it clear that there would be bright
flash and a loud bang but I had no ide ajust how loud it would be .
When four o clock came,we stood with a large crowd of people
near to where this event would take place,I lifted Robert up to my
shoulders so that he would be able to see the flash more clearly –and we
waited .We had not waited more than a minute or so,when a bright flash
jumped across the terminals ,and at the same time,a very lound bang
made everyone in the audience jump.I could feel Robert shaking with the
sudden shock of the noise.I lifted himback down on to the floor,and we
left museum.
He said nothing until we were outside in the street.then he
looked up at me and said ,Why do they call it the silence Museum ?It
seems a very funny name to me.
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EXERCISES
CHOOSE THE BEST THE 4 ANSWERS TO COMPLETE THE
SENTENCE
1. The sort of museum that Robert liked was one where :
A. he could climb on things to make them work .
B. there were lots of bones and pots in glass cases,
C. there were glass cases full of things that had once worked,
D. he could press buttons so as to make things work.
2. I told him that Science Museum contained :
A. transport of all sorts and a life –size model of a coal-mine
B. a real coal-mine and lots of different types of transport
C. old railwail engines that worked at the touch of a button
D. away from the Earth
3. I said that there would be models of :
A. Science from earliest times to the the present day.
B. Thearth as seen from part of a space-ship
C. all sorts of machines and of famous ships.
D. machines that you could go into.
4. I thought we might see a film about :
A. the development of transport over years
B. the history of space-flight from earliest times to the present
C. man s understanding and use of sorts of machines
D. the history and growth of man s knowledge about the world.
5. I had not mentioned to Robert anything about :
A. the flash and bang that there would be at four o clock
B. the man who switched on all lights every afternoon
C. the thunder and lightning that there would be at four o clock
D. the bang that there would be when electricity went off.
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TEXT 2 : welcome to Warman s

Warm s ,the makers of office materials,had advertised for travelling
salesman.Mr Barlow applied for the job,and soon afterwards was invited
to the compagny s head office to meet Mr Snell,the sales manager.Mr
Snell asked Mr Barlow what experience he had had as a salesman.
I worked as a salesman for a brush compagny until six months
ago.I sold brushes,dusters,tins of polish,things like that.I went from door
to door selling direct to housewives.
Mr Snell then asked him why he had left that job.Well to be
honest,it was a hard work,mr Barlow replied.It meant walking sometimes
six or eight miles a day.But the real reason for leaving was that I did not
think very highly of the goods that I was selling.They were not of the best
quality,and that made it difficult for me to be sincere when I had to tell
housewives what wonderful brushes they were.I knew perfectly well they
would not last beyond the month.What is more,the pay was rather poor.I
realised after a while that would not be able to support a family on the
money I was earning.
I see,said Mr Snell.So what did you do next ?For the last six
months I have been a salesman in a department store,said Mr
Barlow.And do you thinkyou could sell Warman s office materials with a
conscience ?Mr Snell asked ,Do you think you could be sincere,as you
put it ,about selling the papers,inks,copying-machines and so on that we
produce here ?
Mr Barlow said that he thought he could ;that Warman s office
materials enjoyed a very high reputation,and that in his department at
Caldwell s he sold almost nothing else.He said he had always wanted to
work for a big compagny with good name ;to travel all over the country
selling goods to other companies ,rather than to housewives on the
doorstep ;and-he added with smile –to enjoy the money and working
conditions offered with the job for which he had applied.
Mr Barlow ,said Mr Snell,do you have a clean driving licence ?
Yes,I do ,Mr Barlow replied,
Then as long as your medical examination proves to be

satisfactory,I am quite prepared to offer you the job.Mr Snell got up and
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shook Mr Barlow by the hand.Congratulations,he said ;and welcome to

Warman s.

EXERCISE
CHOOSE THE BEST ANSWERS FROM THE FOUR PROPOSED
1. Mr Barlow was invited to the head office :
A. To apply for a job as travelling salesman
B. So that Mr Snell could decide whether he was the man for the job
C. To find out more about the job of travelling salesman
D. So that he could sell Caldwell s office materials to Warman s
2. Mr Barlow had worked :
A. As a brush salesman until six months before this meeting
B. Selling the brushes,tins of polish and dusters in a department
store.
C. As a salesman of office materials direct to housewives
D. As a door-to-door salesman for the past six months
3. One reason why Mr Barlow left the job was that :
A. he found it difficult being sincere to housewives after walking so far
B. he did not think he selling enough
C. he found it difficult to say they were good brushes when he knew they
were not.
D. He was unable to sell any of the brushes because they of poor
quality.
4. Another reason he left was that :
A. he was given a job selling brusges and dusters at Caldwell s
B. he applied for the job of travelling salesman at Warman s
D. he was not earning enough money as a brush salesman