Text: Mr Brown’s Working Day

Mr Brown works for a big firm in London. His firm has good business contacts with a heavy engineering factory in Dublin. Last week Mr Brown went to Dublin on business and stayed about a week there.

On Friday afternoon Mr Brown came back from his business trip. It was too late to go to the office. Besides, he was very tired after the journey. So he took a taxi and went home.

On Monday morning he came to work a few minutes before eight. He entered the office and found a number of business letters on his desk. He sat down and began to look through the letters. Suddenly the telephone rang. He took up the receiver and heard the voice of his chief. The chief asked Mr Brown to come over to his room and discuss the results of the trip.

After the talk with the chief Mr Brown came back to his office and continued his work.

At 11 o’clock he made some telephone calls. While Mr Brown was on telephone his secretary Mary Smith brought him a cup of coffee and biscuits. Mr Brown gave her the answers to the business letters and Mary went back to her office and started typing them.

At 12 o’clock he went out for lunch. He usually has lunch in an Italian restaurant opposite the firm’s premises. In the afternoon he had some visitors. At 5 o’clock he was at a meeting with the agents and accountants and made a report on his trip to Dublin.

That day Mr Brown left the office later than usual. He didn’t come home till a quarter to eight. Linda and William were at home, Margaret and Robert were out. They were at the cinema. They returned home a quarter of an hour later, and they all had supper together. After supper Mr Brown looked through the papers and watched television. Ai half past ten he switched off the TV-set and went to bed.

Vocabulary Notes

Take up the receiver підняти слухавку

The firm’s premises територія фірми

Later than usual пізніше звичайного

Text exercises

1. Ask questions about:

a) Mr Brown’s job; b) the way Mr Brown spent his Monday morning; c) the way Mr Brown spent the second part of the day; d) what Mr Brown did in the evening.

2. Expand the following statements. Add information from the text:

1. Mr Brown works for a big firm in London.2. On Monday morning Mr Brown was very busy. 3. After lunch he also had a lot of things to do. 4. He spent the Monday evening together with his family.

3. Speak on Mr Brown’s working day.