New Concept Stories by LG Alexander

NEW CONCEPT Stories by LG Alexander

        1.       A PRIVATE CONVERSATION

                Last week I went to the theater. I had a very good seat. The play was very interesting. I did not enjoy it. A young man and a young woman were sitting behind me. They were talking loudly. I got very angry.  I could not hear the actors. I turned around. I looked at the man and the woman angrily. They did not pay any attention. In the end, I could not bear it. I turned around again.

“I can’t hear a word,” I said angrily.

“It’s none of your business,” the young man said rudely. “This is a private conversation!”

        2.       BREAKFAST OR LUNCH

                It was Sunday. I never get up early on Sundays. I sometimes stay in bed until lunch time. Last Sunday I got up very late. I looked out of the window. It was dark outside. “What a day!” I thought. “It’s raining again.” Just then the telephone rang. It was my aunt Lucy. “I’ve just arrived by train” she said. 

“I’m coming to see you”

“But I’m still having breakfast” I said.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“I’m having breakfast” I repeated.

“Dear me,” she said. “Do you always get up so late? It’s one o’clock!”

        3.       PLEASE SEND ME A CARD

                Postcards always spoil my holidays. Last summer I went to Italy. I visited museums and sat in public gardens. A friendly waiter taught me a few words of Italian. Then he lent me a book. A read a few lines, but I did not understand a word. Every day I thought about postcards. My holidays passed quickly, but I did not send any cards to my friends. On the last day I made a big decision. I got up early and bought thirty seven cards. I spent the whole day in my room, but I did not write a single card!

        4.       AN EXCITING TRIP

                I have just received a letter from my brother, Tim. He is in Australia. He has been there for six months. Tim is an engineer. He is working for a big firm and he has already visited a great number of different places in Australia. He has just bought an Australian car and has gone to Alice Spring, a small town in the centre of Australia. He will soon visit Darwin. From there he will fly to Perth. My brother has never been abroad before, so he is finding this trip very exciting.

        5.       NO WRONG NUMBERS

                Mr. James Scott has a garage in Silbury and now he has just bought another garage in Pinhurst. Pinhurst is only five miles from Silbury, but Mr. Scott cannot get a telephone for his new garage so he has just bought twelve pigeons. Yesterday a pigeon carried the first message from Pinhurst to Silbury. The bird covered the distance in three minutes. Up to now, Mr. Scott has sent a great many request for spare parts and other urgent messages from one garage to the other. In this way, he has begun his own private telephone service.

        6.       PERCY BUTTONS

                I have just moved to a house in Bridge Street. Yesterday a beggar knocked at my door. He asked me for a meal and a glass of beer. In return for this, the beggar stood on his head and sang songs. I gave him a meal. He ate the food and drank the beer. Then he put a piece of cheese in his pocket and went away. Later a neighbor told me about him. Everybody knows him. His name is Percy Button. He calls at every house in the street once a month and always asks for a meal and a glass of beer.

        7.       TOO LATE

                The plane was late and detectives were waiting at the airport all morning. They were expecting valuable parcel of diamonds from South Africa. A few hours earlier, someone had told the police that thieves would try to steal the diamonds. When the plane arrived, some of the detectives were waiting inside the main building while others were waiting on the airfield. Two men took the parcel of the plane and carried it into the customs house. While two detectives were keeping guard at the door, two others opened the parcel. To their surprise, the precious parcel was full of stones and sand.

    8. THE BEST AND THE WORST

                Joe Sanders has the most beautiful garden in our town. Nearly everybody enters for ‘The nicest garden competition’ each year, but Joe wins every time. Bill Frith’s garden is larger than Joe’s. Bill works harder than Joe and grows more flowers and vegetables, but Joe’s garden is more interesting. He has made neat paths and has built a wooden bridge over a pool. I like gardens too, but I do not like hard work. Every year I enter for the garden competition too, and I always win a little prize for the worst garden in the town.

9. A COLD WELCOME

                On Wednesday evening, we went to the Town Hall. It was the last day of the year and large crowd of people had gathered under the town hall clock. It would strike twelve in twenty minutes’ time. Fifteen minutes passed and then, at five to twelve, the clock stopped. The big minute hand did not move. We waited and waited, but nothing happened. Suddenly someone shouted. “It’s two minutes past twelve! The clock has stopped!” I looked at my watch. It was true. The big clock refused to welcome the New Year. At that moment, everybody began to laugh and sing.

10. NOT FOR JAZZ

                We have an old musical instrument. It is called Clavichord. It was made in Germany in 1681. Our clavichord is kept in the living room. It has belonged to our family for a long time. The instrument was bought by my grandfather many years ago. Recently it was damaged by a visitor. She tried to play jazz on it! She struck the keys too hard and two of the strings were broken. My father was shocked. Now we are now allowed to touch it. It is being repaired by a friend of my father’s.

11. ONE GOOD TURN DESERVES ANOTHER

                I was having dinner at a restaurant when Harry Steele came in. Harry worked in a lawyer’s office years ago, but now he is working at bank. He has a good salary, but always borrows money from his friends and never pays it back. Harry saw me and came and sat at the same table. He has never borrowed any money  from me. While he was eating, I asked him to lend me £ 2. To my surprise, he gave me the money immediately. “ I have never borrowed any money from you”, Harry said, “so now you can pay for my dinner !”.

12. GOODBYE AND GOODLUCK

                Our neighbour, Captain Charles Alison, will sail from Porthsmouth tomorrow. We shall meet him at the harbour early in the morning. He will be in his boat, Topsail. Topsail is a famous little boat. It has sailed across the Atlantic many times. Captain Alison will set out at eight o’clock, so we shall have plenty of time. We shall see his boat and then we shall say goodbye to him. He will be away for two months. He will take part in an important race across the Atlantic.

13. THE GREENWOOD BOYS

                The Greenwood Boys are a group of popular singers. At present, the are visiting all parts of the country. They will be arriving tomorrow. They will be coming by train and most of the young people in the town will be meeting them at the station. Tomorrow evening they will be singing at the Workers’ Club. The Greenwood Boys will be staying for five days. During this time, they will give five performances. As usual, the police will have difficult time. They will be trying to keep order. It is always the same on these occasions.

14. DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH ?

                I had an amusing experience last year. After I had left a small village in the south of France, I drove on to the next town. On the way, a young man waved to me. I stopped and he asked me for a lift. As soon as he had got into the car, I said good morning to him in French and he replied in the same language. A part from a few words, I do not know any French at all. Neither of us spoke during the journey. I had nearly reach the town, when the young man suddenly said very slowly, “ Do you speak English ?”. As I soon learnt, he was English himself !.

15. GOOD NEWS

                The secretary told me that Mr. Harmsworth would see me. I felt very nervous when I went into his office. He did not look up from his desk when I entered. After I had sat down, he said that business was very bad. He told me that the firm could not afford to pay such large salaries. Twenty people had already left. I knew that my turn had come.

                “ Mr. Harmsworth “, I said in a weak voice.

                “ Don’t interrupt !”, he said.

Then he smiled and told me I would receive an extra £ 100 a year!.

16. A POLITE REQUEST

                 If you park your car in the wrong place, a traffic police will soon find it. You will be very lucky if he lets you go without a ticket. However, this does not always happen. Traffic police are sometimes very polite. During holiday in Sweden, I found this note on my car : ‘Sir, we welcome you to our city. This is a “No parking area”. You will enjoy stay here if you pay attention to our street signs. This note is only a remainder’. If you receive a request like this, you can not fail to obey it!

17. ALWAYS YOUNG

                My aunt, Jennifer is an actress. She must be at least thirty – five years old. In spit of this, she often appears on the stage as a young girl. Jennifer will have to take part in a new play soon. This time, she will be a girl of seventeen. In the play, she must appear in a bright red dress and long black stockings. Last year in another play, she had to wear short socks and a bright orange – coloured dress. If anyone ever asks her how old she is, she always answers, “My dear, it must be terrible to be grown up !”

18. HE OFTEN DOES THIS

                After I had had lunch at a village inn, I looked for my bag. I had left it on a chair beside the door and now it wasn’t there ! As I was looking for it,  the inn – keeper came in.

                “Did you have a good meal ?”, he asked.

                “Yes, thank you”, I answered, “ but I can’t pay the bill,  I haven’t got my bag”.

The inn – keeper smiled and immediately went out. In a few minutes, he returned with my bag and gave it to me.

                “I’m sorry”, he said. “My dog had taken it into the garden. He often does this”.

                19. SOLD OUT

“The play may begin at any moment”, I said. “It may have begun already”, Susan answered. I hurried to the ticket – office. “May I have two pickets please ?”, I asked. “I’m sorry, we’ve sold out”, the girl said. “What a pity !”, Susan exclaimed.

Just then, a man hurried to the ticket office. “Can I return these two tickets ?”, he asked. “Certainly,”, the girl said. I went back to the ticket – office at once. “Could I have those two tickets ?”, I asked. “Certainly”, the girl said, “but they are for next Wednesday’s performance. Do you still want them ?”. “ I might as well have them”, I said sadly.

20. ONE IN A BOAT

                Fishing is my favourite sport. I often fish for hours without catching anything. But this does not worry me. Some fishermen are unlucky. Instead of cathing fish, they catch old boots and rubbish. I am even less lucky. I never catch anything – not even old boots. After having spent whole morning on the river, I always go home with an empty bag. “You must give up fishing !”, my friends say. “It’s a waste of time”. But they don’t realize one important thing. I’m not really interested in fishing. I am only interested in a boat and doing nothing at all.

21. MAD OR NOT ?

                Aeroplanes are slowly driving me mad. I live near an airport and passing planes can be heard night and day. The airport was built during the war, but for some reason it could not be used then. Last year, however it came into use. Over  hundred people must have been driven away from their homes by the noise. I am one of the few people left. Sometimes I think this house will be knocked down by passing plane. I have been offered a large sum of money to go away, but I am determined to stay here. Everybody says I must be mad and they are probably right.                  

                                                                                

22. A GLASS ENVELOPE

                My daughter, Jane, never dreamt of receiving a letter from a girl of her own age Holland. Last year, we were travelling across the Channel and Jane put a piece of paper with her name address on it into a bottle. She threw the bottle into the sea. She never thought of it again, but ten months later, she received a letter from a girl in Holland. Both girls write each other regularly now. However, they have decided to use the post – office. Letters will cost  a little more, but they will certainly travel faster.

23. A NEW HOUSE

                I had a letter from my sister yesterday. She lives in Nigeria. In her letter, she said that she would come to England next year. If she comes, she will  get surprise. We are now living in a beautiful new house in the country. Work on it had begun before my sister left. The house was complited five months ago. In  my letter, I told her that she could stay with us. The house has many large rooms and there is a lovely garden. It is a very modern house, so it looks strange to some people. It must be the only modern house in this district.

24. IT COULD BE WORSE

                I entered the hotel manager’s office and sat down. I had just lost £ 50 and I felt very upset. “ I left the money in my room”, I said, “and It’s not there now”. The manager was symphatetic, but he could do nothing. “Everyone’s losing money these days”, he said. He started to complain about this wicked world but was interrupted by a knock at the door. A girl came in and put envelope on his desk. It contained  £ 50. “ I found this outside this gentleman’s room”, she said. “Well”, I said to the manager, “There is still some honesty in this world !”.

25. DO THE ENGLISH SPEAK ENGLISH ?

                I arrived in London at last. The railway station was big, black and dark. I did not know the way to my hotel, so I asked a porter. I not only spoke English very carefully, but very clearly as well. The porter, however, could not understand me. I repeated my question several times and at last he understood. He answered me, but he spoke neither slowly nor clearly. My teacher never spoke English like that ! The porter and I looked at each other and smiled. Then he said something and I understood. “ You’ll soon learn English!”, he said. I wonder. In England, each man speaks a different language. The English understand each other, but I don’t understand them.  Do the English speak English ?

26. THE BEST ART CRITICS

                I am an art student and I paint a lot of pictures. Many people pretend that they understand modern art. They always tell you what a picture is ‘about’. Of course, may pictures are not ‘about’ anything. They are just pretty patterns. We like them in the same way that we like pretty curtain material. I think that young children often appreciate modern pictures better than anyone else. They notice more. My sister is only seven, but she always tells me whether my pictures are good or  not. She came to my room yesterday.

                “What are you doing ?”, she asked.

                “ I am hanging picture on the wall”, I answered. ‘It’s a new one. Do you like it ?”

                She looked at critically for a moment. “It’s alright”, she said, “but isn’t it upside – down ?”

I looked at again. She was right ! It was !

27. A WET NIGHT

                Late in the afternoon, the boys put up their tent in the middle of a field. As soon as this was done, they cooked a meal over an open fire. They were all hungry and the food smelt good. After a wonderful meal, they told stories and sang songs by the camp fire. But sometime later it began to rain. The boys felt tired so they put out the fire and crept into their tent. Their sleeping bags were warm and comfortable, so they  all slept soundly. In the middle of the night, two boys woke up and began shouting. The tent was full of water. They all leapt out of their sleeping bags and hurried outside. It was raining heavily and they found that a stream had formed in the field. The stream wound its way across the field and then flowed right under their tent.

28. NO PARKING !

                Jasper White is one of those rare people who believes in ancient myths. He has just bought a new house in the city, but ever since he moved in, he has had trouble with motorists. When he returns home at night, he always finds that someone has parked a car outside his gate. Because of this, he has not been able to get his own car into his garage even once. Jasper has put up “No Parking” signs outside his gate, but these have not had any effect. Now he has put an ugly stone head over the gate. It is one of the ugliest faces I have ever seen. I asked him what it was and he told me that it was Medusa,  the Gorgon. Jasper hopes that she will turn motorists to stone. But none of them has been turned to stone yet .

29. TAXI

                Captain Ben Fawcett has bught an unusual taxi and has begun a new service. The “taxi” is a small Swiss aeroplane called a “Pilatus Porter”. This wonderful plane can carry seven passengers. The most surprising thing about it, however, is that it can land anywhere : on snow, water or even on a plaughed field. Captain Fawcett’s  first passenger was a doctor who flew from Birmingham to a lonely village in the Welsh mountains. Since then, Captain Fawcett has flown passengers to many unusual places. Once he landed on the roof of a block of flats and on another occasion, he landed in a deserted car park. Captain Fawcett has just refused a strange request  from a businessman. The man wanted to fly to Rackall, a lonely island in the Atlantic Ocean, but Captain Fawcett did not take him because the trip was too dangerous.

30. FOOTBALL OR POLO ?

                The Wayle is a small river that cuts across the park near my home. I like sitting by the Wayle on fine afternoons. It was warm last Sunday, so I went and sat on the river bank as usual. Some children were playing games on  the bank and there were some people rowing on the river. Suddenly, one of the children kicked a ball very hard and it went towards a passing boat. Some people on the bank called out to the man in the boat,  but he did not hear them. The ball struck him so hard that he nearly fell into the water. I turned to look at the children, but they weren’t any in sight. They had all run away. The man laughed when he realized what had happened. He called out to the children and threw the ball back to  the bank.

      Dengan mempelajari new concept ini, bisa menambah kosa kata (vocabulary) kita, dan juga bisa digunakan untuk mempelajari tense - tense yang sering digunakan sehari - hari.

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