When Mandy came home from school one day, her father was already at home; «Hello Mandy,» he said. «Bad news, I’m afraid. My firm is sending me abroad for two weeks to Bahrein.» «Oh Dad, what shall I do? Can I stay with Alison?» «Oh no, we’re not having that! You’ve got exams in two weeks, haven’t you? No, it’s all arranged. Grandma Bates is going to stay here while I’m working in Bahrein.» Grandma Bates was Mandy’s mother’s mother. She lived in Glasgow, She was all right really The only trouble1 was, she treated2 Mandy as if she were ten years old. She said things like «You can’t go out in those trousers, dear. Go and put on a nice skirt,» and «You’ll be back by eight, dear, won’t you?», when all the others were allowed to stay at the junior disco till nine. And worst of all, «Look at the kitchen floor—If your poor mother could see that!» This made Mandy very angry, because she and her dad did their best to keep the house tidy. Then Mandy often shut herself in her room and cried because she missed3 her mother. She didn’t think that perhaps Grandma missed Mandy’s mother as well, and worried that something might happen to Mandy. Two weeks passed, and it was exam week, A lot of things the others did while Mandy was off school came up5 in the exams. Mandy did badly. To make matters worse6, she set the washing-machine at the wrong temperature and boiled7 all Grandma’s nylon blouses. Grandma was furious8. All this made Mandy very lonely9 and unhappy. The only person Mandy could talk to was Alison Scott. She was Mandy’s best friend. Her father was an electrician at the theatre. He was in charge10 of all the lights. There was a show on at the theatre that week with a group of dancers from London — the «l-’irst Generation». «I’dlove to see that show,» saidMandy to Alison when she was at her house one day after school, «But the tickets uro so expensive.» «Well, tomorrow is their last show before they go back to London,» said Mr. Scott. «You two can come in with me and watch the show from backstage.» Mandy whispered to Alison, «Iт sure my grandma won’t let me go» and Alison whispered back, «Well, tell her you’re staying the night with us, My mum won’t mind11. Then your grandma won’t know we’re at the theatre, will she?» So Mandy told her grandma that she was going to stay the night at Alison’s because her parents were going out
1 trouble — зд. проблема
2 treat [tri:t]- обращаться с кем-либо
3 miss smb. — скучать до кому-либо
4 be off—отсутствовать
5 come up — обнаружиться, проявиться 6 make matters worse [w3:s] — более того, в довершение ко всему
7 boil [boil]—кипятить:
8 furious [’fjures]—разъяренный, взбешенный
9 lonely ['teimli] — одинокий
10 be in charge [tjo:d3] of smth—отвечать за что-либо
11 mind [maind]—возражать
2. Translate these sentences from the text.
a. What shall I do?
b. You can’t go out in those trousers.
c. If your poor mother could see that!
d. She worried that something might happen to Mandy.
e. I’d love to see that show.
f. You two can come in with me and watch the show from backstage.
3. Write questions to these answers.
1. For two weeks. (For how long...?)
2. Grandma Bates. (Who...?)
3. She lived in Glasgow. (Where... ?)
4. Because she and her dad did their best to keep the house tidy. (Why...?)
5. She was going to stay the night at Alison’s. (What...?)
4. Give exten sive answers to these questions about the text.
1. With whom did Mandy want to stay while her father was away working in Bahrein?
2. Who came to stay with Mandy?
3. Why did Mandy often cry?
4. What made Grandma Bates furious one day?
5. How did Mandy do at the exams?
6. What show was on at the theatre that week?
7. How was Mr. Scott going to arrange for the girls to watch the show?
5. Develop the following idea to sum up the contents of the text.
О The two weeks were a hard time for Mandy.