Skills Reading: a book extract; Listening: a discussion; Speaking: cultural dvisens; Uting an ema toa newspaper Not down our street! sacra speaking sounding interests Help with Pronunciation stress in onger words El = Wee pairs. Look at the front cover of the book and the title. What do you think it’s about? ead the extract and check your ideas. teeth and glasses. ‘vas the reason so many coloured people were coming to this country, according to my next-door our Mr Todd. ‘That National Health Service ~it's palling them in, Mrs Bligh. Giving things away at our expense will ‘ep them coming,” he sai, He might have a point except, according to him, they wer ll cross-eyed and goofy before they got here. don’t think so,” I said “Oh, yes.” he assured me, “But now, ofcourse, they've got spectacles and perfect grins. [knew he'd be round as soon as that woman, Gilber’s wif, left her trunk inthe road for allo see. A ‘woman. You don't see many coloured women. I'd seen old ones with backsides a big as buses, but never a Young one witha trim waist His head popped out ofthe door then darted back in again. Probably went to get his shoes 1 was right. Not five minutes after Gilbert had taken the trunk inside he was back on the doorstep, “Mr Tod,” I said, “what can Ido for "Another darki, that's what the look on his face ssid. The motley mixture of outrage, shock, fear even ~ nostrils flaring, mouth trying to smile, ut only managing a sneer. “Yes, 1 just wanted a quick word with you, Mrs Bligh, about your paying guests. T bet he did. He'd have told that horible sister of his that more coloureds had turned up. How many i it now? They'd have said to each other Filty? Sixty? “You'll hae to speak to her, Cyril, shel have tld him, before bemoaning how respectable this stret was before they tame, They'd have got all those words out ~ decent, proper, polished them up and made them shine, before blaming Mrs Queenie Bligh for single-handedly ruining the country. They were the same during the war, although even they couldnt blame me for that. Too many Poles. ‘Overrun by Czechs, Couldn't move for Belgians. They were al right in their own country, Mr Todd reasoned, but he wanted none of them down our street. "Three times in one day he once asked me ifthere was any news of my husband Bernard, Tried to make out it was because they were such good chums. But I knew why he asked. He wanted my errant husband home to put an end to me taking all the flotsam and jetsam off the Streets, Concern for me, he'd sty ~a woman on her own in tis great big house. A nearly-not-quite widow. No man to protect me, guide me, show me the error of my ways. He looked out for me as neighbours should, Mr Todd said. Our own kind sticking together, just ike during the war. Only that's not quite how I remember it even then, Bat Iwas gratefil to him (and, [suppose his nasty sister). He boarded up a hole inthe roof. Got rid ofthe pigeons, Plastered the ceiling Replaced the windowpanes. Gilbert moving in had put an end to all that, Darkies! I'd taken in darkies next door to him, But not just around the square. A few more up the road abit. His concer, he said, was that they would turn the ares int ‘There were others living Adapted Mand by Andrea ery © Read the extract again and choose the correct answers. 1. Why did Mr Todd believe immigrants were coming 3. Why did Mr Tod talk to Mrs Bligh? to Britain? active newcomer. ‘a They needed medical expertise unavailable in their own plain about the new arrival country. b_ They were attracted by the possibilty of free healthcare. cc They wanted jobs with the National Health Service. 2 What was Mrs Bligh’s response to Mr Todd's opinion on why immigrants were coming? ‘a She thought he was exaggerating, b She disagreed completely. © She thought he should be more sympathetic. 1 of immigrants? right i they weren't black. inthe country during the war. rear him. Bligh’s husband was he missed him, wv she was managing on there was luggage in the road. her having paying guests.