UNIT 4

AT THE AIRPORT
When I got to the airport, I learnt that the plane from
Cairo, on which my brother was travelling, had been delayed at
Paris with engine trouble and was expected to be about an hour
late. As a rule I can pass the time quite happily, watching the
planes land and take off, but that evening I had a headache,
which I thought that the noise of the engines might make worse.
I decided, therefore, to walk around to make the time pass
quickly.
First of all I went back to the place where I had left my car
to make sure that all the doors were locked. The walk in the
fresh air did me good, for I felt slightly better as I entered the
main airport building again. I made my way to the restaurant,
where I ordered a cup of black coffee. As I stood drinking this at
the counter, I studied the faces of the people around me. Some
passengers were obviously anxious about the time, and kept
looking at their watches; others checked to see that they had
tickets, passports and money. Where there was a group of
people, it was easy to tell which one was about to leave. He was
the object of everyones attention and looked either very happy
or very sad at the thought of departure. There was one woman
who burst into tears as she said goodbye to the relatives or
friends who had come to see her off.
When I had finished my coffee, I went along to the
bookstall, where I bought a couple of magazines, both of them
about travel, which would help to make the time pass pleasantly.
Then I went into one of the waiting-rooms and made myself
comfortable in a big armchair. I had hardly had time to open of
my magazines when someone came up and put his hand on my
shoulder. It was an old friend, who was just about to leave on a
business trip to South America. Since we had not seen each
other for a long time, we found plenty to talk about until the
arrival of my brothers plane from Paris was announced.
(Donn Byrne: Intermediate Comprehension Passages, p. 74)

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VOCABULARY:
magazines about travel
main airport building
airport
to announce
to be anxious about sth.
arrival
bookstall
to burst, burst, burst; bursting
- into tears
business trip
to leave on a business trip
to check
counter
to be delayed
departure
to do one good
either ... or
expected
headache
- to have a headache
to keep, kept, kept; keeping
- looking at
to land
to learn, learnt, learnt; learning
magazine
to make, made, made; making
- oneself comfortable
- ones way to a place
- sure
- the time pass quickly
- worse

to take off
passport
relative
as a rule
to see, saw, seen; seeing

- asopisi o putovanjima
- glavna aerodromska zgrada
- aerodrom
- najaviti
- brinuti se o emu, biti uznemiren
zbog
- dolazak
- ulina knjiara, polica s knjigama
- briznuti u pla
- poslovno putovanje
- otii na slubeni put
- provjeriti
- tezga, pult, ank, alter
- biti zadran, kasniti
- polazak
- initi kome dobro, goditi
- ili ... ili
- koji se oekuje, treba doi
- glavobolja
- boljeti (glava
- nastaviti gledati, stalno gledati
- sletjeti
- saznati
- asopis, tjednik, mjesenik
- udobno se smjestiti
- gurati se do, doi kamo kroz
guvu
- provjeriti
- uiniti da vrijeme bre proe
- uiniti da vrijeme ugodnije
proe
- pogorati
- poletjeti
- putna isprava, putovnica
- roak
- obino, u pravilu

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- sbd. off
to study
therefore
at the thought of
ticket
trip
engine trouble
waiting-room

- (ot)pratiti
- prouavati
- stoga
- pri pomisli na
- karta
- putovanje, put
- problem u vezi s motorom, kvar
- ekaonica

QUESTIONS:
1. What did the author learn when he got to the airport?
2. Who was travelling on the plane from Paris?
3. How can the author pass the time at the airport?
4. What did he decide to do?
5. How did he feel after the walk in the fresh air?
6. What did he do as he stood drinking his coffee?
7. What were some passengers anxious about?
8. What did the author buy at the bookstall?
9. Who did he meet in one of the waiting-rooms?
10.What was his old friend just about to do?
RECONSTRUCT THE PASSAGE.
TRANSLATE:
Kada doem na aerodrom, obino lijepo provedem vrijeme dok gledam
avione kako slijeu i polijeu. U pravilu, ne smeta mi buka motora. U
glavnoj aerodromskoj zgradi odem do restorana, pijem kavu i prouavam
lica ljudi oko mene. Neki ljudi stalno gledaju na sat; drugi provjeravaju
da li imaju putne karte, putovnice i novac. Neki su veseli zbog odlaska a
neki pak tuni. Ponekad odem do police s asopisima, izaberem jedan ili
dva, itam ih, i tako mi vrijeme proe dok ne najave avion koji ekam.
MAKE SENTENCES OF YOUR OWN:
main airport building arrival business trip (to) check departure
(to) be delayed (to) land (to) take off passport as a rule (to) see
sbd. off trip engine trouble
EXERCISES:
I. COMPLETE THESE SENTENCES FROM THE TEXT:

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He was waiting ... the airport ... the plane ... Cairo. The plane ... which his
brother was travelling had been delayed ... engine trouble.
He didnt pass the time watching the planes land and take ...
The walk ... the fresh air did him good.
... the main airport building he studied the faces of the people ... him.
They looked either very happy or very sad ... the thought of departure.
A woman burst ... tears as she said goodbye to those who had come to see
her ...
There he met an old friend who was just about to leave ... a business trip
... South America.
II. INSERT THE ARTICLES AS/IF NECESSARY:
A walk on Sunday morning
Though I usually go on excursions to ... country during ... week-end, I
had decided to spend ... whole of Sunday in ... city for ... change and to
visit ... central square and public gardens. It was so early when I left
home that ... streets were deserted. Without ... usual crowds and traffic,
everything was strangely quiet.
(L. G. Alexander)
III. PRACTICE ADJECTIVES vs. ADVERBS.
RE-WRITE THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES AS IN THE EXAMPLE.
INTRODUCE ANY REQUIRED CHANGES.
EXAMPLE: He gave a bitter smile.
He smiled bitterly.
1. He gave a bitter smile.
2. There has been a drastic fall in the dollar.
3. To a European, Chinese has a strange sound.
4. Try and give an intelligent answer.
5. Your action was a cowardly one.
6. The boy had a slight limp.
7. The little girl had rather a sad look.
8. Her mother had given her a hard slap.
9. Her movements were clumsy.
10.She has an ugly walk.
11.But shes a good tennis player.

UNIT 4

12.The sports committee has monthly meetings.

13.What they said had a deep effect upon me.
14.The room had a nice, cosy look.
15.The flowers had a fragrant smell.
16.I gave her a fatherly talk.
17.I said that her behaviour had been extremely silly.
18.An early start would be advisable.
19.Im sure her parents will give me a warm welcome.
20.Your argument isnt logical.
TENSE STUDY REFERENCE
PRETERIT: Where did you go yesterday?
I went to the movies.
Why didnt you come to the party?
I didnt wish to meet Mary.
PRETERIT CONTINUOUS:
Where were you going to when I meet you yesterday?
I was going to the airport to see some friends off.
Were they flying Croatia Airlines?
No, they were not. They were flying Swissair.
IV. A. PRACTICE THE USE OF THE PRETERIT:
SUPLLY THE CORRECT FORM OF THE VERBS IN BRACKETS:
Yesterday he (squeeze) ... into the lift just as the doors (close) ... much to
the annoyance of the fat lady who (have) ... to taken a step backwards to
make room for him. In doing so, she (tread) ... on the toes of the little
man behind her and at the same time completely (knock) ... his hat out of
shape. There (be) ... a seconds pause, and the lift (begin) ... its long
descent from the first floor. After a time it (stop) ... and everybody (wait)
... for the doors to open, but they (do not) ... I Say, I think were stuck
between the floors! the fat lady said.
(L. G. Alexander)
tread, trod, trodden

gaziti po, stati na, nagaziti

B. PRACTICE THE USE OF THE PRETERIT CONTINUOUS.

SUPPLY THE CORRECT FORM OF THE VERBS IN BRACKETS:

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The man opposite me in the train (pretend) ... to read a newspaper. Every
time I looked up, I found that he (look) ... at me over the top of the paper.
I pretended not to notice, but the mans strange expression made me feel
nervous. In the end, I could not bear it any longer, so I got up and went
into the corridor.
(L. G. Alexander)
C. SUPPLY THE CORRECT FORM OF THE VERBS IN BRACKETS:
When I arrived at the square I (be surprised) ... to find so many people
there. Some (feed) ... pigeons and others (sit) ... peacefully at the foot of a
tall statue. I (go) ... and (sit) ... with them so as to get a better view. What
(amuse) ... me most (be) ... a little boy who (try) ... to make pigeons fly
up to his shoulder. He (hold) ... some bird-seed in his hand and whenever
a pigeon (land) ... on his arm, he (laugh) ... so much that he (frighten) ...
the bird away.
V. HOME STUDY
Practice short composition. Describe your usual visit to an airport, a
railway station, a bus station, etc. Then describe some past experience.