A story

That was 9:00 PM in the countryside where I was born and grew up. I was coming back home after my English class. I was thinking about my Maths exercises. I hadn't finished yet. The weather was so cold and the wind made me afraid. I felt something was not right.

Suddenly, I looked up at the sky and I saw a strange object. It was a big bright disk.

After landing, two aliens got out of it. They looked very tall with metal clothes and two sticks on their heads. "They may be his antennae" I thought.

- Could you help me please! - They talked to me in perfect English.

- Oh, oh, yes, yes, may I help you? - I tried to stay calm and answer them.

- Could you explain to us this point in Vietnamese grammar? We are studying Vietnamese but it's so hard and we could not do anything.

And for a long time, I answered many many questions about Vietnamese, also Maths. I thought about three hours passed. I was really worried because my parents did not like me to come home late. But I could not stop because they asked many things.

Finally, they said "Thank you! You will receive a present, a special present. Please wait a moment!". Then they got back in the space ship and flew away. I stood still for a while and then I turned round. That time, I felt very happy and immediately I solved all my Maths exercises in my mind. I felt more intelligent myself and I could speak English very well. I saw my watch, it was just 9:00 PM.

Fit and Unfit

Toby is unfit and overweight. One day his wife gave him a surprise birthday present: one week at a health farm! There has a clear environment, and his wife hoped he would be better after one week there. When he came there, he still smoked so much. The trainer, a beautiful girl, showed him the "NO SMOKING" sign and said "Don't smoke, please!". Toby didn't like that but he couldnot do anything.

After that, Toby had to have a health test. He weighed about 95kg. His trainer smiled and said "Don't worry! You'll feel better after a week!"

At 1:00 a.m, Toby went to the canteen for his lunch. He had to go on a diet so he was given a meal with just a few vegetables. Toby was so sad and he said: "No, I cannot eat them! Some taster things, please!"

In the afternoon, everyone had a yoga class. Toby was very tired and immedietly he fell sleep. And so, while everyone was trying the yoga exercise, he was sleeping. In the evening, Toby was not able to stand his hunger. He phoned a fastfood restaurant for pizzas. He found a way to get out and meet the pizza delivery man in the street. He ate so many pizzas and felt very happy. "Oh, that's my lifestyle!" he said.

One week later, at the weigh-in, he weighted... 100kg. It was the result of eating so many pizzas every night. His trainer felt so sad and so angry. She said to him: "Why? What did you do, Mr Toby?". "Oh, I don't know!" said Toby.

(ILA)

CLARENCE TULLY - A Man With a Secret (2/2)

(continued...)
When Tully went to military meetings or gatherings with real veterans as a reporter, he would dress in a serviceman's uniform. As he became more comfortable with the uniform and the imaginary stories about his years in the Air Force, he began to wear medals of honor and make the stories more danger-filled and exciting. Also, as he got more important jobs in real life, he gave himself a higher rank in his fictitious military life. He became a second lieutenant, then a first lieutenant, then a major. It got to the point where he himself could not tell the difference between fact and fiction anymore. In reality, he never attended college or served in the Air Force.
Tully was doing very well in his career, and people easily trusted and respected him. He was always careful and consistent when he talked about his military adventures. He did not make mistakes with his "facts." He was a clever impostor; he told believable phony stories. No one questioned the exciting, brave, dangerous events of his nonexistent military experience. he deceived everyone for many years.
Recently, something happened that changed Tully's whole life. In his newspaper, he published some negative articles about a well-known lawyer of his city. This lawyer became very angry with Tully. He decided to investigate Tully's personal life. In a short time, he discovered that Tully was a impostor. He publicized the fact that Tully told untrue stories about himself. Tully immediately acknowledged all his dishonest information and resigned from his job. He did not give any explanation for his behavior. He put himself in the care of a psychiatrist in order to find out why he did this. As he entered a hospital in Arizona, he said, "I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me." With these words, the fantasy life-style of "Duke" Tully ended.
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CLARENCE TULLY - A Man With a Secret (1/2)

Clarence Darrow Tully was tall, good-looking, and intelligent. He worked as a reporter at first and eventually became publisher of two newspapers in Arizona. He was a competent newspaper executive and got along well with other important people in the community. He was very successful in his career. These was, however, something unusual about Tully that was a secret for a long, long time.
When Clarence Darrow Tully was a young man, he told everyone to call him "Duke." He copied that name from a famous movie actor, whom Americans liked because he was strong, tough and brave. Tully want to be admired for the same reasons as this actor was. He also believed that men in military uniform looked strong, tough, and brave. Tully wanted very much to make this impression on others. His desire for this image got stronger and stronger as time went on.
He tried to join the Air Force, but poor vision prevented him from being accepted. His older brother became a Marine pilot and was killed in service in 1942. When this happened, Tully began to put his imagination to work: he started to tell untrue stories about his personal life. At first, he simply claimed he was in the Air Force and that he had a college degree. Every time he got a promotion in his career, he added more stories about brave active duty in the Korean and Vietnam wars.
...
(to be continued...)

Sharing Stories - Quick Action

It was an ordinary day at the First National Bank. Everything seemed normal. An elderly woman and her grandson were in the bank. The woman had an old handbag and a new umbrella on her arm, and the little boy had a balloon on a long string. The woman began to make a deposit and cash a check. Then a man with a black-and-white hat walked in. The little boy saw the man's picture on the wall and began to feel afraid. The man slowly walked to a teller's window and suddenly pulled out a big gun. He gave the teller a note and got two heavy bags of money from her. He started to run away, but the woman quickly started to run after him. She hit him hard with her umbrella and stopped him! A young policeman immediately took the famous robber away to jail, and a crowed watched. The bank manager gave the woman a reward, so she looked very happy. He gave the boy seven balloons, so the boy also had a big smile of his face. In the end, everyone was happy except the robber. In this incident, quick action by an ordinary person stopped a crime.

Not Only On TV

When my family lived in another city, we had two experiences with robberies.One time someone broke into our car in front of our house and took some CDs.We were upset and unhappy, but we did not call the police. It did not seem too important.Another time a few week later, someone took our new camera and $55 from our house.The person came in through a window when we were out of the house during the day.The camera was very expensive, and we did not have teh money for another camera.We felt afraid and bought new blocks.Robberies were not only on TV. They were real now.(Philip L. Sladek)

Compare two drafts

Draft 1
A few years ago, my grandfather Paul, who loved to cook but did not like recipes, made an especially disgusting and memorable dish. It did not have a name, but here is his process. First, he looked in the refrigerator. Second, he got some leftover enchiladas. Third, he put the enchiladas in a saucepan. Fourth, he looked in the pantry. Fifth, he found two cans to add. They were a can of green beans and a can of hot dog chili sauce. Sixth, he added the green beans and hot dog chili sauce to the enchiladas. Seventh, he cooked the mixture on top the stove until the food was very hot. This step took about fifteen minutes. Eighth, he put some crunchy dry cereal on top of the mixture. Finally, he served the dish in the saucepan.
Unfortunately, as the pieces of cereal absorbed the liquid, they began to look like short, fat brown worms. This dish was unforgettable because it looked so disgusting that no one would eat it, except my grandfather.

Draft 2
A few years ago, my grandfather Paul, who loved to cook but did not like recipes, made an especially disgusting and memorable dish. It did not have a name, but here is his process. First, he looked in the refrigerator, got some leftover enchiladas, and put them in a saucepan. Then, he looked in the pantry and found two cans to add. They were a can of green beans and a can of hot dog chili sauce. Next, he cooked the mixture in a saucepan on top of the stove until the food was very hot. This step took about fifteen minutes. Finally, before serving the dish in the saucepan, he put some crunchy dry cereal on top of the mixture.
Unfortunately, as the pieces of cereal absorbed the liquid, they began to look like short, fat brown worms. This dish was unforgettable because it looked so disgusting that no one would eat it, except my grandfather.

No More Accidents

(By Ryota Imai)

A few years ago, I got hit three times on my bicycle in two months. The first accident was at night in June. I was going across an intersection. A car hit my bicycle side, but the car was going slowly. The car driver said "Are you okay?" I said, "I'm okay," but my right shin hurt. My bicycle was no problem. The second accident was at night in July. The car was a little fast, and I was thrown onto the hood of the car. The car driver said, "We are going to the hospital and the doctor can check you." My body was no problem, but my bicycle was broken. The third accident was in the morning when I was going to school. That day I was feeling a little uneasy, and my uneasiness came true. I was hit by the side of a car, but we were going very slowly. The car driver and I exchanged address. After that, I went to school. My mother said, "If you get in another accident, you can die." I hope I don't have any mor accidents.

Why I Look Almost Bald

(By Toru Imai)

The reason that I shaved my head is not a heartwarming story. Yesterday I wanted to cut my hair. I didn't have a lot of money, so I looked for a cheap haircut. I found a salon with only $5.99 haircuts. I said to the barber, "My hair is so long." Then she shaved my side hair and made a favorite Chinese hairstyle in only three minutes! But, I'm Japanese. I said, "shorter," and she said "Oh, I see! You need to say Number 2!" She shaved my head all over in just one minute! She never thought or waited. It's the reason for the cheap price. I will never go for a cheap haircut again. Also, I learned that I need to study hairstyle in English before I go for a haircut.

Some Stories?

The Tank Was Empty
(By John Lapatsanis)

Six years ago I lived in Athens. Every fifteen days I went to my village with my friend who had a new Italian car. One Friday the engine didn't work. My friend got out of his car and looked it. He didn't see anything. For one hour he and I looked everywhere. We checked everything. Finally, after one hour, we looked in the gas tank. It didn't have any gasoline! My friend and I feel terrible because the day before he had filled the tank, and today it didn't have any gasoline. Anyway, together we put gasoline in the tank and went to my village. In the end, my friend was lucky because the thief took only the gasoline. My friend still has his car.



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My Daughter
(By Gerardo Nunez)

I remember when my daughter was born. When I brought my wife to the hospital, I stayed there in the room with her. I put on doctor clothes and was able to see the birth on my daughter. She was beautiful. Then my wife and I were happy. Now my daughter goes to school in my country, and she practices gymnastics because she like it. Also, all the time she draws with colors. She studies English and Spainish in her school, but I hope maybe for a short time she can go to study English in the USA. When my wife was a child, she lived in USA for one year, and she spoke English very well. I hope that my daughter can study in the USA because she is very important to us.

The English Times (2)

An Afraid Night

(by Xiao-He Zhao)

When I had just come to New York, I was not afraid when I walked home at night. One thing happened to my good friend to change me. One night, my good friend was going home after work. She was waliking on the sidewalk. There were no people or cars in the street. Suddenly, a tall man jumped out of a doorway near her. He pulled out a sharp knife. He took her new handbag and expensive watch. he left. My friend did not say anything because she was very afraid. She lost a watch that cost $200 and $50 in money. After that, my friend didn't walk on the sidewalk at night. She bought a car to drive home. When my friend told me this dangerous thing, I was very afraid. Now I don't walk home at night. I'm very careful at night.

The English Times (1)

Meet Level 2A
(From Staff Reporters)

The Level 2A class this spring is interesting and cooperative. The class consists of sixteen students: ten females and six males. They come from eight conutries in Asia, Afirca, America, and Europe. They speak the following native languages: Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Korean, Spanish and Tigre. In their countries, they had various occupations including hair stylist, student, electrical technician, and driver. The students range in age from 20 to 41 years. The average age is 24.6 years. Six of the students are married. Three students live alone. The others live with their spouses and/or relatives. According to the teachers of the class, these student study hard and get along well. The teacher said, "It is really a pleasure to teach this group of varied people who work together well.
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Black Sky
(By Ana Nogueira)

Last semester when I lived in Texas, I had a scary experience. It happened on the Friday night before spring break. The sky was dark, and the clouds were moving very quickly. I turned on the TV and listened to the weather channel. The newscaster was warning about a tornado near the lake. I was scared because I had never seen a tornado before. Suddenly, it began to rain pieces of ice, or haill I began to be very scared. The hail was hitting my window, so I went into the bathroom and waited for the storm to finish. I heard hours later that the tornado hit a few blocks from my house. It didn't cause any damage, but I know tornadoes are really dangerous. I didn't have a real experience with a tornado before, and I was not prepared for it. Now I'm sure it is a good idea to listen to a weather report if it looks like a bad storm. I hope I don't have another experience like that.

Learning to Drive

When I was eighteen years old, I went fishing with my father, some friends, and their fathers. The fishing place was five hours south of my city near San Rafael. On the second day, I went to buy bread and vegetables with my friend. I was driving a Peugeot 505, which is a medium-sized car. I had beed driving only about one year. I was driving fast on a narrowd road between the lake and the mountain. On a curve, the car started to slide. It hit the mountain and turned over. Nothing happened to me and my friend, but the car was totally distroyed. I felt very bad. All the time, I thought about my parents, and I could not believe it. When my father and the others came and turned over the car, I told my father the truth. I was very nervous, but my father did not punish me. I do not know why, but he only said that I should think about what happened. Now I feel good, I will never forget this story and will never drive fast again.