Lesson 79 By air
Why did the plane turn back?
I used to travel by air a great deal when I was a boy.
My parents used to live in South America and I used to fly there from Europe
in the holidays. A flight attendant would take charge of me and I never had an unpleasant
experience. I am used to travelling by air and only on one occasion have I ever felt
frightened. After taking off, we were flying low over the city and slowly gaining height,
when the plane suddenly turned round and flew back to the airport. While we were waiting
to land, a flight attendant told us to keep calm and to get off the plane quietly as soon
as it had touched down. Everybody on board was worried and we were curious to find out
what had happened. Later we learnt that there was a very important person on board. The
police had been told that a bomb had been planted on the plane. After we had landed, the
plane was searched thoroughly4. Fortunately, nothing was found and five hours later we
were able to take off again.
Lesson 80 The Crystal Palace
How many people visited the Great Exhibition of 1851?
Perhaps the most extraordinary building of the nineteeth century was the
Crystal Palace, which was built in Hyde Park for the Great Exhibition of 1851. The Crystal
Palace was different from all other buildings in the world, for it was made of iron and
glass. It was one of the biggest buildings of all time and a lot of people from many
countries came to see it. A great many goods were sent to the exhibition from various
parts of the world. There was also a great deal of machinery on display. The most
wonderful piece of machinery on show was Nasmyth's steam hammer. Though in those days,
traveling was not as easy as it is today, steam boats carried thousands of visitors across
the Channel from Europe. On arriving in England, they were taken to the Crystal Palace by
train. There were six million visitors in all, and the profits from the exhibition were
used to build museums and colleges. Later, the Crystal Palace was moved to South London.
It remained one of the most famous buildings in the world until it was burnt down in 1936.
Lesson 81 Escape
Why did the prisoner attack the driver?
When he had killed the guard, the prisoner of war
quickly dragged him into the bushes. Working rapidly in the darkness, he soon changed
into the dead man's clothes. Now, dressed in a blue uniform and with a rifle over his
shoulder, the prisoner marched boldly up and down in front of the camp. He could hear
shouting in the camp itself. Lights were blazing and men were running here and there:
they had just discovered that a prisoner had escaped. At that moment, a large black car
with four officers inside it, stopped at the camp gates. The officers got out and the
prisoner stood to attention and saluted as they passed. When they had gone, the driver of
the car came towards him. The man obviously wanted to talk. He was rather elderly with
grey hair and clear blue eyes. The prisoner felt sorry for him, but there was nothing else
he could do. As the man came near, the prisoner knocked him to the ground with a
sharp blow. Then, jumping into the car, he drove off as quickly as he could.