[00:03.08]A person of great determination
[00:07.65]Lesson 29
[00:11.60]1 Dialogue
[00:15.36]Jane and Kate are leaving the swimming pool.
[00:20.69]JANE:See you next Friday.
[00:24.14]KATE:Next Friday?Why,what's happening?I'm going away for the weekend.
[00:30.80]JANE:But you said you'd come out to dinner with me.We fixed it.
[00:37.64]KATE:No,we didn't fix anything.
[00:42.48]We thought we might go out,but we said we'd check with each other first.
[00:48.40]And now I'm telling you I can't manage this Friday.
[00:53.76]Another time,possibly,but not Friday.
[00:58.12]JANE:You don't keep your word.Why didn't you tell me then?
[01:05.20]I've been looking forward to it.How can you change your mind at last minute?
[01:13.14]KATE:I'm sorry about that.
[01:16.62]JANE:You just don't consider anyone but yourself.
[01:21.97]KATE:That's not true.I don't want to argue about it any more.
[01:28.14]Anyhow,I'll see you next week.A fortnight later.
[01:34.62]JANE:Kate,I'm sorry about that argument.I apologize for being so angry with you.
[01:42.48]KATE:You were very angry!
[01:46.84]JANE:Yes,I'm sorry about that.
[01:50.89]I think we just had a misunderstanding about the plan,
[01:56.04]but I was very disappointed not to be going out.
[02:00.40]So I got angry and started shouting at you.
[02:05.26]KATE:You cetainly did!
[02:08.81]JANE:I'm sorry to have done that.I didn't mean to be so rude.
[02:14.45]KATE:It doesn't matter.
[02:18.00]JANE:There's no need for that. We'll have dinner another time.
[02:25.66]JANE:Thanks,I'd like that.
[02:29.50]Lesson 30
[02:37.86]1 Reading comprehension
[02:42.30]A PERSON OF GREAT DETERMINATION(1)
[02:47.86]Many years ago I walked into a bookstore in Cincinnati in
[02:54.21]search of some books that I wanted.
[02:58.29]While I was there,
[03:01.24]a young boy of about twelve came in to ask whether they had any geography books for sale.
[03:09.18]"Plenty to them,"was the shop assistant's reply.
[03:14.43]"How much do they cost?""One dollar each,young man."
[03:19.76]"Oh,dear!I didn't know they cost so much."
[03:24.43]He turned to go out and had already opened the door,
[03:29.61]but then he paused and came back to the counter.
[03:34.26]"I've only got 62 cents,"he said.
[03:38.41]"Will you let me have the book and wait a little while for the rest of the money?"
[03:44.97]How eagerly he looked up at the sales assistant for an answer,
[03:50.32]and how disappoited he looked when the man refused his request!
[03:56.28]Looking up at me with a weak smile,the boy left the store.I followed him.
[04:03.54]"And what now?"I asked."I shall try another place,sir."
[04:09.47]"Do you mind if I come along too and see how you get on?"
[04:14.80]"If you like,"he said in surprise.
[04:19.66]We went to four different stores togetther,
[04:23.81]and four times I saw the boy's eager face turn to disappointment.
[04:29.58]"Are you going to try again?"I asked.
[04:33.53]"Yes,sir.Unless I visit every bookstore in town,
[04:39.41]I shall not know whether I can get what I want."
[04:44.37]We entered the fifth store and the boy walked straight up to the counter
[04:50.53]and told the bookseller just what he wanted and how much money he had.
[04:57.20]"Do you want the book very much?"asked the bookseller.
[05:01.77]"Yes,sir,very much.""Why do you want it so badly?"
[05:07.02]"To study,sir.I can't go to school,but when I have time I study at home.
[05:14.57]All the other boys have geography books
[05:18.72]and they will be ahead of me if I don't get one.
[05:23.47]Besides,my father was a sailor,
[05:27.52]and I want to know about all the places he used to go to."
[05:32.49]"Does he still go to these places?""He is dead,"replied the boy softly.
[05:39.15]A moment later he added,"I'm going to be a sailor too."
[05:44.48]"Are you,young man?"said the bookseller with a curious look.
[05:50.04]"Yes,indeed,sir,if I possibly can.""Well,I'll tell you what I'll do.
[05:56.99]I'll let you have the new geography book
[06:01.67]and you may pay me the rest of the money when you can,
[06:06.32]or I can let you have a secondhand book for fifity cents."
[06:11.28]"Are you sure that there are no pages missing,
[06:15.33]and that it is just like the others,only secondhand?"
[06:20.50]"Yes,it's as good as the new ones."
[06:25.04]"Well,in that case it'll do just as well,
[06:29.41]and then I shall have twelve cents left to buy some other book.
[06:34.37]I'm glad they didn't let me have one at any of the other places."
[06:39.52]At the boy's last remark,the bookseller looked at him vuriously.
[06:45.39]I told him what I had seen and heard at the five other places.
[06:51.27]To the boy's delight,
[06:54.33]the bookseller gave him a nice new pencil and some writing paper.
[07:00.57]"A present,young man,for your great determination,"he said.
[07:06.21]"You are obviously a person of great courage."
[07:11.18]"Thank you,sir,it's very kind of you.""What is your name,young man?"
[07:17.34]"William Hartley,sir."
[07:20.50]I looked into the boy's serious but eager face and asked him,
[07:27.06]"Do you want any more books?""Yes,more than I can ever get,"he replied.
[07:34.01]I gave him two dollars."Take this money and buy yourself some more books."
[07:40.56]Tears of joy filled his eyes.
[07:44.40]For one moment I thought he wa going to burst into tears.
[07:50.36]"Thank you very much indeed,sir,"he said.
[07:54.83]"I hope that one day I shall be able to repay you."
[08:00.08]He asked for my name and I told him.
[08:03.94]Then I left him standing by the counter so happy that I almost envied him.
[08:10.40]Lesson 31
[08:19.36]1 Reading comprehension
[08:24.03]A PERSON OF GREAT DETERMINATION(2)
[08:28.68]Many years later,
[08:32.31]I was sailing to Europe on a fine sailing ship across the Athlantic.
[08:38.66]For the greater part of the voyage we had pleasant weather,
[08:43.81]but towards the end of our crossing a terrible storm came up
[08:49.55]and the ship would have sunkwith all on board but for the efforts of the captain.
[08:56.11]The ship started to leak and began to fill with water.
[09:01.47]The sailors were strong,able and willing.
[09:06.01]But after pumping for one whole night,
[09:10.58]they were losing the battle against the rising water
[09:15.34]and were on the point of giving up.
[09:19.10]The captain,as soon as he realized the situation,took charge.
[09:25.16]He ordered the sailors back to their pumps
[09:29.42]and encouraged them fiercely to save the ship .
[09:34.07]His strong will soubled their efforts.How the men pumped like crazy!
[09:40.91]As the captain passed me,
[09:44.25]I asked him whether there was any hope of saving the ship.
[09:49.22]He looked at me."Yes,sir,"he said.
[09:54.36]"While my feet remain standing above the water level,there is hope.
[10:00.71]Neither I nor any of the sailors
[10:05.26]will leave the ship so long as it remains above the surface of the sea.
[10:11.21]We shall do everything we can to save the ship ,
[10:16.07]and if we fail,it will not be our fault."
[10:20.93]Then he turned to all the passengers and shouted,"To the pumps,every one of you!"
[10:27.41]There times during that day we were on the point of giving up.
[10:32.66]But the captain's courage,determination and iron will forced us to continue,
[10:40.03]and we went back to the pumps.
[10:43.47]"I will land you safe in Liverpool,"he cried,
[10:47.84]"if you will stay strong and firm with me."
[10:52.09]And in the end he did land us safe,
[10:56.85]but the ship sank soon after it reached the port of Liverpool.
[11:02.31]The captain stood at the edge of the ship
[11:06.75]once it was safely tied up to the wall of the port
[11:12.39]and received the thanks of the passengers as they hurried off the ship.
[11:18.74]As I expressed to him my thanks,he held my hand firmly,
[11:24.38]looked into my eyes and said,"Sir,don't you recognize me?"
[11:31.04]I told him that I did not.
[11:34.39]"Do you remember the boy who you followed when he had so much difficulty
[11:40.26]in buying a geography book,some thirty years ago in Cincinnati?"
[11:46.51]"Why yes.Iremember that boy very well.His name was Willian Hartley."
[11:53.77]"I am that same William Hartley.""Goodness!"I said
[12:00.14]"What good fortune that I travelled with you as my captain!
[12:05.89]The determination
[12:09.16]that thirty years ago got you that geography book has today saved our lives."
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