Q29 - Ready money
A young man went to a car showroom. He was wearing rubber boots and a dirty jacket. He needed a haircut badly and was unshaven. The young man examined an expensive car carefully and then turned to speak to the salesman.
'How much does this car cost?' he asked.
'One thousand two hundred and eighteen pounds,' the salesman said.
'I'll have sixteen of them,' the young man said.
The salesman smiled. He found it hard to be polite. 'You are joking, of course,' he said. 'I'm afraid we can't help you. This car is not for sale.
The salesman showed his customer the door and the young man left the shop without a word. He went to a showroom on the other side of the street and asked for sixteen cars. The second salesman was polite and helpful. The young man took a bundle of notes out of his pocket and paid for the cars in cash. He explained that the cars were for himself and his fifteen colleagues. He said that he and his colleagues worked on a Norwegian fishing-boat. 'We have all earned a lot of money this season,' the man said, 'and we want to buy cars.'
Naturally, the second salesman was delighted.
Answer these questions
A
1 Was the young man wearing rubber boots?
2 He was wearing a dirty jacket too, wasn't he?
3 Didn't he need a haircut and a shave?
4 Did he ask the price of a car?
5 It was an expensive one, wasn't it?
6 Does the man want to buy sixteen cars?
7 The salesman didn't believe him, did he?
8 Will the young man buy the cars at another shop?
9 Does he work on a fishing boat?
10 Has he earned a lot of money this year?
11 Have his colleagues earned a lot of money too?
B
12 Who wanted to buy sixteen cars?
13 Who thought the young man was joking?
14 Who works on a fishing-boat?
15 Who has earned a lot of money this year?
C
16 Was the young man dressed in a suit, or was he wearing rubber boots and
a dirty jacket?
17 Did he want to buy a cheap car or an expensive one?
18 Did he want one car or sixteen cars?
19 Was the first salesman helpful or unhelpful?
20 Did the young man go to another shop, or did he stay in the same shop?
21 Did he pay for the cars in cash or by cheque?
D
22 Why did the first salesman think the young man was joking?
23 Where was the second car showroom?
24 How many cars did the man want to buy?
25 How did the man pay for the cars?
26 Where did the young man work?
27 Why did he want sixteen cars?
E
Ask these questions
Ask me
1a if the young man was wearing rubber boots.
b what he was wearing.
2a if the car cost £1,218.
b how much the car cost.
3a if the man wanted sixteen cars.
b how many cars the man wanted.
4a if the young man had a bundle of notes in his pocket.
b what he had in his pocket.
5a if he and his friends want to buy cars.
b what he and his friends want to buy.
