Colds
A. Reading
Pedro has a cold. His nose is stuffed up, he
coughs a lot, and he has a sore throat. He felt fine last
night, but now he is very sick. Pedro wants to go home
and rest, but he can’t. He is an accountant and payroll is
due today. He needs to print and sign payroll checks so
the employees get paid on time.
Pedro’s boss went on a business trip to
Springfield, Illinois.He won’t be back until next week.
Before he left, he asked Pedro to take care of the office.
There are twenty office workers, and they are all very
busy. Hopefully, they won’t catch Pedro’s cold. If the
employees catch colds, they might take several days off work.
Memorial Day
A. Reading
The last Monday of May is Memorial
Day. It is a special holiday to honor soldiers
who have died in military service to their
country. Friends and relatives visit cemeteries
to put flags, wreaths, or flowers on the graves
of soldiers. Special Memorial Day services
are held in some cities. Politicians give
speeches and bands play patriotic music.
Memorial Day is also the start of the summer recreational season in
America. Many families have picnics or backyard barbeques. Some people
watch a car race called the Indianapolis 500. Most schools close for summer
vacation around Memorial Day. Families start planning their summer
vacations just before or after Memorial Day.
New York City Cab Driver
A. Reading
Marty drives a cab in New York City.
He works six days a week from 5:30 a.m. to
5:30 p.m. He doesn’t always get to eat when
he’s hungry or go to the restroom when he
needs to go.
Driving a cab is difficult. Traffic in
the city is often slow and there are many
accidents and construction sites drivers have
to go around. Driving a cab is also dangerous. When it rains or snows the roads are
slippery. Sometimes criminals steal the cab driver’s money.
Most of Marty’s passengers are nice. They tip him twenty percent of the cab fare.
Marty likes his job, but lately he’s been feeling tired from working twelve hour shifts.
Many of his passengers are tourists, and they like to talk a lot. Unfortunately, Marty isseldom in the mood to talk anymore. It’s hard to be friendly every day.