Travels with My Aunt
Henry Pulling is a retired bank manager and lives a very conventional life. His mother dies just after he retires. At the funeral, he meets his Aunt. Augusta, a woman in her seventies who he has not seen for 50 years. Aunt Augusta has travelled all over the world. From everything she says, it is obvious that Augusta has lived an adventurous unconventional life
After the funeral, Henry and Augusta meet again and, despite having very different personalities, they get on well. Augusta tells Henry things about his family that he never knew. Augusta then persuades Henry to go travelling with her, at first to places in England, but gradually to more exciting destinations. Until now, Henry has lived, a quiet life; most of the people he knows are bank customers or colleagues.
One day, Augusta tells Henry she is taking him to Istanbul. He is surprised by this sudden announcement. He is used to planning everything he does, but Augusta is always spontaneous and seems to make decisions without thinking. On the journey to Istanbul, Henry finds out more about his aunt's unusual lifestyle and her past. As they travel, Henry sees new cultures for the first time and Augusta introduces him to her old friends who all have exciting and unusual stories to tell. Henry is often surprised by what he hears, but begins to enjoy himself more and more.
When he returned to England, Henry enjoys his retirement looking after the flowers in his garden, but he is a changed man. He misses his aunt and her interesting friends, and Augusta has shown him a new way of looking at the world.
Definitions:
banking |
the business of a bank |
bully |
to frighten someone or threaten to hurt them, especially if they are weaker or smaller than you |
excited |
happy, interested or hopeful because something good has happened or is expected |
excitement |
the feeling of being excited |
influential |
having a lot of influence |
influence |
to have an effect on the way someone or something develops, behaves or thinks |
regard |
to think about someone or something in a particular way |
storyteller |
someone who tells stories |
adventurous |
exciting and involving danger |
conventional |
thinking and behaving in the normal and traditional way |
find out |
to get information about something or someone |
funeral |
a ceremony for someone who has just died |
lead to |
to cause something to happen |
lifestyle |
the way that someone lives, including their work and activities, and what things they own |
spontaneous |
something that is done because you want to do it, not because you planned to do it |
Language Notes
۩ Travel / journey / trip / tour / voyage / cruise / expedition
۩ Travel السفر عموما (لا تجمع) ۩ Travels رحلات
● Future generations look forward to space travel as a holiday option.
● We met some very interesting people on our travels in Thailand.
۩ journey رحلة (عادة طويلة)
●It was a long train journey to France.
۩ trip رحلة (عادة قصيرة)
●He went on a school trip to Disneyland.
۩ tour جولة
●The prime minister has left for a three-week tour of South America.
۩ voyage رحلة بحرية
●The voyage from England to India used to take six months.
۩ cruise رحلة بحرية من أجل المتعة
●He went on a Nile cruise with his friends.
۩ expedition رحلة استكشافية (رحلة منظمة لأماكن غير مألوفة) / رحلة قصيرة لغرض معين
●He went on an expedition to the North Pole.
●We're going on a shopping expedition on Saturday.
۩ frighten = scare يُخيف
●Computers used to frighten me, but not now.
۩ fear يخاف
●Police fear that there may be further terrorist attacks.
۩ recipe وصفة (طريقة عمل وجبة معينة) ۩ prescription وصفة طبية (روشتة)
●Could you give me the recipe for that chocolate cake?
●I got the prescription filled on the way home.
۩ spontaneous عفوي / تلقائي / بدون تخطيط ۩ simultaneous شيء يحدث في نفس الوقت
●Her offer of help was spontaneous.
●The speeches will be broadcast live, with simultaneous translation.
۩ bully (v) يمارس البلطجة / يستأسد علي من هم أضعف منه
●Ahmed used to bully the younger kids in the neighborhood.
۩ bully someone into doing something يرغم شخص أضعف علي القيام بعمل معين
●Don't let anyone bully you into doing something you don't want to do.
۩ bullying (n) البلطجة
●Bullying is a problem in many schools.
۩ Whatever you do: تعبير يستخدم في الحديث لتحذير شخص من شيء ما (إياك أن ..)
●Don’t tell Paul, whatever you do!
● Whatever you do, don't move.
Exercises on Vocabulary and Language Notes:
Choose the correct answer:
Some people (think – regard – believe – wait) playing computer games as a waste of time.
Charles Dickens was one of the nineteenth century's most famous (storytellers – bestsellers – fortunetellers – tellers).
After the (enhancement – embarrassment – engagement – excitement) of the day, the children couldn't sleep.
Many people agree that Shakespeare is the most (infectious – illegal – influential – initial) writer in the English language.
Children who (fully – bully – truly – awfully) other children at school should be sent home.
My cousin believes in (spontaneity – stupidity – ambiguity – brutality). He never plans what he's going to do.
I didn't think about what I was doing. I just did it (slowly – abundantly – spontaneously – alarmingly).
Our holiday to Australia was a great (acupuncture – agriculture – adventure – failure). We spent two months exploring the country
In some countries, It is the (convention – dimension – decision – infection) to shake hands whenever you meet someone
She finds long train journeys very (tired – tires – tiredness – tiring). She really doesn't enjoy them.
He felt very (relaxing – relaxed – relaxes – relax) after his holiday. He had had a really lovely time.
My (adventurous – ambitious - spontaneous – religious) reaction was to run away.
Playing together teaches children social (collections – combinations – comparisons – conventions) such as sharing.
You'd love Australia. It's an (amazement – amazed – amazing – amaze) place.
Our survey indicates that one in four children is (bullied – faded – buried – pretended) at school.
Jurassic Park is one of the most (excited – exciting – excitement – excites) films I've ever seen.
Don't let anyone (bury – carry - bully – hurry) you into doing something you don't want to do.
I get (bore – bores – boring – bored) if I have nothing to do.
To (bully – apply – comply – clarify) means to frighten someone or threaten to hurt them, especially if they are weaker or smaller than you.
(Strenuous – Stimulus – Spontaneous - Serious) means something that is done because you want to do it, not because you planned to do it.
To (affluence – influence – advance - announce) means to have an effect on the way someone or something develops, behaves or thinks.
(Frightened – Abandoned – Excited - Bored) means happy, interested or hopeful because something good has happened or is expected.
A (lifestyle – lifeboat – lifetime - lifeblood) is the way that someone lives, including their work and activities, and what things they own.
To (contribute to – allow to – intend to - lead to) is to cause something to happen.
A (concert – symphony – funeral- grave) is a ceremony for someone who has just died.
To (regard – approve – despise - bully) is to think about someone or something in a particular way.
To (put out – watch out - find out – come out) is to get information about something or someone.
(Ambiguous – Adventurous – Anxious - Cautious) means exciting and involving danger.
(International – Conventional – Emotional – Functional) means thinking and behaving in the normal and traditional way.
The Council had considerable (influence – acceptance – absence - appearance) over many government decisions.
A group of kids stood by and watched the school (belly – silly – folly - bully) beat up a smaller boy.
My husband is a (banker – tanker – forger - marker) with a very demanding schedule.
Regular exercise is part of a healthy (lifelong – lifestyle – life cycle – life story).
Hundreds of mourners attended the (party – celebration - funeral – arrival) of the two boys who were killed by the robbers.
I'm not very (dangerous – advantageous – treacherous – adventurous) when it comes to trying new food.
Reducing speed limits should (lead - result – cause – induce) to fewer deaths on the roads.
A woman in her (seven – seventeen – seventy – seventies) killed her husband last week.
The (curious – glorious - obvious – deleterious) way of reducing pollution is to use cars less.
I've always (took - got - put – made) on well with Henry.
By the time he reached his (destination – condemnation – contamination – coronation), seven days later, he was half-starved and broke.
Find the mistakes in each of the following sentences then write them correctly:
He is a retired bank manager and lives a confessional life.
I can think of so many things I'll really mess when I leave.
I love working abroad and meeting people from different culprits.
He has very unusual stories to speak.
He was surprised by her sudden advertisement that she was going to resign.
There is no odious solution to the problem of environmental pollution.
Though they have different personalities, they put on very well.
I finally managed to precede my parents to let me go out with my friends.
She is always superstitious and seems to make decisions without thinking.
She reduced him to her old friends.
Meeting that famous man had a strong difference on her life and personality.
Why are you so pessimistic? You should take at life in a different way.
The village people tried very hard to maintain their traditional lifespan.
Travel and experiments of other cultures can change people.
Travel can close people's eyes to different ways of life.
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