Fishermen found safe and sound

Three Taiwanese fishermen were rescued yesterday from a small uninhabited island in the South Pacific. The men had been lost for more than three months.

They had left Taiwan in a small fishing boat and planned to be gone for only a week. But on the fifth day they ran into a typhoon, and it badly damaged their boat. Fortunately, none of the men was hurt. After the storm passed, however, they found that the engine wouldn't start. So their boat just drifted at sea for over a month. During this time, the fishermen caught fish to eat and drank rainwater to stay alive.

Finally, the boat drifted toward a small island. When it got close enough, the men jumped overboard and swam to the shore. On the island, they found fresh fruit and vegetables to eat, and they continued to live on any fish they could catch.

The fishermen lived on the island for another two months before they were rescued by a passing ship. Although the three men had lost a lot of weight, they were still in fairly good health after their long ordeal. Their families were very happy to hear that the men had been found "safe and sound" and that they would soon be home.

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Bank Robbery Prevented by Brave Police Officer

There was a bank robbery at the Commercial Bank on Richmond Road, Bristol, yesterday afternoon. Two armed men walked into the bank just before closing time at five thirty. One of the men took a machine gun from the briefcase he was holding and told the people in the bank to put their hands up. He then demanded the money. When the manager explained that they did not have any money in the bank at the moment because the security van had just taken it away, the robbers got angry. The second man took a gun from his jacket pocket and fired a shot into the air. He shouted that unless the people working at the bank found him some money, he would start killing people.

Luckily, an off-duty police officer, Constable Errol Mason, was walking past the bank and heard the gun shot. He looked in the window and saw the dangerous situation. He used a nearby public telephone box to call his colleagues at the police station for help. Within a few minutes, patrol cars started to arrive.

When the armed men heard the wailing sirens of the police cars, they dropped their guns and ran out of the bank in panic As the robbers came out of the front door, Constable Errol Mason got in their way and attacked them. Seconds later, more police officers joined in. They handcuffed and arrested the criminals.

Later, when asked about his bravery, Constable Mason said that he was just doing his duty.

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About three hundred years ago a brave sailor lived in Great Britain. His name was Henry Hudson. He was not afraid of anything. Many times he sailed in a small ship far off the coast of England. He dreamed of crossing the Arctic Ocean. Three times he tried to do so and each time he returned home and told his friends wonderful stones of the difficulties he had to go through. Although his crew was very small, all the three voyages were quite successful

The fourth time Henry Hudson left England in a small boat called "Discovery"' It was a very dangerous voyage The sea was wild and there were only a few men among the crew They had to go through many difficulties before they could reach an unknown river and a bay, which were later named after their discoverer.

Soon winter came and troubles began. The crew were hungry and thirsty as they had very little food and fresh water left. The bay and the river covered with ice The people could not get out. They got very-angry and decided to put the whole blame on their captain. They put Henry Hudson, his little son and some of the crew who were loyal to their captain in a small boat and let it drift off in the icy sea. The poor people in the boat had no food and no water on board There was no one to help them either. Since then nobody ever saw the little boat heard its unfortunate passengers

Such was the tragic death of the brave discoverer who died in the bay he himself had discovered.

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Joseph Haydn, the famous Austrian composer, began to compose music at an early age. Most of all he enjoyed folk- lore and much of his own music was based on folk songs. Slavic melodies inspired him, he could listen to them for hours, and later they played an important part in his works.

When Haydn was quite young, his friends and he decided to play a serenade under the window of a well-known clown, whose name was Bernardino Curtz. They had planned it as a joke, a kind of entertainment for themselves. Haydn composed the music and when everything was ready, they all went to the house where the famous clown lived. They began to play the melody. Curtz listened to the music and liked it so much that soon he ran out of his house and asked who had composed such a nice melody. He was told that the name of the composer was Haydn. Curtz invited the young musician to his house, gave him some verses and suggested Haydn should compose an opera.

Joseph Haydn was very much afraid as he had never composed an opera before. But he decided to try. He worked very hard. Everything went well till he came to the place where there was a storm at sea. He tried hundreds of different melodies but none of them resembled the sea storm in the way he understood it. The trouble was he had never seen a sea. Curtz could not help him as he had never seen a sea either.

Haydn tried more and more melodies but without success. At last he lost his temper, crashed his hands upon the piano and cried out: "Dash the storm!" Curtz heard it, jumped out of his chair and cried out: "That's it! Go on like that!" Many years had passed before Haydn's name became famous all over the world. He composed music to many operas but he could never forget the storm in his first opera. He always laughed when he thought of it.

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These days, most people in Britain and the USA do not wear very formal clothes. But sometimes it is important to be wearing the right thing.

Many British people don't think about clothes very much. They just like to be comfortable. When they go out to enjoy themselves, they can wear almost anything. For theatres, cinemas, and concert halls you can put on what you like - from elegant suits and dresses to jeans and sweaters. Anything's good as long as you look clean and tidy.

But in Britain, as well as in the USA, men in offices usually wear suits and ties, and women wear dresses or skirts (not trousers). Doctors, lawyers, and businessmen wear quite formal clothes. And in some hotels and restaurants men have to wear ties and women wear smart dresses. Jeans and open shirts are sometimes not allowed.

In many ways, Americans are more relaxed than British, but they are more careful with their clothes. At home, or on holiday, most Americans wear informal or sport clothes. But when they go out in the evening, they like to look elegant. In good hotels and restaurants, men have to wear jackets and ties, and women wear pretty clothes and smart hairstyles.

It is difficult to say exactly what people wear in Britain and in the States, because everyone is different. If you are not sure what to wear, watch what other people do, and then do the same. Or ask the advice of a friend or your host. You'll feel more relaxed if you don't look too different from everyone else.

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The summer was very hot. It was very stuffy in town and Stephen Blake decided to go to the seashore for his summer holiday He booked a railway ticket, packed his things and was about to start for the railway station when he remembered that he hadn't told the housekeeper to post over to him all the letters he would receive while he was away. He went back and told her his request, she promised to do that.

Stephen Blake had a very good rest at the seaside. The weather was fine. The sea was calm. He spent much time sunbathing and felt perfect. The only thing that worried him was that he had not received any letters. He found it strange, so he phoned his housekeeper to ask her about the fact. The housekeeper explained that she had no key to the postbox and so she couldn't open it.

Stephen Blake apologized and promised to send her the key. On the same day he put the key in an envelope, wrote down the address, and posted the letter.

When the summer holiday was over, Stephen Blake returned home. The housekeeper met him very warmly, but Stephen was quite angry with her. The old woman could not understand why he was angry. Stephen asked why she had not sent him over his letters.

The poor woman explained to him that she could not get the key as it was in the locked letterbox together with the letters.

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