4. The luncheon (after w. S. Maugham)

I saw her 1____ the play and in answer 2____ her beckoning I went over during the interval and sat down 3____ her. It was long since I had last seen her. She addressed 4____ me brightly:

“Well, it’s many years 5____ we first met. How time does fly! Do you remember the first time I saw you? You asked me to luncheon.” Did I remember?!

It was twenty years 6____ and I was living 7____ Paris. I had 8____ small apartment in the Latin Quarter overlooking a cemetery and I was earning money to keep body and soul 9____. She had read a book of mine and had written to me 10____ it. I answered thanking her and presently I received from her another letter saying that she was passing through Paris and would 11____ to have a talk with me; but her time was limited and 12____ only free moment she had was 13____ the following Thursday; she was spending the morning at the Luxemburg and would I give her a little luncheon 14____ Foyot’s afterwards? (Foyot’s was a restaurant so far beyond my means that I had never even thought 15____ going there. But I was flattered and I was too young to have learnt to say no to a woman).

5. Holidays in portugal

Dear Lucille,

I’ve been very busy the last two or three months, so please forgive me 1____ not answering your letter sooner. I’ve had to prepare for my examinations. Now they’re over, and I’m anxiously waiting to see 2____ results. I worked very hard. I even gave 3____ my tennis. The weather didn’t help me 4____ all. We’ve had weeks and weeks of warm, sunny weather, and it was hard having to stay indoors at a desk covered 5____ books. When I say the weather was warm, I mean warm for England, 6____ course. It hasn’t been 7____ hot ____ in my country or yours.

Now that the exams are over I’m trying to catch up with my letter writing. But I’m not giving all my time to correspondence. I’ve had some short holidays - one up the Thames 8____ motor-boat to Oxford, another by motor-coach to Stradford, where I went 9____ the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, and another (by train this time) to North Wales, where I climbed 10____ Snowdon. Snowdon’s 11____ highest mountain in England and Wales. It’s only about 3,000 feet, but there’s some good rock climbing.

You tell me you’d like to visit Portugal this summer 12____ a holiday, and ask me 13____ places you should visit. I’m delighted to know you’re likely to have a few weeks in my country, and I wish I could be 14____ home to welcome you and take you round. But I’m spending the summer here. I want to see the Lake District and Scotland before I go 15____ to Lisbon and start teaching.

6. Holidays in portugal

It’s 1____ pity you have to visit Portugal in the summer, but now that you’re a college teacher you probably have to take your holidays 2____ July and August. Spring is 3____ best time. There are wonderful wild flowers everywhere in the late winter and spring. When the summer comes the hot sun bakes the earth brown. But there are, of course, always plenty 4____ other things to see 5____ wild flowers. And the summer heat in Portugal is not unbearable 6____ in some parts of southern Europe. You’ll find Portugal hotter 7____ many parts of France, perhaps, but no part of Portugal is far 8____ the sea. There’s usually a fresh breeze, and the nights are generally cool.

You must visit Lisbon. The best approach to Lisbon is, I think, 9____ sea. You sail up the Tagus past Estoril and see the city, which is really beautiful, built on hills sloping down to the wide river. The houses have brightly-coloured walls, yellow, green, tomato-red, and, 10____ course, white. The streets are bordered with flowering trees. Many of the older houses and churches are covered 11____ blue and white tiles, some with patterns on them and others with pictures. This kind of tile was introduced 12____ Portugal 13____ the Moors, but we’ve improved it. We use the tiles 14____ decoration both indoors 15____ out.