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--- lesson 28 Five pounds too dear |
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--- Listen to the tape then answer the question below. |
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--- Why was even five pounds 'too dear'? |
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Small boats loaded with wares sped to the great liner as she was entering the harbour. |
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Before she had anchored, the men from the boats had climbed on board |
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and the decks were soon covered with colourful rugs from Persia, silks from India, copper coffee pots, and beautiful handmade silverware. |
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It was difficult not to be tempted. |
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Many of the tourists on board had begun bargaining with the tradesmen, |
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but I decide not to buy anything until I had disembarked. |
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I had no sooner got off the ship than I was assailed by a man who wanted to sell me a diamond ring. |
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I had no intention of buying one, but I could not conceal the fact that I was impressed by the size of the diamonds. |
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Some of them were as big as marbles. |
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The man went to great lengths to prove that the diamonds were real. |
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As we were walking past a shop, he held a diamond firmly against the window and made a deep impression in the glass. |
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It took me over half an hour to get rid of him. |
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The next man to approach me was selling expensive pens and watches. |
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I examined one of the pens closely. |
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It certainly looked genuine. |
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At the base of the gold cap, the words 'made in the U.S.A' had been neatly inscribed. |
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The man said that the pen was worth $50, but as a special favour, he would let me have it for $30. |
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I shook my head and held up five fingers indicating that I was willing to pay $5. |
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Gesticulating wildly, the man acted as if he found my offer outrageous, but he eventually reduced the price to $10. |
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Shrugging my shoulders, I began to walk away when, a moment later, he ran after me and thrust the pen into my hands. |
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Though he kept throwing up his arms in despair, he readily accepted the $5 I give him. |
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I felt especially pleased with my wonderful bargain -- until I got back to the ship. |
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No matter how hard I tried, it was impossible to fill this beautiful pen with ink and to this day it has never written a single world! |
