Reading-Comprehension (Laconic Answer, Old Memories)

Read the text and do tasks.

A Laconic Answer

The Lacons lived in that part of Southern Greece which was called Laconia. The people who lived there were very brave. They loved their Motherland and defended it from all the enemies. Everybody knew that their life was very simple. They tried to follow the laws of their country and never spoke long. "The shorter the better," was their rule. "Never use more words than you need," was another rule. And nowadays as you probably know a very short answer is often called a laconic answer, because the Lacons usually gave such short answers.

In Northern Greece there was a land called Macedonia. King Philip ruled there. He was not very clever and he was not very brave, but he wanted to become king of all Greece. So, he collected a great army and soon he became master of all Greece. Only Laconia was not conquered. Then King Philip wrote a letter and sent it to the brave Lacons. The letter said: "If I win the battle with your army, I will become your king and ruin your great city."

A few days later an answer was brought back to him. King Philip found only one word in it. The word was very short, and that was "If".

Choose the correct variant:

1. Where was Laconia situated?

A Laconic Answer

The Lacons lived in that part of Southern Greece which was called Laconia. The people who lived there were very brave. They loved their Motherland and defended it from all the enemies. Everybody knew that their life was very simple. They tried to follow the laws of their country and never spoke long. "The shorter the better," was their rule. "Never use more words than you need," was another rule. And nowadays as you probably know a very short answer is often called a laconic answer, because the Lacons usually gave such short answers.

In Northern Greece there was a land called Macedonia. King Philip ruled there. He was not very clever and he was not very brave, but he wanted to become king of all Greece. So, he collected a great army and soon he became master of all Greece. Only Laconia was not conquered. Then King Philip wrote a letter and sent it to the brave Lacons. The letter said: "If I win the battle with your army, I will become your king and ruin your great city."

A few days later an answer was brought back to him. King Philip found only one word in it. The word was very short, and that was "If".

2. What kind of the people lived there?

A Laconic Answer

The Lacons lived in that part of Southern Greece which was called Laconia. The people who lived there were very brave. They loved their Motherland and defended it from all the enemies. Everybody knew that their life was very simple. They tried to follow the laws of their country and never spoke long. "The shorter the better," was their rule. "Never use more words than you need," was another rule. And nowadays as you probably know a very short answer is often called a laconic answer, because the Lacons usually gave such short answers.

In Northern Greece there was a land called Macedonia. King Philip ruled there. He was not very clever and he was not very brave, but he wanted to become king of all Greece. So, he collected a great army and soon he became master of all Greece. Only Laconia was not conquered. Then King Philip wrote a letter and sent it to the brave Lacons. The letter said: "If I win the battle with your army, I will become your king and ruin your great city."

A few days later an answer was brought back to him. King Philip found only one word in it. The word was very short, and that was "If".

3. What were the rules of the people who lived in Laconia?

A Laconic Answer

The Lacons lived in that part of Southern Greece which was called Laconia. The people who lived there were very brave. They loved their Motherland and defended it from all the enemies. Everybody knew that their life was very simple. They tried to follow the laws of their country and never spoke long. "The shorter the better," was their rule. "Never use more words than you need," was another rule. And nowadays as you probably know a very short answer is often called a laconic answer, because the Lacons usually gave such short answers.

In Northern Greece there was a land called Macedonia. King Philip ruled there. He was not very clever and he was not very brave, but he wanted to become king of all Greece. So, he collected a great army and soon he became master of all Greece. Only Laconia was not conquered. Then King Philip wrote a letter and sent it to the brave Lacons. The letter said: "If I win the battle with your army, I will become your king and ruin your great city."

A few days later an answer was brought back to him. King Philip found only one word in it. The word was very short, and that was "If".

4. What kind of life did the Lacons have?

A Laconic Answer

The Lacons lived in that part of Southern Greece which was called Laconia. The people who lived there were very brave. They loved their Motherland and defended it from all the enemies. Everybody knew that their life was very simple. They tried to follow the laws of their country and never spoke long. "The shorter the better," was their rule. "Never use more words than you need," was another rule. And nowadays as you probably know a very short answer is often called a laconic answer, because the Lacons usually gave such short answers.

In Northern Greece there was a land called Macedonia. King Philip ruled there. He was not very clever and he was not very brave, but he wanted to become king of all Greece. So, he collected a great army and soon he became master of all Greece. Only Laconia was not conquered. Then King Philip wrote a letter and sent it to the brave Lacons. The letter said: "If I win the battle with your army, I will become your king and ruin your great city."

A few days later an answer was brought back to him. King Philip found only one word in it. The word was very short, and that was "If".

5. Who ruled Macedonia?

A Laconic Answer

The Lacons lived in that part of Southern Greece which was called Laconia. The people who lived there were very brave. They loved their Motherland and defended it from all the enemies. Everybody knew that their life was very simple. They tried to follow the laws of their country and never spoke long. "The shorter the better," was their rule. "Never use more words than you need," was another rule. And nowadays as you probably know a very short answer is often called a laconic answer, because the Lacons usually gave such short answers.

In Northern Greece there was a land called Macedonia. King Philip ruled there. He was not very clever and he was not very brave, but he wanted to become king of all Greece. So, he collected a great army and soon he became master of all Greece. Only Laconia was not conquered. Then King Philip wrote a letter and sent it to the brave Lacons. The letter said: "If I win the battle with your army, I will become your king and ruin your great city."

A few days later an answer was brought back to him. King Philip found only one word in it. The word was very short, and that was "If".

6. Where was Macedonia situated?

A Laconic Answer

The Lacons lived in that part of Southern Greece which was called Laconia. The people who lived there were very brave. They loved their Motherland and defended it from all the enemies. Everybody knew that their life was very simple. They tried to follow the laws of their country and never spoke long. "The shorter the better," was their rule. "Never use more words than you need," was another rule. And nowadays as you probably know a very short answer is often called a laconic answer, because the Lacons usually gave such short answers.

In Northern Greece there was a land called Macedonia. King Philip ruled there. He was not very clever and he was not very brave, but he wanted to become king of all Greece. So, he collected a great army and soon he became master of all Greece. Only Laconia was not conquered. Then King Philip wrote a letter and sent it to the brave Lacons. The letter said: "If I win the battle with your army, I will become your king and ruin your great city."

A few days later an answer was brought back to him. King Philip found only one word in it. The word was very short, and that was "If".

7. What kind of a man was Philip?

A Laconic Answer

The Lacons lived in that part of Southern Greece which was called Laconia. The people who lived there were very brave. They loved their Motherland and defended it from all the enemies. Everybody knew that their life was very simple. They tried to follow the laws of their country and never spoke long. "The shorter the better," was their rule. "Never use more words than you need," was another rule. And nowadays as you probably know a very short answer is often called a laconic answer, because the Lacons usually gave such short answers.

In Northern Greece there was a land called Macedonia. King Philip ruled there. He was not very clever and he was not very brave, but he wanted to become king of all Greece. So, he collected a great army and soon he became master of all Greece. Only Laconia was not conquered. Then King Philip wrote a letter and sent it to the brave Lacons. The letter said: "If I win the battle with your army, I will become your king and ruin your great city."

A few days later an answer was brought back to him. King Philip found only one word in it. The word was very short, and that was "If".

8. What did King Philip want?

A Laconic Answer

The Lacons lived in that part of Southern Greece which was called Laconia. The people who lived there were very brave. They loved their Motherland and defended it from all the enemies. Everybody knew that their life was very simple. They tried to follow the laws of their country and never spoke long. "The shorter the better," was their rule. "Never use more words than you need," was another rule. And nowadays as you probably know a very short answer is often called a laconic answer, because the Lacons usually gave such short answers.

In Northern Greece there was a land called Macedonia. King Philip ruled there. He was not very clever and he was not very brave, but he wanted to become king of all Greece. So, he collected a great army and soon he became master of all Greece. Only Laconia was not conquered. Then King Philip wrote a letter and sent it to the brave Lacons. The letter said: "If I win the battle with your army, I will become your king and ruin your great city."

A few days later an answer was brought back to him. King Philip found only one word in it. The word was very short, and that was "If".

9. What part of Greece was not conquered by Philip?

A Laconic Answer

The Lacons lived in that part of Southern Greece which was called Laconia. The people who lived there were very brave. They loved their Motherland and defended it from all the enemies. Everybody knew that their life was very simple. They tried to follow the laws of their country and never spoke long. "The shorter the better," was their rule. "Never use more words than you need," was another rule. And nowadays as you probably know a very short answer is often called a laconic answer, because the Lacons usually gave such short answers.

In Northern Greece there was a land called Macedonia. King Philip ruled there. He was not very clever and he was not very brave, but he wanted to become king of all Greece. So, he collected a great army and soon he became master of all Greece. Only Laconia was not conquered. Then King Philip wrote a letter and sent it to the brave Lacons. The letter said: "If I win the battle with your army, I will become your king and ruin your great city."

A few days later an answer was brought back to him. King Philip found only one word in it. The word was very short, and that was "If".

10. What did he write to the Lacons in his letter?

A Laconic Answer

The Lacons lived in that part of Southern Greece which was called Laconia. The people who lived there were very brave. They loved their Motherland and defended it from all the enemies. Everybody knew that their life was very simple. They tried to follow the laws of their country and never spoke long. "The shorter the better," was their rule. "Never use more words than you need," was another rule. And nowadays as you probably know a very short answer is often called a laconic answer, because the Lacons usually gave such short answers.

In Northern Greece there was a land called Macedonia. King Philip ruled there. He was not very clever and he was not very brave, but he wanted to become king of all Greece. So, he collected a great army and soon he became master of all Greece. Only Laconia was not conquered. Then King Philip wrote a letter and sent it to the brave Lacons. The letter said: "If I win the battle with your army, I will become your king and ruin your great city."

A few days later an answer was brought back to him. King Philip found only one word in it. The word was very short, and that was "If".

11. What answer did he get?

A Laconic Answer

The Lacons lived in that part of Southern Greece which was called Laconia. The people who lived there were very brave. They loved their Motherland and defended it from all the enemies. Everybody knew that their life was very simple. They tried to follow the laws of their country and never spoke long. "The shorter the better," was their rule. "Never use more words than you need," was another rule. And nowadays as you probably know a very short answer is often called a laconic answer, because the Lacons usually gave such short answers.

In Northern Greece there was a land called Macedonia. King Philip ruled there. He was not very clever and he was not very brave, but he wanted to become king of all Greece. So, he collected a great army and soon he became master of all Greece. Only Laconia was not conquered. Then King Philip wrote a letter and sent it to the brave Lacons. The letter said: "If I win the battle with your army, I will become your king and ruin your great city."

A few days later an answer was brought back to him. King Philip found only one word in it. The word was very short, and that was "If".

12. How do we call a very short answer nowadays?

Read the text about memories and decide if the statements are true (T) or false (F).

OLD MEMORIES

What is memory? It is the ability to remember past thoughts and feelings. If we didn’t remember anything, we wouldn’t learn anything. All our experiences would be lost when they ended.

So why do we forget some things? In general, it is time which has an effect on our memory. It passes, we learn something new, and that replaces what we learned before. An example of this is when we get a new telephone number. It takes some time to learn because we can’t stop thinking of the number we had before.

You can also forget something because you want to forget it, perhaps because it is a bad memory. Sometimes a smell, a sound, a taste or a word makes you suddenly think of it again. This has happened to me.

The other day I was out shopping with my wife and children. We were in the supermarket when I heard my name. I turned round and looked into the face of a man. He seemed familiar, although older and greyer than I expected. Maybe it was someone I hadn’t seen for a long time. From work? An old friend? A neighbour? I was annoyed with myself. Who was it? I had completely forgotten. The man smiled. ‘You don’t remember me, do you, Shorty?’ That’s when I remembered.

‘Shorty’ was what everybody called me at school. I was the short boy who nobody ever wanted on their basketball team. At the time, it seemed like the most important thing in the world. I used to spend hours of my spare time trying hard to get balls in baskets. Finally, I gave up and took up tennis.

I hadn’t thought about those days for years. I hadn’t wanted to remember them. It had not been a pleasant feeling to know I wasn’t as good as everybody else. I said hello to this person from my past, and walked away as soon as I could. The curious thing was I was taller than him now.

 To be able to learn new things we must remember some of the old ones.

Read the text about memories and decide if the statements are true (T) or false (F).

OLD MEMORIES

What is memory? It is the ability to remember past thoughts and feelings. If we didn’t remember anything, we wouldn’t learn anything. All our experiences would be lost when they ended.

So why do we forget some things? In general, it is time which has an effect on our memory. It passes, we learn something new, and that replaces what we learned before. An example of this is when we get a new telephone number. It takes some time to learn because we can’t stop thinking of the number we had before.

You can also forget something because you want to forget it, perhaps because it is a bad memory. Sometimes a smell, a sound, a taste or a word makes you suddenly think of it again. This has happened to me.

The other day I was out shopping with my wife and children. We were in the supermarket when I heard my name. I turned round and looked into the face of a man. He seemed familiar, although older and greyer than I expected. Maybe it was someone I hadn’t seen for a long time. From work? An old friend? A neighbour? I was annoyed with myself. Who was it? I had completely forgotten. The man smiled. ‘You don’t remember me, do you, Shorty?’ That’s when I remembered.

‘Shorty’ was what everybody called me at school. I was the short boy who nobody ever wanted on their basketball team. At the time, it seemed like the most important thing in the world. I used to spend hours of my spare time trying hard to get balls in baskets. Finally, I gave up and took up tennis.

I hadn’t thought about those days for years. I hadn’t wanted to remember them. It had not been a pleasant feeling to know I wasn’t as good as everybody else. I said hello to this person from my past, and walked away as soon as I could. The curious thing was I was taller than him now.

We sometimes want to forget bad memories. 

Read the text about memories and decide if the statements are true (T) or false (F).

OLD MEMORIES

What is memory? It is the ability to remember past thoughts and feelings. If we didn’t remember anything, we wouldn’t learn anything. All our experiences would be lost when they ended.

So why do we forget some things? In general, it is time which has an effect on our memory. It passes, we learn something new, and that replaces what we learned before. An example of this is when we get a new telephone number. It takes some time to learn because we can’t stop thinking of the number we had before.

You can also forget something because you want to forget it, perhaps because it is a bad memory. Sometimes a smell, a sound, a taste or a word makes you suddenly think of it again. This has happened to me.

The other day I was out shopping with my wife and children. We were in the supermarket when I heard my name. I turned round and looked into the face of a man. He seemed familiar, although older and greyer than I expected. Maybe it was someone I hadn’t seen for a long time. From work? An old friend? A neighbour? I was annoyed with myself. Who was it? I had completely forgotten. The man smiled. ‘You don’t remember me, do you, Shorty?’ That’s when I remembered.

‘Shorty’ was what everybody called me at school. I was the short boy who nobody ever wanted on their basketball team. At the time, it seemed like the most important thing in the world. I used to spend hours of my spare time trying hard to get balls in baskets. Finally, I gave up and took up tennis.

I hadn’t thought about those days for years. I hadn’t wanted to remember them. It had not been a pleasant feeling to know I wasn’t as good as everybody else. I said hello to this person from my past, and walked away as soon as I could. The curious thing was I was taller than him now.

First, the writer considered the man a complete stranger.  

Read the text about memories and decide if the statements are true (T) or false (F).

OLD MEMORIES

What is memory? It is the ability to remember past thoughts and feelings. If we didn’t remember anything, we wouldn’t learn anything. All our experiences would be lost when they ended.

So why do we forget some things? In general, it is time which has an effect on our memory. It passes, we learn something new, and that replaces what we learned before. An example of this is when we get a new telephone number. It takes some time to learn because we can’t stop thinking of the number we had before.

You can also forget something because you want to forget it, perhaps because it is a bad memory. Sometimes a smell, a sound, a taste or a word makes you suddenly think of it again. This has happened to me.

The other day I was out shopping with my wife and children. We were in the supermarket when I heard my name. I turned round and looked into the face of a man. He seemed familiar, although older and greyer than I expected. Maybe it was someone I hadn’t seen for a long time. From work? An old friend? A neighbour? I was annoyed with myself. Who was it? I had completely forgotten. The man smiled. ‘You don’t remember me, do you, Shorty?’ That’s when I remembered.

‘Shorty’ was what everybody called me at school. I was the short boy who nobody ever wanted on their basketball team. At the time, it seemed like the most important thing in the world. I used to spend hours of my spare time trying hard to get balls in baskets. Finally, I gave up and took up tennis.

I hadn’t thought about those days for years. I hadn’t wanted to remember them. It had not been a pleasant feeling to know I wasn’t as good as everybody else. I said hello to this person from my past, and walked away as soon as I could. The curious thing was I was taller than him now.

The man was doing his best to be friendly. 

Read the text about memories and decide if the statements 1–7 are true (T) or false (F).

OLD MEMORIES

What is memory? It is the ability to remember past thoughts and feelings. If we didn’t remember anything, we wouldn’t learn anything. All our experiences would be lost when they ended.

So why do we forget some things? In general, it is time which has an effect on our memory. It passes, we learn something new, and that replaces what we learned before. An example of this is when we get a new telephone number. It takes some time to learn because we can’t stop thinking of the number we had before.

You can also forget something because you want to forget it, perhaps because it is a bad memory. Sometimes a smell, a sound, a taste or a word makes you suddenly think of it again. This has happened to me.

The other day I was out shopping with my wife and children. We were in the supermarket when I heard my name. I turned round and looked into the face of a man. He seemed familiar, although older and greyer than I expected. Maybe it was someone I hadn’t seen for a long time. From work? An old friend? A neighbour? I was annoyed with myself. Who was it? I had completely forgotten. The man smiled. ‘You don’t remember me, do you, Shorty?’ That’s when I remembered.

‘Shorty’ was what everybody called me at school. I was the short boy who nobody ever wanted on their basketball team. At the time, it seemed like the most important thing in the world. I used to spend hours of my spare time trying hard to get balls in baskets. Finally, I gave up and took up tennis.

I hadn’t thought about those days for years. I hadn’t wanted to remember them. It had not been a pleasant feeling to know I wasn’t as good as everybody else. I said hello to this person from my past, and walked away as soon as I could. The curious thing was I was taller than him now.

The writer used to play basketball while at school. 

Read the text about memories and decide if the statements are true (T) or false (F).

OLD MEMORIES

What is memory? It is the ability to remember past thoughts and feelings. If we didn’t remember anything, we wouldn’t learn anything. All our experiences would be lost when they ended.

So why do we forget some things? In general, it is time which has an effect on our memory. It passes, we learn something new, and that replaces what we learned before. An example of this is when we get a new telephone number. It takes some time to learn because we can’t stop thinking of the number we had before.

You can also forget something because you want to forget it, perhaps because it is a bad memory. Sometimes a smell, a sound, a taste or a word makes you suddenly think of it again. This has happened to me.

The other day I was out shopping with my wife and children. We were in the supermarket when I heard my name. I turned round and looked into the face of a man. He seemed familiar, although older and greyer than I expected. Maybe it was someone I hadn’t seen for a long time. From work? An old friend? A neighbour? I was annoyed with myself. Who was it? I had completely forgotten. The man smiled. ‘You don’t remember me, do you, Shorty?’ That’s when I remembered.

‘Shorty’ was what everybody called me at school. I was the short boy who nobody ever wanted on their basketball team. At the time, it seemed like the most important thing in the world. I used to spend hours of my spare time trying hard to get balls in baskets. Finally, I gave up and took up tennis.

I hadn’t thought about those days for years. I hadn’t wanted to remember them. It had not been a pleasant feeling to know I wasn’t as good as everybody else. I said hello to this person from my past, and walked away as soon as I could. The curious thing was I was taller than him now.

The writer remembered well why he was called ‘Shorty’.  

Read the text about memories and decide if the statements are true (T) or false (F).

OLD MEMORIES

What is memory? It is the ability to remember past thoughts and feelings. If we didn’t remember anything, we wouldn’t learn anything. All our experiences would be lost when they ended.

So why do we forget some things? In general, it is time which has an effect on our memory. It passes, we learn something new, and that replaces what we learned before. An example of this is when we get a new telephone number. It takes some time to learn because we can’t stop thinking of the number we had before.

You can also forget something because you want to forget it, perhaps because it is a bad memory. Sometimes a smell, a sound, a taste or a word makes you suddenly think of it again. This has happened to me.

The other day I was out shopping with my wife and children. We were in the supermarket when I heard my name. I turned round and looked into the face of a man. He seemed familiar, although older and greyer than I expected. Maybe it was someone I hadn’t seen for a long time. From work? An old friend? A neighbour? I was annoyed with myself. Who was it? I had completely forgotten. The man smiled. ‘You don’t remember me, do you, Shorty?’ That’s when I remembered.

‘Shorty’ was what everybody called me at school. I was the short boy who nobody ever wanted on their basketball team. At the time, it seemed like the most important thing in the world. I used to spend hours of my spare time trying hard to get balls in baskets. Finally, I gave up and took up tennis.

I hadn’t thought about those days for years. I hadn’t wanted to remember them. It had not been a pleasant feeling to know I wasn’t as good as everybody else. I said hello to this person from my past, and walked away as soon as I could. The curious thing was I was taller than him now.

The writer felt pleased and said hello to the man.

Read the text about memories and decide if the statements are true (T) or false (F).

OLD MEMORIES

What is memory? It is the ability to remember past thoughts and feelings. If we didn’t remember anything, we wouldn’t learn anything. All our experiences would be lost when they ended.

So why do we forget some things? In general, it is time which has an effect on our memory. It passes, we learn something new, and that replaces what we learned before. An example of this is when we get a new telephone number. It takes some time to learn because we can’t stop thinking of the number we had before.

You can also forget something because you want to forget it, perhaps because it is a bad memory. Sometimes a smell, a sound, a taste or a word makes you suddenly think of it again. This has happened to me.

The other day I was out shopping with my wife and children. We were in the supermarket when I heard my name. I turned round and looked into the face of a man. He seemed familiar, although older and greyer than I expected. Maybe it was someone I hadn’t seen for a long time. From work? An old friend? A neighbour? I was annoyed with myself. Who was it? I had completely forgotten. The man smiled. ‘You don’t remember me, do you, Shorty?’ That’s when I remembered.

‘Shorty’ was what everybody called me at school. I was the short boy who nobody ever wanted on their basketball team. At the time, it seemed like the most important thing in the world. I used to spend hours of my spare time trying hard to get balls in baskets. Finally, I gave up and took up tennis.

I hadn’t thought about those days for years. I hadn’t wanted to remember them. It had not been a pleasant feeling to know I wasn’t as good as everybody else. I said hello to this person from my past, and walked away as soon as I could. The curious thing was I was taller than him now.

Sometimes a smell, a sound, a taste or a word makes you suddenly think of bad memories again.

Read the text about memories and choose the correct variant to the statement.

OLD MEMORIES

What is memory? It is the ability to remember past thoughts and feelings. If we didn’t remember anything, we wouldn’t learn anything. All our experiences would be lost when they ended.

So why do we forget some things? In general, it is time which has an effect on our memory. It passes, we learn something new, and that replaces what we learned before. An example of this is when we get a new telephone number. It takes some time to learn because we can’t stop thinking of the number we had before.

You can also forget something because you want to forget it, perhaps because it is a bad memory. Sometimes a smell, a sound, a taste or a word makes you suddenly think of it again. This has happened to me.

The other day I was out shopping with my wife and children. We were in the supermarket when I heard my name. I turned round and looked into the face of a man. He seemed familiar, although older and greyer than I expected. Maybe it was someone I hadn’t seen for a long time. From work? An old friend? A neighbour? I was annoyed with myself. Who was it? I had completely forgotten. The man smiled. ‘You don’t remember me, do you, Shorty?’ That’s when I remembered.

‘Shorty’ was what everybody called me at school. I was the short boy who nobody ever wanted on their basketball team. At the time, it seemed like the most important thing in the world. I used to spend hours of my spare time trying hard to get balls in baskets. Finally, I gave up and took up tennis.

I hadn’t thought about those days for years. I hadn’t wanted to remember them. It had not been a pleasant feeling to know I wasn’t as good as everybody else. I said hello to this person from my past, and walked away as soon as I could. The curious thing was I was taller than him now.

‘Shorty’ was writer’s nickname because …

Read the text about memories and choose the correct variant to the statement.

OLD MEMORIES

What is memory? It is the ability to remember past thoughts and feelings. If we didn’t remember anything, we wouldn’t learn anything. All our experiences would be lost when they ended.

So why do we forget some things? In general, it is time which has an effect on our memory. It passes, we learn something new, and that replaces what we learned before. An example of this is when we get a new telephone number. It takes some time to learn because we can’t stop thinking of the number we had before.

You can also forget something because you want to forget it, perhaps because it is a bad memory. Sometimes a smell, a sound, a taste or a word makes you suddenly think of it again. This has happened to me.

The other day I was out shopping with my wife and children. We were in the supermarket when I heard my name. I turned round and looked into the face of a man. He seemed familiar, although older and greyer than I expected. Maybe it was someone I hadn’t seen for a long time. From work? An old friend? A neighbour? I was annoyed with myself. Who was it? I had completely forgotten. The man smiled. ‘You don’t remember me, do you, Shorty?’ That’s when I remembered.

‘Shorty’ was what everybody called me at school. I was the short boy who nobody ever wanted on their basketball team. At the time, it seemed like the most important thing in the world. I used to spend hours of my spare time trying hard to get balls in baskets. Finally, I gave up and took up tennis.

I hadn’t thought about those days for years. I hadn’t wanted to remember them. It had not been a pleasant feeling to know I wasn’t as good as everybody else. I said hello to this person from my past, and walked away as soon as I could. The curious thing was I was taller than him now.

At the school time the writer gave up … and took up …