Контроль навичок читання, 1 семестр

          Reading Comprehension              

                                      Text

                        A Shoemaker's Shop

 One afternoon many years ago, George Cox robbed Barcley's Bank. He stole over 50,000 pounds. But unfortunate­ly, when he came out of the bank, the police were waiting for him. George was arrested and sentenced to twenty-five years in prison.

Years passed and finally the day arrived when George was a free man again. At the door of the prison he was given back his old clothes, a small suitcase and his wallet. He walked to the railway station and caught a train back to the small town where he was born and brought up.

After George had got off the train, he came out of the station and looked around him. How everything had changed! There was so much traffic now. What used to be a quiet little street was now an enormous supermarket. And next to the supermarket, where there used to be a park, there was now an ugly car park. George couldn't believe his eyes. All these changes made him feel a bit depressed so he decided to have a cup of tea.

He looked for the old corner cafe where he used to meet his friends when he was a teenager. But of course it had gone. In its place now stood McDonald's, which George had never seen before in his life. He sat down on the hard plastic seat and waited for the waitress to come and take his order. Nobody came. Ten minutes later he realized that he had to go and ask for what he wanted. «A cup of tea, please», he said. «We don't make tea, only coffee», answered the black girl behind the counter. Everything had changed, it seemed. There was nothing here for him any more.

But as he opened his wallet to pay for the cup of coffee he didn't really want, he discovered an old yellow ticket. Helooked at it closely. It was a ticket for a pair of shoes which he had taken to the shoe repairer on the day before the robbery - twenty-five years ago. And of course he hadn't been able to go back for them.

George left the McDonald's and walked up High Street, past what used to be the cinema but which was now a Leisure Center (whatever that meant). Then he turned right down a narrow street, and there on the corner was a small shoemak­er's shop. The same little dirty shop was still there, after all these years. George looked in the window and couldn't believe his eyes, it was the same shoemaker — much older now, of course, with a long white beard. George went into the shop. He suddenly felt very embarrassed when he showed the shoemaker the old yellow ticket.

«Excuse me», he said. «You won't remember me. I've been away from this town for twenty-five years, buton the day before I left, I gave you a pair of shoes to repair and you gave me this ticket. I know it's ridiculous, after all these years, but I wonder if...»

The shoemaker took the old yellow ticket, looked at it closely and then disappeared to the back of the shop. A few minutes later he came back.

«Was it a pair of black shoes? » he asked.

«Yes», said George excitedly.

«A-pair of black shoes, size eight and a half? »«Yes», said George.

«Needed any heels? » asked the shoemaker.

«Yes, that's right! You mean you've still got them? »

«Oh, yes. I've still got them», said the shoemaker. «They'll be ready on Friday».