THE TRAMP AND THE DUCK

One hot sunny day in July, a tramp was walking along a country road. He was chewing a straw of grass because he felt hungry. Suddenly, on the other side of the hedge, he saw a pond with a large white duck swimming round and round on it. The tramp had a good idea. Immediately he jumped over the hedge and ran toward the duck. Soon he was sitting by the pond with a large pile of white feathers beside him. Just then he heard a shout. The farmer was coming across the field, waving his arms. Hurriedly he put the duck without its feathers back into the water. The farmer was very hungry and shouted: "What's the matter with my duck?" The trump said quietly: "It wanted to go for a swim and I'm looking back at its clothes"

THE GIRL WITH GREEN EYES

In a train's compartment there were seven people: a man in a brown hat, a young man called Bill, his wife Julie, a mother and two children and a tall dark man. Julie had long red hair and very green eyes - the colour of sea water. Bill was a chatterbox: he never stopped talking. In fact he talked and talked with the man in brown hat. The tall dark man took out his newspaper from his briefcase and began to read. Julie looked at the back of his newspaper and she read about the weather in Budapest and about the football in Liverpool. But she wasn't interested in the weather in Budapest and she didn't like football. So she looked up and she saw the tall dark man's eyes. She couldn't see his mouth, but there was a smile in his eyes. She looked down at the newspaper and she read about the weather in Budapest and about the football in Liverpool again. Then she looked at the tall dark man's hand. There were long, dark and clean. She liked them, but especially she liked his expansive Japanese watch. She thought: "I'd like to go to Japan". She looked up and she saw the tall dark man's eyes. This time she didn't look away. Green eyes looked into brown eyes for a long, slow minute. The train was nearly at Plymouth. Bill and his new found friend went away to buy something to eat and drink. The tall dark man stood up, put his newspaper in his briefcase and left the carriage. The train stopped at the station. A lot of people got on the train and two girls came into the compartment. The train moved slowly away the Plymouth station. When Bill came back to the compartment Julie wasn't there. She got off the train at Plymouth with the tall dark man. He waited her on the platform. Bill was shocked and said: "He read his newspaper all the time and they didn't say a word!" The children's mother said: "People don't always need words"

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG

Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess, who had a golden ball. She lived in a palace with her father, the King, and her seven sisters. Every day she played with her ball in the garden of the palace. At the end of the garden there was a deep, dark pond. When the weather was hot she liked playing with her ball near it. Unfortunately a day she dropped her golden ball into the water. It didn't foal and it sank. The princess was very unhappy and she sat on the grass and started to cry. Suddenly she heard a voice: "Don't cry, princess". She opened her eyes and she saw a large, green frog. She said: "Please, help me. I can't get my ball". The frog said: "I'll help you if I can come and live with you in the palace". "Yes, of course - said the princess - I promise". The frog jumped into the water and took back the ball. She laughed and took the ball. She ran quietly back to the palace and forgot all about the frog. The frog was very angry. She went to the palace and told his story to the King. He said: "A promise is a promise". The King called her daughter and said: "A promise is a promise, my daughter. Take this frog to your room and look after him carefully". The princess cried again, but took the frog and put him on her bed. The frog said quietly: "Princess, kiss me". She closed her eyes and kissed him. Immediately she became a handsome prince. Of course, he and the princess fell in love. After a week they married and they lived happily ever after.

SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS

Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess who embroidered near the window. It was snowy outdoors and the queen pricked her finger. Three blood's drops fell from her finger onto the white snow. The queen said: I'd like a baby with the skin white like the snow, with the cheeks red like the blood and with jet-black hair. A short time later she gave birth to a little girl. She had white skin, red cheeks and black hair. Her name was Snow White. The queen died. A year later the King married another time. The new queen was beautiful, but very bad, too. She dad a magic mirror and she said: "Mirror, mirror of my desires, who is the most beautiful of the kingdom?" The mirror said: "Oh my queen, you are the more beautiful". Snow White grew up and became beautiful and very good. The queen went to the magic mirror and said: "Mirror, mirror of my desires, who is the most beautiful of the kingdom?". But the mirror said: "Snow White is more beautiful than you". The queen sent Snow White into the wood. She found a little house. In the little house lived seven dwarfs and she lived happily with them. In the morning they worked in the diamonds' mine and Snow White put in order the house. The queen said: "Mirror, mirror of my desires, who is the most beautiful of the kingdom?" The mirror said: "Snow White is more beautiful than you. She lived in the wood. " The queen became an old beggar. She went to the dwarfs' house and Snow White ate her apple and immediately she felt asleep. The dwarfs ran across the wood to a hill. The queen, terrified, fell into a ravine. The dwarfs make a crystal grave for Snow White. A short time later arrived a Prince. He kissed Snow White and she immediately wake up. And they lived happily ever after.

AUTOBIOGRAFY

My name is Silvia and I'm 15. I was born in Orzinuovi, near Brescia, in 1981. It was a sunny day in September, the 14^th of September. When I was born I was only-child. In 1985 my sister Claudia was born. We were inseparable: we always played together. When I was 7 I started to play the piano with my grandfather and a teacher. I don't like the piano very much, but especially I hated the teacher. However, I continued to play the piano. I had a lot of friends, but not very good friends, because I was too shy. When I left the Elementary school I went to the Middle school. There I met my best friends Antonia. I liked her and she liked me. So we made friends and now we are inseparable. In 1994 my brother Francesco was born. He's a scamp and very terrible, but I liked him very much. In 1995 I took the "Teoria e Solfeggio" exams and I passed them with 7 ½. In November 1996 my choir and I sang with other 11 choirs in Rome. We sang in Saint Paul and Sala Nervi.

MY IDEAL MATCH

My ideal match is a friendly boy. He's quite tall and slim. His face is oval and he has short, straight, chestnut hair. His eyes are green and his eyebrows are brown. His mouth is small and his lips are thin. He has a regular nose and a round chin.

He is friendly, kind and always happy. He stays with my friends and I stay with his friends. He isn't a boss: he gives, because only take is too easy. He is always near me: he understands me and my problems and he helps me. Naturally I seek to understand him and his problems and I help him, if I can. He's quite jealous, but not too much. He divides all with me and he's ready at all for me.

My ideal match likes people and has a lot of friends. He likes listen to music and F1-cars. He plays a sport and a musical instrument. He cooks, he helps his mother to do the housework. He likes children and sometimes he plays with them.

DESCRIBE A CITY WITHOUT SAY ITS NAME

It founded in the 735 BC.

It has a population of about 2,831,000.

It lies at 16 miles / 24 km form the sea.

In the past it was the biggest city in the well-know world. But now there are many cities which are much bigger.

It is famous for many things. Tourist come form all over the world to visit its historical buildings and the archaeological ruins. They also come to visit its museums.

Like many big cities, it has problems with the traffic and pollution (inquinamento). It has an underground, but the city is a historical city; so there are many and many archaeological ruins under the ground and build an efficient underground is impossible. There are too many cars on the streets. The air isn't clean, but it has a good weather and the wind sweep away the smog.

The best thing about this city is the atmosphere: it is very romantic in the evening and too particular in the morning and afternoon for describe its.

- AMEDEO MOZART -

Amedeo Mozart was born in Austria in 1756 and died in Vienna in 1791. He was a very talented child. When he was 6 years old he became concert performer and he played in Monaco, Vienna, Paris, London, Holland and Switzerland. He could play piano, violin and harpsichord. When he was 12 years old he started to compose.

In his adult life he compose a lot of symphonies.

His private life was very strong. He was married with a rich woman. In the last part of his life he was very poor; he worked a lot, but often he was paid very badly. So his wife was very bad with him.

He died at 35 years old in Vienna.

- HOUSEWORK -

I hate housework but I hate the mess, too. So if I want a clean house I have to help my mother.

In my family the housework are divided because my mother works every morning and some afternoons and can't do everything. Normally she puts the clothes into the washing machine and tries them. Then she ironed them with a steam iron, folded them and put them away.

Every morning she or my father makes all the beds because I leave the house at 6.30 and my sister at 7.30 and we haven't time to make them. Sometimes we come back home and they are unmade: probably my mother left the house at 8.00 and my father wasn't at home. So we make them.

On Sunday morning, before I go at the football match, I clean the kitchen because my parents leave the dirty dishes in the sink on Saturday evening. So I put them into the dishwasher and I wash the floor with a mop. While I'm cleaning the kitchen my sister make our beds and puts the clothes away.

On Friday she and my father clean the living-room. They sweep all the dust off the floor with a broom; they clean the carpets with the vacuum cleaner and polish the floor with a floor polisher. Then they take a cloth and a duster; they wipe the dust off every surface in the room and polish the furniture.

On Saturday my sister and I have to clean the bedrooms. We change the bed clothes (sheets and blankets), we sweep all the dust off the floor with a broom; we clean the carpets with the vacuum cleaner; we wipe the dust off every surface in the rooms and polish the furniture.