A helpful directory

Ø 1) What helpful directories do you know?

If you happen to live in Des Moines, Iowa, you can pick up a telephone and, for the price of a local call, reach the Des Moines Area Council for International Understanding. What would this do for you? You can learn how to say any word you want in Russian, Swahili, Urdu, or almost any other language in the world.

This is made possible through the council’s up-to-date directory of people in the Des Moines area who can read, write, or speak a foreign lan­guage. These people are willing to act as inter­preters and translators. The directory lists the names and telephone numbers of these people, as well as the languages they speak.

Who would use such a directory? Lots of people. Suppose someone has a foreign vis­itor. The directory could help locate a person to act as a translator. Suppose you were a business person who needed someone to write a letter for you in another language. The directory would help. Perhaps you need information on a foreign coun­try for a school report. The directory might help you to find someone from that country who now lives in your area.

Recently someone called the Council and re­quested a literal translation. The person asked how to say “Blue Eyes” in Russian. Of what use was this little bit of information to the caller? The caller had just purchased a Siberian Husky and wanted to name the dog in its native language. Do you know how to say “Blue Eyes” in Russian?

Ø 2) Say if the following statements are correct.

a) Russian, Swahili and Urdu are places in the United States.

b) Des Moines is a city in Iowa.

c) A person who can tell you what someone is saying in a foreign language is called a foreigner.

d) The caller in this selection wanted to name a dog Siberia.

e) If you had a school report to write on India, an Indian person could help by telling you about his or her own country.

f) A directory contains information.

Roses

Ø 1) Before reading, try to guess if the text refers to roses as things to eat; gifts for loved ones; medicine and drinks; all of the above?

Have you eaten a rose lately? No? Have you ever thought of roses as being edible? Roses have long been used as food, drink, and medicine.

In ancient times, parts of the rose were used to treat diseases of the stomach and the liver. The Greeks believed that rose juice could cure someone bitten by a mad dog. For a sprained ankle, one might get a pint of wine boiled with rose petals, rather than an ice pack. For a sore throat, rose juice would be just what the doctor would order.

Rose petals were especially popular for those who wanted to avoid drunkenness. It was thought that slipping a few rose petals into an alcoholic drink would allow a person to drink without feeling side effects. Although some people actually believed this, it didn’t really work.

An ancient Roman chef named Apicius had delicious recipes for cooking roses. What would happen if you cooked with roses yourself and treated your family to a really different dinner? A little rose juice boiled in wine used to be con­sidered an excellent remedy for an upset stomach.

Roses really have been used in all these ways. However, most people today prefer the beauty of a rose to its taste. So, if you want to send something lovely to someone you love, pick a rose. If you are really sick or hurt, a doctor would be a wiser choice than a rose.

Ø 2) Say whether the following statements are true or false and justify your answer.

a) Recipes are party invitations.

b) The ancient Greeks used rose juice for bites from mad dogs because they believed in it.

c) The text suggests that an upset stomach was treated with rose juice boiled in wine.

d) This text is mainly about interesting drinks.

e) The last paragraph suggests that roses may not be the best medicine.

Ø 3) Give the definition of the following words: edible; to avoid; side effects; a remedy; to prefer.