EARTQUAKE FRIENDSHİP


The day after Athens was struck by a serious earthquake, millions of television viewers watched in awe as Turkish rescue workers pulled a Greek child from under a pile of rubble.

Television announcers struggled to control their emotion. "It's the Turks!" one of them shouted as his voice began to crack. "They've got the little boy. They saved him. This is love. It's so beautiful."

Although Greece and Turkey are neighbours, their history is marked with conflict and mistrust. But in the last few weeks, their relations have improved with a suddenness that no one had expected. Although serious political differences remain, both sides are now willing to resolve them.

Greek-Turkish relations had been improving slowly for several months, but earthquakes in both countries have pushed them toward more heart-felt friendship.
Each sent rescue teams to help the other, and their teams were greeted by popular emotion.

Each day now passes with new signs of warmth between Greece and Turkey. At the end of August, the commander of the Greek navy traveled to Turkey, and made a moving call for peace. While he was there, a Greek naval vessel called at a Turkish port for the first time in 30 years.

On Friday, the President of Greece gave a reception for Turkish earthquake relief workers, telling them that Greeks "will always remember you with deep feelings of friendship."

The Greek Embassy in Ankara reported that a Turk had telephoned and offered to donate one of his kidneys to a Greek earthquake victim. A Greek had made a similar gesture after the Turkish  quake.

The Greek Foreign Minister (George Papandreou) shares much with his Turkish counterpart (Ismail Cem). Both men are foreign-educated intellectuals. They speak by telephone every few days. In the past, Greek and Turkish foreign ministers often went months without speaking.

It is important that the leaders of both countries understand the importance of this moment and seize the opportunity.

TRAIN TO MENCHESTER

Michael and Mark waited at the station for the train to Manchester. They were going
to Manchester to watch a cricket match. The train had been due at 8:02am, but it
was late. The time was now 8:15.

The station was a small local station in the countryside, but it was on the main line
to Manchester, and the express stopped there. The sun was shining and the birds
were singing cheerfully.

They began to feel anxious as the minutes passed. Michael stood up and walked
over to the ticket office. There was nobody there. In fact, the platform was empty
apart from one old lady sitting on a bench.

Mark felt hungry and wandered over to a chocolate vending machine. There was a
notice, which said “under maintenance”. Mark took the bag off his back and took
out his packet of sandwiches. He opened the packet and took out one sandwich and
began to munch.

The sound of a train was heard and the two friends looked up. But the train was only
a mail train and rumbled slowly through the station without stopping.

Just then, an announcement was made: “The 8:02 to Manchester has been delayed
to 8:25. We apologise for any inconvenience.”

The two friends felt relieved and began to smile and chat. The old lady also stood up
and got ready to board the train. She had a large, heavy suitcase. Michael
approached the old lady.

“Excuse me madam, would you like me to help you with your heavy case?” He asked.
“Oh, thank you, young man. Yes, I would be grateful for your help,” she replied.

“Are you going to Manchester?” asked Michael.
“Yes,” she answered.
“Good, so are we. We will also help you when we arrive there.”

The express train arrived a minute later and the friends and the old lady boarded
the train. They put the old lady’s luggage on the luggage rack near to the door, and
found seats for themselves. They sat back and relaxed, discussing the cricket match
until they arrived at their destination.

THE JOB HUNT


When you leave school, you join the labour force and you must go out to look for a
job. You may not find a job immediately, so you should continue seeking until you
are successful. Do not give up the hunt.

The job you get will depend on a number of things. Firstly, it will depend on your
qualifications. If you get good grades at school, employers are more likely to give
you a job.

But qualifications are not the only thing. Appearance is also important. You must be
smartly and cleanly dressed. Presentation will be important in jobs where you will
be required to meet customers.

You will also need to write a resume, even if you are going for your first job. A
resume lists your qualifications, any previous jobs you may have had, and personal
information. A well-written resume will help an employer see clearly what your
strengths are.

If you are applying for a job where you must use your artistic talent, you should also
bring a portfolio of your work.

Probably the most important factor, however, is your attitude. If you are a cheerful,
willing and hard working person you will certainly land a job eventually.

An employer will normally call you for an interview. Be relaxed, but do not be laid
back. Speak politely to the person interviewing you, smile nicely and, above all, tell
the truth.

Remember that you should not always take the first job offered to you. You must also
feel comfortable with the employer and working conditions must not be too bad.

Once you have found an employer willing to recruit you, you may negotiate pay
details. You should have a clear idea about how much you are willing to accept.

But work is not only about wages. Your salary may be low, but you may have other
benefits. You may gain valuable experience, prospects may be good, you may have
pleasant working conditions, and you may do something that you really enjoy.

THE LETTER K


Kevin jumped out of bed on Saturday morning. The night before, he had spoken to
his friends Keith and Kenneth about forming a band, and they had both been very
keen. Kevin could play the drums, Keith could play the guitar and Kenneth was a
very good keyboard player. It was possible that Katherine might join them, and
everyone knew that she could sing. As Kevin pulled on his khaki trousers he was
thinking about what name they could give the band. And as he put on the kettle he
was thinking about when they could meet to begin their first practice.

Kevin shared a flat with Keith. Keith came out of his room looking untidy. He took
one look at Kevin and said, “You look very excited.”

“Yes,” said Kevin, “I keep on thinking about what we discussed last night.”

“Oh, yes. It is good that I decided to keep my old guitar. I was going to give it away.”

Kevin sat down on a chair but then jumped up again to get the bread. “When shall
we start our first practice?”

“Stop jumping up and down like a kangaroo,” said Keith, laughing.

“Well, we cannot keep this a secret,” replied Kevin, “We must get some songs and
organise our first gig.”

“Where do we keep the coffee?” asked Keith, looking in the cupboards.

“It’s here on the table,” answered Kevin.

“Are you sure you want to start a band?”

“Of course I am sure!” exclaimed Kevin, “you promised, you must keep your
promise!”

“OK, OK,” said Keith, still laughing, “I am just kidding. Of course, I am just as keen
as you.”

At that moment, someone knocked on the door. Actually, it sounded like someone
had kicked the door. Keith took the keys from the key hook on the wall and slowly
put the key into the keyhole. Before he opened the door, he looked through the spy
hole.

“It’s Kenneth,” he said and quickly opened the door. “Hi Ken! Why are you kicking
our door down?” he asked, but then, seeing that Kenneth was carrying a lot of boxes,
he opened the door wide and took some of the boxes from him.

“My arms are killing me,” said Kenneth, “why do you have to live on the fourth
floor?”

“What are all these boxes, Ken?” asked Kevin, and added, “Want some coffee? Kettle
just boiled.”

“Yes, thanks. My Dad used to play in a band when he was a kid. He was kind
enough to give me all this music.”

“Well, thank your Dad for his kindness. But what kind of music is it? It must be
quite old.”

“Yes, it is old, but there is a lot of good music here. Pop, Rock and Roll, some Jazz.
We can get some good ideas.”

At that point Katherine appeared at the door. “Hi Kathy,” said Kevin, “how did you
get here?”

“I brought her in my car,” said Kenneth, “I thought I would kill two birds with one
stone. Bring the music and bring Kathy at the same time.”

“Excellent!” Kevin and Keith said at the same time.

“Now we can begin! Coffee everyone?” asked Kevin.

Katherine smiled. Kevin made the coffee. Keith started looking through the boxes of
music.

“I just must go and park my car properly,” said Kenneth, “I left it by the kerb
outside”. He went off and, when he came back, the four friends started making plans

OLGA'S MUM


Olga and her mother lived together in a flat near a lake. Olga’s mother was old but
she was quite independent and could still move about without much difficulty. She
would wake up before Olga and prepare breakfast for both of them. Often she would
make oat porridge; other times she would make an omelette, served with soya sauce.

Later in the morning, after Olga had gone to work, her mother would walk slowly to
the market and buy vegetables. Then she would walk slowly back, stopping
occasionally for a rest and a chat with old friends. Olga herself would buy the heavy
things like rice, oil, sugar and oats.

Olga was concerned for her mother because she was getting obviously weaker.
Although her mother did not complain, Olga could observe the difference. Her
mother bravely carried on and told Olga not to worry about her.

Olga was an obstetrician at the hospital. She had applied for a promotion. Actually,
this was not the first time she had applied for a senior position, but she always
seemed to face a lot of obstacles.

Life was not easy for Olga. She faced the day-to-day stress of work. In addition, since
the hospital was short of staff, she had to do extra work. And then, she had to keep
up-to-date with the latest medical knowledge, to keep her own knowledge from
becoming obsolete.

One evening, Olga’s mother complained of difficulty in breathing. It was so bad that
she was unable do anything except lie weakly on the sofa. It seemed to Olga that her
breathing was obstructed by something in her throat.

In the morning, it had not improved. So when Olga suggested that she see the
doctor, her mother did not object. She obediently followed her daughter’s orders and
followed her out to the road where they hailed a taxi.

The doctor examined the old lady and agreed that there was an obstruction in her
throat. She was asked to go to hospital. At the hospital, the specialist found that there
was some swelling in the throat.

The doctor gave her some medicine. He asked that she stay overnight, for
observation, but neither Olga nor her mother felt that it was necessary.

Olga’s mother felt quite better that evening and was even strong enough to make a
special evening meal of roast duck.

NATİONAL AFFAİRS


While Nigel and Nora were listening to a story on the radio, the narrator was
interrupted by an announcement. The president was to address the nation. The
national anthem was played and then the President’s familiar voice came on the air.

Nigel was not normally very interested in politics. But this time he listened
carefully. The president was announcing the date for the national election.

“I think I would vote for the National party,” said Nigel. “They would look after the
national interest better than the Labour party. And their leader is Neville Noble.
Everyone knows his name. He is a household name.”

“No, they are too nationalistic for me,” replied Nora. “I prefer the Labour party. They
would handle international affairs better. Their leader is Nicole Norton. She is a lady
but she is as hard as nails.”

“Really? But I don’t support nationalisation of industry. The Labour party would
nationalise a lot of companies. And sometimes Mrs. Norton can use very nasty
words,” said Nigel.

“Oh yes, you have hit the nail on the head!” laughed Nora. “She does indeed have a
sharp tongue. But she is not naïve, by any means. And we need a tough leader in
these difficult times.”

“Well, both leaders have a good name, and reputation is important. The last election
was four years ago. Remember that there was a nail-biting end? The National party
won by a narrow margin.”

“Yes,” said Nora, “the last election was fought on the issue of national security. The
National party wanted to introduce national service, but they dropped that policy
when they saw it was unpopular.”

“Did you know that her full name is actually Nicole Noel-Norton? Her name is
double barreled. Her maiden name was Noel. In fact, her father was a French
national until quite recently.”

“Interesting. Well, I will say that one good thing the National party has done is to
create the National Park. They have also dealt firmly with the drug problem by
creating the Anti Narcotics Agency,” commented Nora.

“Prime Minister Neville Noble does tend to nag a lot. Still, I suppose he does it in the
name of the national unity,” said Nigel.

“The parties will begin their nationwide election campaigns soon,” said Nora. “I
suppose it will be interesting to see how they deal with the issues of today.” Nigel
and Nora continued listening to the radio.