8RORM READING

Country Living

Today, I’m visiting Jeanette and Ross Walton in Devon, in the west of England. They live in a stone house not far from a pretty village. They left London only two years ago, but there has been a huge change in their lives. When they lived in London, they were both successful business people. They had a luxury flat, a Mercedes and two smaller cars. They used to spend a lot of money on fashionable clothes, the latest gadgets and expensive holidays. They did all these things without thinking because they could afford them. But were they happy?

‘We made the decision to move five years ago,’ says Jeanette. ‘I was driving home one day when I realised it was always dark when I left home and dark when I left the office. I usually came home in a bad mood. And I used to work most weekends, too.’

‘I was also getting fed up,’ says Ross. ‘I never had time for my hobbies – cooking and cycling – and then one day Jeanette said: “Wouldn’t it be nice to live off the grid?”’

It was time for a change. It took three years to make the move, but the Waltons finally sold their flat and businesses, found a house in the country, and set up a small restaurant. ‘It’s perfect,’ says Jeanette. ‘We grow all the fruit and vegetables for the restaurant, Ross does the cooking and I love talking to customers.’

The Waltons still work hard, but the move has made a huge difference to their lives. ‘We don’t live off the grid,’ laughs Ross, ‘but now we have time to do all the things we like.’ Do they miss London? ‘We’ve given up that lifestyle,’ Jeanette replies. ‘We’re happy with fewer things and in fact, we don’t think about London any more!’

Country Living

Today, I’m visiting Jeanette and Ross Walton in Devon, in the west of England. They live in a stone house not far from a pretty village. They left London only two years ago, but there has been a huge change in their lives. When they lived in London, they were both successful business people. They had a luxury flat, a Mercedes and two smaller cars. They used to spend a lot of money on fashionable clothes, the latest gadgets and expensive holidays. They did all these things without thinking because they could afford them. But were they happy?

‘We made the decision to move five years ago,’ says Jeanette. ‘I was driving home one day when I realised it was always dark when I left home and dark when I left the office. I usually came home in a bad mood. And I used to work most weekends, too.’

‘I was also getting fed up,’ says Ross. ‘I never had time for my hobbies – cooking and cycling – and then one day Jeanette said: “Wouldn’t it be nice to live off the grid?”’

It was time for a change. It took three years to make the move, but the Waltons finally sold their flat and businesses, found a house in the country, and set up a small restaurant. ‘It’s perfect,’ says Jeanette. ‘We grow all the fruit and vegetables for the restaurant, Ross does the cooking and I love talking to customers.’

The Waltons still work hard, but the move has made a huge difference to their lives. ‘We don’t live off the grid,’ laughs Ross, ‘but now we have time to do all the things we like.’ Do they miss London? ‘We’ve given up that lifestyle,’ Jeanette replies. ‘We’re happy with fewer things and in fact, we don’t think about London any more!’

Text 1 Read the text and choose the correct answers.

1 What kind of text is this?                    [a magazine article, a short story ]

2 The Waltons made a decision to move to the country years ago.      [five, two ]

3 They left London because .                                         [they worked in a dark office, they were unhappy with their life there]

4 What do they do in Devon? .                                 [They are professional gardeners, They have their own business ]

Country Living

Today, I’m visiting Jeanette and Ross Walton in Devon, in the west of England. They live in a stone house not far from a pretty village. They left London only two years ago, but there has been a huge change in their lives. When they lived in London, they were both successful business people. They had a luxury flat, a Mercedes and two smaller cars. They used to spend a lot of money on fashionable clothes, the latest gadgets and expensive holidays. They did all these things without thinking because they could afford them. But were they happy?

‘We made the decision to move five years ago,’ says Jeanette. ‘I was driving home one day when I realised it was always dark when I left home and dark when I left the office. I usually came home in a bad mood. And I used to work most weekends, too.’

‘I was also getting fed up,’ says Ross. ‘I never had time for my hobbies – cooking and cycling – and then one day Jeanette said: “Wouldn’t it be nice to live off the grid?”’

It was time for a change. It took three years to make the move, but the Waltons finally sold their flat and businesses, found a house in the country, and set up a small restaurant. ‘It’s perfect,’ says Jeanette. ‘We grow all the fruit and vegetables for the restaurant, Ross does the cooking and I love talking to customers.’

The Waltons still work hard, but the move has made a huge difference to their lives. ‘We don’t live off the grid,’ laughs Ross, ‘but now we have time to do all the things we like.’ Do they miss London? ‘We’ve given up that lifestyle,’ Jeanette replies. ‘We’re happy with fewer things and in fact, we don’t think about London any more!’

Read the text again. Are the sentences true (T) or false (F)?

1 The Waltons live in a village in Devon.       [True, False]

2 They could afford to buy expensive things when they lived in London.       [True, False]

3 Jeanette didn’t have much free time when she lived in London.       [True, False]

4 Ross was the one who suggested a change.       [True, False]

5 The Waltons now own a flat in London and a house in the country.       [True, False]

6 They now have some free time.       [True, False]

Survival at sea

Do you think you could survive for fty days in a tiny boat in the middle of the ocean? It might be easy if you could plan it all, packing the food and water you would need. But three teenage boys from a tiny South Pacic island found themselves living that nightmare entirely by accident.

It must be one of the most terrifying situations for a parent: your son, missing for weeks on end. He might be alive, or he might be dead, but every day you have to keep searching and hoping. In the area where they went missing, the sun is so hot it can kill you if you don’t drink enough water. The sea is infested with sharks, and it isn’t a major shipping channel so you can’t expect to see another boat very often. They survived by eating coconuts, a raw seagull, and catching rainwater at night in a piece of cloth. For the last two days before they were picked up, they started to drink sea water, which can be fatal if you drink it for too long.

Eventually, a fishing boat spotted them. One of the crew described the rescue, explaining, ‘We asked if they needed any help and their reply was a very ecstatic ‘yes’. Just a few hours after being plucked from the sea, the boys were sitting on their rescuers’ boat listening to music and watching cartoons.

The story has a happy ending, but it could so easily have been very different. They’ve learnt a few important lessons, and one in particular might help them survive just about anything in the future: you shouldn’t ever give up hope, and you must always ght for your life.

Are the statements true (T), false (F) or don’t know (DK)?

1 Four teenage boys were lost at sea.    [F, T, DK]

2 While they were at sea, it rained at night.    [F, T, DK]

3 The motor on the boys’ boat was damaged.    [F, T, DK]

4 The boys watched cartoons after they were rescued.    [F, T, DK]

5 The boys are from America.    [F, T, DK]

6 The boys were missing for over seven months.    [F, T, DK]

7 While they were at sea, it rained at night.    [F, T, DK]

8 The motor on the boys’ boat was damaged.    [F, T, DK]

9 The boys could easily have died.    [F, T, DK]

10 The boys were airlifted to safety by a helicopter.    [F, T, DK]

Survival at sea

Do you think you could survive for fty days in a tiny boat in the middle of the ocean? It might be easy if you could plan it all, packing the food and water you would need. But three teenage boys from a tiny South Pacic island found themselves living that nightmare entirely by accident.

It must be one of the most terrifying situations for a parent: your son, missing for weeks on end. He might be alive, or he might be dead, but every day you have to keep searching and hoping. In the area where they went missing, the sun is so hot it can kill you if you don’t drink enough water. The sea is infested with sharks, and it isn’t a major shipping channel so you can’t expect to see another boat very often. They survived by eating coconuts, a raw seagull, and catching rainwater at night in a piece of cloth. For the last two days before they were picked up, they started to drink sea water, which can be fatal if you drink it for too long.

Eventually, a fishing boat spotted them. One of the crew described the rescue, explaining, ‘We asked if they needed any help and their reply was a very ecstatic ‘yes’. Just a few hours after being plucked from the sea, the boys were sitting on their rescuers’ boat listening to music and watching cartoons.

The story has a happy ending, but it could so easily have been very different. They’ve learnt a few important lessons, and one in particular might help them survive just about anything in the future: you shouldn’t ever give up hope, and you must always ght for your life.