Exchange of Letters

Dear Mr. Harringtom,

I saw your name on a list of teachers of French who wish to spend their holidays in France this summer．I am a teacher of English in Saint-Simon, a charming¹ little village in the Loire valley, just south of Saumur．I should very much like to spend some time in England, because it is many years since I had an opportunity to practise my English．Perhaps we could exchange houses for three weeks in late July or early August．

I have heard a lot about Cumbria and the Lake District．I have been keen² to spend a holiday in Cumbria ever since I first saw pictures of the foxhunting, and read about the fine hunting dogs that you have in your part of the country．I am very interested in fox-hunting and I take my dogs out hunting in the local forest whenever I can．

I shall tell you more about Saint-Simon and the surrounding countryside when and if you express interest in my plan．I look forward to hearing from you．

Yours sincerely,

Jean-Baptiste Foucault

Dear Mr. Foucault,

I was very interested to receive your letter of 3rd March．You are right in thinking that I should like to spend some time in France．I am sure my French is as rusty³ as your English!

You are also right in thinking that Cumbria is famous for its foxes and its hunting dogs;but there are many other things for which Cumbria is famous．Barrow, for example, it famous for its ship-building industry; I live just across the road from the docks⁴ where ships from Ireland⁵ and elsewhere⁶ load and unload⁷．In fact, on days when the Irish⁸ Sea is not under a blanket of fog, I can see the hills of Northern Ireland in one direction, as clearly as I can see the Cumbrian hills in the other．

In short, I am afraid Barrow might not have been what you had in mind when you thought about a holiday in Cumbria．Instead of being able to offer you the dog and the fox, I can only offer you the fog and the docks!

Yours sincerely,

Robert Harrington

1．Mr. Foucault wishes to spend a holiday in Cumbria because ______.

A． he is a keen fox-hunting man

B． there are many forests where he can take his dog hunting

C． he has heard a lot about the good English spoken in Cumbria

D． the first pictures he saw of England were of Cumbria and the Lake District

2．Mr. Foucault does not say much about Saint-Simon because ______.

A．Mr. Harrington has been there and seen it for himself

B．it is such a small village there is very little to say about it

C．he wants to know first whether Mr. Harrington is interested in his plan

D．he knows Mr. Harrington will not be very interested in Saint-Simon

3．Mr. Harrington agrees with Mr. Foucault that ______.

A．Cumbrian dogs are very much like foxes

B．Cumbria has a reputation⁹ as a fox-hunting district

C．Cumbria is only famous for its fox-hunting

D．Cumbria is more famous for ship-building than fox-hunting

4．Mr. Harrington thinks ______.

A．Mr. Foucault will want to change his mind about exchanging

B．Barrow will be just what Mr. Foucault had in mind for his holiday

C．fog and docks have as much to offer the holiday-makers as dogs and foxes

D．Mr. Foucault will enjoy his holiday in Barrow because of the fog and docks

KEY: 1-4 ACBA