A visit to the zoo

Jake was hard-working and overambitious. Some could also say that he was overconfident. He worked freelance and was expecting a pay rise so he was in a good mood all morning. What’s more, he just made up with his girlfriend. They broke up after they had a row about his hideous chair, but now they are back together. He didn’t feel down any more.

He needed to buy something so he went to the shop. The whole place, which is quite spacious, was crammed with people. The shop assistant told him to pay a lot of money but Jake knew how to haggle. He got a discount and made a great bargain.

On his way back, he decided to go to the zoo. The zoo in his city was very expensive. Fortunately, he wasn’t poor any more. He was wealthy and he really wanted to see the new snakes exhibition. He was a little anxious around snakes and other wild animals. He hated roaring lions and grinning hyenas. But this time he decided to laugh in the face of danger and, not cowardly at all, he entered the zoo. On his way he saw giggling girls and he burst into laughter. And that was the last thing he did. There was a poisonous snake on the loose. Jake felt a painful bite and died within one minute.

Vocabulary:

overambitious – excessively ambitious (pl zbyt ambitny; de überehrgeizig)

overconfident – excessively confident (pl zbyt pewny siebie; de zu selbstsicher)

freelance – a person who sells services without working on a salary basis for one employer (pl niezaleźny, pracujący na własny rachunek; de freiberuflich)

pay rise – an increase in the amount of money you are paid for doing your job (pl podwyżka; de die Gehaltserhöhung)

make up – be reconciled after a quarrel (pl pogodzić się; de sich versöhnen)

have a row – have an argument (pl pokłócić się; de streiten)

hideous – extremely ugly (pl szkaradny; de abscheulich)

feel down – feel sad and depressed (pl mieć chandrę, dołek; de sich niedergeschlagen fühlen)

crammed with – completely full of (pl zapełniony, zapchany; de vollgestopft)

haggle – argue in order to agree on the price of sth (pl targować się; de feilschen)

discount – a reduction in the price of sth (pl zniżka; de der Rabatt)

bargain – a lower than usual price (pl okazja, dobry interes; de das Schnäppchen)

wealthy – rich (pl zamożny; de wohlhabend)

anxious – worried because sth bad may happen (pl zaniepokojony; de besorgt)

roar – make a deep loud sound (pl ryczeć, huczeć; de brüllen)

grin – smile showing your teeth (pl szeroko się uśmiechać; de grinsen)

giggle – to laugh nervously or foolishly (pl chichotać; de kichern)

poisonous – capable of harming or killing by or as if by poison (pl trujący; de giftig)

be on the loose – be free from confinement (pl być na wolności; de frei herumlaufen)

within – inside (the limits of) (pl w ciągu; de innerhalb)

Monica’s meeting

Monica was in a hurry. She was completely snowed under with work and she also had to look after her friend’s dog. She needed to do everything fast because she wanted to be on time for the meeting on the rooftop of a very luxurious building. Yesterday they were texting and they made plans to meet for brunch so Monica was driving very fast for fear of being late. Her friend was usually very busy and impatient and he didn’t like waiting. Monica didn’t even notice that she had forgotten her shoes and that she was barefoot. She had beautiful nude high-heels but unfortunately she had left them at home.

Then, she got stuck in traffic. Since Monica suffered from road rage, she got furious. “Oh, I’m just wasting my time” – she thought. Fortunately, she had a special button in her car. She pressed it and her car became bigger and had no problems with getting out of traffic. It saved the day.

Several people observed it. It was a phenomenon they hadn’t expected. One man even had a camera with zoom lens and he took a photo.

After that, Monica had no problems with arriving just in time to find her toy boy in front of the hotel door. They kissed and went inside.

Vocabulary:

be in a hurry – to do sth quickly because you don’t have much time (pl spieszyć się; de in Eile sein)

be snowed under with work – to have too much work (pl być zawalonym pracą; de mit Arbeit zugeschüttet sein)

rooftop – the outside of a roof of a building (pl dach; de das Hausdach)

luxurious – very expensive and comfortable (pl luksusowy; de luxuriös)

to text – to send and receive a written message on a mobile phone (pl smsować; de simsen)

brunch – a meal that combines breakfast and lunch and is usually served in the late morning (pl późne śniadanie – posiłek pomiędzy śniadaniem a lunchem; de der Brunch)

for fear of – out of fear of (pl z obawy przed; de aus Angst/Furcht vor)

barefoot – without any shoes or socks on (pl bosy; de barfuß)

stuck in traffic – to be caught in a traffic jam (pl utknąć w korku; de im Stau stecken)

since – because (pl ponieważ; de da, weil)

road rage – violent behaviour by a driver towards another driver (pl agresja drogowa; de aggressive Fahrweise)

furious – very angry (pl wściekły; de wütend)

save the day – to do sth that prevents the situation from becoming unpleasant or unsuccessful (pl uratować sytuację; de die Lage retten)

phenomenon – an event or situation that can be seen to happen or exist (pl zjawisko; de das Phänomen)

zoom lens – a piece of equipment that you fix to your camera so that you can take photos of things that are very close or very far (pl obiektyw o zmiennej ogniskowej ;de das Zoom-Objektiv)

toy boy – the younger boyfriend of an older person (pl młody kochanek ;de der Toy Boy)

Holiday in Spain

Sara felt a little under the weather. She thought that maybe she was going down with the flu so she decided to stay at home.

“It’s better to be cautious because it’s quite chilly outside. At least I don’t have that rash any more. It was very itchy” she thought and went to bed. She felt extremely comfortable so she started to read a magazine. She read an article about diabetes and how it influences one’s well-being. There was also an article about laughter. She found out that people who laugh a lot don’t have problems with their immune systems. Also, one celebrity was suing the media for libel. Finally, there was a short article about Spain, its quaint villages and meandering streets. She always loved rural areas and unique places but she never had time to visit this country. Now she started getting on a bit and she realized that she never carried out any of the plans she had when she was younger.

“Better late than never” she thought and she started her computer. She booked the flight to Spain. She didn’t have any commitments here so nothing could stop her. It was quite an impetuous decision but she didn’t care.

A week later, she was already in Spain and very happy. She enjoyed the warm weather and she started thinking about staying there for longer.

Vocabulary:

feel under the weather – to feel slightly ill (pl czuć się źle; de angeschlagen sein)

go down with the flu – to become ill with a flu (pl zachorować na grypę; de sich (Dat) eine Grippe zuziehen)

cautious – careful to avoid problems (pl ostrożny; de vorsichtig)

chilly – cold enough to be unpleasant (pl chłodno; de frostig, kühl)

rash – an area of small red spots on your skin caused by an allergy or an illness (pl wysypka; de der Ausschlag)

itchy – unpleasant feeling on your skin that makes you want to scratch (pl swędzący; de juckend)

well-being – good, undisturbed state of mind (pl dobre samopoczucie; de das Wohlsein)

immune system – the system in your body that protects you against diseases (pl system odpornościowy; de das Immunsystem)

libel – the illegal act of writing things about someone that are not true (pl zniesławienie; de die Verleumdung)

quaint – interesting or attractive in a slightly strange and old-fashioned quality (pl osobliwy, uroczy; de idyllisch)

meandering – having a lot of turns and curves (pl kręty, wijący się; de mäandernd)

rural – relating to the countryside (pl wiejski; de ländlich)

get on – to advance in years (pl posunąć się w latach; de älter werden)

carry out – to execute something, to put something in practice (pl realizować coś, wprowadzać coś w życie; de ausführen

impetuous – acting or done quickly and without thought (pl impulsywny, porywczy; de impulsiv, unüberlegt)

 

there was a robber…

There was a robber who wasn’t very decisive. He was dreading everything but he wanted to gain recognition. He had friends who specialized in arson, mugging, shoplifting and smuggling.

The robber decided to commit a serious crime but first, he needed to improve his skills. Unfortunately, he was lazy and put everything off. He procrastinated a lot. He had a habit of making up excuses for himself.

One day, he ran over a dog and the police caught him. He had to pay a fine. When he was coming back home, some vandals knocked him out and he couldn’t come round. When he finally came round, he decided that he was a terrible robber and committed suicide.

Vocabulary:

robber – a thief who steals from someone by threatening violence (pl rabuś; de der Räuber)

decisive – characterized by the ability to make decisions (pl zdecydowany; de entschlossen)

dread – to be afraid of, to fear (pl bać się; de sich fürchten)

gain recognition – to earn attention or favorable notice (pl zyskać uznanie; de die Anerkennung finden)

arson – to set fire on purpose (pl podpalenie; de die Brandstiftung)

mugging – an attack on someone in a public place in order to steal money or other possessions (pl napad uliczny; de der Straßenraub; der Raubüberfall [auf der Straße])

shoplifting – to steal from the shop (pl kradzież sklepowa; de der Ladendiebstahl)

smuggling – secretly importing prohibited goods or goods on which duty is due (pl przemyt; de der Schmuggel)

commit a crime – do sth illegal (pl popełnić zbrodnię; de das Verbrechen begehen)

improve – to make sth better (pl ulepszyć; de verbessern)

put sth off – to delay doing sth (pl odkładać na później; de aufschieben)

procrastinate – to delay doing sth until later (pl zwlekać; de zögern)

make up – to invent (pl wymyślać; de etw erfinden)

run over – to hit sth with a car (pl przejechać; de jdn/etw überfahren)

fine – the money you have to pay when you have broken the law (pl grzywna; de die Geldstrafe)

knock out – to make sb unconscious (pl pozbawić kogoś przytomności; de bewusstlos schlagen)

come round – to regain consciousness (pl dojść do siebie, odzyskać przytomność; de zu Bewusstsein zurückkehren)

commit suicide – to take one’s own life (pl popełnić samobójstwo; de der Selbstmord begehen)

Kate’s holiday

Kate went on holiday. She stayed in a hotel and got a room overlooking the mountains. The view was breathtaking. She felt as if she were on top of the world. She felt glad that she had got her act together and had decided to go on this trip. Before she had a rough time and was in two minds about going there because her husband had just left her. It was difficult for her to adjust to a new situation. But now she was thrilled to bits that her friend had forced her to go and she had managed to grab such an opportunity.

Her room was cosy and she wanted to go to sleep because she was exhausted but the weather was so beautiful that she did not want to miss the boat.

She got into her car and started driving. Suddenly she saw a big hole in the street. She hit the brakes but unfortunately she didn’t manage to stop and she drove into the hole. When she left the car, she noticed that she had a flat tire.

“That’s my luck” she thought and smelt an interesting scent. She noticed a wooden cottage and lots of dark smoke which was coming from the chimney. She came closer. It was very slippery and she almost fell down.

She looked through the window and noticed a man sitting by the table and having a feast. Behind his back, she saw a well-equipped kitchen so she decided to come in. She was about to turn the knob when she noticed something else. In the corner, there was something which looked like a tomb. There were flowers and candles all around it. She also saw a wax figure next to it. She got a little scared.

Suddenly, the man stood up and came closer to the fireplace. She saw that he had a cat in his hand and she realized that he wanted to burn it. She cat looked horrified. Then, the man turned around and saw her. She panicked and didn’t know what to do. She started running away…

Vocabulary:

overlooking – used of a height or viewpoint (z widokiem na)

breathtaking – very beautiful, exciting and remarkable (zapierający dech)

on top of the world – very happy and excited (w siódmym niebie)

get your act together – get organized (zebrać się w sobie)

have a rough time – experience a difficult period (mieć problemy, przechodzić przez trudny okres)

be in two minds – be unable to decide, hesitate (nie móc się zdecydować)

adjust – change so as to match or fit (dostosować się, dopasować się)

thrilled to bits – be extremely pleased, very excited (podekscytowany do granic możliwości)

grab – take, catch (chwycić)

cosy – warm and comfortable (przytulny)

miss the boat – lose the opportunity (stracić okazję)

hit the brakes – to step on a vehicle’s brakes hard and fast (depnąć na hamulec)

flat tyre (BrE)/tire (AmE) – a deflated pneumatic tire) (przebita opona)

scent – a distinctive odor, esp. when agreeable. (zapach, zazwyczaj przyjemny)

slippery – causing or tending to cause objects to slip (śliski)

feast – a large carefully prepared meal (uczta)

knob – a rounded handle as on a door (gałka u drzwi)

tomb – a grave or other place of burial. (grobowiec)

horrified – very scared (przerażony)

An incident

 

After a short nap in the evening, James was suffering from a headache so he decided to go for a walk. He was wearing casual clothes: a sweatshirt and tight blue jeans. He didn’t want to put on shoes so he went out in his flip-flops. He had a can of coke which he was sipping slowly.

Suddenly he saw an obese man poking something. The guy was bald and was wearing a hoodie and he didn’t look sophisticated at all.

James realized that the guy was poking a dead man and was laughing at him. “I knew you wouldn’t survive the jump, you stupid idiot. I’ve won the bet and your wellingtons are mine now” he said laughing. He started taking off the dead man’s wellingtons and wanted to go away.

That was when James decided to take action.

“Hey man! What are you doing? Leave this man alone. We have to call an ambulance”- he shouted angrily.

“Who do you think you are to tell me what to do?! Do you want to get your ass kicked, you bossy imbecile? I don’t have any money, I am jobless and I can do whatever I want.” the man replied and ran away leaving James speechless.

Vocabulary:

nap – a short sleep, often during the day (drzemka)

casual – informal, suited for everyday wear (swobodny, luźny)

sweatshirt – cotton knit pullover with long sleeves worn during athletic activity (bluza)

flip-flops – backless sandals (klapki, japonki)

sip – to drink in small quantities (sączyć, popijać)

hoodie – a hooded sweatshirt (bluza z kapturem)

sophisticated – appealing to cultivated tastes , complex (wyrafinowany)

wellingtons – long rubber boots (kalosze)

take action – to start acting (podejmować działanie)

jobless – unemployed (bezrobotny)

speechless – not able to speak (oniemiały)

Rough neighbourhood

Dave moved into a rough neighbourhood. He didn’t want to complain but people there were noisy and he didn’t get on well with them. The place was very polluted and there was rubbish lying around. He had one neighbour who repeatedly shouted: “Move out! Move out, you bitch” to his wife every day at the same time of the day. He hated it there but he ran out of money so he couldn’t afford anything better. At least there the rent wasn’t very high. He didn’t know how to solve his problem so I went on living there. He really wanted to give up, he didn’t have the energy and strength to go on when suddenly, during his guitar practice, a beautiful girl turned up at his door. She came inside his house and she took off her jacket. He fell for her immediately. It turned out that she was his new neighbour. She was brought up by her grandparents who were penniless and had problems getting by. She told Dave that she had just broke up with her boyfriend. He immediately asked her out but she felt offended, said “no” and left. After a week he found out that she had made up with her boyfriend.

Vocabulary:

rough neighbourhood – dangerous district, surroudings (niebezpieczna okolica)

complain – to express displeasure (narzekać)

get on well with – to have a good relationship with sb (być z kimś w dobrych stosunkach)

polluted – unclean, contaminated (zanieczyszczony)

lie around – to be in a wrong place (poniewierać się)

repeatedly – more than once, again and again (wielokrotnie, ciągle)

move out – to vacate a residence (wyprowadzać się)

run out of – to exhaust the supply of (kończyć się, wyczerpywać zapasy czegoś)

at least – not less than (przynajmniej)

go on – to continue (kontynuować)

give up – to surrender, to stop doing sth (poddawać się)

turn up – to make an appearance, to turn up (pojawiać się, zjawiać się)

fall for – to fall in love with (zakochać się w)

bring up – to raise (wychowywać)

penniless – very poor (bez grosza)

get by – to survive, to succeed with the minimal amount of effort (radzić sobie)

break up with – to end a romantic relationship with sb (zrywać z)

ask sb out – to invite sb to a date (zapraszać kogoś gdzieś, umawiać się na randkę)

offended – hurt, upset (urażony, obrażony)

find out – to learn, discover sth (dowiedzieć się, odkryć)

make up with – to reconcile, to make peace (pogodzić się z)

John and Mary

John and Mary were a typical couple. Not a long time ago, she was a beautiful bride in a white dress and he was a handsome groom with a bow-tie. Now, he was a breadwinner and her favourite equipment at home was a pink saucepan. She was happy that he was bringing home the bacon and she never complained.

One day, when she was watching the news, something terrible happened. The anchorman announced that there was an outbreak of a serious disease. Nobody really knew what happened exactly, but people were changing into monsters. Their heads became bigger and they started losing their hair. They suddenly wanted to eat only fresh meat. The authorities couldn’t do anything. Doctors, who were seriously underpaid because of cutbacks earlier that year, had a very negative attitude. Actually, they didn’t care. It was a big letdown for the society. Healthy people started organizing walkouts. The consequences could be far-reaching – thought Mary.

After a month, there was a turnaround of events. Mary didn’t leave home fearing the disease and she was watching TV again. John was there, in front of the town hall and he informed that they had a vaccine! It turned out that John was a secret doctor. Thanks to him, the fallout of the outbreak would not be so dangerous. Mary was shocked but also relieved. She went to pick him up and they lived happily ever after.

Vocabulary:

bride – a woman who has just been or is about to be married (panna młoda)

groom – a man who has just been or is about to be married (pan młody)

bow-tie – a man’s tie that ties in a bow (muszka)

breadwinner – a person supporting a family with his or her earnings (żywiciel rodziny)

saucepan – a deep cooking pan with a handle (rondel)

bring home the bacon – to earn a living, especially for a family (zarabiać na chleb)

complain – to express feelings of pain, dissatisfaction (narzekać)

anchorman –  a person who anchors a program of news, sports (osoba prowadząca program)

outbreak – a sudden, violent, or spontaneous occurrence (wybuch np. wojny lub epidemii)

authorities – the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit (władze)

underpaid – not paid enough (źle opłacany)

cutbacks – a reduction in quantity or rate (cięcia w budżecie, redukcja zatrudnienia)

attitude – the way a person views something (nastawienie, postawa)

letdown – a disappointment (rozczarowanie)

walkout – a strike by workers (strajk, opuszczenie sali na znak protestu)

far-reaching – having a wide range or effect (daleko idący)

turnaround – a reversal, a change in opinion (zmiana, zwrot o 180 stopni)

fear – to be afraid of (bać się)

vaccine – any preparation of weakened or killed bacteria or viruses introduced into the body to prevent a disease by stimulating antibodies against it (szczepionka)

fallout – an incidental result or side effect (rezultat)

Lily

It was a nice Sunday morning and Lily was having a lie-in. She started planning her day.

“Maybe I’ll have some people round for dinner” – she thought. “But not Bob. I can’t stand him. He’s selfish. And not Andy. He really gets on my nerves. Why must he be such a show-off?”

Lily finally got up and decided to go for a run. She loved running. She always had brilliant ideas after.

She ran past the shop. There was a long queue. “How annoying it is to stand in a queue” – she thought. Then, suddenly, she bumped into a man and fell down.

He helped her stand up.

“Oh, how considerate of you” she said and smiled. He was handsome and she thought for a second that it would be wonderful to grow old with him. Unfortunately, he wasn’t interested in her. He smiled but he walked away. She felt disappointed but went on running.

She came back home and saw a man sitting in front of the locked door. It was Jim, her boyfriend. He always worked overtime to meet deadlines. She was thinking about breaking up with him because he was moody and stubborn. She didn’t recognize him anymore. He had changed a lot since the day they met. Jim looked very scared. She sat next to him.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

He was silent for a moment but then he started talking:

“I think I killed a man today. I came back home after work and I saw a man with a knife there. He wanted to steal the box with my savings. $100,000! So I took the gun from the drawer and shot him”.

“What? I understand you committed a crime but where do you have so much money from?”

“I’ve never told you that but I’ve been working for an illegal organization for the last several years.”

Lily felt confused but also happy with this information. She never thought that Jim was so dishonest. It was very exciting.

“I’ll look after him” she decided and then she said: “Now, I’m taking over”.

She unlocked the door, went inside, packed her suitcase and went out.

“Let’s go” she said. They went downstairs and got inside her car. She slowly drove away.

Vocabulary:

a lie-in – a long stay in bed in the morning (wylegiwanie się w łóżku rano)

have people round for dinner – to invite people to your house for dinner (zaprosić ludzi na obiad)

selfish – concerned chiefly or only with oneself (egoistyczny)

get on sb’s nerves – to irritate (denerwować, grać komuś na nerwach)

a show-off – someone who deliberately behaves in such a way as to attract attention (pozer)

annoying – irritating (irytujący)

bump into sb – to meet by chance (wpaść na kogoś)

considerate – thoughtful towards other people; kind (uprzejmy)

grow old –  to age, become old (starzeć się)

lock – secure by locking, close sth with a key (zamykać na klucz)

overtime –  work at a regular job done in addition to regular working hours (nadgodziny)

meet deadlines – manage to complete sth on time (zmieścić się w terminie)

moody – given to frequent changes of mood  (humorzasty)

stubborn – refusing to comply, agree, or give in; obstinate (uparty)

savings – money saved (oszczędności)

drawer – a boxlike compartment in furniture that can be pulled out and pushed in (szuflada)

commit a crime – do sth illegal (popełnić zbrodnię)

confused –  being unable to think with clarity or act with understanding and intelligence (zdezorientowany)