Unit 6 Flying 3 While you read
The cost of a cigarette
A businesswoman's desperate need for a cigarette
on an eight-hour flight from America resulted in her being arrested and handcuffed,
after she was found lighting up in the toilet of a Boeing 747,not once but twice.
Joan Norrish,aged 33,yesterday became the first person to be prosecuted
under new laws for smoking on board a plane,
when she was fined $440 at Uxbrdge magistrates'court.
Ms Norrish,from Radwinter,Essex,said:
'I'm such a nervous passenger,and I couldn't have handled the flight without a cigarette.
If they'd told me I couldn't smoke on board,
I would've avoided going by plane altogether.'
Ms Norrish first attracted the attention of the in-flight staff
when she had her first puff in the toilet
after the plane touched down for refuelling at New York's JFK airport.
One and a half hours later,she went into the lavatory again,
causing passengers to complain to the cabin crew.
However,on inspection,they could find no sign of cigarettes in the toilet,
and were concerned that Ms Norrish may have hidden the cigarettes,
thus adding to their fears for the safety of the plane.
Relations between Ms Norrish and the crew soon got worse,
as Ms Norrish violent when the plane leanded at Heathrow,
where the police were alerted.She was subsequently arrested and handcuffed.
Outside the court,Ms Norrish commented on her fine.
'It was quite high,much higher than I was expecting.
It all seems like an awful lot of fuss over just a couple of cigarettes.'
Ms Norrish is being encouraged to appeal against the find
by a prosmoking organisation who have offered her legal aid.
A spokesman for the group said:
'This is yet another example of the way in which smokers
are being discriminated against and marginalised in society.
We generate millions of pounds for the government every year through the taxes we pay
-and yet we are treated like second-class citizens.
We're banned from smoking in all kinds of public
and people expect us to stand outside in all weathers if we want to smoke.
It's got to stop!'
However,anti-smoking lobbies have welcomed the judeg's decision
and have claimed that there is no excuse for endangering the lives of others by lighting up in public.
'This is a step in the right direction,'a spokeswoman said,
'and we look forward to the day when all smoking is banned.'
4 Flying joke
Alfred had never flown before and was extremely nervous.
He was flying across the Atlantic to visit his sister,
who had emigrated to Canada.
When he got on the plane he found he was sitting in a window seat.
After a few minutes,the person next to him arrived-an enormously fat American.
Not long after the plane took off,the American fell asleep and began to snore loudly.
It was obvious to Alfred there was no way he could get out,
even to get to the toilet,without waking the man up.
After the in-flight meal had been served,
the plane entered an area of severe turbulence.
The American continued to snore.
Alfred,however,started to feel sick.He was desperate to get to the toilet.
Finally,he was sick-all over the man's trousers.
The American didn't wake up,but he just continued to snore.
Alfred didn't know what to do.
As the plane touched down,the American finally woke up and saw his trousers.
Alfred turned to him and said,'Are you feeling better now?"
Strong adjectives
1.It must've been really hot in Greece.
Hot?It was boiling!That's why we made sure the hotel had air-conditioning.
2.Oh,you're from Sao Paulo originally,are you?
It's a pretty big city,right?
Big?It's enormous!That's why I moved to a small town out in the country.
3.How's your flat?It must be a bit cold with all this snow we're having.
Cold?It's freezing!That's why I've decided to have central heating put in.
4.It's pretty quiet down in Devon,isn't it?
Quiet?It's dead!That's why I decided to move to the city!
5.You must've been pretty surprised when you read the report in the papers.
Surprised?I was shocked!That's why I contacted my solicitor straightaway.
6.It's a bit small in here,isn't?
Small?It's tiny!You can hardly swing a cat in here!
7.So,is he good-looking,then,your new boyfriend?
Good-looking?He's gorgeous!You'll die when you see him!
8.It must've been a bit scary,going so high up like that.
Scarry?It was terrifying!There's no way you'll catch me doing that again!
3 Playing for time
Listen and practise saying these 'delayers'.
So how come you decided to start smoking?
Why did I start smoking?
That's a good question.
That's a difficult question.
Well,I'd have to think about that.
I'm not really sure.
Um,I don't really know.
Why?I haven't really thought about that.