The Story
A man selling vacuum cleaners appeared at the door of an old lady's cottage and, without allowing the woman to speak, rushed into the living room and threw a large bag of dirt all over her clean carpet. He said, "If this new magical cleaner doesn't pick up every bit of dirt, I'll eat it."
The woman, who by this time was losing her patience, said, "Sir, if I had enough money to buy that, I would have paid my electricity bill before they cut it off. Now, what would you prefer, a spoon or a knife and fork?"
Vocabulary Practice
Mark the best choice.

1. A 'cottage' is a ___.
• kind of shop
• small house in the country
• very big expensive house
• kind of car
2. To 'rush' means to ___.
• drive slowly
• talk rapidly
• move quickly
• walk heavily
3. To 'cut off' here means to ___.
• remove by cutting
• make by cutting
• disconnect
• pay the bill
Questions for Discussion
1. Why did the man throw the bag of dirt over the carpet?
2. Why should the man choose either a spoon or a knife and fork?
3. What do you think the man will do the next time he wants to sell something?