Reading passages 2
- 1. Changes in NZ English
- 2. Reading passage 1There’s going to be a party. We put fairy lights up in the lounge, and put the chairs in the hall, all the valuables we hid under the stairs. We bought wine and beer but hope that the guests bring their own and share. Apparently, we’re expecting the guests at six when the ferry comes in. We should be able to hear them arrive from out here in the kitchen.
- 3. Reading passage 2The airport in Auckland is at the end of the motorway. The reason for having it away from the city is the locals complain about the overhead noises. The underground parking at the terminal is the only new part of the original plan. The architects decided that the aboveground parking did not service all the requirements of the commuters and all the activity of dropping and collecting the passengers was outdoors in the elements.
- 4. Reading passage 3Did Sam tell you about the milkshake saga? He spilt it on the floor at Wendy’s in the mall after school. Plenty of people saw him, so he could not just act cool about it and walk off. It made a huge puddle of chocolate milk and the staff gave him a bucket and cloth to mop it up. Still, he did such a good job that they filled up his chocolate milk for free.
- 5. Reading passage 4The party was a success and I bet Sam’s social circle has grown. Though we should have known that he would either have spilled something or thrown up on something. He never learns! He had to be shown the door quite early. We had better get the place tidied up before Mum gets home (having flown to Auckland). There’s broken glass strewn all over the lawn, so we had better pick that up before it gets mown.
- 6. Reading passage 5Marc Ellis has discovered the antidote to a common malady – Monday-itis. It came to him while watching a doco on telly about an elephant named Alice. She only needed an elementary understanding of higher maths and a tally of the amount of cups of tea she had drunk. Another part of the cure for Monday-itis is to whistle a happy melody.