A man got into a train and found himself sitting opposite a woman who seemed to be about thirty-five years old. Soon they began talking to each other, and he said to her, "Do you have a family?"

"Yes, I have one son," the woman answered. "Oh, really?" said the man. "Does he smoke?" "No, he's never touched a cigarette," the woman replied. "That's good," the man continued. "I don't smoke either. Tobacco is very bad for one's health. And does your son drink wine?"

"Oh, no," the woman answered at once, "he's never drunk a drop of it."

"Then I congratulate you, ma'am," the man said. “And does he ever come home late at night?"

"No, never," his neighbor answered. "He goes to bed immediately after dinner every night."

"Well," the man said, "he's a wise young man. How old is he?" "He's six months old today," the woman replied proudly.

A     Answer these questions:

1. Did the woman on the train have a family?
2. What three things did the man ask her about her son?
3. What did she answer to all three questions?
4. What did the man think about her answers?
5. What was his last question?
6. And what was her answer?
7. How old do you think the man had expected the woman's son to be?

B        Which words in the story mean the opposite of:

1. a long time
2. next to
3. foolish
4. in an ashamed way
5. pity

C     Complete the second sentence in each pair (both sentences have the same meaning):

Example: a. The man found a woman sitting opposite him on the train, but he wasn't expecting to.

b. The man wasn't expecting to find a woman sitting opposite him, but he did.

1. a. The woman was questioned about her son, but she hadn't been expecting this.

b. The woman hadn't been expecting to __________________ but she was.

2. a. The man had an interesting trip, although he had not expected one.

b. The man had not expected ________________________, but he did.

3. a. The woman's son was only six months old, but the man wasn't expecting him to be so young.

b. The man wasn't expecting the woman's son ___________________ but he was.

4. a. The woman was able to speak proudly of her son, but she had not expected to on a train.

b. The woman had not expected to _____________________, but she was.