Green Peace
The scent of cigar smoke and freshly clipped grass are forever in my memory. I can't smell one without thinking of the other. Together, they always suggest Saturday mornings to me. That was when my father embarked on his weekly ritual mowing the lawn, striding behind the with a white Owl firmly clamped in his mouth. My cigar odyssey began more than twelve years ago, when as a young man of fifteen I would steal my father's cigars. For many years I watched the great men in my life celebrate their triumphs, and relax with a cigar. Consequently, I began to consider cigars as a symbol of success. Every evening I sit with a cigar in my hand and go over the day's activities in my mind. What I did do, and what I didn't do, and what I should have accomplished. A cigar gives me a chance to relax and think. Smoking a hand-rolled Cuban cigar is one of life's last great pleasures for me. My favourite setting for a smoke is after dinner with friends, sitting outside on the porch at a restaurant on Long Island, accompanied by a strong Colombian coffee. Occasionally, I share a smoke with my wife as I know I look good with a cigar. I should as well admit that my wife looks like a complete knockout with a cigar.
Yes, a good aged cigar is absolutely fantastic. I reserve some when I want to give myself a treat.
B. What's your attitude toward smoking? Discuss it in your group.
Ex. 605. A. Read the text and comment on the verbals.
Gardening
If you would be happy
for a week, take a wife;
if you would be happy
for a month, kill a pig;
but if you would be happy
all your life,
Plant a garden.
Every generation finds itself gravitating toward the ground as it grows older. Earlier in our lives we're focusing on our careers, our relationships and our kids. But as we grow older we find we've got more time
to pursue interests that simply make us feel good. And gardening offers almost instant gratification. At the same time, it allows us to enhance the value of our single biggest investment: our home.
It's only after we reach a certain age that we're ready for the emotional lift, the sense of security and accomplishment that gardening brings. Every generation reaches that point, but every generation does it differently. Gardens have always been the mirror of the times. From the walled pleasure gardens of ancient Persia to the formal gardens of Versailles to the colonial kitchen gardens of Williamsburg, if you want to know where the nation is what is held dear in taste and style look in the backyards.
Today, gardens, like cigars, have made a comeback. Gardens have changed a lot since then, but still more and more people are discovering that they are perfect places to enjoy a leisurely smoke. Gardens today are more like outdoor rooms. We don't want to spend a lot of time working in the garden. We've earned the right to enjoy it, so today's gardens are easier to maintain. The garden should reflect your style and taste. Gardens are never done. Gardening is not like architecture you're allowed to change your mind, to pull something out and move it around. A garden gives you a feeling that you are in your own private world. That, after all, is the real reason for a garden, the true meaning of it is a refuge. That's what gardens were in their earliest incarnations.
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B. Have you heard the old English saying "She has green fingers"? To put it simply, the person is good at growing things, everything she plants comes popping out of the ground, and soon becomes the envy of the neighbourhood. Do you have green fingers? Exchange your ideas on gardening.
Ex. 606. Translate into English.
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