XIX. Think of a different end to the story (comical, puzzling, etc.).

1. Эта книга довольно скучная, возьмите лучше другую. 2, Чемо­дан маловат, боюсь, что вы не уложите в него всю одежду. 3. Еще чашечку чая? — Да, пожалуйста, 4. Эта новость немного взволновала его. 5. Я, пожалуй, возьму эту пластинку. 6. Он скорее невежественен, чем глуп. 7. Нас несколько удивил его ранний при­ход. 8. Она выглядела несколько усталой после двухкилометровой прогулки. 9. Она показалась мне довольно красивой девушкой.

ХXII. a) Read the text:

Every summer many people, girls and women as well as boys and men, try to swim from England to France or from France to England. The distance at the nearest points is only about twenty miles, but because of the strong tides the dis­tance that must be swum is usually more than twicе as far.

There is a strong tide from the Atlantic Ocean. This di­vides in two in order to pass round the British Isles. The two tides meet near the mouth of the Thames, and strong cur­rents they cause make it impossible to swim in a straight line across the Channel.

The first man to succeed in swimming the Channel was Captain Webb, an Englishman. This was in August 1875. He landed in France 21 hours 45 minutes after entering the wa­ter at Dover. Since then there have been many successful swims and the time has been shortened. One French swim­mer crossed it in 11 hours and 5 minutes.

Because the sea is usually cold, swimmers cover their bodies with grease. This, they say, helps to keep out the cold. They are fed during the swim by men who go with them in small boats.