HOW WE MET (Intermediate) (EXERCISE I14E76)

Gloria Spitz, who is English, describes how she met her American husband, Hank, in the 1940’s. Complete the text using the words in the box and then answer the questions.

like the films              so different from                time we danced            our lives changed   didn’t talk                   I couldn’t look at him        was very worried          gave us chocolates away in the war          came back for me

Well I was sixteen. It was 1942 and my mother and I lived in a small village in the country. My father wasn’t there. He was (A) _______________________________________. ‘Suddenly, on 26^th January, (B) _____________________________________ Hundreds of American soldiers, GI’s, came to the village. Ooh! We girls in the village we loved them! They were (C) ________

_____________________ English boys. They talked to us. They (D) _____________________

about cars and football. They (E) ___________________________________ and nylon stockings. Everyday was like Christmas Day!

‘And the way they danced! Oh, they danced (F)_____________________________________. I met Hank at a Saturday dance. I think I feel in love the first (G) _______________________________!

I was so shy that (H) _______________________________, but he took me to the dance every Saturday after that. He told me he loved shy English girls. My mother (I) ____________________. We didn’t know American people then. ‘In 1943 Hank went to France, but we wrote to each other. We wrote for two years and at the end of the war he (J) _____________________________. He took me to the States, to his home of Arizona. Well, now we have four children and twelve grandchildren!’

(1)    Where did Gloria live when she was a girl? ____________________________________

(2)    Why did village life change in January, 1942? __________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

(3)   How were GI’s and English boys different? _____________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

(4)    Where did Gloria meet Hank? ________________________________________________

(5)    Did she fall in love with him immediately? ______________________________________

(6)    Do you think Gloria’s mother liked GI’s? _______________________________________

(7)    What happened to Gloria at the end of the war? __________________________________

ANSWERS:

Well I was sixteen. It was 1942 and my mother and I lived in a small village in the country. My father wasn’t there. He was (A) away in the war. ‘Suddenly, on 26^th January, (B) our lives changed Hundreds of American soldiers, GI’s, came to the village. Ooh! We girls in the village we loved them! They were (C) so different from English boys. They talked to us. They (D) didn’t talk about cars and football. They (E) gave us chocolates and nylon stockings. Everyday was like Christmas Day! ‘And the way they danced! Oh, they danced (F) like the films. I met Hank at a Saturday dance. 

I think I feel in love the first (G)  time we danced! I was so shy that (H) I couldn’t look at him , but he took me to the dance every Saturday after that. He told me he loved shy English girls. My mother (I) was very worried. We didn’t know American people then. 

In 1943 Hank went to France, but we wrote to each other. We wrote for two years and at the end of the war he (J) came back for me. He took me to the States, to his home of Arizona. Well, now we have four children and twelve grandchildren!

(1)    Where did Gloria live when she was a girl? In England

(2)   Why did village life change in January, 1942? Because American soldiers arrived in her village.

(3)    How were GI’s and English boys different? They did not talk about cars or football, danced very well and gave presents of chocolates and nylon stockings.

(4)    Where did Gloria meet Hank? At a Saturday, dance.

(5)    Did she fall in love with him immediately? Yes

(6)    Do you think Gloria’s mother liked GI’s? At first she was not sure about them.

(7)   What happened to Gloria at the end of the war? She moved to the United States and married Hank.

TO PRINT