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THE LEGACY
Level 4 - B1/B2 Intermediate (2) Graded Reader from I Talk You Talk Press
Copyright
The LegacyCopyright © 2015 by I Talk You Talk Press
ISBN: 978-4-907056-44-5
Publisher: I Talk You Talk Press
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be resold, reproduced, stored inretrieval system, copied in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise transmitted without the prior written permission
from the publisher. You must not circulate this publication in any format, online orotherwise.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, products,places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or areused in a fictitious manner. We have no affiliation with any existing companies
mentioned in this story. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, existing
stories or actual events is purely coincidental.
Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the contentsof this book were correct at press time, the author and publisher do not assume andhereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused byerrors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident,
or any other cause.
For more information, see the Copyright Notice on our website.
Cover illustration image copyright: © Syda Productions - Fotolia.com #60287136
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1. A new flatmate
Beth Whitley-Sneddon lived in a flat about 3km from the centre of Manchester. She
shared the flat with her best friend Penny Green. Beth was a secretary for the manager
of a big department store in the centre of Manchester. Penny worked for an insurancecompany.
Beth was tall and slim. She had long silvery blonde hair and green eyes. Penny wassmall and round with shiny black hair and big brown eyes. Beth and Penny liked fashion
very much, but they did not have a lot of money. They bought handbags and shoes insales and on the Internet. They bought most of their clothes in second-hand shops. Bethwas good at sewing. She could alter clothes to fit her and Penny.
At the beginning of winter, Beth wanted a new warm coat. She walked to work every
day, and it was often very cold. She found a very good coat in a second-hand shop. It
was a coat for a man. It was grey and the material was made from cashmere and wool.
But there was a hole in one of the sleeves, so it was very cheap. Beth paid five poundsfor the coat. She took it home and cut it up. She made a beautiful warm coat for herself.
It was very stylish and it looked very, very expensive. Even at the department store, noone realized that Beth had made her own coat.
“Beth’s family must have a lot of money,” said the other secretaries. “Her clothes arefabulous.”
One night in January, Penny came home from work late. Beth was sitting in the livingroom watching TV.
“Beth! Beth! I have great news!” Penny shouted as she walked into the living room.
Beth smiled at her friend. “You are very excited. What happened?”“The boss called me into her office. They want me to go and work in the head office inLondon! Isn’t it wonderful?”Beth laughed. “Of course, Mike is in London, so I guess you said ‘yes’!”
Mike was Penny’s boyfriend. He was working for a computer company in London. Heand Penny could not see each other very much. Penny missed him.
“Of course I said ‘yes’! Mike and I will be in the same city! I will be able to see him allthe time!”“I’m so happy for you,” said Beth. “It’s great news. When will you move to London?”“At the end of the month! I can’t wait!” said Penny. Then she looked serious. “There isonly one bad thing.”“What’s that?” asked Beth.
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“I don’t want to leave you. I will miss you very much. And this flat is too expensive forone person. What will you do?”Beth stood up and hugged her friend. “Don’t worry. I will think of something,” she said.
“Maybe I can find a cheap flat for one person.”Two days later Penny called Beth at work. “They are hiring a new person to do my job
here. Her name is Margot Rottle. She is moving from Newcastle to Manchester. Sheasked about a flat. She can take my place in our flat. That’s good news, isn’t it?”Beth was not sure. Beth was shy. She didn’t know if she wanted to share a flat with astranger. But she didn’t want Penny to worry about her. So Beth agreed. Mike drove up
from London at the end of January. Beth, Penny and Mike packed Penny’s belongings
into the car.
Penny and Beth hugged, and they both cried a little.
“I know you won’t be lonely,” said Penny. “Margot will move into the flat next week. So
you will have a new friend. I will come to Manchester soon to see you and then I willmeet Margot. And you must come to London for a weekend as soon as I findsomewhere to live.”
Beth smiled. “I’ll do that,” she said. “Good luck!”
Mike and Penny got into the car and drove away.
Beth went back into the flat building and slowly climbed the stairs. She felt lonely.
I will miss Penny so much, she thought. I hope Margot is nice.
2. A cold wet day
It was the end of the first week in February. Beth was walking home from work. It wascold and raining heavily. There was a lot of water on the road. Every time a car went
past her, water sprayed up from the road. The bottom of her coat and her boots werevery wet.
Beth was uncomfortable. She was also unhappy. Penny sent texts and emails everyday. She was enjoying London very much.
Beth missed Penny a lot. The new flatmate, Margot, was so different from Penny.
Margot always forgot to buy food. Then she ate the food that Beth had bought. She
didn’t clean the bathroom. She used Beth’s cosmetics. This made Beth angry.
Cosmetics were expensive, and Beth saved for a long time to buy them. After a few
days, she asked Margot not to use them. She said, “Please use your own cosmetics,Margot.”© I Talk You Talk Press
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Margot seemed surprised. “But why? You have the latest colours. I like your makeup
more than mine. And I want to borrow your red handbag tomorrow. It will match myjacket very well. Shall I take it from your bedroom now?”
Beth sighed as she walked along the cold wet footpath. Then she said to herself,
Cheer up. It’s not so bad. Penny and I had so much fun together. She was the perfectflatmate. Of course a new flatmate will not be as nice as Penny.
Then she smiled. I’m lucky Margot is so much bigger than me. She can take my bags
and scarves and jewellery and makeup, but my clothes are all too small for her. She
can’t take those!
When Beth reached the flat, Margot was in the bath.
I suppose she will use all the hot water again, thought Beth. Never mind. I can have ashower in the morning.
Beth hung her coat up on the door of her closet to dry. She looked around the room.
Margot has been in here again, she thought. I wonder why she is always looking in mydrawers. I guess she is looking for things to borrow. I am pleased I have a password on
my computer. Otherwise I guess she would read all my emails too.
Beth went into the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of wine and started to cook
dinner for herself. She was making pasta with tomato and cauliflower sauce when
Margot walked in.
“I got wet coming back from work,” said Margot. “So I took a bath to warm myself up.”
Margot took the bottle of wine out of the refrigerator and poured herself a glass.
“What are you cooking?” she asked Beth.
“I’m making myself some pasta for dinner,” answered Beth. “I will be finished soonand then you can have the kitchen.”“Oh, I forgot to go shopping today. I’ll just have some of your pasta,” said Margot.
“I am only cooking enough for one person,” said Beth. She felt angry.
Margot looked in the pot. “I think there is enough for two,” she said. “You don’t eatvery much. Call me when it is ready.”
Margot went into the living room and turned on the TV.
Beth felt very, very angry, but she finished cooking the pasta and made a salad withsalami and peppers. She carried the food into the living room and put it on the small
dining table in the corner. She put plates and forks on the table.
“Oh, it’s ready,” said Margot. “Good. Would you like another glass of wine?”
Margot went into the kitchen and brought out the bottle of wine from the refrigerator.
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“There’s not very much left,” she said. She poured a full glass for herself and poured alittle into Beth’s glass.
Beth stopped feeling angry. She laughed. “Margot, you are unbelievable! That wine ismine! I bought it! Since you have been in this flat you haven’t bought any food or drink!
You don’t clean, and you don’t cook. It is not a good idea for us to share a flat. I think
you should find another place to live.”
Margot looked surprised. “Why? I pay the rent. You can’t live here alone. The rent is
too expensive. I thought you were a nice person, but you complain all the time. You are
not fun to share with.”
I will have to find somewhere else to live, thought Beth. I can’t live with Margot and I
don’t think she will go away.
They ate in silence. Then Margot said suddenly, “I forgot. There was a letter for you inmailbox. It came from New Zealand. Who writes letters these days? Everyone uses theInternet.”
Margot put her hand in her pocket and took out the letter. She didn’t give it to Beth.
“It is from someone called W. V. Whitley-Sneddon. It is written in ink. The back of theenvelope got wet in the rain. I can’t read the address, but the postmark on the stamp
says ‘Christchurch, New Zealand’. It must be a relative of yours. Who is it?”
“I don’t know!” said Beth. “Would you give me my letter please?”“OK,” Margot gave Beth the letter. Margot stood up and went back to the sofa in frontof the TV. She turned the volume up very loud. She lay down on the sofa.
Beth went to her bedroom and sat on the bed. She opened the letter and read it. She
was very surprised. Then she read it again.
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The Legacy sample
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