When I started this podcast on the story of The Man Who Could Work Miracles by H.G.
Wells, I didn't realize how relevant it would be to today's situation.
Suddenly terrible things are happening in the world.
Now the story which I am continuing today is the second part of this story the man who could work miracles.
But rather than the miracles, what we're talking about is a person who has great power, great powers to do really whatever he likes.
And there's a danger to that, a danger if that person or people who have those powers are not really qualified to know how to use them properly to the good of mankind.
That's what's happening in the world at the moment.
And this story is a reflection on that and the terrible things that could happen if we give too much power to somebody, somebody who is really simply not mature enough to be able to use the power wisely.
This is the second part of my B2 story then, The Man Who Could Work Miracles.
I'm going to give you seven words and expressions at B2 level for you to listen out for during the reading of the story, and I'll give you some example sentences of these words and expressions and there'll be a short test at the end.
So, here we go with part two of The Man Who Could Work Miracles by H.G.
Wells.
Hello and welcome to Practicing English.
My name is Mike Bilbre and these are podcasts for students of English at B1 or B2 levels.
For transcripts, please go to practicingenglish.com.
Would you like to see my books for learning B1 and B2 level English?
Then go to the show notes at your podcast app, and just below today's lesson you'll see a link to Amazon and there you'll be able to read about my new B1 book and my B2 book.
Check it out today.
Right, my first word is amusement.
So the word amuse, to amuse somebody, a transitive verb, means to make somebody happy.
We can use it as an adjective.
I am amused, meaning that I feel something is quite funny.
Okay, this is quite funny, so I am amused.
And here we have the noun, the B2 noun, amusement.
In fact, it's a little expression with a preposition in front of it, in amusement.
So to do something in amusement means to do something and feel or find the situation is quite funny.
Amusing, in other words.
My example phrase is...
Mary laughed in amusement when she saw the puppy trying to catch its own tail.
She laughed in amusement.
She thought it was very funny.
My second B2 word is to boast, B-O-A-S-T.
Now there's another relevant word as well.
Isn't there for people these days in the news boasting quite a lot?
Boast is spelled B-O-A-S-T but, as you know, you can go to your podcast app and find these words there, together with the tape script or audio script of the story, or at my website, practicingenglishcom.
To boast means then, to say how good we are at doing something, to say that we are very clever at something or that we are very able to do something in a particularly good way, and we think that other people should know how clever we are, and we like telling people about that.
Here is my example phrase Donald likes to boast about his achievements Even when no one asks him about them.
Okay, to boast about his achievements.
To say about the things he's done and how well he has done them.
To boast.
My next word is deliberately.
Okay, so that is the adverb, obviously, with our ly at the end from the adjective.
Deliberate.
Now, if you do something deliberately, you do it on purpose, which is a nice little expression on purpose, a B1 expression.
You do it because you wanted to do it.
So my example phrase is she deliberately ignored his message because she was still upset with him.
So she deliberately ignored his message.
So, on purpose, intentionally, knowing what she was doing, she ignored his message.
Because she was upset with something that he had said.
My next word, phrase rather, to cross your mind.
Now your mind is.
Well, you know, when we say the word mind, we're thinking about our head, our thoughts, our brain.
So if something crosses your mind, an idea occurs to you, we say.
An idea comes to your mind, so the thought comes to you.
Here is the example sentence.
It never crossed my mind that I might fail the exam.
I never thought that it would be possible to fail the exam.
I just thought it was going to be really easy.
I mean, after all, it was about English and I'm so good at English.
And then I went and failed it.
Oh, my goodness.
It never crossed my mind that that would happen.
I never thought that might happen.
My next word is costly.
Okay, so this is an adjective really.
Ends in L-Y, but it's an adjective.
And it's related to cost, talking about money.
Here is my example phrase.
Buying a new car can be a costly decision if you don't plan your budget carefully.
So, if it's costly, it means it is expensive.
It costs you a lot of money.
All right.
Buying a new car.
Well, it can be.
You've got to be careful.
OK, so it's not just buying the car.
You've got to run the car, get the insurance for the car and get the car serviced, we say.
It needs its regular service so that it keeps running and can stay on the road.
Very expensive, very costly.
Okay, so something can be costly if it is expensive and costs a lot of money.
My next one ah one two three four five, six.
Okay, i've got seven.
So this is number six.
To take a deep breath, i might take a deep breath just now, actually.
Now, usually we say that when we're about to do something important.
Maybe it's quite a difficult thing we're going to do and therefore we need to relax and get our thoughts together.
We say and get some self-control.
Here's my example for sentence.
Before speaking in front of the audience, Jennifer took a deep breath to calm her nerves.
So to calm your nerves means to relax.
And my last one then is a simple verb.
And the verb is to spin.
S-P-I-N.
And to spin means to go round and round and round.
It's nice these days as I come out of school, I see the children from primary school.
They're playing with what we used to call spinning tops, which are small toys.
They are small.
You can hold them in your hand.
They're round, and they have a point at the bottom, and you wrap a string around them.
Pull the string hard, throw down the spinning top, and it spins on the floor and stands up.
So that is to spin, which means to go round, usually very fast.
The world spins, doesn't it?
The Earth, our planet Earth, spins.
Today you'll find out how fast it actually spins, because it comes as part of the story.
So let's get on with it then.
So this is part two of The Man Who Could Work Miracles by H.G.
Wells.
On Sunday, George went to church, although this was not a usual habit of his.
The vicar, a young, confident and enthusiastic Mr Maidig, preached about forbidden powers and our duty not to take advantage of others weaker than ourselves simply because we are capable of it.
George felt uneasy.
Despite feeling quite doubtful as to whether he should do so.
After the service, he asked to speak to the vicar privately.
In the vicar's study, George nervously explained everything that had been happening.
You may not believe me, he replied, but it seems that I can perform miracles.
Mr. Maydig looked at George in amusement.
I see.
Well done.
Why don't you show me, he said pleasantly.
George pointed at a jar of sweets on the table.
Be a bowl of violets.
It changed instantly into exactly that.
Purple flowers spilled out from a glass bowl.
Mr. Maydig stepped back.
This is astonishing.
That's nothing boasted, George.
And miraculously changed it into a fishbowl, then into a pigeon, then back to a sweet jar again.
Mr. Maydig's eyes shone with excitement.
Are you doing this deliberately?
I mean, are you fully in control of what you change things into?
Well, yes, George replied.
I think of an object in my mind, and then will it to happen, and it just happens.
My dear man... he cried.
This is a gift, an immensely special gift.
We must use it to do good in the world.
There's a problem, I'm afraid.
I sent Constable Winch to San Francisco.
I didn't really mean to, but I accidentally hit him with my walking stick that had grown into a rose bush.
Anyway, If I wish him back again, he's going to arrest me.
I imagine his wife will be wondering where he's ended up.
It crossed my mind that I could make him forget what happened, but I'm not sure if that would be morally the right thing to do.
Yes yes yes, we'll sort that out later, said Mr Maynick quickly, obviously with other things on his mind.
Think of what we can achieve with your powers.
Here, I've got a few tasks for you, said the vicar with a mysterious smile on his face.
They began with small changes.
They improved Mr. Maydig's tasteless meals, usually produced by Mr. Maydig's housekeeper and cook.
Delicious and tasty dishes now appeared on the table.
A hot beef stew with garden potatoes and a freshly made salad, together with a bottle of red Beaujolais wine.
Come on!
Have dinner with me while we make plans as how to convert this world into a better place.
They laughed like old friends.
What else can we do? asked George.
We should contribute to the well-being of this village, cried Mr. Maynig.
At the moment, it is unfit for good Christians to live in.
That night, they worked miracle after miracle.
They cured the local drunks from their drinking problems.
They cleared up the local stream that had been polluted for years and removed the disgusting stink that had always come from it.
They improved the local railway and ensured that all future trains would always arrive exactly on time.
Mr Maydig insisted on making improvements to the church roof that had been leaking over the past few weeks and would have been very costly to repair.
George was beginning to feel powerful. as though he was unstoppable.
But at three in the morning, he grew tired.
Um, I ought to be at work at eight, he pointed out to the vicar.
We're just getting started, replied Mr. Maydig.
He looked up at the moon.
Stop the earth from spinning.
That will give us more time to complete our work, as morning will come later.
George hesitated.
Oh, that sounds risky.
I mean, you're talking about stopping the whole planet.
Why not? whispered the vicar.
And there was a look of obsession in his eyes.
George finally agreed.
He took a deep breath and commanded in a ceremonious voice, Stop spinning, Earth!
Instantly, George's world turned upside down.
George was thrown through the air at an incredible speed.
Buildings smashed into pieces before his eyes.
Trees were pulled up from their roots as they span through the air like matchsticks.
The wind roared like a monster from hell.
The village was gone.
The world was in chaos.
What George did not know, because his knowledge of physics was extremely limited, was that he had stopped the spinning of the Earth.
But not the objects on its surface.
Everything had been thrown forward at great speed, In fact at about 600 miles per hour, which is the speed of the surface in England, due to the rotation of the Earth.
Let me be safely down on the ground, he shouted.
He landed hard but alive, the wind terrible in his ears.
A cow flew past his head, crashed into a rock and exploded like an orange.
All around him was destruction.
I've ruined everything, he cried.
A wall of water like an enormous tsunami rushed towards him.
Stop, he screamed.
Lightning flashed must fix this.
He thought carefully.
Let nothing happen until I say off.
The storm paused, as though waiting for some final order from his great God.
Now he said slowly, let everything go back to how it was before.
I did any miracles.
Let me lose this power forever.
Let everybody in the world forget the terrible events of this night.
He closed his eyes.
Off!
So you say. said Toddy Beamish.
George opened his eyes.
He was back in the Long Dragon, arguing about miracles.
He felt slightly confused, as if he had forgotten something of extreme importance.
But the feeling passed.
I tell you, he said confidently, miracles are impossible.
They go against the laws of nature.
They simply can't happen.
So you say, replied Beamish calmly.
Let's define a miracle, George continued.
A miracle is something done by an act of will, something that wouldn't happen naturally.
So you say, Beamish repeated.
George pointed at a lamp hanging from the ceiling.
That lamp couldn't burn upside down, could it?
And that is the end of the story.
The Man Who Could Work Miracles, appropriate, isn't it?
For the events happening in the world at this particular time.
Did you hear the phrases and words that I mentioned at the beginning of the story?
I will just mention them again.
So if you want to see them in context, you can go to my podcast website, practicingenglish.com.
Podcast 299.
And there you can read the whole story there.
So what I'm going to do now is just test you on these seven words and expressions.
And to remind you they were in amusement to boast, deliberately cross somebody's mind costly.
Take a deep breath and spin.
I'm going to give you five sentences.
I will leave a space and you'll hear a bleep.
Where there is a word or expression missing.
You must say the expression which is missing.
And then I'll repeat it just afterwards to give you the answer.
Here we go with the test.
Number one.
The company made a decision that resulted in significant financial losses.
Costly.
A costly decision.
Number two.
Well, it never that they might cancel the events at the last minute.
I just didn't expect it.
Crossed my mind.
It never crossed my mind.
3.
Stephen avoided answering the question because he didn't want to reveal the truth.
Deliberately.
Stephen deliberately avoided answering the question.
Number four.
Donald likes to... about his achievements, even when nobody is really interested.
Boast.
Boast about his achievements.
5.
Jane raised her eyebrows when she realized the mistake was so simple.
6.
In amusement, she raised her eyebrows in amusement.
Right, that is the end of the test.
I hope you enjoyed the story and have learned a few phrases and words today at B2 level.
I'll be back next week with another podcast at B1 level.
Let us hope that those in the world who have so much power learn to use it more wisely.
Goodbye for now.
