Chapter 5 ----The entry test

At exactly half past nine, four women and two men enter the large room.

Mrs Palmer introduces them one by one. They are all teachers. The women

look smart, but one of the men is wearing an old pair of jeans. Mrs Palmer is

not happy with his clothes, but she knows he is a good teacher.

"I'd like to introduce you to Kevin, one of our most popular teachers!" she

says, "and I'd like the eight students sitting in the front row to go with him

to Room 21. You're going to do a short test!"

It is now ten o' clock. Arturo is with a teacher in Room 11. Her name is

Anne Evans. Arturo is looking at four pictures on his question paper. The

pictures tell a story. Arturo is writing the story in English on his answer paper.

Rosa is with Kevin in Room 21. He is testing her listening and speaking.

"How do you spell your surname?" he asks.

"I don't understand?" says Rosa.

"Your surname ... your family name," Kevin explains.

"Do you mean my family in England or in Spain?" Rosa asks.

Kevin is very patient.

"My name's Kevin Foster. My first name's Kevin and my surname's

Foster. Here's a picture of Elvis, the king of rock & roll. His first name's

Elvis. Can you tell me his surname ... his family name?"

"O.K.! O.K.! Now I understand!" answers Rosa. "But in Spain we have

two family names - one from our father and one from our mother. My

family names are Garcia and Fernandez!"

"How do you spell Garcia?" Kevin asks.

Rosa thinks for a moment.

"J. ... I'm sorry ... G. ... A.R.C.I.A. - Is that good?" she asks.

Kevin writes a few words about Rosa's English and then looks at his watch.

He has to speak to five more students before the coffee break at half past ten.

"Thank you, Rosa!", he says. "You understand some English, but your

vocabulary and pronunciation are not so good. I have to check your writing

so please finish the grammar questions and the story and put them on my

table. Now I need to speak to Yukiko! Tell me Yukiko ... Are you learning

English for love or for money?!"