A traveling salesman had to walk so much that his feet often hurt His doctor told him that salt water was the best thing for them, so the salesman decided to go to the sea for his vacation that year. Since all of the hotels near the sea were expensive, he went to a small hotel far away from the beach.

In the morning he went down to the calm sea with a bucket, went over to the lifeguard and asked whether he would be allowed to take a bucket of salt water. The lifeguard seemed very surprised but said, "Yes, although you'll have to pay twenty-five cents for it."

The salesman gave the lifeguard twenty-five cents, filled his bucket, took it to his hotel and put his feet in the water

After lunch, he came down to the beach again. The tide had gone out now, so the sea was much lower. The salesman thought, "That man has a very good business. He must have sold thousands of buckets since this morning."

A     Answer these questions:

1. Why did the salesman's feet hurt?
2. Why did the salesman go to the sea for his vacation?
3. What did he ask the lifeguard?
4. What did the lifeguard say to the salesman?
5. What did the salesman do then?
6. Why was the sea much lower in the afternoon?
7. What did the salesman think?

B      Which words in the story mean the opposite of:

1. cheap
2. forbidden
3. close to
4. higher
5. rough

C     Complete the second sentence in each pair (both sentences have the same meaning):

Example: a. The salesman had difficulty in finding an inexpensive hotel.

                 b. It was difficult for the salesman to find an inexpensive hotel.

1. a. Frequently, doctors used to send their patients to the seashore for a rest.

    b. It was very common ________________________________________.

2. a. The salesman behaved stupidly when he asked the lifeguard whether he could take some water.

    b. It was stupid __________________________________.

3. a. The lifeguard was able to cheat the salesman easily.

    b. It was easy __________________________________.

4. a. The salesman was being silly when he thought the lifeguard had sold thousands of buckets of water.

    b. It was silly _______________________________.

5. a. Nobody could possibly know so little.

    b. It would be impossible ___________________________________________.