Issue 283 - The kindness of strangers

rat

Find out more about
Net Languages courses
Basic

Vocabulary: Vocabulary from the podcast

Look and listen.

 

 Can you remember? Choose the correct option.

 

 

The kindness of strangers

Listen to the podcast and read.

The kindness of strangers

Perhaps there is a lot of bad news, but there isn’t much good news, about positive things that happen.

So, when we hear good news about generosity and kindness it can make us feel good. One good news story happened in Barcelona, Spain recently. The story is about a woman, Beatriz. She stopped her motorcycle at the traffic lights in a busy street to tie the shoelaces of an elderly woman who was crossing the street. The woman, Núria, was carrying heavy shopping bags.

Beatriz saw Núria crossing the street. She saw that Núria’s shoelaces were not tied. She called out to Núria, "Madam! Your laces. You'll trip on them." But it was impossible for Núria to stop to tie her laces. Beatriz parked her motorcycle on the sidewalk. She tied Núria's laces.

Núria was surprised and didn’t have a chance to thank Beatriz. She couldn't see Beatriz's face because she was wearing a helmet. Beatriz tied the laces and then got on her motorcycle and left.

When Núria got home she wrote a letter to the La Vanguardia newspaper. She explained what had happened. She ended her letter saying how much she wanted to thank the woman who helped her. The newspaper published Núria's letter a few days later, and then it was also repeated on the radio. By chance, Beatriz was listening to the radio that day. She heard the story and realised that they were talking about her.

A meeting was arranged for Núria and Beatriz, and Núria finally hugged and thanked Beatriz for helping her. It was a happy end to the story, and also a reminder of the important things in life, kindess and generosity.

Find out more about
Net Languages courses
Intermediate

 

The kindness of strangers

Listen to the podcast and read. Then answer the questions in the Comprehension section.

The kindness of strangers

Perhaps we are used to stories of bad news, stories of negative or destructive things, and we don’t hear much about the good, positive things that happen.

So, when we hear good news about generosity and kindness it can make us feel good. One news story like this occurred in Barcelona, Spain recently. The story is about a woman, Beatriz, who stopped her motorcycle at the traffic lights in a busy street to tie the shoelaces of an elderly woman crossing the street.

The woman, Núria, was returning home carrying heavy shopping bags. As Beatriz stopped at the traffic lights, she noticed Núria crossing the road. She saw that Núria’s shoelaces were not tied. She immediately thought of her own mother in a similar situation. She called out to Núira "Madam! Your laces. You'll trip on them." She realised that it was impossible for Núria to tie her laces carrying those heavy bags. So, she parked her motorcycle on the sidewalk and without even taking off her helmet, she knelt down and tied Núria's laces.

Núria was surprised and didn’t have a chance to thank her helper. She couldn't even see the woman's face. Beatriz tied the laces with double knots and then got back on her bike and was gone. Núria stopped on the sidewalk. She looked down at her perfectly tied laces. "She even straightened the tongues of the shoes", she said to herself.

When Núria got home she wrote a letter to editor of the La Vanguardia newspaper briefly explaining what had happened: She ended her letter saying how much she would like to thank the woman who helped her. The newspaper published Núria's letter a few days later, and then it was also repeated on the radio. By chance, Beatriz was listening to the radio that day. She heard the story and realised that they were talking about her.

A meeting was arranged for Núria and Beatriz, and Núria finally got to hug and thank Beatriz for helping her. It was a happy end to the story, and also a reminder of the important things in life, kindess and generosity.

Now answer the questions in the Comprehension section.

Comprehension: Check your understanding

Choose the correct option.

Find out more about
Net Languages courses
Advanced

 

The kindness of strangers

Listen to the podcast and read. Then answer the questions in the Comprehension section.

The kindness of strangers

Perhaps we are so used to stories of bad news, stories of negative or destructive things, that we lose sight of the good things that happen and the so important positive things in life.

As a result, when we do get to hear good news about generosity and benevolence it's all the more uplifting. One such story occurred in Barcelona, Spain recently. The story is about a woman who stopped her motorcycle at the traffic lights in a busy street to tie the shoelaces of an elderly woman crossing the street carrying heavy shopping bags. The protagonists of this story, Beatriz and Núria finally met a week later, with an embrace that lasted much longer than their first fleeting encounter.

They crossed paths for the first time a week before at a busy intersection. Núria was returning home laden with shopping bags. As Beatriz stopped at the traffic lights, she noticed Núria crossing the road with her shoelaces untied. She immediately thought of her own mother in such a predicament and called out to Núira "Madam! Your laces. You'll trip on them." She then realised that it was impossible for Núria to tie her laces carrying those heavy bags. So, she parked her motorbike on the sidewalk, leaving it running, and without even taking off her helmet, knelt down and tied Núria's laces.

Núria was fascinated but had no time to react and thank her helper. She couldn't even see the woman's face. Beatriz tied the laces with double knots and then got back on her bike and was gone. Núria stopped on the sidewalk to take it all in, staring down at her perfectly tied laces. "She even straightened the tongue of the shoes", she said to herself.

When Núria got home she was so moved by the experience that she wrote a letter to editor of the La Vanguardia newspaper briefly explaining what had happened and ending by saying how much she would like to thank the woman who helped her. As chance would have it, this would soon be possible. Núria's letter was published a few days later, a radio station picked up the story and Núria's wish, which soon turned into reality. Beatriz just happened to be listening to the radio that day, heard the story and realised that the announcer was talking about her.

As a result of Núria's request, a meeting was arranged and Núria finally got to hug and thank Beatriz; a happy end on all counts, a small gesture of thoughtfulness and generosity to remind us of the important things in life.

Now answer the questions in the Comprehension section.

Comprehension: Check your understanding

Choose the correct option.

Interview: listen to more about the topic

Think about your answers to the following questions. Then listen to somebody answering the same questions. Were your answers similar?

Find out more about
Net Languages courses