Task 2 · Listening · Variant 6

Philip: Ellen, come here and stand by the back door. Look at the rain.

Ellen: This is quite a storm! It's good to be home in such nasty weather.

Philip: Remember the last time we had thunder and lightning like this? The old cherry tree we had in our back yard was struck by lightning. I was afraid the nearby trees would also catch fire. If I'm not mistaken it was two or three years ago. We lost our electrical power as well.

Ellen: Luckily, it was in the middle of the day. Having no electricity at night is a lot different from having none during the day.

Philip: We must have talked about that because I remember going out the next day to buy a box of candles — just in case of a power failure.

Ellen: Well, let's hope that doesn't happen tonight and we won't need them. Shall I call your friend Mark and ask him for dinner? He is a good storyteller and it would be nice to hear one of his stories.

Philip: Why not? Would you hand me the electric mixer, please? I forgot to finish mashing the potatoes.

Ellen: Here you are.

Philip: Thanks.

Ellen: There go the lights. It has happened again. We've got no electricity.

Philip: I can't see a thing. I guess, no mashed potatoes for dinner today.

Ellen: Philip, why don't you call the power company? Tell them we have a problem on Linden Street. And I'll light the candles if I manage to find a box of matches in the cupboard. Here they are. Philip, doesn't the kitchen look great in candlelight?

Philip: It does… I called the company. They already know about the electrical problem. A tree fell onto a power line on the next street. People from nearby houses called them. They don't know how long the lights will be out.

Ellen: Philip, I just thought about Mrs. Romero. She's quite old, and she lives all alone in that big house. Wouldn't she be more comfortable spending the evening with us?

Philip: Ellen, set another place for dinner. I'll go and invite her over right now.