ESL 281: He Goes to War to Save His Baby


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Roland was a carpenter in Virginia. He and Sheila had three kids—two boys and baby Jessica. The baby had been in and out of the hospital for the last year because of infections and other problems. She was very weak and sick. The doctors were not confident that she would live another year.

Taking care of Jessica was expensive. The family was deep in debt. Roland, an independent subcontractor, had medical insurance, but he had very high deductibles.

Things were bad. Roland saw no light at the end of this tunnel. Then he saw an ad in the newspaper: "Security guards/contract workers wanted. $100,000 a year. First $80,000 tax free. $20,000 bonus for extending contract an extra year." He called the number. The line was busy, but he kept calling and finally got through. He was worried that the jobs were all taken, but they told him plenty of jobs were still available. They said they would give him two weeks of training in Texas. Then they would fly him to Iraq for his assignment.

Roland told Sheila he had to take this job. He knew it was dangerous; he might get injured or killed, but the money was too good. Plus, the family would have full medical benefits, which would enable the baby to get the care she needed. Roland said if he survived the first year, he would probably sign up for the bonus and a second year.

Sheila was worried. She asked, "What if you get killed? What are we going to do without you?"

"You can't think like that, honey," he said. "You've got to think positive. Think about how well off we'll be in two or three years after I bring back all that money. This is the best thing I could do for this family."

Sheila hugged him and sobbed. "I don't want you to go."

Roland flew to Houston five days later.

*Vocabulary:

• assignment:
• benefit:
• bonus:
• carpenter:
• confident:
• contract:
• debt:
• deductible:
• guard:
• independent:
• infection:
• positive:
• security:
• subcontractor:
• survive:
• tunnel:
• well off:

--------------------

*Wh-Questions:

• What did he do?

• Where did he live?

• What was his wife's name?

• How many kids did they have?

• What was their baby's name?

• Where had the baby been for the last year?

• Why had she been in and out of the hospital?

• How did the doctors feel about the baby's future?

• What was expensive?

• What was the family's financial position?

--------------------

*Fill in blanks:

Roland was a carpenter in Virginia. He and____ had three kids—two boys and baby Jessica. The ____ had been in and out of the hospital ____ the last year because of infections and other ____ . She was very weak and sick. The doctors ____ not confident that she would live another year.

____ care of Jessica was expensive. The family was ____ in debt. Roland, an independent subcontractor, had medical ____ , but he had very high deductibles.

Things were ____ . Roland saw no light at the end of ____ tunnel. Then he saw an ad in the ____ : “Security guards/contract workers wanted. $100,000 a year. First ____ ,000 tax free. $20,000 bonus for extending contract an ____ year.” He called the number. The line was ____ , but he kept calling and finally got through. ____ was worried that the jobs were all taken, ____ they told him plenty of jobs were still ____ . They said they would give him two weeks ____ training in Texas. Then they would fly him ____ Iraq for his assignment.

Roland told Sheila he____ to take this job. He knew it was____ ; he might get injured or killed, but the ____ was too good. Plus, the family would have ____ medical benefits, which would enable the baby to ____ the care she needed. Roland said if he ____ the first year, he would probably sign up ____ the bonus and a second year.

Sheila was ____ . She asked, “What if you get killed? What ____ we going to do without you?”

“You can’t ____ like that, honey,” he said. “You’ve got to ____ positive. Think about how well off we’ll be ____ two or three years after I bring back ____ that money. This is the best thing I ____ do for this family.”

Sheila hugged him and ____ . “I don’t want you to go.”

Roland flew ____ Houston five days later.

------------------

*Translate into Vietnamese:

............

ESL 281: He Goes to War to Save His Baby

*Vocabulary:

• assignment: nhiệm vụ
• benefit: lợi ích
• bonus: tiền thưởng
• carpenter: thợ mộc
• confident: tự tin
• contract: hợp đồng
• debt: nợ
• deductible: trừ vào
• guard: bảo vệ
• independent: độc lập
• infection: nhiễm trùng
• positive: dương tính, lạc quan
• security: an ninh
• subcontractor: nhà thầu phụ
• survive: còn sống
• tunnel: hầm
• well off: dư dả

===========================================================

*Wh-Questions:

• What did he do? carpenter

• Where did he live? Virginia

• What was his wife's name? Sheila

• How many kids did they have? three kids

• What was their baby's name? Jessica

• Where had the baby been for the last year? in and out of the hospital

• Why had she been in and out of the hospital? because ò infections and other problems

• How did the doctors feel about the baby's future? were not confident that she would live another year.

• What was expensive? taking care of Jessica

• What was the family's financial position? deep in debt

===========================================================

*Fill in blanks:

Roland was a carpenter in Virginia. He and__Sheila__ had three kids—two boys and baby Jessica. The _baby___ had been in and out of the hospital __for__ the last year because of infections and other _problems___ . She was very weak and sick. The doctors _were___ not confident that she would live another year.

__Taking__ care of Jessica was expensive. The family was __deep__ in debt. Roland, an independent subcontractor, had medical __ínurance__ , but he had very high deductibles.

Things were __bad__ . Roland saw no light at the end of _this___ tunnel. Then he saw an ad in the ____newspaper__ : “Security guards/contract workers wanted. $100,000 a year. First __$80__ ,000 tax free. $20,000 bonus for extending contract an __extra__ year.” He called the number. The line was __busy__ , but he kept calling and finally got through. __He__ was worried that the jobs were all taken, _but___ they told him plenty of jobs were still ____available__ . They said they would give him two weeks __of__ training in Texas. Then they would fly him __to__ Iraq for his assignment.

Roland told Sheila he__had__ to take this job. He knew it was____dangerous__ ; he might get injured or killed, but the __money__ was too good. Plus, the family would have __full__ medical benefits, which would enable the baby to __get__ the care she needed. Roland said if he ____survived__ the first year, he would probably sign up __for__ the bonus and a second year.

Sheila was ____worried__ . She asked, “What if you get killed? What __are__ we going to do without you?”

“You can’t ____think__ like that, honey,” he said. “You’ve got to ____think__ positive. Think about how well off we’ll be __in__ two or three years after I bring back __all__ that money. This is the best thing I _could___ do for this family.”

Sheila hugged him and ____sobbed__ . “I don’t want you to go.”

Roland flew __to__ Houston five days later.

==========================================================

*Translate into Vietnamese:

Đi lính để cứu con

Roland là thợ mộc ở Virginia. Anh và Sheila có ba con-hai trai và bé Jessica. Bé phải ra vào bệnh viện năm rồi cả năm vì nhiễm trùng và những vấn đề khác. Bé gái rất yếu và bệnh. Các bác sĩ không tin tưởng em có thể sống thêm một năm nữa.

Chăm sóc Jessica rất đắt tiền. Gia đình nợ nần chồng chất. Roland, một nhà thầu phụ độc lập, có bảo hiểm y tế, nhưng bị khấu trừ rất cao.

Mọi việc rất tệ. Roland không thấy ánh sáng cuối đường hầm. Rồi bỗng anh thấy quảng cáo trên báo: "Bảo vệ an ninh/cần người làm hợp đồng. $100,000 một năm. $80,000 đầu tiên miễn thuế. $20,000 tiền thưởng cho kéo dài hợp đồng thêm một năm nữa." Anh gọi số đó. Đường dây bận, nhưng anh tiếp tục gọi và cuối cùng được nối máy. Anh lo là công việc đã hết, nhưng họ bảo anh vẫn còn nhiều chỗ. Họ nói họ sẽ huấn luyện anh hai tuần ở Texas. Rồi họ sẽ chở máy bay để anh đến Iraq làm nhiệm vụ.

Roland nói với Sheila anh sẽ nhận công việc này. Anh biết là nguy hiểm; anh có thể bị thương hay giết chết, nhưng tiền công quá tốt. Thêm nữa, gia đình có thể có ích lợi y tế, giúp cho em bé có được sự chăm sóc mà bé cần. Roland nói nếu anh sống sót trong năm đầu tiên, anh sẽ có thể ký tiền thưởng và năm thứ hai.

Sheila lo lắng. Cô hỏi, "Nếu anh bị giết thì sao? Bọn em sẽ làm gì nếu không có anh?"

"Em không thể nghĩ như thế, em yêu," anh nói. "Em phải nghĩ tích cực. Nghĩ về sự dư dả trong hai hay ba năm sau khi anh mang về số tiền đó. Đó là điều tốt nhất mà anh có thể làm được cho gia đình này."

Sheila ôm anh và khóc nức nở. "Em không muốn anh đi."

Roland bay đến Houston năm ngày sau.

LESSON 281:

HE GOES TO WAR TO SAVE HIS BABY-
THAM GIA CHIẾN TRẬN ĐỂ CỨU CON GÁI.

===========================================================

*Vocabulary:
----------------------------------------------------------------
• assignment: bổ nhiệm, nhiệm vụ.
• benefit: phúc lợi, tiền trợ cấp.
• bonus: tiền thưởng.
• carpenter: thợ mộc.
• confident: tin chắc, chắc chắn.
• contract: hợp đồng.
• debt: nợ.
• deductible: việc giảm trừ, khấu trừ.
• guard: canh gác, bảo vệ.
• independent: độc lập.
• infection: nhiễm trùng.
• positive: xác thực, rõ ràng, chắc chắn.
• security: an ninh, an toàn.
• subcontractor: nhà thầu phụ.
• survive: còn sống, sống sót.
• tunnel: đường hầm.
• well off: giàu có, dư dả.

===========================================================

*Wh-Questions:
------------------------------------------------------------------
• What did he do?
- He was a carpenter.

• Where did he live?
- He lived in Virginia.

• What was his wife's name?
- His wife's name was Sheila.

• How many kids did they have?
- They had three kids.

• What was their baby's name?
- Their baby's name was Jessica.

• Where had the baby been for the last year?
- The baby had been in and out of the hospital for the last year.

• Why had she been in and out of the hospital?
- Because she was very weak and sick.

• How did the doctors feel about the baby's future?
- The doctors felt that she would live another year.

• What was expensive?
-Taking care of Jessica was expensive.

• What was the family's financial position?
- The family was deep in debt.

===========================================================

*Fill in blanks:
------------------------------------------------------------------
Roland was a carpenter in Virginia. He and Sheila had three kids—two boys and baby Jessica. The baby had been in and out of the hospital for the last year because of infections and other problems. She was very weak and sick. The doctors was not confident that she would live another year.

Taking care of Jessica was expensive. The family was deep in debt. Roland, an independent subcontractor, had medical inssurance, but he had very high deductibles.

Things were bad. Roland saw no light at the end of the tunnel. Then he saw an ad in the newspaper: “Security guards/contract workers wanted. $100,000 a year. First 80,000 tax free. $20,000 bonus for extending contract an extra year.” He called the number. The line was busy, but he kept calling and finally got through. He was worried that the jobs were all taken, but they told him plenty of jobs were still avaiable. They said they would give him two weeks of training in Texas. Then they would fly him to Iraq for his assignment.

Roland told Sheila he had to take this job. He knew it was dangerous; he might get injured or killed, but the money was too good. Plus, the family would have full medical benefits, which would enable the baby to get the care she needed. Roland said if he survive the first year, he would probably sign up for the bonus and a second year.

Sheila was worried. She asked, “What if you get killed? What are we going to do without you?”

“You can’t think like that, honey,” he said. “You’ve got to think positive. Think about how well off we’ll be in two or three years after I bring back all that money. This is the best thing I could do for this family.”

Sheila hugged him and sobbed. “I don’t want you to go.”

Roland flew to Houston five days later.

===========================================================

*Translate into Vietnamese:
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Roland là thợ mộc ở Virginia. Anh và Sheila có ba đứa con-hai cậu con trai và bé gái Jessica. Bé gái đã ra vô bệnh viện trong cả năm qua vì nhiễm trùng và những vấn đề khác. Con bé không được khoẻ và ốm đau suốt. Các bác sĩ không dám chắc bé có thể sống thêm một năm nữa.

Việc chăm sóc Jessica rất tốn kém. Gia đình đang nợ ngập đầu. Roland, một nhà thầu phụ độc lập, có bảo hiểm y tế, nhưng anh bị khấu trừ rất cao.

Mọi thứ đều tồi tệ. Roland không thấy một tia sáng nào le lói cuối đường hầm cả. Sau đó anh đọc được một mẫu quảng cáo trên báo: "Cần một nhân viên bảo vệ/làm việc theo hợp đồng. 100.000 đô-la một năm. Trước tiên là 80.000 đô-la miễn thuế. Thưởng 20.000 đô-la cho việc kéo dài hợp đồng thêm một năm." Anh gọi số điện thoại. Đường dây bận, nhưng anh vẫn cứ gọi và cuối cùng anh liên lạc được. Anh lo lắng tất cả các công việc đã được xin hết, nhưng họ nói với anh còn nhiều việc lắm. Họ nói sẽ tổ chức cho anh hai tuần huấn luyện ở Texas. Sau đó họ sẽ cho anh bay sang Irag để nhận nhiệm vụ.

Roland bảo với Sheila là anh phải làm công việc này. Anh biết công việc đó nguy hiểm; anh có thể bị thương hoặc bị giết, nhưng số tiền thật hấp dẫn. Thêm vào đó, cả gia đình sẽ có đầy đủ phúc lợi về y tế, là điều có khả năng giúp cho con gái nhận được sự chăm sóc mà nó đang cần. Roland nói nếu anh vẫn còn sống qua năm đầu tiên, chắc chắn anh sẽ anh sẽ đăng ký để nhận thưởng và đăng ký năm thứ hai.

Sheila lo lắng. Cô hỏi, "Chuyện gì sẽ xảy ra nếu anh bị giết? Cả nhà sẽ làm gì nếu không có anh? "

"Này mình, em không thể suy nghĩ như thế được," anh nói. Em phải có cách suy nghĩ tích cực chứ. Hãy nghĩ chúng ta sẽ dư dả như thế nào trong hai hay ba năm sau khi anh mang về tất cả chừng ấy tiền. Đây là điều tốt nhất anh có thể làm cho gia đình mình."

Sheila ôm anh và khóc nức nở. "Em không muốn anh đi đâu."

Roland bay đến Houston năm ngày sau đó.