Lesson38 Everythingexcept the weather
[if !vml][endif]My old friend,Harrison, had lived in the Mediterranean for many years before he returned toEngland. He had often dreamed of retiring in England and had planned to settle down in the country. He had no sooner returnedthan he bought a house and went to live there. Almost immediately hebegan to complain about the weather, for even though it was still summer, itrained continually and it was often bitterly cold. After so many years ofsunshine, Harrison got a shock. He acted as if he had never lived in Englandbefore. In the end, it was more than he could bear. He had hardly had time tosettle down when he sold the house and left the country. The dream he had hadfor so many years ended there. Harrison had thought of everything except the weather.
maɪ əʊld frɛnd, ˈhærɪs(ə)n, hæd lɪvd ɪn ðə ˌmɛdɪtəˈreɪnjən fɔː ˈmɛni jɪəz bɪˈfɔː hiː rɪˈtɜːnd tuː ˈɪŋglənd. hiː hæd ˈɒf(ə)n driːmd ɒvrɪˈtaɪərɪŋ ɪn ˈɪŋglənd ænd hæd plænd tuː ˈsɛtl daʊn ɪn ðə ˈkʌntri. hiː hæd nəʊ ˈsuːnə rɪˈtɜːnd ðæn hiː bɔːt ə haʊs ænd wɛnt tuː lɪvðeə. ˈɔːlməʊst ɪˈmiːdiətli hiː bɪˈgæn tuː kəmˈpleɪn əˈbaʊt ðə ˈwɛðə, fɔːr ˈiːvən ðəʊ ɪt wɒz stɪl ˈsʌmə, ɪt reɪnd kənˈtɪnjʊəli ænd ɪt wɒzˈɒf(ə)n ˈbɪtəli kəʊld. ˈɑːftə səʊ ˈmɛni jɪəz ɒv ˈsʌnʃaɪn, ˈhærɪs(ə)n gɒt ə ʃɒk. hiː ˈæktɪd æz ɪf hiː hæd ˈnɛvə lɪvd ɪn ˈɪŋglənd bɪˈfɔː. ɪnði ɛnd, ɪt wɒz mɔː ðæn hiː kʊd beə. hiː hæd ˈhɑːdli hæd taɪm tuː ˈsɛtl daʊn wɛn hiː səʊld ðə haʊs ænd lɛft ðə ˈkʌntri. ðə driːm hiːhæd hæd fɔː səʊ ˈmɛni jɪəz ˈɛndɪd ðeə. ˈhærɪs(ə)n hæd θɔːt ɒv ˈɛvrɪθɪŋ ɪkˈsɛpt ðə ˈwɛðə.
