Lesson 1 A Spark in You
Can I Swim? Part 1
Tom ____ is a British teacher.
In the 1970s, he worked at an English ____ boarding school in Argentina.
One day he visited a beach and found a ____ that was injured and alone.
Michell decided to ____ the bird.
He cleaned it, fed it, and even gave it a name—Juan ____.
From that day on, Juan Salvado ____ on the terrace of his room in the school dormitory.
The ____ is part of the story, written by Tom Michell, about the penguin and a boy at the school.
From the first day that I ____ a penguin to live at the school, one student in particular wanted to help with his care.
His name was Diego ____.
Diego was a shy ____ who seemed to be frightened of his own shadow.
One of the best things that travel gives us is the memories of the places we've visited and the special experiences we ____ there.
In order to hold on to these ____ memories, we often bring home souvenirs.
These ____ tend to be objects like postcards, fridge magnets, and key chains.
However, a souvenir ____ have to be something purchased in a gift shop.
In fact, the word souvenir means "memory" in ____, so whatever brings back memories could be called a "souvenir."
Then what can we keep as souvenirs to preserve our travel memories other ____ ordinary gift shop products?
____ look into what other travelers do to make their travel memories last longer.
He struggled with his classes, and none of the after-school activities ____ to suit him.
He was neither ____ nor athletic.
On the ____ field, nobody passed the ball to him or involved him in the game, except to make fun of him.
Diego’s early education had not prepared him well for life at his ____ school.
His knowledge of English was limited, so he ____ conversation.
However, Diego ____ the company of Juan Salvado.
Indeed, on the terrace, ____ could relax.
He had some friends who ____ had trouble fitting in.
Looking after ____ Salvado was good for those boys.
They ____ him fish, swept the terrace, and spent time with him.
Buying souvenirs and taking photos can be good ways to remember a ____, but most of the time I would store these things somewhere and hardly ever look at them, and thus they would be slowly forgotten.
So I came up with my own method of preserving memories in a more interesting and visible ____.
I started doing this two years ago when I got an opportunity to travel around Europe with one of my ____ friends.
It was a spontaneous trip, so we ____ mainly on paper maps from hostels or tourist information offices.
Every day, we planned our route and sightseeing stops on those ____.
When I returned home, I realized I ____ accumulated lots of these maps, and suddenly I thought I could make a souvenir out of them.
I began by cutting out some landmarks from the map that showed the best parts of our trip, such as the Eiffel Tower, St. Peter’s ____, and the Colosseum.
Then I got an ____ plate and pasted the map pieces onto it using special glue.
Finally, I put a layer of sealant over the ____ plate so that the paper wouldn’t fade or wear out over time.
The result is a ____ decoration that I can look at every day.
It is also a terrific reminder of ____ place I visited.
Can I Swim? Part 2
One day, I took ____ Salvado to the school swimming pool with the boys.
As soon as the ____ swimmers left, we brought Juan Salvado to the water to see if he would swim.
Juan Salvado had been living at the school for several ____ by then.
However, in all that time, he had never been able to swim because his feathers had been ____.
“Go on!” I said. The penguin stared at me and then at the pool, like he was asking, “Ah! Is this ____ the fish come from?”
Without ____ encouragement, he jumped in.
With a single movement of his wings, he flew like an arrow across the water and knocked into the wall on the ____ side.
Luckily, he was ____ hurt!
Shortly after my ____ 30 years ago, I went on a road trip with my husband.
We started in New York ____ and drove across the entire country to San Francisco.
There, at a tiny souvenir shop, my husband found a bracelet charm in the shape of the Golden Gate ____.
When I saw this cute little charm, I thought it would be a great souvenir to ____ the trip, so I bought it to hang on my silver bracelet.
This turned ____ to be the beginning of a lifelong tradition.
After a few months, my husband and I got a chance to ____ to Moscow.
____, we happened to find a tiny St. Basil’s Cathedral charm and it reminded me of the first charm from San Francisco.
Without a moment’s hesitation, we ____ it to add to the bracelet.
Since then, we have managed to find the perfect charm on ____ trip.
We ____ have nearly 20 different charms―one from each trip.
We have a Taj Mahal charm from India, a Parthenon charm ____ Greece, and even an elephant charm from Kenya.
As my children grew up, they helped choose some of the charms, so our whole family can look back at every trip we’ve ____ together.
I ____ never had the opportunity to study a penguin in the water before.
I was ____ with the awkward way that Juan Salvado walked on land, but now I watched in awe.
Using ____ a stroke or two, he flew at great speed from one end of the pool to the other, turning swiftly before touching the sides.
It was amazing! Everyone could see how much he was ____ himself.
“Ooh! Aah!” The boys shouted, as ____ they were watching a fireworks display.
After a while, Diego came ____ and asked quietly, “Can I swim, too?”
I was astonished. He ____ never gone near the pool before.
I was not ____ sure if he could swim.
“The water is cold, and it’s getting ____.
Are you sure you want to go in?” I ____.
“Please!” “All right ____,” I said, “but be quick!”
Whether it’s for uploading status messages and selfies on social networks or for looking up the best restaurants, staying connected online is ____ an option but a must for many travelers these days.
However, finding an affordable way to get a ____ connection when traveling overseas can be very challenging.
So I ____ a SIM card when I get to a foreign country.
At a reasonable price I can get the same connection speed as the ____.
That’s not all. Because countries all have different telecommunication companies, each SIM ____ is a unique souvenir of my trip to that country.
What’s more, as SIM cards don’t take up luggage ____, they’re very easy to take home.
I have a collection of nine already, and it’s ____ fast!
____ thing I collect might sound strange: Wi-Fi hotspots.
Whenever I’m in a place I want to remember, I purposely connect to the ____.
Then, the hotspot name is automatically stored on my phone ____ that time on!
Occasionally I glance through the list of all the museums, resorts, ____, and other places I’ve visited in my travels.
____ I can’t connect to these hotspots when I get home, just catching a glimpse of one of their names on the list makes me excited.
All the memories from that place come ____ into my mind, and I can remember exactly what it was like to be, for example, at that peaceful terrace near the shore in Bali.
For a ____, it’s almost like I’m actually there!
Can I Swim? Part 3
I had never ____ him so excited before.
His eyes were shining with joy, and he seemed to be truly ____ for the first time.
Without hesitating, he dived into the ____ water.
I was ready to jump in and ____ him if he could not swim.
However, I ____ realized that I did not have anything to worry about.
Not only could Diego swim, but he ____ magnificently!
He chased after ____ Salvado, and they swam in perfect harmony.
It was like a duet ____ for violin and piano.
Sometimes Juan Salvado took the lead and Diego followed ____ him.
At other times ____ went ahead and the penguin swam around the boy.
Occasionally they swam so ____ that they almost touched.
For me, the best souvenirs are new friends I make ____ traveling.
Obviously, I can’t put the people in my suitcase to take them home, but while we’re together, I can have ____ and laugh with them.
Sometimes I ____ them on social media or ask for their contact information so that I can stay in touch with them.
Two years ago I made ____ with an elderly couple from Japan I met at the Jeonju Hanok Village.
____ in the restroom, I happened upon a woman’s bag.
Right ____, I took it to a nearby police station.
When I got there, I met an elderly couple who had come there ____ for their lost bag.
Happily, the woman was the owner of the ____ that I had found, so I handed it to them.
They were so thankful that they treated me to dinner, and we had a ____ time together.
We still keep in touch, and last year they even ____ my home in Gyeongju.
For me, this proves that a good relationship is the best souvenir, because it can ____ the memories of a trip last for a long time.
Save ____ Memories with Your Own Souvenirs
In the end, travel is really about personal memories and unique experiences that will color your soul and enrich your ____.
So the next time you think about grabbing a souvenir as a reminder of your trip, remember: whatever captures your own priceless moments will be better than any souvenir ____ can easily buy with money.
I was ____ speechless.
Suddenly Diego was ____ the sad little boy we had become used to.
He was a very normal boy with a very special ____.
“____! You can swim!”
“Yes, I can ____.”
“I mean ____ are able to swim really well. Brilliantly, in fact!”
“Do you ____ so?”
He asked without looking directly at me, but I saw a smile on his ____.
As we returned to the dormitory, Diego ____ me that his father had taught him how to swim in the river by their home.
It was the first time he had talked about his ____.
I listened in silence, without making any corrections to his English, as he talked nonstop all the way back to the ____.
Can I Swim? Part 4
The events of that ____ were extraordinary.
A child had gone down to the water to swim with a penguin, and shortly afterward, a young ____ had emerged.
The ugly duckling ____ become a swan.
It was ____ a turning point.
Diego’s ____ grew quickly after that day.
When the school had a swimming competition, he won ____ race he participated in.
The encouragement and acknowledgement given by the other ____ was genuine.
He had ____ the respect of his classmates.
____ the next few weeks, his grades improved and he became more popular.
Thanks to a swim with a penguin, a lonely ____ life was changed forever.