مکالمه ی فعالانه قسمت الف

Active Speaking - Part A

John Smith was a charming conman in London in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Who was John Smith? John Smith was a charming conman in London in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

The first name John and the last name Smith are some of the most common names in the English language.

Is the first name John and the last name Smith common names? Yes, the first name John and the last name Smith are some of the most common names in the English language.

If you’re guessing that wasn’t his real name, you would be right. It’s one of many aliases.

Was John Smith his real name? No, John Smith was not his real name. It was one of many aliases.

He also went by Lord Wilton de Willoughby.

What other name did he use? He also went by Lord Wilton de Willoughby.

Lord Willoughby’s favorite scam was to pretend to be a fabulously rich and generous aristocrat.

Did Lord Willoughby pretend to be a fabulously rich and generous politician? No, Lord Willoughby didn’t pretend to be a fabulously rich and generous politician. Lord Willoughby pretended to be a fabulously rich and generous aristocrat.

He would meet women and invite them out on his yacht.

Would he invite women to his house? No, he wouldn’t invite women to his house. He would invite them out on his yacht.

His generosity didn’t end there, though. He also regularly offered to buy his victims new clothes and jewelry, so they would be properly dressed for their date at sea.

What did he offer to buy his victims? He offered to buy his victims new clothes and jewelry. Why did he say he wanted to buy them new clothes and jewelry? He said he wanted to buy them new clothes and jewelry, so they would be properly dressed for their date at sea.

He’d leave them with a check for the clothes and take their watches and rings so he could get the size right when he bought them new jewelry.

What reason did he give for taking their watches and rings? He said he was taking their watches and rings so he could get the size right when he bought them new jewelry.

Of course, the checks bounced and charming Lord Willoughby would disappear.

What happened to the checks? The checks bounced. What happened to Lord Willoughby?

Lord Willoughby would disappear.

This scam worked well for Lord Willoughby, but not so much for Adolf Beck, a middle-aged businessman down on his luck.

Was Adolf Beck a lucky man? No, Adolf Beck was not a lucky man. Adolf Beck was down on his luck.

Beck was a jack-of-all-trades, but being a conman was not one of them.

Who was a jack-of-all-trades? Beck was a jack-of-all-trades.

He was trained as a chemist in his home country of Norway but soon moved to England where he worked for a shipping company.

Where was Beck from? Beck was from Norway. What did he do in England? In England, he worked for a shipping company.

In the 1860’s, Beck moved to South America where he worked as a singer, invested in real estate and also worked in the shipping industry.

What did Beck do in South America? In South America, he worked as a singer, invested in real estate and also worked in the shipping industry.

In 1885, Beck returned to England a wealthy man.

When did Beck return to England? Beck returned to England in 1885.

He invested his savings into a copper mine in Norway that eventually went bust.

What happened to Beck’s copper mine? Becks copper mine went bust.

By 1895, he was middle-aged and penniless, but tried his best to keep up appearances by dressing in the manner of a still wealthy man.

Was Beck young and rich in 1895? No, Beck wasn’t young and rich in 1895. Beck was middle-aged and penniless in 1895. How did he dress? He dressed in the manner of a still wealthy man.