Text 2
When I got to the airport, I learnt that the plane from Cairo, on which my brother was travelling, had been
delayed at Paris with engine trouble and was expected to be about an hour late. As a rule I can pass the time quite
happily; watching the planes land and take off, but that evening I had a headache; which I thought that the noise of the
engines might make worse. I decided, therefore to walk around to make the time pass quickly.
First of all I went back to the place where I had left my car to make sure that all the doors were locked. The walk
in the fresh air did me good, for I felt slightly better as I entered the main airport building again. I made my way to the
restaurant, where I ordered a cup of black coffee. As I stood drinking this at the counter, I studied the faces of the
people around me. Some passengers were obviously anxious about the time, and kept looking at their watches; others
checked to see that they had tickets, passports and money. Where there was a group of people, it was easy to tell
which one was about to leave. He was the object of everyone’s attention and looked either very happy or very sad at
the thought of departure.
There was one woman who burst into tears as she said goodbye to the relatives or friends who had come to
see her off. When I had finished my coffee, I went along to the bookstall, where I bought a couple of magazines, both of
them about travel, which would help to make the time pass pleasantly. Then I went into one of the waiting-rooms and
made myself comfortable in a big armchair. I had hardly had time to open one of my magazines, when someone came
up and put his hand on my shoulder. It was an old friend; who was just about to leave on a business trip to South
America. Since we had not seen each other for a long time, we found plenty to talk about until the arrival of my brother’s
plane from Paris was announced.
According to the text 2...
