Georgina's Cafe

As she leaned over the table to wipe it with the soapy cloth, a strand of hair fell across her face. Georgina straightened. With her free hand she pushed the hair back behind her ear and looked over her kingdom. It was a small cafe serving simple food and, although it would never make her rich, it was a living. Outside it was a cold wintry day and the cafe was full of lunch-time customers.

At the table by the door sat a group of construction workers. They were very loud, laughing and joking between mouthfuls of meat pie and gulps of hot tea. On the next table was old Pete, who had come to eat his midday meal, alone and silent, just as he had every day since his wife died five years ago. He was Georgina's favourite customer because he didn't bark out orders to her, like many of the other customers did. In a far corner, a few penniless students and unemployed men were drinking tea and reading their papers to keep out of the cold.

In her early thirties, Georgina was small and plump with dark hair and a complexion that had become pale from constantly working in­side the cafe. She paid little attention to her appearance, wearing practical, but shapeless, clothing covered by an apron. She was too weary to care how she looked, what with working such long hours to run the cafe single-handedly. Yet, even though looking attractive was the last thing on her mind, she couldn't disguise her pretty face and fine large eyes.

When she was younger, Georgina had imagined that she would have a glamorous career and travel the world. But leaving school at sixteen with no qualifications did little to open the doors of opportunity for her. In a way, she supposed, she should be grateful that her uncle had left his business to her. She was her own boss, following orders from no one. Yet she found it hard to be thankful for the way her life had turned out, working hard every day in the cafe. It was a life that would probably remain exactly the same until she could claim her pension in another thirty years.

The trouble with Georgina was that she was afraid to make changes. Instead of carrying on the little cafe just as her uncle had left it, she had dreamt of turning it into a trendy bistro. She had the skills, she could cook good food, but she was afraid of failure. So she found herself stuck in a rut of her own making, desperate for some excitement, some change in her life, and in total despair of ever making it happen.

Georgina came back to earth as one of the workmen shouted for her to bring some fresh tea over to their table. She still had many hours of work to do before she returned to her small flat to curl up on the sofa with her cat and watch some television. Once she had finished serving customers she would have to clean the cafe, as well as prepare everything to be cooked the next day. Her shoulders slumped a little at the thought, as she turned back to the kitchen to make more tea.

As she put the fresh pot on the table, the door opened and a sharp blast of cold air brought goose pimples to her bare arms. In the doorway stood a young man looking confused. Georgina looked over to him and asked him to shut the door before he let any more of the cold in. "I just want some directions for a street nearby," he explained. Georgina laughed and told him that it was quite safe for him to come inside and have a warming cup of tea while getting the directions he needed. The young man was well-dressed and didn't look as though he spent much time in ordinary cafes but, as he stepped inside and closed the door behind him he smiled at her and said. "I don't mind if I do."

А15 In the first paragraph, the writer suggests that Georgina

1 was busier than usual that day.

2 was quite satisfied with her cafe.

3 felt proud of the food she served.

4 found it difficult to survive financially.

А16 Many of Georgina's customers that day

1 seemed lonely.

2 were rude and demanding.

3 didn't have enough money to eat anywhere else.

4 only came to her cafe to stay warm.

А17 Georgina was not worried about what she wore because

1 she felt unattractive whatever she wore.

2 her apron covered her clothes anyway.

3 her main concern was to be comfortable.

4 she didn't have the energy to think about it.

А18 Georgina had first started working in the cafe because

1 she had inherited it from a relative.

2 she was unable to find any other job.

3 she wanted to run her own business.

4 she liked the idea of having such a steady, predictable job.

А19 The writer uses the phrase 'stuck in a rut' in paragraph five to show that Georgina

1 had not succeeded in her business.

2 had unrealistic ambitions for the cafe.

3 felt unable to make changes to her life.

4 refused to give up her dreams.

А20 On her way back to the kitchen Georgina was

1 unhappy about having to make more tea.

2 angry that a customer had shouted at her.

3 aware of the amount of work she still had to do.

4 disappointed she would stay at home that evening.

А21 The writer suggests that the young man who entered the cafe

1 thought he recognised Georgina.

2 was afraid of something.

3 had mistaken it for another nearby cafe.

4 was different from the cafe's usual customers.

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