State boarding for care children

   During my recent two-week visit home in New York State, on a gorgeous summer day, my mother and I made the 90-minute journey to Elmira, New York. Elmira is home to a Civil War cemetery, a prestigious college and many wineries which dot the adjoining countryside. It is also home to the final resting place of perhaps the most famous American ever, Mark Twain. It was here in Elmira where Twain spent his most fruitful years, and wrote his most endearing novels.
   Mark Twain’s ties with Elmira date back to the 1860s. He was invited to Elmira in 1868 by native Charles J. Langdon, a man he had met on a ship to Egypt. It was in Elmira where Twain fell in love with Langdon’s sister, Olivia. They were married on February 2nd, 1870 at the Langdon home. For many years, the couple divided their time between Hartford, Connecticut and Elmira. No place made Twain more happy than the quiet city of Elmira, however.
   Twain’s sister-in-law owned a farmhouse on one of Elmira’s many surrounding hills. They called it Quarry Farm. It was here that Mark Twain and Olivia spent more than 20 summers together. In the summer of 1874, the Cranes presented Twain with a unique octagon study that overlooked the valley. In this cozy setting, he wrote his most famous stories including Life on the Mississippi, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Prince and the Pauper. Twain worked in his study from morning to night, rarely breaking for lunch. When he wasn’t writing, Twain could be seen roaming the streets looking for a billiards game, or someone to chat with.                                                    
   In 1904, Twain’s beloved wife died in Florence, Italy. He died six years later, and was laid to rest in the Langdon family plot in Woodlawn Cemetery next to his wife and children.
   One thing that you notice upon entering Elmira is the ubiquitous presence of Mark Twain’s name. The Mark Twain Golf Course. The Mark Twain Trolley Ride. The Clemens Performing Arts Center. Elmira has certainly done its part in honoring the great man.

Simone Signoret

A SHORT TURKISH LOVE STORY

    He was just 18, but unfortunately, he had leukemia. When he had learnt his fatal illness, he decided to sit in his room all of the day. He was living with his mother. She always told him to go out and meet people. But he didn’t agree until a different day.

   One day, he went out and was walking around the street. Suddenly he saw a girl who was a cashier, so he went into the shop.

   When he went into the shop, his tongue locked up. He just showed her a music CD and bought it from her. He couldn’t say anything. After that, he started to turn his home into a house of CDs, because he was going to the shop everyday. But he was such a shy boy that he couldn’t talk to her.

   One day, he was serious about talking with her. In the morning he got up and took a shower. It was his last shower. He couldn’t beat his illness and was caught by the Archangel.

   After the funeral ceremony, his mother went into his room to check his packages. She found lots of CDs. One of them had a card. Something was written on the card: “Hello! I think I am taken to you. Would you want to meet me this weekend?”

Sefa Demirel
Level 4
Beşiktaş 1 Branch

   Which country is hidden in the paragraph below?

   The local habitat around a railway track can be very interesting. For example, supporting the track is a sleeper, under which you can find the lesser spotted great weevil.
Sleeper, under which…. The answer is “Peru.”

   Samuel was out for a walk when it started to rain. He did not have an umbrella, and he wasn’t wearing a hat. His clothes were soaked, yet not a single hair on his head got wet. How could this happen?                                         
The man is bald!

knock on wood
Knuckle tapping on wood in order to avoid bad luck
Mary will have her baby soon. Knock on wood that he or she is healthy!

Human teeth are almost as hard as rocks.
A mole can dig a tunnel 300 feet long in one night. 
Ancient Egyptians slept on pillows made of stone.
A hippo can open its mouth wide enough to fit a 4 foot child inside.

GREETING AT THE AIRPORT
AIRPORT PICK-UP

   Students who have never been in a foreign country, and whose English level is elementary, worry about accommodation and how they will communicate. For that reason, we provide support for our students as soon as they reach London. We can arrange for the students to be met at the airport and taken by car to their accommodation. If the students wish Abroad Time to organize an airport transfer to their accommodation, they should kindly inform us about their request specifying arrival deails: airport, airline, date, time and flight number.

   Transfers from the airport to the accommodation facilities can be arranged upon request. The cost is approximately £50 for all airports in London and $ 50 for the US.