Unit 43: You shouldn't do that
1. You should smoke less.
(The "please wait" and "next patient" sign on top of the door helps the doctor to keep order. What if it goes wrong? See what happened to this new doctor.)
| Electrician | Morning. |
| Doctor | Good morning. |
| Electrician | You are the new doctor. |
| Doctor | That's right. |
| Electrician | Well. I've come to repair your sign. The "Please Wait" sign. I'm the electrician. |
| Doctor | Oh, all right. I'll leave you alone. |
| Electrician | I'll only be a few minutes. |
(Two ladies are waiting for their turn.)
| Mrs. Fortescue | I wonder what the new doctor's like? |
| Mrs. Green | They say he's very nice. |
| Mrs. Fortescue | Good. (The "next patient" sign is now on.) Oh, that's me. Well, I'll soon know what he's like. |
| Electrician | Hello. |
| Mrs. Fortescue | I'm Mrs. Fortescue. |
| Electrician | Oh, yes? |
| Mrs. Fortescue | Thank you. I—er—feel very tired these days. |
| Electrician | Well. You shouldn't go to bed so late. |
| Mrs. Fortescue | Oh! No. I'm — er — also getting a little ... |
| Electrician | Fat. |
| Mrs. Fortescue | Well—yes. |
| Electrician | That's easy. You shouldn't eat so much. |
| Mrs. Fortescue | No. I get headaches, in the evening. |
| Electrician | You shouldn't watch so much television. |
| Mrs. Fortescue | I suppose not. What about my sore throat? That isn't because of television. |
| Electrician | You shouldn't smoke so much. |
| Mrs. Fortescue | Well, no. |
| Electrician | I've got to go now. I've got another job to do next door. |
| Mrs. Fortescue | But what about me? I feel ill. |
| Electrician | You should see a doctor. |
| Mrs. Fortescue | But you're a doctor! |
| Electrician | Me! No. He's the doctor. I'm the electrician. Cheerio. |
| Mrs. Fortescue | Oh, I see! That explains it. |
| Doctor | Good morning. Mrs ... — er— ... ? |
| Mrs. Fortescue | Fortescue. Good morning, doctor. I thought that man was the doctor. I told him I was very tired these days. |
| Doctor | Well, you should go to bed earlier. Mrs. Fortescue. |
| Mrs. Fortescue | Yes, quite. And I told him I was getting, well, heavier now. |
| Doctor | You should eat less, and walk everywhere, not drive. |
| Mrs. Fortescue | And my headaches in the evening? |
| Doctor | Ah! You're watching too much television. |
| Mrs. Fortescue | And my sore throat? |
| Doctor | You should smoke less. |
| Mrs. Fortescue | But he said all that! The electrician! |
2. What's wrong?
(When Mrs. Fortescue comes outfrom the doctor...)
| Mrs. Green | Well, what's he like? |
| Mrs. Fortescue | I spoke to the electrician. |
| Mrs. Green | The electrician? |
| Mrs. Fortescue | Yes. I told him what was wrong, and he told me what to do. But he was an electrician, not a doctor. |
| Mrs. Green | An electrician? |
| Mrs. Fortescue | Yes. He's working in there. So be careful. |
| Mrs. Green | Thanks for telling me. Hello. |
(Now, it's Mrs. Green's turn to see the doctor.)
| Doctor | Good morning. The sign is working now, is it? |
| Mrs. Green | Yes. And I know who you are! |
| Doctor | Good. Be careful! You shouldn't put your hand near that. I got an electric shock when I touched it. |
| Mrs. Green | Oh, all right. |
| Doctor | You're Mrs ... |
| Mrs. Green | Green. I've come to see the doctor. |
| Doctor | Yes, of course. Well, Mrs. Green, ... |
| Mrs. Green | Well? |
| Doctor | What's wrong? |
| Mrs. Green | My shoulder hurts. I want the doctor to look at it. |
| Doctor | Right. Why don't you take your dress off? |
| Mrs. Green | What? |
| Doctor | Take your dress off, please. I want to look at your shoulder. |
| Mrs. Green | Certainly not! |
| Doctor | It's all right, Mrs. Green, don't worry. If you want me to help you, you should let me look at it. |
| Mrs. Green | Keep away from me! |
| Doctor | Mrs. Green! |
| Mrs. Green | She told me about you. |
| Doctor | Pardon? |
| Mrs. Green | She told me you were working here. |
| Doctor | Of course, I'm working here. Have you been drinking, Mrs. Green? |
| Mrs. Green | How dare you! |
(The electrician comes in ... )
| Mrs. Green | Doctor, help me! |
3. What's it about?
(The doctor talks with the electrician in his office.)
| Electrician | There we are! That's all right now. And she tried to hit you with this? |
| Doctor | Yes. |
| Electrician | The Red Arrow. What's it about? |
| Doctor | Oh, an inventor, Jim Brent, and a young girl, Ann. Someone—the Red Arrow— is trying to steal Brent's invention. He knows how to make petrol from beer. Jim often has to take medicine, so the Red Arrow gives him a special medicine and Jim goes to sleep, and the Red Arrow looks for his formula. |
| Electrician | Then what happens? |
| Doctor | This ... |