Lettura e ascolto intermediate in inglese: The water well

Piccole letture in chiave umoristica e/o filosofica

The water well

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One day, after a certain amount of bargaining, a shrewd lawyer sold a water well to a kindly professor. Satisfied with the deal, they shook hands and went on their way.

The following day, the lawyer returned with an unexpected claim: “Professor, I think you ought to know that although I sold you the well, I didn’t sell you the water inside it. If you want to use the water, I’m afraid you will have to pay a usage fee.”

The professor looked at the lawyer calmly, and without raising his voice, replied: “I quite understand, but let’s look at it this way. If the water is yours, as you claim, then I can give you until this time tomorrow to take it out of my well. Otherwise, you’ll have to pay me rent to keep it there.”

The lawyer, a little embarrassed, hesitated for a moment and then mumbled: “Of course, I was only joking.”

The professor looked at the lawyer with a sweet smile and said: “Perhaps you’ve forgotten that people like me teach people like you how to become lawyers.”



Your comments are always very welcome.


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Author: Tony

Born and raised in Malaysia between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Educated at Wycliffe College in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire, England. Living in the foothills of Mount Etna since 1982 and teaching English at Catania University since 1987.

9 thoughts on “Lettura e ascolto intermediate in inglese: The water well”

    1. A good effort, Dany, but I think you’ve lost a bit of that natural rhythm that you were working on – probably because you haven’t been practicing so much lately.

      Liked by 1 person

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