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Theo worked in a big . He sold tools, paint, and many other things. He liked his job very much. One morning, his boss called him on the phone. His boss said, "Theo, we have an important video call today." Theo felt a little . He was not very good with technology. He asked, "What is the call about?" His boss said, "A big company wants to buy a lot of products from us." Theo needed to show the products on the video call. He wanted everything to be perfect. He checked his and made sure it was ready. He also found a quiet corner in the store. He put some tools on a table to show the company. He practiced what he wanted to say. He felt ready. At two o'clock, the video call started.
Theo smiled at the screen and said, "Hello, thank you for joining us today." The people on the call smiled back at him. He began to talk about the tools on the table. He picked up a large and said, "This is our best product this year." Everyone on the call looked very interested. Then Theo said, "And now I want to show you the price list." He looked down at his to find the document. At that exact moment, the screen . Theo's face was stuck in a very strange position. His mouth was wide open and one eye was half closed. He could not move the image on the screen. He tapped the again and again. Nothing happened. He said, "Oh no, can you hear me?" There was only . Theo waited for a few seconds. The screen was still frozen. He turned the off and turned it on again.
He waited and waited. It felt like a very long time. Finally, the call again. The people on the screen were laughing. One woman said, "We could see your frozen face for three minutes!" Theo's face turned red. He felt very . But then the woman said, "It was very funny. We all liked you." Theo laughed too and said, "I am sorry about that. Technology does not always like me." Everyone laughed again. After that, Theo showed them the price list. The meeting went very well. The company decided to buy many products. Theo was very happy, and he learned that sometimes problems can have good endings.
a shop that sells tools, paint, and things for building or fixing
"I went to the hardware store to buy a hammer."
feeling worried or a little afraid about something
"She felt nervous before her big presentation."
a small flat computer you can hold in your hands
"He watched the video on his tablet."
stopped moving suddenly (past tense of freeze)
"The computer screen froze and I could not click anything."
a tool used to make holes in things like wood or walls
"He used a drill to put up the shelf."
feeling shy or uncomfortable because of something that happened
"She was embarrassed when she forgot her friend's name."
no sound at all; complete quiet
"There was silence in the room after the music stopped."
joined or linked to something, like the internet or a call
"The phone finally connected after a few minutes."
video call
a phone call where you can also see the other person on a screen
"We had a video call with our teacher yesterday."
make sure
to check that something is correct or ready
"Please make sure you have your keys before you leave."
at that exact moment
at precisely that time; right then
"At that exact moment, the lights went off."
again and again
many times; repeatedly
"He tried again and again, but the door would not open."
turned red
became red in the face because of embarrassment
"She turned red when everyone looked at her."
turn off
to stop a machine or device from working
"Please turn off the lights when you leave."
turn on
to start a machine or device
"He turned on the computer to check his messages."
went well
happened in a good or successful way
"The dinner went well and everyone enjoyed the food."
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