The wife of the foreign minister of Oman is suing a high-class London casino for losing money at its gambling tables. Nora Al-Daher racked up a near-$3.5-million loss in the casino of one of London's most exclusive hotels, The Ritz. She blew the cash in just a few hours and then blamed staff at the hotel for not stopping her. The 50-year-old multi-millionaire insisted it was the casino's fault that she lost as they knew she had a gambling problem. She told the judge at the High Court in London: "I needed someone that night to tell me to stop playing and bring me to my senses. If I had been told to stop, of course I would have done so immediately, but no one ever told me to stop or to think about my gambling."

Ms Al-Daher told the court how she had arrived at The Ritz that evening already having lost a "significant" amount of money at other London casinos. The case reached the High Court after The Ritz sued Ms Al-Daher for almost $1.5 million for her cheques that had not been honoured. Al-Daher said she realised she had become a gambling addict in 1999 and then lost more than $10 million at The Ritz over the following three years. Her lawyer told the court that casino staff urged her to lose money, saying: "Staff positively encouraged her when she was losing, saying, 'Anything for you, Princess Nora. We trust you. No problem. Relax. Don't worry....The next time you will get your money back'."

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F).

a.A foreign minister is suing a London casino over gambling losses.T / F

b.The gambler lost over $3 million in a few hours.T / F

c.The gambler claims the casino should have stopped her from playing.T / F

d.The gambler said she would have stopped if told to do so.T / F

e.It was the gambler's first visit to a casino that evening.T / F

f.The gambled said she became addicted to gambling a few years ago.T / F

g.The casino won $10 million from the gambler in three years.T / F

h.A lawyer said the casino did not encourage the gambler to play.T / F

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1.What is the job of the gambler's husband?

2.How long did it take her to lose the cash at the casino?

3.How old is the gambler?

4.Where did she tell a judge her story?

5.What would she have done if she had been told?

6.Where had the gambler been before she arrived at The Ritz's casino?

7.For how much did The Ritz sue her?

8.When did the woman first realize she had a gambling problem?

9.How much money did she lose at The Ritz at the turn of the century?

10.What did the casino allegedly tell the woman she would get back?
答案
TRUE / FALSE

A F b T c T d T e F f F g T h F

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1.Foreign minister (of Oman)

2.A few hours

3.50

4.At the High Court (in London)

5.Stopped gambling

6.Other London casinos

7.$1.5 million

8.1999

9.$10 million

10.Her money