Speaking clearly. Improving voice and articulation: Фонетический практикум. Фомиченко Л.Г. - 66 стр.

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read character in handwriting. He often told his friends that he could
do this no matter what handwriting he saw for anybody. So a friend of
his a woman... e… r... b
                       … rought him an exercise book a boy’s exercise book.
And she said she wanted to know what Balzac thought of the writer.
Balzac looked at the handwriting carefully. And the woman told him
that as the boy wasn’t her son…... er...… Balzac could be quite frank. «All
right», said Balzac. «I’ll tell you exactly what I think». And he said that
the boy was lazy and naughty. «It’s very odd», said the woman with a
smile. «This handwriting comes from a page in your own exercise book
which you wrote in when you were a boy yourself».

                        The Bullet-Proof Jacket
      A man once called on a general, and showed him a jacket which
he had invented for soldiers and which he said was bullet-proof.
      «Oh!», said the general. «Put it on!»
      Then he rang the bell and said to the servant, «Tell the captain
to load his gun and come here».
      The inventor of the bullet-proof jacket disappeared and the
general never saw him again.
         (The same anecdote retold in my own words)
         A man, an inventor once brought what he claimed to be a
bullet-proof jacket to show to a general, commanding officer. The
general wasn’t... …er... …particularly impressed. So he said, «Put it on».
And he rang and said to the servant who came, «Get the captain to ...
…er... …load his gun and come up here». When the man in the bullet-
proof jacket heard this however he was off like a flash. The general
never saw him again.

                           The Dumb Beggar
     A beggar made up his mind that he would pretend to be dumb.
He arrived at a town where he had begged before. In one of the streets
a gentleman who had given him money and so remembered his face
met him and spoke to him.
     The beggar didn’t say a word. «Hello!», cried the gentleman,
«How long have you been dumb?» — «Ever since I was a baby»,
answered the beggar.
      (The same anecdote in my own words)