Twelve Short Stories for Learners of English

EASY READING
for ESL Students
BOOK 2

by Johnny Bread

CANADIAN LANGUAGE SCHOOL

 INTRODUCTION

Easy Reading for ESL Students – Book 2 is a

comprehensive reader designed especially for beginning
and intermediate students of English as a Second
Language. The book was developed and tested by full-time
teachers of English.

There are twelve short stories. Each story is designed to

engage students in a well-rounded language learning
experience. There are comprehension, vocabulary,
speaking and writing exercises after each story.

The stories are entertaining and have plot twists and

surprise endings. Teachers of English as a Second
Language will enjoy using them to engage students on a
wide range of topics and interests.

The stories are short (400 – 500 words). Each story and its
exercises can be completed in 60 minutes.

2
 CONTENTS

The Gentleman 4

The Change 10

The Lottery Ticket 16

Wolf 22

The Well of Love 28

The Pie 34

The Treasure Hunt 40

The Egg 46

Eddy 52

The Treasure Hunter 58

An Extra Seat for Mr. Cambell 64

Don’t Mess with Michelle 70

3
 THE GENTLEMAN

George Gordon was a robber. He robbed trains. But he

was not like other train robbers. He was very different. He
always wore nice clothes during his robberies, and he was
very polite when he asked for money.
“Excuse me, Ladies and Gentlemen,” he always said to
the people on the train. “I’m terribly sorry to bother you, but
could you please give me all your money?” He had a gun,
but he never used it. He was a big man. He was very
strong. People usually gave him their money without any
problems.
He never took money from the poor. When he saw poor
people on the train, he gave them money instead of
robbing them. They called him The Gentleman.
The police searched for him across Canada, but they
never caught him. He always got away.
George had an old aunt. Her name was Helen. He
sometimes stayed with her for a while. He hid all his money
in the basement of her house, but he didn’t tell her about it.
George Gordon started to rob trains in 1900. He robbed
about 200 trains and stole more than $500,000. In 1910,
the police finally arrested him. All his money was hidden in

4
his aunt’s basement, but the police didn’t know about Aunt
Helen.
“Tell us where the money is, Gentleman,” the police said
to him. “If you don’t, you are going to spend the next 30
years in prison.”
George didn’t tell them where the money was. He went
to prison, but he didn’t spend 30 years there. In 1914, the
First World War broke out, and he became a soldier and
went overseas.
In 1918, he returned to Canada as a war hero. He didn’t
go back to prison.
George went to see his aunt. He wanted to take his
money. When he got there, he couldn’t believe his eyes.
His aunt’s old house wasn’t there. Instead, there was a new
shelter for the poor.
George knocked on the door. A smiling priest opened
the door. “Your aunt lives with her sister now,” the priest
said. “I bought her house three years ago. Then a miracle
occurred. One day I prayed for the poor, and the next day, I
found $500,000 in the basement. We built a shelter for the
poor.”
“Nice,” said George.
“We accept donations, Mr. Gordon. Do you want to give
us a donation?”
“I already gave you one,” George said and left.

Notes
_______________________________________________
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5
I. Choose the right answer.

1. George was ____________.

a. a policeman
b. an engineer
c. a robber

2. George robbed ____________.

a. banks
b. trains
c. stores

3. George fought in ____________.

a. WWII
b. WWI
c. the Korean War

4. George spent ____________ in prison.

a. 4 years
b. 30 years
c. 1 year

5. Aunt Helen sold her house to ____________.

a. George
b. a priest
c. poor people

6. George ____________.
a. kept the stolen money for himself
b. gave the stolen money to his aunt
c. lost the stolen money

6
II. Complete the sentences with the words from the
box below.

instead polite hero arrested

overseas prayed searched bother

1. George always said please and thank you. He was

polite _________.

2. He used to say, “I am terribly sorry to ____________

you.”

3. He never robbed the poor. He gave them money

____________.

4. The police tried to find George. They ____________ for

him.

5. In 1910 the police finally caught George and

____________ him.

6. George lived in Canada. He went to fight in France. He

went ___________.

7. George received a medal during the war. He was a war

____________.

8. The priest talked to God. He ____________.

7
III. Choose two words from the box on the previous
page and write a short paragraph using them.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

IV. Complete the sentences with the expressions from

the box below.

for a while got away

a miracle occurred broke out

1. The police couldn’t catch George. He always

____________________.

2. George never stayed long with his aunt. He stayed just

____________________.

3. The First World War ____________________ in 1914

and ended in 1918.

4. The priest prayed for the poor, and then

____________________. He found $500,000.

V. Choose two expressions from the box above and

write a short paragraph using them.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

8
 VI. Answer the question in full sentences.

1. Who was George Gordon?

2. What was George Gordon like?
3. What did they call him?
4. How many trains did he rob?
5. How much money did he steal?
6. Where did he hide his money?
7. How long was he in prison?
8. How did he get out of prison?
9. What happened with his money?

VII. Oral Summary

Retell the story in a few sentences.

VIII. Written Summary

Write a few sentences to summarize the story.

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

9
 THE CHANGE

Alice and Dan both lived in New York, but they were two
very different people. Alice was young. Dan was old. Alice
was a journalist. Dan had no job. Alice lived in a wealthy
neighborhood. Dan was homeless. Alice was full of hope.
Dan had no hope.
People so different normally don’t stop to talk to each
other. But one day they did.
That day, Alice was sitting in a romantic restaurant and
dining with her boyfriend, Brad. “Maybe today,” she
thought. She was hoping for a marriage proposal.
Dan was sitting on the sidewalk with a cup in his hand.
He was hoping for some change from people walking by.
“Will you marry me?” Brad asked. He was holding a
diamond ring in his hand.
“Yes, yes, I will,” Alice said. She was very happy. Brad
put the ring on Alice’s finger. It was too tight, but Alice
didn’t say anything. She didn’t want to spoil the moment.
She could fix the problem later.
After dinner, Brad went to work. Alice decided to walk
home. On her way home, the ring was hurting her. She
took it off her finger and put it in her purse.

10
 Alice was watching other people. “Do they know how
happy I am?” she wondered. She wanted to share her
happiness with others. She saw an old man sitting on the
sidewalk. It was Dan. She walked up to him and said, “I am
very happy today. I want you to be happy too.” She took a
twenty-dollar bill and all of her change out of her purse and
put it in Dan’s cup.
“Thank you ma’am,” Dan said and smiled.
“You’re very welcome,” Alice said.
Later, Dan was counting his change when he saw a ring
in his cup. It looked expensive. He took it to a jeweler.
“I can give you five thousand dollars,” the jeweler said.
Take it or leave it.”
When Alice got home, she wanted to look at the ring
again. It wasn’t in her purse! She looked everywhere for it.
She couldn’t find it. Then she remembered. The homeless
man! She gave him her change and probably her ring too.
She ran back to find him. He was sitting in the same place.
“I knew you were coming back,” he said smiling. “I have
your ring.”
Alice wrote an article about Dan. People liked the story.
A lot of people sent Alice money for Dan. A company
offered Dan a job. Today, Dan has a job, and he is not
homeless because he was honest.

Notes
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11
I. Choose the right answer.

1. Dan ____________.
a. was a jeweler
b. was a journalist
c. had no job

2. Alice ____________.
a. was a model
b. was a journalist
c. had no job

3. Brad ____________.
a. was Alice’s boss
b. was a homeless man
c. was Alice’s boyfriend

4. The ring was ____________.

a. too big
b. too small
c. too cheap

5. Dan ____________.
a. didn’t sell the ring
b. sold the ring for $20
c. sold the ring for $5,000

6. Dan changed his life because ____________.

a. he was honest
b. he was homeless
c. he was old

12
II. Complete the sentences with the words from the
box below.

change wealthy romantic tight

spoil jeweler honest homeless

1. Alice’s neighbors were all rich. She lived in a

wealthy neighborhood.

2. Dan had no home. He was ____________.

3. The restaurant was nice. People in love often went

there. It was a ____________ restaurant.

4. Alice had a lot of coins in her purse. She had a lot of

____________.

5. The ring was too small for Alice’s finger. It was too
____________.

6. Alice didn’t want to say anything negative. She didn’t

want to ____________ the moment.

7. A person who makes rings, bracelets and necklaces is

called a ____________.

8. Dan didn’t keep the ring because it wasn’t his ring. Dan
was ____________.

13
III. Choose two words from the box on the previous
page and write a short paragraph using them.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

IV. Complete the sentences with the expressions from

the box below.

take it or leave it marriage proposal

share her happiness will you marry me

1. Brad wanted to marry Alice. He asked her,

“_________________________?”

2. When a man asks a woman to marry him, it’s a

_________________________.

3. Alice wanted to tell everyone how happy she was. She

wanted to _________________________.

4. Accept the offer or you get nothing.

“_________________________.”

V. Choose two expressions from the box above and

write a short paragraph using these expressions.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

14
 VI. Answer the questions in full sentences.

1. Where did Alice and Dan live?

2. What did Alice and Dan do for a living?
3. Why was Alice so happy?
4. Why did she take the ring off her finger?
5. How did Alice lose the ring?
6. What did Dan do with the ring?
7. How much did the jeweler offer Dan for the ring?
8. Why did Dan refuse to sell the ring?
9. Was it worth it for Dan to give back the ring?

VII. Oral Summary

Retell the story in a few sentences.

VIII. Written Summary

Write a few sentences to summarize the story.

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

15
 THE LOTTERY TICKET

Andy and Simon worked together at a warehouse. They

were good friends. Every Friday morning, Andy bought a
lottery ticket. It cost one dollar. When Andy arrived at work,
Simon gave him 50 cents. They split the cost of the ticket,
and they hoped to split the prize too. They had started
doing this ten years ago – no luck so far.
One Friday morning they met in the locker room as
usual. Simon gave Andy 50 cents.
“The jackpot is 20 million dollars,” Andy said.
“Really?” Simon said. “20 million dollars? Who will keep
the ticket over the weekend?”
“I will,” Andy said. “I always do.”
“Yes, but this time the jackpot is very big. This time I
want to keep the ticket.”
Andy couldn’t believe what he heard. He got angry. “You
don’t trust me?” he shouted. “We’re friends and we’re
arguing about a scrap of paper?” He pulled the ticket out of
his pocket. Then he took some glue out of his locker and
did something strange. He glued the ticket to the heavy
door of the locker room. “Take it home with you if you
want,” Andy said. They didn’t speak to each other the rest
of the day. After work they both went home angry.

16
 On Saturday night, Andy and Simon both watched the
drawing. Their ticket was the winning ticket. They won the
jackpot. They both got excited, but then they remembered,
“The ticket! It is glued to the door!”
Monday morning they met at the locker room. They tried
to take the ticket off the door. They couldn’t. The glue was
too strong.
“What will we do?” Simon asked.
“I’ll call the lottery office, and I’ll ask the official what to
do,” Andy said.
The official thought that Andy was joking. “Bring the door
to my office,” he said. “I have to see it. Then I’ll tell you
what to do.”
Andy and Simon put the heavy door on a truck and
drove to the lottery office together.
The official couldn’t believe his eyes. It was not a joke.
The ticket glued to the door was the winning ticket. He
called the local newspaper. He couldn’t imagine better
publicity.
Andy and Simon were very happy.
“I’ll buy a new door for the locker room,” Simon said to
his friend. “I’ll keep the old door as a souvenir.”
“No, I’ll keep the door,” Andy said.
“I can’t believe this,” Simon said. “We’re friends, and
we’re millionaires, and we’re arguing about an old door.”
They looked at each other and started to laugh.

Notes
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17
I. Choose the right answer.

1. Andy and Simon worked at a ____________.

a. casino
b. warehouse
c. locker room

2. Andy bought a lottery ticket ____________.

a. every day
b. every Saturday
c. every Friday

3. Andy glued the ticket to the ____________.

a. wall
b. door
c. floor

4. Andy and Simon won ____________.

a. $2,000,000
b. $200,000
c. the jackpot

5. The official said, “____________.”

a. Bring the door to my office
b. Take a picture of the ticket
c. You don’t have the winning ticket

6. The ticket glued to the door ___________.

a. was good publicity
b. was a bad joke
c. was good experience

18
II. Complete the sentences with the words from the
box below.

really publicity drawing split

both each other trust argue

1. Andy wanted 50 % of the prize. Simon wanted 50% too.

They wanted to split it.

2. Simon was surprised that the jackpot was 20 million

dollars. He said, “____________?”

3. Simon wanted to keep the ticket over the weekend. He

didn’t ____________ Andy.

4. When people don’t agree with each other, they often

____________.

5. Andy was angry and Simon was angry too. They were
____________ angry.

6. Andy didn’t speak to Simon. Simon didn’t speak to

Andy. They didn’t speak to ____________.

7. Andy wanted to know if the ticket was the winning ticket.

He watched the ____________.

8. The winning ticket glued to a heavy door was good

____________ for the lottery.

19
III. Choose two words from the box on the previous
page and write a short paragraph using them.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

IV. Complete the sentences with the expressions from

the box below.

as usual so far
local newspaper scrap of paper

1. Andy and Simon started buying lottery tickets ten years

ago. No luck ___________________.

2. That Friday morning Andy bought a lottery ticket

____________________.

3. Andy didn’t want to argue about a

____________________.

4. If a newspaper reports about a city or a region, it is

called a ____________________.

V. Choose two expressions from the box above and

write a short paragraph using these expressions.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

20
 VI. Answer the questions in full sentences.

1. Where did Andy and Simon work?

2. What did Andy buy every Friday?
3. Why did Simon want to keep the ticket over weekend?
4. What was Andy’s reaction?
5. What did Andy do with the ticket?
6. How much money did Andy and Simon win?
7. Why was it a problem to claim the price?
8. What did the official want Andy and Simon to do?
9. Why did Andy and Simon argue at the end?

VII. Summary

Retell the story in a few sentences.

VIII. Written Summary

Write a few sentences to summarize the story.

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

21
 WOLF

It happened a long time ago in a small country in

Europe. At that time people couldn’t travel freely across the
borders, and the borders were guarded by heavily armed
soldiers and dogs.
Lucas was a soldier. He served at the border. He trained
dogs and took care of them. He hated the army, but he
loved the dogs. At that time his dogs were the only joy in
his life.
One day the commander brought a puppy to Lucas and
said, “You will train this dog, sergeant. You are personally
responsible for him. It’s a matter of national security.”
“Yes, sir!” Lucas said.
But the commander could see fear in his eyes.
“Is there something you want to say, sergeant?” the
commander asked.
“No, sir,” Lucas said. “It’s just … I know dogs. This is not
a dog.”
“No? What is it?”
“It’s a wolf. You can’t train a wolf.”

22
 The commander smiled. “It’s not a wolf. It’s a cross-
breed – a wolfdog. He’s going to be the best guardian you
can imagine.”
Lucas took great care of Wolf. That was what he called
him. They soon became best friends. Wolf was as smart as
a German Shepherd and as tough as a wolf. A year later
Lucas and Wolf received a medal for great service.
Lucas and his dog caught many fugitives.
The success story ended one cold evening in January
1958. Lucas and Wolf were chasing a fugitive when Lucas
suddenly stopped and shouted at Wolf. “It’s a woman, Wolf.
Let her go!”
A soldier saw it and reported Lucas. Lucas went to
prison for two years.
When Lucas got out of prison, he couldn’t go back to
serve in the army, and he couldn’t find a decent job. He
decided to leave the country. He used to chase fugitives,
and now he became one himself.
Lucas knew the borders very well. He made a good
plan. But his plan didn’t work out as he imagined. The
guard noticed him and set the dogs on him. Lucas couldn’t
believe his eyes. The five dogs that were chasing him all
looked like his Wolf. Lucas had a gun, and he aimed it at
the dogs. But he didn’t shoot. The dog that led the pack
was Wolf. Lucas was sure of it.
“I can’t explain it, sir,” the guard said to the commander
later. “The dogs refused to attack the man, and Wolf ran
away with him.”
“I know what happened,” the commander said. “Wolf is
not coming back. That man was Lucas.”

Notes
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
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_______________________________________________

23
I. Choose the right answer.

1. The story happened in ____________.

a. the United States
b. Europe
c. Mexico

2. Lucas was a ____________.

a. director of a shelter
b. vet
c. soldier

3. Lucas trained ____________.

a. soldiers
b. horses
c. dogs

4. Wolf was a ____________.

a. German Shepherd
b. cross-breed
c. wolf

5. Lucas went to prison because ___________.

a. he crossed the border illegally
b. he let a woman cross the border
c. he crossed a wolf with a dog

6. In the end Wolf ____________.

a. ran away with Lucas
b. attacked Lucas
c. received a medal for catching Lucas

24
II. Complete the sentences with the words from the
box below.

cross-breed fugitive responsible freely

decent personally noticed tough

1. People couldn’t travel abroad any time they wanted.

They couldn’t travel freely .

2. If you get an order in an army, you are ____________

to your commander.

3. If you are the only person responsible for something,

you are ____________ responsible for it.

4. The commander brought a puppy. It was not a dog. It

was not a wolf. It was a ____________.

5. A person or an animal that can survive difficult

conditions is ____________.

6. A person who is running away from the authorities is a

____________.

7. Cleaning public toilets is not a ____________ job.

8. The guard saw Lucas as he was trying to cross the

border. The guard ____________ him.

25
III. Choose two words from the box on the previous
page and write a short paragraph using them.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

IV. Complete the sentences with the expressions from

the box below.

success story set the dogs on him

matter of national security heavily armed

1. The soldiers had a lot of weapons. They were

_________________________.

2. If national security depends on something, it is a

_________________________.

3. If somebody has a big success, we call it a

_________________________.

4. The guard ordered the dogs to catch Lucas. He

_________________________.

V. Choose two expressions from the box above and

write a short paragraph using them.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

26
 VI. Answer the questions in full sentences.

1. Where did the story happen?

2. How were the borders guarded in that country?
3. What was Lucas’s job at the border?
4. What did the commander ask Lucas to do?
5. Why was there fear in Lucas’s eyes?
6. What kind of dog was Wolf?
7. Why did Lucas go to prison?
8. Why didn’t the guard dogs attack Lucas at the border?
9. What did Wolf do at the end?

VII. Oral Summary

Retell the story in a few sentences.

VIII. Written Summary

Write a few sentences to summarize the story.

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

27
 THE WELL OF LOVE

It happened a long time ago in a country in Europe. At

that time, a powerful king ruled there. His name was
Matthias. His people loved him, and his enemies feared
him.
One day, a young noble named Omar the Turk came to
Matthias’s castle and asked to see the king. It was very
unusual because at that time, the Turks were the enemies.
“I brought you gifts, sire,” Omar said to the king. I
brought you ten Turkish horses and ten Turkish servants. I
also brought you ten chests full of precious stones and
gold.”
“It doesn’t happen very often that my enemies bring me
gifts,” the king said.
“You have something I want,” Omar said.
“Oh yes?” the king asked. “And what might that be?”
“You have a jewel here you might not know about,”
Omar said. “To you she means nothing, but to me she is
the sun of my life. Her name is Fatima. She’s one of your
servants.”

28
 The king laughed. “Are you talking about a woman? The
queen has a few Turkish servants. If she agrees to let
Fatima go, it won’t be a problem.”
Unfortunately the queen didn’t agree. “Fatima is my
favorite servant,” the queen said. “I won’t let her go.”
“I’ll give you one hundred Turkish horses and one
hundred Turkish servants,” Omar said. “I’ll also give you
one hundred chests with precious stones and gold.”
The king got angry. “You are talking to a king, not a
merchant. If the queen said no, it’s no. Choose another
woman.”
This time Omar got on his knees. “I’ll do anything for
you, sire,” he begged. “If you won’t let her leave with me,
please kill me right now.”
The king’s face got a little softer. He started to admire
Omar’s courage. “I don’t need horses and servants,” he
said. “I don’t need precious stones and gold. What I need is
water. Dig a well here in the courtyard, and you can leave
with your Fatima.”
The king gave Omar an impossible task. The castle was
built on a high rock.
Omar stood up. “I will dig you a well, sire,” he said. “You
will have water.”
It took Omar seven years. One day, everybody in the
castle heard Omar shouting, “Water! Water!” Where was
the water coming from? Nobody understood.
The king kept his word and let Fatima leave with Omar.
Today, people from all around the world come to see the
well. They call it the Well of Love.

Notes
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

29
I. Choose the right answer.

1. Matthias was a __________.

a. servant
b. king
c. Turk

2. Omar was Matthias’s __________.

a. friend
b. servant
c. enemy

3. Omar wanted to __________.

a. leave with Fatima
b. steal precious stones
c. kill Matthias

4. Fatima was __________.

a. the queen’s servant
b. the queen
c. Matthias’s wife

5. To free Fatima, Omar had to __________.

a. bring gold and precious stones
b. fight Matthias
c. dig a well

6. Omar dug the well for _________.

a. seventeen years
b. seven years
c. one year

30
II. Complete the sentences with the words from the
box below.

unfortunately ruled unusual powerful

softer enemies courage kill

1. The king was rich, and his enemies feared him. He was
powerful .

2. Matthias was a king. His word was the law. He

____________.

3. Matthias hated Turks, and they hated him. They were

____________.

4. Omar was a Turk, and he brought King Matthias gifts. It

was ____________.

5. The king didn’t mind letting Fatima go, but

____________ for Omar, the queen didn’t agree.

6. The king’s face was hard, but when Omar started

begging, it got a little ____________.

7. Omar didn’t want to leave without Fatima. He told the

king to ____________ him.

8. Omar was not afraid to come to his enemy’s castle. He

had a lot of ____________.

31
III. Choose two words from the box on the previous
page and write a short paragraph using them.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

IV. Complete the sentences with the expressions from

the box below. Use the past tense.

let her go impossible task

from around the world precious stones

1. Omar brought the king gold, diamonds and other

_________________________.

2. Fatima was the queen’s favorite servant. The queen

didn’t want to _________________________.

3. The king wanted Omar to dig a well into the rock. He

gave him an _________________________.

4. People come from many countries. They come

_________________________.

V. Choose two expressions from the box above and

write a short paragraph using these expressions.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

32
 VI. Answer the questions in full sentences.

1. Where did the story happen?

2. Who was Matthias?
3. Who were Matthias’s enemies?
4. Who was Omar?
5. Why did Omar come to Matthias’s castle?
6. Why didn’t the queen want to let Fatima go?
7. What did Matthias need the most?
8. What task did Matthias give to Omar?
9. What do they call the well today?

VII. Oral Summary

Retell the story in a few sentences.

VIII. Written Summary

Write a few sentences to summarize the story.

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

33
 THE PIE

One day, thousands of Turkish soldiers attacked King

John’s castle. They tried to take over the castle, but they
couldn’t. The walls of the castle were solid as rock, and the
people defended it well. So the Turks decided to stay below
the castle and wait.
“They’ll run out of food soon,” the Turkish leader said.
“And then they’ll come out like rats. We’ll wait.”
Seven years later, they were still waiting.
One morning, King John looked out the tower window.
The Turks were still there. He knew that he had to do
something very soon. There was very little food in the
castle. He called his advisers and said, “You are my
advisers, and I need your advice now – not next month, not
next week, not tomorrow, but now. You will stay in this
room until you find a solution.”
Two days later, they still didn’t know what to do. Finally,
one adviser stood up and said, “Sire, there is a young
woman in prison here. Her name is Sabrina. People say
that she is smart. She might know what to do.”

34
 The other advisers started to yell at him. “Are you
crazy? We won’t ask a prisoner for advice!”
“Why is the young woman in prison?” the king asked.
“What did she do?”
“They say she is a witch, sire,” the adviser
answered. “But if you see her, it’s hard to believe.”
“Bring the woman here immediately,” the king said.
When they brought Sabrina to the king, he couldn’t
believe his eyes. She was wearing old clothes, but she
looked more like a princess than a witch. She was
beautiful.
“If you help us to get rid of the Turks, I will free you,” the
king said. “And nobody will ever hurt you again. You have
my word.”
“I’ll help you,” Sabrina said. “But you’ll have to do exactly
what I say.”
“I will,” the king promised.
“Order your people to bring all the flour, eggs, and fruit
that are left to the kitchen,” Sabrina said. “I’m going to bake
a pie.”
“For who?” the King asked.
“For the Turks,” Sabrina said.
Sabrina made a giant pie as big as the gate of the
castle. Then with the help of ten soldiers she rolled it down
the hill to the surprised Turks.
“You can stay here another seven years,” Sabrina
shouted to the Turks. “We will continue to bake pies like
this.”
The Turks left immediately, and they never returned.

Notes
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
35
I. Choose the right answer.

1. The Turks tried to take over __________.

a. the pie
b. Sabrina
c. the castle

2. The Turks waited for __________.

a. seventeen years
b. seven years
c. seventy years

3. The king’s advisers __________.

a. didn’t know what to do
b. had a lot of good ideas
c. left the castle

4. Sabrina was a __________.

a. queen
b. Turkish princess
c. prisoner

5. Sabrina __________.
a. baked a chicken
b. baked a pie
c. cooked a soup

6. When the Turks saw the pie, _________.

a. they left
b. they ate it
c. they asked for the recipe

36
II. Complete the sentences with the words from the
box below.

advisers defended immediately free

exactly surprised solution leader

1. The people fought against the Turks. They defended .

the castle.

2. One of the Turks told all the others what to do. He was
their ____________.

3. The king had a few men who helped him with his
decisions. They were his ____________.

4. The king wanted his advisers to find a ____________ to

the problem with the Turks.

5. The king wanted to see Sabrina right away. He wanted

to see her ____________.

6. The king promised to ____________ Sabrina.

7. The king did ____________ what Sabrina asked him to

do.

8. When the Turks saw the giant pie, they were

____________.

37
III. Choose two words from the box on the previous
page and write a short paragraph using them.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

IV. Complete the sentences with the expressions from

the box below.

are left take over

get rid of run out of

1. The Turks tried to invade the castle. They tried to

___________________ the castle.

2. If you ___________________ something, you don’t

have it anymore.

3. The king asked Sabrina to tell him how to

___________________ the Turks.

4. Sabrina said, “Bring all the flour, eggs and fruit that
____________________ to the kitchen.”

V. Choose two expressions from the box above and

write a short paragraph using them.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

38
 VI. Answer the questions in full sentences.

1. Why did the Turks attack King John’s castle?

2. Why couldn’t the Turks overtake the castle?
3. What did the Turks decide to do?
4. What did King John do to solve the problem?
5. One of the advisers had an idea. What was the idea?
6. Why was Sabrina in prison?
7. What did King John promise Sabrina?
8. What did Sabrina do?
9. Why did the Turks leave?

VII. Oral Summary

Retell the story in a few sentences.

VIII. Written Summary

Write a few sentences to summarize the story.

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

39
 THE TREASURE HUNT

Oliver Grant lived with his parents in New Jersey, but he

spent every summer with his uncle Jules in New
Brunswick, Canada. His parents were busy at work during
the summer and didn’t have much time for him. For Oliver,
it was the best time of his life.
Uncle Jules was originally from France, and he was the
opposite of Oliver’s parents. He had time for everything. He
didn’t have children, and he loved Oliver as his own son.
He often spoke to him in French, so Oliver became fluent in
French at the age of nine. Uncle Jules took Oliver on
fishing and camping trips, and he played with him every
day. Their favorite game was the treasure hunt. Uncle
Jules hid some money and gave Oliver a map with clues to
find the treasure. Oliver loved this game and also the
money he found.
Oliver grew up and started his own life, but he never
forgot Uncle Jules and the time they spent together.
When Oliver was thirty years old, he lost his job. One
morning he was sitting in the kitchen feeling sorry for
himself. He was thinking about the happier times he had
spent with Uncle Jules when he heard a knock on the door.

40
It was the mailman. He brought Oliver a letter from Uncle
Jules. Oliver opened the envelope. It was a map. The
Ultimate Treasure Hunt was written on it.
“Great,” Oliver said smiling. “I lost my job, and Uncle
Jules wants to play with me.”
Oliver recognized a map of France. “Uncle Jules wants
me to go to France,” he thought. “What for? Did he hide
something there for me?”
Uncle Jules indicated a single town with an address in
the south of France. “A strange treasure hunt,” Oliver
thought. He tried to call Uncle Jules. He wanted to tell him
he couldn’t travel to France now, but Uncle Jules was on a
long fishing trip.
Finally Oliver decided to accept the challenge. He
traveled to France. He got to the town. The address led him
to a beautiful house with a small vineyard behind it. Oliver
knocked on the door. A young woman opened the door and
smiled at him. “Can I help you, sir?” she said.
“Yes,” Oliver said. “Please, could you tell me who owns
this house?”
“Oliver Grant from New Jersey,” she said. “I am taking
care of the house and the vineyard until he shows up.”
“What is your name?” Oliver asked.
“Chantal Lavigne,” the woman answered.
“I am Oliver Grant!” he said. “I came here to look for a
treasure. I think I found it.”
“Do you mean the house, the vineyard or me?” Chantal
asked and laughed.
“All of the above,” Oliver said.

Notes
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
41
I. Choose the right answer.

1. Oliver Grant lived in __________.

a. New Orleans
b. New Jersey
c. New Brunswick

2. Oliver spent summers in __________.

a. France
b. the USA
c. Canada

3. Jules was Oliver’s __________.

a. father
b. uncle
c. teacher

4. Oliver’s favorite game was __________.

a. the treasure hunt
b. chess
c. baseball

5. Jules was originally from __________.

a. France
b. Italy
c. Canada

6. Uncle Jules gave Oliver _________.

a. a car
b. a fishing boat
c. a house and a vineyard

42
II. Complete the sentences with the words from the
box below.

knock originally clues the opposite

recognized single Ultimate treasure hunt

1. Uncle Jules hid some money, and Oliver looked for it.
They played the treasure hunt. .

2. Uncle Jules lived in Canada, but he was born in France.

He was ____________ from France.

3. Jules was completely different from Oliver’s father. He

was ____________ of Oliver’s father.

4. To find a treasure, you need some ____________ on a

map.

5. Oliver was sitting in the kitchen when he heard a

____________ on the door.

6. Uncle Jules called the last treasure hunt, The

____________ Treasure Hunt.

7. Oliver knew what a map of France looked like. He

____________ a map of France.

8. Uncle Jules indicated only a ____________ town on the

map.

43
III. Choose two words from the box on the previous
page and write a short paragraph using them.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

IV. Complete the sentences with the expressions from

the box below.

accept the challenge all of the above

taking care of fluent in French

1. Oliver spoke French very well. He was

_________________________.

2. It was very difficult for Oliver to travel to France, but he

decided to _________________________.

3. Chantal said, “The house belongs to Oliver Grant, but I

am _________________________ it.”

4. Did Oliver like the house, the vineyard or the woman?

_________________________.

V. Choose two expressions from the box above and

write a short paragraph using them.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

44
 VI. Answer the questions in full sentences.

1. Where was Oliver from?

2. Where did Oliver spend his summers?
3. What was Uncle Jules like?
4. What did Oliver and Uncle Jules do together?
5. What happened to Oliver when he was thirty years old?
6. Where did Uncle Jules want Oliver to go?
7. How did Oliver find the house?
8. Who was taking care of the house and the vineyard?
9. Who did the house and the vineyard belong to?

VII. Oral Summary

Retell the story in a few sentences.

VIII. Written Summary

Write a few sentences to summarize the story.

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

45
 THE EGG

Andy Chapman loved mountain climbing. He loved the

excitement of possible danger and the feeling of victory. He
climbed the most dangerous mountains in the world, some
of them several times.
At 45 he stopped climbing. He was simply tired of it. He
was also tired of living alone.
One Saturday evening, he was at home watching TV
when his phone rang.
“Hello Andy.” It was Jack, Andy’s best friend. “Can I
come and talk to you for ten minutes.”
“Why not,” Andy said. “But if you want to talk about
mountain climbing, I don’t want to hear about it.”
Half an hour later, Jack was sitting in Andy’s living room.
“I know you don’t want to talk about mountain climbing,”
Jack said. “But there is something you should know.”
“Oh yes? And what’s that?” Andy asked.
“Mount Everest is not the highest peak in the world,”
Jack said.
“OK,” Andy said. “You’ve got my attention.”
“Technically, if you measure the distance from the
center of the Earth to the highest point, it’s Chimborazo.
Chimborazo is a volcano. It’s in Ecuador.”

46
 “It’ll be my last one,” Andy said.
A month later, Andy, Jack and two other friends were
climbing Chimborazo. Andy was the leader. He was the
first to reach the peak. There, on the edge of the crater, he
noticed something green with black spots. “An interesting
stone,” he thought. He picked it up. It was not a stone. It
was an egg. It was three times as big as a chicken egg.
Andy knew he shouldn’t do it, but he wrapped the egg in
his scarf and put it into his backpack. He didn’t tell his
friends about it. It was going to be his souvenir from his last
climb.
Taking the egg was illegal, but he passed through
airport security without a problem. The egg was still in his
backpack.
When Andy finally got home, he took the egg out of his
backpack and put it on the kitchen table. “I wonder what’s
inside – a bird, a snake or a reptile?” It was both exciting
and dangerous at the same time. That was the feeling
Andy liked the most. He put the egg in a little basket and
put the basket near the heater in his garage. He checked
the egg every day for three weeks – no change.
Then in the middle of one night, Andy woke up hearing
noise coming from his garage. He went to the garage door
and opened it. Suddenly a big snake wrapped itself around
him and started to strangle him. Andy was dying.
Andy heard a phone ringing in the distance. He woke up
from his nightmare. It was eight in the morning. He
answered the phone.
“Andy, I hope I didn’t wake you.” It was Jack. “We are
flying to Ecuador next month.”
“I am not going to climb Chimborazo,” Andy said. “I’ve
had enough of danger.”

Notes
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
47
I. Choose the right answer.

1. Andy was a __________.

a. hiker
b. climber
c. jogger

2. Andy loved the feeling of __________.

a. victory
b. security
c. embarrassment

3. Jack wanted Andy to climb _________.

a. Mount Everest
b. K2
c. Chimborazo

4. Chimborazo is a volcano in __________.

a. Nepal
b. Ecuador
c. India

5. In his dream Andy found __________.

a. an egg
b. a precious stone
c. a scarf

6. After the nightmare, Andy __________.

a. decided to climb Chimborazo
b. decided to climb Mount Everest
c. decided not to climb Chimborazo

48
II. Complete the sentences with the words from the
box below.

attention reach noticed danger

nightmare souvenir excitement victory

1. Andy liked the excitement of possible danger.

2. Andy also liked the feeling of ____________.

3. When Jack said that Mount Everest was not the highest
peak, he got Andy’s ____________.

4. Andy was the leader. He was the first to ____________

the peak of Chimborazo.

5. He ____________ something green with black spots on

the edge of the crater.

6. Andy wanted something to remember his last climb. He

wanted a ____________.

7. Fortunately for him, Andy woke up from his

____________.

8. Andy didn’t want to climb Chimborazo in the end. He

had had enough of ____________.

49
III. Choose two words from the box on the previous
page and write a short paragraph using them.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

IV. Complete the sentences with the expressions from

the box below.

at the same time tired of it

wrapped itself passed through

1. Andy didn’t want to climb any more mountains. He was

simply _________________________.

2. Nobody stopped Andy at the airport. He

_________________________ without a problem.

3. Andy liked the situation. It was both exciting and

dangerous _________________________.

4. The snake tried to strangle Andy. It

___________________________ around him.

V. Choose two expressions from the box above and

write a short paragraph using them.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

50
 VI. Answer the questions in full sentences.

1. What did Andy love?

2. Why was mountain climbing so exciting for Andy?
3. Why did he decide to stop climbing mountains?
4. Why did Jack come to visit Andy?
5. What do you know about Chimborazo?
6. What did Andy find on the edge of the crater?
7. Why did Andy take the egg?
8. What was in the egg?
9. Did Andy really climb Chimborazo?

VII. Oral Summary

Retell the story in a few sentences.

VIII. Written Summary

Write a few sentences to summarize the story.

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

51
 EDDY

When Jane Sanders was four years old, her father took
her to the zoo for the first time. When she saw the
chimpanzees, she immediately fell in love with them. From
that time on, they were part of her life. She spent hours and
hours at the zoo watching them and laughing. She was
fascinated by them. Other children had teddy bears. She
had Eddy, a stuffed chimp, as her favorite toy.
When Jane went to high school, she learned that
chimpanzees were in danger, and their population was
diminishing. She made a decision. “I will go to Africa one
day,” she said to her parents. “I will help save
chimpanzees.” Her parents smiled. Jane was only fifteen
years old.
Ten years later, Jane’s parents drove her to the airport.
They weren’t smiling. They were worried. Their daughter
was leaving for Tanzania. Jane had become a veterinarian
and was determined more than ever to help chimpanzees.
Jane spent ten years in the Serengeti National Park in
Tanzania studying chimpanzees and helping them.

52
 One day something very odd happened to Jane. She
was working outside with her chimpanzees when one of
them stole her pen and her notebook and disappeared.
The chimpanzee came back two hours later and showed
Jane his work. He had drawn a picture of a palm tree. Jane
was amazed. She named the chimpanzee Eddy, and they
became friends.
One day Jane got an idea. “I will organize an exhibition
in New York,” she thought. “Eddy will be the first
chimpanzee to have an exhibition, and he will help me
raise money. People will pay to see his drawings.”
Jane was right. A year later, Eddy had his first exhibition
in New York. It was a great success. Jane and Eddy raised
$500,000 to help other chimpanzees.
Jane was not only courageous and smart, but she also
had a great sense of humor. One day when she was
driving to the exhibition with Eddy, a policeman stopped
her.
“You can’t drive around the city with this wild animal,
ma’am,” the policeman said. “It’s dangerous. Take him to
the zoo!”
“I will, officer,” Jane said.
The next day the same policeman stopped her. “I told
you to take him to the zoo!” he said angrily.
“But I did,” Jane said. “We went to the zoo yesterday.
Today, we are going to see an art exhibition.”

Notes
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
53
I. Choose the right answer.

1. Jane was __________ chimpanzees.

a. afraid of
b. fascinated by
c. attacked by

2. Jane was a __________.

a. pediatrician
b. lawyer
c. veterinarian

3. Jane went to __________.

a. Tunisia
b. Thailand
c. Tanzania

4. Eddy drew a picture of a __________.

a. waterfall
b. palm tree
c. gorilla

5. The exhibition was in __________.

a. New York
b. New Orleans
c. New Haven

6. The policeman told Jane to __________.

a. take Eddy to the zoo
b. take Eddy to see an exhibition
c. take Eddy to the jungle

54
II. Complete the sentences with the words from the
box below.

disappeared courageous fascinated save

stuffed determined diminishing odd

1. Jane liked chimpanzees a lot. She was fascinated .

by them.

2. Jane’s favorite toy was a ___________ chimp.

3. There were less and less chimpanzees. The population

of chimpanzees was ____________.

4. Jane didn’t want chimpanzees to die out. She wanted to

help ____________ them.

5. Jane knew exactly what she wanted to do. She was

____________ to help chimpanzees.

6. Jane couldn’t find her pen and her notebook. They

____________.

7. Something ____________ happened to Jane. A

chimpanzee stole her pen and notebook and drew a
picture.

8. Jane was not afraid of anything. She was

____________.

55
III. Choose two words from the box on the previous
page and write a short paragraph using them.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

IV. Complete the sentences with the expressions from

the box below.

raise money sense of humor

were worried made a decision

1. Chimpanzees were in danger. Jane

____________________. She decided to go to Africa.

2. Jane’s parents didn’t want Jane to go to Africa. They

____________________.

3. People paid to see Eddy’s pictures. Eddy helped Jane

____________________.

4. Jane liked to joke with people. She had a great

____________________.

V. Choose two expressions from the box above and

write a short paragraph using them.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

56
 VI. Answer the questions in full sentences.

1. What did Jane like the most at the zoo?

2. What did she learn when she went to high school?
3. What did Jane decide to do?
4. Where did Jane work in Africa?
5. Something odd happened to her one day. What was it?
6. What did the chimpanzee draw?
7. What did Jane call the chimpanzee?
8. What idea did she get when she saw Eddy’s drawing?
9. How much money did Jane and Eddy raise?

VII. Oral Summary

Retell the story in a few sentences.

VIII. Written Summary

Write a few sentences to summarize the story.

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

57
 THE TREASURE HUNTER

When Sandy was a little girl, she used to spend

summers with her grandparents in Montana. Her
grandparents had a farm, and there was a lot of work to do
there. Sandy didn’t mind working during her vacation. She
loved the country, and she loved her grandparents. The
time she spent in Montana was the best time of her
childhood.
When her grandparents died, they left Sandy a spinning
wheel. Sandy had the spinning wheel in her New York
apartment. Her friends thought it was strange, but to
Sandy, it was the treasure that reminded her of the great
times she had had in Montana.
When Sandy was forty-five years old, she lost her job
and needed money to pay for her apartment. She decided
to sell the spinning wheel. She went to an antique shop and
offered it to the antique dealer.
“Times are bad, ma’am,” the antique dealer said. “I can’t
give you more than $3,000 dollars.”
“What?” Sandy said.
“It’s a nice old piece, but there are some flaws, you see.
$3,100 is my last offer.”

58
 Sandy sold the spinning wheel for $3,100. She never
dreamed she would get that kind of money for an old
spinning wheel. An idea struck her. “People might have
very valuable things in their attics or basements,” she
thought. “And they might not know it.”
Sandy drove around the country and paid people to let
her explore their attics and basements. She usually gave
people $100, and they let her take whatever she found.
The people were happy to get rid of old things, and Sandy
had a new business.
One day she saw a very old house. She wanted to
explore it, but nobody lived in it. She asked around about
the owner.
“A long time ago, a man lived there alone,” the people
said. “He was crazy. He thought he was a writer, but he
never sold any books. His granddaughter lives somewhere
in New York. Her name is Nelly Orr.”
Sandy found Nelly Orr. “You don’t have to pay me
anything,” Nelly said. “Take whatever you want. I’ll be
happy to get rid of it.”
Sandy went to the old house. At first she didn’t see
anything valuable. Then she opened a drawer of an old
chest and found a manuscript. The Treasure Hunter was
the name of the book. She started to read it and left the
house the next morning. She left with the manuscript that
she later sold for two million dollars. Sandy and Nelly
shared the money.
“People say my grandfather was crazy,” Nelly said. “It
looks like he was not.”

Notes
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
59
I. Choose the right answer.

1. Sandy spent summers in __________.

a. New York
b. Montana
c. Greece

2. Sandy’s grandparents left her __________.

a. an old house
b. an old chest
c. an old spinning wheel

3. Sandy got $3100 for __________.

a. the old chest
b. the manuscript
c. the old spinning wheel

4. Sandy’s new business was __________.

a. interviewing people
b. selling valuable old things
c. driving around the country

5. She found a __________ in the house.

a. manuscript
b. chest
c. spinning wheel

6. The name of the book was __________.

a. The Spinning Wheel
b. The Treasure Hunter
c. Nelly Orr

60
II. Complete the sentences with the words from the
box below.

antique dealer whatever valuable flaws

spinning wheel antique explore manuscript

1. We use a spinning wheal to spin thread.

2. A shop where you can buy old things is called an

________________ shop.

3. An ________________ sells old things.

4. If a thing has some defects, we can say that it has some

________________.

5. Sometimes people had _______________ things in

their attics and they didn’t know it.

6. Sandy gave people $100, and they let her

________________ their attics and basements.

7. Sandy could take anything she wanted. She could take

________________ she wanted.

8. When a writer writes a book by hand or using a word

processor we call it a ________________.

61
III. Choose two words from the box on the previous
page and write a short paragraph using them.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

IV. Complete the sentences with the expressions from

the box below.

get rid of treasure hunter

asked around times are bad

1. A person that seeks treasures is called a

____________________.

2. If a business doesn’t do very well, we can say that

____________________.

3. People usually don’t want to keep old things. They want

to ____________________ them.

4. Sandy asked many people about the house. She

____________________ town.

V. Choose two expressions from the box above and

write a short paragraph using them.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

62
 VI. Answer the questions in full sentences.

1. Where did Sandy use to spend her summers?

2. What did her grandparents do for a living?
3. What did her grandparents give her?
4. Where did she keep the old spinning wheel?
5. Why did she decide to sell the spinning wheel?
6. Did she receive more or less than she expected?
7. What idea did she get?
8. What did she find in the old house?
9. How much money did she get for the manuscript?

VII. Oral Summary

Retell the story in a few sentences.

VIII. Written Summary

Write a few sentences to summarize the story.

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

63
AN EXTRA SEAT FOR MR. CAMBELL

John Cambell had spent the last two years living in

Greece and working on his new book. Now it was time to
return home. He was from Winnipeg, Canada.
John looked at the blue sea from his hotel room window
and sighed. Then he looked at his watch – 20 hours before
his flight. He reluctantly opened the airline website and
clicked on check-in. He immediately noticed something
new there, something he hadn’t seen there before. There
was a dialog box. He had to fill in his height and weight.
John got up and went to the bathroom. He had scales
there. Weight had always been his big problem. He stood
on the scales and couldn’t believe his eyes, “400 pounds?”
John filled 6 feet and 400 pounds into the dialogue box
and pressed enter. The word obese appeared and started
to flash.
“I know that,” John said to the computer. “You are not
telling me anything new.”
Then a message appeared.
According to our new policy, you have to purchase an
extra seat. We apologize for any inconvenience this may
cause.
The next morning John entered the plane. He handed
two boarding passes to a stewardess. It was embarrassing.
64
 “Good morning,” the stewardess said. She looked at the
two boarding passes, and then she looked at John. “Mr.
Cambell, you bought an extra seat according to our new
policy, but you have one seat in row 17 and the other one
in row 19.”
Now John felt really bad.
“Don’t worry Mr. Cambell,” the stewardess said. “I’ll ask
one of the other passengers to move. It’s going to be OK.”
“Please don’t,” John said. “I won’t fly with you.” He
turned around and walked off the plane.
John made a decision. “I’m not leaving Greece until I
can fly as a normal person. I’m going to lose weight, and
then I will return home. I can work on my books here.”
John found a doctor, and the doctor put him on a diet.
He also started going to the gym every day. John began
losing weight. In two months he lost 50 pounds. He looked
better and better every day.
Three months after he started his diet, he met a woman
in the gym. Her name was Anita. She also had a problem
with her weight. They fell in love.
In a year, John lost 200 pounds. He was ready to fly
back home. He went on the website, but this time he
proudly filled in 200 pounds. He needed just one seat.
John was waiting at the airport. He wished Anita were
with him, but she was not ready to go with him yet, and she
hated goodbyes.
Suddenly he heard a voice behind him. “Mr. Cambell,
you need to buy an extra seat.”
John turned around. “Why?” he asked.
“Because you are not flying alone. I’m flying with you.” It
was Anita.

Notes
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

65
I. Choose the right answer.

1. John Cambell was a __________.

a. steward
b. doctor
c. writer

2. John spent __________ in Greece.

a. one year
b. two years
c. three years

3. John had to buy two seats __________.

a. because he was obese
b. because he flew with his publisher
c. because he flew with his wife

4. John didn’t fly because he __________.

a. hadn’t bought two seats
b. was embarrassed
c. met Anita at the airport

5. John met Anita __________.

a. at the beach
b. at the gym
c. at the doctor’s office

6. John flew home with __________.

a. Anita
b. Anita and his doctor
c. Anita, his doctor and his trainer

66
II. Complete the sentences with the words from the
box below.

extra cause appeared reluctantly

apologize policy inconvenience according

1. John was very sad. He reluctantly opened the

webpage to check in.

2. A message ________________. John learned that he

had to buy an extra seat.

3. The airline company wanted to ________________ to

their passengers.

4. The airline company had a new ________________.

5. ________________ to the new policy, John had to buy

two seats.

6. All obese passengers had to buy an

________________ seat.

7. For John it was a major ________________.

8. It may ________________ an inconvenience for a lot of

other passengers like John.

67
III. Choose two words from the box on the previous
page and write a short paragraph using them.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

IV. Complete the sentences with the expressions from

the box below.

put him on a diet lost weight

dialogue box gained weight

1. A ____________________ is a small window that

communicates information.

2. John went from 300 pounds to 400 pounds. He _______

____________________.

3. John was obese so the doctor ___________________.

4. Later John went from 400 pounds to 200 pounds. He

____________________.

V. Choose two expressions from the box above and

write a short paragraph using them.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

68
 VI. Answer the questions in full sentences.

1. What did John do for a living?

2. Where did he spend the last two years?
3. Where was he from?
4. Why did he have to buy two plane tickets for himself?
5. What was wrong with his two boarding passes?
6. Why didn’t he fly home?
7. What did he decide to do?
8. Who did he meet in the gym?
9. Why did he have to buy two plane tickets again?

VII. Oral Summary

Retell the story in a few sentences.

VIII. Written Summary

Write a few sentences to summarize the story.

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

69
 DON’T MESS WITH MICHELLE

Viktor Velochkin was the principal of an English

Language School in Kiev. He was proud of his school. His
school always had American teachers. But times were bad.
Not many American teachers wanted to work in Ukraine.
Salaries were low and crime was high.
Christmas was coming, and Viktor desperately needed
an American teacher. He opened his emails again. He
couldn’t believe it. The only teacher who didn’t mind
coming at this time of the year was a 72-year-old woman
from San Diego, California. Her name was Michelle
Jenkins. Viktor had no other choices. He sent her an email.
In the middle of the night Viktor woke up. His cell phone
was ringing. He looked at the screen. The call was coming
from America. He answered it.
“Hello, Mr. Velochkin,” a husky voice said. “This is
Michelle. I am terribly sorry to bother you at night, but I
want to tell you something important.”
“What is so important that it couldn’t wait till morning?”
Viktor asked.
“I’m a woman now,” she said, “but before that I was a
man. I had surgery. I thought you might want to know
before you hire me.”

70
 There was silence for a minute. Then Viktor said, “Mr.
Jenkins, sorry, Ms. Jenkins, we don’t discriminate at my
school. Skin color, religion, gender or sexual orientation is
not important to me. What I need is a good English
teacher.”
“I feel so much better,” Michelle said.
Viktor hung up. “Oh my God,” he said.
Viktor was waiting at the airport. He held a piece of
paper in his hand with the name Michelle Jenkins on it.
Suddenly some strange, 6 ft 6 inch tall figure walked to
him. It was difficult to tell if it was a man or a woman. It had
women’s clothes on, but it also had a beard.
“Hello Mr. Velochkin.” the figure said. “I am Michelle.
Sorry, I know, I don’t look very attractive now. I have been
traveling for three days. Tomorrow, I will look much better. I
promise.”
Viktor was speechless. He took Michelle’s suitcases and
was slowly walking towards his car. Michelle was following
him.
Suddenly two men approached Michelle. One of them
asked her something, and the other grabbed her handbag.
Michelle punched him in the face and kicked the other one
in the stomach. Both men fell on the ground. Viktor
watched the scene in shock.
“I used to be a kickboxer,” Michelle said. “Don’t worry. I
can also teach English.”
Michelle Jenkins worked in Ukraine for three years. She
was the best English teacher Viktor had ever had.

Notes
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

71
I. Choose the right answer.

1. Viktor’s school was in __________.

a. Moscow
b. San Diego
c. Kiev

2. __________ was coming.

a. Thanksgiving
b. Christmas
c. Easter

3. Michelle used to be a __________.

a. kickboxer
b. surgeon
c. woman

4. Viktor picked up Michelle at __________.

a. the bus station
b. the train station
c. the airport

5. A man at the airport tried to __________.

a. steal Michelle’s handbag
b. sell a handbag to Michelle
c. offer Michelle a ride
6. Viktor was __________ Michelle’s work.
a. disappointed with
b. not happy with
c. satisfied with

72
II. Complete the sentences with the words from the
box below.

choice approached crime discriminate

salary surgery kickboxer speechless

1. The money we received for our work is called a

salary __ .

2. If you steal, you commit a ________________.

3. There was only one candidate for the job. Viktor didn’t
have a ________________.

4. Michelle used to be a man. Now she is a woman. She

had ________________.

5. If you treat people differently on the bases of sex or

race, you ________________.

6. The two men came close to Michelle. They

________________ her.

7. Viktor didn’t know what to say. He was

________________.

8. Michelle liked martial arts. She used be a

________________.

73
III. Choose two words from the box on the previous
page and write a short paragraph using them.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

IV. Complete the sentences with the expressions from

the box below.

hung up husky voice

don’t mess with times were bad

1. Don’t start a fight with Michelle.

_________________________ her.

2. If the economic and political situation wasn’t good, we

could say that ________________________.

3. Michelle had a deep hoarse voice. She had a

________________________.

4. Viktor finished the phone conversation. He

_________________________.

V. Choose two expressions from the box above and

write a short paragraph using them.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

74
 VI. Answer the questions in full sentences.

1. Who was Viktor Velochkin?

2. What was his problem?
3. Who did he hire?
4. Why did Michelle call Viktor at night?
5. What did Viktor tell her?
6. How did Michelle look when she arrived at the airport?
7. What happened at the airport?
8. Why was Michelle able to defend herself so well?
9. Was Michelle a good English teacher?

VII. Oral Summary

Retell the story in a few sentences.

VIII. Written Summary

Write a few sentences to summarize the story.

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
75