Twelve Short Stories for Learners of English

EASY READING
for ESL Students
BOOK 4

by Johnny Bread

CANADIAN LANGUAGE SCHOOL

 INTRODUCTION

Easy Reading for ESL Students – Book 4 is a

comprehensive reader designed especially for intermediate
and advanced 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 Lifeguard 4

The Driver 10

The Old City Blues 16

A Diplomat 22

A Date with a Ghost 28

A Horse Whisperer 34

Lady Deer 40

The Mouse 46

The Red Jeep 52

A Taxi Ride 58

Reborn 64

The Christmas Present 70

3
 THE LIFEGUARD

An ordinary man can hold his breath under water for 40

seconds. Jonathan Casey was not an ordinary man. He
could hold his breath under water for nine minutes.
When Jonathan was two years old, he fell into a
swimming pool. Nobody was watching him. Most children
would have drowned – not Jonathan. He was able to get
out of the water. That day he learned how to swim.
Swimming had always been an important part of his life.
He was on the swimming team at his school, and he had
won many competitions. He was in a special diving unit
when he was in the navy. Nobody could hold their breath
longer than him. His friends called him Frogman.
Jonathan made his living as a lifeguard, and he was one
of the best. He retired when he was sixty. Then he started
traveling. It was something he had always wanted to do.
One Saturday morning Jonathan was driving on a bridge
in Canada. Suddenly the traffic stopped. Jonathan waited
and waited. Twenty minutes later Jonathan decided that he
had been stuck in traffic too long. He got out of the car.
“Stay in the car, sir,” a police officer yelled.
“What’s happening, Officer?” Jonathan asked.

4
 “It’s an emergency. There’s a suicidal woman on the
bridge.”
Jonathan walked to the side of the bridge and looked.
He saw her. A middle aged woman had climbed the railing.
She was ready to jump into the water below. Another police
officer was talking to her, but she didn’t seem to be
listening to him.
“Go back to your car,” the police officer yelled at
Jonathan. And then it happened. The woman let go of the
railing and jumped. She seemed to fall for an eternity. Then
they heard a big splash, and the woman disappeared under
the water.
Jonathan ran to the spot where the woman had jumped
and did something unbelievable. He jumped in after her.
Everybody on the bridge looked down. There was no
trace of the woman or of Jonathan. One minute passed,
three minutes passed, and then six minutes passed. “They
are both dead,” somebody said. “Nobody can survive under
water that long.”
Then two heads appeared above the water, and
everybody saw Jonathan and the woman. Jonathan had
found her and he was pulling her to the river bank.
The woman was in a coma for a month, but she lived.
Jonathan became a hero.
“You weren’t afraid to die?” a journalist asked Jonathan.
“I was,” Jonathan said. “But I just couldn’t let her die. I
am a lifeguard.”

Notes
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

5
I. Choose the right answer.

1. Jonathan learned to swim __________.

a. when he was five
b. when he was three
c. when he was two

2. Jonathan was in a special __________.

a. swimming unit
b. jumping unit
c. diving unit

3. Jonathan made his living as __________.

a. a swimmer
b. a lifeguard
c. a traveler
4. After he retired his hobby was __________.
a. traveling
b. swimming
c. diving

5. The woman wanted to kill __________.

a. the policeman
b. herself
c. Jonathan

6. Jonathan was __________.

a. afraid to die, but he jumped
b. not afraid to jump, but he didn’t jump
c. not afraid to die, so he jumped

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

splash spot bank let

eternity trace stuck coma

1. The cars in front of him were not moving. He was

stuck in traffic.

2. The woman ____________ go of the railing and jumped

into the water below.

3. The woman fell for a long time. It seemed to be an

___________.

4. When the woman jumped into the water, everybody

heard a big ____________.

5. Jonathan ran to the ____________ where the woman

had been standing and jumped.

6. The woman and Jonathan couldn’t be seen. There was

no ____________ of them.

7. Jonathan pulled the woman out of the water. He pulled

her to the river ____________.

8. The woman was in the hospital for a month. She was in

a ____________.

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.

hold his breath diving unit

suicidal woman ordinary man

1. Jonathan was a special man. He was not an

____________________.

2. Jonathan worked under water. He was in a

____________________.

3. The police officer said, there was a

____________________ on the bridge.

4. Jonathan didn’t breathe for six minutes. He could

____________________ for six minutes.

V. Choose two expressions from the box above and

write a short paragraph using them.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

8
 VI. Answer the question in full sentences.

1. How long can an ordinary man hold his breath?

2. How long could Jonathan hold his breath?
3. How did Jonathan learn to swim?
4. What did Jonathan do in the navy?
5. How did Jonathan make his living?
6. What did he do after he retired?
7. Why was Jonathan stuck in traffic?
8. What did Jonathan do when the woman jumped?
9. Why did he risk his life?

VII. Oral Summary

Retell the story in a few sentences.

VIII. Written Summary

Write a few sentences to summarize the story.

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

9
 THE DRIVER

Jeff Lowe used to be a professional race car driver. He

won many races. He was one of the best.
When Jeff was forty years old, he retired. At the
beginning Jeff didn’t mind having a lot of free time.
Suddenly he could do things he had never been able to do
before. For example, he could sleep until ten in the
morning. He could also go to the movies, read books and
travel. He was able to go out and hang out with his friends
every day.
A year later, Jeff was bored. He didn’t have to work. He
had enough money to live, but he wanted to do something.
He had been a driver all his adult life. Driving was the only
thing he knew. He decided to become a taxi driver.
At the beginning it was difficult for him. Driving in a big
city was very different from driving on a race track, but Jeff
got used to it. He got used to dealing with bad drivers. He
was very careful and paid attention to everybody on the
streets.
Many of his customers praised his driving, but just a
handful of them knew they were being driven by the best
driver in the city.

10
 Jeff liked his job very much. He met a lot of interesting
people. Something interesting was always happening in the
city.
“Being a taxi driver is a great job,” Jeff thought. “I don’t
know why taxi drivers are always complaining about
things.” He was about to find out.
It was around midnight when a man stopped Jeff’s taxi.
As the man got into the taxi, two other men ran from
around the corner and got into the taxi, too. They knew one
another. They were criminals.
“Give me all your money!” one of them said. “And do it
quickly.” The man pulled a knife on Jeff.
Jeff gave him all his money.
“Now drive us to the train station,” the man said. Drive
fast. We don’t want to miss the train.”
“Yes, sir,” Jeff said. “I will drive fast. You’d better fasten
your seatbelts.”
The three men will never forget what happened. Jeff
drove his taxi as if it were a race car. For a few minutes he
became a race car driver again. The man dropped the knife
and grabbed his seat. The two others grabbed their seats,
too. It was their worst nightmare. The men were frightened
and worried about their lives.
When Jeff stopped the taxi, the men didn’t move. They
were frozen with fear. Jeff called the police. While the
police were arresting the men, they all shouted, “He wanted
to kill us! He wanted to kill us!”
“You wanted me to drive fast, didn’t you?” Jeff said and
smiled.

Notes
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

11
I. Choose the right answer.

1. Jeff used to be a __________.

a. criminal
b. police officer
c. race car driver

2. When he was forty, he __________.

a. retired
b. had an accident
c. got married

3. Later Jeff became a __________.

a. criminal
b. taxi driver
c. truck driver

4. Jeff was a __________ driver.

a. careless
b. careful
c. bad

5. The man who stopped Jeff __________.

a. was his friend
b. was a police officer
c. was a criminal

6. The men were frightened __________.

a. because Jeff drove fast
b. because Jeff had a gun
c. because Jeff had a knife

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

grabbed frightened dealing attention

praised fasten adult handful

1. A fully grown person is called an adult .

2. Jeff encountered many bad drivers, but he got used to

____________ with them.

3. Jeff thought about other people a lot. He paid

____________ to them.

4. Many people said good things about Jeff. They

____________ him.

5. Not many people recognized Jeff. It was just a

____________ of them who recognized him.

6. Before you start driving, you have to ____________

your seatbelt.

7. The three criminals took a hold of their seats. They

____________ them.

8. The men were worried about their lives. They were

____________.

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.

hang out race track

miss the train about to

1. Jeff went out with his friends. They didn’t do much.

They just wanted to ____________________.

2. The area for car racing is called a

____________________.

3. Jeff didn’t know about taxi drivers’ problems, but he was

____________________ find out.

4. The men wanted to get to the train station fast. They

didn’t want to ____________________.

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. What did Jeff use to do for a living?

2. When did he retire?
3. What did he do when he retired?
4. Why did he need a job?
5. What kind of job did he choose and why?
6. How did Jeff like his new job?
7. How did Jeff find out that his job could be difficult?
8. What did the criminals want from Jeff?
9. How did Jeff deal with the criminals?

VII. Oral Summary

Retell the story in a few sentences.

VIII. Written Summary

Write a few sentences to summarize the story.

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

15
 THE OLD CITY BLUES

Lisa McGee was born in Coldwater, Mississippi. Her

parents were not rich, but they were kind and hardworking
people.
Lisa’s family was big, but the most important person in
her life was her grandfather. Lisa loved her grandfather. He
was a musician and taught her how to sing and play
musical instruments. He had discovered Lisa’s talent for
music and singing when she was only two years old and
thought it would be worth helping her develop her talent.
They got together as often as they could. Lisa sang, and
her grandfather played the piano or the guitar.
Lisa dreamed that she would sing on the stage one day,
and people would applaud her and admire her.
Lisa’s grandfather often told Lisa stories. Her favorite
story was about an old city somewhere in Europe which her
grandfather had once visited.
“The city is so old that it remembers the kings and
queens,” her grandfather said. “There is a big castle and
hundreds of churches. It has beautiful squares and bridges
with magnificent statues. There are streets so narrow that
two bikes cannot pass each other.” Her grandfather had
even written a song about the old city, which he and Lisa

16
often sang together. He called it The Old City Blues. The
song was so beautiful and touching that it brought tears to
Lisa’s eyes every time they sang it.
Lisa grew up. Her dream didn’t come true. She didn’t
become a singer. She worked in a store and sang only for
pleasure. But there was something Lisa wanted to do very
much. She wanted to visit the old city her grandfather had
told her about. She had been saving money for that
purpose.
When Lisa was forty years old, she thought it was about
time to go on a trip to Europe. The funny thing was that her
grandfather had never told her the name of the city, and
she had never asked him. Her grandfather had died years
earlier.
Lisa went to a travel agency and described the old city in
Europe to an agent.
“Well, almost every major city in Europe fits that
description,” the agent said.
“OK,” Lisa said. “Which of these cities would be the
cheapest to visit?”
The agent looked at his computer screen for a long time.
At last he said, “Prague.”
Lisa went on vacation to Prague for two months. Two
months became five years. Today Lisa is still in Prague
making her living as a singer in a jazz club. How did she do
it? People say it was because of the blues song she sang
one night while visiting a jazz club. The song brought tears
to people’s eyes, and the manager of the club never let her
go.

Notes
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

17
I. Choose the right answer.

1. Lisa was born in __________, Mississippi.

a. Hotwater
b. Warmwater
c. Coldwater

2. Lisa’s parents were __________.

a. kind but lazy
b. strict and hardworking
c. kind and hardworking

3. Lisa’s grandfather was a __________.

a. musician
b. farmer
c. travel agent

4. Lisa wanted to become a __________.

a. singer
b. travel agent
c. jazz club manager

5. Lisa’s first job was __________.

a. on a farm
b. at a store
c. in a club

6. Lisa chose to go to Prague because __________.

a. her grandfather told her to
b. it was in the Czech Republic
c. it was relatively cheap

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

pleasure magnificent blues touching

applaud develop narrow talent

1. The song about the old city was sad and touching. It
was a blues song.

2. Lisa had a natural ability to sing and play musical

instruments. She had ____________.

3. Lisa’s grandfather practiced with Lisa a lot. He wanted

to ____________ her talent.

4. When people are satisfied with an artist’s performance,

they ____________.

5. The statues were very beautiful. They were

____________.

6. Some streets were so ____________ that two bikes

couldn’t pass each other.

7. The song was so beautiful that people had tears in their

eyes. It was ____________.

8. Lisa was not a professional singer. She sang only for

her own ____________.

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.

brought tears making her living

got together funny thing

1. Lisa and her grandfather often ____________________

and played music.

2. The song was so touching that it

____________________ to people’s eyes.

3. Lisa never asked her grandfather the name of the city. It

was a ____________________.

4. Lisa sings, and she is paid for it. She is

____________________ as a singer.

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 was Lisa born?

2. What were her parents like?
3. Who was the most important person in Lisa’s life?
4. What did he teach her?
5. What was Lisa’s dream?
6. What was Lisa’s favorite story?
7. What did Lisa want to do after her grandfather died?
8. Why did she choose Prague?
9. How did Lisa’s life change after she visited Prague?

VII. Summary

Retell the story in a few sentences.

VIII. Written Summary

Write a few sentences to summarize the story.

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

21
 A DIPLOMAT

A luxury car was slowly moving down a street in a big

hot city. It was Sunday afternoon, and there weren’t many
cars on the street. All of a sudden a motorcycle appeared
from nowhere, and the rider rode parallel to the car for a
few seconds. It was a powerful racing motorcycle. The rider
was wearing a black leather suit and a helmet with a black
face shield. He drew a gun from a holster strapped to his
thigh and smashed one of the car windows.
Two men and two women were sitting in the car. They
were wearing nice clothes. The driver stepped on the brake
and stopped.
“Give me all your money and jewelry or you die,” the
motorcycle rider said.
The frightened people in the car gave the rider all the
money and jewelry they had.
“Thanks,” the rider said. In a few seconds he was riding
at a speed of 100 miles per hour. Then he disappeared
from view.
The rider was Paolo Sousa. He loved robbing rich
people more than anything else. He had been doing this for

22
years. With a motorcycle that could go up to 200 miles per
hour and a gun he felt invincible.
Paolo grew up in a poor family. His father and
grandfather had taught him to hate rich people, and he did.
But Paolo didn’t want to live like his father and grandfather.
To hate the rich wasn’t good enough for him. He wanted to
do something more.
Paolo had worked very hard. It took him more than ten
years to make enough money to buy a racing motorcycle.
After his first robbery Paolo knew that there was nothing
else he would rather do than rob the rich while riding his
powerful motorcycle.
One day Paolo spotted a shiny black limousine parked
in front of a luxury hotel. The driver was apparently waiting
for somebody. Paolo watched as an old man in a nice suit
got in, and the driver drove away.
“Show time,” Paolo said to himself and started the
motorcycle. He rode next to the limousine and hit the
window with his gun, but this time the window didn’t break.
He tried again and again – nothing. Then the window
opened. Paolo was so surprised that he didn’t have time to
react. A powerful hand grabbed his gun and pulled him
against the car door. Paolo fell off his motorcycle. The car
stopped. Paolo was lying on the ground. The old man got
out of the car and pointed a gun at Paolo. “You made a
mistake you petty thief,” the old man said and called the
police.
“Who are you?” asked Paolo. He couldn’t understand
what had happened to him.
“I am a diplomat,” the old man said calmly. “Never mess
with a diplomat.”

Notes

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

23
I. Choose the right answer.

1. The robber was __________.

a. walking down the street
b. riding a motorcycle
c. driving a car

2. The robber __________.

a. broke a car window
b. crashed into the car
c. shot out the car tires

3. Paolo grew up in a __________ family.

a. rich
b. middle class
c. poor

4. Paolo enjoyed __________ rich people.

a. robbing
b. beating
c. helping

5. To own a motorcycle Paolo __________.

a. had to steal it
b. had to work very hard
c. had to ask his father to buy him one

6. It was a mistake to __________.

a. kill a diplomat
b. become a diplomat
c. mess with a diplomat

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

smashed parallel petty apparently

thigh leather invincible strapped

1. The rider was riding next to the moving car. He was

riding parallel to the car.

2. The rider was wearing a black ___________ suit.

3. The part of the leg between the hip and the knee is
called the ____________.
4. The rider had a holster with a gun in it ____________
to his thigh.

5. The rider ____________ the window. It broke into

pieces.

6. Paolo thought that with his motorcycle and gun he

was ____________.

7. A driver was sitting in the limousine. He was

____________ waiting for somebody.

8. We call somebody who steals small things a

____________ thief.

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.

mess with disappeared from view

all of a sudden from nowhere

1. Nobody expected it. ____________________ there was

a motorcycle.

2. It appeared ____________________.

3. The rider robbed the people in the car and

____________________.

4. It’s not a good idea to ____________________ a

diplomat.

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. What happened at the beginning of the story?
3. Who was the rider?
4. What was Paolo’s childhood like?
5. What did his father and grandfather teach him?
6. What did Paolo do later in his life?
7. How did Paolo feel with his motorcycle and gun?
8. What went wrong for Paolo one day?
9. What was Paolo’s mistake?

VII. Oral Summary

Retell the story in a few sentences.

VIII. Written Summary

Write a few sentences to summarize the story.

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

27
 A DATE WITH A GHOST

I will never forget that day. It was at the end of October.

It was early morning, and I was running along a path in the
woods. I didn’t see anybody anywhere. I was alone. I
enjoyed being alone. I was used to it.
Suddenly a woman appeared from nowhere and started
to run behind me. I wouldn’t have minded, except she was
running too close to me. It made me nervous. I slowed
down to let her pass. She slowed down, too. I ran faster to
outrun her. She ran faster, too. She was right behind me.
We ran together like this for about twenty minutes. I
wanted to stop and ask her what she wanted, but I didn’t. I
would have looked stupid.
I was in good shape. I had run many marathons. I
started to run really fast. I had decided to lose her. She
kept up with me for about five minutes. She was apparently
in good shape, too. But then she gave up.
I continued running for a while. The woman was
nowhere to be seen. I ran out of the woods and sat down
on a bench. I was thinking about the woman. It was weird.
She was weird. Or was I exaggerating?

28
 Suddenly she walked out of the woods and walked up to
me. A tingle of fear ran down my back. Was I frightened of
her?
She sat down next to me. “Did I scare you?” she asked
smiling.
“No,” I said. “Not at all.”
“I am sorry,” she said. “I don’t like running alone. We
could run together sometimes. What do you think?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I like running alone.”
“You might change your mind if we get to know each
other,” she said. “I’ll come to your apartment. I know where
you live.” She didn’t wait for my answer. She got up and
ran back into the woods. It was mind boggling.
I went home and told Josh everything. Josh was my
roommate. We had been living together since we were in
college.
Josh became very serious. He went to his room and
brought me a picture printed from the Internet. “Is this her?”
he asked.
“Yes,” I said. “Who is she?”
“Her name was Savanna Sutherland. She was very
clever and pretty. The problem is that she died ten years
ago. She was murdered in the woods nearby. You have a
date with a ghost.”
“You seem to know a lot about her,” I said. “How is
that?”
Suddenly the door of my room opened, and Savanna
Sutherland walked in.
“It’s because he’s my cousin,” she said. “We played a
trick on you. Happy Halloween, Brendan.” They both
started to laugh.

Notes

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

29
I. Choose the right answer.

1. Brendan was __________.

a. climbing a mountain
b. hiking
c. running

2. A __________ appeared from nowhere.

a. wolf
b. woman
c. wild boar

3. Brendan felt __________.

a. happy
b. angry
c. nervous

4. The woman __________.

a. attacked Brendan
b. suggested a date to Brendan
c. outran Brendan

5. Josh was Brendan’s __________.

a. roommate
b. inmate
c. classmate

6. Savannah was __________.

a. Josh’s cousin
b. Josh’s sister
c. a ghost

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

roommate exaggerate weird ghost

slowed down except murdered outrun

1. I didn’t mind running with her except she was too

close to me.

2. I didn’t run as fast as before. I ____________.

3. I wanted to get away from her, so I started to run faster.

I wanted to ____________ her.

4. I thought the woman was very strange. I thought she

was ___________.

5. Then I thought something was wrong with me. “You

____________,” I thought.

6. Josh shared an apartment with me. He was my

____________.

7. According to Josh the woman was killed. She was

____________.

8. Josh said that Savannah Sutherland was dead, and I

had spoken to her ____________.

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.

mind boggling kept up with me

played a trick tingle of fear

1. The woman ran as fast as I did. She

____________________.

2. I felt excitement mixed with fear. A

____________________ ran down my back.

3. I couldn’t believe what the woman said. It was

____________________.

4. The ghost story was not true. Josh and Savannah

________________ on me.

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. What was the man doing at the beginning of the story?

2. Who was he with?
3. What happened?
4. What did the man do?
5. What did the man think about the woman?
6. What did she tell him?
7. How did he feel about it?
8. What did Josh tell him about the woman?
9. What happened in the end?

VII. Oral Summary

Retell the story in a few sentences.

VIII. Written Summary

Write a few sentences to summarize the story.

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

33
 A HORSE WHISPERER

Daisy lived with her parents in New York City. Since she
was a little girl, she had been interested in horses. She was
a member of a horse club and rode horses every weekend.
Daisy wanted to become a veterinarian and help horses.
When she was fourteen years old, she went to Texas to
spend her vacation with her grandfather. He had a ranch
where he raised horses. Her grandfather was very happy to
see his granddaughter for the first time. Daisy was very
happy, too. Her grandfather’s ranch was one of the biggest
in Texas.
“I’m always very busy,” her grandfather said. “You can
go and play anywhere on the ranch except that stable.
Never go there.”
“Why not Grandpa?”
“There is a horse in that stable. He is very dangerous.
Last week he attacked a man.”
“Horses don’t attack people,” Daisy said. “Unless
something bad happened to them.”
Her grandfather smiled. “You seem to know a lot about
horses.”

34
 “Almost everything,” Daisy said proudly. “I have sixty-
eight books about horses in my collection. I have read them
all.”
“The horse was in a car accident,” her grandfather said.
“A car hit his trailer. He was so scared that he went crazy. I
got a veterinarian and even an animal psychologist to come
and see him. Nobody could help him. He is still alive
because he was one of my favorite horses. But I can’t keep
him alive for long.”
“Can I see him? Daisy asked.
“No, never,” her grandfather said. “Do not dare go near
him.”
“OK,” Daisy said.
Daisy couldn’t sleep that night. She was thinking about
the horse. Suddenly she got up. It was two in the morning.
Everybody on the ranch was sleeping. She took her
flashlight and a carrot from the kitchen and went to the
stable. She opened the stable gate and walked in. She
switched on her flashlight. Then she saw him. He was a big
black horse. He was looking at her. Black Devil somebody
had written on his stall.
“Hi,” Daisy said quietly. “I see you can’t sleep.
Something is bothering you. I can’t sleep either. Do you
want to be my friend?”
The horse watched her with his big black eyes. He didn’t
move.
Daisy gave him the carrot. Surprisingly he ate it.
Daisy went to see the horse every night. She brought
him something to eat, and then she talked to him. Two
weeks later she was riding him. Daisy had cured the horse.
Her grandfather was proud of her.
A journalist learned about the story and came to see
Daisy on the farm.
“What did you tell the horse when you were alone with
him?” she asked curiously.
Daisy smiled. “It’s my secret,” she said.
The story was in the newspaper. The fourteen-year-old
horse whisperer, the headline said.

35
I. Choose the right answer.

1. Daisy lived in __________.

a. Plattsburg, New York
b. Oswego, New York
c. New York, New York

2. Daisy was interested in __________.

a. dogs
b. horses
c. cats

3. Daisy wanted to become a __________.

a. physician
b. veterinarian
c. jockey

4. Black Devil went crazy __________.

a. because he was in a car accident
b. because he was mistreated
c. because he got sick

5. Daisy cured Black Devil __________.

a. using witchcraft
b. using drugs
c. by talking to him

6. A journalist called Daisy __________.

a. the horse whisperer
b. a witch
c. a good vet

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

curiously cured stall flashlight

stable proudly carrot collection

1. Horses are usually kept in a stable .

2. Daisy knew a lot about horses and talked about it very

____________.

3. Daisy had a lot of books about horses. It was a nice

___________.

4. It was dark in the stable, so Daisy used a

____________.

5. Daisy needed to give the horse something to eat. She

gave him a ____________.

6. An enclosed area in a stable for a horse is called a

____________.

7. The horse was healthy again. Daisy ___________ him.

8. “What did you tell the horse?” the journalist asked

____________.

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.

seemed to went crazy

horse whisperer do not dare

1. Daisy ____________________ know a lot about

horses.

2. After the car accident the horse was not well. He

____________________.

3. Daisy wanted to see the horse, but her grandfather said,

“____________________.”

4. An individual who trains wild horses is called a

____________________.

V. Choose two expressions from the box above and

write a short paragraph using them.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

38
 VI. Answer the questions in full sentences.

1. Where did Daisy live?

2. What was she interested in?
3. What did she want to become?
4. Where did Daisy’s grandfather live?
5. What did he do for a living?
6. What did he tell Daisy?
7. What was wrong with the horse?
8. How did Daisy cure the horse?
9. What did the journalist call Daisy?

VII. Oral Summary

Retell the story in a few sentences.

VIII. Written Summary

Write a few sentences to summarize the story.

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

39
 LADY DEER

Sam was lying in bed and staring at the ceiling. It was

3:30 a.m. He couldn’t sleep. He had had trouble sleeping
lately. Somebody was on his mind again.
Sam looked at his watch. He couldn’t take it anymore.
He got up and put on his jogging suit. Ten minutes later he
was running in the forest. It was dark and Sam was alone.
Nobody was crazy enough to run in the forest at night to
fight their insomnia.
All of a sudden Sam heard a noise behind him. He
stopped and turned around. He saw a big grey hunting dog
running towards him. Sam was not normally afraid of dogs,
but this one scared him. He was very big. Sam thought
about climbing a tree, but it was too late. The dog was too
close.
The dog stopped about ten feet from Sam and watched
him with his big eyes. Then Sam realized it was not a dog.
It was a doe. They stared at each other for a minute. Then
Sam moved forward. He had gotten a crazy idea to pet the
doe. Now Sam was really near her, but she didn’t move. It
was unbelievable. Weren’t deer supposed to be afraid of
people? This one obviously wasn’t.

40
 Sam took a few steps and raised his hand to pet the
doe. But as he did it, the doe turned around and ran away.
The next day was Friday. Every Friday Sam got together
with his friends. He told them about his adventure while
they were drinking beer. Of course his friends joked about
it. One said he should talk to the ranger about it. The doe
might have rabies. The other one said he should talk to a
shrink about it. It was not normal to run in the forest at
night. Then one of his friends told him about an old woman
living in the forest. She knew everything about the forest.
She might be a witch. He could talk to her.
Sam decided to find the old woman. He thought it might
be fun to talk to her. So the next day he went on a hike to
look for her.
After a five-hour search, he found her deep in the forest.
She was picking some plants. John told her about the doe.
“Of course I know her,” she said. I call her Lady Deer.
She is not an ordinary doe. I think she is an enchanted lady
looking for her lost love. She is only attracted to people that
are in love. She often follows them in the forest.”
She stopped talking and looked at Sam. “Are you in love
yourself?” she asked.
Sam laughed. “Me? No. That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it?” the old woman said. “Because Lady Deer follows
only those who are in love. She can feel it. She never
makes a mistake.”
Sam’s face turned red. He stopped laughing. “Do you
have something for insomnia?” he asked.
“Not for your insomnia,” she said. “You will have to deal
with it on your own.”
“I will,” Sam said. “Thank you for telling me the truth
about myself. Now I know what to do. I will ask her out. She
might say yes or she might say no, but I will finally know.”
“Don’t thank me. Thank Lady Deer.”

Notes
_______________________________________________
______________________________________________

41
I. Choose the right answer.

1. Sam couldn’t sleep because __________.

a. he had eaten too much
b. he was thinking about somebody
c. he was thinking about his work

2. Sam tried to fight his insomnia __________.

a. by taking sleeping pills
b. by drinking alcohol
c. by running

3. Sam thought he was being __________.

a. followed by a boar
b. followed by a bear
c. followed by a dog

4. Sam wanted to __________ the doe.

a. pet
b. chase away
c. pat

5. Sam decided to see __________.

a. the ranger
b. the old woman
c. a shrink

6. The old lady told Sam to __________.

a. help himself
b. drink her special tea
c. eat special berries

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

shrink doe insomnia enchanted

attracted ridiculous rabies pet

1. Sam wasn‘t able to sleep at night. He suffered from

insomnia .

2. A female deer is called a ____________.

3. Sam wanted to gently touch the doe. He wanted to

____________ her.

4. If you are bitten by an infected animal, you could get a

virus called ____________.

5. A psychiatrist is sometimes humorously called a

____________.

6. The old lady thought there was magic, and the doe was
an ____________ lady.

7. Lady Deer followed only people in love. She was

____________ to them.

8. Sam thought there was no way he could fall in love. He

said it was ____________.

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.

couldn’t take it on his mind

all of a sudden supposed to be

1. Sam often thought about somebody. She was often

____________________.

2. Sam couldn’t sleep. He was very upset. He

____________________ anymore.

3. Sam didn’t expect an animal to follow him. It happened

____________________.

4. Deer are ____________________ afraid of people, and

they usually are.

V. Choose two expressions from the box above and

write a short paragraph using them.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

44
 VI. Answer the questions in full sentences.

1. What was Sam’s problem?

2. Why wasn’t he able to sleep?
3. How did he try to fight his insomnia?
4. What happened to him in the forest?
5. Why was Sam surprised?
6. What did his friends tell him?
7. What did Sam decide to do?
8. What did the old woman tell him?
9. What was Sam’s final decision?

VII. Oral Summary

Retell the story in a few sentences.

VIII. Written Summary

Write a few sentences to summarize the story.

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
45
 THE MOUSE

Rolf Crust was running in the woods. He had been

running a lot lately. He had been training for the Boston
Marathon. This year he wanted to finish among the first one
hundred participants.
It was about five in the morning. He was always alone in
the woods so early but not today. He saw somebody near
the edge of a cliff. It was a woman, and she was sitting in a
wheelchair. Very strange – how had she gotten there in a
wheelchair? But Rolf didn’t have the time to think about it.
“Oh my God!” Rolf cried. The woman was rolling
towards the edge of the cliff. She was about to fall 100 feet.
She was about to die.
Rolf ran towards the woman and had to throw himself to
the ground in order to grab one of the wheels of her
wheelchair. He saved her life just in the nick of time.
The woman turned around. She didn’t seem to be
grateful. There was anger in her eyes. “You shouldn’t have
saved me,” she said. “I wanted to die. But…” She had tears
in her eyes. “Thank you, anyway.”
“What is your name?” Rolf asked.
“Ann,” she said. “But nobody calls me that. You should
have seen me before my accident. I used to go rock

46
climbing. My friends called me Cat because I could climb
anything. Then one day two years ago, I fell, and I have
been in a wheelchair since. It’s not a life. I don’t want to live
anymore.”
Rolf looked at the woman closely. “I’m Rolf,” he said.
“But nobody calls me that either. And I came here for a
reason. I think it was fate that brought us together this
morning.”
“What do they call you?” she asked.
“Mouse,” he said smiling.
She smiled a little. “You’re a liar.”
“No, I am not. It goes back to my childhood. When I was
a little boy, I was small and skinny. I was often bullied by
my classmates. Once they went after me, and I managed
to crawl through a hole in the fence. Nobody else was able
to do that. They started to call me Mouse after that.”
She had a big smile on her face now. “Are you saying
that Mouse has saved Cat?”
“That’s exactly what I am saying,” Rolf said. “And not
just that. I’m your guardian angel.”
Rolf and Ann started seeing each other often. They
became friends, and their friendship grew into something
more. Rolf helped Ann with her exercises and her recovery
whenever he could. They both suddenly had new energy to
live their lives. Rolf finished third in the Boston Marathon,
and Ann slowly started to recover from her injury. She was
getting better and better.
One day when they met, Ann wasn’t in her wheelchair.
She was beaming with joy. Suddenly Rolf became sad. “I
can see you have recovered,” he said. “You won’t need me
anymore.”
“What are you talking about, Mousie?” Ann said. “From
the beginning of time Cat and Mouse have belonged
together. They can never be separated.”

Notes
_______________________________________________
______________________________________________
47
I. Choose the right answer.

1. Rolf was __________.

a. cutting wood
b. running
c. picking mushrooms

2. Rolf wanted to finish __________.

a. the marathon
b. at least in the top 100 in the marathon
c. 100th in the marathon

3. The woman was __________.

a. in a wheelchair
b. pushing a wheelchair
c. getting rid of a wheelchair

4. Cat was the woman’s __________.

a. real name
b. pet
c. nickname

5. Rolf was called Mouse __________.

a. because he didn’t like cats
b. because he liked mice
c. because he had escaped through a hole

6. They couldn’t be separated __________.

a. because they loved each other
b. because they were Cat and Mouse
c. because Rolf saved Ann’s life

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

closely participants wheelchair fate

beaming recover skinny tears

1. Thirty thousand people ran the marathon. There were

30,000 participants .

2. The woman was sitting in a special chair for disabled

people. She was in a ____________.

3. Rolf looked at the woman with great interest. He

looked at her ____________.

4. Rolf believed he didn’t spot the woman by accident. He

believed it was ____________.

5. The woman was crying. She had ____________ in her

eyes.

6. When Rolf was a little boy, he used to be very thin. He

used to be ____________.

7. Ann was getting better and better every day. She

started to ____________.

8. Ann was very happy. She had a big smile on her face.
She was ____________ with joy.

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.

in the nick of time seem to be

about to fall managed to crawl

1. The woman was going to fall in a few seconds. She was

____________________.

2. She had an angry expression on her face. She didn’t

____________________ grateful.

3. Rolf saved the woman at the last second. He saved her

just ____________________.

4. Rolf was able to disappear through a hole. He

____________________ through it.

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 was Rolf doing in the woods?

2. What did he see at the edge of a cliff?
3. What was the woman’s intention?
4. What did Rolf do?
5. Why was the woman called Cat?
6. Why was Rolf called Mouse?
7. What happened after Rolf saved Ann’s life?
8. Why did Rolf suddenly become sad?
9. Why couldn’t Ann and Rolf be separated?

VII. Oral Summary

Retell the story in a few sentences.

VIII. Written Summary

Write a few sentences to summarize the story.

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

51
 THE RED JEEP

Since he was a little boy Jarrett had loved playing with

cars. He had a huge collection of toy cars at home. His
favorite toy was a red Jeep. He spent many hours outside
playing with the Jeep. It was his favorite game. He drove it
up the hill, down the hill and through various obstacles. He
even drove it in the water.
Jarrett dreamed of a real red Jeep that he could drive
when he was older. He couldn’t wait.
One day when Jarrett was eighteen years old, his father
called him. “Go to town, son,” he said. “Go to the big
building that has the words American Electric Power on it.
You are going to pay our electric bill. It is very important.
They have already sent us three notices. Here is the
money – $255. And here is $10 for you. You can buy a toy
car if you want. Hurry up, and do not lose the money.”
Jarrett was excited. He lived on a farm with his parents,
and he loved going to town when he could. It was a thirty-
minute walk through the woods.
Jarrett got to town. The first thing he did was go to the
drugstore. He knew they sold toy cars there, and he
wanted to buy one. But when he walked into the store, he

52
noticed something that hadn’t been there before – the state
lottery advertisement. “Buy a lottery ticket, and you can win
a Jeep,” it said. The big prize was a red Jeep. It was
exactly the one he had been dreaming of. The second prize
was $10,000 and the third prize was $5,000.
Jarrett didn’t care about the second or third prize. He
wanted to win the Jeep. He didn’t buy a toy car. He bought
two lottery tickets. Each cost $5. Then he thought about it
and bought 51 more tickets. “Fifty-three tickets,” he
thought. “I must win something.” In spite of his father‘s
warnings he had spent all the money his father had given
him. Jarrett was eighteen, but his mind sometimes worked
like he was still twelve.
The next morning Jarrett woke up because he heard
some noise outside. He looked out the window. There was
a beautiful red Jeep in the driveway. There were some
people standing next to it talking to his father. Jarrett got
excited. He ran out of the house. “I won!” he yelled. “I won
the Jeep, Dad.”
“Are you crazy, son?” his father asked. “These people
are from American Electric Power. They have come to cut
off the power. You didn’t pay the bill, did you?”
Jarrett was so miserable. He confessed everything. His
father loved his son. He didn’t even get angry. He drove to
town and paid the bill himself. Later in the day Jarrett got a
phone call from the state lottery.
“Congratulations, sir,” a woman’s voice said. “You have
won $5,000.”

Notes

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

53
I. Choose the right answer.

1. Jarrett had a huge collection of __________.

a. stamps
b. toy cars
c. butterflies

2. Jarrett dreamed of __________.

a. living in a big city
b. being an electrician
c. having a red jeep

3. Jarrett went to town to __________.

a. buy a Jeep
b. have fun
c. pay an electric bill

4. Jarrett bought __________.

a. fifty-three lottery tickets
b. two lottery tickets
c. a Jeep

5. The men came to __________.

a. congratulate Jarrett
b. cut off the power
c. offer Jarrett a job

6. Jarrett’s father __________.

a. didn’t get angry
b. got angry
c. was happy

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

drugstore huge various noticed

warning confessed miserable obstacle

1. Jarrett’s collection was very big. It was huge .

2. Something that is difficult to overcome may be called an

____________.

3. Jarrett used many kinds of obstacles. He used

____________ obstacles.

4. Jarrett saw immediately that something had changed.

He ___________ it right away.

5. A store that sells medicine, make up, shampoo and

candy is called a ____________.

6. Jarrett’s father told him strictly how to behave. He gave

him a ____________.

7. Jarrett felt extremely bad. He felt ____________.

8. Jarrett told his father exactly what happened. He

____________ everything.

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.

dreamed of care about

cut off hurry up

1. Jarrett wanted a red Jeep very much. He

___________________ a red Jeep.

2. Jarrett’s father told him to move quickly. He told him to

____________________.

3. Jarrett didn’t want second or third prize. He didn’t

____________________ them.

4. The people came to disconnect the power. They came

to ____________________ the power.

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 was Jarrett’s favorite toy?

2. What was Jarrett’s favorite game?
3. What did he dream of?
4. What did his father tell him to do?
5. What did Jarrett notice at the drugstore?
6. What did he do with the money he had?
7. Why was Jarrett excited in the morning?
8. Why did the men come to Jarrett’s house?
9. What did Jarrett win with his lottery ticket?

VII. Oral Summary

Retell the story in a few sentences.

VIII. Written Summary

Write a few sentences to summarize the story.

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
57
 A TAXI RIDE

I am a taxi driver. It’s my job. I can’t say that I

particularly like my job, but it’s OK as long as my
passengers don’t give me too many headaches. I’ve been
driving a taxi for many years, and I thought I’d lived through
it all. A woman hit me once with an umbrella when she
couldn’t get into my taxi because she was too fat. She said
I should think more about average people like her and not
only about skinny models. I’ve had clients with huge dogs
and dangerous animals. I’ve chased cheating husbands
and wives. I’ve been threatened by criminals with knives
and guns but survived because I always carry my gun with
me. I’ve played the role of a therapist. I’ve calmed down
people in distress, and once I helped deliver a baby. I
thought nothing could surprise me anymore until I met Mr.
Humble.
It was about one thirty in the morning. I’d just driven two
people to Hotel Seagull, and they had gotten out. I was
going to call it a day when a man walked out of the hotel
and got into my taxi. The man had been drinking. That was
obvious. I’ve had drunk passengers in my taxi many times
before, but this one was different. He was extremely polite.

58
 “Good morning, sir,” he said. “My name is Henry
Humble, and I need your services. Would you be so kind as
to take me to Hotel Seagull, please?”
“But sir,” I said. “You are right in front of Hotel Seagull.”
“I beg your pardon?” the man said.
“I said that you are in front of Hotel Seagull.”
Mr. Humble seemed to be thinking very intensely about
something. And then he said, “Could you drive me to Hotel
Seagull, please?”
“But sir, you are in front of Hotel Seagull, so I can’t
possibly drive you there because you are already there.”
“Take me to Hotel Seagull,” he said. He was getting
angry.
I lost my patience. I drove around the block with him and
stopped at the same place. “Here you are,” I said. “Hotel
Seagull. That will be five dollars.”
The man gave me a ten-dollar bill. Then he got out and
leaned forward to put his head into my window. “Good
man, he said. “Keep the change. I just don’t understand
what the fuss was all about.”

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

1. The taxi driver __________.

a. liked his job very much
b. thought his job was OK
c. hated his job

2. The woman hit him because __________.

a. he said something rude to her
b. he was driving too fast
c. his taxi was too small for her

3. Mr. Henry Humble was __________.

a. drunk, and he was being rude
b. drunk, but he was being polite
c. not drunk, but he was acting crazy

4. It was surprising that the man __________.

a. was drunk
b. was out after midnight
c. wanted to go to Hotel Seagull

5. The taxi was __________ Hotel Seagull.

a. in front of
b. too far from
c. just a five-minute drive from

6. In the end __________.

a. both men were satisfied
b. both men were angry
c. Mr. Humble was very upset

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

fuss leaned threatened distress

therapist obvious intensely cheating

1. If somebody is not playing by the rules, we may say he

or she is cheating .

2. A man pointed a gun at the taxi driver. The taxi driver

was ____________ by the man.

3. A ____________ is somebody who could help you

through a difficult time in your life.

4. If people are extremely worried and upset, we can say

they are in ____________.

5. The man had been drinking. It was clear and easy to

notice. It was ____________.

6. The man was thinking very hard about something. He

was thinking very ____________.

7. The man bent to be closer to the window. He

____________ forward.

8. The man thought the taxi driver was making a

____________ about nothing.

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.

call it a day deliver a baby

gave him headaches lived through

1. The taxi driver had troubles with some passengers.

They ____________________.

2. He thought he had experienced it all. He thought he had

____________________ it all.

3. The taxi driver helped with a birth. He helped

____________________.

4. The taxi driver wanted to stop working that day. He

wanted to ____________________.

V. Choose two expressions from the box above and

write a short paragraph using them.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

62
 VI. Answer the questions in full sentences.

1. What did the taxi driver think about his job?

2. What kind of clients had he dealt with in the past?
3. What did he think about potential surprises?
4. Who surprised him?
5. How did Mr. Humble act?
6. What did he want?
7. Why was the taxi driver surprised?
8. What did the taxi driver do to get rid of Mr. Humble?
9. How did Mr. Humble thank him?

VII. Oral Summary

Retell the story in a few sentences.

VIII. Written Summary

Write a few sentences to summarize the story.

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

63
 REBORN

Robert Callaghan was at Niagara Falls. He was standing

near the railing and looking at the huge waterfall. He was
fighting the urge to jump into the water and end his
miserable life. His wife had died a few years ago in a
boating accident. They had been sailing together when it
happened, and he couldn’t save her. He blamed himself for
her death.
Suddenly he heard a buzzing sound. He turned around.
A middle-aged woman was rolling her wheel chair towards
the railing. A crowd of tourists made room for her. She
stopped her wheelchair, stood up and walked to the railing.
Then she climbed over the railing, and in front of the
astonished tourists she jumped into the Niagara River.
It took Robert a few seconds to realize what had
happened. “She has more courage than I do,” he thought.
Suddenly he wanted to live only in the moment, so he could
save her. He jumped into the river, but he couldn’t see her.
She had disappeared under the water. Diving used to be
Robert’s hobby. He took a deep breath, dived in and
started to look for her. He found her on his third dive and
pulled her to the surface. But now they were too close to

64
the waterfall, and the strong current pulled them towards
certain death.
A few minutes ago they had both wanted to die. Now
Robert fought for their lives. He put all his effort into the
fight, and in the end they were both saved by a rescue
team. They were taken to the hospital. The woman was
unconscious for three days. When she woke up, Robert
was allowed to visit her.
“I know you,” she said when she saw him. “I have been
dreaming about you. They say you saved my life.”
“I’m Robert,” he said. “What’s your name?”
“I’m Sharon,” she said. “You wouldn’t have saved me if
you knew what I did.”
“What did you do?” he asked.
“I killed my husband.”
“Did you?” Robert was stunned. “What a coincidence,”
he thought.
“I crashed into a tree while I was driving with my
husband. He was drunk, and he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.
My husband was an abusive man. The police thought I did
it on purpose, but they couldn’t prove it. And maybe I did.
That’s why I wanted to die.”
“I think we have a lot in common,” Robert said. “And by
saving you, I saved myself. I think we can cope with our
sorrow together. What do you say?”
“I would love to,” Sharon said and smiled.

Notes
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

65
I. Choose the right answer.

1. Robert wanted to __________.

a. change his life
b. commit suicide
c. find a new love

2. Robert wanted to end his life __________.

a. because he was ill
b. because his wife stopped loving him
c. because he felt guilty

3. Robert didn’t end his life because __________.

a. he was not desperate enough
b. he still wanted to do many things
c. he didn’t have enough courage

4. Sharon jumped into the river __________.

a. because she didn’t want to live
b. because she wanted some attention
c. because she was handicapped

5. Sharon suffered because __________.

a. she was not able to walk
b. she felt guilty
c. she had lost her husband

6. In the end they decided __________.

a. to deal with their problems together
b. to get married
c. to find a psychologist

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

sorrow abusive coincidence unconscious

urge surface current stunned

1. Robert was so miserable that he fought the

urge to end his life.

2. Robert and Sharon were pulled by a strong

____________ towards the waterfall.

3. Robert found Sharon and pulled her to the

____________.

4. When they pulled Sharon out of the water, she didn’t

move. She was ____________.

5. When Sharon told Robert what she had done, he was

very surprised. He was ____________.

6. Robert and Sharon had similar life stories. Robert

thought it was a ____________.

7. Sharon’s husband often hit Sharon. He was an

___________ man.

8. Robert and Sharon had suffered a lot. They knew what

great ____________ was.

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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.

cope with put all his effort

made room a lot in common

1. All the tourists stepped aside to let the woman pass.

They ____________________ for her.

2. Robert tried really hard to save Sharon’s life. He

___________________ into the fight.

3. Robert and Sharon had similar life stories. They had

____________________.

4. Robert suggested that he and Sharon should

____________________ their sorrow together.

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 urge did Robert fight at Niagara Falls?

2. Why did he want to end his life?
3. What happened right in front of his eyes?
4. What did Robert do?
5. Who saved Robert and the woman?
6. What happened to the woman?
7. Why did she want to commit suicide?
8. What did Robert think about it?
9. What did Robert and Sharon decide to do?

VII. Oral Summary

Retell the story in a few sentences.

VIII. Written Summary

Write a few sentences to summarize the story.

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

69
 THE CHRISTMAS PRESENT

When Jerry Hoffman was just a teenager, he and his

friends got the idea to see an old gypsy fortune-teller. They
wanted to know who they were going to marry. It was
supposed to be fun, but it changed Jerry’s life forever.
When the old woman had told everybody about their
future wives and husbands, Jerry’s turn came. The old
woman spread her cards on the table and looked at them
for a long time. Suddenly her face became serious and a
little bit sad. “Never mind,” she said and put the cards
away.
“What is it?” Jerry asked. “Come on, tell me. Is she
going to be beautiful and rich?”
“I wasn’t going to tell you,” she said. “But if you insist.
You’re never going to get married.”
“Never?” Jerry was surprised and disappointed. He had
not expected that.
“Never unless …” She paused and looked at her cards
again.
“Unless what?” Jerry asked.
“Unless you find the woman fated to be your wife. But
it’s going to be difficult. I can only give you two hints. I see
color and a strange language in the cards.”

70
 Jerry wanted to know more, but she refused to tell him.
She said she didn’t know, but Jerry suspected she did.
Jerry went on with his life, but all his relationships failed.
He couldn’t forget about the old woman’s prophecy. It
haunted him.
The years went by, and Jerry was still miserable. He
wanted to find the woman who was fated to be his wife, but
he didn’t know how. He had no idea what the words color
and strange language had meant. One day he got an idea.
He went to see his friend who was fond of magic and
witchcraft. He had read almost everything on the subject.
“I’m not sure,” his friend said. “But ‘color’ might mean
she is not white, and ‘strange language’ might mean she
speaks a foreign language. I am sorry I can’t help you
more.”
“She might be anywhere in the world,” Jerry sighed. “I’m
never going to find her.”
Five years later, on Christmas day, Jerry went to the
movie theater. There was only him and a woman watching
the movie. Jerry felt lonely and invited her for coffee.
“I’m Jerry Hoffman,” he said. “And I feel extremely lonely
today.”
“I’m Dymphna Schwarz,” she said. And I feel lonely too.”
She spoke with a strong accent.
“Strange language,” Jerry thought. “But she is white. It
can’t be her.” Then it came to him. “In German ‘schwarz’
means black! Color! My God, I have found her!”

Notes
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
71
I. Choose the right answer.

1. The teenagers had the idea __________.

a. to see an old gypsy fortune-teller
b. to play cards
c. to listen to gypsy music

2. At first the gypsy said Jerry __________.

a. was going to get married soon
b. didn’t want to get married
c. was never going to get married

3. Jerry had to find __________.

a. a woman who was beautiful and rich
b. the woman fated to be his wife
c. a woman who would be faithful

4. The hints were __________.

a. colorful and a strange language
b. color and a strange language
c. black and a strange language

5. After asking his friend, Jerry __________.

a. gave up all hope
b. began looking in Africa
c. began looking in Asia

6. Jerry found the woman __________.

a. in Germany
b. in Africa
c. in a movie theater

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

fond sighed witchcraft failed

fortune spread hints prophecy

1. The old woman predicted the future. She told people

their fortune .

2. She put the cards on the table next to each other. She
____________ the cards on the table.

3. She told Jerry what she saw in the cards. She gave him
two ____________.

4. Jerry couldn’t find the right woman. All his relationships

____________.

5. He couldn’t forget about the old woman’s

____________.

6. Jerry’s friend knew almost everything about magic and

____________.

7. He liked to read about magic and witchcraft. He was

____________ of it.

8. Jerry thought he was not going to find the right woman.

He was sad. He ____________.

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.

never mind fated to be

strong accent supposed to be

1. The teenagers expected the fortune-telling to be fun. It

was ____________________ fun.

2. The gypsy didn’t want to continue with her predictions.

She said, “____________________.”

3. There was only one woman in the world for Jerry. She
was ____________________ his wife.

4. The woman sounded like a foreigner. She spoke with a

____________________.

V. Choose two expressions from the box above and

write a short paragraph using them.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

74
 VI. Answer the questions in full sentences.

1. What idea did the teenagers get?

2. Why did they want to see the old gypsy woman?
3. What did she tell Jerry?
4. What hints did she give him to find his future wife?
5. What was Jerry’s life like?
6. What idea did he get?
7. What did his friend tell him?
8. Where did Jerry find the woman he was looking for?
9. How did he know it was her?

VII. Oral Summary

Retell the story in a few sentences.

VIII. Written Summary

Write a few sentences to summarize the story.

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
______________________________________________
75