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041a47a8-b9fc-44aa-805f-30b1f324774a.txt
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But Dico was happy in Bauru with his new friends. They played their first game of soccer in Rua Rubens Arruda, a street near Dico's house. Their "football" was an old newspaper. Little Dico played a lot of soccer. Celeste wasn't happy about this. "There's no money in the game," she said. Dico smiled. His mother was right. He loved soccer, but he didn't want to be a soccer player. He wanted to work at the airport. He often went there and looked at the airplanes. But Dico's first job wasn't in a soccer stadium or an airport. It was at Bauru tation, in 1948. He cleaned shoes. In that year, things were difficult for the family. But then, Dondinho started work in a doctor's office. He cleaned the building and answered the telephone. In the afternoons, Dico often visited his father. "In ten years, you're going to be a young man," Dondinho said one day. "What do you want to do?" "I want to work with airplanes," Dico said. "OK. But school is important for that," said his father. Later that year, Dico started school. He wasn't a good student. He only stayed in school because he
wanted a job at the airport. But one day, an airplane came down near the school. Dico and his friends went to the doctor's office and looked in one of the windows. The man from the airplane was dead. Dico never talked about a job with airplanes again.
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1be2c10c-21e7-4b75-8403-8c0fadf39680.txt
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Hedwig: You're going to have problems with Gessler now.
Tell: Why? I talked to him. I didn't hit him.
Hedwig: But he's going to remember you. He's going to make problems for us. Wait and see.
Tell: I'm a man of peace. I'm going to stay away from Governor Gessler now.
Hedwig: Please do that. Where are Walther and Wilhelm?
Tell: They're in the garden. They're playing a game. Look at them. They're little soldiers.
Hedwig: William, this isn't good. My sons aren't going to be soldiers. I want peace in my country and in my family.
Tell: I understand, Hedwig. Our sons are going to be hunters, but one day our country is going to want soldiers too. At that time, every man, woman and child must fight for Switzerland.
Hedwig: William, can't you go to the Emperor? Can't you and your friends talk to him about peace?
Tell: Yes, we're going to try, but then ...
[Walther and Wilhelm run into the house.]
Walther: Father, are we going to Altdorf now?
Tell: Yes, my son. Have you got your crossbow?
Hedwig: Why is he taking his crossbow?
Tell: I'm a hunter. I want to teach my son about the mountains and about hunting. He's a good student.
Hedwig: But the mountains are dangerous for a young boy.
Tell: We're mountain people. This country isn't dangerous for us. I'm going to watch Walther, and teach him.
Hedwig: And why are you going to Altdorf?
Tell: We're going to visit your father. I want to talk to him.
Hedwig: My father and his friends want to start a fight.
Please don't go, William! You're a man of peace.
Tell: I must go. I must help Switzerland too.
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1c744cdf-f028-46f0-8ad2-ee09b0abf60a.txt
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Tom and Huck watched. Then they went away quickly because they were afraid. They went to Tom's yard. Huck said, "We can't talk about this. Injun Joe can find us and kill us, too."
"That's right," Tom said. "We can't talk about it." Tom went in his bedroom window. He went to bed, but he didn't sleep well. Tom and Huck didn't talk to their friends or Aunt Polly about that night because they were afraid of Injun Joe. Later, some men went to Muff Potter and said, "You're a bad man.
You killed the doctor." Becky was sick and didn't go to school for many days. Tom was very sad. One morning, he said to Aunt Polly, "I'm very sick, and I want to stay home from school." Aunt Polly said, "Here's some medicine. Take this and you can get well quickly." But Tom didn't like the medicine. Peter, the cat, came into the room and looked at Tom. "Peter!" Tom said. "Have some medicine!"
Peter had some medicine. He didn't like it! He went quickly out the open window and into the yard. Aunt Polly watched Peter. "Why did you do that, Tom?" she asked angrily. "You're a very bad boy! Go to school now." Tom arrived at school early and he waited for Becky at the school fence. She arrived early, too, but she didn't look at Tom. She went into school. Tom walked away.
He didn't want to go to school now. He was very sad.
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293ef622-061e-4ffa-a342-af893669e583.txt
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'What are you saying?' I asked. 'We want to go home.' 'You can go now,' he answered. 'But it's going to be difficult for you, because you haven't got a boat. You're underwater and you aren't near the coast. Stay with us now, and you can see a lot of interesting things. But you can never go home.'
Chapter 3 Our First Weeks Underwater We stayed, of course.
We walked with Nemo's men to our new bedrooms. Then I had some food with the captain. 'Our food comes from the sea,' he said, 'and we eat very well. Our shirts, our shoes, our beds, our pens - we make all of them from sea animals, too. I love the sea! It's our only friend. People can't make problems for us here.
'But you don't want to listen to me all day. Come and see my submarine.' We went into a room with thousands of books. 'I often read your book about sea animals, Mr Aronnax,' the captain said. 'You
write very well. But your time on the Nautilus is going to teach you a lot of new things. A submarine is a good home for a scientist.' I visited every room on the Nautilus, the first and only submarine in the seas. Captain Nemo was its builder, and he talked about his answers to the problems of an underwater boat. He was a clever scientist and a very interesting man.
Later, Ned and Conseil asked me about Captain Nemo. Who was he?
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2d35eec9-b24d-4423-ba9e-6841e4d47dfc.txt
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Calcutta (or Kolkata) today has 15,000,000 people. In the 1940s it was a very big place too, and many new people arrived every year. The people were Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and Buddhists. Calcutta had beautiful buildings: big hotels, offices, banks and houses. Many writers and famous people lived there. But Calcutta had some big problems. A lot of peoplewere very poor. They did not have any money, and they lived in slums - bad places with bad houses. Many people did not have a home. They lived and died in the streets.The years 1943-46 were very bad years for Calcutta. There was not much food, and it was very expensive. Poor families did not have money for this expensive food, and in those three years about 3,000,000 people died. Every day there were dead people in the streets. Mother Teresa wanted to help the poor people in the slums, but this was difficult for her. She was a nun, and nuns did not often go out into the streets. Many nuns helped poor people in schools, big food kitchens and hospitals, but nuns did not usually go out to poor people in slums. She prayed to God for an answer to her problem. On 10 September 1946, she was on a train from Calcutta to Darjeeling, and the answer came to her. The answer was, 'Go and work in the slums with the poor people.' This was new work for a nun, and the head of the Catholic Church
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Indian women usually dress in saris. There are beautiful, expensive saris, and there are poor saris for poor women. Mother Teresa dressed in a poor blue and white sari because she wanted to work with very poor people. Today, there are many nuns in these blue and white saris, but on her first day in the slum, Mother Teresa was alone. She was only one small woman, with no helpers and no money. How did she start her new work? First, she prayed to God, and then she walked into the slum. There she talked to poor children. Many of them lived in the street. They had no home, no family and no school. She started to teach them in the street.The children liked her, and the day after that, a lot of children came to her new 'school'.Then they came every day. One day, there was a poor old woman in the street. She
did not have a home and she was very ill. The doctors in the hospital did not want her because she was poor and very old. She was a dying woman. She did not have a
family; she was alone. People in the street did not want to go near her. But Mother Teresa went to her and talked to her. She washed the woman and stayed with her. The woman died, but she did not die alone. She died with a friend, with her hand in Mother Teresa's hand.
There were often dying people in those streets.
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39fc7229-1242-43c5-840b-d8f62ed7544b.txt
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But I wanted to see Paris again one day, and this was perhaps the only time for an escape. 'OK,' I said to Ned. At nine o'clock, I opened my door and started to walk to the little boat. But suddenly, the Nautilus stopped on the sea floor. Then Captain Nemo arrived. 'You wanted the answer to a question, I think, Mr Aronnax,' he said. 'Come with me.'
I went with him to the window. There were some old boats on the sea floor, and Nemo's men were there in their diving suits. They walked to the old boats and came back with gold in their hands. 'These boats went down to the sea floor in 1702, heavy with South American gold. My men and I sometimes come here and take a little gold. But it isn't for us. There are unhappy people in many countries. The gold is for them.' I remembered the problems in Crete and started to understand Captain Nemo. But Ned was not a happy man. 'Where were you?' he asked me later.
'We waited for you, but you didn't come.' Chapter 6 To the South Pole* A day later, we were many leagues from the coast. 'The roads here are very bad, Mr Aronnax,' Captain Nemo said. 'But do you want to walk on them with me?' Roads under the sea? I didn't understand. But I put on my diving suit and went with the captain. Nemo walked quickly underwater. I wanted to stay with him, but it was very difficult. My feet came down on the sea floor, but the sea floor moved with me. What was under my feet?"
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4eacd9c8-b566-48b7-a1e6-2f6b0eb6e75c.txt
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Brazil scored five goals. Two of those goals were Pele's, and Brazil won 5-2. Pele scored six goals in his first World Cup. Brazil were the champions. Now, Pele wasn't only famous in Brazil. Pele didn't play in the later games of the 1962 World Cup in Chile, because he had an injury. He watched his team, and they beat Czechoslovakia 3-1 in the final. Brazil were the champions again, and Pele was very happy for the team. The 1966 World Cup was in England. Pele doesn't like remembering this championship. Usually, Brazil went to the games with twenty-two players. In England, they had forty-three. This was bad for the
team, because there were new players in every game. In an early game, Portugal beat them 3-1. The day after that game, Brazil went home. In 1970, the World Cup championship was in
Mexico. Pele was only twenty-nine, but he was the old man of the Brazilian team. They beat Czechoslovakia 4-1, then they played England, the world champions. It was a very interesting game, and Brazil won 1-0. After this, they beat Romania 3-2, and Pele scored two goals. Then they played Peru in the Jalisco Stadium, and they won 4-2. Now, there was only one game, with Uruguay, before the final. It was difficult, but Brazil won 3-1. The team went to Mexico City and waited for the final with Italy. The 1970 World Cup final started in the Aztec
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One afternoon, Ali is carrying a heavy bag for an old man. 'There's a man behind us,' the old man says. 'Do you know him?' Ali looks at the man behind them. He is big and strong. 'No, I don't know him. He doesn't work in the market.' 'Watch my bag!' the old man says. Perhaps he's a thief.' Ali thinks of the money in his pocket. 'Let's walk quickly,' he tells the old man. 'I can't walk quickly. You're young, but I'm not!'
Suddenly, the big man takes the bag from Ali's hand and starts to run away. Ali runs after him. The man hits Ali. Ali falls down, and his money falls out of his pocket. The man puts down the bag. Then he takes Ali's money
and runs away. Ali gives the bag to the old man. 'Thank you very much,' the old man says. 'You're a very good young man.' Ali is unhappy, but he does not talk about the money. That evening, he does not tell his mother and father about it. 'I can start again,' he thinks. The day after that, Ali is at the market. People are making a lot of noise. Ali is standing and waiting for work. Suddenly, an old woman comes to him and says, 'Can you carry my two heavy bags? I live near the statue of Ataturk.' Ali carries them for her
'Are they very heavy?' she asks. 'Not for me. I'm very strong,' Ali says.
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589f1209-d5bf-4731-9cb1-777f1b807eb1.txt
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Stephen and Catherine are two of Sally Robson's students. They go to her house. 'The people want the new houses,' Sally Robson tells them. 'We can't win this battle.' 'Yes, we can, Miss Robson,' Stephen says. 'Our friends can help.' Their friends come to Sally's house.
Her neighbours see them. They say: 'Sally Robson is right. Friends are important. Newton Road is important.' April comes. Sally Robson and her neighbours don't go to the new houses. They stay in Newton Road. April goes and May comes.
May goes and June comes. The people of Newton Road stay there. 'I can wait,' Mr Wood says. June goes and July comes. July goes and August comes. Now Mr Wood isn't very happy. 'I can't wait,' he says. 'It's August. I'm going to build the new road. The people of Newton Road want a battle.
They can have a battle!' On Monday Mr Wood comes to Newton Road. His men are with him. The men have yellow machines. The machines are big. They can knock down houses. 'I'm going to build the new road,' Mr Wood says. 'No!' Sally Robson says. 'You can't come here with the machines. Look!' The people of Newton Road are sitting in the road. Stephen and Catherine and their friends from school are sitting with them. Mr Wood isn't happy. 'Wait,' he says to his men. Mr Wood goes to the gas company. He talks to a man there. He goes to the electricity company and talks.
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5cd11391-bcd2-4114-a215-ab43136753f0.txt
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After that they were good friends - and after six months they were in love. But there was a problem. They often went away for their work. David played football and the Spice Girls sang in many countries of the world. One day Victoria said, 'I'm sorry but we're going to be away from Britain for a year. We're going to visit thirty countries.'
It wasn't a happy time for them. David telephoned Victoria every day, sometimes five or six times. In July 1999 he married her. It was the big story in the newspapers: 'Football star marries singing star'. After that 'Posh and Becks' were always in the newspapers. The World Cup 2002: Bekkamu! Bekkamu!
In 2002 the final games of the World Cup were in Japan and Korea. England won their early games with no problems. The England players arrived in Tokyo before the final games and went to their hotel in a bus. There were a lot of England fans in the streets.
They were Japanese people. 'Look,' David said to his friend. 'We've got a lot of fans in Japan. I didn't know.' 'Not us,' his friend smiled. 'It's you. Look at the number seven on their shirts. And listen.' The people in the streets shouted, 'Bekkamu! Bekkamu!' 'What are they saying?' David asked. 'It's your name,' his friend smiled. 'It's your name in Japanese.' For David the big day was 7 June 2002. England beat Argentina 1-0, a famous win. David scored the only goal.
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61e67f5c-e785-4f42-af34-42e080bfc0fe.txt
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The two friends sit in big chairs. They drink tea and talk. At five o'clock Marcel says, There's a new person in number 42. What's his name? Burton? Barnam?' 'Barton,' Henry says. 'Professor Barton. He's very, very clever. And that's not all. After tomorrow he's going to be famous, too!' 'Famous?!' Marcel looks at his English friend. 'Why?' 'It's a very interesting story,' Henry says. 'He has some letters.
They were under the floor of an old woman's house in Oxford.' 'And . . . ?' Marcel says. 'And they're from Shakespeare to his son,' Henry says. 'Shakespeare!' 'Yes.' Henry smiles. 'Shakespeare. The old lady telephoned Professor Barton, and the Professor visited her. They talked about the letters and she said, "I want to give them to the British Museum in London. Can you do that for me? And Professor Barton said yes?' 'That's right. 'Where are the letters now?' Marcel asks. 'In the professor's flat. He's going to give them to the British Museum tomorrow morning at ten o'clock.
A lot of journalists and TV people are going to be there.' Suddenly there's a big BANG! and then a long WHIZZZ! 'What's that noise?' Marcel asks. He goes to the window. Then he remembers. 'Oh - fireworks. Of course, it's the 5th of November - your "Guy Fawkes Day".' Then a man walks down the steps from 42 Old Wilton Street. Marcel looks at him. 'Is that Professor Barton?' he asks. 'Yes,' Henry answers. He always goes to the cinema on Tuesday evenings.'
'
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6c04add5-3321-49bb-ad10-0c62fd05f222.txt
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Donna was there with her family, at a table under some trees. Her eyes were on the dancers . . . but she didn't see them; the music was in her ears . . . but she didn't hear it. She didn't want to look or listen or dance; she didn't want to be there. She only wanted to see the lovely, shy boy from the boat, perhaps to dance with him.
First Mr and Mrs Webb wanted to go to a little place near the beach where they always had good fish. They wanted to have a good time on their first evening in Spain, and later there was the disco in the square at Comilla's . . . Mark didn't want to go.
He didn't want to eat or dance or talk or laugh. He wanted to sit quietly and think about the good-looking girl on the boat. Where was she now? But Dave and Harry and Nick and Sue all wanted him to go . . . Later that evening he walked into the square at Comilla's with his friends.
They found a table at one of the cafes and they all sat down. Mark looked slowly at the people at the tables near them . . . Donna looked sadly at the people dancing and standing in the square . . . then their eyes met.
Time stopped. He was here! She was here! He smiled at her with his nice blue eyes. She smiled back at him with her dark brown eyes. Suddenly he wasn't shy.
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6eaad5cf-4a20-4f7e-9d52-5144daf61245.txt
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Brian and some other people were with Mike. 'There was some glass on the beach - I didn't see it,' Mike said. 'He's going to the doctor,' Brian said to Janelle. Then he looked at Nick.
'You can go - we don't want you here,' he said. Nick started to answer angrily, but Janelle put her hand on his arm. 'I'm sorry about your foot, Mike,' he said. Mike smiled. 'Thanks, Nick. I know that.' After Mike's accident Brian didn't talk to Nick. Nick was right. That evening his father was not happy. You're asking us for money,' he said. 'Only the money for the plane to Australia, Dad. I have eight hundred pounds in the bank, and I can win the prize money from the competition this weekend that's a thousand pounds - I'll have one thousand, eight hundred .'I don't know about this, Nick,' his father said. 'I'll talk to your mother about it.' The day of the surfing competition was hot and sunny. In the morning all the surfers tried to catch the good waves. The judges watched from the beach. Nick and Brian surfed well all morning. Nick did not have time to talk to Janelle in the morning but she waited for him before the afternoon competition. 'You're doing well,' she said. There are only four very good surfers in the competition and you're number two, after Brian. Good luck!'In the afternoon the waves were very big but Nick was a strong swimmer.
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On 2 May 1975, David Beckham came into the world in Leytonstone, in London. His father and mother, Ted and Sandra Beckham, were big football fans. Every Christmas little David had a new football and a new football shirt from his father. It was always a Manchester United shirt. The family lived in London, but his father was a very big fan of 'the reds'.
David wasn't very good at school. Schoolwork wasn't interesting or important to him. But he liked playing football. He played with a ball every weekend and every evening after school, usually with friends or with his father.
His father played football too and he was a good teacher. David was small and thin then, but his legs were strong. He liked running very quickly with the ball at his feet. He did long kicks and short kicks, again and again, every day. In 1986 he was eleven years old and he was a good little footballer. One day there was an advertisement on television for a competition. It was a football competition for schoolboys at the Bobby Charlton Football School. 'Can I try the competition?' David asked his father.
'You're very young,' his father said. 'The boys in this competition are usually big and strong, and fifteen or sixteen years old. But you can try. Why not?' His father went with David to the football school. The people there smiled because David was small and thin. But then they started the competition - long kicks, short kicks.
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7753895a-a222-4392-8694-667a922b2ecb.txt
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Donna was there with her family, at a table under some trees. Her eyes were on the dancers . . . but she didn't see them; the music was in her ears . . . but she didn't hear it. She didn't want to look or listen or dance; she didn't want to be there. She only wanted to see the lovely, shy boy from the boat, perhaps to dance with him.
First Mr and Mrs Webb wanted to go to a little place near the beach where they always had good fish. They wanted to have a good time on their first evening in Spain, and later there was the disco in the square at Comillas . . . Mark didn't want to go.
He didn't want to eat or dance or talk or laugh. He wanted to sit quietly and think about the good-looking girl on the boat. Where was she now? But Dave and Harry and Nick and Sue all wanted him to go . . . Later that evening he walked into the square at Comillas with his friends.
They found a table at one of the caf,s and they all sat down. Mark looked slowly at the people at the tables near them . . . Donna looked sadly at the people dancing and standing in the square . . . then their eyes met.
Time stopped. He was here! She was here! He smiled at her with his nice blue eyes. She smiled back at him with her dark brown eyes. Suddenly he wasn't shy.
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832a905b-d1f4-424f-9901-13f821b946ac.txt
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They come to a door. It says, 'Concorde', but it's closed. Henry and Marcel stop in front of it.
'Oh no,' says Henry. But then two men with big bags open the door and go in. The mice go in, too. 'Good,' Marcel says. He looks at the people in the room. 'Now. can you see her?'
'No, I can't,' Henry says. Marcel smiles. 'I can,' he says. 'Where?' 'There. In front of us.'
Henry looks. Marcel is right. The American woman is sitting on a chair and listening to her Walkman. She's reading a newspaper, too. Her bag is on the floor. 'OK - let's go,' Marcel says. He takes a small knife from his coat. 'Walk behind me, Henry - but be very, very quiet. He starts to walk across the room. Henry walks behind his friend. 'Marcel's a detective,' he thinks. 'It's going to be OK. He knows his job. He does this every day. Yes . . . it's - going - to - be - O - K.'Marcel stops in front of the American woman's bag. He looks at Henry. 'Ssshh,' he says. 'Wait here.' Then he climbs up the bag. After a short time he starts to make a hole in it with his knife. Henry watches. His mouth is open. He looks at the American woman. She's listening to music and reading. She doesn't look down. Marcel climbs into the
bag. It's dark. He closes his eyes and opens them again. Now he can see some jeans, a radio, some books.
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Stephen and Catherine are talking. 'It's a big battle,' Catherine says. 'And Miss Robson can't in it,' Stephen says. 'The people don't want a battle.' 'And it's September. We're going back to school.' 'What are we going to do?' 'I have an idea,' Catherine says. 'Come with me, Stephen. We're going to the Town Hall. We're going to talk to Mr Wood.' Stephen and Catherine go to the Town Hall. Then they go to Newton Road. The people are happy there.
'We have gas in our houses,' they say. 'We have electricity and water.
We're winning the battle.' 'What's happening? What's Mr Wood doing?' Sally Robson asks. 'We have gas and electricity. We have water. What's happening?' 'Mr Wood wants to visit Newton Road,' Stephen says. 'He wants a meeting,' Catherine says. 'A meeting for the people of Newton Road?' 'Yes, but not in the Town Hall. In Newton Road School.' Stephen and Catherine go to the school.
They see the headmaster, Mr Morgan. 'Yes, we can have a meeting here,' Mr Morgan says. 'We can have the meeting on Saturday.' On Saturday the people of Newton Road go to the school. Mr Wood comes too. 'People of Newton Road,' he says, 'you're right. You want your friends and neighbours, and you can have them. I don't want a battle.' 'Can we stay in Newton Road?' Sally Robson thinks. 'You can have your friends and neighbours,' Mr Wood says, 'but you can have your new houses too.'
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b01f3892-655c-44af-9500-66bd8b96d562.txt
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Kim said 'yes' and Nacho talked on the car radio. Then they drove round behind the market. Kim got out and shut the car door. She walked to the corner, then she looked back. Ana smiled at her. Dave's face was very white. Kim was frightened. These things were exciting in
the cinema, but this was not a game.
Ana and Nacho were there - she knew that. But this Vidal was clever. Perhaps he knew about their little plan. And he was dangerous. house. The door was shut. And there was the rubbish bin. Two or three people came down the street. Kim walked slowly across the road. She looked round, then up at the windows of the houses. She waited. Then she saw him. The black shirt, the thin face, those eyes - it was Vidal.
He was very near her. Kim looked across the street. She was ready to run, then she heard Vidal. He said something, the same thing again and again. 'What's he saying?' Kim thought. 'Is he talking to me?' She looked at him. He did not move. Only his mouth moved. This time she understood the words. 'Give it to me or you're dead,' he said. A car drove round the corner very quickly and stopped. Ana and Nacho jumped out. They held guns. Ana shouted.
Vidal suddenly jumped at Kim and caught her. Kim tried to hit him, to get away, but he held
on to her hair. He was thin, but strong.
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It was a hot Saturday in early July. The water and sky were blue in the afternoon sun and there were some big waves for the surfers. A lot of them were in the sea. Nick was there, too. He sat on his surfboard and waited for a good wave. A big wave came - Nick started to swim strongly. His board moved quickly with the wave and Nick stood up on it. He was a very good surfer.
There were some Australians on the beach. They were there for the surf . . . and for the big surfing competition at the beach in a week's time. One of them was a tall girl with long dark hair - Janelle. She was from Queensland. She watched Nick and then looked at one of the boys with her. Mike smiled. 'He's very good, and that's a strong wave. It'll be difficult to beat him in the competition.' The second boy, Brian, was small with long hair and cold blue eyes. Janelle was his girlfriend.
'We can beat him easily,' Brian said. 'He's only good because he knows the beach here. I can surf well on any beach. I want to catch some waves.' He walked down to the sea. 'I don't want to go in the water now,' Janelle said. 'Let's go and have a drink at the caf,.' Brian sat on his surfboard and watched Nick in the water. 'Mike and Janelle are wrong,' he thought. 'He's not very good.'
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You're very good to me, Mr Selim. You're my teacher.' 'I like teaching you. You're a son to me,' Selim says. One day, Ali sees Mrs Yildiz again, but he walks away quickly. He does not want to see her. 'Ali, Ali! Why are you running away?' she asks. Ali stops. 'I'm not very clever,' he says. 'Did Yusuf tell you?' He tells her about that day in Yusuf 's office at the
newspaper. 'I'm sorry now,' he says.
'What are you talking about?' Mrs Yildiz says. 'Don't you know? One of your photos is in the newspaper today!' 'My photo? In the newspaper? Which photo?' 'There are two children on a bridge. They're catching a big fish.''Oh, Mrs Yildiz, I'm very happy,' Ali says, and he laughs happily. 'Can I carry your bags for you now?' 'No, thank you. Go home now,' she says. Ali runs to Selim's shop. 'My photo's in the newspaper!' he tells him. 'Yes, here it is,' Selim says, and he shows Ali the newspaper. 'I don't understand! How. . . ? Who. . . ?' Selim is smiling. 'It was you! You showed my photo to Yusuf !' Selim smiles again.
Then he says, 'But you can't stop learning.' 'Yes, you're right,' Ali says. 'Tomorrow is a very important day for you.' Ali doesn't understand. 'Tomorrow? Why is tomorrow important?' 'The newspaper has a job for a young person,' Selim tells him. 'That person is going to learn about photography.'
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Saturday, Tom and Becky walked and played in the cave. Then they stopped near some water. "What time is it?" Becky asked. "I don't know," Tom said. "Let's go back now."
The two children walked and walked. But they didn't find the door to the cave. Becky was afraid. She wanted to sit down and eat. "Maybe they're looking for us now," she said. "Here's some food," Tom said. "Eat this and wait here .
I'm going to look for the door." Tom walked and walked. But he didn't find the cave door. Suddenly, there was a man near him. Tom was afraid, but he stayed quiet. He looked at the man. It was Injun Joe!
Tom was very afraid and he made a noise. Injun Joe went away quickly. Tom went back to Becky, but he didn't talk to her about Injun Joe. They were in the cave for three days. Tuesday, Becky didn't want to walk. Again Tom said, "Stay here. I'm going to look for the door." This time he went to a new place. There was light there. He went to the light. It came from a small door in the cave. Tom went out of the cave. Then he went back to Becky. "Come with me," he said. "We can go out of the cave now." Tom and Becky went out of the cave. They were very happy. They went to the river and waited there. Some men in a small boat came to them.
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The Maasai are very interesting people. Many live in Kenya, near the Maasai Mara Game Reserve. The men and the women are tall and strong. Every day, they walk across the country with their cows and their goats.
There is very little grass in the Maasai Mara, and very little rain. The men and boys hunt wild animals and bring them back home. Sometimes, very young boys kill lions. This is dangerous, but for the Maasai it is important.
The Maasai dress in beautiful colours: usually red. They like dancing and singing. Sometimes they sing and dance for visitors at the hotels in the game reserve.
Maasai women don't hunt, but they do a lot of work. They build the houses for their families. The Maasai people move from place to place and the women build new homes in the new places.
Every morning, they get up very early and bring water for their families. This is a very important job because water is a big problem for the Maasai. The women make the food too. The Maasai eat meat and they eat food from plants.
Not all Maasai children go to school. Often there are no schools near their homes. School is expensive too, and many families haven't got the money. Today, many Maasai people live and work in towns. Sometimes they visit their families and friends.
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"Quick,' she thought. 'I can't stop.' But all the streets were the same. Where was she now? Suddenly, she came round a corner and her legs went cold. The street did not go through - it stopped. There were some cars and a big old building. An old cinema, perhaps. But there was no road through. Kim looked back.
The man stood at the corner and waited. He started to walk slowly down the street. Kim looked round. There was a door in the building. She ran to it. It opened! She went in and shut the door behind her. Noise. People. Women. Talking, shouting, moving their arms. The market! She was in the market in the old town, near the big shopping street. That door was a back door to the market and the big street was very near.
She started to walk through the market. She was in a slow-moving river of people with heavy shopping bags. She moved with the river. Every time one person stopped and looked at some fruit or fish, all of them stopped. Kim wanted to go quickly, but it was not easy. All these women with bags of food for the family! Then, in the sea of faces, Kim saw those same dark
eyes again. Watching her. He was here in the market! Kim started to run. There were shopping bags under her feet. She fell and got up again. People shouted at her. One woman tried to catch hold of her.
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My father is a construction worker. He builds houses. He builds schools. He builds houses and schools. He uses a hammer and a saw. My brother is an engineer. He designs buildings. He designs bridges. He designs buildings and bridges. He uses a pencil and a calculator. My son is an athlete. He plays soccer. He plays tennis. He plays soccer and tennis. He uses a racket and a ball. My daughter is an artist. She draws pictures of animals. She draws pictures of people. She draws pictures of animals and people. She uses a pencil and a piece of paper.
James wants a dog. He walks to the pet store. James sees the animals at the pet store. He sees the cats. He sees the rabbits. He sees the birds. He sees the mice. He sees the dogs. “How much does the dog cost?” James says. “Twenty dollars,” the man says. James gives the man twenty dollars. James buys the dog. The dog walks home with James. Now James has a pet.
Rebecca likes to make cookies. She makes chocolate cookies. She makes nut cookies. Rebecca makes chocolate and nut cookies. Rebecca likes to make cakes. She makes yellow cakes. She makes white cakes. Rebecca makes yellow and white cakes. Rebecca likes to make pies. She makes apple pies. She makes lemon pies. Rebecca makes apple and lemon pies.
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The Globe Theatre
Visiting the theatre in London 400 years ago was very different from visiting a modern theatre. The building was round, there was no roof, and people got cold and wet if the weather was bad. The queen loved going to the Globe Theatre, by the River Thames, to see the plays of William Shakespeare. All the actors at that time were men. The visitors ate, talked to their friends, walked about during the show, and some people even threw things at the actors!
Today, it is still possible to visit the Globe Theatre. A new theatre stands in the same place near the river. You can enjoy a Shakespeare play there or just learn about life in the seventeenth century.
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'You're going to go to England,' the oldest boy said to Mary. 'My
parents told me. You're going to live with your uncle. He lives in a house
in the country. He's a hunchback.'
Mary felt afraid when she heard this. That evening, Mrs Crawford
talked to her. 'You're going to go to England, my dear,' she said. 'You're
going to live with your uncle, Mr Archibald Craven, in Yorkshire.'
'Where's Yorkshire?' asked Mary.
'In the north-east of England,' answered Mrs Crawford.
She went to Mary and put her arms round her. But the child pulled
away from her. 'She's an ugly little thing,' Mrs Crawford thought.
Mary went to England with an English family. In London, one of Mr Craven's
servants met her. The servant's name was Mrs Medlock. She was a fat woman with
a red face and small black eyes. Mary did not like her and she did not like Mary.
They caught a train to Yorkshire.
Mary sat quietly and looked out of the window. She felt very unhappy.
'My mother and father didn't want me,' she thought. 'The Indian servants
didn't like me. Nobody likes me.'
Nobody said to Mary, 'People don't like you because you aren't nice.'
So she didn't understand.
It was a long journey to Yorkshire. Mrs Medlock got bored and
started to talk. 'Mr Craven's house in Yorkshire is a strange place,' she
said. 'It's 600 years old and it's in the middle of the country. There are
100 rooms, but we don't use many of them. There are big gardens round
the house and tall old trees.'
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In the night E.T. looked up from his bed in the closet, and saw Elliott climb out the window. "Where is he going?" E.T. thought. He didn't want to think about that, so he put his head down again. Elliott hid in some plants by the road with Harvey and watched the scientists' vans. They drove up and down the streets, and then out into
the forest. Their lights shone in the night sky. "Harvey," Elliott said quietly, "we have something wonderful with us. Do you know that? I love him, Harvey." He looked up at the sky. Which star did his new friend come from? His little eyes shone and they looked carefully at Elliott. Lance knew something, and Elliott was afraid. Elliott and Michael walked to school.
"We have to tell, Elliott," Michael said. "No," Elliott answered. "He wants to stay with us. Michael, listen, there are some strange people around here now. I don't know them. Look at that car. There's a man inside it and he's reading a newspaper. Why is he there? What's he waiting for? I think they're looking for E.T."
Elliott was very unhappy. "Michael," he said, "we can't tell, or he won't get back home. I know it-I can feel it inside me." Greg, Tyler, and Steve were at the bus stop. "Elliott, what happened to your 'little man' in the yard? Did he come
back?" Steve asked him. "Yes, he came back," Elliott said too quickly.
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Buildings
People have always made buildings. We need houses to keep us warm and dry and we build stadiums so we can watch football matches and pop concerts. We use other buildings, like museums, to keep beautiful things in.
Many people work together on a building. The architect decides how the building is going to look and draws pictures that show people his or her ideas. Engineers make sure the building will be strong and safe. Then, the workers carefully build it.
The Sydney Opera House is a famous modern building with a lovely roof. But the building is beautiful from every side, not only from the top. There is also a famous roof on the Olympic Stadium in Munich. This interesting building looks like a tent that is made of glass.
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'No,' said Harry. 'I won't go. I'm your best man, and this town has problems.'
'Yes,' said Paul, 'you are my best man. But you must understand something. After we go, the people here in Dante's Peak will stay. They have their shops and their businesses. You think only about
volcanoes, but this is about money too.'
'OK,' Harry said with a smile. 'I understand.'
'OK,' said Paul. 'Tomorrow we'll get a helicopter. I want you to fly round the peak with your equipment. What's happening?
Why? You find the answers, and then you come and tell me.'
'Right,' Harry said, 'I'll do that.' Then he turned away and had a drink with Terry Furlong and the others.
The next morning Harry went into the Blue Moon Cafe, for breakfast. This was Rachel's cafe.
She smiled at him. 'Coffee?' she asked.
'Yes, please,' he said. 'I'm sorry about yesterday. I only wanted to help. I'm better with volcanoes than I am with business people.'
'I know you wanted to help.' Rachel put the coffee back on the warmer, turned and said: 'Do you want to come to dinner tonight? I want to say thank you.'
'Thank you? What for?'
'You stopped Graham jumping into that water.'
'OK. Yes, please. I do want to have dinner with you.'
Later in the morning, Harry and Terry went out in the helicopter. They took a lot of equipment and flew round the peak. Terry watched the equipment. 'There's some gas,' he said. 'But not a lot.'
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Careful! Fight with your head, don't fight with your heart, boy!' shouted Bowen.
The knight wanted to make Einon a good fighter. But he also wanted to teach him the Old Code. Sir Bowen and all the kings, princes and knights before him were Knights of the Old Code. For thousands of years kings were kind to peasants and knights helped kings. This was the Old Code. Life was good, and everybody in the country was happy. Then everything started to change and the peasants were angry. Bowen didn't like this. He loved Einon and he wanted the boy to remember the Old Code all his life.
After the sword-fighting lesson, Bowen and Einon sat down. 'Never turn your back to somebody when you fight, Einon! Why can't you remember that?'
Suddenly they heard the sound of a horse. They looked up and saw Brok, one of the king's knights, on his horse in front of them. Bowen didn't like Brok and looked at him angrily. Brok didn't live by the Old Code.
'We're fighting the peasants,' Brok told them. 'We're winning, of course. King Freyne wants his son to come and watch.'
'It's not good or clever to fight the peasants,' answered Bowen. He really hated Brok.
'They're stupid! The king says they have to die. He wants Einon to come now. And you too, Bowen,' Brok shouted. Then he turned his horse and rode away fast.
'Why did he shout at you?' asked Einon. 'You're a Knight of the Old Code! You're not afraid of him!'
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The History of Farming
Before people started farming, they went to the forest to look for plants or fruit they could eat. This meant that people were moving all the time to find food. But about 12,000 years ago, in the Middle East, people began to grow food. These people were the first farmers. Farming made it possible for people to stay in one place and slowly their villages got bigger.
Some people in the villages became free to do other work, like making clothes, because the farmers could grow food for everyone. Unfortunately, farming was difficult when the weather was bad and then some people did not get enough food to eat.
Today, farmers can grow more food and it travels thousands of kilometres from where it is grown to our homes.
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ICE-FISHING
If you drive north from Toronto for three hours, you come to Lake Nipissing. In winter, the lake becomes ice, and thousands of Canadian fishermen travel there each weekend. They build little houses of wood on the ice and paint them in bright colours. Then they sit inside to catch the fish that swim under the ice.
Bob Marvisch has come here at this time of year for twenty-five years. 'You need clothes that are light but warm: two pairs of socks and gloves, several thin sweaters and a snow suit on top. Catching the fish. is easy,' he says. 'First you break the ice and make a small round hole in it. Next you take a fishing line and put some bread on it. Then you put the line through the hole and into the water. You pull the line up when the fish eat the bread. They are between ten and twenty centimetres long. Some people like to eat them, but when I have caught three or four fish, I prefer to have some chocolate or other snack! Today I have caught twenty-five! It's a great sport and you can meet some nice people here!'
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A man heard me and looked round. Then this big man saw me in the corn. He walked to me and I began to shout loudly: ' His foot is going to kill me ! '
The man stopped. For a minute he looked down at me carefully. (We look at a small animal in the same way, and think: 'Will it hurt me? ') Then he took me up in his fingers and put me about three metres from his eyes. I was about twenty metres from the ground, so I was afraid.
'Perhaps he'll throw me down onto the ground and put his foot on me,' I thought. 'In our country, we sometimes do that to animals.'
I put my hands up. I wanted to say, ' Please don't kill me! ' and 'Your fingers are hurting me ! '
He understood. The man turned up the bottom of his coat and put me in there. Then he carried me to the farmer and put me back on the ground.
I spoke to the farmer. He put me next to his ear - about two metres away - but he could not understand me. He answered me, and the noise was as loud as a lot of big guns. I could not
understand his words.
The farmer carried me carefully to his house. It was time for the midday meal. His wife cried loudly when she saw me. Women in England do this when they see a rat. Then she began to like me.
She cut up some bread and meat for me. I smiled - ' Thank you' - and took out my knife.
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Memo
To: All staff
Subject: Holidays
From: D Brown
Date: 22.2.02
I am planning the holidays for next year. Please tell me when you would like to take your holiday. If possible, could you give me two dates? Please give me your answer by the end of the month.
Thank you.
D Brown
Memo
To: D Brown
Subject: Holidays
From: J Green
Date: 23.2.02
Could I take two weeks’ holiday in July? I’d like to take the first two weeks, but if that is not possible, the last two weeks will be OK. Also, can I take three extra days in the first week of December?
John
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New books this month
The Long Night
This is David Reilly's first book. David became a writer after teaching English for several years.
Maha is a nurse in northern Australia, where she works in a small hospital. One day a baby is so ill that Maha has to drive all night to get her to the nearest big city. They have a lot of problems getting there and ...
Hard Work
This exciting story is Joanna Jones's twentieth.
Hard Work is about Sombat, who works with his father, a carpenter, in Thailand. They work long, hard hours making tables and chairs, but they do not have any money. Then one day a man dressed all in black buys the most beautiful table in the shop ...
Hospital or Cinema?
Marcie Jacome, who studies English in London, wrote this story earlier this year.
Tina is a young Brazilian woman whose dream is to become a doctor. She goes to London to study English and medicine but one day she meets a man who asks her to go to the USA with him to become a film star ... What will Tina do?
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Big cats
There are many different kinds of cats. They are different in size and they do not look or act the same.
Tigers are the biggest cats. From head to tail they can be 3.7m long. Most cats don't like water, but tigers will often lie in a pool of water when it is hot!
Lions are the only cats that stay together in large family groups. Several lions may work together to get food for the group. They usually live in flat, open countryside where they can see a long way and easily follow other animals.
All cats need good eyes, because they catch smaller animals for their food. They also need to be fast, and very strong.
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Marco stood at the door of Silvia's flat and watched Gabriel leaving.
He looked carefully at his clothes and his shoes. Why didn't Silvia
open the door? She was in there. Then, suddenly, it opened.
'Silvia, dear,' Marco said, 'you look wonderful ...'
He stopped. Silvia didn't look wonderful. Her face was red, and she
looked unhappy.
'Gabriel said something to her,' Marco thought. 'What was it? That
young man doesn't like me, and I don't like him.'
He followed Silvia into the sitting-room.
'I'm nearly ready,' she said. 'Have a drink. I'll come in a minute.'
Marco knew the Delgados' sitting-room well. He went to the table
and got a drink. Then he sat down in an expensive armchair. He liked
the flat. There were beautiful pictures on the walls, and everything in the
room looked very expensive.
Silvia lived with her mother. Her father was dead. Before he died, Mr Delgado had a good job. He had cars and friends and a lot of money. But the Delgados weren't
a rich family now, and Silvia's mother was ill. The doctor often came and visited her. Sometimes, Mrs Delgado had to go to hospital. She had to have good food and
expensive medicines. The Delgados didn't have much money now.
Marco didn't know about the Delgados' money. He saw their pictures,
their jewellery and other expensive things, and he liked them all.
'Silvia!' Mrs Delgado called weakly from her bedroom. 'Are you there,
dear? What are you doing? Is somebody with you? Who is it?'
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'I am quite well,' I always answered.
Why did I say that? Why did I not ask for his help? Perhaps because, in one sense, it was true. I was not in pain.
'It cannot be the mysterious illness from the village,' I thought. 'My illness is now three weeks old. The village girls and the young farmer's wife were only ill for a few days, and then they died.'
Carmilla was also suffering strange dreams and feelings. But she was not as ill as me. I did not understand why I was ill. I was living inside a dream world and I could not think sensibly.
One night, I heard a different voice in my dream. It was not the clear female voice that I usually heard. It was sweet, but also terrible.
'This is your mother,' it said. I did not know the voice, because I never knew my mother. 'Someone is trying to kill you. You must be careful.'
At exactly the same time, my candle suddenly burned brightly. I saw my room clearly. There, at the foot of my bed, I saw Carmilla. She wore her white nightdress, but from head to foot she was washed in blood. I woke up with a terrible scream. The next minute, I was standing outside my room, crying for help. Madame Perrodon and Mademoiselle De Lafontaine arrived quickly.
'I have had a terrible dream,' I said. I described it to them. I could see in their faces that they understood my terror.
'Poor child!' said Madame Perrodon. 'Mademoiselle De LaFontaine, please bring a cover from Laura's bed. She is cold.'
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Dear Lynne and Tony,
I'm writing to say thank you for the two nights I stayed in
your lovely home. It was good to see you again.
Here are the photographs of your children that you asked for. They're good photos, aren't they? I hope you like them. I really love my new camera.
I am going to visit my sister in New York next week. I will take a lot of photos there, too. I haven't seen my sister for a long time.
Thanks again.
Love,
Roy
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BURGLARS LOVE THE AFTERNOON
Most house burglaries happen between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.,say the police.
Inspector Ian Saunders told our newspaper that the number of house burglaries has gone up by more than 30% compared with last year. He also said that 67% of burglaries happen when people have gone out and forgotten to dose a door or a window.
He went on to report that night-time burglaries are unusual because families are usually at home at that time. But he said that winter afternoons are the best time for burglars because it is dark and they can't be seen easily. Also many houses are empty at that time, because people are often still at work.
Inspector Saunders said that it is a good idea to leave lights on in living rooms and bedrooms when you go on holiday. This will help to keep burglars away. He also asked neighbours to watch the other houses in the street when people are not at home. They should call the police if they see anything strange. 'We will also tell you how to make your house safe,' Inspector Saunders said. 'This kind of help costs nothing.'
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Corryvale Farm
Corryvale Farm is in the west of England. Stephen and Jenny Blackler keep cows and chickens and sell milk and eggs. But most of their money comes from Jenny's sheep.
She has 50 sheep and each one has enough wool for six sweaters. Every six months, Stephen cuts this wool off the sheep so they won't get too warm. Five years ago, Jenny made some sweaters with the wool and tried to sell them at country markets. But it was summer and the weather was hot so people didn't want to buy sweaters. She then made some socks. Everybody loved them because they were cheap, strong and easy to wash.
That's how Jenny's business started. At first she made the socks at home, but soon she had thousands of customers so she had to send the wool to a factory, where all the socks are now made on machines. There are six colours, five sizes for all ages, and different socks for walkers, sportsmen and skiers. Jenny is busiest at Christmas because Corryvale socks are a favourite present. On the walls of Jenny's office, there are lots of letters from happy customers all over the world.
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Otters
Not many people have seen an otter. These animals live near rivers and
make their homes from small pieces of wood. They usually come out of their
homes at night. Otters are very good in the water and can swim at more than
10 kilometres an hour. They have thick brown hair and this keeps them warm in the water. An otter can close its ears and nose. This means otters can stay under water for several minutes.
Twenty years ago, there were few otters in Great Britain. The water in the rivers was so dirty that many fish and insects died and the otters couldn't find anything to eat. But today there is lots of food for them because the rivers are clean again.
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Dear David,
I am going to visit your country next month. I’m going to travel with two friends. We don’t know where to stay. Are there any cheap hotels in your town? We would like to stay somewhere in the centre. Can you help us?
Carlos
Dear Carlos,
Hotels in the centre are expensive, but I have good news. I have spoken to my aunt Gloria about you and she says you can all stay at her house. It has more bedrooms that my house! That will be alright with you, won’t it?
David
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World traveller
Nick Barlow loves his work. He's a British actor and he travels around the world making TV programmes. 'People welcome me everywhere I go and when I get home I remember all the wonderful things that happened in each country.' Nick has travelled to many places but there are a few trips that he would still like to make. 'I'd love to visit South America and go back to Australia one day,' he says.
On each trip, Nick travels with a team of people. They bring the cameras and other filming equipment needed to make the programme. Nick doesn't take a lot of things for himself, just a few shirts and trousers, but he always makes sure he has some books in his suitcase.
Nick's wife, Helen, doesn't mind him travelling for his work. She has a lot of friends and keeps busy. When he gets back, she likes to listen to all his travel stories. But sometimes there are problems. When he was in the Malaysian rain forest, Nick heard that his wife was ill in hospital. 'I felt terrible because I couldn't help, but she didn't want me to come home. I was so happy when I heard she was better.'
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POSTCARDS
Today, people like to send postcards to their friends and family. These postcards often have pictures of beaches, mountains or castles on them and you can write a message on the back. Many people send postcards when they are on holiday because postcards are cheap and the pictures on them are often better than people's own photos.
Somebody sent the first postcard at the end of the nineteenth century. It had a picture of a town by the sea on it. Later on, postcards had pictures showing something in the news that week, perhaps an accident or an important person’s visit. People liked to see them because they did not have pictures in their newspapers then.
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The history of horse racing
From the first history books ever written, it is clear that horse racing has
always been an important sport. It started in Central Asia about 4,500 years ago and was a favourite sport in both Greek and Roman times.
Modern horse racing began when Arab horses were brought to Europe in the 12th century. At first, races were long and between just two horses, but at the beginning of the 18th century this changed. Races became much shorter and had several horses running against each other.
Today, horse racing is watched by more people than any other sport in the USA, except baseball. It is also very popular in other parts of the world.
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It was more than three months after Lynette's death. Jude and Dad were sitting at the table, looking at a map. Mum was out, walking. Suddenly Dad stood up. 'Come with me, Jude,' he said.
'Where are you going, Dad?' I asked. 'To a meeting.' 'What meeting? Can I come?' 'No, you're too young,' said Dad. He put on his coat. What were they doing?
My house was full of secrets. Mum was always sad and she never talked to us. I missed Lynette. 'I want to come with you,' I said. 'If Jude belongs to the Freedom Fighters, I can join too.' 'What?' Dad turned angrily to Jude. 'Jude, you stupid boy! How does he know about the Fighters?'
'I didn't say anything, Dad, I promise,' Jude said. 'Jude didn't tell me.' I said. 'I guessed.' 'You can't come. We're going to a meeting and you're too young. If somebody sees you there, you'll be in trouble. It will end your education. Do you want that?' Dad asked.
'There's nothing for me at Heathcroft. The other noughts - Colin and Shania - have already gone. I want to leave.' 'You will not leave,' Dad shouted angrily. 'You'll stay at school until you're eighteen. Then you'll go to university. Do you understand?'
He went to the door. 'And don't tell your dagger friend about the Freedom Fighters,' Jude whispered to me. 'If you do, the Crosses will hang us.'
The weeks passed slowly until, one Saturday, it was five months and eighteen days after Lynette's death. Nobody knew the true story about her death except me.
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The horses were near now, and Don Quixote spoke to the driver. 'Where are you going, my friend? What have you got in that big box?' 'I've got a lion for the king in the box,' said the driver. 'Is it large?' asked Don Quixote. 'It's the biggest lion in this country,' said the driver. 'Now, please move. The king's waiting for us. And it's after the lion's dinner time. He's getting very hungry. And lions are dangerous when they're hungry.'
'I'm not afraid of a lion. This is one of Frestin's games. Jump down, driver, and open the box. I want to see this dangerous animal.' Sancho Panza ran to Don Diego de Miranda. 'Sir,' he said, 'please stop him. The lion will kill all of us.' 'Does he really want to fight a lion? What's wrong with him?' asked Don Diego.
'Nothing, really,' said Sancho Panza, 'but he's always looking for a good adventure. He's a knight, you know.' Don Diego spoke to Don Quixote. 'Sir, think about this. This is the king's lion. Knights don't fight the king or his animals.'
'Sir, this is my adventure. The wizard Frestin put this lion here for me. Stay with my squire and watch.' He turned to the driver. 'Now, open that box or you'll die.' 'Please, sir, give me a minute. I'll move the king's men and his horses.' 'Move them quickly!' shouted Don Quixote. 'You know that I don't want to open this box,' the driver cried.
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Bill Prince-Smith
Bill Prince-Smith was a farmer and a teacher and a dentist before he became a writer of children's books at the age of 60. Now, thirteen years later, he has written more than 80 books. Every day, he goes into his office and writes. In the evening, he gives the work to his wife to read. 'She tells me when she doesn't like something,' says Bill. 'My ten grandchildren don't live near here but they also read my stories and say if they are good or bad.' And so Bill has learned what young children want to read.
Bill writes about the life in his village and on the farms near it. His fifth book is his favourite: The Sheepdog is about a farmer and the dog that helps him.
'I have always liked animals,' says Bill, 'and dogs are so clever, they learn very quickly.'
Last year, the book was made into a film with real animals and actors. The film-makers used the latest computer technology to make people think that the animals are speaking. Bill was very pleased with the film. 'Sometimes film- makers change books, but they didn't change mine and I love the film.'
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Line dancing
Thousands of people in Britain have a new hobby — line dancing. In almost every town, you will find clubs and classes for this new activity.
'Line dancing is easy to learn. If you have two feet and can walk, then you can do it!' Fiona Lever, a teacher, says. 'You don't need a partner because you dance in groups. It's the best way to make new friends. In my classes, there are young and old people. The boys like it because they can make a lot of noise with their feet during the dances!'
When did line dancing begin? Most people think it started about fifteen years ago when American country music became famous in Britain.
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Kong went back to Ann and took her down from the high rock. For the
first time in this jungle, she felt strangely safe. He jumped across a ravine
and then across a river. She was a small plaything between his large fingers.
Then he stopped and put her down. She looked up and high above her head was a statue of a giant gorilla. "That's you, Kong!" she said. Kong looked at Ann, a very small person, and at the giant statue. He understood something for the first time: "To this beautiful woman, I am an ugly giant." He looked at his hands and then, with sad eyes, at Ann. Slowly and carefully, he picked her up again and took her to a very high mountain. From up there Ann could see the ship, only about five kilometers away. The orange sun slowly went down in the west. When Kong put Ann
down, she saw the skull of a giant gorilla on the ground near her. Was this
his mother's or his father's skull? Maybe his brother's or his wife's? Ann understood. He had nobody and she was his only family now. Ann put her hand on Kong's arm but he didn't look at her. She wanted to make him happy, so she danced for him. But he didn't look. "Look at me," she said. "Look!" Slowly, he turned and put one finger in front of her. She put her arms around it and he pulled her up.
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Dear Deshini,
It's great that you are my new penfriend. My name is Tom and I am fifteen years old. I was born in Canada but I live in England now. Please write and tell me all about your life in India. I would love to go there one day.
Do you live in a small village or in a big town? What is your school like? Have you got any pictures of your school you could send me? I'm sending you a few photos of my family. I’ll send more the next time I write.
I hope you'll write to me soon.
Tom
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Madame Tussaud's
One very famous place for tourists in London is Madame Tussaud's museum. Here people can see figures of famous people made of wax.
Madame Tussaud was born in France in 1761. Her uncle, a doctor, made wax figures of people. He opened a museum of these figures in Paris. Marie helped him in his work.
In 1789,during the French Revolution, Marie was sent to prison. Here she had to copy the heads of famous people when they were dead, including Queen Marie Antoinette's.
In 1795,Marie married Francois Tussaud and in 1802 she came to London with her wax figures. Here she opened a museum and her figures can still be seen today.
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The Cerne Giant
Sherborne and Dorchester are two towns in the south of England that are quite near each other. On the road between them, there are a lot of green hills and fields. On one of these hills is a picture of a very large man. The man in the picture is called the Cerne Giant because the village that is next to
him is called Cerne.
Nobody really knows when the Cerne Giant was made, but people think that it was a very long time ago. To get nearer the picture, you can walk from
Cerne. If you go on the first of May when the sun comes up, you will see all the people from the village dancing around the man on the hill.
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The Rhino
There are five different types of rhino in the world today. The Black and White Rhino live in the open fields of Africa. The others live in forests in Asia.
All rhinos have big, heavy bodies. Their skin is very hard and they have very little hair. The great body of the rhino stands on four short legs. Each foot has three toes. They usually walk very slowly, but they can run at 50 kilometres an hour. Rhinos are usually quiet and calm animals, and they only eat grass and other plants.
A baby rhino weighs 40 kilos when it is born. It has been inside its mother for about fifteen months. An adult rhino weighs over 200 kilos and may live to be 50 years old.
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CANADA GEESE
Canada Geese are large blue and white birds. When autumn arrives, they have to fly south where the weather is warmer. The winters are so cold in Canada that the birds die if they stay there.
Last spring, Bill Lishman found sixteen young Canada Geese on his farm. They had lost their parents. Bill thought, 'These young birds won't know what to do in the autumn.'
Bill had a small plane and he decided to teach the birds to follow him. All through the summer, he went on short trips in his plane and the young geese flew after him.
When the cold weather arrived in autumn, Bill flew to Virginia in the United States, 600 miles south of his home in Canada. The geese followed him all the way. Bill left the geese in Virginia and he returned home.
This spring, Bill was waiting for the birds to come back. They didn't arrive, so Bill flew to Virginia to get them. He looked for them for two weeks but he couldn't find them.
When he arrived back home, Bill found the geese waiting for him. They had found their way home without him!
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Dinosaurs
No one has ever seen a dinosaur. The last dinosaur died about 60 million years ago, a long time before there were any people on the earth. Nobody knows for sure why they all died.
The nearest living relatives of dinosaurs are birds.
Dinosaurs didn't all look the same. There were more than 5000 kinds. Some were very small, but others were giants. The largest were bigger than any other animals that ever lived on land. The Brontosaurus, for example, was twenty metres long, and it ate plants. The Tyrannosaurus Rex was not as big, but it was stronger. It had sharp teeth for eating meat. Also it could run fast because it had long back legs.
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Piano players - when they were young
Ivan Petrov
Ivan was born on a farm in Russia, but from the age of twelve to eighteen he studied in Poland. His first music teacher couldn't play the piano but taught him and his sister songs from the opera. His mother began to teach him the piano when he was six. At ten, he decided that he wanted to write music too, and he soon started on his first song.
Oleg Gagarin
Oleg was the youngest of five children and when he was four years old his father, who liked playing the piano, taught him some traditional Russian music. When he was six, he started having lessons with a piano teacher who lived in the same city. Oleg soon began to win prizes for his piano playing. At the age of fourteen, he went to a music college in Austria for two years. Later, he returned home to Russia.
Josef Heptmann
Josef‘s father was German but he taught music in Poland where Josef was born. The family moved to Germany when Josef was two, and a year later he started playing the piano.
He gave his first concert when he was six. At ten, he gave fifty-two concerts in two months during a trip to England! Josef always liked music but he was also interested in physics and languages. He is too busy now but one day he would like to write his own music.
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After a long, hard swim, Pedro Serrano fell onto a beach, tired but alive. There was no sign now of his broken ship, lost under the waves. He waited for other sailors from the ship to arrive on the island. But no one came.
The next morning Serrano looked around the island that saved his life. It was a good size-a walk of many hours from one end to the other. But it was made of sand. There were no plants on it, no pools or rivers. His new home was a desert. All hope now left him. It was the 1520s. Spanish ships visited the Caribbean regularly, but the ocean was very big and this island was small and unimportant.
He probably had a wait of many years before any ships passed his way. "My friends from the ship were lucky," he thought. "Their deaths in the waves were quick." He could imagine his own death on this desert island-slow, painful, lonely. But he pushed away these fears. He needed food and drink ... soon.
After some searching, he found some shellfish and insects. He ate them uncooked. He had no way to light a fire. Later that day Serrano saw some big turtles climbing out of the ocean onto the beach. He ran toward them and quickly turned them onto their backs. Their legs danced in the air. He cut into their skin with the knife that he always kept in his belt. Then he drank their blood thirstily. He cut the meat out of their shells and dried it in the sun.
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The Ruwenzori Mountains
Mary Daniels is a student in England. This year she had a very interesting summer holiday. She travelled with fifteen other people to the Ruwenzori Mountains in Africa. They went there to help make a road through a forest between two big towns. 'It was very difficult because there was no water to drink and no shops where we could buy food,' said Mary. 'It was also very cold and wet in the mountains. It is one of the wettest places in the world.'
Mary stayed in the mountains for six weeks. It was hard work, but she says it was the best thing she has ever done. She is hoping to return next year to do some more work there.
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There were many big fights at that time. People fought on horses with swords in their hands. The strongest and best knight always won.
'Perhaps the new king will come to the fight,' thought the Archbishop.
Sir Ector went to the fight with his two sons, Sir Kay and young Arthur. Arthur was now sixteen years old. The young men wanted to fight with the other knights, but Sir Kay did not have a sword. Arthur was a kind young man. He wanted to help.
' There is a sword in a stone outside a church. I saw it on the way here. I will get it and fight with it. Then you can have my sword,' he said to his brother.
Arthur left Sir Kay and quickly went to the church. There were no knights outside by the stone because they were at the fight. Arthur climbed down from his horse and went to the stone. He did not read the words on the stone. He took the sword in his hand and pulled. It came out of the stone easily.
He ran back to his horse with the sword. Some minutes later he met Sir Kay and Sir Ector again, and he showed them the sword.
'Where did that sword come from? ' Sir Ector asked. He knew about the words on the stone.
They went back to the place outside the church, and Sir Ector put the sword in the stone again.
'Now pull it out,' he said to Arthur.
Arthur pulled it out. It came out as easily as a knife out of butter. Sir Ector saw this and took Arthur's hand. 'You are my king,' he said.
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A great idea!
Frazer and Peter are two 14-year-old boys who grew up in the same small Canadian town.
They have always been friends and classmates. Like all their other friends, they enjoy going fishing or swimming at weekends. But for the last few months, they've spent every weekend in Peter's room working on his laptop. This isn't because they have a lot of homework. They have made a new computer word game.
The idea for the game came from Frazer's little brother, Kevin, who had problems with his reading. Kevin learns words more easily by seeing pictures and hearing information than he does by reading. His brother wanted to help. Frazer and Peter worked together for over 200 hours to make a computer game and now it's ready to use. It's a speaking and picture game. For example, if you look at the word 'hat', there's a drawing of a hat next to it and you can hear Peter saying 'Hat! Hat!' at the same time.
The two boys have won a lot of prizes for their computer game and it will soon be on sale around the world. Many schools are interested in buying it.
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'What did you talk about when the ghost was in your room?' asked Wish. 'Did he tell you about his life?' asked Sanderson. We wanted to know more about our friend's visitor. We started to believe Clayton too.
It was only a story when he started, and Clayton told very good stories. But now it was more than that. We believed it. 'And when did he die?' Evans asked. 'Only last month. He's a new ghost, and not very good at it. He doesn't understand much about haunting.' 'How did he die?'
'That,' said Clayton, 'is the most interesting thing about him. He worked as an English teacher in a London boys' school. He lived in a small room in the school. Some of the boys also lived there. One night, he heard a sound. "I never slept well," he said. "When I heard a small sound, my eyes always opened again." He took a candle and went downstairs, to the school office. There was an old gas fire in the room. The fire wasn't lit, and there was gas in the room. His candle lit the gas. There was a very loud noise ... and then a fire started. He died in the fire.'
'That was a very bad end to his life,' Wish said. 'And the schoolboys? What happened to them?' I asked. 'They were all right. Somebody saw the fire and put it out. It didn't go up to the bedrooms. But it was too late for my ghost.'
"
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CROCODILES
We can find crocodiles in tropical parts of the world, for example Africa, South America and Northern Australia.
They spend most of the time in slow-moving water but they can move fast through the water and on land.
You often see crocodiles together in large groups. They eat everything they catch, like fish, birds and small animals. And sometimes they make a meal of large animals or even people.
There are more than ten types of crocodile. They all have very sharp teeth. They often lose these teeth, but soon get new ones.
Crocodiles are usually about 3.5 metres long, but some are much bigger. Crocodiles live for a long time. The oldest one kept in a zoo was 66 years old.
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Dear Maria,
It’s good to be back home in my country but I still think about all the friends I made in our English class, especially you. I cried when I left England because my visit was too short. I would like to return to England but next time I will stay in a different city.
I have started English classes again here. I learnt a lot of things in England but I know I need to study even harder.
How about you? Are you still looking for a job? I hope you find it soon.
Love,
Sophie
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"One day in November 1982, Obama got a phone call from a stranger-his aunt in Nairobi.
"I am your Aunt Jane. Your father is dead," she told him.
After a night with friends in a bar, Obama Sr.'s car went off the road and into a tree. He died in Kenya at the age of forty-six.
Obama did not know his father very well and he did not feel very sad. But when he phoned his mother, she cried. A short time later, Obama's African sister, Auma, visited him in Chicago for the first time. She told her brother about their father's problems before he died. When she was young, his
job with the Kenyan government ended suddenly. He did not like some of the people with political power, and he told other people that. When the government took away his job, he started drinking in bars. His American wife left him and she took their two sons. He had almost no money.
Obama listened and made some important plans for his future. He did not want his life to follow the mistakes of his father's life. He wanted to have a better future, and he wanted to help other people.
At the age of 27, Obama began studying at Harvard Law School. He was a disciplined student, intelligent, and friendly with everybody. He told students, and teachers, his ideas for a better life for the country's poor people. Obama was older than most of the other students, and his teachers enjoyed their conversations with him. "
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Dear Keira,
Thank you for your letter. I had my first day at my new school today. A girl called Nicole looked after me and showed me where the classrooms were. She is very nice and I am going to visit her this weekend.
My favourite lesson today was Maths and I was happy because I knew more than the other girls. I also played hockey for the first time. I really enjoyed it.
Most of the teachers seem friendly but I’m afraid of the head teacher. No one likes him because he shouts a lot.
I must go now because I have to do my homework.
Hester
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I also moved some guns and other things to this bigger cave. I wanted to have guns near me when I was at my country house. I was more intelligent than 500 cannibals !
Every morning, I took some guns and walked about three miles to my place on the hill. I watched and waited for the cannibals. But nobody came. Nothing happened. I watched every morning for months, but I didn't see anybody.
Then I went back to my old life and looked for food in the mornings. I didn't visit that hill for a long time. I tried to forget about the mark on the beach and the bones. I tried, but I couldn't forget.
It was now the end of the summer of my twenty-third year on this island. I had a lot of work in my garden. I looked at the corn every morning very early. One morning, before it was light, I saw a fire on the beach. It was about two miles away, near the hill. I ran quickly to the hill and looked for the fire.
I saw nine men on the beach below me. They wore no clothes. They sat round a small fire. The weather was very hot, so the fire was for food. They danced - they moved their arms and legs quickly up and down. After an hour, the water in the sea was high on the beach. The nine men got into their boats and began to leave.
I ran back to my cave for my gun. When I came to the hill again, I saw their two boats on the sea. Then I saw three other boats. The five boats went north.
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When the Mayor heard about Jack's fall from the sky, he sadly told everybody in his town. They all looked down at the ground. They didn't scream or shout. They stood and remembered their great friend. "We will never see our dear friend Jack Skellington again," the Mayor said.
"This is a very sad day for us all." Everybody felt very bad, but nobody was sadder than the Mayor. Sally could hear the Mayor from inside Oogie Boogie's house. He spoke loudly and she tried hard to listen to his words. They sounded very important and very sad. When Sally understood, she cried quietly. Oogie Boogie laughed at her. "Now I'm the scariest person in Halloweentown!" he shouted happily.
"No more Jack Skellington! Yes!" Sally was in Oogie Boogie's house because she tried to help Santa Claus. Oogie Boogie caught her. He put her on another chair, next to Santa, so she couldn't get away. Oogie Boogie laughed at her, but Sally wasn't afraid. "You can laugh now," she said to him angrily. "But you'll be sorry!" Oogie laughed again.
"Very funny, Sally!" he said. But Jack's life didn't end when his sleigh hit the ground. He ran as fast as he could through the woods, with Zero behind him. Then he heard Oogie Boogie's laugh under the ground and stopped suddenly. He looked down the hole to Oogie Boogie's house and he could see Santa and Sally in the chairs and the hungry Oogie Boogie by the fire.
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Then he had a good idea. "Maybe they'll understand this." He looked at each of them very carefully and he spoke quietly and slowly. There's a very old man in Christmastown," Jack said. "He's big and round with long, white hair. His clothes are red and he flies through the night sky in a big red sleigh. He shouts loudly and laughs! They call him Santa Claus! He puts presents under Christmas trees inside every house. When the children wake up in the morning, they find them. Then they
open them." Everybody was excited when Jack finished his story. They were a little
scared, too, and that was good. Jack left and went home. "How can I tell them about Christmas?" he thought. "I have to find a better way. First, I have to understand."
Later that night in his bed, Jack looked in a lot of books. He read Christmas stories and he found Christmas songs. But what were they really about? "Maybe the Doctor can help me," Jack thought. "Maybe his chemicals will teach me more about toys, decorations, and Christmas trees! I'll go to his house and discuss everything with him in the morning." Chemicals for Jack Sally thought, "What does this mean? Does Jack love me, or not? Or is something bad going to happen?" Sally's drink for the Doctor didn't work very well. It wasn't very strong, so the Doctor woke up after three hours. He could move fast in his chair and he found Sally.
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HOW DO THE IRISH POP-GROUP 'BOYZONE' LIVE A HEALTHY LIFE?
Sleeping well is very important. When I can get home to my mother's house, I sleep for ten hours. But I find it very difficult to sleep at night after a concert because my head is full of music.
Sport is important. Before I had a car accident I was at the sports centre two and a half hours a day, five days a week. I can't do that now so I do about 150 sit-ups a day.
I don't drink alcohol or smoke. I try to eat well. Also I drink a lot of water because it's good for your health. I should have about eight glasses a day but I don't always drink so much.
People shouldn't work all the time. I love my job but there are other things I like doing too. In my free time I just listen to music or watch TV. It's good for you to do nothing sometimes.
I don't get tired any more since the doctor told me to eat better. Now I eat lots of things like carrots and spinach every day. But I still eat burgers sometimes!
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14 Sheffield Road Rotherham
20th May 2002
Dear Mary,
I will be in London next Thursday morning. Would you like to have lunch with me? Write and tell me when you are free and where I can meet you.
Hope to see you then.
Yours
Joan
20 Didsbury Drive London NW1
22 May 2002
Dear Joan,
Thanks for you letter. I got it this morning. Yes. I’d love to see you. How about meeting outside my office at one o’clock? There’s a good Italian restaurant near there. Do you like Italian food?
I have to be back at work by two o’clock, so please don’t be late!
Yours
Mary
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THE HISTORY OF THE LONDON POLICE
Today there are policemen everywhere, but in 1700 London had no policemen at all. A few old men used to protect the city streets at night and they were not paid very much.
About 300 years ago, London was starting to get bigger. The city was very dirty and many people were poor. There were so many thieves who stole money in the streets that people stayed in their homes as much as possible.
In 1750, Henry Fielding started to pay a group of people to stop thieves. They were like policemen and were called 'Bow Street Runners' because they worked near Bow Street.
Fifty years later, there were 120 Bow Street Runners, but London had become very big and needed more policemen. So, in 1829, the first Metropolitan (or London) Police Force was started with 3000 officers. Most of the men worked on foot, but a few rode horses. Until 1920 all the police in London were men.
Today, London police are quite well paid and for the few police officers who still ride horses, the pay is even better than for the others.
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"There's something out there! It threw an orange at me!" Elliott said. "Ooooo!" said Tyler, a friend of Elliott. "An orange! Very dangerous!" Elliott's mom, Mary, took a light, and then she and the boys went into the yard. "What did you see?" Mary asked Elliott. "Something there," he answered. He pointed to the end of the yard. Elliott's brother, Michael, said, "Look, something walked across the ground here!" The extra-terrestrial looked at them from the dark. There were five Earth children, and a tall, beautiful person. Strange sounds came from her mouth. He couldn't understand them. Was she their mother? His heart-light started to shine, so he put his hand over it. She was the most beautiful of Earth people.
The extra-terrestrial looked and looked. "Stupid heart-light," he said-but it shone more and more. The Earth people went back into the kitchen. Later in the night, three of the children left the house. They were Elliott's friends, Greg, Tyler, and Steve. Then, the lights went out and the house was quiet. The extra-terrestrial walked across the yard to the plants. It was very dark now, so he couldn't see. He hit his head and fell back on the ground.
He cried out loudly. Suddenly, the kitchen door opened and Elliott ran out into the yard with his dog, Harvey. He shone a light into the plants and saw the extraterrestrial. Elliott shouted-and fell over. The extra-terrestrial started to run.
"Don't go!" Elliott said.
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He started walking down to the village. It was difficult because he was very tired. He went carefully because he didn't want to fall again. By the end of the day he was at the river, and he stopped for a drink.
There were beautiful flowers near the river. 'This is a lovely place,' Nunez thought. There were a lot of small houses in the centre of the village. They looked very strange to him, because they didn't have any windows.
He could see men and women at work in the village. Some were in the fields with their children. He could see gardens near the houses and there were fine vegetables in them. When Nunez was near the village, he shouted to some men.
'Hello!' he shouted. 'Hello ... hello!' and he waved his arms. The men heard him and they turned their heads. They looked one way, and then the other way. They looked past Nunez, but they didn't look at him. 'Why can't they see me?' he thought.
Nunez moved nearer and shouted again. He was now quite near three men. He waved again, but they didn't wave back to him. 'What's wrong with them?' he thought. 'Are they blind?' He walked down to the men, and then he saw their faces.
He was right - the men were all blind. They had no eyes. 'Who is this?' one man asked his friend. 'A man? Or is it a spirit?' 'It's a man,' said the second man. 'I think it's a man.'
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That night, it rained heavily. Mary woke up and could not sleep again. Suddenly, she sat up in bed. 'It's that sound again!' she thought. She left her room and walked through the dark house.
Sometimes she stopped and listened. She came to a door with a light under it. 'The sound's coming from here,' she thought. 'And I met Mrs Medlock here before!' Slowly she opened the door. She saw a room with a large bed in it. There was a boy in the bed.
He was about ten years old and he had a thin, white face and big, grey eyes. He did not see Mary and she watched him for a short time. He cried and then stopped. Then he cried again. He looked tired and ill.
Mary walked into the room. The boy turned and saw her. 'Who are you?' he asked. He looked very afraid. 'I'm Mary Lennox,' the little girl answered. 'Mr Craven's my uncle.' 'He's my father,' said the boy. 'I'm Colin Craven.' 'Your father!' cried Mary. 'I didn't know about you!'
'Come here,' said Colin. Mary went and stood near his bed. 'Where did you come from?' he asked. 'My room,' said Mary. 'My parents died and I live here now. Didn't they tell you about me?' 'No,' Colin answered. 'They know that I don't want to see people. And I don't like people seeing me.' 'Why not?' asked Mary. The boy did not speak for a minute.
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Parrots
Perhaps you have seen these beautiful birds, with their lovely colours and long tails in the forest or in the zoo. Parrots are found in countries like Brazil, Australia and India. They usually live in large groups and because they like to eat fruit, they are sometimes a problem for farmers.
There are many different kinds of parrots, but they all have strong beaks and feet, which they use for climbing and holding food. The biggest birds can live for up to 80 years.
They are very noisy, but they are clever birds and it is easy to teach them to talk. Some zoos have parrot shows, where you can see the birds doing things they have learned.
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From: Greg
To: Anna
Hi Anna,
I’m not having a very good week!
Yesterday my team had a volleyball match, but we lost. The other team played much better than we did! Then my friend Jeff, who lives in Australia, telephoned with bad news. He can't come to stay with us during the holidays because he's got a summer job. We can't go camping together now. And this morning, my sister got up late so she rode my bike to school! She didn't tell me she needed to use it. I’m really angry with her.
I hope you have some good news! Write back today if you can.
Greg
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The airplane flew through a blue sky. Alan pulled his hat over his eyes and fell asleep. Hours later, he woke up and looked out the window. He could see Isla Sorna. It was very green.
The plane flew down to the island and suddenly Alan felt excited. "Look!" he said. There was a dinosaur on some open ground. "It's an Apatosaur. Look at the colors."
"That's wonderful," Billy said. "Usually I only see bones. The colors look so strange."
"Mr. and Mrs. Kirby!" Alan called to the front of the plane. "Look out the right. You can see-"
But they weren't interested. Alan looked at Billy. "Strange," Billy said. "I think they have a problem."
Everybody was very quiet. One man flew the plane. A second man sat next to him. They weren't very friendly. A third man, in dark glasses, sat quietly at the back. Suddenly, the front of the plane went down.
"You're going down to the ground?" Alan said, very afraid. Paul turned back to him. "Dr. Grant, please don't move. I'll tell you all about this in a minute."
"This plane cannot go down there!"
Alan got up from his chair and moved to the front. The man with dark glasses pulled him back. Alan started to fight but something hit him. His world went dark.
"ERIC! ERIC! Are you there, dear? Ben! Eric!" Amanda Kirby shouted very loudly into the trees.
Alan opened his eyes. He was on the floor of the plane and his head hurt. Billy helped him to the door. The three men all had guns now. Alan felt very afraid. These guns couldn't stop dinosaurs.
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Curly couldn't attack the other dog because he was very fast. Suddenly, he pushed Curly over and she fell on the ground. The other dogs ran at her, and Curly barked with pain.
But she couldn't stand up and the other dogs attacked her again and again. Buck couldn't move. Dogs in California never fought in this way. He looked at Spitz, and Spitz laughed. Then Frank jumped into the center of the crazy dogs and hit them with his club. He and three other men with clubs quickly moved the dogs away.
It all happened very fast, but in those two minutes Curly was dead. Buck never forgot this attack. Spitz looked at Buck and he laughed again. From that time, Buck hated Spitz more than anything in life. But then Buck had another surprise. Frank put a harness on him.
"I know you don't like this, Buck," said Frank. "I know it's new and strange for you. But you have to wear it. Then you can pull the sledge."
Buck didn't like this new thing around his neck, and he didn't like pulling the sledge. But Frank hit him when he did something wrong. And Spitz attacked him when he didn't run very fast.
Frank shouted, "Mush!" and Buck had to run quickly. He then shouted, "Ho!" and Buck had to stop. In this way, Buck learned to pull the sledge.
"These are very good dogs," Frank said to Perrault, "Buck pulls very hard and he learns very quickly."
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There were very old things in the window, and Mr Brown liked old things. He went into the shop.
'Good afternoon,' said the man in the shop.
'Good afternoon,' said Mr Brown. 'Can I look round the shop?'
'Please do.'
Mr Brown looked at the things in the shop. He saw an old doll with a sad face. It wasn't a pretty face, but Mr Brown liked it. The doll was a little old man with white hair and black clothes.
Mr Brown thought, 'Perhaps the doll is lonely, too.' He asked, 'How much do you want for this old doll?'
The man thought. 'Oh, that. Three pounds,' he said.
Mr Brown wanted the doll. Why? He didn't know. But he wanted it. Three pounds was a lot of money for an old doll, but Mr Brown paid it. He went out with the doll in his hand. He looked at its face. 'Is it smiling?' he wondered. 'No,' he thought. 'It's only a doll.' He said to it, 'I'm going to take you home.'
The doll didn't answer - it was only a doll. So why did Mr Brown speak to it? Because he was lonely. He put it in his case with his papers from the office.
Mr Brown was tired now, so he got on the bus. The man came for Mr Brown's money and Mr Brown bought a ticket. Suddenly, somebody on the bus spoke. 'Go away!' said the person. 'You stupid man. Go away!'
Everybody on the bus looked at Mr Brown. 'Did he say that?' they wondered.
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Then he climbed out of the water. He hit the fish on the head with a rock. He gave some fish to Peter, and he carried the other fish. They took them to Mary, and cooked them for breakfast. They couldn't eat them all, so they carried some for their dinner later.
That evening, they sat round the fire and ate yarrawa. Then the bush boy suddenly got up and started to dance. He danced round the fire. He danced very fast. Then suddenly, in the middle of his dance, he sneezed. He sneezed again and again. He felt weak and ill, so he sat down. He put his hand to his face, and it was hot and wet. But he also felt very cold, and now he was afraid.
'This is the end,' he thought. 'I'm going to die now.'
Peter and Mary watched the bush boy.
'What's he doing?' asked Peter.
'I don't know,' said Mary. 'It's very strange. Perhaps he caught your cold.'
Later, when it was dark, Peter and Mary slept. But the bush boy stood on the rocks and looked out at the desert again for a long time. The fire was warm, and he tried to sleep near it. But he sneezed often, and he was very cold. He couldn't get warm. In the morning, he didn't make a fire, and there wasn't any breakfast.
'Mary, is he ill?' asked Peter.
'No, he's not ill,' answered Mary. But she didn't really know.
Peter went to the bush boy. 'Hey, boy, are you OK? Let's go. Adelaide, remember? We have to go to Adelaide.'
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The Elephant Show
by Daniel Allsop, age 14
Last summer, I went to Thailand for a beach holiday with my family. One day, we took a trip to a park not far from our hotel. It had beautiful flower gardens but we were only interested in the elephant show.
We went straight to a large square with seats on three sides. Three elephants came in with their keepers and stood in front of a large piece of white card. Each elephant was given a paintbrush and started to paint on its own card. From time to time, the keepers put a new brush full of paint into each elephant’s trunk and took the old one away. Slowly, following their keepers’ instructions, the elephants drew pictures on the cards. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing! One picture showed a river, one a tree and the third a bunch of flowers. When the keepers held up the paintings, everyone wanted to buy one. We gave the elephants the bananas we brought for our lunch.
Twenty years ago, elephants worked in the forest. Now, they no longer work there, but the cleverest of these animals live in special centres where visitors can watch them.
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Dear Sir,
I read your advertisement for English courses in the newspaper. I would like to have some more information. How much does a course cost? Also, how long is each course and when does the next course start?
Yours,
Maria Gonzalez
Dear Ms. Gonzalez,
Thank you for your letter. Our next course starts in three weeks, on Monday, 9 May. This is a 6-week course and it costs £150. If you prefer to begin in June, we have another 10-week course for £200. I hope that is the information you want.
Yours,
David May
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Mount Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa. Many people have climbed Kilimanjaro, from a seven-year-old boy to an 87-year-old man.
There are several paths to the top. People think that the five-kilometre Marangu path is the easiest. It takes about five days and is very popular with tourists.
Only half of the climbers who try to climb Kilimanjaro get to the top. This is often because the weather can change so suddenly. At the beginning, it can be hot and wet but when climbers reach the top, they find ice and snow and the temperature may be below 20 degrees. Climbers need to pack both sunglasses and warm clothes!
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Stop the ship! This is too dangerous," Hayes said to Englehorn. "We'll get out of here and find better weather," Englehorn said. "How much water is under the
ship?" he asked his sailors. Every man on the ship wanted an answer to that question. Englehorn and Hayes didn't know this way. Were they near rocks?
They hoped not. Suddenly, Jimmy screamed, "Wall! There's a wall in front of us! We're going to sail into it!" Englehorn shouted to Hayes, "Stop the ship!"
Hayes quickly tried to stop it but the front of the ship hit the wall. "Rocks!" screamed Jimmy. Englehorn could do nothing now. The ship was in dangerous water and moved wildly up and down. Some sailors fell on the floor. Other men ran and shouted. They had to save their ship! Nobody wanted to die on these rocks. Suddenly, Carl could see Skull Island, a rocky mountain with very old ruins at the top. Its giant black rocks stood out of the water and they looked dangerous.
"Here's the movie camera," said Preston to his boss, ready for a day's
work. The two men left quickly but nobody saw them. "We're taking in a lot of water!" Hayes shouted suddenly. The sailors worked quickly, but they didn't have much time. They had to get the water out of the ship. "Come quick!" Jimmy shouted to Englehorn. Englehorn and Hayes quickly followed Jimmy up the stairs and looked. Four sailors were in a small boat with Carl, Jack, Preston, and Ann.
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Dear Sir,
I lost my bag on a train last week. I was on the 8.30 a.m. train to Cambridge on 10th May. It is a large blue bag and my name is written on the outside. Have you found this bag?
Yours faithfully,
Mary Johnson
Dear Ms Johnson,
I am pleased to tell you that we have your bag here. If you come to this office, I can give it to you. The office opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 6.30 p.m. every day.
Yours sincerely,
J Wilson
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Schnauzer Dogs
There are three sizes of Schnauzer dog.
The two smaller sizes first came to England over 50 years ago, but the Giant Schnauzer has not been here very long. The name Giant is a good one because the dogs are 65 to 67.5 cm high.
All the dogs have long hair, which should be cut quite often. Most smaller Schnauzers are grey in colour, but the Giant Schnauzer is usually black.
Schnauzers come from Germany, where farmers use the dogs to help them with their sheep, and they are also used by the police, because Schnauzer dogs are very intelligent.
A Schnauzer makes a nice family dog. It is friendly and very good with young children.
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Dear Lorna,
How are you? I’m happy because last month I got a new job in the city centre. I am working in a Tourist Information Office and it is very interesting. I start work every morning at half past seven, so I have to get up very early! I love this job because I meet people from a variety of different countries. I like telling them about our city. Here is a photo of me. I’m wearing my new uniform. Do you like it?
Love,
Gloria
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aacc12a8-8034-4387-9264-988421af37a4.txt
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en
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elg-cefr-en
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document-level
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reference
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A2
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CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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A HISTORY OF AIR TRAVEL
In 1783, two French brothers built the first balloon to take people into the air. One hundred and twenty years later, in 1903, the Wright brothers built the first plane with an engine and flew in it. This was in the United States. Then, in 1918, the US Post Office began the first airmail service.
Aeroplanes changed a lot in the next thirty years. Then, in the 1950s, aeroplanes became much faster because they had jet engines.
In 1976, Concorde was built in the UK and France. It is the fastest passenger plane in the world and it can fly at 2500 kilometres an hour, so the journey from London to New York is only four hours.
Today, millions of people travel by aeroplane, and it is difficult to think of a world without them.
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ac084788-f478-464d-9f3f-5e226562975e.txt
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en
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elg-cefr-en
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document-level
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reference
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A2
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CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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Alice looked at the baby. It was a strange little thing and not very pretty. She took it outside. ' I'll have to take this child away from here, or they'll kill it ! ' she thought. The baby made a strange
little sound and she looked at it again.
' Its nose is changing ! ' she cried. She looked at it very carefully. ' Its face is changing, everything is changing ! Oh! It's not a baby any more, it's a pig ! '
It was very strange, but the baby was now a pig.
' What am I going to do with it ? ' Alice thought. The pig made another, louder sound. Alice put the little animal down and it ran happily away into the wood.
' It wasn't a pretty baby, but it's quite a pretty pig,' thought Alice.
She looked round her and jumped. The Cheshire Cat was up in one of the trees. The Cat smiled at Alice.
' It looks kind, but perhaps it will get angry. They all get angry in this place,' thought Alice. So she spoke to it very politely.
' Cheshire Cat, dear,' she said.
The Cat's smile got bigger.
' Please, can you help me ? I want to go somewhere new,' said Alice.
'Where do you want to go? ' asked the Cat.
'Somewhere different,' Alice said.
'Somewhere different,' repeated the Cat. It thought for a minute or two. Then it said, 'Walk that way and you'll come to a house. A man lives there. He makes hats and he's very strange. We call him the " Mad Hatter ".'
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afa40440-6eb5-4694-bac9-732394a1b9f0.txt
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en
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elg-cefr-en
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document-level
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reference
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A2
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CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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28 Long Road Brighton
22nd March
Dear Pat,
I arrived here three weeks ago. I 'm studying at a language school in Brighton. The students come from many different countries and I have made a lot of new friends.
There are classes for five hours every day. I like our teacher very much. His name is John and he helps me if I make a mistake.
I want to visit London next weekend because I am going back to my country on Monday. Can I see you there? Please write to me soon.
With best wishes from Maria
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b363c56a-b0e1-49e4-a0b5-e872768a3ba3.txt
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en
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elg-cefr-en
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document-level
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reference
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A2
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CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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"At the time, Wallace was nearly forty years old. He was a very clever and important man. He could do many things. But Wallace did not usually tell stories. Some men can tell interesting stories well, but not Wallace.
So I listened carefully to this story. 'I remember when I saw the Door in the Wall for the first time,' he said. 'I was a little boy of about five years old.' Wallace was a clever child, from a rich family. They lived in a big, expensive house in west London. His mother was dead and his father was a very busy man. He did not play with his son. He worked all the time.
A woman came to the house every day and she looked after the little boy. 'I was often bored at home. One day I walked out of our garden and down the road. I don't remember the streets. But I remember the white wall and the green door. It was a sunny, autumn day - October, I think. The trees near the door were red and brown.' Wallace spoke very quietly. 'I wanted to go through the door.
But my father wouldn't like it. I knew this. He was often angry with me. So I walked past the door to the end of the road. I waited there for a minute and thought about it. Then I turned round and ran back to the door. Before I could think again, I pushed it open. And then I walked through it.'
"
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b3ca851a-61e7-4957-b346-1f4f1639ebde.txt
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en
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elg-cefr-en
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document-level
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reference
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A2
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CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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The First People The first people came to America from Siberia. They moved south and east from Alaska into the new country. Now we call these people "Native Americans."
The New World In 1492, Christopher Columbus came to America from Spain. More Europeans followed. Spain and France were most interested in the "New World." Later, Britain was interested, too. In 1587, the British built a town, Jamestown, in Virginia.
Columbus's Mistake! Columbus wanted to find India, but he arrived at a place near America. Because of Columbus's mistake, some people use the word "Indians" for Native
Americans.
A Free Life In 1620, 102 people came to America from England. In America their church could be free. The first ship was the Mayflower. It arrived at Plymouth Rock in the Northeast. Now people call six of the states in the Northeast "New England."
A Country is Born Many people from Britain lived in the east of the country. These Americans paid money to Britain, but they wanted to be really free. They fought a war and the Americans won in 1776. In 1789, George Washington was the new country's first president. There were thirteen states in the new country.
Go West! In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson bought a lot of land from France-west of the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. Then the US was bigger. Many people wanted to go west to a new life, but it was hard there. The new life in the West was also the end for the way of life of many Native Americans. For years the government moved them from place to place.
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b42828db-df8b-4ecd-b605-3403f7081b65.txt
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en
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elg-cefr-en
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document-level
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reference
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A2
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CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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Indre,
I have a problem and I need your help. Can you come shopping with me tomorrow? My grandmother is going to turn 80 next month and she is having a party on Saturday.
The problem is I don't have anything to wear. I have grown so much that all my trousers are too short for me now! I want to buy some new ones and maybe a pair of boots. I haven't got a lot of money to spend but I think it will be enough.
Would you like to meet me in the morning or the afternoon? Let me know.
Sarika
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b625ab38-ffe5-4456-8af2-f2aaf303c9c9.txt
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en
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elg-cefr-en
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document-level
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reference
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A2
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CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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The Weather
People are interested in the weather for a lot of reasons and it is important for people in many different jobs. For example, the weather makes a big difference for farmers.
Many years ago, farmers spent a long time looking at the sky and at animals and flowers to try and learn more about the weather. Now there are lots of computer programmes which help us to learn about the weather, and people can even get weather information on their mobile phones.
Today, a lot of people still believe in the old ideas about the weather. They say, for example, that if there is a red sky in the evening, it will be sunny the next day. Some people also think that when cows lie down in the fields, it will soon rain.
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b9686761-28c4-44bd-951b-6e6ef4e7841f.txt
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en
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elg-cefr-en
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document-level
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reference
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A2
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CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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Dear Mrs Brian,
I am sorry but I can’t come to your class any more because I have to return to my country. My sister is going to get married next month. I want to go shopping with her to choose a dress. My parents are going to make a big meal for the guests and there will be a lot of work in the kitchen.
I’m sorry I will leave the English class. You are a very good teacher. Please say goodbye to the other students for me.
Thanks again.
Best wishes,
Soraya
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bacf4490-46ab-4d99-8f54-44661764b019.txt
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en
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elg-cefr-en
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document-level
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reference
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A2
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CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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Gail Rollins
Gail Rollins is one of Edinburgh’s best runners. This summer she wants to run the 10,000 metres - and possibly the 5,000 metres - at the European Championships. In the past, Gail was well known for coming second in big competitions. But she always laughed and smiled, and people in her home city love her for this. But all that changed in 2004 when she ran in her first ever half-marathon, a very long road race. She won in a very good time, the fastest of the year by any British woman runner.
Gail’s manager and husband, Mike Rollins, also raced when he was younger, but he had to stop running in competitions when he hurt his right leg. He can still run a little and sometimes practises with Gail. But it’s no fun for Mike when Gail goes past him and he can’t catch her up.
Gail practises hard. She does a long run in the morning, followed by fast runs in the afternoon. But she always has a rest from running on Sundays. ‘I am with her all the time,’ says Mike. ‘Sometimes I say, “Are you sure you should be eating that?” It’s usually cakes, but she can eat almost everything.’
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bb4cda11-032b-473a-b5ca-cbce9877ec24.txt
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en
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elg-cefr-en
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document-level
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reference
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A2
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CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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I felt very sad. Marley was my friend and I loved him. I didn't want to find a new home for him. But I also had a wife and two small children. I had to think about them.
I talked to my friends and neighbours about Marley.
"Do you want a Labrador?" I asked. But nobody did. I looked in the newspapers. They were full of ads from people with dogs, and a lot of the ads were for Labradors. "These people paid a lot of money for their dogs," I thought. "But now they're looking for new homes for them. Maybe Labradors are too difficult-too big and strong."
Marley wasn't an easy dog. He wasn't obedient and he broke things. But we brought him to our home when he was a puppy. He loved us and we loved him. He was our dog.
I took Marley back to the obedience class. A different teacher was there now. This time, things went better. I said "Sit!" and Marley sat. I put the chain around his neck and he walked quietly next to me. I said "Stay!" and he stayed. I walked away from him, but he didn't move. Then I turned and said, "Come!" Marley ran quickly to me.
"Good boy, Marley," I said. "Good, good, good boy!"
At the end of the eight weeks, the teacher gave me a paper. It said, "Marley did well in the obedience class." I was very happy. On the way home, I sang.
After this, a wonderful thing happened. Jenny got better. She stopped being sad, and was strong and happy. She was a good mother to Patrick and Conor, and she was kind to Marley again.
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in Data Studio
This dataset has been indexed in the UniversalCEFR. The transformed version (in JSON format) retains the same license as the original dataset. Ownership and copyright remain with the original creators and/or dataset paper authors. If you use this transformed dataset, you must cite the following:
Dataset License: cc-by-nc-4.0
Dataset Repository: https://www.edia.nl/resources/elg/downloads
Original Dataset Paper: Breuker, M. (2023). CEFR Labelling and Assessment Services. In: Rehm, G. (eds) European Language Grid. Cognitive Technologies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17258-8_16
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