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Paul Sparks,
Sino-Canadian International College, Guangxi University, Online English Lesson Plans, Lesson Material and Ideas
for Semester 2 Reading Lessons...
Reading: Revision Exercises
- Conjunctions and Summarising
Instructions: Read
the short story, then answer the questions that follow.
"The Death Car":
It was a cold night in September. The rain was drumming on the car roof as
George and Marie Winston drove through the empty country roads towards the
house of their friends, the Harrisons, where they were going to attend a
party to celebrate the engagement of the Harrisons' daughter, Lisa. As they
drove, they listened to the local radio station, which was playing classical
music.
They were about
five miles from their destination when the music on the radio was
interrupted by a news announcement:
"The Cheshire
police have issued a serious warning after a man escaped from Colford
Mental Hospital earlier this evening. The man, John Downey, is a
murderer who killed six people before he was captured two years ago.
He is described as large, very strong and extremely dangerous. People
in the Cheshire area are warned to keep their doors and windows
locked, and to call the police immediately if they see anyone acting
strangely."
Marie shivered.
"A crazy killer. And he's out there somewhere. That's
scary."
"Don't worry
about it," said her husband. "We're nearly there now.
Anyway, we have more important things to worry about. This car is
losing power for some reason -- it must be that old problem with the
carburetor. If it gets any worse, we'll have to stay at the Harrisons'
tonight and get it fixed before we travel back tomorrow."
As he spoke, the
car began to slow down. George pressed the accelerator, but the engine
only coughed. Finally they rolled to a halt, as the engine died
completely. Just as they stopped, George pulled the car off the road,
and it came to rest under a large tree.
"Blast!" said George angrily. "Now we'll have to walk
in the rain."
"But that'll
take us an hour at least," said Marie. "And I have my
high-heeled shoes and my nice clothes on. They'll be ruined!"
"Well, you'll
have to wait while I run to the nearest house and call the Harrisons.
Someone can come out and pick us up," said George.
"But George!
Have you forgotten what the radio said? There's a homicidal maniac out
there! You can't leave me alone here!"
"You'll have
to hide in the back of the car. Lock all the doors and lie on the
floor in the back, under this blanket. No-one will see you. When I
come back, I'll knock three times on the door. Then you can get up and
open it. Don't open it unless you hear three knocks." George
opened the door and slipped out into the rain. He quickly disappeared
into the blackness.
Marie quickly
locked the doors and settled down under the blanket in the back for a
long wait. She was frightened and worried, but she was a strong-minded
woman. She had not been waiting long, however, when she heard a
strange scratching noise. It seemed to be coming from the roof of the
car.
Marie was
terrified. She listened, holding her breath. Then she heard three slow
knocks, one after the other, also on the roof of the car. Was it her
husband? Should she open the door? Then she heard another knock, and
another. This was not her husband. It was somebody -- or something --
else. She was shaking with fear, but she forced herself to lie still.
The knocking continued -- bump, bump, bump, bump.
Many hours later,
as the sun rose, she was still lying there. She had not slept for a
moment. The knocking had never stopped, all night long. She did not
know what to do. Where was George? Why had he not come for her?
Suddenly, she
heard the sound of three or four vehicles, racing quickly down the
road. All of them pulled up around her, their tires screeching on the
road. At last! Someone had come! Marie sat up quickly and looked out
of the window.
The three vehicles
were all police cars, and two still had their lights flashing. Several
policemen leapt out. One of them rushed towards the car as Marie
opened the door. He took her by the hand.
"Get out of
the car and walk with me to the police vehicle. miss. You're safe now.
Look straight ahead. Keep looking at the police car. Don't look back.
Just don't look back."
Something in the way he spoke filled Marie with cold horror. She could
not help herself. About ten yards from the police car, she stopped,
turned and looked back at the empty vehicle.
George was hanging
from the tree above the car, a rope tied around his neck. As the wind
blew his body back and forth, his feet were bumping gently on the roof
of the car -- bump, bump, bump, bump.
Task 1:
Conjunctions: Complete the following
conjunctions based on the story you have just read.
1. Make these two sentences into one using the conjunction
"because":
-
The Harrisons
were having a party.
-
Their daughter
was getting engaged.
2. Join
these two sentences into one using the word "therefore":
-
The police
issued a warning on the radio.
-
A dangerous
man had escaped from hospital.
3. Link
these two sentences using the word "however":
-
Marie was
worried about the killer.
-
Her husband
was only worried about the car.
4. Link
these sentences using the conjunction "so":
-
George went to
find help.
-
The car broke
down.
5. Link these
sentences using the conjunction "since":
-
Marie could
not walk in the rain.
-
Her clothes
were not suitable.
6. Link these
sentences using the conjunction "so that":
-
No-one could
see her.
-
Marie hid
under a blanket.
7. Link these
sentences using the conjunction "as a result":
-
Marie heard a
strange sound on the roof.
-
She became
very frightened.
8. Link
these sentences using the conjunction "as":
-
The knocking
continued all night.
-
Marie could
not sleep.
9. Link
these sentences using a conjunction:
-
Several
policemen leapt out.
-
One of them
rushed towards the car.
10. Link these
sentences using a conjunction:
-
The policeman
told Marie not to look back.
-
She could not
help it.
Task 2:
Summarising: Summarize the story
"The Death Car" you have just read. Include only the most
important details of the story, and try to make your summary less than
100 words.
Task 3: Multiple Choice Questions:
Answer the following questions to check your
comprehension:
1. Where were the Winstons going when this incident happened?
a) home
b) to Colford Mental Hospital
c) to a party
d) to the police station
2. What was the
reason for the news announcement on the radio? a) Six people,
including John Downey, had been murdered.
b) A dangerous
prisoner had escaped.
c) The police were warning of accidents on the roads in the bad
weather.
d) Some people had been seen acting strangely in the Cheshire area.
3. What did George
think was causing the trouble with the car?
a) the
carburetor
b) the rain drumming on the roof
c) the accelerator
d) he had no idea
4. Why did he pull
the car off the road?
a) to have a
rest
b) to go for a walk
c) to walk to the nearest house
d) it broke down
5. Why did Marie
stay in the car when George left?
a) She was
afraid to go out in the dark.
b) So no-one would steal the car.
c) Her clothes weren't suitable for the rain.
d) She wanted to get some sleep.
6. Where did
George set off to walk to?
a) the Mental
Hospital
b) the nearest house
c) the Harrisons' house
d) the police station
7. What made Marie
so frightened as she waited in the car?
a) There was a
strange sound coming from the roof.
b) She could see a man acting strangely outside the car.
c) Some police cars came racing down the road.
d) She was afraid of the rain and the dark.
8. Why did the
policeman tell her not to look back when he brought her out of the
car?
a) He didn't
want her to see the body of her husband.
b) The killer was waiting behind her.
c) He wanted her to forget everything that had happened during the
night.
d) He didn't want her to see the damage done to the car.
9. Marie says,
"There's a homicidal maniac out there!" What does
"homicidal maniac" mean?
a) terrible
storm
b) busy road
c) crazy killer
d) policeman
10. In
"Several policemen leapt out," "leapt" means
a) threw
b) jumped
c) shouted
d) drove
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