COMPREHENSION - English Rose Learning

INTERMEDIATE

READING COMPREHENSION

BY ENGLISH ROSE LEARNING

Learning English 2

Changes In Town 4

Contradictory Proverbs 7

Formal and Informal Letters 9

Charlie Chaplin's Early Life 12

The Shrinking Lake 15

The Fishing Champion 20

The Dangers of Radiation 29

The Hotel Of The Famous 33

Abraham Lincoln 36

Comic Strips 39

INTERMEDIATE - Reading Comprehension

LEARNING ENGLISH Read the text and choose the best answer for

each question.

Today, millions of people want to learn or

improve their English but it is difficult to find the best

method. Is it better to study in Britain or America or

to study in your own country?

The advantages of going to Britain seem

obvious. Firstly, you will be able to listen to the

language all the time you are in the country. You will

be surrounded completely by the language wherever

you go. Another advantage is that you have to speak

the language if you are with other people. In Italy, it

is always possible, in the class, to speak Italian if

you want to and the learning is slower.

On the other hand, there are also advantages

to staying at home to study. You don't have to make

big changes to your life. As well as this, it is also a

lot cheaper than going to Britain but it is never

possible to achieve the results of living in the UK. If

2


you have a good teacher in Italy, I think you can

learn in a more concentrated way than being in

Britain without going to a school.

So, in conclusion, I think that if you have

enough time and enough money, the best choice is

to spend some time in the UK. This is simply not

possible for most people, so being here in Italy is the

only viable option. The most important thing to do in

this situation is to maximise your opportunities: to

speak only English in class and to try to use English

whenever possible outside the class.

1.What is the article about?

a. How many people learn English.

b. The best way to learn English.

c. English schools in England and America.

2. What is one of the advantages of going to the UK

to learn English?

a. There are no Italians in Britain.

b. You will have to speak English and not your

language.

3


c. The language schools are better.

3. What is one of the advantages of staying in your

country to learn English?

a. The teachers aren't very good in Britain.

b. You have to work too hard in Britain.

c. Your life can continue more or less as it was

before.

4. People who don't have a lot of time and money

should...

a. Learn English in Britain.

b. Try and speak English in class more often.

c. Go to Italy to learn English.

CHANGES IN TOWN Read about Jake returning to his hometown

after being abroad for ten years. Then

answer true or false to the questions.

I have returned to my hometown of Wilson

4


Creek after an absence of 10 years.

So many things have changed around here.

When I left Wilson Creek, there was a small pond on

the right as you left town. They have filled in this

pond and they have built a large shopping mall

there. A new post office has also been built just

across from my old school.

There is a baseball stadium on the outskirts of

Wilson Creek which has been changed completely.

They have now added a new stand where probably a

few thousand people could sit. It looks really great.

The biggest changes have taken place in the

downtown area. They have pedestrianised the centre

and you can't drive there anymore. A European-style

fountain has been built and some benches have also

been added along with a grassy area and a new

street cafe.

My street looks just the same as it always has

but a public library has been built in the next street

along. There used to be a great park there but they

have cut down all the trees which is a pity. The

library now has a large green area in front of it but

5


it's not the same as when the park was there.

Another improvement is the number of new

restaurants that have opened in Wilson Creek. A

Chinese and an Italian restaurant have opened in the

town centre and a Mexican restaurant has opened

near my home. Which is where I am going tonight!

1. Jake's school doesn't exist anymore.

True

False

2. They have improved the baseball stadium.

True

False

3. Jake likes the new-look baseball stadium.

True

False

4. It's only possible to reach the downtown area on

foot.

True

False

5. The buildings in the centre of the town look

European.

6


True

False

6. Jake's street hasn't changed much.

True

False

7. He is sad about the park being ruined.

True

False

8. Jake is going to eat Italian food tonight.

True

False

CONTRADICTORY PROVERBS For each numbered proverb on the left, choose

which proverb (A-N) is the contradiction.

1. All good things come to those who wait A. Never judge a book by its cover

2. Birds of a feather flock together B. Out of sight, Out of mind

3. Absence makes the heart grow fonder C. Forewarned is forearmed

4. Clothes make the man D. Act in haste, Repent at leisure

7


5. Don't cross your bridges before you come to

themE. It ain't over 'till it's over

6. Good things come in small packagesF. The squeaky wheel gets the

grease

7. Great starts make great finishesG. All work and no play makes

Jack a dull boy

8. He who hesitates is lost H. The bigger the better

9. Practice makes perfectI. One man's meat is another

man's poison

10. Silence is golden J. Actions speak louder than words

11. The pen is mightier than the sword K. Fools seldom differ

12. You're never too old to learn L. Time and tide wait for no man

13. What's good for the goose is good for the

ganderM. Opposites attract

14. Wise men think alikeN. You can't teach an old dog new

tricks

8


FORMAL AND INFORMAL LETTERS Read the following letter from one friend to

another.

Then, read a similar but more formal letter. Fill

each space with one of the formal expressions

you see in the table below. In each space in the

second let ter , wr i te the number that

corresponds to the correct phrase.

Hi Darren,

Sorry I wasn't able to get to your house

warming party last Friday. I was really looking

forward to it and I was all ready to leave the house

when my aunt from Ireland arrived at the house for

a surprise visit!! She was only in town for the one

evening before she went to my brother's house so I

had to stay with her. I'm really sorry Dazza.

I tried to telephone you but your line was busy

the two times when I telephoned. Then I was out

with my aunt in town and didn't have the chance to

9


ring again.

I hope you understand. I know you wanted to

get me to meet that girl, Yvonne, who you work

with. Oh well, next time maybe! My evening was

really boring...if that makes you feel any better.

See you soon

Regards

Nicholas.

1. Later, I was

otherwise engaged

2. I hope

this will be

possible at

the next

available

opportunity

3. I hope you can

understand my

difficulties

4. I hope the

dinner went well

for all concerned.

5. a relative

arrived

unexpectedl

y.

6. I regret not

being able

7. Please accept

my sincerest

apologies.

8. was twice

engaged

9. introduce me

to Ms. Phoenix

10


___________,

___________ to get to your business dinner

last Friday. I was really looking forward to it and I

w a s a l l r e a d y t o l e a v e t h e h o u s e

when___________ . She was only in town for the

one evening before she went to my brother's house

so I had to stay with her.___________ .

I t r i e d t o t e l e p h o n e y o u b u t y o u r

line ___________ when I called. ___________ and

___________ didn't have the chance to ring again.

. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I k n o w y o u w a n t e d

t o _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ w h o y o u w o r k

with.___________ . ___________.

___________

___________.

Nicholas

10. Dear Mr. Jones11.

Sincerely

12. I look

forward to

hearing from you

soon.

11


CHARLIE CHAPLIN'S EARLY LIFE Read the text about Charlie Chaplin's early life

and answer the true/false questions below.

He was believed to have been born on April 16,

1889. There is some doubt whether April 16 is

actually his birthday, and it is possible he was not

born in 1889. There is also uncertainty about his

birthplace: London or Fontainebleau, France. There is

no doubt, however, as to his parentage: he was born

to Charles Chaplin, Sr. and Hannah Harriette Hill (aka

Lily Harley on stage), both Music Hall entertainers.

His parents separated soon after his birth, leaving

him in the care of his increasingly unstable mother.

In 1896, Chaplin's mother was unable to find

work; Charlie and his older half-brother Sydney

Chaplin had to be left in the workhouse at Lambeth,

moving after several weeks to Hanwell School for

Orphans and Destitute Children. His father died an

alcoholic when Charlie was 12, and his mother

suffered a mental breakdown, and was eventually

12


admitted temporarily to the Cane Hill Asylum at

Coulsdon (near Croydon). She died in 1928 in the

United States, two years after coming to the States

to live with Chaplin, by then a commercial success.

Charlie first took to the stage when, aged five,

he performed in Music Hall in 1894, standing in for

his mother. As a child, he was confined to a bed for

weeks due to a serious illness, and, at night, his

mother would sit at the window and act out what

was going on outside. In 1900, aged 11, his brother

helped get him the role of a comic cat in the

pantomime Cinderella at the London Hippodrome. In

1903 he appeared in 'Jim, A Romance of Cockayne',

followed by his first regular job, as the newspaper

boy Billy in Sherlock Holmes, a part he played into

1906. This was followed by Casey's 'Court Circus'

variety show, and, the following year, he became a

clown in Fred Karno's 'Fun Factory' slapstick comedy

company.

According to immigration records, he arrived in

the United States with the Karno troupe on October

2, 1912. In the Karno Company was Arthur Stanley

13


Jefferson, who would later become known as Stan

Laurel. Chaplin and Laurel shared a room in a

boarding house. Stan Laurel returned to England but

Chaplin remained in the United States. Chaplin's act

was seen by film producer Mack Sennett, who hired

him for his studio, the Keystone Film Company.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Original

Wikipedia article.

1. Chaplin might have been born some years earlier

than is currently believed.

True

False

2. Chaplin's mother died before her son was

successful.

True

False

3. Chaplin first performed on the stage after he

arrived in the United States.

True

False

4. His first serious job was delivering newspapers.

14

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Chaplin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Chaplin


True

False

5. His first partner on the stage was the actor, Stan

Laurel.

True

False

6. He was discovered while working for a British

organisation in the United States.

True

False

THE SHRINKING LAKE Read about this disappearing lake in central

Africa, then answer the questions putting

either T for true, F for false or NW for "not

written in the text”.

Rikki Mbaza has a very English name but his

part of central Africa is suffering from a problem that

few in England would have to put up with: a lack of

rain so acute that Rikki's livelihood is literally

evaporating away.

15


"I would love to have the English weather here

in Chad. Then the lake would not go away."

Rikki Mbaza lives in the town of Bol near the

shores of Lake Chad, a lake that has shrunk by 90%

in the last 40 years. A lack of rain is only one of

many culprits being blamed for this emerging

disaster.

"I am a fisherman. For me, it is like watching

my life draining away every day. The fishing is

getting worse and worse in the lake. They are

getting smaller and I think the fish breeding has

been disrupted by the reduction in area and in

depth." Lake Chad is only a metre deep in most

places.

Rikki struggles now to provide enough food

and income for his wife Achta and their four children.

Achta has had to take up pottery in her spare time in

order to try and boost the amount of money coming

into the household every month.

"Our rent doesn't go down with the level of the lake

unfortunately," Mbaza complains. "We still have six

mouths to feed but I need assistance from the

16


government. They have left me to fend for myself in

a desperate situation."

While one can understand Rikki Mbaza's

frustration with his government, his accusatory tone

is perhaps a little unfair. The Chad government has

often seemed like a powerless, rudderless boat

caught in the storm of international politics.

Angela Muscovite at the Center For African Politics at

UCLA sees little reason for optimism in the case of

the shrinking lake in the African heartland. "The

story of Chad Lake is a modern day environmental

tragedy. This is a body of water that, in 1960 was

over 25,000 km2 in size - now it's less than 10% of

that."

"It has been so over-exploited and it is an

issue the whole international community, obviously

more so those governments in Africa, need to co-

operate on to find a resolution. And that isn't going

to happen any time soon. By the time it does, they'll

be arguing over a puddle in the middle of the desert.

It's sad but that's how I see things panning out."

The guilty parties, as so often in these cases, blame

17


each other for the problems that now beset the lake.

Charlie Vaughan, who teaches Environmental Science

at Cambridge University in Britain, explains why the

lake is going the way of the Dodo. "The main culprit

is geography funnily enough. Chad, Niger, Nigeria

and Cameroon all lay claim to the waters of this lake

and you only need a five metre shoreline to be able

to extract water from it. The whole area has been a

target for massive irrigation schemes over the last

couple of decades with each country's agricultural

ministry blaming the other three for the problems. In

an area with plentiful rainfall, it wouldn't be so much

of a problem. This is a dry area."

None of this gesturing and buck-passing will

help Rikki, Achta and their four children in the near

future. "I am learning how to fix cars. I don't think

cars will be disappearing soon and will certainly last

longer than this lake will," muses the glum-looking

fisherman. "There won't be any more fishermen in

this area in ten years." And with that, he says he has

to go and study how to remove and repair brake

pads.

18


1. Rikki has spent some time travelling in

England. _____

2. The lack of rain is not the only cause of the

lake's reduction in size. _____

3. Rikki's town, Bol, is further from the lake than it

used to be. _____

4. Lake Chad's disappearance is causing financial

pressures for Rikki's family. _____

5. Rikki feels the government should help him

more. _____

6. Angela Muscovite wants the Chad government

to save the lake. _____

7. She thinks action will come too late to save the

lake. _____

8. Charlie Vaughan says permission to extract

water is given too easily. _____

9. The demands of agriculture have been largely

responsible for the lake's problems. _____

10.Rikki will work in a garage when the fishing

becomes too bad. _____

19


THE FISHING CHAMPION In the following text, four paragraphs have

been removed. Above the extract you will find

the four removed paragraphs PLUS one

paragraph which doesn't fit. Choose from the

paragraphs (A-E) the one which fits each gap in

the text (1-4). Remember, there is one extra

paragraph you do not need to use. Write the

correct letter in the empty boxes in the text.

A. "I was at this tournament in Oregon last autumn

and it had been left back in the motel by my father. I

tell you, not a single fish came near the hook that

day. I wouldn't go anywhere without it now.”

B. But it was mainly his mother who saw his

potential and decided to buy Mattie his first rod for

his ninth birthday. The rest, as they say, is history.

C. Oh, and he's the Western USA Under-16

Freshwater Angling Champion. Which, considering

20


he's up against kids who have been fishing for some

ten years while Mattie has had a rod in his hand for a

mere three, is pretty impressive.

D. "I went to Florida for the national Under-13's. I

won that with a barracuda and it was caught in about

3 feet of water. Everyone else was casting out to 20

foot. I just seem to have a knack for finding fish.”

E. This explains the wise head he seems to have on

his shoulders. Fishing runs wide and deep in the

Jackson family, who live near the mountain resort of

Mammoth in the north of the state of California. "So

much of what I know about fishing has been given to

me by my father, my brothers, my uncles and aunts.

It's a team effort I like to say.”

__________________________________________

Mattie Jackson is 12 years old. He rides his bike

around the neighborhood, plays soccer with his

friends and gets good grades from Fairmount Ridge

Junior High School.

1. ______

21


When I first met Mattie, he was exchanging baseball

cards with some of his pals. This is a quiet,

unassuming youngster and not at all what I expected

from somebody who is said to have the fishing world

at his feet. He was called the "Tiger Woods of

fishing" by the editor of California Fishing last month

just after he won the prestigious under-16 title.

Mattie was pushed into angling by his father, John,

when he was nine. He accompanied his father on

numerous fishing trips so many successful tips and

tricks had already been picked up by the time he

tried it himself. And it seemed to come oh-so-

naturally to him.

"I caught my first fish after about four minutes. My

father was furious," he laughs. His father says he has

a great technique, enormous patience and, most

importantly, a willingness to listen and learn.

2. ______

His first angling trophy was won at the age of ten.

22


He was Californian under-12 champion the following

year. He is also American under-13 champion but it

is the under-16 tournament success, against much

older anglers, that gives him the most satisfaction.

3. ______

It's what his father calls 'Mattie's radar' and it is

being used on a daily basis in rivers and lakes across

the USA as he travels from one tournament to the

next with his father by his side. But he has other

tools of the trade and is, typically for a fisherman,

pretty superstitious when it comes to his tackle.

"This lure was bought for me in England," he

explains, handing me something that looks like a

wasp on a hook. "I've won three tournaments using

that and if I lost it, snagged it or something, I would

dive in after it. And this hat." He is wearing a light

blue cloth hat that he goes on to explain brings him

luck.

4. ______

What does the future hold for Mattie? "I intend to

23


finish school and I want to go to college. I know it's

important to get a good education. I'll always have

fishing to go back to whenever I want."

And with that, we reach the lake shore and he settles

down for what promises to be a fruitful evening.

Instinctively, his hand reaches up and pats his

faithful blue hat before returning to his rod. Just

checking.

A Traditional Wedding Read about this traditional wedding, then

answer the true/false questions.

Everybody loves a good wedding and I'm no

exception. I've been to a load of them in my native

Britain and I must say that I usually have a great

time. I've also been to a few abroad, including the

Caribbean and Spain, and most recently (last week

in fact) to one in the mountains of Sardinia. No two

24


weddings are ever the same and I really enjoyed this

one for one or two of the differences from those in

the UK.

First, the two families spent at least three

weeks before the big day preparing all the food, from

wonderful home-made delicacies to simple traditional

breads and pastas. In my experience, in the UK that

onerous task is left to the caterers! In the week

leading up to the wedding there is a dinner or some

form of celebration every day - training for the

stomach I guess. I know that we have the traditional

Bachelor party and Bachelorette party, but this is

more family orientated and certainly a little less

rowdy. This particular ceremony was in a beautiful

country church and afterwards the couple was driven

to the reception in a wonderfully decorated classic

Fiat 500, which was really similar to what happens in

the UK, even down to the string of tin cans trailing

behind the car!

The reception itself was also very similar until I

realized that the seven tables in the hall each sat

sixty guests (that's four hundred and twenty, for

25


those of you who didn't study Math), an average

number for Sardinia but would be considered a very

large wedding where I'm from.

The wine flowed, as did the chatter - the

famous Italian exuberance showing itself to the full.

There were the five or six courses of wonderful food,

screaming kids running wild, the ceremonial cutting

of the cake by the bride and groom - but no

speeches! Not one. In the UK it's traditional for the

father of the bride to propose a toast, followed by

the groom and finishing up with that of the best

man. His is meant to be he highlight of the lunch \

dinner, generally having a good laugh at the groom's

expense, but here the groom was spared that

particular discomfort.

Instead there was a delightful custom which I'd

never seen before, in which six or seven of the male

guests pass round the hall banging trays, drums,

pots, pans or basically anything that makes a

horrendous noise, selling pieces of the groom's tie

which has been cut into tiny bits. The money raised

is then given to the happy(!) couple to help them set

26


up their new life together. Really nice. Finally the

evening saw a lot of traditional dancing, a little disco

dancing and some karaoke. Pretty much the part I

like best, and again I wasn't disappointed. Can't wait

for the next one.

1. The writer generally likes weddings.

True

False

2. He didn't particularly enjoy the Sardinian one.

True

False

3. The families helped the caterers to prepare the

food.

True

False

4. There is usually a dinner the night before the

wedding.

True

False

5. The groom meets the bride outside the church.

True

27


False

6. UK wedding receptions are often a lot smaller than

Sardinian ones.

True

False

7. The writer found it hard to understand the

speeches.

True

False

8. The staff of the reception hall cut the cake for the

guests.

True

False

9. There is an auction to sell the groom's tie.

True

False

10. The money from this helps to pay for the

reception.

True

False

28


THE DANGERS OF RADIATION Seven parts of sentences have been removed

from this article about radiation. There are 7

questions. For each question, write the number

of the space. If you think the words for

question 1 go into space 4, write ONLY the

number 4. For one question, the sentence does

not belong in the text so just write “NO”.

Most people hear terms like radiation and

______(1) as a bad or dangerous thing. It turns out

that _____(2) are ordinarily harmful to humans. For

example, ultraviolet radiation can give people

sunburns. X-rays and gamma rays can _____(3), or

even die if they are exposed to them for a very long

time. Some types of particle radiation can also make

people sick and lead to burns. Any type of radiation

that causes changes in the world like these is

referred to _____(4). If radiation does not carry high

enough levels of energy, though, then these changes

_____(5) something is hit by the radiation. This is

29


referred to as non-ionizing radiation, which is not as

dangerous.

One can distinguish between various types of

radiation by _____(6) of the radiation, its

wavelength (if the radiation is electromagnetic), the

amount of energy being carried, any particles

involved, etc. Radioactive material is a physical

material that emits radiation. Uranium and _____(7)

radioactive materials. The atoms they are made of

tend to fall apart and give off different kinds of

radiation, like gamma rays and lots of types of

particle radiation.

Source: http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiation

1. as ionizing radiation ______

2. only certain types of radiation ______

3. looking at the source ______

4. will not happen when ______

5. which most people ______

6. immediately think of it ______

7. plutonium are examples of ______

30

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiation


8. make a person sick ______

Statue of Liberty Begins Her Rise Seven parts of sentences have been removed

from this article about radiation. There are 7

questions. For each question, write the number

of the space. If you think the words for

question 1 go into space 4, write ONLY the

number 4. For one question, the sentence does

not belong in the text so just write “NO".

Finally, on August 5th, 1884, workers began

building the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal, or

foundation, on a small island in New York Harbor.

The statue is made of a covering of pure

copper, put on a _____(1) (originally puddled iron)

with the exception of the flame of the torch, which is

coated in gold leaf (originally made of copper and

later altered to hold glass panes). It _____(2)

31


stonework pedestal with a foundation in the shape of

an irregular eleven-pointed star. The statue is 151 ft

(46 m) tall, _____(3) and foundation, it is 305 ft (93

m) tall.

She was a gift from the people of France to the

_____(4) 100th ann iversary o f Amer ica ’s

independence from Great Britain. She was sculpted

by Frederic Bartholdi. Barry Moreno wrote The

Statue of Liberty Encyclopedia. He says Frederic

Bartholdi chose the place where the statue was

placed. “And while entering the harbor by ship he

saw a small island called Bedloe’s Island. And he saw

Manhattan, and he was _____(5) vista, and he was

aware that New York was the pre-eminent harbor. So

he selected _____(6) Statue of Liberty for that

reason. He realized his statue would have a greater

impact in the busiest harbor.”

It took more than two years to complete the

pedestal and statue on the island. The Statue of

Liberty was dedicated by President Grover Cleveland

on October 28th, 1886. Millions of _____(7)

immigration station on Ellis Island -- near Bedloe’s

32


Island -- came to see the Statue of Liberty as a

symbol of their new lives in America.

Source: http://voanews.com

1. United States to mark the ______

2. is on a rectangular ______

3. passengers heading for the ______

4. New York as the site of the ______

5. framework of steel______

6. the best location ______

7. but with the pedestal ______

8. struck by the magnificent ______

THE HOTEL OF THE FAMOUS Read about this very strange hotel, then

answer the True/False questions.

What would your life be like if you were Albert

Einstein. What clothes would be in your wardrobe if

you were Marilyn Monroe? Or Madonna?

Well now you can discover the answer to all these

33

http://voanews.com


questions and many more at the Fame Hotel in

California. Ten miles outside Los Angeles, the Fame

Hotel promises to answer the question "What if?".

When you check into the hotel, you choose a room.

Each room has a name. There's Clint Eastwood on

the second floor and Elvis Presley on the third floor.

In total, the Fame Hotel has 32 rooms, most of which

are named after stars of Hollywood or music. But

there are also famous writers (Mark Twain and

Agatha Christie) and even some scientists and sports

stars, such as Mike Tyson.

When you enter the room, you enter the life of

that person. There are pictures everywhere. The

owner of the hotel has tried to fill the room with

objects, clothes, even food that he thinks the stars

would have liked. Marilyn Monroe's wardrobe is full

of beautiful white dresses, Albert Einstein doesn't

have any socks in his wardrobe because the real

Einstein never wore them! If you choose Mike

Tyson's room, you'll be able to practice boxing in one

corner of the room. And there's even a skipping rope

too!

34


I spoke to one guest staying in the Elvis

Presley room. "I love this hotel," he said to me. "I

wanted to know 'What would Elvis Presley eat for

breakfast?' and now I know". That guest eats

pancakes and strawberry ice cream every morning,

just as Elvis liked to do. On the next table, the

Einstein room's guest is eating cabbage soup!

The company plans to open another Fame

Hotel in New York next year and there are plans to

expand into Europe too. I look forward to staying in

the Winston Churchill suite in London!

1. You can meet famous people in the hotel.

True

False

2. Some famous people have stayed at the hotel.

True

False

3. The Fame Hotel is near Hollywood.

True

False

4. Guests are able to choose which room they stay

35


in.

True

False

5. Each room has a celebrity's signature on the door.

True

False

6. The hotel's owner has tried to make the wardobe

authentic.

True

False

7. Each guest eats something different in the hotel

restaurant.

True

False

8. There is also a Fame Hotel in London.

True

False

ABRAHAM LINCOLN Read about Abraham Lincoln, then answer the

True/False questions.

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Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12,

1809, in Hodgenville, Kentucky, USA. His parents

were Thomas Lincoln, a farmer, and Nancy Hanks.

His family was very poor. Abraham had one brother

and one sister. His brother died in childhood. They

grew up in a small log cabin house, with just one

room inside.

Although slavery was legal in Kentucky at that

time, Lincoln's father, who was a religious Baptist,

refused to own any slaves. When Lincoln was seven

years old, his family moved to Indiana, and later to

Illinois. In his childhood he helped his father on the

farm, but when he was 22 years old he left home

and moved to New Salem, Illinois, where he worked

in a general store. Later, he said that he had gone to

school for just one year, but that was enough to

learn how to read, write, and do simple math.

In 1842, he married Mary Todd Lincoln. They

had four children, but three of them died when they

were very young. Abraham Lincoln was sometimes

called Abe Lincoln or "Honest Abe" after he ran miles

to give a costumer the right amount of change. The

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nickname "Honest Abe" came from a time when he

started a business that failed. Instead of running

away like many people would have, he stayed and

worked to pay off his debt.

He has a l so been ca l l ed the "Grea t

Emancipator" because of his work to end slavery in

the United States. In 1863, he declared that all

slaves held in the rebellious Confederate States were

free. He also sponsored the Thirteenth Amendment

to the United States Constitution. Ratified in 1865,

nine months after his assassination, that amendment

completely outlawed slavery in the United States.

1. Lincoln was born in the south of the United States.

True

False

2. Lincoln's family were not rich but didn't have any

financial problems.

True

False

3. Lincoln's father, like most people at the time,

owned a few slaves.

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True

False

4. When Lincoln grew up, he didn't work on the

family farm anymore.

True

False

5. Lincoln didn't have a lot of success as a

businessman.

True

False

6. Lincoln lived to see the constitutional amendment

that outlawed slavery.

True

False

COMIC STRIPS Read through the dialogues and fill in the

empty cartoon strips.

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COMIC STRIP 1 For each line of dialogue, choose the correct

picture (1-6) and write only the number in the

box. There are two lines you do not need. For

these, simply write "NO" in the box.

A.Was that the pre-dinner entertainment. ____

B.I hope you like hot food. ____

C.That's not what your mother told me. ____

D.I may have added too much tabasco sauce! Oh

dear. ____ 40


E. I can't wait to see what you've made. ____

F. Erm, I'll go and get dessert. ____

G.But it's nearly eight o'clock. ____

H.Wow, what a spectacular meal! ____

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A.Listen, does he use your first name when you

speak? ____

B.You two seem to be getting serious. ____ 42


C.I haven't met her yet. ____

D.I'll be thinking of you babe! ____

E. I would start buying the bridal magazines. ____

F. I think his hair is too long. ____

G.No, I wouldn't say that. ____

H.OK, see you tonight. ____

I. Yeah, he started to about a week ago. ____

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A.You could, if the last train hadn't left 20 minutes

ago. ____

B.And three on Sundays. I'm sorry... ____

C.I'm glad you agree. It doesn't cost much and you

can relax on the train too. ____

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D.Look, we can plant a tree tomorrow, ok? ____

E. Listen kids, we get four trains that stop at this

station every day. ____

F. I've never felt so hungry in my life! ____

G.This was a great idea of yours. Using the train to

help save the planet! ____

H.Are you kidding? It's half past ten! ____

I. Did you hear what he said to me? ____

J. Good evening. Can we have two single tickets to

Grand Central Station, New York, please? ____

K.Call Jake. He'll come and collect us in his big 4x4

people carrier. ____

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COMPREHENSION - English Rose Learning

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