Reading 1 Read this book review and then answer the questions, choosing the best answer. STOLEN BY LUCY CHRISTOPHER A review by teenage reader Martha Benson Stolen is one of the most amazing books I ve ever read. It s about a kidnapping, but it s far from being an average crime novel. It tells the story of Gemma, a 16-year-old English girl, who meets Ty, a 24-year-old Australian at Bangkok airport. He drugs* her, kidnaps her, and takes her to a house in the Australian desert, miles from anywhere. He doesn t harm her, though. He s in love with Gemma, and wants her to fall in love with him. I won t spoil the book for anyone by saying any more about what happens, but it s a brilliant story, beautifully told. The book takes the form of a letter from Gemma to Ty. This is an effective technique, I thought, because the emotions described feel very immediate* and real, and it gets you under the skin of the characters. You can really relate to Gemma s fear and anger, and her determination to escape. But what impressed me most is how the hard, lonely, dangerous, yet beautiful desert location came to life through Gemma s eyes. That s what stayed with me long after I d finished the book. Gemma and Ty both seem to be very believable people. Ty, in particular, is quite a complex character. You hate him for kidnapping and imprisoning Gemma, but at the same time you have sympathy for him, and for what he s trying to do. He s basically a damaged and lonely person who needs to be loved. And as Gemma s emotions towards him develop from hate to a kind of love, so do the reader s. At least that s what happened with me! Some of my friends found bits of the book boring, because there are whole sections where not a lot happens. I actually thought this worked well, because it showed just how lost and frustrated Gemma felt, and how claustrophobic the whole situation was, with just two people in the middle of this vast landscape. There were a few things I found annoying, though. For example, I couldn t believe it was possible for Ty to actually take a drugged teenager from Bangkok airport all the way to the Australian desert. This, and other odd things, were never explained. That said, it s still a great read. It explores emotions between people, and ways of learning to live in alien environments in a tough, adult world. But more than anything, it s about morals, how good people sometimes do bad things, and taking responsibility for your actions. So, if you re looking for a book that s hard to put down, look no further. Anyone hoping for a love story with a happy ending will be disappointed, though. It s not exactly a fast-moving adventure either, but it is a story that will touch your heart. If, like me, you want to know about what goes on in people s minds and what makes them behave as they do, then Stolen is the book for you. Glossary: *to drug someone jemanden unter Drogen setzen; *immediate unmittelbar, direkt 1 What is Martha Benson doing in this text? saying what kind of books she likes telling the story of a book recommending a book describing how a book was written
2 Martha says that she especially loved the way.... the characters are presented the story is told the surroundings are described the feelings are expressed 3 What does Martha say about Ty? She didn t think he was realistic. She thinks he is a typical kidnapper. She changed her opinion about him. She couldn t understand his actions. 4 What does Martha think about the slowness of the story? She doesn t think it works well. She thinks the story is boring. It makes you concentrate on the vast landscape. It shows Gemma s frustration and claustrophobia. 5 What criticism does Martha make of the book? Gemma s reactions are not always believable. Some events seem unlikely. It needs more than two main characters. Certain parts are rather dull. 6 What does Martha think is the main subject of the book? people s emotions right and wrong dealing with new environments love and relationships 7 According to Martha, who would like this book? people who are interested in human psychology people who prefer books that are easy to read people who love books with plenty of action people who enjoy romantic stories
2 Read the text about some plastic toys which fell off a ship, and complete the text by putting the phrases in the box into the gaps. There is one phrase which you do not need to use. that had fallen out of a ship is being carefully followed have made people realise was lost at sea has become a valuable environmental lesson back at her hotel had even been found which had no holes to let in water when she saw a small toy 29,000 TOYS AT SEA Some years ago, a lawyer called Sonali Naik was on holiday in the Hebrides in northwest Scotland, 1... on the beach. It was a green plastic frog, the kind of toy animal that young children play with in the bath. Printed on it were the words The First Years Inc. Sonali picked up the toy, looked at it, and then left it on the beach. That evening, 2..., she happened to mention the object to some of the other guests staying there. It was only then that Sonali realised the importance of what she had found. The frog was one of nearly 29,000 coloured plastic animals 3... on its way from Hong Kong to the USA, eleven years earlier. In that time, the toys, which also included yellow ducks, blue turtles and red beavers, had been sailing across the oceans of the world. Their cardboard packages had long since disappeared into the sea, and the toys, 4..., had floated along for tens of thousands of miles. They had turned up in Hawaii, South America and Australia. Some 5... frozen in the Arctic ice. The progress of the lost toys 6... by Curtis Ebbesmeyer, a retired oceanographer, together with a team of helpers around the world. The little coloured travellers are providing very useful information about the movements of the oceans and about the dangers of plastic pollution. They 7... just how much rubbish there is in the world s oceans, and how long materials such as plastics remain in the sea. What started as a box of cheap children s toys 8... for us all.
Listening 1 Listen to a boy called Toby and a girl called Jessica talking about technology and the future, then make complete sentences by matching the sentence halves below. There is one sentence ending which you do not need to use. 9 1 Toby doesn t believe that robots will.... 2 Jessica believes that robots might.... 3 Toby thinks that robots are likely to.... 4 Jessica thinks that robots probably won t.... 5 They both agree that robots are unlikely to.... 6 They both agree that robots will probably.... A care for hospital patients B drive our cars for us C look after our clothes D help catch criminals E clean our houses for us F make our meals for us G drive public transport 2 Listen to the TV announcement about a competition called Green Teen of the Year, and then answer the questions using no more than four words for each answer. 12 1 What is the minimum age for entering the competition? 2 What did last year s winner do? 3 What will be the first prize for this year s competition? 4 What is the name of the book which the top five entrants will receive? 5 What should you do to enter the competition? 6 When is the latest date that you can enter?
Language in use 1 Use one word to complete the three different sentences. 1 Can I have two... tickets to Cambridge, please? This T-shirt doesn t fit me properly, so I m going to... it to the shop. Type in your password and then press the... key. 2 There isn t a... flight to Lyon, so we have to change in Paris. Mark Jones will... the next Shakespeare play at the Royal Theatre. Could you... me to the manager s office, please? 3 It s not a good day to go surfing, because there aren t many.... Grandma always... goodbye to us from her garden gate. Radio... were first discovered around 150 years ago. 4 Are you... with the works of Charles Dickens? There were quite a few... faces at the party. That music sounds..., but I can t remember where I ve heard it before. 5 Does this company... for delivery, or is it free? I ll need to... my phone before I go out. Mrs Reid is in... of the school geography trip. 6 Will you help me... this picture on the wall? I m not ready yet, so you ll need to... on a moment. We used to... out with a great group of mates at college. 7 When I was a child I used to... up to my older brother and admire what he did. Have a... at this webpage. It s really interesting. You... tired. Why don t you take a rest? 2 Read the text. Fill each space with only one word. The first one (0) has been done for you. What is the secret of a long life? Well, most doctors agree 0 that having a healthy lifestyle is 1... most important factor for anybody who wants 2... see their grandchildren, and maybe great-grandchildren, growing up. Medical research has shown that smokers tend to live for ten to fifteen years less 3... other people, and the sooner they 4... up smoking, the greater their chances are of having a long life. A simple, balanced diet, consisting of plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit, and not too 5... fat, salt or sugar, is the best way to give your body the nutrients and vitamins which 6... needs to stay strong and healthy. The other key factor is exercise. You re not likely to live to a ripe old age 7... you spend all your time sitting on a sofa watching TV. To stay fit and active, you 8... to walk, or do some kind of exercise, for at 9... 30 minutes every day. Follow these simple rules, and you re likely 10... see plenty more birthdays!
3 In each sentence there is a word missing. Use the word in brackets to form a word that fits the gap (1 10). The first one (0) has been done for you. 0 You have to be courageous (courage) to sail an ocean alone. 1 I think that... (happy) means different things to different people. 2 Jack s an... (ambition) kind of person who always tries to win. 3 Reaching the North Pole is a wonderful... (achieve). 4 She s always been... (determine) to get accepted to Oxford. 5 I d love to spend a... (relax) few weeks on a tropical beach. 6 People who take part in races tend to be quite... (compete). 7 After a day mountain-climbing, we were completely... (exhaust). 8 Some people think that lone sailors are... (hero) people. 9 I like travelling because I find it... (enjoy) to discover new places. 10 We hope the safari will be a... (pleasure) experience.