F08- P.O.20.06 - Fișa de identificare RED Fișa de identificare RED Nume/prenume autor: PETRESCU SIMONA ANCUȚA, OLGA MARTINS, EGLE GINTAUTAITE Denumirea resursei educaționale propuse: Caiet de muncă independentă pentru elevi: THE WANDERING ADVENTURE Tema/scurtă descriere: Caietul de lucru The Wandering Adventure este unul din produsele finale ale parteneriatului școlar multilateral A joy of reading, a joy of creating, Comenius 2008-2010, în cadrul căruia LPS a colaborat cu elevi și profesori din Polonia, Lituania, Grecia, Spania și Portugalia.. Acest caiet de lucru a fost realizat în comun de elevii participanți, sub coordonarea profesorilor de engleză parteneri în proiect.. Caietul este structurat în șase capitole și un epilog, cu ilustrații, fiecare scris de câte una din școlile partenere. La final, pe baza textului, caietul include seturi de exerciții de gramatică și de vocabular, precum și propuneri de jocuri și dramatizare.. Scopul materialului propus: didactic (de utilizat la clasă/cu elevii) pentru elev (de utilizat de către elev) x de documentare pentru cadrele didactice altele ______________________________________________________________________________ Nivel de învățământ/clasa: V-VIII Aria curriculară/disciplina: Limba engleză Material extracurricular x Competențe vizate: Înțelegerea unui text literar, de ficțiune, în limba engleză; Formularea unor răspunsuri orale sau scrise la întrebări cu grade de dificultate variabile, pe baza textului citit. Recunoașterea și utilizarea corectă în context a structurilor gramaticale învățate la clasă. Dezvoltarea abilităților artistice (interpretare de roluri pe baza scenariului )
Transcript
F08- P.O.20.06 - Fișa de identificare RED
Fișa de identificare RED
Nume/prenume autor: PETRESCU SIMONA ANCUȚA, OLGA MARTINS, EGLE GINTAUTAITE
Denumirea resursei educaționale propuse: Caiet de muncă independentă pentru elevi: THE WANDERING
ADVENTURE
Tema/scurtă descriere:
Caietul de lucru The Wandering Adventure este unul din produsele finale ale parteneriatului școlar multilateral A
joy of reading, a joy of creating, Comenius 2008-2010, în cadrul căruia LPS a colaborat cu elevi și profesori din
Polonia, Lituania, Grecia, Spania și Portugalia.. Acest caiet de lucru a fost realizat în comun de elevii
participanți, sub coordonarea profesorilor de engleză parteneri în proiect.. Caietul este structurat în șase capitole
și un epilog, cu ilustrații, fiecare scris de câte una din școlile partenere. La final, pe baza textului, caietul include
seturi de exerciții de gramatică și de vocabular, precum și propuneri de jocuri și dramatizare..
Înțelegerea unui text literar, de ficțiune, în limba engleză;
Formularea unor răspunsuri orale sau scrise la întrebări cu grade de dificultate variabile, pe
baza textului citit.
Recunoașterea și utilizarea corectă în context a structurilor gramaticale învățate la clasă.
Dezvoltarea abilităților artistice (interpretare de roluri pe baza scenariului )
Acest proiect a fost finanţat cu sprijinul Comisiei Europene. Această publicaţie reflectă numai punctul de vedere al autorului şi Comisia nu
este responsabilă pentru eventuala utilizare a informaţiilor pe care le conţine
Liceul cu Program Sportiv Slatina
PROIECT MULTILATERAL COMENIUS
2008 – 2010 Finanțat cu sprijinul Comisiei Europene prin intermediul
PROGRAMULUI SECTORIAL COMENIUS
The
wandering adventure
Acest proiect a fost finanţat cu sprijinul Comisiei Europene. Această publicaţie reflectă numai punctul de vedere al autorului şi Comisia nu
este responsabilă pentru eventuala utilizare a informaţiilor pe care le conţine
ISBN 978-606-8122-51-9 www.EdituraHoffman.com
Tel./fax: 0249 460 218 0740 984 910
Descrierea CIP a Bibliotecii Naţionale a României Simona Ancuța Vlădescu, Olga Martins, Egle Gintautaite The wandering adventure/ Simona Ancuța Vlădescu, Olga Martins, Egle Gintautaite. - Caracal : Hoffman, 2010 Bibliogr. Index ISBN 978-606-8122-51-9
The
wandering adventure
4
5
Prologue
It was still snowing. Frozen crystals falling around covered the
garden like a soft, fluffy blanket. A man wearing an old coat and torn hat
was crouching behind the wall that separated the garden from the rarely
used path. He stood quietly while watching two boys and two girls
walking along. They didn’t even notice him, but that was all right. He
didn’t need them. He didn’t need anybody.
* * *
6
Chapter 1
Four best friends were going to the mountains to ski.
Christopher and Ashley were the best skiers. They were all wearing
jackets, colourful hats and scarves and thick trousers. They also had
gloves and goggles to protect them from the cold wind. The weather
was perfect to spend a few hours on the slope, skiing, laughing and
throwing snow balls at each other. They had dreamt about that day
for so long. The school term was so hard and exhausting that they
really needed those few days to relax and get some strength before
the next one.
Christopher and Ashley were first on the slope, while Eric and
Emma took a long time climbing the hill. The sun was shining and
the snow flakes were sparkling in its rays. They even didn’t
remember such a good day full of fun and laughter. Finally, after a
few hours, they decided to go to a café and drink some hot
chocolate. They were cold and exhausted. Warming up in a nice
café with a mug of hot cocoa sounded great. Although it was late in
7
the afternoon, the place wasn’t very crowded. They found a table
with four free places and sat around it. It was warm and pleasant
inside. The fire in the fire place was cracking and quiet music was
heard from the radio. Other people were drinking and eating hot
meals while talking and laughing together. When the teenagers
ordered their drinks, Christopher remembered something.
“Hey, did you all hear about little Sarah Kells? My mother
heard from her mother that she’s been losing things for the last few
days. Mrs. Kells seemed to be very worried as it had never
happened before”.
“Oh, yes!” replied Emma. “She’s missing some gloves and a
few toy necklaces. She told me about it when I babysat her last
week. ”
“Really?” asked Ashley. “That is strange. I have noticed
today that her picture is missing from the ‘Student of the Week’
poster.”
“Yes!” added Eric. “It looks like it was cut off! We need to
find out what is happening. I think …“
“Excuse me”. The waitress was standing at their table with the hot
chocolate, looking confused. “Oh, thank you!” Eric said, his face red
from embarrassment. The lady gave them their drinks and walked away,
and they continued their conversation. “Guess what? Yesterday I found a
newspaper talking about the Kells family. It said that six years ago there
was a fire in their house. The family lost everything and didn’t have
8
enough money to pay for anything anymore, and Mrs. Kells divorced her
husband with their one-year-old baby. Mr. Kells was in despair. What is
even worse he lost his job and couldn’t find anything else to do here so
he left the town and was never seen again” said Emma.
“Do you think that this is Sarah’s father causing all this trouble?”
asked Christopher.
“Maybe he returned and would like to get in contact with his
daughter? “
“Yes! I think so! We should find out if he is the one! Let’s meet
together tomorrow and investigate” suggested Eric.
They stood up, paid the bill, got dressed warm again and left the
cosy café. It was an early evening and they could feel frosty air and see
first stars in the sky.
* * *
The homeless man was standing in the garden which was covered
with snow and ice. There was nobody there. Only the wind was
blowing, whistling between the trees. Their shadows looked scary. The
man was looking around nervously. He gazed at each item that he had. A
pair of pink gloves some play jewellery, a pair of scissors, and a picture.
It was a picture of his dear daughter, Sarah. He missed her a lot. “Don’t
worry, Sarah, he whispered. I’ll get you and take you away from this
horrible place! I will!” He put the things in a box, his treasure box, and
buried it in the ground.
9
Chapter 2
The dawn of a beautiful morning has broken.It seemed as if the
morning was promising a lot.Light snowflakes were falling and swirling,
a mild breeze was blowing.The four friends met at a café as they usually
did during the holiday. Guess what they have ordered? Yes,you are right
– hot chocolate! And after that, of course, on skis! At least, such were
the plans.
But not in vain people have such a saying – you are planning and
the Lord is laughing...While they were waiting for the
chocolate,suddenly it became dark.What’s this? Worried,everyone dived
to the window.Ashley unexpectedly screamed: „Our plans are
collapsing! We won’t ski! Look what is happening outside!” Huge dark
clouds gathered and it started to snow heavily.
Christofer offered: “ Let’s go to the skating-rink instead.” Everyone
agreed although without a great enthusiasm and left. Splashing through
the deep snowdrifts, which were rising in their eyes, the four friends
were sharing their holiday impressions and wondering about such an
unexpected weather change.
Soon Christopher and Ashley were torn from the rest. Everywhere
they were the first: the first on the slope, the first on their way to the
skating rink. While they were speeding ahead, Eric and Emma were
10
browsing the shop windows; they were quite tired and couldn’t
withstand their friends pace. Suddenly they noticed a note on one
building: Library, and immediately a thought came to Emma’s mind: she
remembered that yesterday they planned to investigate Sarah’s case. (She
already called it “a case” in her mind).
Emma started to shout as loud as she could: “Stop! Christopher,
Ashley, wait!” It wasn’t very easy to persuade them come back. At last
they were here and without any explanations Emma pulled them into the
library. Eric wasn’t less puzzled and he mumbled: “What are you doing?
What about the skating rink?” Only then Emma explained everything
and reminded their yesterday’s plans. In almost no time friends started to
borrow in the pile of old newspapers.
***
They were trying to find something about the fire in Kells’ house
but the story was quite old and they found nothing. The friends were
already starting to lose the hope when Ashley’s eye was caught on one
article in the title of which they noticed the well known surname – Kells.
It was the article about a man who found his happiness in a very unusual
way. The title of the article was: The most famous and influential
businessman in our town is telling the story of his unexpected success. “
11
12
One bright morning I woke up and decided to buy a lottery ticket.
That was the first time in my life to buy it. I went to a small local shop
run by a man of an Indian origin. In the shop I cleared the protective
layer of the ticket I bought…1,000,000 Euros…I found such an
inscription on it. At first I couldn’t believe my eyes, but when the
shopkeeper reassured me that it was true, I tried to believe. The very next
day the money appeared in my account but I was not tempted to waste it
easily. I decided to buy stocks of a well known company, and I chose
Microsoft. In half a year the value of the stocks raised highly and I
bought more and more. I kept buying the stocks and in several years I
overtook the controlling stock pack. And now I’m running Microsoft.
Poor Bill Gates…To the question of a personal nature Mr. Kells answers
really reluctantly. To tell the true, he doesn’t answer at all.”
Such intriguing information was found in the article. Christopher
asked: “Is it possible that this Mr. Kells is the same Kells we are looking
for?” Nobody was very fast to answer his question. At last Emma
uttered: “I believe that this Mr. Kells is somehow connected with the one
we are looking for, but I am not sure that he is exactly the one. Maybe he
is a relative of Mr. Kells or something like that?”
Ashley’s opinion was strict and without any doubts:” Don’t be so
naïve, this is not a novel, and this is life. You think if the surname is the
same it means something? I am sure that this is only a coincidence”. Eric
13
only shrank his shoulders; he was not brave enough to speak his mind.
As many people as many opinions.
***
The homeless man buried the box and cleaned his hands to his torn
trousers. Suddenly in a bright moonlight a massive gold ring with a
precious stone glittered on his forefinger. “Damn it! Such a tiny detail
can betray me” whispered the man. He torn the ring from the finger and
carefully hid it in a pocket of his torn trousers.
14
15
Chapter 3
Mr. Kells was fast asleep but those unforgettable memories kept
coming to his mind…
The first fortnight of August went by as a wonderful dream during
which he got peace and rest from his hectic daily routine. Mr. Kells had
had a promotion at work and wanted to celebrate the event, so he decided
to travel abroad with his wife and his one-year-old daughter. After
spending some time reading some brochures and discussing where to go
they chose the Algarve, as their holiday destination. At the time they
were really happy and rejoiced every moment of their lives, they were
young and they were in love. One of those days remained vivid in Mr.
Kells’ memory. They woke up very early, the daylight was very bright.
They thought that even sun rays were different in Portugal. In fact
everything seemed to be different here: the air, the smells and the people.
The Portuguese were really nice and friendly. The water was different
too, it had a really fresh taste. They fell in love with the Algarve at first
sight.
Mr. Kells opened the back door of the car and sat his daughter on the
seat, his wife sat next to the child and he drove to the nearest beach. It
took them 20 minutes to get to the seacoast. What magnificent views
they behold on their way – cheerful orchards with orange trees, typical
16
houses with white chimneys, children playing football in their yards and
then a shining view of the ocean wrapped in a blue noonday haze.
“George, let’s stop here, do you see that café over there? It seems to
be quite cosy.”
They entered the café and sat down at a free table. It was high season and
the café was quite crowded. The waiter came by and they ordered two
sandwiches, two glasses of orange juice and a vegetable soup for their
daughter.
Mr. Kells’ wife was really a precious pearl. She had a wonderful
name Mary. She was tall and slim and her hair was curly and blond. Her
eyes were sky-blue, she had a smiling face and a tender heart and for him
she was incomparable.
“Mary, let’s go to the beach, the sea is quite calm.”
They lay on the sand, closed their eyes and began to listen to the
music of the waves. It was a great sound, like an orchestra. From a
distance it seemed to be the keys of a piano, rushed at times by thin
sounds of a violin.
The water was warm clear blue and inviting and Mary decided to go
for a swim. Sarah was playing with her toys and started to build a
sandcastle.
Mary came out of the water and couldn’t find her daughter.
17
18
“George! Wake up! Sarah has disappeared!” cried Mary in despair.
They looked for her throughout the entire beach, asked if someone
had seen a small child but nobody had seen her. She was missing.
“Mary! The car! She may be near the car” said Mr. Kells.
They rushed to the car and saw little Sarah playing near it. Mary held
her tight in her arms and exclaimed:
“Sarah, we were so worried, never do this again!”
“Mary, I promise I’ll never lose her out of sight again. I’ll always be
near my daughter.”
Although unwillingly he broke his promise some months later. After
the fire he had no choice but to leave his family behind and disappear…
Nevertheless now he was back and determined to diminish the
painful suffering he had caused. Mr. Kells only needed to be cautious
and think of an intelligent plan.
19
Chapter 4
It was 1 o’clock after midnight. George Kells was on his way
home, drunk, with trembling feet and no balance at all. He slowly
reached the front door of his house and pulled the key out of his pocket.
His hands were shivering. It took some time until he finally managed to
open the door. He entered the house and went from the corridor to the
living room, which was covered by complete darkness. While he was
trying desperately to reach the light switch, he stumbled on a chair. “To
hell”, he shouted.
“Do you need any help?” a voice called and suddenly the lights
were switched on. Mary Kells was sitting on a chair at the other side of
the room. “Oh, my beloved wife”, he whispered and he tried to get close
to her. “Stay away from me, you, drunk!’’ Mary shouted. “Where have
you been again?”
“It’s none of your business,’’ he answered with a slow and tired
voice. “It concerns me and our daughter! The only thing you do is
wondering around and drinking”. “Shut up’’, George shouted.” What’s
the matter? Does the truth hurt you?’’ “I said shut up!!! You are nothing
more than useless!” Mary replied:” Shut up!”
20
At that moment, little Sarah Kells appeared at the stairs of the
upper floor, handing a toy bear very tightly in her hands. She looked
scared and in a while she burst into tears. Mary run to her daughter and
hid the tiny body in her armful. “Disappear and never try to set foot on
this house again. Never dare to approach either me or my daughter!!!”
George Kells walked with inconstant footsteps towards the door.
He opened it and got out at the yard. He went ahead making false steps
till the outside door. “We haven’t finished yet, you will pay it off at a
very high price,” he tried to shout before he went away staggering. Mary
21
pressed her daughter closely in her arms, trying to make her be calm and
stop crying. She embraced her with tenderness she caressed her white
skin and her blond hair. “Calm my baby, calm, all is over, everything is
all right.” She took her and drove her to the armchair. She tried to lull
her to sleep. Finally the little girl fell asleep in her hands. She looked so
calm and peaceful….nothing could awake her. The mother carried the
baby carefully in the room, kissed her on the forehead, covered her and
put the lights off. She ought to be calm and forget this terrible quarrel.
Nevertheless, could she forget, or this would be a nightmare following
her in her whole life?
While Mary was walking downstairs, she felt hot air coming
from the kitchen. As she was getting closer, the temperature was
increasing more and more. She tried to open the door but she sprang
back…the handle of the door was awfully burnt… She pushed it strongly
with her body. She gazed at the enormous flames, lightening fire
tongues, burning everything they found …! She stepped back terrified
and went ahead towards her daughter’s room. She hugged her and run to
the outside door as soon as possible. She felt the fire hunting after her,
destroying everything around. The flames, like a fiery demon coming
out of the depths of hell, escaped from the kitchen and over flew Kell’s
house.
***
22
It was early spring, but this was a really chilly cold afternoon. In
the beautiful green park, the shade of the trees seemed huge and
threatening and the whisper of the wind passing though the foliage did
increase the image of the wilderness. The winter seemed not to be eager
to abandon the small town.
“Walk a little faster because I freeze to death’’ Eric said to Emma.
Christopher and Ashley were already ahead. “I am tired and I’m
23
freezing,too’’, Emma replied. “Those evenings classes are a real
trouble’’ Emma added.
“I wish I lived in a country like Greece’’Eric replied. “There, the
days are always sunny, so maybe that’s why Greek people are so happy
and pleasant. It’s a real magic to live by the sea enjoying the sun,’’ Eric
added. “Eventually the evening classes are not that bored,” Emma
agreed. “I have printed a picture of Santorin’s beautiful sunset. It would
be a good idea to prepare a project about Greek Aegean islands and
Crete. I wish I lived…”
The discussion was interrupted abruptly: Christopher and Ashley
who were walking in front of the others, like they always did, had
stopped to a bench where a middle-aged man was lying down
unconscious. He was wearing a ragged coat and he was disheveled and
unshaven. A half-full bottle was lying next to him… He was immovable,
his lips were livid… Christopher got closer to him and checked his pulse.
“He looks so weak; he needs help’’ he said.” Let’s call an ambulance!’’
Ashley suggested.
The sound of the siren was heard a few minutes later from the
corner of the road. Two nurses got off the ambulance carrying the
stretcher, where they placed the stranger on. They carried him into the
ambulance and the children followed it. While they were carrying him,
Emma noticed something very odd: he was wearing a big expensive
ring! “He must have stolen it”, she thought.
24
Later on, the doctors announced them that the man’s health was
really very bad. As the children were waiting outside the patient’s room,
Emma’s thoughts were running to the ring all the time. How was it
possible for a man like him to carry such a valuable thing? Only if he
had stolen it!
“ Now he feels better, although you cannot visit him.” The voice
of the nurse recalled Emma to reality.
Christopher was still holding the ragged coat in his hands. As he
was standing up from his chair in the corridor, a wallet fell down, at his
feet. And what a surprise: the wallet was full of money. From now on,
they were sure he had stolen it. It was obvious the man was a thief. “We
should give the wallet to the police’’ Ashley said. “What may it
contain?” She hadn’t finished her phrase yet, when Christopher pulled a
small girl’s photo from a case of the wallet.
“I know this girl, I know her!” Emma cried, without believing
what she saw. “She is Sarah Kells!” The children looked embarrassed.
Nobody talked for a while, but the same thought was dancing in
everyone’s mind. Is it ever possible, could this man be little Sarah’s
father?
25
Chapter 5
When the man was in the observation room, a nurse called Mary
entered. The moment she saw him, she was really surprised because she
had already read the man’s medical history. The man was familiar to her,
she knew him but… She couldn’t remember who he was.
* * *
The four friends decided to speak with the mysterious man who was
in the room, but they were a bit afraid...
The following day, they went into the room where the man was.
They sat down and started to speak with him.
The man told them that he was Sarah’s uncle, Patrick, and he also
explained them that the money they had found in his wallet was his, he
had not stolen it, he didn’t need to steal since he was a millionaire
because some years ago he won the lottery.
Then the four friends discovered that the man who appeared in the
newspaper’s article was him. They also asked him a lot of questions
about his brother, that is, Sarah’s father, and then the man started telling
them the entire story. He told them that some years ago he and his
brother George were living in a wonderful country, in a country where
pities turn into happiness, in Spain…Until his brother met Mary, who
26
was spending her holidays there. Then they fell in love and they started
living together in Spain… But, when Mary was pregnant, both of them
decided to go back to their home country. However George’s brother
stayed in Spain…. He never again had news about George or Mary… but
he thought George might have gone to Spain since he loved that country
so much…
Now the four friends had got a lot of information but it wasn’t
enough.
The following day, the four friends looked for Mary and they told
her the man’s story… She was really surprised, and she started to shout,
because she couldn’t believe what the man had told the teenagers. In
Spain? How could he have come back there again?
Nevertheless, the four friends decided to go on with the
investigation and went to Spain, to the address the man had given them,
but there was nobody there……
* * *
Meanwhile, the man escaped from hospital and phoned his brother
George who was living in England:
“Don’t worry George, I’ve sent them to a wrong address in Spain.”
“Thank you, brother! I don’t want them to bother me.”
* * *
27
The four friends realised they had been deceived and returned back
to the hospital to meet the man. But he was not there and, what was
worse, nobody knew where he was.
They decided to return to the park where they saw Patrick again, but
when noticed them, he ran away. As he was running, he dropped a small
piece of paper. Eric took it and found a phone number.
“What can we do with it?” asked Ashley.
“Let’s call”, said Emma.
They all agreed and when they phoned, they found out that this
number belonged to a Spanish restaurant. They were really excited and
wanted to know more about their “case” so they booked a table for that
night.
Later, that evening, they arrived at the restaurant, sat at a table and
asked for some typical dish. While they were enjoying a delicious meal,
they saw Patrick going into the restaurant, but he didn’t enter the room
where they were, he walked to the kitchen. The four friends were really
astonished and they didn’t know what to do; Ashley stood up and went
to investigate to the kitchen. When she was approaching, a waiter
suddenly appeared and Ashley hid under a close table, from there she
saw two men talking, Patrick and the cook …and, she couldn’t believe
her eyes, they were twins! The cook was George! Patrick had lied! The
girl could hear a conversation between them:
“Our plans are getting more and more difficult, some kids are
looking into this matter, I think this place isn’t safe,” said Patrick
28
“OK,” replied George, “let’s arrange another appointment
somewhere else; we must know what to do with Sarah.”
“I think you should call Mary and ask her to meet to talk about
Sarah”, added Patrick.
The two brothers agreed and finished their meeting. George
phoned Mary and asked her to let him see his daughter, but Mary refused
and went alone to the meeting.
When George arrived, Mary realised something different in him,
she looked at his neck, but she didn’t see the scar that he got during the
fire many years ago…
29
Chapter 6
„What shall I do?” Mary was wondering herself, torn between
doubts and fear, while walking through the crowded street toward the
Tapas restaurant in Exeter. „Can I start all over again? All these years of
solitude, whilst I had to face all sort of problems as a single mother, to
raise a child as well as possible…And now? He’s back and he implores
me to forgive him…Should I?”
Eventually, Mary met George. Or, at least, the man he thought to be
George.
* * *
The real George rang the bell at Mary’s home door.
„Who is it?” asked the beloved voice which he longed so much for.
„Your daddy, my dear Sarah!”
„WHO???” The little girl opened the door in a second. „Daddy?!”
„My love, the light of my eyes….my dear - dear – dear daughter!”
And the man kneeled on the door step, holding tight the little body in
front of him. Hot tears flowed on his lined cheeks, knotting in his
beard… „How long have I been waiting for this…I thought I’d never
hold you like this again…never in this life!”
Little Sarah felt dizzy, puzzled, a bit embarrassed. Who was this
stranger? Her mother had told her that daddy was dead. And
still…beyond his strange ragged appearance, something familiar broke
30
through it…the warmth of his arms holding her desperately, as a promise
that he’ll be there forever, like a real father, like all her friends’ fathers
she knew. Is this possible?
„Dad, I thought you were...hmmm....dead! Mum said...” but her
voice faints away.
George was weeping and smiling at the same time. His voice was
hurried, whispering persuasive, convincing. He was telling her…what?
What was he telling incessantly?
To forgive him, to ask her mother to forgive him too, to convince
Mary to start their life together, all three of them, as a happy family,
from the beginning.
Yes, he has changed. He had wandered all over the world, even in
Romania.
Yes, Romania…good memories! He told Sarah that he had been
working on an archeological site, as a simple digger, somewhere in the
middle of Transylvania, at some ruins of an old castle. Transylvania!
Strange, charming, half - wild, half – modern and civilized…its main
cities, Timisoara, Oradea, Cluj-Napoca, Alba-Iulia,Sighisoara... have
been known since the Romans’ occupation, when Traian, the emperor,
had conquered these wonderful, blessed land. “Transylvania” literarily
means “The land beyond the forests” in Latin. And people there still
speak a Romanic language in the middle of a Slavonic language
speaking world. That’s the reason why they call themselves “Români”.
Nowadays, the local people were telling strange stories about Count
Dracula, whom they thought the castle had belonged to…
31
Vlad Drăculea (Ţepeş-the Impaler) was born in Sighisoara, a
medieval city in Transilvania. He gained the name „the Impaler” because
of his favourite method to punish his enemies, impaling them in a
wooden stake.
Vlad sparked the imagination of Bram Stroker,the author of
„Dracula”. He was bloodthirsty, but he was not a vampire .
Well, the chief - archeologist said that all those words were a load
of rubbish, that the remains were all that had left from Vlad the
Impaler’s prison. But no Romanian folk would have believed this silly
story!
‘Sarah, if you want me to, I’ll take you and your mother there, to
see yourselves, with your own eyes! It’s true! And, more important than
that’ – he followed in a lower voice – ‘I’ve found a treasure there, buried
in a wall…I kept the secret. I must go back there to take it with me…It’s
yours, you deserve it! What’s the gold, what are all the diamonds in the
world without you? I want my family back! Please, please my dear
Sarah, will you forgive me???...’
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Epilogue
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George Kells helped his daughter carefully over some ancient
bricks, then came back for the child’s mother. Mary took his hand as she
jumped lightly over the red stones, but neither of them let go, even after
they were back on the straight path. They smiled at each other and carried
on light conversation with little Sarah until they came to what was left of
a low brick wall, hidden cleverly by some bushes and shrubs.
“Here it is!” said George, as he knelt down on the soft, mossy
ground and pulled out a small pick-axe.
“Is it there? Is it there?” asked Sarah excitedly, jumping up and
down. Mr. Kells repeatedly struck at a loosened brick in the old wall.
“I’ve almost got it… Yes, here it is!” he exclaimed. He pulled out a
miniature chest and opened it carefully. It was filled to the top with
medieval coins of gold, each one worth at least 5000 pounds!
“Yay!” yelled Sarah
“Oh, you did it, dear,” said Mary Kells happily, hugging him
tightly. Mr. Kells blinked back tears as he clutched the most important
thing in the world to his heart – not the treasure, but his precious family.
* * *
“Look, look!” Emma rushed into the classroom a few
minutes before the bell rang to start a weekly class meeting. Her three
friends were waiting for her. She slapped a newspaper down onto a desk.
The headline read “Briton Finds Priceless Medieval Treasure”.
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“Mr. George Kells, along with his wife, Mary, and a daughter,
Sarah, found a valuable treasure on Tuesday in an ancient medieval
castle in Romania.
This family of three was on holiday at Transylvania, the legendary
home of Count Dracula, when they stumbled upon a small chest filled
with hundreds of very old medieval coins, some even dating back to the
8th century! All of them are made of pure gold, and the finding, as a
whole, quite possibly carries a value of over a million pounds.
When asked to comment on his extreme good fortune, Mr. Kells
replied, “I’m very happy. Not only do I have assurance of material
security for the rest of my life, I now have my beloved family to share it
with!” Mr. Kells, a former divorcee, just recently reunited with his wife
and their daughter after 5 years of being apart.
It seems that this family’s story has a very happy ending.”
The four teens talked excitedly over this new turn of events until
the bell rang. Everyone hurried to their seats as the teacher called for
attention.
“Class, I have some news for you,” she began. “Our school has
been organizing a foreign student exchange program for quite some time,
and I am glad to say that twenty students have been selected to go on a
trip to six European countries. These will be the students with the best
marks in foreign languages, Social Studies, and Geography. Two boys
and two girls have been picked from this certain class, and those students
are…” she looked down at her papers. “Christopher, Eric, Ashley, and
Emma!”
They were so surprised!
35
“Wow!” said Christopher. “So cool!”
“You will be travelling through Romania, Greece, Spain, Portugal,
Lithuania, and, of course, the beautiful, as well as historic, country of
Poland,” the teacher added.
“Greece!” murmured a very happy Emma. “Now we can do a
project about Crete and the Aegean islands…”
“And my grandmother is from Portugal!” exclaimed Ashley.
“Oh, I can’t wait!” said Eric, and the other three agreed with him.
Little did they know that the Kells family had decided to go on
holiday to the very same countries at the very same time…
36
Activity Page 1
VOCABULARY
1.Try to guess the meaning of the following words from the
context,then check your understanding with your teacher or the
dictionary.Finally, make up sentences of your own,using them :
b) But no Romanian folk would have believed this silly story,...........
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c) It’s true,..........
d) I must go back there to take it with me,..........
3. Make up word families starting from the given ones:
NOUN VERB ADJECTIVE ADVERB
Light
promise
Wonder
face
Possible
puzzled
Desperately
incessantly
4. Transform the direct speech into reported speech.
THINKING POINTS
5. Answer the questions to check your understanding of the text:
a) Was little Sarah glad to meet her father?
b)How did her father try to convince Sarah and her mother to forgive him
and take him back?
c) Why do Romanian people call themselves „Români”?
d) Who is called Vlad Dracul(a) and why?
COMMUNICATION
6.Act out the dialogue.
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Parteneriat Fișă de identitate
Titlul proiectului:
BUCURIA DE A CITI, BUCURIA DE A CREA A JOY OF READING, A JOY OF CREATING
Tipul proiectului: Proiect de Parteneriat Multilateral Comenius PM24 Finantat prin Programul Sectorial Comenius Grant : 24000 Euro ‐ 24 mobilităti ale elevilor si profesorilor în tările partenere
Parteneri : Romania Liceul cu Program Sportiv – Slatina Polonia Gimnazjum nr 3 - Tarnobrzegu Spania Colegio Concertado Sagrada Familia de Villefranche -
Miranda de Ebro Lituania Biržu Kaštonu pagrindine mokykla – Birzai Portugalia Escola Básica do 2.o e 3.o ciclo Dr. José de Jesus
Neves Júnior – Faro Grecia 1°Professional Lyceum Kalamarias - Thesaloiniki
Obiectivele proiectului : Creşterea interesului pentru cultura şi civilizaţia europeană Cresterea interesului elevilor pentru lectură Dezvoltarea competentelor de exprimare creativă în scris si oral Utilizarea limbilor străine (engleză si franceză) în comunicarea cu elevii din
scolile partenere Rezultat final: În cadrul activităţilor din proiect şi în cadrul reuniunilor de proiect realizate până în prezent elevii au avut ocazia de a cunoaşte literatura ţărilor participante şi de a participa activ la scrierea unei cărţi. Utilizând metoda cărţii itinerante, elevii din cele şase şcoli partenere scriu împreună două cărţi, una în limba engleză, cea de a doua în limba franceză. Fiecare şcoala a pus în valoare în acest proiect specificul naţional prin referire la civilizaţia contemporană şi prin apelul la aspectele tradiţionale. Reuniuni de proiect:
Polonia ‐ noiembrie 2008
46
Spania ‐ februarie 2009 România ‐ aprilie 2009 Grecia ‐ octombrie 2009 Lituania ‐ martie 2010 Portugalia ‐ mai 2010
În cadrul reuniunilor de proiect se are în vedere analiza textelor create de elevi pentru realizarea cărtii itinerante, valorizarea cărţii itinerante prin dramatizare, lectură, fotografie, dar şi ilustrarea celor două cărti (engleză şi franceză). Schimb de bune practici: Schimbul de bune practici s‐a realizat prin lecţii interactive pe Internet între clase din şcolile partenere pe baza unei teme comune: legende naţionale (lectiii în limba engleză si în limba franceză). Acest proiect a oferit şcolii un bun prilej de ameliorarea a managementului instituţional prin schimbul de bune practice cu celelalte şcoli partenere, adoptarea unor strategii manageriale noi în ceea ce priveşte oferta educaţională, managementul resurselor umane şi dezvoltarea unui sistem competitiv de promovarea a programelor de dezvoltarea a resurselor umane prin intermediul programelor cu finanţare europeană. Coordonatori : Simona Ancuța Vlădescu, Olga Martins, Egle Gintautaite Autori – elevi și profesori: România: Simona Ancuța Vlădescu, Raluca Enescu, Iulia Tătuc, Adriana
Pătrașcu, Codruța Eremia, Ionuț Voinicu, Alexandru Duță, Andrei Lecu, Robert Marin, Cristina Nicolae, Cristian Nistor, Rădoi Marian, Roșianu Cristian, Amalia Nicolescu
Polonia: Ewa Paleczka, Justina Panfil, Tomasz Ordon, Radoslaw Szczur, Grzegorz Kuras.
Spania: Sergio Canas Garcia, Andrea Sidranes Barruso, Paula Fuente Garcia de Lomada. Portugalia Olga Martins, Bernardo Freitas, Bruno Belela, Carla Covelo, Nelma Matos, Patricia Santos, Sara Silva, Mariya-Luyiza Kolishchuk. Lituania: Egle Gintautaite, Rita Valintelyte, Egle Gintautaite, Mindaugas
Bistrickas, Karolis Varzinskas, Andrius Klybas, Elena Aisparaite, Laura Bruzgulyte
