Name: Class: Date: / / A middle-aged man was fatally stabbed outside a nightclub late Saturday night Bob Evans died about 1:30 a.m after a woman stabbed him in the back outside Lovers Lounge Police who arrived at the club found Evans lying in the parking lot with a bloody ice pick on the pavement next to him A sobbing woman was cradling the victim’s head in her lap and stroking his hair Police identified the woman as Sara Haynes, 39, an emergency room nurse They took her into custody and said she would be booked for murder She was Evans's long-time girlfriend The lounge's bartender said Haynes started arguing with Evans when she saw him dancing with a young woman “I thought there might be trouble when I saw her walk in,” said the bartender “She was looking all around, with a wild look in her eyes He was on the floor dancing away with this young blonde She went straight at them She pulled the blonde out of his arms and started yelling at him.” Evans then led Sara outside, apparently to avoid a scene inside the club A witness who was sitting in his car told police he saw them argue for a couple of minutes When Evans turned around to walk back inside, Sara pulled the ice pick out of her purse and stabbed Evans several times He collapsed to the ground Then she sat down, put his head in her lap, and started crying Explain in your own words: Argue - blonde – collapse - cradle – fatal - ice pick – lap - middle-aged – murder - nightclub purse - sob – stab – stroke - victim - yell Write Why did Sara stab Bob? ………………………………………………………………………… What will probably happen to Sara? Answer: Use your imagination! Where did this happen? ………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………… How old are Bob and the blonde girl? ………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………… What were they drinking? ………………………………………………………………………… What does Bob do? ………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………… What would you have done if you were Sara? ………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………… Name: Class: Date: / / A middle-aged man was fatally stabbed outside a nightclub late Saturday night Bob Evans died about 1:30 a.m after a woman stabbed him in the back outside Lovers Lounge Police who arrived at the club found Evans lying in the parking lot with a bloody ice pick on the pavement next to him A sobbing woman was cradling the victim’s head in her lap and stroking his hair Police identified the woman as Sara Haynes, 39, an emergency room nurse They took her into custody and said she would be booked for murder She was Evans's long-time girlfriend The lounge's bartender said Haynes started arguing with Evans when she saw him dancing with a young woman “I thought there might be trouble when I saw her walk in,” said the bartender “She was looking all around, with a wild look in her eyes He was on the floor dancing away with this young blonde She went straight at them She pulled the blonde out of his arms and started yelling at him.” Evans then led Sara outside, apparently to avoid a scene inside the club A witness who was sitting in his car told police he saw them argue for a couple of minutes When Evans turned around to walk back inside, Sara pulled the ice pick out of her purse and stabbed Evans several times He collapsed to the ground Then she sat down, put his head in her lap, and started crying Explain in your own words: Argue - blonde – collapse - cradle – fatal - ice pick – lap - middle-aged – murder - nightclub purse - sob – stab – stroke - victim - yell Answer: Use your imagination! Write Why did Sara stab Bob? ………………………………………………………………………… What will probably happen to Sara? Where did this happen? ………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………… How old are Bob and the blonde girl? ………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………… What would you have done if you were Sara? What were they drinking? ………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………… What does Bob do? ………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………… Teacher Notes The aim of this kind of reading exercise is to stimulate children’s imagination Most if not all traditional reading comprehension exercises have one thing in common: they are absolutely boring So try something new, something students don’t expect At first they’ll ask ‘Teacher, what’s the correct answer, I can’t find it in the text?’ That’s right Try to make them understand that they are free to answer whatever they think could be right After they have all finished, you could have a meaningful discussion about why they chose these particular answers and turn the reading lesson into some conversation practice I hope you all enjoy this approach to make reading more interesting Credits: Original free story available at http://www.rong-chang.com/eslread/index.htm The version in this worksheet has been slightly modified for teaching purposes Answer: Use your imagination! Remember: any valid answer is okay Where did this happen? Los Angeles, USA How old are Bob and the blonde girl? Bob’s 42, the blonde is 25 What were they drinking? tequila and club soda What does Bob do? He’s a stockbroker Write Why did Sara stab Bob? She was hurt and jealous What will happen to Sara? She’ll go to trial and be convicted for murder or manslaughter She’ll go to jail for 20 years, but might be released on parole after 10 years since this was a crime of passion What would you have done if you were Sara? I would have done the same I would have left Bob and asked for a divorce I would have kicked him in the nuts I would have stabbed both of them Answers may vary