Quartet 7: Course Book

Quartet 7
Course Book
Introduction
Quartet 7
Welcome to Quartet Course Book 7. The Quartet Course Book 7 includes a

variety of reading texts that revolve around the theme of world travel, as well as
reading comprehension activities, guided writing, speaking activities, grammar,
and vocabulary exercises. The book is organized thematically, following the topics
on Quartet Online. The result is a fully integrated language learning course. We
hope that you will enjoy learning with Quartet Course Book 7.
III Quartet 7
Map of Quartet 7
Reading skills
Unit 1 Pages 2-22 • Getting the facts

Did You Know? • Identifying genre
• Example and generalization
The Answer’s Up There • Cause and effect
• Application and transfer of
The Blind Men and the Elephant information to new situations
by John Godfrey Saxe (1816-1887) • Understanding the moral of a
poem
• Inference
• Understanding analogies
• Evaluating analogies
Unit 2 Pages 24-40 • Inference

It’s a Mystery to Me • Interpretation
• Evaluation
The Space Shuttle Secret • Understanding the message
Report on the Story

"Appointment in Samara"
Unit 3 Pages 42-60 • Understanding the purpose

Tell Me a Story and characteristics of stories
• Guessing and prediction
The South African Cousin • Understanding details
• Evaluation
A Tale of Heroism
Unit 4 Pages 62-81 • Inference

Unbelievable! • Judging level of objectivity
• Understanding purpose
Reports of UFO Sightings • Evaluating jokes
Extraterrestrial Humour
IV Quartet 7
Language Review Speaking Writing
• The senses • Role playing • Describing a situation from

• Guessing word meaning from • ‘Teaching a lesson to the three points of view
context class’ • Writing an interview
• Word families • Writing a dialog
• Coping with old English • Writing a poem, a song, or a
• Relative clauses with who, short story
where, and whose • Writing a persuasive
advertisement
• Writing a poem
• Different types of verbs • Presenting your point of • Writing a play

• Sequence markers: first, then, view • Writing a letter
finally, at last, at the • Participating in a round table • Writing a summary
beginning, in the end, lastly discussion • Writing a review
• Writing a story
• Writing advice
• Preparing questions for
an interview
• Idiomatic expressions • Telling a story • Writing a description of an

• Phrasal verbs • Conducting a survey interesting person
• Guessing word meaning from • Writing tips for proper
context behavior
• Writing a letter of
explanation
• Writing a report of a survey
• Collective nouns – singular • Discussion • Writing a research report

and plural • Telling jokes • Writing an opinion piece
• Guessing word meaning from • Writing an account of a
context UFO sighting
• Different meanings of the word • Writing a letter
degree • Writing a dialog
• Logical connectors: cause, • Writing questions for an
addition, result, contrast interview
V Quartet 7
Reading skills
Unit 5 Pages 84-99 • Scanning

Past and Present • Understanding purpose
• Reference
Pompeii, the Buried City • Understanding the author’s
opinion
A Volcano in Alaska: • Understanding rhetorical
Two Letters function: promise, request,
warning, announcement,
apology, explanation, invitation,
greeting
VI Quartet 7
Language Review Speaking Writing
• Guessing word meaning from • Discussing past and present • Writing a persuasive report
context • Writing an advertisement to
• Word families attract tourists
• Using gerunds to write more • Preparing an itinerary
compactly • Writing an article
• Writing rules of behavior
VII Quartet 7
U N I T
1
Did You Know?
U N I T
Before You Start
A Read the facts in the box. Check the ones that are new to you.
Did you know?

The Five Senses
a. ❒ Children can hear more kinds of noises than adults.

b. ❒ The cells that dogs use for smelling are 100 times bigger than
those cells in humans.
c. ❒ Dolphins hear better than any other animal.
d. ❒ Experts estimate that listening makes up about 45% of the time
people spend communicating.
e. ❒ Perfume seems to put people in a good mood and give them
greater self-confidence.
f. ❒ The senses that people seem to use the most are sight, touch,
and hearing.
g. ❒ People generally blink from six to thirty times a minute.
h. ❒ About 8% of all males are color-blind.
i. ❒ Research shows that the sense of smell often brings up memories
from the past.
j. ❒ Taste is weaker than the other four senses.
k. ❒ Your back has the fewest nerve endings, so it is less sensitive to
touch than other parts of the body.
l. ❒ Of all the nerve endings in your body, the ones that let you feel
heat, cold, pain, and pressure are the most common.
2 Quartet 7
U N I T
B Which sense does each fact in the box refer to? Put the facts into
the correct columns in the table. The first has been done for you.
Sight Smell Touch Taste Hearing

a
C Can you add more facts to the list?
3 Quartet 7
U N I T
What Do You Know?
A Some occupations depend on a particular sense. For example, playing the

trumpet usually goes with a good sense of hearing. With a partner, match
up each sense with as many occupations as you can think of.
Sense Occupation
B Now match the senses up with famous people. One has been done for you.
Sense Famous Person
hearing Mozart
4 Quartet 7
U N I T
Some Words
The words in bold are from the passage you are going to read. Can you
guess what they mean from the context?
1. The story was so intriguing that Mustafa felt he wouldn't be able to sleep
until he found out the truth.
Intriguing means __________________________________________.
2. Some people remember visual images very clearly. They remember

colors, lighting, and shapes.
Visual images are images that ________________________________.
3. Most people relate to their surroundings through one main sense – usually
sight, hearing, or touch.
A person's surroundings are_________________________________.
4. Psychologists can usually detect which sense a person is using before the
person even says anything.
To detect is to_____________________________________________.
5 Quartet 7
U N I T
What Do You Think?
A Try the little experiment described in the box, and then answer the
questions.
a. Concentrate!
b. Think of a peaceful, relaxing place where you would like to be.
c. Imagine that you are there now.
d. What do you feel?
e. What do you hear?
f. What do you see?
1. What came into your head first when you began to remember the place –
the sound, the sight, or the feel of it?
2. Which kind of memory is the strongest for you?
B Are any one of the senses especially strong in you? Give examples.
C What is the earliest thing you remember in your life? Is it a sound, a sight,
or the feel of something?
D When you learn words in English, what is the best way for you to learn
them? Which senses do you use to help you remember the words?
How do you practice them?
E Do you use any particular sense more than the others when you do leisure
activities or hobbies?
6 Quartet 7
U N I T
F Write down something that fits each description and that you can EITHER
hear, touch, or see. Do your choices suggest which sense is your strongest?
• lovely _______________
• sweet ________________
• peaceful _______________
• ugly _______________
• beautiful _______________
• disgusting _______________
• clear _______________
• wonderful _______________
• unpleasant _______________
• in good taste _______________
• in bad taste ________________
• soft _______________
Something to Read
The Answer's Up There
1
Have you ever noticed that when you ask people a question, they often look
up as they think of the answer? Have you ever wondered why it is that
people look up when they are thinking?
2
You might say, "Well, what's the difference where people look?" But psychologists
have found this issue so intriguing that many studies have been done on the
subject. They think they have found out why people do or do not look up.
3
Most people relate to their surroundings through one main sense – usually sight,
hearing, or touch. The words that people choose can provide a hint as to which
sense they relate to. For instance, a visually-oriented person might say, "I see
what you mean," whereas a hearing-oriented person might very well say, "I hear
what you're saying."
7 Quartet 7
U N I T
1
4
What psychologists have found is that when a person is trying to find an answer,
he or she will use one of the three main senses to find the solution. If you ask two
people to remember the address of an old childhood friend, for example, each
one might rely on a different sense to remember the answer. One person might
try to picture the friend's house and street. The second might attempt to
remember the sound of the address.
5
In their study of sense orientation, psychologists have learned that they can
detect which sense a person is using before the person even says anything.
How? Through the person's eye movements. Psychologists who observed eye
movements found that all the people in the study moved their eyes according to
the same set of rules. Now many psychologists believe that there are seven
types of eye movements. Each type corresponds to the sense that the person is
using while he or she is thinking. Here is a simplified description of the rules that
the psychologists discovered. (The directions are given from the point of view of
the observer.)
Direction of the Eye Movement Thought Process

Up and to the right Remembering visual images
Up and to the left Building new visual images
To the right, in a straight line Hearing new sounds or words
Down and to the right Hearing sounds or words
Down and to the left Thinking about experiences
connected with touch, taste, or smell
6
Try some little experiments involving eye movements and thought processes on
your friends. You'll see that it works. After drawing conclusions from your friends'
eye movements, remember to ask how they tried to think of the answer. Then
you'll know whether your guess was correct.
7
So why does it seem that people look up when they are thinking? The answer
could be that a good part of the time, people try to answer questions by picturing
related information in their mind. What do you think?
8 Quartet 7
U N I T
What Do You Think Now?
Answer the questions.
1. List all the facts that you read about that were new to you.
2. Where might you expect to find this article – in a magazine, a psychology

textbook, an encyclopedia, a journal for psychologists, or somewhere else?
Why do you think so?
3. "An article like this would be better if it had some pictures to go with it." Do
you agree? What pictures would you suggest using as illustrations?
4. In paragraph III, the words "for instance" are followed by two examples.
What idea do they illustrate?
5. Explain the title of the article. Does the title apply to everybody? How could
you find out if it applies to you?
6. Find the sentence in the article that answers the question of why people
look up when they are thinking.
7. Review the eye movement rules listed in the article. Where would you move
your eyes in the following situations?
• You want to hear something more clearly. _________________
• You want to remember a beautiful picture you saw some time ago.
____________
• You want to think of how something should look. _________________
8. How would a visually-oriented person describe a party he or she went to?

What do you think the person would choose to tell you? How would a
hearing-oriented person describe a party? What would that person choose
to talk about? And a touch-oriented person?
9. If a student relates to the world mainly through the sense of sight, what kind
of method should a teacher ideally use to teach that student?
10. If a student relates to the world mainly through the sense of hearing, what
would the best way of teaching that student be?
11. What kind of student is likely to enjoy learning "by doing"?
9 Quartet 7
U N I T
Something to Write About

Choose two topics.
1. Write a description of the same event as seen by three different people.

Write it from the point of view of a visually-oriented person, a hearing-
oriented person, and a touch-oriented person. The event could be a traffic
accident, a movie, or a quarrel between two people, for example.
2. Write the dialog of an argument between two people who rely mostly on
different senses for relating to the world. They could be a couple, a teacher
and student, or a parent and child, for example.
3. Take a famous love song, poem, or short story and rewrite it for a person of
a particular sense orientation.
4. You want to convince people to buy a product (for example, a car or a

vacuum cleaner). Write three different advertisements, each appealing to a
different type of person: sight-oriented, hearing-oriented, and touch-oriented.
Then write a fourth advertisement that will appeal to all three kinds of
people.
Some Words
In each set below, read the examples and then complete the
sentences with appropriate words from the box.
Have you ever wondered why it is that people look up when they are thinking?
Some Words
wonder wonderfully wonderment wondrous
wonderful wondering wonders wondrously
1. I __________ who is with her now.

2. Our dog is such a __________ pet.
3. Her face had a joyous, __________ smile, like that of an angel.
4. Suddenly, as if a miracle had occurred, the garden was __________
beautiful.
10 Quartet 7
U N I T
1
5. "You really, really love me!" she exclaimed in __________.
6. "It can't be true," she said in a __________ tone of voice.
7. The Eiffel Tower is one of the __________ of the world.
8. It is __________ built.
But psychologists have found this issue so intriguing that many studies have
been done on the subject.
Some Words
intrigue intrigued intriguing intriguingly
9. For 30 years the detective investigated the __________ mystery of the

princess who had disappeared, but the case was never solved.
10. "I can't tell you the truth about that, officer," said the prince, smiling
__________.
The words that people choose can provide a hint as to which sense they relate
to.
Some Words
relate relations relative
related relationship relatively
11. She has a very strong __________ with her twin sister.
12. My favorite __________ is my uncle Jake. I'm__________ to him through
my mother.
13. "You never listen to me, you never __________ seriously to anything I say!"
he cried.
14. These exercises are __________ easy, compared to those we did last
week.
15. Many leaders today are trying to improve the __________ among nations.
In their study of sense orientation, psychologists have learned that they can
detect which sense a person is using before the person even says anything.
Some Words
detect detector
detection detective
16. Sherlock Holmes is one of the most famous __________ in literature.
11 Quartet 7
U N I T
1
17. His methods of __________ were based on those of a real person, who was
a doctor.
18. A lie __________ is a machine the police use to see if a person is telling
lies.
19. If you've studied the research, you can probably __________ which sense
people are using when they try to remember things.
Some Words
senseless senses sensibly
sense sensible
20. He could __________ that someone had entered the room behind him, but
he did not know who it was.
21. Some people believe that we actually have more than five __________.
22. During the competition, Yuji was knocked __________ and lay there for a
few seconds until he suddenly jumped up again.
23. She is a logical, __________ person; you can rely on her judgment. She
always behaves __________.
Each type of eye movement corresponds to the sense that the person is using
while he or she is thinking.
Some Words
correspondence correspondents corresponding correspondingly
24. I don't write too many letters. All my __________ is in this little box.
25. The teacher put a lot of time and effort into preparing the lessons, and the
class worked __________ hard.
26. Many newspapers have their own overseas __________, who report the
news from the major cities around the world.
27. A person's eyes usually move up and to the right when the person is
remembering visual images. The __________ direction when the person is
hearing sounds is down and to the right.
12 Quartet 7
U N I T
1
Here is a simplified description of the rules that the psychologists discovered.
Some Words
describe descriptive indescribable
description descriptively
28. This author writes very __________; you can really picture what she is
describing.
29. Can you __________ the person who took your purse?
30. She gave a detailed __________ of the thief.
31. The way I feel is so strange; it is simply an __________ feeling.
32. The astronaut gave a __________ speech about her journey to the moon.
We all felt as though we had been in the spacecraft with her.
The answer could be that a good part of the time, people try to answer questions
by picturing related information in their mind.
Some Words
picture picturesque
33. The hills around Florence are beautiful and __________. Many artists have
been inspired to paint pictures of the area.
34. Mr. Wang's English has really improved. I can already __________ him
going to London and impressing everyone with his wonderful language
skills.
13 Quartet 7
U N I T
Something More to Read
John Godfrey Saxe, an American poet, wrote the poem you are about to read. It
is based on a folktale from India.
The Blind Men and the Elephant

by John Godfrey Saxe (1816-1887)
1. It was six men of Indostan

To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.
14 Quartet 7
U N I T
1
2. The First approached the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
"God bless me! but the Elephant
Is very like a wall!"
3. The Second, feeling of the tusk,

Cried, "Ho! what have we here?
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me 'tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!"
4. The Third approached the animal,

And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a snake!"
5. The Fourth reached out an eager hand,

And felt about the knee.
"What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain," quoth he;
"'Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!"
6. The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,

Said: "E'en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!"
7. The Sixth no sooner had begun

About the beast to grope1,
Than, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a rope!"
15 Quartet 7
U N I T
1
8. And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!
Moral
9. So oft in theologic wars,
The disputants, I ween2,
Rail on3 in utter ignorance
Of what each other mean,
And prate4 about an Elephant
Not one of them has seen!
1 grope- reach out and explore with your hands

2 ween- think, imagine
3 rail on- attack or criticize using strong language
4 prate- talk at length
1. What is the main lesson, or moral, of the poem? Write it in your own words.
2. What characteristic of the six blind men do we learn about in the first stanza
of the poem? What phrase shows this characteristic?
3. Which of the five senses did the blind men use to relate to the world? If the
men were all using the same sense, why didn't they agree in their
impressions?
16 Quartet 7
U N I T
1
4. Each one of the men made a comparison between the elephant and a
different object. Complete the following sentences to show the comparisons.
• The man who fell against the elephant's side thought the elephant was
like a ________.
• The man who touched the tusk came to the conclusion that the elephant
was like a _________.
• The man who touched the elephant's trunk compared the elephant to a
__________.
• The man who felt the elephant's knee thought the animal was like a
___________.
• The man who touched the ear compared the elephant to a ___________.
• The man who caught the tail compared it to a ___________.
5. How good were the men's comparisons? Evaluate each one. Suggest
alternatives to the ones that you think could be improved.
6. What might the men have compared the elephant to if they had gotten to
know the entire animal?
7. What does the elephant make you think of? Suggest an analogy.
8. This poem was written in the last century, so the language is different from
modern English. With a partner, guess the meaning of the following words
and contractions from the context:
• Stanza 3, 'tis: _____________
• Stanza 4, quoth: _____________
• Stanza 4, spake: _____________
• Stanza 6, E'en: _____________
• Stanza 9, oft: _____________
9. In stanza 8, the poet writes, "Though each was partly in the right, and all
were in the wrong!" What does he mean? Explain in your own words.
17 Quartet 7
U N I T
Something to Talk About
With a partner, discuss the following points.
1. The Blind Men and the Elephant was written in the 19th century. Do you
think this lesson is applicable today? Give examples of situations in which
the lesson of the poem can be applied. Think of different areas, such as
religion, family life, justice, and politics.
2. Choose one of the situations you discussed in question 1, and prepare to

debate it with a partner. Each one of you takes a different point of view. You
may get together with another pair to include more points of view in your
discussion.
Language in Use
Relative Clauses
Where
Who
Whose
Are where, who, and whose always used as question words? Look at
these examples.
• Think of a peaceful, relaxing place where you would like to be.

• Psychologists who observed eye movements found that all the people in
the study moved their eyes according to the same set of rules.
• Remember to ask the friends whose eyes you watched.
Where, who, and whose are not only question words. They are also relative
pronouns. They introduce relative clauses, which give more information about
a noun.
18 Quartet 7
U N I T
Examples:
Which place? A place where you would like to be.
Which psychologists? Psychologists who observed eye movements.
Which friends? The friends whose eyes you watched.
A Translate these sentences into your native language. Discuss and com
pare your translations with those of a partner who speaks the same
language.
1. I saw the girl whose brother won a million dollars.

__________________________________________________________
2. The blind man touched an elephant whose tusk was as long as a spear.
__________________________________________________________
3. Uncle Anatoly still lives in the house where he was born 90 years ago.
__________________________________________________________
4. The city where this singer grew up is famous for its cultural events.
__________________________________________________________
B Use where and whose to complete these sentences.
1. She said, "I don't know why he thinks that I don't understand him, just
because I'm not interested in looking at old paintings. I still think he's an
interesting man, ____________ company I usually enjoy."
2. He said, "I don't know any places ___________ I can take her on a
date. She was so bored in the museum."
3. Later he told me, "The advice you gave me was great. She looked to
the right, so I knew she was a person ____________ main sense was
sound, not sight. I took her to a concert_______________ I was sure
she'd enjoy herself. And she did! We heard a band ______________
music we both loved. Now I know we are a couple ____________
tastes are similar, and it's wonderful. I also realize you're a true friend
_____________ advice is worth a lot. Thanks!
19 Quartet 7
U N I T
C Use relative clauses to make the two sentences into one.

Examples:
I want to visit the house. My parents used to live there.
I want to visit the house where my parents used to live.
I met a woman at the party. Her husband was my childhood friend.

At the party, I met a woman whose husband was my childhood friend.
1. They will stay in the old house. A famous movie star once lived there.
They __________________________________________________
_________________________________________________.
2. Cassia has a new boyfriend. Her boyfriend's job takes him abroad twice
a month.
Cassia _________________________________________________
_________________________________________________.
D Complete the sentences logically. You can use the phrases in the box.
brother had robbed the bank

classes were always so inspiring
dress was wet had fallen into the river
his family spent their last holiday
the poet lived 40 years ago is still standing
we had dinner by the sea last spring
1. I love the village where ____________________________.
2. I saw the doctor whose ____________________________.
3. Nicole wrote an article about the teacher whose _________________.
4. Sacha highly recommended the hotel where ____________________.
5. The girl whose _____________________________________.
6. The house where ________________________________________.
20 Quartet 7
U N I T
E Fill in the blanks to make interesting sentences with relative clauses.
1. ____________________________where ___________________.
2. ____________________________who _____________________.
3. ____________________________whose____________________.
4. ____________________________whose ___________________.
A Write a poem of your own. Try to make it rhyme according to some pattern.
B Practice reading your poem out loud.
C Share your poem with others.
Project
Choose a project.
1. Conduct a survey. Follow these steps:
• Choose a topic that interests you. Some topic ideas are favorite
pastimes, body language, and the effect of colors on people's moods.
• Prepare questions for your survey.
• Ask at least 10 people.
• Organize your results.
• Prepare an oral or written report on the results.
2. Choose something to teach. It can be a lesson in English, history, science,

or another area. Prepare a lesson that relates to learners whose sense
orientations are different. Use whatever teaching aids you think are
necessary. If possible, give the lesson in class.
3. Write and present a short play about misunderstandings and conflicts

between people of different sense orientations.
21 Quartet 7
U N I T
What Did You Learn?
Facts:
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Words:
Word Meaning
22 Quartet 7
U N I T
2
It's a Mystery to Me
U N I T
Before You Start
"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is

the source of all true art and science."
Albert Einstein
A Do you agree with the quotation? Are there any cases where the mysterious
is not beautiful? Give examples.
B Mysterious phenomena are unexplained phenomena. When a good scientific

explanation is provided, the phenomenon ceases to be mysterious. Some
of the following already have explanations. What do you know about
them? With a partner, discuss the items and their explanations.
• the Bermuda Triangle • extrasensory perception

• the Loch Ness Monster • flying saucers
C Add mysterious phenomena to the list in question B. They may be based on

something you read or something that happened in the past and is still
unexplained.
24 Quartet 7
U N I T
D With a partner, complete the following chart with characteristics of science

fiction stories and stories about mysterious phenomena. The first is done as
an example.
Characteristic Science Fiction Stories Stories about

Mysterious
Phenomena
Strange, unnatural
things happen. ✔
Futuristic technologies
are described.
✔
E Compare the chart you made in question D with another pair's chart.
25 Quartet 7
U N I T
What Do You Know?
A Do you know the names of any famous science fiction writers? Think of as
many as you can. Which of their books have you read?
B What are the names of some science fiction movies? What are the names of
some thrillers? Which are scarier? Why?
C Science fiction sometimes deals with meetings between human beings and
beings from another planet. With a partner, talk about meetings like this
that you've seen in movies or read in books. If you like, imagine a meeting
like this and write a description of it.
Some Words
A The verbs in the left column of the chart come from the story you are going
to read. Which category does each verb belong to? Check the appropriate
column in the chart.
Physical Way of Feeling

Movement Speaking
1. rubbed her eye
2. mumbled
3. yawned
4. stretched her aching back
5. missed his family
6. whispered
26 Quartet 7
U N I T
B Use the words in the box to complete the phrases and sentences.
Some Words
bed fear out wandered
depressed light panel worse
faster nerves pillows
1. a big, firm _______

2. soft, fluffy _______
3. the control ______
4. to make matters ________
5. a flash of bright green _________
6. His sense of humor is getting on my _______.
7. She was feeling ________.
8. Her thoughts _________.
9. His eyes bulged with ________.
10. His heart began beating slightly ________.
11. The lights in the shuttle went _________.
27 Quartet 7
U N I T
What Do You Think?
A These sentences come from the story you are going to read.
Which sentences describe or hint at something mysterious?
1. ❒ I'm speaking to Mission Control.

2. ❒ "Everything's going to float around!"
3. ❒ Three months of living together was beginning to get to all of them.
4. ❒ He missed his wife and children, too.
5. ❒ Mutt thought she was going to be sick.
6. ❒ "What was THAT?" Terrence screamed.
7. ❒ Suddenly, a flash of bright green light irradiated the cabin.
8. ❒ Terrence's face was white, and his eyes bulged with fear.
9. ❒ Terrence was glued to the wall of the cabin, unable to move. It was as if
someone, or something, was holding him up against the wall.
10. ❒ As Mutt touched Terrence, she felt an ice cold chill run through her body.
11. ❒ Mutt wanted to think about the events before reporting them.
12. ❒ "We have lights now. Everything seems to be okay. Over," Mutt reported.
B Compare your answers to question A with your partner's. Did you mark the
same sentences? What makes them sound mysterious?
C Based on the sentences above, what do you think you will read about?
❒ a regular space shuttle journey and the routine work done by astronauts
❒ a space shuttle journey that was different and special in some way
❒ an accident in space
28 Quartet 7
U N I T
Something to Read
The Space Shuttle Secret
"Ouch!" Captain Morgan rubbed her eye as the toothbrush bumped gently into it.
"Stupid toothbrush…I keep forgetting to tie it down," she mumbled to herself.
Captain Morgan, or "Mutt" as her crewmates preferred to call her, yawned and
stretched her aching back. "What I wouldn't give to be back in my big, firm bed
again, with soft, fluffy pillows…"
"Did you mumble something, Mutt?" Terrence, the junior astronaut, asked.
"No, no. It's nothing," Mutt said.
"Well, don't talk too loud. I'm speaking to Mission Control. If they hear you, they'll
think you've gone even madder and tell us to turn around and come back!"
Terrence loved to be funny. At least he tried to be funny, but most of the time it
didn't work. Frankly, his sense of humor was getting on Mutt's nerves.
"Hey, who took my straw? I can't eat breakfast without my straw!" Terrence
started pulling things out of boxes and throwing clothes out of his bags.
"Stop it, Terrence!" yelled Luis, the second in command. "Everything's going to
float around! Someone's going to get hurt."
Terrence couldn't understand why everyone was getting more and more annoyed
with him lately. In fact, three months of living together was beginning to get to all
of them. This was Terrence's first assignment, and it was a lot harder than he had
imagined. He was no less enthusiastic about being an astronaut than before. He
was as sure as ever that this was what he wanted to do with his life. But,
somehow, now that he was actually up in space, it was sometimes a bit less
exciting than he had imagined. He missed his wife and children, too.
"Found it!" Terrence pulled his straw out of his boot triumphantly. "Now who wants
breakfast? I'm making some yummy oatmeal."
29 Quartet 7
U N I T
2
Mutt thought she was going to be sick. If she had to eat one more portion of
oatmeal, she would jump out the shuttle door. Three months of living with
anyone twenty-four hours a day would drive you crazy. When the anyone was two
other really nice astronauts, it could drive you even crazier. To make matters
worse, today was Mutt's forty-fifth birthday. It was also going to be her last shuttle
ride. An astronaut's career in space was short-lived. Although she had had some
wonderful moments, she would be offered a ground job or an early retirement
package when the crew landed next week. She was really feeling depressed.
Nevertheless, Mutt changed her clothes, brushed her teeth, and sat at the
terminal for her turn at the watch. She began to play with the buttons, adjust a
few dials, and her thoughts wandered. It had been three months since she had
seen Adrian. He was angry that she had taken this last assignment. He
complained that she was doing it to get away from her responsibilities as a
parent. Maybe he was right. She would have to start paying some more attention
to her family.
"What was THAT?" Terrence screamed. Luis turned quickly, about to yell at
Terrence for scaring him out of his boots. But suddenly, a flash of bright green
light irradiated the cabin.
"Did you see that? First there was a bump and then a flash of weird green light.
Did you see it? Did you?" Terrence asked. Terrence's face was white, and his
eyes bulged with fear.
Luis floated toward the front of the shuttle, where Mutt was sitting.
"Mutt, what was it?" Luis whispered, feeling his heart beating slightly faster.
"I don't know, Luis. All the readings are normal. According to the control panel,
nothing has happened."
"Did you feel it, too, Mutt?" Terrence asked. Although Mutt didn't want to admit it,
she, too, had felt the slight bump, and she had definitely seen the flash of light.
"Mutt, we have to report this," Luis said.
"Report what?" said Mutt. "Tell Mission Control that we felt and saw something
that isn't registering on the panel? They'll tell us that we're crazy! Is that what you
want?”
"Hhhhelp!" Terrence cried.
Luis and Mutt both turned quickly in their seats. Terrence was glued to the wall of
the cabin, unable to move. It was as if someone, or something, was holding him
up against the wall. Mutt pushed herself off her chair and rammed herself into
Terrence, hoping to knock him loose from the wall. But as Mutt touched Terrence,
she felt an ice cold chill run through her body. However, she did manage to get
30 Quartet 7
U N I T
2
hold of Terrence and to slide him off the wall. Then, all at once, the lights in the
shuttle went out. The three astronauts were floating in total darkness.
"Mutt, are you there?" Luis whispered. "Answer me."
"Yeah, I'm okay. Terrence is next to me. Let's make contact by the bathroom.
I don't think we should split up." Next to the bathroom, the three attached their
safety ropes to their uniforms. Now they were strapped to each other as well as
to the shuttle wall. If anything came for them or tried to grab hold of one of them,
at least they would face it together.
"Mutt, I'm really scared," Terrence said.
"Me, too, Terrence," Mutt answered. "Me, too." But she was the captain and had
to try to remain calm. "Let's do a systems check and see if we can get the lights
back." The three worked for almost half an hour without success. Their life
support system was fine, but there were no lights. Finally, they contacted Mission
Control to try to get assistance with the lights. They carefully didn't mention any of
the other events. Mutt wanted to think about the events before reporting
them. She had no wish to be ordered down a week early. She didn't want her last
mission to be a failure.
Suddenly, the lights came back on. Everything seemed to be normal again. The
three astronauts sat at the controls quietly.
The voice from Mission Control broke the silence. "Mission Control to Shuttle 15.
Is everything okay out there?"
"We have lights now. Everything seems to be okay. Over," Mutt reported.
"Mutt…?"
"What, Terrence?"
"Mutt, something real happened here, didn't it?"
"Yes, Terrence, it was something very real."
"I'd say so," Luis added.
The three went back to keeping an eye on the controls and going about their
business. None of them spoke about what had happened for the rest of the
journey. But they knew. All of them knew.
31 Quartet 7
U N I T
A Answer the questions.
1. How do you think the captain's crewmates feel about her? Do they feel she
is their friend? Quote from the story to support your answer.
2. What kind of person is Terrence? Use at least three adjectives to

describe him. Quote from the story to support your answer.
3. The writer mentions Mutt's age. Why is her age significant?
4. When the story takes place, how long have the three astronauts been in
space? How do you know?
5. Mystery is made up of events that actually happen and things that people
see, as well as of people's interpretations of those events. What do the
astronauts actually see?
6. Do the astronauts try to interpret what happened? If so, how do they

interpret it?
7. How do the astronauts react to what happened? Find sentences in the story
that describe their feelings.
8. How does Mutt feel that the people in Mission Control will react to the
event? Find sentences in the story that illustrate your answer.
9. How do you interpret what happened on the shuttle? Can you come up with
a logical explanation for what happened?
10. Why is Mutt so careful not to report what happened?
11. The story ends with the words, "But they knew. All of them knew." What did
they know?
12. What in the story occurred more or less as you expected it to? What in the
story surprised you?
13. The writer opens the story with the toothbrush incident. What effect does the
writer expect the incident to have on the reader?
32 Quartet 7
U N I T
2
14. Why do you think Mutt longs for her bed on Earth?
15. Have you ever tried spending twenty-four hours a day with somebody for
several days? What happened? Do you agree that it is hard? Explain.
16. Why do you think none of them spoke about what happened for the rest of
the journey?
17. What do you think the astronauts should do when they get back to Earth?
Why?
B Discuss these questions with a partner.
1. Could this story be made into a movie? Why or why not?
2. Which of the three astronauts would you most like to meet? Why?
Choose two topics.
1. When they land, the three astronauts in the story The Space Shuttle Secret
discuss what they should do and come to a decision. Write the discussion
as a short play.
2. You are Mutt. After you land and your last mission is over, you finally decide
to write a letter to the mission authorities to tell them what happened. You
want to make sure that future space shuttles will be more prepared for such
occurrences. Write the letter.
3. You are going to make a movie based on the story The Space Shuttle
Secret. You will need to make some changes to the story. Write a summary
of the plot of the movie and a brief description of the scenes.
4. Write a different ending for the story The Space Shuttle Secret.
5. Write a review of the story The Space Shuttle Secret for the literature
section of a magazine.
6. Write your own science fiction story on a similar theme.
33 Quartet 7
U N I T
Language in Use
Sequence Markers
• First there was a bump and then a flash of weird green light.
• Then, all at once, the lights in the shuttle went out.
• Finally, they contacted Mission Control to try to get assistance with the
lights.
Connecting words like first, then, and finally help us organize sequences
of actions and events.
Other words of this type include at last, at the end, in the beginning, in the
end, lastly, next, second, third
A Here is some more information about Luis, one of the astronauts in the
story. Number the events in the order in which they happened.
____But from the very beginning, he was an outstanding pupil in his

elementary school.
____After that, when he reached high school, he became very

interested in science and began to dream of being a scientist. He also
learned karate, which gave him a lot of control over his body.
____Eventually NASA accepted him as an astronaut in their space

program, since he was both very fit and had an excellent background
in science.
____At first, his parents worried about him because he did not start talking at
the usual age.
____Then he began to dream of being an astronaut and going into space.
____In the end, as we read in the story, he had a most unusual experience in
space.
34 Quartet 7
U N I T
B Complete this talk given by one of the astronauts. Use connecting words
from the box. Then compare your answer with your partner's.
Some Words
as time passed finally in the end
at first first second
eventually in the beginning then
What was it really like in space, you ask? Well, _________________ I

enjoyed being in the spacecraft very much. ______________ it was exciting
to do things while floating in the air. _____________, however, I began to get
tired of the same things every day. Three things in particular started to bother
me. _____________ , my fellow astronauts' jokes began to get on my nerves.
___________ , sucking food through a straw became boring. And,
__________, I even became tired of floating in weightlessness and also
began to miss my own bed. There were times when I really wanted to go
home. _______________, of course, all the boredom completely
disappeared.____________ we had too much excitement, with that
mysterious green light and all.
C Use sequence markers like those in exercises A and B to do the

following:
1. Describe one day in your life.

2. Tell someone how to do an everyday activity such as getting into a car
and driving off or making a cake.
35 Quartet 7
U N I T
36 Quartet 7
U N I T
Answer the questions, and discuss your answers in a group.
1. What you read is a report written by a high school pupil. Look up the story
by Maugham in a book or on the Internet and read it. Did the pupil report
the story accurately? Explain.
2. How could the pupil improve the report? Write your advice as a list of
points. Relate to organization, style, and depth of analysis.
3. The title of the story is Appointment in Samarra. Who had an appointment
there?
4. In the story Death looked human – like a woman. How is death
portrayed in other stories you have read, and in movies and works of art?
5. The pupil who wrote the report says that the story has a message. Do
you agree? Do you think the pupil understood the message?
6. The servant believes that he can avoid his fate. What does the author of the
story believe? Support your answer.
7. Do you think it is possible to avoid fate? Why or why not?
8. Go back to the table of comparison in Before You Start. Does this story fit
either of the categories? Why or why not? If not, what kind of story would
you say this is?
Hold a round-table discussion about fate.
• One group is to defend the idea that fate determines all. The other group is
to defend the idea that human beings determine their own destiny.
• Each group should prepare a list of arguments to support their point of view.
• Each group should then choose three representatives to participate in the
discussion.
37 Quartet 7
U N I T
Some Words
A Review the words from the story The Space Shuttle Secret. For each
explanation below, find a matching word in the box.
Some Words
aching miss retirement
assignment mumble triumphantly
fluffy portion watch
1. sore or hurting - _______________

2. full of air, light - _______________
3. speak quietly and unclearly - _______________
4. task or work that you are given - _______________
5. think of someone that is far away and wish the person were with you -
_______________
6. proudly - ______________
7. serving of food - _______________
8. act of stopping work, usually because of age -_______________
9. guard duty -_______________
B Review the words from the report in Something More to Read.

Then complete the summary with appropriate words. Try to fill in the words
without looking at the report.
There was a merchant in Baghdad who sent his ________ to the market. In the
marketplace the servant met Death and was very ________. The servant came
home and asked his ________ to lend him a ________ so he could go away and
avoid his __________. The servant thought that if he left town, Death would not
_________ him.
Later, the merchant saw Death and asked her why she had made a ________
gesture to his servant that morning. Death replied that the gesture had only been
a start of surprise, since she was ________ to see the servant in Baghdad. They
actually had an ________ in Samarra.
38 Quartet 7
U N I T
Choose a topic.
1. Write a short story about someone who was unable to escape his or her
fate.
2. You are a reporter who is going to interview the merchant and his servant
about the incident in Maugham's story Appointment in Samarra. Prepare
questions to ask each character. Make the questions as interesting as you
can.
Project
Choose a project.
• Find out about the history of the space race between the United States and
the former Soviet Union. Prepare a report on the subject.
• Write a report on a television series that deals with mysterious phenomena.

You may focus on how the episodes are filmed, the ideas behind them, or
the characters.
• Find out what happened on the Apollo 13 mission to the moon, and prepare
a presentation or report on it.
• Read several science fiction stories that deal with a similar theme and
prepare a table of comparison. Compare the events, the time frame,
the style, the technologies, and anything else you consider of interest.
• Find a ghost story or a short story of science fiction and practice reading it
aloud. Then read it powerfully and dramatically to the class. You may
prepare questions to ask your classmates at the end.
39 Quartet 7
U N I T
What Did You Learn?
Facts:
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Words:
Word Meaning
40 Quartet 7
U N I T
3
Tell Me a Story
U N I T
Before You Start
A Compare the two sayings about family relationships in English.
Saying 1: Blood is thicker than water.

Saying 2: You can choose your friends, but you can't choose your relatives.
1. Do the sayings express the same idea or contradictory ideas? Explain.

2. Which of the two sayings do you agree with?
B Which of the two sayings does each of these incidents illustrate?
• ___ You go to a family dinner. An uncle pins you into a corner and tells you
long and boring stories all evening.
• ___ You meet a stranger at a party who tells everybody that she knows this
same uncle of yours. She says your uncle is foolish and boring. You feel
insulted, and argue with the stranger.
C What do these expressions mean?
1. Blood is thicker than water means:
❒ Water is not as heavy and thick as blood is.

❒ You must always support a relative, no matter what.
❒ Relatives are often very thick.
❒ Friends are more important than relatives.
2. You can choose your friends, but you can't choose your relatives means:
❒ You should be very careful in choosing both your friends and your
relatives.
❒ Your relatives should choose your friends for you.
❒ Your friends should choose your relatives for you.
❒ You can choose nice friends, but you just have to accept all relatives.
42 Quartet 7
U N I T
What Do You Know?
The name of this unit is Tell Me a Story. Discuss the following

questions about storytelling.
1. Who tells stories and to whom? Make a list (for example, a parent to a
child).
2. What kinds of stories do people tell? Make a list with as many kinds as you
can think of.
3. What kinds of stories do you enjoy hearing? What kinds of stories do you
enjoy reading?
4. Are there differences between stories that people tell orally and stories that
people read to themselves? If so, what are they?
5. What purposes do stories serve (for example, to entertain, to motivate)?

List as many purposes as you can.
6. Stories for children are different from stories for adults. What are the
differences?
7. Jokes are also stories. What are the characteristics of jokes?
8. Relatives often tell stories about the family or about their own past
experiences. Whose stories did you enjoy listening to as a child? Why?
9. Is storytelling an important part of family life? Why or why not?
10. Why are reading and telling stories to a young child important?
43 Quartet 7
U N I T
Some Words
Look at the examples, and answer the questions.
a. Jerry didn't really want to invite his relative, Bernard, over for dinner, but his
parents had been pressuring him about it for months.
b. In New York he had been working under a lot of pressure, so it was nice to
be living in a smaller, more relaxed city.
1. In which sentence is pressure a verb? In which sentence is pressure a

noun? Is the meaning the same?
2. In sentence a, who is applying the pressure? And in sentence b?
When Jerry was home on Thanksgiving, his dad remembered that he had a
cousin living in Seattle.
3. If you don't know what Thanksgiving is, look it up in a dictionary or

encyclopedia. Who celebrates Thanksgiving? Where?
4. What do people traditionally eat at Thanksgiving?
5. Why is it considered a family celebration?
"It's a long story," Bernard said with a twinkle in his eye.
6. How can you notice a twinkle in someone's eye?

7. From this description, how do you think Bernard felt?
Bernard recounted his adventures with Arab merchants in his journey up the
Nile. Jerry sat mesmerized through the whole tale.
8. Explain the meaning of mesmerized in your own words.

9. In what situations do you find that you are mesmerized?
He decided to invite Bernard again. Soon the dinners became a weekly ritual.
10. Which word best replaces ritual here? ❒ ceremony ❒ habit ❒ religious act
44 Quartet 7
U N I T
3
He had begun working as a journalist for a newspaper in London and had grown
to be one of the most popular war correspondents in Britain.
11. What do correspondents do?

12. What do war correspondents do?
13. What other kinds of correspondents are there?
Bernard had fallen. "Bernard?" Jerry called out. "Over here…" a faint voice cried
out.
14. Is a faint voice loud or soft? Why do you think so?
What Do You Think?
A Think and discuss.
1. In many religions and cultures, children are taught to honor their parents,
grandparents, and other older relatives. Do you agree this is important?
Why or why not?
2. Do you think that most young people today show enough respect for their
parents? Explain, and give examples.
3. Do young people today show enough respect for elderly people? Explain.
B The following sentences come from the story you are going to read. Read
them and try to guess the answers to the questions.
Jerry didn't really want to invite his relative, Bernard, over for dinner, but his
parents had been pressuring him about it for months. Jerry had moved to Seattle
a couple of months ago to work as an architect.
1. How old do you think Jerry is? Why?
Jerry's dad remembered that he had a cousin living in Seattle. "He's a good ten
years older than I am," his dad said.
2. How old do you think Jerry's cousin is? Why?
45 Quartet 7
U N I T
3
When Jerry got back to Seattle, he planned to just forget about his long-lost
cousin. His parents, on the other hand, did not.
3. What does this show us about Jerry's parents?
Finally, one day when Jerry was bored, he decided to call and invite Bernard over
for dinner.
4. What does this show us about Jerry?
Bernard took a seat as Jerry put out some cheese and crackers. Jerry was
amazed at how much he was enjoying himself.
5. What does this show us about Jerry?
"Please, let me drive you," Jerry said, getting up to get the car keys.
"Oh no, no," Bernard said, "I really do need the walk. I don't live too far."
6. What does this show us about Bernard?
Imagine, his own cousin was a famous journalist!
7. How did Jerry feel about Bernard?
When Bernard didn't show up, Jerry began to worry. He called Bernard's home,
but there was no answer.
8. Can you guess why Bernard didn't show up?
When Jerry drove up to Bernard's house, he was more than a little surprised.
9. Can you guess why Jerry was surprised?
"Thank goodness you came!" Bernard said. Then he looked around at the
surroundings, embarrassed.
10. Why was Bernard embarrassed?
46 Quartet 7
U N I T
Something to Read
The South African Cousin
Part 1
Jerry didn't really want to invite his relative, Bernard, over for dinner, but his
parents had been pressuring him about it for weeks. Jerry had moved to Seattle a
couple of months earlier to work as an architect. It was quite difficult being in a
new place without any family, but Jerry thought the change would do him good.
He liked the people at the new company. What’s more, in New York he had been
working under a lot of pressure, so it was nice to be living in a smaller, more
relaxed city.
As it turned out, Jerry had a relative in Seattle that he hadn't known about. When
Jerry was home at Thanksgiving, his dad remembered that he had a cousin living
in Seattle. "He's a good ten years older than I am," his dad said, "from my
mother's side of the family. He's one of our South African relatives."
Dad's family had come to the United States from Europe right after World War I.
It seemed that other parts of his family went to South Africa. The American
branch had lost touch with most of the other side of the family, but Dad liked to
keep up with them as much as possible.
"If I'm not mistaken, Bernard moved to Seattle about ten years ago. I'm not really
sure why," Dad said as he was slicing the turkey over dinner. "Maybe you should
look him up, Jerry. It might be nice to meet an old relative. In any case, I'm sure
he's getting on in years and would appreciate the company."
When Jerry got back to Seattle, he planned to just forget about his long-lost
cousin. His parents, on the other hand, did not.
"Have you called cousin Bernard yet?" his mother kept asking. "Why don't you
invite him for dinner?"
Finally, one day when Jerry was bored, he decided to call and invite Bernard over
for dinner.
When Bernard walked in, Jerry was shocked. He had expected Bernard to look
older and more, well, more like an old relative. Instead, what Jerry saw was a
spry, good-looking man who certainly looked younger than his 75 years. Jerry
invited Bernard to come in.
47 Quartet 7
U N I T
3
"You look just like my brother Jo," Bernard said as he looked Jerry over. "Yes,
indeed. Jo had the same flaming red hair and the same strong chin."
Jerry beamed. The rest of the family had always teased him because he didn't
resemble anyone. No one else in the family had red hair. He now felt that he
belonged.
Bernard took a seat as Jerry put out some cheese and crackers. Jerry was
amazed at how much he was enjoying himself. Bernard turned out to be quite a
character, not at all like the rest of Jerry's straitlaced family.
Over dinner, Jerry asked Bernard when he had left South Africa. "Oh, it's a very
long story," Bernard said with a twinkle in his eye. He then began to tell Jerry how
he had run away from home at the age of 17 with the goal of reaching Europe.
He told his young cousin how he had hitchhiked across Africa and traveled with
tribes through the desert. Bernard recounted his adventures with Arab merchants
on his journey up the Nile. Jerry sat mesmerized through the whole tale.
"What happened when you got to Europe?" Jerry asked. He wanted to hear
more.
Bernard laughed. "We must leave some tales for the next time! It's getting quite
late. I think I'll go home."
"Please, let me drive you," Jerry said, getting up to get the car keys.
"Oh no, no," Bernard said, "I really do need the walk. I don't live too far."
Before Jerry could insist on driving him, Bernard left. Jerry couldn't believe how
much he had enjoyed the evening. He decided to invite Bernard again. Soon the
dinners became a weekly ritual.
48 Quartet 7
U N I T
1. Why did Jerry finally invite Bernard? Was he just following his parents'
advice, or did he have other reasons? Quote from the article to support your
answer.
2. Why did Jerry's parents insist that Jerry should invite Bernard? Were they
trying to be nice to an old relative, or did they have other reasons? Quote
from the article to support your answer.
3. Why do you think Jerry's father liked to keep up with his South African
relatives?
4. Hearing that Bernard had a red-headed brother made Jerry feel good. Why?
5. Why do you think Bernard would not let Jerry drive him home?
Something to Read
Part 2
Bernard continued to tell Jerry the fascinating stories about his life. He described
how he had traveled through Europe, earning money as a model. In whispered
tones, he mentioned his affair with the French prime minister's niece – and how
he was thrown out of the country by the secret police. He then told Jerry how he
had begun working as a journalist for a newspaper in London and had grown to
be one of the most popular war correspondents in Britain. Jerry couldn't believe
all the stories. Imagine, his own cousin was a famous journalist! Bernard also told
Jerry about the books that he had written. "They even made a movie out of one
of them!" he said. Jerry was fascinated. He even began writing down the stories.
Who knows? Maybe one day he would write a book with Bernard retelling all the
adventures.
"Why did you come to Seattle, Bernard?" Jerry asked one day.
49 Quartet 7
U N I T
3
“Oh, there was once a woman in my life," he said quickly. "She wanted to move
here. But we're not together anymore." Bernard quickly changed the subject.
One evening, Jerry sat waiting for Bernard to come over for their weekly dinner.
Bernard was very late. Jerry found it quite odd, since Bernard was never late.
Even if he were going to be late, Jerry was sure that his cousin would have
called. When Bernard didn't turn up, Jerry began to worry. He called Bernard's
home, but there was no answer.
Maybe Bernard had had a fall. Maybe something had happened, and he
couldn't come to the phone. Jerry had Bernard's address written down
somewhere, but he had never been to his place. Bernard had always insisted on
walking home. Jerry decided that he should go over to Bernard's to check if he
was okay.
When Jerry drove up to Bernard's house, he was more than a little surprised. The
house was on a small, dark street in a poor area. The door was falling off its
hinges, and the house itself was old and run down. "What about all the money he
made from being a journalist?" Jerry thought to himself. "Surely after writing all
those books he should have enough money to live in a better house than this!"
Jerry walked up the creaky steps and knocked on the door. There was no
answer. Jerry tried the door. It wasn't locked, so Jerry walked in.
"Bernard?" he called out.
"Over here…" a faint voice cried out.
Jerry followed the sound of the voice to the basement. There lay Bernard next to
a stepladder. He had tried to get something off a high shelf and had fallen down.
"Thank goodness you came!" Bernard said. Then he looked around at the
surroundings, embarrassed.
Jerry saw the house. There were no famous books around. There were no prizes
or awards on the wall. There weren't any souvenirs of foreign lands. Jerry
realized that Bernard was neither a famous journalist nor a famous author. He
suddenly knew that the adventure stories probably weren't true, either. Bernard
was an ordinary man, one without very much money.
Jerry helped Bernard up and brought him to the hospital. Bernard was quiet the
whole way there. When Jerry had finished checking him into the hospital, he
turned to Bernard and said, "Bernard, why didn't you tell me the truth? I could
have helped you out a bit."
50 Quartet 7
U N I T
3
Bernard shook his head. "Jerry, really. What young man like you would want to
hang around with a boring old man like me? I thought that if you at least believed
that I'd had an exciting past, I would have some nice company once in a while."
Jerry took Bernard by the hand. "You know, Bernard, I have an apology to make.
At the beginning, I really didn't want to invite you. It was my parents who
pressured me into calling you. And then I was fascinated by all your stories, so I
wanted to keep seeing you." Jerry cleared his throat and continued, "But you
know, Bernard, I like you. And I hope that you'll come for dinner again so that I
can get to know the real you."
Bernard looked at Jerry with tears in his eyes. "Thank you, Jerry. That means a
lot to me."
Jerry left the hospital and went home. Life really did have its strange little twists
and turns. Bernard wasn't who Jerry thought he was. On the other hand, the
stories were great. Maybe they could still write a book together...
51 Quartet 7
U N I T
A Go back to the questions in What Do You Think? Were your answers

correct? Add additional information based on the story, or change your
answers if necessary.
B Answer the questions.
1. Describe Bernard's personality. Make a list of adjectives that describe him,

and support each choice with evidence from the text.
2. Bernard told Jerry many stories. In the list, check all the things that Bernard
actually said.
❒ He ran away from home at the age of 15.

❒ He hitchhiked across Africa to get to Europe.
❒ He traveled with tribes through the desert.
❒ He traveled up the Nile and met Arab merchants.
❒ He earned money as a salesman while he was traveling through Europe.
❒ He had an affair with the French prime minister's niece.
❒ He was thrown out of England.
❒ He worked as a journalist for a newspaper in London.
❒ He became a very popular fashion correspondent.
❒ He wrote several books.
3. All the stories Bernard told were untrue. What was his real story?
4. How did Jerry feel when he realized that the Bernard he thought he knew
was not the real Bernard?
5. Bernard said that if he hadn't told those interesting stories, Jerry wouldn't
have wanted to be with him. Do you think that Bernard was right?
Explain your answer.
6. Did the end of the story surprise you? What did you expect?
7. Jerry was shocked when he first saw Bernard. What does this show about
Jerry's stereotypes of older people? What does this show about Jerry?
What lesson did he quickly learn at that first dinner with Bernard?
52 Quartet 7
U N I T
3
8. Did you guess the truth about Bernard before you got to the end of the
story? If so, what made you suspicious?
9. One could say that Bernard was just a liar, a dishonest person. Would it be
fair to say this? Explain your answer.
10. If you had been Jerry, how would you have reacted when you discovered
that Bernard had been lying to you all along?
11. Do you think that Bernard was right to lie as he did? Explain your answer.
12. Do you think this is a good story? Why or why not?
Choose two topics.
1. Do you know any fascinating conversationalists? If so, describe one and

explain why he or she is so interesting.
2. Write a page for a book on proper behavior. Give tips for how to be a good
dinner guest whom people will want to invite back again.
3. Imagine you are Jerry at the beginning of the story, and write a letter to your
parents explaining why you have not yet invited Bernard to dinner. Then
write another letter after Bernard has come to dinner a few times.
4. The writer does not tell us Bernard's real background, or how he ended up
poor in Seattle. Based on the information in the passage, invent what you
think the real story of Bernard's life might have been.
5. Imagine how Jerry would tell the story of Bernard to his own child. Make
sure you include what Jerry felt he learned from the episode. Write the
dialog between the father and child.
6. Bernard writes a letter to Jerry's parents about all that happened. Write the
letter.
53 Quartet 7
U N I T
Language in Use
Phrasal Verbs
Maybe you should look him up, Jerry.

I'm sure he's getting on in years.
He then began to tell Jerry how he had run away from home at the age
of 17.
He was thrown out of the country by the secret police.
One evening, Jerry sat waiting for Bernard to come over for their weekly
dinner.
When Bernard didn't show up, Jerry began to worry.
Sometimes words like up, over, away, on, into, and for change the meaning
of the verb they follow. Verbs with such words are called phrasal verbs.
54 Quartet 7
U N I T
Match the phrasal verbs with their meanings.
A B
___ 1. Please look after my little girl. a. try to find

___ 2. Let's get a detective to look into the matter. b. take care of
___ 3. When you visit Seattle, look up your uncle. c. find the information
___ 4. I do not know the answer, I will have to d. want to
look it up in a book. e. investigate
___ 5. I really look forward to seeing you again. f. go to visit
___ 6. We must look for the lost purse. g. awaken and leave
___ 7. I haven’t seen him in years. He must be your bed
getting on by now. h. hurt someone because
___ 8. I hope Jerry is getting on well in his new they hurt you
job. i. becoming old
___ 9. I hate to get up in the mornings. j. succeeding, managing
___ 10. It sometimes takes a few days to get over a k. become healthy again
cold. l. tell or explain
___ 11. It's true that he did a mean thing, but it m. visit my house
would be childish to try to get back at him. n. meet
___ 12. The lion ran away from the zoo. o. knock over someone
___ 13. Drive carefully, or you might run over with your car
someone. p. escaped
___ 14. Don't run everybody down. Say something q. to speak negatively
good about them. about someone
___ 15. If you go to Seattle, you might run into r. inherited
my cousin. s. arrived
___ 16. I did not understand. Run that past me t. forced someone to
again. leave
___ 17. When his grandfather died, he came into a u. trying to attract
lot of money. attention and make
___ 18. Please come over for dinner. people admire you
___ 19. The police threw him out of the country. v. vomited
___ 20. She was feeling ill and then threw up
her dinner.
___ 21. Stop showing off. People will say you
think too much of yourself.
___ 22. He showed up late for the party.
55 Quartet 7
U N I T
A Tale of Heroism
Once there was a very rich man who loved exciting tales of adventure and
heroism. He wished he could meet a real hero. So one day he filled his swimming
pool with so many crocodiles that there was hardly any room left in the pool.
Then he threw a big party and invited everyone he knew – and hinted strongly
that it would be well worth their while to come.
During the course of the evening, as everyone stood around the pool talking and
eating, the rich man stood up, called for quiet, and made an announcement. He
said, "Perhaps there is a really brave, daring person among us. Is there one? To
such a person I will gladly give whatever is in my power to give. I am ready to
give my house or ten million dollars or my private plane or whatever this person
chooses. This I will give to the first person to swim across my swimming pool full
of crocodiles."
No one said anything. The rich man waited. Suddenly, there was a splash, and
everyone turned and saw a man fighting off the crocodiles in the pool! He ran, he
swam, he dived, and he kicked their noses furiously, and he moved so quickly
that he was out of the pool before most of the crocodiles realized what had
happened.
"Amazing!" said the rich man and ran up to him. "I'll give you anything you want,"
he said, "That was magnificent. Do you want my house?"
"No."
"Do you want ten million dollars?"
"No."
"Do you want a private plane?"
"No."
"Well, what do you want? Just name it!"
"All I want," said the dripping wet hero, "All I want is the name of the person who
pushed me in the pool just now."
56 Quartet 7
U N I T
1. Do you think this joke is funny?

2. If you answered yes, what makes it funny? The people, the crocodiles,
the ending, the details, or the language?
3. If you answered no, what could make it funny? Improve the joke to make it
funnier.
4. Is the rich man in the joke stereotypical? Support your answer with
examples from the passage.
5. Do all jokes use stereotypes? Think of examples to illustrate your answer.
Some Words
A Review the expressions from the story in Something to Read.

Match each expression with its meaning.
Expression in the Story Meaning
1. Bernard took a seat as Jerry put out cheese a. in bad condition

and crackers.
2. Bernard turned out to be quite a character. b. very
3. ...not at all like the rest of Jerry's straitlaced c. sat down

family.
4. When Jerry drove up to Bernard's house, he d. completely fascinated
was more than a little surprised.
5. The door was falling off its hinges, and the e. a remarkable person
house itself was old and run down.
6. Jerry sat mesmerized through the whole tale. f. very strict
57 Quartet 7
U N I T
B Use some of the expressions in exercise A to complete these sentences.

Put the nouns and verbs in the correct form as necessary.
1. Don't be so _________________________. There is nothing wrong with

taking off your shoes and socks to wade in the water. So what if somebody
sees you?
2. He was _____________________ pleased when I helped him with his

problem.
3. Learning English is actually quite fascinating. In fact, I am

_______________________ by it!
4. Please ________________________. I’ll be with you in a minute.
5. Our new English teacher told us some amazing stories about her life. She is
________________________!
C Review the words in the joke in Something More to Read.

Complete the sentences with appropriate words from the box.
daring exciting hinted

dripping hero realize
a. Once there was a very rich man who loved 1.__________ tales of
adventure and heroism. When he invited his friends, he 2.__________ that
it would be well worth their while to come.
b. He wanted to find a brave, 3.__________ person, a true 4.__________ .
c. The man who jumped in the swimming pool moved so fast that the
crocodiles didn't 5.__________ what had happened.
d. The man came out of the pool 6.__________ wet.
58 Quartet 7
U N I T
Think of a story you love. You may choose a favorite story from childhood
or something you have read or heard as an adult.
1. Tell the story to your partner. Tell it as expressively as possible.
2. Ask your partner to evaluate the story. Does he or she like it, too?
What does your partner like about it?
3. Listen to your partner's story. Do you like it? Why or why not?
Project
Choose a project.
1. Interview the older members of your family, or elderly people who you know.
Gather interesting stories from their lives, and make a record of the stories.
It can be in book form, or you can record them on audio or video tape.
2. Do a survey among as many people as you can. Ask the questions below,
and then write a report with your findings.
• What lies have you ever told to impress people? Who were you trying to
impress in each case? Did it work?
• What lies have people told you in order to impress you?
3. Make yourself into a fascinating conversationalist. Prepare at least half an

hour's worth of interesting true stories from your life that you can tell
fascinatingly in the course of a conversation. Then invent two more stories
that are total lies. Practice telling all these stories in front of a mirror. Then
tell your tales to a friend or to the class. Let them guess which two stories
were not true.
4. Find out the names of some of the great storytellers who also wrote books.
Read some of their best stories and compare them. Write a report on what
you find.
59 Quartet 7
U N I T
What Did You Learn?
Facts:
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Words:
Word Meaning
60 Quartet 7
U N I T
4
Unbelievable!
U N I T
Before You Start
Did you know?

A hotline is a direct telephone line or other form of communication for urgent use
or assistance. There are many kinds of telephone and Internet hotlines.
A Match up each hotline with its use.
Name of Hotline When to Use It
1. UFO-Phone a. Instead of going out to shop, you want to

order things in the comfort of your
living room.
2. Cool Concerts b. You are looking for work. You want to place
an advertisement so that employers will
know about you.
3. Dial-a-Dentist c. You’ve just seen an accident involving a
truck carrying barrels of chemicals. Some of
the chemicals have spilled onto the street.
4. Community Classes d. You buy something, but it does not work
properly. The store won't do anything about
it.
5. Hear It First! e. You see a strange object in the sky, and you
are sure it is a flying saucer from outer
space.
6. Consumer Help f. You are interested in learning about Eastern
philosophies and would like to hear some
lectures on the topic.
7. Employment Forum g. It is the middle of the night, and you have a
horrible toothache.
8. Grammar Guide h. You want to buy a new disc but you don't
know whether you'll like the music.
You call up and listen to the disc.
9. Shop-at-Ease i. You want to find out when your favorite
rock group is playing near you.
10. Environmental j. You have written a letter in English and want
Watchdog to make sure there are no mistakes.
62 Quartet 7
U N I T
B Discuss these questions with a partner.
1. Which of these hotlines would be the most useful for you? Why?
2. Which of them would be the least useful? Why?
3. Do you know of any hotlines?
4. Have you ever used a hotline to get information or assistance?
What happened? Would you recommend it?
63 Quartet 7
U N I T
What Do You Know?
The letters UFO stand for "unidentified flying object." Sometimes people call
these objects "flying saucers."
Do some research and prepare a report on UFOs. Here are some topic
ideas:
• UFO sightings by astronauts

• UFO sightings by pilots
• UFO sightings in different parts of the world
• Movies featuring UFOs
• Art based on UFOs
• Science fiction and UFOs
• Psychological effects of UFO sightings
• Press reports of UFO sightings
• UFOs and extraterrestrial beings
• The official stand on UFOs
• UFOs in television shows
In your report, include:
• dates, facts, and statistics

• photographs or drawings
• a bibliography with the names of the sources where you got the information.
64 Quartet 7
U N I T
Some Words
Some nouns refer to groups of people but are actually singular. The verbs that
follow them are also in the singular.
Example:
We're an organization that collects reports on UFO sightings.
A Complete each sentence with the correct form of the verb in parentheses.
a. When we have a spelling contest, the class 1.________ (be) divided into
teams. Each team 2._______ (be) given words to spell. At the end, the team
that 3.__________ (have) the best score wins.
b. Next week my family 4.__________ (be) going on vacation to Tunisia.
c. Ten groups of people will be traveling to the new planet. The group that
5.__________ (adapt) best to the new living conditions will probably be
chosen to start the new community.
d. The government 6.__________ (have) already invested millions of dollars in

research on extraterrestrial life.
B Guess the meaning of the words in bold from their context.
1. The government has already invested millions of dollars in research on

extraterrestrial life.
Invested means
❒ spent
❒ authorized
❒ wasted
2. The reports seem highly reliable. If you are skeptical about UFOs, these
reports may change your mind.
Skeptical means
❒ positive
❒ full of doubts
❒ scientific
65 Quartet 7
U N I T
4
3. They described a "flying saucer" that had streaked out of the sky and
hovered just above them.
Hovered means
❒ flew away
❒ remained above one area
❒ sank
4. This time, however, the boys were delayed.

To be delayed means to be
❒ early
❒ on time
❒ late
5. She had seen that the boys' clothes were, indeed, stacked neatly beside
them.
The boys' clothes were stacked neatly beside them means that their
clothes were
❒ in a disorderly pile
❒ in an orderly pile
6. The retired captain reported that a large and very strange white light had
descended to ground level.
To descend means
❒ go up
❒ go down
66 Quartet 7
U N I T
What Do You Think?
A With a partner, try to guess the answers to this UFO quiz. You can find the
answers at the end of the unit.
1. How many people report seeing a UFO each year?

❒ 700 ❒ 7,000 ❒ 70,000 ❒ 700, 000
2. How many people who see a UFO actually report it?

❒ 9 out of 10 ❒ 6 out of 10 ❒ 3 out of 10 ❒ 1 out of 10
3. How many such sightings can be logically explained?

❒ 9 out of 10 ❒ 6 out of 10 ❒ 3 out of 10 ❒ 1 out of 10
4. How many web pages on the Internet deal with UFO sightings?
❒ more than 10 ❒ more than 100 ❒ more than 1,000 ❒ more than
6,000
1. There are many organizations that collect reports from people who see
UFOs. Why do you think there are so many organizations like this?
2. Do you believe that there are UFOs? What are they? Do they try to hide
from us? Are people trying to conceal their existence?
3. The title of the text you are about to read is Reports of UFO Sightings.
Where would you expect to find such an article?
67 Quartet 7
U N I T
Something to Read
Reports of UFO Sightings
1.
I work at the UFO Center Hotline. I think this is the most fascinating job anyone
could have, because our organization collects reports on UFO sightings. We
organize them into a database, disregard the ones that seem unlikely, and give
our findings to the authorities. Some people think all this is a waste of time.
However, not many people know that the government has already invested
millions of dollars in research on extraterrestrial life.
2.
The other week we received three reports of UFO sightings on the same night.
Since all three reports came from sources that seemed to be both sincere and
serious-minded, they are worth examining carefully. In addition, the reports were
accompanied by a certain degree of emotion, which, we know from experience, is
one of several signs that indicate that a report is highly reliable. If you are
skeptical about UFOs, these reports may change your mind.
3.
February 2
We received a telephone call from a mother in Traverse City, MI, who reported
that at approximately 20:10 hours local time on the previous evening, her 10-
year-old daughter, followed by her two teenage sons, had burst into the house.
With great emotion, they began to describe the "flying saucer" that had streaked
out of the sky and hovered just above them as it made sounds "like a
microwave."
4.
When the mother asked her children about its size, they reportedly held their
arms wide open above their heads. Perhaps the children were suggesting that
the object was very large or that it was relatively close to them. Furthermore, the
mother volunteered that her teenagers are quite knowledgeable about various
types of aircraft. All of the children, she said, insisted that the object they had
witnessed was nothing like any of the aircraft they were familiar with.
5.
The children went on to describe how the object above them had bathed them in
white light. Afterwards, they observed it hovering above the ground at some
distance from them. The object then streaked off, first to the west and then to the
south, and quickly disappeared from view. They said it was the fastest thing they
had ever seen.
68 Quartet 7
U N I T
4
6.
During this call from the mother, the center's hotline representative delicately
asked whether the children had received any marks on their bodies, had
experienced any unusual physical or emotional sensations, or had shown any
other effects that might indicate any kind of interaction between the children and
the object. The mother explained that her three children had been on their way
home from their weekly visit to their grandmother. Her ten-year-old daughter had
been the first one to return to the house. Several minutes later, her two older
boys rushed into the house and essentially recounted the same "flying saucer"
story. From past experience, the mother knew that the boys usually raced each
other home and arrived well before their sister. This time, however, the boys were
delayed. They claimed that after leaving their grandmother's house, they had
found themselves sitting outside in their underwear, with their clothes neatly
stacked beside them on the snow! They had to put their clothes back on before
they could start running home. Moreover, they said they did not remember how
they had become undressed. Interestingly, their mother placed no particular
significance on this unusual behavior since, she explained, her boys were rather
adventurous, even reckless, and being outside in the snow in their underwear in
the middle of winter would not be unusual for them. As a result, she was at first
inclined to think that this was just another crazy story.
7.
However, later that evening, a neighbor telephoned and told the mother that she
had driven past the two boys as they were sitting outdoors in their underwear.
She did not mention seeing any flying saucer, but she had noticed that the boys'
clothes were, indeed, stacked neatly beside them. She, too, had thought the boys
were just up to their usual tricks. This caused the mother to think further, since
her sons never stacked their clothes neatly under any circumstances. Therefore,
she felt that something very much out of the ordinary must have occurred.
8.
The hotline also received a call from a retired U. S. Air Force captain on the
evening of February 2. The retired captain reported that a large and very strange
white light had descended to ground level in the general vicinity of the hill where
the children reported their sighting. The caller apparently knew nothing about the
children's claims regarding their experience.
9.
On the same evening, another caller reported a sighting in the same vicinity. The
report was made by a man in his late 40s. He said that while driving his son
home from a friend's house, they both witnessed a large, delta-shaped craft
somewhere around the hill. At first they thought it was a helicopter, but when they
stopped the car to take a better look, three streaks of light descended from the
craft. At the time of the call, the man was clearly shaken up by the experience.
He reported that he had never seen anything like it in his life. Again, the caller
knew nothing of the other sightings on that evening.
69 Quartet 7
U N I T
A Go back to your answers in What Do You Think?

Were your expectations confirmed? Explain.
1. What is the UFO Center Hotline?
2. Who tells the story?
3. In the second paragraph, the writer describes the sources of the reports as
"sincere and serious-minded." What can we infer about other sources?
4. The writer says that if a person tells you something with emotion, it is more
likely to be true. Do you agree? Explain why or why not.
5. Is the writer objective? Quote from the article to support your answer.
6. Why is the age of the three children important? How might the staff at the
center relate to younger children's reports?
7. Did the mother believe her children? Quote from the article to support your
answer.
8. The mother tells about some routine activities that the children perform.
Why are these routines significant?
9. With a partner, make two lists. One should contain the points that you found
to be convincing in the mother's report, and the other, the points that you
thought were not convincing.
10. Has this article changed your opinion about anything? What? How?
11. Has this article confirmed your opinion of anything? What? How?
12. Would you want to see a UFO? Why or why not?
70 Quartet 7
U N I T
Choose two tasks.
1. Imagine that you are an extraterrestrial being on the UFO in the story in
Something to Read. You meet the children who saw the UFO. Write a letter
home and describe the meeting.
2. One of the children's friends comes over the next day and asks them all
about the incident with the UFO. Write the dialog between the friend and
the children.
3. You are a reporter. Write questions that you would ask the characters in the
story – the children, the mother, or the extraterrestrial beings in the UFO.
71 Quartet 7
U N I T
Language in Use
Words That Express Logical Relationships
A Study the examples and the table below.
Cause
I think this is the most interesting job anyone could have, because our
organization collects reports on UFO sightings.
Since all three reports came from sources that seemed to be both sincere
and serious-minded, they are worth examining carefully.
Interestingly, their mother placed no particular significance on this unusual
behavior since, she explained, her boys were rather adventurous.
Addition
In addition, the reports were accompanied by a certain degree of emotion.
Furthermore, the mother volunteered that her teenagers are quite
knowledgeable about various types of aircraft.
Moreover, they said they did not remember how they had become
undressed.
The hotline received a call from a retired U. S. Air Force captain on the
evening of February 2.
Result
As a result, she was at first inclined to think that this was just another crazy
story.
Therefore, she felt that something very much out of the ordinary must have
occurred.
Contradiction or contrast
However, later that evening, a neighbor telephoned and told the mother
that she had driven past the two boys as they were sitting outdoors in their
underwear.
She did not mention seeing any flying saucer, but she had noticed that the
boys' clothes were, indeed, stacked neatly beside them.
72 Quartet 7
U N I T
Addition Cause Result Contradiction

And As As a result Although
Furthermore Because Consequently But
In addition Since So Despite
Moreover Therefore However
B Which word makes more sense in the context?
1. The reports were all the more believable __________ (therefore, /

although / since) the children showed a strong degree of emotion.
2. A friend said she saw the boys' clothes neatly folded; _________
(therefore, / although / since) the mother began to think about the
incident a bit more.
3. The boys found themselves sitting in the snow, __________ (therefore, /

although / since) they did not exactly remember how they got there.
4. They burst into the house. ____________ (As / Moreover, / However,)

they were late, their mother started to ask them what had happened.
5. The children came home at about the same time as usual. ___________
(As / Moreover, / However,) they were unusually excited and emotional.
6. They came home very excited. _________ (As / Moreover, / However,)

the two boys came in after the girl, which was unusual.
7. ___________ (Despite the / Furthermore, / As a result,) very strange

story, the mother believed them.
8. The children saw it. ___________ (Despite the / Furthermore, / As a

result,) two other independent witnesses saw something strange, too.
9. Three different reports of the same incident came in. __________

(Despite the / Furthermore, / As a result,) it was more likely to be true.
10. The children became famous for a week __________ (but / as a result,
/ because) they had seen a UFO.
73 Quartet 7
U N I T
C Complete the sentences. Give real information about yourself.
1. I enjoy _____________________________________________. In
addition, _______________________________________________.
2. I am not very good at _________________________________. As a
result, ______________________________________________.
3. I'm really serious about my English studies. However,
___________________________________________________.

Extraterrestrial Humor
A woman is walking down the street one evening when suddenly a UFO appears
above her head and gives off a white light. She then finds herself inside the UFO,
face to face with a gigantic green woman.
"Do not be afraid," says the gigantic green woman. "I am here to help you. I am
3,000 years old, and I have just finished a 2,000-year research project studying
you human beings. We are not really allowed to talk to humans, but I have grown
to like you. Therefore, before I go back to my own planet for a while, I want to
help one of you. You may ask me just one question, any question at all, and I will
answer it."
The woman tries to think of the one question which is of most importance to her,
and then she says, "My husband does not really understand me, even though we
have been married for many years. What can I do about it?"
"Ah," says the gigantic green woman. "That is a truly intelligent question. It will be
the subject of our next 2,000-year research project."
74 Quartet 7
U N I T
1. Is this a good joke? Why or why not?

2. Is the woman's question truly intelligent? Why or why not?
3. Did you find the ending funny?

Discuss with a group of classmates.
1. What are the characteristics of good jokes?

2. Talk about different types of jokes. List as many kinds as you can think of,
such as political jokes and UFO jokes.
3. Discuss the characteristics of good joke-tellers. How do they tell jokes?
4. Tell each other some jokes in English.
75 Quartet 7
U N I T
Some Words
A Use words from the box to complete the sentences.
accompany essentially neatly skeptical

degree indicate recount vicinity
delay knowledgeable sincere
1. The opposite of ignorant is _______________.

2. The opposite of believing is _______________.
3. When you go along with someone else, you _____________ that person.
4. Another word for amount or quantity is _______________.
5. To suggest or show is to _________________.
6. A word that means in every important aspect is _______________.
7. To tell again is to ______________.
8. A word that means stop, slow down, or put off till later is _______________.
9. The opposite of in a messy way is _____________.
10. A person who is near a certain area is in that area's ______________.
11. A person who speaks honestly and frankly is ___________.
B Circle the most logical answer for each context.
1. She is very (knowledgeable / skeptical / sincere) about UFOs; in fact,

she is sure they do not exist.
2. He is quite (knowledgeable / skeptical / sincere) about UFO sightings and is
certain that UFOs really exist.
3. The mother seemed (knowledgeable / skeptical / sincere) in her responses;
it was clear that she was not trying to lie about anything.
4. The representative thinks that there is some (recount / degree / vicinity) of
truth in what the man said. The man obviously believes he saw a real UFO.
5. Three different people reported seeing a mysterious flying object in the
(recount / degree / vicinity) of the school, but the object later turned out to
be a weather balloon.
76 Quartet 7
U N I T
4
6. Because the girls' clothes were (neatly / essentially / accompanied) folded
on their beds, their parents suspected that the sisters were up to mischief.
7. If witnesses tell (neatly / essentially / accompanied) the same story, it is very
likely that they really saw something. The question is what.
8. When the military secretly tests new planes, the tests are often (neatly /
essentially / accompanied) by a rise in the number of UFO sightings
reported by the public.
9. When children are (delayed / indicate) on their way home from school,
can we conclude that they saw a UFO?
10. Does the enormous number of people who report seeing UFOs (delayed /
indicate) that UFOs really do exist?
C Talk about yourself and your opinions.
1. I consider myself knowledgeable about

____________________________________________________________.
2. I always enjoy myself when I am accompanied by

____________________________________________________________.
3. I am very skeptical about _______________________________________.
4. I believe that, to a large degree, __________________________________.
5. I think all this talk about UFOs indicates that ________________________.
6. I am essentially _______________________________________________.
7. One thing I love to recount is ____________________________________.
8. One thing that people should never delay is ________________________.
9. Something that I always try to do neatly is __________________________.
10. I love to walk in the vicinity of ____________________________________.
11. An example of someone I consider sincere is ______________, because

____________________________________________________________.
77 Quartet 7
U N I T
D Read the examples in the box, and answer the questions.
a. Today it's very hot; the temperature is almost 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
b. Perpendicular lines form an angle of 90 degrees.
c. When Sara finished college, she received her Bachelor of
Science degree.
d. The degree of emotion in his story makes it more believable.
1. In which sentence does degree refer to the size of an angle? ____

2. In which sentence does degree mean amount? ____
3. In which sentence does degree refer to an academic title? ____
4. In which sentence does degree refer to the measurement of heat? ____
Choose a topic.
1. Do you believe UFOs exist or not? Write a piece describing your opinion.
2. Write a convincing account of a UFO sighting. You can write as if you were
the person who saw the UFO or as if you were a newspaper reporter telling
what happened to someone else.
78 Quartet 7
U N I T
Project
Choose a project.
1. Look at some of the UFO sites on the Internet, and read some reports of
sightings. Write up your findings, and present them to the class.
2. Use the Internet to look up the various beliefs people have about UFOs,
and summarize them in a report.
3. Do a survey to find out how many people believe UFOs come from other
planets. Keep a record of the ages and other characteristics of the people
you interview. Write a report on the survey and your conclusions,
and present it in class.
4. Compare several movies or stories that deal with UFOs in different ways.
What are the various approaches to the topic? Which approaches seem
more successful to you? Use examples to illustrate your answers.
5. Do some research on what scientists say about UFOs and reported

sightings. Present your research to the class.
79 Quartet 7
U N I T
What Did You Learn?
Facts:
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Words:
Word Meaning
80 Quartet 7
U N I T
81 Quartet 7
U N I T
5
Past and Present
U N I T
Before You Start
A Imagine you are writing a book about life in your town. You want to put
ten photographs in your book. Briefly describe the photographs you would
take.
Tip: Think about the pictures you would take of

• home life
• the workplace
• leisure activities
B Compare your choices of photographs with a classmate's choices.
C Work with a partner. Take the two lists of photos that you made in
exercise A. Choose ten pictures that best represent life in your area.
Be prepared to explain your choices.
D A box of objects is going to be buried for 2,000 years so that people in the
future will know what life was like during this century. With a partner, make
a list of at least twenty objects that you would put in this box.
What Do You Know?

With a partner, answer the following questions.
1. What methods do archeologists use to find out about life in the past?
List as many methods as you can think of.
2. What might archeologists find after digging up the remains of a city from
2,000 years ago?
3. What would be the condition of the objects the archeologists find?
What work would they have to do with the objects?
4. What can archeologists learn from such objects?
5. There is one 2,000-year-old city that is almost perfectly preserved.

Do you know the name of this city? (Hint: This city was next to a volcano,
Mt. Vesuvius.)
84 Quartet 7
U N I T
Some Words
Guess the meaning of the words in bold from the context.
Choose the best answer.
1. Ancient Pompeii was a bustling place, where the markets were always
crowded and the streets filled with activity.
Ancient means
❒ very old
❒ interesting
❒ amazing
Bustling does not mean
❒ busy
❒ noisy
❒ full of activity
❒ quiet
85 Quartet 7
U N I T
5
2. In 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted. Ash and cinders poured forth,
completely covering the city of Pompeii.
Erupted in this sentence means
❒ appeared
❒ became visible
❒ released hot rock and ash
❒ became angry
3. People discovered the ancient city under heaps of volcanic ash.

Heaps are
❒ secrets
❒ cities
❒ piles
4. Many buildings and their contents were completely preserved beneath

the ash.
To preserve is to _____________________.
The word that is closest in meaning to beneath is
❒ near
❒ above
❒ below
86 Quartet 7
U N I T
What Do You Think?
A You are going to read a passage called Pompeii, the Buried City.
What do you know about Pompeii? Check the sentences that you think are
true.
1. ❒ Pompeii is in northern Italy.

2. ❒ The city was founded in the first century BC.
3. ❒ Pompeii is another name for Rome.
4. ❒ Pompeii was destroyed by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
5. ❒ Nobody discovered the remains of Pompeii for over 3,000 years.
6. ❒ Pompeii is still being excavated.
7. ❒ The ancient objects of Pompeii are very well preserved.
8. ❒ Archeologists did not find the remains of victims of the disaster in
Pompeii.
9. ❒ Most of the inhabitants were unable to escape.
B Scan the story quickly to find all the numbers that are mentioned. Write
down what each number refers to. The first has been done for you.
The number Refers to

1,500 the number of years during which Pompeii remained
undiscovered
87 Quartet 7
U N I T
Something to Read
Pompeii, the Buried City
1.
Have you heard of the great city of Pompeii? It is hard to believe that for more
than 1,500 years, this ancient city lay almost entirely buried, no one having
discovered its fascinating secrets.
2.
Built around 600 BC, Pompeii was situated at the mouth of the Sarno River near
Mount Vesuvius in Italy. After becoming a Roman colony in the first century BC,
the town turned into a popular resort. In a short time, its population grew to
20,000. Ancient Pompeii was a bustling place, where the markets were always
crowded and the streets filled with activity. But that was all to come to a tragic
end. In 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted. Ash and cinders poured forth, completely
covering the city of Pompeii. Some people managed to escape in time, but others
were buried alive, to be uncovered only centuries later.
3.
It was about 250 years ago that people discovered the ancient city under heaps
of volcanic ash. Finding Pompeii has proved to be one of the most important
events in archeology. Because of the town's excellent state of preservation,
historians have obtained a rare, unique view of the life of ancient Romans.
Digging is still in progress, with about a quarter of the site yet to be investigated.
88 Quartet 7
U N I T
4.
Why is Pompeii so well preserved? When the ash and cinders from the volcanic
eruption settled on the town, they created a seal that kept out air. Without air, the
artifacts did not disintegrate. As a result, many buildings and their contents were
completely preserved beneath the ash. Furthermore, researchers discovered the
remains of 2,000 people in the town. Wet ash had surrounded the bodies and
then dried and hardened. After the bodies disintegrated, empty molds were left. In
the mid-1800s, a method of pouring wet plaster into these molds to make plaster
models was developed. With this method, archeologists were able to create
amazing true-to-life statues of Pompeians in their last moments. Visitors can view
some of them in the museum at Pompeii.
5.
It seems that most Pompeians had time to run away before the town was hit.
Also, the excavations have revealed that few valuable objects were left behind.
Archaeologists believe that people took their valuable items with them and also
came back later to look for things. People even removed some of the marble on
the buildings!
6.
What were the people of Pompeii thinking as they fled, leaving their homes in the
path of destruction? Where did these people go? And what about the many who
didn't leave? What can we learn from the expressions that we see on the plaster
copies? The incredible discovery of Pompeii has provided valuable information on
life in an Italian city of 2,000 years ago. But the extent of the human tragedy can
only be left to the imagination.
89 Quartet 7
U N I T
A Go back to exercise A in What Do You Think. Were your guesses correct?
1. What is the purpose of this article?

❒ to describe the history of Pompeii and the archeologists' findings
❒ to explain why Pompeii is a place that is worth visiting
❒ to suggest areas of Pompeii that one should see
2. It is hard to believe that for more than 1,500 years, this ancient city lay
almost entirely buried, no one having discovered its fascinating secrets.
Why is this hard to believe?
3. …But that was all to come to a tragic end. Go back to the article.
What does that refer to?
4. Finding Pompeii has proved to be one of the most important events in

archeology. Why was it important? Write three sentences to explain the
reasons.
5. Why were the artifacts and buildings of Pompeii preserved so well?
6. It seems that most Pompeians had time to run away before the town was
hit. Why does the writer use the word seems? Explain.
7. If you could visit the archeological site of Pompeii today, what would you
particularly like to see there?
8. Would you recommend this article to a friend? Why or why not?
9. How does the writer of this article feel about the discovery of Pompeii?
What expressions tell us this? (Hint: Look at paragraphs 1, 3, 4, and 6.)
90 Quartet 7
U N I T
Choose two topics.
1. You have just discovered the ruins of Pompeii. Write a report of your
discovery, and explain why you think the site should be thoroughly
investigated.
2. You are a volunteer helping the archeologists dig up Pompeii today.

Write a letter to a friend about what you are doing.
3. Write a short play that takes place in a home in ancient Pompeii.

A neighbor comes in and tells the family that everyone must leave Pompeii
immediately. How does the family react? What do people say?
What do they discuss and decide?
4. Write one of the following advertisements:

• It is the first century BC. You want Romans to come on vacation to
the beautiful seaside town of Pompeii.
• You are on the tourist board of modern-day Italy and want to
attract tourists to the excavated city of Pompeii.
91 Quartet 7
U N I T
Language in Use
The writer could have said, "It is hard to believe that for more than 1,500
years, this ancient city lay almost entirely buried, and no one discovered its
fascinating secrets."
Instead the writer said, "It is hard to believe that for more than 1,500 years,
this ancient city lay almost entirely buried, no one having discovered its
fascinating secrets."
The second example is a more interesting and compact way of saying

the same idea.
A Complete the sentences.
1. The writer could have said,

"Ash and cinders poured forth and completely covered the city of
Pompeii."
Instead the writer said,
"Ash and cinders poured forth, _____________________________."
2. The writer could have said,

"...as they fled and ______________________________________."
Instead the writer said,
"…as they fled, leaving their homes in the path of destruction?"
B In each sentence, fill in one word.
1. We walked down the streets of ancient Pompeii, and we looked at all

the fascinating buildings around us.
__________ down the streets of ancient Pompeii, we looked at all the
fascinating buildings around us.
2. She sat quietly at the lecture, and no one suspected that she was one
of the archeologists who had dug up Pompeii.
She sat quietly at the lecture, no one _________ that she was one of
the archeologists who had dug up Pompeii.
92 Quartet 7
U N I T
3. The people sat on a faraway mountain, and they watched the ash and
cinders as they came out of the volcano and covered their city.
____________on a faraway mountain, the people watched the ash and
cinders __________ out of the volcano and _________ their city.
C Following the pattern of the sentences in exercise B, rewrite the

following sentences:
1. Ash and cinders covered everything in the town, and they preserved
everything for future archeologists to discover.
_______________________________________________, ash and
cinders ________________________________________________.
2. We worked at the excavations, and we were amazed by all the

fascinating things found there.
____________________________________, we _____________
______________________________________________________.
3. I sat thinking about that terrible day in Pompeii, and nobody understood
why there were tears in my eyes.
I __________________________________________, nobody
___________________________________________________.
93 Quartet 7
U N I T

A Volcano in Alaska: Two Letters
94 Quartet 7
U N I T
A What does each letter include? Check all the appropriate items.
Jan's letter Vivi's letter Neither letter

a promise
a request
a warning
an announcement
an apology
an explanation
an invitation
good wishes
B Find an example for every item you checked.
C Answer the questions.
1. Why does Jan decide to postpone her visit to Alaska? How does Jan feel?
2. Why do you think Vivi explains about the powerful seismometers and color
codes? Do you think the information will change Jan's opinion?
3. How does Vivi feel? How do you know?
4. With a partner, compare these letters with the article on Pompeii.

• Decide what you are going to compare (such as the historical period,
the type of text, or the geographical location).
• Make a table with the main points.
• Discuss your comparison with another group.
• Combine your table with theirs.
95 Quartet 7
U N I T
A Choose a topic from the list in the box. Research one specific area of the
topic, and compare the past and the present. Discuss your findings with
your group.
• Volcanoes and their effects

• Communications
• The quality of life
• Archeological findings
• Cities you would like to visit (ancient and modern)
B After your discussion, summarize the conclusions that your group reached.
Some Words
Some Words
artifact mold sealed
disintegrate preserve unique
erupt remains view
A Match the words in the box with their meanings.
1. a fixed, hollow shape - ________________

2. an object made by people - ______________
3. a way of looking at things - _________________
4. special; different from everything else - _______________
5. to blow up - ___________________
6. to break up - _________________
7. the condition of being tightly closed - ___________________
8. to keep in excellent condition - ____________________
9. what is left - _________________
96 Quartet 7
U N I T
B Look at the table. Then circle the correct answers.
Noun Verb Adjective

preservation to preserve preserved
eruption to erupt
disintegration to disintegrate
remains to remain remaining
seal to seal
mold to mold molded
view to view
1. We found many interesting objects in Pompeii. They were very well

(preservation / preserved / preserve) by the ash from the volcano.
2. In many ancient cities, buildings and objects have (disintegration/

disintegrated) with time. However, in Pompeii, something (unique / mold)
happened. A (unique / mold) made of ash formed around many of the
artifacts, the buildings, and even the bodies of the victims.
3. When the volcano (erupted / sealed / remained), the ash that rained down
on the town coated many objects. Because the ash (erupted / sealed /
remained) off these objects from the air, they were preserved for us to see
today.
C Complete the sentences with the correct form of the word.
1. Some of the students had to leave early for a wedding, but the (remains /
remained / remaining) students had a productive discussion.
2. We saw the (remains / remained / remaining) of some unfortunate people of
ancient Pompeii.
3. Jared (remains / remained / remaining) after class to talk to his teacher.
4. Almost no (disintegration / disintegrates) of the bodies had taken place,
as the air was (seal / sealed) off. It seems that ash acts as an excellent
(seal / sealed).
97 Quartet 7
U N I T
5
5. Alicia (view / viewed) the movies of Pompeii with great fascination. They
gave a wonderful (view / viewed) of ancient Roman life. The (preservation /
preserve / preserved) of the houses was remarkable and the (preservation /
preserve / preserved) bodies were unique.
6. The ash which fell was so thick and heavy that it (molds / molded) the
bodies of unfortunate people. Later, when the bodies disintegrated, the
(molds / molded) remained.
Do research on one of these topics, and write up your findings.
1. Prepare an itinerary for someone traveling to Alaska.

2. Write an article about wildlife in Alaska. Describe some species and their
habitats.
3. Write an advertisement for a cruise around Alaska. Include the highlights of
the cruise.
4. Write the rules of behavior for someone living close to a volcano. Make
them concise and clear.
Project
Choose a project.
1. Find out more about discoveries that have been made at Pompeii. Prepare
a report with illustrations or a multimedia presentation on the subject.
2. Prepare a report or presentation on another famous ancient city that
archeologists have excavated.
3. Prepare a report on major volcanic eruptions of the 20th century.
4. Choose an aspect of ancient Rome that interests you. Do some research on
it and write a report.
5. Investigate and report on what is known about life in your country 2,000
years ago.
6. Prepare and present a short play set in your country in ancient times.
7. Prepare and present a short play set in your country in the present.
98 Quartet 7
U N I T
What Did You Learn?
Facts:
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Words:
Word Meaning
99 Quartet 7
Appendix
List of Irregular Verbs
Infinitive Past Simple Infinitive Past Simple
be was/were send sent

beat beat set set
become became show showed
begin began sing sang
bite bit sleep slept
blow blew slide slid
break broke smell smelled
build built speak spoke
burn burned/burnt spend spent
buy bought spill spilled
can could stand stood
catch caught steal stole
choose chose strike struck
come came swim swam
cost cost swing swung
cut cut take took
dig dug teach taught
do did tear tore
draw drew tell told
dream dreamed/dreamt think thought
drink drank throw threw
drive drove tread on trod on
eat ate understand understood
fall fell wake up woke up
feed fed wear wore
feel felt win won
find found wind wound
fly flew write wrote
forget forgot
forgive forgave
get got
give gave
go went
have had
hear heard
hide hid
hit hit
hurt hurt
keep kept
know knew
lay laid
lead led
lean leaned
learn learned
leave left
lend lent
let let
lie lay
light lit
lose lost
101 Quartet 7
Index of Language Review
Clauses, Relative: who, where, whose 18-21

Gerunds 92-93
Logical Connectors: cause, addition, result, contrast 72-74
Sequence Markers 34-35
Verbs, Phrasal 54-55
Vocabulary focus
Archeology 84-99
Mysterious Phenomena 24-40
Senses 2-22
Stories 42-60
UFOs 62-81
103 Quartet 7

Quartet 7: Course Book

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Quartet 7: Course Book

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Quartet 7

Welcome to Quartet Course Book 7. The Quartet Course Book 7 includes a

Unit 1 Pages 2-22 • Getting the facts

Unit 2 Pages 24-40 • Inference

Report on the Story

Unit 3 Pages 42-60 • Understanding the purpose

Unit 4 Pages 62-81 • Inference

• The senses • Role playing • Describing a situation from

• Different types of verbs • Presenting your point of • Writing a play

• Idiomatic expressions • Telling a story • Writing a description of an

• Collective nouns – singular • Discussion • Writing a research report

Unit 5 Pages 84-99 • Scanning

Before You Start

Did you know?

a. ❒ Children can hear more kinds of noises than adults.

Sight Smell Touch Taste Hearing

C Can you add more facts to the list?

What Do You Know?

A Some occupations depend on a particular sense. For example, playing the

Sense Famous Person

2. Some people remember visual images very clearly. They remember

What Do You Think?

b. Think of a peaceful, relaxing place where you would like to be.

c. Imagine that you are there now.

d. What do you feel?

e. What do you hear?

f. What do you see?

2. Which kind of memory is the strongest for you?

Direction of the Eye Movement Thought Process

What Do You Think Now?

Answer the questions.

2. Where might you expect to find this article – in a magazine, a psychology

8. How would a visually-oriented person describe a party he or she went to?

11. What kind of student is likely to enjoy learning "by doing"?

Something to Write About

1. Write a description of the same event as seen by three different people.

4. You want to convince people to buy a product (for example, a car or a

1. I __________ who is with her now.

9. For 30 years the detective investigated the __________ mystery of the

16. Sherlock Holmes is one of the most famous __________ in literature.

Something More to Read

The Blind Men and the Elephant

1. It was six men of Indostan

3. The Second, feeling of the tusk,

4. The Third approached the animal,

5. The Fourth reached out an eager hand,

6. The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,

7. The Sixth no sooner had begun

1 grope- reach out and explore with your hands

What Do You Think Now?

Answer the questions.

Something to Talk About

With a partner, discuss the following points.

2. Choose one of the situations you discussed in question 1, and prepare to

• Think of a peaceful, relaxing place where you would like to be.

1. I saw the girl whose brother won a million dollars.

B Use where and whose to complete these sentences.

C Use relative clauses to make the two sentences into one.

I met a woman at the party. Her husband was my childhood friend.

brother had robbed the bank

1. I love the village where ____________________________.

2. I saw the doctor whose ____________________________.