LITER ATURE – 2B
START THINKING …
1 Work in pairs. Discuss the questions.
● Do you prefer to plan things carefully or be spontaneous?
● When people tell you something isn’t possible, how do
you react?
● If you could only take eight items of clothing with you on
holiday, what would you take?
AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS (1873) Jules Verne
Having won twenty guineas at whist, and taken leave of his
friends, Phileas Fogg, at twenty-five minutes past seven, left the
Reform Club.
Passepartout, who had conscientiously studied the programme
5 of his duties, was more than surprised to see his master guilty of
the inexactness of appearing at this unaccustomed hour; for,
according to rule, he was not due in Saville Row until precisely
midnight.
Mr Fogg repaired to his bedroom, and called out,
10 ‘Passepartout!’
Passepartout did not reply. It could not be he who was called;
it was not the right hour.
‘Passepartout!’ repeated Mr Fogg, without raising his voice.
Passepartout made his appearance.
15 ‘I’ve called you twice,’ observed his master.
‘But it is not midnight,’ responded the other, showing his watch.
‘I know it; I don’t blame you. We start for Dover and Calais in
ten minutes.’
A puzzled grin overspread Passepartout’s round face; clearly
20 he had not comprehended his master.
‘Monsieur is going to leave home?’
‘Yes,’ returned Phileas Fogg. ‘We are going round the world.’
Passepartout opened wide his eyes, raised his eyebrows, held
up his hands, and seemed about to collapse, so overcome was he
1 Think Level 5 Literature 2B
Phileas Fogg is a rich man who spends a lot of
time at the Reform Club, a club for wealthy
gentlemen in London. One day, the men read a
newspaper article that states that it is possible
to travel around the world in 80 days. Mr
Fogg says it is, and the other men challenge
him to return in 80 days. If he is successful, he
will win £20,000. He returns home and meets
Passepartout, his servant.
25 with stupefied astonishment.
‘Round the world!’ he murmured.
‘In eighty days,’ responded Mr. Fogg. ‘So we haven’t a moment
to lose.’
‘But the trunks?’ gasped Passepartout, unconsciously swaying
30 his head from right to left.
‘We’ll have no trunks; only a carpet-bag, with two shirts and
three pairs of stockings for me, and the same for you. We’ll buy
our clothes on the way. Bring down my mackintosh and travelling-
cloak, and some stout shoes, though we shall do little walking.
35 Make haste!’
Passepartout tried to reply, but could not. He went out,
mounted to his own room, fell into a chair, and muttered: ‘That’s
good, that is! And I, who wanted to remain quiet!’
He mechanically set about making the preparations for
40 departure. Around the world in eighty days! Was his master a
fool? No. Was this a joke, then? They were going to Dover; good!
To Calais; good again! After all, Passepartout, who had been away
from France five years, would not be sorry to set foot on his native
soil again. Perhaps they would go as far as Paris, and it would do
45 his eyes good to see Paris once more. But surely a gentleman so
chary of his steps would stop there; no doubt—but, then, it was
none the less true that he was going away, this so domestic person
hitherto!
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By eight o’clock Passepartout had packed the modest carpet-
50 bag, containing the wardrobes of his master and himself; then,
still troubled in mind, he carefully shut the door of his room, and
descended to Mr Fogg.
Mr Fogg was quite ready. Under his arm might have been
observed a red-bound copy of Bradshaw’s Continental Railway
55 Steam Transit and General Guide, with its timetables showing
the arrival and departure of steamers and railways. He took the
carpet-bag, opened it, and slipped into it a goodly roll of Bank of
England notes, which would pass wherever he might go.
‘You have forgotten nothing?’ asked he.
60 ‘Nothing, monsieur.’
‘My mackintosh and cloak?’
‘Here they are.’
‘Good! Take this carpet-bag,’ handing it to Passepartout. ‘Take
good care of it, for there are twenty thousand pounds in it.’
65 Passepartout nearly dropped the bag, as if the twenty
thousand pounds were in gold, and weighed him down.
Master and man then descended, the street-door was double-
locked, and at the end of Saville Row they took a cab and drove
rapidly to Charing Cross. The cab stopped before the railway
70 station at twenty minutes past eight. Passepartout jumped off
the box and followed his master, who, after paying the cabman,
was about to enter the station, when a poor beggar-woman,
with a child in her arms, her naked feet smeared with mud,
her head covered with a wretched bonnet, from which hung a
75 tattered feather, and her shoulders shrouded in a ragged shawl,
approached, and mournfully asked for alms.
Mr Fogg took out the twenty guineas he had just won at whist,
and handed them to the beggar, saying, ‘Here, my good woman.
I’m glad that I met you;’ and passed on.
80 Passepartout had a moist sensation about the eyes; his master’s
action touched his susceptible heart.
Glossary
1 clothing, food, or money that is given to
poor people
2 to be surprised or shocked by something
3 unable to act or think in the usual way
4 a poor person who lives by asking others
for money or food
5 a large, strong container that is used
for storing clothes and personal possessions, often
when travelling or going to live in a new place
Think Level 5 Literature 2B
2B LITER ATU R E
Two first-class tickets for Paris having been speedily
purchased, Mr Fogg was crossing the station to the train, when
he perceived his five friends of the Reform.
85 ‘Well, gentlemen,’ said he, ‘I’m off, you see; and, if you will
examine my passport when I get back, you will be able to judge
whether I have accomplished the journey agreed upon.’
‘Oh, that would be quite unnecessary, Mr Fogg,’ said Ralph
politely. ‘We will trust your word, as a gentleman of honour.’
90 ‘You do not forget when you are due in London again?’ asked
Stuart.
‘In eighty days; on Saturday, the 21st of December, 1872, at a
quarter before nine p.m. Good-bye, gentlemen.’
Phileas Fogg and his servant seated themselves in a first-class
95 carriage at twenty minutes before nine; five minutes later the
whistle screamed, and the train slowly glided out of the station.
The night was dark, and a fine, steady rain was falling. Phileas
Fogg, snugly ensconced in his corner, did not open his lips.
Passepartout, not yet recovered from his stupefaction, clung
100 mechanically to the carpet-bag, with its enormous treasure.
Just as the train was whirling through Sydenham, Passepartout
suddenly uttered a cry of despair.
‘What’s the matter?’ asked Mr Fogg.
‘Alas! In my hurry—I—I forgot—’
105 ‘What?’
‘To turn off the gas in my room!’
‘Very well, young man,’ returned Mr. Fogg, coolly; ‘it will
burn—at your expense.’
6 made from thick, strong materials
7 worried or nervous
8 having a cover made of paper, leather,
or other material
9 not usual
10 not large in size or amount, or not
expensive
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2 2B.1 Read the text and listen.
3 Complete the glossary. Match the words in bold
to the definitions.
4 Read the text again. Circle the correct answer.
1 Passepartout is surprised / excited when he learns
about the journey.
2 Passepartout packs Mr Fogg’s smart / practical
shoes.
3 Mr Fogg is planning on travelling by train / taxi in
Europe.
4 It took ten / twenty minutes from the house to the
train station.
5 Mr Fogg’s friends from the Reform Club tell us he
is reliable / forgetful.
6 The train leaves Charing Cross at 20:40 / 20:45.
5 READ BETWEEN THE LINES Answer the questions.
Give reasons and examples from the text.
1 How important does Mr Fogg think it is to be on
time? How do you know?
2 What is Passepartout’s nationality?
3 Give an example of Mr Fogg’s generosity with
money. Give an example of his meanness with
money.
6 VOCABULARY Complete the sentences with the
correct words from the glossary in the correct
form.
1 This special edition of Alice in Wonderland is
hardback and in leather.
2 Have you ever seen a in your town?
3 My grandparents used to take a on
holiday, but now they take a suitcase.
4 He was with emotion when he heard
the news.
5 A common feature of all major religions is charity,
for example the giving of .
6 My neighbour’s house is huge, but mine is a lot
more .
7 ROLE PLAY Work in pairs. Imagine the next
part of the story. Student A is Passepartout,
Student B is Mr Fogg. Read the beginning of the
conversation and then continue it with your own
ideas.
PASSEPARTOUT I’m terribly sorry, sir. Sir, you said
we’re going to travel around the
world in 80 days. I’m afraid I don’t
quite understand. Are you sure it’s
possible?
11 Choose a novel or a film you know and explain
MR FOGG Well, of course it is! There’s a new
railway line in India, there are
ships in every port, we can walk if
necessary …
3 Think Level 5 Literature 2B
2B LITER ATU R E
8 LISTENING 2B.2 Listen to the next part of
the story in which Detective Fix, who believes
Mr Fogg is a bank robber, offers him help. Put the
words in the order you hear them.
sledge plains
steamer regain
mast superior
9 LISTENING Listen again. Mark the
2B.2
sentences T (true) or F (false).
1 Passepartout wanted to stop Mr Fogg from
completing the challenge.
2 The boat leaves from New York at 21:00.
3 Mr Fix suggests that Mr Fogg walk to New York.
4 Fix spoke to a man about the sledge the
night before.
5 Mudge is going to take Mr Fogg to Chicago.
6 The trains from Omaha to Chicago and
New York are infrequent.
WRITING A travel journal entry
10 WRITING Imagine you are either Passepartout
or Mr Fogg. You are writing a travel journal
entry on the train. Write 220–260 words.
● Paragraph 1: Describe your surroundings. Where
are you on the train? What is it like? Who are
you with? Is there anyone else there? Is it busy or
quiet? What is the weather like?
● Paragraph 2: Say what has happened today and
explain why you are on the train. Describe the
events in detail.
● Paragraph 3: Explain what you think is going to
happen in the next 24 hours.
STYLE
Narrative pace
Changing the pace, or speed, at which the story
develops, is a good way to keep readers ‘on the
edge of their seats’. If novels contain a series of
dramatic events (for example, from when Mr Fogg
returns home to their arrival at the station) it is a
good idea to have a contrast (Passepartout and Mr
Fogg relaxing in the first-class carriage). Narrative
pace combined with cliffhangers were especially
important in novels that were serialised.
how the change in pace makes it more dramatic.
Then present your ideas to the class.
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