Hi everyone!

Nice to see you!

Today we’ll speak about a mysterious story!
 Read the text, look at the pictures, and discuss in
groups:
The “Great Exhibition”, Paris
1889. The city was packed with
visitors. Two wealthy English
ladies, Eleanor Redwood and her
mother Clara, arrived in the city
looking for a hotel. They were on
their way back to London from
India.

What has happened?

2 min

Adapted from Sarah Cunningham, Peter Moor, Jonathan Bygrave, Cutting Edge Upper Intermediate Third Edition, Unit 8, page 80 ex 1b
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 Now
let’s learn some phrases
for our listening
 Match the words and their meanings

trace a disease spread by rats

to find or discover somebody

plague
a person who is in a position of
2 min authority in a large organization
insane

officials crazy or dangerous

 Answers

trace a disease spread by rats

to find or discover somebody

plague
a person who is in a position of
insane authority in a large organization

officials crazy or dangerous

Now let’s do some
listening!
 Listen to the audio and answer the question:
Were your predictions correct?

Now discuss your answers in

groups

2 minutes

Adapted from Sarah Cunningham, Peter Moor, Jonathan Bygrave, Cutting Edge Upper Intermediate Third Edition, Unit 8, page 80 ex 2
Let’s listen again carefully
Adapted from Sarah Cunningham, Peter Moor, Jonathan Bygrave, Cutting Edge Upper Intermediate Third Edition, Unit 8, page 80 ex 3a

Listen and answer the questions:

1. Why had Eleanor and Clara Redwood left India?
2. What happened when they arrived at the hotel?
3. What happened when Eleanor called the doctor?
4. Where, why and how was Eleanor sent to get the medicine?
5. How long did the journey take?
6. Why was she surprised when she got back?
7. What did she find in room 342?
8. What happened when she went to the British Embassy with her story?
9. What about when she returned to Britain?
10. Did she ever trace her mother?

Now discuss your answers in

groups
5 minutes
 Answers!
1. To escape the latest outbreak of plague.

2. Clara fell ill and the hotel doctor was called.

3. He examined Mrs Redwood carefully, then called the hotel manager and spoke to him in French.
4. She was sent to get the medicine from the doctor’s surgery on the other side of Paris. She travelled in the doctor’s carriage while the
doctor stayed with her mother.
5. It took four hours.
6. Because the hotel manager and the doctor both denied ever having met Eleanor’s mother.
7. Nothing. The room was empty, the decorations had been replaced and the beautiful red velvet curtains had disappeared.

8. Officials refused to believe her.

9. She was declared insane and put in a mental hospital.

10. No, she was never able to trace her mother.
Now let’s speak!
Discuss in groups:

Do you like mystery stories?

Do you think Eleanor was insane?

What would you do in Eleanor’s situation?

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Good language:

Errors: