1、Lesson 1 A puma at largeKey to CompositionA possible answerMRS. Stone had spent the whole morning picking blackberries in the countryside near her home. It was nearly lunch time, so she decided to return home for lunch. She was just picking up her basket when she heard a noise in the bushes. Then sh
2、e saw an animal which looked like a cat. She knew it was not a cat because it was so large. The animal suddenly turned round to look at her and she thought it was going to come towards her and perhaps attack her. She dropped her basket and screamed loudly. Hearing the sound , the animal disappeared
3、into the bushes, after which Mrs. Stone picked up her basket and ran all her the way home. She told her neighbours that she had seen a puma in the countryside, but they did not believe her. She also telephoned the police but they didnt believe her either. (148words)Lesson 2 Thirteen equals oneKey to
4、 CompositionA possible answerA sticky businessWe were used to hearing our church bell striking the hours in our small village. For as long as anyone could remember, the bell had struck the hours day and night. However, one night the church bell remained silent and the next morning we saw that the cl
5、ock had stopped at exactly one a. m. Our clock was clearly damaged, but no one could explain how this had happened. Armed with a torch, our vicar climbed into the church tower to see what was going on. He heard a loud buzz as he went towards t clock and in the torchlight he found it had been invaded
6、 by bees. He was lucky they didnt sting him! He shone his torch into the great bell and saw that it was full of wax and honey. No wonder it wasnt working!A bee keeper was called in to deal with the situation. He immediately removed the queen bee to one of his bee hives and the other bees followed. T
7、he clock was cleaned and was soon working again. We not only enjoyed hearing it strike the hours day and night, but we enjoyed eating the honey as well. (195words)Lesson 3 An unknown goddessKey to CompositionA possible answer After walking round the ancient city, the archaeologist discovered an anci
8、ent temple. This temple had obviously been a place of worship because it contained a sacred room. On entering the sacred room, the archaeologists found the clay fragments of fifteen statue, each of which was a goddess which had once been painted. After this, workmen began digging and soon discovered
9、 the head of a state among remains dating from the fifth century B. C. They also found the body of this statue among remains from the fifteenth century was a modern-looking woman. She had her hands on her hips and she was wearing a full-length skirt. Although the archaeologists tried very hard to id
10、entify her, they were unable to find out her name. (143words)Lesson 4 The double life of Alfrde BloggsKey to CompositionA possible answerNearly caughtOne morning Alf and three other dustmen were collecting rubbish in Merton Street and they stopped outside Mrs. Frosts house. Thought Alf didnt know it
11、, his wife was visiting Mrs. frost at the time. She and Mrs. Frost were old friends, though Mrs. Frost had never met Alf. Alfe was just getting out of the dustcart to go into Mrs. Frosts backyard when he saw his wife leaving Mrs. Frosts house. He quickly returned to the dustcart and hid in the drivi
12、ng cabin. While he was hiding, his fellow dustmen helped him by collecting Mrs Frosts rubbish. Meanwhile, Alfs wife and Mrs. Frost talked on the doorstep. It looked as though their conversation would never end!At last Mrs. Bloggs said goodbye to Mrs. Frost. She waved to one of the dustmen whom she r
13、ecognized and she went towards the dustcart to greet him. The dustman waved back and gave her a big smile as the dustcart drove off. Mrs Bloggs stood on the pavement and watched the dustcart disappear down the street. Then she began to walk home. ”Its all right, Alf, ”his friend said. ”She cant see
14、you now. ”“Thanks, Jim, ”Alf said. ”That was a lucky escape!”(200words)Lesson 5 The factsKey to CompositionA possible answerThe journalist counted the number of steps as he wearily climbed up to the high wall surrounding the presidents palace. On arriving at the main gate, he sat down to get his bre
15、ath back. He then produced a tape measure in order to measure the wall. While he was busy measuring the wall, a policeman approached him and asked him what he was doing. Though the journalist explained he was a reporter and his editor had asked him to find out the exact height of the wall, the polic
16、eman refused to believe him. He was arrested and sent to prison because the police thought that he might be a spy or might even want to assassinate the president When the journalist insisted he was innocent, he made things worse for himself. This proved to the police that the man certainly was guilt
17、y and deserved to stay in prison indefinitely. (149 words)Lesson 6 Smash-and-grabKey to CompositionA possible answerThey got awaySeeing the thieves car join the traffic on Piccadilly, Mr. Taylor took a taxi and followed them. The taxi driver drove at full speed when Mr. Taylor told him what had happ
18、ened. There wasnt too much traffic at this time of the morning so there was a mad chase through the streets of London. For a short time, the thieves car was on the wrong side of the road and hit another car, but it did not stop. Two policemen in a police car watched in amazement as the two vehicles
19、went past, both breaking the speed limit. Lights on and horn blaring, the police car chased both the speeding cars. Mr. Taylors taxi stopped when the traffic lights turned red. The thieves ignored the traffic lights and got away. Meanwhile, the police caught up with the taxi at the traffic lights an
20、d the taxi driver was charged with speeding. They refused to let the driver off, even though Mr. Taylor carefully explained the situation. However, the police informed another police car of the chase and ten minutes later the thieves car was found abandoned in a side street. The thieves had escaped
21、on foot and disappeared among the crowd. (200 words)Lesson 7 Mutilated ladiesKey to CompositionA possible answerJane opened the oven door and saw that her meal was ready to serve. She took the food out of the oven and in doing so, noticed something strange inside the oven which she couldnt recognize
22、. So she went to find John and told him about it. In dismay, John quickly explained that he had put his wallet containing the days takings into the oven for safekeeping. They both rushed to the oven and saw that the money had been destroyed. At first, they didnt know what to do. John wanted to throw
23、 the money away, but Jane wouldnt let him. “Its best not to disturb the wallet“ Jane said. “You can see all the money is there, even if it has been destroyed. “ Jane told John to go and see his bank manager for advice, so the next day John took the wallet and ashes to the bank. (150words)Lesson 8 A
24、famous monasteryKey to CompositionA possible answerRescueOne very cold morning, a monk took two St. Bernards dogs out for exercise. He immediately noticed that the dogs were very restless. Suspecting a traveler might be in difficulty, the monk returned to the monastery to organize a search party. Th
25、e two dogs led four monks through the snow. Two of the monks pulled a sledge behind them, in case they needed it. There had been very high winds the previous night, but now everything was still and visibility was bad because there was a heavy fog. Moreover, the temperature had fallen to -20“. The do
26、gs led the monks towards the Pass and as the monks got near, they heard cries in . the distance. The dogs soon found a man who was trapped under the snow and immediately dragged him out. The man was alive, but frozen stiff. The monks strapped him to the sledge and took him back to the monastery. The
27、 man was unconscious, but he soon recovered in the warm atmosphere of the monastery where he was given plenty of hot drinks and food. When the traveler was able to speak, the monks listened with interest as he told them what had happened the previous night. (200 words) “Lesson 9 Flying catsKey to Co
28、mpositionA possible answerHuman beings like to keep dogs and cats. Dogs are submissive and faithful to their masters, but cats like to be independent. Cats are especially lovable when they are still kittens. As kittens they like to play by chasing anything that moves. Thats how they learn to hunt mi
29、ce, birds, insects and other small creatures. A lot of people keep cats so they can have a pet. As kittens grow into cats, they like to stay indoors. They like regular meals and enjoy sleeping in front of a nice fire. However, they also like going out. During the day time and at night they like to g
30、o hunting. Sometimes during the night they have fights with other cats. Cats are very clean animals. You often see them washing themselves. Human beings are fascinated by their behaviour because cats are domestic animals, while at the same time they enjoy their independence. (80 words)Lesson 10 The
31、loss of the TitanicKey to CompositionA possible answerAbandon shipThe Titanic began to sink, slowly at first. The order to abandon ship was unexpected, so passengers and crew were completely unprepared. It was the middle of the night. Some people were asleep in their cabins. Others were on deck admi
32、ring the brilliant night sky and the giant icebergs rising above them. Others were eating and dancing in the wonderful ballrooms on the ship. The immediate effect was panic and confusion. People began rushing in all directions, wondering what So do next. The cold was indescribable and many passenger
33、s were still in their night clothes. Members of the crew came up from below and began to lower the life boats. It was a case of women and children first, but it soon became obvious that there werent enough lifeboats for everyone, so people jumped overboard into the freezing water in order to save th
34、eir lives. Some of those swimming in the water struggled to get into the lifeboats, but most of them were already full. The Titanic sank rapidly, carrying many people down with it. There were cries of despair from people in the water as they watched the lifeboats moving away and were left to drown i
35、n the icy ocean. (200 words)Lesson 11 Not guiltyKey to CompositionA possible answerWhen the Customs Officer asked the traveller if he was carrying anything valuable, the man said that he had nothing to declare. The Officer asked the man to open his suitcase. Although the case contained only a suit a
36、nd some dirty clothes, it was very heavy. This made the Customs Officer suspicious, so he removed all the clothes from the case. The case was soon empty and when the Officer lifted it, he found that it was still very heavy. The Officer examined the case carefully and saw that the bottom was very sha
37、llow. He pressed the base hard and removed the bottom part of the case which contained a quantity of emeralds and other precious stones. While the Officer was looking at an emerald, the man tried to escape. For a moment the man disappeared among the passing holiday travellers, but he was soon caught
38、 and placed under arrest. (150words)Lesson 12 Life on a desert islandKey to CompositionA possible answerShipwreckedThe ship went down and everyone was drowned. I was the only one who managed to jump into the sea. I clung to a plank in the water for several hours till I was washed up on a desert isla
39、nd. I slept on the beach for a very long time I cant remember how long. When I woke up, I was hungry and thirsty, so I decided to explore the island. It was uninhabited, but I found plenty of fruit which had fallen from the trees. I lived on coconuts and pineapples and there was plenty of fresh spri
40、ng water. I tried to hunt wild animals with my bare hands(small pigs and other creatures), but I failed to catch anything. So I spent my days swimming in the warm clear water and lying in the sun. One afternoon while I was lying on the beach as usual, I saw a boat on the horizon. I signaled with my
41、while shirt and shouted as loudly as I could. Fortunately, someone on the boat saw me and I was rescued. Of course, I was pleased to get back to civilization, but 1 was very sorry to leave this island paradise. (200 words)Lesson 13 “Its only me“Key to CompositionA possible answerMrs. Richards immedi
42、ately went upstairs and took off her costume . She felt sorry for the poor man from the Electricity Board, but at die same time she was rather amused. Suddenly, there was a knock at the front door and Mrs. Richards opened it at once. electricity man had returned, accompanied by a policeman, so she i
43、nvited both in. The man told Mrs. Richards that he had tried to reader metre and that there was a ghost in the storeroom. Though Mrs. Richards explained that she had dressed up as a ghost, he refused to believe her. She told him to open the storeroom door, but he was too frightened, so she opened it
44、 herself. While the electricity man and the policeman were looking for the ghost in the storeroom, Mrs. Richards fetched her costume. She showed it to both men and only then did they believe her. (150 words)Lesson 14 A noble gangsterKey to CompositionA possible answerHawkwood defeatedNews that Hawkw
45、ood and his men were approaching caused panic among villagers who prepared to defend their farms. Hawkwood had a bad reputation among farmers because they knew he would not hesitate to kill them and to bum their farms. The farmers fought very hard, even though they were poorly armed. With their stic
46、ks and spades, they were no match for Hawkwoods well-armed soldiers who had horses, swords and bows and arrows. During the battle, a great many farmers were killed. After Hawkwood destroyed their farms, he sent a message to the prince of the city-state demanding a large amount of protection money. H
47、e said that if this money was paid, he would go away and cause no more trouble. However, if it wasnt paid, he would invade the city. To Hawkwoods amazement, this demand was refused, so he and his men invaded the city. As a result, many buildings were destroyed and thousands of people were killed, in
48、cluding quite a few of Hawkwoods soldiers. The city people fought very hard until Hawkwood and his men were finally driven off. Because the city people defended themselves so well, Hawkwood never attacked them again. He and the prince even became friends. (200words)Lesson 15 Fifty pence worth of tro
49、ubleKey to CompositionA possible answerI was walking along the street when I saw a crowed ahead of me. could hear people shouting and making a noiseOn arriving at the scene, I saw a small boy on the pavement with his arm in a drain coverA lady carrying a large bar of soap and saucepan of water knelt down beside the boyShe asked the boy if he was in pain and he said he wasntThen she rubbed his arm with butter, but he couldnt get it free Meanwhile, someone had telephoned the fir brigadeThe boy had begun to cry , but when he saw the firemen, he cheered
