Cerita - Gajah , Pisang dan Bibi Ethel
Halaman 1 dari 5
Organisasi internasional Britania Raya untuk kesempatan pendidikan dan hubungan budaya . Kami terdaftar di Inggris sebagai lembaga amal .
pengantar
Anda dapat mendengarkan rekaman cerita ini di:
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/stories/elephants-bananas-and-aunty-ethel
Dukungan pack ini mengandung bahan berikut :
• kegiatan kosakata pra - membaca;
• cerita yang dapat Anda dengarkan ;
• kegiatan pemahaman berdasarkan cerita ;
• kegiatan pengucapan .
Sebelum Anda membaca . Dalam tabel adalah beberapa kata-kata penting dari cerita . Pilih satu kata untuk pergi ke masing-masing kalimat di bawah ini .
gila
melarikan diri
filmscripts
bangun
menyadari
tampaknya
aneh
tegangan
berubah menjadi
bangun
1 . Pada
awalnya saya pikir latihan ini mudah , tapi kemudian , setelah
melakukannya , saya .......... ( 1 ) ........... bahwa itu tidak semudah
yang saya pikir!
2 . Aku .......... ( 2 ) ........... sekitar pukul enam tiga puluh , tapi tinggal di tempat tidur selama sepuluh menit setelah itu .
3 . Saya biasanya .......... ( 3 ) ........... sekitar jam 7.30 , tapi kemudian di akhir pekan.
4 . Saya menulis .......... ( 4 ) ........... - maka saya mengirim mereka
ke produser film dan berharap bahwa mereka dapat menemukan aktor ,
sutradara dan uang!
5 . Ini sangat sulit untuk memahami apa mimpi berarti karena banyak dari
mereka begitu .......... ( 5 ) ........... dan tidak biasa .
6 . Orang yang bekerja terlalu banyak dan tidak cukup rileks bisa menderita .......... ( 6 ) ...........
7 . Dia orang yang .......... ( 7 ) ........... benar-benar ramah pada
awalnya , tetapi ketika Anda tahu dengan baik Anda menyadari bahwa dia
tidak bagus sama sekali !
8 . Dia benar-benar .......... ( 8 ) ........... tentang film horor !
9 . Para tahanan memanjat dinding penjara untuk .......... ( 9 ) ...........
10 . Ketika es mencair itu .......... ( 10 ) ........... air .
Cerita - Gajah , Pisang dan Bibi Ethel
Halaman 2 dari 5
Organisasi internasional Britania Raya untuk kesempatan pendidikan dan hubungan budaya . Kami terdaftar di Inggris sebagai lembaga amal .
Baca cerita
Gajah, Pisang dan Bibi Ethel
oleh Chris Rose
Jadi
, saya sedang berjalan di sepanjang jalan , dalam perjalanan untuk
bekerja , seperti biasa, tapi untuk beberapa alasan aku sedang
terburu-buru . Aku tidak benar-benar yakin mengapa saya sedang terburu-buru . Dan kemudian saya menyadari bahwa saya sedang memegang pisang di tangan saya . Aku
tidak tahu mengapa aku memegang pisang di tangan saya , tapi saya tahu
bahwa pisang itu benar-benar penting untuk beberapa alasan . Pisang memiliki sesuatu untuk dilakukan dengan alasan bahwa aku terlambat , dan terburu-buru . Itu adalah pisang yang benar-benar penting , hanya saya tidak tahu mengapa pisang itu begitu penting. Lalu aku bertemu saya Bibi Ethel di sudut jalan . Itu aneh , karena aku tidak melihat Bibi Ethel selama sekitar dua puluh tahun . " Hello! Aku berkata padanya . "
Saya tidak melihat Anda selama sekitar dua puluh tahun ! " Aku
benar-benar terkejut melihat dia , tapi dia tidak tampak terkejut
melihat saya . " Hati-hati dengan pisang itu! " Katanya . Dan saya tertawa , karena saya tahu bahwa itu adalah pisang benar-benar penting , dan ya , aku harus berhati-hati dengan itu . Bibi
Ethel memutuskan untuk berjalan untuk bekerja dengan saya , yang adalah
masalah karena saya terlambat dan terburu-buru , dan dia berjalan
benar-benar lambat . Kemudian , ketika kami pergi di tikungan , ada seekor gajah memblokir jalan. Itu tergantung di mana Anda tinggal , kurasa, tapi di Manchester itu cukup aneh untuk melihat gajah memblokir jalan. Yang aneh adalah , meskipun, bahwa aku tidak benar-benar terkejut . " Oh tidak ! " Aku sedang berpikir , " gajah lain memblokir jalan ... apa yang sakit ! Terutama pagi ini ketika aku terlambat dan terburu-buru , dan dengan
Bibi Ethel , dan pisang ini benar-benar penting ... " Lalu aku mulai
mendapatkan benar-benar khawatir , dan kemudian ... aku terbangun .
Aku menarik napas lega . " Syukurlah untuk itu " pikirku. Bagaimana mimpi aneh adalah ... Aku bertanya-tanya mengapa aku bermimpi tentang gajah dan pisang dan Bibi Ethel . Radio sudah di . Radio datang secara otomatis pada 07:00 , untuk membangunkan saya . Aku melihat jam . Itu sudah 07:10 . Aku harus segera bangkit . Aku pergi ke kamar mandi , dan aku bisa mendengar berita di radio . Aku
tidak bisa mendengar dengan sangat baik , tapi ada cerita di berita
tentang seekor gajah yang telah melarikan diri dari sirkus lokal . Gajah menyebabkan banyak masalah berjalan di sekitar kota . Saya
pikir ini adalah sebuah kebetulan yang luar biasa , tapi kemudian saya
menyadari bahwa saya mungkin telah mendengar berita di radio ketika saya
masih setengah tertidur . Itulah mengapa aku bermimpi tentang seekor gajah . Aku cepat-cepat berpakaian dan pergi ke dapur untuk mendapatkan beberapa kopi sebelum aku pergi untuk bekerja . Saya bekerja untuk sebuah perusahaan film . Kami mendapatkan ide untuk film dan filmscripts , maka kami mencoba untuk memproduksi film . Saya pikir sebuah film tentang seekor gajah di Manchester akan menjadi besar .
Ada catatan di meja dapur . Itu dari istri saya . " Jangan lupa untuk membeli pisang di jalan pulang dari kerja hari ini ! " Katanya . Itu
pekerjaan yang baik dia telah menulis surat itu , karena aku
benar-benar lupa tentang fakta bahwa dia harus makan banyak pisang
karena diet gila dia pada saat ini. Aku mencoba mengingat untuk membeli pisang dalam perjalanan pulang dari kerja , dan bergegas keluar rumah . Saat aku sedang berjalan menyusuri jalan ponsel saya berdering . Itu adalah ibuku .
" Halo mum ! " Kataku . " Apa yang kau dering saat ini untuk ? "
" Aku punya berita sedih , aku takut , cinta " katanya . " Apakah Anda ingat Anda Bibi Ethel ? "
" Hampir " kataku , " Tapi aku belum melihat Bibi Ethel selama sekitar dua puluh tahun ... "
" Ya , baik dia sudah sangat tua ... dan aku takut dia meninggal tadi malam . Dia sudah sangat sakit ... saya katakan beberapa minggu yang lalu ... "
" Itu menyedihkan " kataku.
Jadi
ada aku , berjalan menyusuri jalan , terlambat kerja , berpikir tentang
Bibi Ethel dan pisang dan gajah , dan tentu saja saya menyadari bahwa
itu semua persis sama dengan mimpi saya . Dan seperti yang saya
Cerita - Gajah , Pisang dan Bibi Ethel
Halaman 3 dari 5
Organisasi internasional Britania Raya untuk kesempatan pendidikan dan hubungan budaya . Kami terdaftar di Inggris sebagai lembaga amal .
mulai
berpikir lebih tentang hal ini , aku menyadari bahwa aku sedang
berjalan lebih dan lebih lambat , dan aku menunduk dan melihat bahwa
jalan itu berubah menjadi panas , basah , toffee lengket , dan itu
menempel ke sepatu saya , dan semakin cepat aku berusaha berjalan , semakin lambat aku pergi . Saya melihat jam saya dan melihat bahwa arloji saya akan mundur . " Itu ok " Aku sedang berpikir . "
Jika jam saya akan mundur , maka itu berarti bahwa itu lebih awal, dan
tidak terlambat , jadi saya tidak terlambat untuk bekerja sama sekali
... " dan kemudian aku terbangun . Lagi .
Sekarang ini aneh . Ini sangat , sangat aneh . Aku bangkit dan mencubit diri untuk memastikan aku benar-benar terjaga saat ini. " Aduh ! " The pinch terluka . Ini berarti aku benar-benar terjaga , dan tidak bermimpi saat ini. Itu awal. Aku tidak terlambat . Radio jam alarm tidak datang pada belum . Itu hanya 6:30 . Istri saya masih di rumah .
" Apakah Anda punya cukup pisang ? " Saya bertanya kepadanya . Dia menatapku seolah-olah aku gila .
" Apa maksudmu ' pisang ' " ? tanyanya .
" Saya pikir Anda harus makan banyak pisang untuk diet khusus Anda ... "
" Saya tidak tahu apa yang Anda berada di sekitar ! " Katanya . " Kenapa , kau pikir aku harus melakukan diet ? Apakah Anda berarti bahwa aku gemuk ? "
" Tidak , tidak, tidak ... tidak sama sekali ... by the way ... kau sudah dengar apa-apa tentang gajah ? "
" Seekor gajah ? "
" Ya , seekor gajah yang telah melarikan diri dari sirkus ... "
" Kita hidup di Manchester . Tidak ada sirkus di Manchester . Dan tentu ada tidak ada gajah . Dengar , Anda menderita stres atau sesuatu ? Kau bekerja terlalu keras pada film baru Anda mencoba untuk menghasilkan , bukan? Mungkin Anda harus hanya tinggal di rumah hari ini , santai saja ... "
" Mungkin kau benar " kataku. " Saya hanya akan menelepon ibuku .. "
" Mengapa Anda perlu menelepon ibumu pukul setengah enam pagi ? "
" Oh ... tidak penting ... " kataku.
" Yah, aku berangkat kerja . Sampai nanti, dan mengambil mudah hari ini , ok ? "
" OK! "
Aku menelepon ibuku .
" Halo mum ! "
" Halo cinta. Apa yang Anda menelepon sepagi ini untuk ? "
" Apakah Anda ingat Bibi Ethel ? "
" Tentu saja ... tapi saya belum melihatnya selama sekitar dua puluh tahun atau lebih ... "
" Bagaimana dia? "
" Aku tak punya ide . Kenapa kau khawatir tentang Anda Bibi Ethel yang Anda belum melihat selama dua puluh tahun ? "
"Oh tidak ... bye ! "
Aku membuat secangkir teh dan kembali ke tempat tidur . Mungkin istri saya benar . Mungkin aku hanya harus beristirahat dan mengambil mudah hari ini . Aku menelepon bos saya .
" Dengar ," kataku. " Aku tidak merasa terlalu baik hari ini ... mungkin terlalu banyak stres dengan jadwal produksi proyek film baru ... "
" Itu memalukan " kata bos saya . "
Kami baru saja mendapat ide baru benar-benar menarik untuk sebuah film
... saya ingin berbicara dengan Anda tentang hal itu hari ini . Ini semacam film laga . Ini adalah kisah yang hebat . Anda
harus mendengar hal ini - gajah lolos dari sirkus di kota besar , dan
telah makan beberapa aneh , pisang radioaktif , sehingga akan
benar-benar gila . Mereka akhirnya berhasil menghentikan gajah dengan menutup semua
jalan-jalan dengan toffee lengket , sehingga tidak bisa berjalan ! "
" Saya lihat " kataku . " Dan dari mana saya Bibi Ethel datang ke dalamnya ? "
" Bibi siapa? "
Aku menutup telepon , dan berharap bahwa saya akan bangun . Segera .
Cerita - Gajah , Pisang dan Bibi Ethel
Halaman 4 dari 5
Organisasi internasional Britania Raya untuk kesempatan pendidikan dan hubungan budaya . Kami terdaftar di Inggris sebagai lembaga amal .
setelah membaca
latihan 2
Apakah Anda mengerti arti dari ekspresi setiap hari setelah digunakan dalam cerita itu?
1 . Kapan Anda mengambil mudah ?
a . ketika Anda mendapatkan sesuatu yang gratis
b . ketika Anda bersantai dan jangan khawatir tentang hal-hal
c . ketika Anda tidak menemukan pekerjaan sekolah sulit
2 . Kapan Anda berpikir bahwa ada sesuatu yang sangat aneh ?
a . ketika Anda berpikir ada sesuatu yang tidak aneh
b . ketika Anda berpikir ada sesuatu yang agak aneh
c . ketika Anda berpikir ada sesuatu yang sangat aneh
3 . Ketika Anda menggambarkan sesuatu atau seseorang sebagai sakit ?
a . ketika itu adalah sesuatu atau seseorang yang Anda temukan membosankan atau menjengkelkan
b . ketika seseorang atau sesuatu adalah seperti sepotong roti
c . ketika Anda benar-benar menyukai sesuatu
4 . Kapan Anda bernapas lega ?
a . ketika Anda pergi tidur
b . ketika Anda sangat sedih
c . ketika Anda senang bahwa sesuatu yang Anda khawatir tentang tidak terjadi
5 . Kapan Anda Syukurlah untuk sesuatu ?
a . ketika Anda lega
b . ketika Anda marah
c . bila Anda ingin mengucapkan terima kasih kepada ibumu
6 . Kapan Anda bertanya mengapa di bumi terjadi sesuatu ?
a . ketika Anda sudah tahu mengapa hal itu terjadi
b . ketika Anda terkejut tentang hal itu
c . bila Anda ingin berpura-pura Anda tidak tahu
latihan 3
Kata-kata
dalam tabel pertama milik dua kategori yang berbeda : mereka yang
memiliki suara vokal seperti kata bahasa Inggris " dia" , dan mereka
yang memiliki suara vokal seperti kata bahasa Inggris " atau " . Apakah Anda tahu yang mana ?
pintu
empat
bulu
gadis
miskin
menuangkan
dengkur
tuan
sakit
ketiga
pikiran
berjalan
pekerjaan
Suara vokal seperti " dia "
Suara vokal seperti " atau "
Cerita - Gajah , Pisang dan Bibi Ethel
Halaman 5 dari 5
Organisasi internasional Britania Raya untuk kesempatan pendidikan dan hubungan budaya . Kami terdaftar di Inggris sebagai lembaga amal .
jawaban
Latihan 1 : 1 . menyadari ; 2 . bangun ; 3 . bangun ; 4 . filmscripts ; 5 . aneh ; 6 . stres ; 7 . tampaknya ; 8 . gila ; 9 . melarikan diri ; 10 . berubah menjadi
Latihan 2 : 1 . b ; 2 . b ; 3 . a ; 4 . c ; 5 . a ; 6 . b
Latihan 3 :
Suara vokal seperti " dia "
Suara vokal seperti " atau "
pekerjaan
bulu
gadis
dengkur
tuan
ketiga
berjalan
empat
pintu
miskin
menuangkan
sakit
pikiran
I am perfectionist eventhough I am not perfect person. My name is Reza. I'm beautiful, not handsome like others Reza in general it: ') I was Marooners because I am one big fan of Maroon 5 and I Love One Direction cause I am Directioners! Reza Resdyantika # Movie freak # Low profile # I love all about United Kingdom! # Music # Traveling # Animals are my life! Remember it, Haters are FANS!!!!!!!!! Hahaha
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Stories – Elephants, Bananas and Aunty Ethel
Page 1 of 5
The United Kingdom’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are registered in England as a charity.
Introduction
You can listen to a recording of this story at:
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/stories/elephants-bananas-and-aunty-ethel
This support pack contains the following materials:
• a pre-reading vocabulary activity;
• the story that you can listen to;
• a comprehension activity based on the story;
• a pronunciation activity.
Before you read. In the table are some important words from the story. Choose one word to go into each of the sentences below.
crazy
escape
filmscripts
get up
realised
seems
strange
stress
turns into
wake up
1. At first I thought this exercise was easy, but then, after doing it, I ..........(1)........... that it wasn’t as easy as I thought!
2. I ..........(2)........... at around six thirty, but stay in bed for ten minutes after that.
3. I usually ..........(3)........... around 7.30, but later at weekends.
4. I write ..........(4)........... - then I send them to movie producers and hope that they can find the actors, the director and the money!
5. It’s very difficult to understand what dreams mean because many of them are so ..........(5)........... and unusual.
6. People who work too much and don’t relax enough can suffer from ..........(6)...........
7. She’s a person who ..........(7)........... really friendly at first, but when you know her well you realise that she’s not nice at all!
8. She’s absolutely ..........(8)........... about horror movies!
9. The prisoners climbed over the wall of the jail to ..........(9)...........
10. When ice melts it ..........(10)........... water.
Stories – Elephants, Bananas and Aunty Ethel
Page 2 of 5
The United Kingdom’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are registered in England as a charity.
Read the story
Elephants, Bananas and Aunty Ethel
by Chris Rose
So, I was walking along the street, on my way to work, as usual, but for some reason I was in a hurry. I wasn’t really sure why I was in a hurry. And then I realised that I was holding a banana in my hand. I didn’t know why I was holding a banana in my hand, but I knew that the banana was really important for some reason. The banana had something to do with the reason that I was late, and in a hurry. It was a really important banana, only I didn’t know why the banana was so important. Then I met my Aunty Ethel on the street corner. It was strange, because I hadn’t seen Aunty Ethel for about twenty years. “Hello! I said to her. “I haven’t seen you for about twenty years!” I was really surprised to see her, but she didn’t seem surprised to see me. “Be careful with that banana!” she said. And I laughed, because I knew that it was a really important banana, and yes, I had to be careful with it. Aunty Ethel decided to walk to work with me, which was a problem because I was late and in a hurry, and she walked really, really slowly. Then, when we went round the corner, there was an elephant blocking the street. It depends where you live, I guess, but in Manchester it’s pretty strange to see an elephant blocking the street. The strange thing was, though, that I wasn’t really that surprised. ”Oh no!” I was thinking, “Another elephant blocking the street…what a pain! Especially this morning when I’m late and in a hurry, and with Aunty Ethel, and this really important banana…” Then I started to get really worried, and then…I woke up.
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness for that” I thought. How strange dreams are…I wonder why I was dreaming about elephants and bananas and Aunty Ethel. The radio was already on. The radio comes on automatically at 7 o’clock, to wake me up. I looked at the clock. It was already ten past seven. I had to get up quickly. I went into the shower, and I could hear the news on the radio. I couldn’t hear it very well, but there was a story on the news about an elephant who had escaped from a local circus. The elephant was causing a lot of trouble walking around the town. I thought this was an incredible coincidence, but then I realised that I had probably heard the news story on the radio when I was half-asleep. That was why I was dreaming about an elephant. I quickly got dressed and went into the kitchen to get some coffee before I went to work. I work for a film company. We get ideas for films and filmscripts, then we try to produce the films. I thought a film about an elephant in Manchester would be great.
There was a note on the kitchen table. It was from my wife. “Don’t forget to buy bananas on your way home from work today!!!” it said. It was a good job she had written the note, because I had completely forgotten about the fact that she has to eat a lot of bananas because of the crazy diet she’s on at the moment. I tried to remember to buy bananas on my way home from work, and rushed out of the house. As I was walking down the road my mobile rang. It was my mum.
“Hello mum!” I said. “What are you ringing at this time for?”
“I’ve got some sad news, I’m afraid, love” she said. “Do you remember your Aunty Ethel?”
“Just about” I said, “But I haven’t seen Aunty Ethel for about twenty years…”
“Yes, well she was very old…and I’m afraid she died last night. She’d been very ill…I told you a couple of weeks ago…”
“That’s sad” I said.
So there I was, walking down the street, late for work, thinking about Aunty Ethel and bananas and elephants, and of course I realised that it was all exactly the same as my dream. And as I
Stories – Elephants, Bananas and Aunty Ethel
Page 3 of 5
The United Kingdom’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are registered in England as a charity.
started to think more about this, I realised I was walking more and more slowly, and I looked down and saw that the street was turning into hot, wet, sticky toffee, and it was sticking to my shoes, and the quicker I tried to walk, the slower I went. I looked at my watch and saw that my watch was going backwards. “That’s ok” I was thinking. “If my watch is going backwards, then it means that it’s early, and not late, so I’m not late for work at all…” and then I woke up. Again.
Now this was strange. This was very, very strange. I got up and pinched myself to make sure I was really awake this time. “Ouch!” The pinch hurt. This meant I really was awake, and not dreaming this time. It was early. I wasn’t late. The radio alarm clock hadn’t come on yet. It was only half past six. My wife was still at home.
“Have you got enough bananas?” I asked her. She looked at me as if I was crazy.
“What do you mean ‘bananas’”? she asked.
“I thought you had to eat lots of bananas for your special diet…”
“I have no idea what you’re on about!” she said. “Why, do you think I need to go on a diet? Do you mean that I’m fat?”
“No, no, no…not at all…by the way…have you heard anything about an elephant?”
“An elephant?”
“Yes, an elephant which has escaped from a circus…”
“We live in Manchester. There aren’t any circuses in Manchester. And there certainly aren’t any elephants. Listen, are you suffering from stress or something? You’re working too hard on that new film you’re trying to produce, aren’t you? Perhaps you should just stay at home today, take it easy…”
“Perhaps you’re right” I said. “I’ll just phone my mum..”
“Why do you need to phone your mum at half past six in the morning?”
“Oh…nothing important…” I said.
“Well, I’m off to work. See you later, and take it easy today, ok?”
“OK!”
I phoned my mum.
“Hello mum!”
“Hello love. What are you calling this early for?”
“Do you remember Aunty Ethel?”
“Of course I do…but I haven’t seen her for about twenty years or so…”
“How is she?”
“I’ve got no idea. Why on earth are you worried about your Aunty Ethel who you haven’t seen for twenty years?”
“Oh nothing…bye!”
I made a cup of tea and went back to bed. Perhaps my wife was right. Perhaps I should just relax and take it easy today. I phoned up my boss.
“Listen” I said. “I’m not feeling too good today…perhaps too much stress with the production schedule of the new film project…”
“That’s a shame” said my boss. “We’ve just got a really exciting new idea for a film…I wanted to talk to you about it today. It’s a kind of action movie. It’s a great story. You have to hear this – an elephant escapes from a circus in a big city, and it has eaten some strange, radioactive bananas, so it’s going completely crazy. They eventually manage to stop the elephant by covering all the streets with sticky toffee, so that it can’t walk!”
“I see” I said. “And where does my Aunty Ethel come into it?”
“Aunty who?”
I hung up the phone, and hoped that I would wake up. Soon.
Stories – Elephants, Bananas and Aunty Ethel
Page 4 of 5
The United Kingdom’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are registered in England as a charity.
After reading
Exercise 2
Do you understand the meaning of the following every day expressions used in the story?
1. When would you take it easy?
a. when you get something free
b. when you relax and don’t worry about things
c. when you don’t find school work difficult
2. When would you think that something is pretty strange?
a. when you think something isn’t strange
b. when you think something is a bit strange
c. when you think something is very strange
3. When would you describe something or somebody as a pain?
a. when it is something or somebody you find boring or irritating
b. when somebody or something is like a piece of bread
c. when you really like something
4. When would you breathe a sigh of relief?
a. when you go to sleep
b. when you are very sad
c. when you are happy that something you are worried about doesn’t happen
5. When would you thank goodness for something?
a. when you are relieved
b. when you are angry
c. when you want to say thank you to your mother
6. When would you ask why on earth something happened?
a. when you already know why it happened
b. when you are surprised about it
c. when you want to pretend you don’t know
Exercise 3
The words in the first table belong to two different categories: those with a vowel sound like the English word "her", and those with a vowel sound like the English word "or". Do you know which is which?
door
four
fur
girl
poor
pour
purr
sir
sore
third
thought
walk
work
Vowel sounds like "her"
Vowel sounds like "or"
Stories – Elephants, Bananas and Aunty Ethel
Page 5 of 5
The United Kingdom’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are registered in England as a charity.
Answers
Exercise 1: 1. realised; 2. wake up; 3. get up; 4. filmscripts; 5. strange; 6. stress; 7. seems; 8. crazy; 9. escape; 10. turns into
Exercise 2: 1. b; 2. b; 3. a; 4. c; 5. a; 6. b
Exercise 3:
Vowel sounds like "her"
Vowel sounds like "or"
work
fur
girl
purr
sir
third
walk
four
door
poor
pour
sore
thought
Page 1 of 5
The United Kingdom’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are registered in England as a charity.
Introduction
You can listen to a recording of this story at:
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/stories/elephants-bananas-and-aunty-ethel
This support pack contains the following materials:
• a pre-reading vocabulary activity;
• the story that you can listen to;
• a comprehension activity based on the story;
• a pronunciation activity.
Before you read. In the table are some important words from the story. Choose one word to go into each of the sentences below.
crazy
escape
filmscripts
get up
realised
seems
strange
stress
turns into
wake up
1. At first I thought this exercise was easy, but then, after doing it, I ..........(1)........... that it wasn’t as easy as I thought!
2. I ..........(2)........... at around six thirty, but stay in bed for ten minutes after that.
3. I usually ..........(3)........... around 7.30, but later at weekends.
4. I write ..........(4)........... - then I send them to movie producers and hope that they can find the actors, the director and the money!
5. It’s very difficult to understand what dreams mean because many of them are so ..........(5)........... and unusual.
6. People who work too much and don’t relax enough can suffer from ..........(6)...........
7. She’s a person who ..........(7)........... really friendly at first, but when you know her well you realise that she’s not nice at all!
8. She’s absolutely ..........(8)........... about horror movies!
9. The prisoners climbed over the wall of the jail to ..........(9)...........
10. When ice melts it ..........(10)........... water.
Stories – Elephants, Bananas and Aunty Ethel
Page 2 of 5
The United Kingdom’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are registered in England as a charity.
Read the story
Elephants, Bananas and Aunty Ethel
by Chris Rose
So, I was walking along the street, on my way to work, as usual, but for some reason I was in a hurry. I wasn’t really sure why I was in a hurry. And then I realised that I was holding a banana in my hand. I didn’t know why I was holding a banana in my hand, but I knew that the banana was really important for some reason. The banana had something to do with the reason that I was late, and in a hurry. It was a really important banana, only I didn’t know why the banana was so important. Then I met my Aunty Ethel on the street corner. It was strange, because I hadn’t seen Aunty Ethel for about twenty years. “Hello! I said to her. “I haven’t seen you for about twenty years!” I was really surprised to see her, but she didn’t seem surprised to see me. “Be careful with that banana!” she said. And I laughed, because I knew that it was a really important banana, and yes, I had to be careful with it. Aunty Ethel decided to walk to work with me, which was a problem because I was late and in a hurry, and she walked really, really slowly. Then, when we went round the corner, there was an elephant blocking the street. It depends where you live, I guess, but in Manchester it’s pretty strange to see an elephant blocking the street. The strange thing was, though, that I wasn’t really that surprised. ”Oh no!” I was thinking, “Another elephant blocking the street…what a pain! Especially this morning when I’m late and in a hurry, and with Aunty Ethel, and this really important banana…” Then I started to get really worried, and then…I woke up.
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness for that” I thought. How strange dreams are…I wonder why I was dreaming about elephants and bananas and Aunty Ethel. The radio was already on. The radio comes on automatically at 7 o’clock, to wake me up. I looked at the clock. It was already ten past seven. I had to get up quickly. I went into the shower, and I could hear the news on the radio. I couldn’t hear it very well, but there was a story on the news about an elephant who had escaped from a local circus. The elephant was causing a lot of trouble walking around the town. I thought this was an incredible coincidence, but then I realised that I had probably heard the news story on the radio when I was half-asleep. That was why I was dreaming about an elephant. I quickly got dressed and went into the kitchen to get some coffee before I went to work. I work for a film company. We get ideas for films and filmscripts, then we try to produce the films. I thought a film about an elephant in Manchester would be great.
There was a note on the kitchen table. It was from my wife. “Don’t forget to buy bananas on your way home from work today!!!” it said. It was a good job she had written the note, because I had completely forgotten about the fact that she has to eat a lot of bananas because of the crazy diet she’s on at the moment. I tried to remember to buy bananas on my way home from work, and rushed out of the house. As I was walking down the road my mobile rang. It was my mum.
“Hello mum!” I said. “What are you ringing at this time for?”
“I’ve got some sad news, I’m afraid, love” she said. “Do you remember your Aunty Ethel?”
“Just about” I said, “But I haven’t seen Aunty Ethel for about twenty years…”
“Yes, well she was very old…and I’m afraid she died last night. She’d been very ill…I told you a couple of weeks ago…”
“That’s sad” I said.
So there I was, walking down the street, late for work, thinking about Aunty Ethel and bananas and elephants, and of course I realised that it was all exactly the same as my dream. And as I
Stories – Elephants, Bananas and Aunty Ethel
Page 3 of 5
The United Kingdom’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are registered in England as a charity.
started to think more about this, I realised I was walking more and more slowly, and I looked down and saw that the street was turning into hot, wet, sticky toffee, and it was sticking to my shoes, and the quicker I tried to walk, the slower I went. I looked at my watch and saw that my watch was going backwards. “That’s ok” I was thinking. “If my watch is going backwards, then it means that it’s early, and not late, so I’m not late for work at all…” and then I woke up. Again.
Now this was strange. This was very, very strange. I got up and pinched myself to make sure I was really awake this time. “Ouch!” The pinch hurt. This meant I really was awake, and not dreaming this time. It was early. I wasn’t late. The radio alarm clock hadn’t come on yet. It was only half past six. My wife was still at home.
“Have you got enough bananas?” I asked her. She looked at me as if I was crazy.
“What do you mean ‘bananas’”? she asked.
“I thought you had to eat lots of bananas for your special diet…”
“I have no idea what you’re on about!” she said. “Why, do you think I need to go on a diet? Do you mean that I’m fat?”
“No, no, no…not at all…by the way…have you heard anything about an elephant?”
“An elephant?”
“Yes, an elephant which has escaped from a circus…”
“We live in Manchester. There aren’t any circuses in Manchester. And there certainly aren’t any elephants. Listen, are you suffering from stress or something? You’re working too hard on that new film you’re trying to produce, aren’t you? Perhaps you should just stay at home today, take it easy…”
“Perhaps you’re right” I said. “I’ll just phone my mum..”
“Why do you need to phone your mum at half past six in the morning?”
“Oh…nothing important…” I said.
“Well, I’m off to work. See you later, and take it easy today, ok?”
“OK!”
I phoned my mum.
“Hello mum!”
“Hello love. What are you calling this early for?”
“Do you remember Aunty Ethel?”
“Of course I do…but I haven’t seen her for about twenty years or so…”
“How is she?”
“I’ve got no idea. Why on earth are you worried about your Aunty Ethel who you haven’t seen for twenty years?”
“Oh nothing…bye!”
I made a cup of tea and went back to bed. Perhaps my wife was right. Perhaps I should just relax and take it easy today. I phoned up my boss.
“Listen” I said. “I’m not feeling too good today…perhaps too much stress with the production schedule of the new film project…”
“That’s a shame” said my boss. “We’ve just got a really exciting new idea for a film…I wanted to talk to you about it today. It’s a kind of action movie. It’s a great story. You have to hear this – an elephant escapes from a circus in a big city, and it has eaten some strange, radioactive bananas, so it’s going completely crazy. They eventually manage to stop the elephant by covering all the streets with sticky toffee, so that it can’t walk!”
“I see” I said. “And where does my Aunty Ethel come into it?”
“Aunty who?”
I hung up the phone, and hoped that I would wake up. Soon.
Stories – Elephants, Bananas and Aunty Ethel
Page 4 of 5
The United Kingdom’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are registered in England as a charity.
After reading
Exercise 2
Do you understand the meaning of the following every day expressions used in the story?
1. When would you take it easy?
a. when you get something free
b. when you relax and don’t worry about things
c. when you don’t find school work difficult
2. When would you think that something is pretty strange?
a. when you think something isn’t strange
b. when you think something is a bit strange
c. when you think something is very strange
3. When would you describe something or somebody as a pain?
a. when it is something or somebody you find boring or irritating
b. when somebody or something is like a piece of bread
c. when you really like something
4. When would you breathe a sigh of relief?
a. when you go to sleep
b. when you are very sad
c. when you are happy that something you are worried about doesn’t happen
5. When would you thank goodness for something?
a. when you are relieved
b. when you are angry
c. when you want to say thank you to your mother
6. When would you ask why on earth something happened?
a. when you already know why it happened
b. when you are surprised about it
c. when you want to pretend you don’t know
Exercise 3
The words in the first table belong to two different categories: those with a vowel sound like the English word "her", and those with a vowel sound like the English word "or". Do you know which is which?
door
four
fur
girl
poor
pour
purr
sir
sore
third
thought
walk
work
Vowel sounds like "her"
Vowel sounds like "or"
Stories – Elephants, Bananas and Aunty Ethel
Page 5 of 5
The United Kingdom’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are registered in England as a charity.
Answers
Exercise 1: 1. realised; 2. wake up; 3. get up; 4. filmscripts; 5. strange; 6. stress; 7. seems; 8. crazy; 9. escape; 10. turns into
Exercise 2: 1. b; 2. b; 3. a; 4. c; 5. a; 6. b
Exercise 3:
Vowel sounds like "her"
Vowel sounds like "or"
work
fur
girl
purr
sir
third
walk
four
door
poor
pour
sore
thought
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