8 INGLÊS 8.º ANO NÍVEL 4 Unsolved Mystery Oo Extensive Reading Cláudia Regina Abreu Cidália Sousa Vanessa Reis Esteves
PRE-READING A B Take a close look at the title and front cover of the book. What do you think it is going to be about? Before we start reading we need to get into the right frame of mind... Now, brainstorm your ideas. Then, compare them with a partner. Setting things straight C Look at the images throughout the book. What new information do these give you? Jot down some notes. Has this information changed your initial predictions? Blurb Pictures 2
D Look at the following words and link them to the corresponding images. floorboards prank counter cupcakes chicken coop marbel cake deck chair pantry ravine seal newspaper cutting 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 E 8 9 10 11 Now, write a sentence of your own for each word. Example: I went into the pantry to fetch some milk and biscuits. 3
Chapter 1 The beginning of the end! JEREMY! She was screaming again! This can t be good, I thought. What does she want now? Jeremy, have you packed your bags? Are you ready? We can t miss the flight! What will Rob think if we re late? I really can t give a hoot WHAT ROB WILL THINK!!! In fact, just his name makes me want to throw up. You see, Rob is mum s new, or should I say latest boyfriend? She and dad have been divorced for over a year now. The shrink she forced me to go to said that it would get better with time, but I think that he just said that to make me feel better, or to get mum to take me back there again! I m never letting him into my brain! He thinks that he knows me and what I m feeling, but I m never giving into his crazy mind games. Never ever! Not in a million, billion, trillion, zillion years!!! No way José! Anyway, today is officially our first day on holiday, which we are going to spend with Rob! Mum said that he found the most delightful little villa (her words not mine!) for us to stay at somewhere in the north of Portugal. She says that it will give us an opportunity to bond. Like that s ever going to happen! 4
The beginning of the end! Chapter 1 Does she honestly think that I m ever going to give up on dad that easily? Yeah, right Well, she can make me tag along, but she can t make me enjoy the holiday, much less, be nice to Rob! A few hours later we arrive at Heathrow airport. The lady on the news was right. The new terminal terminal 5 is amazing. It would actually be rather cool if we didn t have to be here with Rob. Sometimes, I just wish that mum would stop trying and pretending so hard. Will she ever get it? Two hours later we land in Oporto, which the people there call Porto. I wonder why! I read in the magazine onboard that this is Portugal s second biggest city. Apparently, it has about half a million inhabitants. Nothing major. Not like Istanbul where dad is taking me! He said that there are about 15 million inhabitants in the city alone! Beat that Rob! When we leave the plane, it isn t raining! Ok, so perhaps Mum was right. The weather in Portugal may just be a tad better than back home in London. And then the real ordeal begins. We get into the car that Rob hired and head off to wherever we re going. It s a strange Portuguese name that starts with a V, which I can t remember exactly! I think that it is Vienna or something, only I know that it isn t spelt like that. 5
The beginning of the end! Chapter 1 It takes us over three hours to get there because ROB GETS LOST! So much for a GPS! Like that would ever happen to dad. Dad can always find his way anywhere! He s got this amazing sense of direction. It s around 9 and getting dark when we pull up outside the place where we will be staying for the next fortnight. And surprise, surprise it doesn t look like anything special. It s in the middle of the country and, for the moment, all that I can see is that there s a big yellow house and an even bigger garden. There s something behind the house that I can t really see from the car. Mum gets into hysteric mode saying that it s amazing and that we re so lucky to be there. WHERE IS THE ESCAPE BUTTON? How on earth am I going to survive the next fortnight? Aliens, if you re out there, come and fetch me. No matter how bad you are, you can t be as bad as the amazing Rob! If you want to read about: Dad, go to chapter 2 Something mysterious, go to chapter 3 Day 2, go to chapter 4 6
Chapter 2 They say things look better after a good night s sleep! After the usual check in stuff, we are shown to our flat. Our home away from home, for the next two weeks, will be the Lavender flat. Each room has its own toilet, which is nice. Mum and Rob s room is next to mine. A good thing is that there is something to eat in the kitchen. I grab a sandwich and a coke and head for my room. The whole house is meant to have wireless. I think I might phone dad just to let him know that everything s ok. When I switch the computer on, something strange happens. The computer opens up directly on the webpage of the house where we are staying. I read about the house. It used to be somebody s estate and was transformed into a tourism place by a youngish couple. The man in the photo is kind of similar to the man who checked us in, but I can t decide if it s him or not. Then I read the interesting part. The original owner of the estate was a lady who died under mysterious circumstances. Hum, mysterious circumstances, what does that mean? I might look into this later. But first, dad. After about half an hour, I manage to get through. I know how this may sound lame but dad is an amazing guy. 7
They say things look better after a good night s sleep! Chapter 2 He s kind of radical. He s a Formula One driver. All the kids at school know him and get really envious when I tell them that dad sometimes lets me tag along and spend time with his team. On special occasions, he even lets me go for a spin in his car. You wouldn t believe how the world changes when you are in a car that is doing over 250km p/hour! It kind of gets grey and you stop seeing properly, like you need glasses or something. The bad side to dad s job is that he travels A LOT! He spends more time away from home than at home, and mum said that she couldn t take it anymore. That is why they split up I think. The D word happened when I was 13, a bit over a year ago. It feels a whole lot longer actually. At first, I thought that it was temporary, but then dad just never moved back in again. Anyway, enough about me, you must be bored by now! By the time I have finished speaking to dad, I am kind of tired so I decide to switch on the TV. I must have fallen asleep because, when I wake up again, it is dark and I am feeling cold. If you want to read about: Something mysterious, go to chapter 3 Day 2, go to chapter 4 8
Chapter 3 It was kind of like in a film I think that I woke up because I heard the sound of footsteps on the floorboards. The footsteps seem to be coming towards me and they don t seem to be very heavy, like mum when she walks. In fact, I think it is mum, so I get up and go towards the door. They are certainly getting closer and closer, but when I open the door, nobody is there. Strange, I think, but I have just woken up and so I must still be in dream mode. I decide to go back to bed. But first, I need to get into something more comfortable. I have been in these clothes for about 20 hours and they don t smell all that nice anymore. I open my bag and get my PJs out and head for the bathroom. As I am getting changed I think I catch a glimpse of something in the mirror. Like somebody has just walked past or something. I turn around and look in the room, but nobody is there! 9
It was kind of like in a film Chapter 3 Ok, Rob must really be getting to me! Keep calm, I think. You re just tired. I finish what I had started, get into my PJs, wash my face, brush my teeth and get into bed. By then I am not that sleepy anymore, so I decide to watch some TV. Wow! They have Fox and AXN and on top of it CSI Miami is on. It must be my lucky day. It is almost like being in London again! After about 10 minutes, just as I am getting into the series, the TV switches off. By itself! Ok! This is officially weird. I switch it back on again and nothing happens, so I continue watching. Everything is normal for about 10 minutes and then, the damn thing switches off again. I am just about to get up to examine it, when I think that I hear a voice saying something like: 10
It was kind of like in a film Chapter 3 I get up and go to the window, but there is nobody there. I open the door of the room. Nobody there either! Ok, so either I am more tired than I thought or Rob must be playing one of his stupid pranks on me. No way I am going to let him get to me. So I head back to bed and watch some more TV. Nothing else happens and so eventually I fall asleep again. If you want to read about: Dad, go to chapter 2 Day 2, go to chapter 4 11
Chapter 4 Another day in paradise When I wake up the next morning, it is already 11:30 am. I get up, have a shower and get dressed. I have a look around the flat but mum and Rob are out, so I go into the kitchen and get something to eat. There are fresh rolls and croissants on the counter and a note saying that the ham, cheese and orange juice are in the fridge. The ham, cheese and orange juice are in the fridge. Help yourself! I help myself. Not bad, I think. As I am having breakfast, I look around the room and notice a paper clipping on the wall in a frame. It looks like an old newspaper, judging by the colour. I wonder what it is, and so I get up to take a closer look. It s in Portuguese, so I don t really know what it says, but there is a photo of a young woman and another of a tombstone. A thought strikes me. 12
Another day in paradise Chapter 4 I wonder if this is the young woman that I read about online yesterday. It did say that she died of a mysterious death What do you think? Anyway, I might look into that later. After breakfast, I decide to take a look around to find out exactly what lies in wait for the next two weeks. I leave the flat and notice the pool area in the distance. Some kids are splashing around, and I can see mum and Rob lying down on some deck chairs. I decide to avoid them for as long as I can, and discreetly walk round the pool area. On the right there s a path that seems to lead to the vineyard, and on the left there s another path that seems to lead back to the main house. At the reception, I see the man that I saw yesterday. He says hi and tells me that I am going to have some company because his cousins arrive today. Apparently, there s a boy and a girl. João is 12 and Maria is 14, and both of them speak English according to the man. Whatever! I make an excuse and say that I have to go and leave. 13
Another day in paradise Chapter 4 I have better things to do than spend the morning speaking to a stranger who must be as old as mum! Please!!! What would my friends say? I continue looking around the house and discover a games room, a TV room, a dining room, a study of sorts (smells kind of musty in there). There must be at least a thousand books! And then, the best place on earth, the kitchen. Perhaps, I should say that it discovers me. I literally follow my nose, which leads me there. It s a big room, with a smaller side room, that seems to be the pantry. There are five women working furiously and speaking like chatterboxes. They speak in Portuguese, so I have no idea of what they are saying. The older woman says something to me, but I just smile. She repeats whatever she has just said, and points to the cupcakes on the table. 14
Another day in paradise Chapter 4 I nod my head and she gives me one. I gladly accept and say thank you, and then take a bite. THIS IS GOOD. THIS IS REALLY GOOD. 15
Another day in paradise SW8-FUNEXT-4 Chapter 4 I must have made a funny face, because they all laugh. I smile boyishly. A girl walks in and looks at me. She says something to me in Portuguese, which I obviously don t understand, and so I say, Sorry, I don t speak Portuguese. To my amazement she answers, Good thing I speak English then. How about giving us a hand if you re going to eat the guests tea? Don t just sit there! Come on! The older lady says something, and they exchange a few comments, which don t sound too friendly. She looks at me and gestures for me to follow her. Before I realise what I m doing, I get up and join her. If you want to read about: The girl in the kitchen, go to chapter 5 Another message, go to chapter 6 16
Chapter 5 The message We go out into a type of a courtyard, and Rachel (Raquel in Portuguese) tells me that we re going to the chicken coop to fetch some eggs for a marble cake. I can t help but feel a tad amazed. No supermarket. Wow, you get the real thing here! We start speaking and Rachel tells me that she s in the 8th form, and that, during the holidays and on weekends, she helps out here at the estate. I ask her how come, and she explains that she has three older brothers and two younger sisters, and so her family needs the money. I ask her what she has to do at the house, and she explains that it really depends: sometimes she has to help her mum out in the kitchen. Other times, she has to help her aunt clean the rooms. She says that it s ok, except that she doesn t get to spend much time with her friends. I guess that not everyone is as lucky as I am! 17
The message Chapter 5 Anyway, it s getting late, and we hurry back with six fresh eggs. Rachel tells me that she needs to get back to her chores, but if I like she ll show me around after 5p.m.. Rachel seems to be ok for a girl, and so I say yes. By now it s lunchtime, so I head back to the pool to check in with mum. She ll kill me if I don t. You know what mum s are like, don t you? Mum is drying off on the deck chair. She tells me that the water s lovely and that, after lunch, Rob wants to take a short drive. Do you want to come? I make some lame excuse, so that she ll leave me alone and she doesn t insist. Ok, so far so good! We have a quick lunch and mum and Rob leave. I decide to surf the net for a while 18
The message Chapter 5 And then it happens I switch on my computer and, for a few seconds, it won t switch on. I almost think that it s broken. But then, the following message appears on the screen, one word at a time: 19
The message Chapter 5 Wow, I almost let the computer drop. This is mega weird. I have to tell someone about this. But who? None of my friends are online! Bugger!! Guess that leaves Rachel. I get up and head back towards the kitchen, where I last saw her. She isn t there. What now? Just as I m about to give up, she walks back in again. Rachel, I need to speak to you, I say. Not now, Jeremy! I told you that I m only free after 5, she answers. But Rachel, you have to see this!!! It can t wait! I insist. Don t you understand English? I have to do my chores. I must clean the Lavender flat first, she explains. It seems that luck is on my side after all. That s our flat! I ll go with you. Rachel s amazed, but agrees. When we get back to the flat, I tell her about the previous night s events. By the way, if you haven t read chapter 3 yet, you might want to do so now. If you want to read about: The woman in the newspaper clipping, go to chapter 6 The woods, go to chapter 7 20
Chapter 6 The plot thickens Rachel is amazed at first. Her mouth is wide open, so wide that a fly could fly in! After a few minutes, she slowly starts shaking her head. Who? I ask. The original owner of the house. The one in the newspaper clipping on that wall? I ask. Yes, she answers. It s Menina Carminho. Menina Carminho inherited this estate when her father passed away back in 1895. She had no mother, and so became an orphan. A rich beautiful orphan. She was 16 at the time and so many young men showed up to offer to marry her and her estate. But Menina Carminho said that she would only get married for love, and turned them all away. This was unheard of at the time! You see, here in Portugal, especially in the country, women didn t decide anything, they only did what had been decided for them. Rumour has it that one young duke didn t take her rejection all that well. A few days later, they found Menina Carminho floating in the river. And the young duke had gone missing. They never found him! I guess that we ll never know what happened, unless she pauses for a minute, Menina Carminho is trying to tell YOU Me!!! You don t think! THAT S CRAZY. ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND???? 21
The plot thickens Chapter 6 Just then, the computer screen turns on again! This is what we see: We both look at each other. Neither of us dares say a word. Then, the screen comes back to life: After a few seconds, which seem to last an eternity, I say: This is strange. No one will ever believe me! Rachel seems to ignore me. She says: The woods are behind the vineyards. Let s go. Not so fast! Rachel s aunt roars. Where do you think you re going young lady? This flat is a mess! First work, and then play. Rachel looks at me and I understand: the woods will have to wait until tomorrow If you want to read about: Rachel, go to chapter 5 The woods, go to chapter 7 22
Chapter 7 The woods The next day is complete agony. The man at the reception, who turns out to be the owner of the house after all, tells me that Rachel has been sent to Porto to help out with the shopping, and that she will be back after 5. What now? I think. The man seems to read my thoughts, and calls his cousins. João and Maria turn out to be worse than Rob! Yip, that bad!!! I am forced to spend the day by the pool with mum and Rob. Mum is delighted. She seems to think that I am making an effort to get to know Rob better. After lunch, she kisses me on the cheek IN PUBLIC and whispers, Thanks for trying. I just look at her. It s amazing how dumb adults can be!!! The hours drag on and eventually it is 5. I hear a truck pull up in the driveway, and Rachel climbs out and heads for the kitchen with loads of bags. I get up. Mum doesn t even notice. She is asleep. Rob says something, but I just ignore him. Luckily, he doesn t insist. I find Rachel in the pantry packing away the shopping. She looks at me and asks: Will you help me put this away so that we can go to the woods? 23
The woods Chapter 7 Soon, we are heading for the woods. It is a long walk, but we are both so eager to get there, that we don t really notice how far it is. When we finally get there, we realise that we don t know what we are looking for. We wander around, but don t find anything out of the ordinary. It starts to become dark, and so we are forced to go back home. We come back to the woods for 10 consecutive days, and are almost ready to give up when Rachel loses her footing, slips and falls down a ravine. Jeremy, help me! She screams. Are you ok? I ask. Yes, can you help me? It s too steep. I can t climb back up! Go back to the estate and fetch help, and a rope. 24
The woods Chapter 7 As I walk back to the estate, I feel a chilling wind that wasn t there before. Over two hours later, we are able to rescue Rachel. Rachel doesn t even hear us. She seems to be in another world. She seems to be holding something, but I can t get a proper look from where I am standing. When I eventually reach her, she motions to me, and whispers We need to talk!!! and points to something beneath her jacket. What has happened is that, while Rachel was waiting for us, she got bored and started to look around. She thought that she saw something glistening in the sun, and went to get a closer look. Turns out, it was a type of old silver box, with a diary and a family seal ring, which belonged to the young noble man s family. And whose diary do you think it was? Yip, Menina Carminho s 25
Chapter 8 Time to set wrong right again The last few days of my stay in Portugal are both exciting and nerve racking. We spend an entire day reading and re-reading the diary. I can hardly believe what has happened. Rachel is just as dumbstruck as I am. We have to do something. But what? It has been years and years since it all happened. Is it really worth digging up the past? And will anyone ever believe us? You see, back in 1895, Menina Carminho discovered a fatal secret that put an abrupt ending to her young life. Her father didn t die a natural death. Oh no! He was poisoned by his younger greedy brother, who planned on inheriting the entire estate, and Menina Carminho as well! Everyone would think that he was an honourable noble gentleman, who was defending his family s honour by taking on his brother s responsibilities. When Menina Carminho discovered the truth, she confronted him. But how could a poor young woman defend herself against such a selfish and greedy man? The confrontation ended tragically. What s more, the entire savage act was witnessed by the young noble and so there was only one possible way out Putting an end to his life too! And so his secret was safely buried, along with the young man s 26
Time to set wrong right again Chapter 8 body, his family seal ring and of course, the diary in the silver box. That is, until we found it! And now??? How will the story end? The more Rachel and I think about it, the more we know that we have to do something. The police prove to be a huge let down. They keep on telling Rachel that they have no legal basis on which to act on, and so Rachel and I take the story to the local paper, who promises to publish it. Unfortunately, my holiday in Portugal is up, and it is time to head back home again. 27
Chapter 9 Where there s a will, there s a way Today it is yet another miserable rainy day in London, but I am feeling as if I am the king of the world. You see, Rachel has just written me a letter. In it, she included a newspaper cutting of Menina Carminho s true story! I can hardly believe it. I look around my room as if to take it all in and, suddenly, my computer screen turns back on. 28
WHILE-READING A Read the following chapters and circle the correct option: Chapter 1 1. The boy in the story is called a. James. b. Jeremy. c. John. 2. Rob is a. his dad. b. his brother. c. his mum s boyfriend. Chapter 2 1. The original house belonged to a. a strange man. b. a lady. c. a youngish couple. 2. The letter D on page 8 stands for a. dead. b. depressed. c. divorce. Chapter 3 1. Jeremy wakes up with a. a loud noise. b. footsteps. c. the phone. 2. While he is watching TV, he hears a. a mysterious voice. b. his mother. c. the phone. Chapter 4 1. When Jeremy wakes up he a. has breakfast. b. goes to the pool. c. makes a friend. 2. Then he goes to a. the kitchen. b. the reception. c. his room. 29
Chapter 5 1. Jeremy follows Rachel to a. clean his room. b. surf the net. c. fetch some eggs. 2. Later Jeremy switches on his computer and a. surfs the net. b. sends an email. c. gets a message. Chapter 6 1. Jeremy finds out more about a. Rachel. b. Menina Carminho. c. Portugal. 2. Jeremy and Rachel have to go to the to look for answers. a. pantry b. vineyard c. woods Chapter 7 1. The next day Rachel goes to a. Porto. b. the doctor. c. school. 2. Later in the woods, Rachel a. feels scared. b. breaks an ankle. c. finds something. Chapter 8 1. Menina Carminho was murdered by a. the Duke. b. her boyfriend. c. her uncle. 2. Jeremy and Rachel get help from a. the police. b. the local press. c. Jeremy s mum. 30
Chapter 9 1. The story ends with a message from a. the hotel. b. Rachel. c. Menina Carminho. 2. Menina Carminho s story a. remains a secret. b. is published. c. is forgotten. B Answer the following questions in full sentences: 1. Who sends the secret messages? Why? 2. What is your favourite part of the story? Why? 3. Who is your favourite character? Why? 31
POST-READING SW8-FUNEXT-3 A Make a word search about the story. Write ten sentences about the story. Choose a secret word and underline it in each sentence. Write the secret words in the word search ( ; ; ; ; ; ) Fill the word search with random letters. Write each sentence in the Clues section without the secret word as in the example. M E S S A G E Clues 1. Jeremy received a secret. 2.. 3.. 4.. 5.. 6.. 7.. 8.. 9.. 10.. When you have finished, swop your word search with a partner and see who can finish first. 32