C O N T E N T S
1. A Bad Driver 4
2. My Dream Job 6
3. Watching Television 8
4. Nails in the Door 10
5. Thomas Edison 12
6. Cindy’s Birthday 14
7. Two Easy Recipes 16
8. That’s Once! 18
9. How Far Can You See? 20
10. Too Many Cooks 22
11. Skinny Dog 24
12. Rules for the Annual University Entrance Examination 26
13. We Like to Share 28
14. Wrong Date 30
15. A Rainy Day 32
16. A Long Speech 34
17. Win These Prizes 36
18. Review: Mamma Mia! 38
19. Discovery Trips in the Blue Mountains 40
20. Arthur ‘Ace’ Burney, Tennis Star 42
21. The Prize 44
22. A Good Band 46
23. What’s on Your Pizza? 48
24. A Helpful Maid 50
25. Arthur ‘Ace’ Burney Dances into Trouble 52
26. Late Again! 54
27. Neil Armstrong 56
28. Cindy at Practice 58
29. The Science Experiment 60
30. New Hearing Aids 62
31. Guitar Lessons 64
32. The Secret of Old Age 66
33. Bayfield Shopping Coupons 68
34. Two Letters 70
35. A Farewell Speech 72
36. Twenty-five Cent Coins 74
37. A Telephone Conversation 76
38. A Grumpy Customer 78
39. New Capetown Champion 80
40. Kennedy School Newsletter 82
U NIT 1 A Bad Driver
4
F
reddy was a taxi driver, but he never had any passengers. He couldn’t understand why nobody wanted to get in his taxi. Freddy never had any passengers because he was a reckless driver. People thought they might have an accident if they were in Freddy’s taxi.He often didn’t look where he
was going. Sometimes he didn’t see other cars or trucks. At other times he didn’t stop for red lights, and once he almost ran over the local policeman. People were frightened when they saw his taxi on the road.
“I’m not going in that taxi,” said the school teacher. “He’s too reck- less! Last week he almost hit the tree near the school. I saw it!”
“Yes,” said the teacher’s wife. “I saw it, too. He wants us to pay him to ride in his taxi, but I think he should pay us!”
One day he saw some strangers near the railway station. He stopped and they got in his taxi. They said they wanted to go to a house on Alman Road. Freddy was very happy and started to drive. At first he drove very carefully, but he soon forgot and drove faster and faster. The passengers became afraid.
“Slow down,” they said. “You’re driving too fast!”
Freddy almost hit a car! Then he almost hit a truck! He forgot to stop for a red light. People ran out of the way. They pointed at the passen- gers. They had never seen passengers in Freddy’s taxi before.
Freddy drove his taxi around some corners. He drove very fast and the taxi almost tipped over, but it just went up on two wheels and then fell back down. The passengers were very frightened.
“Stop! Stop!” they shouted. “We want to get out!”
“Why?” asked Freddy. “We are not at Alman Road yet.”
“You are a reckless driver,” they said. “You almost hit a car and a truck and you drove through a red light. We are terrified every time you go around a corner.”
“Oh,” said Freddy. “Is that the problem? You don’t have to be fright- ened. Whenever the situation looks dangerous, just close your eyes.
That’s what I do!”
5 5
1 100
1 155
2 200
2 255
3 300
3 355
Vocabulary Review Vocabulary Review
Reading Comprehension Reading Comprehension
Summary Summary
5 Match each word with its meaning.
1. situation a. not careful
2. reckless b. condition
3. terrified c. very frightened
Choose the best answer.
1. Why didn’t people want to ride in Freddy’s taxi?
a. Everybody had cars. b. Freddy charged too much.
c. He did not drive well. d. The taxi was very old.
2. Why did people point at the passengers in the taxi?
a. The passengers were famous. b. They were glad to see them in the taxi.
c. They were laughing at them. d. They were worried about them.
3. Why is Freddy a bad driver?
a. He can’t see well. b. He closes his eyes.
c. He is too old. d. He likes danger.
4. What happens if something “tips over”?
a. It falls on its side. b. It receives some money.
c. It rolls very fast. d. It stops.
Fill in each blank with the correct word.
Freddy drove a taxi but no one ever got in it, because everyone knew that he was a _____ driver. One day he did have some _____ and they were soon _____ by his driv- ing. They asked him to slow down _____ they were frightened, but he told them not to worry. He told them to _____ their eyes. That’s what he did.
close because dangerous passengers terrified
