THE NARRATIVE OF GORDOM PYM

YOU N G ADU L T

Edgar Allan Poe The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket

READER S L I G H T

Eli Readers is a beautifully-illustrated series of timeless classics and specially-written stories for learners of English.

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket Arthur Gordon Pym is eighteen years old and he wants to be a sailor. He hides on a ship, with the help of his friend Augustus. This is the story of his adventures at sea. He meets pirates, a ghost ship, and storms. He visits Kerguelen’s Land, Prince Edward’s Island and Tristan da Cunha before arriving in Antarctica. Edgar Allan Poe’s only novel is an exciting story of survival at sea.

In this reader you will also find: - Information about Edgar Allan Poe’s life - Focus On sections: Antarctica and Pirates at Sea - Glossary of difficult words - Comprehension and extension activities - Final test

Tags Classic literature, adventure

Up to 600 headwords

Classic - American English

www.eligradedreaders.com

Word count: 4748 Full text on CD

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YOU N G ADU L T E L I READER S | L I G H T

A1

Edgar Allan Poe The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket

Edgar Allan Poe

ELT A1

YOU N G ADU L T

READER S L I G H T

YOUNG ADULT

READERS LIGHT

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Edgar Allan Poe

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket Adaptation and activities by Janet Borsbey and Ruth Swan Illustrated by Arianna Vairo

YOUNG ADULT

READERS LIGHT

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket

by Edgar Allan Poe Adaptation and activities by Janet Borsbey and Ruth Swan Illustrated by Arianna Vairo The authors would like to thank: all the team ELI, E. Chuther and E. Yamaguchi ELI Readers Founder and Series Editors Paola Accattoli, Grazia Ancillani, Daniele Garbuglia (Art Director) Graphic Design Sergio Elisei Layout Diletta Brutti Production Manager Francesco Capitano Photo credits ELI Archive

Š 2013 ELI s.r.l.

P.O. Box 6 62019 Recanati MC Italy T +39 071750701 F +39 071977851 info@elionline.com www.elionline.com Typeset in 11,5 / 15 pt Monotype Dante Printed in Italy by Tecnostampa Recanati – ERE001.01 ISBN 978-88-536-1587-9 First edition: February 2013 www.elireaders.com

Contents 6

Introduction

8

Before you read

10

Chapter One

18

Activities

20

Chapter Two

28

Activities

30

Chapter Three

38

Activities

40

Chapter Four

48

Activities

50

Chapter Five

58

Activities

60

Chapter Six

70

Activities

72

Focus on...

Edgar Allan Poe

74

Focus on...

Pirates at Sea

76

Focus on...

Antarctica Past and Present

78

Test yourself

79

Syllabus

My name is Arthur Gordon Pym Where are you Augustus?

My good idea No food, no water We see a ship Antarctica

These icons indicate the parts of the story that are recorded start stop

n uctio

d Intro

Before you read

Vocabulary 1 The Weather. Write the adjective under the correct weather symbol.

windy stormy rainy

1 It is _______

2 It is _______

3 It is _______

4 It is _______

5 It is _______

6 It is _______

cloudy sunny foggy

2a Family. Complete the table. female

male

father 1 mother ______________ brother 2 ______________ 3 grandmother ______________ 4 daughter ______________ nephew 5 ______________ 6 aunt ______________ 7 cousin cousin

2b Write about your family.

I’ve got ___________________________________________

8

Glossary Work 3 The Sea. Match the words to the correct dictionary definitions. words

definitions

1 a cabin /"kœbIn/ 2 a wave /weIv/ 3 a captain /"kœptIn/ 4 a ship /SIp/ 5 a canoe /k´"nu…/ 6 an island /"aIl´nd/

a) a long, thin boat b) a very large boat c) a bedroom on a boat d) a country in the middle of the sea e) the top person on a boat. The boss. f) a movement in the water

Writing 4 Read page 10 and page 11. Complete the table with information about Pym.

Full Name:

______________________________

Place of Birth: ______________________________ Age:

______________________________

Name of Boat: ______________________________ Best Friend:

______________________________

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Chapter One

My name is Arthur Gordon Pym 2

People often ask me about my story. Now I am at home, in America, I can write my story.

Some of the story is my diary*. Some of the story I can remember. It is a story about the sea. Some people live and some people die.

This is my story.

October 1825 My name is Arthur Gordon Pym. I come from Nantucket. Nantucket is a town in America. It’s near the sea. People from Nantucket are often sailors*. My grandfather is a lawyer*. He’s famous and he’s very rich.

I’m very happy. I’m only eighteen years

a diary – you write in this book every day a sailor – a person who works on a boat a lawyer – a person who helps people and the police

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old, but I have a small boat. Its name is the Ariel. I often go sailing* on the Ariel, near Nantucket. I am a good student and I have a dream*: I want to go to sea. I often talk to my father about my dream. “Father, I want to go to sea.”

“I know, boy,” he always says. “But, no, you can’t. You can’t go to sea. Your grandfather doesn’t like the sea. You must study. You must be a lawyer. You must help your grandfather.”

I have a very good friend. His name is Augustus. He’s a very happy boy. He’s twenty years old and he often goes to sea. His father is the captain* of a ship, the Grampus. Augustus goes with his father on the Grampus. He goes to Canada and to the South Pacific. When Augustus is at home, we often go sailing on my boat. Sometimes we go sailing at night.

to go sailing – to go out on a boat a dream - something you want to do, also, something you think when you are sleeping a captain – the top person on a boat

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October 25 1825 Augustus and I are on my boat. It’s a beautiful, sunny day. Augustus is looking at the sea. I’m writing my diary. “It’s seven o’clock,” I say to Augustus. “We must go home.”

“Why?” says Augustus. “I like sailing at night. The sea is calm*. It isn’t windy.”

Augustus is right. We stay at sea.

Then, the weather changes. The wind is very strong and the waves* are very high. It’s dark, very dark. We’re in danger*. Very bad danger. There’s a very high wave. “Augustus!

Augustus! Jump!”

Augustus isn’t moving. “Jump!”

I’m in the water. I’m swimming. But, the Ariel. Where’s the Ariel? And where’s Augustus?

calm – quiet, not moving a wave – there are waves on the sea in the picture on the right in danger – not safe

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October 26 1825 Where am I? I’m in bed. I’m very tired. I remember last night, “Augustus!”

“Shh. Sleep, Arthur.” It’s Augustus’s mother. “Augustus is sleeping. It was a very bad storm*. I’m sorry about your boat. I’m happy because you are alive*.”

“Don’t tell my grandfather about the Ariel,” I say.

I sleep and sleep and sleep. I still* want to go to sea.

June 17 1827 It’s two years later. I’m older now. I’m twenty years old, but I still have my dream.

I want to be a sailor. Augustus is still my good friend. His father is still the captain of the Grampus. Augustus is helping his father.

a storm – very bad weather with wind and rain alive – not dead

14

still – I wanted to go to sea yesterday. I want to go to sea today. I still want to go to sea

the narrative of arthur gordon pym of nantucket

He’s a sailor now. Augustus understands my dream. He wants to help me. We have a plan*.

My father doesn’t know about our plan. My grandfather doesn’t know about our plan. I can be a sailor! This is our plan. First, I get on the Grampus. Nobody* must see me. Then, I must hide*. I must hide in the hold*. I must stay in the hold for some days. Augustus must bring me food and water. We must sail far away from Nantucket. Then, I can leave the hold. I can be a sailor! I can go to the South Pacific!

June 18 1827 I’m on the Grampus! I’m hiding in the hold.

Augustus knows I’m here. Nobody else on the ship knows I’m here. The hold is very dark. I can’t see anything. I have some water, some food and a candle*. I have some pens and I

a plan – an idea of things to do nobody – not anybody to hide – to go where nobody can see you a hold – inside a ship, at the bottom

a candle –

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have some paper. I have some books to read.

Augustus is a good friend. He brings food and water for me. I live in a box and it’s very small.

It’s 2 meters long and it’s 1.5 meters high. I must stay here, in the dark. We’re waiting to sail. I’m happy, but a little afraid*.

June 19 1827 I’m still in the hold on the Grampus. We’re still waiting to sail. I’m waiting for Augustus, but Augustus has a lot of things to do. I only have one candle. I must write quickly. I’m still happy about my adventure, but I’m still a little afraid. It’s dark in the hold.

June 20 1827 I’m still in the hold, but I’m at sea! The ship is sailing! I’m Arthur Gordon Pym and I’m a sailor!

afraid – feeling something bad can happen

16

AFTER-READING ACTIVITIES

Stop & Check 1 Can you remember? Choose the best answer – A or B. 1 What is Arthur’s boat called?

A The Persil

B The Ariel

2 What is Arthur’s dream?

A He wants to go to sea

B He wants to go to London

3 What does Augustus do?

A He’s a lawyer

B He’s a sailor

4 Where does Arthur live on the Grampus?

A In a small cupboard

B In a small box

5 What does Augustus bring for Arthur?

A Food and water

B Food and milk

Vocabulary 2 Glossary Work. Match the words from Chapter One with the definitions. All the words are in the glossary.

18

1 to hide

a) very bad weather with wind and rain

2 plan

b) inside a ship, at the bottom

3 hold

c) to go where nobody can see you

4 storm

d) a person who helps people and the police

5 calm

e) an idea to do something

6 lawyer

f) quiet, not moving

Grammar 3 Be + Adjectives. Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verb be and an adjective from the box. thirsty • angry • tired • cold • happy • hot • hungry ’s often ______.” angry 1 “I don’t like the teacher. He ___ 2 “Give me some water!” I ______ very ______.

3 They want some cake because they ______ very ___________.

4 She works very hard. She ______ always ___________ at the weekend.

5 Open a window. We ______ very ___________.

6 “I ______ always ___________ on my birthday.”

7 It ______ always ___________ in winter.

PRE-READING ACTIVITY

Reading 4 What do you think happens next? Tick ✓ the box.

YES NO 1 Augustus brings food every day. [ [ 2 There is a very bad storm. [ [ 3 There is a big problem on the ship. [ [ 4 There is a child in the hold. [ [ 5 Arthur has his dog with him in the hold. [ [ 6 Arthur gets a message from Augustus. [ [

19

Chapter Two

Where are you Augustus?

3

June 21 1827 I’m still in the hold on the Grampus. It’s very difficult to write my diary. It’s very dark. I have a lot of questions. Where’s Augustus? Why doesn’t he come? What time is it? I’m hungry now. I must stop writing. I must eat and I must drink some water.

Another day – June 1827 I’m worried*. I’m sleeping a lot. I don’t know the date. I don’t know the time. I still have some water. I don’t have any food. Where’s Augustus? Augustus must come today. This morning, there was a very bad storm. I don’t

worried – unhappy about a problem

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feel well. I’m very hot, then I’m very cold.

I’m sick.

The next day – June 1827 I feel very sick. I’m worried. I don’t want to die here. Here on the Grampus. I want to sail, I want to explore*. I’m sleeping all day. Now, I don’t have any water. I have a very small piece of candle. I’m dying. Why doesn’t Augustus come? Why? Augustus, please come soon!

Another day – June 1827 What’s that? I can hear a noise. “Here, Augustus! Here!” I call.

Augustus doesn’t answer. What’s that noise?

Is it an animal? Is it a rat*. No, it’s bigger than a rat. Is it a man? Is it a sailor? No, it’s a dog, it’s my dog. “Tiger! Why are you here, Tiger?”

Am I dreaming? No. “Tiger! You’re really

to explore – to travel somewhere to learn about it a rat – a large mouse

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here! What’s this on your leg? It’s paper. Is it a message?”

Tiger is happy to see me. I’m very happy to see him. But I don’t understand. Why is he here? I take the message from his leg. I must read it very quickly. My candle is dying. I can only read part of the message: “…blood*. Hide.

You’re in danger.”

What does Augustus mean? Is there a problem on the Grampus?

The next day – June 1827 I’m lying in my box. I’m very thirsty. Tiger is very thirsty too. Then, I hear someone.

“Arthur!” I hear. “Arthur!”

It’s Augustus. “I’m sorry, Arthur.”

Augustus gives me food and water. I drink half the water. I give half the water to Tiger.

blood – red liquid in your body

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Potatoes! They are very good. Augustus has a candle. I can see him. I can see Tiger. Augustus is afraid. There are problems on the ship. He must go soon.

“Some of the sailors are bad,” he says. “I’m not free. They mustn’t find us here. Come with me. I must go back.”

I go with Augustus. It’s difficult to walk. cambia ordine + th per 30th June in June 30 1827 I’m still in the hold. I’m not in my box. Now I’m near Augustus’s cabin*. I must stay here with Tiger. Nobody must know. Augustus tells me everything. His father is dead. The sailors killed* him. The first mate* is the new captain of the Grampus. The sailors don’t want to go fishing. They want to be pirates*. One

a cabin – a bedroom on a ship to kill – the sailors killed him: now he is dead.

The sailors are killers

24

a first mate – an important sailor a pirate – a bad person, a sailor

the narrative of arthur gordon pym of nantucket

man, Dirk Peters, is a good man. He’s helping Augustus. It’s very dangerous for Dirk, for Augustus and for me.

July 3 1827 I’m still in the hold. Augustus is still in his cabin. Dirk Peters brings food for Augustus every day. Dirk talks about the sailors. “There are problems,” he says. “Some sailors want to go to the Caribbean. They want to be pirates.

Some sailors want to go to the South Pacific.”

July 4 1827 I can hear Dirk. He’s talking to Augustus.

“The sailors are very angry. They are fighting* a lot.”

“Why?” says Augustus.

“It’s a very dangerous time,” says Dirk.

“The first mate wants to go to the Caribbean.

to fight – to be violent with someone else

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The cook wants to go to the South Pacific. All the sailors are fighting.”

July 6 1827 The weather is very bad today. The wind is very strong and the waves are very high. It’s a very dangerous storm. Augustus is afraid. Dirk comes to see him. “It’s very bad,” he says. “There are some problems with the Grampus. There are some problems with the ship. It’s the storm.”

July 8 1827 The ship is moving very slowly. There are some problems after the storm. The first mate doesn’t like Dirk Peters. He doesn’t like Augustus. I’m happy about one thing: he doesn’t know about me! A lot of the sailors like the first mate. He still wants to go to the Caribbean. Dirk wants to stop him.

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July 10 1827 There are a lot of problems on the Grampus.

The first mate is killing people. He’s killing the cook’s friends. Dirk is also in danger. Augustus is in danger. Augustus and I talk. “We must tell Dirk about you,” says Augustus.

I come out of the hold. I meet Dirk and we talk. Dirk is a very interesting man. He’s very short, but very, very strong. He has no hair. On his head, he wears animal fur*. His teeth are very big. The sailors are afraid of Dirk Peters.

“We can take the Grampus!” says Augustus.

“We must be careful,” says Dirk. “There are three of us, but there are nine of them.”

“Yes,” I say. “But we have Tiger!”

fur – hair on an animal, e.g. on a cat or a dog

27

AFTER-READING ACTIVITIES

Stop & Check 1 Are these statements true (T) or false (F)?

1 It’s dark in the hold.

2 Arthur is worried.

3 Augustus is sick.

4 Arthur has a cat called Tiger.

5 There are problems on the ship.

6 Augustus is the new captain of the ship.

7 Dirk Peters isn’t in danger.

8 Dirk Peters helps Arthur and Augustus.

T F [ [ ✓ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [

Vocabulary 2 Go + ing. Choose the best answer. More than one answer is possible.

1 When I am in the sea,

a I go shopping.

2 When I want some fish,

b I go running.

3 When I am on my bike,

c I go skiing.

4 When I am in the supermarket,

d I go fishing.

5 When I am in my boat,

e I go swimming.

6 When I am in the mountains,

f I go cycling.

7 When I am in the park,

g I go sailing.

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Grammar 3a Past Simple - Regular Verbs. Complete the sentences using the verbs in the box. Put them into the Past Simple. talk • sail • walk • listen • end ended 1 The film ___________ at 11 pm.

2 The teacher ___________ about his holidays so there wasn’t a test!

3 They ___________ to music in the afternoon.

4 They ___________ past the church and turned left.

5 The Grampus ___________ very slowly.

3b Write three sentences about your day yesterday. Use three verbs from the box. _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________

PRE-READING ACTIVITY

Listening 4

4 Listen to the first part of Chapter Three. Are the sentences true (T) or false (F)?

1 Arthur can’t forget these things.

2 The weather was very bad.

3 The sailors worked very hard.

4 The cook wanted to go to the Caribbean.

5 The sailors wanted to kill Augustus.

T F [ [ ✓ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [

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Chapter Three

My good idea

4

I don’t have a diary for this part of my story.

But, I can remember everything. I can’t forget these things. I can never forget them.

The weather was fine. The sailors talked, but they didn’t work. The Grampus sailed slowly. There were a lot of fights.

“We want to go to the Pacific!” said the cook and his friends.

“No. The Caribbean!” said the first mate and his friends.

The next day, one of the sailors died. He was the cook’s friend. The first mate killed the sailor. The first mate was a killer.

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Dirk was worried. “The sailors are talking about us,” he said.

“What are they saying?” said Augustus.

“They want to kill you.”

“Why do they want to kill Augustus?” I said.

“Because he’s the captain’s son.”

5 “We can’t wait, we must fight the sailors,” I said. “We must have the Grampus.”

“Yes, it must be today,” said Dirk.

“Yes, it must,” Augustus said. “Before the first mate kills us.”

Now the weather was bad. It was very windy. The waves were very high. The Grampus was in danger again. The sailors were in a cabin. Some of them talked. Some of them listened. Sailors usually like telling stories.

They like listening to stories about the sea.

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Sailors also worry about bad things. They are afraid of ghosts*.

Augustus, Dirk and I talked. There were eight of them and three of us. It was important to make a good plan.

“I have a very good idea,” I said. “The first mate and his friends are in the cabin. There’s a storm. They are all afraid. They are telling stories about the sea. They are telling ghost stories.”

“Why is that important?” said Augustus.

“There are eight of them. We must fight them. They must be afraid of us. Then we can win*. A sailor died today, I must be his ghost.

Remember, the sailors don’t know about me. I must wear the dead sailor’s shirt.”

“That’s a very good idea,” said Dirk. “We have two guns*. I’m very strong.”

a ghost –

to win – to be the top in sport or competition a gun –

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“A ghost!” said Augustus. “I like the plan.”

“We must wait until night,” said Dirk.

“Then we must fight the sailors.” === It was night. The sailors were still in the cabin.

The wind was very strong and the waves were very, very high. I was a ghost. I had the dead sailor’s shirt. I had blood on my face.

“Now!” said Dirk.

“Oooooooh! Oooooooh!” I shouted*.

“Who’s there?” shouted the first mate. He was afraid. I walked into the sailors’ cabin.

“A ghost! It’s a ghost!” shouted the cook. He was also afraid.

Bang! Bang! Then again. Bang! Bang!

The first mate, the cook and two other men were dead.

to shout – to speak in a loud voice

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“Fight! Fight!” shouted Augustus.

“Tiger!” I shouted.

There was a very long fight. Then the fight ended. Five sailors were dead. Augustus was hurt*. I was alive and Dirk was alive. Another man was alive, too. His name was Parker.

“Tiger!” I called. “Where’s Tiger?”

“He’s dead. I’m sorry,” said Augustus.

“Tiger helped me. Tiger was a good dog.” === Tiger was dead. I was sad. I didn’t have any time to think. The storm was very bad. The wind was very, very strong.

“We must throw* the dead sailors and Tiger into the sea,” said Dirk. “I’m sorry.” ===

hurt – (adj.+vb.) feeling bad because of a problem with your body to throw – to push something through the air e.g. a ball

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He was right. Parker was good. He helped us.

He helped us with the Grampus. “This is a very bad storm!” he shouted. “We must be quick.

The ship is in danger.”

We worked and worked. The Grampus was a big ship. It was difficult to sail. Now there were only four of us: me, Augustus, Dirk and Parker. We were at sea, at night, in the middle of a very bad storm.

37

AFTER-READING ACTIVITIES

Vocabulary 1 Use the clues to complete the crossword. All the words are jobs.

1 2 3 4

5

6

F I S H E R M A N

Across: 1 I make food. c_ _ _ (4 letters) 5 The captain is my boss. I am the sailors’ boss. f_ _ _ _ m_ _ _ (5 letters + 4 letters) 6 I work on a boat. s_ _ _ _ _ (6 letters)

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Down: 1 I am the boss on a ship. c_ _ _ _ _ _ (7 letters) 2 Arthur’s grandfather is a l_ _ _ _ _(6 letters) 3 I am a bad person. I am a sailor. p_ _ _ _ _ (6 letters) i _s _ h _ e _r m a n 4 I catch fish. f_ _ _ _ (9 letters)

Stop & Check 2 Match the questions and answers.

1 Where does the cook want to go?

a Yes, he does.

2 What are the sailors doing?

b It’s very windy.

3 What is the weather like?

c Yes, he is.

4 Is Arthur wearing a dead d He wants to go sailor’s shirt? to the Caribbean.

5 Does Tiger die? e They are telling stories.

Grammar 3 was/were. Complete the sentences with was, wasn’t, were or weren’t.

wasn’t cold yesterday, but it was windy.

1 It ______ 2 The Grampus ______ big.

3 There was no food and we ______ very hungry.

4 There ______ any sailors on the boat.

5 I ______ tired - it was time for bed.

PRE-READING ACTIVITY

Vocabulary 4 Tick ✓ the words you expect to read in the next chapter.

[ tree [ storm [ knife [ food

[ danger [ blood

[ chicken [ difficult [ water [ holiday

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Chapter Four

No food, no water

6

The storm was very bad. The wind was very strong and the waves were now very high. The Grampus didn’t have any sails*. The ship was in danger.

“Ropes*!” shouted Dirk.

It was difficult to hear.

“We must have ropes!”

“Why?” I shouted.

“We must use ropes! We must tie* the ropes to the ship! We must put the ropes around us.

Watch me!”

“Help!” shouted Augustus.

Augustus was hurt. His arm was hurt.

a sail –

40

a rope – to tie – to put something in place with rope

the narrative of arthur gordon pym of nantucket

Parker helped him. “You must tie yourself to the ship,” said Parker. “The waves are very high. You mustn’t go into the sea!” === It was a very long night. My arms and my legs hurt. The ropes hurt them. It was difficult to see and it was difficult to hear. There was a lot of noise from the storm. There was a lot of noise from the ship. And Augustus? My friend was hurt.

“Augustus, please don’t die!” I said to myself. === The next day, the weather changed. Now the sun was very hot. It wasn’t windy. I opened my eyes. It was very bad. Now the Grampus wasn’t a ship. It was a piece of wood*.

“Help!” shouted Augustus.

I had a knife. I used the knife to cut my ropes.

wood – a tree is made of wood

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It was very difficult to stand up. Then I cut the ropes from Augustus. He didn’t move. I cut the ropes from Dirk and Parker. They helped me with Augustus. My friend was very sick. === The next days – or weeks – were like a bad dream. We didn’t have any food. We didn’t have any water. The sea was very calm. We tried to open the cabin door. It didn’t move. There was food in there! We wanted the food. Dirk tried.

Parker tried. I tried. The cabin door didn’t move.

One morning, Parker said, “One of us must die. We must eat that person. We need food and we need water.”

It was very bad, but it was true.

“We need four pieces of wood. Three long pieces and one short piece,” said Parker.

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“Everyone must choose a piece. The person with the short piece must die.”

It was very bad.

“Now we must choose,” said Parker.

The first man was Dirk. His piece of wood was long. The second man was Augustus.

His piece of wood was long, too. Now there were two of us; Parker and me. And then, it was time. Parker’s piece of wood? It was short. My piece of wood was long. Dirk killed Parker.

“Now we must drink his blood,” said Dirk.

“Yes. And we must eat him,” I said. === Now there were only three of us. Augustus, Dirk and me. It was July. Was it July 19? It was an important day. The sea was calm, but it

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rained. Water to drink! But it was very difficult to catch the rain. We had some water. But now we were hungry again.

The next day, the weather was very bad again. The waves were very high and it was windy. Another storm! But the storm was short. And, we were safe.

“Look!” shouted Augustus. “What’s that?”

There was a small hole* in the cabin door.

“Dirk! Look!” I shouted. “We can open the cabin door!”

Dirk opened the door. The cabin was under the water. Dirk disappeared* into the water.

Then he shouted, “Food! I have some food!”

I went into the hole. It was difficult to see under the water. “A cup!” I shouted. “I have a cup! Now we can catch the rain!”

a hole –

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to disappear – to be where nobody can see you

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We were so happy.

“I want to swim in the cabin!” said Augustus.

“You can’t, Augustus,” said Dirk. “Your arm is very bad.” === Now, it was August 1. It was a very bad day. In the morning, Augustus was very sick.

“Here’s some water, my friend,” I said.

“Thank you, Arthur.”

Then he was quiet. My friend, Augustus, died. There were now two of us; Dirk and me.

“Put him into the sea,” said Dirk. “He was a good boy.”

We were very sad. We put him into the sea. ===

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the narrative of arthur gordon pym of nantucket

The days were very long. Sometimes it rained.

Then, we had water. We didn’t have any food.

One morning, there were some sharks* around the Grampus. It was very dangerous. Then, in the afternoon, we had another storm. It was very bad.

a shark –

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AFTER-READING ACTIVITIES

Stop & Check 1 Answer the questions.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Does Parker help Arthur and Augustus?

Does Augustus feel sick?

Do the friends need food?

Does Arthur kill Parker?

Does Arthur die?

Do they find a cup?

Does Dirk Peters die?

Yes, he does. ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

Vocabulary 2a Adjectives. Match the adjectives in column A with their opposites in column B. A

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B

1 dark

a) small

2 tall

b) cold

3 rich

c) light

4 big

d) sad

5 long

e) poor

6 good

f) difficult

7 hot

g) short

8 happy

h) bad

9 easy

i) short

2b Now fill the gaps with the right words.

1 It was _____ in the hold. short • dark • poor 2 Dirk is very strong but he’s not very _____. cold • sad • tall 3 The Ariel was a _____ boat. long • easy • small 4 When Arthur is sick, he is _____. dark • hot • happy 5 When Tiger dies, Arthur is ______. sad • cold • difficult

Speaking 3 Work in pairs. Talk about these things.

• • • •

Happy days Difficult things Cold weather Long walks

PRE-READING ACTIVITY

Listening 7

4 Listen to the first part of Chapter Five. Are the sentences true (T) or false (F)?

1 The sea was very calm.

2 There were a lot of sharks in the water.

3 Dirk was interested in the sharks.

4 Arthur was in the water.

5 Dirk didn’t help Arthur.

T F [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [

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Chapter Five

We see a ship

7

The waves were very high. Dirk and I were very afraid. The Grampus wasn’t safe. The storm was bad in the afternoon. In the evening, the storm was still very bad. It was difficult to stand up on the ship. There were sharks in the water.

I was afraid of the sharks and Dirk was afraid of the sharks. There was a noise. Then, I was in the sea! I was in the water. The water was dark. The waves were very big. Where were the sharks? “Dirk! Dirk!” I shouted. “Where are you, Dirk?”

There was the Grampus.

“Arthur! Where are you, Arthur? Arthur!”

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It was Dirk. He was on the ship. “Take my hand!” he shouted.

He helped me. Now I was on the Grampus.

“Thank you, Dirk! Thank you,” I shouted. === 8

Now, the sea was calm. We were still very hungry. We had some rain, so we had water to drink. The days were very long. Then, one day, Dirk shouted, “Wake up! Wake up!”

“What is it?”

“A ship!”

On the horizon*, there was a ship. We watched and watched. We watched for hours.

The ship was now near us.

“It’s a big ship,” said Dirk.

“They can see us. They can see us,” I said.

We waited.

the horizon – the line you see in the distance

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edgar allan poe

“I can see the people!” said Dirk. “Oh no.

OH NO!” I looked at the ship, too. There were people on the ship. They were all dead. There were rats on the ship. It was very bad. It was a ghost ship.

It was a bad dream. There wasn’t anybody to help us. The ship disappeared from the horizon. === I was ready to die. We didn’t have any food. We didn’t have any water. There were sharks all around us. Then, there it was. On the horizon.

A sail. A small, white sail. I didn’t want to tell Dirk. He was very quiet. Then he said, “A ship?

Is that a ship?”

“Yes,” I said.

We were afraid. Was it really true? Was this really a ship? It was. The ship was quite near us

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edgar allan poe

now. There were sailors on the ship. “I can read its name!” said Dirk. “Its name is the Jane Guy.” It was a British ship. What was their destination*? Where were we? === The sailors and the captain of the Jane Guy were very kind men. They didn’t ask any questions. We were happy to be on their ship.

We were very tired. We were also very hungry.

We were also very, very thirsty.

“Drink some water. Eat some food,” said the captain. His name was Captain Guy. “What’s your destination?” I asked, later.

“The Indian Ocean. We are fishing. We also have some things on our ship. People can buy them. We have gold and silver. We have fur. We have plates, knives and forks.”

a destination – the place you want to go

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“Where are we now?” said Dirk.

“We’re near Brazil.”

“Where did you start?” I asked.

“Liverpool,” he said. “Then Cape Verde.

Now, we must go past the Cape of Good Hope.

Our destination is Kerguelen’s Land. I want to visit the islands* in the South Indian Ocean.

Then I want to go back west. Patagonia? Or the Auroras?”

I was happy. The Jane Guy was a good ship.

I was a sailor. My time on the Grampus was a bad dream. Oh, Augustus! Why did you die? === The weather was good. It stayed good for weeks. On September 16, there was a storm.

We were near the Cape of Good Hope. I remembered the storms on the Grampus. This

an island – land with sea all around it

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edgar allan poe

time, we were safe. One day, a sailor shouted, “Land!”

“Kerguelen’s Land,” said Captain Guy. “It’s October 18. We are at Kerguelen’s Land.”

The sailors were all happy.

Kerguelen’s Land, in the Indian Ocean, is an island. It has another name, too. Desolation Island. There are no people there, but it’s a good place for fishing. We didn’t stay for very long.

“I want to go west, tomorrow,” said Captain Guy, one day. “We must take water with us.

Get water from the island.”

“What’s our destination?” I said.

“Tristan da Cunha. The South Atlantic. Can we find the South Pole?”

“Oh, yes!” I was very happy. I was a sailor and now, an explorer. Now I had time to write

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the narrative of arthur gordon pym of nantucket

my diary. An explorer must write a diary.

November 5 1827 We are now at Tristan da Cunha. It’s a beautiful island. We have very good food here.

We eat chicken, vegetables and fruit every day.

The sailors are happy to be here, but we must leave soon. Captain Guy wants to look for the Auroras. Nobody knows where they are. Are they really there?

November 20 1827 We can’t find the Auroras! They aren’t there. Captain Guy now wants to go south.

The weather is very good. He wants to look for the South Pole.

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AFTER-READING ACTIVITIES

Stop & Check 1 Choose the right answer.

1 There weren’t any/were some sharks in the water.

2 There was/wasn’t a storm.

3 They had a lot of/didn’t have any food.

4 Dirk helped/didn’t help Arthur.

5 The days were/weren’t very long.

6 Captain Guy didn’t start/started in Liverpool.

7 Captain Guy wanted/didn’t want to go to the South Pole.

Grammar 2 Prepositions. Look at the pictures. Complete the sentences with a preposition from the box. under • in front of • on • behind • in

1 The ball is ______ the box.

2 The ball is ______ the box.

3 The ball is ______ 4 The ball is ______ 5 The ball is ______ the box. the box. the box.

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Writing 3 Complete this advertisement for a holiday in Patagonia.

Use verbs from the box. go • stay • climb • eat • go • relax • go

Patagonia Activity Holidays go ______ walking! ______ sailing! ______ fishing! ______ beautiful mountains ______ in the evenings ______ in simple hotels ______ good food

For the holiday of a lifetime!

PRE-READING ACTIVITY

Reading 4 In Chapter Six, Arthur and Dirk visit an island near Antarctica. What do they do? Tick ✓ the boxes.

1 [ visit people who live there 2 [ watch birds 3 [ kill people 4 [ see beautiful animals 5 [ learn a new language 59

Chapter Six

Antarctica

9

December 12 1827 We are going to Antarctica.The weather is beautiful, but cold. The sea is calm and it isn’t very windy. There isn’t very much ice. Dirk is happy. “We must be the first men to find the South Pole!”

December 26 1827 We can see islands of ice now. It snowed yesterday. It’s very cold. The ship is moving very slowly. The ice is dangerous, but I want to find the South Pole.

January 1 1828 The weather is very bad today. It’s very cold

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and very windy. I don’t want to go back. We can’t move, because of the ice.

January 2 1828 The weather is good today. There isn’t any ice in front of the ship. The sea is calm. We can sail south!

January 17 1828 This is a very good day. We can see islands on the horizon. We are the first sailors to come here.

We are the first sailors to come so far south. We visited one of the islands this morning. There were some large, white birds. There was also a canoe* there. Are there any people in Antarctica?

January 19 morning It’s light all day and all night! This morning, we can see some large islands. Captain Guy wants to visit them. We need water and we need food.

a canoe –

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January 19 afternoon What a good day! The captain, Dirk and I and some sailors visited the island. There are people on the island! They are very different from us. They speak a different language. They wear black fur. They are very strong. Are they friendly? We think they are. They have lots of food and very good water. They have four canoes. The canoes are very long. We stayed on the island for three hours.

January 20 1828 One of the people visited the Jane Guy today.

He is a very important man. His name is Toowit. He had some things for Captain Guy; some fish, some fur and some vegetables. Is he friendly? I don’t know. We want to leave the island tomorrow. We want to go to the South

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Pole. Too-wit wants us to visit the island. He wants all the sailors to visit the island. He wants to say goodbye. I think it’s a bad idea. === Very bad things happen to us on the island.

Too-wit and his people are not friendly at all. Thirty-two sailors visited the island that morning (six sailors stayed on the Jane Guy).

Dirk and I are still alive. All the others are dead.

We went to the island in the morning. Toowit’s village was far away. We walked and walked. Then, Too-wit disappeared. Too-wit’s friends also disappeared.

“Be careful!” said Dirk. “There are rocks*!

They’re coming down the mountain! Too-wit and his friends are throwing the rocks!”

“There’s a hole! We must hide!” I said.

a rock – there are rocks on a mountain. Rocks in the sea are dangerous for ships

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the narrative of arthur gordon pym of nantucket

Two minutes later, rocks started to come down from the mountain. Too-wit and his friends were killers. Soon, all the sailors and Captain Guy were dead. It was very quiet.

“Run!” shouted Dirk. “Run to the Jane Guy!” There wasn’t any time. Too-wit’s friends were on the Jane Guy. “A canoe!” I shouted. “Run! Look! One of Too-wit’s friends! He’s behind us!”

We were at the canoe. I jumped in, Dirk jumped in and Too-wit’s friend jumped in.

“Stop him!” I shouted. The man was in the canoe. He was hurt. Then, Bang! It was the Jane Guy. It was very bad. It was the end of that beautiful ship. We were safe. Dirk and I were in the canoe – with one of Too-wit’s friends. ===

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Nu-Nu was the name of Too-wit’s friend. He was hurt and he was afraid.

“We can’t go north. We must go south,” said Dirk. “We can find more islands.”

The days were very long. There weren’t any islands. But Nu-Nu did a lot of fishing. We had food. Dirk killed a bird, one day – a large white bird. Tekeli-li! called the bird. Nu-Nu was afraid of the bird. === The weeks are very long. We are tired now. I think it’s March. We are going south. We are going to the South Pole. The sea is the color of milk now. We often hear Tekeli-li. Nu-Nu is very sad. He’s afraid of the noise. He’s afraid of Tekeli-li, Tekeli-li.

The sea is white. It’s warm. Am I dreaming?

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edgar allan poe

Now, the water is hot. The sky is beautiful. We can see the colors of the Aurora Borealis. We can still hear the birds, Tekeli-li, Tekeli-li. === The sea is dark now. The water is hot. Ash* is coming up from the sea. White ash is on the canoe. It’s dark now. We can see a curtain* of white ash in front of us, on the horizon. We are moving slowly. We are near the curtain.

There are a lot of large white birds now, Tekeli-li, Tekeli-li. Nu-Nu is very afraid again.

Dirk takes Nu-Nu’s hand, but Nu-Nu dies.

Tekeli-li, Tekeli-li.

The curtain of white ash is very near now.

Dirk and I are very quiet. Then, in the dark, we see the curtain. It’s moving. It’s opening. There’s a strange man. But he isn’t a man. He’s very big.

ash – grey powder from a cigarette or a volcano a curtain – (here) something that divides two things

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What is he? And his body is white. It’s very, very white. The color of snow.

THE END Note from Mr. Edgar Allan Poe. Dear readers, Arthur Gordon Pym died on Friday. The story was in all the newspapers. He didn’t finish his book. We must find Dirk Peters. I have some questions for him: What did you find at the South Pole?

How did you come back from the South Pole?

Who was the big ‘man’?

These are important questions.

Best wishes, Edgar Allan Poe

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AFTER-READING ACTIVITIES

Stop & Check 1 Answer the questions.

1 Do they want to go to the South Pole?

Yes, they do _________________________________________ 2 Is the weather hot? _________________________________________ 3 Do they see some ice? _________________________________________ 4 Do they find people on the island? _________________________________________ 5 Is Too-wit friendly? _________________________________________ 6 Is Nu-Nu happy? _________________________________________ 7 Do they see some white birds? _________________________________________

Vocabulary 2 Glossary Work. Match the words from Chapters Three to Six with the definitions. All the words are in the glossary.

1 curtain

a to speak in a loud voice

2 to throw

b land with sea all around it

3 destination

c the line you see in the distance

4 island

d something that divides two things

5 to shout

e the place you want to go

6 horizon f to push something through the air e.g. a ball 70

Speaking 3 Ask your partner the questions.

Are you a good reader?

1 How many books do you read every year? [ none [ two or three [ a lot 2 How often do you read a newspaper? [ every day [ sometimes [ not very often 3 Do you prefer to read a book or watch the film of the book? [ read the book [ watch the film 4 What type of books do you like? [ horror stories [ cartoons [ love stories [ detective stories [ ghost stories [ mysteries

Writing 4 Answer the questions.

1 Did you like The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket?

Yes, because ___________________________________ or No, because ___________________________________ 2 Did you like the ending of the book?

Yes, because ___________________________________ or No, because ___________________________________ 71

FOCUS ON...

Edgar Allan Poe (1809 – 1849)

E. A. Poe

Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer. He was a writer of short stories and poems.

He was famous in America, but he was always very poor.

Early Life Edgar Poe’s birthday was January 19 and he was born in 1809. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts. His mother and father were actors. He had a very sad early life. His mother and father died before he was three 72

years old. After that, the little boy lived with John and Frances Allan. His name changed to Edgar Allan Poe. He was an intelligent boy and he was very good at school. From 1815 to 1820, Edgar’s family lived in Britain.

Family Life Poe didn’t have much money. He started university in Virginia, but he didn’t finish. He and his family (the Allans) had some problems, because Poe wasn’t very good with money. In 1827, when he was eighteen years old, he joined the army*. He published his first book in the same year. It was a book of poems. Poe had some problems with the army; he didn’t want to be a soldier. He wanted to write all the time.

In 1829, Frances Allan died. John Allan The Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum in Baltimore. married his second wife the next year.

Poe and Allan didn’t speak again. In 1831, Poe decided to leave the army.

Poe married his cousin, Virginia Clemm, It was very difficult to be a professional writer in the when he was 26 years old. Virginia was early nineteenth century. Poe was often very poor.

He published a lot of stories and articles in magazines. 13 years old at the time.

He worked as a journalist and he published reviews.

He also published a lot of poems. One poem, The Raven, was very popular. He published it in 1845 and he was immediately very famous. He still wasn’t very Edgar Allan Poe’s wife, Virginia, rich. Poe was an important writer of detective stories. died in 1847. Life was very difficult His detective, Dupin, was the first fictional detective. for Poe after that. He was sick for a Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, long time. He died two years later said that Poe was a very important writer of detective in 1849. Nobody knows why he stories. Poe was also a writer of science fiction. died. It is still a mystery today.

Writing

The End of his Life

Task Complete the form with information about the author.

Name: Date of birth: Place of birth: Name of wife: Date he died:

____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________

to join the army - to become a soldier

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FOCUS ON...

Pirates at Sea How much do you know about the history of pirates? Read the Frequently Asked Questions.

Who were the first pirates?

Well, there were pirates at the time of the ancient Greeks, Egyptians, Phoenicians and Romans. In the Middle Ages, the Vikings were famous pirates and there were pirates in China and Japan. There were pirates in the Mediterranean around North Africa. Later there were pirates around Central Africa, the Caribbean, North and South America. There were pirates everywhere.

Pirates in a City

What did pirates steal?

They wanted to be rich. They didn’t always want gold. Sometimes other things were important too. For example, pepper, salt, spices, silk and medicines.

Pirates sometimes wanted food and water for their ships. Of course, sometimes pirates wanted people.

Were there any famous pirates?

One famous very early pirate was Gan Ning from China. He and his friends had bells local people were very afraid of the sound of bells. Barbarossa was a famous pirate in the Mediterranean. He lived at about the same time as Kenki and Takanobu in Japan.

Barbarossa was very successful, because he 74

Blackbeard the Pirate

lived for a very long time. Henry Morgan and Blackbeard were famous pirates in the Caribbean in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Hollywood’s idea of a pirate comes from Blackbeard.

Were there any women pirates?

Yes, but there weren’t very many women pirates. Mary Read and Anne Bonny were two women pirates. They sailed in the Caribbean. They were very good fighters.

Did pirates have a romantic life?

No they didn’t. They usually had a very short, violent life.

Ann Bonny and Mary Read

When was the Golden Age for pirates?

Did pirates have special laws?

Some pirates had special laws and some didn’t. It was important for sailors to have a leader. Even pirates had leaders. It was also important for pirates to follow their leader: ships were very dangerous places because of storms and sickness. There were laws about money, too.

The Golden Age for pirates was from 1700 to 1730 in the Caribbean.

The pirates wanted gold and coffee from Spanish ships. Many of these pirates were from the Netherlands, England or France. At the same time, there were a lot of pirates in the sea near Madagascar. These pirates wanted spices.

Are there any pirates at sea today?

Yes, there are still pirates in many parts of the world today.

There are pirates in the oceans and also on rivers like the Amazon and the Danube.

Pirates and their Gold

Task Finish the sentences.

1 The Golden Age for pirates was from __________________.

2 Some important pirates were ________________________.

3 Pirates wanted ____________________________________.

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FOCUS ON...

Antarctica Past and Present

Antarctica is the continent at the south of the earth. The South Pole is in Antarctica. The geography of the continent is very interesting: 98% of it is under ice. Antarctica is very cold, very dry and very windy. Nobody lives in Antarctica all the time, but there are scientists from many countries who visit it. Animals mainly live in the sea and the sky.

Antarctica in 1838

Scott’s ship Terra Nova, 1910

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Imagine you live in 1838, the year when Edgar Allan Poe published The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. People think that Antarctica is very big. Everybody knows about the South Pole, but nobody knows where it is. Everybody is interested in exploration: twenty years ago, three ships visited Antarctica. People are excited: what is there at the South Pole? People waited until 1911 to find out.

Exploring Antarctica Many explorers from many countries visited Antarctica. In the early years of the twentieth century, there were expeditions from France, Germany, Great Britain and Sweden. From 1910-12, Nobu Shirase was the leader of a Japanese Antarctic expedition. They explored islands in Antarctica. All the expeditions were very important for science and exploration.

Other famous explorers were Ernest Shackleton and Robert Falcon Scott.

Robert Falcon Scott

Reaching the South Pole In December 1911, the first men reached the South Pole. They were five Norwegian explorers. The leader of the explorers was Roald Amundsen.

They started from Norway in June 1910. When they got there, they prepared for their long journey. In October 1911, they started. There were five men and fifty-two dogs. They saw the South Pole in December. The journey to the South Pole and the return was long: 99 days in total. The five men all returned – with eleven dogs.

Roald Amundsen

Task Internet Research

Antarctica Today Today, people travel to Antarctica for tourism.

They go to see sea animals and birds. They can also go walking, camping and scuba diving. Today, tourists know what to find at the South Pole!

Use the Internet to find more information about Nobu Shirase, Roald Amundsen, Ernest Shackleton or Robert Falcon Scott.

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test yourself

1 Answer the questions about The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket.

1 Where is Arthur from? ________________________________________________ 2 What job does Augustus’s father do? ________________________________________________ 3 Arthur hides on a ship. What is its name? ________________________________________________ 4 Why does Dirk kill Parker? ________________________________________________ 5 What is Captain Guy’s first destination? ________________________________________________ 6 Who is Too-wit? ________________________________________________

2 Match the words to their definitions. The words are all from the glossary.

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1 ■ calm

a a person who works on a boat

2 ■ to fight

b to be the top in sport or competition

3 ■ blood

c quiet, not moving

4 ■ to win

d red liquid in your body

5 ■ sailor

e to be violent with someone else

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Syllabus Articles: a, an, the Nouns: countable and uncountable, plural, possessive Pronouns: subject, object Quantifiers: some/any, more Adjectives: possessive, opinion Prepositions: place, time, movement Verbs: Present Simple, Present Continuous, Past Simple (including very common irregular verbs), can, must, like+ ing, go+ ing, need, there is/there are, imperatives Adverbs: frequency, manner Conjunctions: and, so, but, because

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YOUNG ADULT

READERS

STAGE 1

Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's Travels Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles

STAGE 2

Charles Dickens, Great Expectations William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet Bram Stoker, Dracula William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream

STAGE 3

Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray William Shakespeare, Macbeth Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility

STAGE 4

James Joyce, Dubliners Mary Shelley, Frankenstein Henry James, The Turn of the Screw Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights Edgar Allan Poe, Stories of Mystery and Suspense

STAGE 5

Virginia Woolf, Mrs Dalloway Francis Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

STAGE 6

Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness J. Borsbey & R. Swan, Editors, A Collection of First World War Poetry

LIGHT Edgar Allan Poe, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket – Natsume Soseki, Botchan