Deadly_Letters_Learning_Guide.pdf

www.eslpod.com

English as a Second Language Podcast

English Through Stories:

Deadly Letters – Chapter 1

STORY AND TRANSCRIPT

ESLPod.com presents Deadly Letters, a 15-episode murder mystery novel by

Sarah Gatchitie. Hello, I’m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the

Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California. Deadly

Letters is a 15-chapter mystery novel written especially for ESLPod.com’s

English Through Stories.

Each episode has three parts: first, we give a short preview of the chapter, giving

you a general idea of what will happen in this episode; second, we read the

chapter; and third, we give a summary of the chapter so you can check your

comprehension. The definitions of the vocabulary words and a complete

transcript can be found in the Learning Guide for each episode.

Chapter 1

“This is a strange, strange email,” my uncle said. He looked up from a

piece of paper he was reading.

“What is so weird ?” I asked.

It was 8:00 a.m. and we were eating breakfast in the kitchen.

“My old friend, Clara Dunn, is now a professor at California University,”

Uncle Jeff said. “She wants to meet with me this week. And she says she wants

to talk to me about something very important.”

“I haven’t seen her in over twenty years,” he explained. “We were both

teaching at the University of New York and we were good friends. But when I

took a job at California University and moved to Los Angeles, we lost touch . We

haven’t seen or talked to each other for a long, long time. I didn’t know she had

moved to California, too.”

“Did she say anything in the email about what she wanted to talk to you

about or why it was so important?” I asked.

“No…no, not really. She just said that she is afraid about something and

she wants my help. That is why I think it is so strange. Clara Dunn is a very

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2006). Posting of

these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

PREVIEW:

Our first episode introduces us to the main characters of the novel: Derrick Cruz,

a college student, and his uncle, Jeff McQueen, a former college professor. We’ll

learn about Derrick’s Aunt April, and we’ll meet a beautiful but mysterious

woman. Let’s get started.

www.eslpod.com

English as a Second Language Podcast

English Through Stories:

Deadly Letters – Chapter 1

smart and strong woman. She isn’t scared of anything. If she is afraid of

something, it must be something serious,” he said.

Uncle Jeff looked at the email again. He looked worried.

“I better go or I’ll be late for my history class,” I said.

I picked up my backpack and put my books, notebook, and a big sandwich

inside. It takes about 20 minutes to drive to California University where I was a

junior. As a third-year college student, I spent a lot of time in the library studying

and there was no time to come home for lunch.

I walked toward the front door.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “If anyone can help her, you can.”

Uncle Jeff looked at me with a smile on his face and said, “I’m not so

sure.”

“I am,” I said.

Uncle Jeff was an English professor before he decided to quit his job at

the university to write full-time. Since he stopped teaching, though, he has

helped the police solve several crimes. He found the criminal—the bad guy—

when the police couldn’t. He even solved a murder last month. He found out

who killed a famous rock singer. The police had no leads and had no idea who

the killer was, but my uncle figured it out.

I opened the front door to go.

“And Derrick, don’t forget about dinner tonight. Your Aunt April will be

here at 7:00 p.m.,” Uncle Jeff said.

Oh no, not Aunt April! I had a bad feeling about it, but I just smiled and

said, “Sure, I’ll be here.”

It was going to be a long night.

__________

I got into my car and thought, “I hope Aunt April won’t make any trouble at

dinner tonight.”

I have been living with my Uncle Jeff for five years. When I was 14 years

old, my parents were in a car accident. They both died. Aunt April was my

mother’s older sister. She wanted me to go live with her and her husband. But

my parents’ lawyer told us that my mother and father wanted me to go live with

Uncle Jeff if anything bad ever happened to them.

Aunt April was not happy. But I was. I have always liked Uncle Jeff. His

wife died before I was born. Since he was single and he didn’t like to cook, when

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2006). Posting of

these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

www.eslpod.com

English as a Second Language Podcast

English Through Stories:

Deadly Letters – Chapter 1

my parents were still alive, he would come over to our house for dinner a lot. He

was like a second father to me.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with Aunt April. She has been an

actress for almost 30 years. She was very famous for a long time and she still

acts from time to time. She’s also very rich. She lives in a big house in Malibu

next to the beach and Uncle Jeff and I live in a small house in the middle of town.

Don’t get me wrong. My uncle isn’t poor. He makes pretty good money

from the books he writes. But he has simple needs and we live simple lives.

My mother was the youngest child in her family and was a teacher, so she

and Uncle Jeff had more in common. They had a lot to talk about and were good

friends. Aunt April lived in another world.

Aunt April thought that my parents didn’t trust her to raise me. But I think

my mother just knew that I loved Uncle Jeff and he loved me. And we got along

very well. We think alike, even though we look nothing alike. I’m tall and have

thick, black hair and brown eyes like my father, and Uncle Jeff has wavy, light

brown hair and green eyes like my mother.

And even though I’m 19 years old, Aunt April thinks I’m still 14. She likes

to tell Uncle Jeff and me what to do. That’s why I wasn’t looking forward to the

dinner.

“Hey, look where you’re going! You almost hit me!”

I was parking my car in the parking lot at the university. I was thinking so

much about Aunt April that I didn’t see the girl walking in front of me.

I put my head out of the window and said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you. Are

you okay?”

She was clearly a student, too. She had long, shiny black hair, big brown

eyes, and a gorgeous smile. I could see her long legs under her short skirt. She

was one of the most beautiful girls I had ever seen.

“I only have one leg now, but I’m okay,” she joked.

I got out of the car. I was so happy that she wasn’t angry. She looked

even more beautiful close up.

“If you only have one leg, I better help you get to class,” I said. “At least

let me carry your books as punishment for my bad driving.”

“No, thanks. I’m late,” she said with a smile. “I better hurry,” she said as

she started to walk away.

I looked at my watch. I was going to be late, too. But I didn’t want to stop

talking to her. I tried to think of something to say that would keep her there. But

nothing smart or clever came into my mind.

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2006). Posting of

these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

www.eslpod.com

English as a Second Language Podcast

English Through Stories:

Deadly Letters – Chapter 1

“Maybe I’ll see you around campus,” I yelled.

She turned her head. She was still smiling.

“Maybe,” she said. She turned back around and walked quickly toward

one of the campus buildings.

I wanted to run after her, but I wanted to be cool, too. Don’t be too eager .

Girls don’t like guys who are too eager, I reminded myself. She is the kind of girl

that I could lose my head over . What a beautiful girl. I wondered what her

name was. Maybe I’ll see her tomorrow. I really hope so.

__________

Derrick began living with his uncle after his parents died in a car accident a few

years ago. His Aunt April wanted him to move to her house, but Derrick wants to

stay with his uncle. Derrick leaves his uncle’s house to drive to the university.

He isn’t paying attention to where he’s driving and almost hits another student

with his car. This student is a beautiful girl who Derrick wants to meet.

In the second episode, Derrick is going to have dinner with his Aunt April, and

he’s not going to like what happens.

If you had difficulty understanding this episode, be sure to read the Learning

Guide for definitions of some of the difficult vocabulary and a complete transcript

of the story.

This course has been a production of the Center for Educational Development in

beautiful Los Angeles, California. Visit our website at ESLPod.com. This course

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2006). Posting of

these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

SUMMARY:

In Episode 1, we learned that Derrick Cruz, a 19-year-old college student at

California University, lives with his Uncle Jeff, who used to be a professor at

California University, but is now a writer who helps the police solve crimes.

Uncle Jeff gets an email from an old friend of his, Clara Dunn. Clara is a

professor at this same university, and wants to talk to Jeff about some serious

problem she has. We don’t know what that problem is, however.

www.eslpod.com

English as a Second Language Podcast

English Through Stories:

Deadly Letters – Chapter 1

GLOSSARY

weird – strange; unusual; not normal; not ordinary

* The ending to that movie was really weird. I didn’t understand it at all.

to lose touch – to no longer have contact with someone

* Jenny had lost touch with her college roommate years ago, so it was a surprise

when her roommate called her last week.

to solve – to find the correct explanation for something; to find the answer to a

problem

* Can you help me solve this math problem? I keep getting the wrong answer.

lead – a clue; an idea or information that may be helpful in solving a crime

* The police have asked the people in this city to call if they have any leads about

who set the fire.

lawyer – attorney; a person who is trained and certified to help people with legal

matters and represent them in court

* They need to have a lawyer review the contract before they sign it.

simple needs – a need for only the most basic things in life; nothing fancy,

expensive, or luxurious

* Normally, he has only simple needs but lately he has dreamed of owning his

own boat.

to raise (someone) – to care for a child until he or she becomes an adult

* Her parents raised her to always tell the truth and to respect her teachers.

punishment – a way to make someone suffer for having done something wrong;

a penalty for doing something wrong

* When I was a teenager, the worst punishment my parents gave me was to not

allow me to go to the spring dance at school.

clever – quick to understand or learn; intelligent; smart and funny

* She’s so clever! In an uncomfortable situation, she always knows exactly what

to say to make everyone laugh.

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2006). Posting of

these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: