Reading Comprehension Passage 8
A car drew up outside the Swan Hotel and a young man got out. Pausing only for an instant to see
that he had come to the right place, he went into the hotel and rang the bell on the counter of the
bar.
Mrs Crump, the landlady, who was busy in the kitchen at the time, hurried out, wiping her hands.
The young man raised his hat.
"Excuse me," he said. "I'm looking for my uncle, Mr White. I believe he is staying here."
"He was staying here," Mrs Crump corrected him. "But I'm afraid that he went back to London
yesterday."
"Oh dear," said the young man, looking disappointed. "I understood that he was going to stay here
until the end of the month. At least, that is what his servant told me when I rang up his house."
"Quite right," said Mrs Crump. "He intended to stay here the whole of July, as he always does. But
yesterday he got a telegram to say that one of his relatives was ill. So he caught the train back to
London immediately."
"I wish he had let me know," the young man said. "I wrote him a letter saying that I was coming. I've
had all this trouble for nothing. Well, since he isn't here, there is no point in waiting."
He thanked Mrs Crump and went out. Mrs Crump went to the window and watched him drive off.
When his car was out of sight, she called out:
"You can come out now, Mr White. He's gone."
Mr White came out of the kitchen, where he had been waiting.
"Many thanks, Mrs Crump," he said, laughing. "You did that very well. These nephews of mine never
give me any peace. That young man is the worst of them all. As you see, when he needs money, he
even follows me into the country. Well, perhaps next time he won't warn me by writing me a letter!"
1. Choose the best answer.
a. This story is about a man who
(i) did not like his nephew
(ii) did not want to meet his nephew
(iii) was not able to meet his nephew
(iv) wanted to spend a quiet holiday in the country
b. When his nephew came to the hotel, the man
(i) avoided giving him any money
(ii) caught the train back to London
(iii) went to see a sick relative
(iv) hid in the kitchen
2. Answer the following questions briefly, in your own words as far as possible. Use one complete
sentence for each answer.
a. How did Mrs Crump know that someone had entered the hotel?
_________________________________________________________________________________
b. Why did Mrs Crump watch the young man drive off?
_________________________________________________________________________________
3. Answer these questions, using only short form answers.
a. Had the young man come to the right hotel? _____________________________
b. Had Mr White been to this hotel for his holiday in other years? ___________________________
4. Complete the following sentences. Your answers must be related to the ideas contained in the
passage.
a. When Mrs Crump heard the bell ring, _______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
b. The young man came to the Swan Hotel expecting _____________________________________
______________________________________________
c. The young man was disappointed when he heard that __________________________________
_______________________________________________
d. Mr White did not come out of the kitchen until ________________________________________
________________________________________________
e. Mr White thanked Mrs Crump for __________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
5. Choose the best explanation according to the context.
a drew up (1) means
(i) waited (ii) stopped (iii) paused (iv) appeared
b no point in (20) means
(i) no time to (ii) boring (iii) unnecessary (iv) serves no purpose
6. Notice this sentence:
Mrs Crump ... watched him drive off.
In this pattern the verb of perception (see, hear, notice, etc.) is followed by an object (noun or
pronoun) + the infinitive without to. The infinitive indicates that we are interested in the completed
action: I heard the bell ring (i.e. The bell rang. I heard it). Compare this with the pattern where the
present participle (-ing) is used; here the interest is in the continuous nature of the action:
I heard the bell ringing.
The infinitive pattern is also used with a number of other verbs: make, let, help, know.
She made (let, helped) her husband cut down the tree. Now complete these sentences by choosing a
suitable verb from the list given at the foot of the exercise.
a. He closed the door quietly so that no one would hear him ...................
b. Who actually saw the accident.......................?
c. Do you know what made her ............................. her mind ?
d. Just watch me ..................... that wall.
e. Let me ....................... what I am saying before you interrupt.
f. Nobody offered to help Joan ........................... the dirty cups.
g. Did anyone notice the bird ........................ its cage ?
h. I've never heard her ....................... a kind word.
i. He felt the heavy box ................... his hands and .................. the ground.
j. Have you ever known him ...................... a joke?
change go out say
fall to happen slip from
finish jump over wash up
fly out of make
7. Composition. Write a short story about a time when you have deliberately avoided meeting
someone. Perhaps they came to your house and you pretended you weren’t at home, or maybe you
saw them in a outside location but hid to avoid talking to them. Include your motives for your action.
Write about 200-250 words.
