Friday Afternoon

Story#14

Dean Jenkins leaned back in his seat and looked out the window. The Friday afternoon traffic was
always terrible. Today is was worse than usual. Cars sat bumper-to-bumper as far as the eye
could see. Nobody was moving. The bus was stuck in a traffic jam. Nobody was going
anywhere.

There must be an accident up ahead, the passenger in front of Dean said. Im sure glad that
Im not driving. At least I can just sit here and relax. In fact, there had been an accident. The
two wrecked cars were blocking both lanes of the road.
Dean smiled. That was exactly why he took the bus. He rode it to and from work every day. In
the past, many people would drive themselves in their own cars. But now, only a few people did
that. It just did not make sense to guide your own car through the endless traffic. Dean had a
car, but he never drove it. He rode the bus so that he could read or listened to music.
Dean lived in the Green Zone. It was a noisy and overpopulated area, like downtown, but it had
trees. The terrible pollution had killed them everywhere else in the country.
Dean leaned back and concentrated on the music he was listening to. The rest of the passengers
read, slept, or talked to each other quietly. Mr. McCormick, who lived down the street from Dean,
played chess with another passenger on a magnetic chess board. The man with whom he was
playing was also one of Deans neighbors. Sue Smith was sleeping. She taught high school. On
the seat next to her was a stack of papers that she had been grading.
The rest of the passengers on the bus were looking out of the window at a police car. Its lights
were flashing as it made its way along the shoulder of the highway towards the accident.
Suddenly, the music Dean was listening to stopped. In its place came a long, low tone.
We have an announcement to make, Ladies and Gentlemen, the announcer said shakily. Our
country has just come under missile attack. Move to the nearest bomb shelter. Go there
immediately. I repeat. Our country is being attacked. The country of Malevy has declared war
on us. Find shelter immedia
Dean pulled off his headphones. He looked wildly around. Outside, some people had gotten out
of their cars. They were looking down the road. Everyone was waiting for the traffic to begin
moving again. A tow truck was driving down the side of the road toward the accident. Dean put
the headphones on again and switched radio stations.

 the first reports we have from the government urges the citizens to take shelter. Find a
building away from the city centers.
Story#14
Dean looked back out the window. The man in the car next to him was pounding on the steering
wheel. Tears were streaming down his face. Some drivers began honking their horns. Honk!
Honk! The noise was loud. Dean saw several drivers get out of their cars and begin running
down the highway. One of them didnt even close his door.
I wonder whats going on, the bus driver said.
Dean looked around. No was else on the bus was listening to the radio. He was the only one on
the bus who knew. He started to say something, but the words wouldnt come out of his mouth.
How could he tell them that such a terrible thing was happening? In a flash, he thought of his
father. He thought of the last time that they had seen each other. It had been the same silly
argument all over again.
Dad, I told you. I dont want to go to college. I dont want to study IT. I dont know what I want
to do yet. Cant you understand? Its my life and I want to live it the way I want to, not you want
me to.
His fathers voice had been steady. Now listen to me, Dean. Times are difficult now. You need
a good job. IT is a great profession, and our country needs people to work in this field. Go to
college. I will pay for everything; your rent, food, tuition, books, and clothes. After you graduate,
there will be so many jobs for you to choose from.
But thats not what I want, dont you get it? Im not interested in IT, I think its boring. I need to
find something on my own. Let me find out what to do with my life.
You dont know what I know. Im older and have more experience. You will waste your life if you
dont get a college degree.
Ill see you next week, Dad, Dean had said, walking out the door.
Now Dean thought back to that day. He hadnt even thanked his father for offering to pay for
things. He hadnt said, Thank you or I love you or any of the things that he felt. All that he
had said was, See you next week, Dad.
Mr. McCormick looked up from the chess game. Whats going on? Why are we stopped?
I dont know, the driver said. But I can tell you this people are acting really weird out there.
Dean looked out. Some of the cars in the right lane had moved off the highway and were driving
off the road, on the ground. Several drivers had left their cars and were running in all directions,
in a panic. Dean knew that the news was spreading all over by radio, computer, cell phone...
Someone screamed. Everyone looked up. In the sky were hundreds of missiles. They were
burning brighter than the sun. They were coming down. They were coming fast.
I love you, Dad, Dean said quietly.

Friday Afternoon: Exercises

Story#14

Remembering the Story Give a short answer to each question

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

How did Dean get to work every day?

What did he usually do on the way home?
Why had the bus stopped?
What had Malevy declared on Deans country?
What did Dean see in the sky?
Who did Dean think about?
Decide if the statement about the story is true or false?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.

Dean lived in the Green Zone.

The Green Zone was crowded.
Dean liked to drive.
There were not many trees in the world.
Dean did not have a job.
The story takes place in the future.

Using the Vocabulary Match the words from the story on the left with the meanings on the
right
1 crept
2 stuck
3 tow
4 panic
5 shoulder
6
announcemen
t
7 stack
8 bumper
9 steering
wheel
10 weird
11 lane
12concentrat
e
13 declare
14 In a flash
15 horn

running, flowing like a river

not taking much time and with no preparation, suddenly and
quickly
pay close attention; think about only one thing
part of a street where a car travels
not moving; cannot move
part of a car that protects the front and back ends in case it hits
something
part of the road on the side, where cars do not normally drive
to lose control of yourself because you are very, very scared
The thing on a car which you use to warn other drivers of your
presence
say out loud, in public, that is not a secret
message for everybody to hear
part of a car that lets you choose the direction in which the car will
move
moved very slowly
pile of things, rising higher, one thing on top of another and
another and
to carry something or move it by pulling it behind you

16 streaming
17 silly

unimportant, stupid
unusual

Choose the correct answer:

a. The announcer read the news shakily means that he announced it in (a loud/an upset)
tone of voice.
b. The government urges people to take shelter means the government
(requests or asks gently/politely suggests/strongly advises).
c. If a country is under attack, that means it is (attacking another country/being attacked by
another country).
d. If you pound the steering wheel, you (turn/hit) it.
e. If people are acting weird, then they are (behaving unusually/actors in a strange movie).

Analyzing the Characters

Story#14

1. Which three adjectives describe Dean? panicked, regretful, shocked, hateful, sad, unfair
2. Which three adjectives describe Deans father? protective, bossy, caring, overbearing,
generous, stingy
Prepositions write one preposition in each blank
1. Dean took the bus ___ work every day.
2. He listened ___ music ___ his radio.
3. The bus driver saw an accident ___ the highway.
4. Dean took the headphones ___ and looked around.
5. He saw people getting out ___ their cars.
6. Malevy had declared war ___ his country.
7. Some people were running ___ the road.
8. He thought ___ his father and the argument that they had had.
9. He felt sad ___ it.
10.He wanted ___ tell his father that he was sorry.
Discussion Write 50 words about one topic.
1. What can you do to bring peace to the world?
2. What will life be like in the future?

Friday Afternoon: answers

Story#14

Remembering the Story Give a short answer to each question

1. By bus

2. Listen to music, read

4. war

5. Missiles

3. Accident, cars blocked the road

6. his father

Decide if the statement about the story is true or false?

a. T

b. T

c. F

d. T

e. F

f. T

Using the Vocabulary Match the words from the story on the left with the meanings on the right
1 crept
2 stuck
3 tow
4 panic
5 shoulder
6
announcement
7 stack
8 bumper
9 steering
wheel
10 weird
11 lane
12concentrate
13 declare
14 In a flash

16
14
12
11
2
8

15 horn
16 streaming
17 silly

3
17
10

5
4
15
13
6
9
1
7

running, flowing like a river

not taking much time and with no preparation, suddenly and quickly
pay close attention; think about only one thing
part of a street where a car travels
not moving; cannot move
part of a car that protects the front and back ends in case it hits
something
part of the road on the side, where cars do not normally drive
to lose control of yourself because you are very, very scared
The thing on a car which you use to warn other drivers of your presence
say out loud, in public, that is not a secret
message for everybody to hear
part of a car that lets you choose the direction in which the car will move
moved very slowly
pile of things, rising higher, one thing on top of another and another
and
to carry something or move it by pulling it behind you
unimportant, stupid
unusual

Choose the correct answer:

a. upset
unusually

b. strongly advises

Analyzing the Characters

c. being attacked by another country

d. hit

e. behaving

1. regretful, shocked, sad

2. protective, caring, generous
Prepositions write one preposition in each blank
1. to
2. to, on
3. on
4. off
5. of
6. on
7. off
8. of
9. about
10. to