The main objectives for this reading activity:

 Read to activate and reinforce other skills (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and writing). In the same
way that oral dialogues, short compositions, and listening activities do, reading can put into practice
grammatical structures, new lexical items, and elements of pronunciation. Reading can also offer good
writing models.
 Reading to become a better reader. Reading is a skill in itself, and the advantage of working with adult
language learners is that they are usually literate in their native language. This means that they are able to
transfer advanced reading skills to the second language classroom.  Reading in English can activate and
develop these skills, making the students better readers in both languages. Reading skills include:
skimming, scanning, predicting, and reading for detailed comprehension.

 Read to develop critical thinking skills. This is important to address because when teaching English for
general purposes, it can be easy to dismiss reading as an activity more suited for an academic environment.
In all situations, critical thinking skills aid communication. From having a phone conversation to writing a
business plan, people need to prioritize, make conclusions, draw comparisons, make inferences, etc.
Reading can provide opportunities to utilize and sharpen such skills.

 Read for enjoyment.  Students should ideally discover not only the usefulness but also the pleasure of
being able to read in a second language.
 Yesterday night somebody The inspector asked Mr. White some
broke into our neighbor’s questions:
house. He stole everything The Inspector: What were you doing when the
he found. They saw him thief broke into the house?
while he was running away Mr. White: I was watching a movie with my wife.
but they couldn’t catch him. Then I went to the kitchen to prepare the tea…
This morning an inspector The Inspector: How many minutes did you spend in
came and asked some the kitchen?
questions: Mr. White: I think 10 or 15 minutes… I’m not
sure…
The Inspector: Did you only prepare the tea?
The inspector also asked Mrs. White some questions: Mr. White: Yes.
The Inspector: were you doing when your The Inspector: OK. Thanks.
husband was in the kitchen?
Mrs. White: While I was watching the movie I was
drinking my coffee.
The Inspector: Coffee? But your husband was preparing The inspector was suspicious about Mr. White
tea. and he asked for him to come to his office.
Mrs. White: Tea? No… We didn’t drink tea last night. The Inspector started questioning:
The Inspector: OK. What was he doing in the kitchen? The Inspector: You weren’t at home when the
Mrs. White: He was thirsty. He wanted to drink water. thief broke into your house.
The Inspector: Hmm. What happened then? were you?
Mrs. White: A friend of him called him and he went out Mr. White: I went out to help a friend of mine.
to help him. The Inspector: Who was he?
The Inspector: So you were alone at home, weren’t you? Mr. White: A friend…
Mrs. White: Yes, I was. I called him immediately but he The Inspector: Hmmm…
didn’t answer. Mr. White: I said that he was a friend of mine.
The Inspector: If you cannot prove that you were
with your friend, we will arrest you!
B) Answer the questions according
to the story?
1) Did Mrs. White see the thief?
A) Decide True or False?
___________________________. 1) ( ) Mr. White was at home when the event
2) What was Mrs. White doing when the occurred.
thief broke into the house? 2) ( ) Mr. White caught the thief but he didn’t
_______________________________ tell anyone.
___________. 3) ( ) Mrs. White was watching the movie while
3) Was Mr. White with his wife when her husband was drinking water.
the thief broke into the house? 4) ( ) The thief broke into the house while
_______________________________ they were sleeping.
___________. 5) ( ) Mr. White went out while his wife was
4) What was Mr. White doing in the sleeping.
kitchen? 6) ( ) Mr. White went out to help his friend.
_______________________________ 7) ( ) Mrs. White screamed when she saw the
___________. thief.
5) Did Mr. White really prepare the
tea? At the end of the questionnaire…
______________________________. Mr. White: OK. I will tell everything… Yesterday
6) Why did Mr. White go out? night somebody called me but he wasn’t a friend.
_______________________________ She was my darling. I lied to my wife because she
___________. needed help. While I was going I saw a man who was
7) Did the Inspector believe Mr. White? very strange. I waited five or ten minutes and I saw
______________________________. him while he was breaking into our house. But I
8) Did Mr. White say who his friend had to go. I went to my darling’s house but she
was? wasn’t there. There was nothing at home. Then I
______________________________. learnt that she was living with her boyfriend. She
deceived me. They took all our money and ran away…
 Yesterday night somebody The inspector asked Mr. White some
broke into our neighbor’s questions:
house. He stole everything The Inspector: What were you doing when the
he found. They saw him thief broke into the house?
while he was running away Mr. White: I was watching a movie with my wife.
but they couldn’t catch him. Then I went to the kitchen to prepare the tea…
This morning an inspector The Inspector: How many minutes did you spend in
came and asked some the kitchen?
questions: Mr. White: I think 10 or 15 minutes… I’m not
sure…
The Inspector: Did you only prepare the tea?
The inspector also asked Mrs. White some questions: Mr. White: Yes.
The Inspector: were you doing when your The Inspector: OK. Thanks.
husband was in the kitchen?
Mrs. White: While I was watching the movie I was
drinking my coffee.
The Inspector: Coffee? But your husband was preparing The inspector was suspicious about Mr. White
tea. and he asked for him to come to his office.
Mrs. White: Tea? No… We didn’t drink tea last night. The Inspector started questioning:
The Inspector: OK. What was he doing in the kitchen? The Inspector: You weren’t at home when the
Mrs. White: He was thirsty. He wanted to drink water. thief broke into your house.
The Inspector: Hmm. What happened then? were you?
Mrs. White: A friend of him called him and he went out Mr. White: I went out to help a friend of mine.
to help him. The Inspector: Who was he?
The Inspector: So you were alone at home, weren’t you? Mr. White: A friend…
Mrs. White: Yes, I was. I called him immediately but he The Inspector: Hmmm…
didn’t answer. Mr. White: I said that he was a friend of mine.
The Inspector: If you cannot prove that you were
with your friend, we will arrest you!
C) Answer the questions according
to the story? A) Decide True or False?
9) Did Mrs. White see the thief? 8) ( ) Mr. White was at home when the event
No, he didn’t see the thief. occurred.
10) What was Mrs. White doing when the 9) ( ) Mr. White caught the thief but he didn’t
thief broke into the house? tell anyone.
She was watching the movie when the 10) ( ) Mrs. White was watching the movie while
thief broke into the house. her husband was drinking water.
11) Was Mr. White with his wife when 11) ( ) The thief broke into the house while
the thief broke into the house? they were sleeping.
No, he wasn’t with her wife when the 12) ( ) Mr. White went out while his wife was
thief broke into the house. sleeping.
12) What was Mr. White doing in the 13) ( ) Mr. White went out to help his friend.
kitchen? 14) ( ) Mrs. White screamed when she saw the
He was drinking water in the kitchen. thief.
13) Did Mr. White really prepare the
tea?
At the end of the questionnaire…
No, he didn’t prepare the tea.
Mr. White: OK. I will tell everything… yesterday
14) Why did Mr. White go out?
night somebody called me but he wasn’t a friend.
Because, somebody called him.
She was my darling. I lay to my wife because she
15) Did the Inspector believe in Mr.
needed help. While I was going I saw a man who was
White?
very strange. I waited five or ten minutes and I saw
No, he didn’t believe in Mr. White.
him while he was breaking into our house. But I
16) Did Mr. White say who his friend
had to go. I went to my darling’s house but she
was?
wasn’t there. There was nothing at home. Then I
No, he didn’t say who his friend was.
learnt that she was living with her boyfriend. She
deceived me. They took all our money and run away…