Put the verbs in brackets into the past simple tense.

Jim and Thomas __________ (be) twins. When they were eighteen, they
_________ (leave) home. They _________ (go) because they __________ (hate)
their father. He __________ (be) rich, but he was a hard, cruel man. Ten years
later, they __________ (receive) a letter: their dad was dead! They _________
(return) home immediately. Their dad’s lawyer, Miss Carter ________ (meet)
them at the door. She _________ (ask) them to come to the library. They ______ (sit) down and
_________ (listen) as Miss Carter _________ (read) their father’s will.

She _______ (read) out loud: ‘I leave everything to Thomas and nothing to Jim’. Then Miss Carter
________ (ask) which one of them was Thomas.

‘I am!’ they both _________ (shout).

‘Ha!’ _______ (say) Miss Carter. ‘It says, if they both say they are Thomas, I leave it all to Jim.’

Then both of the men ________ (claim) they were Jim. Then, they _______ (get) angry with each
other. Jim ________ (punch) Thomas and Thomas _________ (kick) Jim. They _________ (roll) on
the floor, fighting.

‘Your father __________ (predict) this!’ ________ (say) Miss Carter. ‘And he __________ (write)
‘If they start fighting, I leave all my money to Miss Carter, my lawyer!’

‘That’s just like our rotten father,’ both Jim and Thomas ________ (sigh) and they ________
(leave) the house, very disappointed, never to return.

Meanwhile, Miss Carter the crooked lawyer __________ (smile) to herself, _________ (tear) the
blank piece of paper up and _________ (throw) it away.

Answer TRUE or FALSE and correct the false
sentences:
1) Jim and Thomas left home when they were
twenty.
2) Their father, although poor, was very kind.
3) Ten years after they left home, their father died.
4) The lawyer met them at their father’s house.
5) She showed the twins the will, so they actually
saw what their father had written.
6) Miss Carter took them to the kitchen.
7) The boys said they didn’t want to know what was
in the will.
8) At first, both men claimed to be Thomas.
9) They started fighting because they got angry.
10) The men left the house forever, and they felt
happy about that.
11) The lawyer kept the will.
Answer the questions in full sentences.
a. How old were the men when they left home?
b. Why did they leave home?
c. What happened after ten years?
d. Did they go back home several weeks later?
e. Did the servant meet them at the door?
f. Where did Miss Carter take them and why?
g. At first, which twin did the father leave his money
to?
h. Why did both of them claim to be Thomas?
i. What did the will say, after both of them claimed
to be Thomas?
j. What did the men start doing?
k. Who got all the money, in the end?
l. What did Miss Carter do with ‘the will’?
m. Was it a real will?
n. What is a ‘crooked lawyer’?
KEYS Jim and Thomas were twins. When they were eighteen, they left home. They left because they hated their
father. He was rich, but he was a hard, cruel man. Ten years later, they received a letter: their dad was dead! They
returned home immediately. Their dad’s lawyer, Miss Carter met them at the door. She asked them to come to the
library. They sat down and listened as Miss Carter read their father’s will.

She read out loud: ‘I leave everything to Jim and nothing to Thomas’. Then Miss Carter asked which one of them was
Thomas.

‘I am!’ they both shouted.

‘Ha!’ said Miss Carter. ‘It says, if they both say they are Thomas, I leave it all to Jim.’

Then both of the men said they were Jim. Then, they got angry with each other. Jim punched Thomas and Thomas
kicked Jim. They rolled on the floor, fighting.

‘Your father predicted this!’ aid Miss Carter. ‘And he wrote, if they start fighting, I leave all my money to Miss Carter,
my lawyer!’

‘That’s just like our rotten father,’ both Jim and Thomas sighed and they left the house, never to return.

Meanwhile, Miss Carter the crooked lawyer smiled to herself, tore up the blank piece of paper and threw it away.

T/F

1. F – when they were 18

2. F – he was rich and mean
3. T
4. T
5. F - they never saw the will; she didn’t show them the will
6. F – she took them to the library
7. F, they wanted to know what was in the will/did want to know
8. T
9. T
10. F - they left/did leave the house, but they felt disappointed
11. F – she tore it up and threw it away
Answers
a. They were 18 when they left home.
b. They left home because they hated their father who was a mean and cruel man
c. They got a letter letting them know that their father had died
d. No, they went back/returned immediately
e. No, the lawyer met them at the door
f. She took them to the library to read their father’s will
g. At first, the money was left to Thomas
h. So they could get the money/inherit
i. Then, the will said that the money must go to Jim
j. They started fighting
k. The lawyer got all the money in the end.
l. She tore it up and threw it away
m. No; it was just a piece of paper! She tricked the men. The father didn’t leave a will, so really, they should
have shared the money between them. That is what happens in law.
n. A crooked lawyer is a dishonest lawyer - just like that horrible Miss Carter! THIS IS A TRUE STORY – True
or false???