5 Beta Unit 2 Reading - A house of mystery

Unit 2 Reading - A house of mystery

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Reading (Page 18)

Poll

Do you believe in these creatures?

1. Ghosts

• Yes

• No

Poll

Do you believe in these creatures?

2. Aliens

• Yes

• No

Poll

Do you believe in these creatures?

3. Vampires

• Yes

• No

Poll

Do you believe in these creatures?

4. Witches

• Yes

• No

Poll

Do you believe in these creatures?

5. Unicorns

• Yes

• No

Poll

Do you believe in these creatures?

6. Werewolves

• Yes

• No

Poll

Do you believe in these creatures?

7. Fairies

• Yes

• No

Poll

Do you believe in these creatures?

8. Mermaids

• Yes

• No

Question 2 : Do you think some of the creatures in 1 are more likely to exist than others?

Ghosts / Aliens / Vampires / Witches / Unicorns / Werewolves / Fairies / Mermaids

Reading Text :

A house of mystery

P1 : In 1884, heartbroken Sarah Winchester left her home in Connecticut on the east cost of the USA as well as the graves of her husband and only child, and travelled across the country to California where a strange obsession awaited her. Did she know that it would last for the rest of her life?

Multiple Choice

Q1 : What does 'it' at the end of the first paragraph refer to?

• A. travelling

• B. California

• C. Sarah's life

• D. an obsession

​Distance between Connecticut and California = 3990 km (by plane), 4811 km (by road)

On Sept 30 1862, Sarah married William Wirt Winchester and they had one daughter, Annie Pardee Winchester, who was born on june 15 1866 and died on July 25, 1866. Her husband died in March 1881.

P2 : When her husband passed away, Sarah inherited the Winchester gun and rifle company, which had made the Winchester family very wealthy. After the dealths of her child and husband, Sarah fell into a deep depression and decided to consult a medium.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAUdrKG31zE

P2 : According to some sources, the medium explained that her family was being haunted by the ghosts of American soldiers and others killed by Winchester rifles. Supposedly the deaths of her daughter and husband had been cursed by these spirits and Sarah Winchester might be the next victim.

P2 : The medium said that to keep the ghosts happy, Sarah had to build a huge house for them. As long as she never stopped building the house, her life would not be in danger.

Multiple Choice

Q2 : According to the medium, why did Sarah's daughter and husband die?

• A. The ghosts of gun violence killed them.

• B. They were very depressed about the war.

• C. So that Sarah could make the ghosts happy.

• D. Both had been shot dead by soldiers.

P3 : Sarah left Connecticut for California. There, in 1884, she bought a small unfinished farmhouse and over the next thirty-eight years, she employed builders around-the-clock to add on room after room, and storey after storey.

For more pictures you may surf the following website:

https://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/gallery/

P3 : The building work never stopped, not even for weekends or holidays and it produced the house known today as the Winchester Mystery House. It originally had seven floors, but after an earthquake in 1906 it was reduced to four.

P3 : Apart from the house's strange architectural features including a staircase that leads up to the ceiling, doors that open onto walls and secret passages that run between rooms and behind walls, it was also unusually large.

P3 : At the time of Sarah Winchester's death, it had 160 rooms, 2,000 doors, 10,000 windows, 47 staircases and 13 bathrooms!

Multiple Choice

Q3 : What did Sarah Winchester find in California?

• A. a house with seven floors.

• B. a house she could continue to build

• C. a house full of mysteries

• D. a house damaged in an earthquake

P4 : Sarah Winchester had strange habits, too. Apparently, she never slept in the same bedroom two nights in a row because she wanted to confuse any evil spirits that were waiting for her.

P4 : She also used to visit the blue Room at the centre of the house every night to communicate with the good spirits. She would ring a bell at midnight to call them and again at 2 am when it was time for them to leave.

Séance Room - The Blue Room

seance - a meeting at which people attempt to make contact with the dead, especially through the agency of a medium.

P4 : She would wear one of 13 special coloured robes and ask them for guidance on her construction plans.

Robe - a loose garment (such as a bathrobe) for informal wear especially at home.

Multiple Choice

Q4 : What are we told about the Blue Room?

• A. Sarah kept her clothes there.

• B. Bad ghosts were unable to enter the room.

• C. She went there to get advice.

• D. Sarah sometimes slept there.

P5 : A year after Sarah's death, the house was opened to the public. Since then, many people have described strange experiences there. Neighbours claimed to hear a bell ring at midnight and at 2 am.

Garden Tour - USD 19.99 (RM80.56)

Mansion Tour

(1 Hour 5 Minutes) - USD 39.00 (157.17)

https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/

P5 : A caretaker heard the sound of a screw slowly turning, then hitting the floor. He looked everywhere, but found nothing.

P5 : Tour guides have reported seeing a ghostly workman with a dark moustache in the basement of the house.

P6 : Is the house truly haunted? No one can say with any certainty, but it is a fascinating story and the Winchester Mystery House is still open for visitors who want to find out for themselves.

Multiple Choice

Q5 : What happened at the house after Sarah died?

• A. There were unexplained events.

• B. Guides had strange visitors on the tours.

• C. Workmen continued to build on it.

• D. People were too scared to visit it.

Multiple Choice

Practice 3 : Read the article about a strange house. Which of the ideas in 1 are mentioned in the text?

• Ghosts

• Aliens

• Werewolves

• Vampires

• Witches

Practice 5 : Choose the correct words.

Multiple Choice

Q1. An obsession is a strong ____ you feel.

• pain

• passion

Multiple Choice

Q2 : A medium _____ dead people.

• looks for

• makes contact with

Multiple Choice

Q3 : The word 'spirit' is another name for a _____.

• ghost

• monster

Multiple Choice

Q4 : A victim is someone who ____ a bad experience.

• suffers

• causes

Multiple Choice

Q5 : A passage is _____ in a building.

• an entrance

• a narrow corridor

Multiple Choice

Q6 : An incident is _____.

• an event

• a project

Practice 6 : Read about the incident below and choose the ending that you think was most likely. How do you think you would react in the same situation? Write a dialogue between you and the ghost of a famous person.

Legend has it that while spending a night at the White House in 1942, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands was woken by a knock on the bedroom door around midnight. Answering it, she saw the ghost of former US president Abraham Lincoln staring at her from the hallway.

Multiple Choice

How do you think Queen Wilhelmina reacted?

• A. She wanted to have a conversation with him.

• B. She thought it was a practical joke and laughed.

• C. She was so terrified by the sight that she fainted.

~The end~