Tom Sawyer – Part Forty-eight

Before you read the text, read the following comprehension questions.

1. Which word in the text means the outside floor of a boat?

2. What dod the boys see coming out of the side of the ferryboat?

3. What did people throw into the water to see if there were any dead bodies?

4. Which verb in the text means to die under water?

5. How did the boys initially feel when they realised that everyone thought they were dead?

Now read the text and answer the questions.

They jumped to their feet and ran to the shore toward the town. They parted the bushes on the bank and looked out over the water. The little steam ferryboat was about a mile below the village, drifting with the current. Her wide deck seemed crowded with people. There were many small boats rowing about or floating with the stream close to the ferryboat, but the boys could not see what the men in them were doing.

Soon, a cloud of white smoke came out from the side of the ferryboat, and as it went up into the air, that same dull noise was heard.

"I know now!" exclaimed Tom; "somebody's drowned!"

"That's it!" said Huck; "they did that last summer, when Bill Turner drowned. They shoot a cannon over the water, and that makes him come up to the top. Yes, and they take loaves of bread and put mercury inside them and float them in the river, and wherever there's anybody that's drowned, they'll float right there and stop."

"Yes, I've heard about that," said Joe. "I wonder what makes the bread do that."

"Oh, it’s not the bread, so much," said Tom; "I reckon it's mostly what they say before they put them in."

"But they don't say anything," said Huck. "I've seen them and they don't."

"Well, that's funny," said Tom. "But maybe they say it to themselves. Of course they do. Anybody knows that."

The other boys agreed that there was common sense in what Tom said, because an ignorant piece of bread could not be expected to act very intelligently when given such an important task.

"I wish I was over there, now," said Joe.

"I do too" said Huck "I'd give anything to know who it is."Diccionario online

The boys listened and watched. Presently a revealing thought flashed through Tom's mind, and he exclaimed:"Boys, I know who's drowned. It's us!"

They felt like heroes immediately. This was a gorgeous triumph; they were missed; people were sad; hearts were breaking on their account; tears were being cried; many were regretting their acts of unkindness to these poor lost boys, and best of all, the lads were the talk of the whole town, and the envy of all boys everywhere. This was fine. It was worthwhile to be a pirate, after all!.

... to be continued!

* The text has been adapted from the Adventures of Tom Sawyer
by Mark Twain


  Download the original book for free
 

*Consulta un PDF con la información y resumen de 100 libros en inglés
que puedes descargar en 1 único archivo.

 

  Haz click para comprobar las soluciones

Tom Sawyer – Part Forty-nine

Before you read the text, read the following comprehension questions.
 

1. What did the boys have for thier evening meal?

2. Who first suggested that they go back home?

3. Who was the first boy to fall asleep?

4. How many notes did Tom write?

5. Apart from a special marble and some fishhooks, what did Tom leave in Joe’s hat??
   

Now read the text and answer the questions.
 
As sunset came, the ferryboat went back to her usual job and the small boats disappeared. The pirates returned to camp. They were happy with their new fame and the trouble they were making.

They caught fish, cooked supper and ate it, and then started guessing what the village was thinking and saying about them. The pictures they had of public distress because of them were satisfying to imagine, from their point of view. But when it began to get dark, they gradually stopped talking, and sat looking into the fire, with their minds wandering somewhere else.

The excitement was gone, now, and Tom and Joe could not stop thinking about some people at home who were not enjoying this great adventure as much as they were.

They started to have regrets and became unhappy Eventually, Joe asked how the others might feel about going back to civilization. Not right now, but…..

Tom shouted and insulted him. Huck wasn’t so sure but he joined in with Tom anyway, and Joe, ‘the deserter’, managed to escape without appearing too cowardly. Mutiny was effectually avoided for the moment.

As the night deepened, Huck began to sleep, and then to snore. Joe followed next. Tom lay on his elbow without moving for some time, watching the two boys intently. At last he got up cautiously, on his knees, and went searching among the grass and the reflections made by the camp-fire.
He picked up and inspected several large pieces of the thin white bark of a tree, and finally chose two which seemed to suit him.

Then he sat by the fire and wrote something upon each of these. One he rolled up and put in his jacket pocket, and the other he put in Joe's hat and put it a little distance from Joe. And he also put into the hat some schoolboy treasures of very high value, among them a piece of chalk, a rubber ball, three fishhooks, and a special marble. Then he silently stepped cautiously among the trees until he felt that he was out of hearing, and immediately started running in the direction of the river

... to be continued!

* The text has been adapted from the Adventures of Tom Sawyer
by Mark Twain
Diccionario online

  Download the original book for free
 

*Consulta un PDF con la información y resumen de 100 libros en inglés
que puedes descargar en 1 único archivo.

 

  Haz click para comprobar las soluciones

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52                

- Dispones de LIBROS y LECTURAS gratuitas en nuestra Web así como Libros en Inglés y Español en LECTORVIRTUAL.
- Dispones de más ejercicios gratuitos de inglés en la sección de EJERCICIOS y en la sección de PRÁCTICA de La Mansión del Inglés.
- De forma continua publicamos en nuestro canal de Facebook ejercicios para practicar y mejorar tu inglés.
- Accede a nuestros Cuadernos de Inglés gratis o bien suscríbete para recibirlos gratuitamente en tu email.

Descarga libros en inglés formatos pdf, epub y mobi

 

*También te puede interesar:

© Copyright La Mansión del Inglés C.B. - Todos los derechos reservados.
La Mansión del Inglés ®. Marca Registrada

¿Cómo puedo desactivar el bloqueo de anuncios en La Mansión del Inglés?