VOODOO ISLAND (Level 3)

Mr James Conway wants to make money. He wants to build new houses and shops - and he wants to build them on an old graveyard, on the island of Haiti. There is only one old man who still visits the graveyard; and Mr Conway is not afraid of one old man. But the old man has friends - friends in the graveyard, friends who lie dead, under the ground. And when Mr Conway starts to build his houses, he makes the terrible mistake of disturbing the sleep of the dead . . .

VOODOO ISLAND

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Vocabulary:

awake: not asleep

believe: to think that something is true

bell: when a telephone rings, the noise is made by a bell

blow (past tense blew): when air moves, a bind is blowing

clean: to work on something that is dirty and make it clean

coconut: a large brown hard fruit that grows on trees in hot countries

company: a group of people who work together to make money

construction: building

doll: a small model of a person; children play with dolls

draw (past tense drew): to make a picture with a pencil, pen, etc.

dream: pictures in your mind when you are asleep

dry: not wet

dust: dry dirt that is like powder

flame: the yellow/orange part of a fire

frightened: afraid

gate: a kind of door in a wall or fence outside

grave: a hole in the ground where the body of a dead person lies

graveyard: a place with many graves

hope: to want something that you think will happen

hougan: a person in Haiti who can use voodoo

howl: to make a long loud cry (like a dog makes)

land: ground used for building, etc.

law: a law says that a person must, or must not, do something.

lorry: a kind of very large car that can carry big things 

mad: ill in the mind (the head)

magic: when somebody makes a strange things happen and nobody can understand or explain them

map: a drawing of a town or a country that shows roads, rivers, hills, etc.

medicine: something that can make ill people well again

ordinary: not strange or special

pain: when something hurts, you feel pain

park (car park): a place where you can leave your car

pick up: to take something in the hand

pin: a very small, sharp piece of metal

problem: something difficult to understand, or find an answer for

snake: a long thin animal without legs

spirit: the part of a person that is not the body; some people think that the spirit lives after the body dies

steps: stairs outside a house, in a garden, a road, etc.

throw (past tense threw): to make something move through the air

university: a place where people study after they leave school

voodoo: a special magic that is used in Haiti

FIVE CHILDREN AND IT (Level 3)

When the children dug a hole in the gravel-pit, they were very surprised at what they found. “It” was a Psammead, and it was thousands of years old.

It was a strange little thing – it was furry and with eyes on long stalks. It was often very cold and unfriendly, but it could give wishes – one wish a day. ‘It’s wonderful!’ the children said.

But wishes are difficult things they can get you into trouble.

FIVE CHILDREN AND IT

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Vocabulary:

1. Baker: a person who makes and sell bread
2. Believe: to think that something is real or true
3. Diamond: a very expensive, bright stone, often put in rings, etc
4. Dig (past tense dug) to make a hole in the ground
5. Enormous: very, very big
6. Fair: a kind of travelling market, where you can buy things, play games, watch interesting things, etc.
7. Fairy: a person or things which is not real, but which in stories does wonderful, impossible things.
8. Fur: the soft hair on an animal’s body
9. Good Heavens!: words that show you are very surprised
10. Gravel: very small stones
11. Gravel-pit: a big hole in the ground or the side of a hill, where people have taken away gravel and sand
12. Jewel: a very valuable, expensive stone, e.g. a diamond
13. Kick: to hit someone or something with your foot
14. Lemonade: a sweet drink made from lemons and sugar
15. Nursemaid: a woman servant who helps a mother with her baby
16. Plum: a soft, dark-red or purple fruit
17. Psammead: Edith Nesbit’s word for said-fairy (from a Greek word)
18. Sand: very fine, light earth, usually white or yellow (often found on beaches)
19. Servant: somebody who works in another person’s house
20. Vicar: a priest, the man of the church
21. Wish: to say what you would like to have or do (usually something which is not possible)

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLE (Level 3)

Holmes and Watson investigate the mysterious death of sir Charles Baskerville, whose body was found mutilated by a huge dog. Is this horrible death an example of 'The Curse of the Baskervilles'?

SHERLOCK HOLMES & 

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES

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Vocabulary:

hound: large dog used for hunting

flat: apartment

smart: intelligent

wicked: evil, extremely bad

avoid: stay away from

ride (past tense rode, ridden): travel by horse

hardly: only just 

moor: wide open area covered with short grass

tear out: (past tense tore, torn) remove with great violence

throat: the part between the head and the body

shine (past tense shone, shone) give out light

Yew Alley: long path with yew trees at the sides of it.

butler: male servant

footprint: marks left on the ground by the feet

lawyer: person who give advice about legal quesions

heir: person who owns a property when someone dies

shaking with terror: moving from side to side in fear

quite clear: easily visible

hedge: wall make of plants 

foot (plural feet): a length measurement (1 foot = 0.33 meter)

summerhouse: small construction in a garden, made of wood or glass

yard: a length measurement (1 yard = 0.9 meter)

ash: burnt material from a cigar or cigarette.

acidly: sarcastically

boot (in hotel): servant who cleans guests's shoes

natter: subject, case

reluctantly: without wanting to

astonished: greatly shocked

clever: intelligent

carriage: vehicle pulled by horses

narrow: not wide, thin

murderer: killer

cheerful: happy, positive

maid: woman servant

loft: space inside the roof of a house

butterfly net: a tool for catching butterflies 

marsh: area of wet, dangerous ground

sink down (past tense sank, sunk): to move down 

struggled furiously: made a great effort

silly: ridiculous

argue: debate

sternly: seriously

what's all this about?: what's happenning here?

: criticise

quarrel: hve a bad disagreement

typewriter: a tool for typing words

hut: 

eagerly: enthusiastically

revolver: type of gun, similar to a pistol

blanket: 

pots:

grimly: very seriously

fault: responsibility

scent: smell

whisper: speak very quietly

bitterly: with emotion

wicked: bad, evil

seize: take hold of violently

injure: hurt

20,000,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA (Level 3)

It was 1867. Some sailors said they saw a dangerous, giant monster living in the cold waters of the ocean. Some ships tried to find and kill it, but they never returned.
People said it looked like a whale.
"It was 300 feet long and a mile wide!"
"Water come out of its back. It was alike a big, underwater explosion."

20,000,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA

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Vocabulary:

1. assistant: someone who helps another with their work
2. brave: not afraid
3. cannon: a big very gun to shoot a cannonball
4. creature: a living thing
5. expert: who knows very well about something
6. harbour: a place where ships come and go
7. league: 1 league = 5.5 kilometres
8. monster: a very evil and dangerous creature
9. nightmare: something bad you see in your dream
10. professor: someone who studies a lot and knows very much
11. silently: quietly
12. wound: when your body is cut, you have a wound
13. duty: work and reponsibility 
14. frightened: very afraid
15. mysterious: when no one knows about something
16. secret: something you don't want anyone to know
17. shark: a big, dangerous fish in the sea
18. terrified: very afraid
19. freedom: state of being free
20. impossible: can not be done
21. scream: to give a loud, high voice because you are afraid
22. wonderful: very good
23. cannibal: someone who eats people
24. crew: all the people working on the ship
25. escape: get out of
26. host: the owner (of a house, ship,...)
27. strange: not usual
28. surface: not underwater
29. bright: with a lot of light
30. dig: to make a hole in the ground
31. fall asleep: start to sleep
32. tank: a big container to hold liquid
33. blame for: when you are blamed for doing something bad, you are the guilty one and are responsible to fix it
34. pearl: a very beautiful and expensive, perfectly rounded, made by an oyster
35. ancient: very old
36. lava: a very hot thing, you see this in a volcano eruption
37. volcano: a mountain that can erupt and shoot out hot things called lava
38. iceberg: a very big ice floating on the sea
39. shore: the land near the sea
40. terrible: very bad
41. whirlpool: a powerful current of water, which suck everything near it in

THE TURN OF THE SCREW (Level 3)

The Turn of the Screw is a classic ghost story of old England. It tells about a young girl who became a governess (a person who lives and teach) for two children. She knows that there are two ghosts in the house who wants to harm the children, but she will not allow it.

A young woman arrives at a large country house. Her job is to look after the two children who live there, but she soon discovers that there is something very strange about both the house and the children. The longer she stays, the more she feels that the two children are in danger - or is it that the children are the danger, and the person in danger is herself?

THE TURN OF THE SCREW

 

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Vocabulary:

1. ghost: a dead person that a living person sees or hears
2. governess: a woman who lives with and teaches the children
3. gentleman: a man from a rich family who does not need to work
4. housekeeper: a woman who looks after a person's house
5. angel: a very good and beautiful person, in pictures, they usually have wings
6. tower: a tall, thin part of a building
7. uncle: a brother of your father (or mother)
8. envelope: a paper cover that you put on a letter before you post it.
9. expel: to make someone leave a school
10. corrupt: to make someone bad
11. master: a name that working people used in the past for the gentleman who gave them job
12. kiss: to touch lovingly with your mouth
13. shock: a very bad surprise
14. thought: something that you think
15. relative: a person in your family
16. servant: a person who works for your family
17. view: what you can see when you look down from a tower, or somewhere high
18. gloves: things that you wear to keep your hands warm
19. dining room: the room in a house where people eat
20. pick up: to take something in your hand
21. monster: a terrible person (or animal)
22. whisker: long hair growing on the sides of a man's face
23. instead: in the place of something
24. evil: very bad
25. protect: to keep something from danger
26. lake: a large piece of water with land around it
27. grass: it is green; gardens and fields have lots of it on the ground
28. stare: to look at somebody for a long time
29. close: when two people feel near to each other
30. believe: to feel sure that something is true
31. dress up: to put on special clothes
32. piano: you make music on this big instrument by playing its blacks and white keys
33. candle: it burns and gives light
34. go out: to stop burning
35. darkness: where there is no light
36. heart: this is in your chest; it sends the blood round your body
37. curtains: people use these in front of windows at night, to stop people looking in
38. disappear: to go away suddenly
39. shoulder: this is between  your neck and your arm
40. firmly: strongly
41. moonlight: the light from the moon
42. accurate: true to real life
43. opinion: what you think about something or someone
44. seem: to appear to be
45. game: a secret plan or way of playing with other people's feelings
46. destroy: to break every part of something or someone
47. keep (past kept ): to have in a special place
48. freedom: being free
49. correct: right
50. idea: a plan or a new thought
51. carriage: a kind or car with horses; rich people in the past went with these
52. experience: something that happened to you
53. lost soul: someone who cannot find rest after they die
54. discover: to find or learn something new
55. blow (past blew - blown): to move (of the wind); to push air from your mouth
56. imagine: to see pictures in your head
57. awful: terrible
58. save: to take someone out of danger
59. sense: feeling
60. calm: not worried
61. join: to go with
62. puzzled: when you can't understand something
63. pretend: to try to make somebody believe something
64. horrify: to give someone a shock
65. bank: the ground at the side of a lake or river
66. point: to show where something is with your finger
67. incredible: surprising and very difficult to believe
68. gate: a door in a garden
69. mad: thinking things that are not true
70. cruel: unkind and liking to hurt people:
71. scared: afraid 
72. towards: nearer
73. sadness: an unhappy feeling
74. thank goodness: we say this when we feel happy because something good happened
75. order: words that tell somebody to do something
76. sick: ill
77. occasion: time
78. sofa: a long soft seat for people to sit on together
79. glad: happy
80. gently: softly
81. bravely: without showing that you are afraid
82. guard: someone who stops prisoners from running away
83. beat: to make the same noise many times; your heart beats faster when you are excited or afraid
84. devil: evil person
85. desperately: without hope
86. happiness: a happy feeling