Practice English Listening B1+ Exercises – Finding Henry

A

Old man refers to Proteus, a Greek god who is called ‘the old man of the sea’.

They think Henry is being held at a biochemical company called Proteus in Oxford.

B

1 Luke   2 Jenny   3 Rob   4 Luke   5 Luke   6 Jenny

7 Luke   8 Luke

N = narrator, J = Jenny, L = Luke, R = Rob, La = Laing, T = Tom

N   Day four. Four a.m. Jenny and Luke have gone back to Henry’s house and are in his study. They are looking for a clue about an ‘old man’… but time is running out.

J   Keats, The Iliad, poems by Byron, The Complete Works of Shakespeare…nothing about an old man!

L   Not even a picture on the front cover.

J   What about those paintings? Anything there?

L   I’ve already checked them. Nothing. Should we look through each book?

J   That could take forever and we don’t have time. This is hopeless. It’s OK, it’s Rob. Rob.

R   Jenny. Any luck?

J   No. We’ve been here for hours and we’ve looked everywhere. We haven’t found a single thing about an old man. Look, Rob, maybe the old man thing wasn’t a secret message at all.

R   But it sounded so odd. And why would he mention his study?

J   Well, he’s under a lot of pressure. He probably just…

R   Wait!

J   What?

R   Is there anything on top of the bookcase?

L   Just a load of old books. We’ve already been through them.

R   Isn’t there anything else?

L   Wait a second. Yeah, there are two small paperweights.

R   Do they have anything written on them?

L   This one says Apollo, god of music and poetry.

R   What about the other one?

L   It says Proteus…the old man of the sea!

R   That must be what Dad meant!

J   What does it mean? Who’s Proteus?

L   You know, that name sounds familiar.

R   I think he’s a Greek god. Dad’s got loads of stuff like that.

L   No, no, not that. I’m sure I’ve seen it somewhere. I’ll google it.

J   Does it mean anything to you, Rob?

R   No. I can’t remember hearing it before. Maybe it’s someone’s name, or…

L   Got it! Proteus is a biochemical company. It’s based in Oxford and…oh, I don’t believe it!

J   What is it, Luke?

L   It’s right by St Bartholomew’s Church. You know, the one with the famous bells!

J   That must be where Henry is! Rob, we’ve got to go call the police.

N   Day four. Four fifteen a.m. Inspector Laing is on night duty at the police station. She’s making a cup of tea when she receives a phone call.

La   Laing speaking…Yes?…Oh, Jenny Zielinski…OK, slow down… Where? Proteus?…Yes, I know it…No, Jenny, you can’t go down there…It’s too dangerous…and it’s illegal…I know, but…OK, OK, but not on your own…We’ll meet you there in ten minutes.

N   Day four. Five a.m. Jenny and Luke meet Inspector Laing outside the Proteus building. They are in her car, and she’s in contact with two policemen by radio. They are going to the Proteus building. Luke is looking at the plans of the building on his laptop. Jenny tells her about Henry’s message.

J   It was night-time and we could hear a generator in the background.

La   Right, so we’re looking for a room with a generator. How are you doing, Luke?

L   I’m just downloading the plans for the Proteus building now. That’s it. Done. OK, there’s only one room with a generator. It’s in the basement.

La   Excellent.

N   The inspector radioes the two police officers who are just outside the Proteus building.

La   Tom, where are you?

T   We’re approaching the side entrance. There’s nobody around.

La   OK, Tom. I’m going to hand you over to Luke. He’s going to guide you to a room in the basement. That’s where we think Henry’s being held.

T   Got it.

La   Be careful.

T   Don’t worry. Come on.

They end up in C

N = narrator, L = Luke, T = Tom, La = Laing

N   Day four. Five ten a m. The policemen go into the Proteus building. Luke directs them from a police car outside. He’s looking at the plans of the building on his screen.

L   OK, go to the end of the corridor, go through the door, and turn right.

T   We’re in a large, open area.

L   That’s right. Now, go straight ahead. You should see some stairs on your right. Go past the stairs and a coffee bar. Turn right. Carry on and you should see a set of double doors.

T   Should we go through?

L   Yes. Now, you should see some stairs on your left.

T   Yeah, I see them.

L   Right. Go down the stairs, continue straight on, and walk down the ramp.

T   We’re at the end of the ramp. Which way now?

L   Turn right and carry on straight along the corridor. Go past a maintenance room and two fuse boxes, and try the next door on your right.

T   The door’s locked. Is there another way?

L   Hold on. OK. Turn round and go back down the corridor.

T   Should we go back up the ramp?

L   No. Go straight to the end of the corridor and turn left.

T   We’re here. There are two doors. Which one should we take?

L   Try the one on your left.

T   It’s open!

L   What can you see?

T   There are three big safes and cages full of documents. Are you sure this is the right way?

L   Yes, you’re in the store room. Can you hear a generator?

T   Yes! It’s coming from the end of the corridor.

L   Head towards it. But watch out for guards!

T   There’s a door here and a narrow corridor to the right. What should we do?

L   I don’t know!

T   Wait. I can hear voices. There are people in there.

La   That must be the room.

T   OK. We’re going in.

1   T

2   F (They have been arrested.)

3   T

4   T

5   F (They celebrate with champagne at Henry’s house, and Rob, who is still in Alaska, joins them via Skype.)

6   T

7   F (She can’t wait to get back to New York.)

N = narrator, Ne = newsreader, J = Jenny, H = Henry, R = Rob, L = Luke

N   Day four. Five p.m. Henry is finally back at home with Jenny and Luke. They’re talking to a relieved Rob on Skype and listening to a radio news report about the kidnapping.

Ne   Police have arrested a man and a woman following a raid on the Proteus building in Oxford early this morning. They have been named locally as Selina Lavelle and Grant McFadden. Mr McFadden has been charged with assault following the brutal attack on research scientist Andrew Page, who is still recovering in hospital. Ms Lavelle has been charged with false imprisonment, extortion, blackmail, and industrial espionage. Police believe she organized the kidnapping of university lecturer Henry Walker. Mr Walker, who was rescued in the raid, told reporters he’d been through a terrible ordeal, but hadn’t been badly hurt. He wished Andrew Page a speedy recovery and said he would visit him in hospital. Mr Walker thanked the police for their hard work. He said that he was too tired to talk to reporters in detail and was just looking forward to returning home.

J   Well, Henry, you’re kind of a star.

H   I never expected to become a celebrity – not at my age.

R   Well, next time you’re kidnapped, Dad, try to set us an easier clue.

H   I must admit I was beginning to lose hope. It took you a long time to work it out.

R   You can’t blame us! Proteus – the ‘old man’ of the sea? How were we supposed to know that?

H   You need to brush up on your classics.

L   Oh, come on, Henry, I think we did really well!

H   I’m joking, I’m joking. You were great. And I really have to thank you. Goodness knows what would have happened if you hadn’t found me in time.

J   We’re just glad we did.

N   Henry puts a bottle of champagne on the table.

H   Now, I had been saving this for a special occasion, and I think this is it. Could you fetch the glasses, Luke?

L   No worries.

R   It’s great to have you back, Dad.

J   It sure is.

H   I just wish you were here, Rob.

R   Well, it’s just stopped snowing. I could get a flight now, and maybe we could stay there for longer. What do you think, Jenny?

J   Oh, I don’t know. The English countryside is a little too wild for me. I can’t wait to get back to the peace and quiet of New York!