Exercise 1
A. Listen to Jenny, Luke, and Rob talking about Henry’s disappearance. What are two possible clues they notice?
B. Listen again. Mark the sentences T (true) or F (false). Correct the F sentences.
1 Rob thinks they should ask the police for help.
2 Rob and Luke agree that they shouldn’t give the laptop to the criminals.
3 Rob noticed something strange about how his father looked.
4 The phrase that really surprises Rob is ‘his old dad’.
5 He doesn’t know how to interpret the clue.
6 Rob has booked a flight to the UK.
7 Jenny is going to go back to Henry’s house.
What do you think the clues might mean? Who do you think Simon is?
Answers
A
The two clues are Henry’s sentence ‘his old man will be in his study again soon’, and the sound of a church bell ringing.
B
1 F (Rob doesn’t think they should ask the police for help because the kidnappers are watching them and he doesn’t want them to hurt Henry.)
2 T
3 F (Rob noticed something strange about what his father said.)
4 F (The phrase that really surprises Rob is his old man.)
5 T
6 F (He hasn’t booked a flight, but he’s going to try.)
7 F (She’s going to continue to stay at Luke’s.)
Audioscripts
N = narrator, J = Jenny, R = Rob, L = Luke, H = Henry
N Day three. Eight fifteen a.m. Jenny and Luke have just discovered that Henry has been kidnapped. They Skype Rob immediately.
J Rob, are you OK?
R Yes…no…I don’t know.
J What are you going to do?
R I need to get to England as soon as possible. I wish I was there with you now.
J Me too. I just don’t know what to do. Should we go back to the police?
R I don’t think so. You heard what they said. They’re obviously watching you and I don’t want them to hurt Dad!
L And we can’t just give them the laptop. We know what they’re capable of.
R You’re right. You know, there’s something bothering me about Dad’s message. It’s the words he used.
J What do you mean?
R I’m not sure. Can you play the end of the message again for me?
H Please don’t worry. Tell Rob his old man will be in his study again soon.
R That sounds strange.
L What sounds strange?
R His old man.
L Why is that strange? He is your dad!
R But he’d never call himself my old man. It’s just not like him.
J So what are you saying? That he said it deliberately?
R I think it could be a clue.
J But old man? What on Earth can that mean?
R I don’t know. But I’m sure it means something.
J You know, there was something else. I could hear something in the background.
L Like a generator or something?
J Not just that. At the beginning of the video. It sounded like a church bell ringing.
L That could be anywhere.
J You’re right.
R Anyway, I need to try and get a flight to London.
J OK. Good luck. We’ll call you later.
R Bye, guys.
J Bye.
L Well, you definitely can’t go back to Henry’s house now.
J You’re right. I’ll need to find a room in a hotel or a B&B.
L Don’t be silly. You can stay here as long as you like.
J Won’t Simon mind?
L Simon? No, he’ll understand. And we’ve got the spare room.
J Are you sure?
L Of course I’m sure.
J Thanks, Luke. That’s very nice of you.
L No worries. I’ll tell you about the house.
Exercise 2
A. Listen to Luke telling Jenny about the rules in his house. Complete Rules for guests. Why does he ask her to move her car?
Rules for guests
1 This is a no-_______ house.
2 Don’t cook _______ or leave _______ products in the fridge.
3 If you need to use the Internet, the _______ for the wi-fi is lukeandsimonrule.
4 If you use the washing machine, please use the _______-_______ detergents in the cupboard.
5 Please help us save energy – don’t use a _______ water programme.
6 There isn’t a _______. Hang your clothes on the _______ _______ instead
Answers
1 smoking 2 meat, meat 3 password 4 eco-friendly
5 hot 6 dryer, washing line
Luke asks Jenny to move her car because the kidnappers might see it and recognize them.
Audioscripts
N = narrator, L = Luke, J = Jenny
N Luke and Jenny are in the kitchen.
L It’s a great location, and the rent is cheap, but Simon can be a bit difficult.
J Oh, right.
L He’s got a few rules. After all, it is his house.
J That’s fine.
L To start with, it’s a no-smoking house.
J Great.
L And he’s a strict vegetarian, so you can’t cook meat or leave meat products in the fridge.
J Uh-huh.
L He just feels really strongly about not eating meat.
J That’s not a problem.
L What about you? Is there anything you need?
J There is one thing – could I connect my phone to your wi-fi?
L Sure. The password is lukeandsimonrule, all lower case, all one word.
J Got it.
L Anything else?
J Yeah. I have some clothes I need to wash. Is it OK if I use your washing machine?
L Of course you can. But Simon prefers us to use the eco-friendly detergents. There’s some in the cupboard.
J Cool.
L Oh, and you mustn’t use a hot water programme. He’s very keen on saving energy.
J OK, and do you mind if I use your dryer, too?
L Sorry, we don’t have one, but you can hang it out on the washing line.
J Great. Is there anything else I should know?
L No, I don’t think so – oh! You should probably move your car.
J I guess Simon doesn’t like cars, either.
L Well, no, but it’s not that. We know the kidnappers have been watching us, right? They might see it and recognize us.
J You’re right. I’ll move it right away.
L Look, I’ll come with you and we can get a coffee. There’s a nice café around the corner.
J Thanks, Luke.
Exercise 3
A. Listen to Jenny and Luke discussing the situation with Rob. Where are they going to go tonight? Why?
B. Listen again and answer the questions.
1 Who is more optimistic at the beginning, Jenny or Luke?
2 Has Rob managed to get a flight to London? Why (not)?
3 What does Rob think the words ‘old man’ might refer to?
4 What does he think Luke and Jenny need to do?
5 How are they going to get to the house?
6 Why does Luke know the back way well?
What do you think will happen when they go to the house?
Answers
A
They’re going to go back to Henry’s house to try to find something in the study that Rob thinks might explain the ‘old man’ clue.
B
1 Luke is more optimistic at the beginning.
2 No, he hasn’t. There are no flights to London because of the snow.
3 He thinks they might refer to the name of a book or painting, or something else in Henry’s study.
4 He thinks they need to go back to Henry’s house.
5 They’re going to use a footpath at the back of the house.
6 He used to play there when he was a child.
Audioscripts
N = narrator, J = Jenny, L = Luke, R = Rob
N Day three. Eleven a.m. Jenny and Luke are in a café.
J Oh, I hope we’re doing the right thing.
L What do you mean?
J Maybe we should just go to the police.
L We can’t. You heard what the kidnappers said.
J I know, I know…but it’s all such a mess. What will we do if we can’t find him?
L We will!
J I hope so. I just don’t know.
L Is that Rob?
J Yes. Rob, hi!
R Hi, Jenny.
J Any news?
R It’s snowing really heavily and there aren’t any flights to London. I don’t know when I’m going to get back.
J Oh, Rob, that’s terrible!
R I know, but I’ll keep trying.
J Is there anything we can do?
R Yes, actually. I’ve been thinking about Dad’s message. That old man business.
J What about it?
R He must be telling us where he is. It’s the only explanation.
J But what can we do about it? We don’t know what it means.
R Well, Dad also mentioned something about his study, didn’t he?
J Yeah, but…
R I’m sure I remember something about an old man – it’s the name of a book or a painting or something – and I think it’s in the study.
J Henry’s study?
R Yeah. Listen, Jenny, I think you’ll have to go back there.
J Back to Henry’s house? But we know they’re watching.
R I know, and I’m really sorry, but it’s our only chance.
J You’re right. Luke and I will figure something out.
R Thanks, Jenny. I wish I was there to help.
J Don’t worry, we’ll be OK. Talk to you soon.
R Bye, Jenny. And be really careful!
J Did you get that?
L Yes, but we can’t go to the house now. If they’re there, they’ll see us immediately.
J We’ll have to go when it’s dark.
L But they still might see us.
J We can sneak in the back way. There’s a footpath.
L Good idea. I know that way really well. I used to play around there when I was a kid.
J We’ll need flashlights, though.
L I’ve got some.
J OK. We’ll have to be careful, but we just might be able to do this!