Escape in New York

ENGLISH READERS

Richard Musman

Escape in New York

A2B1

PALIER 2

Before Reading

1. Have a close look at the cover and say everything you can about it.

help box: in the background, in the

foreground, on the left, on the right, at

the top, at the bottom, in the middle…

2. Can you spot the Niagara Falls on a map?

3. Do you know the origin of the word “Niagara”? Look for information about it on the internet.

4. What is the best English synonym for this word?

thunder

awful noise

5. What do you expect to read?

a fairy tale

a science fiction story

a detective story

a love story

«Niagara» is derived from the name given to a branch of the locally residing native Neutral Confederacy, who are described as being called the «Niagagarega» people; or it comes from the name of an Iroquois town called «Ongniaahra», meaning «point of land cut in two»

Chapter 1: A Meeting at Niagara Falls

1. Listen and tick the correct information:

1. Where does the scene take place?

in New York City

in Niagara Falls

2. Who are the main characters?

Betty

Kevin

Bella

Cathy

3. Where did they meet?

in a restaurant

in a coffee shop

2. Listen again and pick out information about Kevin and Cathy. Then fill in the chart:

Last name

Age

Nationality

Plans

Kevin

Patterson

17

Canadian

He plans to go to New York to work as a tourist guide

78 Activities

Last name

Age

Nationality

Information about her family

Physical description

Cathy

3. Tick the correct informations.

The facts:

Kevin has found a job as a tourist guide in New York City.

Kevin is still a student.

Kevin’s never been to New York City.

Kevin’s already lived there.

Kevin loves the place where he’s living and doesn’t want to

move away.

Kevin thinks his place is boring.

Cathy is an orphan and an only child.

Cathy is an orphan but she’s got a brother.

Cathy tells him her secret.

Cathy doesn’t tell him her secret.

They’re going to meet again.

Cathy refuses to see him again.

O’Brien

17

Irish

her parents died; she also has a brotherblue eyes, dark hair

79Escape in New York

Their feelings:

Kevin and his mother don’t get on well.

Kevin and his mother get on well.

Kevin is shrewd.

Kevin is not clever.

Cathy is outgoing.

Cathy is unfriendly.

Cathy misses her brother.

Cathy hates her brother.

4. Listen again and choose the best summary.

summary one: While sitting in a coffee shop Kevin, a

young Canadian boy, has made up his mind: he’s moving to

New York because he can’t stand his future stepfather. He’ll

earn his living there as a tour guide and stay at his Aunt Bella’s.

Cathy, a girl he has just made friends with, looks scared. He’s

ready to help her, but unfortunately she must go back to school

in Niagara Falls and refuses to give him her address.

summary two: While sitting in a coffee shop Kevin, a young Canadian boy, has made up his mind: he’s moving to New York because he can’t stand his future stepfather. He’ll earn his living there as a tour guide and stay at his Aunt Bella’s. Cathy, a girl he has just made friends with, looks scared. He wants to help her: she refuses but agrees to give him her address in New York.

80 Activities

5. Speak about these points:

1. Why does Kevin decide to sit down at Cathy’s table?

2. Why doesn’t Cathy want to talk about her problems?

Chapter 2: Mrs O’Brien

1. Group work.

Group 1: Concentrate on Mrs O’ Brien’s physical portrait. Pick out

the following elements.

– Face?

– Hair?

– Clothes?

– Appearance?

Group 2: Concentrate on Mrs O’ Brien’s personality. Read the

sentences and match them with the adjectives that best describe

her personality.

aggressive friendly nosy kind

nasty warm-hearted scornful mild

violent fishy respectable

She seemed full of anxiety.

Because she doesn’t know Kevin.

heavystraight brown hair, cut short above her ears

long black boots and a thick grey coatlike a soldier


1. “I told you to meet me at the car at 4.30. It’s now 5 o’clock.

What have you been doing?”

2. She looked suspiciously at Kevin. “Who’s this?” she asked Cathy.

3. “You make friends quickly, I see!”

4. Then she took Cathy’s arm and pulled her to her feet. Holding

Cathy’s arm firmly in hers, she marched to the door.

Group 3: Concentrate on Cathy’s reaction. Read the sentences

and match them with the corresponding adjectives.

petrified cheerful frightened

delighted relaxed hopeless

1. Suddenly he saw her freeze.

2. The stepmother stood beside Cathy, who sat quite still, not

looking at her.

3. Cathy turned back and looked hard at Kevin.

2. Sum up the chapter orally.

3. Act the scene. Somebody can record the scene to observe and comment on it later with your teacher.

nosy

fishy

scornful

aggressive

petrified

relaxed

hopeless

82 Activities

4. Tick the right statements. When the statements are wrong, correct them.

1. Mrs O’Brien is Cathy’s stepmother.

2. Cathy left her bag in the coffee shop.

3. Her bag was empty.

4. Kevin doesn’t know where to find her in New York.

5. Kevin is absolutely sure her new friend is in danger.

6. Betty makes fun of him because she’s jealous.

7. Kevin will wait for another week before going to New York.

5. Answer the questions.

1. Why did Cathy lie about Kevin’s identity?

2. Tick the adjective that best describes Cathy’s state of mind:

anxious relaxed curious enthusiastic

3. Which passage proves it?

4. What about the key Kevin found in Cathy’s purse? What could it

open?

There was a handkerchief and a purse with a few coins in it.

Betty makes fun of him because he’s too excited.

Kevin asks Aunt Bella if he can get to New York earlier that week.

To protect Kevin.

She looked hard at Kevin.

Her front door in New York.


Chapter 3: Journey to New York

1. Tick “Right” or “Wrong”.

1. Before leaving for the USA, Kevin went on board

the Maid of the Mist with the tourists. R W

2. Kevin didn’t forget the precious key. R W

3. Kevin had some problems with the Immigration

Officer. R W

4. Kevin was given a lift to New York by a truck driver. R W

5. The policeman in the park arrested him because

he hitch-hiked from Canada. R W

6. Kevin has got a Green Card. R W

7. His aunt lives in Greenwich Village. R W

2. Now sum up what happens in this chapter.

3. Write the dialogue between Adam, the Texan truck driver, and Kevin, on their way to New York.

84 Activities

Chapter 4: Morning in New York

1. Read the whole chapter and fill in the grid.

Time of day

Itinerary

Most important event

2. Write Kevin’s diary entry saying what happened in this chapter. Use the Past Simple.

3. Class work.

1. The word “subway” is used in American English. Do you know

the British English word for “subway”?

2. What do you know about the New York subway?

morning

168th St and Broadway, Columbus Circle, to 53rd St and 5th Av.

He thought he had seen Cathy.

underground


Team A: Ask your friends questions to complete the blanks.

(Place?) The first American subway was built in

in 1897. The New York subway was inaugurated on October,

27, 1905. (What time?) At p.m. that evening, the

subway opened to the general public. (How many?) More than

people got in the cars. They paid a nickel each to

take their first ride under Manhattan. The system now has 26

lines and 468 stations in operation. (How long?) The longest line

stretches more than miles. (How much?) The cheapest

fare costs $ The system runs 24 hours a day, seven days

a week.

Team B: Ask your friends questions to complete the blanks.

(Date?) The first American subway was built in Boston in (Date?) The New York subway was inaugurated on At 7 p.m. that evening, the subway opened to the

general public. More than 100,000 people got in the cars. (How much?) They paid a each to take their first ride under Manhattan. (How many?) The system now has 26 lines and

stations in operation. The longest line stretches more than 32 miles. The cheapest fare costs $2. (How many?) The system runs hours a day, days a week.

4. Now say what you know about the New York subway. You can record your text at home and send it to your teacher.

86 Activities

Chapters 5, 6 and 7: Aunt Bella / The Search for Cathy Begins / Eleventh Avenue

1. Listen and circle the words which describe Aunt Bella.

charitable clever admirable helpful

angry witty eccentric conventional

boring generous unpleasant

2. Listen again and pick out information about her.

1. Aunt Bella’s age

2. Aunt Bella’s occupation

3. How she helps Kevin find Cathy’s address in New York

4. The part of the city she lives in

5. The reason why she asks him to be careful

between forty and fifty

She helps the different ethnic groups of the city

She calls the boarding school she used to go to, and says she’s an old friend of the family.

West Side

It is a poor and dangerous neighborhood so she’s worried about him getting into trouble.


3. How well do you know The Big Apple? the monuments or places that you can see in New York City and cross out those you can see in London.

Tower Bridge Brooklyn Bridge

Piccadilly Circus

The Mall

The UN Building

The ThamesHyde Park The Hudson River

The City

Rockefeller Center Broadway

4. Who are the characters in these chapters? their names.

Betty

Aunt Bella

Cathy

the policeman

Mrs O’Brien

the security guard

Rob Masterman

a bald man Kevin

5. Listen again and finish the sentences.

1. Kevin couldn’t talk to Cathy on the phone because

2. He couldn’t get straight into the apartment house because

3. He was thrown out of the lobby by

Mrs O’Brien told him she didn’t want to see him.

there were two locked turnstiles between the lobby and the elevators.

the security guard.

88 Activities

6. Match the words with their definitions.

1. a skyscraper

2. a subway station

3. a district

4. stories

5. cheap

6. an apartment house

7. advertisements

8. damaged houses

9. poor

a. rich

b. a building with different apartments in it

c. posters to persuade you to buy a product

d. a place where you can travel under the ground

e. houses in bad condition

f. a part of a city

g. expensive

h. a very tall building

i. levels of a building

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 b

h d f i g

c e a


Chapter 8: Danger?

1. Number the sentences in the right order.

He had a hot chocolate at the Rockefeller Center.

He got out of West Side as quickly as he could.

He ate a hot dog in a snack bar.

He went past a great cinema and entertainment venue.

He went into the Lincoln Center for a couple of concert tickets.

He saw the building of his future company.


1. Why does Aunt Bella want her nephew to give up?

2. What is Kevin’s decision?

Chapter 9: Kevin Tries Again

1. Pick out the key words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, time expressions…). Then describe the scene.

2. Decide which summary is the best.

summary 1: The next day Kevin went back near the apartment

house to get some more information. The street was peaceful.

Mothers were going shopping, children were playing. He spent

two hours there before deciding to stop watching.

12

34

56

Because he may get hurt.

To go on finding out what he can.

90 Activities

summary 2: The next day Kevin went back near the apartment house to get some more information. The street was peaceful. Mothers were going shopping, children were playing. He saw Mrs O’Brien behind her window and he had to leave quickly.

3. Listen again and finish the sentences.

1. He was walking back up the street when he

2. He couldn’t see the driver because

3. The car was driving on

4. The car was going fast and tried to

5. Fortunately, Kevin was able to

6. And the car


1. Was Kevin hurt?

2. Who do you think was behind the driving wheel?

3. Why do you think the mysterious driver wanted to kill him?

heard the sound of a car behind him.

the sun was shining on the windshield

the wrong side of the road.

run over him.

dodge it.

hit the wall of the house and then disappeared up the street.

Yes, he had cuts.

The bald man.

Because he wanted to know more than he should.


5. Answer the questions about the young woman.

1. Does she know the driver? Who is he?

2. Why doesn’t she want to give evidence against him?

6. You’re a reporter and you watched the scene. Write an article to report about the incident.

Chapters 10 and 11: Being Followed / Home again

1. Write the questions:

1. Where/Kevin/look?

2. Where/be/the Oldsmobile?

3. Where/he/take the bus?

4. He/sit in the bus?

5. What/the Oldsmobile/do?

6. When/Kevin/get off?

7. Where/Kevin/go?

Yes, everybody knows him.

Because that would be signing her death warrant.

Where did Kevin look?

Where was the Oldsmobile?

Where did he take the bus?

Did he sit in the bus?

What did the Oldsmobile do?

When did Kevin get off?

Where did Kevin go?

92 Activities

2. Read the text again and find the answers.

3. Ask your friends these questions and compare your answers.

4. Drawing time! Pick out information about the driver and draw his portrait.


5. Read the chapter to find out:

1. What Kevin did before going home and why

2. What Aunt Bella advises him to do

3. Why he doesn’t agree with her

6. Mini webquest. Group work. How well do you know Central Park?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Park

Location

When it opened

Where it’s located

Opening hours

http://www.centralparknyc.org/visit/general-info/rules-regulations/

Wild animals

Dogs in the park

Driving speed limit

center of Manhattan

In 1857

Between 110th Street to 59th Street.

All year, it only closes from 1am to 6am.

Not allowed.

Dogs allowed, but not in playgrounds, fountains. battlefields.

25 mph

He got off the bus because he was being followed.

Go to the police.

Because they would not believe him.

94 Activities

http://www.centralparknyc.org/visit/things-to-do/sports/

Make a list of the activities you can do in the park.

7. Make a poster about Central Park with the elements above.


Chapter 12: The Guide

1. Listen and finish the sentences.

1. Kevin’s first day at work was on

2. He was welcomed by his boss, who was called

3. His employer liked him immediately because he had a

4. His partner for the job was

5. He enjoyed the job at once and almost forgot for a time.

6. But he was still afraid of meeting

2. Listen and complete.

1. Origin of the tourists

2. Name of the building

3. Tallest building in 1973 in the USA

4. Location of the tallest building in the USA nowadays

5. Location of the tallest buildings in the world nowadays

6. Time it takes to go up the 80th floor

7. Kevin’s way of talking

good bad

the bald man.

Monday.Mr Swift

nice sense of humor.

Mrs Richter, or Debbie.Cathy

Texas.

The Empire State Building.

The World Trade Center

Chicago

Asia

less than one minute

96 Activities

3. Say what you now know.

4. Find more information about the Empire State Building on the internet. Write the dialogue between a tourist and a guide. Then, act the scene at school.

http://www.esbnyc.com/

Chapter 13: What is Going on?

1. Match the words and their synonyms.

dress almost not

widewalk be understandable

guy match

hardly pavement

fit together man

make sense put on clothes

2. Read and find out:

1. What Kevin decided to do

2. Why he is wearing different clothes

Going back to Cathy’s apartment.

Not to be recognized.


3. Read the whole chapter and find as many details as you can about the young boy and the Puerto Rican girl.

The boy The girl

Age

Clothes

Standard of living

Possible job

4. Kevin’s thoughts. Find the answers to these questions.

1. Why didn’t Mrs O’ Brien want Cathy to see him?

2. What was suspicious in the boy’s behaviour?

5. Can you imagine what is really going on? Write it down.

14 18

smart clothes the smartest clothes

high high

dealer dealer

She may have something to do with a drug gang.

Their standard of living.

98 Activities

Chapter 14: The Statue of Liberty

1. Listen from “That day...” (page 51, line 1) down to “His eyes met hers” (page 52, line 5) and answer the questions.

1. What tour Debbie and Kevin are on today?

2. Where are they going after their stop in Wall Street?

3. Who do you think is the woman in a gray coat?

2. Let’s make suppositions.

1. What was Mrs O’Brien doing in the bank?

2. What about the big bundle of bank notes?

3. Why did Kevin stare at the big bundle of bank notes?

4. What do you think could happen after this “unexpected

meeting”?

3. Listen and find what place Debbie is talking about.

1. Who told Debbie about this place? Why?

2. What was the problem with the doctors?

If you want to know more about this place, visit this website:

http://www.nps.gov/elis/index.htm (Say as much as you can)

The Statue of Liberty from Battery Park and Wall Street.

To Battery Park.

Mrs O Brien.

Earle’s grandmother because it was awful.

They had to examine all the immigrants.


4. Group work. Choose between the two activities. The two documents below can help you.

GROUP 1: You’re a tourist guide. Use this information and prepare

your guided tour. Then, act the roles of the tourist and guide with

a classmate.

GROUP 2: Create a leaflet for tourists about the Statue of Liberty.

Document 1

The Statue of Liberty is located on Liberty

Island in New York Harbor. This monument

was a gift to the USA from France as a mark

of friendship between the two nations

during the American Revolution.

Its original name is "Liberty Enlightening

the World." It pictures a woman freed from

tyranny (the chain at her feet is broken).

She holds a torch that is a symbol of liberty.

The copper statue was built in France by Frédéric Auguste

Bartholdi. It was finished in July, 1884. It was brought to

the USA in 350 pieces on a French ship called the "Isere" (in

June, 1885). The statue was re-assembled in the USA and was

completed on October 28, 1886.

There are 354 steps inside the statue and its pedestal.

There are 25 viewing windows in the crown. The seven rays of

Liberty's crown symbolize the seven seas and seven continents

of the world. Liberty holds a tablet in her left hand that reads

"July 4, 1776".

Adapted from Enchantedlearning.com

100 Activities

Document 2

dimensions of the statue of liberty

Height from ground to tip of torch 93 m

Length of nose 1.37 m

Length of head (chin to top of head) 5.26 m

Length of right arm 12.80 m

Width of mouth 0.91 m

Ground to top of pedestal 46.94 m

Chapter 15: Fast-Food Restaurant

1. Look for the words (page 102) in the grid.

K E S N F T P U C T K Y F R I

E D T C R H L I C R S K E N E

K I Y Z E X A U O A P K I R C

O O R C N P S U Q S U M E H K

V L O T C B T K P H C H E N P

E M F O H O I P X C T A I R J

S W O G F Y C P R A P V E E P

P Z A O R R M V E N E T S M T

O E M K I S A O Q S N E S E G

O F B J E B T C K U R Z W E S

N E O J S R E M O T S U C E F

S Y X R X O R C A F L R T D I

F J E A K M I S C A F A E O Y

Q Q S W J S A J E Z L E T O E

V E Q N Y S L M S P M S E F O


CHEAP KNIVES COFFEE

MEAL

COUNTER

PLASTIC MATERIAL

PLATESCUSTOMERS

SPOONS FOODFRENCH FRIES

STYROFOAM

BOXES TRASH CANS

FORKS

2. What are your eating habits? What do you like best? Write it down.

3. Test your memory! While they were eating their beefburgers, Kevin told Debbie everything that had happened since his meeting with Cathy at Niagara Falls.

1. Recap orally what happened so far.

2. Write a dialogue between Debbie and Kevin on the whole story

and act the scene.

102 Activities

Chapter 16: A Trip to Harlem

1. Baldie’s itinerary. Follow Baldie’s route on the map (page 36).

Johnnie was walking along the sidewalk. Finally he turned

up West on 34th Street and went into Madison Square

Garden. A big match between two heavyweight boxers was

going to take place there the following evening. Kevin had

often been to this big sports arena to watch basketball and

hockey matches. Johnnie came out again. He looked angry,

and Kevin guessed that there were no tickets left. Johnnie

walked up Seventh Avenue to Broadway and Times Square.

In Times Square he examined the advertisements outside

the movie theaters and then finally entered the subway.

Kevin followed him and got into the next car without being

seen. In the corner on the other side of the car there were

two big youths who kept looking at him and talking to one

another in a low voice.

At 125th Street and Lenox Avenue, Johnnie got out.

The two youths got out too, and ran up the steps in front

of Kevin. Johnnie walked away from the station. Kevin

hesitated a second before following him. He was now in the

middle of Harlem, and it was getting dark. This was a part

of New York where his aunt had told him not to go.

Johnnie walked west along 125th Street for a block and

then turned north. Kevin was glad he did not have far to

go. Johnnie entered a house, smaller than most, in 127th

Street, one block from the station.


2. Have you heard about Harlem? Pick out as many details as you can in the text and then find some information on the internet.

3. Read from “Johnnie walked west…” (page 60, line 11) down to “fast-food restaurant” (page 60, line 21) and choose the best summary.

number one: Hidden in a safe place, Kevin spent a long

time watching Johnnie and his young helpers. Afterwards,

he was sure that something wrong was going on there. They

must be traffickers.

number two: Hidden in a safe place, Kevin spent a long time watching Johnnie and his young helpers but he couldn’t see what was going on because it was too dark.

104 Activities

Chapter 17: Cathy Calls

1. Match the words and their synonyms.

a crook

stuff

bug

a go-between

smuggle

a mediator

import or export prohibited goods

a dishonest person

goods

a microphone

2. Listen from “She spoke fast…” (page 63, line 1) down to “she gets the drugs from” (page 63, line 21). Concentrate on Cathy’s stepmother. Say what you learn about her.

3. Listen from “From the apartment…” (page 64, line 1) down to “you must say so honestly” (page 64, line 20). Pick out the nouns, the verbs and the adjectives. Underline the words which helped you understand this passage and say what you know about Cathy’s situation.

4. Kev can’t wait to help his friend, but he couldn’t write her message properly and he doesn’t remember it well. Can you sum it up orally?


5. Listen down to the end and find out:

1. How Aunt Bella will be able to help Kevin and Cathy

2. Why Cathy doesn’t want him to use the key to free her

Chapters 18 and 19: Getting Help / Things Go Wrong

1. How well did you read? Some information is wrong. Correct it.

Kevin needs help to get Cathy out of her apartment. She

has been locked in by her stepmother because she knows

too much about the drug racket. He asks his aunt Bella to

drive him to Cathy’s place. Tomorrow will be the big day!

Cathy’s brother might be caught by the police! Kevin told

Debbie’s friend the whole story before.

The next day the boy and his aunt set off for Battery

Park and wait for the police. Mrs. O’Brien doesn’t appear

but they see Baldie leaving the house, carrying two large

leather bags.

Kevin tricks the security guard: he wants him to get out

of the building. In the meantime, Debbie goes upstairs to

Cathy’s apartment.

Washington Squareappeared a

Kevin

because she knows the Lieutenant at the Precinct and she’ll arrange things.

because Johnnie’s downstairs and she’s frightenend.

Debbie

stepmother

106 Activities

2. Read chapter 19 again and write…

1. who the man in the dark raincoat might be

2. why Kevin is impatient

3. why they tricked the security guard

4. why Kevin is not afraid of Baldie

Chapters 20 and 21: Finding Cathy / Cathy Comes to Stay

1. Find out:

1. what happened after Cathy left Niagara Falls

2. what Johnnie is looking for

3. what happened to Mrs O’Brien

2. Listen and pick out the nouns, the verbs and the adjectives. Underline the words which helped you understand this passage. Look at your notes and recap orally.

Washington Squareappeared

the bald man

because the police doesn’t arrive so he thinks something is wrong

to get into the apartment

because he learned a bit of karate

her stepmother left her with a man and they took the train to New York

the special key

Johnnie killed her



1. How did Kevin manage to be stronger than Baldie?

2. Why were the police late?

3. Why was Aunt Bella right to be afraid of Johnnie?

4. Where is Cathy going to stay now?

4. When it was all over, Kevin went on writing his diary. Imagine what he wrote.

5. Read the last two chapters again and turn them into a comic strip. You can use large sheets of paper to pin them up in your classroom or in your bedroom. Here are some tips to help you.

1. Cathy and Kevin meet again.

2. Baldie, the nasty guy.

3. The fight.

4. All’s well that ends well!

He learnt karate so well.

Because there was an accident.

Because he’s a murderer.

In Aunt Bella’s home.

108 Activities

Documents

Escape in New York