The First Flying Man
‘I want to fly later this year.’
‘So it’s a race,’ laughs Lagari.
‘Yes,’ smiles Hezarfen.
The time is the 1630s. Sultan Murat IV rules the Ottoman Empire. Two Istanbul brothers – Hezarfen Ahmet Celebi and Lagari Hasan – dream of flying. Which of them can be the first flying man?
And what does the Sultan give to the winner of the race? Read this story and find the answers.
(Word count 1,528)
Sing to Win
‘Sing to Win’ is the biggest programme on TV — everyone watches it and every singer wants to win it.
Sofia loves singing, so she goes to an audition for Sing to Win — and makes friends with Emma. Emma is a very good singer, too, and soon there are stories about the two friends on TV and online.
(Word count 1,461)
Girl on a Motorcycle
American English
‘Give me the money,’ says the robber to the Los Angeles security guard. The guard looks at the gun and hands over the money. The robber has long blond hair and rides a motorcycle – and a girl with long blond hair arrives at Kenny’s motel – on a motorcycle. Is she the robber?
(Word count 1,300)
The Mystery of Manor Hall
Manor Hall is a dark, dark house with a mystery. Nobody can go into the music room. But one night Tom and Milly hear something. The noise is coming from the music room. Tom and Milly open the door. Someone in the music room is singing. Tom and Milly are afraid, but they can’t move.
Can Tom and Milly discover the mystery of Manor Hall?
(Word count 1,390)
Police TV
‘Every day someone steals money from people near the shops. We must stop this,’ says Dan, a police officer.
The police use TV cameras but it is not easy because there are so many suspects – who is the robber?
(Word count 1,500)
Pretty Face
American English
Zoe Baker works in a bookstore. She also likes acting, and she has a part in the play Romeo and Juliet. Mike Morrison writes about the play for the newspaper. What does he write about Zoe? Is Zoe a good actress… or is she just ‘a pretty face’?
What does Zoe think when she reads the newspaper? What does she do?
(Word count 2,541)