Retelling tasks

By the moment you’ve done a lot. Prove us that you know some facts and details of the story quite well.

Task 1. Say if the given statements are true or false. Comment on them.

1. Wilson bought Jack when he was already a six-year-old dog.

2. It was the highlight of Jack’s day to play with its master.

3. Leaving Jack in Philadelphia Wilson meant to protect him.

4. Jack got offended and stopped meeting his master at the station.

5. Jack stopped waiting for Wilson and forgot him in the end.

6. Wilson’s relative took a good care of Jack.

7. Wilson missed his dog very much too.

8. When Wilson saw his dog it had a chill.

9. They left for California together.

Task 2. Now try to give a detailed answer to the following questions.

1. Who was Wilson’s closest friend?

2. What ritual did they have?

3. What did Wilson say to Jack upon leaving for California?

4. Why did Jack refuse to stay with a relative?

5. How was Jack’s life later on?

6. Who contacted Wilson?

7. Why did Wilson wait for several hours for a trolley?

8. Was what he saw the thing he expected?

9. Why does the author compare Jack with a child?

Task 3. In your point of view how many logical parts are there in the story? What are they?

Task 4. Right now try to retell the story to your partner or to your teacher. We believe that some phrases will be of great help to you. You can find them at the end of the grammar reference at p.117

OK. So now off you go to the next story!

Story 7. Two Good Deeds

(after Rosemarie Miele)

Before reading the story make sure you know how to pronounce these proper names:

Rosemarie Miele

Reynolds

Have you got any ideas about what two deeds the story is about? Now read such an enchanting story. We hope you’ll like it. After reading let’s see if your expectations were correct.

I was planting flowers in my garden one day, when I spotted a battered old boxer with a broken chain around his neck, staggering up the road. He had a look of a dog who had been abused. Without any hesitation, he proceeded to walk down my driveway and lie down next to me. Exhausted, he just lay there, his eyes following me as ran inside to get him a dish of water. Returning with the water, I looked into his dark, soulful eyes. A ripple of shock ran through my body: I knew this dog!

About eight years earlier I’d been in the centre of town one morning, when a beautiful, fawn-coloured boxer puppy ran up to me. Bending down to pet him, I noticed his beautiful eyes – and the ID tag around his collar. The tag said he belonged to Mrs. Reynolds and gave a local telephone number. She lived not too far away and came to pick him up in a matter of minutes. After a few wet kisses, the boxer went home. That was the last time I had seen the dog.

My husband came out of the house. I told him I was sure this dog was the one I’d found in town years ago. He thought I was crazy. “How can you be certain? He doesn’t have a collar on and there’s no way to identify him. It has to be another dog. This one is so abused: it couldn’t belong to that nice family. Besides, do you even remember the name of the family?”

Somehow, I did. “It was Reynolds,” I said. “I know it sounds crazy, but I’m sure this is their dog!”

Running inside, I grabbed the telephone book and called the first Reynolds listed. Mr. Reynolds answered and told me he didn’t have a boxer. However, just as he was about to hang up, he said his brother once had a boxer, and gave me his brother’s number.

When I called the first Mr. Reynolds’s brother, he said it couldn’t be his dog because his dog had been stolen six years before. I convinced him to let me bring the dog over so he could look at him. I put the dog into my car. He collapsed in the backseat and lay very still. Crossing over the main highway going into the town, he started to move around. As we passed through the centre of town, he started jumping and bouncing around in the backseat.

When I pulled into the Reynolds’ driveway, there was no containing him. Three teenagers ran out of the house, and when I opened the car door, the dog bounded out and raced to them, whining and yelping in his excitement.

As the dog licked them, they looked him over. Suddenly, one of the boys yelled, “It’s him, it’s him! Look, here’s the big scar he got over his eyebrow when he went through the sliding glass door.”

I stayed a few minutes longer, watching the entire family hug and kiss the old dog, now rejuvenated by joy. They proceeded to run into the house with him.

Backing out of the driveway, I thought again of that morning many years ago when I had first helped the lost boxer find his family. I went home happy, knowing I had been part of a miracle – for the second time in one’s dog life.

Have you enjoyed the story? You have, haven’t you? Now do some tasks to see if you know it well.