1: A Missing Passport
Jane could not find her passport. She had gone through all her private papers, but it was not among them. Where could it be? Usually she was very careful about putting things away. However, her passport was definitely not in its proper place. She tried to remember when she had last seen it, but she had not needed it for some time. The last time she had been overseas had been three years ago and she had not looked for it since. Now she simply had to find it. She and two other students in her course had been fortunate enough to win a scholarship to study English in London and the university had asked them for their passports so that travel arrangements could be made. Although the others had handed in their documents right away, Jane had put off doing so. Yesterday, she had been told that her documents must be at the university office by the end of the week or her study trip would be called off. She kept hoping that the passport would turn up, but so far it remained missing. Finally, she decided to talk the matter over with her mother in case she had any idea where it could be. At first the line was engaged, but, when she eventually heard her mother's voice, Jane was greatly relieved. Don't you remember? You left your passport behind with me after your
last holiday in case you lost it.
Conversation questions
Where do rich people put away their valuable belongings?
Have you had to put off a meeting/get together/an appointment? Why?
Why would someone call off a meeting?
At what age is it OK for parents to leave a child behind when going on holiday?
What kind of things are better to talk over with your parents before making a decision?
Why/Where would the police ask someone for their ID?
How do you feel when people just turn up at your house unannounced?
What is your average human being looking for in life?
Have you ever gone through your things looking for something and were unable to find it and it just turned up later?
Did you always hand in your projects on time when you were at school?
1: A Missing Passport
Jane could not find her passport. She had g... t…… all her private papers, but it was not among them. Where could it be? Usually she was very careful about p...... things a... . However, her passport was definitely not in its proper place. She tried to remember when she had last seen it, but she had not needed it for some time. The last time she had been overseas had been three years ago and she had not l….. f.. it since. Now she simply had to find it. She and two other students in her course had been fortunate enough to win a scholarship to study English in London, and the university had a…. them f.. their passports so that travel arrangements could be made. Although the others had h….. i. their documents right away, Jane had p.. o.. doing so. Yesterday she had been told that her documents must be at the university office by the end of the week or her study trip would be c….. o.. . She kept hoping that the passport would t... u. , but so far it remained missing. Finally, she decided to t… the matter o… with her mother in case she had any idea where it could be. At first the line was engaged, but, when she eventually heard her mother's voice, Jane was greatly relieved. Don't you remember? You l… your passport b..... with me after your last holiday in case you lost it.
Discussion:
What do you have to do to get a scholarship? What do you think that the experience of studying abroad would be like? What are the pros and cons of studying abroad? What are strengths and weaknesses of our current education system? How has traveling changed over the years? How can we combine traveling and studying together by ourselves without going through an organization/agency?
