I. C.” F.

Cazzulani “– Lodi
Esame di licenza Media.
A. S.”2005/2006.
Prova scritta di lingua inglese.Livello A2.

The Lady of the Lake

My friend bought a house last year .It is a nice big house with seven rooms, big enough
for a family of five people: Peter, his wife Janet and their three children Alan, Sheila and
Jason.
The funny thing is that the three children leave two pairs of shoes outside the house every
day of the year. Do you know why?
One morning Sheila was ready to go to school. She was looking for her shoes.”Mum,
where are my shoes?” she shouted.
“Where did you put them yesterday?” asked Janet.
“Here, near the door!” answered Sheila.
But the shoes were not there. So Sheila had to put on her old sneakers.
A few days later the same thing happened to Jason.
“Mum I can’t find my shoes” he said before going out.
“Look outside your bedroom door. That’s where I put them yesterday evening while you
were sleeping”. But the shoes were not there.
Later that morning Janet decided to go to the local shop while her three children were at
school. It was a very cold morning but she had plenty of time, so she took the longer
route across the park. While Janet was enjoying her walk, she noticed a young woman
sitting on a bench. She had never seen her before, but Janet had the feeling that the
woman was expecting her.
The lady was wearing a long light blue skirt and was smiling at her.
She stood up, went up to her and gave her a box.” Thank you Janet, my children are
grateful…I hope we haven’t caused you too much trouble!”
Janet was surprised. She took the box, looked at it and said” Are you sure this box is for
me?” but the lady had disappeared. Janet opened the box. There were two pairs of shoes
in it. They were her children’s shoes. There was a coloured piece of paper which said
“Thank you. Your shoes are very comfortable”.
Janet looked around. She couldn’t see anybody. Was she dreaming?
Well….the box in her hand wasn’t a dream…
In the afternoon her children came back from school.
Janet went to the door to welcome them and Sheila rushed in and said” Mum, don’t worry
about our shoes. The lady of the lake will bring them back. My school friends told me that.
The Lady of the Lake is the woman that lived in our house. She had an accident and she
died along with her children. Every year the Lady of the Lake comes back and borrows
two pairs of shoes, then takes them to the Lake where her children drowned, and they
have a nice walk all together. Afterwards she brings the shoes back to their owners.”
“That’s a sad story”, said Sheila. And that’s why Janet’s children always leave two pairs of
shoes outside the front door.
 State if the sentences are true (T) or false (F).Correct the false ones.

1. Peter bought a big house a year ago 1_____

2. A lady and two children lived there before them. 2.____
3. One morning Sheila didn’t go to school because she couldn’t
find her shoes. 3._____
4. Janet decided to buy a new pair of shoes for her daughter 4._____
5. Janet met a young lady near the lake 5._____
6. The lady of the lake had two children and they all died in
an accident. 6._____
7. Sheila’s school friends had an accident 7._____
8. The children’s shoes were in a box. 8._____
9. The box was only a dream. 9._____
10. Every year the lady of the Lake borrows
two pairs of shoes for her children 10. _____

Answer the following questions

1. Where do Janet and her family live?

2. Why did they buy that house?
3. What happened to the lady that used to live in that house?
4. What strange thing happened to Sheila and Jason?
5. Who did Janet meet in the park?
6. Did she know the lady?
7. What did the lady give Janet? What was in it?
8. Why was Janet puzzled?
9. Why, in your opinion, do Jason and Sheila leave their shoes outside the house?
10. Do you think it is a true story or a dream?