2 - Reading

Reading in english is an excellent way to expand your vocabulary. If you are the type of person who likes to read the newspaper with your coffee in the morning, then read a newspaper in English.

If you love to read, pick up your favorite book and challenge yourself to read it in English. If you are still new to English, you can start by reading something easier, like an online book or even a children’s book. Everyone has to start somewhere.

Exercise 3 – English File – Pre-intermediate Student’s Book - Unit

The Student’s Book is the best option when we talk about reading. It has a lot of funny and interesting texts, that aren’t difficult to read and always teach us something. Here I bring the most interesting text in the book, in my opinion.

It shows an experiment made by a journalist that visits different cities around the world to discover what city is the most unfriendly of them.

  

We discussed the text in class, everybody had their own opinions about which is the unfriendly city. In my consensus, the unfriendly city to visit is Paris, because people there aren’t the friendliest and polite.

In general, it was a good text to talk about the variety of cultures around the world and all the differences between then. Every place in the world has their own culture and own type of familiarity.

Exercise 4 – Reading a Book in English

This was one of my favorite exercises during the year. The teacher sent us a lot of books and we needed to pick one of them to read.

I read the book from Sherlock Holmes, because I love Sherlock. I already watched the hole TV series and it is amazing! I also have a book with some short histories about Sherlock Holmes and Mr. Watson. The book I choose was The red-headed league.

Summary – The Red-Headed League

Jabez Wilson, a London pawnbroker, comes to consult Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson. While studying this perspective client, both Holmes and Watson notice his red hair, which has a distinct flame-like hue. Wilson tells them that some weeks before, his young assistant, Vincent Spaulding, urged him to respond to a newspaper want-ad offering highly-paid work to only red-headed male applicants. The next morning, Wilson had waited in a long line of fellow red-headed men, was interviewed and was the only applicant hired, because none of the other applicants qualified; their red hair was either too dark or too bright, and did not match Wilson's unique flame color.

Wilson tells Holmes that his business has been struggling. Since his pawn shop did most of its business in the evenings, he was able to vacate his shop for short periods in the afternoon, receiving £4 a week for several weeks; the work was obviously useless clerical work in a bare office, only performed for nominal compliance with a will, he was made to copy the Encyclopedia Britannica. Wilson learned much about the subjects starting with the "A" version and looked forward to getting into the "B" section. One morning, a sign on the locked office door inexplicably announced that "THE RED-HEADED LEAGUE IS DISSOLVED—Oct. 9, 1890."

Wilson went to the landlord, who said that he had never heard of Duncan Ross, the person who managed the league office. The landlord did remember the tenant with scarlet hair and gives him a card which directs Wilson to an artificial knee company. Wilson concludes by expressing his frustration at losing the £4 a week.

Watson and Holmes laugh at Wilson because of the ridiculous situation, but Holmes assures him that by Monday they will solve the case. Wilson leaves after having given the detective a description of Spaulding; Holmes decides to go and see Spaulding, whom Holmes notices has dirty trouser knees. Holmes then taps on the pavement in front of Wilson's shop. With the case solved, he calls Police Inspector Jones and Mr. Merryweather, a director of the bank located next door.

The four hide themselves in the bank vault, waiting in the dark for over an hour until two men emerge from a tunnel cut into the vault's floor and are captured. They are John Clay, who has a long history of criminal activity already, and his helper Archie. Under the aliases of Spaulding and Ross, they had contrived the 'Red-Headed League' rigmarole to keep Wilson out of his shop while they dug a tunnel in the basement to reach the vault. Although paying Wilson £4 a week was expensive, it was a pittance compared to the shipment of gold coins they were planning to steal.

Back at Baker Street, Holmes explains to Watson how he solved the case, applauding Clay's creativity and regretting that such a mind has been wasted on crime.