Polly Sweetnam: Photo Finish

Lisa works at Black and Sons. Black and Sons is a large company. Lisa works in the Accounts Department. The work is very important. But it is not very exciting.

— Your holiday is next week, Lisa. Are you excited?

— Oh, yes! I'm going to go with Alice. We're going to go to Greece. It will be fun. Perhaps something exciting will happen.

Alice is Lisa's friend. Alice works for Black and Sons too. She works in the Marketing Department. Alice is an artist. She designs advertisements for Black and Sons.

— I want to work with Alice. I want to work in the Marketing Department. The Marketing Department is always busy. Everybody is very friendly. They have exciting jobs.

Alice phones Lisa. They are going to get their passports today. They must go to the Post Office.

— Hi, Lisa.

— Hello, Alice.

— Let's meet at lunch time. Then we can get our passports for our holiday.

— OK. I'll meet you outside the office at 12.30.

Alice phones Lisa. They are going to get their passports today. They must go to the Post Office.

— Please fill in these forms. Where are your passport photos?

— Here are my photos.

— Oh, no! My photos aren't in my bag! My photos are at home!

— Lisa, you must go to the photo booth in the old bus station You can get your photos there.

— Oh, no! I hate the old bus station. I don't want to go there.

— But you must get the photos today. Listen, I can fill in the forms. Go to the bus station, Lisa Go and get your photos. I'll wait for you here.

Nobody goes to the bus station now. There is a new bus station in the centre of town. The old bus station is empty and dark. Lisa walks quickly. Her shoes make a loud noise on the ground. Then she sees the photo booth. There is nobody in the photo booth. Lisa is happy. She can get her photos quickly.

Lisa goes into the photo booth. She puts her money into the machine. She closes the little curtain. She sits down. She waits. FLASH! The camera is very quick. FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Now Lisa can get her passport today. Lisa goes outside the photo booth. Her photos will come out of a slot in the machine.

Lisa hears a noise. Some photos are coming out of the slot. Are they her photos? No, it is too soon. Lisa's photos can't be ready. But who is in the photos? There is nobody in the bus station. Nobody else is waiting for photos. Lisa is alone.

Lisa takes the photos out of the slot. There is a man in the pictures. But something is wrong. She is frightened.

The four photos show a murder!

There is a man in the first photo. He is very large. He is wearing a black coat and a red scarf. The man is sitting in the photo booth. He is smiling. It is not a nice smile. It is a cruel smile.

The man is in the second photo. The man is looking to the right. He is afraid.

Something is happening in the third photo. Somebody is holding the man's scarf. Somebody is holding the man's scarf very tightly. The large man is pulling at his scarf.

There is no man in the fourth photo. There are two hands. The hands are holding the red scarf. There is a ring on one of the hands. It is a strange ring. There is a snake on the ring. There is a tattoo on the other hand. It is a tattoo of a bird.

The hands are the murderer's hands. Now Lisa is very frightened.

— The man with the red scarf is dead. But where is his body? Where is the murderer? Is the murderer in the bus station? The photos show the murder. The murderer knows about the photos. The murderer will come back to the photo booth. He will want the photos I'm in danger.

Lisa and Alice are at the police station. They are telling their story to the police. They are showing the photos to a detective. She is very interested. The detective has a plan.

— I know the man in the photos. He is a criminal. Now he is dead. But we can catch his murderer.

The murderer will go back to the photo booth. He will want his photos. But he will find your photos, Lisa. He will look for you. You can help us, Lisa.

Lisa is in the bus station. She is walking towards the photo booth. She is going to get her photos. The police are in the bus station. They are hiding. They are watching Lisa. They are waiting for the murderer. Lisa walks slowly. She is very frightened.

A man is standing by the photo boo He is young and handsome. Is this the murderer?

The man sees Lisa. He smiles at her. He has a nice smile. He is holding some photos. Lisa sees his hands. She sees the snake ring. She sees the bird tattoo!

The police catch the murderer The detective is pleased. Lisa is safe.

— Thank you for your help, Lisa.

— Well done, Lisa! It's exciting to catch criminals.

— Exciting? No! It's very frightening.

— But everything is OK now We're going on holiday. It will be fun.

— Yes. Perhaps something exciting will happen!

Put the events in the order they happen in the story. The first is 1.

1 Alice tells Lisa to go to the old bus station and get some new photos.| |

2 Lisa goes back to the bus station to get her photos, but the police are watching.| |

3 Lisa goes to the police station and tells her story.| |

4 Lisa sits in the photo booth to get her photos.| |

* Lisa tells people in the accounts department she is going to Greece on holiday.| |

5 Some photos come out of the machine, but they aren't Lisa's.| |

6 The girls go to the Post Office to get their passports and Lisa finds she has left her photos at home.| |

7 There are four photos of a man. The photos show a murder.| |

8 There is a man at the photo booth. He is the murderer and the police catch him.| |

__/ 8

Circle the correct word to complete the sentences.

9 Lisa is really excited/exciting about her holiday.

10 She thinks that something excited/exciting will happen.

11 She has to fill in a photo/form for her passport.

12 The old bus station is empty/alone and dark.

13 Lisa waits for her photos to come out of the curtain/slot.

14 The man has a photo /tattoo of a bird on his hand.

15 Lisa is frightened that the murder/murderer will come back to the photo booth.

16 The police catch/hide in the bus station and watch Lisa.

17 The police catch/hide the murderer and Lisa is safe.

__/ 9

Complete the sentences with the correct pronoun.

everybody everything nobody somebody something

18 Perhaps________exciting will happen.

19 ________is very friendly in the Marketing Department.

20 There is________in the photo booth. It is empty.

21 ________is holding the man's scarf very tightly.

22 Don't worry!________is OK now.

__/ 5

Put the words in the correct order to make sentences.

Example: at / Black / Lisa / and Sons / works / — Lisa works at Black and Sons.

23 to Greece / go / We're / going to /.

24 an / Alice / artist / is /.

25 are / get / going to / passports / today / their / They /.