A2 Reading

A2Travel10 min

A story: a surprise in a suitcase

Read a short story about a mistake on a train journey and the unexpected friendship that followed.

Before you read

Lena travelled home by train after a holiday. When she opened her suitcase at home, she had a big surprise. Read the story and find out what happened.

suitcasenoun
a large bag with a handle that you use for your clothes when you travelMy suitcase is too heavy to carry.
labelnoun
a small piece of paper or plastic with information on itWrite your name on the label.
handlenoun
the part of a bag or door that you hold with your handThe handle of my bag is broken.
pyjamasnoun
loose, comfortable clothes that you wear in bedI put on my pyjamas and went to sleep.
ribbonnoun
a long, narrow piece of coloured materialShe tied a red ribbon round the present.

The wrong suitcase

Lena was tired after a long week by the sea. At the station, she took her red suitcase from the shelf, got off the train and took a taxi home.

At home, she opened the suitcase to get her pyjamas. But there were no pyjamas inside. Instead, she found three thick books about birds, a pair of large walking boots, a camera and a notebook full of drawings of birds. It was not her suitcase!

Lena looked at the suitcase carefully. It was red and the same size as hers, with the same black wheels. The two cases were almost identical. Then she noticed a small label under the handle with a name, Tomás Ruiz, and a phone number.

She called the number at once. A man answered. He sounded worried. "Yes, I'm Tomás," he said. "I think I have your suitcase. I'm a bird photographer, and my notebook is in that suitcase. It has two years of work in it!"

The next morning, they met at a café near the station and swapped suitcases. Tomás was so grateful that he bought Lena breakfast. He showed her some of his photos of rare birds, and she told him about her holiday.

Now Lena always puts a big yellow ribbon on her suitcase. And every spring, Tomás sends her a postcard with a new bird on it.

Exercise 1 of 2

Understand the story

Read the story. Choose the correct answer.

  1. Where was Lena coming back from?

  2. How did Lena get home from the station?

  3. What did Lena want to take out of the suitcase?

  4. Which thing was NOT in the suitcase?

  5. How did Lena find the owner of the suitcase?

  6. Why was Tomás worried?

  7. Lena bought Tomás breakfast.
  8. What does Lena do now when she travels?

0 of 8 answered

Exercise 2 of 2

Words in the story

Choose the best meaning for the word in bold.

  1. The two cases were almost identical.

  2. She called the number at once.

  3. He sounded worried.

  4. They met at a café and swapped suitcases.

  5. Tomás felt very grateful to Lena.

  6. photos of rare birds

0 of 6 answered

Source

Original lesson by Joy English.

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