OPENING TASK
Miami Murder Mystery
Last night Lewis Meyer died at his home in
Miami. Phil Fork, a police detective, was the first person to arrive at the
house after Mr. Meyer died. This is what he found:
Mr. Meyer’s wife, Margo, told Fork: “It was an accident. My husband took a shower at about 10 p.m. After his shower, he slipped on a piece of soap and fell down”.
Do
you believe her?
What probably happened?
Look at the picture and work with a partner. Decide whether the following statements are probably true (T) or probably false (F). Be ready to share your answers with your classmates and to explain your choices.
1. Mr. Meyer died after Phil Fork arrived.
2. Mr. Meyer died when Phil Fork arrived.
3. Mr. Meyer died before Phil Fork
arrived.
4. Mr. Meyer brushed his teeth before he
died.
5. Mr. Meyer was brushing his teeth when
he died.
6. Mr. Meyer was taking a shower when he
died.
7. Mr. Meyer took a shower before he died.
8. Mr. Meyer died when he slipped on a
piece of soap.
9. Somebody hit Mr. Meyer over the head
while he was brushing his teeth.
10. The murder weapon is still in the
bathroom.
You are the detective. In your opinion, how did Mr. Meyer die?
With your partner, use the picture and your answers above to try to solve the mystery. Make as many guesses as you like. For example: We think somebody killed Mr. Meyer while he was brushing his teeth. This is how it happened... Be ready to share your ideas with the rest of the class. Write your ideas here:
EXERCISE
1
Get together with a partner and complete
this newspaper report of Mr. Meyer’s murder. Use information from the Opening
Task and your own ideas about what happened to help you.
EXERCISE
2
Make meaningful statements about Mr. Meyer’s
murder by matching information from A with information from B. The first one
has been done for you.
EXERCISE 3
Check the sentence closest in meaning to
each statement.
1. While Mr. Meyer was brushing his teeth,
someone entered the room.
(a) Mr. Meyer finished brushing his teeth
before someone entered.
(b) Mr. Meyer was alone when he started
brushing his teeth.
2. When he got Mrs. Meyer’s call, Phil
Fork left his office and drove to her house.
(a) Mrs. Meyer called before Phil Fork
left his office.
(b) Mrs. Meyer called after Phil Fork left
his office.
3. As soon as he got into his car, he took
out a cigarette and lit it.
(a) He was smoking when he got into the
car.
(b) He started to smoke after he got into
his car.
4. While Fork was driving to the Meyers’
house, he was listening to his favorite opera on the radio.
(a) He drove his car and listened to the
radio at the same time.
(b) He turned on the radio when he reached
the Meyers’ house.
5. When he got there, a number of police
officers were searching the house for clues.
(a) They started when he got there.
(b) They started before he got there.
6. As soon as Fork started to question
Mrs. Meyer, she burst into tears.
(a) She was crying when he started to
question her.
(b) She started to cry when he began to
question her.
7. Phil Fork carefully reviewed all his
notes when he went home.
(a) He went home first.
(b) He reviewed his notes first.
a) Em certo inverno, o Sol não apareceu, dando lugar à
escuridão; no entanto, quando ele voltou a surgir, trouxe novamente “vida” aos
habitantes da Savana.
b) Foi usado o substantivo família.
c) As palavras pobre e uma.
d) A palavra uma.
e) A palavra uma pertence à classe dos artigos, que acompanham o
substantivo.
f) No início do conto, a família ainda não havia sido citada, ou
seja, ela não era do conhecimento do leitor; por isso foi empregado o artigo
indefinido uma como forma de apresentação.
g) Nesse caso, a família mencionada já havia sido apresentada,
isto é, já era conhecida na história. Por isso, o artigo definido é usado para
se referir especificamente àquela família.
h) O artigo os acompanha o substantivo meninos; o artigo o acompanha
o substantivo mar; o segundo artigo o acompanha o substantivo rio; o segundo
artigo os acompanha o substantivo rios; por fim, o terceiro artigo os acompanha
o substantivo ventres.
i) O som do búzio remete ao som das águas e permite que os
meninos sonhem e imaginem, pois entram em contato com a natureza e toda a sua
grandeza.
j) Os substantivos rei e rainha.
k) Empregou-se o artigo definido o para concordar com o
substantivo rei, e o artigo definido a para concordar com o substantivo rainha.
l) O artigo indefinido é um, e o substantivo acompanhado por ele
é reino.
m) Como o próprio texto evidencia, tratava-se de um reino que
era desconhecido.
n) O artigo definido os está no masculino plural para concordar
com o substantivo acompanhado por ele: encantos.
o) O sentido da frase não seria alterado porque a ausência do
artigo uma mantém a ideia de indefinição.
q) Sim, pois o artigo a determina o substantivo tartaruga. Tal
definição se perderia sem a presença desse artigo.
