15 Read the beginnings and endings and match
them. How does the writer set the scene? How
does he finish each story? Underline the direct
speech in them.
Beginnings
1 Janet Black looked out of the window of the old building.
It was dark and wet. Rain was coming down heavily. The
streets were empty. No cars, no people... nothing.
Suddenly a flash of lightning tore across the sky. She
shivered with fear. A huge spaceship was approaching
the building. "They've found me," she gasped. "I can't get
away now."
2 "I don't want to die!" David shouted. The wind was blowing
against his sweaty face as he held onto the rocky cliff. He was
tired. He didn't know how much longer he could keep himself
from falling. He looked up at the clear morning sky. Suddenly,
he heard the sound of a helicopter approaching him.
Pudings
2
David could hear the siren of an ambulance as the helicopter
landed. People were waiting anxiously for them. A man
opened the ambulance door. "Don't worry! Everything will
be OK," the man told him. David looked up at his kind face
and smiled weakly. He was exhausted, but he was alive.
b Professor Miller put his arms gently around her shoulders.
She was still shaking with fear, but she felt safe. The flashing
lights were gone, along with the strange faces, and the
professor was holding her. She took his hand in hers. Then
she noticed it: the same strange scar like the one the aliens
had. "Oh no! This can't be true!" she cried.