A Mysterious Accident
When Xuma got to the mines there was confusion everywhere. Myriad of lights glowed everywhere and a confusion of voices greeted him. Whistles blew and a little group of men moved about. He pushed his way through the men and saw that some of them belonged to Johannes' gang. "There must have been an accident". He grabbed a man near him and shook him.
"What is it ? "
"There is an accident" the man said.
"Where is Johannes ?"
"I don't know"
"He's down there " another man said.
Xuma pushed his way through till he stood beside Paddy; grabbed his arm. "Johannes and Chris are down there. I am going down."
"I will go with you " Xuma said.
"It is dangerous" another white man said.
""Wait for the engineers to go" the manager said.
"There are two men there" Paddy said and moved towards the little cage. Xuma followed him. They got in and the cage shot down. An ambulance arrived. Then people heard the cage coming up. There was dead stillness as Xuma stepped out carrying the body of Johannes, an d was followed by Paddy with the body of Chris. The doctors looked at Chris and Johannes. They were dead.
"They kept the place up with their bodies so that we could get out!" a mine boy cried. The engineers went down and were soon back.
"Well ?" the manager asked.
"It was a minor collapse, " one of the engineers said.
"It's all right now! The beams were soaked through and rotten at one place. They gave nothing serious. If those fellows had kept their heads and stayed where they were instead of panicking and trying to keep the place open with their bodies everything would have been alright."
NOTE: stillness: silence; a collapse: un effondrement; the beams: les poutres
I. Comprehension: Select the letter that is in front of the right answer. ( 4 pts )
1. Before he talked to anybody…
a. Xuma was sure an accident had happen,
b. Xuma supposed an accident had happened,
c. Xuma was completely ignorant about any trouble,
d. Xuma though there was a strike.
2. Who was Johannes ?
a. a leader of a political party,
b. a mine worker,
c. a policeman,
d. a thief.
3. The manager thought that the two miners died because…
a. the ambulance didn't come on time,
b. their friends were cowards,
c. the engineers were absent,
d. they tried to save the other workers.
4. When Xuma and Paddy came up…
a. it was clear that Johannes and Paddy were dead,
b. everybody could see that they hardly breathing,
c. nobody could give a diagnosis,
d. Johannes and Chris were still alive.
5. The mine boy said that …
a. Johannes and Chris caused the accident,
b. The two miners could have escaped,
c. He was volunteer to look for the miners,
d. Johannes and Chris sacrificed themselves to allow others to escape.
6. He grabbed a man means that …
a. he called a man,
b. he hit a man on his face,
c. he firmly held a man,
d. he pushed a man away.
7. According to the engineer, the accident…
a. was a little one,
b. was a very serious one,
c. was a joke,
d. a good thing.
8. Everything would have been alright…
a. if the workers had tried to keep the place open,
b. if the workers had stopped working,
c. if the workers remained where they were,
d. if the workers were not black.
II. Guided essay
1. Why didn't Xuma and Paddy obey the manager ? 2pts
2. Where did Johannes and Chris die ? 2pts
3. You have seen an accident when going to school; tell us what happened (8-10 lines) 6pts
III. Grammar (2 pts* 2)
A. Give the correct tense of the verbs between brackets
1. If I were rich, I (build) a mosque in my village.
2. When the exam (be) over I'll travel round the country.
3. If Xuma had known, he (not go) to town.
4. They (sleep) when we arrived.
B. Complete with who, which or whom.
1. The man ….is coming is a schoolmaster.
2. Where's the book….I gave you yesterday.
3. The dog is an animal….I dislike much.
4. The boy….you met at the stadium is my brother.
III. Translate into English. 2 pts
1. Johannes aurait dû rester avec son équipe.
2. Les travailleurs n'ont pas encore fini de manger.
3. Un mineur doit être un homme courageux.
4. Cette fille que tu vois est une amie de Chris.