The Vampires Tear PDF
The Vampires Tear PDF
C lem en
Picture credits
© Jose Fuste Raga / Corbis: 28; © LESCOURRET JP / Hoa-qui /
Eyedea/Contrasto: 31; Zap Art / Laura Ronchi: 32; LAIF: 33;
De Agostini Picture Library: 46, 89; PRANA-FILM GMBH,
BERLIN / Album: 91; © Columbia Tristar / Webphoto: 92.
W e w o u l d b e h a p p y to r e c e iv e y o u r c o m m e n ts a n d
suggestions, and give you any other information concerning
our material.
[email protected]
w w w .blackcat-cideb .com
T h e P u b lis h e r is c e r tifie d by
H c/s q c c r t
in c o m p lia n c e w ith th e U N I E N IS O 9 0 0 1 :2 0 0 0
s ta ndards f o r th e a c tiv itie s o f ‘ D esign, p ro d u c tio n ,
d is tr ib u tio n a nd sale o f p u b lis h in g p ro d u c ts .’
( c e r tific a te n o . 0 4 .9 5 3 )
chapter fo u r It ’s Gone! 51
luisvjll
ankfort
Richmond,
'<Stiqrleston
No r t h
A tlanta
luinbia
JtH CAROLINA Atlantic
barleston
O c e a n
B e fo re you read
mo
p £ -p
L is te n in g
L isten to th e f i r s t p a r t of C h a p te r One and ch o o s e th e c o r r e c t
answ er — A, В or C.
A Summer Job
S u m m er v a c a tio n had ju s t s t a r t e d fo r Bill an d M ichelle M artin , t t g f
w ho lived in P o rto la P oin t, C alifo rn ia. Bill w as a ta ll, h a n d so m e
e i g h t e e n - y e a r - o l d b o y w ith b ro w n h a ir a n d b lu e e y e s , a n d
b ask etb all w a s his s p o rt. This w a s going to be a sp ecial su m m e r
fo r Bill b e ca u se he h ad ju s t g ra d u a te d w ith h o n o rs fro m P o rto la
P o in t H igh S c h o o l a n d p la n n e d t o a t t e n d t h e U n i v e r s it y o f
S o u th e rn C a lifo rn ia in Los A n g e le s— UCLA— in S e p te m b e r . He
had a lw ay s w a n te d t o be a b io lo g ist an d UCLA h ad o n e o f th e
b e st biology p ro g ra m s in th e U n ited S ta te s .
Michelle M a rtin , his s is te r , w a s a c u t e girl o f s e v e n t e e n , w ith
re d h a ir a n d b lue e y e s . She w a s in h e r s e n i o r y e a r a t h ig h sc h o o l
CHAPTER O N E
8
A Summer Job
e o o
...and now the great news! The Colum bia University
S tu d e n t J o b Program has tw o sum m er jo b s at the
International Art and History Museum. There's going to
be a big show that lasts one month - from Ju ly 10 to
August 10 - and the museum needs two attendants.
Most students are away on vacation so I accepted the
job and thought of you, Bill. W h y don't you com e to
New York and work at the museum with m e? You can
stay at my aunt and uncle's; they have a big house with
three guest rooms and they would love to have you
and Michelle here. This is a great opportunity to spend
som e tim e to g e th e r and see the Big A p p le . I need
your answer by tomorrow morning. I hope it's YES! You
can fly to N ew York City anytim e after the Fourth of
Ju ly celebrations.
T he n e x t m o r n i n g Michelle a n d Bill w e r e a w a k e a t d a w n a n d
d e c id e d t o p r e p a r e b r e a k f a s t f o r t h e fam ily .
“Do y o u t h i n k m o m a n d d a d will le t u s g o ? ” a s k e d Michelle,
p u t t i n g t h e b u t t e r a n d j a m o n t h e b r e a k f a s t ta b le .
“Well, t h e y d i d n ’t s a y ‘n o ’ l a s t n i g h t a t d in n e r; t h e y s a id t h e y
w o u ld t h i n k a b o u t it,” sa id Bill, lo o k in g a t his w a t c h .
“Y e a h ,” s a id M ichelle, “a n d m o m t a l k e d t o N ick’s m o t h e r o n
th e phone for over an hour!”
C H A PTER O N E ____ _ ____
A t a b o u t e i g h t o ’c lo c k t h e k i t c h e n d o o r o p e n e d a n d Mr a n d
Mrs M a rtin w a l k e d in.
“G o o d m o r n in g , k id s ,” t h e y said.
“N ow l e t ’s s i t d o w n a n d t a l k , ” sa id Mr M a rtin , s i t t i n g d o w n a t
t h e t a b l e . “Y o u r m o t h e r a n d 1 h a v e t h o u g h t a b o u t N i c k ’s
in v ita ti o n all n i g h t lon g a n d w e ’ve d e c id e d t h a t w e t r u s t y o u . You
c a n go t o N e w Y o r k C ity f o r a m o n t h . W e t h i n k t h i s will b e a
g r e a t o p p o r t u n i t y f o r b o t h o f y o u .”
“Oh, d a d , t h a n k s ! ” c rie d Bill a n d Michelle, h u g g in g him .
“But, w a i t a m o m e n t , ” s a id Mr M a rtin , look in g a t his s o n a n d
d a u g h t e r kindly, “if t h e r e a r e a n y p r o b l e m s w h e n y o u ’r e t h e r e ,
w e w a n t t o k n o w a b o u t t h e m . Is t h a t c l e a r ? ”
“W e p r o m is e ! ” t h e y s a id lau ghing .
“W e ’ll call e v e r y day...well, a l m o s t e v e r y d a y ! ” sa id Michelle.
“You kids a r e lu c k y b e c a u s e y o u r d a d w o r k s f o r a n a irlin e a n d
y o u c a n fly a l m o s t f r e e , ” sa id Mrs M a rtin . “D ad will b o o k s e a t s
for you to d a y .”
Michelle a n d Bill j u m p e d up f r o m t h e i r c h a ir s sa y in g , “W e ’re
g o in g t o e m a il Nick w i t h t h e g r e a t n e w s ! ”
“I’m g o in g t o call P a m 1 a n d w e c a n go s h o p p i n g t o g e t h e r , ”
s a id Michelle. “1 n e e d s o m e n e w c l o t h e s f o r t h e t r i p . ”
“You d o n ’t n e e d n e w c l o t h e s t o g o t o N e w Y o r k ,” s a i d Bill.
“T h e p e o p l e in N e w Y o r k h a v e n e v e r s e e n y o u r o ld c l o t h e s !
B e sid e s, t h e r e a r e s h o p s in t h e Big Apple to o , y o u k n o w . ”
“Silly!” sa id Michelle. “Boys will n e v e r u n d e r s t a n d . ”
Mrs M a rtin lo o k e d a t h e r h u s b a n d a n d said, “W e ’ll m is s t h e m ,
w o n ’t w e ? ”
12
I ю te x t and b e y o n d
i« J r O C o m p re h e n s io n c h e c k
For questions 1-5, choose the co rrect answ er — А, В, С or D.
1 Bill, Martin and Nick Chan are good friends and a re both
A Q biology students.
В [ _] volleyball players.
С Q high-school graduates.
D □ scholarship winners.
5 Mr and Mrs Martin decided to let Bill and Michelle go to New York
A Q because th e y t r u s t them .
В Q | because th e y w a n t Bill to earn som e m oney during the
sum m er.
С □ if th e y prom ise to call every day.
D Q b u t th e y can only sta y for one week.
13
PET ф S e n te n c e tr a n s fo rm a tio n
For each question com plete the second sentence so th a t it m eans the
sam e as th e first, using no m ore than three words.
T: GRADE 6
Q S p e a k in g : tra v e l
Bill and Michelle are about to leave California and travel all the way
across the United S tates to New York City. They are going to fly to
their destination and they are excited.
14
B e fo re you read
ф R e a d in g p ic tu re s
Look a t the picture on page 19.
Q P re d ic tio n
Work with a partner and discuss the following questions.
1 Bill and Michelle have never been to New York City. They come
from a small to w n in California. W h a t do you think their
im pression will be? W hat will surprise th e m m ost?
2 Bill an d Nick have a s u m m e r job a t a m useum . W h a t do you think
th e m u se u m is like?
3 Michelle has a lot of free tim e in The Big Apple. W h a t do you think
she will do? Which sites will she visit?
I 8 E S © L is te n in g
Listen to the first p art of C hapter Two. Decide if each sen ten ce is
co rrect or incorrect. If it is co rrect, put a tick ( / ) in the box under A
for YES. If it is not co rrect, put a tick ( / ) in the box under В for NO.
A В
YES NO
1 Nick’s a u n t an d uncle landed a t JFK International Airport. □ □
2 Bill and Michelle are going to s ta y w ith Marian and
Kevin Chan. □ □
3 Bill, Michelle, Nick and th e Chans are going to have
a Chinese meal. □ □
4 Bill and Michelle forg et to phone th e ir parents. □ □
5 Bill and Nick unpacked th e n ext day. □ □
6 Professor Stefan Morescu w orked a t Columbia University. □ □
CHAPTER T W O
16
The Big Apple
“T h a n k s f o r in v itin g u s to s t a y w i t h y o u , ” s a id Michelle. “I t ’s
very kind o f y o u .”
"Oh, w e ’v e h e a r d s o m u c h a b o u t y o u , ” s a i d M a r i a n . “ I t ’s a
IMeasure t o h a v e y o u h e r e . ”
“And n o w y o u ’re p r o b a b ly h u n g r y , ” s a id Kevin. “H o w a b o u t a
big C h in e se d i n n e r a t o u r h o u s e ? ”
" S o u n d s g r e a t , ” sa id Bill. “B ut f i r s t l e t ’s call m o m a n d d a d a n d
it'll t h e m w e ’v e a r r i v e d . ”
T he t h r e e f r i e n d s h a d so m a n y t h i n g s t o tell e a c h o t h e r t h a t
i hey did n o t g e t t o b e d u ntil la te .
T he n e x t d a y Michelle d e c id e d t o u n p a c k a n d v isit C h in a to w n
ind Little Italy, w h ile Nick a n d Bill w e n t t o t h e S t u d e n t Jo b Office
it C o l u m b i a U n i v e r s i t y . T h e y m e t w i t h P r o f e s s o r S t e f a n
M o re sc u , w h o t a u g h t E a s t E u r o p e a n H i s t o r y a t t h e u n i v e r s i t y
. i nd w a s in c h a r g e o f t h e b ig s h o w a t t h e m u s e u m . P r o f e s s o r
M o re sc u w a s a tall, t h i n m a n o f a b o u t f if ty w ith p a le skin, long
V.rey h a ir a n d s m a ll g la s s e s ; h e r a r e l y sm ile d o r la u g h e d . He w a s
b o r n in E a s t e r n E u ro p e a n d w a s a f a m o u s p r o f e s s o r a n d a u t h o r . Щ5Г
“P le a s e s it d o w n , Nick, Bill,” s a i d P r o f e s s o r M o r e s c u , s i t t i n g
b e h i n d a n o l d w o o d e n d e s k in a d a r k o f f i c e w i t h m a p s o f
L a s t e r n E u r o p e o n t h e w a lls. “Let m e tell y o u a b o u t y o u r jo b a t
t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l A r t a n d H i s t o r y M u s e u m . Y o u ’ll b o t h w o r k a s
m u s e u m a t t e n d a n t s a n d w e a r t h e b lu e m u s e u m u n i f o r m s a n d
n a m e b a d g e s . You h a v e t o c o ll e c t t i c k e t s , w a t c h t h e v i s i t o r s a t
th e show an d m ak e su re t h a t no one to u c h e s an y th in g . Your
j o b is i m p o r t a n t b e c a u s e t h i s s h o w is v e r y s p e c i a l : EAST
E U R O PEA N C U L T U R E A ND JE W E L S OF TH E 1 5 t h AND 1 6 t h
CENTURIES. I t ’s t h e f i r s t o f i t s k i n d o n t h e A t l a n t i c C o a s t . I
p e r s o n a l l y o r g a n i z e d it a n d it t o o k m e y e a r s o f r e s e a r c h . I k n o w
i t ’ll b e a s u c c e s s . P a r t o f t h e s h o w is d e d i c a t e d t o t h e g r e a t
CHAPTER T W O
f i f t e e n t h - c e n t u r y P r in c e o f W a ll a c h ia , 1 V lad T e p e s . T h e m o s t
i m p o r t a n t j e w e l o f t h e s h o w is t h e V a m p i r e ’s T e a r , w h ic h is a
h u g e d i a m o n d o f g r e a t v a lu e s h a p e d like a t e a r . P e o p le f r o m all
o v e r t h e c o u n t r y will c o m e t o s e e it b e c a u s e o f its b e a u t y a n d
t r a g i c h i s t o r y . ” His d a r k e y e s s h o n e w i t h p rid e .
“T h e V a m p i r e ’s T ear! W h a t a s t r a n g e n a m e , ” s a id Bill so ftly .
P r o f e s s o r M o r e s c u s e e m e d b o t h e r e d b y Bill’s c o m m e n t a n d
lo o k e d a t h im w i t h his d e e p , d a r k e y e s. “S t r a n g e ? W h y ? ”
“W e ll, p r o f e s s o r , ” s a i d Bill n e r v o u s l y , “t h e w o r d v a m p i r e
m a k e s m e t h i n k o f...D ra c u la, a n d B r a m S t o k e r ’s b oo k . 1 k n o w i t ’s
o n ly fic tio n , b u t...”
P r o f e s s o r M o re sc u w a s s ile n t f o r a m o m e n t a n d t o u c h e d t h e
old w o o d e n d e s k w ith his long, t h in f in g e r s . “Only fic tio n ? Y ou n g
m a n y o u h a v e a lo t t o l e a r n a b o u t t h e h i s t o r y o f E a s t e r n E u ro p e .
R e m e m b e r , Vlad T e p e s ’s o t h e r n a m e w a s Vlad D ra c u la .”
Bill a n d Nick w e r e e m b a r r a s s e d a n d d i d n ’t s a y a n y t h i n g m o r e .
“W h a t d o y o u k n o w a b o u t V lad D ra c u la a n d a b o u t v a m p i r e s ? ”
a s k e d P r o f e s s o r M o re sc u , s t a r i n g a t t h e t w o b o ys w i th his d a r k
eyes.
“Well, sir, n o t m u c h , ” sa id Nick.
“V a m p ir e s a r e o f t e n called ‘t h e living d e a d ’ b e c a u s e a f t e r t h e y
die t h e y c o n t i n u e liv in g a t n i g h t b y f e e d i n g o n h u m a n b lo o d .
V a m p ir e s c a n live f o r c e n t u r i e s if t h e y c o n t i n u e d r in k in g h u m a n
blo o d a n d s le e p in g in t h e i r n a t i v e e a r t h . ”
Bill a n d Nick s u d d e n l y f e lt cold a n d lo o k e d a t e a c h o t h e r . T h e n
Nick said, “N ow w e u n d e r s t a n d , s ir .”
“Good! T he s h o w o p e n s o n S a t u r d a y e v e n in g , t h e d a y a f t e r
t o m o r r o w , f o r a s p e c i a l g r o u p o f p e o p l e . T h e r e w il l b e a
1. W a lla c h ia : h i s t o r i c a l c o u n t r y t h a t is n o w p a r t o f R o m a n i a .
18
CHAPTER T W O
r e c e p t i o n 2 w it h a lo t o f i m p o r t a n t g u e s t s , j o u r n a l i s t s a n d s o m e
o f N e w Y o r k ’s l e a d i n g j e w e l e r s . P l e a s e b e a t t h e r e c e p t i o n on
tim e , w e a r i n g y o u r u n if o r m s . M u s e u m h o u r s a r e 10 a m t o 6 pm .
T u e s d a y is y o u r f r e e d a y b e c a u s e t h e m u s e u m is c l o s e d . O n
W e d n e s d a y t h e s h o w r e m a i n s o p e n u n til 10 p m . A ny q u e s t i o n s ? ”
He p a u s e d a n d t h e n said, “G o o d d a y, b o y s .”
Bill a n d N ick l e f t t h e u n i v e r s i t y b u ild in g a n d w a l k e d a r o u n d
th e cam pus.
“W h a t do y o u t h i n k o f P r o f e s s o r M o r e s c u ? ” a s k e d Nick.
“G ee, h e ’s kind o f w e ird , 3 i s n ’t h e ? ” s a id Bill, lo o k in g a t Nick.
“A nd n o t v e r y f r ie n d ly .”
“E x a c tly !” s a id Nick, “Did y o u n o t i c e h o w d a r k it w a s in his
o ffic e ? All t h e c u r t a i n s w e r e p u lled e v e n t h o u g h i t ’s a b e a u t if u l
su n n y d a y .”
“He m u s t like t h e d a r k , ” s a id Bill. “T h a t ’s w h y his s k in is so
pale. W h a t do his s t u d e n t s s a y a b o u t h i m ? ”
“W ell, t h e y s a y h e ’s b r illi a n t, v e r y s t r i c t a n d a l w a y s w e a r s
b l a c k , o l d - f a s h i o n e d s u i t s , ” s a i d N ick. “ H e ’s w r i t t e n s e v e r a l
i m p o r t a n t b o o k s o n E a s t E u r o p e a n h is to r y . His English is p e r f e c t ,
b u t yo u c a n still h e a r a bit o f a f o r e ig n a c c e n t . ”
T h e t w o f r i e n d s l o o k e d a t e a c h a n d s t a r t e d la u g h in g . T h e y
c a ll e d M ic h e lle a n d t o l d h e r t o t a k e a c a b a n d m e e t t h e m a t
C a r n e g ie ’s Deli 4 in M a n h a t t a n f o r lunch. Nick k n e w M a n h a t t a n
b e c a u s e h e h a d s p e n t s e v e r a l s u m m e r s t h e r e w ith his a u n t a n d
uncle.
2. r e c e p tio n : a p a r t y t o c e l e b r a t e a s p e c ia l e v e n t .
3. w e ird : s t r a n g e , m y s t e r i o u s .
4. D eli : s h o r t f o r d e l i c a t e s s e n , a p l a c e w h e r e cold m e a t s and o t h e r
f o o d s a r e u s e d t o m a k e big s a n d w i c h e s . A Deli is a ty p ic al p l a c e t o e a t
in New Y o r k City.
20
The Big Apple
5. p a s tr a m i : a s p ic e d b e e f ty p ic a l o f New Y o r k City.
21
CHAPTER T W O
22
The te x t and b e y o n d
PET О C o m p re h e n s io n c h e c k
Read these sen ten ces about Chapter Two. Decide if each sentence is
co rrect or incorrect. If it is co rrect, m ark A. If it is not co rrect, m ark B.
A В
1 After the ir flight to New York City Bill and Michelle
w ere very tired an d w e n t to bed early. □□
2 Professor Stefan Morescu ta u g h t a t Columbia
University an d he w as a foreigner. □□
3 There had never been a show on East European Culture
and Jewels on th e Atlantic Coast. □□
4 Professor Morescu said th a t vam pires w e re only fiction. □□
5 Several im p o rta n t diam onds w ere on display
a t Professor M orescu’s show. □□
6 Only New York City’s leading jew elers w ere invited
to th e reception a t th e m useum on Sa tu rd a y evening. □□
7 Bill and Nick d o n ’t work on Tuesdays. □□
8 Michelle w as late to lunch because th e re w as a lot
of traffic. □ □
9 The Carnegie Deli’s m enu w as very long. □ □
10 The th re e friends had to e a t their lunch standing up
because th e re w e re no free se a ts in th e crowded deli. □ □
11 The Empire S ta te Building is not fa r from Central Park. □ □
12 The Museum Mile is n ext to Columbia University. □ □
13 It was foggy and windy on th e 102nd floor. □□
14 Michelle could not ta k e pictures on th e observation
deck because it w as not allowed. □□
V т Е____ S
| i" к k n e w M a n h a tta n b e c a u s e h e h a d s p e n t s e v e r a l
■.......m e r s t h e r e w it h h is a u n t a n d u n c l e . ’
О T h e p a s t p e r fe c t s im p le
Use th e c o rre c t verb te n se , eith e r th e p a st simple o r p a st p erfect
-ample, to com plete these sentences.
25
ф V o c a b u la ry
Match the following words with their synonyms.
1 am azing A sad
2 J weird В well known
3 ] spectacular С tall buildings
4 □ tragic D stran ge
5 3 skyscrapers E ta s t y
6 | | cab F surprising
7 ] delicious G wonderful
8 ] silent H work
9 fam ous I quiet
10 □ job J taxi
►►► IN T E R N E T P R O JE C T Mi
L et’s visit the M useum Mile!
M an ha tta n ’s Fifth Avenue and C entral Park are w orld fa m o u s —the
M useum Mile is located here. L et’s visit the M etropolitan M useum of
Art, the G uggenheim M useum and the M useum o f M odern Art.
To find out m ore a bo ut them co nn ect to the Internet and go to
w w w .blackcat-cideb.com . Insert the title or part o f the title o f the book
into our search engine. Open the page fo r The Vampire’s Tear. Click on
the Internet project links. Divide the class into three groups. Each
gro up w ill research a m useum and prepare a brief report a bo ut the
current show s and
the im portant
permanent exhibitions.
Present your report to
the class.
W hich group had the
m ost interesting
report?
W hich m useum
did you like best
and why?
Manhattan
the heart of New York City
I •чlay Manhattan Island is one of the most expensive places in the
* ii Id to live and work. But in 1626 Peter Minuit of the Dutch West
11 Пlies Com pany b ough t M anhattan Island from the Lenape, an
\ merican-Indian peop le, and paid them w ith cheap jewelry and
i illier small objects.
\ller the American Revolution (1775-1783), N ew York became an
independent American state and its growth and developm ent were
\ п у rapid. By 1790 N ew York City was the largest city in the United
Slates, and during the 1800s it becam e America's m ost important
business, industrial and cultural center. N ew York C ity's strong
ei onomy attracted hundreds of thousands of European immigrants
who wanted a better life for them selves and their children. They
■eltled in the city's neighborhoods, found work and helped to build
the city and the nation.
27
Chinatown in Manhattan.
Unique neighborhoods
Today more than eight million people live in N ew York City's five
b o ro u g h s:1 Manhattan, Brooklyn, Q ueens, The Bronx and Staten
Island. About one and a half million people live in Manhattan—a 34-
square mile island. This cosm opolitan city is often called "the city
that never sleeps" because something exciting is always happening,
day and night, with the subway running around the clock.
One of M anhattan's m ost colorful and liv ely n eigh b orh ood s is
C hinatow n, a unique ethnic settlem ent w ith C hinese sh ops and
restaurants and old buildings from the nineteenth century. Here
str eet s ig n s are p rin ted in b o th E n g lish le tte r s an d C h in e se
characters, and you can hear p eop le speaking Chinese. W alking
28
.....lit on Mulberry Street you will soon get to Little Italy, which is
in• vl to C h in atow n . This n eig h b o rh o o d w a s se ttle d b y Italian
immigrants in the late nineteenth century and it still has an Italian
11 m ir with its typical shops, restaurants, cafes and festivities.
i и11her unique neighborhood is Greenwich Village, where artists,
1 1 lri s and poets have lived since the 1800s. You can still see the
11 1 •11 ses w h ere M ark T w ain and E dgar A lle n P oe o n ce liv e d .
I i liington Square is the heart of "the village", as N ew Yorkers call
II v\ here you can see street performers and outdoor art shows. Every
I l.illoween, October 31, the Village celebrates with America's largest
i ublic H allow een parade, w ith all kinds of w ild costum es. More
111,in two million people attend the parade every year and about a
million watch it on TV.
i 1.1 Horn, the city's African-American neighborhood, w as center of the
I l.irlem Renaissance in the 1920s and '30s, when important African-
Vmerican artists and musicians lived and worked there. Today the
■ЬI Apollo Theater is a symbol of those times.
I'.inish Harlem is Manhattan's largest Hispanic community, where
Iч i>ple read the Spanish new spaper El D iario and shop in small
II к cry stores called bodegas.
30
,i l o w ly walk along Fifth Avenue near Central Park, where you can
• ■ ome of the city's best museums: the Metropolitan M useum of
11 the C .u g g en h eim M u seu m , th e M u seu m o f M od ern A rt
i Mi >МЛ), the Museum of the City of N ew York and several others.
mss Central Park there is the great M useum of Natural History.
1 'ii M.idison Avenue, which is parallel to Fifth Avenue, there is the
i immis Whitney M useum of American Art.
Ili«- Vlel ropolitan Museum of Art, also known as the MET, is one of the
vv mill's largest art galleries with more than two million works of art. It
t >l «". about a full day to visit the MET; it is a wonderful experience.
I lie i .uggenheim Museum is a 20th-century architectural landmark,
I' •ij;tied by world-famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and has a
l'ii}',*• collection of im pressionist, post-im pressionist, m odern and
temporary art.
W ilkiug sou th on Fifth A v e n u e y o u w ill find the M u seu m of
l'm Art, known as the MOMA, considered the most important
mu ,cum of modern art in the world. Here you can admire not only
Guggenheim Museum.
m o d er n p a in tin g s b u t a lso m o d er n s c u lp tu r e , d r a w in g s,
photography, books and works of architecture. And you can have
lunch at the unusual Terrace 5, a cafe w ith a splendid view of the
sculpture garden.
S h o p p in g or e v e n w in d o w -s h o p p in g on F ifth A v e n u e is an
unforgettable experience because of all the exclusive designer shops,
stores and jewelers situated here. And just a few blocks away, on 7th
n shop at Macy's, the world's biggest
departm ent store. It occupies an
en tire city b lock and se lls just
about anything you can think of.
S ev en th A v e n u e is a lso ca lled
F a sh io n A v e n u e b e c a u se the
clothing and fashion industry has
b e e n in that area for o v er a
century. It is an exciting and fast-
m oving place to visit during the
day. A n d if you 're lo o k in g for
bargains, 3 every Sunday there is
an ou td oor m arket on Orchard
Street on the Lower East Side with
fashion clothing, shoes and bags.
A n o th er fa m o u s lan d m a rk is
T im es Squ are, w h e r e S ev en th
A v e n u e and B ro a d w a y cro ss,
w ith all its bright neon lights. It
3. b a r g a in s : t h i n g s t h a t a r e sold a t a lo w e r p rice t h a n n o rm a l.
32
1111 .iris about one million people
■ cry year for the fantastic N ew
33
Q C o m p re h e n s io n c h e c k
Are the following sentences true (T) or false (F)? Correct the false ones.
B e fo re you read
mo L is te n in g
p £ -j - Listen to p art of Chapter Three. Decide if each sentence is co rrect
or incorrect. If it is co rre ct put a tick {/) in the box under A for
YES. If it not co rrect, put a tick ( / ) in the box under В for NO.
A В
YES NO
1 The reception w as held in a m odern building near
Central Park. □□
2 Professor Morescu did not dre ss up for th e reception. □□
3 Nancy Wilson gave the guests a guided to ur of the show. □□
4 There w as a painting of an im p o rtan t medieval prince. □□
5 Professor Morescu explained how to kill a vampire. □□
6 The sho w w as divided into th r e e se p a ra te parts. □□
34
HAPTER THREE
Opening Night
The In te rn a tio n a l A rt an d H isto ry M useum w as a b eau tifu l e a rly H ©
1 9 th-c e n t u r y b u ild in g w ith t h r e e flo o rs n e a r C e n tra l P a rk . On
S a tu rd a y ev en in g th e big w oo d en d o o rs on th e th ird flo o r o f th e
m u seu m o p en ed fo r th e re c e p tio n . O ver fifty im p o rta n t g u e s ts ,
all fash io n ab ly d re ss e d , w e re p re s e n t, an d w a ite rs m o ved a b o u t
o ffe rin g th e m d rin k s an d th in g s t o e a t . S m e t a n a ’s 1 b e a u tifu l
m u sic filled th e a ir. N ick, Bill an d fo u r s e c u r i ty g u a rd s s to o d
n e a r th e e n tr a n c e an d e x it.
“I’ve n e v e r s e e n s u c h a n e l e g a n t r e c e p t i o n , ” w h i s p e r e d Bill,
lo o king a t all t h e g u e s t s .
1. S m e t a n a : a f a m o u s C zech c o m p o s e r ( 1 8 2 4 - 1 8 8 4 ) .
35
_____________________________________________
CHAPTER T H R E E
“S o m e o f t h e c it y ’s m o s t i m p o r t a n t p e o p le a r e h e r e t o n i g h t , ”
w h i s p e r e d Nick.
A t e ig h t o ’clock P r o f e s s o r M o re sc u , w h o w a s still w e a r i n g his
o ld - f a s h io n e d b la c k s u it, w h ite s h ir t a n d b la c k tie , b e g a n
s p e a k in g to t h e g r o u p o f p e o p le in t h e e n t r a n c e hall.
“G o o d e v e n in g e v e r y o n e , a n d w e l c o m e t o t h e E a s t E u r o p e a n
A rt a n d J e w e ls S h ow . T his e v e n in g y o u ’ll h a v e t h e o p p o r t u n i t y to
s e e r a r e a r t i f a c t s 2 a n d je w e ls f r o m a p a r t o f t h e w o rld w h ic h is
o f t e n f o r g o t t e n . If y o u fo llo w m e I'll give y o u a g u id e d t o u r o f t h e
s h o w . ” He m o v e d t o t h e f i r s t r o o m a n d t h e g u e s t s fo llo w e d him .
“P r o f e s s o r M o re sc u , I’m N a n c y W ilso n t h e p h o t o g r a p h e r , a n d
I’ll b e t a k i n g p i c t u r e s o f t h e s h o w f o r a n e w s p a p e r , ” s a id a y o u n g
w o m a n o f a b o u t t h i r t y w i t h s h o r t b l o n d e h a i r a n d g l a s s e s . “I
h o p e y o u d o n ’t m i n d .”
“Y o u ’re w e lc o m e t o do so, Miss W ilson; w e w a n t to a d v e r t i s e
t h e s h o w a s m u c h a s p o s s i b l e , ” s a id M o re sc u . “T he f i r s t p a r t is
c a lle d ‘A r t a n d W e a p o n s ’ b e c a u s e a s y o u c a n s e e t h e r e a r e old
p a i n t i n g s , s c u l p t u r e s , a r t i f a c t s , m a p s a n d all k in d s o f m e d ie v a l
w e a p o n s t h a t w e r e u s e d d u r in g t h e m a n y w a r s o f t h e 15th a n d
16th c e n t u r i e s . This p a i n t i n g o f Vlad T e p e s is o f g r e a t h is to r ic a l
valu e a n d im p o rta n c e . He w a s a fa m o u s p rin ce an d w a rrio r of
W a lla c h ia , a n d a ls o a lo v in g h u s b a n d . H e r e y o u c a n a d m i r e his
f a m ily t r e e . ” He s t o p p e d f o r a m o m e n t a n d a d m i r e d t h e p a in tin g
w ith t e a r s in his e y e s , a n d e v e r y o n e w a s q u i te s u r p r is e d .
“I t h o u g h t V lad T e p e s w a s s o m e k in d o f c r u e l p r i n c e a n d a
v a m p ir e ...,” w h i s p e r e d Bill.
“I k n o w ...s h h h , M o re s c u cou ld h e a r u s ,” w h i s p e r e d Nick.
2. a r t i f a c t s : v a l u a b le o b j e c t s o f g r e a t a r c h a e o l o g i c a l and cu lt u ral
interest.
36
CHAPTER T H R E E
“N ow l e t ’s m o v e t o t h e s e c o n d r o o m a n d t h e n e x t p a r t o f t h e
s h o w , ‘T r a n s y l v a n i a , L a n d o f V a m p i r e s ’. H e r e y o u c a n s e e
h is to r ic a l m a p s o f t h e a r e a a n d r e a d a b o u t t h e v a m p i r e s o f t h e
p a st.”
A y o u n g w o m a n i n t e r r u p t e d M o re sc u a n d sa id , “V a m p ir e s a r e
j u s t a le g e n d , a fo lk ta le , a r e n ’t t h e y ? ”
“A le g e n d ? A f o l k t a l e ? ” a s k e d M o re s c u in a low vo ice. “P lea se
r e m e m b e r , m a d a m , t h a t le g e n d s a n d f o lk ta le s h a v e e l e m e n t s o f
t r u t h in t h e m . ”
“You m e a n v a m p ir e s ...e x is te d or e x is t to d a y ? " a s k e d t h e y o u n g
w o m a n , w h o s e fa c e h a d b e c o m e a s pa le a s M o r e s c u ’s.
“T h e r e a r e m a n y u n s o l v e d m y s t e r i e s in t h e w o r l d , a n d
v a m p i r e s a r e o n e o f t h e m . N ow l e t ’s m o v e o n .”
T he g u e s t s fo llo w e d him b u t f e lt r a t h e r u n e a s y .
“In t h e c e n t e r o f th is r o o m y o u c a n s e e a v e r y old o a k co ffin 3
f r o m t h e l a t e f i f t e e n t h c e n t u r y . It b e l o n g e d t o a v a m p i r e w h o
w a s b e h e a d e d 4 a n d i n s i d e t h e r e is s t i l l s o m e e a r t h f r o m
T r a n s y l v a n i a . V a m p i r e s n e e d t o s l e e p in t h e i r n a t i v e e a r t h in
o r d e r to k e e p th e ir p o w e rs . W e a s k v is ito rs n o t to o p e n th e
co ffin a n d n o t to t o u c h t h e e a r t h . ”
“W h o w o u ld w a n t t o o p e n t h a t c o f f i n ? ” w h i s p e r e d a m a n t o
his wife.
“N ot m e ! ” s h e w h i s p e r e d .
“H e re w e h a v e a n original w o o d e n s t a k e 5 t h a t w a s u s e d in t h e
s i x t e e n t h c e n t u r y t o kill v a m p i r e s , ” sa id M o re sc u p o in tin g to t h e
s ta k e . “As y o u c a n s e e it h a s a s h a r p p o in t t h a t w a s d riv e n in to
38
Opening Niqhf
I lie v a m p i r e ’s h e a r t . T h is is a p a i n t i n g o f C o u n t e s s E l i z a b e t h
H ath ory, a s u s p e c t e d v a m p i r e o f t h e 1 6 0 0 s . T he p a i n t i n g s a n d
p h o t o g r a p h s o n t h e w all s h o w y o u t h e d i f f e r e n t k in d s o f b a t s ,
wolves a n d o t h e r w ild a n im a ls t h a t live in T r a n s y lv a n ia . A nd h e r e
r, a n e a r ly 1 9 0 0 s c o p y o f B ram S t o k e r ’s nov el D racula t r a n s l a t e d
into R o m a n i a n .”
“T h e s h o w is i n t e r e s t i n g b u t i t ’s k i n d o f . . . d i s t u r b i n g , ”
w h is p e r e d Nick t o Bill.
“N ow p l e a s e f o llo w m e t o t h e t h i r d p a r t o f t h e s h o w , ‘E a s t
I u r o p e a n J e w e l s ’, w h e r e y o u will s e e a p r i c e l e s s o b j e c t : t h e
V a m p i r e ’s T e a r . It is a lo a n f r o m a n E a s t E u r o p e a n m u s e u m . ”
M o r e s c u ’s v o ic e s h o o k a s h e m e n t i o n e d t h e n a m e o f t h e 6 6 .6 -
c a r a t d ia m o n d . “It u s e d t o b e lo n g t o Vlad T e p e s ’ w ife K riza in t h e
1 5 th c e n t u r y ; s h e w o r e it a r o u n d h e r b e a u t i f u l n e c k d u r i n g
i m p o r t a n t o c c a s io n s . A f t e r h e r t r a g i c d e a t h in 1462, V lad c rie d
riv ers o f t e a r s b e c a u s e h e lov ed h e r v e r y m u c h , a n d t h a t is w h y
th e d ia m o n d is called t h e V a m p i r e ’s T e a r. N o w h e r e in t h e w o rld
is t h e r e s u c h a p e r f e c t d ia m o n d , s h a p e d like a t e a r — n o ti c e its
pale p in k c o lo r.”
T h e p r e c i o u s d i a m o n d s a t in a s m a l l w o o d e n b o x lin e d w ith
w h ite silk o n t o p o f a sm all g la s s t a b l e in t h e m id d le o f t h e t h i r d
ro o m . No o n e could g e t to o close t o it b e c a u s e t h e r e w a s a b r a s s 6
c h a in all a r o u n d it. It w a s v e r y b e a u tif u l a n d im p r e s s iv e .
A s h o r t , b ald m a n o f a b o u t f o r t y w h o w a s e l e g a n tl y d r e s s e d
said, “All m y life I’v e w a n t e d t o s e e th is sp le n d id j e w e l.”
“A h , i t ’s y o u , M r S i m m s , ” s a i d M o r e s c u . “ L a d i e s a n d
g e n t l e m e n , le t m e i n t r o d u c e y o u t o S a m u e l S im m s, N e w Y o r k ’s
6. b r a s s : a y e llo w m e t a l ( s e e p. 41).
39
CHAPTER T H R E E
m o s t i m p o r t a n t je w e le r : he h a s a lu x u r y s t o r e o n Fifth A v e n u e .”
S a m u e l S im m s sm iled n e rv o u s ly a t th e g u e s ts a n d c o n tin u e d
s t a r i n g a t t h e V a m p i r e ’s T e a r.
T h e n h e s u d d e n l y sa id , “But i t ’s n o t in a g la s s c a s e — i t ’s n o t
p r o t e c t e d . S o m e o n e c o u ld s te a l it!”
“S te a l it? Oh n o , ” s a id M o re sc u v e r y s e rio u sly , “t h e m u s e u m
h a s a m o d e rn in fra re d a la rm 7 an d v id e o c a m sy s te m t h a t
o p e r a t e s t w e n t y - f o u r h o u r s a d a y . I t ’s i m p o s s i b l e t o s t e a l it.
B esid es, t h e b e a u t y o f t h e d i a m o n d c a n ’t b e fully a d m i r e d u n d e r
a g la s s c a s e . ”
“Oh, I u n d e r s t a n d , ” sa id S im m s, r a t h e r c o n f u s e d .
“O f c o u r s e o u r c o l l e c t i o n h a s o t h e r p r e c i o u s j e w e l s f r o m
E a s te rn Europe: e a rrin g s , b ra c e le ts , n e c k la c e s w ith d ia m o n d s ,
r u b ie s , e m e r a l d s , s a p p h i r e s a n d w h i t e a n d b la c k p e a r ls , a s y o u
c a n s e e . ” M o re s c u c o n t i n u e d ta lk in g a b o u t t h e s h o w f o r a w h ile
a n d t h e n t h e g u e s t s w e r e f r e e t o w a lk a r o u n d , ta lk , d r in k a n d e a t
u n til t h e r e c e p t i o n w a s o v er.
W h e n t h e l a s t g u e s t s h a d le f t t h e s h o w a n old m a n a n d a n old
w o m a n w e a r in g lo ng d a r k g re y ja c k e t s a n d b la c k t r o u s e r s
w a lk e d in a n d s p o k e t o P r o f e s s o r M o re sc u . T h e y w e r e b o t h s h o r t ,
th i n , h a d little w h i t e h a i r a n d p a le , w ri n k le d 8 skin; t h e y lo o k e d
p o o r a n d h u n g ry .
P ro fe s s o r M o rescu s e e m e d to k n o w th e m b e c a u s e a t firs t
t h e y s p o k e in a f o r e i g n la n g u a g e . T h e n a s Bill a n d Nick w a lk e d
t o w a r d s t h e m t h e y s t a r t e d s p e a k in g English.
“Bill, Nick,” s a id M o re s c u , “I w a n t y o u t o m e e t V ic to r a n d his
40
CHAPTER T H R E E
9. no d d ed : m o v e d h e r he a d up and dow n.
1 0. s ta r v e d : v e r y hu ngry.
42
I he te x t and b e y o n d
Q C o m p re h e n s io n c h e c k
Answer the following questions.
Q V o c a b u la ry
Read the definitions. W hat is the w ord for each one? There is one
space for each letter in the word.
1 valuable objects:
2 a precious jewel:
3 a dead body is kept here:
4 to move your head up and d o w n : ___
5 very hungry:
6 a person who sells jewels:
7 old-looking, n o t smooth:
8 to cut off so m e o n e ’s head:
9 a kind of w o o d : ____
Now find the w ords in the word square on the n ext page and circle
them .
т
В О X F S E к С и А С Z о J
w A P N U A E Y О К L J м Е
R В R С О D L I G F А О X W
I S P T С В S D V W F С G Е
N A V D I A M О N D Н I К L
К E С U N F I С G О М S N Е
L X T S P G A Y Т I и V L R
E N E Z О U E С V А N Z А V
D V 0 С G P О S т А R V Е D
F S L D S В U С F S G н К М
Y T J О U В E H Е А D о Р S
Q Fam ous d ia m o n d s
Read the te x t and fill in the gaps with the w ords in the box.
44
W [■•
1 E S
m K O W ritin g
You a re Bill and you w a n t to w rite a l e t t e r to y o u r p a r e n ts in
California and tell them about your new job a t the m useum . W rite
your letter in about 1 00 words.
S tart like this:
45
Vlad Tepes,
Prince o f Wallachia
Vlad Tepes, or Vlad III, was born in Sighisoara, Transylvania in 1431.
Vlad had several names, among which the most common was Vlad
the Impaler because one of his favorite punishments w as impaling—
driving a sharp stick or weapon through someone's body.
He was also known as Vlad Dracula because his Romanian last name
was "Draculea" which meant "Son of Dracul", since his father was
Vlad II Dracul and a member of the Order of the Dragon. In the
V la d th e Im p a le r
(died 1462),
German School.
P o en ari Castle, Transylvania.
It was a fortress of Vlad Tepes during the 15th century.
47
In 1462 the Ottoman Turks invaded Wallachia and when they were
near Vlad's castle his wife committed suicide by jumping from the
castle tower because she couldn't bear the thought of becom ing a
prisoner of the Turks. Vlad suffered greatly after her death, but he
w as able to escape to Transylvania, where he met the Hungarian
prince Hunyadi. They became friends because they both wanted to
fight the Ottomans.
In 1476 Vlad Tepes invaded Wallachia successfully. He became the
ruler again but this tim e he had a very sm all arm y and lim ited
power. He was killed in a battle against the Turks near the town of
Bucharest in December 1476.
During his rule Vlad Tepes was in favor of honesty and hard work,
and those w ho were dishonest or lazy were often cruelly punished.
H e is rem em bered b y the R om anian p eo p le for h is su ccess in
fighting off the Ottoman Turks and keeping the independence of
Wallachia and its people.
ф C o m p re h e n s io n c h e c k
Answer the following questions.
MAIN ATTRACTIONS
B la c k S e a R e so rts
Sighisoara (See ghee swahr’ ah)
Spas G e n e r a l In f o r m a t io n
49
T I
1 What does the title of the next chapter make you think of?
2 What do you think will happen in this chapter?
3 How might Michelle, Bill and Nick be involved?
Q L is t e n in g
PET Listen to part of Chapter Four and choose the correct answer —A, В or C.
50
C H A PTE R FO U R
It's Gone!
The n e x t tw o w eeks w ere busy on es fo r Bill and Nick, and OHS'
Michelle was having a great time visiting New York City.
One Sunday she and Marian had coffee and donuts a t Dunkin’
Donuts, A m erica’s biggest coffee and d o n u ts chain. Then th e y
took the ferry boat to Liberty Island to see th e S tatue of Liberty.
From the ferry b oat th ey enjoyed a wonderful view of the New
Y ork sk y lin e . A n o t h e r d a y s h e v i s i t e d Wall S t r e e t a n d t h e
financial center. Then she sp e n t one entire day inside Macy’s, th e
w o rld ’s biggest d e p a r t m e n t s to re , a nd w alked o u t w ith th r e e
huge shopping bags—she loved every m inute of it.
P r o f e s s o r M o r e s c u ’s s h o w w a s a s u c c e s s a n d h e w a s
extrem ely pleased. Crowds of people visited the m useum and Bill
a n d Nick ha d p le n ty to do. They m a d e fr ie n d s w ith th e tw o
51
C H A PTER FOUR
security guards, Phil and Max, who took turns working day and
night. Phil was a tall man of about fifty who always laughed and
told jokes. Bill and Nick liked him a lot. Max was a Hispano-
American of about forty who often brought his wife’s homemade
cookies for the others to eat.
The newspapers wrote excellent articles about the show and a
local television station filmed parts of it. A museum in California
invited Professor Morescu to take his show there. Samuel Simms
b e c a m e a re g u la r v is ito r b e c a u s e he w a n te d to a d m ire th e
Vampire’s Tear, and he often brought friends and clients with him. Щ
Then suddenly something unexpected happened. One Friday
m o rn in g w hen th e d a y tim e se c u r ity gu a rd Max o p e n e d th e
museum door, as he always did at half p a st nine, th ere was a
terrible, loud cry.
"Oh, no!”
Bill and Nick were coming up the stairs when they heard the
cry and started running to see what was happening.
“Come over here, fast!” cried Max, “I’m in the third room.”
Bill and Nick ran to Max, who was kneeling next to the other
security guard, Phil.
“He...he’s dead!” cried Max, his voice breaking. “O ne'of my
best friends...oh, Phil!”
“What!” cried Bill, staring at Phil’s body lying on the floor. He
felt cold and his legs were weak.
“Are you sure, Max?” asked Nick nervously, as his heart beat
wildly.
“H e’s cold and his face is so w h i t e , ” said Max, his voice
shaking. “We have to call the police.”
He took out his cell phone and called 911.
52
It’ s Gone!
53
CHAPTER FOUR
1. a u to p s y : e x a m i n a t i o n o f a d e a d b o d y by a d o c t o r t o d is c o v e r t h e
c a u s e o f d e a th .
54
In the early afternoon Detective Ellis and his men finished
their work and were ready to leave.
“Keep the museum closed for today; my men are coming back
later to check a few things,” said Ellis.
“This is te rrib le ,” said Morescu nervously. “W hen can the
m u se u m op e n ? This is an im p o r ta n t show ; i t ’s a d v e rtis e d
everywhere! And it w o n ’t be the same w ith o u t the V am pire’s
Tear.”
“You can open tomorrow morning, but I’ll need to talk to you
a g a in ,” said D e te c tiv e E llis, w ho gave his c a llin g c ard to
everyone. “Here’s my card. Call me if you have any inform ation
or if you need me.”
Professor Morescu sat in a chair and stared at the painting of
Vlad Tepes, whispering some strange foreign words to himself.
Then he looked at Bill, Nick and Max and said, “Max, you and the
boys can go now. W e’ll reopen tomorrow morning.” He put his thin
hands in his long grey hair and continued staring at the painting.
Bill and Nick slowly walked out of the building— it was a hot
sum m er day in M anh attan . They were both very upset about
what had just happened.
“Poor Phil— I can’t believe he’s...dead,” said Nick sadly. “He
was such a nice guy, alw ays ready to joke and laugh a b o u t
things.”
“And we don’t even know ho w he died,” said Bill. “Detective
Ellis said there were no signs of violence on his body.”
“He said w e’ll know m ore a fte r the a u to p s y ,” said Nick
quietly. “Well, let’s go home and tell everybody what happened.”
That evening Nick, Bill, Michelle and Marian and Kevin Chan
sat around the big dinner table. At first they were shocked and
56
It’ s Gone!
silent, but then they couldn’t stop talking about the awful event.
“Have you called your parents and told them y e t? ” asked
Kevin.
“Gee, I forgot,” said Bill. “I’ll call them after dinner.”
When it was time to clean up, Michelle said, “Bill, Nick and I
can do the dishes tonight. Dinner was great, thanks!” The three
friends went to the kitchen while Marian and Kevin turned on
the TV in the living room to hear the latest news a b o u t the
murder and theft at the museum.
“Guess w h a t? ” said Michelle, w ho was p u ttin g the dinner
plates into the sink.
“W h at?” asked Bill and Nick.
“I think we have a case to solve!” she said.
“Oh, no!” cried Bill and Nick. “Not again!”
“Michelle,” said Bill, “you don’t know what you’re saying. This
is not Montego Bay or Coyote Canyon 2— this is New York City!
And we’re not detectives! Nick and I are busy working all day.”
“Yeah, but I don’t work— I’m free!” said Michelle. “Come on,
let’s talk about it, at least.”
“She’s right, Bill,” said Nick, tu rn in g on the hot w ater and
putting detergent into the sink. “We can talk about it— after all,
we already have experience solving cases.”
“Experience!” Bill laughed. “This case is different, we d o n’t
even know the people involved. In M ontego Bay we knew Mr
O ’Neil and in Coyote Canyon we knew Pam and her uncle, but
here...”
“Well, we knew poor Phil— he was a friend,” said Nick. “We
57
worked together and he was a great guy. And besides, this is a
weird case— it’s a challenge. Something about Professor Morescu
is strange; it’s hard to put it into words. It’s a feeling I get when
I’m around him. And the cleaners, Victor and Daniza, remind me
of people out of the past."
58
“Y ou’re right, Nick, Phil was a friend,” said Bill sadly. “And
there is something weird about the professor, the cleaners and
the whole show. Maybe it’s because of the...vampires and that
old coffin with the earth inside.”
“Vampires? Coffin? Tell me more,” said Michelle excitedly. As
59
CH A P TE R FO U R
Bill and Nick w ashed the dishes and Michelle dried them , they
talk ed a b o u t the reception, the show, the exhibits, Professor
Morescu and Victor and Daniza. Bill m entioned Samuel Sim m s,
the jew eler w ho was very interested in the d ia m o n d and had
asked about the alarm system.
“Sam uel Sim m s?" said Michelle surprised. “I saw his luxury
shop on Fifth Avenue the other day; he has the kind of clients
who would love a diam ond like the V am pire’s Tear.”
“Are you saying th a t Sim ms stole it? ” said Nick surprised.
“No, I’m not saying th a t,” said Michelle, “but he’s a jeweler
and jewelers like Sim m s deal with expensive jewels. Do you know
w hat statistics say?”
“Please don’t tell us— we already know: m ost jewel thefts are
com m itted by experts in the field like jewelers,” said Bill, looking
at his sister and grinning.
“It’s a mystery how the thief or thieves entered the m useum
in the first place,” said Nick. “Remember, the burglar alarm did
not ring and Detective Ellis is checking the video tape. Maybe
Victor and Daniza let the m in! They’re the only ones who were
there th a t night, except for Phil. Detective Ellis said he w anted to
t a lk to th e m ; b u t th e c le an e rs are o n ly th e re u n til a ro u n d
m idnig ht, then they leave. We d o n ’t know w h a t tim e Phil was
killed— the police will know only after the autopsy.”
“We need to find out the time Phil was killed,” said Michelle, as she
put the last plates into the cupboard. “That’s an important clue.”
“W e c an a sk P ro fe s s o r M o re sc u t o m o r r o w ,” s a id N ick.
“Hopefully he’ll tell us.”
Suddenly Bill looked at his w atch and said, “Gosh, it’s late and
we h a v e n ’t called m o m and dad y e t.” He quickly took his cell
phone and started calling— he had a lot to tell them .
60
The text and beyond
Q C o m p r e h e n s io n c h e c k
Match the phrases in column A with the phrases in column В to make
complete sentences. There are four phrases in column В that you do
not need.
A
1 QJ Michelle spent her time
2 Q Phil and Max worked at the museum
3 Q On Friday morning the New York City Police were called
4 Q The museum was closed for a day
5 Q No one had forced the doors and windows of the museum
6 Q The two cleaners
7 Q After dinner Michelle, Bill and Nick
8 | Bill did not feel that they were ready
9 U Michelle wanted to investigate
В
A lived with a relative near Central Park.
В because the alarm did not go off.
С decided to wash the dishes.
D visiting all parts of New York City.
E because she had some suspicions.
F turned on the TV and listened to the news.
G because they were friends of Professor Morescu.
H because there had been a theft and a murder.
I to solve another difficult case.
J as security guards.
К because the police were investigating.
L working at the Chan’s grocery store.
M because she was bored.
61
jsL '
>
А Т V т
те L is te n in g
PET Michelle and M arian are taking a tour of Ellis Island and New York
harbor. Listen to the to u r guide and for each question (1-4) choose
the correct picture and put a tick ( / ) in the box below it.
62
►►► IN T E R N E T P R O JE C T Mi
L et’s visit Ellis Island and th e S tatu e of Liberty!
Ellis Island and the S tatue o f Liberty are tw o sym bo ls o f N ew Y o rk
C ity and the USA. D ivide th e class into tw o g ro u p s and each gro u p
can cho ose to research one o f them .
To find out m ore a b o u t them co n n e ct to the Internet and go to
w w w .b la c k c a t-c id e b .c o m . Insert the title o r pa rt o f th e title o f the
b o o k into our search engine. O pen th e page fo r The Vampire's Tear.
C lick on the Internet p ro je ct links.
Prepare a brief rep ort a b o u t th e ir histo ry and w h a t you can do and
see today. Present y o u r reports to the class. W ho had th e m o st
interesting report?
___
P AR K HOME
HISTORY & CULTURE Directions Located on a 12 acre island, the Statue o f Liberty
Operating Hours & Seasons Enlightening the World was a gift o f friendship from the
FOR TEACHERS
Fees & Reservations people of France to the people of the United States and is a
FOR KIDS
Ellis Island - Part o f Statue universal symbol o f freedom and democracy. The Statue of
MEWS of Liberty N.M.
Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 188Б, designated as a
MANAGEMENT National Monument in 1924 and restored for her centennial
SUPPORT YOUR PARK on July 4, 1986.
Frequently Asked
Questions
63
B e fo re you read
Q R e a d in g p ic t u r e s
Look at the picture on page 69.
IStSt © L is t e n in g
pgr-p Listen to part of Chapter Five and choose the correct answer —A, В or C.
64
C H A P T E R FIV E
65
CHAPTER FIVE
66
Midnight of Central Park
home to get ready for the concert. I w ant to wear my new black
jeans and a super rock T-shirt I just bought. We have to get there
early. I’ll meet you and Bill after work outside the m useum .”
“Great!” said Nick. “Oh, no, Morescu is looking at us— I can’t
talk— bye!”
Michelle enjoyed looking at the show and carefully examined
the museum; she was looking for clues to the case they wanted
to solve. As she approached the old oak coffin she felt nervous
and her face was hot. She stopped and looked at it for a while,
but did not w ant to go near it. Other visitors looked at it from a
distance and moved on. But she stood there and stared at it.
Then she suddenly felt her feet moving towards it. W hen she was
standing next to it she felt something under her shoes— it was a
bit of earth on the floor next to the coffin. She remem bered
w hat Bill and Nick had told her about the contents of the coffin
and she suddenly felt cold, very cold. She moved backwards and
left the room and the museum in a hurry.
The three friends met in front of the museum at closing time
and Michelle immediately told them about the earth on the floor
next to the coffin.
“There was very little earth, but it was there— I could feel it
under my shoes,” she said nervously.
“But what does th a t m ean?” asked Bill. “Did someone open it
and touch the earth?”
“W ho w ants to open a coffin— a vam pire’s coffin? No one!”
said Nick. ‘It’s a mystery like the rest of this case.”
On th e ir w ay to the deli fo r a sandw ich before the rock
concert they walked through Central Park and talked about the
exact time of Phil’s death and the video tape»
67
CHAPTER FIVE
“ I ’m a m a z e d t h a t th e v id e o ta p e sh o w e d n o t h in g ,” said
M ichelle. “H ow ever, the fa c t th a t Phil died a ro u nd m id n ig h t
makes me suspect the two cleaners— the y’re involved, I feel it.”
“But then why doesn’t the video show any thing?” asked Bill.
“ R e m e m b e r , th e v id e o c a m m o v e s a r o u n d — it c a n m iss
things,” insisted Michelle.
“Yes, but Phil w asn’t killed, he died of heart failure,” said Bill.
“W h a t could Victor and Daniza have done to scare Phil so badly?
A nd w h a t w o uld th e y do w ith the d ia m o n d ? Did you see the
clothes they wear? Those tw o old people are harmless. Come on,
Michelle, your im agination is going w ild.”
“Well, Victor and Daniza could sell the diam ond to Sim m s— or
m a y b e S im m s p a id th e m to s te a l i t ! ” e x c la im e d M ic h e lle .
“Rem em ber, Sim m s has plenty o f very rich clients who w ould
love to wear the V am pire’s Tear. All he has to do is w ait a while
until people have forgotten about the th e ft and then he can sell
i t . We have to find out more about the cleaners.”
“Y ou r sister is n ’t w rong, B ill,” said Nick. “R em em ber, the
alarm didn’t ring, so someone probably let the thief or thieves in.
W hen poor Phil saw w h at was happening he tried to stop them
b u t he saw som eth ing or som eone th a t was so scary th a t his
heart stopped and he died. Now this is w hat I don’t understand!
W h a t could have possibly scared him like th a t? ”
“I agree,” said Michelle. “I’ve got a plan. Let’s w ait a few days
so t h a t the cleaners w o n ’t get su sp ic io u s. W h a t a b o u t nex t
W ednesday night when the m useum is open until late? We can
w ait until they leave the m useum at about m idnight and follow
them home. You said they live near Central Park— th a t’s not far
from the museum. We can find out where they live, and since I’m
68
free all day long, I can keep an eye on the m and their house
during the daytime and see w hat they do and who they m eet.”
“Sounds like a good idea,” said Nick, who was excited about
this new adventure. “W hat do you think, Bill?”
“The subway runs all night, so we can do it,” said Bill. “I’m
glad mom and dad don’t know about our plan. I don’t think they
would approve.”
“Let’s go to ‘Rock Revolution’, it’s getting late,” said Michelle.
“There are three bands playing tonight— it’ll be a cool concert!”
Wednesday finally arrived and Michelle spent the day helping
Marian and Kevin in the grocery store because their usual clerk
was ill. At first she had trouble remembering where everything
was, but after a while she did a good job. The only clients she
couldn’t help were the ones who spoke Chinese! After dinner she
took the subway to the m useum and w aited for closing tim e.
When she met Bill and Nick, they were hot, hungry and tired.
“Hi, Michelle!” said Bill and Nick.
“Why don’t we go for ice-cream at Baskin-Robbins?” said Bill.
“It’s only two blocks away.”
“There’s a super ice-cream parlor just half a block from the
m useum ,” said Michelle, pointing down the street. “We can have
ice-cream and w ait until the cleaners finish at about m idnight.”
“Let’s go for it,” said Bill. “Ahh— a cold, creamy cone!”
“Approved!” said Nick, laughing.
They walked into to The Iceberg Parlor and looked at the big,
colorful sign on the wall that said:
71
CHAPTER FIVE
72
PET О C o m p r e h e n s io n c h e c k
For each question choose the correct letter — А, В, С or D.
1 What were the passengers on the subway train doing on their way
to work?
A j j reading the newspaper
В J talking about the murder
С Q talking about the diamond theft
D Q buying the newspaper
5 Why were Michelle, Bill and Nick in Central Park late at night?
A _] They were having ice-cream.
В [31 They were following Victor and Daniza.
С | j They were following Professor Morescu.
D J They were looking for Samuel Simms’s house.
74
Q C h a r a c te r s
Which character does each sentences refer to? Write the character’s
name on the line and say why.
Q D e te c tiv e w o r k
Are you a good detective? Michelle wants to investigate this case and
she convinces Bill and Nick to help her.
Work with a partner—you’re a detective team.
1 What clues can you find? Make a list of them and say why they are
important.
Here are some clues that you can start with:
A Samuel Simms is a frequent visitor to the museum and he brings
clients and friends. He can easily sell the diamond to people who
can pay a lot of money for it and who won’t tell the police.
В Professor Morescu’s presence in Central Park late at night is
strange. What was he doing there at that time? Was he meeting
someone to talk about the diamond? Was he hiding something
under his long black overcoat?
С ...
Present your clues and suspicions to the class. Save your work so that
you can see who the best detective team is when you finish reading
the story.
75
V Т Е____ S
РЕТ О A m e r ic a n c h a in s to r e s
Read the text about American chain stores and decide which answer (A, B,
С or D) best fits each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).
In the story American chain stores like ‘Dunkin’ Donuts’ and ‘Baskin-
Robbins’ are (0) ..Q ... No other country in the world has as (1)......
chain stores as the United States. With globalization several of these
chain stores have opened in other countries too.
Chains, as they are often called, are owned (2 )......the same person or
company, and specialize in one kind of (3 )........There are food, drink,
restaurant, hotel, clothing, computer, sporting goods and several
other kinds of chains.
The world’s largest fast food chain is McDonald’s, with about 470,000,
employees (4 )......nearly 47 million customers daily! McDonald’s was
founded in San Bernardino, California in 1940 by Dick and Mac
McDonald. They (5 )......in fast, clean, efficient service.
Dunkin’ Donuts is the world’s largest coffee and (6 )......goods chain
with more than 7,000 stores globally. Dunkin’ Donuts opened for the
first time in 1950 in Quincy, Massachusetts.
Its (7 ).......Starbucks, started out in 1971 and is a relatively new chain.
Today it is the world’s biggest coffee chain, with more than 15,000
stores in 44 countries. While Dunkin’ Donuts (8 )......its own products
daily at each store, Starbuck’s baked goods are prepared elsewhere.
Baskin-Robbins is the biggest chain of ice cream parlors with almost
76
6,000 (9 )........It opened in 1945 in Glendale California, with 31
original flavors. Today there are many more flavors and every season
there is a new seasonal flavor. All Baskin-Robbins stores offer the
famous small pink spoon so that you can sample different flavors
(10)......choosing your ice cream.
Chains all look alike and offer the same products, service and quality—
there are no surprises— and people appreciate this.
T: GRADE 5
ф S p e a k in g : e n t e r t a in m e n t
Michelle, Bill and Nick are going to a
rock concert. It is one of their favorite
kinds of entertainment. Work with a
partner and talk about your favorite
kinds of entertainment. Use these
questions to help you.
77
т IN T E R N E T PROJECT
L e t’s fin d o u t m o re a b o u t C e n tra l Park!
т
Central Park is truly a wonderful place with a lot of exciting events
going on. It has been the beautiful setting for many famous and less
famous films. Let’s find out why!
To find out more about it connect to the Internet and go to
w w w.blackcat-cideb.com . Insert the title or part of the title of the
book into our search engine. Open the page for The Vampire’s Tear.
Click on the Internet project links.
Divide the class into three groups and each one can research and
prepare a brief report on: A general information; В attractions; С history
And don’t forget to visit the Central Park Store!
Present your reports to the class.
B e fo re you read
Q Reading pictures
Look at the picture on page 83.
78
Vdmpire Score
O n Friday, tw o days a fte r th e th re e fr ie n d s ’ n ig h t a t C e n tra l Q P t
P a r k , N ew Y o r k e r s w o k e u p to t h i s t e r r i f y in g n e w s p a p e r
headline:
79
CHAPTER SIX
New Yorkers are hardly ever afraid of anything, but this time
they were terrified by the news. Late-night re staurants and
theaters in the Broadway area were empty. People did not w ant
to be out after dark. The show at the m useum attracted even
bigger crow ds t h a t w a n te d to learn m ore a b o u t v am p ire s.
Professor Morescu was not present at the show that day.
Michelle, Bill and Nick met at The Iceberg in the evening with
five copies o f d iffe re n t local papers t h a t talk e d a b o u t the
vampire scare. One paper had this headline:
DRACULA IS BACK!
“W hat in the world is happening?” asked Michelle, putting her
spoon into her ice-cream sundae. “Vampires in New York City—
and I just know they’re connected with the show.”
“No one has ever heard of vam pires in this city before the
show,” said Nick.
“But who is the vam pire?” asked Bill. “Is that w hat Phil saw
that scared him to death?”
1. city shelters : places where people w ith o ut a home can go and sleep
at night for free.
80
Wimp ire Score
81
The next day Michelle was on her way to the New York City
Public Library on Fifth Avenue and 4 2 nd Street w hen she saw
Detective Ellis and two policemen walking into Sim m s’s Jewelers.
“I w onder w h a t D etective Ellis and the police are doing at
Sim m s’s?” she thought. “Ellis probably suspects him .”
Michelle was no t w rong because Sam uel Sim m s was one of
Ellis’s first suspects, and he had asked Sim m s not to leave the
city. That day he had a search w arran t to search the luxurious
jewelery shop.
It w as a h o t e v e n in g w h en Bill a n d N ick m e t M ichelle in
Central Park after work. Bill and Nick lay down on the cool green
grass and Michelle sat between them.
“I’ve got a lot of inform ation on vam pires for you today ,” said
Michelle proudly.
“G reat— tell us!” said Bill and Nick, looking up at the early
evening sky.
“Well, first o f all, th e y ’re o fte n called the undead or living
dead, because a v am p ire is a dead body th a t feeds on living
p eop le. The v a m p ir e ’s v ic tim s u su a lly die an d th e n becom e
v am pires them selves. You c an ’t see vam pires in a m irror and
they don’t have a shadow. They sleep during the day and go out
after sunset to find their favorite food: blood. They can change
their form and become bats, wolves or rats. And the only way to
kill them is by driving a w ooden stake through their hearts, by
beheading them or by burning th e m .”
“Ugh,” said Nick. “There’s an old wooden stake at the m useum .”
“Well, who fits the description of a vam pire?” asked Michelle.
Bill and Nick were silent. “W ho works at night and is never seen
in the daytim e?”
“Victor and D aniza!” said Nick. “But th a t’s not m uch.”
“No, it’s not; th e y ’re old but they d o n ’t look like vam pires,"
said Bill, who was disappointed. “I m ean they don’t look like bat'.,
or rats...or wolves.”
“They d o n ’t h a v e to change th e ir shape to be v a m p ire s ,"
Michelle insisted.
“A nd if th e y ’re really vam pires w h a t w ould they do w ith a
d ia m o n d ? ” s a id N ick . “V a m p ire s d o n ’t n e e d d ia m o n d s or
m oney— they need blood!”
“T hat’s ju s t it!” exclaim ed Michelle. “They need blood. W ho
killed the homeless m an in Central Park and the w om an found in
the Hudson River? And maybe others. Professor Morescu said
Victor and Daniza came from Eastern Europe; th a t’s where the
whole story of vam pires started long ago.”
“But w h a t in the world are they doing here in New York City?”
asked Bill. “Now I’m really confused.”
“Listen,” said Michelle, “first le t’s fin d ou t who V ictor and
Daniza really are. Next W ednesday is the last day of the show
and it closes at 10 pm. Will Max be on duty th a t n igh t?”
“Yeah, he said he w ants to work the last night,” said Nick.
“G re a t! Max w ill u n d e r s ta n d our p la n an d help u s ,” said
Michelle en th usia stic a lly , “because he w as P hil’s friend . Now
listen, you can hide inside the m useum and w ait until Victor and
D aniza come to clean. Then take a good look at the m and see
w h at they do on the last day.”
“I just hope they w o n ’t do som ething th a t will scare us both to
death— like poor Phil,” said Bill.
The three friends looked at each other sadly and did not say
another word.
84
he text and beyond
I Q C o m p r e h e n s io n c h e c k
For questions 1-5 choose the correct answer — А, В, С or D.
1 Why did the Chief of Police ask homeless people to use the city
shelters at night?
A Q because homeless people were causing trouble at Central Park
В Q because homeless people killed a woman near the Hudson
River
С Q] because homeless people were at danger during the night
D Q because New York City had just built new shelters in the
Central Park area
85
0 Is Nick afraid of vampires?
Do vampires.........scare......... Nick?
1 It was a long flight across the United States.
The flight across the United States............................ a long time.
2 Professor Morescu taught East European History at Columbia
University.
At Columbia University, East European History............................
Professor Morescu.
3 “You can’t understand the importance of the diamond unless you
read my book,” said Professor Morescu.
“If y o u ............................ my book you can’t understand the
importance of the diamond,” said Professor Morescu.
4 Bill and Michelle forgot to call their parents in California.
Bill and Michelle............................ to call their parents in California.
5 “Why don’t you visit the United Nations?” asked Kevin Chan.
“if I were you.............................. the United Nations,” said Kevin
Chan.
Q T h e “V a m p ir e S c a r e ”
Read the text and then answer the questions.
86
returned and attacked some of his neighbors, who died from loss of
blood.
Arnold Paole was a soldier who became a farmer; he had been
attacked by a vampire years before. After his death people in the
village began to die and villagers believed that Paole had returned to
attack his neighbors.
The two cases were well documented and government officials
examined the bodies, wrote reports and published books which were
sold throughout Europe. Ignorance and superstition kept the panic
alive.
This controversy went on for many years and the Austro-Hungarian
Army was finally sent to the area to examine the situation. But this did
not solve the problem, so Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, who was
worried and upset, sent her personal physician, Dr Gerhard Van
Swieten, to investigate. He concluded that vampires did not exist; the
Empress immediately passed laws against the opening of graves, and
the “vampire scare” ended.
1 What did people do during the “vampire scare” of the 18th century
in Eastern Europe?
2 When and where did the panic start?
3 Who were Peter Plogojowitz and Arnold Paole?
4 How were they involved?
5 What did Empress Maria Theresa do?
P E T © Notices
Look at the text in each question. W hat does it say? Mark the letter
next to the correct explanation — A, В or C.
87
Manhattan You can move into the
luxury apartment apartment on December 1.
near Central Park [| You must move out of the
lor rent apartment by December 1 at 7
pm.
ring doorbell
after 7 pm [| Someone is selling a luxury
apartment near Central Park
at 7 pm.
88
The Vampire by Edvard Munch.
Vampires
in literature and films
Legends and folktales about vampires have fascinated people for
centuries and continue to do so today. In the 18th century authors
started writing about vampires and the terrible things they did.
V a m p ir e s in lit e r a t u r e
89
be clever, charming and attractive. The vampires of legends and
folktales had usually been ugly, frightening creatures.
Vampires in literature were beginning to be popular in the early
nineteenth century, and in 1872 Sheridan Le Fanu 1 wrote a classic
vampire tale called Carmilla, in which the protagonist was a female
vampire. It is interesting to note that Sheridan Le Fanu was Bram
Stoker's editor when Stoker was working as a theater critic, and Le
Fanu's vampire tale probably inspired Stoker to write Dracula.
The Irish writer Bram Stoker was very interested in vampires and
the occult. 2 He researched the history and culture of Transylvania
and became familiar with Vlad Tepes III, the cruel fifteenth-century
prince of Wallachia (see the dossier on Vlad Tepes, pages 46-47).
Stoker chose Vlad Tepes III as the model for his fictional vampire.
When Bram Stoker wrote his masterpiece Dracula in 1897, he opened
the door to all kinds of vampire literature. He probably did not
imagine that his character, Count Dracula the vampire, would
become world famous. Dracula mixes elements of mystery, love, sex,
blood and death, but other themes, such as the role of women in
Victorian culture, passions and the fear of death and the dead, are
also examined in the novel.
V a m p ir e s in film s
featured the first film presentation of Dracula. Murnau did not get
permission to use the same names that were used in Stoker's novel,
so he had to change them and other parts of the story. The film was a
huge success because people were actually able to see Dracula
interpreted on the screen.
In 1931, Universal Studios in Hollywood produced the first talking
film about Dracula starring the famous Hungarian actor Bela Lugosi
as Count Dracula; it was a big hit.3 Lugosi's interpretation of Count
Dracula was excellent.
In 1958 the British film Dracula, starring Christopher Lee, was
another great success and it was followed by seven sequels. In the
1970s several other films and television series featuring vampires
91
Scene from the film B ra m S to k e r ’s D racula (1992) directed
by Francis Ford Coppola.
were very popular; some of them were simply horror movies of bad
quality.
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), an excellent film produced and directed
by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Keanu Reeves, Gary Oldman,
Winona Ryder and Anthony Flopkins, was a great box office hit and
won three Oscars. It is considered the best film about Dracula ever
produced.
It is interesting to see how the interpretations of the actors, the
photography, the costumes and the settings have changed through
the years, but the basic themes of evil, seduction, terror and the dark
underworld remain the same.
This film begins with the tragic story of Vlad Tepes, who returns
home after fighting the Crusades and finds that his wife has
92
committed suicide. He is desperate because he loved her very much
and he decides to become a vampire.
The 1931 version of the film, instead, begins with Mr Renfield, the
real estate agent4 who goes to Transylvania to sell a property to
Count Dracula; the background history of Vlad Tepes is not
presented. The 1931 version does not have a soundtrack,5 except for
a few notes from Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake, while in Coppola's
version the famous British singer Annie Lennox wrote and sang Love
Song for a Vampire as part of the film's soundtrack.
Interview with the Vampire is a 1994 film inspired by Anne Rice's
novel with the same name. It was directed by Neil Jordan and
starred Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Antonio Banderas; it was another
very popular vampire film.
ф C o m p re h e n s io n c h e c k
Answer these questions.
Recommendations
94
Before you read
ф Detective work
You’re alm ost at the end of the story. W ork w ith your detective team
and answer these questions.
ЙЙ Q Listening
у Listen to part of Chapter Seven and choose the correct answer — A, В
or C.
95
CHAPTER 7
A Cloud of Dust
On the last day of the show there were more visitors than usual. ЙРГ
‘Transylvania, Land of Vampires’ was the exhibit th a t attracted
the greatest num ber of people. After the vam pire scare in the
city people w a nte d to learn more a b o u t vam pires and th e ir
history. V isitors were p a rtic u la rly in te re ste d in the old oak
coffin from the fifteenth century—they stared at it silently and
uneasily, but no one w ent close to it.
That morning, before the show opened, Bill and Nick were
able to explain their plan to Max, who said it was a brilliant idea.
“It’s our last chance to find out who Victor and Daniza really
are,” said Bill.
“I wish you guys the best of luck, because Detective Ellis
hasn’t been able to solve this case yet,” said Max. “It’s a tough
96
A Cloud of Oust
97
CHAPTER SEVEN______________________________ __
s!
of the bathroom open and he and Nick got up and stood in front
of the glass partition, while Max sat behind his desk.
Victor and Daniza walked into the ‘Transylvania, Land of
Vampires’ room and walked towards the old oak coffin. They
looked at each other for a moment and then carefully moved the
lid of the coffin to one side and created a small opening. Then
Victor put his hand into the coffin and took a handful of the dark
earth. He looked at Daniza with a strange smile on his pale lips
and they both smelled the earth a few times. Then Victor lifted
his hand into the air and threw the earth over himself and
Daniza. The dark earth formed a strange cloud of dust that hung
in the air. Bill, Nick and Max stared at the bizarre scene from
behind the partition.
“What’s Victor doing?” whispered Nick anxiously.
“The guy’s crazy!” whispered Bill.
“Do you guys have a camera?” whispered Max excitedly.
“No, but my cell phone can take pictures,” said Nick. “I’ve got
it in my hand.”
Suddenly Victor and Daniza were no longer standing by the
coffin—they had disappeared. In their place there were two
black bats who started flying around the room. They flew to the
entrance hall but Bill, Nick and Max couldn’t see them, so they
slowly opened the office door and walked towards the entrance
hall and hid behind the two big billboards 2 that advertised the
show. From that position they had a perfect view of the entrance
hall and the huge chand e lie r3 that hung there. The bats
98
CHAPTER SEVEN
100
A Cloud of Oust
101
Suddenly Professor Morescu broke the silence and spoke with
a low voice, “The Vampire’s Tear has returned to its rightful
owners: Vlad Dracula and his wife Kriza.”
Everyone turned to look at Professor Morescu in amazement.
“What do you mean by ‘rightful owners’?” asked Detective
Ellis with a half smile.
102
“The Vampire’s Tear belonged to Vlad’s wife; a gift from her
loving husband. She died during the attack on Poienari Castle on the
night of July 24, 1462—a night of the full moon. Victor and Daniza
came from Transylvania and were none other than Vlad Dracula and
Kriza!” said Professor Morescu with a smile of satisfaction.
“What!” everyone exclaimed.
103
CHAPTER SEVEN
“Ah, you know nothing of the dark world of the living dead—
vampires can disguise themselves and take many shapes.”
There was a terrible silence and Michelle, Bill and Nick felt
cold and uncomfortable.
“Wait a minute,” cried Ellis nervously, “did you know about
Victor and Daniza’s identity all this time?”
“Yes, I did,” said Morescu proudly. “I was born in Sighisoara in
Transylvania, the same town where Vlad was born many centuries
before. The people of the town have always been loyal to him. He
was a prince and a hero of his country. In the past the vampire
spirit of Vlad gave me precious information for my research and
books, making them best-sellers all over the country. This show
was a success thanks to him. I promised to give him back the
Vampire’s Tear on July 24, the day when Kriza died.”
“That’s the day when the diamond disappeared and when Phil
died,” said Ellis, who could hardly believe what he was hearing.
“But why did they hide the diamond in the chandelier? Why
didn’t they disappear with the diamond on the night of July 24?”
“You know nothing about the vampires, Detective Ellis,” said
Morescu with an evil laugh. “They had to wait for a night of the
full moon before returning to Transylvania.”
Ellis was annoyed and nervous; he raised his voice. “I don’t
know anything about vampires, Professor, but you don’t know
anything about American law. Those two...vampires are
responsible for theft and for the death of Phil, and probably of
the murder of two unlucky New Yorkers—and you are a silent
accomplice.4 American law is very tough with silent accomplices.
You’re coming with me to the Police Station for questioning.”
104
A Cloud of Dust
PET О Writing
Michelle writes an email to her best friend Pam Rivers telling her:
Q D iscussion
Work with a partner and discuss the following questions. Then share
and compare your answers with the class.
1 Professor Morescu said he was grateful to Vlad Tepes for all the
help he had given him in the past. Does this excuse him in part for
being a silent accomplice? At times we must choose between
helping a friend and breaking the law. How do you feel about this?
How important is loyalty in a person’s character?
2 Loyalty is considered a virtue. Can you think of other virtues in a
person’s character? Can you think of faults in a person’s
character? Give examples.
10 6
3 In your opinion, what is the most striking thing about Professor
Morescu and why?
4 Detective Ellis said he had never believed in the occult, evil,
vampires or ghosts before that night. What is your opinion about
this? Do you think popular legends and superstitions have
elements of truth in them? Can you give any examples of popular
legends and superstitions that have been found to be true?
Q D e t e c tiv e w o r k
Look back at activity 3 in Chapter Five and activity 2 in Chapter Six.
W hich detective team solved the case? W hich team got close to
solving the case? Which clues helped you?
ф T h e C h e ls e a H o te l, a N e w Y o r k C ity
h is to r ic la n d m a r k
The Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan was not
mentioned in the story, but it is one of
New York City’s most-loved landmarks.
Read the te x t and fin d o u t w hy New
Yorkers are so proud of it. Then answer
the questions.
10 7
millionaires. The free, informal atmosphere and the friendly, helpful
staff have attracted creative people from all over the world. Some go
to stay for a few nights and others choose to live and work there.
Rooms are quite large and comfortable, with floor-to-ceiling windows
that give a lot of natural light. Some of the rooms have small kitchens.
The hotel was the first building to be listed by New York City as a
cultural preservation site and historic building. One of its great
features is the art work that you can see in the lobby and along the
beautiful staircase.1
Bob Dylan composed some of his most famous songs while staying at
the Chelsea. Poets like Allen Ginsberg and Gregory Corso chose it as a
place to meet and discuss poetry and philosophy.
Today you can take a tour of the hotel and find out more about its
exciting history.
1. staircase :
108
I A F T E R R E A D I N G
© P ic tu r e s u m m a r y
Look at the pictures and put them in the right order. Then write a
short caption under each picture. Try to write in a sensational style,
like the style of a popular newspaper.
109
A F T E R R E A D I N G
Q A g r a p h ic n o v e l
Photocopy pages 109-110, cut out the pictures and stick the m on
paper in the right order. Think of words to put in the balloons when
the characters are speaking or thinking. Do not use the words that
were used in this book! Then write at least a sentence under each
picture to narrate w hat is happening.
P E T © Q u iz
Look at the sentences below and decide if each sentence is correct or
incorrect. If it is correct, mark A. If it is not correct, mark B.
A В
1 Professor Morescu did not believe that vampires
were only fictional characters. □□
2 The Vampire's Tear was carefully protected by
a thick glass case.
3 Detective Ellis was not able to explain the theft of
□□
the diamond or Phil's death.
4 Michelle, Bill and Nick followed Victor and Daniza
□□
into the park and then to their home. □□
5 Detective Ellis searched Samuel Simms’s luxurious shop. □□
6 The Vampire's Tear had never left the show. □□
1Ю
A F T E R R E A D I N G
Q W r itin g
Choose one of the writing tasks A-С below. Read them all before you
choose.
A An alternative plot
Choose a m om ent in the story where events might have developed
differently. Describe what might have happened at this moment
and then summarize how the plot would have developed
differently. Describe how this new plot that you have invented
would finish.
В An alternative ending
We often describe endings of stories and films as “closed” or
“open”. A closed ending is when the plot seems to have come to an
explicit end. THE VAMPIRE’S TEAR ends in this way. An open
ending, which is quite common in modern works, is open to
interpretation and to possible further developments. Begin at any
part of Chapter Seven and write a different ending to the story.
You can make your ending open or closed.
С A newspaper article
Imagine you are a journalist for the New York Times and you are
sent to Central Park to write an article about the homeless man
who was a victim of the vampire attack. You have permission from
the police to get close to the scene of the attack. The body of the
dead man is lying on the grass under a tree when you arrive at
Central Park. You are scared, but you know you must get close to
the body and examine the two teeth marks on his neck in order to
write a good article. Remember, your readers want to know all the
horrible details of the vampire attack, so make your story realistic!
111
This reader uses the EXPANSIVE READING approach, where the text
becomes a springboard to improve language skills and to explore historical
background, cultural connections and other topics suggested by the text.
The new structures introduced in this step of our R E A D I N G & T R A I N I N G
series are listed below. Naturally, structures from lower steps are included
too. For a complete list of structures used over all the six steps, see The
Black Cat Guide to Graded Readers, which is also downloadable at no cost
from our website, www.blackcat-cideb.com.
The vocabulary used at each step is carefully checked against vocabulary
lists used for internationally recognised examinations.
S te p T h re e B 1 .2
All the structures used in the previous levels, plus the following:
Verb tenses
Present Perfect Simple: unfinished past with for or since (duration form)
Past Perfect Simple: narrative
Modal verbs
Would: hypothesis
Would rather, preference
Should (present and future reference): moral obligation
Ought to (present and future reference): moral obligation
Used to: past habits and states
Types of clause
2nd Conditional: if + past, would(n’t)
Zero, 1st and 2nd conditionals with unless
Non-defining relative clauses with who and where
Clauses of result: so; so ... that; such ... that
Clauses of concession: although, though
Other
Comparison: (not) as / so ... as; (not) ... enough to; too ... to