Make Your Way 6, Schulbuch mit Audio-CD und CD-ROM

A Victorian writer: Charles Dickens Read an extract from “Oliver Twist” by Victorian writer Charles Dickens. Bill Sikes, a thief and murderer, is being chased by an angry crowd because he has murdered a young woman. 24 Jacob’s Island, near the river Thames, is one of the poorest areas of London. It is full of narrow, muddy streets and poor and rough people. The houses are empty; the walls are falling down; the windows are windows no more; the doors are falling into the streets. These houses are owned by no-one and they are used as secret hide-outs by the worst men in London who wish to meet or live in secret, or want somewhere to die alone. In a room in such a house three criminals met to discuss how Fagin, the king of the London pickpockets, was arrested. “You should have heard the people scream,” said Kags, a robber of 50 with a broken nose and a frightening scar on his face. “The police fought like devils, or the people would have torn him to pieces. Poor old Fagin, he was down on the ground, all muddy and with blood on his hair and in his beard. The crowd were jumping and screaming that they would tear his heart out.” As the other two men sat in silence and stared at the floor, there was a noise on the stairs and Sikes’ dog ran into the room and collapsed on the floor. “Look at him,” said Chitling, a small, bald thief. “He’s all covered with mud, lame, half blind. He’s come a long way.” “But where is Sikes?” asked Toby Crackit, one of London’s best known burglars. “If the dog’s not with him he must have got out of town.” Suddenly there was a loud crash and a man ran in. The lower part of his face was covered in a handkerchief and another was tied over his head under his hat. He took them off to show a pale face, sunken eyes, hollow cheeks, and three days growth of beard. His breath came in short fast gasps. It was the very ghost of Sikes. He looked from one to the other. “Is it true that Fagin’s taken?” he gasped. They nodded. “And will you let me lie here until the hunt is over?” Toby opened his mouth to answer, but at that mo- ment the door again burst open and Charley Bates, one of Fagin’s boy pickpockets burst in and threw himself at Sikes, screaming “Monster, • Before reading the text in detail , read through it very quickly to discover who the main characters are. Put their names in the first column below: • Now read the text. When you have read it, do the multiple choice questions at the end. Name Description a boy pickpocket a well-known burglar a murderer a robber with a broken nose and a scar on his face a small, bald thief the king of the London pickpockets 47 2 Extensive unit 2: Victorian times Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv