1. Chemical Secret STAGE 3Before ReadingCHAPTERS 3 AND 4 WHILE READING1 The company had brought four hundred new jobs toACTIVITIES ANSWERSthe town.BEFORE READING ACTIVITIES (PAGE 60)2 The waste products from the factory went into theACTIVITY 1 BEFORE READING river.Encourage students to speculate. Right answers do 3 The factory was two kilometres from the sea.not matter at this stage but the yes answers are4 The towns drinking water came from the river fiveprobably 2, 4, and 5. kilometres upstream.5 John had spilt some of the waste products on hisACTIVITY 2 BEFORE READINGleg, but was not very worried about it.Encourage students to speculate but do not tell 6 John bought a boat for his children.them the answers. 7 When Mary came to dinner, the evening went badly.1 John Duncan doesnt tell the truth about his job. 8 Everybody enjoyed watching the seals on the2 The chemical factory kills some animals.sandbank.3 John Duncan loses his job at the chemical factory.4 By the end of the story John Duncan is a poor man.CHAPTERS 5 AND 6 WHILE READINGSeveral experiments were done on rats to test the wasteACTIVITY 3 BEFORE READINGproducts which are produced by the factory. TheseEncourage students to think about different types ofchemicals are diluted and on most days less than twoguilt, in order to prepare them for thinking aboutparts per million go into the river. Two groups ofJohn Duncan at the end of the story is he guilty, mother rats were given drinking water which containedand if so, what is he guilty of?the waste products: the first group had five parts perSome ideas for the discussion:million; the second group had two parts per million.When the baby rats were born, in the first group somekills her husbands lover) is guilty of deliberatehad no eyes, some had no ears, and some had six legs.intentional murder, but has the excuse of being In the second group some were born without legs.provoked. These results show that it is not safe to put thesechemicals in the river. The company must buildbut the death of the victim is equally tragic.machines to clean up the waste products before theyleave the factory.killed no one directly, but shares in the guilt of themurder and may be putting other victims at risk byBEFORE READING CHAPTER 7keeping silent. Encourage speculation. The one yes answer isnumber 5.While Reading CHAPTERS 7 TO 10 WHILE READING3+8Although John didnt want Christine to marryCHAPTERS 1 AND 2 WHILE READING Simon, in the end he agreed to the marriage.1 How . . .? Forty-five.10+4 Mary liked John and felt sorry for him, but she2 What . . .? Biology and boats. was pleased that he hadnt asked her to marry3 Why . . .? Because he started a boat-buildinghim.business with his wife. 6+1 Christine did not believe her father when he4 What . . .? She died in a storm in a sailing race. told her that the river water was not dangerous.5 Why . . .? To make sure that everything in thefactory was safe / to tell the government that it was the pipe in order to stop the chemicals goingsafe to work there and safe to have a paint factory into the river. Oxford University Pressnear the town.2+7 Christine was unconscious when she fell in the6 How . . .? He disliked him because Wilson maderiver so she nearly drowned before Simon savedhim feel uncomfortable and seemed to enjoy making her.people feel small.BEFORE READING CHAPTER 117 How . . .? Two years.Open answers. Encourage speculation.8 Why . . .? Because her father had never had enoughmoney to pay for it.OXFORD BOOKWORMS LIBRARY STAGE 3 13CHEMICAL SECRETXXX

2. CHAPTERS 11 AND 12 WHILE READING John Duncan was a bad father because . . . 1 Because David Wilson told him he would lose hishe told them lies about his job. job if he didnt.he put money before honesty. 2 Because he had been in Scotland with Mary that in his job, he did not stop the river being dangerous weekend. for his daughter and her baby. 3 The newspaper with the report about ChristineACTIVITIES ANSWERSACTIVITY 3 AFTER READING nearly drowning in the river. 4 Because he told the enquiry that he was worried6 W IL SO N : Hello, Mary, what can I do for you? about Christines baby, and that the chemicals were3 M ARY : Ive come to tell you that Im leaving, David. dangerous.12 W IL SO N : Leaving? But why? 5 Because Christine wouldnt see him, or speak to him5 M ARY : You know why. Because of the waste on the phone, or answer his letters.products that are going into the river. 6 He was afraid that Christines baby would be born7 W IL SO N : Oh, them! Mary, Ive told you, those with no eyes or ears or legs, like the baby rats. chemicals arent dangerous!2 M ARY : Yes, they are. Look at those baby rats!9 W IL SO N : But theyre rats, Mary, not people. And After Reading nobody drinks water from the river mouth. You know that! ACTIVITY 1 AFTER READING1 M ARY : The seals do. And look at their babies. Yesterday a young woman nearly drowned in the8 W IL SO N : Seals! Who cares about a few seals? river when she was sailing with her husband and two 15 M ARY : I care. I care about everything in the river. friends near the paint factory. Christine MacDonald, 4 W IL SO N : OK, so you care. But what can I do about aged 18, was hit on the back of the head by a sail andit? was unconscious when she fell into the water. Her 10 M ARY : You can buy machines to take out some of body began to float downstream, towards the sea,the chemicals before the waste products go into but a man from the factory shouted a warning, and the river. her husband, Simon MacDonald, swam after her and13 W IL SO N : No, I cant, Mary. The company cant managed to pull her out onto the river bank further afford them. downstream. 11 M ARY : So the seals have to die because you cantMrs MacDonald is the daughter of John Duncan,afford the machines? who is the chief biologist at the paint factory. His16 W IL SO N : Yes. People come first, Mary. Four hundred people work here. Thats what I worry about environmental group which believes that chemicals in their jobs! the factorys waste products are killing the baby seals.14 M ARY : Well, you dont have to worry about my She and her friends put bags of cement into the job any more, David. Im leaving tomorrow. factorys waste pipe to stop the chemicals going into the river. Mrs Macdonald is going to have a baby andACTIVITY 4 AFTER READING doctors are very worried because she drank a lot ofSir: your article yesterday about our factory contained water from the river near the factory. some information which was completely untrue, andI wonder where your journalist got his facts from. ACTIVITY 2 AFTER READINGScientists do not yet know why the seals are dying. Students may come up with their own ideas during Although our factory puts some waste products into discussion, but here are some suggestions: the river, it is less than two parts per million, and a lot John Duncan was a good father because . . .more waste comes from the sewage works. It is also he liked to talk to his children.untrue to say that the river water is unsafe for people. he looked after his children when their mother had All the towns drinking water comes from five died.kilometres upstream, so nobody can drink water he got a good job because he wanted them to go which contains our waste products. skiing, to have a good home, and to have a boat andOur company cares about this town because a lot of Oxford University Press a horse. our workers live here. We have created four hundred he spent time with his children he went sailingnew jobs since we came here ten years ago. We can with them. clean up the waste if we spend two million pounds on he was pleased when his daughter got married, andmachines to do it, but that would mean fewer jobs for tried to help her. the people of this town. he was worried about his daughters baby.David Wilson,Managing Director, Wiltech Paints OXFORD BOOKWORMS LIBRARY STAGE 3 14CHEMICAL SECRET XXX 3. ACTIVITY 5 AFTER READINGEncourage students to discuss and give reasons fortheir opinions.ACTIVITY 6 AFTER READINGPossible answers:1 If I get this job at the paint factory, Ill be able to ACTIVITIES ANSWERSbuy a nice house / Ill be able to give my childrenanything they want / well all live well and go onholidays.2 If Mary likes my children, perhaps shell marry me /Ill ask her to marry me.3 If the baby rats are born healthy, everything will befine / the river water will be safe / there wont be aproblem.4 If Wilson agrees to build the machines, well cleanup the river / the river water will be safe and clean.5 If I leave this job, Ill never get another job / I wonthave any money / well all be poor again.6 If I stay here and say nothing, Ill keep my job / wewont be poor / nobody will know that the river isdangerous.7 It was a terrible mistake to take this job in the firstplace / stay in the job when Wilson refused to buildthe machines / say nothing to Christine and Simonabout the problem / agree to write to the newspapersfor David Wilson / agree to speak at the enquiry.Encourage students to discuss what John Duncansbiggest mistake was.ACTIVITY 7 AFTER READINGEncourage students to use their imagination andinvent their own ideas. Oxford University PressOXFORD BOOKWORMS LIBRARY STAGE 315 CHEMICAL SECRETXXX