The gift

There were two men in a hospital room. One of them occupied the bed near the window. He could sit up on his bed for one hour each afternoon. The other man could not sit. They talked all the time. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their vacations, everything. Every afternoon, the man in the bed near the window would sit and describe to the other man all the things he could see outside the window. ”There’s a park across the street from the hospital. There is a lake in the park, with ducks and swans. Children are playing in the park.” The man in the other bed liked to listen to the descriptions. In fact, he began to live for those moments. He would close his eyes and imagine everything his friend was describing to him. One day, the man described a parade passing in the street. Although he couldn’t hear the band, he could imagine the parade. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths and saw that the man close to the window had died peacefully in his sleep. She called the hospital attendants and told them to take the body away. Later, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to move him to the bed near the window. He was eager to look through the window and see the world with his own eyes. He was shocked. There was only a blank wall outside. He asked the nurse why his friend had described such wonderful things when there was nothing but a wall outside. The nurse was surprised and responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.

READING COMPREHENSION

I) Answer the questions. Find the answers in the text:

1. Where does the story? ___________________________________________________________________________

2. Who are the three characters? _____________________________________________________________________

3. The man who was in bed by the window could sit. What he did when he sat down? ____________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. How did the man die? ____________________________________________________________________________

5. Which man was blind? ____________________________________________________________________________

6. Why was the other man shocked? ___________________________________________________________________

II) Write T for True or F for False according to the text:

1. ( ) The two men could sit in their beds.2. ( ) The two men were always talking.3. ( ) The man near the window described the things he saw outside. 4. ( ) The man far from the window did not like to listen to the descriptions.5. ( ) One day, the man far from the window heard a band playing.6. ( ) The nurse was a woman.7. ( ) The two men had families. 8. ( ) One day, the two men died.9. ( ) The other man asked to go to a different room.10. ( ) The nurse moved the other man to the bed near the window.

III) Match the columns according to the text:

1. The man who could sit2. The man who could not sit3. The nurse was happy4. The attendants5. The man was shocked

( ) took the body away.( ) because she could move the other man close to the window.

Teacher: Dayse Lopes

( ) because he could only see a wall outside.( ) was in the bed near the window.

( ) closed his eyes to imagine the scene in the street.

IV) Discuss with colleagues and find an explanation for the title of the story.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

WORD STUDY

I) Find the opposites:

1. far 2. later 3. to die 4. sad 5. outside ( ) to live( ) inside( ) happy( ) near( ) earlier

II) Find the synonyms:

1. answer2. began3. close (verb)4. empty5. close (adj.)

( ) shut( ) respond( ) near( ) blank( ) started

III) Complete the sentences with these words from the text:

attendants band bath across blind although

1. A _____________________ was playing in the stadium before the game.

2. _______________________ I studied a lot, I didn’t do well in the test.

3. Everybody must take a ___________________ every day.

4. The old man walked slowly ________________ the street.

5. The ___________________ boy reads books in Braile signs.

6. They work as flight ________________________________ in the airplane.

Teacher: Dayse Lopes