A2+ The Invisible Man
A2+ The Invisible Man
A2+ The Invisible Man
R A I N B O W S
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
4
The first group includes his scientific or fantasy novels,
in the style of Jules Verne, but at a higher artistic level.
Together with the French writer, he is called the “father of
science fiction5”. His first novels were: The Time Machine
(1895), followed by The Island of Dr Moreau (1896), The
Invisible Man (1897), The War of the Worlds (1898), When
the Sleeper Wakes (1899), The First Men in the Moon (1901).
These novels are about the possible dangers of science or
creatures6 from different worlds. These works are considered
an early sign of Wells’s later worries7 about the social and
political situation.
The second group includes comic novels, such as Love and
Mrs Lewisham (1900), Kipps (1905) and The History of Mr
Polly (1910).
The third and last group includes novels of ideas, which
have educational and moralistic purposes8: A Modern Utopia
(1905), Tono-Bungay (1909), The New Machiavelli (1911),
Mrs Britling Sees It Through (1916), Men Like Gods (1923),
The World of William Clissold (1926).
Wells’s best works are certainly the scientific or fantasy
novels of the first period and some of the comic novels. Today
his novels of ideas are not generally read and are considered
out of date9.
Wells died on 13th August, 1946.
5
The arrival of the stranger
BEFORE READING
1 Chapter
1 Label the picture below with the different parts of the human body.
Choose from the words in the box.
....................... .......................
.......................
.......................
.......................
.......................
2 Look at the clothes below and match each word in the box with the
correct picture.
1. stranger: a person that you do not the night, usually in the countryside.
know. 4. lenses: curved pieces of glass that
2. coach: make things look larger.
5. landlady: a woman who owns or
manages a pub or an inn.
6. lay: to prepare, to set.
7. was burning: was on fire; produced
flames.
3. inn: a pub where you can stay for 8. brusquely: in a quick and rude way.
7
The Invisible Man
Mrs Hall went back into the kitchen. After a few minutes, she
realised9 that the guest had no water to drink, so she went back to
his room. She knocked at10 the door and entered without waiting
for an answer. The stranger was sitting at the table and was eating
his meal. She saw that he had white bandages11 all around his
head. He was still wearing his gloves and dark glasses. His strange
pink nose came out of the bandages. His coat and hat were on a
chair in front of the fire.
“May I take your hat and coat and dry them now?” she said.
“Leave the hat on the chair,” the stranger said.
His voice was not clear because he held a piece of cloth on his
mouth. Mrs Hall saw all those bandages and said,
“Oh, I’m sorry… I didn’t know, sir…, I’ll go and dry your coat.”
“Very well, thank you,” the man said coldly.
Mrs Hall went back into the kitchen and said to Millie, her
maid12,
“That poor man had an accident or an operation. He’s got
bandages all around his head! And he wears gloves and dark
glasses all the time.”
When Mrs Hall went back to the room to clear13 the table, the
man said to her,
“I have some luggage14 at the station. Can I have it here?”
“Of course, sir. You will have it tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? Can’t I have it before tonight?”
“No, I’m sorry. It’s a dangerous road with all this snow.
Accidents, sir, may happen in a moment. And it takes a long time
to get better. Isn’t that true, sir? I think you know what I mean…”
“Yes,” the man said brusquely.
Mrs Hall thought that the stranger did not want to talk about
accidents, operations and bandages. So she went downstairs.
8
Illustration by Carlo Nicco, Paravia, 1925
The Invisible Man
15. repairer: a person that fixes things. 17. shocked: surprised and worried.
16. suddenly: quickly and in a not 18. scientist: an expert that studies or
expected way. works in one of the sciences.
19. contain: to have inside.
10
C. Rain in The Invisible Man by J. Whale, Universal Pictures, 1933
11
The Invisible Man
Later, Mrs Hall took dinner to the stranger. He turned his head
and immediately turned it away again. He was not wearing his
glasses. It seemed to her25 that he had black holes in the place of
his eyes! He put on his glasses again and then turned back again.
“You must knock at the door before coming in! Is that clear?”
he said in a very angry voice.
“I knocked, but you didn’t answer,” Mrs Hall said a little
annoyed26.
“Perhaps you did, but when I am concentrating27 on my work,
I can’t hear anything. If someone comes in, they disturb me. So I
will lock the door now,” the man said.
“All right, sir, as you like,” Mrs Hall said annoyed and went out.
All afternoon he worked in silence with the door locked.
Suddenly, Mrs Hall heard the sound of bottles and then a very
loud noise. She decided to go upstairs and check. She went to the
door and heard these words,
“I can’t go on,” the man was saying. “No, I can’t go on living
like this all my life! I’m a fool, a fool! But I must be patient…”
25. it seemed to her: she had the impression. 27. concentrate: to direct your attention
26. annoyed: angry, irritated. towards a particular activity.
13
AFTER READING • The arrival of the stranger
WORKING ON VOCABULARY
1 Chapter
a b c
............................ ............................
d e f
WORKING ON GRAMMAR
WORKING ON SKILLS
1 Chapter
Listening
6 Key for schools LISTENING PART 3 You will hear Mr Hall talking to
Henfrey, the clock repairer, about the stranger. For each question,
choose the correct answer.
1. Many people think that .................... has problems at home.
a. Henfrey b. Hall c. Hall’s wife
2. Henfrey says that Mr Hall’s guest is .................... .
a. strange b. a stranger c. stronger
3. The stranger is covered with bandages, wears dark glasses ................... .
a. but is polite b. and is polite c. and is not polite
4. Henfrey says that Mr Hall should at least know his guest’s .................... .
a. face b. name c. address
5. Henfrey says that tomorrow morning many .................... are arriving.
a. bags and suitcases b. empty suitcases c. serious problems
Writing
7 What is the stranger wearing and carrying when he enters the inn?
Write a short paragraph of about 50 words in your exercise book.
Speaking
8 PAIR WORK. Student A: you are Mr Hall. You have heard about the
stranger from Mr Henfrey, the clock repairer. Ask Mrs Hall questions
about the new guest.
Student B: you are Mrs Hall. Tell your husband what you know about
the stranger.
Start like this:
Mr Hall: What do you know about our guest?
Henfrey says that he’s very strange.
Mrs Hall: I don’t know much about him. I only
know that he’s here in Iping to work on some
experiments.
Some ideas:
Mr Hall: Ask what the stranger looks like.
Mrs Hall: Answer that you have never seen his face and talk about his
bandages, hat, glasses, gloves, etc.
Mr Hall: Bandages!? Ask what happened to him.
Mrs Hall: Answer that you think he had an accident or an operation.
15
E X T E N S I O N
A stranger opened the door of the “Coach and Horses”, an inn in the
village of Iping. This is one of the first sentences of this novel, written
by H.G. Wells in 1897. At the end of the 19th century, railways were
present in many towns. There were only a few inns that gave assistance
to a coach and its horses.These inns were mainly2 in small villages, like
Iping. Very often the inn continued to have the same traditional name
although3 there was no assistance anymore.
1. stagecoach: (in the past) a covered 3. although: despite the fact that.
vehicle pulled by horses that carried 4. in stages: in a series of separate steps
passengers, goods and often mail, rather than all at one time.
along a regular route. 5. lasted: went on for (a certain period of
2. mainly: principally, generally. time).
16
A stagecoach that carried passengers and mail (17th century).
The first half of the 19th century was the ‘golden age’ of the
stagecoach – they travelled at around 12 miles (about 20 km) per6 hour.
The stagecoach was also
important for the postal
service.
The main function
of inns was to give fresh
horses. But they were also
restaurants, hotels, travel
agencies and sometimes
post offices. The person in
charge of 7 an inn was often
a woman (landlady). Some
inns were famous for their
good service and food.
The arrival of the A stagecoach of the 18th century.
train ended the era8 of the
stagecoaches by around
1850, except in some
parts of the countryside.
About seventy years later,
travelling by car became
popular and so many old
inns began to live again.
17
R A I N B O W S
A2+
ELEMENTARY
Approx. number of head-words: 700
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