Sunday, February 2, 2014

Julie's Childhood Home Back in Belgium


Julie, a student in Mr. Trego's class, wrote several paragraphs about the place where she grew up.  Mr. Trego's students read the story, and they wrote a quiz about it. First read the questions. Then find the answers in the text below.         
1.     Do you think Julie went up to the fifth floor very often?
2.     Did Julie’s family own their place?
3.     Did Julie’s apartment have an elevator?
4.     Did Julie have her own bedroom?
5.     How many bedrooms did Julie’s place have?
6.     Was there a bathroom in Julie’s apartment?
7.     Do you think the courtyard was so pretty before Julie’s family lived there?
8.     Was it easy for Julie to shop for groceries?
9.     If Julie needed to go to the doctor, would it be difficult for her to get there?
10.   Was Julie’s neighborhood very quiet?
11.   What did Julie enjoy doing in her spare time?
12.   Was the bathroom busy after Julie finished washing up in the morning?
12a. Was her building modern?

Julie's Childhood Home Back in Belgium

     I lived in Chaud-Fontaine, Belgium, before I came to the U.S.  When I was young, I didn’t know it, but we were poor. Our apartment was three floors up, so we got lots of exercise walking up and down the stairs.  My parents had one of the bedrooms, so we all had to share the other. I used to get up really early so I could use the bathroom before the neighbors did. 
     The building was located in a suburb of Liège, Belgium.  Across the street from us, there was a doctor’s office, and next-door there was a vegetable market. 
     In back of the building, there was a small courtyard (庭 院, patio, внутренний двор). The landlord 男房东, casero, dueño, домовладелец, хозяин) let me plant some flowers back there.  In the summer, I loved to sit on the bench and read. It was nice to escape (逃避…, 回避…, escaparse, evadir, уклоняться) from all the noise.  I also liked living there because my best friend lived on the fifth floor.





1.      Yes, I do. Her best friend lived on the fifth floor.
2.      No, they didn't. They had a landlord.
3.      No, it didn't. They had to walk up the stairs.
4.      No, she didn't. She and her siblings (brothers and sisters) had to share a bedroom.
5.      Two. Her parents had one bedroom, and she and her siblings shared the other one.
6.      No, there wasn't. They had to share a bathroom with the neighbors, so it was probably in the hall.
7.      No, I don't. Julie planted flowers in the courtyard. Before that, there probably weren't any flowers.
8.      Yes, it was. There was a vegetable market next-door.
9.      No, it wouldn't. A doctor's office was located across the street.
10.   No, it wasn't. She mentioned (talked about) "all the noise."
11.   She enjoyed gardening (working in the garden) and reading.
12.   Yes, it was. After she used it, they neighbors used it.
12a. No, it wasn't. It didn't have an elevator. In addition (also), her family's apartment didn't have a private bathroom; they had to share one with their neighbors.


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