Reading - Focus 3 - unit 6

Read the text. For questions 1-6, choose the correct answer. 

Dark Days

Beth had the fever, and was much sicker than anyone apart from Hannah and the doctor suspected. The girls knew nothing about illness, and Mr Laurence, their neighbour, was not allowed to see her, so Hannah did everything in her own way. Dr Bangs did his best but he left a lot of responsibilities to Hannah, who made an excellent nurse.

1 At the start of Dark Days, Hannah and the doctor were the only people who ...

Dark Days

Beth had the fever, and was much sicker than anyone apart from Hannah and the doctor suspected. The girls knew nothing about illness, and Mr Laurence, their neighbour, was not allowed to see her, so Hannah did everything in her own way. Dr Bangs did his best but he left a lot of responsibilities to Hannah, who made an excellent nurse.

2 Mr Laurence ...

Meg stayed at home so that she wouldn’t infect the family she worked for. She kept busy by doing the housework. She felt very anxious and a little guilty when she wrote letters in which no mention was made of Beth’s illness. She didn’t think it was right but she had promised to do as Hannah said, and Hannah wouldn’t hear of ‘Mrs March being told and worried just for such an unimportant matter.’ 

3 Meg ...

Meg stayed at home so that she wouldn’t infect the family she worked for. She kept busy by doing the housework. She felt very anxious and a little guilty when she wrote letters in which no mention was made of Beth’s illness. She didn’t think it was right but she had promised to do as Hannah said, and Hannah wouldn’t hear of ‘Mrs March being told and worried just for such an unimportant matter.’ 

4 Meg didn’t .....

Jo looked after Beth day and night, not a hard task, for Beth was very patient, and never complained about her pain as long as she could control herself. But there came a time when she almost lost her voice and tried to sing with a throat so swollen that there was no music left, a time when she did not know the familiar faces around her but called them the wrong names, and called out for her mother. Then Jo grew frightened, Meg begged to be allowed to write the truth, and even Hannah said she ‘would think of it, though there was no danger yet’. 

5 One reason why the girls knew that Beth was very ill was because ...

Jo looked after Beth day and night, not a hard task, for Beth was very patient, and never complained about her pain as long as she could control herself. But there came a time when she almost lost her voice and tried to sing with a throat so swollen that there was no music left, a time when she did not know the familiar faces around her but called them the wrong names, and called out for her mother. Then Jo grew frightened, Meg begged to be allowed to write the truth, and even Hannah said she ‘would think of it, though there was no danger yet’. 

6 When Beth’s illness got worse, ...