The Secret Passage by ELI Publishing

ELT A2

Ned is not happy when his parents take him on holiday to a small mountain village – he wants to stay at home and play computer games – but the little village has a special secret, Ned just has to open his eyes!

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Typeset in 14 / 20 pt Monotype Plantin Schoolbook

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Printed in Italy by Tecnostampa Recanati - ERY409.10 ISBN 978-88-536-3160-2

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Eli Readers is a beautifully illustrated series of timeless classic and original stories for learners of English.

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S ER l. D e -2 .r. EA sag 60 I s I R as 31 EL EL t P 36e G cr -5 N e 88 U e S 78YO Th N 9

My name is Luigi and I live in Pesaro, in Italy. I love drawing and my work has been shown in many cities around the world – Tokyo, Addis Abeba, Helsinki and Mexico City. I teach illustration at the Art Institute in Bologna, Italy.

STAGE 1 STAGE 2 STAGE 3 STAGE 4

Graphic Design Sergio Elisei

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ELI Readers Founder and Series Editors Paola Accattoli, Grazia Ancillani, Daniele Garbuglia (Art Director)

Eli Design Department Valentina Mazzarini

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The Secret Passage by Paloma Bellini Activities by Elizabeth Ferretti Illustrated by Luigi Raffaelli

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Stage 4 A2

Ned is bored when his parents take him on holiday to the mountains, but there is an exciting adventure waiting for the boy from the city.

Original

Hello! My name is Paloma and I love writing stories and plays for children. I live in Amsterdam, a beautiful city in Holland. I love animals and nature and I get the ideas for my stories... when I am walking by the canals of Amsterdam.

Grammar and structures Stop/start +ing Adverbs Questions Modal verbs: want, must, have to, need to Comparatives/Superlatives

Paloma Bellini The Secret Passage

Vocabulary areas nature, weather, feelings, speaking verbs

The ELI Readers collection is a complete range of books and plays for readers of all ages, ranging from captivating contemporary stories to timeless classics. There are four series, each catering for a different age group: First ELI Readers, Young ELI Readers, Teen ELI Readers and Young Adult ELI Readers. The books are carefully edited and beautifully illustrated to capture the essence of the stories and plots.

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Syllabus

Young

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Young

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Paloma Bellini

The Secret Passage Illustrated by Luigi Raffaelli

his is the best day of Ned’s life. He is in his favourite place – his bedroom – playing his favourite game – Space Animals. After months of practice, playing four hours a day, he has got the highest score ever! He will be the best player in the world! Suddenly, Ned’s mum and dad come in to his room. They look happy.

‘You must start packing, Ned,’ says his mother, ‘We are leaving early tomorrow... the mountains, remember?’ ‘What!? I don’t want to go to the mountains! There is nothing to do there and I don’t know anyone.’ ‘The fresh air will be good for you,’ says Ned’s dad. ‘You spend too much time in your room.’ 3

Ned is very cross. ‘It’s not fair! It is totally boring in the mountains!’ ‘Why did we have to come here?’ Ned asks himself. ‘They don’t even have the Internet. All they have is snow and ice. I can’t live without my computer.’ It really is cold, there is an icy wind and it is snowing. The village is completely empty. No one is out in this weather! Ned is on his own and he is not happy.

Ned is so cross that he doesn’t see two children watching him from behind a tree. ‘He doesn’t look very happy,’ says the boy in the green jumper. ‘The lady at the hotel says he is called Ned and comes from London. He got here yesterday evening... he looks really bored,’ says the girl. ‘Hey Chrissie, shall we ask him to play with us?’ ‘That’s a great idea, Mark!’ says Chrissie, and she shouts out, ‘Hey Ned, don’t go into the woods on your own.’ 7

Ned stops and turns round. ‘Why can’t I go into the woods on my own?’ he asks, crossly. ‘Because there are dangerous animals in there,’ laughs Chrissie. ‘I don’t believe you.’ ‘It’s true,’ Chrissie replies. ‘They are very unfriendly! The only safe way through the woods is down the secret passage.’

‘Do you think I am completely stupid?’ asks Ned. ‘Don’t you believe me? OK, stay here alone in the snow, but we are going to the secret passage tomorrow!’ Chrissie and Mark start to go home. Ned thinks for a moment. ‘OK. I’ll come tomorrow,’ he says. ‘But if you’re lying, I’ll get really angry.’ ‘Oh, now I am scared!’ says Chrissie, smiling.

The next morning, Ned, Chrissie and Mark meet in the woods. With them is Simon, the village vet. ‘It’s so cold, here,’ complains Ned. ‘Does it never stop snowing?’ ‘And do you never stop complaining?’ asks Mark. Simon interrupts them. ‘Here it is. I’ll go in first.’ He disappears into a big hole in the trunk of a huge tree.

‘Is that the secret passage?’ asks Ned, disappointed. ‘That’s only a hole in an old tree!’ ‘Stop talking,’ says Mark. ‘You go next... and be careful where you put your feet.’

Ned is wrong, there is a tunnel under the tree. ‘Incredible!’ says Ned, ‘A real secret passage! We are under the trees in the wood. Look, here are the roots.’ ‘It’s an old mining tunnel,’ Simon explains. ‘He’s the only one who uses it now. He has a den at the end of the tunnel.’ ‘Who is ‘he’?’ asks Ned, suspiciously. ‘You’ll see...’ says Simon. ‘Be careful here! The tunnel slopes down steeply.’

He is right, it is very steep. Simon and the three children slip and slide down the tunnel. They start sliding faster and faster. Ned feels frightened. ‘When does this tunnel end?’ he shouts, but no one answers him. It is completely dark, he can’t see his friends anymore.