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174 1 Look at the words in the left column. Check the meaning in your dictionary. Match them with the defi nitions.

1 wealthy 2 involved 3 poison 4 Paris 5 tutor 6 mystery a the capital of France b a private teacher c taking part in something d a story or play about crime e a substance that can make you die f rich

2 Work in pairs. Ask and answer the following questions.

1 Do you know any books with a character called Hercule Poirot? 2 Have you ever read Death on the Nile? Have you seen the fi lm? 3 Have you seen any TV programmes about Hercule Poirot? Can you describe him? What does he look like? 4 Who created that character?

3 Look up some more words in the dictionary.

Match them with the defi nitions in the right column.

1 shy 2 attend 3 keep occupied 4 divorce 5 background 6 mind 7 screenplay 8 novel  an invented story long enough to fi ll a complete book  nervous and afraid to speak in the presence of others  the legal ending of a marriage  intelligence, cleverness  go regularly to a place  the part of a picture behind the main objects  the text (story) used in a fi lm  keep busy

4 Read the text.

PAGES4 READERS

A BIOGRAPHY OF AGATHA CHRISTIE

Agatha Christie was born in Devon, England, on the 15th of September, 1890, the youngest of three children in a wealthy family. As a child, she never attended school because her mother wanted her to be taught at home by a governess and tutors. She was a very shy child who learned very early to create games to keep herself occupied. She studied piano and music in Paris and later turned to writing.

In 1914, at the age of 24, she married Archie Christie, a World War I fi ghter pilot. During the First World War, Agatha worked as a nurse. It was while she was working in a hospital that Agatha Christie came up with the idea of writing a detective novel. In the hospital she learned a lot about drugs and poisons and she used this information in her novels. Her fi rst novel was published in 1920 and the main character was a Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. Christie wrote about 30 novels featuring Poirot. novels featuring Poirot. Among the most popular were Among the most popular were Murder on the Orient Express Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile.and Death on the Nile In 1926 Archie asked for a In 1926 Archie asked for a divorce and Agatha, feeling divorce and Agatha, feeling lost and upset, suddenly lost and upset, suddenly disappeared. For two weeks disappeared. For two weeks nobody knew where she was. nobody knew where she was. All of England became All of England became involved in the case of the involved in the case of the missing writer. Eventually, missing writer. Eventually, she was found in a small hotel, explaining

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to the police that she had lost her memory. Even today nobody knows exactly what happened to her during those two weeks. Her second marriage was to Max Mallowan, a young archaeologist whom she met on a trip to Baghdad. They went home to England on the Orient Express and got married in 1930. Christie and her husband travelled to the Middle East many times. These journeys created the background for several of her novels, for example Death on the Nile.

Another one of Christie’s well-known characters was introduced in The Murder at the Vicarage. It was Miss Jane Marple, an old lady who solved mysteries with her sharp mind and intuition.

During her life, Christie wrote over 70 novels and a number of short stories, plays and screenplays. Some of her novels have been made into successful fi lms. Her work has been translated into more than a hundred languages and she is the most popular mystery writer of all times. Agatha Christie died on the 12th January, 1976, at the age of 85.

5 Work in pairs.

Ask and answer the questions.

1 When was Agatha Christie born? 2 Was she an only child? 3 Did she attend school? 4 What was she like as a child? 5 What did she study in Paris? 6 Who was her fi rst husband? 7 When did she start writing detective novels? 8 What happened in 1926? 9 How did she meet her second husband? 10 Where did she often travel? 11 Who were her most popular characters? 12 How old was she when she died?

6 Say something about PAGES4 READERS

these names that are mentioned in the text. 7 Fill in the factfi le on Agatha Christie in your notebook.

DEVON ARCHIE CHRISTIE PARIS HERCULE POIROT

MAX MALLOWAN THE ORIENT EXPRESS THE MIDDLE EAST MISS JANE MARPLE

BORN: .................... .................... DIED: .................... .................... FAMILY: .................. .................. EDUCATION: ............... ............... JOBS: .................... .................... MARRIAGES: ............... ............... FAMOUS NOVELS: ........... ........... FAMOUS CHARACTERS: ....... ....... LITERARY WORK: ........... ...........

8 Talk about Agatha Christie using the information from the factfi le. using the information from the factfi le. 9 Work in pairs. Ask your partner and report back.

1 Where were you born? 2 How many children are there in your family? 3 Are you shy? 4 What school do you attend? 5 Do you like mystery novels and fi lms? Who is your favourite character? 6 Have you ever left your country? 7 Where did you go? 8 Where would you like to travel? 9 Do you sometimes travel by train? 10 How do you keep yourself occupied when you travel somewhere?

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