From LORD OF THE FLIES by W. GOLDING

І. ЧИТАННЯ

First introduced in 1927, The Hardy Boys Mystery Stories are a series of books about the adventures of brothers Frank and Joe Hardy, teenaged detectives who solve one baffling mystery after another. The Hardy Boys were so popular among young boys that in 1930 a similar series was created for girls featuring a sixteen-year-old detective named Nancy Drew. The cover of each volume of The Hardy Boys states that the author of the series is Franklin W. Dixon; the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories are supposedly written by Carolyn Keene. Over the years, though, many fans of both series have been surprised to find out that Franklin W. Dixon and Carolyn Keene are not real people. If Franklin W. Dixon and Carolyn Keene never existed, then who wrote The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mysteries?

The Hardy Boys and the Nancy Drew books were written through a process called ghostwriting. A ghostwriter writes a book according to a specific formula. While ghostwriters are paid for writing the books, their authorship is not acknowledged, and their names do not appear on the published books. Ghostwriters can write books for children or adults, the content of which is unspecific. Sometimes they work on book series with a lot of individual titles, such as The Hardy Boys and the Nancy Drew series.

The initial idea for both The Hardy Boys and the Nancy Drew series was developed by a man named Edward Stratemeyer, who owned a publishing company that specialized in children’s books. Stratemeyer noticed the increasing popularity of mysteries among adults, and surmised that children would enjoy reading mysteries about younger detectives with whom they could identify. Stratemeyer first developed each book with an outline describing the plot and setting. Once he completed the outline, Stratemeyer then hired a ghostwriter to convert it into a book of slightly over 200 pages. After the ghostwriter had written a draft of a book, he or she would send it back to Stratemeyer, who would make a list of corrections and mail it back to the ghostwriter. The ghostwriter would revise the book according to Stratemeyer’s instructions and then return it to him. Once Stratemeyer approved the book, it was ready for publication.

Because each series ran for so many years, Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys both had a number of different ghostwriters producing books; however, the first ghostwriter for each series proved to be the most influential. The initial ghostwriter for The Hardy Boys was a Canadian journalist named Leslie McFarlane. A few years later, Mildred A. Wirt, a young writer from Iowa, began writing the Nancy Drew books. Although they were using prepared outlines as guides, both McFarlane and Wirt developed the characters themselves. The personalities of Frank and Joe Hardy and Nancy Drew arose directly from McFarlane’s and Wirt’s imaginations. For example, Mildred Wirt had been a star college athlete and gave Nancy similar athletic abilities. The ghostwriters were also responsible for numerous plot and setting details. Leslie McFarlane used elements of his small Canadian town to create Bayport, the Hardy Boys’ fictional hometown.

Although The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books were very popular with children, not everyone approved of them. Critics thought their plots were unrealistic and even far-fetched, since most teenagers did not experience the adventures Frank and Joe Hardy or Nancy Drew did. The way the books were written also attracted criticism. Many teachers and librarians objected to the ghostwriting process, claiming it was designed to produce books quickly rather than create quality literature. Some libraries—including the New York Public Library—even refused to include the books in their children’s collections. Ironically, this decision actually helped sales of the books, because children simply purchased them when they were unavailable in local libraries.

Regardless of the debates about their literary merit, each series of books has exerted an undeniable influence on American and even global culture. Most Americans have never heard of Edward Stratemeyer, Leslie McFarlane, or Mildred Wirt, but people throughout the world are familiar with Nancy Drew and Frank and Joe Hardy.

Questions

1)According to the passage, the Nancy Drew mystery series was introduced in

A. 1925

B. 1927

C. 1929

D. 1930

2)Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

A. Ghostwriting: A Way of Life

B. Who Were Leslie McFarlane and Mildred A. Wirt?

C. The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew: Ghostwriting a Series

D. The Dubious yet Profitable Practice of Ghostwriting

3)According to the passage, which of the following people was a real writer?

A. Carolyn Keene

B. Franklin W. Dixon

C. Leslie McFarlane

D. Tom Hardy

4)According to the passage, a ghostwriter is someone who

I. writes about mysterious or strange events

II. does not receive credit as the author

III. bases his or her books on predetermined guidelines

A. I only

B. I and II only

C. II and III only

D. I, II, and III

5)As used in paragraph 3, which is the best definition for surmised?

A. guessed

B. questioned

C. knew

D. proved

6)According to the passage, The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books were created based on the idea that

I. mystery books for adults are popular

II. children enjoy reading about characters they can relate to

III. girls and boys are not interested in the same things

A. I only

B. I and II only (CORRECT)

C. II and III only

D. I, II, and III

7)Based on information in the passage, it can be inferred that Leslie McFarlane and Mildred Wirt

A. disliked writing according to a specific formula

B. respected the art of ghostwriting

C. were unsuccessful in their previous occupations

D. found it helpful to write from personal experience

8)According to the passage, some teachers and librarians objected to ghostwritten books such as The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Mystery Stories because they

A. disapproved of mystery stories

B. thought the books were too expensive

C. believed the books were not quality literature

D. disliked Edward Stratemeyer’s questionable business practices

9)Which of the following best describes the author's attitude toward The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew book series?

A. balanced and respectful

B. doubtful and critical

C. hostile but forgiving

D. overwhelmingly praising

10)Which of the following best describes the structure of this passage?

A. introduction, explanation, history, controversy, conclusion

B. introduction, history, controversy, explanation, conclusion

C. history, explanation, summary, conclusion, controversy

D. history, controversy, explanation, summary, conclusion

ІІ. АУДІЮВАННЯ

From LORD OF THE FLIES by W. GOLDING

Glossary: scar - круча, скеля; canopy - навіс, тент; flaunt - розмахувати; susurration - шепіт, легке шарудіння; riotous - буйний, гамірний; sepal - бот. чашолистик.

Simon, whom they expected to find there, was not in the bathing-pool.

When the other two had trotted down the beach to look back at the mountains he had followed them for a few yards and then stopped. He had stood frowning down at a pile of sand on the beach where somebody had been trying to build a little house or hut. Then he turned his back on this and walked into the forest with an air of purpose. He was a small, skinny boy, his chin pointed, and his eyes so bright they had deceived one into thinking him delightfully gay and wicked. The coarse mopof black hair was long and swung down, almost concealing a low, broad forehead. He wore the remains of shorts and his feet were bare. Simon was burned by the sun to a deep tan that glistenedwith sweat.

He picked his way up the scar,then turned off to his right among the trees. He walked with an accustomed treadthrough the acresof fruit trees, where the least energetic could find an easy if unsatisfying meal. Flower and fruit grew together on the same tree and everywhere was the scent of ripeness and the blooming of a million bees at pasture.

Simon went where the just perceptiblepath led him. Soon high jungle closed in. Tall trunks bore unexpected pale flowers all the way up to the dark canopy.The air here was dark too, and the creepers dropped their ropes. His feet left prints in the soft soil.

He came at last to a place where more sunshine fell. Since they had not so far to go for light the creepers had woven a great mat that hung at the side of an open space in the jungle; for here a patch of rock came close to the surface and would not allow more than little plants and ferns grow. The whole space was walled with dark aromatic bushes, and was a bowl of heat and light. A great tree, fallen across one corner, leaned against the trees that still stood and a rapid climber flauntedred and yellow sprays right to the top.

Simon paused. He looked over his shoulder and glanced swiftly round to confirmthat he was utterly alone. He bent down and wormedhis way into the centre of the mat. The creepers and the bushes were so close that he left his sweat on them and they pulled together behind him.

When he was secure in the middle he was in a little cabin screened off from the open space by a few leaves. He parted the leaves and looked out into the clearing. Nothing moved but a pair of butterflies that danced round each other in the hot air. Holding his breath he cockeda critical ear at the sounds of the island. Evening was advancing towards the island; the sounds of the bright fantastic birds, the bee-sounds, even the crying of the gullsthat were returning to their roosts among the square rocks, were fainter. The deep sea breaking miles away on the reef made an undertone less perceptible than the susurration of the blood.

Simon dropped the screen of leaves back into place. The slope of the bars of honey-coloured sunlight decreased; they slid up the bushes, passed over the green candle-like buds, moved up towards the canopy, and darkness thickened under the trees. With the fading of the light the riotous colours died and the heat cooled away. The candle-buds stirred. Their green sepals drew back a little and the white tips of the flowers rose delicately to meet the open air. Now the sunlight had lifted clear of the open space and withdrawn from the sky. Darkness poured out, submerging the ways between the trees till they were dim and strange as the bottom of the sea. The candle-buds opened their wide white flowers glimmeringunder the light that pricked down from the first stars. Their scent spilled out into the air and took possession of the island.

Section 1.True or False Statements (+/-). Listen to the story and decide which of these statements are true and which of them are false. Mark your answers on the Answer Sheet.

1.There was a pile of sand on the beach, as if somebody had been trying to build a little hut.

2.Simon had no definite purpose before walking into the forest.

3.Simon went up the mountain where he saw flower and fruit grow together on the same tree.

4.Only after Simon had looked over his shoulder, he wormed his way into the centre of the mat.

5.It was an early morning.. The crying of the gulls were heard from the square rocks.

6.Simon lifted the screen of leaves.