News-based English language activities from the global newspaper Page 1

February 2010
Level ≥ Advanced
Style ≥ Individual or group activities
Welcome to the Guardian Weekly’s special news-based materials to support learners and teachers of
English. Each month, the Guardian Weekly newspaper selects topical news articles that can be used to
practise English language skills. The materials are graded for two levels: Advanced and Lower Intermediate.
These worksheets can be downloaded free from guardianweekly.co.uk/learningenglish/. You can also
find more advice for teachers and learners from the Guardian Weekly’s Learning English section on the site.
Materials prepared by Janet Hardy-Gould

New York cabbie returns $21,000 left on his back seat

Driven by conscience ... a taxi cruises the streets of New York Corbis

2 Look at the headline, photo and caption of the

Before reading
1 Work with a partner. Ask and answer questions
using the phrases below. Explain any details to your
partner.
Have you ever …?
a lost anything valuable?
b had something important returned to you?
c returned a lost item to somebody?
d been given a reward for returning something?
Share any stories with the class.
article. Underline the key words. Work in small
groups. How do you think the following words fit
into the article? Write your own brief story.
Italian tourist, Christmas Eve, bag, rummage,
jewellery, cash, address, long trip, knocks,
unanswered, note, mobile phone number,
honesty, offer, reward, decline
≥2
News-based English language activities from the global newspaper Page 2

February 2010

7 Despite conceding that such a large amount

Article of money would have allowed him to focus on
New York cabbie returns his studies, Asadujjaman insisted he was not
tempted to keep it: “My heart said this is not
$21,000 left on his back seat good.” He also declined the reward the Lettieri
family offered him.
1 Mohammad Asadujjaman’s mother may not have
taught him the quickest routes through the mean
8 Pure-hearted taxi drivers are not as rare as
streets of the Big Apple. But she does appear
some might think. Two years ago, the Grammy-
to have imbued the 28-year-old New York taxi
nominated violinist Philippe Quint left his $4m
driver with an even greater gift: incorruptible
Stradivarius in a New Jersey taxi after flying in to
honesty.
Newark airport at 3am.
2 On finding that an Italian tourist had left a
9 Despite fearing that he would never see his
handbag containing more than $21,000 in cash
285-year-old violin again, Quint was eventually
– not to mention jewellery worth thousands
informed by the airport that the driver,
more – on his backseat on Christmas Eve, the
Mohammed Khalil, had returned the precious
Bangladesh-born cabbie knew exactly what to
instrument.
do.
Sam Jones and agencies
3 He rummaged through the bag until he found an
address in Long Island. He then embarked on a
80km trip in the hope of handing over his find to
someone who knew his fare, 72-year-old Felicia
Lettieri from Pompeii in Italy. But when his
knocks at the house belonging to Lettieri’s sister,
Francesca, went unanswered, Asadujjaman left
his mobile phone number and a note reading:
“Don’t worry, Felicia … I’ll keep it safe.”

4 A little while later the phone rang and he headed Glossary

back to the Long Island address to return the bag
cabbie (noun) an informal word for a taxi driver
and keep his word. “They were so, so, so happy,”
imbue (verb) to fill someone with strong values or
said Asadujjaman, a student who began driving a
opinions
cab about three months ago after his hours were incorruptible (adjective) not able to be persuaded to
cut back at a factory. do something dishonest
absentmindedness (noun) a tendency to forget things
5 Felicia Lettieri’s absentmindedness had briefly because you are not thinking about what is around you,
threatened to ruin the family’s holiday. Police but about something else
advised the tourists they had little chance of
recovering the lost goods. Francesca Lettieri said
Asadujjaman’s honesty had averted disaster. “We
really love what he did,” she told Newsday.

6 The cabbie shrugged off the incident, saying he

had been taught not to take advantage of people.
“My mother is my inspiration,” he said. “She
always said, be honest and work hard.” ≥3
News-based English language activities from the global newspaper Page 3

February 2010

While reading After reading

1 Read the whole text. Then work in your groups 1 What do these words refer back to in the text?
and look back at your story from Before Reading Paragraph numbers in brackets. Why does the writer
exercise 2. In what ways were your ideas similar or use these words?
different to the article? a … in the hope of handing over his find … (3).

2 Read this summary. Quickly find and correct 10

mistakes.

It was the day after Christmas. Student Mohammad

Asadujjaman had only been driving a New York taxi for

b … to someone who knew his fare … (3)
a couple of months when he found a parcel full of cash

left on the dashboard. He wasn’t sure what to do but

decided to look inside.

c … they had little chance of recovering the lost

goods. (5)
He found an address in New Jersey and embarked

on a 100km trip to find the owner Francesca Lettieri.

She wasn’t at home but he left a long letter and later

received a phone call. He drove back to the address and

d … the cabbie shrugged off the incident …(6)
returned the lost item. The Lettieri family offered him a

reward which he gratefully accepted.

3 Read the article again. Write the paragraph numbers

next to these titles. e … had returned the precious instrument. (9)
a The desperate search for the owner
b The lost instrument reappears
c You probably won’t get it back
d A mother’s gift to her son: honesty
e A valuable find on the rear seat
f Another tale of a truthful cabbie
g I had no thought of keeping it
h Bag and owner reunited
i It was nothing really
≥4
News-based English language activities from the global newspaper Page 4

February 2010

2 Look back at the phrasal verbs below in the context

of the article. What do you think they mean? Then Activity
use the phrasal verbs to complete the sentences. Imagine you are a reporter on a New York
embark on (3), hand over (3), head back (4), cut back newspaper. You want to interview the taxi driver
(4), shrug off (6) and write a follow-up article. Work in pairs.
a In the recession the company decided to a Write 10 questions to ask the driver. You want to find
on the number of out more about his background, personality, plans for
employees. the future and how his life has changed – for example,
b The taxi driver couldn’t has he now become well-known?
the bag to Lettieri on his first trip. b Work with your partner. Take it in turns to play the
c The cabbie was very modest and chose to role of the taxi driver/reporter. The reporter needs to
the whole story. take notes.
d The Italian visitor now wants to c Use your notes to write a short article. Include an
to Pompeii. eye-catching headline and five paragraphs about: a the
e The driver is planning to original incident; b his background; c personality; d
a different career. plans; e life changes.
Write your own sentences using the verbs.
Questions
3 Complete the sentences with the infinitive or –ing
form.
a The police advised Lettieri
(look after) her belongings
in future.
b The cabbie insisted on
(drive) all the way to Long Island.
c The whole incident threatened
(ruin) the holiday.
d Despite (lose) the bag,
she still enjoyed the visit.
e The driver said that he had never been tempted
(keep) the bag.

3 a to look after b driving c to ruin d losing e to keep 3a3b9c5d1e2f8g7h4i6

important. a cut back b hand over c shrug off d head back e embark on
place, cut back – to reduce something, shrug off – to treat something as if it’s not
thing to somebody (often in an official way), head back - to return to a particular
2 embark on – to start to do something new or difficult, hand over – to give some-
These words are used to avoid repetition and make text more interesting.
handbag (2) d an Italian tourist had left a handbag (2) e Stradivarius (8), violin (9).
1 a handbag (2) b Italian tourist (2), also refers forward to Felicia Lettieri (3) c
After reading
ter – note, accepted – declined
do and, New Jersey – Long Island, 100km – 80km, Francesca – Felicia, long let-
lery, dashboard – back seat, wasn’t sure what to do but – know exactly what to
2 after – before, a couple – three, a parcel full of cash – handbag with cash/jewel-
While reading
Answers