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    Topic
    Genre: Biography
    A biography is about the life of a real
    person. Biographies tell important
    events from the person’s life in the
    order they happened.
    “In Front of Your Eyes” is about athlete
    and refugee Yusra Mardini and her
    journey from war-torn Syria to the 2016
    Summer Olympics.
    Genre: Fairy Tale
    A fairy tale is a traditional story that
    often has magical elements and
    teaches a lesson.
    “The Fisherman’s Wife” is a retelling of
    a Grimm fairy tale about a fisherman,
    his greedy wife and a fish who can
    grant wishes.
    Genre: Realistic Fiction
    Realistic fiction has made-up characters
    and events, but the setting and
    situations are similar to real life.
    “Spacegirl Selina” is a story about a girl
    who achieves her goal.
    Retold by Ruth Morgan
    In Front of
    Your Eyes
    by Julia McKie
    Spacegirl Selina
    by Ruth Morgan
    47
    Key Words
    audience
    castle
    commercial
    greedy
    magic
    net
    rehearsal
    star
    wish
    Identifying the
    Theme
    The theme of a story is
    its central message, or
    the lesson it teaches
    about life. In some
    stories, the theme
    is the lesson a main
    character learns. In
    other stories, the
    character does not
    change his or her
    ways, but the reader
    can learn the lesson
    from the character’s
    mistakes.
    1 Think of a fairy tale
    or other traditional
    story you know. What
    happened in the story?
    What lesson does
    it teach?
    2 Listen and follow.
    10
    Retold by Ruth Morgan
    Topic 348
    O
    nce upon a time, a fisherman and his wife lived in a little hut next
    to a lake. Though they were poor, they were happy.
    Every day, the fisherman went down to the lake to catch fish. One
    sunny day, he threw his net out onto the water and caught a spectacular
    gold and silver fish. To his amazement, the fish began to talk.
    “Throw me back into the lake,” it said, “for I am a magic fish!”
    The fisherman threw the fish back into the lake straightaway and
    raced back to the hut to tell his wife what had happened.
    49
    The Fisherman’s Wife
    “You silly man!” she said. “Why didn’t you ask that magic fish for a wish?”
    “I didn’t know what to wish for,” said the fisherman. “We are happy, you and I.”
    “I’m not very happy,” said his wife. “I want a bigger house. Go and ask the fish
    right now.”
    The fisherman didn’t want to ask the fish, but he didn’t want to upset his wife.
    When he got to the lake, the water looked dark and strange.
    “Come, magic fish, and give me a wish!” called the fisherman.
    The fish appeared and asked, “What is your wish?”
    “My wife wants a bigger house,” said the fisherman.
    “Go home,” said the fish, “and you will see she has
    her wish.”
    When the fisherman returned home, his wife
    happily show him round their new house. She
    danced through the rooms and showed him
    their wonderful new garden.
    “Now we will be happy forever,”
    said the fisherman.
    “Perhaps,” said his wife, “but
    we’ll see.”
    A week later, the fisherman’s
    wife was beginning to look sad again.
    “This house is too small,” she
    said. “I want to live in a castle and
    be queen of this land! Go and ask
    the fish for another wish.”
    “I don’t want to ask the fish
    again,” said the fisherman.
    “Go right now!” said his
    gr eed y wife, pointing at the lake.
    50 Topic 3
    The fisherman returned
    to the lake, where the wind was
    blowing and dark waves rolled
    towards him.
    “Come, magic fish,
    and give me a wish!” called
    the fisherman.
    The fish appeared and
    asked, “What is your wish?”
    “My wife wants a castle,”
    said the fisherman. “She wants
    to be queen of this land.”
    “Go home,” said the
    fish, “and you will see she has
    her wish.”
    When the fisherman
    returned home, he found
    that the house had become an
    enormous castle. His wife was sitting on a golden throne,
    wearing a crown, as servants brought her food on golden plates.
    “I hope you will be happy now,” said the fisherman.
    “Perhaps,” said his wife, “but we’ll see.”
    The next morning, when the fisherman’s wife woke up, she looked
    dissatisfied. “I don’t want to be queen anymore!” she said. “This castle is too
    small, and in fact, this land is too small.”
    “What do you mean?” asked the fisherman, starting to feel very worried.
    “I want to rule more than this,” said the fisherman’s wife. “I want to rule
    the whole world—no, I want to rule the whole universe.”
    “That’s not a good idea,” said the fisherman.
    “Yes, it is,” said his greedy wife. “Go back to the lake right now and ask
    the fish. Go!”
    51
    The Fisherman’s Wife
    A storm was battering the lake,
    and the dark waves were enormous.
    “Come, magic fish, and give me a
    wish!” called the fisherman.
    The fish appeared and asked,
    “What is your wish?”
    “My wife wants...my wife wants...”
    stammered the fisherman. “She wants
    to be ruler of the universe.”
    “This is the end!” shouted the fish.
    “Go home!”
    The fisherman was very scared
    and ran back home as fast as his legs
    could carry him. What had the fish
    done to his wife?
    But when he got home, there she was,
    safe and sound, dressed in her old clothes
    again and standing in front of their old hut.
    “What’s happened?” she said. “It’s all gone!”
    “It isn’t all gone,” laughed the
    fisherman. “Yo u are still here, and I am still
    here, and our little home is back again.”
    “The big house didn’t really make
    me happy, anyway,” said his wife. “Even
    being a queen in a castle didn’t make me
    happy. From now on, I want to live here
    peacefully with you, my love.”
    The fisherman never saw the magic
    fish again, but he didn’t really want to. He
    and his wife lived happily in their hut for
    the rest of their lives.
    52 Topic 3
    Spacegirl Selina
    T
    he local theatre was putting on a new production called “Spacegirl Selina,” and
    the director was looking for actors and dancers to take part in the show.
    Lily was a good actor and dancer. She really wanted a part in the show, but not just
    any part. Her goal had always been to become a star, and what bigger part was there in
    “Spacegirl Selina” besides Selina herself?
    On Saturday morning, Lily stood in line at the theatre along with lots of other
    children, all of whom wanted to be in the show. Everyone was given some lines to learn.
    After ten minutes, Lily was called onto the stage.
    “Pretend you’re Selina,” said the director. “Act like you’re meeting a bunch of aliens
    for the first time, and you are terrified.”
    Eyes wide, Lily said her lines in a trembling voice: “What do you want with me?
    Let me go back to my spaceship!”
    “That’s very good,” said the director. “Can you dance?”
    Music started to play, and Lily danced around the stage, kicking her legs and
    doing somersaults.
    “That’s very, very good,” said the director. “Thank you.”
    At the end of the morning, the director called everyone onto the stage. Lily felt very
    excited, knowing she had done her best. Perhaps she was about to achieve her goal!
    by Ruth Morgan
    53
    Spacegirl Selina
    “I am pleased to say the part of Spacegirl
    Selina will go to...”
    Lily’s heart was thumping.
    “...Rose Bates!” As a girl across the room
    jumped up and down and squealed in delight,
    Lily hung her head in disappointment.
    “Don’t worry, the rest of you,” said the
    director. “You’re all going to be alien dancers.
    Well done, Lily. I loved your somersaults!”
    “How did you do?” asked Lily's mother,
    when Lily got home.
    “Badly,” said Lily. “I wanted to be Spacegirl Selina, but I’m only a dancing alien.”
    “That’s OK,” said her mother. “I’m sure you’ll be the best dancing alien in the show.”
    Lily shook her head.
    At the first rehearsal, Rose Bates looked so proud on the stage, like the star she was.
    Lily felt terribly jealous listening to Rose practice her many lines.
    The aliens had to crawl out of holes and dance. Lily thought it was a silly dance. She had to
    move her arms and legs in a weird way and make funny bleeping sounds.
    Every day there were rehearsals, and every night in bed,
    Lily dreamed about the show. In her dreams, she was Spacegirl
    Selina, and everyone was clapping and cheering. In her dreams,
    Rose Bates was an alien who lived in a hole.
    At one rehearsal, everyone was given their
    costumes. Rose’s costume was beautiful, silver
    and shiny. Lily’s costume was green and slimy.
    She thought she looked horrible.
    Lily felt like giving up being in the show.
    She hated being an alien, she hated doing
    the silly dance and most of all she hated her
    horrible costume. If only she could be Selina!
    54 Topic 3
    At the final rehearsal, someone new was in the audience.
    “That man makes TV commercials,” said one of the other alien dancers. “He’s looking for
    someone to be in a new commercial.”
    On the stage, Rose Bates was singing a song and looking straight at the man. He was
    nodding and writing in his book.
    When it was time for the aliens to crawl out
    of their holes, Lily crawled out and started to dance.
    She made extra loud bleeping sounds and tried her
    best to move her arms and legs weirdly. The man
    nodded some more and wrote in his book.
    At the end of the rehearsal, the man stood up.
    “Thank you,” he said, “you’ve all been great. I’m
    looking for a person to star in a new commercial for
    Alien Cookies, and this morning, I think I’ve found
    my star.”
    Rose Bates smiled a huge smile.
    “I came here looking for a dancer,”
    said the man, “and I think YOU are
    exactly the person we need.”
    The man didn’t point at Rose—
    he pointed at Lily!
    Now Lily is on TV every day in
    the Alien Cookie commercial. Looking
    beautiful in her pink and blue costume,
    she dances around the moon with giant
    cookies. People all over the country
    have seen her performance.
    Lily is glad she was chosen to be a
    dancing alien after all. She got her wish
    and achieved her goal of stardom—
    just not in the way she planned.
    55
    Spacegirl Selina
    1 Circle the correct answers.
    1
    Where do the fisherman and his wife live?
    a
    next to a lake
    c
    near the ocean
    b
    in a busy village
    d
    on a highway
    2
    How many wishes does the fish grant for the fisherman and his wife?
    a
    one
    b
    three
    c
    two
    d
    four
    3
    What is Lily’s goal?
    a
    to be on TV
    c
    to be the star of a show
    b
    to live in a big house
    d
    to do a funny dance
    4
    What does Lily’s mom tell her when she doesn’t achieve her goal?
    a
    She will be the star of the next show.
    c
    She will be the best dancing alien.
    b
    She should give up on her goal.
    d
    She should ask for a bigger part.
    2 Complete the paragraph with the correct words.
    audience commercial greedy rehearsal wish
    The director was filming a TV (1) to advertise potato chips. He had
    a (2) with the actors first, to practice: A (3)
    man was eating potato chips, and he wanted more and more. A genie appeared and
    granted his (4) for mountains of potato chips. There was no
    (5) watching the actors, so no one was there to clap at the end.
    A
    Listen and check.
    11
    3 Answer the questions.
    1
    What makes the fisherman’s wife happy?
    2
    Do you think Lily is still jealous of Rose Bates at the end of the story? Why or why not?
    56 Topic 3
    4 Mood Match the pictures with the sentences.
    Mood
    The mood of a story is
    how it makes you feel
    as you read it. Some
    authors use the setting
    and illustrations to set
    the mood. Others use
    characters’ emotions. The
    author of “The Fisherman’s
    Wife” uses both of these
    to change the atmosphere
    throughout the story.
    1
    When he got to the lake, the water looked dark and strange.
    2
    One sunny day, he threw his net out onto the water and caught
    a spectacular gold and silver fish.
    3
    A storm was battering the lake, and the dark waves were enormous.
    4
    The fisherman returned to the lake, where the wind was blowing
    and dark waves rolled towards him.
    A
    Look at the pictures again and think about the story’s mood. Circle the correct
    words to complete the sentence.
    The mood of “The Fisherman’s Wife” gets more peaceful / threatening / exciting
    because the fish feels angrier / happier / more helpful as the story continues.
    5 Identifying the Theme Circle a theme in BOTH stories.
    a
    Be grateful for the things and opportunities you have.
    b
    Don’t ask for something too often, or you’ll lose it.
    c
    Be patient, and you’ll be able to meet your goals.
    A
    Underline two details in each story that support the theme.
    6 Active Reading Choose a character from “The Fisherman’s Wife”
    or “Spacegirl Selina.” Retell the story from the character's point of view.
    7 Think and discuss. How did you feel when you wanted something
    but didn't get it? What did you do?
    57
    The Fisherman's Wife / Spacegirl Selina
    Key Words
    border
    chance
    choppy
    coach
    competitive
    dinghy
    give up
    refugee
    smuggler
    training
    Making Inferences
    Sometimes, writers state
    information directly. They
    list facts and examples.
    Other times, readers need
    to make an inference,
    or an educated guess,
    based on the details
    in the text. To make an
    inference, ask yourself:
    What is the author
    trying to tell me? What
    do I know, based on the
    information in the text?
    1 Read the first page
    of the text. Make an
    inference based on
    what you read: What
    happened in Yusra
    Mardini’s home
    country of Syria?
    2 Listen and follow.
    12
    In Front of
    Your Eyes
    by Julia McKie
    Yusra Mardini
    was born on
    March 5, 1998.
    Originally
    from Syria, she
    lives with her
    parents and her
    older sister in Berlin,
    Germany.
    Like most teenagers, Yusra goes to school and
    spends her free time with family and friends.
    But she’s a little different. Yusra is also a
    world-class competitive swimmer—and a
    refugee. A refugee is someone who has been
    forced to leave a country because of war or for
    religious or political reasons.
    Yusra Mardini
    Topic 358
    In Syria
    In her home country of Syria, Yusra learned to swim and
    began training. But when a civil war started in 2011, her life
    changed. When Yusra thinks of that time, she says, “The war
    was hard; sometimes we couldn’t train because of [it].” But
    she didn’t give up. Her family began moving around so they
    could escape the fighting and she could continue swimming.
    It worked for a while. In 2012, Yusra represented Syria at the
    FINA World Swimming Championships in Istanbul, Turkey.
    But then the fighting got worse. By July 2015, more than
    3 million people had already left Syria. Yusra recalls, “Our
    house was destroyed. We did not have anything anymore.”
    It was time for Yusra and her family to make a decision.
    Should they stay or should they go?
    59
    In Front of Your Eyes
    Crossing Borders
    They decided to go. In August 2015, Yusra and her older sister,
    Sarah, traveled from Syria, through Lebanon and on to Turkey. Then
    they paid smugglers to take them in a boat to Greece. The first time
    they tried, they had to return to Turkey. But they couldn’t go back to
    Syria. It was too dangerous. So they tried again.
    The second time they went in an inflatable dinghy. The small boat
    was only meant for six or seven people, but there were twenty people
    waiting. No one wanted to stay behind. Within half an hour of leaving
    the coast, the motor stopped working. Then the dinghy began to sink.
    Everyone threw their bags overboard, but it wasn’t enough.
    Topic 360
    Yusra, Sarah and another strong swimmer jumped into the
    sea. For more than three hours, they held on to the side of the
    dinghy, pushing it as they swam in the choppy waters. “We were
    thinking it would be a shame if we didn’t help the people who
    were with us, because there were people who couldn’t swim,”
    recalls Yusra. Finally, they reached the island of Lesbos, Greece.
    From there, they spent another week traveling through
    Macedonia, Serbia and Hungary. At times, they were stopped
    at the borders and questioned by the police. But they were no
    longer afraid. In fact, they laughed. When police asked them
    why, they responded, “Because we were going to die in the sea,
    and now we should be afraid of you?” By September 2015, Yusra
    and Sarah had arrived in Berlin, Germany.
    61
    In Front of Your Eyes
    In Germany
    When they arrived, they were sent to a refugee center. An Egyptian
    translator helped them contact a local swimming club, Wassenfreunde
    Spandau 04. It was there that Yusra met swimming coach Sven Spannekrebs.
    Yusra had not been training for
    months. No one knew how well she
    would do, but her coach was surprised
    by her progress. Yusra started training
    twice a day—two to three hours in the
    morning and then again after school.
    “A lot of athletes can follow her
    example. She was really focused on
    training. She had clear goals and she
    organized her life around them,” said her coach.
    Yusra agreed, “It’s the chance of a lifetime, a really nice chance.
    I think I had to work hard for that.”
    Refugee Olympic Team (ROT)
    By 2016, the United Nations Refugee Agency noted that there were close
    to 20 million refugees around the world. And the International Olympic
    Committee (IOC) realized that there were many athletes among the
    refugees. So, in March 2016, the IOC created the Refugee Olympic Team
    (ROT). “We want to send a message of hope for all refugees in our world,”
    said IOC President Thomas Bach. The IOC identified forty-three candidates,
    and Yusra was one of them. But the ROT team would only have five to ten
    members. Would Yusra be chosen?
    Topic 362
    Going to Rio de Janeiro
    On June 3, 2016, the IOC selected the ten athletes who would represent
    the ROT. And Yusra was one of them! When asked how she felt, she
    responded, “I can’t describe how happy I am. I want to make all the
    refugees proud of me. It would show that even if we had a tough journey,
    we can achieve something.”
    Yusra continued to train
    every day in preparation for the
    2016 Summer Olympics in Rio
    de Janeiro. She walked in the
    Opening Ceremony with the ROT,
    marching behind the refugee
    banner. And when she swam the
    100-meter butterfly race, she won
    her heat. While she did not place
    high enough for the semifinals that followed, her win inspired some of the
    loudest cheers from spectators at the Olympic pool.
    But her dreams do not stop there. She is already thinking about the
    2020 Olympics in Tokyo, “[I was] aiming for a personal best time in Rio.
    But I hope more for Tokyo.”
    And when asked if she had a message for others, she responded, “I want
    everyone to stay strong for their goals in life. If you have goals in front of
    your eyes, you will do everything you can. I think even if I fail, I will try
    again. I want to show everyone that it’s hard to arrive at your dreams, but
    it’s not impossible.”
    63
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    63
    In Front of Your Eyes
    1 Circle Yes or No.
    1
    Yusra Mardini is originally from Serbia. Yes No
    2
    Her family moved around so she could continue swimming. Yes No
    3
    Yusra and her sister had to return to Turkey three times. Yes No
    4
    Yusra and her sister pulled the dinghy to Sardinia. Yes No
    5
    Yusra trained for the Olympics in Germany. Yes No
    6
    The Refugee Olympic Team had ten athletes. Yes No
    7
    Yusra won a medal in the 100-meter butterfly at the Olympics. Yes No
    2 Complete the paragraph with the correct words.
    borders choppy dinghy refugees smugglers
    The (1) paid the (2) a lot of money to take them
    in a (3) across (4) waters to safety. International
    (5) are usually guarded by police.
    3 Listen and number the countries in the correct order.
    13
    Syria
    Lebanon
    Turkey
    Greece
    Macedonia
    Serbia
    Hungary
    Germany
    64 Topic 3
    4 Using a Timeline Read the text again and complete the timeline.
    5 Making Inferences Read the details from the text. Circle the correct inferences.
    1
    “Then they paid smugglers to take them in a boat to Greece.”
    a
    They wanted to go on an adventure.
    b
    They were afraid to fly to Greece.
    c
    The safest way to Greece was by boat.
    2
    “The small boat was only meant for six or seven people, but there
    were twenty people waiting. No one wanted to stay behind.”
    a
    It was too dangerous to wait for another boat.
    b
    People were looking forward to visiting Greece.
    c
    It was safe for more people to ride the boat.
    3
    “It would be a shame if we didn’t help the people who were with us,
    because there were people who couldn’t swim.”
    a
    People who couldn’t swim might have to go back to Turkey.
    b
    People who couldn’t swim might have to go somewhere else.
    c
    People who couldn’t swim might not survive.
    6 Active Reading Read the text again. How and when did Yusra train as a swimmer?
    In your notebook, describe her training in your own words.
    7 Imagine that you are Yusra. What advice would you give about goals?
    Using a Timeline
    The author of “In Front
    of Your Eyes” tells events
    in Yusra Mardini’s life in
    the order they happened.
    A timeline can help you
    visualize these events in
    time order.
    August 2015
    August 2016
    July 2015
    June 2016
    2012
    March 2016
    2011
    September 2015
    65
    In Front of Your Eyes
    Connect to Me
    1 Write about some goals you have for yourself. What can you do to reach them?
    Share your ideas.
    Connect to Current Events
    1 Research the Refugee Olympic Team. Who were the other members? What countries do
    they live in now, and where did they come from? Did any of them win a medal?
    What are their goals now?
    Members of the Refugee Olympic Team enter the stadium at the
    Opening Ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
    66 Topic 3