荷叶母亲-三校生考试

必修1 第一单元 Reading 阅读 ANNE’S BEST FRIEND
Do you want a friend whom you could tell everything to, like your deepest feel
ings and thoughts? Or are you afraid that your friend would laugh at you, or would
not understand what you are going through? Anne Frank wanted the first kind, so
she made her diary her best friend.
安妮最好的朋友
你想不想有一位无话不谈能推心置腹的朋友？或者你会不会担心你的 朋友会嘲笑你，会
不理解你目前的困境呢？安妮?弗兰克想要的是第一种类型的朋友，所以她把的日记视 为自
己最好的朋友。
Anne lived in Amsterdam in the Netherlands during World War II. Her family w
as Jewish so the had to hide or they would be caught by the German Nazis. She
and her family hide away for two years before they were discovered. During that t
ime the only true friend was her diary. She said, “I don’t want to set down a serie
s of facts in a diary as most people do, but I want this diary itself to be my friend,
and I shall call my friend Kitty.” Now read how she felt after being in the hiding p
lace since July 1942.
在第二次世界大战期间，安妮住在荷兰 的阿姆斯特丹。她一家人都是犹太人，所以他们
不得不躲藏起来，否则就会被德国的纳粹分子抓去。她和 她的家人躲藏了25个月之后才被
发现。在那段时期，她的日记成了她唯一忠实的朋友。她说：“我不愿 像大多数人那样在日
记中记流水账。我要把我的日记当作自己的朋友，我把我的这个朋友叫做基蒂。”现 在，来
看看安妮自1942年7月起躲进藏身处后的那种心情吧。
Thursday 15, June, 1944

Dear kitty,
I wonder if it’s because I haven’t been able to be outdoors for so long that I’v
e grown so crazy about everything to do with nature. I can well remember that the
re was a time when a deep blue sky, the song of the birds, moonlight and flowers
could never have kept me spellbound. That’s changed since I was here.
…For example, when it was so warm, I stayed awake on purpose until half pa
st eleven one evening in order to have a good look at the moon for once by mys
elf. But as the moon gave far too much light, I didn’t dare open a window. Anothe
r time some months ago, I happened to be upstairs one evening when the window
was open. I didn’t go downstairs until the window had to be shut. The dark, rainy
evening, the wind, the thundering clouds held me entirely in their power; it was th
e first time in a year and a half that I’d seen the night face to face…
…Sadly…I am only able to look at nature through dirty curtains hanging before
very dusty windows. It’s no pleasure looking through these any longer because na
ture is one thing that really must be experienced.
Yours,
Anne
1944年6月15日，星期四
亲爱的基蒂：
我不知道这是不是因为我太 久无法出门的缘故，我变得对一切与大自然有关的事物都无
比狂热。我记得非常清楚，以前，湛蓝的天空 、鸟儿的歌唱、月光和鲜花，从未令我心迷神
往过。自从我来到这里之后，这一切都变了。

……比如说，有一天晚上天气很暖和，我故意熬到晚上11点半都不睡觉，为的就是 能
独自好好地看看月亮。但是因为月光太亮了，我都不敢打开窗户。还有一次，就在五个月以
前 的一个晚上，我碰巧在楼上，窗户是开着的，我一直呆到非关窗不可的时候才下楼去。漆
黑的雨夜，刮着 大风，电闪雷鸣，乌云滚滚，我完全被这种景象镇住了。这是我一年半以来
第一次亲眼目睹的夜晚……
……不幸的是……我只能透过那满是灰尘的窗帘下那脏兮兮的窗户看看大自然。只能隔
着窗 户看那大自然实在没意思，因为大自然是需要真正体验的东西。
你的安妮
Using Language 语言运用
Reading and listening 读与听
1 Read the letter that Lisa wrote to Miss Wang of Radio for Teenagers and p
redict what Miss Wang will say. After listening, check and discuss her advice.
Dear Miss Wang,
I am having some trouble with my classmates at the moment. I’m getting alon
g well with a boy in my class. We often do homework together and we enjoy helpi
ng each other. We have become really good friends. But other students have start
ed gossiping. They say that this boy and I have fallen in love. This has made me
angry. I don’t want to end the friendship, but I hate others gossiping. What should
I do?
Yours,
Lisa

1 读读琳达为青少年写给电台王小组的 这封信，然后王小姐可能会怎么说。听完录音
之后，核对并讨论她的建议。
亲爱的王小姐：
现在我同班上的同学有些麻烦事。我跟我们班里的一位男同学一直相处的很好。我 们常
常一起做家庭作业，而且很乐意互相帮助。我们成了真正好朋友。可是，其他同学却在背后
议论起来，他们说我和这位男同学在谈恋爱，这使我很生气。我不想中断这段友谊，但是，
我又讨厌人家 背后说闲话。我该怎么办呢？
你的莉萨
Reading and writing 读与写
Miss Wang has received a letter from Xiaodong. He is also asking for some a
dvice. Read the letter on the right carefully and help Miss Wang answer it.
王小姐收到小冬的一封来信。小冬是要征求一些意见。仔细阅读右边的信，然后帮王小
姐回复。
Dear Miss Wang,
I’m a student from Huzhou Senior High School. I have a problem. I’m not very
good at communicating with people. Although I try to talk to my classmates, I still
find it hard to make good friends with them. So I feel quite lonely sometimes. I d
o want to change this situation, but I don’t know how. I would be grateful if you c
ould give me some advice.
Yours,
Xiaodong

亲爱的王小姐：
我是湖州高中的一名学生，我有一个难题，我不大善 于与人们交际。虽然我试着和班上
的同学交谈，但是，我还是很难跟他们成为好朋友。因此，有时候我感 到十分的孤独。我确
实想改变这种现状，但是我却不知道怎么办。如果您能给我提些建议，我会非常感谢 的。
你的小东
2 Decide which are the best ideas and put them into an order. Then write do
wn your advice and explain how it will help. Each idea can make one paragraph.
The following sample and the expressions may help you
Dear Xiaodong,
I’m sorry you are having trouble in making friends. However, the situation is e
asy to change if you follow my advice. Here are some tips to help you.
First, why not…?
If you do this,…
Secondly, you could can …
Then That way, …
Thirdly, it would be a good idea if …
By doing this, …
I hope you will find these ideas useful.
Yours

Miss Wang
2 决定哪些是最好并把它们按顺序组织起来。然后把你的建议写出来，并解释它为什
么 会有所帮助。每个想法可以自成一个段落。下面的例子和表达可能对你有所帮助。
亲爱的小冬：
很遗憾听说你在交朋友的过程中遇到了困难。但是，如果你听听我的建议，这种情况是
很容 易改变的。这些建议会对你有所帮助。
第一，为什么不……呢？
如果你这样做……
第二，你可以……
这样的话……
第三，如果……那将是个不错的主意。
通过做……
我希望你会发现这些想法对你有所帮助。
你的王小姐
LEARNING TIP 学习建议
It’s a good habit for you to keep a diary. It can help you remember past even
ts. You can express your feelings and thoughts in it. It will help you improve your
English if you write your diary in English. Why not have a try?

写日记对你来说是一个好习惯。它可以帮你记住一些过去发生的事件。你还可以在日 记
中表达你的情感和思想。如果你用英语写日记的话，还可以帮助你提高英语水平。为什么不
试 一试呢？
第二单元 Reading 阅读 THE ROAD TO MODERN ENGLISH
At the end of the 16th century, about five to seven million people spoke Englis
h. Nearly all of them lived in England. Later in the next century, people from Engla
nd made voyages to conquer other parts of the world and because of that, English
began to be spoken in many other countries. Today, more people speak English
as their first, second or foreign language than ever before.
通向现代英语之路
在16世纪末，大约有五至七百万人讲英语。几乎所有这些讲英语的人都住在英格兰。
在其 后的一个世纪中，英格兰人为征服世界航海到了世界其他一些地方，结果世界的其他地
方的人们也开始说 英语了。今天，把英语作为自己的第一语言、第二语言或外语来使用的人
比以往任何时候都多。
Native English speakers can understand each other even if they don’t speak th
e same kind of English. Look at this example:
British Betty: Would you like to see my flat?
American Amy: Yes, I’d like to come up to your apartment.
以英语作为母语的人，即使他们所讲不是同一种英语，他们也能彼此听懂。请看看这个
例子：
英国人贝蒂：来看看我的公寓吗？

美国人艾米：好的，我来看看你的公寓吧。
So why has English changed over time? Actually all languages change and de
velop when cultures meet and communicate with each other. At first the English sp
oken in England between about AD 450 and 1150 was very different from the Engl
ish spoken today. It was based more on German than the English we speak at pr
esent. Then gradually between about AD 800 and 1150, English became less like
German because those who ruled England spoken first Danish and later French. T
hese new settlers enriched the English language and especially its vocabulary. So
by the 1600’s Shakespeare was able to make use of a wider vocabulary than ever
before. In 1620 some British settlers moved to America. Later in the 18th century
some British people were taken to Australia too. English began to be spoken in b
oth countries.
那么，随着时间的推移英语为什么发生了变化呢 ？实际上，当不同文化相互交流渗透时，
所有的语言都会有所发展和变化。开始，英格兰人在大约公元4 50年到1150年之间所说的
英语与我们今天所说的英语很不一样。当时的英语更多的是以德语为基础 的，不像我们现在
说的英语。后来，大约在公元800年至1150年之间，英语慢慢变得不那么像德语 ，因为统
治英格兰的那些人开始是说丹麦语，后来说法语。这些新来的定居者丰富了英语语言，尤其是丰富了英语词汇。所以到17世纪初的时候，莎士比亚能够得以使用比以往任何时候都丰
富的词汇 。1620年一些英国定居者来到了美洲，后来到了18世纪的时候，一些英国人还
被带到了澳大利亚。 英语也就开始在这两个国家使用。
Finally by the 19th century the language was settled. At that time two big cha
nges in English spelling happened: first Samuel Johnson wrote his dictionary and l
ater Noah Webster wrote The American Dictionary of the English Language. The la
tter gave a separate identity to American English spelling.

最后到19世纪的时候，英语这种语言就变得稳定了。当时，英语的拼写发生了两个很
大的变化：先是塞 缪尔?约翰逊编写了他的英语词典，后是诺亚?韦伯斯特出版了《美国英
语词典》。后者使得美式英语的 拼写有了其独特的个性。
English now is also spoken as a foreign or second language in South Asia. F
or example, India has a very large number of fluent English speakers because Brit
ain ruled India from 1765 to 1947. During that time English became the language f
or government and education. English is also spoken in Singapore and Malaysia a
nd countries in Africa such as South Africa. Today the number of people learning
English in China is increasing rapidly. In fact, China may have the largest number
of English learners. Will Chinese English develop its own identity? Only time will tel
l.
现在英语在南亚地区也被作为外语或第二语 言使用。比如，印度就有很多人说英语说得
很流利，因为在1765年到1947年之间英国统治着印度 。在此期间，英语成了印度政府和
教育所用的语言。在新加坡和马来西亚以及像非洲的南非，人们现在也 说英语。当今，在中
国学英语的人数正在快速增加，事实上，中国可能是学英语人数最多的国家。中国式 英语是
否也能发展成一种具有自己独特个性的语言？这还有待时间去证明。
Using Language 语言运用
STANDARD ENGLISH AND DIALECTS
What is standard English? Is it spoken in Britain, the US, Canada, Australia, In
dia and New Zealand? Believe it or not, there is no such thing as standard Englis
h. Many people believe the English spoken on TV and the radio is standard Englis
h. This is because in the early days of radio, those who reported the news were e

xpected to speak excellent English. However, on TV and the radio you will hear dif
ferences in the way people speak.
When people use words and expressions different form “standard language”, it
is called a dialect. American English has many dialects, especially the midwestern,
southern, African American and Spanish dialects. Even in some parts of the USA, t
wo people from neighbouring towns speak a little differently. American English has
so many dialects because people have come from all over the world.
Geography also plays a part in making dialects. Some people who live in the
mountains of the eastern USA speak with an older kind of English dialect. When A
mericans moved form one place to another, they took their dialects with them. So
people from the mountains in the southeastern USA speak with almost the same di
alect as people in the northwestern USA. The USA is a large country in which ma
ny different dialects are spoken. Although many Americans move a lot, they still re
cognize and understand each other’s dialects.
什么是标准英语？是在英国、美国、加拿大、澳大利亚、印度、新西兰所说的 英语吗？
信不信由你，（世界上）没有什么标准英语。许多人认为，电视和收音机里所说的英语就是标准英语，这是因为在早期的电台节目里，人们期望新闻播音员所说的英语是最好的英语。
然而，在 电视和收音机里，你也会听出人们在说话时的差异。
当人们使用不同于“标准语言”的词语和表达 时，那就叫做方言。美国英语有许多方言，
特别是中西部地区和南部地区的方言，以及美国黑人和西班牙 人的方言。即使在美国有些地
区，两个相邻城镇的人所说的方言也可能稍有不同。美国英语之所以有这么 多的方言是因为
美国人是来自世界各地的缘故。

地理位置对方言的形成也 有所影响。住在美国东部山区的一些人说着比较古老的英语方
言。当美国人从一个地方搬到另一个地方时 ，他们也就把他们的方言随着带去了。因此，美
国东南部山区的人同美国西北部的人所说的方言就几乎相 同。美国是一个大国，有着许许多
多彼此不同的方言。虽然许多美国人经常搬家，但是他们仍然能够辨别 和理解彼此的方言。
Reading and speaking 读与说
1 Amy and her American friends are visiting London. They plan to visit Amy’s
aunt and decide to go there by underground, but cannot find the nearest undergro
und station. So she asks directions and then tells her friends. Read the dialogue a
nd circle the words that mean the same.
1 艾米和她的美国朋友正在参观伦敦。她们计划去拜访艾米的姑妈，并决定乘地铁去，
但是她们找不 到最近的地铁站。所以她问问了路，然后告诉她的朋友。读对话，然后圈出意
思相同的词。
AMY: Excuse me, Ma’ma. Could you tell me where the nearest subways is?
LADY: Er...the underground? Well, go round the corner on your left-hand side,
straight on and cross two streets. It’ll be on your right-hand side.
AMY: Thanks so much.
FRIENDS: What did she say, Amy?
AMY: She told us to go around the corner on the left and keep going straight
for two blocks. The subway will be on our right.
艾米：对不起，夫人，你能告诉我去最近的地铁站怎么走吗？
夫人：呃……地铁？哦，往左边拐过去，一直往前走，走过两条街，地铁就是右边。

艾米：多谢了。
朋友：艾米，她说什么？
艾米：她叫我们往左边拐过去，一直往前走，走过两条街，地铁就是右边。
【意思相同的词】
subway←→underground （地铁）
right-hand side←→right （右边）
street←→block 街道，街区
第三单元 Travel journal JOURNEY DOWN THE MEKONG
PART 1 THE DREAM AND THE PLAN
My name is Wang Kun. Ever since middle school, my sister Wang Wei and I
have dreamed about taking a great bike trip. Two years ago she bought an expen
sive mountain bike and then she persuaded me to buy one. Last year, she visited
our cousins, Dao Wei and Yu Hang at their college in Kunming. They are Dai and
grew up in western Yunnan Province near the Lancang River, the Chinese part of
the river that is called the Mekong River in other countries. Wang Wei soon got t
hem interested in cycling too. After graduating from finally got the chanc
e to take a bike trip. I asked my sister, are we going?It was my sister w
ho first had the idea to cycle along the entire Mekong River from where it begins t
o where it ends. Now she is planning our schedule for the trip.
I am fond of my sister but she has one serious shortcoming. She can be reall
y stubborn. Although she didn't know the best way of getting to places, she insiste

d that she organize the trip properly. Now, I know that the proper way is always h
er way. I kept asking her, are we leaving and when are we coming back?
I asked her whether she had looked at a map yet. Of course, she hadn't; my sist
er doesn't care about details. So I told her that the source of the Mekong is in Qi
nghai Province. She gave me a determined look—the kind that said she would not
change her mind. When I told her that our journey would begin at an altitude of
more than 5,000 metres, she seemed to be excited about it. When I told her the a
ir would be hard to breathe and it would be very cold, she said it would be an int
eresting experience. I know my sister well. Once she has made up her mind, nothi
ng can change it. Finally, I had to give in.
Several months before our trip,Wang Wei and I went to the library. We found
a large atlas with good maps that showed details of world geography. From the atl
as we could see that the Mekong River begins in a glacier on a Tibetan mountain.
At first the river is small and the water is clear and cold. Then it begins to move
quickly. It becomes rapids as it passes through deep valleys, travelling across we
stern Yunnan Province. Sometimes the river becomes a waterfall and enters wide v
alleys. We were both surprised to learn that half of the river is in China. After it le
aves China and the high altitude,the Mekong becomes wide，brown and warm. As i
t enters Southeast Asia, its pace slows. It makes wide bends or meanders through
low valleys to the plains where rice grows. At last, the river delta enters the Sout
h China Sea.
沿湄公河而下的旅行
第一部分 梦想与计划

我的名字叫王坤。从高中起，我姐姐和我就一 直梦想作一次伟大的自行车旅行。两年前，
她买了一辆价钱昂贵的山地自行车，然后她还说服我也买了一 辆。去年她去看望了我们的表
兄弟—在昆明读大学的刀伟和宇航。他们是傣族人，在云南省西部靠近澜沧 江的地方长大，
湄公河在中国境内的这一段叫澜沧江，流经其他国家后就叫湄公河。很快，王薇使表兄弟 也
对骑车旅行产生了兴趣。到大学毕业后，我们终于有了作一次骑车旅行的机会。我问姐姐：
“ 我们要去哪里？”首先想到要沿湄公河从源头到终点骑车旅行的是我的姐姐。现在，她正为
这次旅行制订 计划。
我很喜欢我姐姐，但是她有一个严重的缺点，她有时确实很固执。尽管她对到某些地方的最佳路线并不清楚，她却坚持要把这次旅行安排的尽善尽美。现在我知道了这个尽善尽美
的方式总 是她的方式。我老是问她：“我们什么时候动身？什么时候回来？”我问她是否已经
看过地图。当然她并 没有看过，我的姐姐是不会考虑细节的。于是我告诉她湄公河的源头在
青海省。她给了我一个坚定的眼神 —这种眼神表明她是不会改变主意的。当我告诉她我们的
旅行将从5000多米的的高地出发时，她似乎 显得很兴奋。当我告诉她那里空气稀薄，呼吸
会很困难，而且天气会很冷时，她却说这将是一次很有趣的 经历。我非常了解我的姐姐，她
一旦下了决心，就什么也不能使她改变。最后，我只好让步了。
在我们旅行前的几个月，王薇和我去了图书馆。我们找到了一本大型的地图册，里面有
一些 世界地理的明细图。我们从图上可以看到，湄公河源于西藏一座山上的冰川。起初，河
很小，河水清澈而 冷冽，然后它开始快速流动。它穿过深谷时就变成了急流。流经云南西部。
有时，这条河形成瀑布进入宽 阔的峡谷。我们惊奇的发现这条河有一半是在中国境内。当流
出中国，流出高地后，湄公河就变宽，变暖 了。河水也变成了黄褐色。而当它进入东南亚以
后，流速减慢，河水变宽慢慢地穿过低谷，到了长着稻谷 的平原。最后，湄公河三角洲的各
支流流入中国南海。
Reading and discussing
JOURNEY DOWN THE MEKONG

PART 2 A NIGHT IN THE MOUNTAINS
Although it was autumn, the snow was already beginning to fall in le
gs were so heavy and cold that they felt like blocks of ice. Have you ever seen s
nowmen ride bicycles? That's what we looked like! Along the way children dressed
in long wool coats stopped to look at us. In the late afternoon we found it was s
o cold that our water bottles r,the lakes shone like glass in the setting
sun and looked Wei rode in front of me as is very reli
able and I knew I did't need to encourage climb the mountains was hard w
ork but as we looked around us,we were surprised by the seemed to be
able to see for one point we were so high that we found ourselves cyclin
g through we began going down the was great fun especially a
s it gradually became much the valleys colourful butterflies flew around u
s and we saw many yaks and sheep eating green this point we had to c
hange our caps,coats,gloves and trousers for T-shirts and shorts.
In the early evening we always stop to make put up our tent and th
en we supper Wang Wei put her head down on her pillow and went to sl
eep but I stayed midnight the sky became clearer and the stars grew bri
ghter. It was so was almost no wind-only the flames of our fire for co
I lay beneath the stars I thought about how far we had already travelle
d.
We will reach Dali in Yunnan Province soon,where our cousins Dao Wei and
Yu Hang will join can hardly wait to see them!
Unit 4 Earthquakes Reading A NIGHT THE EARTH DIDN'T SLEEP

Strange things were happening in the countryside of northeast three
days the water in the village wells rose and fell,rose and s noticed that t
he well walls had deep cracks in them.A smelly gas came out of the the
farmyards,the chickens and even the pigs were too nervois to ran out of
the fields looking for places to jumped out of their bowls and a
bout 3:00 am on july 28,1976,some people saw bright lights in the sound
of planes could be heard outside the city of Tangshan even when no planes were
in the the city,the water pipes in some buildings cracked and the o
ne million people of the city,who thiught little of these events,were asleep as usual
that night.
At 3:42 am everything began to seemed as if the world was at an en
d!Eleven kilometres directly below the city the greatest earthquake of the 20th cent
ury had was felt in Beijing,which is more than two hundred kilometres awa
-third of the nation felt it.A huge crack that was eight kilometres long and thir
ty metres wide cut across houses,roads and burst from holes in the
hills of rock became rivers of fifteen terrible seconds a large city
lay in suffering of the people was -thirds of them died or w
ere left without number of people who were killed or injured reached
more than 400,000.
But how could the survivors believe it was natural?Everywhere they looked nea
rly everything was of the city's hospitals,75%of its factories and buildin
gs and 90% of its homes were covered the ground like red autumn le
wind,however,could blow them dams fell and most of the bridge
s also fell or were not safe for railway tracks were now useless piec
es of of thousands of cows would never give milk a million oi

gs and millions of chickens were now filled the wells instead of water.P
eople were ,later that afternoon,another big quake which was almost
as strong as the first one shook of the rescue workers and doctor
s were trapped under the buildings fell ,food,and electricity w
ere hard to begab to wonder how long the disaster would last.
All hope was not after the quakes,the army sent 150,000 soldiers to
Tangshan to help the rescue ds of thousands of people were helpe
army organized teams to dig out those who were trapped and to bury the d
the north of the city,most of the 10,000 miners were rescued from the coal
mines s built shelters for survivors whose homes had been destroyed.
Fresh water was taken to the city bu train,truck and ,the city began to
breathe again.
Office of the City Government
Tangshan,Hebei
China
July5,2007
Dear____,
Congratulations!We are pleased to tell you that you have won the high school
speaking competition about new Tangshan. Your speech was heard by a group of
five judges, all of whom agreed that it was the best one this year. Your parents a
nd your school should be very proud of you!

Next month the city will open a new park to honour those who died in the terr
ible disaster. The park will also honour those who helped the survivors. Our office
would like to have you speak to the park vistors on July 28 at 11:00 am. As you
know,this is the day the quake happened thirty-____years ago.
We invite you to bring your family and friends on that special day.
Sincerely,
Zhang Sha
Unit 5 ELIAS’ STORY
My name is Elias. I am a poor black worker in South Africa. The time when I
first met Nelson Mandela was a very difficult period of my life. I was twelve years
old. It was in 1952 and Mandela was the black lawyer to whom I went for advice.
He offered guidance to poor black people on their legal problems. He was genero
us with his time, for which I was grateful.
I needed his help because I had very little education. I began school at six. T
he school where I studied for only two years was three kilometers away. I had to l
eave because my family could not continue to pay the school fees and the bus far
e. I could not read or write well. After trying hard, I got a job in a gold mine. How
ever, this was a time when one had got to have a passbook to live in Johannesbu
rg. Sadly I did not have it because I was not born there, and I worried about whet
her I would become out of work.
The day when Nelson Mandela helped me was one of my happiest. He told m
y how to get the correct papers so I could stay in Johannesburg. I became more

hopeful about my future. I never forgot how kind Mandela was. When he organized
the ANC Youth League, I joined it as soon as I could. He said:
“The last thirty years have seen the greatest number of laws stopping our right
s and progress, until today we have reached a stage where we have almost no rig
hts at all.”
It was the truth. Black people could not vote or choose their leaders. They co
uld not get the jobs they wanted. The parts of town in which they had to live were
decided by white people. The places outside the towns where they were sent to li
ve were the poorest parts of South Africa. No one could grow food there. In fact a
s Nelson Mandela said:
“…we were put into a position in which we had either to accept we were less
important or fight the government. We chose to attack the laws. We first broke th
e law in a way which was peaceful; when this was not allowed…only then did we
decide to answer violence with violence.
As a matter of fact, I do not like violence…but in 1963 I helped him blow up
some government buildings. It was very dangerous because if I was caught I could
be put in prison. But I was happy to help because I knew it would help us achie
ve our dream of making black and white people equal.
THE REST OF ELIAS' STORY
You cannot imagine how the name of Robben Island made us afraid. It was a
prison from which no one escaped. There I spent the hardest time of my life. But
when I got there Nelsom Mandela was also there and he helped me. Mr Mandela
began a school for those of us who had little learning. He taught us during the lu

nch breaks and the evenings when we should have been asleep. We read books
under our blankets and used anything we could find to make candles to see the w
ords. I became a good student. I wanted to study for my degree but I was not all
owed to do that. Later, Mr Mandela allowed the prison guards to join us. He said t
hey should not be stopped from studying for their degrees. They were not cleverer
than me , but they did pass their exams. So I knwe I could get a degree too. Th
at made me feel good about myself.
When I finished the four years in prison, I went to find a job. Since I was bett
er educated, I got a job working in an office. However, the police found out and to
ld my boss that I had been in prinson for blowing up government buildings. So I l
ost my job. I did not work again for twenty years until M r Mandela and the ANC
came to power in 1994. All that time my wife and children had to beg for good an
d help from relatives or friends. Luckily Mr Mandela remembered me and gave me
a job taking tourists around my old prison on Robben Islannd. I felt bad the first t
ime I talked to a group. All the terror and fear of that time came back to me. I re
membered the beatings and the cruelty of the guards and my friends who had die
d. I felt I would not be able to do it, but my family encouraged me. They said that
the job and the pay from the new South African government were my reward afte
r working all my life for equal rights for the Blacks. So now at 51 I am proud to s
how visitors over the prison, for I helped to make our people free in their own lan
d.