Darmowe konto pozwoli wrócić do niego później.

a lot out of this window. I was four when we moved here in 1919. When I grew up, I moved

over to Cleveland Heights for eighteen years, but then I had to go back to take care of my

parents. This has always been a working-class neighbourhood. It’s like a cheap hotel where

you stay until you’ve got enough money to leave. Now I’m the only one staying. Staying and

staring out of this same window.

One day last spring I looked out and I saw something strange. Down in the lot, there was a

little black-haired girl, hiding behind an abandoned refrigerator. She was working in the dirt

and looking around nervously all the time. Then I realized that she was burying something.

I never had children of my own, but I’ve seen enough in this neighbourhood to know she was

mixed up in something she shouldn’t be. I thought, just for a moment, about calling the police.

I thought she must have been burying something valuable, money or a gun. The next moment,

she disappeared like a rabbit. Then we had a long spell of rain and I didn’t set eyes on her

once. After that the weather turned warm and I saw her twice more, always in the morning, on

her way to school. She was crouched down with her back to me so I couldn’t see what she

was doing. My curiosity burned like a fever inside me. Then one morning she was there,

glancing about, and she looked straight up at this window. I pulled my head back behind the

curtain. I wasn’t sure if she’d seen me. If she had, she wouldn’t leave something valuable

buried long. Then I knew I’d have to dig it up before she did.

I waited an hour after she left. Then I took an old butter knife and my cane and went down all

three flights of stairs. I worked my way through that awful jungle of junk and finally came to her

spot. The ground was wet there so it was easy digging. I searched through the soil, but didn’t

find anything, except for a large white bean. I tried a new spot and found another bean, then a

third one. Then the truth of it slapped me full in the face. I said to myself, “What have you done,

you stupid woman?” Two beans had roots and I knew I’d done them harm. I felt like I’d read

through the girl’s secret diary and had ripped out a page without meaning to. I laid those beans

right back in the ground, as gently as sleeping babies, and covered them with soil.

The next morning she was back. I peeked around the curtain. She didn’t look up here or give

any sign that she’d noticed something wrong. I could see her clearly this time. She reached a

hand into her schoolbag. Then she pulled out a jar, unscrewed the lid, and poured out water

onto the ground.

adapted from Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman

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6.1. Which is TRUE about the place where the narrator lives?

A. It’s on the banks of Lake Erie.

B. She has never left it since childhood.

C. It’s an area where people don’t want to settle for good.

D. Its residents are in the habit of watching one another.

6.2. From the second paragraph we learn that the narrator

A. believed the girl experienced a period of ill health.

B. reported the girl’s strange activities to the police.

C. saw the girl digging in the ground even in rainy weather.

D. was eager to find the reason for the girl’s behaviour.

6.3. The narrator regretted her interference because she realized that she

A. had been spotted by the girl.

B. had damaged something.

C. had left something in the soil by accident.

D. had discovered something harmful.

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Tekst 2.

VALUABLE DISCOVERIES IN THE WALLS OF AN ARTIST’S HOME

When the City of Boise, Idaho, bought the home of artist James Castle (1899-1977), they

decided to convert it into a cultural centre which would pay tribute to the artist. As it turned out

during renovation work, the artist had much more than a house to contribute to that mission.

Castle was born deaf and never really learned to read, write and speak properly. But from

a very young age, he developed a love of drawing. Depending entirely on his inventiveness he

created art using unusual materials and drawing tools, for instance old wallpaper, matches,

sticks, and apricot pits. Eventually, in the 1950s, he became a renowned artist.

After buying Castle’s property, the city started to renovate the house. It was during the

restoration of the former living room that workmen notified experts from the city art department

about some items they had discovered. Hidden in a small crevice1 at the bottom of a wall there

were 10 drawings, some wooden sticks, nails, matches, and jar lids. Similar objects were found

in a bedroom. Among the drawings there was a detailed plan of the very house in which they

were discovered. A careful search for further hidden sketches was made throughout the estate,

but it was in vain. Many more drawings are likely to have been hidden inside walls or in mouse

holes but I suppose they must have disintegrated over the years and will never be recovered.

Although the discoveries came as a surprise to the city authorities, they were not unexpected

for anybody who had ever lived on Castle’s estate. His sketches had been found all over the

property for years. Castle would regularly hide his drawings in different locations around the

estate – in barns, sheds, attics and house walls. The only question is why. There are experts

who think that these things were precious to him in some way, so he might have treated the

walls as a sort of time capsule with his works and tools to be discovered in the future. And so

we are left with pieces of art worth $75,000 and an inspiration to make up theories why he

never revealed all of his accomplishments.

adapted from www.nytimes.com

1 Crevice – szczelina.

6.4. Which of the following is stated in the text as an opinion not a fact?

A. Castle used unusual materials to create his artwork.

B. Castle’s artwork was discovered by accident.

C. Some of Castle’s hidden artwork hasn’t survived.

D. The discovery was no shock for the residents of Castle’s estate.

6.5. In the last paragraph, the author

A. reflects on the reason for Castle’s strange behaviour.

B. explains why Castle’s works are so valuable.

C. outlines Castle’s contribution to the world of art.

D. expresses concern for the future of Castle’s collection.

PRZENIEŚ ROZWIĄZANIA NA KARTĘ ODPOWIEDZI!

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tekstu.

A

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