What a Surprise!

We had an enormous apple tree in our garden only a few yards from the kitchen window. "We really must cut that tree down," my husband said, soon after we moved into the house. "I'm sure it's dangerous." "Don't be silly," I said. I quite liked the tree myself. "It's quite safe. It isn't going to fall down on the house!" "Well, I read something in the paper only the other day," he said. "A tree crashed into a woman's bedroom during a storm. She was going to get rid of the tree and now she's in hospital!" In the end, after several arguments of this kind, we asked a couple of workmen to come along and cut the tree down. It was not an easy job. In fact, it took them all morning. But at last the tree was lying on the ground. "What about the roots?" the men asked. "Shall we take them out too or leave them?'! "Oh, take them out," I said. "Let's make a good job of it!" This took all afternoon and I was beginning to think about the size of the bill! There was also a big hole in the garden! "You'll be able to put all your old rubbish in there!" the men said as they left. My husband climbed down into the hole and began to look around. "Hey, look!" he called up to me. "There are some old coins here! And think they're gold!" I climbed down into the hole and we started to dig around, hoping to find some more coins. We did - and we also found a small metal box. We broke it open. It was full of jewellery - rings, necklaces, and bracelets! "Gosh!" I said, "I suppose someone hid these things in the ground - perhaps during a war!" "They're probably worth a small fortune!" my husband said. "Well, aren't you glad now that you got rid of that old tree?"

Choose the right answer.

1 The man wanted to get rid of the apple tree because it was:

a) too near the house       b) too old         c) too big

2 The man's wife liked the tree but in the end she:

a) went to hospital       b) agreed       c) helped to cut the tree down

3 The men who came to cut the tree down:

a) had to work hard       b) argued a lot       c) worked during a storm

4 The workmen made a big hole because:

a) they were looking for money    b) they wanted to hide some rubbish    c) they took out the roots of the tree

5 When the man climbed down into the hole, he found:

a) some money b) some rubbish c) some apples

6 Later, the man and his wife found a box. The things in the box were:

a) valuable     b) important        c) useful