Thirteen Equals One

Lesson 2
Dear 2nd stage students
Read the following passage of lesson two:

Thirteen Equals One

Our vicar is always raising money for one cause or another, but he has never managed to get enough money to have the church clock repaired. The big clock which used to strike the hours day and night was damaged many years ago and has been silent ever since.
One night, however, our vicar woke up with a start: the clock was striking the hours! Looking at his watch, he saw that it was one o clock, but the bell struck thirteen times before it stopped. Armed with a torch, the vicar went up into the clock tower to see what was going on. In the torchlight, he caught sight of a figure whom he immediately recognized as Bill Wilkins, our local grocer.
Whatever are you doing up here Bill? asked the vicar in surprise.
I m trying to repair the bell, answered Bill. I ve been coming up here night after night for weeks now. You see, I was hoping to give you a surprise.
You certainly did give me a surprise! said the vicar. You ve probably woken up everyone in the village as well. Still, I m glad the bell is working again.
That s the trouble, vicar, answered Bill. It s working all right, but I m afraid that at one o clock it will strike thirteen times and there s nothing I can do about it."
We ll get used to that, Bill, said the vicar. "Thirteen is not as good as one, but it s better than nothing. Now let s go downstairs and have a cup of tea.

Now please check the answers of comprehension questions
1. The clock woke the vicar up.
2. It was one o clock in the morning when the clock was striking the hours.
3. The bell of the clock struck thirteen times.
4. The vicar went up into the clock tower.
5. He took a torch with him.
6. The vicar saw the local grocer, Bill Wilkins.
7. The grocer said that he was trying to repair the clock for many weeks.
8.Yes,he had.
9. The vicar was pleased for what the grocer had done.
10. The vicar offered the grocer a cup of tea.
Vocabularies
1- Vicar (n.): priest
2- repaired (v.): fixed
3- damaged (v.): destroyed
4- silent (adj.): quiet
5- with a start (adv.): surprisingly
6- caught sight of (v.): observed