Sherlock Holmes: Getting Young Again · Easy Reading B1 · Episode VII of VII
The truth behind the serum
Before you read · Key vocabulary
| Word | Definition | Ukrainian |
|---|---|---|
| serum | a liquid medicine that is injected into the body | сироватка |
| accountable | responsible for something that went wrong | відповідальний |
| reputation | what other people think about you | репутація |
| vial | a small glass bottle for liquid medicine | флакон / ампула |
Exercise 1 · Match the word to its meaning
Write the correct letter (A–D) in the box next to each word.
| 1. serum | A.what other people think about you | |
| 2. accountable | B.a liquid medicine that is injected into the body | |
| 3. reputation | C.a small glass bottle for liquid medicine | |
| 4. vial | D.responsible for something that went wrong |
Reading & Listening · Fill in the gaps
Listen to the audio and write the missing words. All words are in the word bank below.
scan for audio
Word bank
Mr Bennett very worried and Holmes to keep things quiet. He was afraid that if the professor’s strange behaviour became known, it could ruin his career and affect his daughter’s reputation. Holmes and said they could try to keep it a secret, now that they had the key to solving the problem.
They some items in the professor’s box: a used syringe, an empty bottle, a nearly full one, and some strange letters. One of the letters was from Prague, signed by Dr Lowenstein. Holmes it out loud.
The professor was using a dangerous serum made from the blood of Langur monkeys — powerful animals from the mountains of the Himalayas — to try to make himself younger.
Holmes that the professor’s desire to be younger from his love for a younger woman. Trying to fight nature him to dangerous actions. Holmes said he would write to Lowenstein and make him accountable for the dangerous serum.
“Even the best people can end up behaving like animals if they stray from their natural path,” Holmes said. “Once I write to the man behind this and make him accountable for the poison he’s spreading, we won’t have more trouble. But this is a real danger to humanity.”
“Now, Mr Bennett, we’ve solved the puzzle. The dog, Roy, the change in the professor faster than anyone else, thanks to his keen sense of smell. It was the monkey, not the professor, that Roy , just like it was the monkey that Roy. The monkey’s climbing was just for fun, and I suspect it was just by chance that it the young lady’s window.”
Holmes at Watson. “There’s a train to London soon, but we have time for tea at the Chequers before we catch it.”
After you read · Comprehension questions
Answer in full sentences.
1. What was in the professor’s wooden box?
2. Why was the professor using the serum?
3. Why did the dog Roy attack the professor?
4. Holmes says “survival of the unfit”. What does this mean?
Grammar Practice · Past Simple
Exercise 2 · Fill in the gaps
Write the Past Simple form of the verb in brackets.
Holmes (read) the letter from Prague out loud. He (explain) that the professor’s desire for youth (come) from his love for a younger woman. Trying to fight nature (lead) him to dangerous actions.
Exercise 3 · Put the events in the correct order
Write 1, 2, 3, or 4 in the box.
Exercise 4 · Answer the questions
Write a short answer, then check with the answer key.
1. What did Holmes find in the professor’s wooden box?
2. Why did the dog Roy attack the professor?
Speaking Practice · Tell the story
Answer aloud or write short notes.
1. Why did Mr Bennett want Holmes to keep the case quiet?
2. What did Holmes and Watson find in the professor’s box?
3. Who sent the letter from Prague?
4. What was the professor trying to do with the serum?
5. Why did the professor want to be younger?
Talk to Holmes · Final conversation (Past Simple)
One last conversation with Sherlock Holmes. Answer in Past Simple.
“Watson and I found the letters in the professor’s box and read them carefully. Did you find something unexpected this week: a message, an object, some information?”
“The professor’s desire to feel young led him to dangerous actions. Did you want something so much last year that you took a risk to get it?”
“You read all seven episodes. Did you enjoy the story? What moment stayed with you the most?”
Answer Key · Episode VII: Getting Young Again
Exercise 1 · Matching
1–B 2–D 3–A 4–C
Exercise 2
read · explained · came · led
Exercise 3 · Order
1 found syringe+letters · 2 read Lowenstein letter · 3 explained monkey serum · 4 would write to Lowenstein
Listening gaps (in order)
was · asked · agreed · found · read · explained · came · led · sensed · attacked · provoked · reached · looked
Comprehension
1. A used syringe, an empty bottle, a nearly full bottle of serum, and letters from Dr Lowenstein in Prague.
2. He was in love with a younger woman and wanted to feel young again.
3. Roy could smell the monkey serum in the professor’s blood. He was reacting to the animal smell, not attacking his owner.
4. It is a play on Darwin’s “survival of the fittest”. Holmes means selfish people who cheat nature would survive, but this is dangerous for humanity.
Exercise 4
1. A used syringe, bottles of serum, and letters from Dr Lowenstein.
2. Roy smelled the monkey serum in the professor’s blood. He was attacking the monkey smell, not his owner.