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Parallel reading for low intermediates

This is taken from frenchteacher.net (Y9 page). The parallel text principle means that you can use a text of higher complexity and maturity level than usual. There are other exercise types you could use with the source material, but not translation! answers are given at the end of the post.

Une fillette abandonnée sur une aire d’autoroute

Une famille se trouvait dimanche midi sur le chemin des vacances, lorsqu'elle s'est arrêtée quelques instants sur une aire d'autoroute près de Loriol, dans la Drôme.

Ensuite les parents sont repartis en voiture, en oubliant que leur fille de trois ans était toujours là.

Un couple de vacanciers, intrigués de voir une petite fille toute seule, a fini par donner l'alerte à la police après avoir observé pendant une heure que les parents ne revenaient pas.

L'enfant a dit aux gendarmes qu'elle "allait à la mer" et qu'elle avait "vu la voiture de papa partir".

Pendant ce temps, la famille avait dépassé Aix-en-Provence et se dirigeait vite vers Saint-Raphaël, dans le Var, sans avoir remarqué l'absence de leur fille.

C'est vers 15H00, que le père s'est aperçu de ce qui s’était passé après avoir entendu un reportage sur la fille abandonnée à la radio. Les parents étaient attendus en fin d'après-midi à la gendarmerie où leur fillette a été prise en charge.


A little girl left behind at a motorway rest area

A family was on the way to their holiday destination on Sunday around lunchtime when they stopped for a few moments at a motorway rest area near Loriol in the Drôme département.

Then the parents set off in their car, forgetting that their three year-old daughter was still there.

A couple on their holiday, curious to see a little girl all alone, ended up alerting the police after observing for an hour that the parents were not coming back.

The child told the policemen that she was “going to the seaside” and that she had “seen daddy’s car leaving”.

Meanwhile, the family had driven beyond Aix-en-Provence and was quickly heading towards Saint-Raphaël, in the Var, not having noticed that their daughter was missing.

It was at about three o’clock that the father noticed what happened after having heard a report about an abandoned child on the radio. The parents were due to report to the police by late afternoon at the police station where their little girl was being looked after.



Vrai, faux ou pas mentionné?

1.         La famille allait en vacances en voiture.

2.         Ils conduisaient une Renault Espace.

3.         Ils se sont arrêtés sur la bande d’arrêt d’urgence*.

4.         Il y avait quatre personnes dans la famille.

5.         Les parents ont oublié leur fille à une aire de repos.

6.         La petite fille avait quatre ans.

7.         Un couple de vacanciers a observé la scène.

8.         Ils ont alerté les gendarmes par téléphone portable.

9.         La fillette a parlé aux gendarmes.

10.      Elle n’avait pas vu la voiture des parents partir.

11.      Le père a réalisé la situation en entendant la radio.

12.       La fille a été prise en charge par le couple de vacanciers.

*  bande d’arrêt d’urgence = hard shoulder (emergency lane)

Complétez les phrases avec un des mots suivants

loin       aller      police      oublié     vacanciers     vite     attendre       fille

1.         La famille a _________ la fillette à un aire de repos.

2.         La pauvre fille a dû _________ toute seule pendant une heure.

3.         Heureusement un couple de _________ a vu que les parents ne sont pas                revenus.

4.         Ils ont alerté la police le plus _________ possible.

5.         La famille a continué très _________ avant de réaliser ce qui s’était                       passé.

6.         C’est grâce à un reportage à la radio que le père a réalisé que sa                             _________ n’était pas là.

7.         La __________ a pris la fillette en charge au commissariat.

8.         Les parents ont dû _________ au commissariat en fin d’après-midi.

Reportage du Parisien

Answers
V/F/PM
1. V     2.PM     3.F     4.PM     5.V     6.F     7.V     8.PM

9.V     10.F     11.V     12.F

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