Pete's Sharp Knife

Pete was in his kitchen. He was about to slice three green apples. He liked to

eat fresh apples with cinnamon sprinkled on them. He opened the blinds so that

he could get more sunlight into the kitchen. Now he could see what he was

doing.

He grabbed a knife out of a drawer. It said "Surgical Stainless USA" on the side

of the blade. The blade was very thin and light. It had teeth, like a saw. The

handle was a brown piece of cheap hollow plastic.

He had bought this knife about 20 years ago at a county fair. It was one of those

knives that were advertised on TV. It could cut through a tomato can, and then

cut easily and cleanly through a fresh tomato.

"You never need to sharpen it. The sharp edge is guaranteed for life." That's

how they advertised it. And Pete, for once, couldn't argue that the advertisers

lied. This was a great knife.

But it was also a dangerous knife. A couple of years ago, Pete was careless. He

was rapidly slicing a potato and the blade got his finger. The doctor put three

stitches in Pete's finger.

"Next time, be more careful," the doctor said.

No kidding, Pete thought. He was so careful that he didn't use the knife for

almost a year.

A) Questions

1. Where was Pete?2. What was he about to do?3. How did he like to eat fresh apples?4. What did he open? Why?5. What did he grab?6. What was written on the knife?7. How was the knife blade?

8. What colour was the knife handle?9. What was the knife handle made of?10.When did he buy the knife? Where?11.What kind of knife was it?12.Was the knife sharp?13.Was the knife blade thick and heavy?14.Did he need to sharpen the knife now and then?15.Did he think it was a great knife?16.What happened to Pete a couple of years ago?17.How many stitches did the doctor put in Pete´s finger?18.What did the doctor tell Pete?19.For how long didn’t he use the knife?20.How about you. Do you have any great knives?21.How often do use kitchen knives?22.Do you ever have to sharpen a knife?23.Do you think you are cautions enough when you use a sharp knife?24.Have you or anyone in your family cut their fingers using a knife? If so,

when was that? What happened?

B) Crossword Puzzle

Fill in the squares with the correct word.

Across:3. Fritz the TV weatherman predicted a heavy rain, but it only ___d.4. The top ___ contains my socks and underwear; the bottom ___ contains my T-shirts.

5. County ___s feature rides, contests, great food, and farm animals; they are popular nationwide.

7. The team doctor quickly sewed up the hockey player's forehead with 20 ___es.

9. In small print on the handle of the steel tablespoon were the words, "___ by Oneida Ltd."

11. More than 1,200 people have become ill because of a nationwide salmonella outbreak caused by ___es, peppers, or cilantro. (Who knows?)

12. At the base of the knife ___ were the words, "Stainless, Solingen, Germany."13. ___ is a popular spice that people sprinkle on apple sauce, toast, and other foods.

Down:

1. A ___ is a popular window covering made of metal or plastic. ___s can be vertical or horizontal.

2. Many products are ___d for "life," meaning the life of the product, not the life of the purchaser (that is, the ___ is a trick).

3. Modern ___ techniques allow surgery patients to recover faster and return to work sooner.

6. They say that if you don't ___ regularly on TV or in print, your business will suffer.

8. A soccer ball and a basketball are ___; they contain only air. A baseball and a bowling ball are solid.

9. You have to be very careful when you ___ bagels, carrots, or onions; the knife blade can slip.

10. A "couch ___" is a man who sits on the couch and watches TV all day long. A "couch tomato" is a woman who does the same thing.

C) Now look back at the story, read it again silently two or three times. Then, translate the Portuguese version below back to English.

O Pete estava na sua cozinha e estava prestes a cortar três maçãs verdes, pois ele gostava de comer maçãs frescas com canela polvilhada sobre elas. Ele abriu as cortinas para que ele pudesse receber mais luz solar na cozinha. Agora, ele podia ver o que estava fazendo.

Ele pegou uma faca de uma gaveta, e a faca dizia - " Aço inoxidável cirúrgico dos EUA " no lado da lâmina. A lâmina era muito fina e leve, e tinha dentes como uma serra. O punho era um pedaço de plástico oco barato de cor castanha.

Ele tinha comprado esta faca há cerca de 20 anos atrás em uma feira regional. Era uma daquelas facas que eram anunciadas na TV. Poderia cortar uma lata de tomates e, de seguida, cortar facilmente e totalmente um tomate fresco.

- "Você nunca precisa de afiá-la. O gume afiado é garantido para toda a vida." Era assim que os anunciantes a publicitavam, e o Pete, desta vez, não podia argumentar que os anunciantes mentiam. Era uma óptima faca.

Mas também era uma faca perigosa. Um par de anos atrás, o Pete foi descuidado. Ele estava rapidamente a cortar uma batata e a lâmina apanhou-lhe o dedo. Mais tarde, o médico teve de colocar três pontos no dedo do Pete.

- "Da próxima vez, seja mais cuidadoso ", disse o médico.

Sem dúvida, pensou Pete. Ele foi tão cuidadoso que não usou a faca por quase um ano .

Crossword Puzzle Key