Things that go bump in the night егэ ответы

Задание 3

Прочитайте приведенный ниже текст. Преобразуйте, если необходимо,  слова, напечатанные заглавными буквами в конце строк, обозначенных номерами В4— В10, так, чтобы они грамматически  соответствовали содержанию текста. Заполните пропуски  полученными словами. Каждый пропуск соответствует отдельному заданию из группы В4—В10.

Things That Go Bump in the Kitchen

  The room where I was sleeping was near the back of the flat. There

B4

was a short hallway to the kitchen, which B4_______ onto the rear

OPEN

stairway by which I came and went. Not long before I moved in, there

B5

  B5____________ a burglary in the flat downstairs and, during the first

BE

few weeks of my stay, I lay there, listening carefully to noises in the night.

   At last, my watchfulness was rewarded. In the middle of the night I heard the

door from the stairway to the kitchen open and close. I moved fast and stood in

B6

the middle of the room, B6_____________ the door between me and the kitchen, 

FACE

  ready to make my escape through the other rooms, down the front stairway,

B7

and out onto the street. Why I hesitated, I do not know. As I  B7____________

STAND

there, there was silence from the kitchen. Seconds, maybe minutes, into that

silence came a crash that froze me to the spot. I could not have run even if my

life depended on it. Then, the door to the hallway began to open very slowly.

In walked a cat.

B8

I must have yelled something B8_________ during the first moments of terror,

EARLY

because the cat was soon followed by the neighbour, who explained that the

cat had been keeping her and her husband awake, so she had put it in the

kitchen of what she had believed to be a vacant flat. She apologized.

В9

B9___________ I not been paralysed with fear, I might have hugged B10

HAVE

В10

_________ .

SHE

1. a) made b) given c) told d) granted

2. a) much b) often c) really d) far

3. a) change b) atmosphere c) climate d) even

4. a) beings b) man c) people d) humans

5. a) built b) manufactured с) affected d) organised

6. a) prophets b) champions c) warriors d) giants

7. a) stopped b) true c) guessed d) here

8. a) top b) again c) centuries d) world

9. a) sense b) form c) scale d) existence

10. a) simply b) to с) chat d) or

11. a) future b) ecology с) balance d) population

12. a) fact b) must с) fault d) and

13. a) planet b) atmosphere c) anywhere d) surface

14. a) full b) stained c) breathing d) only

15. a) even b) recycled c) littered d) bothered

Test 9

1. Read the text and put the words at the end of each line into the correct form.

Things That Go Bump In The Night

It was quite late on a Friday night. Bill and Lora were having supper in their

new house. Things still felt a bit strange so they _____ (1) much notice not take

when they heard someone _____ (2) about noisily in the move

house next door. From the windows they _____ (3) see figures in the can

front garden. Bill and Lora assumed that their neighbours _____ (4) have

some sort of party. ‘That’s all right,’ said Bill. ‘Our neighbours dislike big

_____ (5). I hope they _____ (6) us long.’ Not long after, party, not disturb

they heard the front door shut and the house went very quiet. Bill and Lora

went to bed and _____ (7) all about it. At breakfast early the next day, forget

they heard someone _____ (8) loudly. Their neighbours arrived back shout

home and discovered that some _____ (9) _____ (10) all their furniture thief, take

and valuables from the house.

2. Read the text. Use the word given at the end of each line to form a word that fits the space in the same line.

The most _____ (1) pop group in history was the Beatles and the success

most _____ (2) bands of the 1960s and 1970s were male bands. The excite

Spice Girls were _____ (3) when they became _____ (4) in the usual, fame

1990s, but now female pop groups are not only common but quite interest

_____ (5) from а _____ (6) point of view as well. But what happens music

when а schoolgirl suddenly becomes very _____ (7) and well known? wealth

She leaves behind the _____ (8) life other girls lead, earns bore

а lot of money and buys x_____ (9) clothes. She gets _____ (10) to expense, expense

trendy parties. Will she forget all her old schoolfriends?

3. Choose the most suitable word for each space.

Have you ever thought about the future? One of the most amazing predictions I have heard _____ (1) the twenty-first century is that we will be living longer and longer. Scientists will have _____ (2) up with а cure for а lot of the most _____ (3) diseases that people die of at the moment. They say that _____ (4) the year 2050, the average person’s lifespan will have _____ (5) to one hundred years. They also _____ (6) that work will take _____ (7) less of our lives and we will have more _____ (8) time to spend. Robots, which will look more and more _____ (9) human beings, will have taken _____ (10) а lot of the boring everyday _____ (11) we do today. In the next five years, the Japanese will have _____ (12) а robot that understands human speech. This will _____ (13) about а big change in the way we live, and some people see robots as а _____ (14) to human freedom. They are afraid that we will not be _____ (15) to control them and that in the end, they will control us.

1. a) to b) about c) across d) up

2. a) turned b) made c) come d) found

3. a) common b) usual c) everyday d) known

4. a) until b) by c) up to d) on

5. a) gone b) come c) turned d) risen

6. a) predict b) tell c) wait d) advise

7. a) on b) over c) up d) away

8. a) break b) enjoy c) fun d) free

9. a) as b) like c) similar d) how

10. a) up b) off c) over d) in

11. a) jobs b) works c) employment d) occupations

12. a) discovered b) found c) done d) invented

13. a) bring b) turn c) take d) come

14. a) damage b) dream c) threat d) problem

15. a) reaching b) able c) manage d) succeed

Test 10

1. Read the text and put the words at the end of each line into the correct form.

The National Health Service in GB

The NHS (the national health service) in GB _____ (1) centrally and organize

medical insurance is compulsory. There _____ (2) a number be

of private medical insurance schemes in the country. The _____ (3) one big

is BUPA. These days such schemes _____ (4) increasingly popular become

as being more convenient. The modern _____ (5) of the NHS are difficulty

the same as those faced by equivalent systems in other countries. The need

number of old people _____ (6) medical care _____ (7) dramatically grow

since 1998. But the country spends _____ (8) money per person on health care little

than any other country in the western world. One possible reason for this is

the way that GPs _____ (9). The money which they get from the pay

government _____ (10) on the number of consultations they not depend

perform, it depends on the number of registered patients.

2. Read the text. Use the word given at the end of each line to form a word that fits the space in the same line.

Primary schools in London are trying out an ambitious plan through which

young children get an _____ (1) to serious music. The idea comes introduce

from а group of famous (_____ 2) who are concerned about the music

_____ (3) of certain types of classical music. They see the plan as survive

one possible _____ (4) to the problem of declining audiences at classical solve

concerts. Their _____ (5) is that an interest in classical music should argue

be developed in early _____ (6). They reject the idea that children child

are _____ (7) in serious music or necessarily find it boring. The group interest

goes into а school and gives а live _____ (8) of а short classical perform

piece and then this is followed by an _____ (9) of how the instruments explain

work. These sessions have proved so _____ (10) that they have now success

become а regular feature in some schools.

3. Choose the most suitable word for each space.

When faced with some new and possibly bewildering technological change, most people react in one of two _____ (1). They either recoil from anything new, claiming that it is unnecessary, or too _____ (2) or that it somehow makes life less than _____ (3). Or they learn to _____ (4) to the new invention, and eventually _____ (5) how they could possibly have existed without it. _____ (6) computers as an example. For many of us, they still represent а _____ (7) to our freedom, and give us а frightening sense of а future in which all _____ (8) will be taken by machines. This may be because they seem mysterious, and difficult to understand. Ask most people what you can (_____ 9) а home computer for, and you usually get _____ (10) answers about how ‘they give you information’. In fact, even those of us who are familiar with computers, and use them in our daily work, have very little idea of how they _____ (11). But it does not take long to learn how to operate а business programme, even if things occasionally go wrong for no apparent reason. Presumably much the same happened when the telephone and the television became _____ (12). What seems to alarm most people is the speed of _____ (13) change, rather than change itself. And the _____ (14) that are made to new technology may well have а point to them, since change is not always an improvement. As we discover during power cuts, there is а lot to be said for the oil lamp, the coal fire, and forms of entertainment, such as books or board games, that don’t have to be _____ (15) in to work.

1. a) moments b) kinds c) ways d) types

2. a) complicated b) much c) obscure d) tiresome

3. a) formerly b) lively c) personal d) human

4. a) adapt b) react c) conform d) use

5. a) decide b) wonder c) suppose d) admit

6. a) Discuss b) Propose c) Take d) Thus

7. a) hazard b) risk c) control d) threat

8. a) measures b) decisions c) chances d) instructions

9. a) run b) apply c) learn d) use

10. a) vague b) such c) up with d) hundreds

11. a) are b) work c) manage d) consist

12. a) in existence b) widespread c) through d) extensive

13. a) future b) machinery c) physical d) technological

14. a) objections b) appliances c) criticisms d) fears

15. a) wired b) batteries c) plugged d) connected

Test 11

1. Read the text and put the words at the end of each line into the correct form.

The Benefits System in GB

The _____ (1) way in which people get help is by direct payments of easy

government money. This help comes in various ways and _____ (2) by pay

the Department of the Social Security. Anyone below the retirement age

who _____ (3) for a certain minimum period of time can receive unemployment work

benefit _____ (4) colloquially as ‘the dole’. All retired people _____ (5) know, entitle

to the standard old-age pension, provided that they _____ (6) pay

their insurance contributions for most of their working _____ (7). After life

a certain age, even people who still _____ (8) can receive their pension earn

though at a slightly reduced rate. The government pension, however,

_____ (9) very high. That’s why Personal Pension Plans not be

_____ (10) in July 1988 to extend pension choice and encourage people introduce

to build up a retirement fund.

2. Read the text. Use the word given at the end of each line to form a word that fits the space in the same line.

If you’re interested in getting, then what you need is а training

programme. Although aimed at improving physical fit _____ (1), this programme fit

can also be _____ (2) in such а way that it helps in the _____ (3) design, develop

of particular athletic skills. There is а range of different _____ (4) to active

choose from and а growing amount of scientific (_____ 5) to explain know

the effects of each one. When you begin training, it is important gentle

to start _____ (6), raising the _____ (7) of the programme in а intense

gradual way. Although it is important to work sufficiently hard impress

to make an _____ (8) on your physical condition, the activities shouldn’t

be _____ (9). It is _____ (10), therefore, to ignore warning pain, wise

symptoms such as sharp or persistent pain in particular muscles.

3. Choose the most suitable word for each space.

Modern technology has brought about enormous improvements in communications and yet many people are still very worried _____ (1) using the latest computer technology. I am often _____ (2) to meet colleagues who still don’t know what the ‘е’ in e-mail stands for and they are too _____ (3) to ask. They assume you have to be skilled _____ (4) computers to send а message via е-mail but in fact it is _____ (5) thing in the world. It is also _____ (6) to send an e-mail message _____ (7) to send an ordinary letter or а ‘snail’ message which also takes _____ (8) longer. An e-mail message is only _____ (9) more expensive than а local telephone call to send; on top of the call itself you also have to pay а fee to your ‘server’. If you send а letter by _____ (10) mail it will take а couple of days to get there whereas an e-mail will not take _____ (11) than а few seconds. Once you become _____ (12) to using the system you will be _____ (13) at how much more _____ (14) it is than other means of communication. Of course, before you have access to е-mail, you will need а fairly _____ (15) computer, which can be quite expensive.

1. a) for b) about c) at d) with as

2. a) surprising b) irritating c) surprised d) irritated

3. a) embarrassing b) embarrassed c) tired d) tiring

4. a) about b) into c) to d) in

5. a) simplest b) the more simple c) simpler d) the simplest

6. a) cheaper b) more cheaper c) the cheapest d) the cheaper

7. a) as b) than c) that d) from

8. a) much b) more c) as d) lot

9. a) little b) slightly c) less d) least

10. a) second-hand b) low-paid c) part-time d) first-class

11. a) more long b) longest c) as long d) longer

12. a) capable b) accustomed c) clever d) good

13. a) amazed b) puzzled c) experienced d) pleased

14. a) confident b) certain c) efficient d) skilful

15. a) strong b) great c) powerful d) large

Test 12

1. Read the text and put the words at the end of each line into the correct form.

The History of Father’s Day

Father’s Day is an occasion to honor your dad and express gratitude for his

love and support. Most _____ (1) including the US, the UK and Canada country

celebrate Father’s Day on the _____ (2) Sunday of June. The idea of three

celebrating Father’s Day _____ (3) by Ms Sonora Louise Smart Dodd suggest

in 1909. Mrs. Dodd’s father, William Smart, _____ (4) when his wife died

in childbirth. Despite the obvious hardships, Mr. Smart proceeded widow

to raise the newborn along with his five other _____ (5) by himself. child

It wasn’t until Sonora Dodd _____ (6) an adult that she realized the become

strength and selflessness her father _____ (7) in raising his children show

as a single parent. President Wilson approved of the festival in 1916 but

it was President Johnson who signed a Proclamation _____ (8) the declare

celebration of Father’s Day in 1966. Thanks to Sonora, Father’s become

Day _____ (9) a hugely popular festival and _____ (10) around celebrate

the world.

2. Read the text. Use the word given at the end of each line to form a word that fits the space in the same line.

Medical research has found that happiness has а strongly beneficial

effect on health. The healing properties of _____ (1) are such that laugh

humour is now being used alongside more _____ (2) courses of tradition

_____ (3) in some hospitals. In а London children’s hospital, for example, treat

two clowns are provided for the _____ (4) of patients. Doctors entertain

say that these clowns are _____ (5) in making the children feel success

better. It seems that when we laugh, there can be а _____ (6) in reduce

both blood pressure and the amount of _____ (7) in our muscles. tense

Although it is _____ (8) to prove it at the moment, this may also mean that possible

people who feel unhappy and who are, therefore, _____ (9) to laugh likely

so much, suffer more often from physical _____ (10). ill

3. Choose the most suitable word for each space.

Until the early part of this century there was certainly а distinction between popular music, the songs and dance _____ (1) of the masses, and what we have come to call _____ (2) music. Up to that point, however, there were at least some points of contact _____ (3) the two, and perhaps general recognition of what made а good voice, or а good song. With the development of _____ (4) entertainment, popular music split away and has gradually _____ (5) а stronger life of its _____ (6), to the point where it has become incompatible with _____ (7) classics. In some respects, it is now dominated by the _____ (8) of youth culture, so that а concert by Elton John is just as much а fashion _____ (9), and other artists may be promoting dance styles, or social _____ (10). For this reason, it is impossible to talk about popular music as if it were а unified art. The kind of music you like may _____ (11) on what kind of person you are. Curiously, there are now classical musicians who have _____ (12) the status of rock stars, and have been marketed in the same way. This seems to suggest that many young people enjoy classical music but do not wish to be associated with the _____ (13) of those who are traditionally supposed to enjoy it. Or it may simply be that recording companies have discovered that there is an insatiable _____ (14) for ‘sounds’, and that classical music is beginning to sound exciting to а generation _____ (15) on rock but now settling into affluent middle-age.

1. a) halls b) tunes c) musicians d) artists

2. a) rock b) modern c) underground d) classical

3. a) with b) between с) by d) of

4. a) mass b) live с) recorded d) the

5. a) founded b) lived с) developed d) suggested

6. a) supporters b) self с) fans d) own

7. a) other b) the с) some d) further

8. a) promotion b) discovery с) tendency d) survival

9. a) as b) however с) event d) design

10. a) service b) grace с) protest d) science

11. a) depend b) identity с) suppose d) be

12. a) lost b) admired с) penetrated d) achieved

13. a) number b) dislike с) lifestyle d) meaning

14. a) desire b) sale с) interest d) outlet

15. a) raised b) carrying с) dependent d) listening

Test 13

1. Read the text and put the words at the end of each line into the correct form.

The stars of American journalism can build up reputations which make

them _____ (1) known than most members of the Cabinet. Although good

each one _____ (2) for а single big city newspaper, their articles work

may _____ (3) in hundreds of local papers across the nation. reproduce

To be successful it _____ (4) always necessary to be а graduate in not be

journalism. In 1955 the Chicago Sun Times _____ (5) an untrained engage

housewife from Iowa Esther Lederer to take over the give

‘Anne Landers’ column, _____ (6) comforting answers to all _____ (7) query

on personal problems. Thirty years later her ‘Anne Landers’ column

_____ (8) by eighty million people. Meanwhile, her twin-sister read

_____ (9) an almost identical column, ‘Dear Abby’. By 1987 these amazing have

twins, then aged 67, _____ (10) yet. not retire

2. Read the text. Use the word given at the end of each line to form a word that fits the space in the same line.

А magazine _____ (1) asked people what they thought the most recent

useful _____ (2) of the last century was. It is а very _____ (3) invent, interest

question, since technology has _____ (4) our lives today. Lots of transform

people said cars, but I _____ (5). Although cars have made life easier agree

in some ways, I believe they have serious _____ (6). The worst advantage

thing about cars is that they are so _____ (7). They also cause noise

а lot of _____ (8). Other people said TV. Of course, _____ (9) will pollute, entertain

never be the same again and it can be _____ (10) to watch TV after relax

а long day. And what’s your opinion?

3. Choose the most suitable word for each space.

Thirteen-year-olds do not spend as much money as their parents suspect – at least not _____ (1) the findings of a _____ (2) survey, Money and Change. The survey _____ (3) three hundred teenagers, 13–17 years old, from _____ (4). By the time they _____ (5) their teens, most children see their weekly allowance rise dramatically to an amazing national average of $8. Two thirds think they get _____ (6) money, but most expect to have to do something to get it. Although they have more cash, worry about debt is _____ (7) among teenagers. Therefore, the _____ (8) of children _____ (9) an effort to save for the future. Greater access to cash _____ (10) teenagers does not, however, mean that they are more irresponsible _____ (11) a result. The economic recession seems to have encouraged _____ (12) attitudes to money, even in case of children at these ages. Instead of wasting what pocket _____ (13) they have on sweets or magazines, the 13-year-olds who took _____ (14) in the survey seem to _____ (15) to the situation by saving more than half of their cash.

b) based on c) relying on d) according to

1. a) counting on 2. a) late b) recent c) latest d) fresh

3. a) included b) contained c) counted d) enclosed

4. a) entire b) all over c) complete d) the whole

5. a) reach b) get c) make d) arrive

6. a) acceptable b) adequate c) satisfactory d) enough

7. a) gaining b) heightening c) increasing d) building

8. a) most b) maximum c) many d) majority

9. a) make b) do c) have d) try

10. a) among b) through c) between d) along

11. a) like b) as c) for d) in

d) cautious 12. a) aware b) knowing c) helpful

13. a) cash b) money c) change d) savings

14. a) part b) place c) share d) piece

15. a) reply b) answer c) respond d) return

Test 14

1. Read the text and put the words at the end of each line into the correct form.

The United States has strong political and military ties to governments in

all areas of the world. America’s alliances _____ (1) by its formidable back

military and nuclear forces. Over 2 million _____ (2) are members of the man

armed forces. About one _____ (3) of the United four

States military personnel serve over seas. Most of its overseas

forces _____ (4) in Western Europe under provisions of the NATO. This concentrate

military alliance _____ (5) the defense of member nations. guarantee

Since 1949, when the alliance _____ (6), the United States create

_____ (7) as Western Europe’s military leader. America’s political act

and military strength _____ (8) by its powerful economy. Although it is neither generate

the world’s _____ (9) nor _____ (10) nation, its economic output large

is twice Russia’s, three times Japan’s, and six times Germany’s. populous

2. Read the text. Use the word given at the end of each line to form a word that fits the space in the same line.

Thanks to the Internet, we are now living in a _____ (1) village. globe

We have more _____ (2) about other countries than ever before. inform

We know as much about the _____ (3) in the US as in Russia. _____ (4) situate, pollute

which is produced in one country will affect other countries, too.

For example, nuclear power is not _____ (5) only for one country danger

but is an _____ (6) problem. If we do not take action soon, nation

the _____ (7) of a nuclear disaster is very real. We should all possible

_____ (8) our rubbish – not hope ‘green’ people will do it for us. cycle

Some people think _____ (9) resources will go on forever, but they won’t. nature

We all have an _____ (10) to protect the environment. oblige

3. Choose the most suitable word for each space.

The three blank spaces _____ (1) the wall of the Frankfurt Schirn Gallery are probably more photographed than the old paintings which _____ (2) there until last Thursday. That was the day when thieves _____ (3) two paintings by JMW Turner, which were _____ (4) loan from London’s Tate Gallery. In fact, as theft increases, empty walls are _____ (5) an increasingly familiar _____ (6) in Europe’s galleries. The thieves are usually _____ (7) of professional gangs who study the layout of their target in _____ (8) beforehand. They are becoming better at overcoming the tightest security. The thieves of Frankfurt waited _____ (9) the gallery closed at 10 pm, overpowered the security guard before he could _____ (10) on the alarm system and _____ (11) with the paintings to a waiting car. The pictures are _____ (12) at $65 million and, since they are _____ (13) famous to sell, police suspect that the thieves will hold them to ransom. A $100,000 reward is being _____ (14) for information. Unfortunately European Union policy has made it easier for thieves to _____ (15) borders and harder for police to follow them. To discourage thieves, galleries may have to turn themselves into high security fortresses.

1. a) in b) over c) on d) along

2. a) hung b) stayed c) held d) fixed

3. a) robbed b) stole c) burgled d) borrowed

4. a) for b) at c) in d) on

5. a) getting b) becoming c) having d) growing

6. a) sight b) scene c) site d) look

7. a) guest b) members c) partners d) owners

8. a) fact b) addition c) detail d) general

9. a) for b) while c) before d) until

10. a) turn b) go c) rely d) set

11. a) escaped b) parted c) got d) hid

12. a) measured b) charged c) valued d) appreciated

13. a) too b) enough c) very d) quite

14. a) stated b) offered c) held d) taken

15. a) swap b) alter c) change d) cross

Test 15

1. Read the text and put the words at the end of each line into the correct form.

The White House In Washington, D.C., 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is а

very special address. It is the address of the White House, the home of

the president of the United States. President Washington never _____ (1) in live

the Presidential Palace. The _____ (2) president to live there was John one

Adams, the _____ (3) president of the United States, but his wife Mrs Adams two

really _____ (4) her new house because it was not warm enough! not like

In 1812 the United States and Britain _____ (5) to war. Many buildings go

_____ (6), including the Presidential Palace. After the war James burn

Hoban, the original architect, partially _____ (7) the president’s home. rebuild

To cover the marks of the fire, the building _____ (8) white. Since paint

that time it _____ (9) as the White House. Nowadays the White House know

_____ (10) lots of tourists from all over the world. attract

2. Read the text. Use the word given at the end of each line to form a word that fits the space in the same line.

More and more animals are fighting for _____ (1) nowadays, and it is not survive

only _____ (2) who are to blame. Thousands of fish die every hunt

year as а result of the _____ (3) _____ (4) of waste in legal, dump

rivers by factories all over Europe. _____ (5) are often carried investigate

out to discover who is _____ (6) for these ecological disasters, response

but even when the offenders are found, the _____ (7) for this punish

kind of _____ (8) is not as severe as it should be. Factories will only reform behave

once the public _____ (9) to stop buying their products, and not before. threat

It is the only _____ (10) to а very serious problem. solve

3. Choose the most suitable word for each space.

If you tried to visualise a Paris caf e, you would probably _____ (1) plates of golden croissants and cups of steaming hot coffee. Whatever you picture, a teapot is _____ (2) to be part of the scene. Although the _____ (3) of taking afternoon tea is in many _____ (4) an English custom, its popularity is now _____ (5) through Paris. Tea salons have been fashionable in Paris _____ (6) early this century. One of the oldest tearooms in Paris, ‘Angelina’, was _____ (7) in 1903. The atmosphere has a charming turn-of-the-century feel and the menu includes a mouth-watering _____ (8) of cream cakes, meringues and almond macaroons. Tearooms in Paris are unfortunately often overlooked by tourists snared by the bright lights and bistros. But for those who know, tea drinking in saloons is serious _____ (9). Menus often give you _____ (10) descriptions of the teas’ _____ (11), or even what time of the day is _____ (12) for drinking a certain tea. For serious connoisseurs there is only one tearoom _____ (13) visiting ‘Marriage Freres’. In this sunny tearoom you’ll be surrounded by towering green plants and _____ (14) by white-suited waiters. In the adjoining shop, enormous chests of China tea are displayed alongside old canisters containing 350 _____ (15) of tea from more than 30 countries.

1. a) think b) imagine c) consider d) figure

2. a) rarely b) not c) unlikely d) hardly

3. a) means b) fact c) view d) habit

4. a) ideas b) ways c) types d) forms

5. a) spreading b) moving c) going d) swelling

6. a) for b) until c) since d) before

7. a) founded b) set c) run d) found

8. a) mass b) selection c) mixture d) collection

9. a) affair b) trade c) business d) commerce

10. a) tiny b) particular c) special d) detailed

11. a) origins b) births c) sources d) beginnings

12. a) conventional b) relevant c) appropriate d) reliable

13. a) right b) worth c) deserving d) worthy

14. a) shown b) ordered c) served d) brought

15. a) makes b) variations c) types d) breeds

Источник: Коровина О. Сборник разноуровневых учебных тематических тестов. 10-11 классы. М.Чистые пруды, 2010

Variant 1

I. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form.

The stars of American journalism can (1) (build up) reputations which make them better (2) (know) than most members of the President’s Cabinet – and such people have real in􀃀 uence. Although each one (3) (work) for a single big city newspaper, their articles may (4) (reproduce) in hundreds of local papers across the nation. These stars are not all political. Some deal with football, baseball or other things which interest people. (5) (Be) successful it is not always necessary to be a graduate in journalism.

In 1955, the Chicago Sun-Times (6) (engage) an untrained housewife from Iowa, (7) (call) Esther Lederer, (8) (take over) the “Anne Landers” column, (9) (give) comforting answers to all manner of que ries on personal problems  (10) (send) in by readers. Thirty years later her “Anne Landers” column (11) (reproduce) in 1,100 newspapers and read by eighty million people. Meanwhile, her twin sister (12) (have) an almost identical column, “Dear Abby”, (13) (base) in California and (14) (reproduce) in 1,300 papers. By 1987 these amazing twins, then aged 67, (15) (not retire) yet.

II. . Express the meaning of each phrase in one word.

1. full of fear – a________d

2. to take the 􀂿 rst step – b______n

3. a town where a seat of government is – 􀉫_____

4. the end of life – d______h

5. to come or go into – e______r

6. very well known – f________s

7. a male goose – g________r

8. to take place – h________n

9. to spring over – j____p

10. the male ruler of the country – 􀉤____g

11. a speech to a group of people – 1__________e

12. to walk like a soldier – m______h

13. the dark part of each day – n______t

14. not shut – 􀉨____n

15. to put in the ground to grow – p______t

Variant 2

I. Choose the correct form from brackets.

THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT It was quite late on a Friday night and Bill and Lora (1) (were having/

had supper) in their new house. Things still felt a bit strange so they (2) (weren’t take/didn’t take) much notice when they heard someone (3) (move/ moving) about nois ily in the house next door – the house (4) (was/has been)

semi-detached. They (5) (think/thought) it was a bit strange that their neighbours should be doing their housework so late on Friday night. Then they (6) (heard/were hearing) men’s voices (7) (talk/ talking) softly. From the

windows they could (8) (saw/see) 􀂿 gures (9) (move/moving) backwards and forwards in the front garden. Bill and Lora assumed that their neighbours (10) (were having/ had) some sort of party. Not long after, they heard the front

door (11) (slam/slamming) shut. Then complete silence. They thought this (12) (were/was) a bit strange, because they naturally expected (13) (hear/to hear) other people (14) (leave/leaving) and (15) (say/saying) goodbye.

However, they (16) (had gone/went) to bed and (17) (forgot/had forgotten) all about it. At breakfast early the next day, they heard someone (18) (shout/shouting). Their neighbours (19) (arrived/had just arrived) back home from

holiday to discover that the thieves (20) (had taken/took) all their furniture and valu ables from the house.

II. Express the meaning of each of the following phrases in one word.

1. an answer expressing agreement – y___ (three letters)

2. to have a desire – w______ (four letters)

3. very rude, low, or bad-mannered – v________ (six letters)

4. up to the time when – u_______ (five  letters)

5. a group of people of the same race, beliefs, language – t_______ (fi ve letters)

6. to die or suffer from lack of food – s__________ (six letters)

7. waste material to be thrown away – r____________ (seven letters)

8. a stated number of people, without whom a meeting can not be held –q__________ (six letters)

9. special right or advantage limited to one person or a few people – p____________ (nine letters)

10. not unusual –o______________ (eight letters)

Variant 3

I. Choose the correct verb form from brackets.

KIDNAP

Mr. and Mrs. Parker (l) (had/were having) a quiet day at home. Their 18-year-old daughter was away in Wales (2) (stay/staying) with a friend. At 11 am they (3) (get/got) a phone call from the friend where their daughter (4) (was supposed/has been sup posed) to be staying (5) (say/saying) that she (6) (has disappeared/had disappeared). They were just about to call the police when the phone (7) (rang/was ringing) again. A hoarse voice (8) (told/had told) Mr. Parker that his daughter (9) (had been kidnapped/ had kidnapped) and that unless he (10) (pays/paid) a ransom of $2,000, he (11) (would never see/would have never seen) his daughter again. The voice then gave him instructions about where and when to hand over the money. He (12) (had been warned/ was warned) (13) (not to tell/don’t tell) the police anything.

Mr. Parker (14) (went/has gone) to the bank and (15) (took/has taken) the money out of his bank account and left on the next train to Wales. When he (16) (arrived/had arrived), he (17) (went/had gone) into the hotel at four to 􀂿 ve and carefully (18) (put/had put) the briefcase beside a sofa as arranged. At 5 o’clock a woman in a scarf and raincoat (19) (came/had come) up and (20) (took/had taken) the briefcase. At 11 pm the same evening, to his great relief, his daughter (21 (had come/came) back home. She could hardly (22) (stop/stopped) herself from laughing.

Imagine his surprise when she (23) (handed/ hands) him his briefcase containing the $2,000. It (24) (turned/had turned) out that she and her friend (25) (decided/had decided) to play a practical joke. It was she who (26) (put/had put) on a hoarse voice to phone her father and it was she who (27) (collected/had collected) the briefcase. The joke (28) (worked/ had worked) but, strangely enough, Mr. and Mrs. Parker (29) (didn’t enjoy/hadn’t enjoyed) it as much as their daughter (30) (did/had done)!

II. Complete the names of these animals.

1. the biggest land animal – e______t (eight letters)

2. the fastest dog – g________d (nine letters)

3. the tallest animal – g______e (seven letters)

4. one of the most useful animals to people – h____e (five letters)

5. one of the biggest and most powerful birds – e_____e (five letters)

6. one of the heaviest animals – h___________s (twelve letters)

7. one of the longest and most poisonous animals – s_____e (five letters)

8. one of the biggest birds but the worst at  flying – o______h (seven letters)

9. one of the most dangerous insects – m________o (eight letters)

10. one of the most poisonous creatures – s______n (eight letters)

Variant 4

I. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form.

WHAT CAN COMPUTERS DO?

Computers and microchips (1) (become) part of our everyday lives: we visit shops and of􀂿 ces which (2) (design) with the help of computers, we read magazines which (3) (produce) on computer, we pay bills (4) (prepare) by

computers. Just (5) (pick up) a telephone and (6) (dial) a number involves the use of a sophisticated computer system, as does (7) (make) a 􀃀 ight reservation or bank transaction.

We encounter daily many computers that spring to life the instant they (8) (switch on) (e.g. calculators, the car’s electronic ignition, the timer in the microwave, or the programmer inside the TV set), all of which use chip

technology.

What makes your computer such a miracu lous device? Each time you (9) (turn) it on it is capable of (10) (do) anything you ask. It is a (11) (calculate) machine that (12) (speed up) 􀂿 nancial calculations. It is a magical typewriter that (13) (allow) you to type and print any kind of document – letters, memos or legal documents. It is a personal communicator that (14) (enable) you to interact with other computers and with people around the world. If you like gadgets and electronic entertainment, you can even use your PC (15) (relax) with computer games.

 II. Underline the noun that is usually uncountable in each group.

Example: shirt, fashion, skirt, tie, blouse

A holiday, journey, flight, luggage, suitcase

B meal, dish, food, menu, dessert

C cheque, coin, cash, salary, bonus

D tractor, corn, barn, field, orchard

E raspberry, plum, fruit, fig, mango

F job, employee, boss, unemployment, profession

G basement, attic, cellar, bedsit, accommodation

H health, pill, disease, operation, prescription

I disco, musical, music, opera, concert

J motorway, traffi c, traffi c jam, lorry, rush hour

[rʌn]
1.

;

прош. вр.

ran;

прич. прош. вр.

run

1)

а) бежать, бегать

I’ve got to run for my bus. — Мне пришлось побежать, чтобы успеть на автобус.

He ran the mile in under four minutes. — Он пробежал милю меньше чем за четыре минуты.

The dog ran at the visitor and bit him. — Собака бросилась на посетителя и укусила его.

I opened the door and the cat ran in. — Я открыл дверь, и в дом забежала кошка.

He ran at me and kicked me. — Он подбежал ко мне и ударил.

Lots of people ran out to see what had caused the noise. — Масса народу выбежала на улицу поглядеть, из-за чего этот шум.

Don’t run away, I want to talk to you. — Погоди, я хочу с тобой поговорить.

б) бегать, передвигаться свободно, без ограничений

Let chickens run loose. — Пусть цыплята побегают на свободе.

в) быстро уходить, убегать; спасаться бегством, дезертировать

The robbers took the money and ran. — Грабители забрали деньги и сбежали.

I should have to run the country. — Мне придётся покинуть страну.

If they run their board I shall have to pay it. — Если они сбегут, не заплатив за еду, платить придётся мне.

Syn:

2)

а) преследовать; гнать

The horses were run rapidly forward to the skirmish-line. — Лошадей галопом направили к линии огня.

to run smb. ragged / off his legs — загонять кого-л. до изнеможения

He had almost run himself to a standstill. — Он набегался так, что не мог сдвинуться с места.

You’d never believe that woman was nearly eighty, she could run us all off our feet. — Ни за что не скажешь, что этой женщине было почти восемьдесят, она нас всех могла загонять.

There’s enough of us here to run you out. — Нас здесь вполне достаточно для того, чтобы тебя прогнать.

3)

а) двигать, передвигать, заставлять скользить быстро и без труда

I cook a meal for him occasionally and I run a vacuum over the place. — Время от времени я готовлю ему еду и провожу уборку с помощью пылесоса.

4)

а) быстро перемещаться; двигаться, ехать

б) ходить, курсировать, плавать

to run late — опоздать, прийти не по расписанию

The shuttle runs daily from New York to Boston. — Самолёты каждый день совершают регулярные рейсы Нью-Йорк — Бостон.

The trains aren’t running now. — Поезда сейчас не ходят.

Syn:

5)

Far ran the naked moon. — Высоко плыла беззащитная луна.

On that day she deviated from the course of the voyage and ran for Mauritius. — В тот день корабль отклонился от намеченного пути и взял курс на остров Маврикий.

We were winning the boat race until our boat ran aground on a sandbank. — Мы шли впереди всех в лодочной гонке, пока наша лодка не налетела на мель.

б) быстро плыть, идти на нерест

6)

а) управлять

They no longer run steamers there. — Они больше не водят здесь пароходы.

She got back after lunch and ran the car into the garage. — Она вернулась после завтрака и поставила машину в гараж.

в) держать работающим, действующим

I can’t collect you. I don’t run a car. — Я не могу за тобой заехать. У меня не заводится машина.

7)

а) перевозить, транспортировать; доставлять к месту назначения

The engine runs trucks to and from the piers on the island. — На острове машина привозила и отвозила товары с пирса и на пирс.

б) подвозить

I ran Johnson back to my house. — Я отвёз Джонсона обратно к себе домой.

Don’t wait for the bus in this cold weather, I’ll run you across to your mother’s. — Зачем тебе ждать автобуса на холоде, давай я подброшу тебя до дома твоей матери.

There’s no hurry to get there; I can run you along in the car. — Незачем спешить, я подвезу тебя на своей машине.

совершать краткое путешествие

During the last five years Fry had formed the habit of running over to Paris. — В течение последних пяти лет у Фрая выработалась привычка ненадолго ездить в Париж.

9)

а) налетать, наталкиваться на ; сталкиваться с

The boat ran (up)on the rocks. — Лодка наскочила на камни.

б) ударять, стукать обо , сталкивать с

10)

а) двигаться, катиться

The ball ran into the street. — Мяч выкатился на улицу.

б) ударять , катить

He ran the ball strongly 30ft. past the hole. — Он ударил по мячу так, что тот на 30 футов перелетел через лунку.

11) проводить, пробегать

She ran her fingers over the smooth material. — Она провела пальцами по гладкой ткани.

I caught myself running my glance round. — Я поймал себя на том, что мельком оглядываю всё вокруг.

She ran down the first page of her letter. — Она пробежала первую страницу письма.

His eye swiftly ran from line to line. — Его глаза быстро перебегали с одной строчки на другую.

Let’s run through the whole play from the beginning. — Давайте посмотрим всю пьесу сначала.

Syn:

12)

а) вращаться, крутиться

In which case the wheel will have liberty to run. — В этом случае колесо сможет свободно вращаться.

Syn:

б) идти, крутиться ; демонстрироваться

I’d been to see a film in the afternoon, and it ran longer than I expected. — Днём я пошёл посмотреть фильм, и он продолжался дольше, чем я думал.

The film began to run. — Начался фильм.

13)

а) литься, струиться, течь

The stream runs down the valley. — Поток стекает в долину.

Tears ran from her eyes. — Из глаз у неё текли слёзы.

б) сделаться мокрым от

The mud walls ran down with damp. — Грязные стены отсырели от влажности.

Syn:

в) протекать, течь; переполняться ; наполняться

Syn:

14) расплываться; линять

Her red blouse ran on the lighter colored clothes in the wash. — При стирке красная блузка линяла, окрашивая более светлые вещи.

15)

а) плавиться, таять, течь

The ice cream ran in the warm sun. — Мороженое на солнце растаяло.

Syn:

б) соединяться , затвердевать

16)

а) скользить, легко двигаться, идти гладко

The neck-halter seems to have been tarry, and did not run. — Верёвка с петлей, похоже, не была пропитана и поэтому не скользила.

б) проводить по , пропускать через

to run a pen through smth. — зачеркнуть, перечеркнуть что-л. ручкой

17)

а) простираться, расстилаться, тянуться прям. и перен.

A balustrade runs round the building. — Вокруг здания тянется балюстрада.

Syn:

б) тянуться, расти, обвиваться

а) соревноваться, участвовать

Syn:

The Derby has been run in a snowstorm. — Дерби проводилось во время бурана.

No person can run more than one horse for any plate. — На любые скачки на приз каждый может заявить только одну лошадь.

19) брать назад , расторгать, нарушать

The contracting party may be inclined to run from his word. — Договаривающаяся сторона, возможно, захочет взять назад своё слово.

20) не оказывать влияния на

The scoldings run off him like water off a duck’s back. — Его ругают, а с него всё как с гуся вода.

21)

Richard Roe will run for mayor. — Ричард Роу выставит свою кандидатуру на пост мэра.

I went with him to the house he was running for. — Я пошёл с ним к дому, который он так расхваливал.

A whisper ran through the crowd. — По толпе пробежал шёпот.

The news ran all over town. — Известие быстро распространилось по всему городу.

Syn:

25)

а) быстро вырастать, давая семена

26)

Her stocking ran. — У неё на чулке спустилась петля.

27) работать, функционировать

One of these little engines recently ran forty-seven days and nights without stoppage. — Один из этих маленьких моторчиков недавно проработал сорок семь суток без остановки.

The American university: how it runs, where it is going. — Американский университет: как он живёт, куда он движется.

28) крутиться, вертеться, постоянно возвращаться

It runs in my head that I’ve heard something about it. — У меня вертелось в голове, что я где-то уже об этом слышал.

My thoughts have been running upon the future. — Я всё думаю о будущем.

29)

а) проходить, бежать, лететь

Life ran smoothly in its ordinary grooves. — Жизнь текла гладко в своём привычном русле.

Their talks ran on for hours. — Они говорили часами.

Syn:

The night was almost run. — Ночь почти прошла.

Syn:

30) идти, продолжаться, длиться; быть действительным

The lease runs for five years. — Аренда действительна на пять лет.

Syn:

31)

а) идти

This film is now running at all cinemas. — Этот фильм идёт сейчас во всех кинотеатрах.

32)

а) иметь хождение, быть в обращении

б) действовать на определённой территории, распространяться на определённой территории

Musical ability runs in my family. — В нашей семье ярко выражены музыкальные способности.

34)

а) быть напечатанным, быть опубликованным, появиться

The story ran in all the papers. — История появилась во всех газетах.

Syn:

б) печатать, публиковать

The ad was run in the paper for two days. — Объявление публиковалось в газете два дня.

I know not how his proper official title ran. — Я не знаю, каков был его официальный титул.

36) достигать количества, стоимости, доходить, равняться

Last autumn arrests of illegal immigrants were running 80 a week. — Прошлой осенью число арестов нелегальных иммигрантов доходило до 80 в неделю.

The bill runs to $100. — Счёт составляет 100 долларов.

The prices run from $5 to $200. — Цены варьируются от 5 до 200 долларов.

The book ran into five editions. — Книга выдержала пять изданий.

The total area runs out at 25,000 square miles. — Вся область составляет 25000 квадратных миль.

The bill for the repairs might run up to $300. — Счёт за ремонт может составить около 300 долларов.

Syn:

The members encouraged one another in running the Christian course. — Все члены поддерживали друг друга в следовании христианской религии.

We run a danger of wasting time. — Мы рискуем потерять время.

She’s not afraid to run a risk. — Она не боится риска.

Syn:

39)

а) прорывать, преодолевать ; пробиваться сквозь

The escaped prisoners ran the roadblock. — Сбежавшие заключённые проскочили сквозь дорожно-пропускной пункт.

Wilson told officers the brakes of his truck failed, causing him to run a red light at the intersection. — Уилсон сказал полицейским, что у его грузовика отказали тормоза, поэтому ему пришлось на перекрёстке проскочить на красный свет.

40)

а) сшивать на скорую руку, смётывать

в) прикреплять , пропуская через прорези в одежде

41) быть стеснённым

I shall be hard run unless I can get a certain sum of money. — У меня будут большие денежные затруднения, если я не достану определённую сумму денег.

Both author and artist were notoriously always run for time. — И писатель, и художник были известны тем, что у них всегда не хватало времени.

42) наседать, поджимать

Gloriana would run her very close on the score of beauty. — Глориана не отставала от неё по красоте.

Teach me how to run the business. — Научи меня вести дела.

Our staff are highly efficient; the place runs itself almost without our interference. — У нас высококвалифицированные служащие; предприятие работает практически без нашего вмешательства.

You’re my father and all that, but I’ll be damned if you run me any more. — Ты мой отец и всё такое, но будь я проклят, если я ещё хоть раз позволю тебе собой командовать.

Syn:

44) ввести в общество

I was running a small fever. — У меня была небольшая температура.

I don’t like her running this temperature. — Мне не нравится, что у неё такая высокая температура.

47) приводить в действие, включать

48) проводить , проводить измерения

Syn:

52) подтасовывать, фальсифицировать

Syn:

53)

а) вырезать , рисовать, чертить на поверхности

б) вести, тянуть, проводить

Syn:

54) прослеживать, устанавливать ; проводить

55) объединять, соединять

The events of two days have been run into one. — События двух дней были объединены в одно.

Syn:

56) тяготеть к , иметь склонность к

The writer runs to descriptive details. — Этот писатель очень любит подробно описывать детали.

57) обращаться к

58) хватать, быть достаточным для

The money won’t run to a car. — Этих денег не хватит на машину.

Syn:

59) общаться с ; водить компанию с

In his younger days he ran with some very undesirable types. — В юности он общался с некоторыми очень подозрительными типами.

60) (случайно) встретиться с ; натолкнуться на

I ran across my former teacher this afternoon. — Сегодня я встретил своего старого учителя.

I ran across an excellent book on history. — Я тут обнаружил замечательную книгу по истории.

61) «бегать», ухаживать за

All the girls are running after the attractive new student. — Девушки прохода не дают этому симпатичному студенту-новичку.

62) наезжать на , врезаться во

I ran into the gatepost and hurt my knee. — Я налетел на столб и повредил колено.

This lamppost looks as if it’s been run into by a bus. — Этот столб выглядит так, как будто в него врезался автобус.

63) случайно встретить , столкнуться с

Syn:

64) столкнуться с

65) касаться , вращаться вокруг

His thoughts ran upon the happy times that he had spent there. — Он вспомнил о том счастливом времени, которое провёл здесь когда-то.

66) просматривать; повторять

Just run over your notes before the examination. — Просто прогляди свои конспекты перед экзаменом.

68) становиться, делаться

The little pond ran dry. — Маленький пруд высох.

The roads ran wild. — Дороги заросли.

Some say whiskey will run a man crazy. — Некоторые говорят, что от виски человек становится психом.

— run low

— run cold
— run mad
— run hot

Syn:

накапливаться, образовываться

It is found a great safeguard against debt not to run long accounts. — Хорошая гарантия не делать долгов — не накапливать счёта.

71)

а) втыкать, вонзать во

б) прокалывать, пронзать, протыкать

Ormonde ran two of the cowards through the body. — Ормонд пронзил тела двух трусов.

72) иметь склад, характер, свойство, форму

His hair was brown, with a tendency to run in ringlets. — У него были каштановые волосы, имеющие тенденцию завиваться колечками.

73)

Syn:

б) запустить в нору

Syn:

75)

His lips, his fangs, ran blood. — С его губ, с его клыков стекала кровь.

The drains will run the water out of the land. — Дренажные канавы осушат земли.

Syn:

•

— run ashore

— run aground
— run foul of
— run short
— run counter
— run about
— run along
— run around
— run away
— run back
— run down
— run in
— run off
— run on
— run out
— run over
— run round
— run through
— run up

••

— run to form

— run off the rails
— run for luck
— run messages
— run it close
— run it fine
— run smth. close
— run smb. close
— run too far
— run the gantlope
— run oneself into the ground
— run away with the idea
2.

сущ.

1)

а) бег, пробег, пробежка

to keep smb. on the run — не давать кому-л. остановиться

We took a run around the track. — Мы побежали по беговой дорожке.

Syn:

б) перебежка, за которую засчитывается очко

2) короткая поездка, небольшое путешествие

Let’s take a run upstate for the day. — Давай съездим на денёк за город.

Syn:

3)

4) прогулка быстрым шагом; пробежка

Syn:

5)

The aircraft is seen making its second run over the target. — Видно, как самолёт делает второй заход на цель.

а) полёт, перелёт; рейс

I was on the Sydney-Melbourne run. — Я совершал перелёт из Сиднея в Мельбурн.

б) расстояние, пролетаемое самолётом

Keep careful watch tonight; run expected. — Будьте на страже сегодня ночью; ожидается прибытие контрабандного товара.

регулярный обход, объезд

At night when they had done the evening run on their traps they would return home. — Вечером после того, как они объезжали все свои ловушки, они возвращались домой.

а) ручей, речушка

Syn:

б) сток, водослив

Syn:

в) поток, сильный прилив

10) струя песка, обвал, оползень

Syn:

13) период времени, полоса

Gamblers always hope for a run of good luck. — Игроки всегда надеются, что наступит полоса удач.

We have had a long-continued run of the loveliest weather. — На длительный период установилась чудеснейшая погода.

Syn:

I’m darning up a run in my old ski sweater. — Я зашиваю спустившуюся петлю на старом свитере.

Syn:

17) непрерывная серия, последовательность

18) рыба, идущая на нерест

21) разг. приступ поноса

22)

In July the failure of some commercial firms resulted in a run on several German banks. — В июле банкротство нескольких коммерческих фирм привело к массовому изъятию вкладов из нескольких немецких банков.

б) спрос

The book has a considerable run. — Книга хорошо распродаётся.

в) наплыв, скопление

23) период, в который спектакль, фильм остаётся на сцене, идёт в прокате; период, в который выставка открыта для посетителей

This comedy has a lengthened run. — Эта комедия уже долго идёт на сцене.

The International Textile Exhibition closed yesterday after a run of something like six weeks. — Вчера закрылась международная текстильная выставка, которая работала около шести недель.

24)

а) ток ; количество жидкости, протекающее в единицу времени

It was no hard run — but my 104 buckets would probably yield 40 or 50 gallons of maple sap today. — Ток был не очень обильным — однако сегодня 104 моих ведра, возможно, дали 40 или 50 галлонов кленового сока.

25)

а) ход, работа, действие

б) испытание, эксперимент

Only one experimental run to test the machinery has been made. — Для проверки оборудования было проведено только одно экспериментальное испытание.

26) нечто среднее, стандарт; большинство

common / general / normal / ordinary run — обычный, средний тип, класс

We’ve had nothing exciting — just the usual run of applicants. — У нас не происходило ничего особенного — обычные просители.

a man of mind, above the run of men — умный человек, превосходящий большинство людей

27) выводок

Syn:

28) партия товара, класс товара

The best runs of English and foreign wheat sell at full prices. — Лучшие сорта английской и иностранной пшеницы продаются по полной цене.

run of 3,000 copies — тираж в 3000 экземпляров

30) тропа, проложенная животными

31) нора, убежище

The kids are building a rabbit run. — Дети строят норку для кролика.

Syn:

32)

Fowls are restricted to a narrow yard or run. — Домашние птицы содержатся в узком загоне или вольере.

33) уклон; трасса

34) амер. место разгрузки, погрузки или сортировки вагонов, горка

35)

а) жёлоб, лоток, труба

37) направление; тенденция развития

We shall find, I think, the general run of things to be such as I have represented it. — Я думаю, что мы обнаружим общую тенденцию развития такой, как я здесь представил.

Syn:

You have the run of my office. — Вы можете свободно пользоваться моим офисом.

Then I have the run of the place entirely to myself. — Итак, это место в полном моём распоряжении.

Syn:

••

— be on the run
— do smth. on the run
— have smb. on the run
— get smb. on the run
— keep smb. on the run
3.

прил.

3) идущий на нерест, нерестящийся

Syn:

Syn:

9) гонимый, преследуемый; измученный погоней, выдохшийся

Syn:

10) продолжающийся, непрерывный

Syn:

Nothing differs more from a true-run race than the ordinary careful gallop used in training. — Настоящие скачки кардинально отличаются от обычного аккуратного галопа при тренировке.

I opened my mouth to yell for Bess and George, but the person spoke. “Nancy? What are you doing here?”

“Kyle? Is that you?” I leaned back against the cliff, my heart pounding. “You gave me a scare. What are you doing?”

“Watching for thieves. Which brings me back to my question—what are you doing here?”

I was glad it was dark so he couldn’t see the flush rising in my cheeks. I realized what he must be thinking, and hurried to explain. “Same as you. Bess and George are waiting around the corner. We wanted to keep an eye on the fossil.” I grinned, though I wasn’t sure if he could see that in the dark. “I was just thinking what a good hiding place this would make!”

He sighed and scratched his head. Did he believe me?

I squeezed past him. “I’d better get Bess and George. They’ll be wondering what happened to me.”

I quickly explained the situation as I led them back to Kyle. He stepped out where we could all see one another in the moonlight. We spoke in whispers.

“I’ve got things covered here,” Kyle said. “I have my sleeping bag and I’m ready to spend the night. We don’t all need to hang around.”

“All right,” I said. “We won’t worry, now that we know you’re here. But I wish we could find some way to help tonight.”

“What’s that?” George asked.

We all turned to follow her gaze. “I saw a flash of light,” George said. “It looked like a flashlight.”

We all stared. “There it is!” Kyle exclaimed.

“Where exactly?” Bess asked. “Oh, I saw it too! What could it be?”

I grinned at my friends. “There’s one way to find out. Kyle, you’d better wait here and protect the fossil. We’ll check out the light.”

“Be careful. You don’t want to get lost in the desert.”

George patted her pocket. “I have my GPS turned on. I’m tracking our every move!”

I felt better knowing that George was keeping track of our path. It was easy enough to follow the river channel, but if we had to chase someone across the desert, we could lose our way. George’s GPS could also mark the spot if we found anything useful, like tire tracks.

We waved to Kyle and headed across the hollow, then up the path to where the ATV had parked that afternoon. We saw the light again and scurried toward it. It had to be someone with a flashlight.

We chased the light for the next half hour, getting farther away from camp and the dig. We had to go around hills, and slither down one slope of loose rocks. One good thing about the desert, we could move over the land and keep the light in sight all the time. It wasn’t like a forest, where you have to fight your way through thick trees.

But the desert had its own challenges. Thorny bushes snagged at our clothes. We had to watch for cactus patches in the dim light. You could brush right past a small cactus and not realize it until you felt the thorns in your ankle.

Still, I was tingling with excitement. The cold night air, the bright moon washing out the starry sky, the scent of the desert, and most of all the chase—I felt so alive!

The light went out.

We walked for a few more minutes without seeing the light again. I stopped and turned slowly, staring in every direction. My ears strained for any sound in the night. I heard the wind rushing past bushes, and a faint distant rumble—a train, miles away?

Bess whispered, “George, where are the nightvision goggles?”

“Yeah,” George said. “That’s what we need. Or at least some of those binoculars for looking at stars. They gather more light so you can use them at night.”

I smiled as I imagined George back home, scheming to get new toys. But that didn’t help us now.

“What should we do?” Bess whispered.

I hesitated. “Keep going, I guess. Maybe the thief dropped down into a ravine, or went around a hill.”

“Or he’s waiting for us there in the dark.” Bess groaned.

“Either way, we can’t just stand around doing nothing,” George said.

We walked for another five minutes without seeing the light or anything else of interest. Finally I stopped. “There’s no point in wandering around randomly. I guess we should head back.”

Their shoulders drooped. We were doing a lot of hiking, and not learning much. “If someone wants to steal the fossil, why were they heading so far from the dig site?” Bess asked.

“Maybe the thieves are lost,” George said.

“Or maybe they heard us with Kyle, and we scared them away from the dig.” I sighed. “I think we’ve all had enough for tonight. Let’s go back and check on Kyle. If everything is all right there, I guess we go to bed.”

George nodded. Bess smiled and I knew she was relieved. She’s a good sport, but after her brush with heat exhaustion earlier, she must have been beyond ready for sleep.

George pulled out her GPS. “I’ll just get a reading …” Her voice trailed off.

“What’s the matter?” Bess asked.

George peered at the GPS and punched some buttons. She muttered something I couldn’t quite catch.

“What?” Bess demanded. “What’s wrong?”

George stared at the GPS, and then looked up at us with wide eyes. “There’s no power. The batteries are dead!”

12.Between a Rock…

“You mean we’re lost out here?” Bess whispered.

“I can’t believe it!” George sounded outraged that technology should fail her. “I recharged the batteries right before we left.” She flipped over the GPS and popped off the back. She grabbed her flashlight, turned it on, and shone it on the battery compartment. “These aren’t my rechargeable batteries! Someone stole mine and replaced them. They must have put in batteries with just enough juice to turn the GPS on at the beginning, so I wouldn’t notice.”

We stood in silence for a minute. “What are we going to do?” Bess asked.

“We’ll find our way back,” I said, trying to sound confident. “We can follow our own tracks back.”

George turned her flashlight to the ground. “We came that way. This won’t be so hard.”

She took a few steps. Her flashlight flickered and went out.

Bess moaned. “Don’t tell me—bad batteries.”

Bess and I checked our flashlights. Hers didn’t have any batteries at all. “I put in new ones when I packed,” she groaned. My light went on, but the beam looked weak. “We’d better use it only as necessary,” I said.

I wondered how many miles we had walked. George’s GPS could have told us, if it was working. However far we’d come already, we had that much more to get back to our tent. And going back would take much longer, since we had to move slowly.

The moon shone on silvery bushes and sent shadows between the pale rock outcroppings. As much as possible we used that light to see our tracks. Sometimes the path was obvious, because bushes or patches of cacti left only one route. When we weren’t sure, we turned on the flashlight for a few seconds.

We walked in silence. The excitement had evaporated. We were lost in the desert, with no water or food. If we didn’t show up by morning, Kyle would look for us. But would he know where to look? We might have covered a couple of miles, chasing after that light. Now it looked like it had all been a trick, to get us out of the way. And while we were busy being lost, the thief might have been causing more trouble.

I went over and over the clues in my mind, trying to find something useful. Every time I thought I had a suspect, the clues turned into nothing. Yet somebody had stolen those fossils!

The second flashlight went out after ten minutes. “At least I have my key chain penlight,” I said. “It doesn’t give much light, but it should help.” I managed a smile. “And I know the thief hasn’t gotten to it, because it’s been with me the whole time!”

I tried to be cheerful, but my energy was fading. Bess’s shoulders sagged with fatigue, and George stifled a yawn.

Fortunately, the soft desert soil showed our tracks well. In some places we could identify clear boot prints. Where the ground was sandy, we sometimes saw only shallow depressions. Then we came to an area of bare rock extending one hundred feet in every direction.

“I don’t remember crossing this,” Bess said.

“We must have,” I said. “We just weren’t paying attention on the way out.”

“We’ll search the edge until we find our tracks going out the other side,” George said.

Bess sat on a rock, folded her arms on her knees, and put her head down. “Call me when you find it.”

I glanced at George. “Maybe we all need a short break. Wait a minute—” I fished in my jacket pockets. “I have an energy bar!”

I broke it into thirds and wished again for some water. How foolish to go out into the desert, even at night, without it!

A high, quavering cry pierced the night air. The hair stood up on the back of my neck.

The howl faded in the distance. “Coyote,” George muttered. “Not dangerous.”

I nodded. My logical mind knew that coyotes hunted small animals and avoided humans, but some primitive part of the brain shouted, “Danger!”

Bess looked up and said in a tight voice, “I’m ready to go now.” Her eyes widened as she stared over my head. She ducked back and screamed.

Something passed over my head so close that my hair moved in its breeze. Next to me George yelped. I choked on the last bite of energy bar.

My heart pounded as I watched a large bird swoop away from us. Its wingspan was as wide as my outstretched arms. “It’s all right,” I gasped. “Just an owl.Probably out hunting rabbits.”

“Nice scream, Bess,” George complained, rubbing her ear. “You just about burst my eardrums.”

Bess glared at her. “Oh? It may have been loud, but I could still hear your scream.”

“I didn’t scream,” George said, wide-eyed. “I maybe just exclaimed a little, in surprise.”

I chuckled, the tension broken. “All right, you two, let’s get out of here and back to our beds.”

We walked directly across the open rock, and then scanned the edge for footprints. It might have gone faster if we’d been willing to split up, but somehow we all wanted to stick close together. I used my penlight, for speed, even though I was getting worried about that battery. The night seemed to be getting darker. I glanced up. Sure enough, the edge of a cloud bank was eating the moon.

“Here,” George said, “this bush has a broken twig.” We searched around it and found disturbed areas in the dirt and finally, a few feet away, a clear footprint.

“Are you sure it’s one of ours?” Bess asked.

“It has to be one of ours, or the thief’s,” George said. “Who else would be out here?”

We looked at one another in dawning excitement. “Everyone compare your prints!” I said.

We studied our treads. The print belonged to Bess. “Oh, well,” she said with a sigh. “Maybe we’ll find some other good prints.”

“We can’t spend much time looking,” I said. “We need to get back to camp, both for our sake and for Kyle’s. I don’t want to waste time, or the penlight battery. But try to remember what our prints look like, and if you see anything different, we’ll take a closer look.”

I don’t know how long we walked that night. I resisted the urge to look at my watch. It seemed like hours later when Bess cleared her throat. “Um, you guys? I keep seeing these little red dots following us. I know I’m really tired, but I swear this isn’t just my eyes playing tricks.”

I looked around. Sure enough, I saw two small red dots off to my left. I heard a rustle like a bush moving in the breeze, and the dots disappeared.

“They look kind of like laser pointers,” George murmured, looking in another direction.

We stood with our backs together and looked all around. My eyes burned with the effort of trying to see in the dark. One pair of red dots moved closer to another pair. I glanced around and saw more red dots, always in pairs a few inches apart, and about two feet above the ground.

“What are they?” Bess wailed.

“Eyes,” I croaked. “Something’s watching us.”

13.…And a Hard Place

We pressed our backs together. My heart pounded in my throat. I took a deep breath and forced myself to think clearly. I tried to speak in a normal voice, but it came out as a whisper. “It must be coyotes. They’ve been tracking us.”

“I thought coyotes didn’t attack people!” Bess said.

“They probably just want to know what we’re doing in their territory,” I said. “Think of them like escorts. They want us out of here as much as we want to be gone.”

“I have a hard time believing that,” Bess muttered.

I forced myself to stand up straight and step away from my friends. “In any case, if we want to scare them off, we should look big and make noise, not huddle together and whisper.”

“Open your coats,” George said loudly. She unzipped hers and held it open so she looked bigger.

“Mine’s a pullover,” Bess wailed.

“Then wave your arms,” I said.

We made ourselves as big, loud, and threatening as possible. The coyotes backed off, although we could still see the eyes glowing red at a distance. “Come on,” I said. “The sooner we are out of their territory, the happier we’ll all be.”

We found our tracks again and walked quickly, using the penlight for speed’s sake. “We should keep making noise,” George said. “Anything you want to talk about?”

“There’s only one subject on my mind,” I said.

“Who got us into this mess?” Bess added.

“Any ideas?” George asked.

I shook my head. “I think we need a lot more information about everyone. Jimmy and Tom were our best suspects, when we knew just enough to be suspicious. But we hardly know anything about Abby, Russell, Grayson, or Felix. George, I think tomorrow you should find a spot where you can get reception and do some Internet research.”

We discussed the various people on the dig, coming up with more and more ridiculous reasons to suspect them, as a way to take our minds off the coyotes.

“Russell is part of a syndicate planning a real Jurassic Park,” George suggested. “That phone call he made when we left tonight—he was calling his partners to make sure the lab is ready.”

Bess laughed. “No, it’s Grayson. He wants to be like those thieves he was talking about. He thinks he’s Robin Hood, and he’s going to give the bones to the poor.”

When I could stop giggling, I said, “How about this: Abby wants a dinosaur skull as a talisman. Can’t you just see her with one hanging around her neck?”

“Yeah, a big T. rex skull.” George guffawed. “Wait, what about Felix? Maybe he wants to open a restaurant serving dinosaur soup!”

We didn’t even notice when the red dots stopped following us. Finally, our tracks led us to a drop-off. I blinked several times, trying to focus my eyes and brain. Then it hit me. “We made it! We’re back at the dig.”

We whooped and hugged each other. As the tension drained out of me, I realized just how frightened I had been.

“Now we just have one more mile back to camp,” Bess said. “I’m almost sure I can make it.”

“Hold on a second,” I said. “Now that we know we’re safe, let’s take a look for those extra footprints.”

I shone the penlight around, but couldn’t find anything definite. We had our tracks going out and back. They covered up anything else.

“Maybe we can look again in the morning,” Bess said pointedly.

I smiled and got up. “You’re right. Let’s get back to our sleeping bags.”

George glanced at her watch. “Yeah. It’s already two.” She gave Bess a wicked grin. “Wake-up call in four hours!”

Kyle stepped out of his hiding place as we crossed the hollow. I had almost forgotten about him. We gave him a brief rundown of our adventure. After we assured him that we were okay, he explained that everything had been quiet at the dig site. Finally, we trudged the last mile back to camp.

George reached for the tent zipper, yawning. “Hold on,” I said. “We don’t need any more surprises tonight.”

I stood to the side of the tent and slowly opened the zipper. I peered around the edge and didn’t see anything dangerous. Still, we pulled our sleeping bags outside and shook them out before crawling inside. I fell asleep the second my head hit the pillow.

•••

By the time we dragged ourselves out of our tent in the morning, we could smell the bacon and sausage sizzling. I started forward, ravenous after our exhausting night.

Bess grabbed my arm. “Nancy, at least brush your hair, please.”

“Oh. All right.” I quickly ran a brush through my tangles and pulled my hair into a ponytail. After two nights camping, miles of hiking, and no shower, I figured nothing much would help my appearance. George just smashed a hat onto her head.

Bess had some kind of gel that was supposed to clean your hair as you brushed it. “Try it,” she said.

I grinned. “Sorry. I can’t hear you over my stomach growling!”

“Hurry up,” George said. “Tom and Kyle are already getting food, and I’ll bet they can eat a lot.”

Kyle was back? I wondered who was guarding the fossil, but first things first. George and I practically pounced on Felix.

“Smells great!” George said. “I’ll take my first and second helpings right now.”

Felix beamed at her and scooped a slab of omelet from an enormous cast-iron pan. “Western omelet, with onions and green peppers. There’s toast on the grill, and coffee in the pot.”

I pulled a chair close to Kyle. After I had a few bites of food in my stomach, I turned toward him and whispered, “Everything all right last night?”

He nodded. He had dark circles under his drooping eyelids. “You were the most exciting thing that happened. Steffi relieved me at dawn and sent me back here for breakfast. If anything had happened since then, we would have heard about it.” He pulled his jacket open enough to show something that looked like a radio.

“Is that a walkie-talkie?”

“Yep. The range is good enough to reach the dig. Steffi has the other one.”

I hadn’t even noticed that she wasn’t at breakfast. I guess hunger interferes with my observational skills. I glanced around and counted heads. Everyone else was accounted for.

Kyle took a last swig of coffee and stood up. “All right, people, this is our last full day. Let’s get going so we can haul out that first jacket before it gets too hot.”

We finished breakfast and loaded our backpacks with water. George whispered, “I’m going to stay behind. I’ll go back up that hill where I can get Internet reception.” She pulled out her handheld computer. “I’ll need everyone’s full name, though.”

“I printed out the e-mail where Kyle listed the people coming on the dig.” I rummaged through the car and found it. “Here you go.”

George took it and walked off with a wave. Bess and I started for the dig. “My feet hurt,” Bess groaned. I nodded. My legs ached too, but after a few minutes of walking, the stiffness left them.

Kyle walked quickly, but his step had lost its bounce. Grayson alternately yawned and blew his nose. Abby’s violet eyes had lost their sparkle, and the dark circles under them suggested she had not been sleeping well.

Russell looked awake, but caught up in his own thoughts. Out of everyone, Tom looked the most cheerful. He caught my eye and smiled.

We straggled into the dig site. Kyle stopped and looked around. “Steffi?” He took a few steps forward, frowning. “Where is she?”

A muffled grunting and scuffling came from the crack in the cliff where Kyle had been hiding the night before. I hurried toward it.

“Steffi!”

Secrets Revealed

A petite figure squirmed on the ground, her hands tied behind her back and her feet bound. Even with the burlap bag over her head, I recognized Steffi.

Kyle pushed past me and tugged the bag off. He gathered Steffi into his arms. “Are you all right?” he demanded.

Steffi just gasped and squirmed. I knelt behind her and examined her wrists. Rough twine went around and around them until the ends joined in a complicated knot. “Hold still,” I said. “I’ll get this off.”

Steffi stopped squirming but she was still trembling. The knots were unbelievably tight, probably because Steffi had struggled against them so much. My fingers stung with splinters from the coarse twine.

Steffi twisted her head around. “Get these things off of me!” she croaked.

“I’m working on it.” I glanced at Kyle. “Give her some water.”

Someone handed him a water bottle and he held it for Steffi. She took a few swallows and started coughing. I wasn’t having any luck with the knots, but I remembered my pocketknife. I slipped off my backpack, found the knife, and started sawing through the twine. Finally it came apart. Steffi’s wrists were rubbed raw underneath.

Steffi brought her hands in front of her and started shaking them out as Tom freed her ankles. She hopped to her feet and paced. Everyone was asking questions, but she didn’t answer. She grabbed the water bottle from Kyle and took a long drink. Finally she took a deep breath and snapped, “All right, all right! I’m fine. Just really, really mad.”

“What happened?” Kyle asked.

“I heard a strange noise. A kind of tapping. I waited a minute, but no one came into view. Finally I stuck my head around the corner. Before I could see anything, that bag came down. I got in a few good kicks, but they grabbed me and tied me up.”

“They?” I asked. “More than one person?”

She nodded. “Two men, I think. I didn’t get a look at either of them, and they didn’t speak. But one person pinned my arms while the other tied my feet. I’m pretty sure I kicked that one in the face. He grunted, or at least I think it was a man. The one holding me definitely was.”

“Can you remember anything else about them?” I asked. “The one holding you, was he tall? Did he have any particular smell?”

She paused in thought. “The only thing I could smell was that nasty burlap bag. But the one holding me was definitely tall. At least as tall as Kyle, but skinnier.”

Two men, one at least six feet tall and thin. “It sounds like those two guys who showed up yesterday,” I said.

Kyle muttered something and turned away. “The jacket! They got our fossil.”

“Of course,” Steffi said. “You didn’t think they went to all this trouble just for me?”

Kyle smiled crookedly and took her hand. “I must admit, I actually forgot about the fossil for a minute.”

She grinned up at him. “I’m okay.”

Tom picked the walkie-talkie up off the ground. “So now what? What do we do?”

I looked around at the others. Everyone stared at Steffi and Kyle, looking shocked and confused.

“How long ago did this happen?” Kyle asked.

“Maybe ten minutes after you left,” Steffi said.

Kyle scowled. “They must have been watching, and they waited for me to leave. We thought we were safe, once the sun came up. I can’t believe it.”

“They had to have had a vehicle,” I said.

Steffi nodded. “I think one of them stayed here while the other went to get it. A few minutes after they tied me up, I heard the engine. Then some grunting and thumps. Then they drove off.”

Bess climbed the path up the bluff, to where the off-road vehicle had parked the day before. She studied the ground and called down, “I’m sure there are new tracks here, from the same tires.”

Kyle groaned. “There’s no point in trying to follow them now, I guess. They have at least half an hour on us, and we’re on foot.” He was silent for a minute, as we all watched in sympathy.

Kyle gave a deep sigh. “All right.Priorities. Let’s get these other two jackets finished. I want them out of here today, and the sooner we get the plaster on, the sooner they can dry.”

It didn’t take all of us to jacket two sets of fossils. Kyle and Steffi drew away to one side and talked in low voices. Grayson started helping Russell with one jacket, while Tom and Abby took the other.

I paced restlessly. It seemed like we had identified the thieves, but I still wasn’t satisfied.

Bess joined me. “So, after all we went through, this is how we find out about the thieves.”

I frowned and shook my head. “I’m not convinced it’s that simple. Someone from camp is involved.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“The snake. When it showed up in our tent, we hadn’t even seen those two guys yet. Why would they try to discourage us?”

“They might have just wanted to cause trouble at camp,” Bess said. “Maybe they chose a random tent and it just happened to be ours.”

“Why would they want to disrupt the camp?” I said. “They wanted Kyle’s group to do all the work in excavating the fossils. Otherwise they could have just come out last week, when no one was here. No, someone from camp is involved. Someone who knows I’m a detective.”

“I told Abby that first morning,” Bess admitted. “But I don’t remember who else was around.”

“Just about everybody,” I said. “And of course we told Kyle later that morning. Either Abby or Kyle might have told someone else.” I put my hands on my hips and looked around. “We need to find out more about these people, and we’re running out of time. They don’t need us here. Let’s go see how George is doing with the Internet.”

Bess smiled. “What’s a hundred-million-year-old fossil, compared to modern snooping?”

•••

We offered to start carrying gear back to camp. Most of the tools could go, along with the empty buckets. Kyle didn’t want to expose anything new, since we wouldn’t have time to get it out of the ground. I grabbed one of the walkie-talkies, too, just in case. They wouldn’t need both at the dig.

We entered camp and put away the tools. George waved and came toward us. We filled her in on what had happened with Steffi. “I hope you found something interesting,” I finished.

“Grayson is a lawyer,” she said. “A federal prosecutor out of Denver, so it makes sense that he knows about cases of fossil theft. Nothing suspicious there. I chatted with Felix a bit, and he said he used to own a deli. That checked out. He’s in his tent now with a book and a battery-operated fan. I found several guys named Russell Stevens, but unless he’s a basketball player, a rock and roll drummer, or a Belgian scientist, nothing on this one. I was just going to work on Abby when I saw you come back.”

“That’s a good start,” I said. “But we need to find out about Russell somehow. On the phone last night he said something about buying and selling. He could have been calling his helpers.”

George peered through the windows of the dark SUV. “This is Russell’s. Hey, his phone is on the console.” George cackled and opened the door.

“What are you doing?” Bess asked, as George pushed buttons.

“Checking what number he called last. It’s a 212 area code. That’s New York City. Let’s go up on the hill.” She pushed buttons as we walked. “The magic of redial,” she muttered.

“He’ll be able to tell someone was messing with his phone!” Bess exclaimed.

“Only if he checks the calling record,” George said, “which he won’t. And even if he does, he won’t know who it was.” She pushed Send as we topped the hill, then held the phone to her ear and spoke. “Hello? I’m sorry, who did you say this was? Oh, I have the wrong number. Sorry.”

She closed the phone. “It’s a stockbroker’s office.”

“I guess he was just keeping track of his investments,” I said.

“All right. Let me check Abby,” George said. A minute later she added, “Abby’s rock shop is legitimate, in Sedona, Arizona. But she doesn’t just sell crystals and jewelry. She sells small fossils, too.”

“Interesting,” I said. “But hardly proof. All right. Let’s look through her tent and car. Does anybody know which car is hers?”

“I saw Abby getting something from that silver SUV,” Bess said.

It was locked. “Who locks their vehicle out here in the middle of nowhere?” George asked.

Bess rolled her eyes. “Yeah. It’s not like anyone would look inside.”

“It’s strange, though,” I said slowly. “With all her talk about nature and crystals and macrobiotic diets, I’d expect her to drive something more energy conscious, like my hybrid.”

“Yeah, or an old VW Bug,” George said. “But not this gas-guzzler.”

I glanced at my watch. “We should have another hour before everyone gets back for lunch. George, see what else you can find on Abby. I want to look through her tent.”

Bess yawned. “I’ll keep watch to warn you if anyone comes back early.”

Abby had a small air mattress, a sleeping bag, a bag with the usual toiletries, and a romance novel. The net pocket by the door held a good flashlight and two candy bar wrappers. She must have been keeping everything else in her locked vehicle.

I sat back on my heels and thought. Abby drove an SUV, and ate candy in her tent after eating health food in front of everyone. She had secrets. But did that mean she was the fossil thief?

I went through her tent again. This time I searched more carefully, for any tiny clue that might be hidden. I flipped through the pages of the book, but didn’t see any extra scribbles. I felt the lining of the makeup bag. I even examined the attached tag, made of leather with a plastic window. Her name and address showed through.

I stared at the name. Abby Morningstar. It sounded like one of those new age last names people give themselves. I wondered what name she’d been born with.

On a hunch, I slid out the name tag. The writing on the back was faded, probably several years old. Abigail Eback.

I slid the tag back into the holder and crawled out of the tent. I waved to Bess. “Come on. Let’s join George.”

She looked up as we crested the hill. “Nothing new yet.”

“Try looking up Abigail Eback.” I explained what I’d found in Abby’s tent.

A minute later George said, “I’m not getting anything on Abigail or Abby. There aren’t even too many Ebacks. Let’s see… Wait a minute. The Arizona Reptile Zoo.Run by Darryl and Dustin Eback. They have snakes, lizards, and spiders.” She frowned. “Spiders aren’t reptiles.”

“Those two brothers!” I exclaimed. I frowned. “I knew there was something familiar about those two guys. I had a sense of déjà vu when we first saw them. It was their unusual eyes. Abby’s are unusual too.”

“It’s Abby!” George said.

“It has to be,” I agreed. “I’ll bet those guys are her sons, and—”

“No, look.” George nudged me. “It’s Abby.” Sure enough, she was entering camp.

15.The Fossil Escapes!

“What’s she doing back so early? Come on.” I waved as I approached her. “What’s up? Where are the others?”

“Still working,” she said. “But I have a long drive, so I thought I’d pack up and get started. They’re just hauling heavy loads today, and that’s not really my thing.”

“I see.” My mind raced. I’d thought we’d have all day to get proof and confront Abby. But now that her sons had the fossil, she was taking off to meet them.

I snuck the walkie-talkie out of the tool pile, and dragged George and Bess behind our tent. “We have to call Kyle.”

We tried, but got no answer. I finally gave up. “They must have turned off the other one.” I bit my lip. “George, run back to the dig and tell Kyle. Get help!”

She took off without a word. I hissed to Bess, “We have to stall her.” We joined Abby, who had already emptied her tent. “We’ll help you pack. We’re not doing anything until lunchtime.”

We were as slow and clumsy as we could be, but folding up a tent just doesn’t take that long. We managed to annoy Abby, but she still had her SUV packed up in twenty minutes. It would take at least another twenty minutes for George to return with Kyle, even if they ran the whole way.

“Why don’t you stay for lunch?” I asked Abby. “The others will be back soon.”

Abby grimaced. “I can’t eat all that rich food, full of meat and preservatives. I have some carrot sticks in the car. That will hold me through this afternoon.”

Bess and I tried to make small talk, but Abby got into her SUV, slammed the door, and backed out.

“We have to follow her,” I said.

“She’ll see us,” Bess said.

“We’ll stay back, but we have to take that chance. Otherwise, she’ll get away.”

We got into my car and turned it around. Abby was already out of sight around a corner. I bounced over the rough road, going as quickly as I dared. I knew my hybrid couldn’t keep up with the SUV on dirt roads, if Abby hurried.

I spotted her in the distance. “Come on, come on,” I muttered, willing the car to go faster. Bess held on to the door with one hand and the dashboard with the other.

The walkie-talkie crackled. “Nancy? Come in?”

Bess grabbed it. “George? Abby took off! We’re following her.”

“We’re on our way back. Where are you headed?”

“Toward the highway.”

“We’ll be right behind you.”

I smiled. Now that we had backup, I was sure we could stop Abby.

A bang echoed through the car as a rock, flipped up by the wheel, hit the bottom. I jumped and clutched the steering wheel harder.

We came to a rut so deep I needed one wheel in the bushes to straddle it. I didn’t have time to crawl through that area, so I just aimed and hoped for the best.

Bess squealed, “Watch out!”

The back of the car started sliding. I grappled for control.

The wheels slid into the ruts. I heard an unpleasant crunch as the underside of my car high-centered.

I winced but pressed the gas. My wheels spun. The car didn’t move.

I watched the SUV disappear.

“Oh, no!” I turned off the car. “We’ll never get out of here in time.”

Bess sighed. “You did your best. Now what?”

I leaned my head against the steering wheel for a moment, then straightened. “We do everything we can to go after her.”

I jumped out of the car and Bess followed. “If we can just push this back wheel a little to the right, we should get traction again,” I said. “Good thing the hybrid is so light.”

Bess perched on the edge of the driver’s seat, where she could control the pedals with one foot and push with the other out on the ground. I leaned against the back corner of the car and shoved.

“All right,” I called, “give it a little gas.”

The wheels started to spin slowly. Dust billowed in my face.

A wheel caught, then held. The car inched forward. Bess pulled both her feet in so she could concentrate on her driving.

A minute later we were out of the rut. Bess slid over so I could get into the driver’s seat. “I doubt we’ll catch her now,” she said.

“Our best hope is to see which way she turns on the highway,” I said, easing the car forward.

“If we don’t get stuck again. Wait—what’s that sound?”

I listened. “An engine? We’re too far to be hearing Abby.”

We looked around. A dirty white pickup truck bounced across the scrubland in the distance. “It’s Jimmy!” Bess cried. “Maybe he can help.”

“Get out and wave.” I hit the horn—three short blasts, three long ones, three short ones. Hopefully Jimmy recognized SOS.

The truck turned and bumped toward us. I eased my car to the side of the road in a wide spot and got out as Jimmy pulled up. He leaned out the window. “You stuck again?”

We ran to him. “No, but we have to follow someone.” I pointed to where Abby had disappeared. “We have to find out where that SUV goes.”

“Better jump in, then,” he said.

Bess slid in next to him, and I jumped up beside her. Jimmy took off as we were still fumbling for our seat belts. “It’s one of the women from the dig. Abby,” I said. “Someone stole a fossil last night, and we think she’s involved.”

“That gal stole a fossil from the dig?”

“Her sons, anyway,” I said. “They tied up Steffi and took the most valuable fossil.”

“What!” He scowled, hunched over, and drove faster. Bess and I held on to anything we could reach.

“Steffi is all right,” Bess said.

“She wouldn’t like being tied up none,” Jimmy muttered. In minutes we reached the highway and screeched to a stop.

I scanned the road, first left, then right. “That way!” I said, pointing toward a faint dot of silver.

Jimmy turned onto the highway. Bess spoke into the walkie-talkie. “George? We’re on the highway. We turned right.”

“Gotcha.” Her voice crackled. “We’re at camp. Be there soon.”

Jimmy gained on the SUV. I hoped we wouldn’t have to follow Abby all the way to Arizona. What would we do if we caught her, anyway? We didn’t have proof that she was involved in the theft, just suspicions. If she was smart, the valuable fossil would never show up in her shop. She’d sell it secretly. She probably already knew interested buyers who wouldn’t ask questions.

We could only wait and see what happened. A few minutes later the SUV took an exit ramp. “Duck down,” I said to Bess. “Jimmy, keep her in sight. Hopefully she won’t pay attention to the truck.”

We followed, entering a small town. It was basically a gas station with a convenience store and diner, and a handful of scattered houses. I peered over the dashboard and saw the SUV pull around behind the store.

Jimmy parked in front. “Nothing behind there. She must be stopping. I’ll run inside and ask them to call the police.”

Bess gave our location to George. We got out and crept around the side of the building. Some big garbage cans at the back gave us cover so we could see.

Abby was out of the SUV, talking to the two young blond men. The off-road vehicle sat in the bed of a cherry red pickup truck. “They figured out it was you,” Abby said. “I told you it was a mistake to show up yesterday. You’d better load it into my car. If anyone stops you, we don’t want them to find that fossil.”

The men climbed into the bed of their truck. It would take only a couple of minutes to transfer the fossil. “We have to stall them,” I whispered.

“How?” Bess asked.

Good question. There were three of them and three of us, but I didn’t think we could hold them back physically. Jimmy joined us. “Tony, the convenience store owner, is calling.”

“Do you think you could bring your truck around and block in their cars?” I asked.

He studied the two vehicles, parked about fifteen feet apart. “One of them, anyway. You want me to?”

“Yes. Hurry.”

He took off back around the corner. The men were grunting as they lifted the heavy jacket. “Let’s see if we can keep them from getting that fossil into the SUV,” I said to Bess.

Abby and her sons froze as we stepped around the garbage cans. “Fancy meeting you here,” I said. We stood between them and Abby’s SUV.

“You again!” Abby muttered. “What are you doing here?”

“Just stopped to say hi,” I said.

She turned to her sons. “Do something!”

They stood holding the jacket between them, sweat glistening on their faces. The older one grunted, “Like what? We’re kind of busy here.”

“Well, put that thing in the car and get these girls out of here!”

We did a kind of dance as the brothers tried to move toward the SUV, and Bess and I kept in their way. Finally Abby rushed forward and shoved Bess, who stumbled into me. As we caught our balance, Abby held out her arms to keep us back, while her sons staggered forward a few more steps.

An engine roared, and Jimmy’s truck whipped around the corner. “Block the SUV!” I called, pointing. He stopped directly behind it.

The brothers groaned and started staggering back toward their vehicle. When they got close, Jimmy pulled forward so he was behind it.

I guess the boys decided to cut their losses. They exchanged one look and dropped the jacket without a word. I winced as it hit the ground with a thud, and hoped the thick plaster coating would protect it.

“Mom, let’s get out of here!” one of them yelled. They ran toward the SUV. Abby stopped trying to grapple with us and sprinted around to the driver’s door. The boys tumbled into the back.

Jimmy backed up his car to block the SUV

Abby gunned the engine and backed up anyway. Her SUV smashed into the truck bed. Metal screamed and crumpled. The SUV shoved the truck back several feet. Abby turned the wheel and pulled forward. The front corner of the SUV scraped the wall as she tried to squeeze out.

Brakes screeched as a Land Rover swung around the corner. The SUV shuddered to a stop inches away. Kyle, Steffi, and George gaped at us through the windshield.

The SUV had no more room to maneuver. For a moment no one moved. Then Abby jumped out and tried to run around Jimmy’s truck. Her sons slid out of the SUV a moment later.

They were heading for the red truck, but they didn’t have much chance now. I ran forward and blocked the driver’s door. Jimmy jumped out and grabbed at one of the brothers, while Bess planted herself in front of the other one.

George, Kyle, and Steffi joined us. A man came out of the store and called in a Spanish accent, “The police are coming! You need help?”

We had them surrounded. Abby glared at us. Her older son glanced around wildly, as if looking for an escape. The younger son gave up first. With a sigh, he turned and placed his hands on the car, his feet spread. He acted as though he had been arrested before.

Sirens sounded in the distance, then grew louder. A police car pulled around the corner. An officer jumped out and Jimmy quickly explained the situation. They got Abby and her sons in a line along the side of the truck. Another police car pulled up before the first officer had finished reading their rights.

“Thanks for your help,” Kyle said as we watched. “How did you connect Abby to those men?”

I grinned and explained about our research. I turned to Abby as a police officer led her to his car. “Did you legally change your name to Morningstar?”

She scowled, and then relented. “I guess you’ll find out. Eback was my married name. When I divorced, I changed to Morningstar.”

“And all that stuff about organic food and nature spirits?” George asked. “That was all an act?”

Abby shrugged. “It helps sell crystals and jewelry. Besides, I figured no one on the dig would suspect me if they thought I was that kind of nut. But the real money is in rare fossils. One good Internet deal, and I make more money than the store makes in a year.”

“Did you tell your sons to put the snake in our tent?” I asked.

She sneered. “I did that myself. Who do you think taught them to handle snakes and spiders? They spotted the coyote den when they were out driving yesterday, but I was the one who led you to it.” She sighed. “Obviously, it didn’t do any good.”

Abby joined her sons in the back of the police car, and the officer drove off. The other officer got into his car and spent several minutes on the radio. Kyle crouched over the fossil. He examined it, then let out a sigh of relief. “The jacket looks all right!” He grinned up at us. “I can’t tell you how glad I am that you all came on this dig.”

We helped Kyle get the fossil into the back of the Land Rover. Tony brought out an armload of sodas and passed them around, demanding the details of the story.

The second police officer got out of his car. “Looks like the Feds will be involved in this one. Oh, by the way—there’s a ten-thousand-dollar reward for this capture. I guess you girls get it.”

George gasped. I could almost see her counting off the things she could buy with her share. Then I saw Kyle put his arm around Steffi and pull her close. Jimmy was telling Tony about his part in the capture. He looked proud, but when he gestured toward his crumpled truck, he sighed.

I looked at George and Bess. George groaned. “We’re not going to get any of the money, are we?”

“Just think,” Bess said. “Jimmy could fix his truck and get started at college. Kyle and Steffi could put the money toward a down payment on a house. What do we need that compares to that?”

George sighed and nodded.

“I’ve had an adventure,” I said. “You couldn’t buy that with any amount of money. It sounds to me like a happy ending all around.”

Kyle called over to us. “Are you ready to go back to the dig? I don’t think Jimmy’s truck is going anywhere, but he can come back with us. We still have a couple of jackets to haul out this afternoon, after lunch.”

“Lunch,” George said. “Now that sounds like a happy ending.”

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