1 SPEAKING Work in pairs. Look at the different covers for the novel The Kite Runner. What do you think the story is about?

(Làm việc theo cặp. Hãy xem các bìa khác nhau của cuốn tiểu thuyết Người Đua Diều. Bạn nghĩ câu chuyện nói về điều gì?)

2 Read the extract from The Kite Runner. Which cover do you think matches the extract the best? Why?

(Đọc đoạn trích từ Người Đua Diều. Bạn nghĩ bìa nào phù hợp với trích đoạn nhất? Tại sao?)

THE KITE RUNNER

Ali and Baba grew up together as childhood playmates just like Hassan and I grew up a generation later. Baba was always telling us about their mischiefs he and Ali used to cause. But in none of his stories did Baba ever refer to Ali as his friend.

The curious thing was, I never thought of Hassan and me as friends either. ¹ _____ Never mind that we taught each other to ride a bicycle with no hands, or to build a fully functional homemade camera out of a cardboard box. Never mind that we spent entire winters flying kites, running kites. Never mind that to me, the face of Afghanistan is that of a boy with a thin-boned frame, a shaved head, and low-set ears, a boy with a Chinese doll face perpetually lit by a harelipped smile.

Never mind any of those things. ² _____ Neither is religion. In the end, I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I was Sunni and he was Shi'a, and nothing was ever going to change that. Nothing.

We saw our first Western together, Rio Bravo with John Wayne, at the Cinema Park. I remember begging Baba to take us to Iran so we could meet John Wayne. Baba burst out in gales of his deep-throated laughter and then explained to us the concept of voice dubbing. ³ _____ John Wayne didn't really speak Farsi and he wasn't Iranian! He was American, just like the friendly, long-haired men and women we always saw hanging around in Kabul, dressed in their tattered, brightly colored shirts.

During the school year, we had a daily routine. By the time I dragged myself out of bed and lumbered to the- bathroom, Hassan had already washed up, prayed the morning namaz with Ali, and prepared my breakfast. While I ate and complained about homework, Hassan made my bed, polished my shoes, ironed my outfit for the day, packed my books and pencils. ⁴ _____

(Adapted from The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini)

3 Read the text again. What is it about?

(Đọc văn bản một lần nữa. Nó nói về cái gì vậy?)

1 Afghan cinema

2 Growing up in Afghanistan

3 The different social classes in Afghanistan

4 Read the Reading Strategy. Match the missing sentences (A-E) with the gaps (1-4). There is one extra sentence.

(Đọc Chiến lược đọc. Nối các câu còn thiếu (A-E) với chỗ trống (1-4). Có một câu bị thừa.)

A Hassan and I were stunned. Dazed.

B I'd hear him singing to himself in the foyer as he ironed, singing old Hazara songs in his nasal voice.

C Not in the usual sense, anyhow.

D We had been close friends since childhood.

E Because history isn't easy to overcome.

5 Match (1-5) with (A-E) to make sentences about the extract.DD

1 The narrator and Hassan had a childhood that

2 The narrator doesn't think that he and Hassan

3 Certain cultural and social factors couldn't change the fact that the boys

4 Baba laughed a lot because the boys

5 In the last paragraph, we discover the narrator and Hassan

A had spent their childhood together.

B had a typical friendship.

C had different daily experiences.

D were confused about an actor's nationality.

E was similar to Ali and Baba's.

6 VOCABULARY Find five underlined compound adjectives in the text. Then complete the sentences with them.

(Tìm năm tính từ ghép được gạch chân trong văn bản. Sau đó hoàn thành các câu với chúng.)

Compound adjectives

1 Although she was tall, she was slim and ________ and didn't weigh much.

2 Try this ________ jam. It's much better than the ones you buy in shops.

3 Suddenly, we heard the ________ roar of a lion calling out to its mate.

4 The stranger had ________ eyes that were close together, giving him a menacing look.

5 After six months of travelling, the men were all ________ and bearded.

7 SPEAKING Work in pairs. Why is it often difficult to form friendships with people from different cultural or social backgrounds? Use the ideas below and add your own.

(Làm việc theo cặp. Tại sao thường khó hình thành tình bạn với những người có nền văn hóa hoặc xã hội khác nhau? Sử dụng các ý tưởng dưới đây và thêm ý tưởng của riêng bạn.)

• Different hobbies and interests

• Other people's attitudes

• Different views, opinions, or outlooks

As far as I'm concerned,...

My view is ...

To my mind,... In my opinion,...