7 Carolyn Recently Lost Her Husband

Carolyn recently lost her husband. He died of cancer a year ago. His name was Brad. Now Carolyn lives by herself. She feels lonely without her husband, but her children still visit her on the weekends, and that makes her feel less lonely.

Carolyn finds comfort in taking long walks in the forest. She and her husband used to go on long walks together, so when she takes a walk in the forest, it reminds her of her husband, and it brings back a lot of happy memories. Because she works as an artist, a walk in the forest also provides her with inspiration for her work.

Carolyn’s oldest daughter is 34 years old. Her name is Kathleen, but everyone calls her "Kathy." Kathy works as a nurse at a hospital. She’s married and she has two small children. One is a three-year-old boy named Kevin, and the other is an eleven-month-old girl named Lisa. Kathy and her children come to visit Carolyn as often as possible. They call Carolyn "Gramma."

Carolyn’s other daughter lives in New York. Her name is Samantha. She’s 26 years old, single, and she works as a waitress, but she hopes to find a job someday as an actress. Samantha comes home to visit her mother at least two or three times a year, usually during the holidays.

Brad is the youngest of Carolyn’s three children. He’s named after his father. He also looks a little like his father. He’s 24 years old and he’s going to finish law school in a few months. He hopes to get a job as a lawyer after he takes the bar exam. Brad wants to remain in the same town where his mother lives because he’s very close to his mother, and he loves living in the town where he grew up.

Brad is going to get married next year. He has a two-year-old son from a previous marriage. His son’s name is Justin. Carolyn often takes care of her grandson, Justin, during the day while Brad attends law school.

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

Now you try it. Read the paragraph above. If you have a microphone, you can record your voice. Then click on "Play" and compare your recording to mine.

How much do you remember from the reading? Fill in the blanks.  

• 1A: What happened to Carolyn’s husband?
• 1B: He __________ of cancer.
• 2A: What was her husband’s name?
• 2B: __________ name was Brad.
• 3A: How many children does Carolyn ________?
• 3B: She __________ three children.
• 4A: Where does Samantha live?
• 4B: She lives in ____________.
• 5A: What kind of a job does Brad hope to get?
• 5B: He hopes to get a job as a __________.

(Answers: 1. died; 2. His; 3. have / has; 4. New York; 5. lawyer)

  back  next