تمرین مکالمه

Hope Saves Lives

It was a summer day in July 1976 when 26 kids between five and fifteen years of age boarded an elementary school bus to go home.

What year was it? The year was 1976. How old were the kids? The kids were between five and fifteen years of age. Did they board a school bus? Yes, they boarded a school bus.

Many of the children were still dripping with water from the water balloon fight they’d just had.

What kind of fight had they just had? They’d just had a water balloon fight.

Spirits were high as the bus drove along.

What was high? Spirits were high.

None of them could have imagined that a few hours later they’d be involved in the biggest kidnapping in United States history.

Would they be involved in the biggest robbery in United States history? No, they would not be involved in the biggest robbery in United States history.

They would be involved in the biggest kidnapping in United States history.

Suddenly, a van blocked their path.

What blocked their path? A van blocked their path.

The bus driver slowed to a stop and asked if the three men in the van needed help.

Who slowed to a stop? The bus driver slowed to a stop.

The men in the van had something terrible up their sleeves.

Who had something terrible up their sleeves? The men in the van had something terrible up their sleeves.

With pantyhose over their heads and guns in hand, they boarded the bus.

Did they board the plane? No, they didn’t board the plane. They boarded the bus.

The men drove the bus to a rock quarry owned by one of the kidnappers’ fathers.

Who was the rock quarry owned by? The rock quarry was owned by one of the kidnapper’s fathers.

The masked men planned to ask for $5 million in ransom money in exchange for the safe return of the children.

How much did the masked men plan to ask for? The masked men planned to ask for $5 million.

Their plan would soon backfire.

What would soon backfire? Their plan would soon backfire.

The entire town was making calls trying to find their children, so all of the phone lines were busy.

Why was the entire town making calls? The entire town was making calls trying to find their children. What was busy? The phone lines were busy.

The kidnappers never got a chance to make a call.

Who never got a chance to make a call? The kidnappers never got a chance to make a call.

In the meantime, they forced the children and their bus driver to climb down a ladder into the back of a tractor trailer that was buried six feet underground.

What was buried underground? A tractor trailer was buried underground.

How far underground was the tractor trailer buried? The tractor trailer was buried six feet underground.

Inside the truck, the children were terrified.

Were the children happy? No, the children were not happy. The children were terrified.

But one boy, in particular, was not.

How many boys were not? One boy, in particular, was not.

Fourteen-year-old Bob Barklay took action.

Who took action? Fourteen-year-old Bob Barklay took action.

With the help of the heroic bus driver, Bob organized the other children in a plan to escape.

What did Bob organize? Bob organized the other children in a plan to escape. Did Bob do this alone? No, Bob didn’t do this alone. He did it with the help of the bus driver.

They stacked the mattresses they’d been sitting on, one on top of the other.

What did they stack? They stacked the mattresses they’d been sitting on.

Then, they began to dig up and out of a hole in the truck’s roof.

Where did they begin to dig up and out of? They began to dig up and out of a hole in the truck’s roof.

With time, they had a hole big enough to escape from.

Did they have a hole big enough to sleep in? No, they didn’t have a hole big enough to sleep in. They had a hole big enough to escape from.

Covered in dirt and completely worn out, the children and their bus driver stumbled to a small building where one man sat.

What were they covered in? They were covered in dirt. Where did they stumble to? They stumbled to a small building where one man sat.

Upon seeing them, he said, “The world’s been looking for you!” What did he say? He said, “The world’s been looking for you!” The three kidnappers were arrested.

Who was arrested? The three kidnappers were arrested.

Thirty hours after the start of the kidnapping, the children were reunited with their parents.

How long after the start of the kidnapping were the children reunited with their parents? Thirty hours after the start of the kidnapping, the children were reunited with their parents.

They were physically healthy, but not without a painful memory of the ordeal.

Did they have funny memories of the ordeal? No, they didn’t have funny memories of the ordeal. They had painful memories of the ordeal.

All 26 children showed signs of psychological trauma, with one exception.

Did all 26 children show signs of psychological trauma? No, all 26 children did not show signs of psychological trauma. There was one exception.

Bob Barklay, came out of the nightmare not only a hero, but with fewer signs of trauma.

Who had fewer signs of trauma? Bob Barklay had fewer signs of trauma.

Psychologists have since studied Barklay’s case.

What have psychologists studied? Psychologists have studied Barklay’s case.

Many say that the other children experienced a level of helplessness that Bob did not.

Who experienced a level of helplessness? The other children experienced a level of helplessness.

Because he kept moving and believed that his actions mattered, he kept his nervous system from being traumatized.

Did he believe his actions were meaningless? No, he did not believe his actions were meaningless. He believed his actions mattered. What did he keep his nervous system from being? He kept his nervous system from being traumatized.

Barklay showed that hope and belief in the power of taking action is the key to safeguarding mental health in the face of danger.

What is the key to safeguarding mental health in the face of danger? Hope and belief in the power of taking action is the key to safeguarding mental health in the face of danger.