Paul Holmes -
University
English Professor

Free Materials For ESL Teachers and Learners

English Newsroom

Learn English through news articles - complete lesson plans, including articles, listening, classroom activities, quiz questions and more!

Lady’s Car in Water: Stay Safe and Call for Help!

Woman survives 14 hours on top of submerged car in California creek, highlighting the importance of preparedness in emergencies.

Try this article at a different level?

 

A lady drove her car into a big water and it turned over. She climbed on top of the car and waited a very long time. It was dark and cold, but she stayed there all night. In the morning, a person camping saw her and called for help. People flew in a helicopter and took her to the hospital.

Driving when there is a lot of water can be very dangerous. It is good to know what to do if something bad happens. The lady was very brave and smart to stay safe. People who drive cars should be careful and know about the weather. If there is too much water on the road, it is better not to drive.

Original news source: Woman rescued after 14 hours atop submerged car (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

Fast

📖 Vocabulary:

1droveWhen you make a car go places
2climbedGoing up something, like a ladder or a hill
3waitedStaying in one place for a while because you have to
4darkWhen there is no light and you can’t see much
5coldWhen it’s not warm, like when you need a jacket
6campingSleeping in a tent outside for fun
7helicopterA flying machine that goes whoosh in the sky
8hospitalA place where doctors take care of you when you’re hurt
9dangerousWhen something can hurt you
10braveBeing strong and not scared when things are hard or scary

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. One student from each pair will act out a word or phrase related to the article (e.g. driving, water, car, hospital) without speaking, while the other student guesses what it is. Switch roles after each turn.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Provide each student with a piece of paper and a pen. Choose a word or phrase from the article (e.g. brave, smart, dangerous) and have each student draw a picture to represent that word or phrase. After everyone is done, students take turns showing their drawings and classmates guess the word or phrase.

– Keyword Hangman
Instructions: Choose a keyword from the article (e.g. water, car, drive) and draw a series of dashes on the board to represent each letter. Students take turns guessing letters. If a guessed letter is correct, write it in the corresponding dash. If it is incorrect, draw a part of a stick figure on a gallows. The students must guess the word before the stick figure is completed.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Ask the students to individually think about a time when they were in a dangerous situation and had to make a smart decision. Then, pair them up and have them share their stories with each other. Finally, ask a few pairs to share their partner’s story with the class.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Divide the class into two groups. One group will discuss the pros of driving, while the other group will discuss the cons. Give them a few minutes to brainstorm their ideas, then have each group present their arguments to the class. Encourage students to use words and phrases from the article to support their arguments.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What happened to the lady’s car?
2. Where did the lady climb when her car turned over?
3. What did the lady do while she waited?
4. Who saw the lady in the morning?
5. How did the lady get to the hospital?
6. Why is it dangerous to drive in a lot of water?
7. What should people do if there is too much water on the road?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A lady drove her car into a big (1)______ and it turned over. She climbed on top of the car and waited a very (2)______ time. It was dark and cold, but she stayed there all night. In the (3)______, a person camping saw her and (4)______ for help. People flew in a helicopter and took her to the hospital.

Driving when there is a lot of water can be very (5)______. It is (6)______ to know what to do if something bad happens. The lady was very brave and smart to (7)______ (8)______. People who drive cars should be careful and know about the weather. If there is too much water on the road, it is better not to drive.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What happened to the lady’s car?
2. How do you think the lady felt when she was waiting on top of the car all night?
3. Do you think it was a good idea for the lady to stay on top of the car? Why or why not?
4. What do you think the lady should have done when she saw the water on the road?
5. Have you ever seen a big water on the road? How did it make you feel?
6. How would you feel if you were in the lady’s situation?
7. Do you think it’s important to be brave in dangerous situations? Why or why not?
8. What do you think the lady learned from this experience?
9. What can we do to stay safe when driving in bad weather?
10. Do you like going on helicopters? Why or why not?
11. What would you do if you saw someone in danger?
12. Why do you think it’s important to be careful when driving a car?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. drove
2. climbed
3. waited
4. dark
5. cold
6. camping
7. helicopter
8. hospital
9. dangerous
10. brave

Meanings:
(A) When there is no light and you can’t see much
(B) When something can hurt you
(C) Sleeping in a tent outside for fun
(D) Staying in one place for a while because you have to
(E) Going up something, like a ladder or a hill
(F) A flying machine that goes whoosh in the sky
(G) When you make a car go places
(H) When it’s not warm, like when you need a jacket
(I) Being strong and not scared when things are hard or scary
(J) A place where doctors take care of you when you’re hurt
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What happened to the lady’s car?
(a) It turned over in the water
(b) It flew in the sky
(c) It disappeared
(d) It crashed into a tree

2. Where did the lady wait after her car turned over?
(a) On top of the car
(b) In a house
(c) In a tree
(d) Under the water

3. How did the lady get to the hospital?
(a) She walked there
(b) She was taken in a helicopter
(c) She drove herself
(d) She swam there

4. Why is it dangerous to drive in a lot of water?
(a) Because it’s fun
(b) Because bad things can happen
(c) Because it’s easy
(d) Because it’s fast

5. What should people do if there is too much water on the road?
(a) Drive faster
(b) Drive slower
(c) Drive in the opposite direction
(d) Not drive

6. What did the lady show by staying on top of her car?
(a) She was scared and dumb
(b) She was lazy and tired
(c) She was happy and excited
(d) She was brave and smart

7. Who saw the lady and called for help?
(a) A person swimming
(b) A person driving
(c) A person camping
(d) A person flying

8. How did the lady feel after she was rescued?
(a) Sad
(b) Angry
(c) Happy
(d) Hungry

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. People came in a helicopter to rescue her.
2. In the evening, a person camping saw her and called for help.
3. She climbed on top of the car and waited for a long time.
4. A gentleman’s car went into a small water and flipped over.
5. They took her to the hospital after rescuing her.
6. She stayed inside the car all night.
7. It’s unimportant to be careful when driving in lots of water.
8. It was dark and cold outside when she was waiting.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.




Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What happened to the lady’s car?
2. Where did the lady wait while she was on top of the car?
3. What happened in the morning?
4. Why is it dangerous to drive when there is a lot of water?
5. What should people do if there is too much water on the road?

Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What happened to the lady’s car?
Her car turned over in the water.

2. Where did the lady climb when her car turned over?
She climbed on top of her car.

3. What did the lady do while she waited?
She stayed on top of her car all night.

4. Who saw the lady in the morning?
A person camping saw her in the morning.

5. How did the lady get to the hospital?
People flew in a helicopter and took her to the hospital.

6. Why is it dangerous to drive in a lot of water?
It is dangerous because the car can turn over and people can get hurt.

7. What should people do if there is too much water on the road?
People should not drive if there is too much water on the road.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) water
(2) long
(3) morning
(4) called
(5) dangerous
(6) good
(7) stay
(8) safe
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. drove
Answer: (G) When you make a car go places

2. climbed
Answer: (E) Going up something, like a ladder or a hill

3. waited
Answer: (D) Staying in one place for a while because you have to

4. dark
Answer: (A) When there is no light and you can’t see much

5. cold
Answer: (H) When it’s not warm, like when you need a jacket

6. camping
Answer: (C) Sleeping in a tent outside for fun

7. helicopter
Answer: (F) A flying machine that goes whoosh in the sky

8. hospital
Answer: (J) A place where doctors take care of you when you’re hurt

9. dangerous
Answer: (B) When something can hurt you

10. brave
Answer: (I) Being strong and not scared when things are hard or scary
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What happened to the lady’s car?
Answer: (a) It turned over in the water

2. Where did the lady wait after her car turned over?
Answer: (a) On top of the car

3. How did the lady get to the hospital?
Answer: (b) She was taken in a helicopter

4. Why is it dangerous to drive in a lot of water?
Answer: (b) Because bad things can happen

5. What should people do if there is too much water on the road?
Answer: (d) Not drive

6. What did the lady show by staying on top of her car?
Answer: (d) She was brave and smart

7. Who saw the lady and called for help?
Answer: (c) A person camping

8. How did the lady feel after she was rescued?
Answer: (c) Happy
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. People came in a helicopter to rescue her. (Answer: True)
2. In the evening, a person camping saw her and called for help. (Answer: False)
3. She climbed on top of the car and waited for a long time. (Answer: True)
4. A gentleman’s car went into a small water and flipped over. (Answer: False)
5. They took her to the hospital after rescuing her. (Answer: True)
6. She stayed inside the car all night. (Answer: False)
7. It’s unimportant to be careful when driving in lots of water. (Answer: False)
8. It was dark and cold outside when she was waiting. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧

How about these other Level 1 articles?

Feedback