Page 55 - Grasp English B2 (Grammar Book)

Silver Screen 9

G. Read the conversation below and fill in the gaps with a–d.
a. I had just taken b. I had just told c. I had never done d. I hadn’t stolen

Interviewer We have with us today Arnold Stevens. Arnold was a successful banker with a huge income
three years ago. He lived in a six-bedroom house with his family. Now he is an inmate at
Carlson Prison, and he’s here to tell his story. Welcome, Arnold. Thanks for being here.
Arnold Thanks for having me.

Interviewer So, I guess everyone would like to know, what did you do?
Arnold Yes, that’s a very common question for people in prison. What I did is called fraud. I basically
stole other people’s money, but I did it in sneaky ways. I was a banker, so I had access to lots
and lots of money.
Interviewer I’m assuming you didn’t just pick up handfuls of cash from the bank.
Arnold No, I knew that was wrong. Everyone knows that is wrong. I started slowly. I had information
that other people outside the bank didn’t have. Then my wife got sick, and I needed some
money. I took tiny amounts of money from people’s accounts, planning to repay them before
they noticed. And I did. But then I realised that they really never noticed, so I did it again and
again. If you take 2 or 3 dollars from 1000 people, you can have 2 or 3 thousand dollars, and
most people never notice. I wish out a regular loan and repaid it to the bank.
I just didn’t want to pay the interest. I wish that money.
Interviewer And how were you caught?
Arnold Well, finally someone did notice. I knew it would happen someday. It took a while, but the
bank traced it back to me. They asked me about it, and I lied at first. I caused some other
people a lot of trouble because of that. I wish the truth.
Interviewer And how long will you be in prison?
Arnold I’ll be here for about 15 years, but I could get out earlier because now I’m helping the FBI.
Interviewer How are you doing that?
Arnold Well, I’m helping them prevent other people from committing fraud by sharing my secrets.
We’ve already caught four other people committing fraud.
Interviewer And how has this affected your family?
Arnold Well, surprisingly, my wife is still with me and supporting me. My children were angry at me
at first, but now they visit from time to time. Right before I was caught, I had a big fight with
my son. He had cheated at school and I yelled at him, while I was cheating at work. If only
I hadn’t yelled at him. I wish any of this because I’ve lost the respect of my
family. I’m thankful for their support, though.
Interviewer Thanks for your honesty, Arnold. And what should people do if they suspect that they are a
victim of fraud?
Arnold They should call the police directly.
Interviewer Thanks, Arnold. This has been a real eye-opener.

H. Read again and decide to mark the following sentences as true (T) or false (F).
1. Arnold was a lawyer.
2. Arnold is in prison now.
3. Arnold stole money from people’s bank accounts.
4. Arnold can’t get out of prison early.
5. Arnold is helping the police now.

Grasp English B2 Grammar Book © Prime Press, 2021 | www.primepress.com 53