Vocabulary

wander	run away	discover (3)
scold	miss (3)	stowaway
trick	slip away	old/older/oldest
sneak	junior (2)	long-distance
vessel	progress	get on board
cargo	rainforest	get on board
pier	harbor	hesitation
excel	explore	modern age
locals	science	find/found/found
notice	volunteer	accompany
appear	yard (2)	A-student

 
 

 

 

Wandered Around

Ryan was three years old when he left home for the first time. He went out of his house and wandered around . . . two hours later he appeared in the next village. He could only tell the locals his name and the name of his village.

Missing Child

Ryan continued to wander on foot and go missing. Later, he got on city buses. He sat in there, enjoying the ride — until an inspector asked for his ticket. Having none, he was sent to the police who brought him home.

Why?

“Why do you do this,” the police asked Ryan. “Do you have a bad home?”
“No, I am happy at home,” he answered. “I just like traveling and seeing places.”

Scoldings

Ryan continued “traveling” and seeing places, even though everyone scolded him and told him not to stop it.

As he grew older, he would sneak on long-distance trucks and trains. Sometime he would travel hundreds of kilometers before he was discovered.

Progression

By the time he was twelve, Ryan managed to sneaking on board a cargo ship. Many days later, he ended up in Sumatra, Indonesia.

“How did you get on board?” shipping officials asked him.
“It was easy!” replied Ryan. “I just went to the harbor, walked along the pier, and boarded the nearest ship.”

A-Student

Despite all this, Ryan was an A-student. He liked math and science — and especially geography and foreign languages.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Ryan’s teachers asked him.
“An explorer!” he replied.
“An explorer?!? You should become a doctor, lawyer or engineer instead.”

Geography, Geology, Biology

At university, Ryan studied geography and biology. After graduating, he joined some scientists on an expedition to the Amazon rainforest in Brazil.
 

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Questions

1. Ryan started walking away from home as a teenager. True or false?

2. How did the villagers know where to return him?

3. Did Ryan stop wandering away from home? What did Ryan do later? Later, Ryan . . . . .

4. His parents mean and abusive. Is this right or wrong?

5. What did he do at the age of 12?

6. Because of all his traveling and wandering, Ryan was a failing student at school. Yes or no?

7. What did he want to be when he grew up? Did his teachers encourage his goals?

8. Ryan studied computer engineering at university. Is this correct or incorrect? What happened after he graduated from university?

9. What will probably happen to Ryan (in the future)?
 
 
A. I wandered away from home when I was young. True or false?

B. Did your friend run away from home? Do you know anyone who had run away from home?

C. Have you ridden a bus, coach, train, airplane, or ship?

D. Do you know people who like to travel? Where would you like to travel to?

E. What were your favorite subjects in school?

F. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?