STARMAN

The sun is hot, hot, hot - you are driving along a long,
long road in the centre of Australia.
Suddenly you see a man standing in the middle of the
road. He is wearing an expensive suit and nice shoes, but
he doesn't speak - not one word.
You have a gun in your car- what do you do? You must
be careful! But you can't leave him here- there is nothing for hundreds of kilometres around - no water or
food in this hot, empty place.
But there is something else out there- a very white light
in the sky near Wolalonga.

OXFORD BOOKWORMS LIB-RARY

Fantasy & Horror

Starman
Starter (250 headwords)

PHILLIP BURROWS AND MARK FOSTER

Starman

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

CONTENTS
STORY INTRODUCTION

Starman

1
25

GLOSSARY
ACTIVITIES:

Before Reading

29

ACTIVITIES :

While Reading

30

ACTIVITIES :

After Reading

32

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

34

ABOUT THE BOOKWORMS LIBRARY

35

A big red car drives on a long, long road. In the car is a

farmer, Bill. He is hot and tired. He wants to go horne and
have a bath.
Bill listens to the radio in his car and he sings. Bill likes
singing. Sometimes people like Bill's singing - but not
very often.
The song he is singing is called Hot, hot, hot.
1

Starman

There is a sign on the side of the road. Bill reads it:

Goondiwindi, 72 kilometres. Dirranbandi 136 kilometres.
Bill must drive for a long time. His home is about a
hundred kilometres away.
He rubs his eyes. The sun is very hot and the road is
long. Bill does not -w ant to go to sleep so he sings some
more. A kangaroo hears him and jumps away. Bill laughs,
then rubs his eyes again.

\V\V'\\"_irLanguage.com

www.i rLanguagc.com

Just then Bill sees something. Suddenly he is not tired

and he is not laughing. The hair on his head stands up.
There is something on the road.
He stops the car and gets out. The thing is a long way
in front of Bill. He cannot see what it is - but he does not
like it.
Bill gets back in his car and drives slowly. The thing is
moving - it is alive.
'What the ... ' Bill says quietly. 'It's a man! What's a
man doing here?'
He thinks, 'There must be something wrong.'
3

Starman

Bill stops his car ten metres from the man and looks
out.
'Hello,' says Bill. 'Are you OK? Are you looking for
something?'
The man does not move or speak. He is looking at the
sky and smiling unhappily. Bill looks up too. He can see
nothing.
There is a gun in Bill's car. He looks at it. 'I must be
careful,' he thinks.

Starman

Bill drives five more metres. He can see that the man is
about forty years old. He is wearing a good suit- but it is
old.
'Hey! Are you OK?' Bill asks again. 'Can I help you?'
The man moves his head slowly to look at Bill. He says
nothing then begins to walk. Bill watches him for a
minute. He thinks: 'I must do something.'
www.irLa ng:uag:e.com

.,

Starman

'Where are you going?' shouts Bill. 'There's nothing on

that road. Do you have any water? The sun's very hot.
Can you hear me?'
Bill does not know what to do. He cannot leave the
man here. 'What is wrong with him?' he thinks. 'Is he ill?'
A lizard runs across the road. A big bird flies near the
man. It looks down, hungrily. Near the road are some
bones - a dead kangaroo.
www.irLanguage.com

Bill is afraid - but he cannot drive away and leave the -=

man.
The man looks very tired so Bill drives two more
metres. 'Do you want to die out here?' There is no answer.
'Get in! I'm taking you home,' says Bill.
He opens the car door and gets out. He moves very
slowly and talks very quietly. 'It's okay. You can come
with me. Get in the car and sit down. I have some water
in the car.'
Bill helps the man and he gets into the car. He is very
dirty and tired. Bill gives him a drink. The man is thirsty
and drinks a lot of water. 'Stop!' says Bill. 'Don't drink all
the water. A little now, then more later.'
7

www.irLanguage.coru

The car drives fast on the long, straight road. The two
men sit and say nothing.
Bill listens to the news on the radio. There is rain in
Adelaide. A man in Sydney is 125 years old today. A
kangaroo is learning to talk. And a very white light is in
the sky near Wolalonga.
Bill likes the news. Next to him, the man sleeps.
Bill looks at him. The man wears an expensive suit and
nice shoes. Why is he out here in the sun, without a hat?
They drive for an hour before they get to Bill's house.
8

Starman

Bill leaves the man asleep in the car. He goes into the
house and tells his wife, Emily, about the man. Emily
always knows what to do. 'We must find out who he is
then phone his home,' she says. 'Let's look in his pockets.
Perhaps there is something with his name on it.'
Bill and Emily go to the car. They find a wallet in the
man's pocket. There is a name- John Phillips - and a
telephone number. There is also some money.
'This money is twenty-five years old!' says Bill to Emily.
'Why has he got old money?'
'John Phillips,' says Emily to the man. 'You're very
interesting.' John suddenly opens his eyes and looks at
her, smiling.

"-ww.irLanguage.coru

'Can you walk?' Emily asks John. He gets up slowly.

'You're ill. Let's put you into a bed.' Carefully, they help
John out of the car.
Bill's dog sees John and is afraid. He runs away and sits
under a tree. Bill and Emily help John upstairs and onto
a bed. Ten minutes later he is sleeping again.
10

Starman

In the kitchen, Emily says: 'I don't understand this ...

It's not right. He's different . . . It's . . . Oh, I don't
know ... '
'I don't want him in our house. I am afraid of him,'
says Bill.
'I know. I'm afraid, too. Let's call the Flying Doctor,'
says Emily. 'Then we must talk to his family.'

11

Starman

Bill picks up the telephone and calls the doctor. He tells

the doctor about John Phillips. 'I think he's ill. He's very
tired and doesn't talk. He doesn't know who he is. Can
you come quickly?'
The doctor lives about two hundred kilometres away.
He must fly a plane to visit Bill. 'I'm coming now,' he says.
'Look out for me in half an hour.'

~
m
."!NI<:JO;ct;.t"c="J'
_
0

irLanguage

12

Starman

Bill puts the phone down. 'Okay. Let me talk to his

wife,' says Emily. She takes the phone and calls the
number. Somebody answers and Emily talks for a long
time.

Bill hears her say: 'But he is here ... No, it is John

Phillips. We have his wallet - his name is in it ... Hello!
Hello! Are you there? ... Oh. What? When? ... I don't
understand ... Okay. Thank you. Goodbye.' When she
stops talking, her face is white.
She looks at Bill and says: 'This is all wrong. "John
Phillips is missing," his wife says.'
'For how long?' says Bill.
'Thirty years,' says Emily. 'His wife has a new husband
now. They have three children!'

13

Starman

The Flying Doctor is late. After an hour he arrives in

his plane.
'I'm sorry,' he says. 'This is a new plane - but
sometimes it doesn't go very well. I must take It to a
mechanic. But it doesn't matter now. I'm here.'
Bill tells him everything. The doctor asks a lot of
questions, then goes to see the man. John Phillips is
looking at the plane through the window.
'Hello, John,' says the doctor. 'I'm a doctor and I need
to ask you some questions. Can you remember your
name? Can you remember where you live?' John does not
answer.
The doctor talks to Bill and Emily. He says: 'John
hasn't got any broken bones ... but I'm not happy about
him. I want to take him to hospital.'

14

Starman

They put John in the plane next to the doctor. 'Phone

us,' says Emily when the doctor gets in the plane. 'Phone
us from the hospital.' Soon the doctor and John Phillips
are high in the sky.
Suddenly John speaks for the first time. He talks
slowly: 'I don't want to be here. I want to be with my
friends. They are looking for me.'
,,ww.irLauguage.com

n>~~

irLanguage

15

-- --

wvv>Y.irLanguage.com

John stands up in the plane.

'Wait, you can't do that,' says the doctor. 'Sit down!'
John opens the door and says to the doctor: 'You can
come too. Do you want to?'
'What?' shouts the doctor.

16

Starman

John looks into the doctor's eyes. The doctor cannot

move. He cannot look away. It is cold in the plane but the
doctor is hot. John's eyes are looking straight through
him.
'Come with me. It's a good place. It's better than here.'
'How can I?' says the doctor quietly. Then John jumps.

~
m
..'lt.C:Ji';c;,.r(!..
0

irLanguage

17

Starman

The doctor looks out of the window. John is fallingdown, down, down. But the doctor can see a smile on his
face.
'He isn't going to die,' thinks the doctor. 'He knows
that.'
There are small trees below the plane. Cars drive on a
long road. Kangaroos jump all around. John is very small
now and he is falling fast.

fi)~~

irLanguage

18

Starman

John is twenty metres above the trees. A kangaroo

looks up, but John is not falling any more. A beam of
light stops him and takes him away. Up, up, up.
The doctor closes his eyes. The light is very, very white.
When he opens his eyes the light is not there. John is not
there. The doctor sees something in the sky. Then there is
nothing.
He is very unhappy - more unhappy than ever. 'I want
to go too!' he says.

19

Starman

Roy Cole is a mechanic and he works in an airport.

Today he is happy. The sun is nice and warm. Tomorrow
is Saturday, and this weekend Roy is buying a new car. He
is excited.
He is eating a sandwich when he hears the plane. He
looks up and sees it in the sky. The plane is coming to the
airport. It gets very near. In the plane, Roy can see a man.
'Who is this?' thinks Roy. 'I don't know this plane.' He
puts his sandwich in his pocket.
c:::.w,;!NC:JOJV'A-1"<:!" '

20

~
m
..!o'C:JO/UA-f.:r....
0

irLanguage

The plane stops at the airport and a man gets out. Roy
begins to walk across to him.
The man stands still and looks at the sky. There is a
small smile on his face. His suit is dirty and he looks
tired.
'Oh dear!' thinks Roy. 'What's the matter with him?'
21

Roy likes to talk to people. He smiles, then talks to the

man. 'Perhaps I can help him,' he thinks.
'Hi, I'm Roy. Who are you?' Roy puts his hand out but
the man does not move. Roy puts his hand in his pocket
and looks at the plane.

22

Starman

Roy says to the man, 'Wow! What a wonderful plane.

It's more than thirty years old. It's an old Flying Doctor's
plane, isn't it?'
Suddenly the man looks at Roy and says: ' Flying
Doctor. Yes, that's right. I'm a Flying Doctor.'
'A Flying Doctor? Of course you are,' says Roy with a
smile. 'Where do you live? Where do you want to go?'

rR
irLanguage

--

23

Starman

The doctor begins to get into the plane again. Then he

stops and looks into Roy's eyes. Roy hears him say: 'I live
a long way away now. I must go back. Do you want to
come with me?'
Suddenly Roy feels hot. The doctor's eyes are looking
straight through him. 'How can I?' says Roy.
'I can help you. Get in my plane,' says the doctor.

/~

re
\

,.-

24

GLOSSARY
bath this is full of water and you can wash in it
broken in more than one piece
doctor a person who works with people who are ill
farmer a person who works on the land
gun you can shoot people with this
hospital a place where you take people who are ill
husband the man who a woman marries
jump to move quickly through the air
mechanic a person who works with machines
missing nobody knows where he or she is
news you read this in the newspaper or watch it on the TV
pocket a place in your shirt or trousers where you can put
things
rub to move your hands over
shout to speak loudly
song music that you sing
straight in a line
suit trousers and jacket
unhappy nothappy

25

Starman
ACTIVITIES

- - - - - - - - - - - - -- -- - - - - - - - - - - -

ACTIVITIES -

Before Reading
1 Look at the front and back cover of the book. Now answer

-- these questions.

1 Where does the story happen?

Yes

No

D
D
D

D
D
D

2 What sort of book is it?

a An amusing story.
D
b A love story.
0
c A science fiction story.
0
3 A man is lost in the desert. What does he need?

D
0
0

D
D
0
0

D
D
0
0

4 What do you think happens to the man?

a He dies and a kangaroo eats him.
D
b A farmer rescues him and takes him home. 0
c He finds a horse and rides to a town.
0

0
0
0

a In the mountains.
b In the city.
c In a hot country.

a A hat.
b Some water.
c A hair dryer.
d Food.

29

ACTIVITIES

While Reading
1 Read pages 1-6 and then answer these questions.

1 What song is Bill singing?

2 How far is it from Goondiwindi to Dirranbandi?
3 What does Bill see on page 3?
4 What animal's bones are on page 6?
2 Read pages 7-12 and then answer these questions.

1 What does Bill give to John?

2 How old is the man in Sydney?
3 Put these sentences in the correct order.
Number them 1-4.
aD Bill goes in the house.
bD Bill phones the doctor.
c D Emily looks in John's pockets.
dO Bill and Emily help John into bed.
4 How does the Doctor get to his patients?
5 What does the dog do when he sees John?

3 Read pages 13-18. Who says these words?

1 'Okay. Let me talk to his wife.'
2 'This is a new plane - but sometimes it doesn't go very

well.'
30

ACTIVITIES:

While Reading

3 'I want to be with my friends. They are looking for me.'

4 'Phone us from the hospital.'
5 'He isn't going to die.'
4 Look at pages 19-24 and answer
these questions about John.
1 What colour is his suit?
2 Why is he falling from the plane?
3 Why doesn't he fall to the
ground?

5 Look at pages 19-24 and answer these 1----:;liiiii~~~~

questions about the doctor.

1 Why does the Doctor close his eyes

on page 19?
2 Where does the Doctor say he lives?
3 What type of Doctor is he?

6 Look at pages 19-24 and answer

these questions about Roy.

1 Where does he work?

2 Why is he happy on page 20?
3 Why does he feel hot?

31

ACTIVITIES

After Reading
1 Finish these sentences.
1 John is thirsty beea use . . .

2 Emily takes John upstairs because

3 John's wife is surprised because ...

4 The Doctor takes John to hospital because
2 Imagine John meets his wife after thirty years. What does
he say to her. Include these words: desert hot light children

home sky afraid friends

32

ACTIVITIES:

After Reading

3 Match the beginnings and endings of these sentences.

1 Bill is a farmer and . . .
2 After the plane lands ...
3 Emily picks up the phone ...
4 As they drive, John falls asleep .. .
5 John jumps out of the plane .. .
6 ... but does not hit the ground.
7 . . . because he is very tired.
8 ... Roy walks towards to the Doctor.
9 ... and talks to John's wife.
10 ... he drives a red car.

33

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Mark Foster and Phillip Burrows have worked as a writer/illustrator
team since 1991. They were born three years and many miles apart,
but they are very nearly twins. They drive the same car, work on the
same computers, and wear the same wellington boots - but not at
the same time! They spend all the money they get from writing on
gadgets, but please don't tell their wives. Mark and Phill have
worked together on several Bookworms titles, including the two
thriller and adventure stories Taxi of Terror (Starter) and Orca
(Starter). When they meet to write, they like to go to expensive
hotels, eat chips dipped in coffee, and laugh at their own jokes.

34

OXFORD BOOKWORMS LIBRARY

Classics Crime & Mystery Factfiles Fantasy & Horror
Human Interest Playscripts Thriller & Adventure
True Stories World Stories
The OXFORD BOOKWORMS LIBRARY provides enjoyable reading in English,
with a wide range of classic and modern fiction, non-fiction, and plays.
It includes original and adapted texts in seven carefully graded language
stages, which take learners from beginner to advanced level. An overview
is given on the next pages.
All Stage 1 titles are available as audio recordings, as well as over eighty
other titles from Starter to Stage 6. All Starters and many titles at Stages
1 to 4 are specially recommended for younger learners. Every Bookworm
is illustrated, and Starters and Factfiles have full-colour illustrations.
The OXFORD BOOKWORMS LIBRARY also offers extensive support. Each
book contains an introduction to the story, notes about the author, a glossary, and activities. Additional resources include tests and worksheets,
and answers for these and for the activities in the books. There is advice
on running a class library, using audio recordings, and the many ways of
using Oxford Bookworms in reading programmes. Resource materials are
available on the website <www.oup.com/bookworms>.
The Oxford Bookworms Collection is a series for advanced learners. It
consists of volumes of short stories by well-known authors, both classic
and modern. Texts are not abridged or adapted in any way, but carefully
selected to be accessible to the advanced student.

You can find details and a full list of titles in the Oxford Bookworms
Library Catalogue and Oxford English Language Teaching Catalogues,
and on the website <www.oup.com/bookworms>.

35

THE OXFORD BOOKWORMS LIBRARY

GRADING AND SAMPLE EXTRACTS
STARTER 2-50 HEADWORDS
present simple- present continuous- imperativecan/cannot, must- going to (future)- simple gerunds ...

Her phone is ringing- but where is it?

Sally gets out of bed and looks in her bag. No phone.
She looks under the bed. No phone. Then she looks
behind the door. There is her phone. Sally picks up her
phone and answers it. Sally's Phone
STAGE

400 HEADWORDS

... past simple- coordination with and, but, orsubordination with before, after, when, because, so .. .

I knew him in Persia. He was a famous builder and I

worked with him there. For a time I was his friend, but
not for long. When he came to Paris, I came after him I wanted to watch him. He was a very clever, very
dangerous man. The Phantom of the Opera
STAGE 2 700 HEADWORDS
... present perfect - will (future)- (don't) have to, must not, couldcomparison of adjectives- simple if clauses- past continuoustag questions- ask/tell+ infinitive ...

While I was writing these words in my diary, I decided

what to do. I must try to escape. I shall try to get down
the wall outside. The window is high above the ground,
but I have to try. I shall take some of the gold with me if I escape, perhaps it will be helpful later. Dracula

36

STAGE 3 IOOO HEADWORDS

... should, may- present perfect continuous - used to - past perfectcausative- relative clauses- indirect statements ...

Of course, it was most important that no one should see

Colin, Mary, or Dickon entering the secret garden. So Colin
gave orders to the gardeners that they must all keep away
from that part of the garden in future. The Secret Garden
STAGE 4 1400 HEADWORDS
.. . past perfect continuous -passive (simple forms) would conditional clauses - indirect questionsrelatives with where/when- gerunds after prepositions/phrases ...

I was glad. Now Hyde could not show his face to the world
again. If he did, every honest man in London would be
proud to report him to the police. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
STAGE 5

I8oo HEADWORDS

. .. future continuous - future perfect passive (modals, continuous forms) would have conditional clauses - modals + perfect infinitive ...

If he had spoken Estella's name, I would have hit him. I was so

angry with him, and so depressed about my future, that I could
not eat the breakfast. Instead I went straight to the old house.
Great Expectations
STAGE

6 2500 HEADWORDS

... passive (infinitives, gerunds) - advanced modal meaningsclauses of concession, condition

When I stepped up to the piano, I was confident. It was as if I

knew that the prodigy side of me really did exist. And when I
started to play, I was so caught up in how lovely I looked that
I didn't worry how I would sound. The Joy Luck Club

37

BOOKWORMS FANTASY & HORROR STARTER

New York Cafe

MICHAEL DEAN

It is the year 2030, and an e-mail message arrives at New York

Cafe: 'I want to help people and make them happy!' But not
everybody is happy about the e-mail, and soon the police and the
President are very interested in the New York Cafe.

BOOKWORMS FANTASY & HORROR STARTER

Vampire Killer
PAUL SHIPTON

'I am a vampire killer ... and now I need help,' says Professor
Fletcher to Colin. Colin needs a job and he needs money but do
vampires exist or is the professor crazy?

38

BOOKWORMS CLASSICS STARTER

A Connecticut Yankee in King

Arthur's Court
MARK TWAIN

Retold by Alan Hines

Hank Morgan is a happy young man in Connecticut, USA in 1879
until one day someone runs into his office and shouts, 'Come
quickly, Boss! Two men are fighting.' After this, something very
strange happens to him, and his life changes forever.

BOOKWORMS HUMAN INTEREST STARTER

Sally's Phone
CHRISTINE LINDOP

Sally is always running - and she has her phone with her all the
time: at home, on the train, at work, at lunchtime, and at the
shops.
But then one afternoon suddenly she has a different phone . ..
and it changes her life.

39

BOOKWORMS FANTASY & HORROR STAGE 1

Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp

RETOLD BY JUDITH DEAN

In a city in Arabia there lives a boy called Aladdin. He is poor and

often hungry, but one day he finds an old lamp. When he rubs the
lamp, smoke comes out of it, and then out of the smoke comes a
magical jinnee.
With the jinnee's help, Aladdin is soon rich, with gold and
jewels and many fine things. But can he win the love of the Sultan's
daughter, the beautiful Princess Badr-al-Budur?

BOOKWORMS FANTASY & HORROR STAGE 1

The Omega Files- Short Stories

JENNIFER BASSETT

In EDI (the European Department of Intelligence m Brussels)

there are some very secret files - the Omega Files. There are
strange, surprising, and sometimes horrible stories in these files,
but not many people know about them. You never read about
them in the newspapers.
Hawker and Jude know all about the Omega Files, because they
work for EDI. They think fast, they move fast, and they learn
some very strange things. They go all over the world, asking
difficult questions in dangerous places, but they don't always find
the answers ...

40

ISBN.978-0-19-423427-6

11111111111
780194 234276