Free graded listening materials for English language learners

The Mystery of the Mary Celeste

Before You Read

Look at the title: The Mystery of the Mary Celeste

• What do you think the mystery is?
• The Mary Celeste is a famous ship. Do you know why it's famous?
• Here is a labelled picture of a ship like the Mary Celeste.

• Many of these words are only used by sailors but some are useful to know. The important words are:

cargo - the goods the ship carries
deck - where you walk
cabin - room/bedroom
crew - people working on shp
first mate - second in command on ship
lifeboat - small boat to escape in emergencies
logbook - where the captain writes what happens on a voyage
sail - see above
mast - see above
voyage - journey

Practise using these words by answering these questions:

1. Where can you walk on a ship?
2. What holds up the sail?
3. Where does the captain sleep?
4. Where is the cargo kept?
5. What makes the ship move?

Watch this short film about what happened to the Mary Celeste




Now try and answer these question about the first two minutes of the video:

Quiz

Fill the gaps

More on the Mary Celeste