RICHMOND READERS

Ricky Banks
MUSIC STAR!

Ricky Banks is tired. He wants to change his life. He does not want to be a famous rock star. He and his wife, Donna, leave London. They move to the country for a quiet life. But do they nd it? ................................................. Arthur McKeown comes from Northern Ireland. He works at the Ulster Business School in the University of Ulster. Arthur is married and has two children. He lives with his family in Belfast.
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STARTER LEVEL

RICHMOND READERS
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S T A R T E R L E V E L (300 headwords)

The Man from Peru Ricky Banks Music Star! Supercomputerman Radio Boy
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L E V E L 1 (500 headwords)

Oscar Jacks Game Marias Dilemma Permission to Leave The Boy from Yesterday The Black Mountain
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L E V E L 2 (800 headwords)

Saturday Storm Craigen Castle Mystery Jason Causes Chaos Wheres Mauriac? The Road through the Hills
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L E V E L 3 (1200 headwords)

Cold Feet A Christmas Carol The Canterville Ghost and Other Stories Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde A Trip to the Stars Frankenstein
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L E V E L 4 (1800 headwords)

Dracula Jane Eyre The Adventures of Tom Sawyer A Trip to London Sense and Sensibility

Ricky Banks
MUSIC STAR!
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ARTHUR MCKEOWN

Richmond
P U BL I S HING

Richmond Publishing 19 Berghem Mews Blythe Road London W14 OHN Arthur McKeown 1998 Published by Richmond Publishing 1998 First published 1998 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers. ISBN: 84-294-5385-7 Printed in Spain by Cover Design: Blue Pig Design Cover Illustration: Geo Parkin Illustrations: Maggie Ling

C HAPTER O NE

On the road
R icky Banks is a rock star. He is tall and thin and
attractive. He is 26 years old. At the moment he is sleeping. He is in a big bed in a big bedroom in an expensive hotel in Manchester in the north of England. It is eleven oclock in the morning. Ricky is rich. He has expensive clothes. He wakes up. He gets up and puts on a white shirt and orange trousers. He drinks some strong black coffee. Then he plays his electric guitar quietly. He plays and thinks. He is not happy.

He plays and thinks. He is not happy.

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Ricky and Donna live in a beautiful house with a swimming pool

Ricky is a famous rock star. His group are the Rockers. They are always on tour . Ricky and the Rockers usually play in student clubs and at discos. They go to universities in a lot of different countries every year. They are on television a lot. They are in the newspapers a lot.
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Rickys wife is a writer. Her name is Donna. She works at home. She does not go on tour with Ricky. She does not like trains and aeroplanes. When he is away, Ricky calls Donna on the telephone every day. He loves her. Ricky and Donna do not have any children. They live in a beautiful house in the centre of London. Their house has lots of rooms and an indoor swimming pool. But they do not have a garden. Ricky likes gardens.
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C HAPTER T WO

Big news!

Ricky is talking on the telephone to a young woman.

It is eleven-thirty in the morning. Ricky is

talking on the telephone. He is talking to a young woman. Her name is Zoe. Good morning, Mr Banks, Zoe says. Hello, Ricky says. How can I help you? I work for a television company, Zoe says. Were making some programmes called Pop Music People. We want to make a programme about you. Ben Turner, your manager, says you like to talk about your music.
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Thats very interesting, Ricky says. What do you want to know? Can I meet you at the hotel today? Zoe asks. We need some information for the programme. I want to ask you some questions. Come about one oclock. Would you like to have lunch in the hotel restaurant? Oh yes, thats a great idea! Zoe says. I can be there at one oclock. Good, Ricky says. Lets talk then. He puts the telephone down. Whats she going to ask me? Ricky thinks. What am I going to say?
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Ricky and Zoe are sitting in the hotel restaurant. It is two oclock in the afternoon and they are talking. She is 25 years old and very beautiful. They are drinking coffee after their lunch. Zoe asks Ricky questions about his life. She writes down his answers. Are you from London? Yes, I am, says Ricky. Tell me about your school, Zoe says.
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I dont remember my school, Ricky says. I like music. I like singing and playing the guitar. Tell me about your group, Zoe says. Ricky and the Rockers are famous in Europe and America. We go to a lot of different cities and towns on tour every year, Ricky says. Manchester - Milan Madrid - Montreal. We go by train and by aeroplane. We usually visit three or four universities a week. Its hard work. But we like singing and playing our music. Do you like your job, Ricky? Zoe asks. Yes, Zoe, I do, Ricky says. But sometimes I feel tired. I work hard. Donna, my wife, doesnt like my life. She wants to live in the country. She doesnt like living in a city. Are you going to leave the group? Zoe asks. Maybe. I want a house with a big garden, Ricky says. I want to grow owers and vegetables. This is big news! Thank you, Ricky, Zoe says. Im going to talk to the camera people. They want to lm you this evening. Zoe leaves the restaurant. Shes nice, Ricky thinks.

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I want a house with a big garden. I want to grow owers and vegetables.
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C HAPTER T HREE

Talking to the Rockers

It is four oclock in the afternoon. Ricky Banks is
in his hotel room. He is talking to the Rockers. Their names are Barry, Larry and Harry. Barry is sitting on a sofa. He is 26 years old. He is wearing a green shirt and brown jeans. Larry is sitting on a chair. He is 27 years old. He is tall. He is wearing a blue shirt and black jeans. Harry is standing near the window. He is 28 years old. He is wearing a yellow shirt and red jeans. When are we going home? Barry asks. Were in a different city every night - Manchester or Milan or Madrid or Montreal. Yes, I feel tired, Larry says. I want to go home. I want to see my family, Harry says. I want to see my children. Were all tired, Ricky says. But the last concert is in two weeks. We can have a holiday next month. Our contract with Ben ends then. Perhaps we dont want to sign a new one ...
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Perhaps we dont want to sign a new contract

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The Rockers are happy. We can have some time at home, Barry says. We can talk to our friends, Larry says. We can go to restaurants with them. We can go to the cinema in the evening. We can go to discos and night clubs. We can have normal lives. We can see our families, Harry says. We can sleep and read books and listen to music - other peoples music. Yes, lets have a holiday, Ricky says. Lets think about the future.

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C HAPTER F OUR

What shall I do?

R icky Banks is at home in London. He is talking
to his wife, Donna. She is young and thin and attractive. Ricky and Donna are sitting on the sofa, drinking tea. Im happy to be at home, Donna, Ricky says. The Rockers are tired. Im tired, too. Five years on tour with no holiday is a long time. We all need a holiday. Donna drinks some tea. I work very hard, Ricky says. And I have a big problem with my work. I havent got any good ideas for new songs. People say my music is boring now. Its always the same. I like your music, Donna says. I want to change my life. Were rich. Were very rich. We can sell this house. We can go and live in the country. Ricky, thats a great idea, Donna says. She puts her arms round him. No more concerts! No more
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Ricky, thats a great idea, Donna says.

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tours! No more nights in hotels! We can leave London.You know that I dont like cities. Lets move to the country. Lets buy a little house with a garden.
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Ricky and Donna have an invitation to a party the next day. Donna is ill. She does not want to go. She does not like parties. So Ricky goes without her. Ricky sees Ben, his manager, there. He talks to him. Ben, Im tired, Ricky says. I want to stop working. What! Ben says. Youre famous! Youre rich! You cant stop now! His face is red and he is very angry. Ricky and the Rockers are his number one client. Ben, I have a serious problem with my music. Lots of people say my new songs are boring. They are no different from the old songs. I havent got any new ideas. Ben says nothing. I want to be with Donna, Ricky says. Donna wants to leave London, Ben. We want to live in the country.
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What! Youre famous! Youre rich! You cant stop now!

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You cant live in the country! Ben says. Youre a rock star! You have concerts in Europe, in England, in America, in Australia ... Ben, our contract with you ends next month. We are not going to sign a new contract. You have concerts in Europe, England, America and Australia. We do not have any concerts. Ben walks away.
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Ricky knows other people at the party. Zoe is there. Ricky tells Zoe about his problems. My wife wants to live with Ricky Banks, ex-rock star. My manager wants to manage Ricky and the Rockers, famous rock group. I cant write good songs. What shall I do? They dance. They have a good time. Zoe tells Ricky about her husband. We are very different, she says. My husband likes sport - football and Formula One. I like parties and music. I dont see him much. Hes in Portugal now, watching the Grand Prix. Ricky looks at Zoe. He gets their coats. They go to Zoes house in a taxi. She sits near him in the taxi.

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Ricky sees faces in his head. He sees his wife, Donna. He sees Bens face. He sees the Rockers faces. He sees the faces of the people at his concerts. He looks at Zoes face next to him ...

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C HAPTER F IVE

Listening to the birds

Ricky opens his eyes the next morning. He
thinks about the night before. What time is it? he asks. Ten oclock, Donna says. She puts a cup of coffee on the table next to the bed. He calls Ben on the telephone. Ben doesnt speak to him. He doesnt call Zoe.
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It is a hot day in June. Ricky is working in the garden. Birds are singing in the trees. The sky is blue. Ricky thinks he is happy. He likes the country. He and Donna have a big house with lots of rooms. They have a very big garden. He and Donna eat the fruit and vegetables from the garden. Donna is happy too. She likes living in the country. She is happy because Ricky does not go away from home. He is not tired these days.
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Donna puts a cup of coffee on the table next to the bed.

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Ricky and Donna get up early. In the morning, Ricky works in the garden. Sometimes he thinks about Zoe. What is she doing now? He looks at the beautiful country, he looks at the beautiful river at the bottom of his garden. It is always there, it never changes. He thinks about London with its busy streets. He pictures Zoe: she is having lunch in an expensive restaurant, she is having a good time with her television friends, tonight they are going to a night club ... Donna works in her study. She writes. Ricky and Donna always have lunch in the kitchen. In the afternoon, they usually go for a long walk in the country. When they are walking, Ricky thinks about music and writes songs in his head. Donna writes stories in her head. They like their life in the village, far away from London. In the evening, they watch lms on television or read or visit their friends in the village. Ricky and Donna do not have any problems. They have a lot of money in the bank. Sometimes now Ricky goes to a music group in the village. He likes singing and playing his guitar. He sings and plays country music with three other men. Country music is different from rock music, Ricky thinks. I like playing country music.
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Ricky pictures Zoe: she is having a good time with her television friends.
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C HAPTER S IX

Ricky and Friends

It is a cold day in November. There are no birds
in the trees. The sky is grey. Its very cold again, Ricky says. I cant work in the garden today. What are you going to do today, then? Donna asks. I want to play my guitar this morning, Ricky says. I want to play my new song. I need to work on it. Ricky has a country music group now. His new country music group are Ricky and Friends. The Friends names are Fred, Ned and Ted. They all live in Rickys village. Fred is 33 years old. He is short and fat with brown hair. He plays the ddle very well. Ned is 44 years old. He is tall and has a black beard. He can sing very well and he plays the accordion. Ted is 55 years old. He has a big moustache and a red face. He can sing and play the drums very well.

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Ricky and Friends play in the pub in the village. Lots of people come to see them. One day Ricky telephones Ben. Ben comes to see them.

Lots of people come to see Ricky and Friends.

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C HAPTER S EVEN

Back on the road

Ricky Banks is in a big bed in a big bedroom in
an expensive hotel in New York. It is eleven oclock in the morning. Ricky is sleeping. There is a guitar on the oor near the bed. Ricky goes to lots of different towns and cities in Europe and America with Fred, Ned and Ted. They play country music in clubs and hotels. Donna is at home in their house in the country. She likes the country. She does not like city life. She is writing a new story. It is about a woman. The womans husband is a music star. She leaves her husband. She goes to live with a man in the next village. He has a computer business. The telephone rings in Rickys bedroom. It is Zoe. Good morning, Ricky, Zoe says. Ricky sits up. Zoe? Hello, how are you? he asks. Im ne. I work for a different television company now, she says, here in New York. Were
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Donna is writing a new story about a woman. The woman leaves her husband.
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The telephone rings in Rickys bedroom. It is Zoe.

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making some programmes called Country Music People. We want to make a programme about you.
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Ricky and Zoe meet for lunch. Zoe is very beautiful. Zoe asks Ricky lots of questions and writes down his answers. What are you doing this evening? Ricky asks. Im not playing a concert tonight. Lets go to a restaurant and then a night club. Great! says Zoe. Jack can come too. Hes my husband - my new husband. Lets meet at nine. The children are usually asleep by eight.
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E X E R C I S E S
A Comprehension
Choose the best answer - a, b or c. 1 a b c 2 a b c 3 a b c 4 a b c 5 a b c 6 a b c 7 a b c Ricky is a famous rock star. banker. gardener. Donna is a banker. writer. computer programmer. Zoe works for a bank. computer company. television company. Which of these cities do Ricky and the Rockers not visit? Milan Madrid Moscow Larry is 33 years old. 24 years old. 27 years old. Who is wearing a blue shirt and black jeans? Barry. Larry. Harry. Donna does not go to the party because she is tired. she is ill. she is going to a concert.

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8 a b c 9 a b c 10 a b c

When he is working in the garden, Ricky thinks about Donna. Zoe. his vegetables. Who is 44 years old and has a black beard? Fred. Ned. Ted. Who does Zoe work for in New York? A television company. A restaurant. A computer company.

B Working with language

1 You can find all these words in the story about Ricky Banks. Write a sentence with each word. expensive garden television programme country disco city village guitar beard concert 2 Choose the right verb to complete each sentence. Put it in the correct form. live make say telephone stand talk watch sing be play 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Harry ... near the window. Zoe is going to ... to the camera people. Ricky likes ... the guitar. Donna wants ... in the country. Ben ... nothing. Donna and Ricky ... rich. Hes in Portugal now, ... the Grand Prix. Birds ... in the trees. One day Ricky ... Ben. We ... some programmes called Country Music People.

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C Activities
1 Would you like to live in a city or in the country? Make one list of good things about life in a city and another list of good things about life in the country. Work in pairs. Either: One of you is Ricky. The other is Rickys friend. You are in Ricky and Donnas kitchen at the beginning of Chapter 6. The friend gives Ricky some advice. Have a conversation. Or: One of you is Ricky. The other is Zoe. You meet for lunch in New York. Ricky is now a famous country music star and Zoe interviews him. Or: One of you is Donna. The other is Zoe. Donna still lives with Ricky. She is at home in her kitchen. Ricky is in a hotel in Madrid with Ricky and Friends. Zoe interviews Donna for her television programme, Famous Peoples Partners. You are Zoe. Write an article about either Ricky or Donna for a magazine.

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G L O S S A R Y
asleep (adj) sleeping on tour to go from city to city, playing a concert in every place sign (v) to write your name on something - here, a contract

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