Better Late AK

8/18/2019 Better Late AK

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WorksheetAnswer KeyLevel 5

Better Late Than Never J. M. Newsome

Summary

Two 16-year-old Egyptian schoolgirls, Zaphira Bakkal

and Anika Hakim, are having a drink at a café by

the sea near Qaitbay Castle, Alexandria, after their

basketball practice. They are waiting for Anika’s

brother Gamal to come and give them a lift home.

They see Zaphira’s cousin Ahmed with two other

men and Anika photographs them. He is behaving

strangely. He comes in their direction as one of the

men shouts after him, but Ahmed is horrified when

he notices the girls and pulls them away from the café,

which he says is not safe.

Soon after, there is a terrible explosion and Anika is

hit and badly wounded in the shoulder by a piece of

metal. Ahmed drags them to a hut and locks them in.

Zaphira thinks her cousin had something to do with

the bombing, but Anika does not believe this. Another

man comes to the hut. He has a gun and says he istaking them to ‘the boss’, but Zaphira attacks him and

they escape.

The girls go to the harbour and hide in a small boat.

Unfortunately, someone sails the boat they are hiding

in to a nearby yacht. Their boat is lifted onto the

yacht before it sails away. They get out and hide in an

unused cabin. Zaphira manages to steal food and clean

and cover Anika’s wound, and they overhear news

of the explosion on the television, including about

the death of Egypt’s Minister of Transport and the

Harbourmaster. The girls overhear Malcolm Maritz,

the yacht owner, talking on his cell phone to the

Deputy Transport Minister and then to a man called

Mr Bryant, arranging an appointment with him on his

yacht in Faliron the following day.

Anika is feeling increasingly ill. One of the men on

board – Musaid – realises the girls are there and that

Anika is the missing daughter of Umar Hakim, a well-

known Egyptian businessman. Musaid helps them but

eventually they are discovered by another man called

Karimi, whom they had seen with Ahmed at Qaitbay just before the bombing, and he takes them to see the

ship’s owner, Malcolm Maritz. They are questioned

and identified as the two girls from the Qaitbay

bombing. They pretend that they speak only Arabic.

They discover that Ahmed is on the boat, too, and is

wounded. During the interview with Maritz, Zaphira

attacks both Karimi and Maritz, but they are locked

up again.

The boat arrives at Faliron in Greece, and the girls are

hidden in a bathroom while the ship is inspected by the

port authorities. When they land, they are taken by carto a cellar in a house where two women guards look

after them. While in the car they learn that Ahmed’s

mother has been kidnapped by Karimi on Maritz’s

orders and that Ahmed was forced to plant the bomb

to save his mother’s life. They also find out that Mr

Bryant wants to have his appointment with Maritz at

his beach house, rather than on Maritz’s yacht, and

that Maritz will meet his wife and daughters.

In the cellar the girls attack the guards, tie them up

and escape. They cannot find anywhere to hide, but

are met by a Greek member of Interpol called Nikos

Drakopoulos who tells them that he watching and

trying to find evidence on Maritz. Anika faints in the

car as they are taken away and she is taken to hospital.

The girls are then questioned by Nikos and his

colleague Netta. They discover that Malcolm Maritz

may be using the name of Rees Meyers in a deal to

buy Mr Bryant’s small airline.

Netta lets the girls phone home. Anika talks to her

grandmother and brother; Zaphira calls her mother

but looks angry and hurt. The girls tell Nikos whatthey overheard Maritz saying to Bryant, and he

realises that Bryant is staying in Marathon on holiday.

Interpol gives an order to arrest Maritz. Nikos and

Netta plan to go to Mr Bryant’s beach house in

Marathon to meet Maritz; they will pretend to be

Bryant and his wife. The girls will pretend to be

Bryant’s daughters, changing their appearance so that

they can identify Maritz for Interpol. Maritz arrives

with Karimi and two other men. The girls wave at

Nikos and Netta from the balcony to confirm that the

man calling himself Rees Meyers is in fact Maritz, but unfortunately Anika’s false hair gets caught on

a branch and the men realise they have been set up.

After some shooting they are eventually caught.


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Zaphira chases Karimi and throws a fallen branch

at him, hitting him in the eye, but he shoots her in

the leg. She is taken to hospital but is not seriously

hurt. She finds out, however, that Karimi will lose

an eye. Anika is there in the hospital waiting room,

and Zaphira is brought in in a wheelchair, followed

shortly by Ahmed, who has had an operation. Then

Karimi – who has had his eye bandaged – comes along

the corridor with a knife, intending to kill Zaphira

for what she has done to him. Ahmed realises what

Karimi intends to do, gets in between them, and is

killed instead. The story ends with the two girls being

put on a plane back to Egypt, and being thanked by

Netta for their bravery. Ahmed’s mother has been

found and freed. Anika’s brother Gamal is waiting for

her on the plane and promises never to be late again.

Before reading

1. This is a phrase used to express the idea that

something is better having been done, even if it

is later than expected, than not having been done

at all. It is often used ironically or to indicate

relief.

2. The cover picture shows an old fort and a yacht

on a lake or by the sea. It could be dawn (sunrise)

or dusk (sunset); the weather looks stormy –

there are dark clouds but there is brightness in the

distance. Student’s own answer.

3. a) At a seafront café in Alexandria, Egypt.

b) Two teenage girls called Anika and Zaphira.

c) A huge explosion.

4. Student’s own answer.

5. The map shows most of the Mediterranean Sea,

particularly the Eastern Mediterranean.

6. Student’s own answers.

Check your reading

Chapter 1

1. Because Anika’s brother Gamal is late to collect

them. 2. Basketball practice.

3. No, they only met a few days before.

4. a) Three men outside the Greek Maritime Club,

one of whom is Zaphira’s cousin Ahmed.

b) Umar Hakim – one of the richest men in

Egypt.

c) Zaphira’s cousin Ahmed.

d) Anika.

5. a) To a hut in an open space behind a run-down

building.

b) He takes a pistol and locks the girls in the

hut.

c) He wants to get his mother.


Chapter 2

1. a) T

b) T

c) F: it bleeds a lot and hurts her a lot.

d) Te) F: they think Ahmed might have been

involved

f) F: it still works; Anika’s phone is

dead.

g) F: zaphira hides Anika’s phone in the wall.

h) T

i) F: zaphira tells Anika how to fight if they

have to.

2. Student’s own answers (possible adjectives

are: frightened, angry, surprised, anxious,

worried). 3. Student’s own answer.

Chapter 3

1. 1 d; 2 f; 3 a; 4 e; 5 b; 6 c


Chapter 4

1. In a small boat, first on the water, then raised

onto a large yacht.

2. Very bad. She has lost a lot of blood, and is ingreat pain.

3. a) Anika to Zaphira

b) Zaphira to Anika


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c) The first man on the boat to someone on his

phone

d) Zaphira to Anika

e) The South African man to the first man on

the boat

f) Zaphira to Anika


Chapter 5

1. A luxury cabin.

2. Four men.

3. She washes and cleans her wound.

4. Violent and aggressive.

5. The Minister of Transport and the

Harbourmaster were killed; the bomb was

planted by the Democratic Freedom Party, and is

an anti-government statement.

6. To try and find some food.

Chapter 6

1. d; b; f ; a ; e; c

2. They were killed in the political unrest.

3. Tae kwon do.

4. A piece of paper.


Chapter 7

1. a 5; b 3; c 1; d 6; e 4; f 2

2. Zaphira thinks she should hide and pretend notto be there.

3. Bad – it’s still bleeding; Zaphira cleans and

dresses it and gives her painkillers.

4. Because Zaphira is stealing it, and he thinks it’s

Musaid.


Chapter 8

1. a) F: she feels ill and falls back into a chair

when she tries to stand.

b) T

c) F: Musaid comes into the cabin.

d) T

e) T

f) F: Musaid says he is a cruel and pitiless

man.

g) T



Chapter 9

1. a) He will scratch the door.

b) To the flat of someone he knows.

c) No.

d) They’ve been kidnapped by the bomber.

e) Yes, she does.

2. Ahmed

3. He was caught by another man and dragged

away.

4. With Ahmed in Qaitbay.

5. No. 6. Physically sick.

Chapter 10

1. e; c; h; a ; g; b; f ; d


Chapter 11

1. a) Musaid; b) Musaid; c) Maritz;

d) Maritz; e) Anika; f) Karimi;

g) Zaphira; h) Anika2. Thick blond hair, bright blue eyes, suntanned,

white teeth, muscular. Like a film star.

3. Karimi (she kicked him on the back of his head);

Maritz (she bit his thumb).

4. They lock them back in the original cabin.

Chapter 12

1. In Faliron.

2. In the bathroom.

3. Because there is an inspection by the harbourauthorities.

4. Because Karimi has tied her up.


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5. Zaphira got their sports bags from the other cabin

before she was tied up.


Chapter 13

1. a ; 2. b; 3. b; 4. b; 5. a

6. To attack one of the women and tie her up.


Chapter 14

1. a 4; b 6; c 1; d 3; e 5; f 2

2. Interpol.

3. In an unmarked police car.

4. They showed him Anika’s name in her

notebook.

5. She fainted.

Chapter 15

1. a) F: no, it opens with Anika being treated in

hospital.

b) T

c) F: no, they are interviewed by a policewoman

called Netta.

d) T

e) F: no, she speaks to her grandmother and her

brother, Gamal.

f) F: no, she seems to have an argument with

her mother.

2. Write the names of the people she has drawn inher notebook.

3. That they already know his surname.

Chapter 16

1. a) Sign their statements.

b) In the hospital across the road.

c) Watching him to try and get information

about him.

d) That Maritz made an appointment with him

and that he might be staying at Marathon

with his wife and daughters.

2. Bryant told Nikos he was selling his airline to

Rees Meyers not Maritz.

Chapter 17

1. To get him to confess that he forced Ahmed to

plant the Qaitbay bomb.

2. Because he believed he wanted to use it to

smuggle weapons.

3. Change the Blue Notice to a Red Notice, so they

can arrest him.

4. He will pretend to be Mr Bryant. 5. They will pretend to be his wife and daughters.

Chapter 18

1. d; h; a ; f ; b; g; c; e

2. Karimi escapes onto the beach; Zaphira throws

some wood at him; he shoots the police driver

and Zaphira.

3. She chases Karimi; she throws some wood at

him; he shoots her.

Chapter 19

1. a) Anika about the wounded police driver.

b) Nikos about Karimi.

c) Nikos about Maritz.

d) Zaphira about herself (her leg).

e) Anika about Zaphira and herself.

f) Nikos about Ahmed.

g) Karimi about Zaphira.

h) A nurse about Ahmed.

i) Ahmed about Anika.

j) Zaphira about Ahmed. 2. He throws himself between her and Karimi, so

Karimi stabs him not Zaphira.

3. That they will find each other later and take their

revenge.

Chapter 20

1. Because now he won’t have to face trial in Egypt.

2. Netta; their phones.

3. Yes, they do; because they can trust each other.

4. She has been found and freed by Interpol.

5. Maritz smuggling guns to at least three African

countries.


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6. Anika walks up the front steps; Zaphira goes by

lift at the back door.

7. Her brother Gamal.

8. To never be late again.

After reading

1–9 Student’s own answer.

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Better Late AK