Study Buddy (Explorer): When a British tourist mysteriously disappeared in Hong Kong
- Michael Gilbert was last seen by two women from his tour group on April 24, 2002, and to this day, he has never been found
- Each week, this page tests your reading comprehension with an interesting story that we’ve adjusted to be more accessible for all English learners
Police take part in the search for a missing British tourist on Lantau Island on April 26, 2002. Photo: Dickson LeeContent provided by British Council
Read the following text, and answer questions 1-9 below:
[1] “Police launched a search for a British tourist on Lantau last night after the man failed to join other tour group members to catch a plane home to the UK,” the South China Morning Post reported on April 26, 2002.
[2] The search for Michael Gilbert, 55 at the time, involved a government helicopter, as well as dogs and officers from the Police Tactical Unit. It began after the tour group’s guide called the police to say Gilbert had disappeared and his passport, belongings and luggage were left in a room at the Silvermine Beach Hotel in Mui Wo.
[3] Gilbert was among eight tourists who flew to Hong Kong from Britain on April 18, 2002. He was last seen by two women from the tour group on April 24, 2002, when he said he was going to hike from Mui Wo to Discovery Bay and then go to Hong Kong Island. At the time, the tour group members told the Post they feared he had suffered a heatstroke.
[4] On May 25, 2002, the Post reported that two of Gilbert’s nephews “yesterday insisted their uncle might still be alive after flying to Hong Kong in search of clues”.
[5] “His nephews, Jeremy and David Alter, said at the end of a three-day stay in the SAR that they believed Mr Gilbert may be alive and in hiding somewhere,” the Post reported. “They described the disappearance as a mystery and said their uncle was not a hiker and it was out of character for him to go on such a walk.”
[6] “David Alter, 30, said Mr Gilbert, who was visiting Hong Kong for the first time, had told a friend before he left London that he was planning to visit someone in the [city] ... He also told this to a tour group member.”
[7] To this day, Gilbert has never been found.
Source: South China Morning Post, April 27
Questions
1. What is the nationality of the missing tourist?
2. According to paragraph 1, the search for the tourist was launched after ...
A. his family members reported he was missing.
B. the police found his belongings on Lantau Island.
C. someone saw him behaving suspiciously.
D. none of the above
3. What does “it” in paragraph 2 refer to?
4. How many other people were part of the tour group other than Gilbert?
5. In paragraph 3, what were the members of the tour group worried about?
A. that Gilbert had been kidnapped
B. that he had lost his way during the hike
C. that he was feeling unwell
D. that he was dead
6. Decide whether the following statements about Gilbert are True, False or the information is Not Given in paragraphs 2 and 3. Blacken ONE circle only for each statement. (4 marks)
(i) He stayed in a hotel in Discovery Bay during the trip.
(ii) He was the only male tourist in the group.
(iii) He did not have his passport with him when he went missing.
(iv) He planned to visit a friend on Hong Kong Island.
7. Find a word in paragraph 4 that means “stated something confidently”.
8. What did Gilbert’s nephews think happened to their uncle?
9. According to paragraph 7, Gilbert’s ...
A. family knows what happened to him.
B. whereabouts remain a mystery.
C. contact in Hong Kong may have killed him.
D. none of the above
Answers
1. British
2. D
3. the search for Michael Gilbert / the search for the missing tourist
4. seven
5. C
6. (i) F; (ii) NG; (iii) T; (iv) NG
7. insisted
8. They thought he was alive and in hiding somewhere.
9. B