1 The words below appear in the text in Exercise 2. Find the words and guess their meanings. Use a dictionary to check your guesses. 1.legend ……………………
3. wrapped ……………………
2.became part of ……………………
4. on display ……………………
2 Read the text and complete the sentences with the verbs below. Use the Past Simple or Past Perfect Simple. The Mystery of the Stone of Destiny The Stone of Destiny looks just like an ordinary piece of stone. However, it is very
important to Scotland because from the middle of the 9th century until 1292, all the kings
of Scotland sat on it during their coronation. According to one legend, it was the stone
which Jacob used as a pillow in the famous story in the Bible, and it came to Scotland via
Egypt, Spain and Ireland.
At the end of the 13th century, during the Scottish Wars of Independence, the English
army invaded Scotland. On his way back to England in 1296, the English king stopped at
Scone Palace and took the Stone of Destiny with him. He took it to Westminster Abbey
and it became part of the English throne. From 1308 until 1953, almost every English or
British king or queen had sat on it during his or her coronation ceremony.
Many Scottish people were angry about this. They felt that the stone’s real home was in
Scotland. In 1950, four students from Glasgow University drove to London and on
Christmas Eve, they broke into Westminster Abbey and stole the Stone of Destiny. As
soon as the police found out, they assumed that the missing stone was on its way to
Scotland. They blocked all the roads to Scotland, but they didn’t catch the thieves. For
four months, no one could find the stone. Then, it mysteriously appeared in Arbroath
Abbey in Scotland. Someone had wrapped the flag of Scotland around it. The stone was
taken back to Westminster and it was used at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in
1953.
However, there was a rumour in Scotland that the real Stone of Destiny was still in
Scotland. The stone in Westminster was just a replica. In 1996, the British government
decided to return the stone to Scotland. The Stone of Destiny is now on display in
Edinburgh Castle. Many people still wonder: is it the real Stone of Destiny? There is no
proof. Only the four students know the truth, and they won’t discuss the matter with
anyone.
steal ¿
use ¿
happen ¿
pass ¿
not find 1. According to the legend, the stone …………………… through several European countries by
the time it reached Scotland.
2. By the time the English king invaded Scotland, the Scots …………………… the Stone of Destiny
every time they crowned a king.
3. Even though the police blocked all the roads to Scotland, they …………………… the Stone of
Destiny.
4. The stone appeared in Arbroath Abbey four months after the four students …………………… it
from Westminster Abbey.
5. Only the four students know what …………………… to the real stone.