denis the cat burglar (reading + video listening)

http://areti-aroundtheworldinenglish.blogspot.gr/

A Bedfordshire cat has become a celebrity after stealing clothes and other items from neighbours. Denis, a two-year-old black and white cat, has stolen underwear, shoes, shirts, paintbrushes and even a doll. He brings them all back to his embarrassed owner Lesley Newman at her home in Luton. Videos of Denis in action have helped the pilfering puss become a hit on the web, with his own Facebook page, Twitter account and T-shirt range. Denis' crime spree began at the age of just six months, a week after he was let out of the house for the first time. "I noticed some clothes lying about and a piece from the local paper, which someone had screwed up," said Mrs Newman. "A week later he brought home a Barbie doll. He either leaves things in the front room or brings them up to me in bed. He will come to my side of the bed and scream until I acknowledge what he has brought in. It's like 'Hello, I've brought you a present.'" In the past week alone, Dennis has brought home a sock, towel, face cloth, glove and a motorcycle crash helmet bag. Mrs Newman keeps all the items Denis steals in two boxes in case neighbours come to ask for their property back. The most expensive item Denis has stolen is a Fred Perry polo shirt, which has still not been claimed by its owner. "A few people have knocked on the door to ask if Denis has stolen their things, but thankfully no-one has been angry yet," said Mrs Newman, an accounts assistant. Denis has a particular fondness for stealing men's underwear. "He doesn't do briefs - only boxers," she said. The feline felon also features on his own range of T-shirts, which read: "Denis stole my pants". Profits from the sale of the T-shirts go to Homeless Cat Rescue Bedfordshire, and the charity also benefits from advertising revenue from Denis' YouTube channel, which shows him in action. So far the channel has been viewed nearly 400,000 times.

(taken from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-19660494 )

1. Lesley Newman is proud of her cat for bringing a lot of things home. Denis, the menace

2. Denis was six months old when he started stealing items from neighbours.

3. He always takes the stolen items to his owner’s bed.

4. The owner of the Fred Perry T-shirt has still not come to ask for it.

5. Mrs Newman is thankful that no-one has asked for their things yet.

6. Denis particularly likes stealing men’s boxers.

7. Homeless Cat Rescue Bedfordshire charity is advertised on Denis’ YouTube channel.

Exercise 1. Are the following statements true or false? Write T for True or F for False.

Exercise 2. Match the underlined words in the text with the definitions below and solve

the crossword.

Across 1. an organization for helping people in need 3. a criminal who has committed a serious crime 4. connected with cats 6. money that you make by selling something 7. a short period of time when you do a lot of something 8. something that is owned by a person, business, etc.

Down 1. a person who is famous 2. to get help from something 3. to be an important part of something 5. income from business activities

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EclipseCrossword.com


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-19660494


Exercise 4. CAT IDIOMS

Match the idioms to their definitions on the right (write the correct letter in each box).

1. Why is Denis a real menace?

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2. What sort of things does he steal?

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3. How many hits has his video got on YouTube?

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4. What, according to his owner, is the reason he steals things?

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5. Where does the money from the sale of the T-shirts go?

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6. What plans does his owner have now?

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Exercise 3. Watch the video about Dennis, the ‘Cat Burglar’ from Luton, and answer the

following questions. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-19666089

1 be the cat's whiskers

a to argue violently all the time

2 there’s more than one way to skin a cat b to tell a secret carelessly or by mistake

3 like the cat that got the cream c to cause trouble by doing or saying something

4 there's no room to swing a cat d to look dirty and untidy

5 let the cat out of the bag

e there are many different ways to achieve something

6 fight like cat and dog f a place or space is very small

7 put / set the cat among the pigeons g very pleased about something you have achieved

8 look like something the cat brought / dragged in

h to be the best thing, person, idea, etc


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-19666089




1. Lesley Newman is proud of her cat for bringing a lot of things home. Denis, the menace

2. Denis was six months old when he started stealing items from neighbours.

3. He always takes the stolen items to his owner’s bed.

4. The owner of the Fred Perry T-shirt has still not come to ask for it.

5. Mrs Newman is thankful that no-one has asked for their things yet.

6. Denis particularly likes stealing men’s boxers.

7. Homeless Cat Rescue Bedfordshire charity is advertised on Denis’ YouTube channel.



the crossword.



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1. Lesley Newman is proud of her cat for bringing a lot of things home. F

2. Denis was six months old when he started stealing items from neighbours. T

3. He always takes the stolen items to his owner’s bed. F

4. The owner of the Fred Perry T-shirt has still not come to ask for it. T

5. Mrs Newman is thankful that no-one has asked for their things yet. F

6. Denis particularly likes stealing men’s boxers. T

7. Homeless Cat Rescue Bedfordshire charity is advertised on Denis’ YouTube channel. F



the crossword.



ANSWER KEY

1 2

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F

P

C

E

L

E

B

R

I

T

Y

H

L

O

A

I

F

S

P

R

N

I

P

R

I

F

E

A

T

U

R

E

O

T

E

E

P

Y

L

R

E

V

E

N

U

E

O

R

B

E

N

E

F

I

T

T Y





Because he has been stealing stuff from his neighbours.


Things like tea towels, bath and car sponges, T-shirts, socks, pants, footballs


385.000 hits


She thinks he brings things to her because he likes her.


To Bedfordshire Homeless Cat Rescue Centre


She is now in talks with a local author about a children’s story book based on Denis’ life.














I have used the following sites: http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/ http://www.macmillandictionary.com/ http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/ http://www.learnersdictionary.com/ Clip art and logos: http://www.clker.com/ http://www1.flamingtext.com/

h

e

g

f

b

a

c

d





http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/

http://www.macmillandictionary.com/

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/

http://www.learnersdictionary.com/

http://www.clker.com/

http://www1.flamingtext.com/

denis the cat burglar (reading + video listening)

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