In this reading, there are three primary objectives:
1—You will develop your awareness of the use of articles.
2—You will increase your reading comprehension.
3—You will expand your working vocabulary.

These objectives are facilitated by the following activities:
1—Reading the following part of the radio broadcast script.
2—Seeing photographs from the movie that illustrate the story.
3—Noticing required articles by interactively revealing articles after the "mouseover" of highlighted spaces.
4—Accessing short vocabulary definitions of selected words and phrases (those underlined in blue).
5—Getting vocabulary definitions from the internet for words you choose.
6—Checking your reading comprehension by doing the interactive quiz at the end (self-testing).

And, I hope you have some fun too! —Skip Reske

Move mouse cursor

over blank highlights

to show correct article (a/an or the) and over words in blue to show definition

The Time Machine

by H.G.Wells
Adapted for radio by Irving Rabitch
Originally broadcast October 22, 1950
onradio program “Escape”

Part 1

ANNOUNCER: Tired ofevery day routine? Ever dream oflife of romantic adventure? Want to get away from it all? We offer you...ESCAPE! Escape with us now, toyear one-hundred-thousand and eighty (10080); andworld where beauty and terror live side-by-side. As H.G. Wells describes it in his immortal story, "The Time Machine".story opens withconversation between two men, George Wells and David Filby.

DAVID: George, you must be mad!Time Machine?

George Wells and David Filby

GEORGE: Yes, my friend,time machine.

DAVID: This thing?

GEORGE: This very thing.

DAVID: This contraption ? This isresult of three years hard work?

GEORGE: I promise you, David, that on this machine,man can go wherever he likes in time. By working these controls,man can choose his century, his year, his very day.

Time Machine

DAVID: Oh for. . .really, you're not serious, old man.

GEORGE: Time is onlykind of space. If we can move around in allother dimensions of space, why not in time too?

DAVID: Oh, it's impossible. Out of the question.

GEORGE: Well, what ofjourneys I've already taken on this little contraption?

DAVID: I'm afraid you've been havingbad dream.

GEORGE: Very well, you shall have proof, my friend.

DAVID: How?

GEORGE: Just climb on , David. Sit in seat beside me, face these dials, and I'll take you forlittle journey.

DAVID: Well, you, you mean right now?

GEORGE: Right now.

George at controls

DAVID: Aren't there things we need to do first?

GEORGE: Any preparations? No David. You won't need any luggage on this trip, not eventoothbrush. You'll be back here in my laboratory in less thanminute.

[GEORGE AND DAVID GET INTOMACHINE]

DAVID: Alright, I'm on . Now what?

GEORGE: Hold on tight. I'd hate to lose you.

DAVID: Don't worry . . . I can't be frightened, George.

GEORGE: Then you're braver than I am. Tell me, what time is it?

DAVID: It's ... um ... just twelve-noon.

GEORGE: Before we start I want to change this controlbit.

[THE MACHINE MAKES SOME STRANGE NOISES]

GEORGE: Hmm

DAVID: Is, um, is everything okay?

GEORGE: Tell me, did you notice anything, just then?

DAVID: Onlynoise,humming noise, nothing else.

GEORGE: And what time is it?

DAVID: You just asked me old man, it's twelve ... that's odd, my watch says eleven o'clock. I was sure it was noonmoment ago. There must be something wrong with it.

GEORGE: It's only that I touchedlever to test it, and we've gone forwardfull day. Twenty three hours, at any rate.

DAVID: Yes, but, George. . .

GEORGE: (INTERRUPTING) Now, do you believe me, David?

DAVID: Yes, yes, I think I do.

GEORGE: Then hold tight, this will bereal journey.

DAVID: I'm ready George.

GEORGE: Good man. Well, say goodbye, David. Say goodbye to eighteen-hundred and ninety-nine (1899).

Day and year display

[DAVID DESCRIBES WHAT HAPPENED NEXT]

DAVID: walls of Dr. George's laboratory suddenly disappeared. Night was speeding after day. I sawsun, racing acrosssky ... going from sunrise to sunset every second. And every second wasday.

Sun streaking across sky

I sawmoon spinning from new moon to full moon, all in blink ofeye. Trees grew and blossomed like puffs of smoke, and then passed away. And all this time we were going faster and faster. Now our pace wasyearsecond. And still we went faster, intofuture.

GEORGE: (YELLING OVER NOISE) How do you feel, DAVID?

DAVID: Very weak, very dizzy.

GEORGE: Don't let go, don't fall off!

DAVID: Where are we? How far have we come?

GEORGE: We're in eight hundred and two thousand, seven hundred and one (802701)!

Day and year display

DAVID: That's enough! Stop it! I can't stand it any more. Stop it!

[GEORGE SLOWSMACHINE AND STOPS]

GEORGE: DAVID, you alright?

DAVID: Yes, I. . .I believe so. No broken bones. What happened.

GEORGE: I'm not sure. I must have stopped too suddenly.

DAVID: Where are we, George?

GEORGE: Look around for yourself.wide lawn,beautiful, vast garden. . .

Beautiful, vast garden

DAVID: I meant, where are we on earth?

GEORGE: Just where we were when we started. Where my laboratory stood ... butyear is 802701.

[DAVID DESCRIBES WHAT HAPPENED NEXT]

DAVID: It seemed absolutely incredible.dream. Andpleasant one, forgarden in which we found ourselves was beautiful and summery, withunexpected perfume inair. In the distance we could seelarge and important looking building, and everything was quiet and peaceful.

Large and important building

But almost too quiet and peaceful. It was all so strange. So very, very strange!

GEORGE: Eight hundred and two thousand, seven hundred and one . David, do you want to go back?

DAVID: Yes. I think I do.

GEORGE: Okay, let's go back to our own place and time.

[THERE ISSTRANGE NOISE]

DAVID: George!

GEORGE: From over there, in bushes.

DAVID: It sounded human.

GEORGE: Come on !

[GEORGE AND DAVID RUN OVER TO WHERE THEY HEARDSOUND]

DAVID: Why, it'schild! Seems to beyoung girl!

George finds Weena

GEORGE: There's beenanimal here of some kind that struggled with her--look at marks on her arm.

DAVID: (speaking togirl) Now, my dear, you'll be alright now, we won't harm you.

DAVID: (speaking to George) Of course she wouldn't understand English.

GEORGE: She's motioning us to go with her.

DAVID: What aboutanimal? Did you see it?

GEORGE: No, I didn't. It was too fast for us.

DAVID: Perhaps we'd better go back, George.girl seems to be alright now.

GEORGE: Do you think that we should leave her like this?

DAVID: Yes, yes, I've had enough.

GEORGE: Well they haven't old man, because they're here, all around us.