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The Phantom Shark of Station Kepler
Preview
Intermediate (B1 Low) General Reading CEFR B1

The Phantom Shark of Station Kepler

Although the Kepler Station was a marvel of technology, a strange fear was spreading through its metal halls. A glowing blue shark had been spotted swimming through the walls, and its silent ghost-lik...

Duration

5 min read

Length

424 words

Story

5 paragraphs

Story Excerpt

Sample preview reading passage

Paragraphs 1–2 of 5

Although the Kepler Station was a marvel of technology, a strange fear was spreading through its metal halls. A glowing blue shark had been spotted swimming through the walls, and its silent ghost-like movements made everyone uneasy. Because the creature left no footprints and passed through sealed doors, many crew members believed it was a mass hallucination. However, security officer Elena knew that the anomaly was real, and she was determined to find the truth. The mystery became her obsession, but she could not solve it alone.

Elena had once been the closest friend of Marcus, the station's brilliant engineer, until a bitter argument tore them apart. Their friendship had shattered after a failed experiment that blamed each other for the mistake. If they wanted to understand the phantom shark, they would have to put aside their pride and work together. Although Marcus was proud, he agreed to help because the shark had appeared in his own quarters. They both realized that solving the mystery might also repair their broken friendship.

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Educational Objectives

Story Details

Grammar focus and learning objectives covered in this story.

Grammar Level

B1 · Past Perfect, Passive Voice, First Conditional

Learning Outcomes

  • Recognise and use the past perfect to show which past event happened first.
  • Identify passive voice sentences and understand when to use them.
  • Form first conditional sentences to talk about real future possibilities.
  • Answer comprehension questions about the story's plot and characters.
  • Use new vocabulary related to mystery, friendship, and emotions.

Grammar Focus

Past Perfect: subject + had + past participle

Use the past perfect to talk about an action that happened before another past action or time. It shows which event came first.

“ The diary revealed that Dr. Vega had secretly raised a small shark during the early days of the station.
Tip: Use the past perfect for the earlier action and the past simple for the later action.
Passive Voice: subject + was/were + past participle

Use the passive voice when the focus is on the action or the receiver, not on who did it. It is common in narratives and reports.

“ A glowing blue shark had been spotted swimming through the walls, and its silent ghost-like movements made everyone uneasy.
Tip: Only use the passive when the doer is unknown, unimportant, or obvious from context.
First Conditional: If + present simple, will + base verb

Use the first conditional to talk about a real or possible future situation and its result.

“ If they wanted to understand the phantom shark, they would have to put aside their pride and work together.
Tip: Use the present simple after 'if', not 'will', even when talking about the future.

Reading tip

Daily Habit

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