Changed Forever When the plane prepared to land at JFK airport I saw the smoke still rising from where the buildings had collapsed It was hard to believe that it had only been five days since the most tragic terrorist attack had been committed on United States soil At that moment, I thought about all of the lives that had been lost and wondered what it would be like to live in a city that I had loved for so many years but now, had been changed forever It was hard to believe that only a few days before the attack happened, I had been celebrating my grandparents’ 60th anniversary with my family in Los Angeles We had just returned from a cruise to Mexico and I felt very relaxed from the vacation Even though I was not looking forward to going back to work, I was ready to get home to my dog and to my own apartment When I woke up on Tuesday, September 11th at 6:30 am I was exhausted and anticipated a long day of travelling When my brother came in to my bedroom and told me that a plane had crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers, my heart stopped I turned on the television and watched the second plane go into the second tower and it hit me – my home had been attacked and at that moment, I wished I had been home in New York more than ever Unfortunately I had to wait five days before I could return home When my plane finally landed, I felt nervous and unsure of what to expect What I loved about New York was the incredible energy that radiated from the people and their surroundings Now this energy had been disrupted and I wondered if this horrific event had tarnished a city that had been filled with excitement and pride for so long However, what I found was the city and its residents responded in a way only New York could: stronger than ever People gathered at local bars and restaurants just to be together Strangers would smile or nod at each other when they walked down the street as if to say “you’re not alone” While it was apparent that the city and its people were hurting, New York still carried on As each day passed and the clouds of dark smoke finally dissipated into the evening sky, what remained were two beams of light, a community filled with hope and the people of New York standing strong and united with their heads and their hearts held high EXERCISE - MULTIPLE CHOICE Please choose the best answer for the following questions What was the author’s concern about landing at JFK? a) A terrorist attack might occur b) What it will be like living in the city after a terrorist attack c) The plane will have problems landing How did the author find out about the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center towers? a) She heard the news on the television b) She heard the news on a cruise to Mexico c) She heard the news from her brother What did the author love about New York City? a) The energy of the people and the city b) The food and the shopping c) Returning home to her apartment How did the people of New York behave after the terrorist attack? a) Kept to themselves and did everything alone b) Allowed the terrorist attack to break up their unity and deflate their pride c) Came together as a community and walked with their heads held high EXERCISE - STORIES ABOUT LIFE CHANGING EVENTS Please fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb using past simple, past continuous, past perfect or past perfect continuous tenses to complete the story of each life-changing event My husband and I _ (try) to have children for many years but always (struggle) When the day finally (arrive) and my first daughter was born, I was so happy The dream that I (hope) for finally came true We _ (drive) for hours before we (pull) up to our new home I never (own) a house before so I was nervous, yet excited We (prepare) for this move in advance and _ (spend) many weeks packing our things Now I cannot wait to start our new life in our new home I remember when my boyfriend _ (ask) me to marry him I was so happy that I (cry) I (think) about my wedding day since I was a little girl and now the day I _ (wait) for is finally here EXERCISE – WRITE YOUR OWN SHORT STORY ABOUT A LIFE CHANGING EVENT IN THE PAST