Read this text very carefully and do the Written Comprehension exercice. 

You can check how to read in English.

Written Comprehension

Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a stunt artist? 

We have interviewed Lee Sheward, one of Britain's most skilled stuntman. By the way, not all stunt artists are male. There are between twenty and thirty stunt women in Britain and they are very much in demand!

Lee lives near London with his wife and his 2 children but spends most of his time in Hollywood.

Lee, have you always wanted to be a stuntman?

Yes. When I was eight or nine, I watched all the police TV shows and all the action films and I thought: "I'd love to be able to do that!" I left school at 15 and joined a circus. This was the best experience to get.

What training have you had to become a stunt artist?

Well, in Britain to qualify as a stunt artist, you have to practice six sports, including a fighting skill. I took karate, trampolining, springboard* diving, horse-ridding, swimming and scuba-diving.

Have you doubled famous actors?

Yes, I've worked in Frankenstein; I've doubled Christophe Lambert, Michael Douglas and Tom Cruise. The greatest job I've ever had was to double Michael Schumacher in an advert for a new Renault car.

Have you ever had an accident?

Nothing major-only the cuts and bruises that you expect in such a profession.

Stunt work has become a technical and scientific business. We have equipement to protect us. The most important thing is to calculate the risk. In Interview with a vampire, for example, I knew I had exactly 15 seconds from the time I was set on fire to get out of the coffin and fall down the stairs before I started to burn for real…

What is your worst memory?

When I played a drowning* man for a TV show. It was in March and I had to swim out in the North Sea and pretend to be drowning. Believe me it was freezing*! That was one of the most unpleasant stunts in my career!

What qualities do you need to be a successful stunt artist?

You have to be intelligent, brave, and have a lot of common sense. The most difficult is to be able to stay calm and work well with the people around you. 

Have you ever wanted to change careers?

Never! I love it! I can't think of anything else I'd like to do. Galloping horses, playing at knights in armour or jumping from helicopters….it's every schoolboy's dream!

WRITTEN COMPREHENSION

Global Comprehension

1. What kind of document is it?
2. Who is it about?
3. What is the document about?

Vocabulary

4.  Find in the text : se demander       un cascadeur     noyé (adjectif)       des bleus (des hématomes)         un tremplin   

un cercueil         courageux      des chevaliers

Detailed Comprehension

1. Find in the text an expression meaning:

"un des cascadeurs les plus doués de Grande Bretagne" 

"votre pire souvenir"

"une des cascades les plus déplaisantes"    

"le plus important"

"la meilleure expérience"

"le plus formidable travail que j'ai jamais fait"

"le plus difficile"

2. Connais-tu le nom de cette structure?

3. Are these sentences Right or Wrong?

a. Lee Sheward is American.

b. He isn't married.

c. He started his career as a stuntman after going to a special stunt school.

d. All his stunts are always very easy.

e. He would like to stop being a stuntman in a few years.

4. Answer the quetions in your own words.

a. How did he start his career?

b. What did he have to do to become a stuntman?

c. Does his job enable him to meet famous people?

d. Why do you have to be someone quiet to be a stuntman?

Ask someone to correct your exercise.