Pre-Reading Activities to the The Temptation of a Respectable Woman

First Listening
Please listen to a short passage carefully and prepare to answer some questions.
    Initially Mrs. Baroda found her husband’s friend’s silence both puzzling and boring. Her husband, Gaston, had informed her that his friend, Gouvernail, would be staying at the plantation for a few weeks and that he had a great wit. But she found his solemn silence lacking in any interest. The truth was, however, that he was a run-down, exhausted man merely seeking a short rest from overwork. Once he opened up and revealed his true personality, Mrs. Baroda was surprised and shocked by the temptation and desire he created in her, a respectable married woman. She felt it best to depart from the plantation as soon as possible.  (108 words)
 
 Second Listening
Listen to the tape again. Then answer the following questions with your own experiences.
1. Why was Gaston’s friend, Gouvernail, staying at the plantation?
2. What did Mrs. Baroda think of Gouvernail?
3. Why did Mrs. Baroda leave the plantation?