Practice FrenchB1Full sample
La lettre du phare
The Letter from the Lighthouse — Inès follows a clue in an old lighthouse letter and discovers forgotten family history.
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Chaque été, Inès passait une semaine chez son oncle, gardien d’un vieux phare sur la côte bretonne. Le phare ne guidait plus les bateaux, mais il gardait encore l’odeur du sel, du métal et des tempêtes. Inès aimait monter les cent vingt marches pour regarder la mer changer de couleur.
Un soir de pluie, elle a trouvé une lettre cachée derrière une pierre du mur. Le papier était fragile, mais on pouvait lire quelques mots : « Si la cloche sonne trois fois, regarde sous la lanterne. » Son oncle pensait que c’était une plaisanterie ancienne. Inès, elle, a attendu le vent.
À minuit, une rafale a frappé la porte, et la vieille cloche a sonné trois fois. Sous la lanterne, Inès a découvert une boîte en fer. À l’intérieur, il y avait des photos de pêcheurs, un carnet de météo et une médaille rouillée. Son oncle a reconnu son grand-père sur une photo. La lettre n’était pas un trésor d’or, mais elle a rendu une histoire à la famille.
Key vocabulary
- pharelighthouse
- gardienkeeper / guard
- fragilefragile
- rafalegust of wind
- médaille rouilléerusty medal
Show English translation
Every summer, Inès spent a week with her uncle, the keeper of an old lighthouse on the Breton coast. The lighthouse no longer guided boats, but it still kept the smell of salt, metal, and storms. Inès liked climbing the one hundred and twenty steps to watch the sea change color.
One rainy evening, she found a letter hidden behind a stone in the wall. The paper was fragile, but a few words could be read: “If the bell rings three times, look under the lantern.” Her uncle thought it was an old joke. Inès waited for the wind.
At midnight, a gust struck the door, and the old bell rang three times. Under the lantern, Inès discovered an iron box. Inside, there were photos of fishermen, a weather notebook, and a rusty medal. Her uncle recognized his grandfather in one photo. The letter was not a treasure of gold, but it returned a story to the family.
Comprehension questions
1. What does Inès discover because of the letter?
- A metal box with photographs and family keepsakes.
- A logbook listing boats that still use the lighthouse.
- A box of gold coins hidden by her uncle.
- A plan for repairing the lighthouse lantern.
Show answer
A metal box with photographs and family keepsakes.
2. Where is the letter hidden?
- Under the stairs
- Behind a stone in the wall
- Inside a fishing net
- In her uncle’s coat
Show answer
Behind a stone in the wall
3. The lighthouse still guides boats every night.
Show answer
false
4. How do Inès and her uncle first react to the letter?
- They both believe it and search under the lantern at once.
- Her uncle doubts the letter; Inès waits to test its clue.
- Her uncle follows the clue while Inès leaves the tower.
- They ask the fishermen to read it before doing anything.
Show answer
Her uncle doubts the letter; Inès waits to test its clue.
5. Why does the box matter to Inès’s uncle?
- A photograph connects its contents to his grandfather.
- The weather notebook predicts the next storm at sea.
- The medal identifies a boat that he once owned.
- The letter explains why the lighthouse was closed.
Show answer
A photograph connects its contents to his grandfather.
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