The Mystery of the Lost Laptop
You find a mysterious laptop in your school computer lab. Will you try to fix it, return it to the lost and found, or investigate who it belongs to?
A free Story Adventure for Teens at CEFR A2 level. Topic: computer.
Story
- You are in the computer lab at school. You see an old laptop under a desk. The screen is dark and there is no keyboard. You want to know what is inside this computer. What do you do?
- You take the laptop to the lost and found office. The teacher there smiles and writes your name in the notebook. She says, 'Thank you for being honest. Many students do not do this.' You feel good about your choice. Now you wait to see if someone comes to find their laptop.
- You find a keyboard and plug it into the laptop. You press the power button. The screen lights up! But then you see a password screen. You do not know the password. You cannot open the files inside. What do you do now?
- You look carefully at the laptop. There is a small sticker on the back. It says 'Maria - Class 9B'. You know Maria! She sits near you in English class. You remember she was worried about something last week. You have two ideas: you can give the laptop to Maria directly, or you can tell the teacher…
- You try different passwords for ten minutes. Nothing works. The laptop gets locked after five wrong tries. You cannot try again for one hour. You feel frustrated. You realize that trying to guess the password was not a good idea. Now you must tell a teacher what happened.
- The teacher is happy with your idea. She checks the school computer system. She finds that the laptop belongs to Maria, a student in Class 9B. The teacher calls Maria's family. They are very happy! They come to school the next day and thank you. Maria gives you a small gift - a USB drive with…
- You find Maria at lunch. You tell her, 'I found your laptop in the computer lab!' Maria's face is very happy. She thanks you many times. But then she looks worried. 'I did not back up my project files. I hope the laptop is not broken,' she says. You both go to check if the laptop works.
- You show the laptop to your teacher. She smiles and says, 'Good job! You did the right thing.' She checks the school records and finds Maria's phone number. She calls Maria's family. They are very happy and come to school to pick up the laptop. The teacher tells the class about your honesty and…
Vocabulary
- laptop
- computer lab
- screen
- keyboard
- desk
- lost and found
- honest
- notebook
- office
- choice
- power button
- password
- files
- sticker
- back
- carefully
- worried
- directly
- passwords
- locked
- frustrated
- wrong
- hour
- system
- belongs
- family
- thank
- gift
- USB drive
- lunch
- found
- back up
- project
- broken
- records
- phone number
- honesty
- responsibility
- right thing
- password screen
Printable worksheet
This Story Adventure comes with a free printable worksheet: 1 part for students to do after the game, and an answer key for the teacher. It prints at three levels (Support, Core and Challenge); this is the Core sheet. Sign in free to print the whole sheet.
What's on the worksheet
- Remember the story · Circle the right answer.
Part 1: Remember the story
Circle the right answer.
- What does the teacher do when you bring the laptop? a) She gives you money b) She takes it home c) She writes your name in a notebook d) She asks you to fix it
- What happens when you try to turn on the laptop? a) The screen lights up but there is a password b) Nothing happens c) It breaks immediately d) It opens with all the files
- What name is on the sticker? a) Your name b) The teacher's name c) Class 9B d) Maria