Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources
Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources

"Shanghai Tunnels"

"Shanghai Tunnels"
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 4 to 6
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   4.31

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    abuse, offering, trapdoor, smuggle, awaken, running, purpose, tourist, cobblestone, remain, public, tunnel, escape, fell, working, however
     content words:    Shanghai City, Chet Orloff, Oregon Historical Society, Old Town

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"Shanghai Tunnels"
By Sandra Marttinen 		  
1     The kidnapping plans began when a man wandered into a bar. He might have been a sailor on leave for a few days. Or he could have been a tourist traveling through the area. He had money in his pocket and was ready to explore the town of Portland.
 
2     But soon after taking a few sips of his drink, he began to feel very strange. The voices around him would get loud, then very soft. The room began to spin. Was he getting the terrible "influenza" disease? He decided to walk outside to get some air. His legs felt like rubber. He hung onto chairs and tables as he walked toward the door. Suddenly, two men were at his side, offering their support. The men held him under his arms. As they walked away from the door, a trapdoor opened. He fell into an underground tunnel.
 
3     In the tunnel, he was robbed of money and other possessions. His shoes and socks were also taken. Broken glass was scattered around. If he should awaken and try to escape, the glass would prevent him from running. He was put in a holding cell. His captors made sure there were men available to sea captains twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. He was to be sold to a sea captain who needed a crew. Most of the ships were going to Shanghai, China. So the kidnapped men were considered "shanghaied." The tunnels went to the water's edge. It was easy to smuggle a man onto a ship at night without being seen.

Paragraphs 4 to 8:
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