B1 · Intermediate · A Hidden Clue · 185 words · ~2 min read

📁 The Encoded File

Language focus: Describing discoveries · expressing curiosity

The London Startup Mystery

One quiet afternoon, while tidying the shared drive, Maya stumbled across a folder simply labelled “DR — DO NOT DELETE”. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she opened it. Inside was a single file full of strange symbols and numbers — clearly some kind of code.

The initials “DR” rang a bell. Daniel Reyes. With a flutter of excitement, she flicked through his dusty notebook and found the very same symbols scribbled in the margins. “What on earth were you working on?” she whispered to the empty desk beside her.

She decided to look into it quietly. The code seemed to repeat a pattern, but cracking it felt like searching for a needle in a haystack. Even so, Maya had always loved a good puzzle, and something deep down told her that this one genuinely mattered.

Just then, Tom wandered over. “Burning the midnight oil already, are we?” he joked, even though it was only three o’clock. Maya quickly closed the file and smiled. For reasons she couldn’t quite put into words, she wasn’t ready to bring it up — not yet, anyway.

Key vocabulary (6 words)

foldernoun
A place on a computer where files are kept together.
symbolnoun
A mark or sign that represents something.
codenoun
A system of secret symbols or letters used to hide a message.
marginnoun
The empty space at the edge of a page.
patternnoun
A regular, repeated arrangement of things.
predecessornoun
The person who had a job or position before you.

Phrasal verbs in this episode

  • stumble across — To stumble across something means to find it by chance.
  • look into — To look into something means to investigate it.
  • flick through — To flick through means to look at the pages of something quickly.

Comprehension quiz

  1. What does Maya find on the shared drive?

    • An encoded file
    • A photograph
    • A shopping list
    Show answer

    An encoded file

  2. Whose initials are “DR”?

    • Daniel Reyes
    • Diana Roberts
    • David Reed
    Show answer

    Daniel Reyes

  3. “Rang a bell” means the initials…

    • made a sound
    • seemed familiar
    • were wrong
    Show answer

    seemed familiar

  4. Cracking the code felt like…

    • a piece of cake
    • a needle in a haystack
    • child’s play
    Show answer

    a needle in a haystack

  5. “Look into” something means to…

    • investigate it
    • ignore it
    • sell it
    Show answer

    investigate it

  6. Why doesn’t Maya tell Tom?

    • She is not ready to bring it up
    • She forgot
    • He was not there
    Show answer

    She is not ready to bring it up

All 20 B1 episodes

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