155. I Smell a Rat

Shelly was working in her Manhattan office one night for the first time. No one else was in the office. At about 9 p.m., she heard a scratching noise. She got a little scared. She looked around. "Hello," she said loudly.

"Is anyone there?" Nobody answered. The scratching continued. She got up from her desk. She walked over to where the sound was coming from. She looked in a trashcan. She saw a small rat. It was trying to climb up the side of the plastic trashcan, but it was making no progress. 

Its claws were useless on the hard plastic. "How did you even get IN here?" she asked the animal. She picked up another trashcan. She slid that trashcan into the trashcan with the rat in it. She walked downstairs carrying both trashcans. She went over to the security guard's desk. "I have something for you. I think it's still alive," she said. She gave him the trashcans. 

He pulled out the top trashcan. He said, "Well, one down. How many to go? There are dozens of rats in this building. They're most active at night." She said, "Well, this is my first rat, and I hope it's my last. What happens if one of these things bites me?" She went back upstairs. A week later, she was working in her office around lunchtime. 

The heat was on in the building. She smelled something. It wasn't a good smell. At first, she thought it was a coworker's body odor. Then she thought it was a coworker's lunch. Then she thought it was a dead animal. She walked over to her manager's desk. "Something smells really bad. 

I think there's something dead in our office," she said. He said, "I hope it's not Mr. Evans. He's getting up there. I can't smell anything. Where is the smell coming from?" She led him over to the heating vent near the windows. He put his nose down near the vent. "Phew!" he said, as he jerked his head back. He called maintenance. 

A worker arrived a few minutes later. He opened the vent. He found two dead rats inside. Shelly's manager said, "Boy, Shelly, what a good nose you have! How about coming up to the tenth floor with me and sniffing around? Maybe we have dead rats up there too."

✅ Vocabulary Words

                                                           

No.	Word	Definition	Example Sentence
01	Manhattan office	a workplace located in the borough of Manhattan, New York City	Shelly was working in her Manhattan office.
02	heard a scratching noise	perceived the sound of claws or something rough rubbing against a surface	She heard a scratching noise.
03	got a little scared	became slightly frightened or apprehensive	She got a little scared.
04	Nobody answered	no person responded to her question	Nobody answered.
05	trashcan	a container for waste materials; a wastebasket	She looked in a trashcan.
06	a small rat	a young or undersized rodent, larger than a mouse	She saw a small rat.
07	making no progress	failing to move forward or advance toward its goal	...it was making no progress.
08	claws were useless	the sharp, curved nails of the animal had no gripping function	Its claws were useless on the hard plastic.
09	How did you even get IN here?	a question expressing disbelief about the animal's presence	"How did you even get IN here?"
10	slid that trashcan	moved the trashcan smoothly and easily into the other container	She slid that trashcan into the trashcan with the rat in it.
11	security guard's desk	the station or table used by the person responsible for the building's safety	She went over to the security guard's desk.
12	still alive	continuing to live; not dead yet	"I think it's still alive," she said.
13	dozens of rats	a large, indefinite number (plural of a dozen, meaning 12) of rodents	There are dozens of rats in this building.
14	most active at night	perform the most activity during the hours of darkness (nocturnal)	They're most active at night.
15	heat was on	the central heating system was running, warming the building	The heat was on in the building.
16	smelled something	perceived an odor or scent	She smelled something.
17	coworker's body odor	the smell produced by a person she works with	...she thought it was a coworker's body odor.
18	dead animal	a creature that is no longer alive, and likely decaying	Then she thought it was a dead animal.
19	heating vent	the opening or register through which warm air flows into a room	She led him over to the heating vent.
20	called maintenance	phoned the department responsible for building upkeep and repairs	He called maintenance.

❓ Comprehension Questions & Answers

                                             

No.	Question	Answer
01	Where was Shelly working and at what time?	In her **Manhattan office** at about **9 p.m.**.
02	What made her scared when she was alone?	She **heard a scratching noise**.
03	What was the source of the scratching noise?	A **small rat** inside a **plastic trashcan**.
04	Why couldn't the rat climb out?	Its **claws were useless** on the hard plastic sides.
05	How did Shelly trap the rat?	She **slid another trashcan** inside the one with the rat.
06	Who did Shelly give the rat to?	The **security guard** at his desk downstairs.
07	What did the security guard tell Shelly about the building?	That there are **dozens of rats** in the building, and they are **most active at night**.
08	What happened one week later around lunchtime?	She **smelled something bad** because the heat was on.
09	What were Shelly's three guesses about the bad smell?	A **coworker's body odor**, a **coworker's lunch**, or a **dead animal**.
10	Where did Shelly realize the smell was coming from?	The **heating vent** near the windows.
11	Who confirmed the smell and what did he do?	Her **manager** confirmed it and **called maintenance**.
12	What was found inside the heating vent?	**Two dead rats**.
13	What two words did Shelly's manager use to compliment her?	"**Good nose**."
14	What word describes Shelly's overall work environment experience?	**Rodent-infested** (or unsettling/unpleasant).
15	What does the manager's comment about the tenth floor suggest?	That **dead rats are a common problem** in other parts of the building, too.