Before you read

A. Answer the following questions.1. Are there any animals that especially frighten or bother

you? Which ones? Why do you feel that way about them?

2. Do you know any stories about strange creatures that are reported to exist but that scientists haven’t been able to find?

3. Do you believe in sea monsters? Why or why not?4. Do you think that one day science will be able to

catalog all the life on planet Earth? Explain your answer.

Reading skill

A. How many of the following oddities and mysteries of nature do you know. Try to match them with the descriptions on the right. If you’re not sure about any, just read the names and descriptions and think about them.

1. kraken a. a large creature that reportedly lives in Lake Champlain in the state of New York

2. coelacanth b. a furry, human-like creature occasionally sighted in Himalayas

3. okapi c. a giraffe-like animal

4. yeti d. an ancient name for the giant squid

5. champ e. an odd-looking fish once thought to be extinct

6. sauropod f. a long-necked creature resembling a dinosaur

7. the Loch Ness monster

g. an occasionally sighted creature said to live in a lake in Scotland

Krakend.an ancient name for the giant squid

Coelacanthe.an odd-looking fish once thought to be

extinct

Okapi

c. a giraffe-like animalYetib. a furry, human-like creature occasionally

sighted in the Himalayas

Champ a.a large creature that reported lives in Lake Champlain in the state of New York

Sauropodf. a long –necked creature resembling a

dinosaur

The Loch Nessg.an occasionally sighted creature said to

live in a lake in Scotland

Mermaid

Griffin (griffon)

Unicorn

Kraken (sea monster )

In 1555, Olaus Magnus said: “One of these sea monsters will drown easily many great ships.”

The giant squid

• Japanese scientists reported that they hooked a giant squid ( estimated at 26 feet long-some 3,000 feet down )

• It seemed less terrifying than its ancient image

Richard Ellis, a naturalist, is author of two books about ocean animals :

• “Singing Whales, Flying Squid, and Swimming Cucumbers” catalogues recent discoveries of previously unknown whales, dolphins, and other creatures. They are quite strange, odd.

• “Monsters of the Sea.”

He wrote: “The sea being so deep and large, I’m sure other mysteries lurk out there, unseen and unsolved. This book also showed that odd squid is more than 20 feet long with fins and very skinny arms and tentacles…”

Coelacanth

It was thought to be extinct 70 million years ago

In 1938, a fisherman pulled up a coelacanth (an odd, ancient-looking fish with stubbly, limb-like fins)

Fins

Okapi

Okapi

• 1900, Sir Harry H. Johnson, an English explorer, found a giraffe-like animal known as the okapi. It was called as a living fossil.

• 1982, a group founded the International Society of Cryptozoology and used okapi as its symbol.

At the website for the group , there is a list of 15 classes

about unusual beasts

Big cat

Giant crocodile

Huge snake

Large octopus

Mammoth

Yeti in the Himalayas

Sauropod

The Loch Ness monster

Champ in Lake Champlain

Then there are the blobs ( gooey masses )

• As large as a school bus• At first they thought it came from

giant octopods• Then last year, biologists applied

DNA analysis and turned out from old whale blubber.

Reading comprehension

A. How much do you remember about the reading? For each question, choose the best answer.

1. What is the main idea of the article?a. Many of the myths about strange animals are true.b. Unusual creatures, both real and imaginary, have

always fascinated humans.c. Scientists have shown that all monster myths are false.d. Most monsters are actually real animal.

2. What is the author’s purpose in writing this article?

a. To argue in favor of discovering more mysterious creatures

b. To persuade us that mythical animals really existc. To warn us that sea monsters and similar animals still

threaten usd. To entertain and inform the reader with information

about extraordinary creatures

3. Why is Richard Ellis mentioned in the article? a. He captured a giant squidb. He is an author of two books about ocean animals.c. He is president of the International Society of

Cryptozoology.d. He has doubts about the existence of the giant squid.

4. What is the symbol of the International Society of Cryptozoology?a. The giant squidb. Champc. The okapid. The Loch Ness monster

5. What did the blobs on beaches turn out to be?a. Whale blubberb. The remains of sea monstersc. Long tentaclesd. Living fossils

Reading comprehension

B. Decide if the following statements about the reading are true (T) or false (F). If you check () false, correct the statement to make it true.

T F

1 The kraken was just a myth.

2 Richard Ellis wrote a book entitled Flying Whales, Swimming Squid, and Singing Cucumbers.

3 Lake Champlain is allegedly the home of a monster.4 The mystery of the blobs was solved by using DNA analysis.5 Scientists have completed their studies of the giant squid.

Reading comprehension

C. Critical thinkingDiscuss these questions with a partner

1. The author asks monster lovers to take heart . Are you a monster lover? Explain your answer.

2. Would you like to join the International Society of Cryptozoology? If not, why not? If yes, what creatures would you be looking for?

Vocabulary comprehension

A. Look at the following target vocabulary items from the passage. Use the strategies outlined on pages 66 and 126 and the context for the items within the passage to work out the meaning of each one

Vocabulary Pronunciation Part of Speech

Definition

1. embroider upon

/im'brɔidə ə'pɔn/

exp

2. malevolent /mə'levələnt/ adj

3. shattering /'∫ætəriη/ adj

4. take heart /teik hɑ:t/ exp

5. forthcoming /fɔ:θ'kʌmiη/ adj

6. bizarre /bi'za:/ adj

7. stumbled on /'stʌmbl ɔn/ exp

8. hauled /hɔ:ld/ v

9. paranormal /,pærə'nɔ:ml/ adj

10. gearing up /'giəriη ʌp/ exp

‒to make a story more interesting by adding details that are not always true

‒evil or harmful‒to expose or to reveal the truth

‒regain faith or be encouraged

‒going to happen, be published, etc. very soon

‒odd, weird

‒find or reach accidentally or unexpectedly

‒to carry a load

‒a supernatural occurrence or something that has no scientific explanation

‒to prepare, put on equipment

Vocabulary comprehension

B. Complete the paragraph below using the vocabulary items from A. Be sure to use the correct form of each word

• Me and My ImaginationAs a child, I was absolutely obsessed with hunting monsters. It seemed that around nearly every corner, there was a monster lurking in the shadows – not good monsters, but rather (1) ____________ones that were trying to “ get me” . I walked around my house at night in terror, jumpy at every creaking door or whistling% window, sure that I would ( 2) ____________ a sleeping monster and be his midnight snack. When I ran to my parents for help recounting for them in detail my encounters with monsters they would tell me to go back to bed and stop (3) __________________ things that had simple explanations. They thought this monster obsession was ( 4)_______ but they hoped I’d grow out of it. One day, I planned a monster hunt in our neighbor’s fish pond. I (5) ___________by putting on my bathing suit, a mask, and borrowing my mother’s biggest barbecue fork. Then I jumped in. When they (6) _______ me out of the pond, I was holding out neighbor prize-winning Japanese carp. I knew that a stern lecture would be (7)___________ from my father. That’s when he told me that there simply no monsters- they didn’t exist, and I had to forget about them. Well, I grew depressed. My fantasy world was(8)__________ I did my best not to think about monsters, until one day, on TV, I saw a show about UFOs, ghost and other(9) ____________phenomena, I learned that other people believed in monster, too. No longer depressed, I(10) __________, and used the information I learned from that show to rebut my father’s claim that monster didn’t exist.

malevolent

stumble on

embroidering uponbizarre

geared up

hauled

forthcoming

shattered.

paranormaltook heart

Vocabulary comprehension

C. Answer these questions. Share your answer with a partner.

1. Do you know anyone who has a tendency to embroider upon stories and make them more interesting to listen to than they were in reality?

Ba phi uncle

2. Can you think of a malevolent character from a movie?

Vampire in “Underground”, “Twilight”

Vocabulary comprehension

3. Over the course of human history, what myths that people believed have been shattered?

The flat shape of the earth4. When you feel afraid of lacking in confidence, what

can help you take heart?A deep breath, a cup of water

5. Are there any forthcoming movies, concerts, or exhibitions that you are looking forward to attending?

The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader (3d), Kungfu Panda 2

Vocabulary comprehension

6. What animal do you think is bizarre?Proboscis, warthog, aye-aye

7. What are some examples of paranormal phenomena?

Ghost, Extrasensory perception (ESP)8. What do you do to gear up for a job interview?

Possibly asked questions

Vocabulary skill

A. Look at the words below. What do you think they mean? Use your knowledge of prefixes, suffixes, and word roots to match them to the definition.

h. type of story or writing that is about imaginary characters and situations1. fiction

b. prejudiced; marked by unfair treatment2. discriminatory

g. spoken or expressed aloud in words3. verbal

i. money given in exchange for a service or goods4. payment

e. to pause or stay in a place5. stop

a. forcible or rough; severe6. violent

c. capable of burning quickly7. flammable

f. being real; present in the world8. existent

d. someone who behaves according to a group’s usual expectations and standard9. conformist

Vocabulary skill

B. Complete the sentences below by adding the prefix non to the correct word from A.

1. My favorite form of literature is __________________. I especially love reading autobiographies.

2. Their landlord sued them in court for __________________ of three months’ rent.

3. Gregory tends to have very _________________ opinions about marriage and society.

4. By taking the ________________ flight to Sydney. I’ll get there two hours earlier than the flight that stop in Brisbane.

5. Our company is highly regarded by others in the industry in terms of its ___________________ policies on gender, race, and religion.

6. Many animal use ______________ways to communicates, as sounds may alert enemies to their presence.

non-fiction

non-paymentnon-conformist

non-stop

non-discriminatory

non-verbal

Real life skill

A. Work with a partner to match the names of these animals with their young. Use your dictionary to check any that you are not sure of.

Cat

i. kitten

Dog

h. puppy

Horse

e. foal

Cow

c. calf

Bird

nestling

Frog

g. tadpole

Hen

f. chick

Deer

a. fawn

Sheep

d. lamb

Goat

b. kid

Real life skill

B. Now write the plural form of each of these animals. Use your dictionary to help.

1.a mouse 2.a goose 3.a fish 4.an ox 5.a puppy 6.a wolf 7.a sheep

twomanytena pair ofthreeseveralnine

micegeesefishoxenpuppies (pup)wolvessheep

Real life skill

C. Groups of very different animals can share the same name. When we use these term the plural form of the animal name is always used. Look at the group names below and write the plural forms of the correct animals on the appropriate line.

Kitten wolf bird ox cow fish horse

Seagull puppy shark sheep bat

A herd ofA flock ofA school ofA pack ofA little ofA colony of

cows, oxen, horses, sheepbirds, seagull, sheepsharks, fishwolvespuppies, kittensbats