1 SPEAKING What do you know about hyenas? Read the article to check your ideas.
Student’s own answer
Happy hyenas help people of Harar
Hyenas are big, ugly and dangerous animals and they are the most common large predator in Africa. They often survive on eating animals that are already dead, but they will also attack and eat live animals – including cows, sheep, goats and even people. It goes without saying that most people in Ethiopia are scared of hyenas and don’t want them around. But in the old walled city of Harar, the hyenas are no longer a danger to people. Why do you think this is? In the past, the animals often attacked people living in the city, so the people found a way to deal with them: they cut holes in the city walls and threw food to the hyenas. They realised that the hyenas were no longer hungry because of this, and attacked people less often. Later, a farmer called Yusuf Salleh chose to do the same thing to protect his farm animals against the hyenas: he fed them each day, and it worked! Yusuf’s son, Abbas Yusuf, has continued his father’s tradition but in a slightly different way. Every day, when it is getting dark, he calls out to attract the hyenas. Then he picks up some meat and holds it out for them. The animals come up to him and take the meat from his hands. The sight is so amazing that many tourists visit to watch him feed the hyenas (although it is too dangerous for them to participate in the feeding)! Abbas Yusuf says the hyenas are now his friends, and he even has names for them. People explain that nobody in Harar has been attacked by a hyena for 200 years, and some people even say they are useful around the city because they help to eat some of the rubbish from the rubbish tips, helping to discourage flies and other insects from breeding diseases. When people see a hyena in the streets, they do not worry about them any more. The people and the hyenas accept each other. I think this simple solution could help save the lives of people and animals. The hyenas are no longer hungry and everyone is happy. Can we learn from this and hope for something similar with other dangerous animals?
2. In which paragraph does the writer address the underlined parts of the task?
The underlined parts are:
Describe the initiative and express your opinion on it.
Describing the initiative:
This is addressed in paragraphs 2, 3, and 4, where the writer explains how people in Harar feed the hyenas to stop them from attacking.
Expressing an opinion:
This is found in the last paragraph (paragraph 6) where the writer says:
"I think this simple solution could help save the lives of people and animals."
And they question if we can learn from this for other dangerous animals.
3. Study the Writing box and discuss the questions.
1) Which tip from the Writing box does the writer use in the title?
The writer uses the tip: "Make your title short, clear, and interesting."
The title "Happy hyenas help people of Harar" is short, catchy, and intriguing.
2) Which tips in the Writing box does the writer use to make the introduction engaging?
The writer uses:
- A surprising fact or statement: The idea that dangerous hyenas help people is unexpected.
- A question: "Why do you think this is?" — this question engages the reader and makes them curious.
3) How does the conclusion emphasise the ideas in the introduction?
The conclusion repeats the idea that hyenas, once dangerous, are now helpful and friendly, and also raises a bigger idea:
"Can we learn from this and hope for something similar with other dangerous animals?"
This links back to the surprising idea in the introduction and extends it with reflection and hope
4. Many verbs are often followed by a specific preposition. Complete the table with examples from the article on page 24. ( SB page 25)
|
Against |
A. protect |
|
From |
B. take, learn, discourage |
|
In |
C, live, participate |
|
On |
D. survive |
|
To |
E. introduce, danger, help |
|
With |
D. deal |
5. Verbs with similar meanings often use the same dependent preposition. Look at the groups of verbs A-H in the table in Exercise 4 and match them with the general meanings 1-6 below
- 1. take action to solve a problem. deal with
- 2. stay alive (manage lo live on few resources). survive un (O)
- 3. eat out of . take from
- 4. say something loudly. introduce to
- 5. lake care of someone or something. protect against
- 6. take part in something. be involved ® participate in
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- Complete the sentences with a correct preposition in each gap.
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- 1. Monkeys live on fruit and nuts.
- 2. Monkeys live in trees.
- 3. We eat soup out of a bowl.
- 4. We need to deal with the climate crisis
7. Match the sentences in Exercise 6 with the topics:
Monkeys live on fruit and nuts. ➡ diet
Monkeys live in trees. ➡ habitat
We eat soup out of a bowl. ➡ container
We need to deal with the climate crisis. ➡ the environment
