[Animals ★★]
(P1) A family fishing and camping trip in Australia’s Northern Territory turned terrifying Monday when a crocodile snuck up out of a creek about 50 feet from their campsite and dragged a 19-year-old from his tent, the Guardian reports. The croc yanked the teen out by his right foot at around 4:30 am. “I woke up and there was something shaking my foot … it was [10 to 13 feet] long,” Peter Rowsell tells the ABC. The “very lucky” young man “managed to kick it away with his other foot,” a health department spokeswoman tells the Guardian, adding that he’s “shaken” but in stable condition at a local hospital with puncture wounds on his lower right leg.
(P2) Meanwhile, a Charles Darwin University researcher and crocodile specialist said Rowsell was way too close to the water’s edge. “The official recommendation … croc-wise is [165 feet] minimum,” he tells the ABC. “People break [that] rule all the time. I mean, I’ve done it myself in the past, but I don’t think I’d do it today, that’s for sure.”
WORDS: 174
SOURCE: http://www.newser.com/story/224102/croc-drags-aussie-camper-from-tent.html
VOCABULARY: territory, terrifying, campsite, yanked, stable, puncture, specialist
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
- Briefly, summarize the content of the article in your own words.
- What would you do if you were attacked by a crocodile?
- Do you like to go camping? Why or why not?
- Have you ever traveled to Austrailia? If yes, describe your trip. If no, do you want to go there? Why or why not?
- Have you ever been bitten by an animal? If so, describe the experience.
EXPRESSIONS or PHRASES:
What do the following expressions or phrases mean?
- Snuck up (P1)
- Water’s edge (P2)
- Croc-wise (P2)
Image source: Shutterstock http://www.newser.com/story/224102/croc-drags-aussie-camper-from-tent.html