IGCSE ESL Lesson 6

Unit 1: The Natural World

Lesson 5 Animals and Humans

III. Reading

Animal Symbols and Sayings

1 All over the world, cats are known for their ability to escape dangers that would be fatal to
other, less feline species. But different cultures and languages vary in how they talk about kitty’s
special talents.

2 English speakers describe their death-defying skills by saying that cats have nine lives.

3 Cats have the same reputation in Spanish, but in that language, they get only 7 lives. Are cats in
Spanish-speaking cultures really less resilient than those where English is spoken? No, cats are
cats, but the animal symbols and sayings across cultures may be quite different.

4 When you cross cultures, it’s a good idea to understand the differences so you don’t make a
monkey out of yourself. Here’s some help with other critters in the animal kingdom.

Who’s Wise?

5 In ancient Greece, the wise goddess Athena was often depicted with or represented by an owl.
That tradition plus the stately stare of the owl made this bird a symbol for wisdom in most
Western cultures.

6 But not everyone thinks owls are all that clever. In India, the owl’s stare is considered dopey
rather than penetrating, leading to its reputation as a dim-wit. In fact, the Hindi word for owl —
oolu — can also mean idiot or fool.

7 And in the Netherlands, owls are a symbol of being stubborn, uncooperative, and inflexible.
There's a Dutch saying that goes: Wat baten kaars en bril, als den uil niet zienen wil? (What
difference do light and glasses make if the owl doesn’t want to see? )

Monkey Business

8 In some Western countries, monkeys are playful tricksters. English speakers talk about
monkeying around, monkey business, and more fun than a barrel of monkeys.

9 But some other cultures perceive the monkey in a far different way. In Portuguese, monkeys
carry an element of sudden surprise. To express astonishment, a Brazilian might say: Macacos me
mordam! (Monkeys bite me!)

10 In China, however, monkeys aren’t silly or surprising. They’re clever and noble. At one time,
the Chinese title marquis and the word for monkey had the same pronunciation: ‘hou’. So, in

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China, the monkey is associated with dignity, social position, and intelligence.

11 In Spanish, a saying about monkeys is not as respectful: Aunque la mona se vista de seda,
mona se queda. (A monkey that dresses in silk is still a monkey.)

Activity A. Complete the following notes based on the reading.

Note Taking
Now complete the notes in your notebook:

Differences in how countries think about cats.

 __________________________
 __________________________
Differences in how countries think about owls.

 __________________________
 __________________________
 __________________________
Differences in how countries think about monkeys.

 __________________________
 __________________________
 __________________________

Activity B. Match the vocabulary with the correct definitions

A. Fatal 1 n. unintelligent or stupid person

B. Feline 2 n.what other people think of you;

C. Death-defying 3 adj. cat-like

D. Reputation 4 adj. being able to avoid death

E. Resilient 5 adj. being able to get by in difficult conditions

F. Make a monkey out of yourself 6 adj. impressive or grand.

G. Critter 7 adj. Causing or resulting in death; deadly

H. Stately 8 n. someone who plays tricks or makes jokes.

I. Dopey 9 adj.being wilful or determined not to change for any

reason.

J. Dim-wit 10 v.To behave foolishly or embarrassingly, often in a

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public setting.

K. Stubborn 11 adj.seeming sleepy or silly

L. Trickster 12 n.another name for animals, particularly smaller ones.

Activity C. Finish the following multiple choice questions.

1. In Spanish-speaking cultures, cats are said to have fewer lives than in English-speaking
cultures. This difference reflects:
A. the resilience of cats in different cultures
B. the varying animal symbols and sayings across cultures
C. the preference for different numbers in Spanish and English

2. The owl is a symbol of wisdom in most Western cultures because of its:

A. stately stare
B. nocturnal habits
C. association with Athena

3. In India, the owl is considered:

A. wise
B. foolish
C. lucky

4. The Dutch saying "Wat baten kaars en bril, als den uil niet zienen wil?" is used to describe
someone who is:
A. wise and perceptive
B. stubborn and uncooperative
C. blind and foolish

5. In Western cultures, monkeys are often associated with:

A. wisdom and knowledge
B. luck and prosperity
C. playfulness and trickery

6. In Portuguese, monkeys are associated with:

A. surprise and astonishment
B. wisdom and understanding
C. mischief and naughtiness

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II. Reading
How they came to be: Animals in myths
For as long as there have been humans, there have been stories. Before there was science to
explain how the world worked, people created myths to make sense of the world around them.
Stories that did this often involved dramatic or unusual events. These are called myths.

Many cultures created myths about animals. In particular, they wrote stories about how
particular animals came to be. These stories are not only fun to read, but can also tell us a lot
about the people who wrote them. Often, these stories also show us how different animals got
their names. In this leaflet, you will learn about three myths that describe how these animals got
their names:

Arachne: The first spider

The ancient Greeks created many stories about animals. One famous story is about a girl called
Arachne. Arachne was excellent at weaving. In fact, she was so confident that she challenged the
goddess Athena to a weaving competition. In the competition, Arachne beat the goddess by
weaving a beautiful picture. Athena was angry at this and so changed Arachne into a small bug to
weave and weave for all of history. Arachne became the first spider. And, to this day, we still call
spiders arachnids.

Melissa: The first bee

Bees have a similar origin story in Ancient Greece. The story goes that a bee called Melissa
presented Zeus, the king of the Gods, with some honey. Zeus, who had never tasted honey
before, was so impressed that he offered Melissa a gift. Melissa said that she was angry that so
many other animals were stealing from her, and so asked for a weapon to defend her honey: a
sting. Zeus found the request arrogant and became angry. With a smile, he gave all bees a sting,
but said that they would die if they ever used it. And that’s how the bees got their sting
(according to the Greeks). Today, there is a common plant that is called ‘Melissa’ in reference to
its ability to attract bees easily.

How the bear got his tail

Although some cultures have lost their connection with these stories, in many parts of the world
animal myths are still told very often. This can have a big impact on the way in which people
think about and treat animals.

One example of this is a story told by members of the Bay Mills Indian community, a part of the
Ojibwe people. The story is called ‘how the bear lost its tail.’ One day a long time ago, so the story
goes, a bear was passing a frozen lake. He noticed that an otter had caught a large pile of fish. He
asked the otter how he had caught so many. The otter wanted to play a trick on the bear and told
him to stick his tail through the ice so that the fish would nibble it. In these times, bears had long,
bushy tails, and so the bear put his tail in the ice. But no fish came. Eventually, the bear decided
to leave, but he couldn’t, for his tail was frozen in the ice. In order to leave, he had to leave his
tail behind. And that’s why bears have short tails.

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What can stories teach us?
Stories like these can teach us a lot. The example of the bear is a playful origin story, but it also
has a lesson: ‘don’t always believe what people tell you’. Similarly, the Ancient Greek stories both
have a similar lesson: ‘don’t be too arrogant’.

Our stories also affect the way people think about animals. The story of the bear was collected by
a young member of the Bear Clan, a part of the Bay Mills Indian community. According to the
member, the clan views bears as ‘protectors’ and ‘healers’. This is very different from some other
cultures, who might view them as dangerous.

So animal stories are more than just fun. They can teach us a lot, as well.

Activity A. Finish the following multiple choice questions.

1. What is a myth?
A. An exciting story
B. Any dramatic story
C. A story used to explain how the world works, which often involves dramatic or mysterious
events

2.Why does the writer think that we should read myths?

A. They teach us about how the world came to be.
B. They can teach us about the people who wrote them.
C. They teach us how to tell stories.

3.Why was Athena angry with Arachne?

A. She had beaten Athena in the competition.
B. She was more beautiful than Athena.
C. She was more popular than Athena.

4.According to the Greek myth, why do we call spiders Arachnids?

A. Because they come from Greece, just like Arachne did.
B. Because they are often included in stories, just like Arachne was.
C. Because they weave spider webs all the time, just like Arachne was made to do.

5.Why did Melissa, the bee, ask for a sting?

A. She wanted to make more honey.
B. She wanted to protect her honey from others.
C. She wanted to start fights with other animals.

6.Why did Zeus curse Melissa?

A. He didn’t want her to be too powerful.
B. He thought she was being arrogant.
C. He had never tasted honey before

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Activity B. Match the vocabulary with the correct definitions

Word Short Definition

1 To eat something in small bits or pieces, especially in a cautious or

A. weaving
hesitant manner.

2 A group of people who share a common ancestor or belong to the

B. defend
same family, tribe, or society.

3 Mentioning or discussing something or someone as a point of

C. arrogant
comparison or relation.

4 Having an attitude of pride and self-importance, often with a lack of

D. in reference to
respect for others.

E. nibble 5 The act of making cloth or fabric by intertwining threads or yarns.

F. clan 6 To protect or guard something or someone from harm or attack.

Grammar work: Conditionals

Conditionals are used to describe possibilities.We often use the words if or when to show this.

A. Zero conditional
The zero conditional is used to communicate things that are generally true. This is particularly useful
for things that are obviously true such as laws and rules.
Here are some examples:

1. When winter arrives, it gets cold.

2. If you break the law, you get into trouble.
3. When you cross cultures, it’s a good idea to understand the differences so you don’t make a
monkey out of yourself.
4. You get wet when it rains.
5. Animals disappear if people destroy their homes.

The zero conditional is formed by using either of the following structures:

 If/When + present simple tense > present simple tense (as in examples 1–3)
 Present simple tense > If/when + present simple tense (as in examples 4–5).

B. First conditional
The first conditional is used when we talk about future situations that are possible or real. These
situations are likely or even certain, but they depend on the conditional in order to happen.

Here are some examples:

 If we create a space for nature, it will return.

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 When we move house, we will adopt a cat.
 I will feed the cat when I get home.

The first conditional is formed using the following format:

 If/when + present simple > will + infinitive (原形）

 Will + infinitive (原形） > if/when + present simple.

C. Second conditional
The second conditional is used to imagine a situation that is impossible or unlikely to happen. This can
happen in the present or the future.

Here are some examples:

 If there were no turtles, many people would lose money.

 If there were no bees, we would struggle to create food.

The second conditional is formed in the following way:

 If + past simple > would + infinitive

 Would + infinitive > if + past simple.

Note: In second conditional, the form of the verb “be” is always “were”

【Practice】: You should decide which conditional is most appropriate for each sentence. Hint:

 Is this something that is generally true, all the time? Zero conditional.
 Is this something that will likely be true if something else happens? First conditional.
 Is this something that is unlikely to be true? Second conditional.

1. If the weather ______ nice tomorrow, we will go to the zoo.

A. is
B. was
C. will be

2. Whenever I am with my pet cat, I ______ happy.

A. am
B. were
C. will be

3.If I don’t go to bed early, I ______ tired tomorrow.

A. am
B. will be
C. was

4.If we are fast, we ______ the 10:00 a.m. train.

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A. get
B. would catch
C. will catch

5.If I ______ all the money in the world, I would use it to protect the environment.
A. have
B. would have
C. Had

6.When autumn ______, the leaves fall from the trees.

A. comes
B. came
C. will come

7.Whenever I go to the shops, I always ______ my own bag.

A. will take
B. take
C. Took

8.I ______ worry about it if I were you.

A. will not
B. do not
C. would not

9.If I ______ you, I would give more money to protecting animals.

A. am
B. were
C. Was