PRE-READING QUESTIONS

Think about the following questions.

1. Do you believe in ghosts? Why or why not?
2. Do you know people who say that they have seen a ghost? Do you believe them?
3. Do you enjoy telling or listening to ghost stories?

GHOST
DETECTIVES
VOCABULARY PREVIEW
Match each NAWL word with the correct definition.
expertise • • a. coming before or done in preparation for something more important
initiate • • b. very unusual or strange
publish • • c. special skill or knowledge
bizarre • • d. to start; to cause (a process or action) to start
preliminary • • e. a person who pays a professional person or organization for a service
client • . f. to prepare and produce (a book, magazine, etc.) for sale
 Dale Kaczmarek believes in ghosts, and he has been the president of the Ghost
Underline three
Research Society since 1982. In his career, Kaczmarek has met many people who think
possible signs
that the subject of his research does not exist. When they find out that he studies ghosts,
of a ghost
they consider him a fool. So one of Kaczmarek’s goals is to make ghost research more
scientific. Not everyone believes in ghosts, but most people trust science.
Kaczmarek follows a careful process to investigate ghosts. The process is initiated
when someone telephones Kaczmarek about bizarre things happening in their home.
These may include the sound of a voice in an empty room，a sudden coldness in the air，
or even a strange smell. During the first Phone call, Kaczmarek has a preliminary
interview with the caller to determine1 whether it is a serious case or not. If he decides
to accept the case, Kaczmarek asks the client what he or she wants him to do. Some
people just want him to find out if paranormal activity is the cause of the strange events,
while others want him to remove a ghost from their house.
 After the phone call, Kaczmarek contacts other members of
the Ghost Research Society and forms a team. They visit the client’s

Why doesn’t house, but Kaczmarek never tells the team members any details
Kaczmarek share about the case. This is very important for keeping the investigation
details with his objective2; if the team members knew the details, they might imagine
team right away?
something that wasn’t there. After a thorough3 inspection4 of the
location, the team talks to the homeowner, and they explain what they
To keep the have observed. Waiting until this time to share the details, Kaczmarek
investigation
says, makes his method5 of investigation reliable.
objective/ reliable;
because they determine V. to decide; to find the truth
might imagine 2 objective adj. based on facts rather than on feelings or opinions

something that thorough adj. complete; accurate

inspection n. the act of looking at something closely in order to learn more
wasn’t there.
about it, find problems, etc.
5 method n. a way of doing something; a process
 Kaczmarek shares his
expertise on ghosts by
writing books and giving
tours of haunted6 places.
Why have several He published a book
horses and their
called Mnc간/ City Ghosts
riders been killed
about ghosts in Chicago.
on 95th Street in
One of the stories in this
Chicago?
book is about ghost horses and their ghost riders. People sometimes see
these ghosts on 95th Street—a busy road in Chicago’s South Side that runs
through a forest near some stables7. When people ride horses from the
It’s a busy street
near some stables, stables into the forest, they must cross 95th Street. Over the years, there
and people riding have been several accidents in which horses and riders were killed by fast­
the horses have moving cars. Sometimes at night, people driving through the forest report
to cross it
seeing ghostly horses and riders crossing the street. They stop their cars to
let the horses and riders pass, but when they look closely, the horses and
riders have disappeared! All of these reports have come from the area where
the horse trail crosses 95th Street.
 Kaczmarek gives tours of this location and tries to explain the world
of ghost research to his guests. Through his books, tours, and the scientific
process of his investigations, Kaczmarek hopes to improve the reputation8
of ghost researchers.

6 haunted adj. lived in or visited by ghosts

stable n. a building in which horses are kept, fed, and cared for
reputation n. what others think of a person, thing, or place
READING COMPREHENSION
Mark each statement as true (T) or false (F) according to the reading.
1 Dale Kaczmarek recently became president of the Ghost Research Society.
2 Kaczmarek accepts any client who calls.
3 Kaczmarek visits clients' homes with other members of the society.
4Kaczmarek gives his team full detaHs about the case before they investigate.
5People have reported seeing ghost horses in the stables near 95th Street
 Choose the best answer according to the reading.
TOPIC 1 What is the reading mainly about?
a. Arguments for and against the existence of ghosts
b. A ghost investigator's methods and activities
c. A ghost research organization and its members
d. Scientific evidence that ghosts actually exist

DETAIL 2 Which is one of Kaczmarek's goals?

a. To be an expert on ghost horses
b. To catch the ghosts of 95th Street
c. To prove that ghosts do not exist
d. To make ghost research more scientific
 DETAIL 3 Which is NOT mentioned as something Kaczmarek does?
a. Writing books about ghosts
b. Giving tours of haunted places
c. Speaking to ghosts for other people
d. Investigating paranormal activity

REFERENCE 4 The word They in paragraph 4 refers to ■

3. horses b. riders
c. people d. cars
Put the sentences in the correct order (from a to e).
Dale Kaczmarek's Process
1 Kaczmarek gathers a team of other society members.
2 Kaczmarek receives a call about strange happenings in someone's home.
3Kaczmarek and the team members discuss the details of the case.
4 The client's home is inspected.
5Kaczmarek interviews the person to make sure the case is serious.
SUMMARY
Fill in the blanks with the phrases in the box.

to investigate improve the reputation follow a trail

imagine seeing to be objective scientific process

Dale Kaczmarek is president of the Ghost Research Society. He sometimes receives

serious calls ihouses that may be haunted. He follows a(n)
. His team members need 3 as
they inspect the location, or they might 4 something unusual
Kaczmarek also writes about and gives tours of haunted
places. In Chicago, there are reports of ghost horses and
riders. The ghosts appear near some horse stables and
sthat crosses a busy road.
Kaczmarek wants to 6_______________________ of
ghost researchers.
VOCABULARY PRACTICE
Fill in the blanks with the words in the box. Change the form if necessary.

publish initiate client bizarre expertise preliminary

1 The teacher cana class discussion by writing a question on the board.

2 There is a rare fish in the waters around the Galapagos Islands whose big, red mouth gives it
a(n)look.

3 Before the artist begins a painting, he makes somedrawings.

4 Maria was thrilled the first time one of her stories wasin a magazine.

5 You don't need anyin cooking to make this simple dish.

6 A good lawyer does everything possible to protect his or her.

SUPPLEMENTAL READING

Bloody Mary 췌:
Go into a room with a mirror. Turn off all the lights. Light a candle, look into the mirror, and
start chanting, /zBloody Mary." Say this spooky phrase thirteen times, and the image of Bloody Mary
will appear in the mirror! She will be standing behind you, over your left shoulder!
But beware: Bloody Mary has surprises waiting for those who call her. She sometimes kills the
person. Other times, she scratches out his or her eyes. She can drive the person crazy. Sometimes she
grabs people and pulls them into the mirror with her!
The urban legend of Bloody Mary has been around for generations. Schoolchildren all around
the world have entered dark bathrooms to try this game. Many run away in fright as they say "Bloody
Mary"for the thirteenth time.
 The urban legend of Bloody Mary has been around for generations. Schoolchildren all around
the world have entered dark bathrooms to try this game. Many run away in fright as they say/zBloody
Mary"for the thirteenth time.
In 1978, folklorist Janet Langlois became interested in the
Bloody Mary legend. At that time, the legend was already widespread
in the United States. Langlois visited a Catholic girls' school and
interviewed eighty students. She compared their stories and
determined that the story of Bloody Mary might come from an old
legend about the crying ghost of a woman who eternally searches for
her murdered children. However, no one really knows who Mary may
have been.
The Bloody Mary legend is renewed with each generation
of daring adolescents. Generations from now, schoolchildren will
probably still be scaring themselves with this timeless, terrifying
legend.
Fill in the blanks with information from the reading.
1 The legend says that if you say Bloody Mary’s namein front of
a mirror, she will appear.

2 It’s common for schoolchildren to play this game in.

3 Janet Langlois asked students at a(n)about the legend.
 EXTENSION Talk or Write About It

Think of a story about a ghost (or another strange being) that is well known in your culture. Do you
think the story is true? Where did it come from?

Sample answer
In Korea, there is a scary story about a woman
called “Red Mask Lady” or “Slit-Mouthed Woman.n
She wears a mask to hide a big scar on her face,
and she walks around asking people if she’s pretty.
The story also says that she chases children and
tries to kill them. I’m sure she does not exist—ifs
just a scary story that people tell for entertainment.
I think the story originally came from Japan.
PRE-READING QUESTIONS
Think about the following questions.
1. What makes you laugh really hard? Have you ever laughed so hard that it hurt?
2. What kinds of behavior are contagious (likely to spread from one person to another)?
3. Have you ever seen someone behave strangely because of stress?

THE LAUGHTER
EPIDEMIC
VOCABULARY PREVIEW
Match each NAWL word with the correct definition.
physician • a. an occurrence in which a disease spreads quickly to a large number of
people
2 respiratory • • b. in a way that is difficult to believe
3 incredibly • • c. of or relating to breathing or the bodily organs used in breathing
4 immune • • d. capable of being spread from person to person; contagious
5 infectious • e. a medical doctor
epidemic • f. not capable of being affected by a disease; not influenced by something
 Have you ever started laughing and then couldn't stop? Most of us have experienced this
Underline the
dates when the when we found something really funny; everyone knows that laughter can be infectious. But
laughter started the famous case of uncontrollable laughter in Tanzania wasn't really funny at all.
and when the
It all started on January 30, 1962, at a girls’ boarding school1 in the village of Kashasha.
school closed.
Three girls started laughing—for unclear reasons—and the laughter spread to their class mates. The
problem was that the laughter didn't stop—it kept spreading and continued for weeks. More than
half of the school’s 159 students, aged between twelve and eighteen； were affected. Eventually, so
many kids were laughing that teachers, who were immune for some reason, couldn't conduct2
lessons. By March 18, the school had to close, and the students were sent home.
 When the girls left school and went home, they began spreading the epidemic to
What age groups
were affected by the rest of Kashasha and beyond. In June and July, two more villages were Infected" The
the epidemic? outbreak then spread to other parts of the country. Incredibly, the laughter epidemic lasted
somewhere between six months and a year, and may even have affected people in the
neighboring countries of Uganda and Kenya. In all fourteen schools had to be closed, and
victims numbered over 1 .OOO.The victims were all children or you ng adults and included members
Children and
young adults only of both sexes. Then suddenly, the strange infectious laughter stopped as mysteriously as it had
were affected by started.
the epidemic

1 boarding school n. a school where students live during the school term
2 conduct V. to plan and carry out
3 abdominal adj. of or relating to the stomach
4 symptom n. a change that shows the presence of a disease or disorder
5 rash n. a group of red spots on the skin caused by an illness or a reaction
to something
 What does What would cause such an odd phenomenon6? Physicians could find no medical
stand for? reason for it; tests of the schools and the food eaten by victims showed nothing unusual Most
experts who have studied the incident7 call it a case of mass hysteria^ or Mass Psychogenic
Illness (MPI). means 래affecting many people/ and "psychogenic” means ’’having a
psychological cause,” Stress is often mentioned as the most likely reason for MPI. According to

Most experts this theory, the young people were extremely stressed both by academic9 pressures and by
who have studied major changes in Tanzania, which had just become independent 什om Britain.
the incident call it This is just a guess, however. MPI is more of a label than an explanation, and we do not
a case of mass
really understand it yet No one has ever really been able to explain why the epidemic started
hysteria, or Mass
when it did, why it affected only young people, or why it ended.
Psychogenic
Illness (MPI). 6
phenomenon n. a rare or significant fact or event
7
incident n. an unexpected and usually unpleasant thing that happens
B
hysteria n. a state of uncontrolled emotion
모
academic adL of or relating to school or studying
READING COMPREHENSION
Mark each statement as true (T) or false (F) according to the reading.

1 The laughing began among students at a school for girls,

2 The teachers started laughing too hard to continue teaching.
3 The affected people did not laugh all the time.
4 The epidemic stopped when the school was closed.
5 The word "psychogenic" means "affecting a group/’
 Choose the best answer according to the reading,

PURPOSE 1 What is the main purpose of the reading?

a. To explain why laughter can be infectious
b. To explain several cases of Mass Psychogenic Illness
a To describe an unusual case of infectious laughter
d. To describe the symptoms of Mass Psychogenic Illness

DETAIL 2 Which is NOT true about the epidemic?

a. It began with 石 small group of girls.
b. It spread to every student in the Kashasha schooL
a It caused the school to close after several weeks.
d. It spread far beyond Kashasha.
VOCABULARY The phrase go about in paragraph 3 means
a. to do
b, to get
c. to travel to
d, to try to avoid

INFERENCE What can we guess about the victims from paragraph 5?

a. At least some of them were checked by doctors,
tx Most of them believed the cause was stress.
c. Many of them only laug hed to avoid going to schooL
d. At least some of them became ill from school food
Look for the answers in the reading and write them on the lines.
1 What were the symptoms of the epidemic other than laughter?

What may have been causing stress for the victims?

SUMMARY
Fill in the blanks with the phrases in the box.

over 1,000 people not continuous a boarding school

not fully understood having fun half the students

The Start The Symptoms

. Girls at i • Laughter was 3

started laughing

• Spread to more than 2 * Victims also cried, fainted; were not

4

school had to close

The Explanation The Spread

• Mass Psychogenic Illness—caused • Spread to other regions; affected

by stress?

• MPIise • Lasted six months to a year

VOCABULARY PRACTICE
Fill in the blanks with the words in the box. Change the form if necessary.

infectious respiratory epidemic incredibly physician immune

1 Running helps to keep your heart and yoursystem in shape.

2 Ants are sostrong that some can carry up to one hundred times their body
weight!

3 Dr. Kemp is not a(n); she has a PhD in psychology.

4 The fluof 1918 was one of the worst in history and caused tens of millions
of deaths.

5 If you have a(n)illness, stay at home to avoid making other people sick.

6 People who have already had chickenpox are nowto the virus.
SUPPLEMENTAL READING

The Dancing Plague of 1518

In July 1518Z a woman in Strasbourg, France, started to dance
in the street for no reason. There was no music playing, and she did
not seem to be happy, but she continued dancing for days.
A week later, thirty of her neighbors had joined her, feeling the
same mysterious need to dance without stopping. After a month, the
number of people affected had reached 400.The dancers were so out
of control that some of them had heart attacks or developed other
serious health problems. Several of them danced until they died!
Feeling afraid and helpless, the citizens of Strasbourg called
in doctors and government officials for help. For reasons that don't
make much sense to us today, these officials believed that the only
cure for the "dancing plague" was more dancing. They even built a stage and hired professional
dancers to join in. Sometime in early September, the epidemic finally came to an end.
 Modern historians disagree about how to explain the event. But it seems likely that the dancers
were in a trance state. This is a special mental state in which you are neither asleep nor completely
awake in the normal sense. Scientists don't fully understand trance states, but they seem to occur
more often in people who believe in spirits and in those who are under extreme stress. The people
of Strasbourg believed that a saint named St. Vitus had the power to take control of their minds, and
they were also suffering from hunger and disease.
Whatever caused the dancing plague of 1518, it shows how little we still understand about
the human mind.
Fill in the blanks with information from the reading.

1 Some of the dancers died fromor other health problems.

2 It was believed that the only way to stop the dancing was.

3 The dancers of Strasbourg were probably in a(n), partly due

to stress.
^!l EXTENSION Talk or Write About It

What other cases of strange group behavior do you know about? What are the suggested
explanations? Can you think of other mysteries of the human mind that science hasn't solved yet?

Sample answer:
A few years ago, there were riots in London in
which normally well-behaved kids destroyed
property and stole things. People seem to act
differently when in a large group than when they
are on their own. If a lot of other people are doing
something, it doesn’t seem so bad.