Man Almost Swallowed by Whale
Warm-up Questions: (1) Read the headline. What do you think happened? (2) Do you like being on or in water? Why or why not?
Adrián Simancas and his father were packrafting in southern Chile. The weather was cloudy and the sea was rough. Suddenly, a humpback whale came out of the water and seemed to swallow Adrián.
His father recorded everything on video. A few seconds later, Adrián came back to the surface with his small inflatable boat.
“I felt something hit me from behind — all this happened in a second — something dark blue or white enveloped me, and a slimy texture brushed my face,” Mr. Simancas said. “Then it closed completely and I started to sink… I realized that I was in something’s mouth and I had been eaten.”
Adrián is 23 and a computer engineering student. He and his father, Dell, 49, enjoy outdoor activities together. They live in Chile and had planned this trip for months. They were in the Strait of Magellan, near Cape Froward.
“I turned the camera on to record the waves… I turned around and couldn’t see Adrián,” Dell said. “Suddenly I saw him emerge from the water along with what looked like an animal.”
Experts say it’s very rare for whales to come into contact with people. Humpback whales are filter feeders and cannot swallow humans.
“My guess is that the whale was just as surprised,” said whale expert Jooke Robbins.
Chile’s government called the event “very unusual” and reminded people to stay away from marine animals. There are laws against disturbing them.
Adrián had never seen a whale before. He is not angry about what happened. “If it happens again, I hope it isn’t quite so close up,” he said.
Sources: cnn.com, nytimes.com
For source links, see the article on ESLNewsStories.com
CEFR Level: B1
Audio
Hear the article spoken:
Listen and Fill Gaps
Adrián Simancas and his father were packrafting in southern Chile. The weather was _________ and the sea was rough. Suddenly, a humpback whale came out of the water and seemed to swallow Adrián.
His father recorded everything on video. A few seconds later, Adrián came back to the _________ with his small inflatable boat.
“I felt something hit me from behind — all this happened in a second — something dark blue or white enveloped me, and a slimy _________ brushed my face,” Mr. Simancas said. “Then it closed completely and I started to sink… I realized that I was in something’s mouth and I had been eaten.”
Adrián is 23 and a computer engineering student. He and his father, Dell, 49, enjoy outdoor activities together. They live in Chile and had _________ this trip for months. They were in the Strait of Magellan, near Cape Froward.
“I turned the camera on to record the waves… I turned around and couldn’t see Adrián,” Dell said. “Suddenly I saw him _________ from the water along with what looked like an animal.”
Experts say it’s very rare for whales to come into contact with people. Humpback whales are filter feeders and cannot swallow humans.
“My _________ is that the whale was just as surprised,” said whale expert Jooke Robbins.
Chile’s government called the event “very unusual” and reminded people to stay away from _________ animals. There are laws against disturbing them.
Adrián had never seen a whale before. He is not angry about what happened. “If it happens again, I hope it isn’t quite so _________ up,” he said.
Comprehension
-
Adrián Simancas and his father were using a motorboat when the whale appeared.
-
Adrián said he felt something hit him from behind and then everything went dark.
-
Humpback whales often eat large animals like humans.
-
The Chilean government warned people to stay away from marine animals after the event.
Vocabulary
Match each vocabulary word with a definition:
Discussion
- What did you think about this story? Was there any surprising information?
- Do you think Adrián was lucky? Why?
- What do you think Adrián will remember most about this trip?
- Do you enjoy being in nature? Why or why not?
- Who would you take with you on a trip in nature?
- Would you like to see a whale in real life? Why or why not?
- In your opinion, how intelligent are whales?
- How would you feel if a big animal came very close to you?
- What kinds of activities are fun around water?
- What are some good rules for staying safe in nature?
Answers
Listening:
- cloudy
- surface
- texture
- planned
- emerge
- guess
- marine
- close
Comprehension:
- False. They were using small inflatable boats called packrafts.
- True. He used different words, but he basically said the above.
- False. Humpback whales are filter feeders and cannot swallow something as large as a human.
- True. The government reminded people to stay away from marine animals.
Vocabulary:
- Packrafting (n): A sport where people travel on rivers or lakes using small, light, inflatable boats called packrafts.
- Rough (adj): With strong winds or big waves; not calm or smooth (used to talk about water or weather).
- Inflatable (adj): Something that can be filled with air to make it bigger and strong enough to use.
- Envelop (v): To completely cover or surround something or someone.
- Texture (n): The way something feels when you touch it (for example: smooth, rough, slimy, etc.).
- Strait (n): A narrow area of water between two pieces of land, connecting two larger bodies of water.
- Emerge (v): To come out of or appear from somewhere.
- Filter feeder (n): An animal that eats by taking in water and then separating small food (like fish or krill) from it.
- Disturb (v): To bother or interrupt someone or something, especially in a way that causes stress or danger.
- Unusual (adj): Not normal or common; different from what usually happens.