Level: Pre-intermediate and up
Audio Time: 1 min 3 sec
Vocabulary: To help
learners fully understand the story, most vocabulary that might be unknown for
this lesson’s level is provided. Vocab in
bold is more useful for learners at the lesson’s target level. Try to
choose 8 to 10 new words to learn from the story (in general, it’s best to try
to learn no more than 8-10 new words a day), and use the rest of the vocab to
fully comprehend the story.
Definitions
are written with the help of various sources including Merriam-Webster’s
Learner’s Dictionary
Famed: Famous.
Mountain Lion: a
large brownish cat that was once common in North and South America; also
called a cougar.
To
settle: to move to a place and make it your home.
Proximity: the state of being near.
Affluent: having a large amount of money and owning
many expensive things; rich; wealthy.
Community: a
group of people who live in the same area or have common interests that bring
them together or both these things.
Attracts its share: to attract a fair portion or amount of
something.
Stargazer: Someone who gazes (to stare; to look at) stars.
Traffic: all the vehicles driving along a certain
road or in a certain area.
Next
door:
next to your or someone else's
house, apartment.
Erroneously: (formal) not correct.
Show up: to
appear or arrive somewhere.
Underneath: below
or beneath (something).
Celebrity: a
person who is very famous.
To
frequent: to visit or go
to (a place) often.
To prowl: of an animal: to move quietly
through an area while hunting.
Glow: a soft and steady light.
To coax: to
influence or persuade (a person or animal) to do something by talking in a
gentle and friendly way.
Crawlspace: a
space under the first floor or roof of a building that is not high enough to
stand up in.
Bean bags: a
small cloth bag that is filled with dried beans or small pieces of another
material and used as a toy.
To prod: to
push someone or something with your finger or a pointed object; to poke.
To be worth one’s salt: Good or competent at a job or task;
someone who is useful and productive.
Elusive: hard to find or capture.
Media: the radio stations,
television stations, and newspapers through which information is communicated
to the public.
Drew
(To draw): to cause (someone or something) to come; to attract (someone or
something).
Frenzy: great and
often wild or uncontrolled activity.
Paparazzi: photographers who follows famous people in order to take
their pictures to sell to the media.
To slip away: to
leave a place without being noticed.
Crew: a
group of people who do a specified kind of work together.
Or so: used to say that a number, amount, etc.,
is not exact.
Gap: a hole or space where something is
missing.
Escape: to get away from a place (such as a
prison) where you are being held or kept; to get away from a dangerous or
unpleasant situation.
To roll: (slang): to leave.
To not
mind something: not to be bothered by
something; not to object to or dislike something.
Property: something that is owned by a person,
business, etc.
To seal
up:
to close (something) tightly so that
air, liquid, etc., cannot get in or out.
Grammar
Tip: Prepositions of Time
“On Monday, the California Department of
Fish and Wildlife tried to coax the lion out of Archinaco's crawlspace”
“And then [at] 3:45 today they showed up
again…” (this construction is more informal, but to be more correct, it should
use at.
Use on
with days of the week and with specific days:
We will start the project on Monday.
My birthday is on January 23th.
There was a big snowstorm on New Year’s Day.
Remember the difference between on Tuesday and on Tuesdays. Adding ‘s’ to the end of the day means that it happens
regularly.
On Tuesdays I have an English lesson. (every Tuesday)
Use at
for precise times:
The meeting will start at 2:00 PM, please don’t be late.
Can you tell us where you were at the time of the crime,
Professor Moriarty?
Discussion
questions:
1. Have you or someone you know ever had a ‘close encounter’
with a wild animal?
2. Have you or someone you know ever had a ‘close encounter’
with a dangerous wild animal?
3. If you were the person who lived in the house in the
story, what would you have done?
4. How do you feel about sharing your property or community
with wildlife?
5. How do you feel about animals like mountain lions, bears
or other similar animals living near cities or towns?
6. Is it important to help protect animals like
lions, bears, sharks, etc.?