Cryptozoology： is there anything out there？

Andy Keedwell

Cryptozoologists' evidence

Old or new？

Do we believe them or not？

Activity 1

Before you read， match the word to a definition.

a. animal， bird or fish

b. having long， rough， disordered hair

c. of unknown cause or origin

d. the distance between a bird's wing tips

e. the traditional beliefs of a people in stories and songs

f. standing or moving vertically

Activity 2

Now complete the sentences using words from the text. Make any changes to the words that are necessary.

1. He writes children's books about imaginary animals from the （..........） of his country.

2. His hair was long and dirty and untidy—it looked very （..........）.

3. I met a （..........） man today-nobody knows where he comes from or what he does.

4. She looked short when she was sitting on the chair， but when we saw her standing （..........） we could see she was quite tall.

5. Some of the most dangerous （..........） in the world live in Australia-there are sharks and snakes and spiders， and even seashells， which can hurt you.

6. The bird had such a big （..........） that it could not fly between the trees.

Activity 3

These animals （known and unknown） are all mentioned in the article.

Match each of the statements below to the animal it best describes

1. One story tells how it swooped from the air and attacked a man.

2. They could give you a nasty bite in Australia.

3. This animal is depicted on an ancient city wall.

4. Although the animal was dead， scientists confirmed that it was a primate previously unknown to science.

5. Perhaps it walks like an ape-nobody has yet been close enough to tell.

6. Some cryptozoologists believe it lives in water where it finds plants to feed on.

Activity 4

Can you substitute 'who' or 'which' for 'that' in these sentences？.

Examples：

One group who/that actively disagree are the cryptozoologists， who study 'hidden animals'. Answer： Yes.

One group who actively disagree are the cryptozoologists， who study 'hidden animals'. Answer： No.

1. The woman who works in the shop is very tall.

2. That woman， who works in the shop， is very tall.

3. He lives in a house which was built in 1756.

4. There are people who never drink water.

5. He didn't come to work this morning， which made the boss very angry.

Answers

Activity 1

1. a； 2. e； 3. c； 4. b； 5. f； 6. d

Activity 2

1. folklore； 2. shaggy； 3. mysterious； 4. upright； 5. creatures； 6. wingspan

Activity 3

1. ropen； 2. bunyip； 3. sirrush； 4. mountain gorilla； 5. yeti； 6. mokele-mbebe

Activity 4

1. Yes； 2. No； 3. Yes； 4. Yes； 5. No