8,000 birds to see
before you die
READING
1 SPEAKING Look at the photos. With a partner, name the free-time activities. What others can you think of?
2 Think about the activities in Exercise 1. Answer the question and take notes.
How might the various free-time activities be good for someone’s health?
3 SPEAKING Talk about your choices.
4 Look at the statements below the article about someone who likes birdwatching. Then read and listen to the article.
8,000 Birds to See Before You Die
Phoebe Snetsinger had just returned from a trip to Alaska when her doctors told her that she had cancer. She had less than a year to live. Phoebe was 50. As soon as she heard the news, she decided to spend the rest of her life doing what she loved most – watching birds.
She immediately went off to some of the world’s most amazing natural paradises. Her trips were extremely hard. But Phoebe surprised her doctors and her family as she carried on travelling. A year came and went, and she was still alive. She was doing something that she loved and that helped her to be healthy for another ten years.
The cancer came back, but even then Phoebe Snetsinger decided not to stop. As she continued with her trips, the cancer went away again. By now she was becoming internationally famous in the birdwatching world. At the age of 61, when she had seen 7,530 species, she was named ‘the world’s leading bird spotter’ by the Guinness Book of Records.
Four years later, during a trip to Mexico, she set a new record when she spotted species number 8,000: the very rare Rufous-necked Wood-Rail. Snetsinger had become a legend. Nobody had spotted so many different bird species before. In fact, at that time only 12 people around the world had seen more than 7,000 species of birds!
Phoebe’s interest in birdwatching started in Minneapolis. Then she moved to Missouri with her family. There, she joined a group of people who were interested in birds, insects and plants around the Mississippi River. She became very worried about pollution and its impact on the environment. ‘We have to protect nature,’ she said. ‘If we don’t, future generations won’t be able to enjoy watching these beautiful birds.’
Sadly, when Phoebe was 68, she died in a car accident on the island of Madagascar off the East African coast. She was there enjoying the hobby that had probably saved her life. She had been there for two weeks, and had added another five to her list of over 8,400 species. Four years after she died, the American Birding Association published her memoirs, Birding on Borrowed Time. Many people have enjoyed reading this moving book. It isn’t just a story about a bird spotter’s travels, but a touching human document of how her hobby helped her to live much longer than expected.
Now decide if the statements are True or False.
5 SPEAKING With a partner, correct the statements marked False.
THINK VALUES
Never give up
1 Tick ([latex]\checkmark[/latex]) the sentences that show what you think you can learn from this story.
[latex]\Box[/latex] Being passionate about things you like is extremely important.
[latex]\Box[/latex] A hobby you really like can have a positive effect on your health.
[latex]\Box[/latex] It’s important to have friends you can trust at all times.
[latex]\Box[/latex] You should always think positively and never give up hope!
[latex]\Box[/latex] It’s very important to eat healthy food and take enough exercise.
2 SPEAKING Talk to a partner. Compare which sentences you have ticked.
3 SPEAKING Which of the sentences you have ticked is the most important one for you? Give reasons.
GRAMMAR
Past perfect simple
1 Read the example sentences and answer the questions. Then complete the rule.
2 Complete the sentences. Use the past perfect form of the verbs.
3 Think about times in the past when you experienced a strong emotion. Then complete these sentences with your own words. Use the past perfect.
I was really sad because …
I was absolutely delighted when I found out that …
I was angry when I was told that …
I was very tired after …
VOCABULARY
Time linkers
1 Read the story. Complete it with the words in the list.
2 Match the parts of the sentence.
3 How many sentences can you make that are meaningful for you?
1 While I was walking to school this morning …
2 The first thing I did when I arrived at home yesterday ...
3 I had never eaten any … until …
4 As soon as I learnt how to (swim / play the guitar / write my name …), …
5 I heard my favourite singer for the first time in … . Then …