LNG550 Remedial English Course for Post-Graduate StudentsListening Task 4
Listening Task 4
Unit7: Fear
Fear of Animals
Watch the film about fear of animals and complete the script below.Notice that each blank require only one word.
Many people, often surprisingly, are afraid of at least one type of animal. You can know a person for years, you can think you know everything about them, but then one day you are with the person when they catch sight of a picture in a magazine. Quick as a flash, the magazine is flying across the room, thrown from their hands in fear. The pages fall open again, revealing a photo of a nasty-looking snake. Another (1)……………….., and then you realize your friend has an animal phobia.
Or another friend turns down your invitation to (2)………….……..you and the children to the zoo: no they are sorry, but they are really busy … really tired … really … and in the end, they tell you, actually they are simply afraid you will make them go into the Spider House, and you and the children will see just how scared they really are of our (3)………………… friends.
It is true there are some (4)………………….. animals out there. The spider, as mentioned, the snake, and the great white shark are all up there in the top ten of the world’s most feared animals, and it is not difficult to see why.
The thought of a great white shark keeps many people on the beaches and out of the ocean. Growing to over five meters long, with hundreds of teeth and a desire to eat fresh flesh, whether it be fish, seal, (5)……………….., or a stray human, these animals are high on the list of most feared animals. It does not, however, make many people feel better when they learn that great white sharks are responsible for fewer than 20 human deaths per year.
Then there is the snake. Now these are responsible for many human deaths – up to (6)………….…. annually. Reportedly, and (7)…………………, over half the human population is afraid of snakes – though they could perhaps be more selective with their fear. Only 10% of all snakes are deadly – the others just look it.
Spiders are another of the top favorites for fearing, and this fear can be more (8)…………………. and more controlling than the others. Spiders, after all, are everywhere … inside houses as well as out. But although there are many different types of spiders, like snakes, only a few actually bite humans, and only five types are deadly enough to kill a human.
So when your friend is having a panic attack about the shark, the snake, or the deadly spider they will never meet, it is (9)…………………… reminding them that in the U.S., on average, these animals are responsible for 1, 5.5, and 6.5 human deathsper year respectively. On the other hand, it is man’s best friend, the dog that is responsible for 31 U.S. deaths (10)…………………….. Know your friend … know your enemy.