The Shore Jeff talks about what life is like on the river banks of the Amazon. Todd: When you were going down the Amazon did you see any wildlife? Lots of animals? Jeff: None! We didn't see any. We didn't see an alligator. We didn't see a monkey. We didn't see a snake. Todd: You didn't see one snake? Jeff: Nope. The villagers... I think they hunt animals for food, for their food, so I think the animals know and they stay away from the side of the river. They stay away from the villages, so if you want to see animals, you have to go further into the jungle, but it's very dangerous and it's difficult, so we didn't go far from the river's edge. Todd: Oh, so you never ventured in the jungle. Jeff: You can't. You really can't. It's too thick. You need a machete to hack your way through. You need someone who knows where they're going. A guide with you. You just can't go on a nice walk in this kind of Amazon jungle. It's dangerous. It's difficult. Todd: So, how many days did it take you to get down the river? Jeff: I think it took us, say, fifteen days. Todd: The distance wasn't so far. I was only I say 300 kilometers but the canoes go straight down. There wasn't any public transport. These canoes were just transporting goods from one village to the next, so we had to wait until a transport canoe came along, and then we just hitched a ride to the next village. Wait there for a day or two and then hitch a ride to the next village so a very unorthodox kind of travel. No tour buses. No trains. No taxis. So.. Todd: Well, that sounds like a pretty amazing trip. Jeff: mm, it was lots of fun, but I wouldn't recommend it to everyone. Go online for the slide show, interactive quiz, and free downloadable MP3 of this interview: www. : Interview #869
Summary Wildlife Deep in the Jungle Transportation Recommendation Go online for the slide show, interactive quiz, and free downloadable MP3 of this interview: www. : Interview #869
Bits and Pieces Circle the mistakes and write them correctly. 1. If I lived in the Amazon, I would get used to hunt for my own food. It sounds fun. 2. I think it would be terrible to live so deep on the jungle. 3. To me, living in the jungle sounds like so boring life. 4. I disagree because I think I would be so exciting to travel in the jungle. 5. Of course it would be excited, but it sounds too dangerous to me. 6. If it wasn t danger, it wouldn t be exciting. 7. What means unorthodox? 8. Traveling with boat is more interesting than traveling by car. 9. Before you take a trip, you should follow the advices of travel guide books. 10. I like adventure but I m not interest the Amazon. Do you agree or disagree with these opinions? Go online for the slide show, interactive quiz, and free downloadable MP3 of this interview: www. : Interview #869
What do you think? Descriptive Expository Narrative Persuasive Imagine you are on a boat in the Amazon. What do you see? What do you smell? How do you feel? What is different than you expected? Everyone knows that there are lots of animals in the jungle but Jeff said he didn t see any. Write a paragraph explaining why it is hard to see animals in the jungle. How do wildlife photographers do it? Jeff said, You can t just walk into the jungle. It s dangerous. Write a story about walking deep into the jungle alone. What dangers do you encounter? How do you make it out alive? Many people think that human technology will destroy the earth and it would be better if human beings returned back to a more natural way of living. Give reasons for why you agree or disagree. From the novel Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, 1902 The monotonous beating of a big drum filled the air with muffled shocks and a lingering vibration. A steady droning sound of many men chanting each to himself some weird incantation came out from the black, flat wall of the woods as the humming of bees comes out of a hive, and had a strange narcotic effect upon my half-awake senses. I believe I dozed off leaning over the rail, till an abrupt burst of yells, an overwhelming outbreak of a pent-up and mysterious frenzy, woke me up in a bewildered wonder. It was cut short all at once, and the low droning went on with an effect of audible and soothing silence. I glanced casually into the little cabin. A light was burning within, but Mr. Kurtz was not there. Write an 8-sentence paragraph about one of the questions at the top of the page. Go online for the slide show, interactive quiz, and free downloadable MP3 of this interview: www. : Interview #869
Answer Key Circle the mistakes and write them correctly. 1. If I lived in the Amazon, I would get used to hunt for my own food. It sounds fun. If I lived in the Amazon, I would get used to hunting for my own food. It sounds fun. 2. I think it would be terrible to live so deep on the jungle. I think it would be terrible to live so deep in the jungle. 3. To me, living in the jungle sounds like so boring life. To me, living in the jungle sounds like such a boring life. 4. I disagree because I think I would be so exciting to travel in the jungle. I disagree because I think I would be so excited in the jungle. 5. Of course it would be excited, but it sounds too dangerous to me. Of course it would be exciting, but it sounds too dangerous to me. 6. If it wasn t danger, it wouldn t be exciting. If it wasn t dangerous, it wouldn t be exciting. 7. What means unorthodox? What does unorthodox mean? 8. Traveling with boat is more interesting than traveling by car. Traveling by boat is more interesting than traveling by car. 9. Before you take a trip, you should follow the advices of travel guide books. Before you take a trip, you should follow the advice of travel guide books. 10. I like adventure but I m not interest the Amazon. I like adventure but I m not interested in the Amazon. Do you agree or disagree with these opinions? Go online for the slide show, interactive quiz, and free downloadable MP3 of this interview: www. : Interview #869