Reading - Mega goal 2 - ثاني ثانوي

11 Amazing Animals 8 Reading Before Reading رابط الدرس الرقم www.ien.edu.sa In what ways do people benefit from animal companionship? Animal Heroes One night, Pilar was in a deep sleep when she was woken by her cat Inti. Inti was meowing wildly outside Pilar's bedroom and throwing himself against the closed bedroom door. When Pilar opened her eyes, she saw that her bedroom was filling with smoke. As she escaped her house with Inti in her arms, she saw that a fire was blazing in her kitchen. Pilar could easily have lost consciousness from breathing in the smoke, but Inti would not let that happen. Even though Inti could have escaped the house through a cat door, he wouldn't leave Pilar. A fireman at the scene said, "Without question, that cat is responsible for saving his owner's life. He should be honored as a hero." As amazing as this story is, it is not as uncommon as you may think. There are countless stories of animals coming to the aid of humans in life-threatening situations. Animals are said to have a sixth sense for danger. Often they are alert to danger before humans are and have used this awareness to protect humans from harm. Take the example of Charlotte Lee and her horse, Thunder. One warm, summer night, the whole family was asleep with the windows open. It was normally very quiet where they lived. There were only a few farm houses scattered about the area and hardly any traffic. All of a sudden, there was a loud crashing noise from the stable. Charlotte woke up with a start, and her heart pounding, as the noise continued. She was so frightened, she froze; no matter how hard she tried she could not move. The noise stopped as •⚫suddenly as it had started, and she heard a horse galloping towards the house. The next thing she saw was Thunder standing outside her window, neighing porch. She knew enough about horses to know that Thunder was disturbed for a reason, and wasted no time speculating. She quickly got everyone out of the house before the earthquake hit. Part of the roof caved in and crashed into her room. Thunder had deliberately saved her life. Yet it is not only domesticated animals who have acted heroically. There are also stories of wild animals coming to the rescue of humans. One animal known to be a friend and protector of humans is the dolphin. Dolphins are considered to be among the most intelligent of animals. On dozens of occasions, they have used this intelligence to come to the aid of humans in dangerous situations. One such story involves a surfer named Todd Endris. Todd was surfing with his friends when he was attacked by a 13-foot (4-meter) shark. In the middle of the attack, a group of dolphins came to his rescue by forming a protective ring around Endris until he could get safely to shore. Without the help of the dolphins, there is little chance that Todd would have survived. At times, even animals commonly considered aggressive and dangerous have come to the aid of humans. One famous case involves Binti Jua, an eight- year-old female gorilla who lives at the Brookfield Zoo. in Illinois, U.S.A. Binti was celebrated as a hero when she protected a three-year-old boy who fell into the walled gorilla area. Binti picked up the unconscious boy, carefully cradled him in her arms, and brought him to the zookeeper's door so that he could be taken out. After four days in the hospital, the boy recovered completely. anal shaking his head as he stomped on the wooden التعليم Ministry of Education 2024-1766 MG_02_COMBO_TEXT_2024.indb 176 30/4/24 2:32 AM

No one is sure why animals have so often come to our aid. However, it is clear evidence of the deep and powerful bond between humans and animals. It is important that we respect this bond by treating animals with the care and compassion that they often show us. After Reading Answer the questions. 1. In what way do animals have a sixth sense? 2. What did Thunder do to protect Charlotte? 3. What reputation do dolphins have? What story demonstrates this? 4. What did dolphins do to save Todd Endris's life? 5. How was a young boy saved by a gorilla at the Brookfield Zoo? 9 Speaking 1. Work in pairs or groups. Think about a story you have heard or read about, or an incident you have experienced where an animal helped a person. 2. Make notes in the chart and use them to talk about your story in class. Place People Animal Action by animal Event/action that followed Person's/people's reaction Event/action that followed Conclusion/comments وزارة التعليم Ministry of Education 2024-1446 MG_02_COMBO_TEXT_2024.indb 177 177 30/4/24 2:32 AM