B1 – Intermediate
Adrian Simancas enjoys rafting. One day, as he was kayaking through the sea in Chile, a huge humpback whale appeared from under the water and swallowed him. But, thankfully, only for a short moment.
He was very lucky to escape this very dangerous situation.
Read the article about a man who was swallowed by a humpback whale.
https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2502/250217-humpback-whale.html
Vocabulary Questions:
- What does “engulf” mean? “The humpback whale engulfed Mr. Simancas in its mouth.” Give two (2) synonyms or similar expressions and use ’engulf’ in your own sentence.
- What does the phrase “no sooner — than” mean? “No sooner had the humpback gulped up Simancas than it spat him back out into the ocean.” Make a sentence using this structure.
- What does “fleeting moment” mean? “For a few fleeting moments, Adrian’s fate was in the jaws of the 40-ton [mammal].” Use this phrase in a sentence.
Discussion Questions:
- What is your reaction to this news?
- If this happened to you, what would you do and/or think of?
- Have ever had an unfortunate/strange encounter/experience with an animal? Talk about it.
- Share your opinion on this, “Adrian said his close encounter with the whale would not stop him from future rafting trips.”.
- Talk about a situation where, for a few fleeting moments, your fate was in the hands of someone/something else.
2 replies on “Man Swallowed by Humpback Whale”
1. What is your reaction to this news?.
Well, my reaction to this news is surprise and a little laughter, because poor boy, what happened to him, and I didn’t know humpback whales existed.
2. If this happened to you, what would you do and/or think of?.
Well, I hope it never happens to me. I’m very scared of being swallowed by a whale, and in those moments I think there’s not much you can do except pray that it spits you out.
3.Have ever had an unfortunate/strange encounter/experience with an animal? Talk about it.
When I was about 6 years old, a dog bit me on the palm of my hand, and left a bad wound. My parents had to give me the rabies and tetanus vaccines.
4. Share your opinion on this, “Adrian said his close encounter with the whale would not stop him from future rafting trips.”.
I think he has a lot of passion because if this happened to me I would never go rafting again. I find it incredible that there are such brave people.
5. Talk about a situation where, for a few fleeting moments, your fate was in the hands of someone/something else.
When I was only 6 months old, my parents did not know what was wrong with me because I could not tolerate normal baby food, and my fate was in the hands of several doctors, and only one of them knew how to give me the appropriate treatment, and he was able to save my life because I was very thin and if not I would have died.
You did a good job writing your answers to this lesson’s discussion questions. And thank you for sharing your story.
See how this sentence can be revised:
Until your next post!