Intro
1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.
2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.
Spiders get a bad rap, but are they so bad? Sure, they’re covered in hair and have eight eyes. Yes, some spiders are poisonous and a few can kill you. But there are thousands of harmless and beneficial spiders in the world that eat bugs we don’t like. If there were no spiders, the world would have way too many insects.
It’s easy to understand why some people have arachnophobia. And there are almost 44,000 kinds of spiders in the world, so they’re definitely everywhere you look. Spiders have amazing skills, though. Perhaps the most interesting fact about spiders is how they catch their dinner with webs. People have certainly learned a thing or two from these creepy creatures.
Who is scared of spiders, Marni or Rafael? Find out by reading today’s English lesson!
Dialog
1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.
2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.
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Marni: Oh!
Rafael: What happened? Are you OK?
Marni: I just saw a spider.
Rafael: You’ve got to love spiders. Don’t be afraid of them.
Marni: Are you serious? I have arachnophobia. I can’t stand them!
Rafael: They may be poisonous, but they’re also industrious. Let me put it this way. I have tons of ants and flies in my house. The spiders will catch them for you and they’ll eat them.
Marni: Yeah, and so will chemicals.
Rafael: I think spiders, in general, just get a bad rap. Most of them are harmless, anyway.
Marni: Hmm. I don’t know. They’re not all poisonous, but they sure can be creepy. Think about the big, hairy ones. And you travel internationally, and you see these spiders that you’ve never seen before. And you don’t know if they’re poisonous. Some spiders could actually kill you. It’s so creepy.
Rafael: OK. One word, Marni. Biodiversity. It’s beneficial.
Marni: I guess, but oh!
Grammar Point
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Discussion
Marni is afraid of spiders. They make her uncomfortable, and she doesn’t like not knowing which ones are poisonous and which ones are harmless. Marni says that it’s a particular problem when traveling to a country where you don’t know the spiders. She has serious arachnophobia.
Rafael tries to make Marni feel more comfortable around spiders. He appreciates the spiders in his house because they eat ants and flies. Rafael likes that spiders are hard-working and feels that they are helpful for the environment. Without spiders, there would be a lot more insects in his home!
How do you feel about spiders? Talk about the most interesting spider you have ever seen.
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