EnglishClub

Pre-listening vocabulary

• satirical: using humour to criticize something
• parody: a story that imitates another story or genre in a humorous way
• surgeon: someone who performs medical operations
• civilization: a group of people living together in a complex society
• comedic: funny, humorous
• contrast: to be very different from someone or something else
• absurd: silly, strange

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:35 — 2.2MB)

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Gapfill exercise

Gulliver’s Travels is a 1726 satirical novel by Irish author Jonathan Swift. The book is a parody of the travel narrative, which was a very genre at the time. The protagonist, Lemuel Gulliver, is a surgeon on a . He travels to fictional countries and encounters strange civilizations, including the six-inch-tall Lilliputians and the research-obsessed Laputans. Each is a comedic representation of a human trait. In the last section of the book, Gulliver meets a group of intelligent who contrast with the absurd and foolish humans. Although Gulliver’s Travels is often read as a children’s book, it was written for adults. The fantasy civilizations represent social and political structures in Britain during Swift’s life. Gulliver’s Travels is one of the earliest of the English novel.

Comprehension questions

See answers below

1. The book Gulliver’s Travels would be best described as
   a. a memoir
   b. a satirical novel
   c. a travelogue
   
2. The character Lemuel Gulliver is
   a. a politician
   b. a news reporter
   c. a surgeon
   
3. In the last section of the book, Gulliver meets a civilization of
   a. giants
   b. flying scientists
   c. intelligent horses

Discussion/essay questions

1. What is the purpose of satire? Can you think of a good modern work of satire?
2. What do you think makes a story appealing to all ages?

Transcript

Gulliver’s Travels is a 1726 satirical novel by Irish author Jonathan Swift. The book is a parody of the travel narrative, which was a very popular genre at the time. The protagonist, Lemuel Gulliver, is a surgeon on a ship. He travels to fictional countries and encounters strange civilizations, including the six-inch-tall Lilliputians and the research-obsessed Laputans. Each culture is a comedic representation of a human trait. In the last section of the book, Gulliver meets a group of intelligent horses who contrast with the absurd and foolish humans. Although Gulliver’s Travels is often read as a children’s book, it was written for adults. The fantasy civilizations represent social and political structures in Britain during Swift’s life. Gulliver’s Travels is one of the earliest examples of the English novel.

Answers to comprehension questions

1b 2c 3c

Pre-listening vocabulary

• populated: inhabited; occupied
• tourist: someone who travels to and explores different places
• ferry: a boat meant to carry passengers across a short distance
• mainland: the area of land that forms the main part of a country
• theory: an attempt to explain something

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:22 — 1.3MB)

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Gapfill exercise

Okunoshima, a small island off the of Japan, is a place mostly populated by rabbits. The island is a tourist destination for people who want to spend the day with cute animals. Tourists can reach this island by taking a ferry over from the mainland. Although Okunoshima is mostly known for the rabbits that live there today, it is also a very site. The island was once used to produce chemical weapons during World War II. Back then, these weapon factories were kept so secret that Okunoshima wasn’t even labelled on Japanese maps. Many people believe that the island’s rabbit population is related to this history. A theory is that the military once brought rabbits to the island to test chemicals on, and a few rabbits were into the wild. Today, over 1,000 rabbits live there, and the population is only growing.

Comprehension questions

[wp_quiz id=”19547″]

Discussion/essay questions

1. Although it may sound like fun to visit an island full of rabbits, tourism has caused unfortunate consequences. People who feed the rabbits are contributing to an overpopulation problem that is harmful to the island’s natural ecosystem. How could tourism be regulated to protect the ecosystem?

Transcript

Okunoshima, a small island off the coast of Japan, is a place mostly populated by rabbits. The island is a popular tourist destination for people who want to spend the day with cute animals. Tourists can reach this island by taking a ferry over from the mainland. Although Okunoshima is mostly known for the rabbits that live there today, it is also a very historical site. The island was once used to produce chemical weapons during World War II. Back then, these weapon factories were kept so secret that Okunoshima wasn’t even labelled on Japanese maps. Many people believe that the island’s rabbit population is related to this history. A common theory is that the military once brought rabbits to the island to test chemicals on, and a few rabbits were released into the wild. Today, over 1,000 rabbits live there, and the population is only growing.