Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. (number)-something
    • ex. Most of the bar’s customers are 30-something businesspeople.
  2. film
    • ex. Jenny filmed her son’s birthday party and shared the video with family online.
  3. clip
    • ex. We usually clip my dog’s hair short in the summer.
  4. capture
    • ex. After a two-day hunt, police finally captured the criminal.
  5. harm
    • ex. No animals in the movie were harmed; all of the dangerous scenes were CGI.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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A flamingo that escaped from a Kansas zoo in 2005 was recently found over 1,000 kilometers away. Nicknamed “Pink Floyd,” the 20-something flamingo was filmed in Texas by a local fishing guide. After he posted the video online, wildlife officials confirmed that the flamingo was the one that had escaped.

Pink Floyd was one of 40 flamingos brought to Kansas from Tanzania in 2003. Two years later, zookeepers were clipping the birds’ feathers, a painless process that limits their ability to fly. Suddenly, the wind became strong, and some of the unclipped birds were able to fly away. Most returned to the zoo, but Pink Floyd and one more flamingo landed about 100 meters away. Zookeepers unsuccessfully tried to capture them for several days.

Pink Floyd’s friend flew north and was seen only once more about 900 kilometers away in Minnesota, while Pink Floyd flew south to Texas. The Kansas zoo said that he’s not harming the local wildlife and seems to be doing well, so they have no plans to capture him. They expect that he will live about 20 more years in the wild.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Pink Floyd and His Friends

  • The Kansas zoo said that they have no plans to capture Pink Floyd in Texas. Do you agree with their decision? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • In your opinion, why did most of the flamingos that flew away return to the zoo (ex. it's their home, the zoo had food)? Discuss.
  • Do you think it's okay to clip flamingos' feathers so they can't fly away from zoos? Why or why not? Discuss.

Zoo Animals

  • Pink Floyd was one of 40 flamingos brought to Kansas from Tanzania. Do you think it's okay to send animals to zoos around the world like this? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • At the zoo, Pink Floyd's name was Flamingo No. 492. Do you think that zoo animals should be given real names? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Zoo animals often live much longer than wild animals. Do you think it’s better to live 40 years in the wild or 60 years in a zoo? Why? Discuss.