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Unit 8 The Search for Adventure In this unit you will focus on: ■ ■ ■ ■

the call of the sea adrift on the Pacific a remarkable rescue reacting to the unexpected

Unit 8: The Search for Adventure

A

The call of the sea 1 Visualisation Close your eyes and think of the sea. What sights and sounds come to your mind? What do you feel when you think about the sea? Now open your eyes and spend a few minutes writing down whatever came into your mind, in your own language or English.

3 Sea vocabulary In pairs or small groups, circle the word that does not belong in each of the following groups. Use a dictionary to help you. You’ll need many of the words later in the unit, so make a note in your vocabulary book of any that are unfamiliar.

2 Discussion Since the days of pirates and ‘running away to sea’, and right up to modern-day beach holidays and scuba diving, the sea has drawn people like a magnet. Why do you think this is?

Discuss these remarks about the sea with a partner. Grade them as: A

I identify strongly with this idea.

B

This idea is interesting but I don’t identify closely with it.

C

I don’t identify in any way with this idea.

1 ‘The sea is a place of great adventure. When you set sail in a boat, you never know what you are going to find.’

2 ‘I love swimming. Being in water, especially the sea, is one of life’s great pleasures.’

3 ‘I live by the sea and love its changing atmospheres. On hot days the atmosphere is cool and restful. On bleak winter days, great storms are dramatic and exciting.’

4 ‘When I go out in my boat, I feel free. I leave all my worries behind on the shore.’

5 ‘Below its surface, the sea is full of life. I’d love to explore its depths and see the underwater world for myself.’

6 ‘I think the sea is mysterious. Huge ships have disappeared in it, never to be seen again.’

7 ‘I live in a dry area far away from the sea. My dream is to see the magnificence of the ocean and hear its wonderful sounds.’

8 ‘I admire anyone whose employment is connected with the sea. There are so many dangers involved.’

9 ‘Sailing presents a great spiritual challenge. In a storm or crisis, I discover unknown aspects of myself. After each trip I think I become a slightly different, more developed, person.’

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Now match the four photographs on the previous page with four of the words above.

4 Sea vocabulary: Onomatopoeic words A

Certain words are called onomatopoeic because the sound of the word is like its meaning.

Example: I love hearing the birds twitter on a sunny morning.

Twitter is an onomatopoeic word because it sounds like the sound birds actually make.

Sea associations

Sea vocabulary is often onomatopoeic. Match these sounds to the things which make them.

Which word is not associated with the sea?

Some sounds can be linked to more than one thing.

spray tides waves ocean cliffs bay shore rocks hive current port horizon channel shipwreck voyage cargo dock jetty surf

VOCABULARY

lapping

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hooting

howling

On the beach

slapping

roaring

splashing

Which item would you not expect to find on the beach?

screeching

squelching

crashing

pebbles shells rocks starfish sand spanner sand dunes seaweed driftwood turtle

boats waves seagulls wind mud B

What other onomatopoeic words do you know? Make a list with your partner.

C

What onomatopoeic words do you know in your own language? Share them with your group.

Sea creatures Which creature is not associated with the sea? porpoise turtle lobster whale shark seal dolphin puffin penguin crab squirrel

Words for boats Which of the following is not a word for a kind of boat? yacht dinghy raft tram speedboat liner vessel canoe barge car ferry catamaran oil tanker trawler

Occupations connected with the sea

5 Writing a descriptive paragraph Yesterday you made a trip to the coast. Write a paragraph describing what you saw, the sounds you heard and the way you felt.

Write about 75 words.

Which is the odd one out in this group of occupations? captain coastguard solicitor sailor pirate fisherman skipper lighthouse keeper mariner smuggler

Watersports Which of these sports is not connected with water? scuba diving surfing rowing canoeing swimming diving sailing windsurfing jet skiing abseiling snorkelling

6 Reading aloud In small groups, read your paragraphs aloud to each other.

Listen well and make comments on what you hear.

7 Pre-reading discussion A

For countries with a coastline, the sea may provide useful defence in war, a source of riches from trade or fishing, and a way of maintaining separation

Unit 8: The Search for Adventure

Never have any adventurer’s misfortunes, I believe, begun earlier or continued longer than mine. I am Robinson Crusoe and this is my story …

5 I was born in the year 1632 in the city of York. I had always wanted to go to sea but my father wanted me to enter the law. Against the wishes of my parents, 10 I joined a big trading ship when it was in the port at Hull. I knew I was breaking my father’s heart but the call of the sea was too strong.

from other countries. The sea is usually an important part of such nations’ national identity.

What part, if any, has the sea played in the history of your country?

B

C

There are many, many stories which centre around the excitement and drama of the sea. Do you have any favourites?

Daniel Defoe’s novel ‘Robinson Crusoe’ is one of the most famous of these stories. What, if anything, do you know about it?

8 Reading and sequencing Read the following version of the story of Robinson Crusoe.

Try to guess the meaning of unfamiliar words.

As you read, number these events in the order in which they happened. a

Crusoe is shipwrecked.

b

He meets Friday.

c

He is made a slave.

d

He returns to England.

e

He manages a plantation.

f

He sees an English ship on the horizon.

g

He rescues the ship’s captain.

h

He builds a home on the island.

i

He runs away to sea.

j

He accepts his life on the island.

k

He salvages things from the shipwreck.

At first I was terribly seasick but I gradually learned 15 to adapt and weather the great storms which blew up. On one occasion, to my misfortune, I was taken as a slave but I escaped. For some time I even ran a 20 plantation in Brazil but I could not resist returning to the sea. This time, however, the ship was wrecked and I was the only survivor.

The sea had washed me up onto a deserted tropical 25 island. ‘Am I all alone?’ I called, and my despair knew no depths as I realised I was condemned to live in a silent world, forever an outcast in this 30 horrid place.

I knew I had to swim back to the ship before it sank completely and save everything of value. The task was urgent as my survival depended on it. On the boat I found the ship’s dog and two cats. These creatures, with a parrot I taught to speak, and a goat, were for many years my only companions on the island.

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For a home, I built a strong shelter close to fresh water. I explored the island and found fruit trees 45 and a herd of goats. I sowed barley I had taken from the ship, and made a calendar to mark the passing of the days. I resolved to look on the bright side rather than the dark side of my condition. The 50 doings of the greedy, material world and my own past wickedness became more and more remote. I spent many hours in hard labour. I made baskets, 55 pots, a boat and other necessities, but I always found time for spiritual contemplation.

Each year the crops increased, my ‘family’ was contented and I learned to love the beauty of the island. Yet I longed to see a human face and hear a human voice.

My solitude ended when, walking towards my boat, I stopped, thunderstruck, at the sight of a

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strange footprint in the sand. This incident was the beginning of my friendship with a man who lived 70 on a distant island. He was escaping the anger of his countrymen and I gave him refuge*. ‘Friday’, as I called him, wanted to learn English and gradually we learned to understand one another and 75 appreciate each other’s way of life.

My luck changed when an English ship appeared on the horizon. Friday and I observed a rowing boat 80 coming ashore. My guess was right. The crew of the ship had mutinied* and the captain and some of his loyal men had been overpowered and were being taken shore by the mutineers. Friday and I 85 worked out a way to capture the mutineers and set the captain free.

The captain of the ship took me back to England.

Friday, who had been as true and good a friend as a 90 man could ever wish for, came with me.

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So, on 19th December 1686, after 28 years on the island, one of the strangest stories ever told ended 95 as I, Robinson Crusoe, sailed away from the island, never to return. * refuge: protection and a safe place to live

10 Language study: Narrative tenses To help the reader follow a story and understand how the events are connected, we use narrative tenses. Useful narrative tenses are the

■ past simple (I swam) ■ the past continuous (I was swimming) ■ the past perfect (I had swum).

Study the tenses in the story of Robinson Crusoe with a partner. Underline each verb and decide which tense it is.

Add * if the verb is in the passive.

Ask each other why each tense is used.

With your partner, make notes for each narrative tense, like this:

The past simple Typical examples in text:

Formed by:

Used in text because:

*mutinied: refused to obey the captain

Finally, check your notes with a grammar book.

9 Comprehension check

11 Beginnings and endings

1

What future did Crusoe’s father want for his son?

2

Even before the shipwreck, Crusoe had many adventures. What were they?

3

How did Crusoe feel when he realised he was all alone on the island?

Beginnings and endings are important in a story. How is our interest aroused at the beginning of the story of Robinson Crusoe? How satisfying did you find the ending?

4

What did he manage to do before the wrecked ship sank?

5

How do we know Crusoe had good practical skills which helped him survive?

6

What was the first sign that another human being had visited the island?

7

How did Crusoe finally manage to escape from the island?

8

Explain the meaning of the word mutineer.

9

Overall, what was Crusoe’s attitude to his situation? a

self-pitying

b desperate

c accepting

What tenses are used at the beginning and end of the story? Why?

12 Discussion: Heroism A

What do we mean when we say someone is a ‘hero’ or ‘heroine’? In what way do you think Robinson Crusoe could be described as a heroic figure?

B

Can ordinary people living uneventful lives ever be called ‘heroic’? Why/Why not?

C

Who are your personal heroes or heroines? Share your ideas in your group.