Lesson 3: Dancing Bears

A. Read the story by Spencer Holst and answer the following questions:

Brilliant Silence

Two Alaskan Kodiak bears joined a small circus where the pair appeared in a nightly parade pulling a covered wagon. The two were taught to somersault, to spin, to stand on their heads, and to dance on their hind legs, paw in paw, stepping in unison. Under a spotlight the dancing bears, a male and a female, soon became favourites of the crowd. The circus went south on a West Coast tour through Canada to California and on down into Mexico, through Panama into South America, down the Andes the length of Chile to those southernmost isles of Tierra del Fuego. There a jaguar jumped a juggler, and afterwards, mortally mauled the animal trainer; and the shocked show people disbanded in dismay and horror. In the confusion the bears went their own way. Without a master, they wandered off Here's a formatted version of the provided text, maintaining the original structure and style:

by themselves into the wilderness on those densely wooded, wildly windy, subantarctic islands. Utterly away from people, on an out-of-the-way uninhabited island, and in a climate they found ideal, the bears mated, thrived, multiplied, and after a number of generations populated the entire island. Indeed, after some years, descendants of the two moved out onto half a dozen adjacent islands; and seventy years later, when scientists finally found and enthusiastically studied the bears, it was discovered that all of them, to a bear, were performing splendid circus tricks.

On nights when the sky is bright and the moon is full, they gather to dance. They gather the cubs and the juveniles in a circle around them. They gather out of the wind at the center of a sparkling, circular crater left by a meteorite which had fallen in a bed of chalk. Its glassy walls are chalk white, its flat floor is covered with white gravel, and it is well-drained, and dry. No vegetation grows within. When the moon rises above it, the light reflecting off the walls fills the crater with a pool of moonlight, so that it is twice as bright on the crater floor as anywhere else in that vicinity. Scientists speculate that originally the full moon had reminded the two bears of the circus spotlight, and for that reason they danced. Yet, it might be asked, what music do the descendants dance to? Paw in paw, stepping in unison what music can they possibly hear inside their heads as they dance under the full moon and the Aurora Australis, as they dance in brilliant silence?

Note

• Kodiak: A type of bear that comes from Kodiak Island in Alaska.
• Somersault: A movement where someone or something rolls over completely in the air or on the ground.
• Unison: Doing something at the same time as others.
• Jaguar: A large wild cat found mainly in South America.
• Mauled: Attacked and injured badly by a person or animal
• Subantarctic: Areas close to but just north of Antarctica
• Adjacent: Next to or very close to something.
• Speculate: To guess or make an assumption about something.
• Aurora Australis: A natural light display in the sky near the South Pole.
• Meteorite: A piece of rock or metal from space that lands on Earth.
• Crater: A bowl-shaped hole in the ground caused by something like a meteorite.
• Vicinity: The area around a particular place.

C. Complete the sentences with clues given:

Aurora Australis, travelled, remote, trained, mated, shiny, attacked, deep hollow, shock, pool.

a) The bears were _______ to perform circus tricks. b) The circus _______ south on a West Coast tour. c) A jaguar _______ a juggler. d) The showpeople disbanded in _______. e) The bears wandered off into the _______ islands. f) They _______ and multiplied on the island. g) The meteorite left a _______ on the island. h) The bears danced in a _______ crater. i) The light from the moon filled the crater with a _______ of moonlight. j) They danced under the moon and the _______.

D. Choose the best answer.

1. What was the primary attraction of the two Kodiak bears in the circus? a) Their ability to speak b) Their size and strength c) Their dancing and circus tricks d) Their hunting skills

2. Where did the circus travel after leaving Canada? a) Europe b) South America c) Alaska d) Asia

3. What happened to the circus after the jaguar attacked? a) The circus became more popular b) The showpeople disbanded in fear c) The bears were rescued by locals d) The animal trainer survived and continued

4. After being separated from the circus, where did the bears wander? a) Into a nearby town b) Into the rainforest c) Into subantarctic islands d) Into the circus tent

5. Why did the bears thrive on the uninhabited island? a) They were provided food by local people b) They found an ideal climate and environment c) They returned to the circus regularly d) They learned to fish from local animals

6. How long after the circus incident did scientists discover the bears again? a) 20 years b) 50 years c) 70 years d) 100 years

7. What unusual discovery did scientists make about the descendants of the original bears? a) They had become smaller in size b) They performed circus tricks naturally c) They had developed new hunting techniques d) They had become nocturnal

8. Where do the bears gather to dance on nights with a full moon? a) On the shore by the ocean b) In the forest near their dens c) In a crater left by a meteorite d) On a mountain peak

9. What feature makes the crater where the bears dance unique? a) It is covered with trees and flowers b) Its walls are chalk white and reflective c) It is filled with water and fish d) It is surrounded by glaciers

10. What do scientists speculate reminds the bears of their circus days? a) The sound of the wind b) The presence of other animals c) The full moon, which resembles the spotlight d) The shape of the island