SECTION 5


Resources Listening texts


Unit 1 The day Max beat the bully (Activity 1)


“Come on Max,” said his mother. “We are going to granny’s birthday celebration. All your cousins will be there.” But Max hated his cousin James. James was a bully and he always found a way to make Max do things he didn’t want to do. Max and his mother arrived at Uncle Adam’s


house. All the aunties were fussing and running around preparing food. Max felt nervous. Max’s cousins played hide and seek out in the


big garden, under the peach and fig trees. “Come on Max, don’t be a scaredy cat,” said James. The other cousins laughed and Max felt embarrassed. “I am going to hide now”, said James. “Don’t come looking for me too quickly,” he said, as he punched one of the small boys and disappeared behind the trees. After ten minutes, the cousins all went to look


for James. But no one could find him. Then Auntie Sarah called the children to come and sing Happy Birthday to granny. “We can’t find James,” they said. Max hoped secretly that nobody would find James. But it got later and later. Suddenly Max said to


himself, “I am tired of being scared. I will find James.” He marched down the garden. It got darker and quieter under the big trees. He stepped on a branch and heard a loud crack that made his heart jump. Then he heard a sound. It was James crying for help! Max ran on through the thick bushes. James was lying on the ground, holding his ankle. “I will help you,” said Max and he helped James walk slowly back to the house. Max felt the fear lifting and floating away.


Unit 2


Poachers attack precious rhinos (Activity 1)


In August 2011, in the early morning, just as the sun was beginning to rise, men came to the reserve in the Western Cape. The men had guns and saws and axes for chopping. First, they shot medicine into a rhino, to make it go to sleep. Then they took their saws and axes and hacked off both its horns. The animal died. Next, the men found another rhino, called Absa


and Absa’s daughter. They made both animals go to sleep. Then they cut off one of Absa’s horns and started to cut his other horn. Suddenly they heard the guards coming. So


they ran away with the three horns they had stolen.


173 Absa was badly injured and his daughter stood


next to him while he struggled to stay alive. Absa died six days later. The owner of the reserve said, “Rhinos are endangered and are very important here in the veld. People think that there is medicine in rhino horns that can cure diseases. But it is not real medicine and it cannot make you better. Our hearts are broken because these two animals were very important.” Now the police are looking for the poachers. If they catch them, they can go to jail.


Unit 3 Alile and the silver snake (Activity 1)


Alile’s mother was very sick and Alile wanted to help her. She wandered down to the deep lake where she sat on the water’s edge and listened. She heard the soft sound of the water lapping against the sand and the smooth, round stones. She heard the splash of the little fish as they dived in and out of the water. Then she heard something that made her think she was dreaming. “Look at the bottom of the lake,” a voice whispered. Alile looked down and saw the shining coils of a


large snake. “Swim down here and touch me. Then your mother will get better.” Alile felt very frightened. But she remembered


all the kind things her mother had done for her. “I must save her,” she said. She dived into the water and swam deep down


to the bottom of the lake. The snake lay still. Its skin was shiny and silver. Quickly, Alile touched it and swam as fast as she could back to the surface of the water. She ran home and touched her mother gently. That night a handsome prince came to Alile as


she carried firewood to her house. “You have saved me,” he said. “A spell was cast on me and I have had to live as a snake at the bottom of the lake. But now I am free to come out at night as a human.” Alile was happy. Her mother got better. And


now, every night, Alile waits at the edge of the lake for her handsome prince.


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