Before You Read
Answer the following questions.
1. Have you ever heard a story you thought was true,
but which turned out to be false? __________________
2. Are there any famous stories from long ago in your
country? Do you know if there is any truth in them? __________________
3. What is the most unusual true story you have ever
heard? __________________
Target Vocabulary
Match each word with the best meaning.
1. ____ bizarre a. easy and clear to see and understand 2. ____ legend b. very strange or unusual
3. ____ obvious c. become smaller
4. ____ shrink d. say you will do something bad if someone doesn’t do what you want
5. ____ threaten e. related to a city
6. ____ urban f. a story or myth; usually from long ago
7. ____ version g. someone who has been hurt or killed by someone or something
8. ____ victim h. a particular form of something that is similar but not the same as earlier and later forms
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Reading Passage
Have you heard about the woman who put her wet dog in the microwave to dry it, and ended up cooking her dog by mistake? Or did you hear about the man who died at his desk at work, and nobody in the office noticed he was dead for five days? These stories have two things in common. They are both not true, and they are both urban legends. Usually, legends are stories of events from long ago. Urban legends, on the other hand, are stories set in the recent past, perhaps even last week! Urban legends also take place in cities or in places well known to people. Another characteristic of urban legends is that there are many different versions of the same story, with local information changed to make the story seem more real. Today, the Internet has become a common way for urban legends to spread very quickly.
A good example of an urban legend is the story of the girl who was killed by her jeans. In the 1980s, it was fashionable to wear very tight jeans. At the time, Levi’s sold special jeans that shrank when you washed them. According to the story, a teenage girl wanted to make her jeans as tight as possible, so she wore them in the bathtub. Unfortunately, they shrank so much that the girl died! Actually, this legend started from a Levi’s advertisement on television. In the TV ad, a man stepped into a bathtub and his tight jeans became the perfect size. The popularity of this legend obviously comes from the idea of teens trying too hard to look good.
However, some stories that sound like urban legends actually start from bizarre real events. For example, there is a story about muggers1 using snakes to rob people.
There have been real reports about muggers doing this. The muggers threaten a victim by holding a snake in the person’s face. According to legend, these robbers are very common, so you should keep an eye out for strangers carrying snakes.
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mugger a thief who attacks people for their money, often on a city street
Did you know?
Some urban legends are very old – one, about a murderer who hides in the back seat of a car, was first reported in the early 1800s, when people used horse- drawn carriages.
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Reading Comprehension
Circle the letter of the best answer.
1. What is the best title for this passage?
a. Amazing True Stories c. Bizarre Crimes b. Legends through History d. Bizarre Stories 2. What is NOT true about urban legends?
a. They usually take place in the country, or in small towns. b. There is usually more than one version of the legend. c. They are sometimes based on real event.
d. The Internet has made urban legends more widespread. 3. What happened to the girl in the jeans story?
a. She shrank. c. Her jeans became too small. b. She starred in a television d. A man stepped into her bathtub. commercial.
4. According to the passage, why do some muggers use snake?
a. Snakes are very common. c. Snakes are very dangerous. b. Everyone is scared of snakes. d. The passage doesn’t say. 5. Which story in the passage really happened?
a. The dog in the microwave. c. The girl who was killed by her jeans. b. The dead man in the office. d. The muggers who threaten victims
with snakes.
Idioms
1. have (something) in common (with) – share a feature or characteristic The reason that Brooke and her boyfriend have such a good relationship is because they have so much in common.
The only thing the students in this class have in common is their need to learn English.
2. keep an eye out for – watch for something carefully
Whenever I’m in a bookstore, I keep an eye out for interesting new books. There have been quite a few robberies in our neighborhood, so keep an eye out for strange people.
3. hear about – learn about, hear a story about How did you hear about this restaurant?
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Vocabulary Reinforcement
A. Circle the letter of the word or phrase that best completes the sentence. 1. There is a traditional Japanese _____________ about Momotaro, the Peach Boy.
a. article b. essay c. legend d. urban
2. That question on the test was too easy. The answer was _____________ to everyone.
a. obvious b. complicated c. bizarre d. random 3. Harvey _____________ to quit his job if he didn’t get a pay increase.
a. evolved b. threatened c. launched d. limited 4. When you’re at the shopping mall today, _____________ any bargains.
a. keep your eye on b. hear about c. break into d. keep an eye out for 5. In many countries, people are leaving farms and moving to _____________ areas.
a. urban b. obvious c. widespread d. common
6. The robber was caught, and the money was returned to the _____________.
a. mugger b. victim c. thief d. blanket.
B. Complete the passage with items from the box. One item is extra.
If you have (1) _____________ the woman who died because her jeans (2) _____________
too much, then you have heard an urban legend. Most urban legends have several characteristics (3) _____________: there are usually several different (4) _____________ of
the same story; they often take place in urban areas; and because they sound
(5) _____________, but not obviously untrue, many people believe them completely.
What Do You Think?
1. Would you have believed any of the untrue stories mentioned in the reading? Which do you think was the most believable?
2. Do you think most of what you read on the Internet is true? What kinds of information do you think you can trust the most, and the least?
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