Listening exercise:
Video: Fox hunting under snow in an incredible way
http://www.edisproduction.de/2013/11/19/fox-hunting-under-snow-in-an-incredible-way/

Vocabulary:
clever
canine
set of skills
snow
Black Hills
Dakotas
icy
blanket
field mice
to stir
the odds of Ving
hopeless
enormous
leap
critter (= creature = animal
– does not include plants)
How the heck...?
to home in on something
to take (= require) immense concentration
to pick up (= to perceive, to hear)
faintest
scamper
But there's a catch.
to come up empty-handed
unbelievable
magnetic field
planet (= Earth)
to calculate
to plot
trajectory
math
missiles
to hit a target
slight
distraction
to throw one off (to cause one to make a mistake)
North Pole
to have something in one's sights
to be guaranteed something
meal

Listening comprehension questions:
1. What are "the Dakotas", and where are the Black Hills?
2. Why might "the odds of catching anything" seem hopeless to most people?
3. Approximately how deep is the snow in meters?
4. What two things are necessary for a fox to hunt in the snow?
5. What does a fox listen for when hunting in the snow?
6. What is the meaning of "a catch" in this context?
7. Scientists believe that the fox may be using what when facing North?
8. What is the success rate of the fox when diving for field mice while facing North?
9. Briefly describe your reaction to this video. Watch your grammar – produce careful, correct writing.

home