2nd year students, text for home-reading

A Traveller’s Tale

In the autumn of 1935, when I was a young man, I was traveling in the north-west of India. One evening, after hunting in the forest all day, I was returning alone to the place where I had put up my tent. It was getting dark, and I was walking along a narrow path. On my right was a wide river; on my left, a thick, dark forest. Suddenly I saw two green eyes looking at me from among the trees. A man-eating tiger was getting ready to jump on me.

What could I do? Should I jump into the river and hope to save my life by swimming? I looked to the right. In the river there was an immense crocodile waiting to welcome me with its mouth wide open.

I was so frightened that I shut my eyes. I heard branches moving as the tiger jumped. I opened my eyes. What do you think had happened? The tiger had jumped right over me and was now in the jaws of the crocodile. That’s a true story, believe it or not!

WORDS

1. north  [nɔːθ] - north
2. south  [saʊθ] - south
3. west  [wɛst] - west
4. east  [iːst] - east
5. north-west  [ˌnɔːθwɛst] - north-west
6. north-east  - north-east
7. south-west  [ˌsaʊθwɛst] - south-west
8. south-east  [ˌsaʊθiːst] - south-east
9. hunt  [hʌnt] - hunting; hunt
   after hunting - after the hunt
10. forest  [fɒrɪst] - forest
11. return  [rɪtɜːn] - return
12. alone  [ələʊn] - one; alone
13. put (put, put) up  - put (tent), erect (building)
14. tent  - tent
15. It's getting dark. 
     - It's getting dark. / It's getting dark.
16. narrow  [nærəʊ] - narrow
17. wide  [waɪd] - wide
    a mouth wide open - wide open mouth
18. path  [pɑːθ] - path
19. on my right  - to my right
20. on my left  - to my left
21. among  [əmʌŋ] - among, between
22. get (got, got) ready  - get ready
23. jump  [dʒʌmp] - jump; jump
24. should  [ʃʋd] - should
25. hope  [həʊp] - hope; hope
26. save  [seɪv] - save
27. immense  [ɪmɛns] - a huge
28. welcome  [wɛlkəm] - greeting; cordial welcome; desired; to greet
29. frighten  [fraɪtn] - scaring
30. frightened  [fraɪtnd] - scared
31. shut (shut, shut)  [ʃʌt] - close
    Shut up! - Shut up! Shut up! (rough).
    He shut the door. He closed the door.
    The box shut easily. - The drawer easily closed.
32. branch  [brɑːntʃ] - branch, branch (tree); industry
33. happen  [hæpən] - happen, happen
    What has happened? - What happened?
34. jaw  [dʒɔː] - jaw
35. jaws  - mouth, mouth
36. believe  [bɪliːv] - believe
    Believe it. "Believe it."
    Believe it or not. - Believe it or not.
37. true  [truː] - true, true
38. right here  - right / right here
39. right over me  - right through me