Part a: pre-reading

B1 READING PERFORMANCE WORKSHEET
WEEK 2

Name Surname: PELİN POTUK	Class:
Number: 21237036	Date:

PART A: PRE-READING:

1. 
   Do you think that science can explain everything that happens in the world?
   

It explains many things but some things no because some things are divine.

2. 
   Can you think of any unusual events that people cannot explain and share it with your classmates?
   

Actually no because I'm trying not to think.

3. 
   The pictures are all about the reading. How do you think these pictures relate to the topic of the reading?
   

I think the text is about the importance of science in the world and what it knows to explain.
PART B: READING
Instructions: Read the text and answer the questions.


It’s Raining Cats and Dogs, and Frogs!

The earth is a very weird and wonderful place. Many mysterious phenomena occur that cannot be explained by logic or science. These inexplicable events attract believers in the supernatural, as well as skeptics.

You are probably familiar with the English saying, ‘It’s raining cats and dogs.’ Over the last 150 years, various instances of some animals literally raining down onto the earth have been reported. In 1861, people in Singapore reported a rain fish following an earthquake. In 1877, several alligators fell from the sky onto a farm in the U.S. state of South Carolina. Despite falling from a great height, the alligators landed on the ground unharmed. During one of the downpours* in 1966, an Australian priest was hit on the shoulder by a large fish that had fallen from the sky. The priest attempted to catch the slippery creature, but it fell into the rainwater that had flooded the ground and swam away.

The residents of the city of Naphlion in southern Greece awoke in amazement one May morning in 1981 to find small green frogs raining from the sky. The Greek Meteorological Institute concluded that they had been picked up by strong winds and transported in storm clouds. When the clouds broke and the rain came down, so did the frogs. What is most interesting about this story is that the frogs were discovered to be a species native to North Africa! A more recent example of nature’s amazing events took place in the summer of 2000 in Ethiopia when millions of fish, some dead and some alive, reportedly rained down from the sky.

While both scientists and skeptics seek rational explanations for these bizarre instances, there are still some events that they cannot explain. One such incident happened in France in1814. In September of that year, on a clear day, a small, spherical * cloud was seen in the sky. Witnesses say that the cloud hovered * before spinning and moving quickly in a southerly direction. A deafening noise was then heard coming from the cloud, which suddenly exploded in a shower of rocks and stones.

Today, there are a record number of stories about phenomena that cannot be explained by science or logic. Magazines, journals, and websites have been created to share information with the public about inexplicable happenings such as strange lights and weird noises. While many of them recorded in these publications have been ignored, some remain outside the scope of scientific explanation.

Crop circles are very large, decorative designs that seem to appear overnight in wheat and corn fields, usually during spring and summer. This phenomenon made headlines all over the world in the 1990s, but whether it is a natural phenomenon or simply a rumor remains unknown. The phenomenon of spontaneous human combustion – in which a person suddenly catches fire for no apparent reason - also has yet to be given a rational explanation. Numerous examples of this phenomenon have been recorded, and its causes have been investigated by the FBI. Most experts believe that it must be connected with some kind of chemical reaction inside the body. However, although there are theories on how and why it can happen, a satisfactory explanation has yet to be found.

We live on a planet full of mystery and wonder. Stories of bizarre events are shown via the Internet, TV, and other media. Some are true, others are rumor, but all are weird yet, wonderful!

downpour * : very heavy rain

spherical * : shaped like a round ball

hover * : to stay in the air above something, usually for a period of time