One man. One dog. Seventy-five degrees below zero. The man is not afraid — and that is the problem.
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First, let's learn eight words. Read each word and its sentence, guess the meaning, then click Reveal to check. Say each word out loud.
Read each part. Then try the questions from memory, and talk about the last one.
It was a very cold morning in the Yukon, in the far north. There was snow everywhere. A man walked alone on a small trail. It was seventy-five degrees below zero — so cold that his spit froze in the air. But the man was not afraid. He was new to the north, and he thought: "Cold is only a number. I am fast and strong. I will be fine."
A big dog walked behind him. The dog was not happy. It did not know numbers, but its instinct said: "This is too cold. It is dangerous to walk today."
An old man in the camp had given the man a warning: "Never travel alone when it is colder than fifty below. Take a friend with you." The man remembered the warning — and laughed. "Old men are afraid of everything," he thought. He wanted to reach the camp by six o'clock. His friends waited there, with a warm fire and hot food.
1. How cold is it, and how does the man feel about it?
2. What was the old man's warning?
1. Seventy-five degrees below zero — but the man is not afraid. He thinks cold is only a number, and he is strong.
2. "Never travel alone when it is colder than fifty below. Take a friend with you." The man laughed at it.
Under the snow there was a hidden danger: spring water. In some places, the water never froze. The snow on top looked safe — but it was not. Suddenly the man broke through the snow, into the water. His legs were wet up to the knees.
Wet feet in that cold are very dangerous. Feet freeze fast. The man knew this. He was angry, but not afraid. "This is only a small problem," he thought. "I will build a fire and dry my socks. I will lose one hour, that is all."
He collected small dry sticks and built a fire under a big tree. The fire grew and grew. The man felt warm and happy. "The old man was wrong," he smiled. "I am alone, and I am fine. I saved myself."
1. What happens to the man's feet, and why is it dangerous?
2. Where does he build his fire, and how does he feel then?
1. He breaks through the snow into hidden water. His legs are wet to the knees — and in that cold, wet feet freeze very fast.
2. Under a big tree. He feels warm and happy, and he thinks the old man's warning was wrong.
But the man made one big mistake. He built his fire under the tree. The branches of the tree were full of snow. Each time he pulled a stick from the tree, the branches moved a little. Then, suddenly, all the snow fell from the tree — onto the fire. The fire was dead.
Now, at last, the man was afraid. His fingers were freezing. He tried to make a new fire, but his fingers could not hold the matches. Every minute he was colder and colder. He got up and ran. He ran and ran, but the camp was too far. He fell, and he could not get up.
Then the man became calm. "I cannot fight the cold," he thought. "I will meet death quietly, like a man." He closed his eyes and went to sleep in the snow.
The dog waited. Then it smelled death, and it was afraid. It turned and trotted up the trail — to the camp, to the fire, and to the food.
1. Why does the fire die?
2. What does the dog do at the end?
1. He built it under a tree full of snow. He moved the branches when he pulled sticks, and the snow fell on the fire.
2. It smells death, turns, and trots up the trail to the camp — to the fire and the food.
This story is one long comparison: every hour is colder than the last, and the walk becomes more and more dangerous. Let's learn to say it.
Write the comparative form of the adjective in brackets. Add than if you need it.
1. Seventy-five below is much (cold) fifty below.
2. Wet feet are (dangerous) wet hands.
3. The dog's instinct was (good) the man's thinking.
4. The man thought: "Fear is (bad) cold."
1. colder than
2. more dangerous than
3. better than
4. worse than
Use the pattern -er and -er (or more and more + adjective) with the word in brackets.
1. The day went on, and the man was (cold).
2. The walk became (dangerous).
3. His fingers moved (slowly).
4. The camp seemed (far) away.
1. colder and colder
2. more and more dangerous
3. more and more slowly
4. farther and farther (further and further is also correct)
Write the comparative forms. Then read the little story out loud.
The snow fell on the fire, and the fire died. Now the man was in real danger. Every minute he was (cold — it grows and grows), and his hands were (weak) than before. He ran, but the camp was too far. At the end, the dog was (lucky) than the man. It knew one simple thing: in the north, two people are (safe) than one, and a friend is (good) than pride.
colder and colder · weaker · luckier · safer · better
The whole story is one comparison: the man thought he was stronger than the cold. He was wrong.
Now take the story's ideas into the real world. Talk about each one out loud. There are no right answers — say what you think, and use your comparatives!
What is the most dangerous weather in your country — heat, snow, storms, rain? What do people do to stay safe? Is winter more dangerous than summer where you live?
The dog knew about the danger before the man did. What things can animals do better than people? Think of dogs, cats, birds. Do you trust an animal's feelings?
We see warnings every day: road signs, weather news, "do not swim here". Why do some people not listen to warnings? Think of a person in a film or in the news who said "It's fine!" — and was wrong.
Some things are nice to do alone. Some things are dangerous to do alone. Give two examples of each. When is a friend better than a phone?
This is the most important part of the lesson — do all of it out loud. Use the timer, and try to speak for the whole time.
Tell the whole story in your own words: the old man's warning → the man walks alone with the dog → the terrible cold → the wet feet → the fire under the tree → the snow falls → the man runs → the end → the dog goes to the camp.
Use colder than at least one time, and colder and colder (or more and more…) at least one time.
Talk about a time when something was harder than you thought — a job, a trip, a recipe, learning English! What did you think before? What was true? If you prefer, talk about a person in a film or a book who said "This is easy" — and was wrong.
Roleplay: you are the old man in the camp. A young man says: "Tomorrow I will walk to the next camp alone. It's only cold." Give him three warnings. Use comparatives: "The night is colder than the day…", "The trail is more dangerous than you think…"