Nature is a Guide – Listening Fluency #100

BY DAN 0 COMMENTS

Image by: Cuno de Boer

The world we live in is a fascinating place. You could travel the world your whole life and still not see all the incredible things it holds.

In Venezuela, there is a lightning storm that seems to never end. Where the Catatumbo River meets Lake Maracaibo, cloud to cloud lightning strikes as often as 280 times per hour. The weather in surrounding areas could be excellent, but there is often a storm over Lake Maracaibo. Locals say the lightning is visible from up to 400 km away. The storm is more than just a curious natural phenomenon though, because ships have been using it to help them navigate for decades.

In Morocco, you can find goats climbing trees. Goats are well known for being excellent mountain climbers, but trees are more difficult for their four-legged bodies. The goats don’t just climb these trees for kicks. They climb a certain tree, called the Argan tree, to eat the olive-like fruit that grows there. The fruit has one to three nuts inside, which the goats will then spit out, and farmers will collect. The farmers then make oil from these nuts, which tastes great and is good for your skin, too. The goats have no idea how important they are for the production of this oil.

Many people think waves only happen in the ocean, but Brazil is home to the world’s longest wave, and it happens on the Amazon River. In February and March of each year, the water from the Atlantic Ocean rolls into the Amazon River to create the world’s longest wave. Each wave can be over 4 meters high and last for over half an hour. These waves are powerful enough to destroy houses and pull trees right out of the ground. You might want to head for the hills when this wave comes, but some people prefer to surf it. It’s a dangerous wave to surf, but every year professional surfers show up to ride the extended wave. In 2003, a Brazilian surfer rode the wave for 37 minutes and traveled 12.5 kilometers.

For thousands of years humans have found solutions to their problems in nature. And even the strangest of natural phenomena can be opportunities for creative thinkers. The lightening from a never-ending storm is a guide for ships at sea. Tree climbing goats are natural nut gatherers for people. And nearly endless waves are an opportunity for thrill seeking surfers. By looking at nature as a guide and teacher, we can often find inspiration in the strangest of places.

Vocabulary and Phrases

do something for kicks – do something for fun.
head for the hills – run away.
show up – arrive or appear.
thrill seeking – looking for exciting or risky sports or activities.