Zoo - By: Edward D. Hoch

 

• What sort of animals can you see in a zoo?

• Why are animals kept behind fences and cages?

• Read the first paragraph and predict what children will see in Professor Hugo's Interplanetary Zoo.

"Zoo" By: Edward D. Hoch 

 

 

Mordillo - Zoo fantastico

The children were always good during the month of August, especially when it began to get near the twenty-third. It was on this day that the great silver spaceship carrying Professor Hugo's Interplanetary Zoo settled down for its annual six-hour visit to the Chicago area.

Ad agosto, i bambini erano solitamente buoni, specialmente quando iniziava ad avvicinarsi il ventitré del mese. Era questo il giorno in cui la grande nave spaziale d’argento che trasportava lo zoo interplanetario del professor Hugo atterrava nell’area di Chicago per la sua visita annuale di sei ore.

Before daybreak the crowds would form, long lines of children and adults both, each one clutching his or her dollar, and waiting with wonderment to see what race of strange creatures the Professor had brought this year. In the past they had sometimes been treated to three-legged creatures from Venus, or tall, thin men from Mars, or even snake-like horrors from somewhere more distant. This year, as the great round ship settled slowly to earth in the huge tri-city parking area just outside of Chicago, they watched with awe as the sides slowly slid up to reveal the familiar barred cages. 

Già prima dell’alba iniziavano a radunarsi grandi folle, in lunghe file di adulti e bambini, ciascuno stringendo in mano il suo bravo dollaro, nella spasmodica attesa di vedere che razza di strane creature il professore avrebbe portato quest’anno. In passato erano stati a volte intrattenuti con le creature a tre gambe di Venere, o gli uomini alti e sottili di Marte, o perfino orrori dalle forme serpentine da qualche luogo ancora più remoto. Quest’anno, quando la grande nave tondeggiante atterrò lentamente nell’immensa area di parcheggio trimetropolitana appena fuori Chicago, tutti guardarono con sgomento verso le fiancate che si stavano sollevando lentamente per rivelare le familiari gabbie a sbarre.

In them were some wild breed of nightmare--small, horse-like animals that moved with quick, jerking motions and constantly chattered in a highpitched tongue. The citizens of Earth clustered around as Professor Hugo's crew quickly collected the waiting dollars, and soon the good Professor himself made an appearance, wearing his many-colored rainbow cape and top hat. ``Peoples of Earth,'' he called esclamò into his microphone. The crowd's noise died down and he continued. ``Peoples of Earth, this year you see a real treat for your single dollar--the little-known horse-spider people of Kaan--brought to you across a million miles of space at great expense. Gather around, see them, study them, listen to them, tell your friends about them. But hurry! My ship can remain here only six hours! And the crowds slowly filed by, at once horrified and fascinated by these strange creatures that looked like horses but ran up the walls of their cages like spiders. 

Dentro c’erano alcune bizzarre creature da incubo – piccoli animali simili ad un cavallo che si muovevano con un’andatura veloce e a scatti e che chiacchieravano senza sosta in una lingua dai toni acuti. I cittadini della Terra si accalcarono tutto intorno mentre l’equipaggio del dottor Hugo raccoglieva i dollari in attesa e subito dopo il buon professore in persona fece la sua comparsa, indossando il suo mantello dai colori dell’arcobaleno e il cappello a cilindro. “Gente della Terra,” esclamò nel microfono. Il rumore della folla cessò e lui continuò. “Gente della Terra, quest’anno avete la possibilità di ammirare una vera rarità in cambio di un solo dollaro – la semi-sconosciuta popolazione di ragni-cavallo del pianeta Kaan – portati fin qui con grande dispendio attraverso milioni di miglia di spazio. Avvicinatevi, osservateli, studiateli, ascoltateli, parlatene ai vostri amici. Ma affrettatevi! La mia nave può restare qui solo sei ore!” E la folla sfilò lentamente, allo stesso tempo terrorizzata e affascinata da quelle strane creature che sembravano cavalli ma correvano lungo le pareti delle loro gabbie come ragni.

“This is certainly worth a dollar,” one man remarked, hurrying away. ``I'm going home to get the wife.'' All day long it went like that, until ten thousand people had filed by the barred cages set into the side of the spaceship. Then, as the six-hour limit ran out, Professor Hugo once more took microphone in hand. ``We must go now, but we will return next year on this date. And if you enjoyed our zoo this year, phone your friends in other cities about it. We will land in New York tomorrow, and next week on to London, Paris, Rome, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. Then on to other worlds! He waved farewell to them, and as the ship rose from the ground the Earth peoples agreed that this had been the very best Zoo yet…

“Questo vale di sicuro un dollaro,” commentò un uomo, correndo via. “Sto andando a casa a prendere mia moglie.” Andò in questo modo per tutto il giorno, fino a che diecimila persone ebbero sfilato davanti alle gabbie a sbarre sistemate nei fianchi della nave. Poi, scaduto il limite delle sei ore, il professor Hugo prese di nuovo in mano il microfono. “Ora dobbiamo andare, ma ritorneremo lo stesso giorno il prossimo anno. E se vi è piaciuto il nostro zoo di quest’anno, telefonate ai vostri amici nelle altre città. Domani atterreremo a New York, e la prossima settimana a Londra, Parigi, Roma, Hong Kong e Tokyo. E poi, via verso altri mondi!” Salutò agitando le mani e mentre la nave si sollevava dal terreno, i terrestri furono concordi nell’affermare che questo era stato il migliore di tutti gli zoo che avevano visto…

 

Read the first part of the story and say:

1.Why Professor Hugo’s Interplanetary Zoo visited Earth every year

2. What creatures he brought the previous years

3. What people saw this year

4. How much was the ticket

5. What was the people’s reaction to the creatures

6. Whether people thought the show was worth the price of the ticket

7. Why the man was hurring home

8. What the Earth peoples thought about what they had seen

Some two months and three planets later, the silver ship of Professor Hugo settled at last onto the familiar jagged rocks of Kaan, and the queer horse-spider creatures filed quickly out of their cages. Professor Hugo was there to say a few parting words, and then they scurried away in a hundred different directions, seeking their homes among the rocks. In one, the she-creature was happy to see the return of her mate and offspring. She babbled a greeting in the strange tongue and hurried to embrace them. ``It was a long time you were gone. Was it good?'' And the he-creature nodded. ``The little one enjoyed it especially. We visited eight worlds and saw many things.'' The little one ran up the wall of the cave. ``On the place called Earth it was the best. The creatures there wear garments over skins, and they walk on two legs.'' ``But isn't it dangerous?'' asked the she-creature. ``No,'' her mate answered. ``There are bars to protect us from them. We remain right in the ship. Next time you must come with us. It is well worth the nineteen commocs it costs.'' And the little one nodded. ``It was the very best Zoo ever. . . .'

 

Circa due mesi e tre pianeti dopo, la nave d’argento del professor Hugo atterrò finalmente tra le familiari rocce seghettate di Kaan e gli strani ragni-cavalli filarono velocemente fuori dalle loro gabbie. Il professor Hugo stava lì per pronunciare qualche parola di commiato e poi quelle strane creature schizzarono via in cento direzioni diverse, a cercare le loro case tra le rocce. In una di quelle, la creatura-lei fu felice di vere ritornare il suo compagno e il suo piccolo. Farfugliò un saluto nella loro strana lingua e corse ad abbracciarli. “Siete stati via per tanto tempo. E’ stato bello?” E la creatura-lui annuì. “Il piccolo si è divertito tantissimo. Abbiamo visitato otto mondi e visto tante cose.” Il piccolo corse su per la parete della caverna. “Nel posto chiamato Terra è stato il meglio di tutti. Le creature che vivono lì indossano indumenti sulla pelle, e camminano su due gambe.” “Ma non è pericoloso?” chiese la creatura-lei. “No,” rispose il suo compagno. “Ci sono le sbarre per proteggerci da loro. Noi rimaniamo sempre nella nave. La prossima volta devi venire con noi. Vale tutti i diciannove commocs che costa.” E il piccolo annuì. “E’ stato il miglior zoo che abbia mai visto...”

Little Black Cage - H.C.Westermann

Read the second part of the story and say:

1.Where Professor Hugo's silver ship settled

2. What was the planet like

3. Where the horse-spider creature go

4. What the he-creature said about their trip

5. What was the litle child’s favourite planet and why

6. What was the she-creature’s reaction

7. How the he-creature reassured her

8. Why the she-creature too should take the trip

9. What the little horse-spider thought about what he had seen

● Identify the theme of the story:

■ A Interplanetary voyages

■ B How the perception of reality changes according to different points of view

■ C The trip of the inhabitants of Kaan to the Earth

■ D The exsistence of extraterrestrial creatures very different from human beings

👉Design two different advertising posters about Professor Hugo's Interplanetary Zoo:

■one for the peoples of the Earth

■one for the creatures of Kaan

 

Use emphatic language to attract attention, include information about:

■The show: marvellous, unique, amazing, greatest, fantastic, unforgettable...

■The creatures: wonderous, queer, extravagant, strange, fabulous...

■The ticket: only, very cheap, it's worth...