3a. Read the following texts, without using a dictionary. Write all the words that refer to the
natural world, and the linking words.
Our knowledge of Natural History would not
be what it is today without the work of women
explorers, artists and scientists. In this leaflet,
you will learn about three British pioneering
women, first to be involved in uncovering some
of the rich history of the natural world.
Mary Anning (1799-1847)
Mary came from a poor family who lived in
Lyme Regis, a coastal town in the South West
of England. Her father tried to make extra
money by selling fossils (remains in rocks) to
rich tourists. Consequently, Mary and her
siblings learned from an early age how to look
for fossils, although she was the only one of
the brothers and sisters who became an expert
because she understood that fossils were of
interest to geology and biology, not just tourism.
However, in her lifetime she did not always get
the credit she deserved, as it was male geologists
who published the descriptions of any finds. Her
important finds include the first skeleton of an
ichthyosaur, or fish-lizard, a plesiosaur, also known
as sea-dragon, and a pterodactyl, a 'flying dragon'.
Collecting fossils on the cliffs was dangerous
work. Mary's dog Tray was killed when rocks
and earth fell down a cliff, and she nearly lost
her life in the same landslide, but in the end it
was cancer that killed her when she was 47.
Dorothea Bate (1878-1951)
Born in the Welsh countryside, she had a
passion for outdoor pursuits and natural history
from an early age. She became the first female
scientist in the Natural History museum in
London. She was a palaeontologist, that is,
a scientist who studies fossils in order to
understand the history of life on earth. She went
to mountains and cliffs in the Mediterranean
and explored hilltops in Bethlehem, discovering
and documenting animal fossils. She wrote
hundreds of reports, reviews and papers.
Evelyn Cheesman (1881-1969)
Although Evelyn wanted to become a veterinary
surgeon, this was not possible for women in
the early 20th century. Instead, she trained as
a canine nurse. Her first job, however, was not
related to dogs: she worked in the insect house
at the London Zoological society. She was very
adventurous and went on many expeditions to
remote locations, as far away as the Galapagos
Islands. Despite being very busy, she managed
to publish 16 books.
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3b. Difficult words are often explained in texts. Find the explanations of the following words in the texts. The first one has been done for you.
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