Remembering the past
Read the text and answer the questions.
San people, a famous tribe from Africa, live in the Kalahari Desert. They are also called the Bushmen of Kalahari or Basarwa. They have been living there for 30,000 years. That makes the San people one of the most ancient races!
About a thousand years ago, another African tribe moved south of Kalahari Desert area. They were surprised to find the San people already living there. The San people did not greet the newcomers with poisoned arrows. Instead, they welcomed them. They taught them how to be successful hunter-gatherers. Other tribes wandered into the area. They all lived together for a long time.
The San people live the same way today as they did thousands of years ago. They are still hunter-gatherers. They camp in one place, and then move on to find food. They know where and when wild plants are ready for harvest. Sometimes they make homes in caves. Sometimes they build huts made of branches and grass. But always, their homes are simple and part of the land.
One of the problems in Africa is droughts. The San try to find water in unusual places. They collect water in plants or in the stomachs of the animals they kill. They store the water they collect in eggshells, so they always have water to drink.
The San people are good storytellers. They tell stories about magical heroes and clever animals. The San people have their own language which includes clicking sounds. Even if you don’t understand the language, you can still enjoy the stories because the San are great with the mimics and jests of people and animals.
The San people make their own medicines. They mix berries to make poisons and remedies. They know how to protect themselves from snake bites. They even have a secret substance they put in their campfires to discourage dangerous animals from visiting their camps. Scientists are working with the San people to learn about all these before this knowledge is lost forever.
Task 1. Answer the questions with information taken from the text.
1. Why do the San people move from one place to another? ________________________________________________
2. Where do the San people keep the water they collect? ________________________________________________
Task 2. Decide if the following sentences are True or False.
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True
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False
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1. Basarwa is the name of the place where the San people live.
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2 The San people are one of the oldest tribes.
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3. The San people fought with the new tribes who arrived their area.
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4. You don’t need to speak the San people’s language to enjoy their stories.
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5. Dangerous animals stay away from the San people’s camp because of the poisonous food.
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Task 3. Complete the gaps with the words in the box.
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hunt
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nomadic
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running water
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ancestors
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built
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1. The San people are _________. They move from one place to another.
2. The San people live the same way as their ___________did years ago.
3. The San people didn’t have _________________.
4. The San people had to _______________ for their food.
5. The San people ____________ new homes each time they move.
ANSWER KEY
Task 1.
1. to find food
2. in eggshells
Task 2.
1. F 2. T 3. F 4. T 5. F
Task 3.
1. nomadic 2. ancestors 3. running water 4. hunt 5. built