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A. Previewing
Before watching a video about meerkats, familiarize yourself with the following entries:
  1. the Whiskers – a group of meerkats
  2. camera crew – a group of people hired by a production company for the purpose of producing a (documentary) film .
  3. habituated – get used to something; to accustom to something
  4. landscape – a large area of countryside, especially in relation to its appearance
  5. shade – slight darkness caused by something blocking the direct light from the sun
  6. buttocks –a person's bottom
  7. vantage point – a place, especially a high place, which provides a good, clear view of an area
  8. predators – an animal that hunts, kills, and eats other animals
B. Comprehension
Watch the video and answer the following questions:

Click here to watch the video

Video ©BBC.co.uk
  1. Which of the following animals have sat on the man’s head before?
    elephants bears
    gorillas none of them
  2. The man supposes that having a meerkat sitting on his head is a good thing.
    True False not given
  3. This group of meerkats have been studied for over…
    10 years. a decade.
    20 years. half a decade.
  4. “Having had lots of contact with scientists studying their lives over the years, they simply see our crew as part of the landscape.”
    What does the word ‘contact’ mean in this context?
    communication interaction physical touching
  5. Where does Swift take shade in?
    the landscape
    under the director’s buttock
    the shadow of the director's buttocks
  6. The meerkats are naturally…
    curious serious hideous
  7. “Will you keep still up there, please?!”
    What does ‘still’ mean in this context?
    staying not moving being stiff
C. Vocabulary in context/ synonyms
  1. Swift's family, the Whiskers, have allowed our camera crew to get close enough to capture every intimate moment.
    devoted loving private
  2. Crucially, our filming doesn’t interfere with their natural behaviour.
    urgently critically importantly
  3. Crucially, our filming doesn’t interfere with their natural behaviour.
    frustrate jam interrupt
  4. Swift is taking shade in the shadow of our director's buttocks. There is some substantial shade there.
    firm considerable massive
  5. The meerkats are naturally curious, if they weren't, they would never find the prey that might be buried in the sand
    concealed plant deposit
D. Using vocabulary
Complete the following sentences using the words in the box. Use the correct grammatical form of the words.
  • crew
  • intimate
  • crucially
  • interfere
  • habituate
  • bury
  • still
  • substantial
  • landscape
  1. He was one of nine members of the crew killed when the plane went down.
  2. She publicly discussed her intimate relationship with the then-president on TV.
  3. More people are habituated to cigarettes than to drugs or alcohol in this country.
  4. Is his father buried in this cemetery on this hill?
  5. It's their problem and I'm not going to interfere. I think people should mind their own business but not others’.
  6. The band wants to win over fans and, more crucially, radio programmers.
  7. The landscape is dotted with the tents of campers and hikers.
  8. She inherited a substantial fortune from her grandmother.
  9. The police commanded the thief to stand still and drop the gun.

BBC One - Planet Earth Live - Magic Meerkat Moments

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drzq1x0mqjo

Swift's family, the Whiskers, have allowed our camera crew to get close enough to capture every intimate moment.

I've been lucky enough to film with elephants, gorillas, bears; and none of them have ever sat on my head... I guess that's a good thing.

Crucially, our filming doesn’t interfere with their natural behaviour.

The meerkats here have been studied for over two decades, which means that they are completely habituated to humans.

Having had lots of contact with scientists studying their lives over the years, they simply see our crew as part of the landscape.

Swift is taking shade in the shadow of our director's buttocks. There is some substantial shade there.

The meerkats are naturally curious, if they weren't, they would never find the prey that might be buried in the sand. And while they give us great stories, a tall cameraman makes a perfect vantage point to scan for predators.

Will you keep still up there, please?!

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