A great way to improve your English listening is through podcasts. Check out this short podcast about spiders, answer the worksheet questions, and then have a discussion with your friend or tutor using the discussion questions.

Vocabulary you can preview

Listen to the audio from Strange Animals Podcast

You can listen to the audio and you can find the transcript here.

Comprehension Questions

1. Where does the event in the podcast take place?
2. What was the problem?
3. Who was called in to help?
4. Why were the spiders attracted to this area?
5. Why was the problem so unusual?
6. How many spiders were found in the area?
7. In the end what was the solution?
8. What were some of the positive aspects of this initial “problem,” according to the scientists?

Discussion Questions

1. How do you feel about spiders? Why?
2. Do you think you could work in a place with so many spiders? Why or why not?
3. How do you feel about the scientists’ solution to the workers problems?
4. Do you think the workers at the water treatment plant have a difficult job? Why or why not?
5. Are there any pests which you actually like? Why or why not?
6. What are the worst type of pests? Why?
7. Have you ever experienced a pest problem at your home or workplace? If yes, what did you do about it?

Answers to the Comprehension Questions

1. It takes place in Baltimore, Maryland at a waterwaste treatment plant.
2. The problem was that there were too many spiders in the plant.
3. Arachnologists, entomologists and pest control experts were called in to help.
4. The spiders were attracted to the plant because it was open to the environment, covered from the rain, attracted other small bugs (which were attracted to the water), and protected from predators due to the presence of humans.
5. The problem was so unusual because orbweaver spiders are typically solitary and choose to live alone, but these spiders were happily living alongside each other.
6. There were at least 107 million spiders.
7. In the end the scientists suggested leaving the spiders and to simply have the workers occasionally clean out the spider webs.
8. The scientists said that it was good to have so many spiders around because they were excellent pest control.