(Final Revision on " The Spiders )
1. Where were the four men going ? Why ?
They were going to the archaeological site to rob treasures and gold .
2. How old were the things found in the underground rooms? They were 3000 years old .
3. What equipment did the robbers use? Why ?
They used Ground Penetrating Radar to show them what's behind walls .
4. Why did the small man shout" Let's get out of here!" ? Because spiders were biting them all.
5. Why wasn't the oldest man worried about the bites of the spiders ?
Because he believed there were no deadly spiders in modern Egypt.
6. What happened to the robbers ?
They were bitten by deadly black and yellow spiders and died in the desert after stealing the treasures.
7. Who found the robbers ? How ?
A helicopter pilot saw the land cruisers and the tall man's body on the sand. He was on his way to fix a transmitter that had a technical problem .
8. What did the pilot think as he saw the dead men ? What did he do ?
He thought they were lost and died of thirst. He radioed the police .
9. Where do spiders like to live ? Spiders like to live in a dark, cool and quiet place .
10. What did Ayman use the Internet for ?
Ayman used the Internet for his university studies and for making friends in other countries.
11. Why was Ayman surprised when he saw the spider ?
Because it was as big as a small apple and it was very fast.
12. According to the story, how did the town disappear ?
(OR) What was the translation of the old Egyptian text about ?
It was about a town in ancient Egypt. Its people burnt it down hoping to get rid of deadly spiders that killed a lot of them.
13. Who translated that text? What was she?
Dr Shereen Fakhry who worked at the Department of Egyptology , Oxford University .
14. Why did the town disappear according to Dr Fakhry ?
The climate became drier and the town disappeared under desert sand .
15. Why was the spider looking for a quiet and dark home ?
Because it was a female spider and was ready to lay its eggs .
16. What did the spider do after laying its eggs ?It enclosed them in four silk sacs and began its long wait.
17. What did the Egyptian archaeologist e-mail to Dr Fakhry ?
He e-mailed her an old picture of a spider that was found in a tomb near Bawiti.
18. Why did she feel a cold shiver down the back of her neck ?
Because the spider in the picture was like the one Ayman had described .
19. What did a German Egyptologist tell Dr Fakhry in his e-mail?
He translated a 2000 year old text about an ancient Egyptian medicine for the bite of the black and yellow spider that killed .
20. What made Dr Fakhry believe those spiders were real ?
Because they were mentioned in a medical text.
21. How was that medicine made ?It was made from the roots of the Echinacea Negra plant found in Sinai.
22. Why did Dr Shereen want Ayman to tell the police?
Because she believed that the spider was dangerous and deadly .
23. Why didn't Ayman tell the police ? Because he believed that everyone would laugh at him .
24. Who was Professor Jones ?
He was the head of the Zoology Department, Oxford University. He was a famous arachnologist who wrote many books on arachnids .
25. Why was he angry when they saw him ? Because his trip to South America was cancelled .
26. Why did he decide to go to Egypt ? To discover an unknown species of the black and yellow spider.
27. Why did Uncle Walid refuse to let Ayman tell the police ?
Because stories about dangerous spiders would frighten people and businesses would lose money.
28. What did Ayman wish he had not done ? He wished he had not told anyone about the spider.
29. How did Professor Jones feel when he arrived? Why?
He felt greatly excited about discovering a new species of spider.
30. Why did Colonel Mikhail invite Prof. Jones and Ayman to his office ?
Because he wanted to get information about the spider.
31. What did the Colonel ask the professor to do ? He asked him to find one of the spiders and identify it.
32. Why did he hope it was a known species ? Because there would be an antivenom for it.
33. Who went with Ayman and Professor Jones to the site ? Captain Ahmad and twenty other officers .
34. Why did they wear protective clothes before entering the tombs?
To protect themselves against the deadly spiders and from insecticides .
35. What did they use to face the spiders ? They used insecticide sprays, a smoker and a bag of equipment.
36. Why was a female spider much more dangerous than a male ?
Because its bite is much stronger and it can produce thousands of spiders .
37. What had to be done to stop the deadly spiders from spreading through Africa Asia and Europe ?
The female spider that Ayman saw had to be found before its eggs developed .
38. Why didn't Professor Jones want to destroy the deadly spiders ? Because they were a great discovery .
39. How do scientists make antivenom ?
They put small quantities of venom in horses or sheep which make antibodies then scientists extract the antibodeis to make a safe antivenom for people.
40. Why won't an antivenom for one spider work against the venom of another spider ?
Because every venomous animal has a different venom .
41. What did the big spider do as soon as it fell on the sheet ?
It jumped onto a young officer and tried to break through his face mask .
42. How did they know the spider didn't bite the young officer's face ?
Because there was no blood marks on his face .
43. What was Prof. Jones's opinion of what happened to the officer ?
He believed he just breathed in some insecticides .
44. Why would it be difficult to destroy all the spiders in the site ?
Because they didn't know where all the underground rooms and passages were or how big the area was .
45. How did Professor Jones make sure it was an unknown species ?
He had not found one like it on the database as he searched it before coming to Egypt.
46. Why wasn't there an antivenom for the black and yellow spider ? Because it was an unknown species .
47. What did Colonel Mikhail decide to do after discovering it was an unknown species?
He arranged for Wafaa Sultan (the botanist researcher) to go to Sinai to get the Echinacea Negra plants.
48. What was the root of Echinacea Negra used for ?
To cure the bites of the black and yellow spiders that killed .
49. Where did the 2000 eggs hatch? They hatched in a dark room in the house next to Ayman's .
50. What did the female spider use its fangs against ? Why ?
It used its fangs to cut off one of its eight legs on which the insecticide tank landed to be able to escape.
51. What did the female spider do then ?
It jumped with its seven legs on Ayman's face. He lost his balance and fell to the ground.
52. What happened to Ayman?
His suit was torn and small spiders ran over his body and bit him many times. An ambulance took him to hospital.
53. What were Captain Ahmad's men looking for ? Why ?
They were looking for the dead body of the female spider to make sure it was dead .
54. Who went with Wafaa in search for the plants ?
Captain Osama, Farouk and four other officers in three vehicles .
55. Why couldn't the helicopter get to the cars to bring the plants ?
Because there was a bad storm in the area.
56. What did Wafaa say about the plant they got from Sinai ?
She said it was stronger than other species of Echinacea and it might work for the bite of males and young spiders. It may save Ayman .
57. What problem did they face on their way back with the plants ?
The road down the mountain was narrow and steep. It became like a river and the three wadis were filling up with water because of the heavy rain.
58. What happened to the second and third cars ?
The second car was carried by water and got stuck between two big rocks. The engine of the third car stopped and a palm tree smashed into it and caused it to sink.
59. What did Captain Osama use the towrope for? Why?
To pull the third car to the land as it contained the plants needed to save Ayman's life.
60. Why did Wafaa leave the men on the rocky island and drove alone back ?
Because the water around them was deep and fast. There were sharp rocks which would cut them to pieces if they tried to swim. She had to go back with the plants to save Ayman's life.
61. Why was Ayman in intensive care? How was he kept alive ?
Because his breathing stopped. He was kept alive on a ventilator and was given a medicine made from the roots of the echinacea Negra plants .
62. What did Professor Jones offer Ayman ? What did he give him ?
Jones offered to help Ayman study at Oxford University. He gave him a good camera
63. Where did Ayman see the seven-legged female spider ?
He saw it on the wall near Lamia's head at the roof terrace of the hospital.
64. Why didn't Ayman tell his sister Lamia that the spider was behind her ?
Because if he had told her, she would have moved and the spider would have bitten her.
65. What did Ayman do to save his sister?
He told her to keep very still as he pressed the button and the flashlight blinded the spider for a second while Ayman knocked it into the box and quickly shut it.
66. Why did Ayman fall to the ground ?
The shock and the horror were too much for him when he saw the two bright red marks of the spider's fangs on his hand .
67. Why didn't Ayman die by the female spider's bite ?
Because he had so much antivenom in his body from the first time that the bite had little effect on him .
68. Why was everyone surprised that Ayman didn't die from the female spider's bite ?
(OR) Why did Dr Salah expect Ayman to die ?
Because the female spider's bite was very strong and there was no medicine or antivenom for it.
69. Why did Ayman feel like a person with a new future ?
Because Prof. Jones said he could study at Oxford University and he wouldn't worry about finding a job as all the best employers would want a man like him .
70. What did the minister say to the reporter about Ayman ?
He said that without Ayman's intelligence and bravery thousands of people might have died.
Characters of " The Spiders " شخصيات القصة
1- Ayman Hassan
1- Who was Ayman ? What was his favourite hobby ?
He was a university student . He was the eldest son of Hassan's family . His favourite hobby was the internet that he used for his university studies and for making friends in different countries .
2- How was Ayman observant ?
He was able to give an accurate description of the deadly spider, which he saw for a short time
3- How was Ayman inquisitive ?
After seeing the spider he began to collect information about it first through his zoology friend and then through the World Wide Web .
4- How was Ayman sociable ?
He had friends in the university and in other countries through the internet
5- How was Ayman brave ( courageous ) ?
He was more interested than afraid of the big spider that he saw in his garden . He went with the police to the archaeological site and then to the empty house to fight the deadly spiders . He knocked the female spider into the aluminum box to save his sister.
6- How was Ayman helpful ?
He moved to help the young officer when the big spider attacked him and he covered his mask at the site . He helped Captain Ahmed to carry the injured officer outside the tomb to get some fresh air . He ran to help the officer when the young spiders covered his facemask inside the empty house .
7- How was Ayman intelligent ?
When he saw the 7-legged female spider on the wall a few centimeters from Lamia's head, he didn't tell his sister about it and asked his sister not to move so that he could take a photograph, as he knew if she moved the spider would attack and kill her . He used the camera's flashlight to blind the spider for a second to catch it.
8- How did Ayman show a sense of duty ?
He was ready not to tell the police about the deadly spider when Uncle Walid told him this story would cause business to lose money . He also risked his life by helping the police twice to fight the spiders .
9- What was the task given to Ayman by Colonel Mikhail ?
The colonel asked him to go with the officers to the archaeological site and tell them if the spiders there were the same as the one he had seen .
10- How did the computer prove to be useful to Ayman?
Using the computer and the internet, Ayman was able to get important
information about-the spider he saw and communicate with Dr Shereen who
helped a lot in the fight against the spider.
11- How did science and nature help to save Ayman's life ?
The Echinacea Negra plant was found in nature and scientists used it to make a medicine that cured Ayman from the bites of the young black and yellow spiders that kill.
2- Dr Shereen Fakhry
1- What was Dr Shereen's job ?
She worked at the Department of Egyptology, Oxford University .
2- What's the part played by Dr Shereen in fighting the spiders ?
• She translated an old Egyptian text about a town that was burnt down to get rid of deadly spiders that killed hundreds of people .
• She did her best to identify the spider that Ayman described in his e-mail through her friend Susan Bennett and then through Professor Jones .
• She had an e-mail from a German Egyptologist about the Echinacea Negra plant used by ancient Egyptians to cure the bite of black and yellow spiders that killed . She forwarded the e-mail to Ayman .
• She told Ayman about the botanist Wafaa Sultan who would help them find the plant in Sinai.
• Her sense of duty made her advise Ayman to tell the police and to be careful if he saw the spider again because it was dangerous . She got new information about the plant to help them .
3- Prof. Jones
1- What was Prof. Jones ' job ?
He was the Head of the Zoology Department at Oxford University .
2- How was he famous ?
He was one of the world's top archaeologists . He wrote many books or arachnids . He discovered a lot of unknown species every year.
3- How far was he interested in his work ?
• He had been working on arachnids for 25 years and was still interested in finding ne\i species in South America and South Africa.
• He was so angry when his trip to South America was cancelled .
• He decided to go to Hamdayya to discover the new species described by Ayman .
4- How was Prof. Jones helpful ?
He was ready to help identify the spider and used his equipment to catch some spiders to be taken to the lab for scientists to develop an antivenom .
5- What was the task given to Prof. Jones By Colonel Mikhail ?
Colonel Mikhail asked him to find the spiders and identify them .
6- How was Prof. Jones modest ?
Although he was a great scientist he treated other people modestly . He apologized to Dr Shereen and Susan and thought he was not polite .
7- How was Prof. Jones generous ?
He gave Ayman a good camera as a' present because Ayman gave him the chance to discover a new species of spider. Walid
4- Uncle Walid
1- What was Uncle Walid's Job ?
He was a food- processing businessman .
He knew a' lot about business and was very successful.
2- How was Uncle Walid generous ?
He has always been good to Ayman and gave him his old computer.
3- How was Uncle Walid practical?
He advised Ayman not to tell the police about the spider as he wasn't 100 % sure it was dangerous .
4- What did Uncle Walid think of stories about dangerous spiders ?
He thought such stories would frighten people unnecessarily and cause businesses to lose money.5.
5- Wafaa Sultan
1- What was Wafaa's job ?
She was a researcher at the Department of Botanical Science at Cairo University .
2- What study did she make ?
She made a study on a plant called Echinacea Negra that was almost extinct and grew only in Sinai.
3- What was the part played by Wafaa in the story ?(Or) What was the task given to her ?
She was sent to Sinai to get the Echinacea Negra plant so that scientists could produce medicine from its roots to save Ayman's life .
4- How was Wafaa brave ( courageous ) ?
After crossing the three flooded wadis in Sinai she was completely alone . She bravely climbed on the third car and got the plants . She fought her fear and drove the first car through the storm as quickly as possible to get the plants in time to save Ayman's life despite the fearful noise of the rain, thunder and lightning .
6. Farouk
1- What was Farouk's Job ?
He was a botanist who helped Wafaa Sultan to collect the Echinacea Negra plant from Sinai.
2- How was he helpful ?
He went into the flooded third wadi to help Captain Osama to pull the rope to the 3 rd car and attach it to save the plants .
7. Colonel Mikhail
1- What was Colonel Mikhail's job ?
He was the police chief at the police station in Hamdayya .
2- What was his main interest ?
His main interest was the safety of the people in his town .
3- What was his role in the fight against the spiders ?
• He sent policemen with protective clothing from the Fire Department and insecticide sprays to fight the deadly spiders at the archaeological site .
• He asked Prof . Jones to get a spider, identify its species and send it to the antivenom lab . He gave orders to set a barrier around Hamdayya to prevent the escape of the female spider.
• He ordered stronger protective suits to fight the spiders inside the empty house next to Ayman's .
• He arranged for the Echinacea Negra plant to be brought from Sinai to save Ayman's life .
4- How was he intelligent ?
His eyes were quick and intelligent . He could understand the usefulness of people .
8. Captain Ahmed El-Sherif
1- What was the task given to Captain Ahmed by the Colonel ?
He was appointed leader of the police force fighting the spiders at the . archaeological site and inside the empty house next to Ayman's .
2- How was Captain Ahmed keen on his job ?
He wanted the Prof. to tell him everything about spiders before they go and fight them because he believed that if you want to fight an enemy you should understand it.
How was Captain Ahmed brave ?
• He ran to help the officer who was attacked by the female spider in the
• underground passage and carried him outside to get some fresh air.
• He ran forward to help the young officer who was almost blinded by young
-spiders that covered his facemask inside the empty house .
• 'When the big spider jumped onto the face of one of his men in the empty house he lifted up his hand and knocked it to the ground .
• When Ayman fell to the ground, he pulled him up and pushed him towards the stairs at the end of the passage .
3- How was Captain Ahmed flexible ?
Although his job was to prevent any more death, he was convinced not to destroy the spiders when the professor told him they were a great scientific discovery and the plan will not succeed but he would-damage the archaeological site
How was Captain Ahmed dutiful ?
He didn't take the decision of giving up the idea of destroying the spiders by himself but he called the colonel because this matter was to be decided at a higher level than his .
9- Captain Osama.
1- What was the task given to Captain Osama ?
His task was to accompany Wafaa Sultan and Farouk to the mountains in Sinai to get the Echinacea Negra plant.
2- How was Captain Osama brave ?
• He was ready to swim in the dangerous water to help the two officers who were in the jeep in the middle of the flooded third wadi.
• He went into the flooded third wadi with Farouk to attach the rope to the third car to pull it to the land .
3- How did Captain Osama show his sense of duty?
• He drove dangerously fast through the heavy rain to reach the wadis before they flooded to be able to cross them and take the plant to the hospital to save Ayman's life .
• He asked Wafaa to leave him with the others trapped on the rocky island to take the plants in time to Ayman .
4- How was Captain Osama careful ?
• He drove slowly down the mountain as the track was narrow, had no surface and was very steep .
• He examined the fast-flowing water of the wadis before driving across them
• He put the car into low gear and drove slowly into the water.
• He asked Wafaa to press the horn if she saw a tree coming towards them in the water.
• He asked the men in the third car to stay in the car to keep it heavy .
10. The Female Spider
1- How did the female spider reach Hamdayya ?
came in the car with the boxes the robbers took from the tomb after the police had found them dead in the desert.
2- Where did it find a suitable place for its nest ? Why ?
In the empty house next to Ayman's because it was dark, quiet and safe for it and for its new family .
3- Why was the female spider more dangerous than the male ?
Its bite was stronger, it lived longer and it produced thousands of young spiders at a time . The medicine from the Echinacea Negra roots can't cure its bite and there was no antivenom either.
4- What happened to the female spider and its family ?
All the young spiders in the empty house died by the heavy spraying of insecticides . The female spider lost one of its eight legs but was able to survive and escape in one of the two ambulances waiting outside the empty house .
5- How did the female spider lose one leg ?
When the officer landed the tank on one of its eight legs the female spider used its fangs against itself to cut the leg off to escape .
6- What did the female spider do after freeing itself ?
After freeing itself from the tank it jumped on Ayman's face and then disappeared in the dark .
7- Where did the female spider reappear ? How did it meet its end ?
It reappeared in the hospital terrace near Lamia's shoulder. Ayman was able to knock it into the aluminum box and shut it quickly after blinding it for a second by the flashlight.
الموقع
موضوع: (Final Revision on " The Spiders ) 
الإثنين يناير 11, 2010 8:26 pm
