고1 능률 양현권 6과 본문 When Myths Meet Science

고등학교 영어 교과서 능률 양현권

Lesson 6 When Myths Meet Science

 

Have you ever wondered why this plant or that animal behaves in an unusual way? 

 

Nature is full of wonders and mysterious things. 

 

Let’s look at some old myths and modern scientific accounts for two wonders of nature.

 

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The Baobab Tree

If you go to South Africa or Madagascar, you can see huge and strange-looking trees called baobabs. 

 

Known as ‘upside-down trees,’ their branches look like their roots are spreading towards the sky. 

 

Why do you think the baobab has this unique shape?

 

The Danger of Jealousy (An African Myth)

When the gods created the world, the baobab was among the first trees to appear on the land. 

 

Next came the graceful palm tree. When the baobab saw the palm tree, it said to the gods, “Can I grow taller?” 

 

Then the beautiful flame tree appeared with its red flowers and the baobab complained, “Why can’t I have beautiful blossoms like the flame tree?”

 

When the baobab saw the magnificent fig tree and its fruit, it became jealous. 

 

So the baobab asked the gods if it could have sweet fruit as well. 

 

When the gods heard these complaints, they became very angry with the tree and pulled it up by its roots. 

 

Then they replanted it upside down to keep it quiet. 

 

After that, the magnificent tree only grew leaves once a year. 

 

The rest of the year, the roots seemed to grow towards the sky.

 

 

 

A Life Source of Africa (A Scientific Explanation)

Why do you think the baobab has such an enormous trunk and root-like branches? 

 

It is because of the weather where it grows. 

 

After the rainy season, about nine months of dry weather follow. 

 

Such dry weather is hard for plants to survive in. 

 

Yet scientists have discovered that baobabs can grow to enormous sizes, reaching heights of 5 to 30 meters, and have trunk diameters of 7 to 11 meters. 

 

How can this big tree survive in the dry season?

 

The baobab has deep roots to find water in the ground, and it stores the water in its trunk for the long dry season. 

 

This large tree can actually store as much as 120,000 liters of water, and the small branches help reduce water loss. 

 

The baobab tree is a valuable water source for Africans in the dry season.

 

The baobab’s bark, leaves, fruit, and trunk are all useful, too. 

 

The bark of the baobab is used for cloth and rope, the leaves for seasoning and medicines, while the fruit, called ‘monkey bread,’ is eaten. 

 

Sometimes people live inside the huge trunks. What an amazing life source for the African people!

 

 

The Hummingbird

Have you ever seen a tiny bird feeding at a flower? 

 

That’s a hummingbird. How can this bird hover in the air like a bee? 

 

How come it has such beautiful feathers, and why do its feet look so weak?

 

Even the Smallest Creature Has Unique Gifts (A Mayan Myth)

In the beginning, the great god had a few small leftover pieces after making all of the other birds. 

 

He did not want to waste any pieces, so he used the leftovers to create a hummingbird.

 

The great god said, “I want to make sure the hummingbird can fly well since it is so small. 

 

So I will give it the ability to fly forward, backward, and even to stay in just one place.” 

 

He liked this little bird so much that he made a mate for it and invited all of the other animals to their wedding. 

 

Everything about the wedding was beautiful, except for the hummingbirds, who only had plain gray feathers.

 

The other birds felt sorry for them and said to each other, “Let’s offer some of our beautiful feathers to decorate the couple for their wedding.” 

 

So the hummingbirds received many beautiful feathers. 

 

The sun also promised that their feathers would shine beautifully as long as the hummingbird looked toward the sun.

 

 

Amazing Abilities of the Hummingbird (A Scientific Explanation)

Hummingbirds are the smallest bird in the world. 

 

These birds are easily recognized due to their special hovering movement and colorful feathers. 

 

They flap their wings so fast that they make a humming noise, which is why they are called hummingbirds.

 

Scientists have found that hummingbirds have unique, fast wing strokes, which allow them to fly forward, backward, sideways, and even to stop in midair. 

 

Although they are small, they can fly up to 54 kilometers per hour. 

 

They are also talented at staying in one place like a bee. 

 

How is this possible?

 

They can flap their wings in a figure-8 pattern, which enables them to hover. 

 

As they hover, they use their long tongues to take sweet liquid from flowers. 

 

Their one weakness is their feet. 

 

Because they fly so much, they have poorly developed feet, which cannot be used to walk.

 

Which view of nature do you like better? 

 

As the two examples show, we can gain insight through both myths and scientific explanations. 

 

Although myths may not be factually correct, they demonstrate the creativity of ancient people and teach us valuable life lessons. 

 

Scientific explanations may be less imaginative, but they teach us how to understand nature around us. 

 

Next time you encounter a wonder of nature, how will you respond to it? 

 

With imagination? Or with scientific eyes? Or with both?

 

 

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