Men lost at sea for 29 days say it was a nice break

 Many of us spend hours dreaming of getting away from it all – of getting far from the madding crowd. Two men from the Solomon Islands inadvertently did just that and spent 29 days escaping the rat race. They got lost at sea for over four weeks. Livae Nanjikana and Junior Qoloni set off from Mono Island on September the 3rd in a small motorboat to travel 200km to New Georgia Island. It was a trip they had embarked on several times before. Soon after they set out, they were hit by a storm which played havoc with their navigation system. They lost their ability to detect their location or find their bearings at sea. The storm blew them off course and they ended up off the coast of Papua New Guinea.


The two men were upbeat about their unplanned adventure. Rather than be distressed about their once-precarious plight, they enjoyed the potentially life-threatening escapade at sea. Mr Nanjikana said: "We didn't know where we were but did not expect to be in another country." They survived by eating oranges they had bought for their journey and coconuts they scooped out of the sea. A Papua New Guinean fisherman spotted their boat and authorities rescued them. Nanjikana said: "I look forward to going back home, but I guess it was a nice break from everything." However, due to COVID-19 restrictions, they will not be able to travel from Papua New Guinea to the Solomon Islands for a little while yet.

3. SURVIVAL: Students A strongly believe we should all be taught survival skills; Students B strongly believe the opposite. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. GETTING AWAY: What are the pros and cons of getting away to these places? Complete this table.

 

Pros

Cons

A small island

 

 

A dessert oasis

 

 

A jungle hideaway

 

 

A safari lodge

 

 

A mountaintop cabin

 

 

A city hotel

 

 

6. A NICE BREAK: Rank these with your partner. Put the best things to do for a nice break at the top. 

  • Go to the beach
  • Go to museums
  • Go hiking
  • Stay at home
  • Go cycling
  • Do voluntary work
  • Go fishing
  • Go to a health spa

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1.

getting away

a.

A way of life in which people are caught up in a daily struggle for money and getting ahead.

      2.

inadvertently

b.

Going somewhere for a short holiday.

      3.

rat race

c.

Began a course of action or journey.

      4.

embarked

d.

Great confusion or disorder.

      5.

havoc

e.

Accidentally.

      6.

detect

f.

The position of something, or the direction of movement, relative to a fixed point.

      7.

bearings

g.

Discover or identify the presence or existence of.

    Paragraph 2

      8.

upbeat

h.

Not securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse.

      9.

precarious

i.

Picked up something from the sea.

      10.

plight

j.

Cheerful; optimistic.

      11.

escapade

k.

A dangerous, difficult, or otherwise unfortunate situation.

      12.

scooped

l.

Saved someone from a dangerous or difficult situation.

      13.

rescued

m.

An act involving excitement, daring, or adventure.

      14.

restriction

n.

A limiting condition or measure.

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

  1. Two men spent many hours dreaming of leaving the Solomon Islands.     T / F
  2. The men were lost at sea on their yacht.     T / F
  3. The two men were on their first trip at sea.     T / F
  4. A storm blew the two men's boat off course.     T / F
  5. The two men seemed positive about their unplanned adventure.     T / F
  6. The men ate coconuts they bought for the trip and oranges from the sea.  T / F
  7. An Australian fisherman rescued the two men.     T / F
  8. The two men's return home will be delayed because of COVID-19.     T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

  1. getting away
  2. inadvertently
  3. embarked
  4. havoc
  5. bearings
  6. upbeat
  7. escapade
  8. scooped
  9. spotted
  10. restrictions
  1. chaos
  2. took
  3. curbs
  4. sense of direction
  5. accidentally
  6. saw
  7. undertaken
  8. positive
  9. escaping
  10. adventure

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

  1. Many of us spend hours dreaming
  2. escaping the rat
  3. a trip they had embarked
  4. find their
  5. The storm blew them
  6. The two men were
  7. They survived
  8. coconuts they scooped
  9. authorities
  10. due to COVID-19
  1. on several times before
  2. rescued them
  3. off course
  4. upbeat
  5. out of the sea
  6. bearings at sea
  7. restrictions
  8. of getting away
  9. by eating oranges
  10. race

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.

set
storm
bearings
embarked
coast
crowd
escaping
system

Many of us spend hours dreaming of getting away from it all - of getting far from the madding (1) _____________________. Two men from the Solomon Islands inadvertently did just that and spent 29 days (2) _____________________ the rat race. They got lost at sea for over four weeks. Livae Nanjikana and Junior Qoloni                      (3) _____________________ off from Mono Island on September the 3rd in a small motorboat to travel 200km to New Georgia Island. It was a trip they had (4) _____________________ on several times before. Soon after they set out, they were hit by a                         (5) _____________________ which played havoc with their navigation   (6) _____________________. They lost their ability to detect their location or find their (7) _____________________ at sea. The storm blew them off course and they ended up off the                            (8) _____________________ of Papua New Guinea.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.

potentially
while
scooped
upbeat
restrictions
expect
plight
authorities

The two men were (9) _____________________ about their unplanned adventure. Rather than be distressed about their once-precarious (10) _____________________, they enjoyed the (11) _____________________ life-threatening escapade at sea. Mr Nanjikana said: "We didn't know where we were but did not (12) _____________________ to be in another country." They survived by eating oranges they had bought for their journey and coconuts they (13) _____________________ out of the sea. A Papua New Guinean fisherman spotted their boat and (14) _____________________ rescued them. Nanjikana said: "I look forward to going back home, but I guess it was a nice break from everything." However, due to COVID-19 (15) _____________________, they will not be able to travel from Papua New Guinea to the Solomon Islands for a little (16) _____________________ yet.

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Many of us (1) ____________________ of getting away from it all - of getting far from the madding crowd. Two men from the Solomon Islands inadvertently did just that and spent 29 days (2) ____________________ race. They got lost at sea for over four weeks. Livae Nanjikana and Junior Qoloni set off from Mono Island on September the 3rd in a small motorboat to travel 200km to New Georgia Island. It was a trip they (3) ____________________ several times before. Soon after they set out, they were hit by a storm which (4) ____________________ their navigation system. They lost their ability to detect their location or (5) ____________________ at sea. The storm blew them off course and they ended up (6) ____________________ of Papua New Guinea.

The two men were (7) ____________________ unplanned adventure. Rather than be distressed about their (8) ____________________, they enjoyed the potentially life-threatening escapade at sea. Mr Nanjikana said: "We didn't know where we were but did not (9) ____________________ in another country." They survived by eating oranges they had bought for their journey and coconuts (10) ____________________ of the sea. A Papua New Guinean fisherman spotted their boat and (11) ____________________. Nanjikana said: "I look forward to going back home, but I guess it was a nice break from everything." However, due to COVID-19 restrictions, they will not be able to travel from Papua New Guinea to the Solomon Islands for a (12) ____________________.

Comprehension questions

  1. What does the article say we dream of getting far from?
  2. When did the two men set off on their journey?
  3. How many times had the men made the journey before?
  4. What did a storm do to the men's navigation system?
  5. Where did the two men end up?
  6. How did the men feel about their unplanned adventure?
  7. What did the two men scoop out from the sea?
  8. Who spotted the two men?
  9. Where did one of the men say he looked forward to going?
  10. What is stopping the men from returning home immediately?

Role play

Role  A – The Beach
You think the beach is the best place for a break. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their places. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): 

Role  B – The Mountains
You think the mountains is the best place for a break. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their places. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): 

Role  C – A Health Spa
You think a health spa is the best place for a break. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their places. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why):

Role  D – Staying at Home
You think staying at home is the best place for a break. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their places. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): 

Role E - A Ranch

You think a ranch is the best place for a break. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their places. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): 

Role F- The Casino

You think the casino is the best place for a break. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their places. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): 

Discussion - Lost at Sea

  1. What do you know about the Solomon Islands?
  2. How often do you get away from it all?
  3. Where do you go to get away from it all?
  4. What is the 'all' in 'get away from it all'?
  5. What do you think of the rat race?
  6. Have you ever been really lost?
  7. How would you feel if you were lost at sea?
  8. What advice do you have for the two men?
  1. What do you know about Papua New Guinea?
  2. How often do you think about getting away from it all?
  3. Have you ever had an unplanned adventure?
  4. How would you have dealt with being lost at sea?
  5. When was the last time you had a nice break?
  6. What would you say about the character of the two men?
  7. What questions would you like to ask the two men?

Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)

Many of us spend hours dreaming of getting (1) ____ from it all - of getting far from the madding crowd. Two men from the Solomon Islands inadvertently did just that and spent 29 days escaping the (2) ____ race. They got lost at sea for over four weeks. Livae Nanjikana and Junior Qoloni (3) ____ off from Mono Island on September the 3rd in a small motorboat to travel 200km to New Georgia Island. It was a trip they had (4) ____ on several times before. Soon after they set out, they were hit by a storm which (5) ____ havoc with their navigation system. They lost their ability to detect their location or find their bearings at sea. The storm blew them off (6) ____ and they ended up off the coast of Papua New Guinea.

The two men were upbeat about their unplanned adventure. Rather than be distressed about their once-precarious (7) ____, they enjoyed the potentially life-threatening escapade at sea. Mr Nanjikana said: "We didn't know where we were but did not (8) ____ to be in another country." They survived by eating oranges they had bought for their journey and coconuts they (9) ____ out of the sea. A Papua New Guinean fisherman spotted their boat and (10) ____ rescued them. Nanjikana said: "I look forward to going back home, but I (11) ____ it was a nice break from everything." However, due to COVID-19 restrictions, they will not be able to travel from Papua New Guinea to the Solomon Islands for a little (12) ____ yet.

Which of these words go in the above text?

(a)     up     (b)     over     (c)     away     (d)     down    
(a)     rat     (b)     mouse     (c)     hamster     (d)     guinea pig    
(a)     set     (b)     let     (c)     get     (d)     met    
(a)     embarked     (b)     earmarked     (c)     embankment     (d)     embraced    
(a)     did     (b)     enjoyed     (c)     gamed     (d)     played    
(a)     cause     (b)     coarse     (c)     case     (d)     course    
(a)     plight     (b)     blight     (c)     might     (d)     freight    
(a)     distant     (b)     extant     (c)     except     (d)     expect    
(a)     scooped     (b)     scampered     (c)     skippered     (d)     scuppered    
(a)     authors     (b)     authorities     (c)     authorise     (d)     authority    
(a)     clue     (b)     guess     (c)     hint     (d)     theory    
(a)     while     (b)     awhile     (c)     whilst     (d)     whiling

Spelling

Paragraph 1

  1. far from the dimdnag crowd
  2. itaerndetnvly did just that
  3. a trip they had braeemdk on several times
  4. a storm which played hcvao
  5. They lost their ability to tcdtee their location
  6. they ended up off the oatcs of Papua New Guinea

Paragraph 2

  1. The two men were tpeaub
  2. their once-eupcorrsai plight
  3. the potentially life-threatening sdpecaae
  4. coconuts they sodcepo out of the sea
  5. ttuiseahiro rescued them
  6. due to COVID-19 rtsrecionsti

 

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