More Than 100 Poisonous Spiders Discovered

AMAGASAKI, Hyogo--Authorities on Thursday exterminated more than 100 poisonous redback spiders spotted near the Inagawa river the day before, police said. According to the police, a local man spotted a swarm of spiders at about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture and reported it to police. Police officers rushed to the scene and found more than 100 spiders inside a drainage pipe in a river wall about five meters high located along a walkway. Officials of a local health center later confirmed the spiders to be redbacks, a species legally designated as invasive and foreign. They were exterminated by health center officials Thursday morning. The Yomiuri Shimbun (Sep. 7, 2012)

Source: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120906004839.htm

VOCABULARY

1.      Exterminated - to kill large numbers of people or animals of a particular type so that they no longer exist

2.      Spotted - to notice someone or something, especially when they are difficult to see or recognize

3.      Swarm - a large group of insects, especially bees, moving together

4.      Species - a group of animals or plants whose members are similar and can breed together to produce young animals or plants

5.      Invasive - spreads quickly and is difficult to stop

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1.      Tell the story in your own words.

2.      Why were the spiders exterminated?

3.      What can you say about spiders?

4.      Name other insects which you think are dangerous. Explain.