Horizon : Animals which predicted World Cup results
【明報專訊】Believe it or not, there are quite a number of animals which are said to be able to guess the winners of international football tournaments. The most famous one is Paul the Octopus. It rose to fame after choosing winners accurately at the 2010 World Cup. In recent years, there have been more and more fortune-telling animals and their success rates are quite high.
Japan
- Taiyo the Otter
Taiyo is an eight-year-old Asian small-clawed otter. It made its debut as a predictor at the 2022 World Cup. To make its predictions, it held a tiny football with its claws and dropped it into one of the three buckets. Apart from the two teams playing in the upcoming match, there was also an option for a draw. It drew attention and went viral after successfully predicting Japan's unexpected win over Germany.
The United Arab Emirates
- Toby the Penguin
Toby is a penguin residing at Ski Dubai. According to its caretakers, Toby is the smartest penguin at the tourist attraction. Toby was presented with two footballs representing the two teams that were about to compete against each other. It then made its guess by touching one of them. Toby became a star after being able to predict victories during the recent World Cup, including the most unexpected wins.
Thailand
- Chao Boy the Lion
Chao Boy is a nine-year-old white lion living at a zoo in Thailand. It predicts the future winners by grabbing meat labelled with national flags. During World Cup 2022, the zoo held events to attract tourists by letting them hold the meat for Chao Boy to make predictions.
■Gear up
1. Toby the Penguin is a star at Ski Dubai. (True/False)
2. Which of the following is true about Chao Boy the Lion?
A. It lives in the wild.
B. It was fed by some tourists.
C. Its guesses are always correct.
(Answer on next text)
■Glossary
fame (n) 名聲
debut (n) 首次亮相
draw (n) 平局
attraction (n) 景點
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[Smarties' Power English 第364期]
