Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

The dark legend of Mothman

While researching strange phenomena on the Internet, you found the following article. Read
the article and answer the questions. Write your answers in the spaces provided. For
multiple choice questions, choose the best answer and blacken the circle next to the
corresponding letter.
m
o
The dark legend of Mothman F.c

By Eric Wong
3R
12

1 The most well-known mythical

creature that may (or may not) exist in
5 the United States is Bigfoot — but it isn’t
the only one. In Point Pleasant, West
Virginia, another ‘monster’ has been
scaring locals since 1966. Its name is
Mothman, a man-sized creature with the
10 wings of a moth, the fangs of a snake,
the claws of a cheetah and the eyes of an
owl.

2 ‘Witnesses say Mothman’s eyes glow

in the dark like an owl’s,’ explains Phil
15 Rogers, a reporter at the Point Pleasant
Times. How big are they? ‘Huge! When an
owl looks at something in the dark, its
eyes take in enough light to allow it to
see. Mothman’s eyes can do the same
20 thing.’

3 The first sighting of Mothman took place on 12th November 1966. Five
cemetery workers near Clendenin, West Virginia, saw a man-sized creature fly
from some nearby trees and pass over their heads. Three days later, two
married couples from Point Pleasant saw a creature with glowing eyes chasing
25 after their car. They couldn’t believe their eyes. They reported the creature to
the police and were told that many other people had seen similar things over the
past few days.

4 Reports of Mothman sightings continued for a year. Then, on 15th

December 1967, the mystery became even darker. The Silver Bridge suddenly
30 fell into the Ohio River, resulting in the deaths of forty-six people. Experts said
that the accident was a result of faulty design and poor maintenance, but many
people chose to blame Mothman. Author John Keel supported the theory in his
1975 book, The Mothman Prophesies. The book was made into a successful film
of the same name in 2002.

Please turn over.

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 1

 Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

35 5 Experts can’t agree on how to explain Mothman, but this doesn’t stop them
from trying. How many different theories are there? Too many to count! Some
believe that Mothman is an alien, visiting Earth to study human beings. They
point out that the number of UFO sightings rises along with Mothman reports.
Others are certain that Mothman is a ‘cryptid’ — a creature that lives on the
40 earth but has yet to be discovered by science. Still others think that the creature
is simply a product of people’s imagination. They say that if people want to
believe something badly enough, they usually do.

6 Mothman is weird — and scary — but it is also good for business. In 2002,
Point Pleasant started holding a festival to honour the creature. The Mothman
45 Festival takes place on the third weekend of every September. Tourists come
from all around the world to take part in a wide variety of events.

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 2

Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

1 What is Mothman?

2 What does ‘one’ (line 6) refer to?

3 In line 7, ‘monster’ is in inverted commas to _____.

 A help readers to understand the meaning of the word
 B indicate that someone said the word to the writer
 C show that the word is very difficult to spell
 D suggest that the description may or may not be accurate

4 How big is Mothman?

5 In line 13, ‘glow’ could be replaced by _____.

 A burn
 B look
 C see
 D shine

6 According to paragraph 2, Mothman has ______.

 A poor night vision
 B the ability to see in the dark
 C very small eyes
 D wings like an owl’s

7 Who first saw Mothman?

8 Use ONE word to complete each blank.

The second sighting of Mothman was reported by people
travelling by .

9 What is ‘the theory’ (line 32)?

10 What is the title of the film based on John Keel’s book?

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 3

Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

11 What is the main idea of paragraph 5?

 A More UFOs are seen during times of increased Mothman sightings.
 B People tend to believe in things that they want to believe in.
 C Some experts believe that Mothman came from another planet.
 D There are many different theories to explain the existence of Mothman.

12 According to paragraph 6, the Mothman Festival _____.

 A attracts only locals
 B is an annual event
 C lasts for an entire week
 D takes place in the summer

13 Put the events below in the correct order. Write (1–5) in the boxes provided.
a) Two couples were chased by Mothman.
b) The Mothman Festival was founded.
c) Mothman was seen for the first time.
d) The Silver Bridge collapsed.
e) John Keel wrote The Mothman Prophesies.

14 Do you think Mothman is real? Why or why not?

15 Which of the following is the best alternative title for the article?
 A Mothman and the Silver Bridge
 B Mothman’s glowing owl eyes
 C Point Pleasant’s monster moth
 D The first sighting of Mothman

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 4

Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

Glossary

Word / Phrase Pronunciation Meaning*

exist v (line 4) /ɪɡˈzɪst/ to be real or alive

witnesses n (line 13) /ˈwɪtnəsɪz/ people who see a crime or accident; ‘witnesses’ is
the plural form of ‘witness’
glow v (line 13) /ɡləʊ/ to produce or reflect a soft steady light

sighting n (line 21) /ˈsaɪtɪŋ/ an occasion on which something is seen

reported v (line 25) /rɪˈpɔːtɪd/ told the police that something has happened;
‘reported’ is the simple past of ‘report’
mystery n (line 29) /ˈmɪstəri/ an event, situation, etc. that people cannot explain

faulty adj (line 31) /ˈfɔːlti/ not working properly or badly made

maintenance n /ˈmeɪntənəns/ the repairs, painting, etc. that are necessary to

(line 31) keep something in good condition
blame v (line 32) /bleɪm/ to say that someone or something is responsible
for something bad
theory n (line 32) /ˈθɪəri/ an idea meant to explain something that has not
yet been proved to be true
*A word or phrase can have various meanings. Each meaning listed here is for the use of the word or phrase in
the specified text.

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 5

 Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

AK The dark legend of Mothman

While researching strange phenomena on the Internet, you found the following article. Read
the article and answer the questions. Write your answers in the spaces provided. For
multiple choice questions, choose the best answer and blacken the circle next to the
corresponding letter.
m
o
The dark legend of Mothman F.c

By Eric Wong
3R
12

1 The most well-known mythical

creature that may (or may not) exist in
5 the United States is Bigfoot — but it isn’t
the only one. In Point Pleasant, West
Virginia, another ‘monster’ has been
scaring locals since 1966. Its name is
Mothman, a man-sized creature with the
10 wings of a moth, the fangs of a snake,
the claws of a cheetah and the eyes of an
owl.

2 ‘Witnesses say Mothman’s eyes glow

in the dark like an owl’s,’ explains Phil
15 Rogers, a reporter at the Point Pleasant
Times. How big are they? ‘Huge! When an
owl looks at something in the dark, its
eyes take in enough light to allow it to
see. Mothman’s eyes can do the same
20 thing.’

3 The first sighting of Mothman took place on 12th November 1966. Five
cemetery workers near Clendenin, West Virginia, saw a man-sized creature fly
from some nearby trees and pass over their heads. Three days later, two
married couples from Point Pleasant saw a creature with glowing eyes chasing
25 after their car. They couldn’t believe their eyes. They reported the creature to
the police and were told that many other people had seen similar things over the
past few days.

4 Reports of Mothman sightings continued for a year. Then, on 15th

December 1967, the mystery became even darker. The Silver Bridge suddenly
30 fell into the Ohio River, resulting in the deaths of forty-six people. Experts said
that the accident was a result of faulty design and poor maintenance, but many
people chose to blame Mothman. Author John Keel supported the theory in his
1975 book, The Mothman Prophesies. The book was made into a successful film
of the same name in 2002.

Please turn
over.

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 1

 Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

35 5 Experts can’t agree on how to explain Mothman, but this doesn’t stop them
from trying. How many different theories are there? Too many to count! Some
believe that Mothman is an alien, visiting Earth to study human beings. They
point out that the number of UFO sightings rises along with Mothman reports.
Others are certain that Mothman is a ‘cryptid’ — a creature that lives on the
40 earth but has yet to be discovered by science. Still others think that the creature
is simply a product of people’s imagination. They say that if people want to
believe something badly enough, they usually do.

6 Mothman is weird — and scary — but it is also good for business. In 2002,
Point Pleasant started holding a festival to honour the creature. The Mothman
45 Festival takes place on the third weekend of every September. Tourists come
from all around the world to take part in a wide variety of events.

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 2

Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

1 What is Mothman?
a mythical creature / man-sized creature with the wings of a moth, the fangs of a snake,
the claws of a cheetah and the eyes of an owl.

2 What does ‘one’ (line 6) refer to?

a mythical creature that may (or may not) exist in the United States

3 In line 7, ‘monster’ is in inverted commas to _____.

 A help readers to understand the meaning of the word
 B indicate that someone said the word to the writer
 C show that the word is very difficult to spell
 D suggest that the description may or may not be accurate

4 How big is Mothman?

man-sized / the size of a man

5 In line 13, ‘glow’ could be replaced by _____.

 A burn
 B look
 C see
 D shine

6 According to paragraph 2, Mothman has ______.

 A poor night vision
 B the ability to see in the dark
 C very small eyes
 D wings like an owl’s

7 Who first saw Mothman?

five cemetery workers

8 Use ONE word to complete each blank.

The second sighting of Mothman was reported by four people
travelling by car .

9 What is ‘the theory’ (line 32)?

the idea that Mothman caused the Silver Bridge to collapse / fall (into the Ohio River)

10 What is the title of the film based on John Keel’s book?

The Mothman Prophesies

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 3

Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

11 What is the main idea of paragraph 5?

 A More UFOs are seen during times of increased Mothman sightings.
 B People tend to believe in things that they want to believe in.
 C Some experts believe that Mothman came from another planet.
 D There are many different theories to explain the existence of Mothman.

12 According to paragraph 6, the Mothman Festival _____.

 A attracts only locals
 B is an annual event
 C lasts for an entire week
 D takes place in the summer

13 Put the events below in the correct order. Write (1–5) in the boxes provided.
a) Two couples were chased by Mothman. 2

b) The Mothman Festival was founded. 5

c) Mothman was seen for the first time. 1

d) The Silver Bridge collapsed. 3

e) John Keel wrote The Mothman Prophesies. 4

14 Do you think Mothman is real? Why or why not?

(Student’s own answers)

15 Which of the following is the best alternative title for the article?
 A Mothman and the Silver Bridge
 B Mothman’s glowing owl eyes
 C Point Pleasant’s monster moth
 D The first sighting of Mothman

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 4

Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

Glossary

Word / Phrase Pronunciation Meaning*

exist v (line 4) /ɪɡˈzɪst/ to be real or alive

witnesses n (line 13) /ˈwɪtnəsɪz/ people who see a crime or accident; ‘witnesses’ is
the plural form of ‘witness’
glow v (line 13) /ɡləʊ/ to produce or reflect a soft steady light

sighting n (line 21) /ˈsaɪtɪŋ/ an occasion on which something is seen

reported v (line 25) /rɪˈpɔːtɪd/ told the police that something has happened;
‘reported’ is the simple past of ‘report’
mystery n (line 29) /ˈmɪstəri/ an event, situation, etc. that people cannot explain

faulty adj (line 31) /ˈfɔːlti/ not working properly or badly made

maintenance n /ˈmeɪntənəns/ the repairs, painting, etc. that are necessary to

(line 31) keep something in good condition
blame v (line 32) /bleɪm/ to say that someone or something is responsible
for something bad
theory n (line 32) /ˈθɪəri/ an idea meant to explain something that has not
yet been proved to be true
*A word or phrase can have various meanings. Each meaning listed here is for the use of the word or phrase in
the specified text.

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 5