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PassageAPassageBReturntoMenuUnit1PassageA•ThinkAboutIt•ReadAboutIt•TalkAboutIt•WriteAboutIt1.Whatisthemessagethatthetreefrogtriestosendus?Wemusttaketheresponsibilityfortheplanettostaylivablebeforeitistoolate.Reference:2.Whathashappenedtofrogs?Thefrogwasendangeredbytheworseningenvironment.Reference:3.Howareweandfrogsrelated?Manandanimalsarerelatedasweliveinthesameenvironment.Reference:ReadAboutIt•LanguagePoints•ContentAwareness•LanguageFocusFrogStoryAcoupleofoddthingshavehappenedlately.IhavealogcabininthosewoodsofNorthernWisconsin.Ibuiltitbyhandandalsoaddedagreenhousetothefrontofit.Itisajoytolivein.Infact,Iworkoutofmyhomedoingaudioproductionandenvironmentalwork.AsatoolofthattradeIhaveacomputerandastudio.Ialsohaveatreefrogthathastakenupresidenceinmystudio.Howodd,Ithought,lastNovemberwhenIfirstnoticedhimsittingatopmysound-boardovermycomputer.Ifiguredthathe(andIsayhe,thoughIreallydon’thaveaclueifsheisaheorviceversa)wouldbemorecomfortableinthegreenhouse.SoIputhiminthegreenhouse.Backhecame.Andstayed.AfterawhileIgotquiteusedtothefactthatasIwouldcheckmymorningemailandon-linenews,hewouldbetherewithmesurveyingtheworld.Then,lastweek,ashewasclimbingaroundlookinglikeasmallgray/greenhuman,Istartedtowonderabouthim.So,thereIwas,workinginmystudioandmycomputerwashummingalong.IhadtostopwhenTreeFrogwentacrossmyview.Hestoppedandturnedaroundandjustsattherelookingatme.Well,Isatbackandlookedathim.ForfivemonthsnowhehadbeenridingtherewithmeandIwassuddenlyovertakenbyanurgetoknowwhyhewasthereandnotinthegreenhouse,whereIfiguredhe’dliveahappierfroglife.“Whyareyouhere,”Ifoundmyselfaskinghim.AsIlookedathim,deadon,hiseyeslookeddirectlyatmeandIheardatone.Thetoneseemedtohitmerightinthecenterofmymind.Itsoundedverynearlylikethesameoneasmycomputer.InthattoneIcouldhearhim“say”tome,“BecauseIwantyoutounderstand”.Yo.Thatwasweird.“Understandwhat?”mymindjumpedin.Then,afteramomentoffeelingthiscommunication,IfeltIunderstoodwhyhewasthere.Icametounderstandthatfrogssimplywanttohearotherfrogsandtocommunicate.Possiblythetoneofmycomputersoundedtohimlikeothertreefrogs.Interesting.Ikeptworking.Iwasworkingonastoryaboutglobalclimatechangeandhadjustreceivedafaxfromafriend.Thefaxsaidthattheearthwaswarmingat1.9degreeseachdecade.AtthatrateIknewthatthemapletreesthatIlovetotapeachspringforsyrupwouldnotsurviveformychildren.MybeautifulWisconsinwouldbecomeaprairiebythenextgeneration.AtthatmomentTreeFrogleapedacrossmyfootandsatonthefloorinfrontofmycomputer.Hethenreacheduphishandtohisleftearandcuppeditthere.Hesatbeforethecomputerandreacheduphisrighthandtohisotherear.Heturnedhisheadthiswayandthatlisteningtothattone.Veryfocused.Hethenbegantoturnaverysubtle,butbrilliantshadeofgreenandleapedfullforceontothecomputer.AndthenIrememberedthestoryaboutthefrogsthatIhadheardlastyearonpublicradio.Itsaidfrogsweredyingaroundtheworld.Itsaidthatbecausefrogs’skinwaslikealungturnedinsideout,theirskinwasbeingaffectedbypollutionandglobalclimatechange.Itsaidthatfrogswerebeingfoundwhoseskinwaslikepaper.Alldriedup.Itsaidthatfrogswerean“indicatorspecies”.Thatfrogswilldiefirstbecauseofthesensitivity.Then,Iunderstood.Thefrogshaveamessageforusanditisthesamemessagethatsomesoberfolkshavehadforus.“Therearenomorechoices.”Wehavereachedthetimewhenwemustbetheadultsfortheplanet,forthesakeofthefuturegenerationsofhumanandforfrogs.Becausewearerelated.ThenIunderstoodthattherearenoboundaries,thatthereisnomoretime.Thatwe,forthesakeofourrelatives,mustactnow.AndthenIunderstood,notonlywhythefrogwasthere,but,alsowhyIamhere.WisconsinWisconsinisastateinthenorthcentralUnitedStates.Itstotalareais169,642sqkm.ThenameofthestatecomesfromanIndianwordthatmaymean“gatheringofthewaters”or“placeofthebeaver”.ThecapitalisMadison.Wisconsinranks18thinpopulation(5,169,677by1997estimate)amongthe50statesandisanimportantstateintermsofthevalueofitsmanufacturing.Wisconsinremainsaleadingdairystate,accountingforabout14%(1999)ofU.S.milkand27%(1999)ofthenation’soutputofcheese.DespiteWisconsin’smanylakes,ponds,andrivers,drought―especiallyinsummer―canbeaseriousproblem.treefrogAlsoknownastreetoad,treefrogreferstoafamilyofsmalltomedium-sizedfrogs,foundintemperateandtropicalareasthroughouttheworld.Mosttreefrogshaveexpandeddisksontheirtoesthatenablethemtoclingtosurfaces.Bodycolorrangesfrombrownandgraytogreen.Theyeatmainlyinsects.ThegraytreefrogiscommonthroughouttheeasternUnitedStates.audioadj.—relatedtorecordingandbroadcastingsoundExamples•Withsuchanaudiocardinyourcomputer,youcanproduceyourownmusic.•Audiosignalswillbegivenwhentrafficlightchanges.atopprep.—ontopofsomethingExamples•Underthenewspaper,atopasheetofpaper,layanenvelope.•Thereisaseagullatopthemast.viceversa—usedwhentheoppositeofasituationthathasbeenjustdescribedisalsotrueExamples•Hedoesn’ttrusther,andviceversa.•TeachersqualifiedtoteachinEnglandarenotacceptedinScotlandandviceversa.humv.—tomakealow,continuoussoundExamples•Thebirdssang,andthebeeshummed.•Withinhalfanhourofhisarrival,theequipmentstartedhummingagain.overtakev.—tocomeuponunexpectedly;takebysurpriseExamples•Somethinglikepanicovertook