Lesson 5 Munchausen Visits the Moon

Today man knows a lot about the moon. Astronauts have visited it. Scientists have learned many new facts about it. But in the past man could only guess what the moon was like. Strange tales used to be told about make-believe trips to the moon and life on the moon. One such story describes a visit made by a Baron Munchausen (munch-HOW-zun). The baron was a German traveler. He lived about two hundred years ago.

Baron Munchausen did not really intend to go to the moon. But one day when he and his crew were in the South Seas, a great wind came up. It raised their ship from the water. The ship sailed high into the sky. There it hung till a strong gale filled the sails.

Then the ship began to move.

After six weeks of air travel, the men saw an island. It looked bright and round. At first they didn’t know what it was. Then they looked down. Far below, they could see the earth. Then they knew. The land in the sky must be the moon. Munchausen and his men brought the ship to land. They got out.

They found that the moon was a land of giants. The flies were as big as the sheep are on earth. The sheep were as big as elephants. And the people were thirty-six feet tall.

Munchausen soon learned that the lunar people were called “cooking animals.”They had this name because they cooked their food before they ate it. They did not eat it raw as other moon animals did. A cooking animal did not waste time at meals. All he did was open up his left side and put the whole meal in at once. Then he shut the opening in his side. He would, not eat again till the same day in the next month.

The cooking animals’ heads were placed under their right arms. When a moon person wanted to know what was going on somewhere, he would stay at home himself and just send his head out to look. But when he wished to travel or take part in sports,he would leave his head at home. If he needed to think, all he had to do was consult his head. He could do this even from far away.

Lunar people could also take their eyes out when they pleased. It did not matter much if they lost or hurt an eye. They could easily buy a new one from an eye dealer.

The baron was surprised to see the use moon people made of their vegetables and fruit. Soldiers protected themselves with shields made from mushrooms. Instead of darts① they threw huge radishes②. When radishes were out of season, they used the tops of asparagus. Moon grapes had seeds like hailstones③. While the baron was on the moon, a great wind came up. It caused a shower of seeds to fall from the vineyards④ to the earth far below. This was a hailstorm on earth.

In time Munchausen came back and told his story on earth. He said that the next time it hailed, people should save some of the hailstones. From the hailstones they could make good moon wine. But his listeners didn’t believe the baron’s story. None of them saved any hailstones.

(551 words)

Ⅰ. How well did you read?

1. [Grasp the reason.] People used to tell strange tales about the moon because they___________ .

A. knew little about it B. were afraid of it C. had tasted moon wine

2. [Note the details.] Baron Munchausen went to the moon in a___________ .

A. balloon B. spacecraft C. ship

3. [See the difference.] Unlike other moon animals, the moon people___________ .

A. were very large B. cooked their food C. ate every day

4. [See the difference.] Unlike people on earth, lunar people had___________ .

A. two heads B. no eyes C. openings in their sides

5. [Note the details.] Moon vegetables were used mostly by___________ .

A. sailors B. soldiers C. farmers

6. [Follow the order.] Which happened last?

A. Seeds were shaken from the grapevines.

B. Hail fell on the earth.

C. A great wind began to blow on the moon.

7. [See the point.] If the people had believed Munchausen’s story, they probably would have___________ .

A. saved some hailstones

B. used radishes as darts

C. grown more grapes

Ⅱ. Read for words.

Choose one best paraphrase for the underlined words.

1. Strange tales used to be told about make-believe trips to the moon and life on the moon. (Para.1)

A. true; real B. unthinkable C. imagined as in a play

2. There it hung till a strong gale filled the sails. Then the ship began to move. (Para. 2)

A. wind B. wave C. storm

3. If he needed to think, all he had to do was consult his head. (Para. 6)

A. get or ask advice from B. invite somebody back C. protect or care for

4. They could easily buy a new one from an eye dealer. (Para. 7)

A. shop

B. person who sells something

C. person who does with the problems

5. Soldiers protected themselves with shields made from mushrooms. (Para. 8)

A. meals B. guns or weapons

C. pieces of armor used as protection

Ⅲ. Writing practice.

Suppose Munchausen’s ship had blown away while he was on the moon. How might he and his men have returned to earth? Make up a story about their trip back to earth.

LANGUAGE BOX