Family found in Siberian wilderness after 40 years

ESL Lessons: True Stories

A printable worksheet for story-based English conversation classes.

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: Family found in Siberian wilderness after 40 years

Warm-up

What do you think Siberia is like?

Vocabulary Match

geologists •• scientists
isolated •• forest
fascinating •• alone
wilderness •• bullying
persecution •• lived
survived •• interesting

Vocabulary Answers

geologistsscientists
isolatedalone
fascinatinginteresting
wildernessforest
persecutionbullying
survivedlived

True Story

Listen and fill in the blanks with words from above.

In 1978, Soviet ________ discovered a family living deep in the Siberian ________. The Lykov family had been ________ from the world for 40 years. They had no idea that World War II had happened or that humans had landed on the moon.

The family fled to the forest in 1936 to escape religious ________. They ________ by growing their own food and hunting. They had no modern tools or medicine.

When the geologists found them, they were amazed. The Lykovs were friendly but chose to stay in the forest. Their story is a ________ example of how people can survive in complete isolation for decades.

In 1978, Soviet geologists discovered a family living deep in the Siberian wilderness. The Lykov family had been isolated from the world for 40 years. They had no idea that World War II had happened or that humans had landed on the moon.

The family fled to the forest in 1936 to escape religious persecution. They survived by growing their own food and hunting. They had no modern tools or medicine.

When the geologists found them, they were amazed. The Lykovs were friendly but chose to stay in the forest. Their story is a fascinating example of how people can survive in complete isolation for decades.

Quiz

  1. Who discovered the Lykov family in 1978?
  2. How long had the Lykov family been isolated?
  3. Why did the Lykov family flee to the forest?
  4. How did the Lykov family survive?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. Soviet geologists.
  2. 40 years.
  3. To escape religious persecution.
  4. They grew their own food and hunted.

True or False

  1. The Lykov family landed on the moon. T F
  2. The geologists were surprised to find the Lykov family. T F
  3. The Lykov family used modern tools to survive. T F

True or False Answers

  1. False
  2. True
  3. False

Conversation

A:Wow, you really live out here all alone?
B:Yes, we've been here for 40 years!
A:That's amazing! Haven't you missed the world?
B:Not really, we've had everything we needed.
A:But no news or TV?
B:Nope, just nature and peace.

Discussion

  1. Have you ever wanted to live in the forest?
  2. What would you miss most if you lived in isolation?
  3. Do you think you could survive without modern tools?
  4. What would be the hardest part of living in the wilderness?
  5. Would you rather live in a large forest or on a small tropical island?

Further Reading

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-russian-family-lived-alone-in-the-siberian-wilderness-for-40-years-unaware-of-world-war-ii-or-the-moon-landing-7354256/

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