Upstream - Pre-Intermediate - Workbook - Teacher's book 3 [antikvár]

in4 4Almost all civilisations have their own tales of giants. Giants are the oldest creatures to live on the earth. They are of enormous size and strength compared to ordinary humans. In Albanian tales, giants are as tall as trees and have long black beards that hang down to their knees. Some giants are kind and gentle while others can be very cruel. Irish giants are pleasant creatures, English giants can be very evil and Welsh giants are clever.In Germanic and Scandinavian tales, giants or trolls can be either friendly and helpful or nasty creatures, but they are always frightening. They can take the form of any animal they choose whenever they like and people believe that they cause storms, hurricanes and even earthquakes. We see them living in castles or under bridges where they force travellers to pay money to pass. American folk tales describe how Paul Bunyan, a giant lumberjack who makes lakes and rivers whenever he wishes, creates the Black Hills and the Grand Canyon. He is a symbol of strength and energy.Are giants simply fairy tale characters? Scientists have found gigantic skulls and huge jaws which they say belong to giants who were on the earth half a million years ago. Moreover, there are many stories of sightings of mysterious giant creatures. Many people believe that there is a giant human-like creature, the Yeti or Abominable Snowman, living somewhere in the Himalayas. Others talk of Bigfoot, a large, dark, hairy giant with enormous feet, that lives somewhere in the Canadian wilderness. They say it is at least 2.2 metres tall.Giants fascinate people and appear in many stories, old and new, but the mysteries of certain giants such as the Yeti may be more than just a fairy tale.