Word List: coil, venom, slither, serpentine, fangs, forked tongue, scales, constrict, rattle, hypnotize
Story:
The snake charmer was a mystery to all who saw him. He had a way with the snakes that was both alluring and deadly. People would come from far and wide to watch him perform. But no one knew his secret.
One day, a young woman approached the snake charmer. She was curious about his abilities and asked him how he was able to control the snakes. The snake charmer told her that he had learned the art of hypnotizing the snakes from his grandfather.
The young woman was fascinated and asked to learn the secret. The snake charmer agreed, but warned her that it was a dangerous art. He told her that the snakes were dangerous creatures, and that if she wasn’t careful, she could end up getting coiled by one of them and venomed to death.
Despite the warning, the young woman was determined to learn. The snake charmer taught her how to slither like a snake and how to speak to them in a language they understood. He showed her how to use her serpentine movements to hypnotize the snakes and how to use her forked tongue to soothe them.
One day, the young woman was performing a show for a large crowd. She was so caught up in the performance that she didn’t realize that one of the snakes had escaped from its basket. Suddenly, she felt a cold, hard body wrap around her legs and heard the unmistakable rattle of a snake.
She was terrified, but she remembered what the snake charmer had taught her. She slowly began to slither away from the snake and spoke to it in a calming voice. To her surprise, the snake relaxed its grip and slithered back into its basket.
The young woman was amazed. She had finally learned the secret of the snake charmer and she was now able to control the snakes with her own forked tongue and serpentine movements. She had become a true snake charmer, and people would come from far and wide to see her perform.
Vocabulary:
| Word | Meaning | Collocations |
|---|---|---|
| coil | To wrap or wind tightly around something | coil around, coil into a ball, coil up |
| venom | A poisonous substance secreted by some animals, especially snakes, used to kill or subdue prey | venomous snake, inject venom, deadly venom |
| slither | To move smoothly and quietly, like a snake | slither away, slither through, slither past |
| serpentine | Having a curved or winding shape, like a snake | serpentine movement, serpentine path, serpentine river |
| fangs | Long, pointed teeth in the upper jaw of a snake, used for biting and injecting venom | venomous fangs, fangs bared, sharp fangs |
| forked tongue | A tongue that splits into two parts, used as a symbol of deceit or untrustworthiness | forked tongue lies, forked tongue talk, forked tongue words |
| scales | The thin, flat, protective plates that cover the skin of reptiles, such as snakes | scaley skin, rough scales, smooth scales |