A Monitor Lizard Surprises People in Italy
Listen to the story
A large monitor lizard has been spotted in Montichiari, a small town in northern Italy.
The animal quickly became famous after people shared photos and videos of it online.
One local person joked, "Mamma mia! It is the beast of Brescia!", referring to the nearby city of Brescia.
The story became so popular that it even reached The Times, a well-known British newspaper.
This is not the first time such an event has happened in Italy. Another monitor lizard was seen earlier in the town of Pomezia, near Rome.
Since then, many people online have started comparing the two lizards, joking about which one is better or more impressive.
Some social media users even created a funny trend called "the dance of the monitor lizard," using videos of the animal moving.
The story shows how a small local event can quickly become viral and attract international attention.
Monitor lizards are not originally from Italy, so their appearance in towns has surprised many residents.
Local authorities have not given many details about where the lizards came from or what will happen to them.
For now, the story remains mostly a light and funny topic, shared widely for entertainment rather than concern.
It has also sparked jokes and playful comparisons between different Italian towns.
Vocabulary5 words
- monitor lizard
- a large type of lizard
- trend
- something many people do or talk about at the same time
- viral
- spreading very fast online
- authorities
- people in charge, like the government or police
- comparisons
- looking at two things to see which is better
Quiz
Answer key
1. Montichiari 2. Because The Times wrote about it 3. They compared the two lizards and made jokes
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
A large _____ lizard has been spotted in Montichiari, a small town in northern Italy.
The animal quickly became famous after people shared _____ and videos of it online.
One local person joked, "Mamma mia! It is the beast of _____!"
The story became so popular that it even reached _____, a well-known British newspaper.
Another monitor lizard was seen earlier in the town of _____, near Rome.
Many people online have started _____ the two lizards.
Some social media users created a funny _____ called "the dance of the monitor lizard."
The story shows how a small local event can quickly become _____ and attract international attention.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think stories about animals often become popular online?
- Have you ever seen a news story spread quickly like this one?
- Why might people compare two similar events happening in different places?
- Do you think this kind of story deserves international media attention? Why or why not?