تمرین مکالمه

Death Of An Ancient Tree

The oldest tree in the world died one day in 1964. Its name was Prometheus, and Donald Currey cut it down.

Did the oldest tree in the world die one day in 1984? No, the oldest tree in the world died one day in 1964. What was the name of the tree? Its name was Prometheus.

It was not only the oldest tree, but the oldest living thing ever recorded.

In addition to being the oldest tree, what else was it? It was also the oldest living thing ever recorded.

Currey wasn’t an un-caring logger or farmer making room for crops. He was a 30- year-old graduate student doing research into climate change throughout history.

Was Currey an un-caring logger or farmer making room for his crops? No, he was a 30-year-old graduate student. What was he researching? He was researching climate change throughout history.

Trees are windows into the past. By studying the spaces between the rings that form each year, we can learn something about the experience of each tree during that period of its life.

Are trees windows into the future? No, trees are windows into the past. How can we learn something about the experience of each tree during various periods of its life? We can learn something about the experience of each tree by studying the spaces between the rings that form each year.

Was it warmer or colder? Was it wetter or drier? In this way, trees are repositories of earth history.

Are trees repositories of human history? No, not really. Trees are repositories of earth history.

Currey wasn’t planning on killing any trees. He had a special drill to remove samples from trees without cutting them down.

Was Currey planning on killing some trees? No, Currey was not planning on killing any trees. What kind of tool did he have? He had a special drill to remove samples from trees without cutting them down.

That was the plan, but his drill got stuck in the first tree that he found. This was an irreplaceable drill from Sweden, and without it, his research would have to stop.

What happened to his drill? His drill got stuck in the first tree that he found. Was it a drill from Norway? No, it wasn’t. It was a drill from Sweden. Do you own a drill?

Currey didn’t know what to do and went looking for help. A local park ranger told him, don’t worry, there are dozens of these trees in the park. We’ll just cut it down and remove your drill.

What did Currey do when his drill got stuck? He went looking for help when his drill got stuck. And what did the local park ranger tell him? The park ranger told him, don’t worry, there are dozens of these trees in the park. We’ll just cut it down and remove your drill.

Neither Currey nor the park ranger knew that Prometheus was a special tree when they killed the oldest life form known on earth. At the time, they had no idea just how old it was.

Did Currey and the park ranger know how old Prometheus was? No, they had no idea just how old it was.

After retrieving his drill, Currey took a look at the rings inside. Each ring corresponded to a year of the tree’s life.

After retrieving his drill, what did Currey take a look at? He took a look at the rings inside. And what did each ring correspond to? Each ring corresponded to a year of the tree’s life.

By the end of the day, he had counted 1,000 years back in history. By the middle of the 2nd day, he had counted to 2,000 and he wasn’t even half-way finished. By the end, he counted a grand total of 4,844 rings. This tree had lived to nearly 5,000 years.

How many rings did Currey count? He counted a grand total of 4,844 rings.

Currey was horrified. He was responsible for killing the oldest living tree in the world.

Was Currey pleased? No, on the contrary, he was horrified. What was Currey responsible for? He was responsible for killing the oldest living tree in the world.

There was an uproar around the country and people called him a murderer. Currey was apparently so disturbed, he stopped studying trees or anything living for that matter. He spent the rest of his career studying salt flats.

How did people react to Currey’s mistake? There was an uproar around the country and people called him a murderer. What did Currey do in response to the uproar? Currey was apparently so disturbed, he stopped studying trees or anything living for that matter. He spent the rest of his career studying salt flats.

Currey probably never let go of the past or forgave himself for what he had done.

Did Currey eventually feel at peace about cutting down Prometheus? No, he probably never let go of the past or forgave himself for what he had done.

More than 20 years later, he was being interviewed by a TV reporter about his salt flat research, when he was asked, “Aren’t you the Currey who cut down the oldest tree in the world?” Mid-interview, Currey turned his back and ran.

What did the TV reporter ask Currey during an interview 20 years later? The TV reporter asked him, “Aren’t you the Currey who cut down the oldest tree in the world?” Then what did Currey do? Mid-interview, Currey turned his back and ran.

If you had been Currey would you have turned your back and ran?