English Reading

English Reading

Here's the latest English reading practice. Read the story first,
then take a look at the English vocabulary notes at the bottom if you need to.

Paul, the psychic octopus


Paul the Octopus, the octopus who became famous for correctly predicting the winner of Germany's seven matches at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, as well as the final, has died of natural causes. During the football tournament in South Africa earlier this year, Paul, who lived in an aquarium in Oberhausen, Germany, chose between two glass boxes placed in his tank, which would have a German flag and the flag of the country which the country would be playing against. Both boxes would contain food, and the box which Paul chose to eat out of would be the winners. The octopus correctly predicted the result of all of Germany's games, and hypothesised that Spain would beat the Netherlands in the final—which they did. Paul became internationally famous for his correct predictions, and was dubbed by some as the "oracle octopus". All his predictions were filmed and broadcast across the world, and he became a hit on the video sharing *site YouTube.During the World Cup, Rupert Adams of William Hill, one of Britain's largest bookmakers, said that the octopus's success rate was remarkable. "If you had had ten pounds on each and every prediction then re-invested your winnings you would currently have over 1,450 pounds," he said. "It's an astonishing feat to get six predictions in a row. I am told people are walking into our shops and saying 'I will have what the Octopus predicted.'" After the World Cup this year, it was announced Paul would retire. "He won't give any more oracle predictions—either in football, nor in politics, lifestyle or economy," a spokesperson for the aquarium said at the time. "Paul will get back to his former job, namely making children laugh." Paul's death was announced by the aquarium on Tuesday, when a spokesperson said that he had died of natural causes during the night. "We are consoled by the knowledge that he enjoyed a good life here and that the care provided for him by our dedicated displays team could not have been bettered," he said. He added that common octopuses live for only a few years. Paul's final prediction was that England would host the World Cup in 2018. A special clothing line and a mobile phone application are to be released, along with a *ary tracking his life. "His success made him almost a bigger story than the World Cup itself," the spokesperson said.
English Vocabulary Notes
dubbed = called
bookmaker = betting agency
feat = ability
consoled = made less sad