الفصل الخامس من قصة العناكب

[الأستاذ محمد النيراوي]

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If you must fight an enemy, you should first under stand the enemy. Captain Ahmed knew that. So he listened carefully as professor Jones talked about spiders.
As the car and two lorries came near the archaeological site in the desert, the captain asked, " How is anti venom made? And why does it take a long time?"
Professor Jones explained, "You know what happens when you catch a cold: First a cold virus gets in to your blood, and then you make anti bodies to fight the virus.. Scientists use the same method to make anti venom. First, they put small quantities of venom in to animals, usually horses or sheep, and then the animals make anti bodies to fight the venom. Scientists can then extract the anti bodies from the animals ."
Professor continued, " How ever, if these spiders are an unknown species, Scientists will have to develop a new anti venom. That will be a slow and difficult process with lots of problems. First, we must get some venom from the spiders, then we must send it to an anti venom lab, where scientists will produce anti venom. But then comes the difficult part: extracting the anti venom from the blood and making it safe to use. It could be many years before a safe anti venom can be produced in large quantities."
"And you think these spiders are an unknown species?"
"It seems likely."
" Then we will have no protection against them for years."
At that moment, Ayman remembered the e-mail that had arrived before he his house. He read it and showed it to the professor and the captain.
Ayman
I expect you have met professor Jones by now. Has he told you about the ancient medical text? The text describes a medicine for bites of " The black and yellow spider that kills " The ancient Egyptians made this medicine from the roots a plant called' Echinacea Negra'.
Can you tell the professor that I have information about 'echinacea negra': It is almost extinct and grows only in Sinai.
A researcher in the Department of Botanical science at Cairo University has studies the plant. Her name is Wafaa Sultan.
Shreen Fakhry


" What do you think of this, professor? " asked the captain.
"I don’t know much about plants," said professor Jones. " This botanist. Wafaa Sultan, is the person to ask."
The captain called the colonel on the radio. After telling the colonel the news about the Echinacea plants, he said, "Do you think we should investigation this, sir"? "
"What’s your opinion, captain? " asked the colonel.
" Well, sir, we don’t have any thing better yet, do we, sir? "
" No, we don’t. I’ll phone the university and find this Wafaa Sultan. If the spiders are an unknown species, we’ll send her to Sinai to get some of this Echinacea negra."
The three vehicles were now near the site. They came to a high wire fence and agate. Two police guards stood at the gate and saluted when they saw the captain. The fence and gate had been put up after the robbers had got in to the tombs two weeks before. There were also some wooden buildings which the archaeologist had used.
The vehicles stopped near the wooden buildings, and the men began to unload equipment: protective clothing, tanks of insecticide, fencing wire, big lights, weapons, tools and building materials.
Half an hour later, Ayman, professor Jones, captain Ahmed and three younger officers were ready to go down in to the tombs underground. Each man was completely covered by a large black suit made of strong plastic. Each suit had a thick transparent window over the face. But there were no opening for a spider to get through. The men breathed through a filter like a gas mask. They looked like things from another planet.
The three young officers carried large sprays with insecticide tanks. Professor Jones also carried a machine that looked like a gun with a small petrol engine at one end. Ayman carried a bag of equipment for the professor.
The six men climbed down into the darkness of the underground tomb. They switched on the torches that each wore on his head. They followed the same route as the robbers had done two weeks before. When they arrived at the wide passage, the professor saw all the big spider’s webs that the robbers had seen "This is fantastic!" he said, excitedly.
The captain wanted to get on with the job. " professor, where is the best place to set up your equipment? "
" Over there, I think," the professor said. He pointed at a place where many large webs hung from the ceiling.
The captain ordered the three young officers to guard the professor while he set up his equipment. First, the professor took a large white sheet from his bag. He unfolded the sheet and spread it on the floor. Then he took out some long, thin, metal tubes. He fitted these tighter to make four legs and a frame.
Then he fitted the sheet over the frame. The sheet was now a few centimeters above the ground, ready to catch any thing that fell on to it.
Next, the professor started the engine on the thing that looked like a gun. The noise was very loud in the big under ground passage. " Ok," he shouted through his mask. " Stand back!, I’m going to switch on the smoker!" He pressed a switch, and hot poisonous smoke poured out of the smoker. The hot clouds of smoke went up to the ceiling.
A few seconds later, the first dead things began to fall into the white sheet. The professor switched off the smoker and the engine. They heard more noises, like rain drops, as more dead things drop[ed on to the sheet. After a minute, the sounds stopped.
" Ok. Let’s see what we’ve got," said the professor.
On the white sheet were about twenty small insects and spiders.
" Look!" said the professor, excitedly. He picked up three of the largest spiders. They were only half as big as the spider that Ayman had seen in the town, but they were black with two thick yellow lines on their backs.
"They ‘re the same" said Ayman.
"Are you sure? " asked captain.
" Yes. They’re the same as the spider I saw in town. Only that one was large."
The professor took a magnifying glass from his examined the spiders. "They’re all adult males," he said. The professor put them into his bag.
Just then, everyone heard the sound of another dead thing falling on to the sheet. The sound was louder and heavier than twice as big. And it was not dead. It jumped onto one of the young officers. Its big black body covered the man’s face mask.
Its legs tried to hold on, and its fangs tried to kill. The other officers used their insecticide sprays. Clouds of deadly insecticide covered the spider, and it fell to the ground.
The professor examined the spider." It’s a female," he said
Suddenly, the spider moved. It was still not dead ! It ran into the darkness and disappeared. The young officer was coughing badly. The captain ran to him as he fell to the ground.
The captain said, "The spider’s fangs broke through is face mask! We must leave here immediately". He ordered one officer to go in front and one behind. He and Ayman carried the injured man. The professor carried the bag with the three dead spiders in it.
When they were out in the fresh air, they took off the young officer’s suit. There was no blood on his face. "He’ll be ok," the professor. "I think he just breathed in some insecticide ."
"Can you identify the spiders now? " the captain asked.
"I can tell you that this spider is not a known species, " the professor answered.
" Are you sure ?" asked captain
" Before I left Oxford. I searched the data base of all known species. I looked at all the black and yellow spiders on the data base and I found no spider like one," replied the professor.
There was a silence while the captain thought. Then he said, "Professor, what is the best way to destroy these spiders?"
Professor Jones looked as if some one had shot him! His mouth opened but no words came out. Finally, he said, " You can’t destroy these spiders!"
"Why not?"
" Captain, this is a new species. This is a great scientific discovery ! "
“ Professor, I under stand your scientific interest , but ten people have died already. My job is to prevent more deaths."
Professor Jones said nothing for a moment. Then he said, " You right. You must do what is necessary. But, in my opinion, it’s impossible.”
"Why ?"
" The spiders are under the ground. We don’t know where all the under ground rooms and passages are. We don’t even know how big the area is. You can kill some of the spiders, but some of them will live, so the plan will not succeed. But you damage this important archaeological site."
The captain thought and then said, " I will pass your opinion to the colonel. This matter be decided at a higher level."
Then he gave orders to other officers. "Do not any body come near this site. And do not let any thing leave here without a careful search. Not a car, not box, no thing."
Then he went into one of the wooden buildings and spoke to the colonel on the radio. When he came out, he said to Professor Jones and Ayman, " The colonel wants me to return to the town. You too. We must bring the dead spiders with us, and send their venom sacs to an anti venom lab. The scientists there will begin work on an anti venom."
"What about the Echinacea Negra ? " asked Ayman.
" The colonel has organized that. The botanist from Cairo university is leaving by helicopter for Sinai. The police there will take her into the mountains to get the plants. We must find the spider that you saw in Hamdayya."
"Let’s hope it hasn’t produced any young yet," said the professor.

Questions

1) How is antivenom mad?

- Scientists put small quantities of venom in to animals, usually horses or sheep, and then in the animals make antibodies to fight the venom. Scientist can then extract the antibodies from the animals.

2)Why did Captain Ahmed say they would have no protection against that species of spider for years?
- Because they had to take some venom from the spiders, then send it to an antivenom lab in order to produce antivenom. But then came the difficult part: extracting the antivenom from the blood and making it safe to use.

3)What did Dr. Fakhry tell Ayman about the medicine for bites of the deadly spiders?
- She told him that the ancient Egyptians made this medicine from the roots of a plant called" Echinacea Negra" . It was almost extinct and grew only in Sinia.


4) What was Wafaa Sultan?
- She was a researcher in the Department of Botanical science at Cairo university. She had studied " Echinacea Negra " .

5) why did the colonel decide to find her?
- to get the plant from Sinai.

6) why was a fence built around the site ?
- to keep robbers out.

7) where did the three vehicles stop?
- Near the wooden buildings which the archaeologists had used.
8) what did the men unload when they reached the site ?
- The men unloaded the equipment, the protective clothing, the insecticides and the things they brought .

9) who went down the tomb and were they protected?
- Ayman, the professor, captain Ahmed and three officers went down into the tomb. They were all covered completely black and plastic suits windows over the face. They breathed through a filter like ages mask .

10) did the three young officers carry?
- They carried large sprays with insecticide tanks.

11) what did professor Jones carry?
- He carried a machine that looked like a gun with a small petrol engine at one end.
12) What did Ayman carry?
- Ayman carried a bag of equipment for the professor.

13) How could they see in the dark tomb?
- They switched on the torches that each man wore on his head.
14) Where did the professor set up his equipment?
- At the place where a lot of webs hung from the ceiling.

15) How did the professor fight the spider ?
- First he spread a white sheet and fitted it over a frame he made four tubes Then he switched on the smoker to catch the spiders.

16) What was the result of what he had done?
- A bout twenty small insects and spiders were on the sheet..

J "Yes. They are the same as the spider I saw in town. Only that one was larger."
- Who said this statement and to whom was it said?

Ayman to professor Jones.

- Why was the spider in town larger?

Because it was a female.

- why did men die from these spider bites?

Because they were unknown deadly species.

- What did the professor state after examining the spiders?

They were all adult males.

J "We must leave here immediately."
- What made captain Ahmed decide to leave immediately?

Because one of the officers was injured and they wanted to offer him the necessary first aids.
- Why do you think the large black spider didn’t die?
Because it was stronger than the others.
- How do you know that the spider hadn’t bitten the man’s face?
Becausethere was no blood on his face.
- How did the man breathe some insecticide?
When the other officers used their insecticide sprays to kill the spider which covered his face.

J "You’re right, you must do what is necessary . But in my opinion it’s impossible."
- Who was the speaker? To who was he speaking ?

Professor Jones to captain Ahmed.
- Why did the speaker say he was right?
Because the spiders were dangerous and should be destroyed.
- Why was the professor against the spiders at first?
Because the spiders were a great scientific discovery.
- Why did the professor believe it was impossible to destroy them?
Because the spiders were underground and they didn’t know where all the underground rooms and passages were. They also would damage the site.

J "I will pass your opinion to the colonel. This matter must be decided at a higher level."
- Who is the speaking to whom?

Captain Ahmed to professor Jones.
- What is the matter?
The matter of whether to attempt to kill the spiders which are under ground.
- What is the opinion of the professor Jones?
The professor’s opinion is that it is impossible to kill the spiders at the archaeological site.

17)What orders did captain Ahmed give to the officers before leaving the site?
- he ordered them not to let any body came near this site or anything leave without careful search.

18) What were the colonel instructions?
- He wanted them to return to the town and bring the dead spiders and send their venom sacs to an antivenom lab.

[Mr. Medhat Salah]

thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanks

[أسد الصحراء]

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