Many people feel afraid when they see a spider, even a tiny one.
This is strange, because very few spiders are dangerous to humans.
In most countries a person is far more likely to be hurt by a car.
Some scientists believe that the fear is very old.
Babies react to pictures of spiders more strongly than to pictures of flowers.
Perhaps our ancestors survived because they noticed small dangers quickly.
Others think that children simply learn the fear from their parents.
In fact, spiders help us, since they eat huge numbers of insects every year.
Words in this story
- people
- more than one person
- feel
- to have a feeling in your body
- afraid
- feeling fear
- see
- to notice with your eyes
- spider
- a small animal with eight legs
- even
- used to show something is surprising
- tiny
- very small
- be
- is / am / are / was
- strange
- unusual
- very
- really; a lot
- dangerous
- able to harm you
- human
- a person
- most
- more than all others
- country
- a nation, like Spain or Japan
- person
- a human being
- far
- a long way; much
- likely
- probable
- hurt
- to harm
- car
- a road vehicle with four wheels
- scientist
- a person who works in science
- believe
- to think something is true
- fear
- the feeling of being afraid
- old
- not new; not young
- baby
- a very young child
- react
- to respond
- picture
- an image
- strongly
- with force
- flower
- the colored part of a plant
- perhaps
- maybe
- ancestor
- a person in your family long ago
- survive
- to stay alive
- notice
- to see or become aware of
- small
- little; not big
- danger
- something that may harm you
- quickly
- fast
- think
- to have an idea or opinion
- child
- a young person
- simply
- just
- learn
- to get new knowledge
- parent
- a mother or father
- fact
- in fact: really
- help
- to make things easier for someone
- eat
- to put food in your mouth
- huge
- very big
- number
- a figure such as 7; an amount
- insect
- a small animal with six legs
- year
- twelve months