READING ACTIVITY
You have probably read the books in the Twilight trilogy or at least seen the films. These
books tell the tale of a love story between a human teenager and a vampire. Other TV
shows like Dracula and True Blood tell similar stories. These books and films have been
growing in popularity year after year, but this is not a surprise. Vampire stories have
been popular since the story Dracula published in 1897 by Bram Stoker. Before then
people had told vampire stories in most cultures around the world, but our modern idea
of the vampire is from European stories from the 18th and 19th centuries. In those days
people were telling stories of vampires living in castles, hunting people for their blood in
the night. For most people, vampires are characters in novels or films, but some people
have accepted the vampire way of life as a lifestyle or philosophy. Vampirism is not a
religion, however. These people drink human or animal blood and believe that they need
it to balance the life energy in their own bodies. These modern vampire groups are part
of the Goth subculture. The lifestyle is growing in popularity, though. They are even
publishing their own magazines. Modern vampires generally live in groups called
“covens” or vampire houses. Most modern vampires are wearing regular clothes in
their daily lives and keeping their beliefs a secret, so if you know a modern vampire, you
probably won’t realise it unless they tell you about their lifestyle. In fact, most modern
vampires are afraid that they are going to be rejected by their friends and family, so they
try to keep their lifestyle a secret. Some modern vampires do change their appearance,
though. They might prefer to wear colours like red and black. They also sometimes wear
black and red makeup, and many people in the vampire lifestyle have filed their teeth to
be sharper and look like the classic vampire stereotype. Although most vampires are
usually portrayed as scary characters, people in the vampire lifestyle aren’t keen on
committing crimes. In the past, some people claimed to be vampires and committed
murder, but modern vampires say it’s not right. They find donors or people who will
give them their blood. They won’t take blood without asking first. One thing is true for all
modern vampires. They believe that they are vampires naturally. They don’t believe that
they chose the lifestyle. They think that is a genetic problem and that they can’t choose a
different life.
1. Read the text and mark the following sentences as true (T) or false (F).
1 Usually modern vampires dress differently. (F)
2 Modern vampires try to hide their lifestyle. (T)
3 Dracula was the first vampire story. (T)
4 Vampirism is not a religion. (T)
5 Vampires do not commit crimes. (T)
2. Choose 5 unknown words from the text and give an example for each word.
- portrayed: This painting portrays the author’s feeling
- realise: I just realised that I’m adopted
- Murder: I was a witness of a murder
-makeup: My mon always a special make up for her face
- beliefs: There are many beliefs around the world
3. Time to be a writer! Make a 50-word paragraph about Dracula using different
tenses and 3 compound adjectives.
I have seen many movies about Dracula like Van Hellsing, I think-over that Van Hellsing is a
good movie because it shows no only Dracula, also includes other monsters like the Werewolf
or Frankenstein. In my opinion, Dracula more than a Vampire he’s a huge-winged monster, it’s
cool, but maybe it’s a little bit exaggerated when you make a comparison with the original
Dracula from 1897, also in the movie Dracula was introduced like a long-life creature that made
a deal with the Devil. Dracula always will be a world-famous character, you’re going to see him
in a lot of forms, either in video games, movies or in stories books.
