Unit 8 Section 4 Focusing on culture

Jane Goodall is a world-famous scientist. This is the story of how she started her career.

Jane was not very interested in animals when she was a child. Then, one day, her father gave her a toy chimpanzee. She liked it very much. From that day on, she became really interested in animals.

When she was a 16-year-old schoolgirl, Jane dreamt of a career studying wild animals in Africa.

Jane’s mother said, “If you really want something, work hard and never give up. Then you’ll find a way.”

Jane’s mother was right. When she was 26, Jane travelled from Britain to the mountains of East Africa. She studied chimpanzees there for years. She watched the animals for a long time and they became her friends. Jane discovered that these animals greet one another with a kiss or a hug, and make and use tools — just like humans do.

Some people questioned the methods Jane used in her research. Jane gave the chimpanzees human names and compared them to humans. People at the time thought she should not treat the chimpanzees too much like people. However, Jane did not give up. In the end, her discoveries changed how we think about humans and animals. Nowadays, scientists believe that human beings have a lot in common with chimpanzees.

Jane Goodall is now well known all over the world. She often gives lectures about her work because she wants people to protect the environment. Her life story has inspired many young people the world over.

Jane Goodall made her dreams come true because she never gave up. You can too.