Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[Calm-mind]

�One day in the fall of 1978, two salmon were seen in the river. This was exciting news. It gave hope to the people who had worked for a cleaner river. A month later, �The Sapporo Salmon Association� was set up. Its members believed that they could bring the fish back it they made the river clean enough.
The big campaign began. The people knew that the river still had a small chance of getting the salmon to come back again. So they worked hard. Soon more people took an interest in the project and offered to help. In the first year, 1,000,000 baby salmon were carefully put into the Toyohara River. In the second year, 1,400,000 and in the third year, another 1,400,000 were released. People did not know for sure whether the released baby salmon would return. But, happily, in 1981, 1,500 salmon did come back.�

My question: What year do you think the first year is in the passage above? I think there is no clear information about it. The Sapporo Salmon Association was established in 1978. If the first year is 1978, the second, 1979 and the third, 1980. So, 1981, when 1500 salmon returned, is not the third year, isn�t it?

[Mary W. Ng]

The Sapporo Salmon Association was established in the fall of 1978. Baby salmon were released in the spring of 1979 (first year), 1980 (second year) and 1981 (third year).
_________________
Mary W. Ng
Helping students learn grammar
http:www.aimpublishing.com

[Calm-mind]

Thanks, Mary W. Ng. I see