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It's 80 years since the Loch Ness monster was spotted for the first time. Mrs Aldie Mackay, a local hotel manageress, might have thought that her eyes had deceived her when she reported seeing a "whale-like fish" in the waters of the Scottish lake.

Or was it a fabrication? Dr Charles Paxton, a researcher from St Andrew's University, noted that many of the 1,000 eye-witness accounts of the elusive ''monster'' he's been analysing come from hotel proprietors. This raises suspicion of a conspiracy to boost tourism.

Mrs Mackay's is widely regarded as the first ''modern sighting'' of the monster in the lake. And it’s opened the floodgates.

Police inspectors, lorry drivers, clergymen and fishermen were among the people who claimed to have seen the monster. It became so famous that it got a nickname: Nessie.

Tourists and 'Nessie hunters' flocked to the area. There were traffic jams around the lake. Certainly, there was much to be gained from the legend. According to Visit Scotland, Nessie tourism brings in more than ￡1m to the area per year.

Marine biologist Adrian Shine, who interviewed Mrs Mackay years later, believes she was sincere. But there are plenty of people who have made a living from Nessie, including Mr Shine himself. He now runs the Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition out of Mrs Mackay's old hotel.

Dr Paxton says, analysing the eye-witness accounts may tell us more about ourselves than whether or not the monster exists. He is due to publish the results of his study later this year.

As a scientist, he casts a sceptical eye on all the evidence linked to Nessie. Highly respected British surgeon, Colonel Robert Wilson, claimed he photographed the beast in 1934. It was later revealed to be a toy submarine with a sea-serpent head.

Dr Paxton says: "I suppose it is possible that people have an agenda. But I believe the vast majority of people are reporting the truth. They believe they have seen something strange.''

Some say you see what you expect. If this is true, in the land famous for whisky and Nessie, the beast will live long and prosper.

Quiz 测验

1. Whose sighting of Nessie was the first in modern times?

Hotel manageress Aldie Mackay's.

2. Was the first person who claims to have seen a monster telling the truth?

Aldie Mackay said what she believed to be the truth, according to an interviewer.

3. Is the statement true or false? A picture of the monster taken in 1934 proves its existence.

False. What appeared to be a monster was actually a toy.

4. Which expression means earning money?

To make a living.

5. Which expression can you use to say that you are seeing something that is extraordinary and improbable?

My eyes deceive me!

Glossary 词汇表

to spot 发现

(her) eyes deceive (her) （她的）眼睛欺骗了（她）

a fabrication 捏造，编造

to note 特别指出

an eye-witness account 一个目击证人的描述

elusive 难以描述的

to raise suspicion （使人）产生怀疑

a conspiracy 阴谋

to be widely regarded as 被公认为

a sighting （对不寻常事情的）目睹

to open the floodgates 打开闸门

to claim 声称

to flock to 蜂拥而至

a legend 一个传说、传奇

to make a living from 以…谋生

sceptical 怀疑的

evidence 证据

a toy 一个玩具

to have an agenda 有预谋