GORILLAS
Gorillas are
the largest of all the primates. A male gorilla can be 180 centimeters
tall and can
weigh 200 kilograms. Gorillas are very strong but they do not
often fight.
In fact they are peaceful animals.
Gorillas live in small family groups of
about 15. In a group there is one
strong, older
male, some young males, and a few females with their babies.
They move
slowly around a large area of jungle eating leaves and bushes.
In some ways gorillas are very like
humans. When they are happy, they
laugh and wave
their arms. When they are angry, they beat their chests. When
they are sad,
they cry. But they cry quietly, without any tears.
Unfortunately, people hunt and kill
gorillas. They also cut down and burn
their trees. There are now
only about 10,000 gorillas left in the world
Questions:
1. How tall
can gorillas be?
2. How much
can they weigh?
3. Do gorillas
like fighting?
4. Where do
they live?
5. Do gorillas
usually live alone?
6. What do
they eat?
7. What do
gorillas do when they are happy? Sad? Angry?
8. How many
gorillas are there left in the world?
9. Why are not
there many left?
Elephants:
The Amazing Animals
Elephants are
the largest land animals on earth. They have the largest brains
of any mammal.
Elephants talk to each other. Researchers have discovered
more than 50
different types of calls that they use to communicate with each
other.
Their trunks are strong enough to pick up
trees but sensitive enough to
pick up a
flower. They use them as tools to sweep paths, to scratch themselves,
to swat flies,
and to draw in the dirt.
They are good swimmers and use their
trunks like
snorkels. They live together in family groups. They help each other
when in
trouble. They join together to care for and rescue their young.
Comprehension questions
1. What kind
of animal is reported in the text?
2. What is its
brain like?
3. Mention its
parts of the body as described in the text.
4. Which of
the following descriptions is not correct?
a. Elephants can’t take flowers.
b. They can communicate well with their
babies.
c. They are cooperative among others.
5. How do they
sweep paths?
6. Who
discovered that elephants have different types of calls
they use for communication?
7. Do elephants
like to isolate themselves from other elephants?
Why or why not?
DANCING BIRDS
Many birds
dance to attract a mate, especially in springtime. From pigeons
to parrots,
birds like to show themselves off by dancing. Have a look at the
birds near
where you live and see what kinds of dances they perform.
Ostriches are the only birds which dance
for fun. Early in the morning,
the birds
gather and begin to dance in circles on tip-toes with their wings
outstretched.
Very soon, the whole group joins in with the twirling dance.
Scientists think that this dance is purely
an expression of joy at being alive!
Comprehension questions
1. What kind
of bird is reported in the text?
2. Why do they
dance?
3. Which of
the following description is not correct?
a. Birds may
dance to attract their mates.
b. Ostriches
dance for fun.
c. Ostriches
dance without their friends.
4. When do
they dance?
5. Who says
that the ostriches’ dancing is an expression of joy?
6. The writer
uses a pronoun to replace a noun. What does ‘their’
in ‘their wings outstretched’ refer to?
a. circles b. tip-toes c. ostriches
Fill
in the blanks with is, are, have or has.
1. There …..
many types of flowers in the park.
2. A seed …..
a food store, an embryo, and a seed coat.
3. All
cheetahs ….. a small head and small ears.
4. Cheetahs
….. the fastest runners on land.
5. ….. there
any cheetah in the zoo near your house?
6. There …..
no singing bird in the park near my house.
7. Baluran …..
a national park located in Banyuwangi.
8. Tigers …..
sharp teeth, so do cats.
9. There …..
much water under the ground.
10. A singing
bird ….. a very beautiful sound.
