LESSON 4A READING AND VOCABULARY
THEY NEED SAVING TOO!
► Before reading
Keywords
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Animals
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Parts of body
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Adj. to describe A creature |
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Invertebrates اللافقاريات |
Backbone العمود الفقري |
Extinct منقرض |
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Crustaceans القشريات |
Fins الزعانف |
Slimy لزج |
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Mammals الثدييات |
Skeleton هيكل عظمي |
Marine بحري |
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Reptile الزواحف |
Beaks مناقير(منقار) |
Cuddly محبوب |
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Primate
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Scales حراشف/ قشور |
Endangered مهدد بالانقراض |
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Invertebrates اللافقاريات |
Claws مخالب |
Nocturnal ليلي |
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Furry ذا فراء (فروي) |
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Solitary منعزل |
Poacher: someone who illegally catches animals.
vocabulary
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Word |
Meaning in English |
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Nocturnal ناشط في الليل |
Awake and active at night |
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Marine البحرية
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Related to the sea |
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Solitary المنعزل |
Usually alone, not with others
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Skeleton هيكل عظمي |
the frame of bones supporting a human or animal body |
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Invertebrates اللافقاريات |
An animal without a backbone |
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Slimy لزج |
Covered in liquid and not nice to touch |
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Furry فراء |
Covered in thick, soft hair |
► While reading
| A. It’s no accident that the symbol of the World-Wide Fund for Nature is a giant panda. These animals are cute or beautiful, or both, and of course we all want to save them. This popularity enables organisations such as the WWF to raise money to support a range of critically endangered species. However, less well-known or ‘exciting’ creatures are far more likely to become extinct because they don’t get enough attention from researchers. Invertebrates (animals without a backbone) make up over 90% of all the creatures on Earth, but get only a tiny percentage of the money available to protect our wildlife. |
1. According to the text, WWF stands for:
A. World Wide Federation for Nature.
B. World Wide Fund for Nature.
C. World Wide Finance for Nature.
2. The symbol of the WWF is a:
A. giant invertebrate B. giant insect C. giant panda.
3. According to the text, giant animals like panda are:
A. neither cute nor beautiful
B. cute or beautiful
C. either cute or beautiful, or cute and beautiful
4. Organisations like WWF raise money in order to support critically,
A. extinct animals B. endangered animals C. extinct species
5. Invertebrates’, according to the text, are animals:
A. without scales B. without a backbone C. without a beak
6. According to the text, less attractive animals are way more exposed to the danger of extinction because they don’t get enough attention from:
A. young people B. researchers C. organisations.
7. According to the text, the highest majority of creatures on Earth are:
A. invertebrates B. mammals C. backbones
8. According to the text, the word “tiny’ means a very:
A. small fraction of something.
B. huge fraction of something.
C. reasonable fraction of something.
| B. And what about those creatures that many people would find positively ugly? With its tiny eyes, big mouth and slimy pink body, the blob fish is far from attractive. This marine creature lives deep in the ocean, where the pressure is very high. As a result, it has tiny fins and no skeleton, which keeps it from being crushed by the water pressure. Unfortunately, when fishing boats sweep the ocean floor, looking for other fish and crustaceans, these fish can get swept into the nets accidentally. |
1. The blobfish according to the text, is:
A. Attractive B. beautiful C. ugly
2. The blobfish is kept from being crushed by the water pressure because it has:
A. tiny eyes and a big mouth
B. a slimy pink body
C. tiny fins and no skeleton
3. The blob fish is way far from being attractive because of its:
A. tiny fins and no skeleton
B. slimy body
C. tiny eyes, big mouth and slimy pink body.
4. According to the text, fishing boats are looking for:
A. the blobfish and crustaceans
B. other fish and crustaceans
C. crustaceans
5. According to the text, the major threat/danger on other fish in deep waters is:
A. sharks B. water pressure C. invertebrates
| C. The threat faced by the pangolin, however, is far from accidental. They are more often targeted by poachers than any other animal in the world. Unique among mammals, it is covered in scales, like a reptile. They may not look very cuddly or cute, but these scales are highly prised in traditional Chinese medicine, which has caused the population of pangolins! in China to fall by around 90% since the 1960s. Their scales protect them from their natural predators, but it's simple for a poacher to just pick them up. |
1. The word in the text which means ‘someone who illegally catches animals’ is a:
A. pangolin B. predator C. poacher
2. The pangolin is very different amongst other mammals because it is:
A. Cuddly B. cute C. covered with scales
3. The pangolin is classified as a:
A. Mammal B. reptile C. crustacean
4. The Chinese traditionally used the pangolins’ scales as:
A. Medicine B. food C. predator
5. The pangolins use their scales to:
A. hunt other animals
B. protect other animals
C. protect themselves from predators
6. Poachers catch pangolins easily by:
A. their hands B. their nets C. their traps
7. The population of pangolins in China fell by around 90 % since the:
A 1960 B. 1690s C. 1960s
| D. Other creatures become endangered precisely because people find them ugly. Take the aye aye for example. Found only on the island of Madagascar, the aye aye is the world's largest nocturnal primate. During the day they sleep in nests in the trees, coming out to hunt at night. They are solitary creatures, furry, and unfortunately, the way they look means that they are traditionally considered an omen of bad luck. As a result, they are often killed. |
1. People find the aye aye as:
A. Beautiful B. cuddly C. ugly
2. The aye aye is found only:
A. on islands B. everywhere C. on the island of Madagascar
3. The eye eye is highly endangered because they are:
A. Ugly B. ugly and an omen of bad luck C. an omen of bad luck
4. The eye eye is described in the text as ‘solitary creatures’ which means they:
A. enjoy being around other animals
B. live alone
C. sleep during the day
5. People consider the eye eye as ‘an omen of bad luck’ because they:
A. look ugly B. behave strangely C. are solitary
6. According to the text/extract, ‘nocturnal primate’ means that the eye eye:
A. sleeps at night and hunts during the day
B. sleeps during the day and hunts at night
C. sleeps and hunts at night
D. don’t sleep at all
| Read the article again. in which paragraph does the author .... |
1. (A) tell us what kind of creatures get the least funding in terms of research and preservation?
2. (C) tell us about a creature whose body is perceived as useful by some humans?
3. (C) mention a belief that a particular creature might be a good /bad sign?
4. (B) explain how a creature's physical features protect it from an extreme environment?
5. (A) explain why wildlife conservation institutions often choose certain animals to represent them?
6. (C) describe an animal that is very different from others in its class?
| Match the highlighted words from the text with the definitions: |
1. usually alone, not with others → (solitary)
2. awake and active at night → (nocturnal)
3. covered in liquid and not nice to touch → (Slimy)
4. covered in thick, soft hair → (furry)
5. related to the sea → (marine)
6. an animal without a backbone → (invertebrates)
Collocations related to animals
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Go/become extinct |
Natural predators |
Critically endangered |
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ينقرض |
المفترسات الطبيعية |
مهدد بالانقراض بشكل حرج |