Unit 3 The Animal Kingdom

Transcription

1 Unit 3 The Animal Kingdom The Amazing Koala Everyone loves the cute koala bear. But did you know that koalas aren t bears at all? A koala is actually a marsupial. That means the mother carries its baby in a pouch just like a kangaroo! Koalas are one of Australia s most famous animals. They are found all along the east coast of the country. They have coarse gray fur. They move slowly and spend most of their time sleeping. They are quiet animals except for males during breeding season when they make loud calls. Even though they are quiet and cute, koalas can be dangerous. They will bite and scratch aggressively if they are bothered. Only baby koalas can be safely handled by people. One interesting thing about koalas is that they have five fingers and fingerprints2 like a human. It is difficult to tell the difference between human and koala fingerprints. They also have small brains. Nearly half of their skull3 is filled with liquid. Koalas only eat eucalyptus leaves. The leaves are low in nutrition and poisonous to most animals, but not the koala. They eat about 500 grams of eucalyptus leaves each day. Koalas only give birth to one baby a year. When a joey is born, it has no hair, and it can t see or hear. It makes its way into its mother s pouch and lives there for six months. It is safe and warm inside the pouch, and the mother koala gives the joey milk to drink. After six months, the joey is big enough to come outside and ride on its mother s back. In a year, it will be able to take care of itself. At that time, the young koala leaves the mother and looks for a eucalyptus tree it can call home. Koalas spend their entire lives in these trees. They give them everything they need to survive. The problem is that people are now cutting them down. If we aren t careful, soon there will be no eucalyptus trees and no koalas left! Reference: 1. life span how long one lives 2. fingerprint the marks on a person s finger 3. skull the bones of a person or animal s head Chinese Translation 1 / 5

2 Key Vocabulary and Phrases 1. coarse adj. having a rough surface; of low quality The pieces of wood are coarse, not smooth. This movie is just a coarse version of Mission: Impossible. 2. fur n. the hair that covers the bodies of animals In the summer, dogs lose a lot of their fur. furry adj. covered with fur or something like fur Your cat is so furry and soft. I love it. 3. except for used to introduce the thing about which a statement is not true I felt fine except for having a minor headache. Note: (1) Except means excluding or but not. Besides and in addition to both mean including. Dinner was great except when the waiter gave us the wrong order. The puppy, besides being friendly, is also pretty active. (2) When introducing a clause, use except that, except when, except if, or unless. It was a normal day at school except that we had a substitute teacher for math class. 2 / 5

3 I go to bed early except when an important basketball game is on television. Eric doesn t drink except if there is a special occasion. 4. breed v. to have babies; n. a group of animals or plants having features in common There are too many rabbits in Australia because they breed so fast. My favorite breed of dog is the Labrador retriever. 5. call n. a loud cry or shout Beth heard a call from her child s room, so she ran to see what happened. Other Usages of Call n. a telephone communication Jeff made a call to his client in Singapore. n. a demand There have been calls for the firing of the CEO. n. a short formal visit A long time ago, doctors would make house calls to check on patients. v. to speak loudly to be heard I seemed to hear my mother calling my name. v. to arrange Chelsea called a meeting for next Monday morning. call for to request The audience at the rock show called for the band to play one more song. call on to pay a short visit Let s call on the neighbors and see what they re doing today. 6. bite v. to use your teeth to cut something When you get bitten by a snake, remember to keep the injured area below your heart. n. the act of cutting something with your teeth Can I take a bite of your sandwich? It looks delicious. n. a hole made in the spot where something has bitten you She had mosquito bites all over her legs. grab a bite (to eat) to get something to eat quickly Do you want to go downtown and grab a bite to eat? 7. scratch v. to cut someone s skin with nails or claws A cat scratched his hand and it was starting to bleed. Other Usages of Scratch v. to rub your skin with your nails Lying in the grass is making me itch. I can t stop scratching myself. 3 / 5

4 v. to make a small cut or mark on something using something sharp We scratched our names into the tree trunk using a rock. n. a small cut on someone s skin I have scratches all over my skin from yesterday s football game. n. a thin mark or cut on the surface of something Where did this scratch on my car come from? 8. aggressively adv. in a hostile manner If we play more aggressively, we can win this game. aggressive adj. showing determination; showing hostility Sean is an aggressive salesman. He never gives up. 9. handle v. to hold Be careful when you are handling the baby. Other Usages of Handle v. to be responsible for My secretary handles my schedule. v. to deal with a person or situation The government is trying to figure out how to handle the flood. 10. nutrition n. the healthy part of food; the process or study of getting healthy food I usually eat oatmeal for breakfast. It contains few calories and is high in nutrition. Good nutrition is the key to maintaining overall health. 11. poisonous adj. can kill or harm a living thing Watch out for spiders. Some of them are poisonous. poison n. a substance that can kill or harm a living thing; v. to put a harmful substance in one s food or drink He was sent to the hospital after drinking some kind of poison. The man was poisoned by his enemies before he could speak in court. 12. give birth (to someone) to produce (a baby) The mother died of blood loss when giving birth to her son. birth n. when something starts to exist The birth of the nation was in entire adj. whole The entire class got the flu. entirely adv. completely 4 / 5

5 Whether you go on the trip with us is entirely your decision. 14. survive v. to remain alive or in existence The man fell 200 feet into the water, but he survived. v. to continue to function or be successful after The mayor survived the scandal and got elected again. be survived by when someone dies and leaves behind family members Mr. Sutter is survived by his wife and two children. survival n. the continuation of life or existence Scientists are working to ensure the survival of the eagles. 5 / 5