WORKING WITH THE TEXT

A.1. Talk to your partner and say whether the following statements are true or false.

• (i) No animal can survive without water.
• (ii) Deserts are endless sand dunes.
• (iii) Most snakes are harmless.
• (iv) Snakes cannot hear, but they can feel vibrations through the ground.
• (v) Camels store water in their humps.

Answer:-
(i) True
(ii) False
(iii) True
(iv)True
(v) False

2. Answer the following questions.

Question :- (i) How do desert animals survive without water? (1)

Answer:- Desert animals have  find their own  ways of coping with harsh conditions. For example, gerbils cool themselves in underground  cool burrows. The beetels catch moisture on their leg, and camels have fat in humps to live without water.

Question :- (ii) How do mongooses kill snakes? (6)

Answer:- Mangoose keep dodging the snake until it gets completely tired and then they attack suddenly to kill the snake.

Question :- (iii) How does the hump of the camels help them to survive when there is no water? (9)

Answer:- The hump acts as a storage container, But they don’t store water in it. It is full of fat. This fat nourishes the camels when food is scarce. If they have nothing to eat for several days, their humps shrink as the fat is used up.

B. Read the words/phrases in the box. With your partner find their meaning in the dictionary.

 Fill in the blanks in the following passage with the above words/ phrases.

All animals in forests and deserts struggle to ——————————— in ———————————————— . Though most of the animals are ———————————, some are dangerous when ———————————. If an ————————————— is noticed, they attack or bite to save themselves. They struggle ——————————— for food and water. Some animals are called ————————————— because they —————————— on other animals.

Answer:-

All animals in forests and deserts struggle to survive  in harsh conditions . Though most of the animals are harmless, some are dangerous when threatened. If an intruder is noticed, they attack or bite to save themselves. They struggle continually for food and water. Some animals are called predators because they prey on other animals.

Speaking       

Look at these sentences.

• Deserts are the driest places on the Earth.
• Gerbils spend the hottest part of the day in cool underground burrows.

Now form pairs. Ask questions using a suitable form of the word in brackets. Try to answer the questions too.

Do you know?

1. Which animal is the ………………… (tall)?
2. Which animal runs the ………………….. (fast)?
3. Which place on the Earth is the …………….. (hot) or the …………… (cold)?
4. Which animal is the ………….. (large)?
5. Which is the ………………. (tall) mountain in the world?
6. Which is the …………….. (rainy) place on the Earth?
7. Which is the …………………(old) living animal?

Can you add some questions of your own?

Answer:

1. Giraffe is the tallest animal.
2. Cheetah runs the fastest.
3.  Al Aziziyah, Libya is the hottest and Soviet Vostok Station in Antarctica is the coolest on the Earth.
4. Blue whale is the largest animal.
5. Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world.
6. Mawsynram in Meghalaya is the rainiest place on the Earth.
7. Giant tortoise is the oldest living animal.

Thinking About Language

A.Look at these sentences.

• Most snakes are quite harmless, but a few are poisonous.
• Most snakes lay eggs, but the rattle snake gives birth to its young.

Now write five sentences like these using ‘most’ and the clues below.

1. (90% of) people are honest (10%) are dishonest.
2. (Lots of) fruit have plenty of sugar, (some) citrus fruit are low in sugar.
3. (Every soft drink except this one) has lots of ‘empty calories’.
4. (The majority of) films are romances, (a few) are on other topics.
5. (A majority of) people agree that he is a good leader, (just a few) disagree.

Answer:

1. Most of the people are honest, but a few are dishonest.
2. Most of the fruits have plenty of sugar, but some citrus fruits are low in sugar.
3. Most of the soft drinks except this one have lots of empty calories.
4. Most films are romances, but a few are on other topics.
5. Most people agree that he is a good leader, but a few disagree.

B. Look at these sentences.

• Animals cannot survive for long without water.
• So desert animals have to find different ways of coping.

The first sentence says what cannot happen or be done; the second tells us what must, therefore, be done, what it is necessary to do. Complete these sentences using cannot and have to/has to.

1. You …………….. reach the island by land or air; you …………… go by boat.
2. We …………… see bacteria with our eyes; we …………… look at them through a microscope.
3. He …………… have a new bicycle now; he …………… wait till next year.
4. Old people often …………… hear very well; they …………… use a hearing aid.
5. Road users …………… do what they wish; they …………… follow the traffic rules.
6. She …………… accept this decision; she ………….. question it.
7. You …………… believe everything you hear; you …………… use your own judgement.

Answer:

1. cannot, have to
2. cannot, have to
3. cannot, has to
4. cannot, have to
5. cannot, have to
6. cannot, has to
7. cannot, have to