Giant Anteaters at a Glance

Контрольна робота

The World around Us

ІІІ курс, VI семестр

Заліковий модуль 3

I. Match the following words and word-combinations with their meanings:

1. oil spillage	a. any of a class of substances occurring in nature, usually comprising inorganic substances of definite chemical composition and usually of definite crystal structure, but sometimes also including rocks formed by these substances as well as certain natural products of organic origin
2.depletion of water resources	b. the exposing or laying bare of land by erosive processes
3.radiation	c. use or treatment of nature that causes some kind of harm or is unlawful or wrongful
4. natural habitat	d. serious decrease or exhaustion of the abundance or supply of water
5. minerals	e. an accidental release of oil into a body of water, as from a tanker, offshore drilling rig, or underwater pipeline, often presenting a hazard to marine life and the environment
6. denudation of soil	f. the natural environment of an organism; place that is natural for the life and growth of an organism
7. abuse of nature	g. to put litter in particular places
8. to produce foul air	h. to mar the appearance or beauty of; deform; deface the visible features of an area of land
9. dispose garbage in designated areas	i. the complete process in which energy is emitted by one body, transmitted through an intervening medium or space, and absorbed by another body.
10. to disfigure the landscape	j. to exhaust air containing or characterized by offensive or noisome matter

II. Reading

Giant Anteaters at a Glance

Habitat: Tropical forest, open woodlands, and dry savannas of Central and South America, east of the Andes and south of Uruguay and northwest Argentina.

Status: The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists giant anteaters as Vulnerable. It is estimated that there are approximately 5.000 giant anteaters left in the wild. Their biggest threat is habitat destruction.

Closest relatives: Sloths and armadillos.

Feeding: Giant anteaters are insectivores and will eat up to 30.000 ants and termites per day. They are not immune to the bites from soldier ants. They use their powerful claws to access the ant or termite colony very fast and only feed for a minute, then move on to another insect colony.

Slow metabolism: Because insects are a low-energy food resource, a giant anteater’s metabolic rate is 50 % less than that of other mammals its size. They have the lowest body temperature of any mammal at 91 degrees F.

Unique physical characteristics: Giant anteaters have five claws on each forefoot; two are more than three inches in length. To keep them out of the way, they walk on their knuckles.

Their tongue is 2 feet long and can move in and out of the mouth 150 times per minute when feeding. Giant anteaters are one of the toothless mammals. Their sense of smell is 40 times stronger than ours.

Decide whether the following statements are true or false:

1. Giant anteaters are herbivores.

2. Giant anteaters can’t be hurt by soldier ants.

3. About 5.000 giant anteaters nowadays live in captivity.

4. Giant anteaters use their knuckles to take food from the holes in ant and termite mounds.

5. Newborn giant anteaters are fed on milk from the mother’s body.

6. Giant anteaters are extinct animals.

7. Giant anteaters have five long, sharp claws on each hind leg.

8. A giant anteater may go through several hundred teeth during a lifetime.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-26