Chapter 9: Desert Animals

WORKING WITH THE TEXT

A.

Question 1. Talk to your partner and say whether the following statements are True or False.

1. No animals can survive without water.
2. Deserts are endless sand dunes.
3. Most snakes are harmless.
4. Snakes cannot hear, but they can feel vibrations through the ground.
5. Camel store water in their humps.

Answer:

1. True
2. False
3. True
4. True
5. False

Question 2. Answer the following questions.

1. How do desert animals survive without water?

   Answer:Desert animals have to find ways of coping with harsh conditions. For example, gerbils cool themselves in underground burrows. The beetels catch moisture on their legs.

2. How do mongooses kill snakes?

   Answer:Mongooses act swiftly each time snakes strike. They cause trouble to snake until it is tired and then they attack it. They are famous for killing snakes without getting hurt themselves.

3. How does the hump of the camels help them to survive when there is no water?

   Answer:The hump helps the camels to survive in the desert by acting as storage containers. The fats stored in it nourish the camels when food is scarce. The camels can survive without water for many months.

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

A. 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 of the films are romances, only a few are on other topics.
5. Most of the people agree that he is a good leader, just 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

WRITING

A. Imagine you are journeying through a desert. Write a couple of paragraphs describing what you see and hear.

Answer: The word Desert, brings to the mind, dry barren sandy land, which is totally isolated and very-very hot. But in deserts also life exists and is not as barren as it is projected.

What you see- A visit to Thar desert was an amazing experience. There were miles and miles of sand dunes with patches of thorny bushes dispersed in patches. Though camels are the most familiar sight in a desert, you can see a number of animals,not visible in first sight, suddenly popping their head out of the sand and then disappearing. To watch the golden sunset is an absolute pleasure.

What you hear- The desert is a place where you can hear the silence, the sound of breeze dragging the sand with it, an occasional sound or rustle of an animal somewhere close.

[This is just an example; a student can write whatever comes to his imagination]