Read the text and choose the most suitable heading from the list a-c for each part 1 – 3 of the text.

a. Birds;

b. Dingos;

c. The world’s famous classification.

1. Every animal is known by two sorts of names. The scientific name, which is made from Latin or Greek words, remains the same all over the world. The first word of a scientific name places the animal in a genus with other animals, closely related to it. The second word is the animal's species.

The common name varies from country to country according to the language spoken. The common name of a species uses capital letters, e.g. Red Kangaroo. However, the common name of a group of animals, such as kangaroos, takes a lower-case letter.

2. Unlike domestic dogs, the female Dingo has only one breeding cycle per year, and a Dingo's teeth and skull differ from those of domestic dogs. Its most likely ancestor is the Indian Plains Wolf.

Dingos live in a well-defined home range, which may be shared with others. Individuals hunt small game on their own, but join to take larger prey. A group may consist of a breeding pair and younger animals. Dingos interbreed with domestic dogs.

3. Worldwide, there are about 8,800 species of living birds. Over 760 species of birds have been recorded from Australia and the oceans nearby.

A bird's plumage may account for up to 15% of its total weight, its skeleton only 5%.

Most birds have 1,500 to 3,000 feathers. A swan has up to 25,216. The protein of which feathers are made is also found in lizard skin.

The fastest flying birds can reach speeds in excess of 20 meters per second. Small birds on migration may cover 1,000 kilometers non-stop in 24 hours.

 

Read the text and do the assignments that follow it.

CORAL REEFS

Tropical seas are known for their variety of colour and fascinating marine life. Coral reefs have a unique place in this aquatic world and their surrounding environment. Though it looks like a plant, coral is actually a marine animal of the invertebrate species having no spinal columns, like jellyfish. Coral reefs are sensitive ecosystems. Reefs have formed over millions of years, and their scientific study teaches us many things about the complex changes that our environment has undergone through the ages.

The body of the coral consists of a polyp – a hollow, cylindrical structure which attaches its lower end to a surface. The free end is a mouth which gathers food and acts as a "stinger" paralyzing prey. The continual growth of new buds, or developing polyps, cause the old ones to die. The skeletons remain, however, creating a colony of corals, later developing into a reef.

Reefs grow faster in clear water and in the warm temperatures of tropical oceans are generally found at depths less than 46 meters, where sunlight penetrates, a necessary condition for corals to thrive and grow. Waves also carry food, nutrients and oxygen to the reef. Shallow, warm, tropical waters with strong wave action are ideal conditions for these unique organisms to flourish.

Prove that coral is an animal.

Describe the structure of the body of the coral.

Say how corals multiply. Say what conditions are necessary for corals to flourish.

 

UNIT 3

Read the text and say if the sentences are true or false.

Carolus Linnaeus

The Swedish naturalist and physician Carolus Linnaeus is renowned for his contribution to natural history. He established the modern scientific method of naming plants and animals using two Latin words. Linnaeus then developed an extensive system of classification that divided plants and animals into the classes, orders, families, genera, and species that form the basis of modern taxonomy (the classification of nature). In 1788 the Linnaean Society was founded in London, England, in his honor. As proof of the importance of his work, the society still preserves his collections and manuscripts.

 

1. Carolus Linnaeus is an English naturalist.

2. He developed a special system of classification.

3. Carolus Linnaeus formed the basis of genetics.

4. He established the modern scientific method of naming plants and animals using two Latin words.

 

2. Read the text and answer the questions.

Simple Organisms

Simple Organisms are viruses and one-celled organisms, such as bacteria, blue-green algae, and protists. Viruses are on the borderline between living and nonliving things. They are not true cells but simply genetic material surrounded by a protein coat. Viruses do not show life activities unless they are inside a living cell. They use their host's DNA to reproduce. Viruses cause many plant and animal diseases; unless the organism can protect itself, the virus spreads to cause illness and even death.

1. What are simple organisms?

2. Are viruses living or non-living things?

3. What for do they use some other organism?

4. Can viruses spread very rapidly and cause diseases?