ENGLISH LANGUAGE IV

UNIT 1 - ANIMAL KINGDOM

WORKSHEET 3
I. Flash-back:
 Conversation: In pairs, ask and answer questions as the examples show:

- What is the lion in picture 3 doing? It is resting in the shade

- What does picture 8 show? It shows a lion and a lioness

II. Read the paragraphs and match them to their corresponding heading:

Habitat of the African Lion The Protection of Family Diet of the African Lion
Description of the African Lion Distribution of the African Lion

1. ______________________________________

African lions are large, muscular, barrel-chested cats. They have a rounded head, round ears, short fur, and a long tail
with a tuft of hair at the end. Male lions grow a luxurious collar of long hair, which is called “mane,” around their necks.

2. ______________________________________

Lions prefer grassland and savannah habitats which are in close proximity to water sources, such as rivers. They also
prefer hunting in open areas rather than densely packed forest. They are absent from all rainforest habitats in their
range.

3. ______________________________________

African lions have a number of subspecies separated by large, lion-less expanses. Historically, lions could be found across
the vast majority of Africa, but their current range has been restricted to a smattering of locations in Central and
Southern Africa. Outside of Africa, lions used to be found from Greece all the way to India. Humans slowly decimated
these populations over the centuries. Currently, only a small population of the Asiatic lion subspecies can be found in the
Gir Forest National Park, which is located in Western India.

4. ______________________________________

Lions are considered a hypercarnivore, which means that the vast majority (70%) of their diet comes from meat. They
seem to prefer prey that weighs between 400 – 1,200 lbs. but will occasionally eat outside of that range. Some of their
most common prey includes wildebeest, zebra, gemsbok, giraffe, buffalo, Thomson’s gazelle, and warthog. Each lion is
thought to eat between 10 and 20 lbs. of food per day.

5. ______________________________________

While female lions bring home dinner, male lions survey their territory and chase away rival males. Groups of male lions
at the head of a pride have more success maintaining dominance than a single male does. Adult male lions are larger and
heavier than females, making them the obvious choice in primary pride protection. Male lions will mark their territory by
scent marking and roaring.

Roaming bachelor males will attempt to de-throne the current male(s) of the pride. These battles can be vicious, and for
good reason. The male lion is not only defending his harem of females, but also his genetic progeny. When a new male
takes over a pride, he kills all the young cubs in the pride. It is believed this occurs because the lionesses will not go into
heat until her cubs mature or die.

 Discuss your answers with a partner. Explain why you chose your answers.

III. Vocabulary building:

 Find the meaning, word category and translation of the highlighted words as the example shows. Consider context.

1- Barrel-chested (Adjective): With a large chest that curves outwards. Con pecho de barril.