Cambridge University Press
978-1-108-62200-4 — Prism Reading Level 2 Student's Book with Online Workbook
Lida Baker , Carolyn Westbrook
ExcerptMore Information

UNIT 1ANIMALSLEARNING OBJECTIVESKey Reading Skills

Reading for main ideas; using a
Venn diagram

Understanding key vocabulary;using your knowledge; readingfor details; working out meaning;
Additional Reading Skills
predicting content using visuals;
taking notes; summarizing;
making inferences; synthesizing
Language Development

Academic verbs; comparativeadjectives

ACTIVATE YOUR KNOWLEDGE
Work with a partner. Discuss the questions.
1In your opinion, is it better to see animals in a zoo
or in nature? Why?

2

Are there more wild animals in your country now,or were there more in the past? Why? Give examples.

3

Why do some people enjoy having animals intheir homes?

4

Do humans need animals? Why or why not?

5

Are animals important in your life? Why?

14

© in this web service Cambridge University Press

www.cambridge.org

Cambridge University Press
978-1-108-62200-4 — Prism Reading Level 2 Student's Book with Online Workbook
Lida Baker , Carolyn Westbrook
ExcerptMore Information

UNIT

1

15

© in this web service Cambridge University Press

www.cambridge.org

Cambridge University Press
978-1-108-62200-4 — Prism Reading Level 2 Student's Book with Online Workbook
Lida Baker , Carolyn Westbrook
ExcerptMore Information

READING 1

PREPARING TO READ
1

UNDERSTANDING KEY VOCABULARY Read the deﬁnitions. Complete thesentences with the correct form of the words in bold.

chemical (n)destroy (v)man-made or natural substance made by changing atoms

to damage something very badly; to cause it to not exist

due to (prep) because of; as a result ofendangered (adj)natural (adj)(of plants and animals) that may disappear soon

as found in nature; not made or caused by people

pollute (v)to make an area or substance dirty and unhealthfulprotect (v)to keep something or someone safe from damage or injury

species (n)types of plants or animals that have similar features

1

The black rhino is one of the mostonly about 5,000 left today.

2of bears in North America. They are the American
There are three
black bear, the grizzly bear, and the polar bear.

3Dangerous
enter lakes and rivers.

4Smoke from factories cananimals.

5

When new homes are built, it often

6

Few people visited the zoo last week7

I don’t like zoos. I prefer to see animals in their

8

Many organizations are working tocreating safe places for them to live.

animals in the world. There arefrom factories can kill fish and other animals when they
the air and hurt both humans andthe areas where animals live.
the cold weather.
environments.
endangered animals by16

© in this web service Cambridge University Press

www.cambridge.org

Cambridge University Press
978-1-108-62200-4 — Prism Reading Level 2 Student's Book with Online Workbook
Lida Baker , Carolyn Westbrook
ExcerptMore Information

READING 121

Look at the title of the article on pages 18–19. What do you
think it will be about? Complete the chart with the names of endangered andextinct species you know.
USING YOUR KNOWLEDGE

ENDANGERED SPECIESEXTINCT SPECIES

17© in this web service Cambridge University Press

www.cambridge.org

Cambridge University Press
978-1-108-62200-4 — Prism Reading Level 2 Student's Book with Online Workbook
Lida Baker , Carolyn Westbrook
ExcerptMore Information

ENDANGERED

SPECIES

1 An endangered species is a groupof animals or plants that could soon
become extinct. Extinction happens
when the last animal of the species has
died out and there will be no more. Manyspecies are nearly extinct and could
disappear from the Earth very soon if we
don’t do anything to save them. There
are many reasons why species become
endangered, but most harm to species isdue to human activities such as habitat
destruction, hunting, and overfishing.
2 Habitat destruction is themain reason why animals becomeendangered. This happens in two ways.
First, when humans move into a newarea, they cut down trees to build houses
and farms. This destroys the animals’
habitat—the natural environment

where plants or animals usually live—
and leaves them without food. Animal
habitats are also destroyed becauseof pollution. Dirty water from factories,
which contains chemicals, ends up
in rivers, and poisons used on farmland
may even kill animals that live in
the area.
3 Endangered species are also theresult of hunting and fishing. Animals
such as the Arabian oryx are nearly
extinct because of the high price of theirmeat. Other animals are killed for theirfur, bones, or skin—or just for sport. Forexample, some seal species are now
almost extinct because they are killed fortheir fur to make coats. Tigers are shot tomake medicine and tea from their bones,and crocodiles are caught to makebags and shoes. Large sea creatures
like whales, tuna, and sharks have all
become endangered species because

18© in this web service Cambridge University Press

www.cambridge.org

Cambridge University Press
978-1-108-62200-4 — Prism Reading Level 2 Student's Book with Online Workbook
Lida Baker , Carolyn Westbrook
ExcerptMore Information

READING 11

What steps can individuals
and governments take to protect
more animal and plant species
from becoming endangered?

Arabian oryx

of overfishing—too many are caught tomake special dishes that people like toeat, such as shark’s fin soup or sushi.
4 What steps can individuals andgovernments take to protect moreanimal and plant species frombecoming endangered? We should try
not to pollute natural areas, andfarmers or companies who destroyanimal habitats should face a financial
penalty. The public can help out byrefusing to buy products made fromTiger

animals’ body parts, such as seal furcoats or crocodile bags. Governments
can help, too, by making it against thelaw to hunt, fish, or trade in endangered
species. They can also provide funding foranimal sanctuaries and zoos and protect
animals from extinction by breeding moreendangered animals, which can later bereleased into the wild. If we all cooperateby taking these steps, we will protect
our planet so that our children and theirchildren can enjoy it, too.

SealWhale19© in this web service Cambridge University Press

www.cambridge.org

Cambridge University Press
978-1-108-62200-4 — Prism Reading Level 2 Student's Book with Online Workbook
Lida Baker , Carolyn Westbrook
ExcerptMore Information

WHILE READING
3

Read the article on pages 18−19. Add the names of theanimals mentioned to the correct column of the chart on page 17.
READING FOR DETAILSSKILLSREADING FOR MAIN IDEAS
The main idea of a paragraph tells the most important thought or message of thatparagraph. The topic sentence expresses the main idea of the paragraph, and allof the other sentences in the paragraph give details to support the topic sentence.
To find the main idea, look at the topic sentence and check whether the rest of theparagraph supports what it says.

4

5

Read the article again and write the paragraphnumber next to the main ideas.
READING FOR MAIN IDEASa

How hunting and overfishing endanger animalsb

The definition of endangered and extinct species

cHow governments and citizens can protect animalsdHow humans destroy and pollute animal habitats

READING FOR DETAILSWork with a partner. Answer the questions.

1

Who or what is most responsible for animal extinction and endangered species?

2

How does pollution and cutting down trees cause problems for animals?

3

What do people hunt animals for?

4

Which large sea creatures are endangered because of overfishing?

5

What can individuals do to protect animals from becoming endangered?

6What should governments do about hunting and fishing of animals?

7

What should governments invest in to get more animals back into the wild?

20© in this web service Cambridge University Press

www.cambridge.org

Cambridge University Press
978-1-108-62200-4 — Prism Reading Level 2 Student's Book with Online Workbook
Lida Baker , Carolyn Westbrook
ExcerptMore Information

READING 1

1

READING BETWEEN THE LINES
6

Read the last paragraph of the article again. Underline the words
and phrases with the same meaning as the words in italics.
WORKING OUT MEANING

1

Companies who destroy animal habitats should pay a fine.

2

You should help to protect animals by choosing not to buy fur.

3

We can make it illegal to hunt, fish, or trade in endangered species.

4Governments can pay for animal sanctuaries and zoos.

5If we work together by taking this action, we can protect our planet.

CRITICAL THINKING
7 Work with a partner. Discuss the questions.
APPLY

ANALYZEEVALUATE

What are some more
examples of products thatare made from animalparts? Do you use any ofthese products?

Should governments spendmoney to save animal habitats
even if this means there is lessmoney for things people need,such as hospitals?

Why is it a problem ifsome plants andanimals die out?

COLLABORATION
8 A Work in a small group. Choose an endangered species and make a fact sheet
about it. Include the following information:

B• Description of its habitat• Ways to protect it• Threats or dangers to it• Photos of the animal and its habitat

Present your fact sheets to the class. As a class, choose an endangered species
to sponsor.

21© in this web service Cambridge University Press

www.cambridge.org

Cambridge University Press
978-1-108-62200-4 — Prism Reading Level 2 Student's Book with Online Workbook
Lida Baker , Carolyn WestbrookExcerpt
More Information

READING 2

PREPARING TO READ
1

UNDERSTANDING KEY VOCABULARY Read the deﬁnitions. Complete the sentences with thecorrect form of the words in bold.

common (adj)happening often or existing in large numbers

cruel (adj)causing pain or suffering on purpose

disease (n)illness; a serious health condition that requires carefatal (adj)causing death

major (adj)most serious or importantnative (adj)used to describe animals and plants that grow naturally in a placesurvive (v)to continue to live after almost dying1The coyote, a wild member of the dog family, is so
United States that they can be seen in cities.

2to sea birds. Millions of birds die each year when
Plastic is often
they swallow plastic bags and other plastic garbage.

3

in humans, but some animals, such as horses,
The flu is a common
birds, seals, and whales, can also get forms of the flu.

4

Many people believe that it is
can’t move around freely.

5

Habitat loss is theRiver region.

6

Gray whales are endangered, but there is a chance that they will
because many countries have stopped hunting them.

7

There are many unique species that areMadagascar, including more than 80 kinds of snakes.

in the western

to keep animals in zoos, where theycause of species extinction in the Amazon

to the island of22© in this web service Cambridge University Press

www.cambridge.org

Cambridge University Press
978-1-108-62200-4 — Prism Reading Level 2 Student's Book with Online Workbook
Lida Baker , Carolyn Westbrook
ExcerptMore Information

READING 221Workwith a partner. Look at the photos in thearticle on pages 24–25 and discuss thequestions.
PREDICTING CONTENT USING VISUALS

1What are the animals in the photos?

2

Do you have them in your country?
How do people feel about them?

3

Which animal do you think isendangered? Why?
23

© in this web service Cambridge University Press

www.cambridge.org