The Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus lives in the hot part of Africa. It is
a mammal. That is, its babies are born alive, and
they drink milk from the mother's body.
The hippopotamus is a large
animal. It weights four tons. Its stomach is seven meters long,
but it eats only plants. It is a mammal, but it spends
a lot of time in the water.
During the day it sleeps beside a river or a lake.
Sometimes it wakes up. Then it goes under the water to get some plants for
food. It can close its nose and stay under water for ten minutes. Its
ears, eyes, and nose are high up on its head. It can stay with its body
under the water and only its ears, eyes, and nose above the
water. Then it can breathe the air.
At night the hippo walks on the land and looks for food.
It never goes very far from the water. A baby hippo often stands on its
mother's back. The mother looks for food underwater. The baby rides on her back
above the water.
Photo credit: The Hippopotamus
A Vocabulary
stomach stay beside mammal
breathe lake plants spends
above alive large high
1. The hippopotamus is a_______________________ animal.
2. During the day it sleeps _______________________a river or a________________________.
3. It is a__________________________.
4. Its__________________ is seven meters long, but it eats only__________________________.
5. It can close its nose and _______________________ under water for ten minutes.
6. It can stay with its body under the water and only its ears, eyes, and nose _______________________ the water.
7. Then it can_____________ _____________the air.
8. It is a mammal, but it________________________ a lot of time in the water.
9. Its eyes, ears, and nose are ______________________up on its head.
B Vocabulary (new context)
beside lake mammal stomach
plants stays breathe nose
large above spend high
1. The camel is a ______________________, but the kiwi is a bird.
2. Food goes from your mouth into your ____________________.
3. How do you smell a beautiful flower? You ________________in with your nose.
4. Camels eat_________________. Polar bears and kiwis eat meat.
5. I want to talk to you. Please sit ___________________________ me.
6. Tom likes to ______________________ his free time in the Student Union. He_________________ there a few hours every day.
7. Birds can fly __________________ the trees.
8. ____________________ Geneva is a beautiful lake in Switzerland.
9. The polar bear is a __________________ animal. It is very big.
10. New York has a lot of __________________ buildings.
C Vocabulary Review
Put a circle around the letter of the best answer.
1. Can you_______ a polar bear? What does it look like?
a. hurt c. catch
b. describe d. store
2. Many birds fly ___________in the winter to a warmer place.
a. north c. south
b. wing d. wide
3. These birds fly__________ in the summer to a cooler place.
a. north c. south
b. wing d. wide
4. Roses ________ beautiful.
a. swim c. smell
b. catch d. hurt
5. The kiwi is a _________bird.
a. strange c. hurt
b. warm d. wide
6. My hand ___________. I can’t write.
a. flies c. smells
b. catches d. hurts
D Questions
The asterisk (*) means you have to think of the answer.
1. Why does the hippopotamus live?
2. *Is a kiwi a mammal?
3. How long is a hippo’s stomach?
4. Does a hippo eat meat?
5. Why does a hippo go under water?
6. How can it stay under water for ten minutes?
7. *Can it breathe under water? Why?
8. What does it do at night?
9. Where does a baby hippo ride?
10. *Is a bear a mammal?
E Comprehension: True/False/No Information
Put T if the sentence is true. Put F if it is false. Put NI if there is no information about the sentence.
1. Hippo babies are born alive.
2. Birds and hippos eat plants.
3. Hippos live under water.
4. A hippo can close its eyes.
5. A hippo breathes under water.
6. A hippo look for food on the land during the day.
7. A hippo has long eyelashes to keep water out of its eyes.
F Main Idea
Circle the number of the main idea of the text.
1. The hippopotamus is a large African animal that spends a lot of time in the water and eats plants.
2. The hippopotamus has eyes, ears, and nose high up on its head.
3. The hippopotamus walks on the land at night, and it eats and sleeps during the day.
EmoticonEmoticon