Interesting facts about crocodiles in English. Books about crocodiles in English
I Reading
Why the Crocodile Does Not Eat Hens
A Hen came to the river every day. She drank water there. One day the Crocodile saw her and came up to her. He wanted to eat her up. But she cried, “Oh, don’t eat me, my dear brother!” And the Crocodile let her go: he could not eat his sister.
The next day, when the Hen came to the river again, the Crocodile decided to eat her up. But again the Hen cried, “Oh, don’t eat me, my dear brother!” And again the Crocodile didn’t eat her.
But he thought “How can I be her brother?” I live in the water, and she doesn’t. “Then the Crocodile went to his friend, a Lizard.
“Oh, my friend! A big Hen comes to the river every day and when I want to catch her, she says that I am her brother. How can that be?
“Oh, my silly friend!” the Lizard answered. “Don’t you know that the Hen, The Turtle, the Lizard lay eggs as Crocodiles do, my dear? So we all are brothers and sisters. Do you understand?”
“Oh, thank you very much!” said the Crocodile.
Now you know why crocodiles never eat hens!
II Restore the sentences from the text and translate them.
A Hen came to the river every day she drank water there one day the crocodile saw her and came up to her he wanted to eat her up.
III Read each pair of words. Write the word from the box to finish each word group.
His eat lizard silly brother
1.mother,sister,_______________________________
2.crocodile, hen,______________________________
3.drink, feed,________________________________
4.brave,smart,_________________________________
5.my,her,______________
IV True or false (+/-)
A Hen came to the river every day.
The Crocodile let the hen go.
The Hen lives in the water.
The Crocodile couldn't understand anything.
1.What is your favorite animal?
2. What animals can you see in our zoo?
__________________________________________________________
3. Is the shark a fast and dangerous fish?
__________________________________________________________
4. Have you got a pet?
__________________________________________________________
Use of English
Simple or continuous? Put the verbs in the correct form.
At weekends I (usually get)………. at 8 o’clock in the morning. Dad (not get)………..up early. At the moment we (have breakfast)………………………..I (usually eat)…………………sandwiches for breakfast. But now we (eat)…………porridge.
Crocodiles are creatures unlike any other. Leading a predominantly aquatic lifestyle, they, however, cannot breathe underwater, and they prefer to hunt land animals. In the wild, crocodiles are extremely dangerous - for example, in the sparsely populated areas of Australia where they are found, you can often find signs warning about the presence of these reptiles in the vicinity. This precaution is very appropriate - crocodiles are usually not averse to snacking on unwary tourists.
- Crocodiles are often confused with alligators. However, these are different animals, albeit similar.
- Crocodiles are direct descendants of extinct dinosaurs.
- The closest relatives of crocodiles are, oddly enough, birds (see x).
- Crocodiles are very cunning and patient. Having noticed a place where herbivores come to drink, crocodiles water the shore in this place with water, carrying it in their mouths so that the ground becomes slippery. If an animal approaches the water to drink and slips, it will inevitably become a victim of a crocodile. This fact may have given rise to the expression “crocodile tears.”
- When fish go to spawn, crocodiles in rivers lie down against the current and open their mouths. They don’t even have to do anything - just close their mouths and swallow the fish, which itself jumps into it.
- Crocodiles, unlike alligators, can live not only in fresh water, but also in salt water.
- The ribs protecting the crocodile's belly are not connected to the spine.
- If something falls on the crocodile’s tongue, for example, a drop of water, or a drop of sweat from the head of a brave trainer who has stuck his head into the predator’s mouth, the crocodile immediately clenches his jaws because his reflex is triggered.
- A well-fed, fully-fed crocodile does not attack a potential victim even when success is almost guaranteed - he is simply lazy.
- Crocodile teeth are worn down and replaced with new ones about every two years.
- Crocodiles, which lead an aquatic lifestyle, however, lay eggs on land.
- Water colder than plus 20 degrees Celsius is deadly for most crocodiles.
- Crocodiles have developed a kind of symbiosis with birds - he opens his mouth, and small birds peck out pieces of meat stuck between his teeth. The crocodile never touches these birds.
- The apparent clumsiness of crocodiles on land is very deceptive - at short distances they are capable of developing very high speeds, all the more surprising for creatures with such short legs.
- In the foreseeable past, completely land-dwelling crocodiles were still found in South America, but now there are no more of them left - they are extinct.
- Crocodiles reach maturity at the age of 5-10 years, depending on the species. Larger species grow more slowly.
- Crocodiles can live for hundreds of years, sometimes even more.
- Crocodiles do not know how to chew - their jaws are not adapted to this, so they tear their prey into pieces and swallow it piece by piece.
- Among many species of crocodiles, manifestations of cannibalism occur. Yes, on occasion these predators are not at all averse to snacking on each other.
- The Nile crocodile, which, as its name suggests, is found in the Nile River, poses a significant threat to rural residents in the vicinity of this great river (see).
- If necessary, a crocodile that has accumulated sufficient fat reserves may not eat at all for a whole year, or even more.
- Some crocodiles hibernate during periods of drought and hide at the bottom of shallow bodies of water.
- In one sitting, a crocodile easily eats prey equal to one-fifth of its own body weight.
- Small crocodiles from the same clutch of eggs hatch at the same time. An interesting fact is that if the eggs were stored at a temperature of 31-33 degrees Celsius, then they will hatch into males. If the temperature was lower or higher, then females will hatch.
- In the Kingdom of Thailand there are special farms where crocodiles are raised.
- Crocodiles are one of the most ancient creatures on Earth. Their modern species appeared about 83 million years ago, and their ancestors a quarter of a billion years ago.
- The largest crocodiles can reach a length of 7 meters and weigh up to a ton. You can meet such a monster in the north of Australia, India and Fiji (see).
- Crocodiles swim at speeds of up to 40 km/h, give or take. If they want, of course.
- Different muscles are responsible for opening and closing the mouth of crocodiles. Those that close their jaws are very strong, and those that unclench are on the contrary, so an adult can easily prevent a crocodile from opening its mouth by holding it tightly with his hands.
- Crocodiles sometimes swallow stones. They help them grind food in the stomach, and at the same time play the role of ballast.
Interesting about crocodiles
Crocodile or alligator,
Who is who on the equator?
Which one ate up Auntie Norah,
Famous tropical explorer?
Do you know how to tell an alligator from a crocodile? Then try this quiz.
Only one of the following sentences is false. Which one?
1. Crocodiles and alligators are relatives. They belong to a large group of crocodilians.
2. Crocodilians are reptiles.
3. Crocodiles have narrow noses, alligators have blunt noses.
4. The Nile crocodile is the largest of all the world’s crocodilians.
5. There are no crocodiles in Russian rivers.
6. Crocodiles and alligators are wonderful swimmers.
7. Crocodiles and alligators are caring mothers. They provide more care for their young than most reptiles do.
8. Some people keep crocodilians for pets.
9. Alligators and crocodiles drag their victims underwater and drown them before eating them.
10. Crocodiles can’t stick out their tongues!
11. Crocodiles can hold their breath for more than an hour.
12. Alligators and crocodiles can’t chew their food - their teeth are only good for tearing. So they swallow stones to help smash up the food they’ve eaten.
13. Crocodiles sometimes attack and eat people.
14. Alligators are friendly. They never attack humans.
15. When they get hot, crocodiles rest with their mouths open. Birds sometimes fly into their mouths and pick food from between their teeth.
No. 14 is wrong
source: Speak out 3/2001
Do you know how to distinguish an alligator from a crocodile? Then try this test. One of the statements is incorrect. Guess which one.
1. Crocodiles and alligators are related. They belong to a large order of aquatic vertebrates.
2. Crocodiles are reptiles.
3. Crocodiles have narrow noses, and alligators have blunt noses.
4. The Nile crocodile is the largest of all crocodiles in the world.
5. There are no crocodiles in Russian rivers.
6. Crocodiles and alligators are excellent swimmers.
7. Mothers of crocodiles and alligators take care of their offspring. They provide more care to the young than most reptiles.
8. Some people keep crocodiles as pets.
9. Alligators and crocodiles drag their prey underwater and drown it before eating it.
10. The crocodile cannot stick out its tongue.
11. Crocodiles can hold their breath for more than an hour.
12. Alligators and crocodiles cannot chew - their teeth are only good for tearing. So they swallow rocks to help digest the food they eat.
13. Crocodiles sometimes attack people and eat them.
14. Alligators are very friendly. They never attack people.
15. When crocodiles are hot, they rest with their mouths open. Birds sometimes fly into their mouths and take away the remains of food stuck between their teeth.
No. 14 is incorrect
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It is impossible to imagine learning English without learning the names of animals. After familiarizing yourself with a minimum of vocabulary and the simplest grammatical structures, you need to move on to short texts in which the presence of animals as characters is highly desirable. When we teach animals in English for children, the traditional set includes approximately equal numbers of domestic and wild fauna. It is better to start memorizing with one-syllable words, gradually moving to two- and three-syllable names.
Animal names in English
At the very beginning of training, it is acceptable for animals in English to be learned with pronunciation in Russian, that is, with Russian transcription. It is strongly recommended that, in parallel with memorizing words, you learn English transcription signs, without knowledge of which it will be impossible to work with any dictionary.
Domestic animals
Cat - Cat
Cow - Cow
Dog - Dog
Duck - Duck
Donkey - Donkey
Goat - Goat
Goose - Goose (goose)
Hamster - Hamster (hamste)
Chicken - Hen
Horse - Horse (hos)
Mouse - Mouse (mouse)
Pig - Pig (pig)
Rabbit - Rabbit
Sheep - Sheep (thorn) [ʃ I:p]
Having gone to the section animals in English with a translation into Russian, it is very important to explain to the child that the British not only call animals “not our way,” but also hear most of the sounds they make differently from us. For example, an English dog barks "bow-bow" or "woof-woof", the chicken clucks "cluck-cluck", the mouse squeaks "squeak-squeak" and the sheep bleats "baa-baa".
It's helpful to introduce these sounds with sentences like these:
- The pig on the farm goes “oink-oink”.
- The horse on the field goes “neigh-neigh”.
- The cow on the meadow says “moo-moo”.
Children notice that native speakers hear some animals in a very unique way, and, for example, the mooing of a cow or the meowing of a cat is reproduced approximately equally by our speech apparatus.
It is also useful to compose dialogues with approximately the following content:
- - What does the cat on the roof say?
- It says “miaow”.
Or a little more complicated:
- - Does the duck in the pool say “oink-oink”?
- No, it isn't. The duck says “quack-quack”.
Wild animals
Bear - Bear (bee)
Crocodile - Crocodile (crocodile)
Deer - Deer
Elephant - Elephant
Giraffe - Giraffe (giraffe)
Fox - Fox (fox)
Koala - Koala (kouale)
Leopard - Leopard (laped)
Monkey - Monkey (monkey)
Ostrich - Ostrich [ɔstritʃ]
Panda - Panda (panda)
Snake - Snake (snake)
Turtle - Tortoise (totes)
Keith - Whale
Zebra - Zebra (zebra)
He, she or it?
When learning the names of wild animals, there is no particular need to reproduce sounds, perhaps with the exception of snakes (hiss). It should be noted that in everyday situations and in real life pronouns he And she are not used in relation to animals. In most cases, you need to use a pronoun it, which is used when referring to inanimate objects. For example:
This is a crocodile. It is green long and fierce.
In fairy tales and some stories, animals are personified and “rewarded” with the pronouns he or she. There is also one very interesting feature in the English language: when you are told about any animal that has a nickname or name (in fairy tales), it is “introduced” as follows:
John, the Cat
Gray, the Horse
Martin, the Bear.
Smart as a monkey
Just like in the Russian language, animals from the British or Americans are endowed with qualities that are inherent in some people. In some cases, these comparisons coincide with ours, when they say about a person that he has the strength and endurance of a horse. For example:
Dick was strong as a horse and he could easily make fifteen kilometers on foot.
On the other hand, when we teach animals in English to children, they need to be taught that we and native English speakers have differences in mentality, and therefore we perceive many realities of life differently. In the field of the animal world, this is especially pronounced in relation to wolves and monkeys. Yes, in some fairy tales we treat the wolf with disdain, but we will never compare a man with a wolf in the following way:
"He's stupid as a wolf", and English-speaking people do this: "Brian's as stupid as a wolf".
Even more curious is the attitude of the British towards monkeys. If we say that a person is as smart as a monkey, most likely he will take this as an insult, but among native speakers this is literally the highest praise:
“Tracy has finished her school with honors - she’s as clever as a monkey”.
As a rule, such transfers of human characters onto animals can be found in fables in literature. The characters there are usually various animals. Reading fables in English is one of the ways to expand your vocabulary; there you will find many names of animals, words that describe character and behavior. At the end of each fable there is usually a moral stated. From these final sentences, characterizing different life situations, you can take a lot of useful things to enrich your speech.
On the educational site, in addition to short funny stories, interesting stories and fairy tales, English fables are also used to learn English. On our website, a user with any initial level of knowledge will find suitable educational material for himself.