Animals
BasicNames of common animals.
- Animal words: lion, tiger, elephant, monkey, rabbit, panda, bird, fish.
- Describe features: It has black stripes / soft white fur / long ears.
- Describe actions: jump from tree to tree, eat bamboo, sleep on the grass.
文體小知識：Common animals.
§Text Passage
1Last month, our class visited the zoo for our science project. The lion is called the king of animals, and its roar is very loud. Everyone stopped to listen when it roared. Next to the lion, a big tiger was sleeping on the grass. It has beautiful black stripes on its orange fur. The elephant is the biggest animal on land, and it uses its long trunk to drink water.
2The monkeys jumped from tree to tree and made us laugh. One little monkey even took a banana from my friend's hand! My little sister loves the rabbit because it has soft white fur and long ears. She wants to feed it some carrots. The panda sat quietly and ate bamboo all afternoon. It looked like a big, lazy toy.
3We also saw colourful birds and fish in the big aquarium. Some fish were gold, and some were bright blue. I took many photos of the animals for my project. Animals are our friends, so we must protect them. I hope I can visit the zoo again soon.
§Sentence-by-sentence translation Sentence-by-sentence translation
Last month, our class visited the zoo for our science project.
上個月，我們班為了常識科報告去了動物園。
The lion is called the king of animals, and its roar is very loud.
獅子被稱為萬獸之王，牠的吼聲好大。
Everyone stopped to listen when it roared.
牠一吼，個個都停下來聽。
Next to the lion, a big tiger was sleeping on the grass.
獅子旁邊，有隻大老虎正在草地上睡覺。
It has beautiful black stripes on its orange fur.
牠橙色的毛上有漂亮的黑色條紋。
The elephant is the biggest animal on land, and it uses its long trunk to drink water.
大象是陸地上最大的動物，牠用長鼻來喝水。
The monkeys jumped from tree to tree and made us laugh.
猴子在樹與樹之間跳來跳去，逗得我們哈哈大笑。
One little monkey even took a banana from my friend's hand!
有隻小猴子還從我朋友手上拿走了一根香蕉！
My little sister loves the rabbit because it has soft white fur and long ears.
我妹妹好喜歡兔子，因為牠有軟軟的白毛同長耳朵。
She wants to feed it some carrots.
她想餵兔子吃紅蘿蔔。
The panda sat quietly and ate bamboo all afternoon.
熊貓整個下午都靜靜地坐著吃竹子。
It looked like a big, lazy toy.
牠看上去好像一隻又大又懶的玩具。
We also saw colourful birds and fish in the big aquarium.
我們還在大水族館裡見到色彩繽紛的雀鳥同魚。
Some fish were gold, and some were bright blue.
有些魚是金色的，有些就是鮮藍色。
I took many photos of the animals for my project.
我拍了很多動物照片來做報告。
Animals are our friends, so we must protect them.
動物是我們的朋友，所以我們要保護牠們。
I hope I can visit the zoo again soon.
希望好快可以再去動物園。
1Summary 重點摘要
Names of common animals.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
A big wild cat.
A big striped cat.
A huge animal with a trunk.
An animal that climbs trees.
A small animal with long ears.
A black and white bear.
An animal with feathers and wings.
An animal that swims.
3Step by step Steps
- BigCommon big animals include lion, tiger, elephant and giraffe. Example: The elephant has a long trunk and big ears. These are all countable nouns, so use a or an for one animal, such as a lion, and add s for more than one. To refer to a particular animal in a zoo or a story, use the plus the singular, as in The tiger is sleeping; the can also refer to the whole species, as in The tiger is a dangerous animal.
- SmallCommon small animals include rabbit, bird, fish and hamster. Example: Rabbits love eating carrots and vegetables. Note that rabbit simply adds s in the plural; fish has the same singular and plural form, and fishes is only used for different species of fish; bird is a countable noun. These animals often live as pets, so you can say I have a pet rabbit, with pet placed before the animal as a modifier.
- Black & whiteThe panda is a black and white animal and a national treasure of China. Example: Pandas eat bamboo almost all day. Note that panda is a countable noun and adds s in the plural. To describe its looks, use black and white fur. When talking about the habits of the whole species, you can use the plural pandas or the singular with the, so both The panda eats bamboo and Pandas eat bamboo are correct.
- AdjectivesUseful adjectives for animals are big, small, fast, slow, cute and dangerous. Example: Cheetahs are very fast. Koalas are cute and slow. Remember that an adjective can come after the verb be, or before a noun as in a big elephant. Adjectives have no plural form, so never write bigs. When you use two adjectives together, join the last two with and, as in big and strong.
- Past tense for visitsUse the past tense to describe a visit that has already happened. Example: Last month, our class visited the zoo. The tiger was sleeping on the grass. Here visited is the past tense of visit, and was sleeping is the past continuous, showing an action in progress at that time. Sentences usually contain past time words such as last month and yesterday; use the past continuous for a continuing picture and the simple past for actions in sequence, such as saw, took and ate.
- Superlatives for animalsUse the superlative to compare three or more things. Example: The elephant is the biggest animal on land. The lion is called the king of animals. Spelling rules: most one-syllable adjectives add est, such as biggest; adjectives ending in e only add st; longer adjectives take the most, such as the most beautiful. The superlative must have the before it. If an adjective ends in a consonant plus y, change y to i and add est, so heavy becomes the heaviest.
5Worked example Example
Question: How do we write a well-organised passage about a zoo visit?
- Step 1: Set the scene with a past time phrase such as last month, and keep the verb in the past tense — Last month, our class visited the zoo for our science project.
- Step 2: Choose two or three animals and describe their looks with has plus colours and patterns — The tiger has beautiful black stripes on its orange fur.
- Step 3: Describe what the animals were doing, using the past continuous for a continuing picture and the simple past for actions in order — The tiger was sleeping on the grass.
- Step 4: Add one funny or unforgettable moment to make the story lively — One little monkey took a banana from my friend's hand!
- Step 5: End with a feeling about protecting animals, using must for something important — Animals are our friends, so we must protect them.
- Answer: Sample answer: Last month, our class visited the zoo. The tiger has beautiful black stripes, and the panda sat quietly and ate bamboo all afternoon. One little monkey even took a banana from my friend's hand! Animals are our friends, so we must protect them.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1Lion?
Q2Tiger?
Q3Elephant?
Q4Monkey?
Q5Panda?
Q6Rabbit?
8Recap Recap
- Animal words: lion, tiger, elephant, monkey, rabbit, panda, bird, fish.
- Describe features: It has black stripes / soft white fur / long ears.
- Describe actions: jump from tree to tree, eat bamboo, sleep on the grass.
- Animal superlatives: the biggest animal on land, the king of animals.
- Care for animals: Animals are our friends, so we must protect them.