Did you know?

                ... some interesting facts about African Wildlife

Four of the five fastest land animals live in Africa – the cheetah (70mph), wildebeest, lion and Thomson’s gazelle (all about 50 mph).

Butterfly

Having a wingspan of only 1/2”, the smallest butterfly in the world is found in South Africa. It is known as the Dwarf Blue Butterfly.

Chameleons

Madagascar is the home of the world’s _________ as well as the _______ chameleons!

Elephants

The African elephant is the largest living land mammal.

An elephant can weigh up to 6-7 tons and has no natural enemies for he is not a predator and there is no other animal large enough to challenge him.

Did you know elephants drink up to 160 liters of water per day?

An African elephant possesses such “manual” dexterity in his/her trunk tip that he/she can actually turn the pages of a book with it.

Fish

The only place are found is in Lake Tanganyika.

Giraffes

Did you know that the tongue of a giraffe can be ______________ 45 cm? Giraffes are 6 ft tall when they are born.

Penguins

South Africa has a penguin colony, which thrives thanks to the cold Antarctic currents on the west coast near the Cape.

Adapted from Google/ The African Guide

GLOSSARY:

Dexterity – the ability to perform a difficult action quickly with the hands.

Trunk – an elephant’s nose.  

Religion ________ central to people's lives in Africa. Although the majority of Africans are now Muslim or Christian, traditional religions have endured and still play a big role. Religion runs like a thread through daily life, marked by prayers of gratitude in times of plenty and prayers of supplication in times of need. Religion confirms identity on the individual and the group.

                 http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica

GLOSSARY:

Endure – to continue to exist for a long time

Thread – one part connecting with another  

South Africa has the second-highest number of HIV/Aids patients in the world. Around one in seven of its citizens is infected with HIV. Free anti-retroviral drugs are available under a state-funded scheme.

                    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1071886.stm

Many South Africans remain poor and unemployment is high − a factor blamed for a wave of violent attacks against migrant workers from other African countries in 2008 and protests by township residents over poor living conditions during the summer of 2009.

Land redistribution is a crucial problem that continues existing. Most farmland is still white-owned. ________ land acquisition on a "willing buyer, willing seller" basis, officials have signaled that large-scale expropriations are on the cards. The government aims to transfer 30% of farmland to black South Africans by 2014.

               http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1071886.stm

When football _____ professional in South Africa in 1959, 12 clubs broke from the amateur ranks. However, in the strict days of Apartheid, these pioneers _____ whites-only organizations and _____ today, all but a few, defunct. One of the survivors is Arcadia from Tshwane/ Pretoria, an outfit that today competes in the amateur ranks and concentrates on junior football.

                                                                                    http://www.fifa.com/worldcup  

                                          The Mona Lisa

Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is widely recognized as the most famous painting of all time. She has aroused admiration, curiosity and suspicion for over 500 years. She can provoke a reaction known as the Mona Lisa Syndrome: the viewer is enchanted by her legendary smile, which becomes increasingly enigmatic the more you look at it.

As it will never be sold, the Mona Lisa is priceless, although for insurance reasons it is believed to be valued at anything up to $ 1 billion.

                                                         ( Adapted from Move – Intermediate) 

GLOSSARY

to arouse – despertar

to enchant – encantar

legendary – fabuloso, lendário

insurance – apólice de seguro 

                                Service Animals

A Therapy Dog is a kind of service animal – an animal that helps people. The most common service animal is a seeing eye dog. A seeing eye dog helps blind people. However, dogs help people in many other ways. Hearing ear dogs help people with hearing problems. These dogs listen for specific noises, such as a fire alarm. When the dog hears the sound, the dog touches the owner. However, if it’s an emergency, the dog may pull the owner out of danger. Usually small dogs are hearing ear dogs because they are easy to care for. Wheelchair assistance dogs are much larger because the dog’s main job is pulling the wheelchair. These dogs also open doors and get items for their owners, such as magazines.

                                             (Adapted from Access Reading – Thompson)