ESL Reading Comprehension for Teens
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Pre-reading Questions
1. Have you ever been to the jungle?
2. Do you like wild animals? Why (not)?
3. What’s your favourite jungle animal?
Vocabulary box
stripes climb nest seeds feathers
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Life in The Jungle
Jungles are warm places full of trees, plants and many
animal species. We can find the most famous jungles
in Central America and South America, but we can
find them all around the world too! In the jungle, the
weather is usually hot and rainy, that’s why we can
find so many beautiful plants. Are you ready to learn
more about the animals that live there? Let’s look!
Tigers
These animals come from the family of cats. But they
are the biggest in their family! Also, tigers only eat
meat and they search for their food alone at night. We
can see they have a very special style: their stripes!
They have more than 100 stripes, and each tiger has a
different style. They are also very fast! They can run at
65 km per hour, but what they really like is swimming.
Not all cats hate water!
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Life in The Jungle
Gorillas
Gorillas are very big animals that come from the
monkey family. They are so sociable that they usually
live in families all together. These animals don’t eat
meat, they prefer insects, fruit or plants. They can
climb trees to get the most delicious fruit. Like humans,
gorillas are very active during the day and sleep in
their nest at night. They’re very strong too. They can
be 10 times stronger than humans!
Parrots
Did you know why parrots sing and imitate any
sound? That’s because they’re very clever animals!
They are the most intelligent birds, some of them
can even do a puzzle! There are different types of
parrots, but they’re very famous for their beautiful and
colourful feathers. They eat fruit and seeds. We can
find them all over the world in all shapes and sizes,
with more than 372 species!
Crocodiles
These animals are the biggest in their reptile family.
They have a very long body and loads of teeth!
Depending on the species, they can have between 60
and 100 teeth...or sometimes more!. Also, they have
very thick skin that protects them from an attack and
they can see and smell everything from a far distance.
It’s for this reason that they are excellent predators.
They can walk and swim, so they usually eat all types
of animals like birds, fish, mammals and even reptiles!
Disclaimer: This resource has been made for the purpose of teaching English language learners. We know that students can be learning English in many different places, in many different ways and at age,
so we try to keep these resources as general as possible.
There are many acronyms associated with English language teaching. These include (but are not limited to) ELT, TEFL, EFL, ELL, EAL and ESOL. While the term ESL may not fully represent the linguistic
backgrounds of all students, it is the most widely recognised term for English language teaching globally. Therefore, we use the term ‘ESL’ in the names of our resources to make them easy to find but they are
suitable for any student learning to speak English.
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Life in The Jungle
Reading Comprehension Questions
Activity 1
Match the animals with what they eat.
Crocodile Fruit, insects and plants
Tiger Fruit and seeds
Birds, fish, mammals
Parrot and other reptiles
Gorilla Meat
Activity 2
Read the questions and choose the correct answer.
2.1. Where can we find the most famous jungles in the world?
Asia
South America and Asia
Central America and South America
Europe and Asia
2.2. What’s the weather like in the jungle?
hot and rainy
cold and rainy
hot and stormy
warm and dry
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Life in The Jungle
2.3. When do tigers look for food?
in the afternoon
at night
in the morning
in the evening
2.4. What adjective can we use to describe gorillas?
aggressive
sociable
slow
funny
2.5. What of these things can parrots do?
sing a beautiful song
play games and puzzles
imitate human words or sentences
all of the above
2.6. What of these characteristics is not about crocodiles?
they go together in families
they can have more than 100 teeth
they can see and smell really good
their skin protects them from attacks
2.7. Which animal is famous for having a lot of colours?
tiger
crocodile
parrot
gorilla
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Life in The Jungle
Activity 3
Are these sentences true or false? Correct the false sentences.
3.1 It’s very cold in the jungle.
3.2 Because of the weather, there are beautiful plants everywhere in the jungle.
3.3 Tigers have more than 100 stripes.
3.4 Gorillas are 5 times stronger than humans.
3.5 Parrots are the most intelligent animals in the world.
3.6 We can find crocodiles in the water or walking on land.
Activity 4
Think about another animal that lives in the jungle. Write 5 facts about it.
Five Facts about
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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Life in The Jungle
Reading Comprehension Answers
Activity 1
Match the animals with what they eat.
Crocodile Fruit, insects and plants
Tiger Fruit and seeds
Birds, fish, mammals
Parrot and other reptiles
Gorilla Meat
Activity 2 Activity 3
2.1. Central America and 3.1. False. The jungle is a warm place
South America
3.2. True.
2.2. hot and rainy
3.3. True.
2.3. at night
3.4. False. Gorillas can be 10 times
2.4. sociable stronger than humans.
2.5. all of the above 3.5. False. Parrots are the most
2.6. they go together in families intelligent birds.
2.7. parrot 3.6. True.
Activity 4
Students’ own answers.
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