Reading EX1U1

P7
Amazing Animals
A great gray owl is camouflaged against a tree.

WARM UP
Discuss these questions with a partner.
1. What is your favorite animal? Why?
2. What are some things animals can do that humans can't?

P8
1A
BEFORE YOU READ
LABELING
A. Look at the photo. Match each description (1-4) with the correct part of the dolphin.
1. Dolphins sleep by resting one half of their brain at a time.
2. A dolphin's tail doesn't have any bones.
3. Dolphins ”hear” through a special bone in their lower jaw.
4. The bones inside a dolphin's fIippers look like the bones inside your arm and hand﹒

SKIMMING

B
Look at the reading title and headings﹒ What is the reading about? Circle a, b, or c. Then read the passage to check your answer.
a. types of dolphins
b. things dolphins do
c. what dolphins eat

A spotted dolphin swims in the clear waters of the Caribbean.

P9
THE INCREDIBLE DOLPHIN
A
Many people say dolphins are intelligent. They seem to be able to think, understand, and learn things quickly. But are they as smart as humans, or are they more like cats and dogs? Dolphins use their brains quite differently from the way people do. But scientists say dolphins and humans are alike in some ways. How?

Communication

B
Like humans, every dolphin has its own "name." The name is a special whistle. Each dolphin chooses a whistle for itself, usually by its first birthday, Dolphins are like people in other ways, too. They "talk" to each other about a lot of things such as their age, their feelings, and possible danger. They also use a system of sounds and body language to communicate. Understanding dolphin conversation is not easy for humans. No one "speaks dolphin" yet, but some scientists are trying to learn.

Play

C
Dolphins live in groups called pods, and they often join other dolphins from different pods to play games and have fun--just like people. Sometimes they chase other dolphins carrying objects (eg, seaweed) and throw these objects back and forth. Scientists believe playing together is something only intelligent animals do.

Teamwork

D
Dolphins and humans are similar in another way: They both make plans for getting things they want. In the seas of southern Brazil, for example, dolphins use an intelligent method to get food. When there are fish near a boat, dolphins signal to the fishermen to put their nets in the water. With the dolphin's help the men can catch a lot of fish. Why do dolphins assist the men? There is an advantage for the dolphins. They get to eat some of the fish that escape from the net.

1 A whistle is a high-pitched sound made by blowing air through a hole.

2 If you signal to someone, you make an action or a sound to tell them something

P13
BEFORE YOU READ 

1B

DEFINITIONS

A. Read the caption below. Then circle the correct words to complete these definitions.

1. If you disguise yourself, you change how you look so others know/don't know who you are.
2. A predator is an animal that eats other animals / plants.
3. If two animals look like each other, they look different / the same.

SKIMMING
B
Look at the picture on page 15 and read the caption and labels. Then skim the passage and complete the sentence below. Read the passage to check your answer.
Most of the passage explains why/how octopuses disguise themselves.

<Octopuses disguise themselves so predators (e.g., dolphins or sharks) don't see them. Here, the octopus looks like the coral nearby.

P14
1B
MASTER OF DISGUISE

A
Octopuses are famous for their round bodies, big eyes, and eight arms. There are many different types of octopuses, but all are alike in one way: They are masters of disguise. Octopuses can change their appearance in less than a second to look like rocks, plants, or even other animals. How do they do this?

B
An octopus can disguise itself in three ways. One is by using color. An octopus's skin has special cells called chromatophores. These cells are filled with yellow, brown, and red pigment. When an octopus moves its muscles a certain way, the cells become large and produce colorful spots and other patterns on its skin. Chromatophores can also reflect light. In blue light, for example, an octopus's skin will look blue. In white light, its skin will look white. With these cells, an octopus can produce many different skin colors and patterns.

C
An octopus can also change its skin texture. When the octopus moves its muscles, its skin can go from smooth to spiky. It might then look like a plant or coral. Another way an octopus disguises itself is by changing its shape. Some, for example, roll their bodies into balls so they look like rocks. One type of octopus can change its form to look like other sea creatures--especially dangerous ones, such as sea snakes.

D
Why are octopuses so good at disguising themselves? They have to be. The ocean is not a safe place for them. Because they have no bones in their bodies, octopuses are like large pieces of meat. Many predators want to eat them--and they can eat them whole. To survive, octopuses have developed the amazing ability to change their appearance very quickly in order to hide from predators.

1 A master is very good at doing something.
2 A cell is the smallest living part of an animal or plant. Most animals have billions of cells in their bodies.
3 Pigment is a substance that gives something color. For example, green pigment makes most plants look green.
4 Texture is how something looks and feels (eg, soft, smooth, spiky).

P15
ALL MUSCLE, NO BONES

An octopus's body has many muscles. This makes it strong and fast. Octopuses also have no bones, so they can change their shape very quickly.

An octopus brain holds only one-third of the animal's neurons (nerve cells). It handles functions such as decision-making, learning, and memory.

An octopus has three hearts: one large central heart and two smaller ones on either side.

About two-thirds of an octopus's neurons are in its arms. These neurons control the arm movements.

Octopuses can change their appearance to match their surroundings. Once the brain gives a signal, the octopus's muscles move in a certain way, changing its skin from smooth to spiky and producing colorful spots or stripes on its skin.

Skin texture
smooth
spiky

Skin color/pattern
normal
expanded (large spots)

P16
A Pacific red octopus shows its suckers.