Tropical rainforests

10/10/2020 7:41:00 PM
The ariel view of the Amazon tropical rainforest. Image: mongabay.com

Do you know?

  • According to The Nature Conservancy, tropical rainforests cover less than two percent of the Earth's total surface.
  • Tropical rainforests have given us important chemicals to treat or cure many diseases such as diabetes, muscle tension, malaria, heart conditions, skin diseases, cancer and so on.

Let's explore such forests!

The ariel view of the Amazon tropical rainforest. Image: mongabay.com

Listen and choose the correct answer to each of the following questions.

  • How many types of plants and animals are there in rainforests?
  • According to the audio, where can you find sloths?

How many types of plants and animals are there in rainforests?

  • hundreds
  • millions
  • billions
According to the audio, where can you find sloths?
  • in the canopy
  • in the understory
  • in the forest floor

Complete the text you are listening to by dragging the correct word to each blank.

Tropical rainforests

are very warm, wet forests. Rain falls for days and even months. Rainforests have millions of different types of plants and animals. They live in the four different zones of the rainforest.

The first zone is called the zone. This is high above the rainforest. Here, giant trees stretch higher than the average height of any of the other plants. Many birds and insects live here.

The second zone is the canopy. This is the leafy area of the tops of the trees. Most of the animals in the rainforest live here. You can find monkeys, parrots, and frogs up here. You can also find butterflies, snakes, and sloths. A sloth is a very slow-moving animal that hangs from the trees.

The understory is the third zone. It is made up of young trees and shrubs. It is dark and cool. It is under the leaves, but not on the ground.

The forest floor is the final zone of the rainforest. The largest animals, such as and even elephants usually live here. The forest floor is also home to millions and millions of insects!

Read and answer the following questions.

Tropical rainforests

 A sloth is hanging upside down from the tree. Image: wanderlust.co.uk

Rainforests are very warm, wet forests. Rain falls for days and even months. Rainforests have millions of different types of plants and animals. They live in the four different zones of the rainforest.

The first zone is called the emergent zone. This is high above the rainforest. Here, giant trees stretch higher than the average height of any of the other plants. Many birds and insects live here.

The second zone is the canopy. This is the leafy area of the tops of the trees. Most of the animals in the rainforest live here. You can find monkeys, parrots, and frogs up here. You can also find butterflies, snakes, and sloths. A sloth is a very slow-moving animal that hangs upside down from the trees.

The understory is the third zone. It is made up of mostly young trees and shrubs. It is dark and cool. It is under the leaves, but not on the ground.

The forest floor is the final zone of the rainforest. The largest animals, such as jaguars and even elephants usually live here. The forest floor is also home to millions and millions of insects!

Source: Daily Warm-ups Reading Grade 3

Based on the passage, how many zones does the rainforest have?

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4

In which zone are insects NOT mentioned?

  • the emergent zone
  • the canopy
  • the understory
  • the forest floor

What can you NOT conclude from the passage?

  • The highest zone in the rainforest is the emergent zone.
  • The wet of the rainforests might be due to constant rain.
  • The largest animals only live in the forest floor.
  • The understory might not be an ideal home to flightless animals.
In this passage, "zone" probably means _____.
  • an area
  • a forest
  • a plant
  • an animal

Put the right word in each blank. The sentences are from the text.

  1. A sloth is a very slow-moving animal that hangs from the trees.
  2. are very warm, wet forests. 
  3. The understory is the third zone. It is made up of young trees and shrubs.
  4. The first zone is called the zone.
  5. The largest animals, such as and even elephants usually live here.

Put the right word in each blank. These are new sentences for the words in the text.

  1. Many plant and animal species are found only in the .
  2. The plant growing erect will eventually develop leaves.
  3. Please turn it round the other way, it's .
  4. A can reach up to six feet long and weigh up to 249 pounds!
  5. Our fellow travellers were Spanish-speaking tourists.