Harvest mice
8/10/2022 9:31:00 PM
Do you know?
- The harvest mouse is a native species. It is mainly found from central Yorkshire southwards.
- Harvest mice are extremely active climbers and feed in the stalk zone of long grasses and reeds, particularly around dusk and dawn.
Let's explore more about this animal!
Let's learn some new words before you read the passage:
Listen and complete the passage.
| harvest | shelter | high-pitched | shrieks |
| scamper | distress | graceful |
Harvest mice are animals. They climb from one plant to another with great ease. Each resembles a monkey swinging on the branches of a tree through the forest. These mice through the forest looking for food. They feed on seeds and insects. They have to eat a lot of food in the summertime so that they can store enough food energy as fat for the winter months. This is necessary so they can stay in from the cold. In the winter, the harvest mouse leaves the nest only during the warmest hours of the day.
The mouse has a very long tail. The tail is helpful and works a lot like another hand or foot. It grabs onto the grass and supports the mouse. It also helps the mouse hang upside down and balance itself when it climbs upwards.
Harvest mice are some of the smallest mice in the world. An adult male harvest mouse weighs less than one-third of an ounce and measures no more than six inches - and that includes the tail! Harvest mice make a shrieking sound, and some of their noises are too for humans to hear. These are usually a sign of .
Read and answer the following questions.
Harvest Mice
Harvest mice are graceful animals. They climb from one plant to another with great ease. Each resembles a monkey swinging on the branches of a tree through the forest. These mice scamper through the forest looking for food. They feed on seeds and insects. They have to eat a lot of food in the summertime so that they can store enough food energy as fat for the winter months. This is necessary so they can stay in shelter from the cold. In the winter, the harvest mouse leaves the nest only during the warmest hours of the day.
The harvest mouse has a very long tail. The tail is helpful and works a lot like another hand or foot. It grabs onto the grass and supports the mouse. It also helps the mouse hang upside down and balance itself when it climbs upwards.
Harvest mice are some of the smallest mice in the world. An adult male harvest mouse weighs less than one-third of an ounce and measures no more than six inches - and that includes the tail! Harvest mice make a shrieking sound, and some of their noises are too high-pitched for humans to hear. These shrieks are usually a sign of distress.
Source: Daily Warm-ups Reading 5
According to the passage, the tail of a harvest mouse helps to _____.
- keep its balance when it climbs upwards
- save time when it searches for food
- cling to tall trees as it hides from the predators
- minimize its weight when it hangs upside down
Why are the harvest mice considered graceful animals?
- Because they climb in the same way as monkeys.
- Because they run away from their predators quickly.
- Because they cleverly hide themselves from danger.
- Because they effortlessly climb among plants.
What do you NOT know from the passage?
- The total length of a harvest mouse is less than six inches.
- A harvest mouse has a tail that functions as an extra limb.
- People hear the sound of a harvest mouse as they are in distress.
- The diet of the harvest mice consists of seeds and insects.
What can be inferred from the first paragraph about the harvest mice?
- They consume more food in winter than in summer.
- They avoid leaving their shelters in the wintertime.
- They store enough food for the winter months.
- They build nests to hide food in the winter.
Where is this passage likely to be seen?
- a thesis on animal habitats
- a website about rodents
- a poster of harvest mice
- a report on reptile behavior
Build your vocabulary by learning these intensive phrases/idioms
Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first one, using the word in a bracket. Do not change the word given.
After evaluating all the factors and data, I think that our agency had a successful year. (BALANCE)
=> I think that our agency had .
Choose the word CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined idiom.
I want you to be at your ease here, so please ask for anything that will make your stay more enjoyable.
- heavy-hearted
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Choose the idiom CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined idiom.
The government set out to destroy the criminal organization root and branch.
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- feed up
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