©(Amy Smotherman Burgess/Zoo Knoxville via AP)
Pre-reading questions:
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
講師がそれぞれの質問を読むので答えましょう。
- Have you ever seen a rhinoceros in a zoo or on TV?
- Do you think some animals live longer in zoos than in the wild?
Vocabulary:
I will read the words, meanings, and sample sentences. Then, repeat after me.
単語、意味、例文を読みます。講師に続いて音読しましょう。
- specialized /SPESH-uh-lahyzd/
- arrive /uh-RAHYV/
- calf /kaf/
- common /KOM-uhn/
- effort /EF-ert/
[adjective] – designed for a particular purpose or specific group
The hospital provided specialized treatment for children with rare diseases.
[verb] – to reach a place or destination
The famous author arrived at the book signing event and greeted his fans.
[noun] – a young of various other large mammals such as elephants and whales
The elephant calves stayed close to their mothers in the wildlife reserve.
[adjective] – occurring frequently or shared by many
Among the different types of parrots, the budgerigar is the most common pet bird around the world.
[noun] – an action taken to achieve something
The school’s efforts to improve student performance paid off in the final exams.
Article reading:
Please read the whole article. Then, I will check your pronunciation and intonation.
記事を音読しましょう。講師はあなたの発音とイントネーションを確認します。
Dolly, the oldest rhinoceros in the United States, passed away at 56 at Zoo Knoxville in Tennessee. She was euthanized on February 15, 2024, after a rapid decline in mobility. Despite receiving specialized care for aging animals, her condition worsened, and veterinarians determined further treatment would not improve her quality of life. Experts from the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine assisted in the decision. Dolly was a southern white rhinoceros, born in 1968 in South Africa’s Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park. She arrived at Zoo Knoxville in 1976 and played a key role in conservation, successfully raising 10 calves. She also helped educate the public about rhino conservation. While southern white rhinos are the most common of the five rhino species, their numbers are declining due to poaching and habitat loss. The average lifespan is 36.5 years, making Dolly’s long life remarkable. The global rhino population has dropped from 500,000 in the early 1900s to 27,000 today, with over 10,000 killed for their horns in the last decade. Zoo Knoxville honors Dolly’s legacy and continues its conservation efforts.
True or False:
Read the sentences and identify if they are true or false based on the article.
文章を読んで、記事に基づいて正誤を答えましょう。
- Dolly was the oldest rhinoceros in the world.
- Dolly passed away at Zoo Knoxville in Tennessee.
- Dolly was born in 1968 in the United States.
- Southern white rhinos are the rarest of the five rhino species.
- Zoo veterinarians decided to euthanize Dolly because her condition worsened.
Fill in the blanks:
Choose the correct word from the table, then fill in the blanks.
適切な言葉を選んで空欄を埋めましょう。
| specialized | arrived | calves | common | efforts |
- The guests ______ at the wedding venue early to take pictures.
- Engineers developed ______ equipment to study deep-sea creatures.
- The Labrador Retriever is the most ______ dog breed in the U.S.
- Scientists’ ______ to develop a vaccine helped stop the spread of the disease.
- The farmer was happy to see that two ______ were born this spring.