Прочитайте текст. Определите, какие из приведенных утверждений А7 – А14 соответствуют содержанию текста (1 – True), какие не соответствуют (2 – False) и о чем в тексте не сказано, то есть на основании текста нельзя дать ни положительного, ни отрицательного ответа (3 – Not stated).
THE FASTEST ANIMAL ON LAND
The Cheetah is the world’s fastest land animal. It can run as fast as 120 km an hour – twice as fast as Olympic champions! The animal is built for speed. It has long and strong legs, a flexible spine and a long tail for balance. It’s elegant and graceful.
Speed isn’t the only reason cheetahs are great hunters. Scientists have recently discovered some more amazing things about these animals. They placed special collars on five cheetahs in southern Africa and for 17 months studied their movements. Now we know that the cheetah can accelerate faster than any other land animal and any human sprinter – from 0 to 96 km an hour in three seconds! The scientists also found that cheetahs have an incredible ability to slam on the brakes and make sharp turns.
Cheetahs cannot run at full speed for long distances because it takes a lot of energy. So they try to get as close as possible to their prey before starting the chase. When a cheetah reaches its victim, it knocks it down with its front paw and strangles it with a bite on the neck. Then it drags its prey to a hiding place before another predator, such as a lion, leopard, or hyena, steals it. Cheetahs usually hunt antelopes and gazelles.
Unlike other big cats, cheetahs are active during the day, when other predators are resting in the sun.
Cheetah cubs are born with long grey fur. For 18 months mothers must raise their cubs from small helpless creatures – only 150 to 300 grams in weight – into grown animals capable of taking care of themselves. Young cubs spend their first year learning from their mother and practicing hunting skills with playful games. When the cubs are about 6 weeks of age they are able to follow their mother and learn how to hunt small antelopes. Father cheetahs live alone or in small groups and don’t take part in raising the young.
Cheetahs do not roar, as the other big cats do. Instead, they purr – just like domestic cats!
Cheetahs have been kept as pets for thousands of years, but they have never been domesticated. Pharaohs, kings and emperors kept them as the sign of wealth. They also trained the animals for hunting. Akbar the Great, ruler of India, kept as many as 1,000 cheetahs. Today cheetahs are still kept as pets by some rich people, mostly in the United Arab Emirates.
Cheetahs live in the grasslands of eastern, central and southwestern Africa and in a small part of Iran. Once they were found in most of Africa, the plains of southern Asia, the Middle East and India. Hunted for their spotted coats they disappeared from many areas.
A7 Cheetah can run as fast as Olympic champions.
1 True 2 False 3 Not stated
A8 Cheetahs are great hunters.
1 True 2 False 3 Not stated
A9 Scientists studied movements of cheetahs for more than a year and a half.
1 True 2 False 3 Not stated
A10 Cheetahs hunt only at night.
1 True 2 False 3 Not stated
A11 Cheetahs have got long grey fur.
1 True 2 False 3 Not stated
A12 Father cheetahs do not help to raise the cubs.
1 True 2 False 3 Not stated
A13 Wealthy people keep cheetahs as pets.
1 True 2 False 3 Not stated
A14 Cheetahs live in the grasslands in eastern part of Iran.
1 True 2 False 3 Not stated
Vocabulary
cheetah — гепард
speed — скорость
spine — позвоночник
collar — ошейник (воротник рубашки, поводок)
incredible — невероятный, потрясающий
to slam on the brakes — резко нажать на тормоза
sharp turn — крутой разворот
prey — добыча
chase — погоня
victim — жертва
paw — лапа
to strangle — задушить
to drag — тащить
predator — хищник
cub — детеныш (хищного животного)
capable — способный
creature — существо
to roar — рычать
to purr — мурлыкать, урчать
pharaoh — фараон
wealth — богатство
grassland — саванна
spotted — пятнистый