The
ostrich is the largest bird in the world. It is also one of the least
beautiful. It has beautiful feathers on its tail and wings, but its legs, neck and
head are just skin , with no hair.
The
ostrich is known for two things besides its size : it can run very fast,
but it cannot fly at all.
However, most people do not
know that the ostrich differs from other birds in other ways. For example, the
ostrich has only two toes on each foot. This bird is also unusual because in a
fight it can kick sideways and forwards. The ostrich is now found only in West
and Central Africa. Long ago, it was also found in Arabia and other parts of
Asia. Ancient peoples used to call it the “ camel bird” because of its long
neck and the way it walks. For thousands of years, ostriches were hunted
because men and women used their colorful feathers for their hats . In
1865, South African farmers started ostrich farms. These days, few people
wear feathered hats, so ostrich feathers are no longer profitable. But a farmer
finds he can still make money from the
bird’s skin and meat. Its skin is used
to make leather for gloves and shoes. The meat is popular with people who are
looking for a healthier meat than beef. However, most people who try ostrich
meat say they don’t like the taste.
The
ostrich may be a very unusual bird, but do not believe everything that
people tell you about it. For
example, almost everybody will tell you that when an ostrich is afraid, it
pushes its head into the sand. People will also tell you that ostriches can eat
nuts and other metal objects. But neither of these beliefs is true.
1. The underlined word “ skin”
in Paragraph 1 almost means:
a)
beautiful
b)
with no hair
c)
different
d)
tail
2. The animal that the ostrich was compared to
was-----------------
a) a camel
b) a cow
c) another ostrich
d) a crocodile
3. You can guess from the passage that ostriches are still hunted for…
a) their colorful feathers
b) their meat and skin
c) their size and beauty
d) their skin only
4. Ostriches cannot be found today in……………..
a) West Africa
b) Arabia and other
parts of Asia
c) West and Central Africa
d) Central Africa
5 . The main idea of the passage is -----------
a) Ostriches are the largest birds
in the world
b) Ostrich meat is healthier than
beef
c) Ostriches are beautiful
d) Ostriches are
unusual birds
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