London Zoo - a great place to visit

1. Read the title of the text and guess what it about.

At London Zoo

A class trip to London Zoo! That’s a great idea - and better than school, Jasmin and Sally think. “This information says that it is a very famous zoo, not only in Britain but also in the world,” Sally reads out. “It opened in the 1 9th century and many people came to see the strange animals. One great attraction was Jumbo, an African elephant who came to the zoo as a baby. The Londoners loved Jumbo very much and were very sad when they sold him to an American circus. The zoo got two thousand pounds for Jumbo! He sailed to the USA but died in a train accident two years later. Oh, that’s so sad!”

“When you walk around the zoo there is a fixed route you can follow, but you don’t have to,” Jasmin says. “You begin your tour with the monkeys, which are right in front of you as you come through the gate. There are many signs with many details about the animals and you can learn where they come from, what they eat and when they sleep. You can also find the names and photographs of every monkey."

“Look," Sally shouts, “next door is the reptile house with snakes and spiders. Some of them are very dangerous animals. Outside again, you can go to see the elephants. Sometimes the keepers take them for a walk around the zoo. If you follow the way you’ll come to the bird house with exotic and colourful birds.” “I like the tigers and lions more,” Jasmin tells her friend. “There are two tunnels to the north side of the zoo. Here you will find the giraffes, zebras and the insect house.”

“A very special place is the children’s corner,” their teacher explains. “Here you can find rab­bits, goats, calves, piglets, lambs and donkeys. You can stroke them and play with them. They are very friendly and they don’t bite. You can also find some of the animals on farms in the countryside. Maybe we can go there for our next class trip! But you can walk around the zoo now. Please come back at 3 o’clock!”

2. Fill in the gaps

A class trip to the zoo is a_______________ idea. London Zoo is very__________

in Britain and around the world. Many people know about Jumbo, an________________ elephant who lived in the zoo a long time ago. It’s so sad, because he died in a_________ in America. If you walk around the zoo you can __________a fixed route. If you do this you can see the monkeys, snakes and spiders and also the elephants. Inside the bird house you can look at____________ and______________ birds. Of course, there are

giraffes and zebras, too. They are at the____________ side of the zoo.

Children like friendly animals like rabbits or donkeys. They can play with them because they don’t____________________.

3. Mark the sentences true or false. Correct the mistake.

1. Only people in Britain know something about London Zoo.

2. The zoo sold Jumbo the elephant because people didn’t like him.

3. You can find the name and the photograph of every visitor at the zoo.

4. Penguins and seals are reptiles.

5. The elephants can go for a walk around the zoo.

6. Jasmin and Sally must meet the teacher in the evening.

4. Answer the questions

1. What happened to Jumbo the elephant when he was in America?

2. Which animals can you see when you first go into the zoo?

3. What can you learn about the animals if you read the signs?

4. Which animals live in the reptile house?

5. What can you do with the animals at the children’s corner?

5. Write an essay about the pros/cons of keeping animals in zoos.

• Have you ever been to the zoo?

• Who was with you (friends, parents, classmates ...)?

• Do you like animals? Why/Why not?

• What is the best thing about zoos?

• What is bad about zoos?