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Pandas
Pandas

Learn English with this animals English lesson

Date: Jul 16 2018

Grammar: Modal Verbs

Intro

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2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

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Pandas are only one of thousands of endangered animals in the world. The number of pandas is dwindling, mostly because people are using the land where pandas used to live. There are many pandas living in zoos around the world, which helps them from becoming extinct, and between 1,500 and 3,000 living in the wild in China.

Many people find pandas intriguing. Their black and white coloring is certainly unique and unlike other animals’. Their diet is 99% bamboo. They look cute and soft, and they seem gentle, but they are bears. And several countries, including China and the United States, work hard to help panda numbers grow. They are an extraordinary animal.

Rafael has an interesting idea for helping pandas. Does Marni agree with his plan? Learn more by reading today’s English lesson about this giant bear.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Marni

Marni

Rafael

Rafael

Marni:  You know what animal I find very intriguing?

Rafael:  I find many animals intriguing, but go ahead.

Marni:  I really find pandas intriguing because I don’t know a lot about them, here in the United States. They’re endangered.

Rafael:  Yeah.

Marni:  But they’re kind of a unique creature, right? They look so cuddly and cute, but they’re a bear.

Rafael:  They have a lot of trouble surviving in the wild. That’s one kind of animal that might even lend itself to being domestic. Why don’t we all just have pet pandas? All they eat is bamboo, and that stuff’s not nutritious, anyway.

Marni:  Well, I think that’s part of the problem, right?

Rafael:  They need serious help. Their population is dwindling.

Marni:  Right. But having them as pets? How’s that going to help? I’m not sure, but… I find it interesting. I think China’s really making an effort to try and keep up panda populations. Obviously I fully support that, because we don’t want to see any animals becoming extinct.

Rafael:  Look, just give me one panda for ten years. I’ll house-train it so well, you’ll be amazed.

Marni:  OK, you’re really on this panda kick.

Rafael:  Oh, yeah.

Marni:  Should we go see Kung Fu Panda?

Rafael:  No.

 

Grammar Point

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Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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Discussion

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Marni wants to talk about pandas. She’s interested in pandas and wants to learn more about them. Marni thinks that pandas are intriguing because they’re cute, but they’re also bears, which are very dangerous. She appreciates that China is working hard to keep panda numbers high in the world.

Rafael jokes that he would like a pet panda. He says that he can help by taking a pet panda into his home and giving it nutritious food. Rafael doesn’t really believe that he will change the world by bringing a panda into his house, but he definitely cares about them. It makes him sad to know that the number of pandas around the world is dwindling.

Have you ever seen a panda? Why are pandas endangered? What can people do to help?

 

Comments

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Seiyf_khawas

Turkey

11:03 AM Aug 29 2014 |

1 person likes this

ahmet55

ahmet55

Germany

No I’ve never seen a panda yet but I’ve devised a plane to go to China in 2015 if Eric, S&W and my other Chinese friends accept me as their guest to see a zoo with a Panda inside it as close as i can and even take a worm hug. 


They have been endangered in terms of their valuable skin, i suppose, and on the other side their common resource is going to be founded rarely bcz of cutting down them by human to build up cottages, apartments, cities and countryside in the name of urbanization. 



The only thing people have to do is to arrest illegal hunters (people)to pandas and make them safe beside don’t destroy their ecosystem and let them to be in wild life and nature which they belong there. 

03:09 PM Aug 25 2014 |

Mr. Learner

Peru

I am not really on this “animals rights” kick. However, I think the problem of extinction is not only related to pandas. There are many ednangered animals whose numbers are dwindling dramatically. 


If we keep on being careless about other creatures, then, perhaps, human race should be extincted so other species can survive!

10:24 AM Aug 21 2014 |

sara1234b

sara1234b

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

i think forugh, ure right

06:27 PM Aug 18 2014 |

1 person likes this

forugh

forugh

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I think I’ve found a grammatical mistake in part2 when it says”They are an extraordinary animal”.does anyone agree with me?


I think it must me”They are extraordinary animals”.what do you think?

01:30 PM Aug 18 2014 |

sara1234b

sara1234b

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

Hi there !


These peacful creatures are rare today, panda eats a lot of bamboo. As people cut down more and more bamboo to clear land for building, industry and farming, the panda loses its food source and its home and….  very slow to produce babaies during its life.


I’ve heard they ‘d rather live alone than live with other of their own kind, let alone live with human, so folk,...dont interrupt them :))))


Besides they need a great deal of food to keep alive, it means that u have to spend all ur time on feeding these cut pandas during the day..;)

01:02 PM Aug 18 2014 |

Fiona5

Fiona5

China

I have seen pandas in Zoo ,they are so cuddly ,but we are not allowed to embrace them….what a pity …

12:53 PM Aug 18 2014 |

Jasonlongo

Jasonlongo

Congo, Democratic Republic Of The

Kung Fu Panda is all I know, but in real life I’ve never seen ‘em, Africa, I don’t know if their can survive here, with this hot weather

12:42 PM Aug 18 2014 |

kimnga

kimnga

Viet Nam

I have never seen panda in real life but I had seen them a lot in movies.  I watched  “Panda Kungfu” cartoon, it’s fun and very interesting.

06:38 AM Aug 18 2014 |

ziadalco

Jordan

This kind of animals are very cute,iam full support to keep its life & to grow more & more

05:54 AM Aug 18 2014 |

1 person likes this

Eric_

Eric_

China

Raising a panada is not that easy! Man…



Even in China, the panadas are kept in a special area. You need to control the temperature, the diet,etc. 



We usually see panadas in Zoo. Most of the Zoos in China have. They are big and cute, looks kind. :)))

03:19 AM Aug 18 2014 |

S&W

S&W

China

I have seen panda in zoo.Very cute.Nobody can resist herself to touth a panda or give this cuddly animal a big hug.We must set up more reservations to protect panda

02:46 AM Aug 18 2014 |

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