Strong and Graceful ANIMAL FRIENDS The horse has been a friend to human beings for thousands of years Long ago horses were used to carry soldiers onto the battlefield They have also pulled carriages, carts, and heavy farm machinery Today people ride horses and use them for hunting, playing polo, and racing Horses even perform in circuses The reason horses have been used in so many ways is that they are large and strong A typical horse weighs more than 1,000 pounds! It may sound more than feet tall at the shoulders From its nose to its tail, it’s about feet long The legs of a horse are strong even though they look very slender When a horse is moving, the back legs give it the power to move forward, and the front legs give it support A horse’s foot is really just one large toe, and the hoof is like a thick toenail The part of the hoof that can be seen when the horse’s feet are on the ground is called the “wall” Horseshoes are fitted on the underpart of the wall to protect it from cracking A horse’s eyes are larger than those of any other land animal But horses have a problem with sight A horse sees things first with one eye and then with the other So even small stationary objects appear to leap This frightens the horse To keep the horse calm, the owner fits pads called blinders, or blinkers, on the outer sides of the eyes This prevents the horse from seeing things that might frighten it Reading Comprehension Please answer the following questions and give your answers in full sentences What has made horses a good friend to humans? Why have horses been used in many ways? Why is it necessary to use blinkers? How much does an average horse weigh? Did you know? Note: Feet is a unit for measuring height i.e 9ft = 2.7432m Pound is a measurement of mass/weight i.e 1000lb = 453kg Ref: My first Britannica – Mammals pg 40-41 Horses can sleep both lying down and standing up and because their eyes are on the side of their head, they are capable of seeing nearly 360 degrees at one time Can you match the meaning with the words? Hoof Leap Stationary Crack Battlefield Cart Slender Blinder/blinker Carriage Horseshoe The land or place where a war/battle takes place A four-wheeled passenger vehicle pulled by two or more horses An open vehicle, typically used for carrying loads and pulled by a horse (describing body parts) long and elegantly (stylish) thin The horny part of the foot of an a horse An iron shoe for a horse, in the form of a semi-circle and secured to the hoof, Break or cause to break without a complete separation of the parts Not moving A powerful jump or quick movement A pair of leather shades that prevent horses seeing sideways and behind C C _ Bridle Listening Ref: My first Britannica – Mammals pg 40-41 The horse has been a friend to human beings for t of years Long ago horses were used to carry soldiers onto the b They have also pulled carriages, carts, and heavy farm m _ Today people r horses and use then for h , playing polo, and racing Horses even perform in c _ The reason horses have been used in so many ways is that they are large and strong A t _ horse weighs more than 1,000 pounds! It may be more than feet tall at the shoulders From its nose to its tail, it’s about feet long The legs of a horse are strong even though they look very s _ When a horse is moving, the back legs give it the power to move f _, and the front legs give it support A horse’s foot is really just one large t , and the h is like a thick toenail The part of the hoof that can be s _ when the horse’s feet are on the g _ is called the “wall” Horseshoes are fitted on the u of the wall to protect it from c A horse’s eyes are larger than those of any other l _ animal But horses have a problem with sight A horse sees things first with one eye and then with the other So even small s _ objects a _ to leap This frightens the horse To keep the horse c _, the owner fits pads called blinders, or b , on the outer sides of the eyes This p _ the horse from seeing things that might frighten it Speaking Is it wrong to eat horsemeat? Why? Recently, in Britain, there was a big scandal when Horse DNA has been found in beef burgers that are sold by supermarkets Public was outraged And now, the U.S Department of Agriculture is talking about approving a horse slaughterhouse in New Mexico and Americans are strongly against it On the other hand, horsemeat is popular in many countries like France, China, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Germany, Belgium and Switzerland Do people eat horsemeat in your country? What you think about eating horsemeat? Would you try it? There is no health risk in eating horsemeat, so why you think people are against the idea of eating it? If you can eat pig, why not horse? Is it right to differentiate animals i.e cats and dogs are loved and cared while some animals, like chickens are kept in tiny cubicles with no freedom waiting to be slaughtered First discuss in pairs and then share your opinions with your teacher and the rest of the class Writing Ref: My first Britannica – Mammals pg 40-41 The article you studied is from British Encyclopaedia Encyclopedia is a book or set of books giving information about many subjects and typically arranged alphabetically You may consider it as a more detailed dictionary They are informative and not subjective They not give personal opinions but facts They typically have subsections In this lesson, you are asked to write an encyclopedic entry Here are some tips; • • • Create an outline for your article Make a list of sub-headings to write about For each sub heading, create bullet-points of information/facts The paragraphs should start generic and then outline details Avoid personal pronouns Ref: My first Britannica – Mammals pg 40-41