ESL Podcast 761 - Animals in a Zoo

elephant - a very large mammal with grey or brown skin, very large ears, and a long trunk (like a nose) that can be used to spray water, found in Africa and Asia

Two elephants led the circus parade.

zoo - an outdoor park with many animals kept in cages to entertain and educate people, and sometimes to protect animals

Did you hear that a baby panda was born at the zoo last night?

natural habitat - where an animal normally or traditionally lives, without interference from human beings

The zookeepers are trying to imitate the penguins' natural habitat by lowering the temperature and giving them plenty of ice.

next best thing - the second-best option or situation when the top or best option or situation is not available

For the first few years after they were married, Wendy and Ward didn't have enough money to buy a house, so living in the apartment above his parents' garage was the next best thing.

in captivity - being held in a particular place and unable to leave; caged

Most animals live longer in captivity than in the wild, because they receive better food and they aren't attacked by other animals.

cage - a large box built with metal bars so that there are empty spaces between those bars, used to keep an animal inside and prevent it from leaving

Gerald keeps a large parrot in a cage by his kitchen window.

to gawk at - to stare at something in a stupid way, often with one's mouth open, because it is very surprising, interesting, or unusual

Heather hates being very overweight and having everyone gawk at her.

predator - an animal that hunts (chases) and eats another animal

Cats and hawks are dangerous predators for small mice.

handler - zookeeper; a person whose job is to take care of an animal in a zoo or circus, especially for a dangerous animal

Rick received a lot of scratches from lions while he was a working as a handler.

endangered species - a type of animal that is in danger because very few animals are left and it is not likely that it will continue to be able to reproduce and survive in future generations

People generally want to save cute endangered species, like panda bears and small monkeys, but they aren't interested in ugly or less interesting endangered species like insects, fungi, and plants.

to switch places - to exchange roles; to live or imagine living as another person; to experience something as another person experiences it

If you could switch places with anyone in history, who would it be and why?

lion - a very large, cat-like animal that lives in Africa, with sharp teeth and claws (fingernails), and with males that have a lot of gold-colored hair all around their face

Lions are known as the King of the Jungle because they are very strong and all other animals run from them.

monkey - a primate; a small, human-like animal that has opposable thumbs (thumbs that can be moved separately from other fingers and used to hold objects) and can use its long arms, legs, and tail to hold objects and swing on tree branches

Do you believe humans evolved from monkeys?

to rise up - to rebel; to fight against people or organizations with authority, especially when one has been treated badly

How often did slaves rise up against their masters in the early 1800s in the southern United States?

to break (one's) shackles - to escape and find freedom; to break out of whatever is holding one and preventing one from moving freely

The prisoner broke his shackles and escaped from the prison.

ringleader - leader; a person who leads others, especially in a rebellion or revolution

Charlie was the ringleader who encouraged his classmates to refuse to do the homework assignment.

cheering section - a group of people who applaud (clap) and encourage the actions of another person or group, but do not become involved in those actions

When Luciana ran the marathon, she had a whole cheering section of friends and family members along the way.

Planet of the Apes - a 1968 science fiction movie where space explorers land on a planet where primates (monkey-like animals) are intelligent and able to communicate, and humans are very primitive (undeveloped) and not able to talk

Do you think primates will ever be intelligent enough to create a society like the one in Planet of the Apes?