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A female fox walking along the Flambeau River, U.S.A.
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A. Discuss. Look at the title. Do you think animals can be nice? If so, give an example.
B. Skim the text. Match the sentences.
1. A fox • • a. gave food to another animal.
2. A hippo • • b. protected another animal.
3. An elephant • • c. played with another animal.
C. Scan the text. Then underline the opposites for the words below.
| gently loudly slowly |
CAN ANIMALS BE NICE?
Scientists say that some animals are capable of being nice. Here are some surprising stories about animal behavior.
People usually walk away when someone is unkind to them. Marc Bekoff, a researcher at the University of Colorado, saw a female red fox do just that. She walked away because a male fox played roughly with her. After the male fox lowered his head, she gave him another chance. This time, he played more gently.
An elephant in Kenya needed help because he hurt his trunk and couldn't put food into his mouth. Researcher Kayhan Ostovar 10 watched silently. He saw the hurt elephant show his sore trunk to a healthy elephant. The healthy elephant took a bush and put it carefully into his new friend's mouth.
Hippos and crocodiles usually hang out together in rivers. One day, Karen Paoilillo, a wildlife expert in Zimbabwe, saw a crocodile trying 15 to eat a monkey. A hippo ran quickly to the crocodile and chased it away. Paoilillo says hippos sometimes protect other animals from crocodiles.
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