READERS FOR TEENS
Summer at
the Zoo
Marcia Wuest
Series coordinator
Sérgio Varela
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CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo, Delhi
Cambridge University Press
32 Avenue of the Americas, New York 10013-2473, USA
www.cambridge.org/elt/readersforteens/
© Cambridge University Press 2009
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception
and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements,
no reproduction of any part may take place without the written
permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published 2009
Printed in Hong Kong, China, by Golden Cup Printing Limited
ISBN 978-0-521-73735-7 paperback (English)
ISBN 978-0-521-73736-4 paperback (Portuguese)
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for
the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or
third-party Internet Web sites referred to in this publication,
and does not guarantee that any content on such
Web sites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.
Illustrations by Sattu
Art direction, book design, and layout services: A+ Comunicação, Brazil
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Contents
Chapter 1
Junior zookeepers
5
Chapter 2
Schedules
9
Chapter 3
Bad news
11
Chapter 4
Orangutans and cheetahs
13
Chapter 5
Snakes and elephants
17
Chapter 6
Project day
20
Chapter 7
Safari Day
23
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Chapter 1
Junior zookeepers
It was mid-summer, and we were bored. I
was hanging out with my brother, Marcos,
his friend Nick, and my best friend Tomoko,
when Marcos told us about the Junior
Zookeepers Program at the local zoo. They
needed teens for a week to help feed and take
care of the animals. And that’s how the best
week of summer began.
Our first day was really interesting.
Zookeeper Kim took us on a tour of the zoo. We
saw the dwarf geckos in the reptile house, and
the tiny hummingbirds in the bird house. But
the African Safari exhibit was the most fun!
“It really feels like the wild,” said Tomoko.
“There are tall trees for the giraffes, and there’s
a small stream for the jaguars,” said Zookeeper
Kim. “They like to swim and eat fish.”
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“I didn’t know jaguars eat fish!” said Nick.
“That’s interesting.”
Next, Zookeeper Kim showed us the big
kitchen where they make the animals’ food. The
assistant was making dinner for the penguins
when we walked in. Phew! The smell of fish
was awful.
Then we visited the animal hospital. The vet
was getting a lion ready for his checkup when
we arrived. “He has an earache,” Zookeeper
Kim said. “She’s going to give him eardrops.”
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Back outside, we followed the path to the
orangutans. A mother was holding her baby
when we got to the enclosure.
“Be careful,” said Zookeeper Kim. “She’s
protecting her baby.”
There was a sign with five names on it.
“What are ‘Orangutan Zoo Parents’?” I asked.
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“Hmm . . . I don’t know,” said Tomoko.
“What are zoo parents, Zookeeper Kim?”
“Well, people can adopt animals at the
zoo. The zoo started the program because it
needed money. It’s expensive to take care of
all these animals,” said Zookeeper Kim. “So the
zoo invites people to become ‘parents’ and the
people give money to the zoo for their animals.
After the adoption, the zoo sends photos and
information about the animals to the people.”
We really learned a lot our first morning.
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