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A Talent Contest Words you’ll need to know... transform change

Imagine for a moment that one day, near the end of a hot summer, hundreds of clean its ears with its 21-inch tongue. This is from all parts of the world held a competition. an important skill for a giraffe because it can- Many animals sent applications, but the selec- not scratch its ears like a dog or cat. The tion committee chose only ten finalists. Those giraffe was given a lower score. ten finalists were: the donkey, the cockroach, 5. The penguin explained that it is com- the katydid, the giraffe, the penguin, the pletely surrounded by saltwater and ice. It , the flounder, the digger wasp, the owl, needs a way to get freshwater for drinking. and the honeybee. Each contestant demon- The penguin then explained that it has a spe- strated its cleverest stunt. cial organ above its eyes that allows it to 1. The donkey showed how the placement transform saltwater into freshwater. Without of its eyes allowed it to see all four of its feet at this special organ, the penguin could not live the same time. It explained that this is why it in the Antarctic. The penguin was given a can climb up and down the steep sides the very, very high score. Grand Canyon without falling. The other 6. The was the next contestant. animals all agreed that this was quite clever. It showed how it could faster than a jet The donkey was given a good score. plane. When it , it is almost invisible to 2. The cockroach explained that it could the human eye. It has been clocked at speeds live for several weeks after its head has been of more than 818 miles an hour. Its speed cut off. The other animals did not ask it to gives it excellent protection against birds. The demonstrate its trick. They wanted it to be deer botfly was given a score just below that of available to receive its prize if it won. After a the penguin. cockroach loses its head, it can still breathe, 7. The flounder was the seventh contestant. but the body starves to death. The cockroach It was a large gray and white fish with two eyes was given a score even though nobody could on one side of its head. It explained how it figure out why the skill was useful. was born with one eye on each side of its 3. The katydid surprised many of the ani- head. As it grew older, one eye moved across mals by showing how it hears through holes its head to the other side. This allows it to in its hind legs. This makes it possible for it to swim flat against the ocean floor with two hear predators that are creeping up behind it. eyes facing up. It is a good protection against The katydid was awarded a fair score. enemies. The flounder was given a score just 4. The giraffe was next. The animals all below that of the deer botfly. thought it would be showing off its long neck. 8. The digger wasp was eager to demon- Instead, it demonstrated how it could strate its sleeping habits. It bit into the stem

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of a plant. It locked its jaws into position; explained that without teeth, it couldn’t chew then it stretched its body straight out from the its food. This is a way of digesting food with- stem and fell asleep. Its legs dangled in the air. out chewing it. The owl was provided a score Only its jaws held it in place. It said that this just below that of the flounder. allows hundreds of wasps to sleep close 10. Finally, the bee took its turn. It explained together. The wasp was awarded a low score. that it makes honey, and it is the only food on 9. The owl was next. It flew down silently Earth that does not spoil. Honey has been and caught a mouse. It swallowed the mouse found in the tombs of Egyptian kings. whole. A few hours later, it spit out the bones Scientists have tested it and found it completely and fur of the mouse that it had swallowed. It safe to eat, thousands of years after it was made. had digested the meat of the mouse. The owl The bee was given a low score. Questions and Discussion

1. Mark the actions below 1, 2, 3 and 4 to show the order in which they happened. Put 1 before the first happening, 2 beside the second, and so on. _____ a. The owl spit out the fur and bones. _____ b. The owl flew down silently. _____ c. The owl swallowed the mouse. _____ d. The owl digested the meat of the mouse. 2. Mark the actions below as they were presented. Put 1 before the first happening, 2 beside the second, and so on. _____ a. The digger wasp fell asleep. _____ b. The digger wasp bit into the stem. _____ c. The digger wasp stretched out his body. _____ d. The digger wasp locked his jaws. 3. Which two animals do you think have the most spectacular skills? ______Why did you choose these? ______

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