第2章 Lesson 2: The Narwhal-A Real-Life Unicorn

We love unicorns, but they are not real animals. We can find unicorns only in fairy tales.

However, there is a real-life unicorn here on Earth. It is called a narwhal. A narwhal is not a horse with a long horn, but a whale!

The narwhal can be found in the waters around Canada and other northern countries. There are not very many of them, so if you see one, you are lucky! They can grow to be five metres long and are blue-grey with white blotches. They are brown when they are born. Narwhals like to swim with their friends, and talk to one another using sound waves, like other whales.

All narwhals have two teeth in their upper jaw, but the male narwhal's left tooth starts to grow outwards after it is one year old. This tooth twists as it grows. It can be up to three metres long! It is called a tusk. We are not sure what it is used for.

Narwhals are amazing animals—and they are real!

I. Word List

unicorn: an animal that is not real—it looks like a horse with a horn on its head

blotches: spots

II. What's the word? Find words in the story that mean the same as these words.

1. having good fortune: l _ _ _ _

2. without doubts: s _ _ _

3. very long, pointed tooth: t _ _ _

4. very surprising: a _ _ _ _ _ _

5. not imagined: r _ _ _

6. large sea animals: w _ _ _ _ _

7. turns: t _ _ _ _ _

8. large discoloured marks: b _ _ _ _ _ _ _

III. Complete the chart about the narwhal.

Length: _________________ long

Colour: adult _________________ with _________________baby _________________

Live in: waters around _________________ and _________________

Way of communication: _________________

IV. Answer the following questions.

1. Would you like to see a narwhal? Why or why not?

___________________________________________________________.

2. What is a strange animal you have seen? Tell about it.

___________________________________________________________.

3. How is a narwhal different from most other animals?

___________________________________________________________.

4. What other unusual animals do you know about?

___________________________________________________________.

5. What do you think the narwhal's tusk is used for?

___________________________________________________________.