第8章 Lesson 8: Marsupials

Most mammals, like dogs and whales, and people too, give birth to living babies. When the babies are born, they drink milk made by their mothers and grow quickly.

However, marsupials are a unique kind of mammals. They are sometimes called "pouched mammals". This is because the mother has a pouch on her body. Marsupial babies are different from most other mammals. When they are born, they are tiny, blind, and hairless. The marsupial baby must crawl through its mother's fur to find the pouch.

After the baby finds the pouch, it stays there and drinks milk until it is big and strong enough to live as a real baby animal. It starts to explore the world, but goes back to its mother's pouch when it wants to. The young marsupial continues to drink its mother's milk even after it is too big to fit inside the pouch!

There are many kinds of marsupials, but most of them live in Australia. Kangaroos, koalas, and wombats are the most common kinds of marsupials. There is only one kind of marsupial in North America. It is called the opossum. They live mostly in forests and grasslands. They are about the size of a cat and eat small rodents, insects, worms, fruits, seeds, and nuts.

I. Word List

pouch: a kind of pocket for holding baby animals

blind: can not see

II. Wrong sentences—The following sentences are wrong. Correct them.

1. Marsupial babies are born blind and with lots of hair. _________

2. The baby has to find its father's pouch. _________

3. Most marsupials live in North America. _________

4. The opossum is about the size of a kangaroo. _________

5. There are a few kinds of marsupials. _________

III. Put these sentences in order—Write 1 to 5.

___ The baby stays in the pouch.

___ A baby marsupial is born.

___ The baby finds its mother's pouch.

___ The baby goes out to explore the world.

___ The baby goes back to its mother's pouch.

IV. Answer the following questions.

1. How are marsupials different from other mammals?

___________________________________________________________.

2. How long do marsupials drink their mother's milk?

___________________________________________________________.

3. What are the names of some marsupials?

___________________________________________________________.

4. Why are marsupials called "pouched mammals"?

___________________________________________________________.

5. What are some examples of mammals that are not marsupials?

___________________________________________________________.