Reading 4.1 Name: Instructions: Copyright 2000-2002 Measured Progress, All Rights Reserved
: Reading 4.1 Read the article about toads and then answer the questions that follow. Toad in Your Garden by Priscilla Y. Huff There s a nice little warty animal that lives in gardens and flower beds. To most people it s a plain old toad, nothing to get excited about. That s because they haven t watched one. A toad is a remarkable hunter. It can eat 10,000 insects and 2,000 cutworms during one summer. But a toad doesn t stalk its prey the way a lion or a tiger does. It waits quietly in the dark for a bug to pass by. Then ZAP. Its tongue darts out about half the length of its body and the bug disappears. It s almost too fast for your eyes to see. Of course, you may have to wait for quite a while for a bug to come by. One way to hurry things up is to find some insects for the toad. But don t try a dead fly or grasshopper. Anything that doesn t move won t work. A toad wants to see motion. A wiggly worm or anything that creeps will get attention. And when it gets within tongue s length it will disappear into the toad. It doesn t even get chewed, because a toad has no teeth. Even thought it s not very cuddly, a toad is a valuable friend to have in your garden, because it eats bugs that could damage crops. 1. A toad will not eat a dead fly or grasshopper because they A. are too big. B. have wings. C. do not move. D. are too small. 2
: Reading 4.1 2. How does a toad get food? A. A toad sits and waits for it to come by. B. A toad hides and then it jumps out at its prey. C. A toad chases its prey until it is caught. D. A toad catches its prey in a pool of water. 3. The writer of this story thinks that if you watch a toad for a while you will be A. tired. B. angry. C. sad. D. surprised. 4. What is the MAIN reason a person would read Toad in Your Garden? A. to tell how frogs and toads are different B. to find out how to get rid of garden bugs C. to learn more about the life of a toad D. to find out how to care for a pet toad 5. Then ZAP. Its tongue darts out about half the length of its body and the bug disappears. Why is the word ZAP written in capital letters? A. It is the name of a kind of toad. B. It is the sound a toad makes. C. It shows that something happens suddenly. D. It is the sound a bug makes. 3
: Reading 4.1 How Giraffe s Neck Got So Long Long ago, when all animals were friends, Giraffe s neck was only as long as a horse s neck. This was not a problem because there were plenty of leafy plants that were easy for Giraffe to reach. But then the climate changed, and Giraffe had to move to a different homeland. I am a guest here, he thought. I cannot take the best food for myself and leave my hosts without the food that they need. I should try to eat only the food that the other animals cannot reach. Giraffe wanted to figure out how to get the leaves at the top of the trees. He tried to climb the trees, but his hooves couldn t get a good hold on the bark. Then he tried to fly to the treetops, like his friends the birds, but he had no wings. Each day, he worked to reach the leaves. Finally, he devised a plan. He decided to eat the leaves off only one tree. Each day, he stretched his neck just a little bit to reach the leaves that had been too far away the day before. At the end of a week, he could feel his neck muscles loosening as he stretched them. The other animals noticed the change in Giraffe. They asked, Are you getting taller, or are we getting smaller? When Giraffe explained what he had been doing, the other animals were pleased. They said, What a good guest you are! As long as you eat only the high leaves, you will always be welcome in our land. Giraffe thanked his hosts and to this day he has eaten only the leaves at the top of the trees. 6. Which of the following is an opinion about Giraffe? A. Giraffe is the nicest of all animals. B. Giraffe had to move to a new land. C. Giraffe eats leaves high in the tree. D. Giraffe tried to climb the trees. 4
: Reading 4.1 7. How does Giraffe look at the beginning of the passage? A. His legs are bigger. B. His neck is shorter. C. His body has wings. D. His hooves are less slippery. 8. This passage is an example of a A. letter. B. poem. C. folk tale. D. report. 9. How did the other animals feel when they found out why Giraffe was changing? A. angry B. amused C. confused D. delighted 10. What does Giraffe eat? A. bark B. leaves C. grass D. birds 5