Good news from India! Four cheetah cubs have been born in Kuno National Park, 70 years after cheetahs were extinct in India. The country has been working hard to bring cheetahs back for many years. Last year, eight cheetahs were brought over from Namibia, and another 12 came from South Africa last month. The four cubs were born to a female cheetah from Namibia last September. The environment minister and prime minister of India both said they were happy about the new arrivals. The cheetah is the fastest land animal in the world, and in India, they became extinct because of hunting, losing their homes, and not having enough food to eat. But now, with the birth of these new cubs, there is hope that the cheetah can return to India once again.
Original news source: First cheetah cubs born in India since extinction 70 years ago (BBC)
Listen
Slow
Normal
Fast
Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
1. CHEETAH FACT CHART
Instructions:
Create a table with the headings ‘Fact’ and ‘True/False’. On the board, write some facts about cheetahs (e.g. cheetahs are the fastest land animal, cheetahs live in Africa and Iran, cheetahs hunt during the day). Ask students to work in pairs and fill in the chart with either a T (true) or F (false) next to each fact. This activity will help students practice their reading comprehension and critical thinking skills.
2. CHEETAH ROLE-PLAY
Instructions:
Divide the class into pairs. One student in each pair will be a cheetah and the other will be a park ranger. The cheetahs will have to explain to the park rangers how they became extinct in India and what they need to survive. The park rangers will have to come up with solutions to help the cheetahs survive in the wild. After a few minutes, switch roles. This activity will help students practice their speaking and listening skills.
3. CHEETAH MEMORY GAME
Instructions:
Write the names of different animals on index cards (e.g. cheetah, lion, elephant, zebra). Place the cards face down on the table. The first student will flip over two cards. If the cards match, the student keeps them and goes again. If the cards don’t match, the student flips them back over and the next student takes a turn. This activity will help students practice their memory and concentration skills.
Comprehension Questions:
1. What is the good news from India?
2. Where were cheetahs extinct in India?
3. What has India been doing to bring cheetahs back?
4. Where were the eight cheetahs brought from last year?
5. When did the female cheetah give birth to the cubs?
6. Who said they were happy about the new arrivals?
7. Why did cheetahs become extinct in India?
8. What is the hope with the birth of the new cubs?
Go to answers ⇩
Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
Good news from India! Four (1)____________ have been born in Kuno National Park, 70 years after cheetahs were extinct in India. The country has been working hard to bring cheetahs back for many years. Last year, eight cheetahs were brought over from (2)__________, and another 12 came from South Africa last month. The four cubs were born to a female cheetah from Namibia last September. The environment minister and prime minister of India both said they were happy about the new (3)__________. The cheetah is the fastest land animal in the world, and in India, they became extinct because of hunting, losing their homes, and not having enough (4)_________ to eat. But now, with the birth of these new cubs, there is hope that the cheetah can return to India once (5)_______.
Go to answers ⇩
Discussion Questions:
Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.
1. Do you like cheetahs?
2. Have you ever seen a cheetah before?
3. What do you think about the cheetahs being extinct in India?
4. Why did the cheetahs become extinct in India?
5. How do you feel about the four new cheetah cubs being born in India?
6. What do you think it takes to bring an animal back from extinction?
7. How do you think the new cheetah cubs will help the environment in India?
8. Do you know any other animals that have gone extinct?
9. If you could bring back any animal from extinction, which one would you choose?
10. Have you ever been to a national park?
11. Do you think it’s important to protect animals and their habitats?
12. What can people do to help protect animals and their habitats?
13. Have you ever seen an animal in the wild?
14. How do you feel about animals living in zoos?
15. What is your favorite animal and why?
Individual Activities
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. How many cheetah cubs were born in Kuno National Park?
(a) Two
(b) Four
(c) Six
(d) Eight
2. How long ago were cheetahs extinct in India?
(a) 40 years
(b) 50 years
(c) 60 years
(d) 70 years
3. Where were the cheetahs brought over from?
(a) Australia
(b) Namibia
(c) Brazil
(d) Canada
4. When were the four cubs born?
(a) Last September
(b) Last October
(c) Last November
(d) Last December
5. Who said they were happy about the new cheetah arrivals?
(a) The President of India
(b) The Prime Minister of India
(c) The King of India
(d) The Queen of India
6. What is the fastest land animal in the world?
(a) Cheetah
(b) Lion
(c) Tiger
(d) Leopard
7. Why did cheetahs become extinct in India?
(a) Because of hunting, losing their homes, and not having enough food to eat
(b) Because of too much food to eat
(c) Because of too many friends
(d) Because of too much land to roam
8. What does the article say about the cheetah returning to India?
(a) There is hope that the cheetah can return to India once again
(b) The cheetah will never return to India
(c) The cheetah will only return to India if they are brought over from Africa
(d) The cheetah will only return to India if they are bred in captivity
Go to answers ⇩
True or False Questions:
1. Were four cheetah cubs born in Kuno National Park?
2. Did cheetahs become extinct in India because there was too much food?
3. Did 12 cheetahs come from Namibia last month?
4. Are the cheetahs being brought back to India to help them find a new home?
5. Are cheetahs the fastest land animal in the world?
6. Have Indian officials said that they are happy about the new cheetah cubs?
7. Did the four cheetah cubs born in Kuno National Park last September have a mother from Namibia?
8. Can the cheetahs return to India once again because of the birth of these new cubs?
Go to answers ⇩
Write a Summary:
Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
Writing Questions:
Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.
1. What is the good news from India?
2. How long has it been since there were any cheetahs in India?
3. What has India been doing to bring cheetahs back?
4. How many cheetahs were brought over from Namibia last year?
5. Why did the cheetahs become extinct in India?
Answers
Comprehension Question Answers:
1. What is the good news from India?
Answer: Four cheetah cubs have been born in Kuno National Park.
2. Where were cheetahs extinct in India?
Answer: Cheetahs were extinct in India.
3. What has India been doing to bring cheetahs back?
Answer: India has been working hard to bring cheetahs back.
4. Where were the eight cheetahs brought from last year?
Answer: The eight cheetahs were brought from Namibia.
5. When did the female cheetah give birth to the cubs?
Answer: The female cheetah gave birth to the cubs last September.
6. Who said they were happy about the new arrivals?
Answer: The environment minister and prime minister of India said they were happy about the new arrivals.
7. Why did cheetahs become extinct in India?
Answer: Cheetahs became extinct in India because of hunting, losing their homes, and not having enough food to eat.
8. What is the hope with the birth of the new cubs?
Answer: There is hope that cheetahs can return to India once again.
Go back to questions ⇧
Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:
1. cheetah cubs
2. Namibia
3. arrivals
4. food
5. again
Multiple Choice Answers:
1. How many cheetah cubs were born in Kuno National Park?
Answer: (b) Four
2. How long ago were cheetahs extinct in India?
Answer: (d) 70 years
3. Where were the cheetahs brought over from?
Answer: (b) Namibia
4. When were the four cubs born?
Answer: (a) Last September
5. Who said they were happy about the new cheetah arrivals?
Answer: (b) The Prime Minister of India
6. What is the fastest land animal in the world?
Answer: (a) Cheetah
7. Why did cheetahs become extinct in India?
Answer: (a) Because of hunting, losing their homes, and not having enough food to eat
8. What does the article say about the cheetah returning to India?
Answer: (a) There is hope that the cheetah can return to India once again
Go back to questions ⇧
True or False Answers:
1. Were four cheetah cubs born in Kuno National Park?
Answer: True
2. Did cheetahs become extinct in India because there was too much food?
Answer: False
3. Did 12 cheetahs come from Namibia last month?
Answer: False
4. Are the cheetahs being brought back to India to help them find a new home?
Answer: True
5. Are cheetahs the fastest land animal in the world?
Answer: True
6. Have Indian officials said that they are happy about the new cheetah cubs?
Answer: True
7. Did the four cheetah cubs born in Kuno National Park last September have a mother from Namibia?
Answer: True
8. Can the cheetahs return to India once again because of the birth of these new cubs?
Answer: True
Go back to questions ⇧
