Extensive Reading in English for Intermediate Learners #12 - Animal Hairdos

Learn English with EnglishClass101!

Don't forget to stop by EnglishClass101.com for more great English Language Learning Resources!

-------Lesson Dialog-------

----Formal English----

ANIMAL HAIRDOS

ALL KINDS OF HAIR

Some people have odd hairdos.

Their hair may be a strange shape or color.

It may be short or long, smooth or wild.

Many animals also have odd hairdos.

Some of these hairdos may surprise you and even make you laugh!

DOGS

Do your bangs ever fall in your eyes?

Old English sheepdogs have the same problem.

This breed of dog is known for its long, shaggy coat.

The coat needs to be brushed several times a week.

Komondors are another breed of sheepdog.

They have a corded coat— one that looks like cords or ropes.

The cords can grow to almost a foot long.

Komondors have more hair than any other type of dog.

After a bath, their coat takes a whole day to dry.

Afghan hounds wear their hair in a straighter style.

Like sheepdogs, their long coat needs a lot of care.

These tall dogs must be bathed and groomed twice a week to keep their coat looking good.

CATS

Persian cats are known for their long hair.

No one knows how the first house cats got long hair.

House cats come from African wildcats, which have short hair.

The first house cats are known from almost ten thousand years ago.

The first Persian cat is known from 1871.

Himalayans are a cross between Persian and Siamese cats.

They have the Persian’s long hair and the Siamese’s markings.

The light body color and darker legs, face, ears, and tail are called point coloration.

RABBITS AND GUINEA PIGS

Can you guess how lionhead rabbits got their name?

Like male lions, they have long hair, called a mane, around their head.

Breeders crossed two types of rabbits, hoping to get a small, long- haired rabbit.

Surprise! The babies had long hair, but only in certain places.

Several breeds of guinea pigs have long coats.

Texels have soft curls covering their whole body.

Some coronets have a part in their hair.

Others have hair growing in a flower shape on their head.

HOOFED ANIMALS

Highland cattle are raised in Scotland.

They have a long, wavy coat that keeps them warm during cold winters.

Because of their heavy coat, these animals do not handle warm weather well.

Musk oxen are also in the cattle family.

They have a thick coat to stay warm during long winters in Greenland and northern Canada.

Their heavy coat makes them look bigger than they are.

Rackas are a breed of sheep from the country of Hungary.

They have long, rough wool that can be off-white or black.

Both males and females have long spiral horns.

Males' horns can be more than 2 feet long.

Bearded pigs live in forests in Southeast Asia.

They are named for the long whiskers growing on their snout.

Some of these pigs just have a beard or long cheek hair.

Others have a long, bushy mustache, too.

The rest of their body hair is much shorter.

MONKEYS AND LEMURS

Black-and-white colobus monkeys have shiny black fur covering most of their body.

A long, U-shaped white cape runs down their sides to their lower back.

They also have a white beard and long white hair on their tail.

Golden lion tamarins are tiny monkeys that live in just one forest in Brazil.

Their silky fur is bright reddish-orange, like fire.

These monkeys have a hairless face surrounded by a thick mane.

Emperor tamarins, which are cousins, have a long white moustache.

Geladas are large monkeys that are close cousins of baboons.

Their bodies are covered with rough hair.

Adult males have a long cape of hair on their back.

They also have a bright skin patch on their chest.

Red-shanked douc langurs are one of the most colorful monkeys.

They are gray with white “gloves” on their forearms and red “socks” up to their kne [...]