full transcript
From the Ted Talk by Kenny Coogan: Vultures The acid-puking, plague-busting heroes of the ecosystem
Unscramble the Blue Letters
This colossal competition is too dangerous for the tiny Egyptian vulurte. With a wingspan of only 180 centimeters, this vulture migrated to arfica from his family nest in Portugal, using thermal updrafts to stay aloft for hours at a time. But upon arrival, he fdnis himself near the bottom of the pecking order. Fortunately, what he lacks in size, he makes up for in intelligence. A short dicsatne away, he stops an unguarded ostrich nest, full of isnmeme, but impenetrable eggs. Using a lgrae rock, he smashes one open for a well-earned meal— though he’ll circle back to the gazelle once the larger birds are gone.
Open Cloze
This colossal competition is too dangerous for the tiny Egyptian _______. With a wingspan of only 180 centimeters, this vulture migrated to ______ from his family nest in Portugal, using thermal updrafts to stay aloft for hours at a time. But upon arrival, he _____ himself near the bottom of the pecking order. Fortunately, what he lacks in size, he makes up for in intelligence. A short ________ away, he _____ an unguarded ostrich nest, full of _______, but impenetrable eggs. Using a _____ rock, he smashes one open for a well-earned meal— though he’ll circle back to the gazelle once the larger birds are gone.
Solution
- distance
- vulture
- large
- spots
- africa
- finds
- immense
Original Text
This colossal competition is too dangerous for the tiny Egyptian vulture. With a wingspan of only 180 centimeters, this vulture migrated to Africa from his family nest in Portugal, using thermal updrafts to stay aloft for hours at a time. But upon arrival, he finds himself near the bottom of the pecking order. Fortunately, what he lacks in size, he makes up for in intelligence. A short distance away, he spots an unguarded ostrich nest, full of immense, but impenetrable eggs. Using a large rock, he smashes one open for a well-earned meal— though he’ll circle back to the gazelle once the larger birds are gone.
Frequently Occurring Word Combinations
Important Words
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