READERS FOR TEENS

Summer at
the Zoo

Marcia Wuest

Series coordinator
Srgio Varela

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 CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, So Paulo, Delhi

Cambridge University Press

32 Avenue of the Americas, New York 10013-2473, USA

www.cambridge.org/elt/readersforteens/

Cambridge University Press 2009

This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception

and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements,
no reproduction of any part may take place without the written
permission of Cambridge University Press.

First published 2009

Printed in Hong Kong, China, by Golden Cup Printing Limited

ISBN 978-0-521-73735-7 paperback (English)

ISBN 978-0-521-73736-4 paperback (Portuguese)

Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for

the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or
third-party Internet Web sites referred to in this publication,
and does not guarantee that any content on such
Web sites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

Illustrations by Sattu

Art direction, book design, and layout services: A+ Comunicao, Brazil

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 Contents

Chapter 1
Junior zookeepers 5

Chapter 2
Schedules 9

Chapter 3
Bad news 11

Chapter 4
Orangutans and cheetahs 13

Chapter 5
Snakes and elephants 17

Chapter 6
Project day 20

Chapter 7
Safari Day 23

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 4

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 Chapter 1
Junior zookeepers

It was mid-summer, and we were bored. I

was hanging out with my brother, Marcos,
his friend Nick, and my best friend Tomoko,
when Marcos told us about the Junior
Zookeepers Program at the local zoo. They
needed teens for a week to help feed and take
care of the animals. And thats how the best
week of summer began.
Our first day was really interesting.
Zookeeper Kim took us on a tour of the zoo. We
saw the dwarf geckos in the reptile house, and
the tiny hummingbirds in the bird house. But
the African Safari exhibit was the most fun!
It really feels like the wild, said Tomoko.
There are tall trees for the giraffes, and theres
a small stream for the jaguars, said Zookeeper
Kim. They like to swim and eat fish.

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 I didnt know jaguars eat fish! said Nick.
Thats interesting.
Next, Zookeeper Kim showed us the big
kitchen where they make the animals food. The
assistant was making dinner for the penguins
when we walked in. Phew! The smell of fish
was awful.
Then we visited the animal hospital. The vet
was getting a lion ready for his checkup when
we arrived. He has an earache, Zookeeper
Kim said. Shes going to give him eardrops.

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 Back outside, we followed the path to the
orangutans. A mother was holding her baby
when we got to the enclosure.
Be careful, said Zookeeper Kim. Shes
protecting her baby.
There was a sign with five names on it.
What are Orangutan Zoo Parents? I asked.

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 Hmm . . . I dont know, said Tomoko.
What are zoo parents, Zookeeper Kim?
Well, people can adopt animals at the
zoo. The zoo started the program because it
needed money. Its expensive to take care of
all these animals, said Zookeeper Kim. So the
zoo invites people to become parents and the
people give money to the zoo for their animals.
After the adoption, the zoo sends photos and
information about the animals to the people.
We really learned a lot our first morning.

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