Giant Panda Mei Xiang Gives Birth at National Zoo: Academic English Workshop 2 Name

Academic English workshop 2
Name: _________________
Grammar review activity.
Giant panda Mei Xiang gives birth at National Zoo

Washington’s 22-year-old female panda, Mei Xiang, has given birth to a cub, Smithsonian’s National Zoo announced Friday evening.
The cub, whose sex is yet unknown, was born at 6:35 p.m., and the zoo says she’s caring for it attentively. It may be several days
before keepers can retrieve the cub to perform a neonatal exam. In the meantime, they'll be monitoring the mother and baby 24/7.
(You can watch Mei Xiang and her cub on the zoo’s panda cams.)
“Giant pandas are an international symbol of endangered wildlife and hope, and with the birth of this precious cub we are thrilled to
offer the world a much-needed moment of pure joy,” said Steve Monfort, the zoo’s director, in a statement.
Tiny, blind panda newborns are notoriously fragile, and the cub’s survival is far from assured. Nonetheless, the birth brings an end to
an anxious wait that began in March with artificial insemination.
Mei Xiang has three surviving offspring: Tai Shan, born in 2005, Bao Bao, born in 2013, and Bei Bei, born in 2015. All three now live in
China. (Read about a National Geographic photographer’s experience documenting the first year of Bei Bei’s life.)
There are four challenges that young pandas must overcome:
1. Cubs are very needy and vulnerable at birth.
At three to five ounces at birth, the giant panda is 1/900th the size of its mother—one of the smallest mammal newborns relative to
its mother’s size, trumped only by marsupials. Unable to crawl or see for about two months, the infant is reliant on the mother’s
warmth, milk, and protection.
There are four challenges that young pandas must overcome:
1. Cubs are very needy and vulnerable at birth. At three to five ounces at birth, the giant panda is 1/900th the size of its mother—
one of the smallest mammal newborns relative to its mother’s size, trumped only by marsupials. Unable to crawl or see for about
two months, the infant is reliant on the mother’s warmth, milk, and protection.
Since captive panda breeding began in the 1980s, knowledge of panda behavior and nutrition, and technology to monitor them, has
increased so much that “almost all pandas born in captivity survive,” Marc Brody, founder and president of Panda Mountain, a
nonprofit group that works to conserve and restore panda habitat in China's Wolong Nature Reserve, told National Geographic in
2015. (Read more about reintroducing pandas to the wild in China.) “Pandas are so precious, they don't leave things to chance,” said
Brody, also a National Geographic Society grantee. Even so, tragedies happen. Mei’s second cub, a female, was born in September
2012, but died a week later of lung and liver damage, according to the zoo. Poorly developed lungs likely prevented the cub from
getting enough oxygen. And in 2013, Mei delivered a stillborn twin—a very rare event.
A.
Find 5 other types of phrases in the text with different colors. You have an example.
Verb phrase has given birth

Noun phrase Tiny, blind panda newborns
Prepositional was born at 6:35 p.m

phrase
Adjective very needy and vulnerable

phrase
Adverb phrase for it attentively
Infinitive Unable to crawl or see

phrase
B.
Find some examples of these words in the text.
Subject Verbs Adverbs Adjectives Prepositions

The cub Announced (to Attentively 22-year-old Has given birth to a
announce) cub
Smithsonian’s Was born (to be Notoriously Giant The zoo says she’s
National Zoo born) caring for it
Giant pandas To perform So much endangered Keepers can retrieve
the cub to perform a
neonatal exam
The birth Says (to say) Precious Giant pandas are an

international symbol
of endangered
wildlife
Mei Xiang To offer Tiny We are thrilled to
offer
C.
From the text, Write three examples using three different colors for SUBJECT-VERB-OBJECT
SUBJECT VERB OBJECT
Giant pandas to conserve to a cub
The birth To offer the mother and baby
Smithsonian’s National Zoo To perform the world
D. Types of sentences
Watch the video about types of sentences, and find three different types in the article of the pandas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urr55rAreWc
Look what he said about long sentences, you want to have maximum 2 clauses in one sentence because 3 sentences
would be too risky and you will need just to end with a period.
Find four different types of sentences in the article.
Simple sentence (1 ind clause) Mei Xiang, has given birth to a cub
Compound ( 2 ind clauses with a The cub, whose sex is yet unknown, was born at 6:35 p.m., and the zoo says she’s
coordinating conjunction) caring for it attentively
Complex ( 1 ind clause + 1 dep It may be several days before keepers can retrieve the cub to perform a neonatal
clause with a subordinating exam
conjunction)
Compound complex( 2 ind Since captive panda breeding began in the 1980s, knowledge of panda behavior and
clauses + 1 dep clause with a nutrition, and technology to monitor them, has increased so much that “almost all
coordinatind+subordinating
pandas born in captivity survive
conjunction)
Example the zoo says she’s caring for it attentively. SIMPLE ( subject- predicate)

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Academic English workshop 2

Grammar review activity.

Giant panda Mei Xiang gives birth at National Zoo

Verb phrase has given birth

Prepositional was born at 6:35 p.m

Adjective very needy and vulnerable

Infinitive Unable to crawl or see

Subject Verbs Adverbs Adjectives Prepositions

The birth Says (to say) Precious Giant pandas are an

SUBJECT VERB OBJECT

Giant pandas to conserve to a cub

The birth To offer the mother and baby

Smithsonian’s National Zoo To perform the world

Find four different types of sentences in the article.

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