APIEVocabulary: Zoos and Animals in Captivity
Zoos and animals in captivity
Answers and an explanation for each question appear once you add this activity to your own library.
Zoos and Animals in Captivity
Learn 10 key words, practice using them in context, and record your speech in 20 minutes.
📌 How to use this lesson
For Teachers:
1. Guide students through the 10 target words using the table and memory tips (5 minutes).
2. Have students complete the 16 practice questions and record their audio in the Shadowing section (15 minutes).
For Learners:
1. Read the word table carefully and try each memory tip to remember the new words.
2. Complete the 16 practice activities below, then record your voice for each item in the Shadowing section.
Word table
Study these 10 core words and their forms before starting the practice activities.
🏟️ Theme 1: At the zoo
4 Words| Word | Meaning | Common collocations | Word forms | Example sentence | Memory tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| enclosure (n) | An area surrounded by fences or walls for animals | spacious enclosure, clean enclosure | – | "The lions live in a spacious enclosure." | Think of "in + close" – kept inside a closed space. |
| keeper (n) | A person who takes care of zoo animals | zoo keeper, animal keeper | – | "The keeper feeds the penguins every morning." | Someone who "keeps" animals safe and healthy. |
| reptile (n) | A cold-blooded animal with scaly skin | cold-blooded reptile, dangerous reptile | – | "Snakes and turtles belong to the reptile group." | Sounds like "creep-tile" – scaly creatures that creep. |
| aquarium (n) | A large glass container or building for aquatic life | visit the aquarium, fish aquarium | – | "We saw sharks swimming in the big aquarium." | "Aqua" means water – a building full of water animals. |
🌿 Theme 2: Saving animals
3 Words| Word | Meaning | Common collocations | Word forms | Example sentence | Memory tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| breed (v) | To keep animals for producing young animals | breed endangered species, breed in captivity | breeding (n), breeder (n) | "Zoos help breed endangered species safely." | Rhymes with "feed" – you feed animals so they breed. |
| release (v) | To set free into the wild | release into the wild, release an animal | release (n, v) | "They will release the healed bird next week." | "Re" + "lease" – think of "let go": you release a bird by letting it go. |
| population (n) | The total number of animals of one type in an area | growing population, wild population | – | "The wild tiger population is very small." | "People-ation" for animals – counting total living group. |
🗣️ Theme 3: Arguments about zoos
3 Words| Word | Meaning | Common collocations | Word forms | Example sentence | Memory tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| cruel (adj) | Causing pain or suffering to a person or an animal | cruel treatment, cruel behavior | cruelty (n) | "Leaving a dog alone in a dark room all day is cruel." | Sounds like "cry-well" – making animals cry. |
| educate (v) | To teach people about something | educate the public, educate visitors | education (n), educational (adj) | "Zoos can educate visitors about nature." | "Edu" like education – learning cool animal facts! |
| roam (v) | To walk or move around freely without a fixed plan | roam freely, roam the forest | – | "Wild animals need a lot of space to roam." | "Roam" sounds like "Rome" – wandering open spaces. |
Practice
Complete these 16 practice activities ranging from easy collocations to word forms.
Match each verb with the words that usually go with it
Select the correct box in each row to pair the verb with its matching phrase.
Fill in the blanks using words from the box
5. Dialogue
Person A: Where can we see sharks and rays?
Person B: Yes, go to the big ____ by the river. It has tanks of sea water.
6. Sentence
The zoo ____ prepares fresh fruit for the monkeys every morning.
7. Sentence
The wild gorilla ____ has decreased due to habitat loss.
8. Dialogue
Person A: Where is the tiger right now?
Person B: It is resting inside its outdoor ____.
Select the option that fits the context best
All three options are valid English words, but only one makes correct sense in the sentence.
9. The zoo _____ feeds the lions every morning.
10. Lizards and snakes are types of _____.
11. Keeping wild animals in tiny cages is _____.
12. Wild tigers need large areas where they can _____ without fences.
Complete each gap using the correct word form
Use exact word forms derived from the root word given in brackets [ ].
13. Noun form
Animal rights groups want to stop ____ to wild animals. [cruel]
14. Noun form
Scientists count the ____ of wild eagles every spring. [populate]
15. Adjective form
School visits to the zoo provide good ____ value for kids. [educate]
16. Noun / Gerund form
Captive ____ programs help protect endangered species. [breed]
Shadowing
Listen to each prompt, click the audio icon to practice, then record your voice clearly.
🗣️ Collocation Prompts (Items 1–4)
[Bài tập luyện nói]
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____💬 Everyday Sentence Prompts (Items 5–8)
[Bài tập luyện nói]
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____✨ Additional Sentence Prompts (Items 9–10)
[Bài tập luyện nói]
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____🎯 Target Words Focus (Items 11–12)
[Bài tập luyện nói]
____[Bài tập luyện nói]
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