Describe a wild animal that can be found in your country. You should say: what it is and what it looks like where it lives what you like /dislike about it And explain how people in your country generally feel about it. Sample Answer 1:
I live in England in the United Kingdom, and you might think we don’t have many wild animals, but in fact we do. They are generally quite small and elusive, but lovely nevertheless, and they feature in lots of children’s stories. Perhaps you’ll have heard of Beatrix Potter? She wrote beautifully illustrated books for children which were based on her imagined adventures for creatures from our countryside like rabbits, hedgehogs and even toads. I’m going to tell you about one of my favourite wild animals from my country. I’ll explain what it is, and what it looks like. Where it lives – though that is quite complicated. What I like about it and a bit about how others feel about them. You will find there are very different views! The animal I am thinking of is about the size of a domestic cat, though in appearance it more resembles a dog. It has a reddish coat and a long bushy tail, called a ‘brush’ which always has a white tip to it. They vary a little in colour, but often have a white underbelly, and attractive black markings at the edge of their pointed ears. Can you guess what it is? A red fox! As to where foxes generally live, that is quite interesting. Historically, they were a feature of the countryside. People think of them as carnivores, meat eaters, but in fact, they are omnivores. They do need a certain amount of prey, and will typically eat rabbits, birds, shrews and mice, for which they hunt, as well as insects, berries, eggs and carrion (any dead animals they come across). However, they are also clever opportunists, so in the countryside, they will take domestic poultry if they can. In the countryside, they can come into conflict with farmers if they get into a chicken shed, they react to the panicking hens and can kill every bird in the hen house though only eating one. They aren’t popular on large estates where landowners raise pheasants for shooting. They have come to be regarded as something of a pest in the countryside, though not by everyone. Until quite recently it was legal to hunt foxes with dogs – I don’t agree with hunting at all, it horrifies me to think of a mob of people on horseback running down a solitary fox with a pack of dogs. I don’t agree with shooting pheasants either, a horrible so-called ‘sport’. Because foxes have been quite persecuted in the countryside, they have increasingly moved into urban areas. They are very resourceful and adaptable and actually have done really well living in towns and cities alongside people. In this environment they are largely scavengers, raiding bins, eating discarded food from shops and restaurants, and living alongside railway tracks where there is still some cover of vegetation in which they can build dens. The urban fox is doing so well, they are really common, and probably more now live in the towns than in the countryside. They are more active at dusk perhaps, but it is relatively easy to spot them. I think they are really beautiful, and I find it extraordinary that such a relatively large mammal can live alongside people in such a seemingly unpromising environment. They are so habituated to people they can become quite bold. They are still wild animals, and should not be regarded as tame, but they will come quite close. Where my parents live a fox used to regularly stop by their garden every evening to see if any food had been left out. Lots of people leave scraps out for ‘their’ foxes, as you might put out seeds to feed the birds that visit your garden. The fox always came at the same time, so my parents started to sit out and wait for it, and the fox would come within a couple of feet of them. It came so frequently, it wore a track in the lawn so you could see its exact route across the garden. Even if you can’t see foxes, you can hear them at night calling. The sound is quite alarming if you haven’t heard it before. They give out a range of calls, but sometimes it can be mistaken for someone screaming. It’s quite something! People have very different views about foxes. Some people regard them as pests that take livestock in the countryside and upturn rubbish bins in the city. Others, like me, treasure this beautiful creature. I have seen the damage foxes can cause to a hen house, and it is bad, but they are wild animals acting on instinct, you just have to make sure your poultry sheds are fox-proof as best you can. I feel really privileged that even in the midst of a city you might catch a glimpse of a fox at night, loping along. Where I live now, after it snows, I can see fox tracks in the garden. I find it comforting that even though these animals are so persecuted in some rural areas, they have found a way to adapt and survive. They are glorious to behold and give me hope that endangered as many species are, foxes at least have found a way to endure! [ Written by - Lucy Marris: Careers Adviser (UK), TEFL teacher (Vietnam) ] Sample Answer 2:
Wildlife is one of the most important resources for Sweden. This is the place where a notable number of wild animals are found. Moose is one of them and it is available across the country. The country has a huge amount of open spaces which helps to nurture the wilderness.
Moose is a superstar in the realm of wild animals in Sweden. This creature belongs to the deer family. But this is not an animal of wild nature. Due to its popularity among the people, its image is found in almost all of the daily activities. The animal comes with a height of around 210 centimetres with an average weight of around 800 KG. Though they are available in the zoo, they look better in the wild. Though the country is filled with this creature, they are not found in the cities more. They love to stay in nature.
In most of the cases, moose is found in open space out of the city. In fact, they do not want to approach in the city areas as there are numerous risks for them. Besides, when people see those animals in the city, they also take actions against them fearing plagues and other diseases. Hence, nature is the best place for them and they hardly come out of nature. The mostly live in moderate forests. But often they are also found near the towns when they are in search of their foods. Sometimes, they are also seen near and inside the farmlands in search of their foods. Besides, they are also seen on the roads outside of the city while driving a car. But the largest moose will be found at the Sarek National Park located in Lapland of the country.
This is a very cool creature in the wild. It has some special features like it does not harm to people. It takes vegetables as its food. Besides, it owns no resistance power at all from being trafficked or hunted. Humans are the larger predators for this creature while it also becomes victims of some other wild animals. This is the larger species of the deer family and Sweden contains the largest number of moose here. interestingly, the love to live alone. They do not have any herd or group to stay together. As a result, they are the easy targets for the predators.
We, the Swedish, have a sense of affection to moose. It has occupied a large portion of our life. But some of the people bear a negative attitude about the creature for some mysterious reasons. They do not have any soft feeling for the moose and even they do lack reactions when the animals are hunted down by some cruel hunters. Besides, moose trafficking is another important issue. At times, there are some protests about the trafficking but they are of no use at all. However, moose has a great impact on the mind of the ordinary people. As a result, they are found on the t-shirts, key rings, gloves, on the car bumpers, in the form of stickers etc. This is a kind of expression of love for them.
Describe
a wild
animal
that can be
found
in your
country
. You should say: what it is and what it looks like where it
lives
what you like /dislike about it And
explain
how
people
in your
country
generally
feel about it. Sample Answer 1:
I
live
in England in the United Kingdom, and you might
think
we don’t have
many
wild
animals
,
but
in fact we do. They are
generally
quite
small
and elusive,
but
lovely
nevertheless
, and they feature in lots of children’s stories.
Perhaps you’ll have heard of Beatrix Potter? She wrote
beautifully
illustrated books for children which
were based
on her imagined adventures for
creatures
from our
countryside
like rabbits, hedgehogs and even toads. I’m going to
tell
you about one of my
favourite
wild
animals
from my
country
. I’ll
explain
what it is, and what it looks like. Where it
lives
–
though
that is
quite
complicated.
What I like about it and a bit about how others feel about them. You will find there are
very
different
views! The
animal
I am thinking of is about the size of a domestic cat,
though in appearance
it more resembles a dog.
It has a reddish coat and a long bushy tail, called a ‘brush’ which always has a white tip to it. They vary a
little
in
colour
,
but
often
have a white underbelly, and attractive black markings at the edge of their pointed ears. Can you guess what it is?
A red
fox
! As to where
foxes
generally
live
,
that is
quite
interesting.
Historically
, they were a feature of the
countryside
.
People
think
of them as carnivores, meat eaters,
but
in fact, they are omnivores. They do need a certain amount of prey, and will
typically
eat rabbits, birds, shrews and mice, for which they hunt,
as
well
as insects, berries, eggs and carrion (any dead
animals
they
come
across).
However
, they are
also
clever opportunists,
so
in the
countryside
, they will take domestic poultry if they can. In the
countryside
, they can
come
into conflict with farmers if they
get
into a chicken shed, they react to the panicking hens and can kill every bird in the hen
house
though
only
eating one. They aren’t popular on large estates where landowners raise pheasants for shooting. They have
come
to
be regarded
as something of a pest in the
countryside
, though not by everyone. Until
quite
recently it was legal to hunt
foxes
with dogs
–
I don’t
agree
with hunting at all, it horrifies me to
think
of a mob of
people
on horseback running down a solitary
fox
with a pack of dogs. I don’t
agree
with shooting pheasants either, a horrible
so
-called ‘sport’.
Because
foxes
have been
quite
persecuted in the
countryside
, they have
increasingly
moved
into urban areas. They are
very
resourceful and adaptable and
actually
have done
really
well
living in towns and
cities
alongside
people
.
In this environment they are
largely
scavengers, raiding bins, eating discarded
food
from shops and restaurants, and living alongside railway
tracks
where there is
still
some
cover of vegetation in which they can build dens. The urban
fox
is doing
so
well
, they are
really
common, and
probably
more
now
live
in the towns than in the
countryside
. They are more active at dusk perhaps,
but
it is
relatively
easy to spot them. I
think
they are
really
beautiful
, and I find it extraordinary that such a
relatively
large mammal can
live
alongside
people
in such a
seemingly
unpromising environment. They are
so
habituated to
people
they can become
quite
bold. They are
still
wild
animals
, and should not
be regarded
as tame,
but
they will
come
quite
close. Where my parents
live
a
fox
used
to
regularly
stop
by their
garden
every evening to
see
if any
food
had been
left
out. Lots of
people
leave
scraps out for ‘their’
foxes
, as you might put out seeds to feed the birds that visit your
garden
. The
fox
always came at the same time,
so
my parents
started
to sit out and wait for it, and the
fox
would
come
within a couple of feet of them. It came
so
frequently
, it wore a
track
in the lawn
so
you could
see
its exact route across the
garden
.
Even if you can’t
see
foxes
, you can hear them at night calling. The sound is
quite
alarming if you haven’t heard it
before
. They give out a range of calls,
but
sometimes
it can
be mistaken
for someone screaming.
It’s
quite
something!
People
have
very
different
views about
foxes
.
Some
people
regard them as pests that take livestock in the
countryside
and upturn rubbish bins in the city. Others, like me, treasure this
beautiful
creature
. I have
seen
the damage
foxes
can cause to a hen
house
, and it is
bad
,
but
they are wild
animals
acting on instinct, you
just
have to
make
sure your poultry sheds are fox-proof as best you can. I feel
really
privileged that even in the midst of a city you might catch a glimpse of a
fox
at night, loping along. Where I
live
now
, after it snows, I can
see
fox
tracks
in the
garden
.
I find it comforting that
even though
these
animals
are
so
persecuted in
some
rural areas, they have
found
a way to adapt and survive. They are glorious to behold and give me hope that endangered as
many
species are,
foxes
at least have
found
a way to endure!
[
Written by
-
Lucy
Marris
: Careers Adviser (UK), TEFL teacher (Vietnam)
]
Sample Answer 2:
Wildlife is one of the most
important
resources for Sweden. This is the place where a notable number of wild
animals
are
found
. Moose is one of them and it is available across the
country
. The
country
has a huge amount of open spaces which
helps
to nurture the wilderness.
Moose is a superstar in the realm of wild
animals
in Sweden. This
creature
belongs to the deer family.
But
this is not an
animal
of wild nature. Due to its popularity among the
people
, its image is
found
in almost
all of the
daily activities. The
animal
comes
with a height of around 210
centimetres
with an average weight of around 800 KG. Though they are available in the zoo, they look better in the wild. Though the
country
is filled
with this
creature
, they are not
found
in the
cities
more. They
love
to stay in nature.
In most of the cases, moose is
found
in open space out of the city. In fact, they do not want to approach in the city areas as there are numerous
risks
for them.
Besides
, when
people
see
those
animals
in the city, they
also
take actions against them fearing plagues and
other
diseases.
Hence
, nature is the best place for
them and
they hardly
come
out of nature. The
mostly
live
in moderate forests.
But
often
they are
also
found
near the towns when they are in search of their
foods
.
Sometimes
, they are
also
seen
near and inside the farmlands in search of their
foods
.
Besides
, they are
also
seen
on the roads
outside of
the city while driving a car.
But
the largest moose will be
found
at the
Sarek
National Park located in Lapland of the country.
This is a
very
cool
creature
in the wild. It has
some
special features like it does not harm to
people
. It takes vegetables as its
food
.
Besides
, it
owns
no resistance power at all from
being trafficked
or hunted. Humans are the larger predators for this
creature
while it
also
becomes victims of
some
other
wild
animals
. This is the larger species of the deer family and Sweden contains the largest number of moose here.
interestingly
, the
love
to
live
alone. They do not have any herd or group to stay together.
As a result
, they are the easy targets for the predators.
We, the Swedish, have a sense of affection to moose. It has occupied a large portion of our life.
But
some of the
people
bear a
negative
attitude about the
creature
for
some
mysterious reasons. They do not have any soft feeling for the moose and even they do lack reactions when the
animals
are hunted
down by
some
cruel hunters.
Besides
, moose trafficking is another
important
issue. At times, there are
some
protests about the trafficking
but
they are of no
use
at all.
However
, moose has a great impact on the mind of the ordinary
people
.
As a result
, they are
found
on the t-shirts, key rings, gloves, on the car bumpers, in the form of stickers etc. This is a kind of expression of
love
for them.