use the forest as their home.
In the forest, small animals eat the fruits, nuts, mushrooms, and insects. They race around
from tree to tree and jump from branch to branch. Larger animals eat smaller animals. Other
animals eat seeds and shrubs. Even though most animals are scared of humans, they are
never far away. An ant, bat, robin, snake, deer, or turkey may be hiding among the leaves.
They may be sitting in the trees. They might be running on the ground.
Many different types of trees live in the forest. Trees drop their leaves during the fall to save
water on the floor of the forest. The soil is made up of fallen leaves, dirt, and animals that
have died. After the animals and plants die, their bodies break down. This makes the earth
rich with nutrients.
Forests are fun places to visit. A person who wants to see and hear the real sounds of the
forest must sit quietly and listen with his or her eyes and ears.
1. Which type of area is
the article describing?
a. mountains
b. desert
c. ocean
d. forest
2. If you were to close
your eyes in the forest, which one of these sounds might you hear?
a. a squirrel chattering with its friend
b. breaking glass
c. waves crashing on the rocks
d. sea gulls screeching
3. The purpose of this
passage is . . .
a. to entertain the reader with forest crafts he
or she can make.
b. to inform the reader of interesting facts
about a forest.
c. to persuade the reader to travel to a forest
on vacation.
d. to encourage the reader to create his or her
own forest.
4. A good synonym for the
word shrub could be . . .
a. dog.
b. bush.
c. bird.
d. sand.