Animals

Domestic and Wild Animals

• Common Domestic Animals (常见的家养动物): Ensure you understand the names for common pets and farm animals in Chinese, such as dog (狗), cat (猫), cow (牛), chicken (鸡), pig (猪), and horse (马).

• Wild Animals (野生动物): Be aware of the Chinese names for common wild animals like tiger (老虎), lion (狮子), bear (熊), monkey (猴子), and elephant (大象).

• Aquatic Animals (水生动物): Enhance your knowledge with names of aquatic creatures, such as fish (鱼), shark (鲨鱼), dolphin (海豚), and crab (螃蟹).

• Insects and Birds (昆虫和鸟类): Be familiar with common vocabulary for bugs and birds, for example: the butterfly (蝴蝶), ant (蚂蚁), bee (蜜蜂), crow (乌鸦), and sparrow (麻雀).

Animal Habitats and Diet

• Habitats (动物的栖息地): Understand the character names for different types of habitats like grassland (草原), forest (森林), mountain (山), and sea/ocean (海).

• Animal Diets (动物的食物): Identify whether animals are carnivores (肉食动物), herbivores (草食动物), or omnivores (杂食动物), and the kind of food they consume.

Physical Characteristics and Behaviour

• Physical Features (体态特征): Be able to describe animals by their physical features, using words such as big or small (大或小), short or tall (矮或高), long or short (长或短), and fast or slow (快或慢).

• Animal Behaviour (动物行为): Learn the vocab for behaviours such as eating (吃), sleeping (睡觉), running (跑), flying (飞), and swimming (游泳).

Animal Welfare

• Threats to Animals (动物的威胁): Be aware of the vocabulary for threats, including deforestation (砍伐森林), pollution (污染), hunting (狩猎), and climate change (气候变化).

• Conservation (保护): Learn language related to animal conservation such as preserve (保护), endangered species (濒危物种), laws (法律), and preservation areas(in China, they are called “nature reserve”, 自然保护区).

• Captivity vs the Wild (圈养与野生): Discuss the differences between animals in captivity, like zoos (动物园), and those living in the wild, and the related ethical issues.