GK Book 4_2077_final

KGnoewnleerdagle KNOW MORE AND GROW MORE Mini Encyclopaedia 4BOOK S. N. Mukhiya

Published By Preface Kuleshwor, Kathmandu, Nepal. This is a series of general knowledge designed for Phone: 4672071, 5187226, 5187211 Fax: 4672073 school students of Nepal for classroom and self E-mail: [email protected] study use. Each textbook of the series contains www.readmorenp.com carefully selected and graded materials, illustrations and amazing facts; and aims to take into account the changing needs of young readers. © Copyright, Publisher, 2071 BS To capture readers’ attention and make the series classroom friendly, the reading materials of the Reprint : 2073 BS series are presented in simple to complex order. Revised and Updated : 2077 BS The series provides young readers with a wealth of interesting and amazing reading materials of general knowledge that arouse curiosity and interest in them to get to know more and more about the word, and modern advancements. We are highly grateful to for its support in bringing out this series. always welcomes constructive suggestions regarding our textbooks. We are always interested to hear comments and constructive suggestions from our readers for the Layout: improvement of this series. Readmore Desktop Printed in Nepal Author You can exchange this book from your nearest book shop if any binding errors are found. Read to help others read! We are pleased to inform that certain amount from each book is allocated to Charity Fund. The fund is provided to the deserving and needy students all over Nepal. The charity always welcomes cooperation and support from all the well wishers and agencies.

UNIT 1 Animals ..................4 Contents n On the Farm n Heaviest and Tallest ..................6 n Living in Water ..................8 n Living in Ice ................12 UNIT 5 Around the World n Birds ................14 n India ............84 n Insects ................16 n Geography ............86 n Domestic and Wild Animals .....18 n People and Places ............88 n Sea Animals .....20 Quick Quiz n National Animals .....26 Test Yourself Test Yourself Quick Quiz UNIT 6 Science and Technology UNIT 2 Plants n Computers ............92 n Fruit Trees ................36 n Common Science ............94 n Amazing Plants ................38 n Inventions ............96 n Flowers ................42 Test Yourself n Carnivorous Plants ................44 n Vegetables ................49 UNIT 7 Language and Literature n Parts of Plants ................51 n Famous Books ............100 n Famous Logos ............101 Test Yourself n Story Books ............103 Quick Quiz Test Yourself UNIT 3 Games and Sports n Running Race ........56 UNIT 8 Universe n Summer Olympic Games ........58 n Amazing Games ........60 n Heavenly Bodies ............104 n Planets ...........106 Test Yourself Quick Quiz Test Yourself UNIT 4 Nepal UNIT 9 Our Body n Know Our History ..................70 n Body Facts ............108 n Provinces of Nepal ..................72 n Body Parts ............110 n Folk Dances of Nepal ..............73 n Folk Musical Instruments ........74 Test Yourself n Festivals of Nepal ..................75 n Geography ..................76 UNIT 10 Mixed Bag n People and Places ..................78 n First in Nepal ..................80 n Tools ............112 n Lakes in Nepal ..................81 n Food ............114 Test Yourself Quick Quiz Quick Quiz

1UNIT ANIMALS On the Farm Dog Dogs have sweat glands in their paws. That’s why they wet the bottom of their feet on a hot day. CAMEL The hump on a camel’s back stores fat. It uses the fat inside its hump as diet when food is scarce. A camel can go for long periods of time without water. Baby camels are born without humps. A Bactrian camel has two large humps on its back. DONKEY Donkeys are related to horses and zebras, but donkeys have much longer ears than either ones. HORSE A horse can sleep both lying down and standing up. The average sleep time of a domestic horse is said to be two to three hours per day. 4 BOOK FOUR

SHEEP A sheep makes a bleating sound. A baby lamb can identify its mother by her bleat. CHICKEN REINDEER Chickens are good Reindeer are the teachers. They can only type of deer show their babies in which both male what is good to eat and female reindeer and what is not. have antlers. COW A cow has 32 permanent teeth. It has eight incisors that are on the bottom jaw in the front. It has no teeth on the top jaw in the front. It has 6 molars on each side of the top and the bottom, altogether 24 molars. Since a cow’s tooth comes in at different ages, you can tell how old a cow is by which tooth is coming and how many teeth it has. BOOK FOUR 5

Heaviest and Tallest HIPPO The name ‘hippopotamus’ means ‘river horse’. It is often shortened to ‘hippo’. It is the world’s third largest land animal after the elephant and the rhino. It can grow up to 10 feet long, 5 feet high at the shoulder. It avoids the heat of the sun by returning to a river or lake before sunrise. ELEPHANT An elephant’s trunk makes this largest land creature look unique. It uses its trunk to breathe, drink, eat, smell, trumpet, communicate, and also as a ‘hand’ to touch, feel, hold, grab and pull. An African elephant has two finger-like tips at the end of its trunk that it uses to clasp smaller objects. An Asian elephant has only one. RHINOCEROS The word ‘rhinoceros’ is a Greek word that consists of two words - ‘rhino’ (nose) and ‘ceros’ (horn). Some types of rhinos have two horns and some have one horn. The horns are made of keratin, the same type of protein that makes up hair and fingernails. Because the rhino’s horns are used in medicine, rhinos have been hunted nearly to extinction. They are endangered species. 6 BOOK FOUR

GREEN ANACONDA The green anaconda is the largest snake in the world, when both weight and length are considered. It can reach a length of 9 meters and weigh up to 227 kilograms. Females are significantly larger than males. The green anaconda is mainly found in South America. OSTRICH The ostrich is the tallest and the heaviest of all birds. It does not fly. Instead it runs. It can run faster than a horse and a male ostrich can even roar like a lion. The biggest egg in the world is the ostrich’s egg. Its one egg is equivalent to two dozen chicken eggs. GIRAFFE A giraffe is the tallest animal on earth. A male giraffe can grow up to the height of 18 feet. It can be as tall as a two-storey house. A newborn giraffe is about 6 feet tall at birth and weighs about 68 kilograms. It has such a long tongue that it can clean its ears with its tongue. A giraffe is the only animal in the world who does not yawn. BOOK FOUR 7

Living in Water leatherback turtle The leatherback is the largest living turtle. It is the fourth-heaviest modern reptile. It can grow up to 7 feet long and can weigh more than 700 kilograms. Its shell is composed of a layer of thin, tough, rubbery skin that makes it look leathery. ELECTRIC EEL An electric eel has a snake-like body that contains an electric generating organ. It is known to produce electricity sufficient enough to light up to ten electric bulbs. It uses its electric charge to hunt as well as scarce off its predators. It is the most powerful of all the electric fishes. BLUE WHALE A blue whale is the largest animal ever known to have lived on Earth. Its baby can grow eight pounds per hour. Its baby is about the size of 2 mini-vans. Its tongue weighs more than an elephant. Its heart is almost the size of a car. Its tail is as wide as a soccer net. 8 BOOK FOUR

STARFISH Its star-like shape is the reason why it is named a starfish or sea star. Most species have five arms, but some species have ten, twenty or even forty arms. LOBSTERS Lobsters are ten-legged creatures, just like shrimps and crabs. Lobsters can be divided in two groups: clawed and spiny. Clawed lobsters have claws and they inhabit cold waters. They can detach their claws and then grow new ones. A lobster with one claw is called a cull. Spiny lobsters have long antennas instead of claws and they could be found in the warm waters. OCTOPUS An octopus has a head surrounded with 8 arms, called tentacles. It has 3 hearts and its blood is blue in colour. BOOK FOUR 9

SHARK Sharks have the most powerful jaws in the world. They never run out of teeth. If one is lost, another comes out. TUNA DOLPHIN Tuna is one of the most popular Dolphins cannot fish that people like to eat. breathe under water It is a fast swimmer and can swim like fish, but need to up to 70 kilometers per hour. come to the surface to breathe air. SEAHORSE A male seahorse has a pouch on They have two stomach the front side of its body. When parts. One stores food the female deposits the eggs and the other digests inside the male’s pouch, the food. male fertilizes them and delivers little seahorses after three years. They have 100 teeth and they sleep with one 10 BOOK FOUR eye open.

PLATYPUS The platypus is one of the most unusual creatures in the animal kingdom. Its dense and waterproof fur keeps the animal warm and dry as it swims under the water in search of food. It can stay under water for ten minutes. WALRUS Walruses have long tusks that they use to pull their enormous bodies out of frigid waters. Tusks are found on both males and females. These tusks are actually their large teeth and can grow to be about three feet long. SALTWATER CROCODILE The saltwater crocodile is the world’s largest crocodilian. It can grow over 8 meters in length and weigh over one ton. Crocodiles are often seen with mouths open while basking in the sun. By opening their mouths, they are releasing heat preventing their brains from heating. Thus, crocodiles sweat through their mouth. BOOK FOUR 11

Living in Ice PENGUINS Little Blue Penguin Emperor penguins are the tallest species, standing nearly 4 feet tall. The smallest is the Little Blue Penguin, which is only about 16 inches. Penguins have strong flippers that help them swim in the water. POLAR BEAR Polar bears are found in Arctic regions. They have thick fur coat to keep them warm. Their fur is transparent and their skin is black. They use their front paws to swim and hunt seals in the water. SNOW LEOPARD Snow leopards have powerful legs. They are able to jump as far as 50 feet. They use their long tails to balance themselves while strolling in rough mountains. Their paws are also completely fur-covered and protect them from the cold. 12 BOOK FOUR

SEAL Seals have thick fur and blubber that help them survive in freezing temperatures. They have whiskers that help them detect the vibration of the prey under water. Their worst enemies are white bears and sharks. MUSKOX Muskoxen live in the Arctic. They are well adapted to survive in the Arctic. Their long thick wool enables them to survive in cold climates. Their hooves are so strong that they can break through solid ice. ARCTIC WOLF The Arctic wolf is almost completely white. It has two thick layers of fur. The outer layer gets thicker as the winter months come along. As a result their body temperature can stay warm enough even when it is bitter cold. BOOK FOUR 13

Birds FLAMINGO A flamingo is born grey but its food turns its feathers into pink. The pink and reddish colours of its feathers come from eating pigments found in shrimp and plankton. It has a large bill that curves downward. It has an oval-shaped pink body. It has an S-shaped neck. It has stick-like legs. EAGLE Eagles are large birds of prey with strong beaks and long sharp claws. They have excellent eyesight. The African fish eagle is one of the largest eagles, with a huge wingspan of up to 8 feet (2.4m). OWL Owls are predators. Predators are animals that prey on other animals and eat meat. Not all owls hunt at night, some hunt during the day. Owls that hunt at night are nocturnal owls. Owls that hunt in the daytime are called diurnal owls. Owls are farsighted, meaning they cannot see things close to their eyes clearly. 14 BOOK FOUR

Swift swift A swift is a small bird that can reach 3.5 to 9 inches in length. It is A swift is one dark-gray in colour and has a short tail of the fastest and curved-back wings. birds on the A swift looks like a swallow. A swift’s planet. It wings are long and narrow. Its tail is spends most of slightly forked, but not as much as a its time in air. swallow’s. swallow hummingbird The smallest bird egg belongs to the hummingbird and is the size of a pea. It is the only bird that can fly backwards. CASSOWARY A cassowary is a very large flightless bird. It is slightly smaller than emu and ostrich. A female cassowary is larger than a male one. It has a large body covered in black feathers, bluish skin of the head and a reddish neck. It has a helmet like a crest on the head. BOOK FOUR 15

Insects SPIDER Spiders are not insects. Insects have three body parts and six legs. Spiders have eight legs and two body parts - the abdomen and the thorax. Spiders do not have antennae while insects do. Spiders produce silk to make their webs. They trap their prey in the webs. Spiders are only animals that can digest their food outside their bodies. LADYBUG cockroach Most ladybugs have oval, A cockroach can live dome-shaped bodies with six short legs. They have without its head for red wings with black spots on them. more than a week. It Seven-spotted ladybugs are red or orange with only dies because it three spots on each side and one in the middle. cannot drink anymore. Other species can have a different number of spots. Farmers love ladybugs because they eat plant- eating pests. One ladybug can eat up to 5,000 insects in its lifetime! Millipede The millipede is from the same family as the centipede, but the millipede generally has more legs for its body length than the centipede. The average millipede has between 80 and 400 legs. 16 BOOK FOUR

ANT Ants are very strong for their size and can lift over 50 times their own weight. It is estimated that there are about seven quadrillion ants on earth. That's: 7,000,000,000,000,000! mosquitoes Only female mosquitoes bite people. Wasp flea A flea can jump up to 200 times Wasps sleep by farther than its own body length. locking their jaws onto the stem of a plant and stretching their abdomens straight out. Butterfly Butterflies taste using their feet, also, butterfly only live 1-4 weeks. SCORPION A scorpion has eight legs and a pair of pincers. It has a narrow tail that has a poisonous stinger. It uses its pincers to quickly grab prey and then whip its poisonous tail stinger over to kill the prey. BOOK FOUR 17

TEST YOURSELF Domestic and Wild animals A Read the clues and solve the crossword puzzle. 1 2 4 8 5 6 G 7 I 3 R A F F E 9 11 10 12 A CROSS 13 14 1. What bird can't fly and eat fish? 3. What animal starts with ‘r’ and has a horn on its nose? 7. What animal has humps on its back? 8. What animal is small with big ears and a long tail? 10. What bird sleeps in the day and is awake at night? 12. How many legs do spiders have? 13. What animal has black and white stripes? 14. What insect starts with ‘a’? DOWN Do you know? 2. What is the tallest animal in the world? A new born 4. What reptile has lots of teeth and a long tail? kangaroo is 5. What reptile is long and thin and has no legs? small enough to 6. What country do kangaroos live in ? fit in a teaspoon. 9. What animal says ‘moo’? 11. What is the fastest mammal in the world? 18 BOOK FOUR

B Name the following animals. reindeer salamander skink lemur panda anteater baboon chameleon hedgehog hyena iguana jaguar koala raccoon rattlesnake BOOK FOUR 19

TEST YOURSELF Sea Animals A Name the following animals. crab dolphin eel lobster octopus penguin prawn seal shark squid turtle walrus whale sea horse star fish 20 BOOK FOUR

B Tick (√) the correct word for each picture. clown fish clown fish sea lion cod fish plankton cod fish krill stone fish jellyfish clown fish clown fish stone fish porcupine fish krill cod fish sea lion stingray plankton cod fish stone fish sea lion stingray krill cod fish clown fish jellyfish porcupine fish Do you know? Oyster n Which sea animals Sea cucumber produce pearls? n Which animals are called the vacuum cleaners of the sea? BOOK FOUR 21

TEST YOURSELF Insects A Name the following insects. 1 2 8 3 45 6 7 9 10 ACROSS: 6. It has no arms, eyes or legs and lives in moist soils. 7. It has powerful jumping legs. 8. Only a female one bites humans and animals. 9. Its group is called a colony. 10. It eats plant-eating pets and is good for farming. DOWN: 1. It has a venomous sting that can be lethal to humans. 2. Its name is also a popular game that is played with a bat. 3. It can leave several days with its head cut off. 4. It collects nectar and pollen from plants and stores them in its hives. 5. It tastes with their feet and does not have a mouth. It breaks out of chrysalis. 22 BOOK FOUR

B Tick (√) the correct word for each picture. beetle dragonfly centipede centipede termite flea slug beetle millipede flea louse slug millipede beetle leech firefly louse centipede centipede leech beetle millipede centipede louse termite flea slug beetle louse leech Do you know? SILKWORM In almost two days a silkworm spins a single silk thread that is about 1,000 to 3,000 feet long. BOOK FOUR 23

TEST YOURSELF Birds A Name the following birds. crane cuckoo emu hawk hornbill kingfisher kiwi monal penguin quail sparrow stork swan turkey vulture woodpecker 24 BOOK FOUR

B Name the body parts. thigh throat belly crown tail nape back secondaries under tail coverts upper tail coverts wing coverts primaries C Look at the beaks and name the birds. duck ostrich eagle woodpecker parrot flamingo kiwi pelican BOOK FOUR 25

FACT BOX National Animals Australia - emu Austria - barn swallow Bangladesh - robin Bhutan - raven Chile - condor Cuba - trogon Denmark - swan Egypt - steppe eagle France - cock Germany - golden eagle Greece - little owl India - peacock Indonesia - hawk Iran - nightingale Italy - Italian sparrow Japan - green pheasant Malaysia - hornbill Malaysia - rhinoceros hornbill Nepal - lophophorus New Zealand - kiwi Scotland - golden eagle Singapore - sunbird United Kingdom - European robin United States - bald eagle 26 BOOK FOUR

TEST YOURSELF  Animal Family Complete the following table with the words from the boxes. ANIMAL MALE FEMALE BABY male drone rooster bear boar sow larva ram bull bee stallion drake buffalo bull queen chick cat tomcat calf female chicken cow calf bitch cow dog dog duck foal mare hen dolphin bull cow cub ewe queen duck chick elephant bull doe horse lioness calf kangaroo buck hen colt lion lion sow ostrich cock pig boar cow sheep mare yak stallion zebra BABY calf cub kitten pup joey lamb duckling piglet BOOK FOUR 27

Animal Home and Sound Complete the following table with the words from the boxes. HOME ANIMAL HOME SOUND coop den bear cave buzz hive kennel bee barn drone pen pond buffalo cattery cackle stable sty cat chicken sea quack SOUND dog nest neigh dolphin roar bark bleat duck grassland grunt elephant bleep-bleep click horse den grunt lion hill whistle growl meow ostrich safari pig roar trumpet sheep tiger yak zebra Write the sounds of the following animals. bats .................... birds ................... crows .................... frogs .................. giraffes ............... owls ...................... pigeons .............. snakes ................. whales ................... bleat chirrup screech hiss coo croak caw hoot sing 28 BOOK FOUR

FACT BOX Collective Names for Animals alligators - congregation antelope - herd ants - army, colony apes - troop asses - herd baboons - troop, flange bats - colony, cloud bears - sloth beavers - colony, family bees - hive, swarm birds - flight, flock bison - herd buffalo - gang butterflies - swarm caterpillars - army cattle - herd chickens - brood cobras - quiver cows - herd crocodiles - bask deer - herd dogs - pack, litter dolphins - pod donkeys - herd, pace elephants - herd, memory flies - cloud, swarm frogs - army, colony geese - flock, gaggle gorillas - band, troop grasshoppers - cloud kangaroos - mob, troop lions - pride, troop monkeys - troop, barrel penguins - colony pigs - litter rats - colony reindeer - herd sheep - flock, herd sparrows - host spiders - cluster, clutter swallows - flight tigers - ambush wasps - nest, swarm whales - pod, school wolves - pack zebras - zeal, herd BOOK FOUR 29

TEST YOURSELF  Types of Animals Write the correct word in each blank space. amphibian aquatic arboreal carnivorous invertebrates mammals omnivorous pets preys vertebrates predators herbivorous ............................. animals that eat mostly meat (tiger) ............................. animals that have backbones (ox) ............................. animals that eat only plants (elephant) ............................. animals that live on land and in water (frog) ............................. animals that live mostly on trees (monkey) ............................. animals that do not have backbones (earthworm) ............................. animals that are tamed and kept at home (rabbit) ............................. animals that hunt, or prey on, other animals. (lion) ............................. animals that live in water for most of their life (turtle) ............................. animals that are hunted and killed by other animals (deer) ............................. animals that eat food from both plants and animals (bear) ............................. animals that give birth to their young ones and suckle them with milk (cow) 30 BOOK FOUR

Quick Quiz 1 Choose the correct answer. a. Which of these is a flightless bird? i. goose ii. hummingbird iii. emu b. Which of these is a cold-blooded animal? i. frog ii. eagle iii. bat c. Which one is not a mammal? i. gray whale ii. bat iii. tuna d. How do bees and mosquitoes create a loud buzzing noise? i. rubbing of legs ii. beating of wings iii. humming loudly e. What is the horn of rhinoceros made of? i. hair ii. bone iii. skin f. Which of these animals cannot walk backwards? i. turtles and penguins ii. cats and lizards iii. kangaroos and emus g. Which one of the following animals can sleep while standing up? i. horse ii. bat iii. dog h. Which one of the following is the biggest species of the cat family? i. tiger ii. leopard iii. lion i. Which bird lays its eggs in another’s nest? i. crow ii. cuckoo iii. robin j What is the name of the smallest fly? i. fairy fly ii. louse iii. mosquito BOOK FOUR 31

Quick Quiz 2 Choose the correct word for each blank space. a. ................. are the only mammals that can fly. b. ......................................... is the heaviest flying insect. c. ................................ leaps up waterfalls. d. A ................... is the largest animal in the desert. e. The loudest sound making insect is a ..................... f. An eagle’s claws are called ...................... g. ....................... is the bird which makes the longest migration. h. A baby kangaroo lives in its mother’s ....................... i. A ........................ can also fly backward. j. The colour of a lobster’s blood is .................... k. Crocodiles swallow ................... to dive deeper. l. The electric eel gives ........................ to its enemies. m. Kiwi, ostrich, emu, penguin and cassowary are ..................... birds. 0. The eye of an ..................... is bigger than its brain. p. The ...................... is the fastest flying bird in the world. Arctic Tern Bats blue camel cicada electric shock falcon flightless ostrich pouch Salmon fish Goliath beetle hummingbird stones talons 32 BOOK FOUR

Quick Quiz 3 Answer the following questions. ........................... a. Which is the biggest turtle? b. What do you call the group of fish? ........................... c. What do you call a baby toad? ........................... d. Which seal is white in colour? ........................... e. Which is the most poisonous fish? ........................... f. Which animal has the largest eyes in the animal kingdom? ........................... g. Which is the largest mammal in this world? ........................... h. Which is the largest and heaviest bird in this world? ........................... i. Which is the smallest bird in this world? ........................... j. Which is the smallest crab in this world? ........................... k. Which bird is worshiped in Nepal? ........................... l. Which is considered the largest bird of prey? ........................... Andean Condor bee hummingbird blue whale crow harp seal leatherback ostrich pea crab school squid stone fish toadlet BOOK FOUR 33

Quick Quiz 4 Answer the following questions. ................................. a. What do you call a female sheep? b. What is a female of a deer called? ................................. c. What is an animal that eats both plants and flesh called? ................................. d. What is an animal that eats flesh of other animals called? ............................... e. What is an animal that lives mostly on trees called? ................................. f. What is the shape of the cell of bee hive? ................................. g. Which is the fastest running bird? ................................. h. Which is the largest lizard in this world? ................................. i. Which is the smallest mammal in this world? ................................. j. Which animal excretes red sweat in anger? ................................. k. Which is the strongest bird in this world? ................................. l. Which is the strongest insect in this world? ................................. komodo dragon doe ewe herbivorous carnivorous hexagonal dung beetle Etruscan shrew arboreal ostrich hippo eagle 34 BOOK FOUR

Quick Quiz 5 Answer the following questions. a. Which bird was used for sending letters in ancient time? ....................... b. Which is the fastest fish in this world? ....................... c. Which is the fastest jumper in this world? ....................... d. Which animal in Australia survives on a diet of eucalyptus leaves? ....................... e. Which is the tallest animal in the world? ....................... f. Which animal tongue weighs more than an elephant? ....................... g. Which sea animal has three hearts? ....................... h. What is called the group of wolves? ....................... i. What is called the group of grasshoppers? ....................... j. What is the national bird of New Zealand? ....................... k. What is the national bird of Australia? ....................... l. Which country's national bird is a bald eagle? ....................... America cloud pigeon emu giraffe kangaroo kiwi koala octopus pack sailfish whale BOOK FOUR 35

2UNIT PLANTS Fruit Trees litchi Litchi is a slow growing evergreen tree. It may reach 40-50 feet height. The original home of litchi is China. It was introduced to Burma and India by the end of the 17th century. Its fruit is extremely rich in a variety of nutrients. The prime nutrient here is vitamin C. Its seed is not edible. STRAWBERRY The strawberry tree is a shrub. It bears flowers and fruit in autumn. Its fruit takes a year to ripen. An average strawberry has around 200 seeds. It is the only fruit with seeds on the outside. JACKFRUIT Jackfruit is a huge tree that grows to as high as 30 meters. It is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world. While unripe fruits are green, they turn light brown once ripe. Apples float in water because 25% of an apple’s volume is air. 36 BOOK FOUR

Kiwifruit Kiwifruit originates from China. It is very popular because of its pleasant taste. It contains valuable vitamins and minerals. It contains two times more vitamin C than oranges. SQUARE WATERMELON Square watermelons are grown by Japanese farmers for easier stack and store. They get square watermelons by growing them inside of square glass cases. PAPAYA A papaya is a flowering plant. It is cultivated throughout the world. It is a fast growing plant and can reach 16 to 33 feet in height. Its leaves are green, large and divided in seven lobes. It bears white flowers with five petals. One serving of papaya will provide you all the vitamin C that you need in one day. Do you know? While eating medicine, consumption of grapefruit can be risky as a number of drugs may result in potentially fatal side effects when mixed with grapefruit. BOOK FOUR 37

Amazing Plants Cocoa tree Chocolate is made from the cocoa beans of a cacao tree. Cocoa beans are little beans found in the pods that grow on cacao (cocoa) trees. The pods are orange and are about as big as a football. The inside of the pod is packed full of between twenty and sixty seeds. MUSHROOM Mushrooms are a fungus. They have no chlorophyll and cannot make their own food directly from sunlight. They consume both live and dead plants for food. BAMBOO A bamboo looks like a tree but it is actually a giant grass. It is the tallest grass and the fastest growing plant. It can grow almost three feet per day. The largest species of a bamboo can reach 1300 feet in height. TOUCH ME NOT Mimosa pudica or touch-me- not is known as a sensitive plant or shy plant. The most attractive thing about this plant is that its leaves fold up at night as well as by touch. 38 BOOK FOUR

BANYAN TREE The banyan tree puts out wide-spreading branches that send down hundreds of hanging roots. These take hold of the soil and act as support for the branches. Alexander the Great is said to have camped under a banyan tree that was big enough to shelter his whole army of 7,000 men. LUCKY BAMBOO This ornamental house plant ‘lucky bamboo’ is in fact not a bamboo. It is believed that this plant brings positive energy and prosperity for those who place it in house or office. Do you know? Coal is a soft rock made from dead plants that lived in swamps hundreds of years ago. The decaying plants were buried under mud. Over time and pressure turned them into coal. BAOBAB The African Baobab has a massive trunk that can grow to as large as 36 feet in diameter. This tree stores large amount of water in its trunk - which is why elephants, eland and other animals chew the bark during dry seasons. BOOK FOUR 39

MAPLE TREE The leaves of a maple tree change colour from green to different shades of yellow, orange and red during the autumn. The leaves shade in winter, leaving the branches bare. The flowers of a maple tree can be green, yellow, orange or red in colour. DATE PALM TREE The date palm tree is grown for its edible sweet fruit. Date fruit is very nutritious and has lots of vitamins and sugar what makes them great source of energy. CACTUS A cactus is a plant that grows where the soil is dry and rocky—most usually in the desert. A cactus does not have leaves like other plants do. A cactus has spines or thorns that discourage animals from eating this plant. The plural word for cactus is cacti. Cardon is the tallest cactus species in the world. Cardon Do you know? Rubber is the name of a material which can stretch and shrink. Natural rubber is made from the sap, called latex of the rubber tree. 40 BOOK FOUR

CHERRY TREE The beautiful pink flowers of cherry trees attract insects, which carry pollen from tree to tree. COCO-DE-MER The coco-de-mer is a giant of the plant world. It is a rare species of a palm tree which is mainly found in the Indian Ocean. This palm has some of the longest leaves and the largest and heaviest seeds of any plant in the world. GIANT SEQUOIA By volume, the giant sequoia is the world’s most massive tree named ‘General Sherman, It is found mainly in California, USA. It is almost 84 m high and measure 26 metres round its trunk. It weighs about 2500 tonne equivalent to the combined weight of 250 elephants. A giant sequoia tree produces about 2000 cones per year. Each cone contains about 200 seeds. BOOK FOUR 41

Flowers rafflesia victoria amazonica The rafflesia is a five-petaled flower. Victoria Amazonica is a giant water It is the world’s largest flower that is lily. It is the largest of water lilies. found in the rainforests of Indonesia. It It has huge circular leaves that can is about one meter wide and weighs up grow up to 3 meter in diameter. to ten kilograms. It is a parasitic plant It is mainly found in the Amazon that has no stems, leaves or true roots. River. Its flowers are white the first night they are open and become pink the second night. wolffia The world’s smallest flower is the Wolffia angusta, commonly known as watermeal. It is a floating plant mainly found in Australia. Do you know? Horse chestnut trees grow upright white flower spikes that look like candies. 42 BOOK FOUR

DAFFODIL Daffodil flowers have six petals. The flowers are usually white or yellow or some combination of these two shades. The daffodil has a leafless stem with one to twenty blooms on the top. The national flower of Wales is the daffodil. Chrysanthemums Chrysanthemums were cultivated in China as a flowering herb as far back as the 15th century BC. An ancient Chinese city was named Ju-Xian, meaning ‘chrysanthemum city’. titan arum The world’s tallest flower is the titan arum that can reach over ten feet in height and smells like rotten meat. sunflower Sunflowers move throughout the day in response to the movement of the sun from east to west. BOOK FOUR 43

Carnivorous Plants Plants that trap insects for food are known as carnivorous plants. Some carnivorous plants are Venus flytrap, pitcher plant, sundew, monkey cup, cobra lily and butterwort. Most carnivorous plants eat flying or crawling insects. They use different strategies to attract their prey. Some are sweetly scented, some are brightly coloured, and some have sticky or slippery parts that make it hard for prey to escape. pitcher plants The strange leaves of pitcher plants have digestive juices. The shape and size of the pitchers varies with the species. A pitcher plant lures insects with its fragrant odour. When insects sit on the pitcher, its slippery rim causes insects to fall into the trap. A powerful digestive acid is then released from the pitcher walls, which consumes the prey. Monkey cup pitcher venus flytrap The Venus flytrap is the first plant that was thought to be carnivorous. It catches and digests insects. It can even catch and digest small frogs. Each trap of this plant is only good for 4 to 6 catches. After that, the trap withers, turns brown, and falls off. This plant can differentiate live prey from non-living things like stones that fall on its leaves. 44 BOOK FOUR

butterwort The bright yellowish-green leaves of a butterwort plant have numerous glands that secrete a sticky fluid which attracts insects. When the insects become trapped, the leaves slowly curl inwards and digest the insects. North American pitcher plant Albany pitcher plant Cobra lily sundew The sundew plant produces a sweet, sticky fluid that coats the tiny hairs covering the leaves. This ‘dew’ glistens in the sunlight and attracts insects. As insects land on the sundew plant, they stick to the dewy liquid on the leaf hairs and are unable to free themselves. This plant can also differentiate live prey from non-living things like stones that fall on its leaves. BOOK FOUR 45

TEST YOURSELF 1 Trees Match each tree with its name. COCONUT FIR MAPLE PAPAYA SPRUCE BANYAN ASHOKA 46 BOOK FOUR

TEST YOURSELF 2 Flowers Name the flowers. jasmine hibiscus dahlia lily tulip daisy daffodil poppy crocus pansy buttercup iris orchid BOOK FOUR 47

TEST YOURSELF 3 Fruits Name the following fruits. mandarin grapefruit lemon lime kiwi pomegranate avocado pomelo melon pear plum quince apricot cherry blueberry fig dragon fruit raspberry 48 BOOK FOUR

TEST YOURSELF 4 Vegetables Name the following vegetables. lettuce mustard greens spinach cabbage pepper pumpkin cucumber okra eggplant beet carrot radish turnip leek onion asparagus sweet potatoes artichoke cauliflower mushroom fennel bulb BOOK FOUR 49

TEST YOURSELF 5 Name the following spices. black cumin cardamom cinnamon cloves coriander garlic mint mustard pepper turmeric capsicum bay leaf garam masala ginger black salt tamarind 50 BOOK FOUR