RIC-6946 The Comprehension Box 1 - Sample student cards

Mauve 7
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Dragon + fly = dragonfly?
It seems strange that this
beautiful insect we can
often see flying around
in summer is called
a dragonfly. It isn’t a
dragon and it isn’t a fly,
so where did its name
come from?
One explanation is that
some people saw dragonfly
larvae and thought they were
ugly and looked like dragons.
The larvae hatch out of eggs laid by
dragonflies in rivers, ponds, lakes and
streams. These very hungry creatures
crawl around underwater, always looking
for food. They eat tadpoles and other
smaller larvae.
After about 60 days in hot places and up to 6 years in
very cold places, the insect emerges and flies off to start its new life.
They have large eyes and can see very well. This helps them to catch
other insects. Mosquito is one of their favourite foods.
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Speeds of up to 58 km/h have been recorded by some dragonflies.
They are excellent fliers and can flap their two sets of long, lace-like
wings independently. This means that, at the same time, their front wings
can be going down and the back ones going up. Flying backwards
and even looping the loop are easy for them.
In Japan, the dragonfly is the national emblem. It is seen in many
paintings and poetry is written about it. But in some Asian countries
dragonflies are eaten like prawns.
In England, dragonflies are sometimes called horse-stingers, but this is
not a good name because they do not sting horses or people.
R.I.C. Publications ® Comprehension box 1 (127)
Prim-Ed Publishing