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World's Fastest Land Animals — And
Why They're Fast
May 27, 2025
6 Intermediate
Exercise 1
Vocabulary
Repeat each word, definition, and example sentence after your tutor.
awareness /əˈwernəs/ knowledge or understanding of something
Noun
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so you see a
lot of people wearing pink ribbons.
endangered /ɪnˈdeɪndʒərd/ (of a species) in danger of no longer existing
Adjective
Tigers are listed as endangered, but their numbers have
started to increase in recent years.
evolution /ˌɛvəˈluːʃən/
Noun the process by which living things change to suit their
environment over many generations
"On the Origin of Species" explains Charles Darwin's
theory of evolution by natural selection.
flexible /ˈflɛksəbəl/
Adjective able to be changed for different situations or conditions; able to
move or bend without breaking
My schedule is very flexible this month.
prey /preɪ/ an animal that is hunted and killed by another animal
Noun
Wolves hunt in packs and use teamwork to catch their
prey.
predator /ˈprɛdətər/ an animal that kills other animals for food
Noun
While feeding, the deer are vulnerable to predators.
Exercise 2
Article
Read the article aloud on your own or repeat each paragraph after your tutor.
World's Fastest Land Animals — And Why They're Fast
In 2007, the South African rugby player Brian Habana took part in a 100-
meter race against a cheetah.
Habana was known for his speed. But the reason for the race was to raise
awareness about the risk of cheetahs becoming an endangered species.
The rugby player started 50 meters ahead of the cheetah, but got to the
finish at about the same time as the animal — because while Habana was
fast, humans just can't compete with many animals!
There are a number of reasons for this. There's evolution, of course, and the
fact that many animals have four legs, as well as their running style and the
shapes of their bodies.
So which land animals are the fastest?
The cheetah is famous for being the world's fastest land animal. It has a top
speed of around 114 kilometers per hour. However, it can only run fast over
short distances — about 400 meters.
According to the Conservation Africa website, they're fast because they're
quite light, and they have flexible spines, small heads and long legs.
The next fastest land animal is the pronghorn, or American antelope, which
can run at speeds of almost 90 kilometers per hour. Pronghorns are very
light, with large hearts and lungs that make them strong runners.
Pronghorns can actually keep going at high speeds longer than cheetahs can!
The springbok, the national animal of South Africa — its rugby team is known
as the Springboks — can run at a similar speed, while gazelles and wildebeest
are only a little slower.
But Britannica says there's another important reason why many animals are
so good at running fast: they have to be.
They spend a lot more time running after prey — or running away from
predators — than humans do!
Exercise 3
Questions
Answer the following questions about the article.
1. How long was the race between Brian Habana and the cheetah?
2. How far can a cheetah run at top speed?
3. How fast can a pronghorn run?
Exercise 4
Discussion
Have a discussion based on the following questions.
1. What are your thoughts on the world's fastest land animals?
2. Have you seen any of these animals in person? If so, where? If not, which
would you most like to see?
3. How do you think you'd get on in a race against a cheetah, if you started 50
meters ahead?
4. Do you like running? Have you taken part in any races?
5. Do you think you could beat most of your friends in a race?
Exercise 5
Further Discussion
Have a discussion based on the following questions.
1. What are your favorite animals? Do you know any interesting facts about
them?
2. What animals would you most like to spend a day observing in the wild?
3. What wild animals live in your area? Do you often see them?
4. Is your country home to any endangered species?
5. Do you know anyone who works with animals?
Source
This lesson is based on an article by Henry Milward.
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