Module: Reading Comprehension and Précie Prof : R.

Zouiten
 Chimpanzees

Much of the information we have today about chimpanzees comes from the
groundbreaking, long-term research of the great conservationist, Jane Goodall.

Jane Goodall was born in London, England, on April 3, 1934. On her second birthday, her

Module: Reading Comprehension and Précie Prof : R. Zouiten

father gave her a toy chimpanzee named Jubilee. Jubilee was named after a baby chimp in the
London Zoo, and seemed to foretell the course Jane's life would take. To this day, Jubilee sits
in a chair in Jane's London home. From an early age, Jane was fascinated by animals and
animal stories. By the age of 10, she was talking about going to Africa to live among the
animals there. At the time, in the early 1940s, this was a radical idea because women did not
go to Africa by themselves.

As a young woman. Jane finished school in London, attended secretarial school, and then
worked for a documentary filmmaker for a while. When a school friend invited her to visit
Kenya, she worked as a waitress until she had earned the fare to travel there by boat. She was
23 years old.

Once in Kenya, she met Dr. Louis Leakey, a famous paleontologist and anthropologist. He
was impressed with her thorough knowledge of Africa and its wildlife, and hired her to assist
him and his wife on a fossil-hunting expedition to Olduvai Gorge. Dr. Leakey soon realized
that Jane was the perfect person to complete a study he had been planning for some time. She
expressed her interest in the idea of studying animals by living in the wild with them, rather
than studying dead animals through paleontology.

Dr. Leakey and Jane began planning a study of a group of chimpanzees who were living on
the shores of Lake Tanganyika in Kenya. At first, the British authorities would not approve
their plan. At the time, they thought it was too dangerous for a woman to live in the wilds of
Africa alone. But Jane's mother, Vanne, agreed to join her so that she would not be alone.
Finally, the authorities gave Jane the clearance she needed in order to go to Africa and begin
her study.

In July of 1960, Jane and her mother arrived at Gombe National Park in what was then

called Tanganyika and is now called Tanzania. Jane faced many challenges as she began her
work. The chimpanzees did not accept her right away, and it took months for them to get used
to her presence in their territory. But she was very patient and remained focused on her goal.
Little by little, she was able to enter their world.

At first, she was able to watch the chimpanzees only from a great distance, using binoculars.
As time passed, she was able to move her observation point closer to them while still
Module: Reading Comprehension and Précie Prof : R. Zouiten

using camouflage. Eventually, she was able to sit among them, touching, patting, and even
feeding them. It was an amazing accomplishment for Jane, and a breakthrough in the study
of animals in tile wild. Jane named all of the chimpanzees that she studied, stating in her
journals that she felt they each had a unique personality.

One of the first significant observations that Jane made during the study was that chimpanzees
make and use tools, much like humans do, to help them get food. It was previously thought
that humans alone used tools. Also thanks to Jane's research, we now know that chimps eat
meat as well as plants and fruits. In many ways, she has helped us to see how chimpanzees
and humans are similar. In doing so, she has made us more sympathetic toward these
creatures, while helping us to better understand ourselves. The study started by Jane Goodall
in 1960 is now the longest field study of any animal species in their natural habitat. Research
continues to this day in Gombe and is conducted by a team of trained Tanzanians.
Jane's life has included much more than just her study of the chimps in Tanzania. She pursued
a graduate degree while still conducting her study, receiving her Ph.D. from Cambridge
University in 1965. In 1984, she received the J. Paul Getty Wildlife Conservation Prize for
"helping millions of people understand the importance of wildlife conservation to life on this
planet." She has been married twice: Fast to a photographer and then to the director of
National Parks. She has one son.

Dr. Jane Goodall is now the world's most renowned authority on chimpanzees, having studied
their behaviour for nearly 40 years. She has published many scientific articles, has written two
books, and has won numerous awards for her groundbreaking work. The Jane Goodall
Institute for Wildlife Research, Education, and Conservation was founded in 1977 in
California but moved to the Washington, D.G., area in 1998. Its goal is to take the actions
necessary to improve the environment for all living things.
Dr. Goodall now travels extensively, giving lectures, visiting zoos and chimp sanctuaries, and
talking to young people involved in environmental education. She is truly a great
Module: Reading Comprehension and Précie Prof : R. Zouiten
conservationist and an amazing human being.

I. What do the underlined words in the passage refer to?

- Groundbreaking: ...........................
- Foretell: ...........................
- Paleontologist: ...........................
- Anthropologist: ...........................
- Approve: ...........................
- Clearance: ...........................
- Binoculars: ...........................
- Camouflage: ...........................
- Eventually: ...........................
- Breakthrough: ...........................

II. Circle the best answer

1. In paragraph 2, why did the toy of a baby chimp seem to "foretell" the course of Jane's life?

a. Because she was fascinated by Africa and African wild animals.

b. Because her greatest contribution in life has been made to the study of chimpanzees.
c. Because she loves chimpanzees and raises them.
d. Because she finally becomes a famous palaeontologist.

2. What is the author's purpose in writing this article?

a. To entertain the reader with stories about chimpanzees.

b. To inform the reader of the importance of wildlife conservation.
c. To warn the reader about the challenges of working in Africa.
d. To describe the work and life of Jane Goodall.

3. Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons Dr. Leakey chose Jane to work with
him?

a. She knew a lot about Africa.

b. She knew a lot about African wildlife.
c. She earned the money to travel to Africa on her own.
d. She was interested in studying animals in the will
Module: Reading Comprehension and Précie Prof : R. Zouiten
4. Which of the following is NOT true of chimpanzees?

a. Chimpanzees are often comfortable with strangers right away.

b. Chimpanzees eat meat as well as plants and fruit.
c. Chimpanzees use tools to help them get food.
d. Different chimpanzees have different personalities.

5. What is the main idea of this article?

a. Chimpanzees are amazing creatures with unique personalities.

b. Jane Goodall has taught us a great deal about animal behaviour and wildlife
conservation.
c. Africa is full of wildlife that must be both preserved and studied.
d. Humans are very similar to chimpanzees and can learn a great deal by studying them.

III. Paraphrase the following sentences

- Dr. Jane Goodall is now the world's most renowned authority on chimpanzees, having
studied their behaviour for nearly 40 years.
- She is truly a great conservationist and an amazing human being.

IV. Complete the following sentences from the passage making any necessary changes

- All the information we have nowadays about chimpanzees are the result
of..........................................

- As a student, Jane labored as ................................. to .................................... to travel to

Kenya

- To study chimpanzees, Jane started by..................... then she got closer

to...........................and ultimately managed to .............................

- Although the chimpanzees refused to ................, Jane maintained her ........................

and ............

V. Rewrite the story of Jane with the chimpanzees in no more than 100 words