Name: ___________________________________________________________ Date: ___________________

Revision
Fish
1 What do these three locations have in common? Up a tree; in water of 40ºC; at depths of 7.7km below
sea level? They are all, surprisingly, environments in which living fish can be found. Fish have almost as
many habitats as they do number of species. They spread from fresh to salt water and from high mountain
streams to the deepest oceans. But there are three species of fish which have found very surprising places
to live. They are the mangrove killifish, the desert pupfish and the Hadal snail fish.
2 The tree-dwelling fish, the mangrove killifish, lives in the trees of the mangrove forests of the Western
Atlantic. It can manage without water for 66 days. As long as the fish stays wet, it can live for weeks at a
time out of water. Its specially adapted gills1 are the secret to its success. They allow nitrogen waste to
escape through the skin of the fish and keep the fish alive.
3 Unlike the killifish, the desert pupfish does need to be in water the whole time. However, it can survive in
water as hot as 40ºC. These fish live in California’s Death Valley, one of the hottest places on earth. The
summer temperatures can go over 50ºC. To get through the long summers, the fish have to be able to
survive these high temperatures in the pools of salty water in which they live. Many die during the
summer months, with only the strongest surviving to go on and create the next generation.
4 The Hadal snail fish would never be friends with the pupfish. The natural habitat for this fish is in the
deepest parts of the oceans, in places where humans have never been. Here the water is only just above
freezing temperatures. The Hadal snail fish is the deepest living fish ever discovered. It has been found
7.7km below the ocean’s surface. Surprisingly lively and full of energy, they live successfully in the
darkest part of the ocean. They do not use eyes to see. Instead they use receptors to navigate and find
food.
5 These three fish are not the only ones to live in unusual places. Some fish, when they are at the egg-stage,
live in the mouths of their parents. Other fish choose to move into the old homes of other creatures, and
find shells to live in for protection. Others live entirely underground in water trapped there. Fish
demonstrate just how exciting the differences in nature and living patterns can be.
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1
gills – the organs through which fish breathe
Skimming (5 marks)

Skim Fish and match the topics to the paragraphs 1 to 5.

You do not need to use two of the topics.
a Fish remind us of all the differences in nature _____
b The fish that lives in a dark, cold place _____
c The fish that lives out of water for a long time _____
d People go looking for fish in different places _____
e The fish that lives in very hot water _____
f All these fish have problems where they live _____
g Fish live in many different places _____
Summarizing (5 marks)

Complete the summary of the text. Use one word in each space.
Mangrove killifish Desert pupfish Hadal snail fish
Can: Lives: Has:
• live in (1) ________ • in Death Valley where • Lots of (4) ________ and
• survive with no temperatures are above is lively
(2) ________ for several (3) ________ • (5) use ________ to find
weeks • in hot water in the summer food

PHOTOCOPIABLE 1
Vocabulary (5 marks)

Read the sentences from the text. What part of speech are the words in bold?

1 Fish have almost as many habitats as they do number of species.

a noun b adjective c verb

2 But there are some three species of fish which have found very surprising places to live.
a verb b noun c adjective

3 Other fish choose to move into the old homes of other creatures, and
find shells to live in for protection.
a adjective b noun c adverb

4 Others live entirely underground in water trapped there.

a verb b noun c adverb

5 Choose a definition for the word live as it is used in (4) above.

a not recorded d not dead
b to have your home somewhere e to stay alive
c to have an exciting life

Grammar
The simple past tense (5 marks)

Rewrite the sentences in the simple past tense.

1 They don’t attend class on Thursday.
2 She goes to the library at four o’clock.
3 We study better in the morning.
4 He doesn’t want to study science.
5 I stop work at around seven thirty.

Writing skill
Using transitions to sequence events (5 marks)

Choose the correct transition word.

1 Before / Later / At the same time I went to university, I decided to work for a
few months to earn some money for when I started studying.
2 I learned to drive last year. After / First / While I was taking lessons, I was also taking exams at college,
so I was very busy.
3 Let me know second / as soon as / while the results arrive – I want to be the first to know!
4 After graduation, I am going to travel round Asia before / later / during I look for a career job.
5 Second / Once / First I have two or three years’ work experience, I am going to study for a master’s
degree.

PHOTOCOPIABLE 2