An Adventure in Africa Story 640l
An Adventure in Africa Story 640l
An Adventure in Africa Story 640l
An Adventure in Africa
Itwaslateatnight,butKevinlayawakeinbed.Hecouldnotsleepbecause
hewasveryscared.Hisbedwasinsideagiantcampingtent,andjustoutsidethe
tentwerethefieldsofAfrica,filledwithwildanimals.Kevinlookedathisparents,
whosleptsoundlyinanotherbedacrossfromhim.Hewonderedhowtheycould
besocalm.Whatifalioncameintotheirtenttoattackthem?Ittookalongtime
beforeKevinfinallyfellasleep.
When the sun came up, he felt his mothers hand on his head. Good
morning,Kevin!shesaid.Shelookedhappyandexcited.Timetowakeupandgo
onthesafari.
Imscared,saidKevin.BeforetheyleftAmericaontheairplane,hisparents
had explained to him that a safari was a long drive through nature, usually in
Africa.Duringasafariyoucanseelionsandzebraslivingfree,insteadofcoopedup
inazoo.Whatifwegetclosetoalion?heasked.
Ohdarling,shesaid.LikeItoldyou,nothingwillhappentousifwelisten
towhatourguidesays.
An Adventure in Africa
Kevinrubbedhiseyesandslowlyputonhisclothes.Helistenedtothebirds
singingoutsideandbegantofeellessafraid.Hewalkedoutofthetentintobright
sunlight,andatehiseggsquicklyatthetableoutside.Thenhegotintoabiggreen
jeepwithhismotherandfather.Thedriverwasakindlookingmanwithabushy
graybeard.HisnamewasJim,andhewastheirguide.
Thejeeptookoffalongadirtroad.AfteralittlewhileKevinsawsomething
moveoutofthecornerofhiseye.Wait!hesaid.Iseesomething!
Jim stopped the car and told them all to get out. Kevin and his parents
waitedinthetallgrasswhileJimwalkedaheadofthemandlookedaround.Aftera
minute Jim raised his hands in the air. Shhh, he whispered. Its nothing
dangerous.Ifwespeakloudly,wellscareitaway!Kevinandhisparentswalked
uptowhereJimstood,andsoonKevinsawananimalcomeveryclosetothem.It
wasabeautifulgoldencreaturewithdarkbrownspotsandavery,verylongneck.
Ithadcometoeattheleavesofatalltree.Thegiraffeistheonlyanimalaround
heretallenoughtoreachthoseleaves,whisperedJim.Thatswhyitalwayshas
foodtoeat.
Wow, whispered Kevin. He could not believe how close he was to the
giraffe.Allhisfearsvanishedandhebegantogetexcitedaboutthedaytocome.
Name:
_________
Date: ___________________
6. Read the following sentences: During a safari you can see lions and
zebras living free, instead of cooped up in a zoo.
What does the phrase cooped up most nearly mean?
A yelled at
B released in the wild
C kept in a closed space
7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below.
Kevin saw something move ____________ the guide stopped the car.
A because
B so
C but
8. Which animal came to eat the leaves of a tall tree that was near Kevin?
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2013 ReadWorks, Inc. All rights reserved.
9. Explain how Kevins feelings about being close to wild animals change
from the beginning to the end of the story. Use evidence from the text to
support your answer.
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10. How would Kevin react if he saw a lion up close on the safari? Use
evidence from the story to support your answer.
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3
2013 ReadWorks, Inc. All rights reserved.