The cheetah(猎豹)is best known for being the world’s fastest land animal, reaching speeds of just over 110kph for short period of time. However, many people know little else about this wonderful animal. The word cheetah probably comes from a Hindi word spotted animal. It is very similar to other cats but also has some obvious differences. Its body is much leaner than most cats and it has much longer legs.
People sometimes make a cheetah a leopard(美洲豹)because they both have spots, but in fact they are very different. A leopard is far heavier and more powerful, but also much slower. The cheetah’s spots cover most of its body except for its stomach and throat. The cheetah’s tail has spots and these become rings at the end of the tail.
An adult cheetah weighs between 35-65 kilograms and is about 80 centimeters high at the shoulder. The cheetah’s head is quite small and the eyes are quite high up. A black line runs from each eye down to its mouth and makes it look a little sad. It has high shoulders that help it to walk so gracefully.
Cheetahs are very fast but they are not very strong. They are not good fighters and will run away rather than fight another animal to protect their food. If they make a kill, it is sometimes taken away from them by stronger animals such as lions and leopard. These animals will kill their young if they get the chance. The cheetah is not a threat to humans at all. It will not attack humans and prefers to stay away from occupied areas.
小题1:Many people know that the cheetah________
A．is a fast runner
B．runs faster than any other animal on land
C．runs as fast as it can
D．is very fast for periods of time小题2:The cheetah ________
A．has spots all over its body including its tail
B．has spots on its stomach and throat
C．does not have spots on its stomach and throat
D．has spots everywhere except for its stomach and throat小题3:Cheetahs will not fight another animal to protect their food because _______
A．they can quickly run away
B．they are very fast runners
C．They want to protect their young
D．They are poor fighters
