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PENGUIN READERS

The Amazon Rain Forest

Bernard Smith

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iv

IntroductIon

Year after year, the rain forests of the world are

disappearingnot only in South America, but in Africa

and Asia, too. The worlds weather is changing, and we

are losing plants and animals every day.

A rain forest is not only trees. In every square kilometer of a

rain forest, there are thousands and thousands of plants, birds,

and animals. There is more life in a rain forest than in any otherplace.

But every year, these forests are disappearing. Between the

years 1900 and 2000, we lost half of the worlds rain forests.

They are home to between 10,000,000 and 80,000,000 different

kinds of animals and plants. Nobody knows the number. And

when the forests disappear, we lose the animals and plants, too.

The rain forest around the Amazon River is the largest in

the world, and it is 10,000,000 years old. But the problem is the

same. First, there were new roads through the forests. Then

companies moved in. They cut down the trees and sold the

wood. People built houses and farms, for coffee, fruit, rubber, and

for cattle. The people of the forestthe Indianslost their

homes. Many lost their lives. The weather started changing, too.Rain forests are important for the worlds weather and

wildlife. Everybody knows that. But the farms and the wood

from the forest trees bring a lot of money into South American

countries. They also give work to the people. That is important,

too.

What will the future of the Amazon rain forest be? It is a big

problem. Are there any answers?

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What Do You Know?

Find the answers to these questions later in the book.

1 TheAmazonisaverylongriver.Buthowlongisit?

a)about4,000kilometers b)about6,000kilometers

c)about8,000kilometers

2 Itrainsalmosteverydayintherainorest.Howmuchrain

allsinthewettestplacesinoneyear?

a)about1meter b)about5meters c)about10meters

3 Therearerainorestsinmanycountries.Whereistheworlds

biggestrainorest?

a)Asia b)Arica c)SouthAmerica

4 Thisrainorestrogisvery

small,butitisamous.Why?

a)Itmakesaveryloudnoise. b)Ithasalotocolors.

c)Itcankillyou.

5 Howmanykindsoruitare

thereintheworldsrainorests?

a)about30

b)about300 c)about3,000

6 Thisshisapiranha.

Piranhasliveinthe

Amazon,andtheycan

eatahorseinve

minutes.Howbigisapiranha?

a)underhalameter

b)ameter

c)morethanameter

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The Amazon

TheAmazonandtheNilearethelongestriversintheworld.

SomepeoplesaytheAmazonisthelongest.Somepeoplesay

theNileislonger.Eachriverisabout6,400kilometerslong.Lets

takeanairplaneandfyovertheAmazon.

WebeginhighintheAndesmountains,inthewestoSouth

America.ThesemountainsgonorthtosouththroughColombia,

Ecuador,andPeru.SomeotheAndesmountainsaremorethan

5,000metershigh.Thereissnowontheirtops.Therearehundredsosmallrivershere.Theyrundownthemountainsto

theeastandintotheorests.Whentheriversmeet,theyget

biggerandbigger.

NowwearefyingoverBrazil.Thebiggestriverisnowthe

Amazon.Itisbetweenoneandtenkilometerswidehere.

Hundreds of rivers run through the rain forest into the Amazon.

Next to them the forest is thick and green.

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Itisthewettimeotheyear.FromMarchtoAugust,ater

theheavyrain,theriverinsomeplacesisteenmetershigher

thanearlierintheyear.Inthecenterotherainorest,or

hundredsokilometers,thetreesarestandinginwater. The

peopleherehavetobuildtheirhouseshighabovethewater,and

theygoromplacetoplaceinboats. ThesearetheBigWater

People,orcaboclos. TheyarehalIndianandhalPortuguese.

Therearesomesmalltownshereandthere,butmostcaboclos

livewiththeiramiliesnexttotherivers.Intheirtownsthereare

sometimeschurches,stores,andhousesonthewater. Weollowtherivertotheeast,andweareinthecentero

Brazil.HeretheAmazonmeetstheNegro,anotherverybig

river. TheAmazonisnowabouttwentykilometerswide.There

arenobridgesanywhereoverthisriver.

Tothenorth,ontheNegroRiver, wecanseethebusycity

oManaus.Almost2,000,000peoplelivehere.Therearebig

buildings,parks,andalotocars.Manaushasaverylargeand

busyport.Bigshipscomeandgoeveryday. Theybringinthings

romothercountriesotheworld. Theycarryawaywood,

rubber,andoodsromtherainorest.Manausisabigport,but

itis1,500kilometersromtheocean.Peopleotencallthe

AmazontheOceanRiverbecausetwo-thirdsotheriveris

opentolargeships. BetweenAugustandNovemberitrainsalmosteveryday,

butonlyorashorttime.Thewatergoesdown.Youcanwalkin

theorestagain.Thisisagoodtimeorvacationsintherain

orest.Manaushasthousandsovisitorseveryyear.Fromthe

city,theycangoonwalksintotheorestortakeboattripson

therivers.

Now,letsollowtheshipstotheeast.TheAmazonisgettingwiderandwider.Moresmallriversrunintoit.Therearesmall

townshereandtheretothenorthandsouth.

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WecanseetheAtlanticOcean.ThemouthotheAmazon

hereis240kilometerswide.About20%oalltheworldsclean

waterisintheAmazonanditssmallerrivers.Betweenthe

AndesmountainsandtheAtlanticOcean,about1,100rivers

runintotheAmazon.Theyaresmall,butnotverysmallnineo

themarebiggerthantheMississippi!

Piranhas

Therearemorethan2,000dierentkindsoshintheAmazon.Oneamousshisthepiranha.Piranhasusually

eatplants,seeds,ruits,andsmallersh,butsometimes

therearehundredsotheminoneplace.Thentheyget

veryhungry,andtheyliketoeatmeat.Theyhavebigteeth,

andtheycaneatananimalinaveryshorttime.Whenan

animalallsintotheriver,itdisappearsveryquickly.Piranhas

aresmallshunderhalameterlongbutinlargenumberstheycaneatahorse(oraman)inminutes!