Reading and vocabulary. Hippopotamus

Groups of hippos are led by one large male. The other members are females, their young, and a few young adult males. The leader of the group keeps control of his mating territory by fighting off rivals. The family group of hippos spends most of the day in the water. Staying submerged helps a hippo stay cool in the hot, tropical climate where it lives.

The hippo's nose, ears, and eyes are on the     of its head, and they protrude from the       while the rest of its head and its body lie beneath the         . That way a hippo can         , see, and hear even while its      is submerged. When a hippo sinks completely            , its nose and ears automatically close so that no water seeps in. Hippos are excellent          and can hold their breath for about five minutes. They can even walk along the         of rivers and lakes.

At dusk,         [hippo's, hippos] leave their        [water, watery] daytime spot, lumber      [onto, on] land, and       [walk, walks] as far as 5 miles (8 kilometers) from the water to graze on short         [grass, grasses], their main food. They are not considered to be very fast moving animals, but in short bursts they can        [run, to run] up to 30 miles (48 kilometers) per hour!

Grazing until dawn,    [a, an] hippo may eat up to 150 pounds (68 kilograms)     [of, off] grass a night. They avoid the heat of the sun by           [return, returning] to a river or lake before sunrise.