북극곰은 왜 정글에서 살 수 없을까?
✔ 학습 목표 제시
서식지(habitat), 생태적 역할(niche), 경쟁(competition), 제한 요소(limiting factor), 내성(tolerance)을 실제 예를 통해 이해해요.
🔹 Reading Passage
Imagine moving a polar bear to the middle of a hot jungle. Would it survive? Of course not! That’s because every animal has a specific habitat, or place where it lives. A polar bear’s habitat is the icy Arctic, where it can swim in freezing water and hunt seals on snow. The jungle, with its heat and dense trees, would be a terrible home.
But where an animal lives is only part of the story. What it does in its environment is called its niche. In the Arctic, the polar bear’s niche includes hunting, swimming, and keeping the seal population balanced. In the same habitat, Arctic foxes also live—but their niche is different. They scavenge leftovers or hunt smaller animals. This way, they don’t fight for the same food.
However, when two animals share the same niche, they enter competition. For example, if two owl species hunt at night and eat the same type of mouse, one might eventually win, and the other might disappear from that area. Nature doesn’t allow identical jobs in the same space for long.
Some environments are extra picky. A plant called a Venus flytrap only grows in very wet, acidic soil. If the soil dries up, that’s a limiting factor—it blocks the plant from living there. Other plants may not mind dry soil, but the Venus flytrap has strict needs.
Every organism has a level of tolerance. Some fish can live in both salty and fresh water, like salmon. But others, like clownfish, can only survive in salty oceans. If the water changes too much, they get stressed or even die.
So, whether it’s a bear in a jungle or a plant in dry soil, habitat and niche must match the animal’s abilities—and not every creature can live everywhere.
🔗 관련 개념 더 배우기:
Habitat과 Niche 개념을 더 쉽게 배우고 싶다면 아래 콘텐츠도 참고해보세요.
👉 🌎 영어로 배우는 과학!｜Habitat and Niche
🔹 Reading Comprehension Question 1
Q1. What would most likely happen to a polar bear in a jungle?
A. It would find a new niche.
B. It would enjoy the warm weather.
C. It would not survive due to the wrong habitat.
D. It would compete with jungle animals for food.
🔹 Reading Comprehension Question 2
Q2. Why don’t Arctic foxes compete with polar bears?
A. They live in different habitats.
B. They have different niches.
C. They are friends.
D. They eat the same food.
🔹 Vocabulary Quiz
Q3. What is a limiting factor?
A. A way animals work together
B. A condition that helps an animal thrive
C. A condition that stops an organism from surviving
D. A place where animals live
🔹 Grammar Quiz
Q4. Choose the correct sentence:
A. A polar bear live in the jungle.
B. The jungle are too hot for seals.
C. Arctic foxes lives with polar bears.
D. Some fish can live in salty and fresh water.
🔹 어휘 정리표 (TOP10 기준)
| 영어 단어 | 영어 뜻 | 한글 뜻 | 예문 |
|---|---|---|---|
| habitat | place an organism lives | 서식지 | The desert is a harsh habitat. |
| niche | role in the ecosystem | 생태적 지위 | An owl’s niche is hunting at night. |
| competition | struggle for the same resource | 경쟁 | Lions and hyenas have competition for prey. |
| limiting factor | condition that blocks growth | 제한 요소 | Dry soil is a limiting factor for some plants. |
| tolerance | ability to survive change | 내성 | Salmon have high saltwater tolerance. |
| survive | stay alive | 살아남다 | Only strong fish survive the cold. |
| environment | natural surroundings | 환경 | Animals adapt to their environment. |
| species | group of similar animals | 종 | Each species has its own role. |
| condition | physical situation | 조건 | The weather is a key condition for plants. |
| adapt | to change and fit | 적응하다 | Some animals adapt to harsh winters. |
✔ 정답 및 해설
- Q1 정답: C – It would not survive due to the wrong habitat
→ The first paragraph clearly states this example. - Q2 정답: B – They have different niches
→ 지문 중 “but their niche is different” 설명을 통해 확인 가능 - Q3 정답: C – A condition that stops an organism from surviving
→ limiting factor 예시로 dry soil, sunlight 부족 등이 나옴 - Q4 정답: D – Some fish can live in salty and fresh water.
→ “fish”는 복수형 주어이므로 “can live”가 올바른 현재형 구조입니다.
✅ Extra Grammar Note:
Modal verbs like “can” are followed by base verbs. – 조동사 뒤에는 동사 원형이 와야 해요 (can live, not can lives)
💡 동물마다 잘 어울리는 장소가 있어요. 나에게 맞는 곳에서 나만의 역할을 해보는 건 어때요?