![Parasitic Species .:(\ R.L J , .::., ' :\-\ T(-( Nima]S and Plants Have Diff-Erent Ways of Living](http://data.docslib.org/img/52e53acbac21e50cf660bb68af444655-1.webp)
Parasitic Species .:(\ r.l j , .::., ' :\-\ t(-( nima]s and plants have diff-erent ways of living. I ..-,: .; ISome -( specieslive at the expense of others. That is, they take their food and energr from other organisms on which they live. Such speciesare called "parasites."The specieson which they live are called their "hosts."
One famous parasitic plant in the southern United States is called "Spanish moss." It hangs in long, Most parastticspecies are harn'tfulto their hosts delicate, gray lines from the branches of trees. Another well-known parasitic plant is mistletoe. It is a familiar O Mistletoeis a vinewith dark symbol of the Christmas seasono.Very few people know that the greenleaves and red berries. lt is oftenused as a Christmas pretty green and white mistletoe is really a parasitel decoratron, Animal parasitesare more fan-riliar.Fleas and ticks are animal parasites.Dogs € Thereare five Great Lakes, Lake serve as their hosts. The fleas and ticks live on rhe Huron,Lake Ontario, Lake Michigan, dogs'blood. They can also causedisease! LakeErie, and Lake Superior. They arelocated in the northernU.S., Fish have parasites alongthe borderwith Canada.They too. In America's Great Lakese, for example, an aresome of the largestlakes in the eel-like animal called a lamprey preys on fish. The lamprey has a wono. rotrnd mouth Iike a suction cupo, and a shalp tongue like a file. First, suct|oncup the lamprey usesits round mouth to attach itself to a fish. Then the lamprey uses its file-like tongue to drill into the fishs body and live .ji on the fishs body fluids. ExF :-.'i @ A suction cup is a round, Other fish parasites are strange animals called "isopods." They have ,+, hollowdevice used to apply suctronor attachone objectto oval bodies and many legs. Sometimes they live inside a fish's 2 Thr another. mouth. Other parasites may attack a fish's gillso. One of the oddest the parasites on fishes is the "remora." A fish itself, the remora has a suction tool on its head. \X/ith the suction tool, the remora attaches @ Gillsareorgans deep rn a fish's itself to the side of a shark. When the shark kills and eats throatwhich allow fish to breathein 3 Loc something, the remora eats bits and pieces the sharkt food. If water.They serve the same of int functionthat lungs do in mammals. too many remoras ride along with it, however, the shark may have trouble swimming! 4 In!
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Parasitescan live either on the inside or the outside of a host. The fust kind of parasite is especially dangerous. It can live, unseen and unsuspected, for a long time inside a host. Such internd parasites vaysof living. can kill an animal before anvone knows they are there! seof others. y from other :ies arecalled live are called
thern United angs in long, mistletoe ies of trees. fmisltdu] c.|) lamprey [1#mpri] is a familiar isopod [disapdd] now that the 4. remora I16mara]
wo*us ron Broro€v .s are animal fl /
1 Explainthe terms parasiteand host in your own words. s." They have nside a fish's 2 The articlementions several parasites. Name two of them,and describehow ofthe oddest they live. remora has a nora attaches ills and eats 3 Lookat the word internal in the passage.What do you think internal means Lark'sfood. If in this context? ark may have
4 In your own words,describe one problemthat parasitescan cause.
LinguaForumil X-rays of Fossils .t :lr har-e t = :crhnirlue t ::nrcnsi<;nal (scientistswho ancientlife) used ptl.ott,ologists study :J.,\ t() lOOk I to fossilso have a problem. How could they study irn, r:eurs' skr without destroyingthe fossils?Sometimes, that was
difficult. Fossilsare often found embedded in rock. The \c-n rinv fosr rock must be removedbefore the fossil can be seenand ::' ,nl rtrkS tI studied.And as the rock is removed,the fossil may get I aninta 'Was 't':r damaged. there a better, lesshazardous way to study :hrough X-ra fossils?
\o one expe 'W'hen There was. X-rayswere discovered,they were g'hen the ani found to expose photographic plates. So, X-ray the microsco photographybegane. Norq it was possibleto see inside these images By studytngfossils, scientists can learnabout ancient antmals. something by passingX-rays through it and taking a rr'e could not "snapshot€"of the object. This was a great advancefor has come in t O Fossilsare bonesof longdead medicine. Now doctors could use X-rays to look inside a living animals. person'sbody
o Thef irstX+ay machines were But paleontologists had a good use for X-ray pictures, too. Here was developedin'1913. the nondestructive tool they needed to study fossils! \With X-rays, O Snapshotis a photographyword it was no longer necessaryto "open up" a rock that had a fossil refeningto a picturetaken quickly inside. take an X-ray picture of the rock and seewhat appeared andcasually without planning. Just on the image! Ques t ions
The results have been astonishing. Rocks in Germany for example, were fi.lled with fossils of "trilobites," ancient sea animals related to 1 Wha modern crabs and lobsters. X-rays showed the trilobites in great detail. Scientists were able to study the fossils closely without 2 Lool damaging them! mea
The X-ray picrures were also beautiful. In fact, they had such a strange beauty that some of them went on display in a traveling 3 The show years ago. The X-ray images, then, were more than just tools help of science.Theywere art as well!
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X-rayshave been usedto srudy other fossils,too. Especiallyusefirl is a technique that usescomputers to turn X-ray pictures into three- dimensionalimages of fossils'insides. Paleontologists have used X- :ient life) used rays to look inside dinosaureggs and study the structure of study fossilso dinosaurs'skulls. les, that was
I in rock. The Very tiny fossilsshow up clearly in X-ray imagesas well. In samples qt An embryois a babyof an anrmal yet, n be seen and from rocks that wereonce at the bottom of the sea,fossil embryoso that hasnot beenborn andis not yet fullydeveloped. fossil may get of sea animals - no bigger than grains of sand - have been found r way to study through X-ray studies. O Here,yef meansbut.
No one expectedto find the embryosof ancientanimals, preserved <> trilobite :d, they were when the animal was just a little ball of cells.But with X-ray images, ltrdilabdit] s. So, X-ray the microscopicfossils became visible. And like the trilobite X-rays, to see inside theseimages Th.y show tiny yeto complex fossilsthat are beautifirl. fl wonosron Brolocv and taking a we could not hope to seeotherwise. They alsoshow how far biology Y cell .t advance for hascome in the lastroo years! ./ destroy nside a living z embed r' emDryo / expose / fossil too. Here was / hazardous Y microscopic With X-rays, / paleontologist t had a fossil / preserve i'hat appeared Y skull
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; for example, passage rals related to 1 What is this mainlyabout? Summarize it in one sentence. bites in great ,sely without 2 Lookat the word embedded in the passage.What do you think embedded meansin this conte)d? y had such a in a traveling 3 The authorexplains how X-rayshelp in studyingfossils. List two waysthey han just tools help,and explainhow theydo so.
4 Explainhow X-raytechnology has advanced over the years.
LinguaForum il Introduced Species rntrorluct I:uropeanr rhc urltl. - of the most f-amiliaranimals and plants in America did nor Qome \\-crccvcq Ulive there originally They were introduced there by humans, either by accident or intentionally So, we call them "introduced ( )thcr r'ou species." tirr cramp l n f r()( IUCCi Introduced species may arrive in many different ways. They may ( gc ride on imported wood, on ships, or even by airplane, and then get -.rn.rtle h.r. lr:con looseo in a new environment where they can reproduce and ncctl tt, tu multiply In many cases,they become very nurnerous because they have no natural enemies in their new home. \X/hen they become In nr.rnv c too numerous, the introduced speciescause many problems. -lhet Litcr
.]t \1 .1\'\ t( ) Some introduced species are colorfirl and interesting. The ring- :-r, lml: necked pheasant, a beautiful game birdo, was introduced to 'nt Zebramussels often cover underwater America from Asia. Other introduced speciesin America have been ptpes,causing great damage. there so long that we no longer think of them as introduced species. The common dandelion, for example, is an introduced species.So is O To get loose means to escape or the honeybee, which helps us by making honey and spreading to be set free. pollen to plants.
@ A game bird rs a bird that is But other introduced species are annoying and even dangerous. The hunted for sport. zebra mussel, for example, was introduced to American waters by ships from overseas.Known for its distinctive striped shell, the zebra mussel lives in big colonies that are hard to remove from pipes. Getting rid of them takes much time, effort, and money Americans wish the zebra mussel had staved overseas! Q;estrons
America aiso would like to get rid of the g,?sy morh. It attacks 1 W many kinds of trees. The gypsy moth was released by accident in ar '\X/ith Boston during the mid-r9th century no natural enemies to stop it, the g,psy moth has spread through the northeastern United States,damaging and killing countless trees. 2 Hr
Cases like this are nothing new. From early colonial times. 3 Lc cc
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introduced species have gotten loose in America. The first Europeans to settle in New England, for example, releasedpigs into the wild The pigs multiplied, and then kept multiplying, until they rnerica did not were everywhere in the woods. re by humans, m "introduced Other countries have trouble with introduced speciestoo. Australia, for example, has had endless trouble with rabbits after they were introduced there in the tgth century Britain is unhappy with the ays. They may Canada goose, which was introduced there in the rTth century and l, and then get has become a pest, polluting water and eating grass that livestock eproduce and need to survive. s because they r they become In many cases,it is easier to introduce a species than to control it o Mostcountries now have rblems. quarantinelaws' which strictlv limit later. That is why the United States and other countries are looking the importof foreignspecies at ways to bring introduced speciesunder control or prevent them ing. The ring- from arriving in the fust placeo. ntroduced to :rica have been fl wonosron Brolocv duced species. r' cotony d species. So is / environment rnd spreading / introduce z livestock ", multiply / naturalenemy langerous. The "' pest ,'/ pollen ican waters by / release ped shell, the I reproduce remove from / species 't, and mone)4 l-estlons cth. It attacks ,1 What makesintroduced species a problem?Name two introducedspecies, by accident in and explainwhy they causetrouble. ral enemies to eastern United 2 How do introducedspecies arrive? Explain, giving two examples.
,lonial times, 3 Lookat the word pest in the passage.What do you thinkpest meansin this context?
LinguaForumil Camels in America? ( ir( I(nc( in
\1orc.ight ne of the most unusual introduced speciesin America was the rt pxrrfccl. to camel. Its straage career in the U.S. began in the rgth cenrury t,, its backl when a U.S.Army officer who liked camelsthought they might :.rll otf thc O Here, Io make means to serve makeogood beastsof burdenoin the dry southwesternterritories, as or have the qualitiesof . rhcv ti run Camels are used in ntany places ta carry heaw loads camel could also be dangerous because it could kick with great force. The Army tried to put camels to good use but ultimately failed. The questlons camels carried some loads from time to time but did very little otherwise. In 1863,the camel corps was dissolved. Some of the camels spent the rest of their lives on a ranch. Some were sold at lWf auction. Others were released into the wild. From time to time thereafter, people would report seeing a roaming camel in the 2Th southwestern LI.S. rea One particular camel - a red-furred giant - was known as a killer. In 1883,the camel killed a woman in the Arizona territory The camel 3Lo left behind big footprints, and bits of its red fi:r were found on a in bush nearby Latel two miners encountered the killer camel one night at their camp. (fhey survived.) Here again, the camel left 4 Af GoreTopicGuide - $ww evidence in the form of big footprints and pieces of red fur. More sightings of the camel followed. A chilling detail was lmericawasthe reported, too: the camel apparently had a dead man's body strapped the rgthcentury to its back! fwo men who encountered the camel saw something ght they might fall off the animal's back. W-hen they went to see what had fallen, itern territories, they found it was a human skull! \frica and Asia. rad about of 3o At last, the mysterious camel was killed. In 1893,a farmer in Arizona ed Army camel found it eating plants in his garden and shot the camel.'When the camel was examined, the rider was gone, but the camel still wore the leather harnessthat had attached the body to the camel'sback. oundedgood. :y could carry \X/ho was the dead man? V/ho had tied him to the camel, and why? d go for days I{ore than roo years later, we still do not kno"ry All we have is the did not need mystery of the killer camel and its unknown, dead rider. d. But camels ron Sroloev rl than horses. fl wonos oo. Camelshad r beastof burden ; disgust that disgusted : dissolve her animals.A r' encounler / rousbecause it evidence t tur / roam ; skull tely failed. The did very little fJeslrerrr . Some of the Ie were sold at 1 Why did the U.S.try to usecamels? Explain. L time to time I camel in the 2 The authorexplains why camelswere difficultto use in the Army.Give two reasons. n as a killer. In rry The camel 3 Lookat the word chilling in the passage.What do you thinkchilling means :re found on a in this conte)ft? fler camel one the camel left 4 Afterthe camelcorps failed, what happenedto the camels? LinguaForumil The Magnifteent Moose ., rrcc.Bull their ath'er i^*camccl: ne of America's biggest and most beloved mammals, the menr- tans moose (scientific name Alces alces)is the largest of the - deer nt(x)sewot up to 3 meters tall - and roams much of Canada and the northern United States. Indeed, the moose is a familiar symbol of Canada. The moose lives in forests, is often found near rivers and lakes, and is a good swimmer. It feeds on forest plants in winter, but in sruilner it spends much time in the water, eating aquatic plants. O Here,taste means a liking or Despite its tasteo for water plants in srurunet a moose cannot dive preference. very far under the water. Its body is not built for diving. The hairs in its frr are filled with air, so they make the moose float. A moose that tries to dive winds up floating back to the surface! The moose is easy to identifr Besides being huge, the moose has @ The muzzle is the mouthof an great, flattened horns, or "antlers," and a large muzzl&. The moose animallike a horseor a dog.That is tends ananimal with a long,pointed to be a lonely figure. Individuals spend much of their time mouth. alone, except when males and females meet during mating season. The female carries a single calf in herwomb for eight months. Some females give birth to rwins, but this is very rare. A little moose (if there is such a thing) lives on its mother's milk for about six months and remains with her for about a vear. Ques t lons Moose have some strange habits. V/hen a carwith bright headlights approaches,for example, a moose may mn right into the path of the 1 Wh car and get hit! \)fhy would a moose put itself in danger that way' ExF 'We are not sure. One possible explanation is that the moose thinks a shadow made by the headlights is a predator. Frightened, the moose flees from the shadoq right into the lights - with harmful 2 Loc O Becauseof the dangerposed to the resultso. But this is just a guess.flX4-rat goes on in a moose's mind is carsand drivers, many roads in the northernU.S. and Canada have still largely a mystery!) moosewarnings on them.These signsare posted in areaswhere 3 Loc During the r96os, a moose became a television star in the United mooseare common and mtght be int foundon the roads. States for severalyears. Producer JaylTard created the character of Bullwinkle J. Moose, who lived with his friend Rockil a flying squirrel, in Minnesota. Big and strong, with a deep, easily imitated 4 Iny run coreTopicGuide t Sruw )ose voice, Bullwinkle went all around the world with Rocky and their adventures - which were both funny and well written - became classics of TV carroons. Tbe Bullzainhle Shou still has mammals, the many fans around the world. I(ho ever would have thouqht a st of the deer - moose would become a TV star? Ldthe northern ,bol of Canada. ; and lakes, and winter, but in rquatic plants. rse cannot dive ng. The hairs in A moose can be a dangerousanimal, float. A moose especEllyto drivers :! fl wonosron Broloey the moose has / antler ee. The moose I aquatic t calf r of their time / flee mating season. ,' mammal months. Some / matingseason / muzzle little moose (if '/ predator . for about six / womb Ques l ions ight headlights the path of the 1 what is the overalltoneof this passage?ls it humorous,serious, or critical? nger that way' Explain,and give reasonsfor your opinion. ) moose thinks :ightened, the - with harmfi.rl 2 Lookat the words if there is such a thing in the passage.why do you think the authoruses these words here? roose'smind is Explain. 3 Lookat the word aquatic in the passage.what do you thinkaquatic means in the United in this context? re characterof ocky a flying -'asilyimitated 4 In your own words,explain the author'stheory on why moosesometimes run into cars. LinguaForumil Oysters rxrlice g'er -fh rx rlice. Jlrom earliest times, Americans have been H IJut humr I fond of oysters. The tasry shellfish was a prcclator, favorite food of Native Americans long before prcclatory the frst Europeans carne to America. Modern likc organ archeologists have found piles of oyster shells o'r'sterdril that show where Native Americans had a feast ir made, t of oysters centuries ago. rmpressivr s'rth sullur European-Americans have had a great hunger for oysters too. Oyster stew is a famous American food, and the "oyster roast," where oysters are cooked in their shells, has long been Oystersmuggling was a profitablebut dangerousbusiness in the 1qth century. popular in states like Maryland, where oysters in great numbers were taken from the nearby Chesapeake Bay In fact, people around Chesapeake Bay prized oysters so much that there were sometimes gunfights on the water O An ovsterbedis a colonyo{ over the valuable oyster bedso. These fights became known as the oysters. bay's"oyster wars"! Across the U.S. in California's San Francisco Bay, there were conflicts over oyster beds too. Pirates raided the oyster beds. A single boat might carry off zoo dollars' worth of oysters - a lot of ques money a century ago. Oyster pirates on San Francisco Bay were t lons O JackLondon was a famous such a problem that special police had to be hired to fight them. In Americanauthor who wrote his tale'A Raid on the Oyster Pirates," authorJack l,ondono wrote 1Wl adventurestories about life in the wild. about California's oyster wars. Similar police forces operated on ChesapeakeBay. In 1868, 2 Lo he Maryland hired "oyster police," gave them boats with guns and cannon, and sent them to fight the oyster phates there. The oyster @ f o haveone's hands ful/ means police had their hands fullo trying to catch Chesapeake oyster to be extremelybusy or to haveall 3 Ex pirates, who numbered in the thousands. The pirates used a small, thework that one can handle. thr fast ship called a "schooner." It could sail in only l.i meters of water. That made it ideal for escaping into shallow water when the oyster ,4 WI h GoreTopicGuide ry' *:. ritj, #: # '$, '€' ::i. .*,i' &*x@;." Smm police were in pursuit. AIso, the pirates were as well armed as the police.Their schoonerscould carryguns and cannon too! been ns have But humans are not the only speciesthat feedson oysters.A rellfish was a ((oyster predator called the drill" makesa meal of oysterstoo. A before s long predatorysnail about z centimeterslong, the oysterdrill usesa drill- ,rica. Modern like organ called a "radula" to make a hole in an oyster'sshell. The 'oyster shells oyster drill alsodissofues the shellwith sulfi.ric acido.Once the hole Q Sulfuricacid is an extremely had a feast 'With strongacrd. x is made,the snail feedson the oyster'ssoft insides. such impressiveenemies - from humansarmed with guns to snailsarmed with sulfuric acid - how doesthe oyiter surviveat all? great hunger 4) ChesapeakeBay is a famous It!6sapi:kbei] roast," where 4) radula [rztd;u]el has long been rere oysters in n the nearby wo*os FoRBrorocY c Bay prized fl / archeologist i on the water Y dissolve as the known "' feed / predatory 't prize / pursuit y, there were r shellfish yster beds.A / species ters-alotof ions .scoBay were Ques 1 fight them. In paragraph? ondonowrote t. Why doesthe authormention Native Americans in the first 2 Lookat the word pursuit in the passage.What do you think pursuit means Bay.In 1868, here? rith guns and re. The oyster rpeakeoyster 3 Explainwhat an oysterpirate was and what the governmentdid to stop ; useda small, them. etersof water. ren the oyster 4 What was the advantageof schooners? LinguaFonrmEI fnseets and Crime .r tlcaclb lrorlv aftr l,rnga bo, A n entomologist is a scientist who studies insects such as ILbutterflies, beerles, bees, and ants. Though entomology is an -\ot all t unusual profession, it is also very important, because insects affect police. Sc our lives in many ways. Bees, for example, pollinate many plants, so lnsectsci that the plants can reproduce. The bees carry pollen from one plant somcthinl to another. Many plants would disappear if we had no bees to do gorten aw this job. tlcs and b Forensic O meansrelated to One very specialized kind of entomology is "forensico enromology" crimes. This branch of entomology uses insecrs to help solve crimes. The insects found on or in a dead body for example, can reveal much about hor4 where, and when the person died. Sometimes, insects, or even the absenceof insects, can point to a murderer! In one famous caseof this kind, police identified a murderer when a dead body turned out to be insect-free. The victim's bodywas found next to an open window It looked as if the killer had enrered through the open window and committed the murder the previous "ight. But forensic entomologlr showed that somerhingvery different had happened. If the body had sat there all night, insecrs enrering through the window would have had rime to invade the body No insects, however, were found on it. So, the victim must have been killed somewhere else and later placed beside the open window Ques l ions Suspicion fell on an acquaintance of the victim, who confessed to 1 Th the murder when told that the body was free of insects. Thus, the the justice o f o bring to meansto study of insects brought a killer ro justicelo catchand convict a personfor a crime. Flies are important to forensic entomologr These are the first 2 Lo, insects attracted to a dead body By studying them, entomologists OG, may be able to tell how long a body has been dead, and when death occurred. At the very least, the presence of flies can indicate where 3 Ac, cor coreTopicGuide h d{ -_&i1: . .&* -.. .ffi; il*.'i :: ,-d'5 :. :- :1; .t:t --.: ffiS . t;fi:ffi !:r: $ruw a dead body lies! Beetles are also important. They invade a dead body after flies do. So, beetles provide another indicator of how long a body has been dead. sects such as .omolory is an Not all the witnesses in a crime investigation, then, can talk to : insects affect police. Some of them do not have to talk at all. Though voiceless, nany plants, so insects can give police valuable evidence about a killing. That is [rom one plant something lbr criminals to think about. A killer may think he has no bees to do gotten away witho murder, but then find that conunon insects like O f o get away with means to avoid punishmentfor. flies and beetles lead police right to himl o entomologf" ve crimes. The (; acquaintance[;ku,6intans] rurderer when a fl wonosron Brorocv bodywas found ; affect / :r had entered attract ; disappear ler the previous I entomologist / entomology "r forensic ,i identify ry different had ; pollen rsects entering ,r pollinate / reproduce le the body No must have been .-:stlons enwindow The passagementions several kinds of insects.Name two, and explainhow ho confessed to they helpto solvecrimes. sects. Thus, the Lookat the word acquaintance in the passage.What do you think first rseare the acquaintance meansin this contelC? r, entomologists and when death r indicate where 3 Accordingto this passage,insects provided evidence that madea killer confessto a killing.How did this happen? LinguaForum { Shrimp in the Desert? \(. ._' ^'1 r' .-.-i.,i hat can live in the most saline water in the United States? lhr You might be surprised to find out what it is - and how -.'r: '-' :t f'. I much it is worth. From the extremely salty waters of Utah's Great O The GreatSalt Lake is the Salt Lakeo, fishermen harvest some of the most valuable fish food in world'ssecond saltiest body of the world: the eggs of brineo shrimp. water,after the DeadSea in the '.. ':,un MiddleEast. '' :r :\ n Tiny animals about r centimeter long, brine shrimp are adapted to @ Brinels saltwater. life in the extremely salty ('briny') waters of this big inland lake, - -4(- where the salt content, or "salinity" would kill almost anything else. The shrimp feed on algae and produce huge quantities of eggs. These are some of the toughest eggs in the world. They can be kept in dried form on a shelf foryears and then hatched by a brief soaking in salt water. The lawae, or baby shrimp, move around with quick, jerking motions, like little mechanical rowboats. Th""gh they may not look edible to humans, the larvae are tasty to prawns raised at "aquaculture" farms in South Brineshnmp are small,but valuable America and Asia. The shrimpt appeal to prawns makes brine shrimp eggsa valuableproduct. Fish farms pay very well for thesetiny eggs. The result is a big industry in Utah. Boats on the lake compete fiercely to harvest shrimp eggsfor delivery to fish farms. Teamwork is neededto get the best harvest.An a{plane looks for swarmsof :ons shrimp in the lake.'Whenthe pilot seesshrimp, he alertsfishermen, who rush to sweepthe eggsout of the water. Lo, Per kilogram, these eggsare some of the most valuablefoods taken thi by fishurg.Each year,fishermen haul millions of kilograms of brine shrimp eggsfrom Great Salt Lake. Fishermencan make a good WI incomedoing this. Yearsago, brine shrimp were sold as pets in the U.S.,under the ln l-c*roptocude .f,i Ii i5' &+-;*addEigr- Brorocv $ H E J? name "sea monkeys."Children would order a packet of brine shrimp eggs,which would hatch when put into salt water. Fascinated,the children watched as the larvaewhirled around in the lnited States? water. Thus, the little shrimp becamea part of many American is - and how O Nove/tymeans an interestingbu1 'Utah's childrerfslives, as well asa successfi.rlnovelgP product. Great basrcallyuseless product, often le fish food in 'What inexpensiveand given as a gift. lesson,then, can we learn from brine shrimp? Perhapsit is this. You never know where someonemay find a profitable product. There is money to be made even from the bitter waters of Great re adapted to Salt Lake! g inland lake, anything else. ofeggs. rrld. They can then hatched 4)r larva ld:rva] : baby shrimp, (plurallawae [d:rvil) ns, like little , the larvae are f,n wonosroR BroroGY rms in South / adapt t algae makes prawns z edible 1 very well for / harvest z hatch / laNa 'u novelty lake compete / saline / ms. Teamwork swarm for swarms of Quest ions :rts fishermen, 1 Lookat the word saline in the passage.What do you thinksaline meansin this context? rle foods taken gramsof brine make a good 2 Why are brineshrimp eggs so valuable?Explain in your own words. J.S.,under the 3 In your own words,explain the processof fishingfor brineshrimp eggs. LinguaForumil Nligators t-tplorcr., .tlligrrtorrm n.rnrt-thc .f-n. biggest reptile in North America, the Pr' )nunt l lt I alligator is probably the most fearsome as .rllrgetoris r well. A close encounter with a grown alligator is enough to frighten almost anyone. Alligators can grow to be almost 6 meters long and weigh more than z5o kilograms. They have huge mouths filled with big teeth and can kill even large animals like deer - or humans. The alligator's mouth also appears to be set in a permanent, unfriendly smile. So, mosr people keep a safe distance from alligators. Alligatorsare both largeand dangerous \(hat is a "safe" distance?Ifyou get closer than about 5 meters to an alligator, you are in great danger, especially if the alligator hissesat you or opens its mouth wide. This means that the alligator seesyou as a threat and may attack. Actually humans have been a much greater danger to alligators than elligators have been to humans. Someone with a gun can shoot and kill even the biggest, strongest alligator. $flhat is more, alligators were long pri zed for their tough skin, It was used to make shoesand other kinds of clothing. At last, people passed laws to protect the alligator. Vtthout such protection, the brgbzard might have been wiped out by hunting! Alligators are found all along the southeastern coasr of the United -:s: lons States. They like swamps but also live in freshwater rivers and lakes. - Tho"gh they may look sloq nlligators can move very fast over short wt' distances when they want to. An elligator can make a brief run at more than 4o kilometers per hour! Na ths afligator's scientific name is Alligator mississippiensisbecause part of its range includes the state of Mississippi. How did the alligator get its English name? There is a story about that. \7hen Spanish 3 LOI thi |b coreTopicGuide $rem explorers came to Florida hundreds of years ago, they saw the alligator and called it, in Spanish, el lagarto, or "bzard." The Spanish name then passed into English with a slightly different r America, the pronunciation and spelling, as "alligator." By name, however, the lst fearsome as ^y alligator is an impressive animal! 6qrn alligator is rne. Alligators long and weigh Leyhave huge C can kill even humans. The to be set in a ), most people rs. get closer than ;er,especially if Al Iigator m i ssissipp iens is [zFligiiurnrisasipidncis] ]ris means that j. el lagafto fcl logcrrtoLr] r alligators than can shoot and fl wonosrgn Br$i-*{:v nore, alligators u f reshwater nake shoes and r hiss ./ permanent to protect the J range ight have been / reptile / swamp "' wipe out : of the United qgs$_1sn! ivers and lakes. fast over short 1 Whyare alligators protected by law?Explain in yourown words. : a brief run at 2 Nametwo reasonswhy you shouldkeep your distancefrom alligators. rzsbecause part lid the alligator When Spanish 3 Lookat the word range in the passage.What do you think range meansin this context? LinguaForumil Seagulls .\lthough sea , ,t'thc L'.\.. t :1. I Llng sh mericanswho live near the ocean are familiar I .:Lr I rplcntli .{ Iwith seagulls.The seagulls'distinctive cry - "SKREE! SKREE!" - meansthat the seais not far I ln( ftJ\On away.Easily identified by their yellow bills and , r c.in. tar fl webbed feet, seagullslive almost everywherefrom the *er$ll. ,kr n -l-h, polar regions to the tropics. They feed largely on fish I I.i',rlrr but will eat a wide variety of foods, especiallyin places .\ntcnr'l tns where humansandgulls live closetogether. \::r )n! \t()fTn Biologists call seagulls"opportunists." That means Seagullscan be found almost anywherethere is water seagullswill take food whenever and wherever they can get it, from the seato parking lots at restaurants. Seagullsarc very fond of trash dumps becauseso many scrapsof food get thrown away there. In some places, seagullsare so mrnerous that they are consideredpests, like rats. Seagullswill even eat the youngofother seabirds.So, seagulls can be a threat to other bird species. Controlling seagullsis a problem in some places.One way to control the seagullsis to restrict their accessto human food. W'hen people stop providing food for seagulls,the birds will go away Some people even favor shooting seagullsto reduce their numbers. Biologists warn, however,that we should be careful ho\Mwe try to control seagullpopulations. ffwe limit their food supply too much, for example,then the seagullsmay start to kill and eat other birds. l.-estlons Seagullshave added an expressionto aviation. The curious curve lWh of theirwings in flight is known as the "gullwing" and hasbeen used ther in the designof urcraft. There are many different speciesof seagulls.One familiar speciesis 2 In) the hening gull. Big and noiqy it is common along the shoresof the North Atlantic Ocean.As its name indicates.the bird feedson fish such ashening. r_r3 Loc int cofoTqf,ccui& hE $aa Atthoqgh seagulls live all along the Atlantic, Pacific, and GuHcoasts of the U.S., the birds are not found in Hawaii, even though Hawaii has a long shoreline. That may seem strange. At first, Flawaii looks ean are famfiar like a splendid place for gulls to live. So, why is Flawaii free of gulls? istinctive cry - re sea is not far One reason is that Hawaii is an isolated chain of islands in the ellow bills and ocean, far from any big land mass. Unlike some other seabirds, ywhere from the seagulls do not like to make long journeys over water to islands like :d largely on fish Hawaii. They prefer the shores of big land masses like North pecially in places America instead. Only rarely are seagulls seen in Hawaii, after lther. strong storms have carried them there. :s." That means I wherever they :s at restaurants. many scraps of seagulls are so eagulls will even r threat to other fl wo*os ron Broloev / bill / biologist :s. One way to / distinctive ran food. V4ren / landmass llgo awaySome / numerous / oppoftunist :heir numbers. / polar lhowwe try to / threat / rpply too much, tropics rt other birds. qgg9 119r'9 curious curve :ijl What ways doesthe authormention of limitingthe seagullpopulation? Do d hasbeen used thesemethods have any disadvantages? miliar speciesis *2 In your own words,explain why thereare no seagullsin Hawaii. reshores of the d feedson fish {}3 Lookat the word curious in the passage.What do you think curious means in this context? UnguaForumil The National Aqotrium .\lthoueh the in Battimore rtxrm insicleI 'Washington, f you are in D.C., and want to see is an f lhr sea I sharks or seals,there is no need to go to sea. All lx)i.rt.\'ou Can you have to do is travel 6o km to Baltimore, a big city \arion:rl Aqu 'Washington. just northeast of In downtown r ()me thceto Baltimore, the National Aquarium gives visitors close- up views of sea animals. The National Aquarium in Baltimore has become one of the best-known aquariums in the world. Located at the Inner Harboq near the historic sailing One of Baltimore'sbrggest attracttons ts the NattonalAquartum ship U.S.S.o Constellation, the National Aquarium actually has two parts. One is the aquarium, a o U.S.S.is shortfor UnitedStates showcase for seaanimals. The other part is an enclosed rain forest, Ship. where visitors can walk along pathways and see exotic plants from distant places.There is even an outdoor pool where one can watch sealsat play At the aquarium, you can look into a huge central tank in the form of a rylinder several stories tall. As you walk along a spiral ramp that runs up the side of the tank, you can look through the glass at unusual, colorfrrl fish. On a hot day in Baltimore, it feels good to go to the National Aquarium, cool off and watch the fish. For a small fee, the National Aquarium even lets visitors "adopt" a particular fish as their own! l,estlonS The National Aquarium is situated beside Chesapeake Bay which { 1 Wha receives water from four big rivers (the Potomac, Rappahannock, can Dolphinsare just one of many kindsof York, andJames Rivers) and joins the Atlantic Ocean at Norfiolk, to you the Nattonal animals can see at the south of Baltimore. AqLtanum. Z Loo Next to the National Aquarium is the U.S. Navy submarine Torsk, me€ which served in Vorld'War II. The submarine is now a musetun. Visitors can board the submarine and imagine what life was like inside a submarine during a war. (There was not much space. 3 The Nar coreTosricGuide F $w*m Lrlum Although the submarine looks big when you seeit fiom outside, the more room inside was very limitedl) , and want to see The sea is an amazing place. Even if you do not care to go out on a I to go to sea. All boat, you can get a look ar the ocean and its animals by visiting the iltimore, a big city National Aquarium in Baltimore. ln how many other cities can vou . In downtown come face to face with a shark? jves visitors close- rnal Aquarium in :he best-known he historic sailing tional Aquarium the aquarium, a closed rain forest, xotic plants from re one can watch aquarium [aku'irrianr] Ques l ions :ake Bay which Rappahannock, 1 what canyou inferabout Baltimore from this passage?Name one thing you n at Norfolk, to can inferabout Baltimore, and give reasonswhy. Lookat the tbmartne Torsk, 2 word showcase in the passage.what do you think showcase meansin this context? row a musetun. at lif-e was like r much space. 3 The articlelists things you cansee at the NationalAquarium in Baltimore. Namethree things you can seethere. LinguaForumil Big Cats rngn' and t-et h,rusecat doe I merica has cats of all sizes.There are little ,\n mflrv mc A-."1s like housecats. There are medium-sized, .cu 3 nlountz wild cats like the bobcat. And then there are the qtc rlistancel big cats- the famousand beautifrrl mountain lions. The most widely distributed wild cat in North America, the mountain lion is also known as the pruna, cougar,or panther. It can grow to be more than z meters long and weigh up to 7o kilograms. The mountain lion has light brown fur with black Mountainlions are the largestcats in NorthAmerica tips on its earsand tail. Big and beautifirl, and more than a little frightening, the mountain lion is a cousin of the African lion and the Asian tiger. Mountain lions are hunters. They feed on deer. They can be dangerous to people, too. Someone who meets a mountain lion in the wild may be in great dangerl As a rule, however, mountain lions do not give people much trouble. This is pa-rtly because mountain lions live in remote places. Their habitat ranges from desert mountains to rain forests along the coast.'Where you find deer,you probablywill find mountain lions too! Nonetheless, it is worth taking care to avoid encounters with mountain lions. It is a good idea not to hike alone in country where mountain lions live. It also helps to make some kind of noise as you '-:- Qiestlons hike, to warn mountain lions away In any event, be careful. Mountain lions are killers! More than 4o people have died as a 1 In) result of attacks by mountain lions. Mountain lions spend much of their time alone. They are unusual Lo< Here.in means z O thal because for cats in thato they often hunt during the day Otherwise, the inl 'With mountain lion behaves as if it were a big house cat. tail twitching and ears raised, it will hide and wait for its prey to come close. Then the big cat makes a surprise attack! If a mountain lion is 3 Ba gr( coreTopicGuide F Ssn angry and feels threatened,it snarlsand flattens its ears,just as a housecat does. s. There are little An angry mountain lion is a dangerouscompanion. So, if you ever are medium-sized, see a mountain lion, make sure that you watch the big cat from a ;hen there are the safedistancel ul mountain lions. vild cat in North rlso known as the l grow to be more p to 70 kilograms. ,wn fur with black reautifirl, and more rountain lion is a eer. They can be r mountain lion in 'er, mountain lions becausemountain ngesfrom desert fl wonosron Btolocv you find deer,you / distribute / habitat ,/ pteY encounterswith / remote r' snarl : in countrywhere md of noiseas you ques t lons vent, be careful. rle have died as a 1 In your own words,give a shortphysical description of a mountainlion' They are unusual 2 Lookat the word habitat in the passage'What do you think habitat means LyOtherwise, the context? 'With in this rsecat. tail r its prey to come a mountain lion is 3 Basedon the informationin the passage,who canyou inferwould be in the greatestdanger of beingattacked by a mountainlion? LinguaForumil llvsterv -{nirnals ' -'',rlf :\ O *i"t ,n ,, mericanslove mysteriesand are interested i-.-{ rr I I in animals.It O lt comesas no surprise .i :\ \:ir\ lJ meansil -( \comes as no surpriseo,then, that Americansenjoy stories is notsurprising. about "mystery animals":strange species that are said - but have :r rtt neverbeen proven - to exist. -.-..-:a . : r,-,'. :ltl \ r \l\f(f For example, America has legendary "lake monsters,' -::-r- which are said to live in big lakes such as Lake Champlain, on the border between the states of New York and Vermont. The Lake Champlain monsrer is known as "Champ" and is said to look much like the more famous Loch Ness monster@ in Scotland - a dinosaur-like creature with a long neck and tail. Though people around the lake have spent a long time looking for Champ, the monster remains elusive. Still, the hunt for Champ continues. Lake Champlain is big and has plenty of room in it, even for a monster as big as a truck! Sightings of Bigfoot remain highly suspect The king of America's mystery animals, however, is the Sasquatch,or "Bigfoot." Bigfoot is described as something o TheLoch Ness monster is a very like a giant gorilla, perhaps 2.j merers tall and covered with thick fur. largeanimal which is supposed to livein LochNess, a largelake in According to eyewitness descriptions, Bigfoot walks upright and has Scotland. a foul odor, human-like hands and feet, and a terrifring roar. Bigfoot J-::-rJllJ has been described as stepping over tall fenceswith ease.Footprints said to belong to Bigfoot have been found, but some of the prints In ! appear to be hoaxes. Bigfoot, or something like it, has been reported seen in many 2 Wh different parts of the U.S. Bigfoot has even been reported seen in New York Cityl Most Bigfoot reports, however, come from the states of Oregon, ITashington, and California in the northwestern 3 wl' U.S. and from British Columbia in southwestern Canada. Many people claim to have seen Bigfoot at close range, standing beside a 4 Lo< highway or crossing a road. so( roPicGuide lfcore $wm Bigfoot is generally thought to be harmless but sometimes anti- social in its behavior. The giant animal is rumored to go around roaring at people and sometimes scattering equipment at remote :ed in animals. It work sites in the forest! :ans enjoy stories :e said - but have There is some interesting evidence for Bigfoot's existence, from videos and tape recordings to casts of footprints. The mysterious ape'sexistence, however, is still unproven. If Bigfoot exists, maybe it '"lake monsters" simply tries to avoid people. One can imagine a Bigfoot saylng, ; Lake Champlain, "Humans? Ugh!They're noisy and dangerous!" f New York and ster is known as the more famous a dinosaur-like <1) Sasquatch lsz€skwrct\] ipent a long time s elusive. Still, the fl wo*os ron Erolosv nplain is big and / creature )nster as big as a / describe / elusive / existence Y foul ;, however, is the / hoax / monster bed as something / odor edwith thick fur. / toar :s upright and has ying roar. Bigfoot Ques t lons r ease.Footprints ,me of the prints 1 In your own words,explain what a mysteryanimal is. rd seen in many 2 Wheredoes the authorsay that Bigfootis most oftenreported seen? reported seen in come from the he northwestern 3 What evidenceis therefor the existenceof Bigfoot? r Canada. Many tanding beside a 4 Lookat the expressionanti-social in the passage.What do you thinkanti- social meansin this context? LinguaForumil Extinct Anirnals rhe ivory-l rcdiscoverr hird was sti hen a speciesdisappears from the Earth, we say the species is extinct. The United States has its share of extinct Is thcre hc animals, and some of them have become extinct very recently (.arolina pr anclone ne Perhaps the most famous of Americat extinct bird species is the passengerp€eon. Once, passengerpigeons were so numerous that huge flocks of them darkened the skies. Norq they are extinct, largely as a result of widespread hunting. Another extinct American bird is the Carolina parakeet. Once, the noisy, brighdy colored Carolina parakeet lived over much of the tlnited States. Its favorite foods in the wild were the seedsof plants such as maple trees and 'W'hen pine trees. settlers cleared '{& forests and started planting fruit trees such as apple and peach trees, howeve5 the parakeets switched to those foods. The birds also ate grain from fields. ,lres t 19!s Thecarolina parakeet now onlY exists tnpatnttngs Farmers were upset and tried to o lronyiswhenanactionhas elimilate the Carolina parakeet.They succeeded.It is an iror5p lTh resultswhrch are opposite c+ '^/h'i .^^'^:^- that the parakeets helped in their own destruction. lZhen one was Inlenoeo.In Inrscase, Ine naott the of returningro helpa menrberof the member in a flock of Carolina parakeetsgot into trouble, the rest of flockthat was in trouble resulted in the flock rerurned to help it. thedeaths of moreparakeets. 2Lo This behavior made it eary for farmers to kill large numbers of the m( birds. In the early rgth century the Carolina parakeet was already in decline. By the early zoth century the species was gone. The last known individual died in rqr8. 3wl sp Sometimes an "extinct" American bird is rediscovered. This happened to the ivory-billed woodpecker. During the zoth century coreropicGuide tb $ww the ivory-billed woodpecker was thought to be extinct. It was rediscovered, however, early in the zrst century Though rare, the Here, meansln bird was still aroundo. O around re say the species existence. ;hare of extinct Is there hope, then, for species like the passengerpigeon and the recently ry Carolina parakeet? After all, the United States is a big country "' and one never knows what may be hiding in the woods somewhere! Lrd species is the ,o numerous that :hey are extinct, 4) Carolinaparakeet [ktrralSinapi€rekil] rican bird is the )nce, the noisy, na parakeet lived fl wonos FoRBroLoGY rited States.Its / decline : wild were the / destruction ; disappear ; maple trees and r eliminate ettlers cleared / extinct mting fruit trees r flock / numerous 'h trees, howeveq / rediscover J to those foods. ; widespread r from fields. Ques t lons t and tried to d. It is an ironf 1 This passagementions two extinctspecies of birds.Explain how and why tion. 'W'hen one they have becomeextinct. ouble, the rest of 2 Lookat the word eliminate in the passage.What do you thinkeliminate r numbersof the meansin this context? )et was alreadyin rs gone. The last 3 What explanationdoes the authorSuggest for the "rediscovery"of extinct speciesin America? iscovered.This the zoth century LinguaForumil Rattlesnakes m()untaln5. rrxk.'lhesr orth America has several kinds of poisonous snakes. \\-hen u'ar One of them, the rattlesnake, is known for the sound tlcnsand rr, it makes.Vrhen a rattlesnakeis about to strike, it shakesa rattlesnalie setof rattles,or noisemakers,on its tail. The rattlesmake an unmistakablelxzzingsound.Ifyou hearthat sound,get out I:r en durin of the way! A bite from a rattlesnakeis very dangerousand pret-crto hu painfirl. \ce rattlesn their dens.. But such attacks on humans are rare. Rattlesnakesdo not sai-edistanc Battlesnakes are common and dangerous animals in go out of their waf to bite people.The snakesattack theu.s. humans only when disturbed or threatened.The rattlesnake'susual food is mice and other small rodents. O To go out of one's way meansto When the rattlesnake strikes, it injects an animal with fast-acting makea specialefiort to do poison through long, hollow Small somethrng. teeth. animals are stunned and paralyzedat once. The snake then swallows and digests them. The rattlesnake can kill larger animals too, but they may take some time to die after the snakebites them and injects its venom. If they wander away before dying, the snake simply follows them until they die, then eats them. questions America has many varieties of rattlesnakes. One well-known variety 1 ExF is called the "sidewinder" becauseof its odd, sidewaysmotion across desert sands. In the western United States, a dangerous or unpleasant person was once called a "sidewinder"! ? Wh A typical rattlesnake is about r meter long or slightly longer. Rattlesnakes live over much of North America, from forests to 3 Loc this deserts. They are found in every state of the Lower 48 United @ TheLower 48 refersto the 48 Stateso. connectedstates (all the states exceptAlaska and Hawaii). 4 At' Rattlesnakes are 'told-blooded," meaning that they cannot regulate wl" their body temperaftre. So, the snakes"hibernate," or reduce their activiry gready, during the winter in northern areas and in high coreropiccuide ilE $mm mountains. Sometimes the snakes spend the winter in cracks rock. These placesare called "snake dens." risonous snakes. When warrn weatherrerurns in the spring,the snakesleave their "n for the sound densand travela short distanceto their sulrrner homes.As a rule,a rike, it shakes a rattlesnakespends its life within one or two kilometersof its den' rattles make an t sound, get out Even during suruner, however,rattlesnakes are rarely seen.They r dangerous and prefer to hunt at night and hide dunng the day One is most likely to see rattlesnakesin fall or spring, as the snakestravel to and from their dens.And if you do seea rattlesnake,make sureto remain at a not lesnakes do safedistance! fl wonosroR BroroGY attack : snakes "' cold-blooded eatened. The / den / digest 1tS. r disturb ; hibernate with fast-acting ; iniect r' potson re stunned and / poisonous sts them. / rare / regulate / rodent may some take / swallow venonl If they / venom them until they Ques t lons l-known variety 1 Explainthe differenteffects of a rattlesnakebite on largeand small animals' s motion across dangerous or 2 What Americanexpression is derivedfrom rattlesnakes?Explain its meaning. rlightly longer. the word venom in the passage.What do you think venom means in :rom forests to 3 Look at this context? wer 48 United 4 At what timesof year is a personmost likelyto encountera rattlesnake? cannot regulate whv? or reduce their ,as and in high LinguaForumil Horned Lizards \\ hcn tacin, .rppcarbig61r rronr its cyer hen people in the United States talk about "horned toads," they do not mean I lorncd liza real toads at all. Real toads are amphibiansand hrbernating must live in or nearwater to sundve.The so-called r,r lar-her eg horned toad is actuallya lizard, and it lives in cqgsthere.' Texasand other hot, dry partsofthe LlS. l.rtcr.babv h have a spec Though small, the horned lizard looks hatcfungo. intirnidating. Its head is coveredwith horns, two of which are longer than the others. The Iho'will nt Hornedhzards, though ugly, are harmless. horned lizard'sbody is brown and has a "fringe" of .\merica's h, scalesalong each side of its flat body Horned little lizardl lizardslook like somethingfrom a monstermovie! Acrually the fearsomeJookinglittle lizard is not something to fear. It doesnot harm humans.lnstead, it is a quiet, peacefirlanimal and is sometimeskept asa pet. The horned lizard feedslargely on ants and gets up just before dawn, when the lizards emergefrom their undergroundburrows. As the sun rises, the lizards turn their backs toward it to O To go aboutmeansto conductor soakupwarrnth. Afterwarming themselves,the lizardsgo abouto to performa task. the day'sactivities. During the hottest time of day they stay in the shadeto avoidgetting too hot. truest ions Horned lizards do not use their horns for defense.Instead, they 1 The haveother methods.V/hen they perceivedangeq they fust flatten met out their bodies and lie motionless.This behavior servesrwo purposes.It makespredators less likely to detectthe lizardsby their motion. It alsomeans the lizardscast a very small shadowand are 2 Loo harder to see.An additionaltrick is to make a brief run, then halt inti € Here, sfi// means not movinq and lie completelystillo. Thus, it looks as if the lizard has disappearedl 3 The it t, Exp htE coreropicGuide $uru When facing great danger,the horned kzard canpuffup its body to appear bigger. It also can make a hissing noise and even squirt blood from its eyesat predators. ted States talk ey do not mean Horned bzards reproduce in late spring, iust after they have finished amphibians and hibernating over the winter. \X/hen the time arrives for the female re. The so-called to lay her eggs, she digs a tunnel in the ground and deposits up to 45 , and it lives in eggs there. Then she leaves the eggs to hatch. About two months he U.S. later, baby horned lizards emerge. Like chickens, the young lizards "egg have a special "tooth" that they use to open their shells when o Calledthe tooth,"this is lizard looks actuallya smallhorn on thetrp of hatchingo. theirheads which help them break red with horns, opentherr eggs. he others. The They will never be beautifrrl animals. But horned lizards survive in has a "fringe" of America's hot, dry Southwest. That is a big accomplishment for a t body Horned little lizard! fl wonosron Erolocv mething to fear. Y amphibian cefrrl animal and / burrow / detect / emerge / hatch ; up just before / intimidate gound burrows. / perceive / predator toward s it to / squirt izards go abouto "'survive they stay in the ques t lons e. Instead, they 1 The authordescribes how a hornedlizard defends itself. List two of its :hey fust flatten methodsof defense,and explainhow they work. rior serves two : lizards by their word intimidating in the passage.What do you think shadow and are 2 Lookat the intimidating meansin this conte)d? :f run, then halt the lizard has 3 The author says,"As the sun rises, the lizards tuln their backs toward it to soak up warmthj' What doesthis tell you about nights in the desert? Explain. LinguaForumil Lobsters rnto deep rvatt lives.living in out at night tr ne of the most famous American animals, the so-called on how long tl American lobster is also called the Maine lobster becausethe m()re. O Lobsterfishing is an essential state of Maine is known for its lobster fisherieso.The Maine lobster partof the Maineeconomy. has two big claws for fighting and defense.Its cousin, the spiny ( )ne big event lobsteror Florida lobsteqlooks lessimpressive. The Florida lobster iobstersmust doesnot havebig claws.Instead, it hasonly two ordinary legswhere the lobstersibr the Maine lobster'sclaws are located.The Florida lobster alsohas ( )ne behind a two long anternas that it can useto fight and defend itseH place with mr tiramatic sight. Both kinds of lobsterare edible,an TheMaine lobsterrelies on its huqe front claws for defense Though many lobsters are dark green or brown, lobsters show a wide range of colors. Some are yellorq and even blue. fiVhen cooked, lobsters turn bright red.) A relative of the crab, the lobster has an external shell with joints that allow it to move. The '\When shell is very tough. someone eats a Maine lobster, special tools are needed to crack open the big claws. l-res l ions Here is the life of a Florida lobster, in brief The lobster's life begins 1 The pi as an egg. The female lobster carries her eggs under her tail until protec they hatch. Then the young are released into the sea. They move toward the shore and malie their homes in beds of sea grass or 2 Looke among mangrove trees which grow in the water. Sheltered there, the meant little lobsters grow 'When they are about 8 centimeters long, the growing lobsters travel 3 How d lE coreTopicGuide $ns into deep water offshore. That is where they spend the rest of their lives, living in holes and other concealed spots. The lobsters come out at night to feed on clams, snails, and dead animals. Dependi4g .ls, the so-called on how long they live, the lobsters can grow to weigh 4 kilograms or bster becausethe more. lhe Maine lobster :ousin, the spiny One big event in a Florida lobster's life is migration. Sometimes, the he Florida lobster lobsters must move somewhere else to find food. As they migrate, dinary legs where the lobsters form a long column. It maybe hundreds of meters long. a lobster also has One behind another, the lobsters crawl along until they reach a rd itself place with more food. A column of lobsters on the move is a dramatic sight. :, and people love ;pecially the tails laws - are firll of t is a delicacy all : a lobster's main fl wonosron Brolocv : laws to prevent / antenna oon would be no r' ctaw s of the lobster I defend ; I turtles. defense r delicacy z edible . green or brown, '/ fishery / rrg and even blue. migrate / migration e ofthe crab, the / release 'it to move. The .z shelter e lobster, special Quest ions bster's life begins 1 The passagesays that lobstersare protectedby law. Why do lobstersneed der her tail until protection?Explain. sea. They move s of sea grass or 2 Look at the word delicacy in the passage.What do you think delicacy eltered there, the meansin this context? ng lobsters travel 3 How do Mainelobsters and Floridalobsters differ? LinguaForumil Cave Fish cmbryo sti rhe way Tl at the surf; rdinarily,one does not expect to find fish and deger living f-arunderground. But in North traced this America, that is precisely where a strange kind of (,4styanax fish was found. The Mexican "cave fish" Biologists r mexicanu), a little white fish, has made its home in tlif'ference $ 8, the waters of caves far below the surface. It is also amazng. Si kept in aquariums. In the wild, most of these fish have big, Ii are fbund in caves deep under one particular valley lieht, howe' in Mexico. Overcenturies of evolution,cave fishhave lost their sr:,ht -\Iany myst, The cave fish is remarkable, however, for more than ,lo not have just the place where it lives. Life underground has also led to great can be brer changesin the fish itself For one thing, it has lost its eyes! Because though they there is no light deep underground, there was no advantage to having eyes,and so the ca're fish now has none. The fish also lost its pigmentation, or body coloring, lbr the sarnereason. The result was a small, colorless,eyeless fish. How did this highly unusual situation occur? Here is one guess. Long ago, biologists think, the cave fish lived in waters on the o To make one's way meansto go surface. But then, the fish made its wayo underground, into the or travel. waters of caves. Once there, it had no particular use for sight or body coloring, and so it lost them. Otherwise, however, the cave fish is a frrlly functioning fish. .-est!on! Cave fish are sometimes given as an example of how animals can adapt, or change, to suit their environment. One finds many other 1 animals that have changed when put into a different environment. wh; If they have no more need for a certain organ or other characteristic there, then it disappears. (Americans have a saFng that describes 2 The this process:"Use it or lose it.') app How did the cave fish lose their eyesight? Scientists have studied the early lives of cave fish in an effort to find out. f'he cave fish 3 Loo mei t|- coreropicGuide $wru embryo starts out, so to speak,as a surfacefish but changesalong the way The embryo starts to developan eye,as if it were still living at the surface.But then, somethingcauses the eye to stop growing rect to find fish and degenerate. Before long9, the eye is gonel Scientistshave @ Before/ong means after a short periodof timeor soon. But in North tracedthis "disappearingact" to a changedgene in the eye'slens. a strange kind of re fish" ('4styanax Biologists do not agreeon exactly how all this happened.But the made its home in difference berweencave fish and their relativesat the surfaceis surface. It is also amztng. Similar fish at the surface,where there is plenty of light, rost of these fish havebig, functioning eyesand normal coloring. In the absenceof e particular valley light, however,the fish far undergroundare very different. Many mysteriesstill surroundthe cavefish. But at leastbiologists rcr, for more than do not have to go deep undergroundto find fish for study The fish 4) Astyanax mexicanus [6stion&ks m6ksikdnas] s also led to great can be bred in captivity and do very well in an aquarium- even : its eyes! Because thoughthey cannotsee it. no advantage to re fish also lost its fl wo*ot ron Brolocy rn. The result was / adapt r' aquaflum / breed / captivity lere is one guess. / degenerate in waters on the z develop z ground, into the embryo r' gene r use for sight or / organ rowevet the cave / pigmentation / suit lues t lons how animals can finds many other 1 What is this passageabout, mainly? Summarize it in one sentence. 'ent environment. :her characteristic ng that describes 2 The authorquotes an Americansaying in the passage.How doesthis saying applyto the cavefish? Explain. tists have studied ut. The cave fish 3 Lookat the word degenerate in the passage.What do you think degenerate meansin this context? LinguaFonrmil The Caetus .voodpeck carving sm nest ln a sa "cactus," and people think of spiny plants in the Qay U southwestern United States. There are many different kinds of cactus. Some are large, and others are small. Some have spines, whereas others have none. But the most famous kind of cactus is the great saguaro cactus, which is so tall that it looks almost like a tree. The state flower of Arizona, the saguaro cactus can be up to l5 meters tall and has a thick stem covered with spines f centimeters long. As it grows, the cactus develops branches or "arms." The older a saguarocactus is, the more arms it has. A very old saguaro cactus may have up to five arms. v'*r i The skin is fluted in the manner of an accordiono. The folds in its skin let the cactus expand as it soaks up water or shrink as it loses water. 'When it rains, the cactus can soak up hundreds of liters of Don'teven thnk of climbinga cactus! Ouch! water. Most of the time, howeve! water is scar,ce in the desert, where the saguaro cacfus gro'ws. So, the cactus has a thick, tough, O An accordionis an instrument wary skin to keep water inside. whichcollapses and expands to pushair through it. Sometimes, strong winds blow in the desert. How does the tall lues I ions saguaro cacfus keep from falling over in the wind? The roots of the cactus reach out and wrap around rocks in the ground. Thus, the 1 The rocks and roots together serye as strong "anchors" for the cactus. old Saguaro cactus flowers bloom every year. The white flowers are about 8 centimeters wide. Only a few of them open on any one 2 The night. The flowers produce sweet nectar that attracts birds. As birds to li visit the flower to drink the nectar, the birds bring pollen from one cactus to another. Pollinated flowers develop a green fruit with soft 3 Loo red flesh. It is edible and has long been eaten by Native Americans. this Birds pollinate the saguaro cactus, and it returns the favor, so to speak,bygiving some birds a home. Severalbird species,including a 4 Hor sen tr- coreropicGuide $mw woodpecker,make homes for themselvesinside the cactusby carving small holes in the stem. In the dry desert,a comfortable nestin a saguzrocactus is a good thing for a bird to have! y plants in the different kinds of ome have spines, ; kind of cactusis ooks almostlike a s can be up to 15 {) saguaro [saglr,6:rou] ines 5 centimeters "arms." The older rld saguaro cactus fl wo*os roa Brolocy ; bloom r develop ,' edible o. The folds in its / expand : shrink as it loses ; flesh ./ nectar edreds of liters of / pollen rce in the desert, ; pollinate as a thick, toqgh, ;'scarce , shrink / stem low does the tall uest ions ' The roots of the pound. Thus, the 1 The passagedescribes how a saguarocactus grows. How canyou tell how for the cactus. old a saguarocactus is? Explain. vhite flowers are )pen on any one 2 The passagedescribes several ways in whichthe saguarocactus has adapted :ts birds. As birds to life in the desert.Explain them in your own words. ;pollen from one en f-ruit with soft 3 Lookat the word scarce in the passage.What you LtiveAmericans. do thinkscarce meansin this context? ; the favoq so to ,ecies,including a 4 How do birdsand the saguarocactus help each other? Exprain in one sentence. unguaForumil The Everglades The proble change the time, damr Florida is home to a unique Qouthern Everglades I LJenvironment callcd the Everglades.This Some specir area is a unique ecological treasure. Here, fresh water meets salt water in a fantastically Mthout th complex ecosystem.The park has spectacular Even with t birds, including spoonbills, herons, storks, danger, as I and egrets. They are only a tiny part of the southern Fl< great web of plant and animal life in the Everglades. The diversity of species here is hard to imagine. So is the park's size. At about hectares, this is the biggest TheEverglades are an importantand fragilepan of the environment S25,ooo wilderness area to be officially desigrrated as a park in the eastern United States. The U.S. government made the Everglades a national park n ry47. For more than half a century since then, the area - an important breeding place for tropical birds in the U.S. - has enjoyed goverrunent protection. The park was created partly through the work of Ernest Coe, an architect who lived in Miami. In 1928,he and a few other people started an organization to save the Everglades. They urged Congress to set up a park there. In ry34, Congress made the Everglades a protected area. With help from the state of Florida and private groups, EverE/adesNational Park became a rcahty at last. President Harry Tiuman was present when the park was dedicated on ques t lons December 6,ry47 1 whr Everglades National Park was created to protect the Everglades and its plants and animals from harm. A place like this was necessary because the environment here is very fragrle. People could destroy 2 Lool much of the Everglades quickly if the park did not exist to protect me€ ir. 3 Whi tb coreropicGuide Sww the park slowly They The problem is that people are damaging park and use pesticides'Over changethe flow of water thtough the of somebirds in the time, damageadds up' The populations percentsince the r94os' me to a unique Evergladeshave dropped by more than 9o Everglades.This Somespecies in the park arenow endangered' . treasure.Here, would be gone by now 'in a fantasticallY v/ithout the park, many speciesprobably the Evergladesecosystem is in :k hasspectacular Evenwith the park'shelp, however' for limited resourcesin ;, herons,storks, danger,as humans and wildlife compete r tiny part of the southernFlorida. nimal life in the rf specieshere is rk's size.At about is the biggest Lllydesignated as ional park n t9+7. ea - an imPortant wo*os roRBtoLoGY S.- has enioYed fl / dedicate I designate ; diversitY of Ernest Coe, an I ecological I ecosystem few other PeoPle .' endanger ey urged Congress ; fragile the Evergladesa / unique .r wilderness orida and Private y at last.President ras dedicatedon questlons into a nationalpark? 1 Why werethe Evergladesmade :he Evergladesand .hiswas necessarY in the passage.what do you think designated rple could destroY 2 Look at the word designated this context? ct exist to Protect means in facenow? 3 What dangersdo the Everglades LinguaForumil