from EnglishClub
Pre-Reading Vocabulary
| allergic adjective | caused by an allergy (the body’s reaction against certain foods or substances that it thinks are poisonous) |
| climate changenoun | the gradual (slow) increase of temperature on earth |
| collapse noun (also verb) | the falling apart of something |
| disappearingadjective (also verb) | no longer able to be found or be seen |
| disorder noun | a problem or disease that a certain group faces |
| donate verb | give money or resources to a group or person in need |
| hive noun | the place where honeybees live |
| investigate verb | study; research; try to find the truth |
| lack noun | not enough of something |
| mysteriously adverb | in a way that is not easily understood |
| pollinate verb | the transfer of the male parts of the flower to the female parts of the flower; ensures plant reproduction |
| rely on verb | depend on; need |
| skyrocket verb | go up very high in a short amount of time |
| spread the wordverb | tell other people something |
| transport verb | move from place to place |
Disappearing Honeybee
Do you run away when you hear a bee buzzing? Many people do. A bee sting hurts and some people are allergic to bee venom. But did you know that bees are very important to humans? Honeybees do more than just make honey. They fly around and pollinate flowers, plants, and trees. Our fruits, nuts, and vegetables rely on these pollinators. One third of America’s food supply is pollinated by the honeybee.
Have you seen or heard a honeybee lately? Bees are mysteriously disappearing in many parts of the world. Most people don’t know about this problem. It is called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Some North American beekeepers lost 80% of their hives from 2006-2008. Bees in Italy and Australia are disappearing too.
The disappearance of the honeybee is a serious problem. Can you imagine never eating another blueberry? What about almonds and cherries? Without honeybees food prices will skyrocket. The poorest people always suffer the worst when there is a lack of food.
This problem affects other foods besides fresh produce. Imagine losing your favourite ice cream! Haagen Daaz is a famous ice cream company. Many of their flavours rely on the hard working honey bee. In 2008 Haagen Daaz began raising money for CCD. They also created a website called helpthehoneybee.com.
Donating money to research is the most important thing humans can do to save the honeybees. Scientists need money to investigate the causes of Colony Collapse Disorder. Some scientists blame CCD on climate change. Others think pesticides are killing the bees. Commercial bee migration may also cause CCD. Beekeepers transport their hives from place to place in order to pollinate plants year round.
Vocabulary Quiz
Based on disappearing honeybee vocab
- When something collapses it______________ .
(a) disappears
(b) falls apart
(c) shrinks
(d) spreads
- The place where a honeybee lives is called a ________________ .
(a) hovel
(b) hair
(c) hive
(d) husk
- Another word for “rely on” is ________________________ .
(a) work on
(b) depend on
(c) spread on
(d) keep on
- We need bees to _______________ the plants that we eat.
(a) transport
(b) investigate
(c) pollenate
(d) poison
- There is a ______________________________ of honeybees in North America.
(a) donation
(b) lack
(c) skyrocket
(d) allergy
ANSWERS: 1. B, 2. C, 3. B, 4. C, 5. B
Reading Comprehension Quiz
- According to the article, the disappearance of honeybees is called __________________ .
(a) bee cooperation disorder
(b) colony collapse disorder
(c) hive transport disease
(d) allergic bee collapse
- Humans rely on honeybees to ______________________ .
(a) poison weeds
(b) sting pests
(c) pollenate plants
- According to the article, which famous company is very worried about CCD?
(a) Coca- Cola
(b) Microsoft
(c) Haagen Daaz
(d) Nike
- Moving honeybees from place to place is called ________________________________ .
(a) commercial bee migration
(b) pollination donation
(c) CCD transportation
(d) spreading the word
ANSWER: 1. B, 2. C, 3. C, 4. A