Comprehension I
Read a transcript of a part of a university lecture in Biology.
Professor:
Well, we’ve now studied the main subclass of mammals, the placental mammals, and also the subclass of marsupials- and now we ought to just quickly survey the third and smallest subclass, an odd little group called the ‘monotremes’. The best-known monotreme, of course, is the duck-billed platypus, and I know you’ve all heard of that strange portmanteau animal. Well, the platypus is the only member of its family. There’s just a single species of ornithorhynchid- this family name just means ‘bird-nosed’. The other family of monotremes are the echidnas or spiny anteaters, the tachyglossids. This family name means ‘fast-tongued’, and there’re only four species of these. So altogether there’re just five species of monotremes.
The platypus lives only in the streams and ponds of eastern Australia, and the echidnas live in the forests of Australia and nearby New Guinea. So their ranges are very restricted. Nevertheless, a fossil monotreme found in Argentina suggests that the monotremes were once globally distributed.
These animals have a number of characteristics similar to reptiles, but it is important to realize that they’re no more closely related to reptiles than any other mammal group, and it’d be a mistake to consider them as more primitive. It’s just that after evolving from their therapsid ancestors, the monotremes broke off from the other mammals- about 150 million years ago- and went their own evolutionary way.
Platypuses, or platypi, look very different from echidnas, but these animals have several characters in common that separate them clearly from the placentals and marsupials. First, well, as their name says, they’re monotremes- they’re ‘single-holed’. Their genital and excretory functions exit from the body from the same aperture, called a cloaca. Monotremes also have a low metabolic rate- that is, a lower body temperature- and they lay eggs. Like other mammals, though, they lactate, they produce milk, but they have no nipples. The females just secrete milk onto their skin, where the babies lap it up. The other things that make these animals mammals are that they’re covered in fur, they have a mammalian dental pattern, and they have a four-chambered heart.
Nevertheless, the duck-billed platypus is so bizarre-looking that when it was first discovered by Western scientists, at the end of the 18th century, they thought it was a hoax, a ruse- a real portmanteau animal, an animal made up by attaching a duck’s beak to a mole’s skin. Because the first specimen arrived in England by way of the Indian Ocean, scientists suspected that the creature was actually sewn together by Chinese or Japanese sailors, who were known for their skill at this kind of practical joke.
The platypus’s bill is like leather- it’s soft and flexible, and it’s sensitive both to touch and to weak electric fields. It uses both of these to find its food- crustaceans and other invertebrates- in the muddy waters it lives in. It has soft, thick, water-resistant fur, it has webbed feet, and a broad, flat tail- so it’s well-adapted to its aquatic existence, and it probably hasn’t changed much in the last few million years. And don’t try to pick one up- the males have poisonous spurs on their back legs that can be very dangerous!
Now, the echidnas- some recent DNA research has suggested that the echidnas evolved from a platypus ancestor relatively recently- only about 30 million years ago- so their evolution’s been more active than the platypus’s. Echidnas- or spiny anteaters, which is a much clearer name for them- sorry, I’m just used to calling them echidnas- anyway, they’re totally different-looking animals. They are stocky, sturdily-built guys with powerful claws and digging muscles. They live in forested country, where they dig for termites, ants and other invertebrates. Instead of a broad duck’s bill, they have a long, tubular, toothless snout and a long, extendible, sticky tongue- which accounts for their family name, tachyglossids, of course. Like the platypus, they also have electroreceptors to help locate food. Echidnas are covered with spines, and when they’re threatened, they erect these spines and roll into a prickly ball that’s very hard to attack.
And one little-known behavior of the echidnas is their ‘love train’. Echidnas are normally solitary animals, but in breeding season, a female will attract several to a dozen males, who follow her around closely in single file for up to six weeks, before she finally chooses one to mate with. Then she lays her single egg in a temporary pouch that she develops.
Platypus populations seem to be holding their own, and echidnas sometimes wander across suburban gardens in Australia, but the New Guinea Long-beaked Echidna is in danger of extinction- it is a highly-sought-after prize for local traditional hunters. It’d be a shame to lose such interesting creatures from the earth, so I hope that efforts will be made by the Indonesian and Papua-New Guinean governments to protect these little guys.
Now answer the following questions. You may use your notes to help you.
1). 1.What is this lecture mainly about?
(A) The conservation of monotremes
(B) The smallest group of mammals
(C) The evolution of the platypus
(D) The animals of Australia
2). What does ‘monotreme’ mean?
(A) Fast-tongued
(B) Bird-nosed
(C) Single-holed
(D) Tube-snouted
3). How has the professor organized his lecture?
(A) From an evolutionary standpoint
(B) By habitat
(C) According to geographical ranges
(D) From general to specific groups
4). Which is NOT a common characteristic of monotremes?
(A) They have a limited range.
(B) They are endangered species.
(C) They lay eggs but produce milk.
(D) They have a four-chambered heart.
5). Why does the professor mention a fossil from Argentina?
(A) To show how old monotremes are
(B) To show the extent of monotreme research
(C) To show how widespread the monotremes were
(D) To show that echidnas evolved from platypi
6). What did the early naturalists think about the first platypus specimen?
(A) It was a new species of duck.
(B) It was captured in India.
(C) It was a new species of mole.
(D) It was created by sailors.
Answers: 1:B 2:C 3:D 4:B 5:C 6:D
Comprehension II
Read a transcript of a part of a lecture from a social sciences class.
Prof: Are we ready? Let’s start. Today’s topic is fast food. For many people in other countries, fast food equals American food. All Germans eat sausages, all Chinese eat rice, and all Americans eat hamburgers, right? Well, um, actually, we do eat a lot of hamburgers. In fact, the average American eats three hamburgers a week, along with four orders of French fries. I’ll tell you, my son is not average, because he’d eat three hamburgers a day, if I’d let him. And I think he eats four orders of French fries by Wednesday. [laughter] But, even though we still eat hamburgers, did you know that we eat less now than we used to when I was your age? In 1976, we ate 94 pounds of beef per person each year. These days, we eat 68 pounds per person. From 94 to 68, that’s quite a reduction! But eating [false start] But just because we eat fewer hamburgers does not mean we eat less fast food. As a matter of fact, we eat more fast food than ever. Here is some food for thought: In 1970, Americans spent six billion dollars a year on fast food. By 2001, that number had increased to one hundred and ten billion. Six billion to a hundred and ten billion in 30 years [whistles]! Man, if my stocks had done that well, I wouldn’t be standing here teaching, I’d be in my private Lear jet on my way to Hawaii!
Uh, an easier way to imagine this might be that Americans spend more money annually on fast food than they do on university fees, personal computers, and new cars. We shell out more money for hamburgers, pizza, chicken and French fries than we do for movies, books, magazines, newspapers, DVDs and CDs combined. How many of you have bought a car? Oh, lots of you, I see. I bet you thought that was a big-ticket item. Now, how many of you often order pizza delivery or eat fast food on the weekends? Hmm, most of you! That doesn’t seem so expensive, does it? But, if you’re average, over the course of a year you’ll spend more money on the food than you paid for that car – especially if you bought a used one.
In one sense, it’s not surprising that we spend more on food than entertainment. After all, we have to eat. But Americans spend more money not just on food, but on fast food. Is this healthy? Um, probably not. Maybe you’ve noticed that Americans are getting fatter. And I don’t mean just a little plump. We’re getting obese. America has the largest percentage of obese people among all developed nations. Did you know that more than half of all US adults weigh too much? So do about twenty-five percent of our children. The US surgeon general calls this a crisis. A crisis! Think of it like a river. It keeps raining, and the river keeps rising. At first no one is very worried. But the water keeps rising, and rising. Then it overflows its banks and floods the city. Suddenly, we have a crisis. Why is being obese a crisis? Well, for one thing, it’s killing us. Obesity – um, being too fat – increases the stress on our bodies. Our hearts and other organs have to work harder, and they break down sooner. Obesity is the number two cause of death in America today, right behind smoking. We all know how bad smoking is. Being too fat is the second-biggest killer.
Of course, there are other factors to consider. Simply eating fast food, by itself, does not make you obese. On the other hand, it doesn’t help your health, either. A few years ago, a man decided to eat at McDonald’s every day for a month: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Before he began doing this, he was in almost perfect health. Thirty days and about 40 pounds later, he had heart problems and trouble breathing. His liver and kidneys were weak. His doctor said his liver was similar to an alcoholic’s. OK, I know this case was excessive. But the [false start] But what was scary was that while doing this, he found that about 20 percent of McDonald’s customers really do eat there virtually every day.
Now answer the following questions. You may use your notes to help you.
1). What is the lecture mainly about?
(A) Fast food eating and spending habits
(B) The nutritional benefits of fast food
(C) The history of fast food
(D) Worldwide fast food
2). According to the professor, how much does the average American eat each week?
(A) Four hamburgers and three orders of French fries
(B) Five hamburgers and four orders of French fries
(C) Three hamburgers and four orders of French fries
(D) Two hamburgers and three orders of French fries
3). Why does the professor mention a river?
(A) to make a comparison with fast-food spending
(B) to illustrate a point about obesity
(C) to give a personal example of poor health
(D) to clear up confusion about the cost of hamburgers
4). What is the main danger of obesity?
(A) It damages the liver and kidneys.
(B) It makes the heart work harder.
(C) It causes trouble breathing.
(D) It can kill people.
5). What does the professor imply about the man who ate at McDonald’s for one month?
(A) Fast food was the primary cause of his health problems
(B) He gained forty pounds in thirty days.
(C) He was foolish for not exercising.
(D) His health problems were not related to his diet.
Answers: 1:A 2:C 3:B 4:D 5:A
Comprehension III
Read a transcript from part of a lecture from a life sciences class.
Prof:
Birds use communication for a variety of reasons: to repel other birds, to attract other birds, to find family members, and to alert other birds to danger. They communicate with each other in unique and fascinating methods, which include singing, dancing and strutting. Biologists have only recently begun to understand the implications of some of these interesting behaviors.
Verbally, birds make noises that scientists label “calls” and “songs.” Types of calls are cheeps, honks, squawks, chips — I mean chirps — and tweets. Now, most birds make only a single call, but some birds, known as songbirds, are able to craft more complex tunes. In recent years biologists have used tape recorders to better analyze bird noises and study other bird’s re, responses to them. They have discovered that single calls communicate simple messages, such as “Here I am,” or “Watch out for that hawk!” Um, songs, on the other hand, are performed, or usually performed, only by males, and for one of two specific reasons: to defend territory or to find a mate. In one experiment, scientists removed all the male birds of one species from a certain area and replaced them with tape recordings of their songs. Other males from that species heard the recordings and wouldn’t enter that area.
Biologists have also discovered that male birds will sometimes have a singing con, uh, singing duel to determine which one gets the best territory. One bird will sing, and then the other will answer with the same song or a similar one. This counter-singing will go back and forth until one bird “wins,” though no one yet knows how the champion is determined. Kind of like an avian “American Idol,” huh? OK. In another experiment, biologists put dummies of one type of bird in a field. Half of the dummies played a recorded version of that bird’s mating song, while the other dummies were kept silent. Female birds flocked to the singing dummies and ignored the quiet ones. I guess girl birds don’t go for the strong, silent type. [groans] Although female songbirds don’t usually sing, they will sometimes imitate a male’s song to signal to their mate that a predator is coming. The male will think another bird is encroaching on its territory and hurry back to protect its nest.
Biologists know that baby birds make a cheeping sound to indicate to their parents that they are hungry or hurt, a behavior that they term “begging.” Different kinds of birds beg with higher or lower frequencies, depending on the location of their nests. Birds with nests in trees beg louder, using a lower frequency, because they have less worry of attracting predators. Birds with nests on the ground beg with a higher frequency that doesn’t carry the sound as far, because they are more vulnerable to a predator’s attack. Um, begging birds compete for their mother’s attention, to be fed first or to get extra food or care. Usually, a baby bird that has had enough to eat will quit begging loudly. However, biologists have recently found that this is not always the case. New studies indicate that parents often give more food and attention to the most persistent beggars — the youngsters who cheep longest and loudest. Ironically, human babies often exhibit the same kind of behavior. We call in whining. [laughter]
OK [chuckles]. Birds also use a series of non-verbal signals, or body language, to communicate various intentions. Many male birds will perform some type of dance to attract a mate. Here is the male booby bird, for example. He alternately lifts its blue webbed feet high in the air until a female booby comes and touches his neck with her beak. Here she comes. All right dude. Good job! Other species attract mates by flashing feathers with extraordinary colors, such as a peacock’s tail and a tragopan’s blue-and-red chest. A male will usually puff up the colored parts of his body and strut near the female, hoping to impress her. Male bower birds build small nests that they decorate with colorful objects, such as uh, shells and, um, buttons. When a female comes near, the male bower will pick up one of the objects in his beak and strut around with it. When male birds succeed in attracting a female, the new pair will often perform an intricate dance together to indicate their acceptance of each other. A species of water bird called grebes perform a ritual in which they ruffle their feathers, shake their heads and offer each other plants to eat.
Now answer the following questions. You may use your notes to help you.
1). What is the main topic of the lecture?
(A) Bird communication
(B) Bird calls and songs
(C) Bird research
(D) Bird body language
2). How do male birds use songs?
(A) To put their babies to sleep
(B) To give short messages
(C) To repel a mate
(D) To defend their territory
3). Why does the professor discuss an experiment with dummies?
(A) To dispel a notion about body language
(B) To highlight different types of bird calls
(C) To demonstrate a point about songbirds
(D) To spotlight a behavior of the booby
4). What is true of baby birds whose nests are in trees?
(A) They beg quietly.
(B) They beg with a low frequency.
(C) They do not beg when they are hungry.
(D) They beg with a high frequency.
5). What does the professor imply about birds’ communication?
(A) Scientists still don’t understand it well.
(B) It is eerily similar to that of humans.
(C) It has changed in recent years.
(D) Much of it seems very strange.
Answers: 1:A 2:D 3:C 4:B 5:A