VIII. Read the text and choose the best answer.
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Bats are not the dirty, bloodthirsty monsters that they are portrayed to be in vampire films. These animals groom themselves carefully like cats and only rarely carry rabies. Of the hundreds of species of bats, only three rely on blood meals. In fact, the majority eat fruit, insects, spiders, or small animals. They consume an enormous number of pests, pollinate many varieties of plant life, and help reforest barren land by excreting millions of undigested seeds. Almost all bats use echolocation to navigate, especially at night. As they fly, they emit a series of high-pitched squeaks at the rate of about fifty per minute. As these signals bounce off objects in their path, an echo is detected by the bats' sensitive ears which informs them of the direction and distance of obstacles so that they can undertake corrective or evasive action. But bats are not blind as widely assumed. In fact, all species of bats can see, probably about as well as human beings. It is also a little-known fact that bats are highly social creatures. Thousands or even millions of individual bats may belong to a colony, hanging upside down in caves or in trees. Within their social systems, bats assume specialized roles. Some may guard the entrance to their caves, others may scout for food, and still others may warn the colony of approaching danger. A nursery colony may be part of a larger colony to provide mother bats with a safe, supportive environment in which to rear their young. |
1. What is the author's opinion of bats?
A. They are dirty and they carry rabies.
B. They are like the monsters in vampire films.
C. They are clean, helpful members of the animal world.
D. They are not very important in the animal world.
2. According to the passage, how are bats like cats?
A. They both carry rabies. B. Cats groom themselves, and so do bats.
C. Both cats and bats eat pests. D. Bats use echolocation, and cats do, too.
3. What do most bats eat?
A. Blood meals B. Fruit and insects C. Leaves and trees D. Large animals
4. The word “enormous” in line 4 could best be replaced by ________.
A. very heavy B. very regular C. very large D. very necessary
5. Which of the following are NOT characteristics of most bats?
A. They pollinate plants. B. They have specialized roles in their colony.
C. They use echolocation. D. They eat blood.
6. How do bats help reforest the land?
A. By eating pests. B. By hanging upside down in trees at night
C. By excreting seeds D. By taking evasive action
7. The word “emit” in line 6 is closest in meaning to _________.
A. send B. continue C. find D. stop
8. According to the passage, how do bats navigate?
A. By responding to the echoes of their signals bouncing off objects
B. By warning the colony of approaching danger with high squeaks
C. By beating their wings fifty times per minute
D. By using their sensitive ears to hear the noises in their environment
9. Where in the passage does the author refer to the visual range of bats?
A. Lines 4-5 B. Lines 6-7 C. Lines 7-9 D. Lines 10-11
10. The word “Some” in line 13 refers to ________.
A. social systems B. specialized roles C. bats D. colonies
