Exercise 13

Read the following passage and choose the most appropriate answer from A,B,C or D to answer questions.

There are many varieties of spider in the American Southwest, but none receives more respect than the western black widow, Latrodectus Hesperus. This poisonous spider, also called the “hour-glass” or “shoe-button” spider for the shape of the red markings on its abdomen, produces a venom 15 times more powerful than that of a rattlesnake. However, few deaths can be blamed on this insect because bites are rare and only a small amount of poison enters the body.

The female adult black widow may reach a length of 1 ¼ inches, while the smaller male averages ¼ inch long. The adult female has a shiny black bulb-shaped abdomen, which distinguishes it from the male of the species. The male is generally brown with red and white markings on its flat underside.

The female adult deposits its eggs in specially constructed sacs that hold from 50 to 250 eggs. The tiny pale spiderlings hatch within a few months and gradually develop into adults in one to two years. Some females live up to three years. The male does not fare so well, as it sometimes suffers the fate of being consumed by the female after the summer mating season.

1. What does the passage mainly discuss?

A. Varieties of spider in the southwestern U.S.

B. Characteristics of Latrodectus Hesperus

C. Poisonous animals of the American Southwest

D. the abdomens of black widow spiders

2. It can be inferred from the passage that rattlesnakes

A. cause more deaths than black widows

B. do not have markings on their bodies

C. are limited in geographical range

D. have more powerful venom than black widows

3. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as a difference between a male and female black widow?

A. Its body length B. The shape of its body

C. The potency of its venom D. Its life span

4. In line 7, the word “underside” refers to

A. the portion of the head closest to the ground

B. the legs C. the upper back D. the abdomen

5. According to the passage, the maturation of baby black widow spiders occurs

A. very rapidly B. over a couple of years

C. within several months D. during the summer mating season

Read the passage below. Use the word given in bold to form a word that fits in the numbered gap.

BLACK WIDOW SPIDER

The black widow spider’s notoriety is not without foundation. However, an element of exaggeration has led to certain______ (1. CONCEPT) regarding its evil nature.

Firstly, this spider is not as dangerous as is often thought. While it is indeed one of the most______ (2. VENOM) species of spider, its venom being fifteen times stronger than that of the prairie rattlesnake, its bite injects such as amount of venom by______ (3. COMPARE) that it is unlikely to kill humans. In fact, ______ (4. FATAL) are rare.

Black widows bite only if they are touched or their web is threatened. Furthermore, only the adult female is poisonous. Those most at risk from the female are the spider’s natural pray-insects-and male black widow spiders. The latter are vulnerable as the female is______ (5. SOLITUDE) by nature, and has been known to kill and eat the male after mating. Such______ (6. OCCUR) are rare, but they explain how the spider got its name – and its reputation.

Nevertheless, the______ (7. PLEASE) effects of this spider’s bite should not be______ (8. ESTIMATE), and if you live in a temperate climate and have a fireplace in your home, it is advisable to take______ (9. CAUTION). Black widow spiders often inhabit wood piles, so you should wear gloves when handling firewood. Furthermore, since black widow spiders are______ (10. RESIST) to many insecticides, you should regularly clean out likely hiding places.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 38 to 42.

Some people think that a spider is an insect, but it is an arachnid. Arachnids have two main body parts and eight walking legs while insects have three main body parts and six legs. Many insects can fly, but spiders cannot fly.

There are many different kinds of spiders around the world. They come in different colors, such as black, brown, white, yellow, and orange. Spiders usually live for one year but a spider called the Tarantula lives as long as 20 years. Some spiders are very small but some are so large they can fit a dinner plate.

The most unusual thing is that a spider can spin a web. Spiders have silk in their stomach and they use the silk to make a web. The web is the spider's home. But the spider does not stick to its own web because its legs have oil them. It is very strong and sticky. The web is used to catch insects. When an insect is trapped on a spider's web, the spider wraps the insect in silk. It eats the insect at a later time. However, the spider does not really eat it. Since it has no teeth, it puts venom in the insect to make it a liquid.

All of the following are true EXCEPT that _________. 

A. spiders have a different body structure from that of insects. 

B. spiders have various colors and mostly live for a year. 

C. special spiders can spin a web and catch insects by it. 

D. spiders use poisons to make their food into a liquid. 

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 38 to 42. 

Some people think that a spider is an insect, but it is an arachnid. Arachnids have two main body parts and eight walking legs while insects have three main body parts and six legs. Many insects can fly, but spiders cannot fly.

There are many different kinds of spiders around the world. They come in different colors, such as black, brown, white, yellow, and orange. Spiders usually live for one year but a spider called the Tarantula lives as long as 20 years. Some spiders are very small but some are so large they can fit a dinner plate.

The most unusual thing is that a spider can spin a web. Spiders have silk in their stomach and they use the silk to make a web. The web is the spider's home. But the spider does not stick to its own web because its legs have oil them. It is very strong and sticky. The web is used to catch insects. When an insect is trapped on a spider's web, the spider wraps the insect in silk. It eats the insect at a later time. However, the spider does not really eat it. Since it has no teeth, it puts venom in the insect to make it a liquid.

What is the main topic of the passage? 

A. Facts about spiders 

B. The parts of a spider's body 

C. How a spider makes its home 

D. The eating habits of spiders 

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 38 to 42. 

Some people think that a spider is an insect, but it is an arachnid. Arachnids have two main body parts and eight walking legs while insects have three main body parts and six legs. Many insects can fly, but spiders cannot fly.

There are many different kinds of spiders around the world. They come in different colors, such as black, brown, white, yellow, and orange. Spiders usually live for one year but a spider called the Tarantula lives as long as 20 years. Some spiders are very small but some are so large they can fit a dinner plate.

The most unusual thing is that a spider can spin a web. Spiders have silk in their stomach and they use the silk to make a web. The web is the spider's home. But the spider does not stick to its own web because its legs have oil them. It is very strong and sticky. The web is used to catch insects. When an insect is trapped on a spider's web, the spider wraps the insect in silk. It eats the insect at a later time. However, the spider does not really eat it. Since it has no teeth, it puts venom in the insect to make it a liquid.

The word “wraps” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to _____. 

A. folds 

B. binds 

C. drinks 

D. bites 

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 38 to 42. 

Some people think that a spider is an insect, but it is an arachnid. Arachnids have two main body parts and eight walking legs while insects have three main body parts and six legs. Many insects can fly, but spiders cannot fly.

There are many different kinds of spiders around the world. They come in different colors, such as black, brown, white, yellow, and orange. Spiders usually live for one year but a spider called the Tarantula lives as long as 20 years. Some spiders are very small but some are so large they can fit a dinner plate.

The most unusual thing is that a spider can spin a web. Spiders have silk in their stomach and they use the silk to make a web. The web is the spider's home. But the spider does not stick to its own web because its legs have oil them. It is very strong and sticky. The web is used to catch insects. When an insect is trapped on a spider's web, the spider wraps the insect in silk. It eats the insect at a later time. However, the spider does not really eat it. Since it has no teeth, it puts venom in the insect to make it a liquid.

The word “it” in paragraph 3 refers to _______. 

A. a spider 

B. the web 

C. their stomach 

D. an insect 

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 38 to 42

Some people think that a spider is an insect, but it is an arachnid. Arachnids have two main body parts and eight walking legs while insects have three main body parts and six legs. Many insects can fly, but spiders cannot fly.

There are many different kinds of spiders around the world. They come in different colors, such as black, brown, white, yellow, and orange. Spiders usually live for one year but a spider called the Tarantula lives as long as 20 years. Some spiders are very small but some are so large they can fit a dinner plate.

The most unusual thing is that a spider can spin a web. Spiders have silk in their stomach and they use the silk to make a web. The web is the spider's home. But the spider does not stick to its own web because its legs have oil them. It is very strong and sticky. The web is used to catch insects. When an insect is trapped on a spider's web, the spider wraps the insect in silk. It eats the insect at a later time. However, the spider does not really eat it. Since it has no teeth, it puts venom in the insect to make it a liquid.

Why does the author mention a dinner plate in paragraph 2?

A. To suggest that spiders can be eaten 

B. To show a way to measure spider size 

C. To give an example how big some spiders are 

D. To point out that the larger spiders are safe 

II>Choose the corect answer in the parentheses
1.Only the black Widow spider, or all of the spiders in the United States, ( has,have) caused death among human being.

2.The professor and the student ( agree, agrees) on that point.

3.Almost every professor and student at the Universary ( approves, approve) of the choice or Dr.Brown as the new president

4.Each girl and boy in the sixth- grade class( has,have)  to do a science project.

5.Getting to know students from all over the world (is, are)  one of the best parts of my job.

6.Annie had a hard time when she was coming home from the store because the bag of groceries ( was,were) too heavy for her to carry.

7.where ( do, does) your parents live?

8.Why ( was,were) Susan and Alex late the meeting?

9.(Is, are) having the respondsibility for taking care of pets good for young children?

10.Some of the fruit in this bowl (is, are) rotten

11.Some of the apples in that bowl (is, are) rotten

12.Half of the students in the class (is, are)  from Arabic- speaking countries.

13.Half of this money ( belong, belongs) to you.

14.A lot of students in the class (is, are) from Southeast Asia.

15.A lot of clothing in those stores (is, are) on sale this week.

16.One of my best friends (is, are) coming to visit me next week.

17.Each boy in this class ( has,have)  his own notebook.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 36 to 45.

PHOBIAS CONTROL THE EYES

People with an overpowering fear of something may not be able to consciously control the direction of their gaze when faced with a picture that provokes that fear. Those with a fear of spiders, or arachnophobia, may not be able to avoid looking toward a spider in the grass, while those without the fear can. To reach this finding, 26 college students - half of whom had arachnophobia - were outfitted with a device that tracks eye movements. The participants were then shown a four-by-four grid of flowers on a computer screen, where a picture of a grey-brown spider and a grey-brown mushroom each occupied one space on the grid.

In one trial, the students were asked to press the spacebar when they spotted a mushroom, but to ignore any spiders. In a second, the students were asked to press the key when they saw the spider, but to avoid looking at mushrooms. When instructed to ignore the spider and spot the mushroom, the students with arachnophobia could not avoid looking at the spider - causing them to notice the mushroom three-tenths of a second more slowly than the control group. Additionally, when the students were asked to search for the spider, the arachnophobic students found the spider and pressed the space bar about three-tenths of a second more quickly than the non-phobic students.

These findings show that the attention processes of people with a powerful fear of spiders may be beyond their conscious control. This suggests that treatments that focus on conscious thought processes may not work for such phobias. Instead, therapists could focus on treatments such as systematic desensitization.

It can be inferred that provokes in paragraph I is closest in meaning to x .

A. eases

B. treats

C. reminds

D. causes