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The Rainforest: The Amazon River Basin is home to the largest rainforest on Earth. The basin—roughly the size of the forty-eight contiguous United States—covers some 40% of the South American continent, and portions of eight countries. The basin is drained by the Amazon River, the world’s largest river in terms of discharge, and the second longest river in the world after the Nile.
Since 1970, over 600,000 square kilometers (232,000 square miles) of Amazon rainforest have been destroyed. This deforestation is mainly due to land clearing for pastureland by commercial and speculative interests, misguided government policies, and commercial exploitation of forest resources.
Deforestation of the rainforest has long-term implications. The loss of habitat for many creatures ensures their extinction. The loss of vegetation depletes the oxygen in the atmosphere, which some say causes global warming.
What is the definition of 'habitat' as used in the last paragraph?
- A. Factor that causes abnormal behavior.
- B. Rainforest.
- C. A natural environment where species live and grow normally.
- D. Environmentally friendly processes.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The correct answer is C: A natural environment where species live and grow normally. In the context of the paragraph, 'habitat' refers to the natural living environment of various creatures in the rainforest. This definition aligns with the role of a habitat in supporting the life cycles and behaviors of different species.
Rationale:
1. Choice A (Factor that causes abnormal behavior) is incorrect because 'habitat' does not refer to a factor causing abnormal behavior but rather to the natural environment where species live.
2. Choice B (Rainforest) is incorrect because 'habitat' is not synonymous with 'rainforest.' While the rainforest is a specific type of habitat, 'habitat' refers more broadly to any natural environment where species live.
3. Choice D (Environmentally friendly processes) is incorrect because 'habitat' does not relate to environmentally friendly processes but rather to the specific natural surroundings where organisms live and thrive.
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Nurseries
If you thought nurseries were just for babies, well, think again! Being special kinds of farms, nurseries are used to raise plants in mass quantities. Plants, trees, and shrubs are typically grown in nurseries and then sold to farmers and gardeners to plant in homes, businesses and farms. Most nurseries are found in the more rural parts the country because much land is required to have a viable nursery. If a nursery sells plants to others, it must obtain a special permit from the local city or county, which keeps the competition fair and does not saturate the market with a large number of nurseries selling similar products.
Also on the grounds of nurseries are greenhouses which are made of glass or plastic panes that protect the plants from weather elements that may harm them and cause them not to grow and develop. The glass panels in greenhouses allow for sunlight to enter and moisture to be trapped inside. This creates a tropical environment which allows orchids and poinsettias to grow. It ensures that vegetables and fruits will grow large, which makes them valuable to farmers.
Why do they need a special permit?
- A. To ensure that nurseries follow safety regulations.
- B. Too many nurseries mean that there are not enough buyers for the plants that need to be sold.
- C. To control the quality of plants sold in nurseries.
- D. To provide financial assistance to new nursery owners.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Nurseries need a special permit to prevent oversaturation of the market with a large number of nurseries selling similar products. If there are too many nurseries, it can lead to a situation where there are not enough buyers for the plants being produced, which can impact the businesses' sustainability and profitability. By regulating the number of nurseries through permits, the local government aims to maintain a balance between supply and demand in the market.
Isaac Asimov: Isaac Asimov (1920 - 1992) was a very prolific writer, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Most of Asimov's popularized science books explain scientific concepts in a historical way, going as far back as possible to a time when the science in question was at its simplest stage.
Asimov is widely considered a master of the science-fiction genre and, along with Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke, was considered one of the 'Big Three' science-fiction writers during his lifetime. He also wrote mysteries and fantasy, as well as a great amount of nonfiction. Asimov wrote the Lucky Starr series of juvenile science-fiction novels using the pen name Paul French.
Asimov was afraid of flying, so he seldom traveled great distances, partly because his aversion to flying complicated the logistics of long-distance travel. He did enjoy traveling on cruise ships, and on several occasions he became part of the cruise's entertainment, giving science-themed talks. Asimov was an able public speaker, and enjoyed speaking to groups, especially at science fiction conventions.
Who were the 'Big Three' mentioned in the article?
- A. Asimov, Heinlein, Clarke.
- B. Asimov, French, Clarke.
- C. Heinlein, Clarke, French.
- D. Asimov, Heinlein, French.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The correct answer is A: Asimov, Heinlein, Clarke. In the text, it is stated that Asimov, along with Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke, were considered the 'Big Three' science-fiction writers during his lifetime. This means that these three authors were widely recognized as the leading figures in the science-fiction genre at that time.
Choice B is incorrect because Paul French is mentioned as Asimov's pen name for the Lucky Starr series of juvenile science-fiction novels, not as one of the 'Big Three' science-fiction writers.
Choice C is incorrect because although it includes Heinlein and Clarke, it adds French instead of Asimov, who is a part of the 'Big Three'.
Choice D is incorrect because it includes Asimov and Heinlein, but instead of Clarke, it includes French, who is not part of the 'Big Three' as indicated in the text.
Therefore, based on the information provided in the
The Moon has been worshipped by primitive peoples and has inspired humans to create everything from lunar calendars to love sonnets. But what do we really know about it? The most accepted theory about the Moon's origin is that it was formed from the debris of a massive collision with the young Earth about 4.6 billion years ago. A huge body, perhaps the size of Mars, struck the Earth, throwing out an immense amount of debris that coalesced and cooled in orbit around the Earth.The development of Earth is inextricably linked to the Moon; the Moon's gravitational influence upon the Earth is the primary cause of ocean tides. In fact, the Moon has more than twice the effect on the tides than the Sun. The Moon makes one rotation and completes a revolution around the Earth every 27 days, 7 hours, and 43 minutes. This synchronous rotation is caused by an uneven distribution of mass in the Moon (essentially, it is heavier on one side than the other) and has allowed the Earth's gravity to keep one side of the Moon permanently facing Earth.The average distance from Earth to the Moon is about 384,403 km. The Moon has no atmosphere; without it, the Moon has no protection from meteorite impacts, resulting in a surface covered with impact craters, both large and small. The Moon also has no active tectonic or volcanic activity, so the erosive effects of atmospheric weathering, tectonic shifts, and volcanic upheavals that tend to erase and reform the Earth’s surface features are not at work on the Moon. In fact, even tiny surface features, such as the footprint left by an astronaut in the lunar soil, are likely to last for millions of years unless obliterated by a chance meteorite strike. The surface gravity of the Moon is about one-sixth that of Earth's. Therefore, a person weighing 82 kilograms on Earth would only weigh 14 kilograms on the Moon. The geographical features of the Earth most similar to those of the Moon are places such as the Hawaiian volcanic craters and the huge meteor crater in Arizona. However, the climate of the Moon is very different from either Hawaii or Arizona; in fact, the temperature on the Moon ranges from 123 degrees Celsius to -233 degrees Celsius.
What is the passage primarily about?
- A. What we know about the Moon and its differences from Earth
- B. A comparison of the Moon and Earth
- C. The Moon's effect on Earth
- D. The origin of the Moon
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The passage primarily discusses various aspects of the Moon, what is known about it, and how it differs from Earth. It covers topics such as the Moon's formation, gravitational influence on Earth, lack of atmosphere, surface features, gravity, and climate. While it mentions the Moon's origin and its effect on Earth, the main focus is on providing information about the Moon and highlighting its distinctions from Earth.
About 6% of the earth is covered by rainforests. The largest rainforest in the world is the
Amazon Basin, which stretches over 2.3 million square miles in nine different South American countries. This area is double the length of all the other remaining rainforests in the world. Brazil contains 60%of the Amazonian rainforest, since it lies at the mouth of the river Amazon. This river is the second largest in the world and contains more than one-fifth oftheworldĆ¢Ä‚¬Ä„¢sfresh water. The Amazon rainforest is a type of wet broadleaf forest. The weather there is very humid and warm as it rains quite a bit. Because of the high rainfall, the forest is very rich and green. The
tree leaves are pointed and narrow so that the raindrops can easily drop off wet plants. This
tropical rainforest has more living species than the entire European continent. There are over 400 types of insects living in one single rain forest tree for a total of 2.5 million species. One square kilometer of rainforest may contain over 75,000 types of trees and approximately 438,000
different kinds of plants, which comes to a total of 90,000 tons of greenery overall. The Amazon rainforest is home to 2,000 birds and mammals, with one in every five birds in the world living there. Local farmers have lived off this rich and diverse land for thousands of years. They have been able to find food and water here without destroying the land. The Kayapo people of Brazil
farm in an environmentally-friendly way. Instead of chemicals, they use burned wood to enrich the soil, and plant banana trees, which attract wasps. These wasps then feed on leafcutter ants and get rid of these harmful insects. The rainforest also offers a lot of tropical fruits, such as bananas and coconuts, as food.
Cinnamon is made from the bark of a rainforest tree. Amazonian Indians use the fruit and stem
of the Buruti plant as a drink, to make bread and to build houses. Many other plants are used as medicine. But the Amazon rainforest is in very big danger of disappearing. 9,169 square miles of
forest have been cut down in 2003 in Brazil alone. An area of the size of a football field is burned down basically every minute, which means that the rain forest may be gone by the year 2030.The dangers related to this type of activity are obvious. Trees take in poisonous carbon
dioxide from the air and give off oxygen. There is more oxygen and less carbon dioxide around a
rainforest. When trees are cut down, however, the amount of carbon dioxide increases, and the
air gets warmer. This leads to global warming, which is extremely harmful to the environment. It
is estimated that the burning of Brazilian rainforests alone produces 200 million metric tons of carbon dioxide ayear. Another danger connected with destroying the rainforest is the disappearance of plants and animals. When trees are cut down, plants and animals have no more
food left and slowly die out. Killing wild animals is illegal in Brazil, but there is plenty of stealing going on. 38 million animals are stolen and sold illegally each year. The most hunted
animals are birds, especially parrots, followed by snakes and the jaguar.
How can you describe the Amazon rainforest?
- A. It rains all the time, making the forest consistently green.
- B. The weather is hot, which deters many tourists from visiting.
- C. The plants have pointed and narrow shapes to allow rainwater to easily pour off them.
- D. The Amazon River provides a significant amount of fresh water.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The correct answer is A. The description of the Amazon rainforest provided in the passage emphasizes the high levels of rainfall in the region, leading to a very humid and warm environment that supports lush greenery. The passage mentions that the tree leaves are shaped in a way that raindrops can easily drop off wet plants, contributing to the constant greenness of the forest. This information aligns with choice A, making it the most accurate description of the Amazon rainforest based on the provided passage.
A nanometer is a billionth of a meter. A DNA molecule is 2 nanometers in diameter. Protein
molecules are about 10 nanometers in diameter. A human hair is 100,000 nanometers in diameter.
But what is a nanometer and how does it relate to technology? Nanotechnology is defined as the
understanding and control of matter at dimensions of roughly 1 to 100 nanometers, a scale at
which unique properties of materials emerge that can be used to develop novel technologies and
products. At the nanoscale, the physical, chemical, and biological properties of materials differ
from the properties of matter either at smaller scales, such as atoms, or at larger scales that we
use in everyday life such as millimeters or inches. Nanotechnology involves imaging, measuring,
modeling, and manipulating matter only a few nanometers in size. Gold nanoparticles are made
of the same material as in jewelry. But when light interacts with particles of gold, different colors
are reflected. The different colors can be used in simple medical tests to indicate infection or
disease. Metals such as copper become extremely rigid at the nanoscale, rather than bendable as
in copper wires seen in everyday use.
What is the major difference between matter at the nanoscale and matter at larger scales such as millimeters or inches?
- A. At the nanoscale, metals are bendable, and at larger scales, they are rigid.
- B. Matter has different and special characteristics at the nanoscale.
- C. At the nanoscale, matter has the same properties as matter at the atomic level.
- D. There is no difference.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The correct answer is B. Matter at the nanoscale exhibits unique properties that differ from those at larger scales, such as millimeters or inches. At the nanoscale, materials show novel characteristics that emerge due to their size, leading to different behaviors compared to the same materials at larger scales. This difference in behavior is a key aspect of nanotechnology, where understanding and controlling matter at the nanoscale allow for the development of innovative technologies and products.