Answer the questions at the end based on the text.

Birds (Aves) are a group of endothermic vertebrates, characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a lightweight but strong skeleton. Birds live worldwide and range in size from the 5 cm (2 in) bee hummingbird to the 2.75 m (9 ft) ostrich. They rank as the class of tetrapods with the most living species, at approximately ten thousand, with more than half of these being passerines, sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds.

The fossil record indicates that birds are the last surviving dinosaurs, having evolved from feathered ancestors within the theropod group of saurischian dinosaurs. True birds first appeared during the Cretaceous period, around 100 million years ago. DNA-based evidence finds that birds diversified dramatically around the time of the CretaceousPaleogene extinction event that killed off all other dinosaurs. Birds in South America survived this event and then migrated to other parts of the world via multiple land bridges while diversifying during periods of global cooling. Primitive bird-like dinosaurs that lie outside class Aves proper, in the broader group Avialae, have been found dating back to the mid-Jurassic period. Many of these early "stem-birds", such as Archaeopteryx, were not yet capable of fully powered flight, and many retained primitive characteristics like toothy jaws in place of beaks, and long bony tails.

1. What do fossil records say about birds?
2. What did they evolve from?
3. What group?
4. When did they first appear?
5. How long ago was that?
6. What group are they classified as?
7. What are their characteristics?
8. Anything else?
9. How many chambers does their heart have?
10. Where do they live?
11. How big are they?
12. What is the smallest?
13. How big are they?
14. What is the largest?
15. What is their size?
16. What is their class rank?
17. How many living species are there?
18. What are half known as?
19. What is another name for that?
20. When did they diversify dramatically?

Numbered answers:

A: 1. are the last surviving dinosaurs
2. from feathered ancestors
3. theropod group of saurischian dinosaurs
4. during the Cretaceous period
5. around 100 million years ago
6. endothermic vertebrates
7. feathers, toothless beaked jaws,
8. the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate,
9. Four
10. Birds live worldwide
11. range in size
12. bee hummingbird
13. 5 cm (2 in)
14. ostrich
15. 2.75 m (9 ft)
16. tetrapods
17. approximately ten thousand
18. passerines
19. perching birds
20. CretaceousPaleogene extinction event

Answer the questions at the end based on the text.

CHAPTER XXIV

A WAR OF WORDS

The knowledge that Professor Lemm, Slugger Brown and Nappy Martell were approaching the cabins on the upper end of Snowshoe Island filled the Rover boys with wonder.

"Professor Lemm must have come to see Uncle Barney about those deeds," remarked Randy.

"I wonder if that is Slugger's father with him?" broke in Fred.

"Maybe," answered Jack. "Those men were the only two who were interested in getting possession of this island."

"I'll tell you what I think we ought to do!" exclaimed Andy.

"What?" came from the others quickly.

"I think we ought to go back to our own cabin and arm ourselves."

"That might not be such a bad idea, Andy," returned Jack. "Those men, backed up by Slugger and Nappy, may want to carry things with a high hand."

Acting on Andy's suggestion, the four boys retreated to the cabin which they had just left, and each took possession of his weapon.

"I don't think they'll try much rough-house work when they see how we are armed," remarked Randy grimly.

"Of course, we don't want to do any shooting," cautioned Jack. "We only want to scare them, in case they go too far."

"Jack, you had better be the spokesman for the crowd," remarked Randy. "You go ahead and talk to them, and we'll stand back with our guns."

Still holding his rifle, Jack went forward again, and in a moment more found himself confronted by Asa Lemm and the man who was with him.

1. Who had an idea of what to do?
2. What was his idea?
3. What is the professor's name?
4. How many people were approaching the cabins?
5. What were their names?
6. Who was the professor coming to see?
7. Did they want to do any shooting?
8. What did they want to do?
9. Who had better be the spokesman?
10. How many boys returned to the cabin?
11. Did Jack like Andy's idea?

Numbered answers:

A: 1. Andy
2. go back to their cabin and arm themselves
3. Professor Lemm
4. two
5. Professor Lemm, Slugger Brown and Nappy Martell
6. Uncle Barney
7. no
8. scare them
9. Jack
10. four
11. yes

Answer the questions at the end based on the text.

Dan Bebber is a senior research fellow at the University of Exeter in Britain. He says research has shown that wild plants and animals are moving toward Earth's North and South poles as the planet warms.

Mr Bebber wanted to know if the same thing was happening with organisms that attack agricultural crops. He examined reports of first sightings of new insects and diseases around the world. The records came from CABI - the Centre for Agricultural Bioscience International. He says the group began collecting information from developing and industrialized countries years ago.

Dan Bebber and his research team studied 612 different organisms - from viruses and bacteria to insects like beetles and butterflies. They found that since 1960, crop pests and diseases have been moving toward the poles at an average rate of about 3 kilometers each year. Mr Bebber says this puts the most productive farmland in the world in danger.

"As new species of pests and diseases evolve and potentially the environment for them becomes more _ at higher latitudes, the pressure on the breadbaskets of the world is going to increase."

Farmers face other threats. Invasive species passed through trade are also causing problems. Gene Kritsky is an Entomologist at the College of Mount St. Joseph in Ohio. He specialises in the study of insects. He says climate change may improve conditions for some invasive species.

"It means that species in other parts of the world that might do well in warmer temperatures can now do well in the breadbasket of America."

Another Entomologist Christian Krupke of Purdue University says the effects of these changes will depend very much on the crop, the insect and the disease. But he says the research is a warning sign that people should care about climate change and do something about it.

1. Who is Dan Bebber?
2. Who does he research for?
3. What is he researching?
4. And?
5. How many organisms did he study?
6. How far have they been moving?
7. What other challenges are farmers facing?
8. Why are they invading?
9. Who are the two entomologists mentioned?
10. How does Christian feel about the research?

Numbered answers:

A:
1. a senior researcher
2. University of Exeter
3. to see if wild plants and animals are moving toward Earth's North and South poles as the planet warms.
4. he found they were
5. 612
6. 3 km per year
7. Invasive species
8. they do well in those temperatures
9. Gene Kritsky and Christian Krupke
10. he feels like it's a warning sign