Sentence Completion

The life of the European bee-eater

1. (flying) insects

Para: 1

Keywords: preys, bee

bee-eaters eat bees (though their diet includes just about any flying insect)

• bee-eaters eat = bee-eaters’ prey

2. poison

Para: 1

Keywords: remove, from bee, before eating

when the bird catches a bee, it returns to its tree to get rid of the bee’s poison

• get rid of = remove

3. river valleys

Para: 2

plenty of food, agricultural land

farmland and river valleys provide huge numbers of insects

• farmland = agricultural land
• huge numbers of insects = plenty of food

4. Africa

Para: 3

Keywords: migrate, winter, different parts

Massive flocks from Spain, France and northern Italy cross the Sahara desert to their wintering grounds in West Africa. Bee-eaters from Hungary … to winter in southern Africa

• cross = migrate
• West Africa, southern Africa = different parts of Africa

5. predators

Para: 3

Keywords: almost one-third, not survive

at least 30 percent of the birds will be killed by predators before the make it back to Europe the following spring

• at least 30 percent = almost one-third
• will be killed = not survive

6. tunnels

Para: 4

Keywords: nests, build themselves

birds build nests by digging tunnels in riverbanks

7. chicks

Para: 5

Keywords: when nesting, receive food, different family members

the nesting season is a time when family members help each other, and sons or uncles help feed their father’s or brothers’ chicks as soon as they come out of their eggs.

• feed = receive food
• sons or uncles = different family members

8. pesticides

Para: 6

Keywords: problem, reduce, food

bee-eaters today find it harder to find food, as there are fewer insects around as a result of pesticides.

• find it harder to find food = reduce, food
• as a result of = problem

Palm oil

1. solid

Para: A

Keywords: advantage, manufacturers, stays, not refrigerated

Why is palm oil so attractive for manufacturers? Primarily because its unique properties - such as remaining solid at room temperature

• so attractive = advantage
• remaining = stays
• at room temperature = not refrigerated

2. (Sumatran) orangutan

Para: C

Keywords: best known, animals, habitat loss, result, spread, oil palm plantations

Endangered species – most famously the Sumatran orangutan, but also rhinos, elephants, tigers, and numerous other fauna – have suffered from the unstoppable spread of oil palm plantations.

• most famously = best known

3. carbon stocks

Para: G

Keywords: RSPO, growers, check, on a routine basis

The RSPO insists upon no virgin forest clearing, transparency and regular assessment of carbon stocks, among other criteria.

• regular = on a routine basis
• assessment = check

4. biodiversity

Para: H

Keywords: Ellwood, the bird’s nest fern, restore, areas, oil palm trees are grown

Ellwood believes that reintroducing the bird's nest fern into oil palm plantations could potentially allow these areas to recover their biodiversity

• oil palm plantations = areas where oil palm trees are grown
• recover = restore

The honey badger

1. aggressive

Para: 1

the honey badger … has a reputation for being … fearless, despite its small size … its most aggressive

Keywords:

• not big = small size
• fearless

2. humans

Para: 1

even humans are not safe … harm it.

Keywords:

• attack = not safe
• protect themselves

3. instantly recognizable

Para: 2

they are instantly recognizable by grey and white stripes that extend from the top of the head to the tail

Keywords: pattern, colors, back

• pattern = stripes
• colors = grey and white

4. varied

Para: 3

honey badgers are meat-eating animals with an extremely varied diet

Keywords: food, meat-based

• meat-based = meat-eating

5. small creatures

Para: 3

they mainly eat a range of small creatures

Keywords: biggest part, diet

• biggest part, diet = mainly eat

6. smell

Para: 4

the badgers locate their prey mainly using their excellent sense of smell

Keywords: find creatures, by

• find creatures = locate their prey
• by = using

7. special traps

Para: 5

bee-keepers will often set special traps for honey badgers, to protect their hives

Keywords: catch honey badgers

• set special traps for honey badgers = catch honey badgers

8. working relationship

Para: 6

one of the most fascinating aspects of the honey badgers is its working relationship with a bird called greater honeyguide (Indicator indicator) … extracts the brood.

Keywords: one particular type of food, another creature

• one particular type of food = the brood
• another creature = a bird called greater honeyguide (Indicator indicator)

The effects of light on plant and animal species

1. temperatures

Para: 2

Keywords: day length, useful cue, areas, unpredictable

day length is an excellent cue, because it provides a perfectly predictable pattern of changes within the year. In the temperate zone in spring, temperatures fluctuate greatly from day to day, but day length increases steadily by a predictable amount.

• excellent cue = useful cue
• zone = areas
• fluctuate greatly from day to day = unpredictable

2. day-neutral (plants)

Para: 2

Keywords: plants, not respond to light levels

plants which flower after a period of vegetative growth, regardless of photoperiod, are known as day-neutral plants

• not respond to light level = regardless of photoperiod

3. food / food resources / adequate food / adequate food resources

Para: 3

Keywords: birds, temperate climates, longer days, nesting, availability

many temperate-zone birds use the increasing day lengths in spring as a cue to begin the nesting cycle, because this is a point when adequate food resources will be assured.

• longer days = increasing day lengths
• availability = will be assured

4. insects / fertilization by insects

Para: 4

Keywords: plants, flower, days, long, depend on, reproduce

long-day plants are adapted for situations that require fertilization by insects.

5. (suitable) rainfall

Para: 4

Keywords: desert annuals, respond, signal for reproduction

desert annuals germinate, flower and seed whenever suitable rainfall occurs, regardless of day length.

• signal for reproduction = germinate, flower and seed

6. sugarcane

Para: 6

Keywords: no limit, photosynthetic rate

others, like sugarcane, never reach a maximum, but continue to increase photosynthesis rate as light intensity rises.

• no limit = never reach a maximum

7. classification

Para: 7

Keywords: tolerance to shade, forestry, horticulture

… shade-tolerant species and shade-intolerant species. This classification is commonly used in forestry and horticulture