02: Spooky/Halloween

Bats
     For centuries, myths and fantastic stories have led to an unfounded fear of bats.  In reality, however, bats pose very little threat to humans and, in some cases, are even beneficial.  Perhaps the greatest bat myth of all centers on vampire bats, which are not vampires at all -- they do not morph from human to bat form, nor do they swoop in through bedroom windows to feast on human blood.  Natives of South America, vampire bats feed on the blood of birds and other animals.  In order for one of these bats to attack a human, all of its other food sources would have to be depleted.  Most bats, though, procure their sustenance from insects and the nectar from flowers.  The entire ecosystem benefits from these bats because they help control the insect population.  For example, one bat can eat thousands of mosquitoes, thinning out the numbers of these pests.  Bats that eat nectar cross-pollinate plants that we use for medicines, bandages, and food.  Without the bats’ help, these plants would not be able to reproduce.
     Have you ever seen a bat fly?  Often, bats fly unsteadily with their mouths open.  Although this may make them look sinister, it is ot a sign that they are poised to attack.  Rather, bats are using echolocation to find food.  Echolocation works just like your voice when you yell and hear your echo.  As bats fly, they make high-pitched clicking sounds with their noses and mouths.  These sounds echo, or bounce, off whatever they meet.  By listening for the echoes, bats can determine their surroundings and whether prey is present.  By reading the echo, bats know an object’s size, texture, density, and distance.  Indeed, bats are fascinating creatures that certainly do more good than harm.

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Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

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Which of the following best states the author's purpose?

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Which of the following statements best describes the reason for the last paragraph?

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According to the passage, why do many people fear bats?

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As used in the passage, the word sustenance most nearly means

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Which of the following is NOT a reason explaining how bats help people?

Mummification
     The ancient Egyptians are known for their careful methods of mummification.  They carried out this important ritual because they believed that the person’s ka, or life force, would exist in the afterlife only if it had a body in which to live.  After an important person died, usually a pharaoh, the process would begin.
     Mummifying a body could take up to seventy days.  First, the body would be purified with wine and water from the Nile.  Then an incision was made on the left side of the body so the internal organs could be removed.  The vital organs (liver, stomach, intestines, and lungs) were preserved.  The brain was removed through the nose and thrown away.  The heart was kept in the middle of the chest because it was thought to be the center of intelligence.  Originally, the vital organs would be placed in special jars that were placed in the tomb with the body, but in later practices, they were wrapped and put back into the body.
     Next, the body was covered with a special salt solution and left to dehydrate for almost forty days.  It was washed again and rubbed with oils and herbs before being wrapped with layers of linen.  Special charms were often put between the layers of cloth to protect the person during his or her journey through the underworld.  During this process, a priest would often say prayers to keep evil spirits away.
     When the wrapping was finished, the mummy was put in a coffin, and a funeral was held.  The body was then placed in a tomb alongside special, valuable objects, such as furniture, clothing, and jewels.  People also put food and drink in the tomb for use in the afterlife.  After all this preparation, the body would finally be ready to make its journey through the underworld.

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Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

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Which of the following best states the author's purpose?

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Which of the following best describes how the Egyptians viewed vital organs?

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As used in the passage, the word incision means

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Which of the following best describes the reason for the last paragraph?

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Which series best explains the process of mummification?

The Black Widow
     The black widow lives in warmer regions of the world, including all four deserts in the southwestern United States.  It is considered to be one of the most venomous spiders in North America; however, only the female black widow is poisonous.  The venom she excretes is fifteen times more poisonous than that of a rattlesnake.  Even though the amount of venom secreted by a black widow is minuscule, it can still be fatal.
     The female black widow has a reddish hourglass marking on the underside of her abdomen.  The males have yellow and red bands and spots on their backs.  Both have shiny black bodies, and the females, with bodies about an inch and a half long, are twice the size of males.  Hatchlings are usually white or yellowish-white before they turn black.  Before they are fully mature, both sexes look like the male spider and are not poisonous.
     These spiders usually mate during the spring.  Sometimes, the female has been known to kill and eat the male after they mate.  The female can lay up to nine batches of eggs during one summer.  The eggs are kept in a papery sac and are hung from the web.  A batch can have up to 900 eggs inside, but because they are easy prey, usually fewer than twelve babies will survive.
     The black widow is shy and likes to live on the undersides of rocks, plants, and other places where webs can be built.  They hang upside down from the web, which does not have a special structure or form.  After the black widow catches insects in its web, it makes small holes in the prey and sucks out the liquid from its body.  This vampire-like behavior could be one reason why people are fearful of spiders.

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Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

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Which of the following best states the author's purpose?

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Which statement best describes the reason for the last paragraph?

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Which word best describes the mating behavior of the black widow?

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As used in the passage, the word excretes most nearly means

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Which description of the black widow is true?

Chocolate
     While many chocolate candies are available in the United States today, we are not the first to eat this tasty treat.  The word “chocolate” is a Nahuatl word.  Nahuatl is a language that originated almost 500 years ago with the Aztecs.  Many people in Mexico still speak it today.  The Aztecs believed that chocolate was a gift from the gods and that the cacao trees were bridges between earth and heaven.  Chocolate was used for daily drinks and also for special ceremonies.
     When Spaniards came to Mexico in the 1500s, they were introduced to the Aztec’s chocolate and learned how it was made.  Chocolate is made from the cacao bean.  The beans grow in pods on trees.  The seeds are removed from the pods and left to ferment.  Then, the seeds are dried, roasted, and ground into small pieces.  When the seeds are ground, oil, called cocoa butter, is released.  This butter is mixed with the ground pieces to form chocolate liquor, which is then left to cool and harden.  Chocolate liquor is the base for all chocolate products.  If sugar is not added, the chocolate stays bitter.  Milk chocolate is made when milk and sugar are added to the liquor.  Cocoa powder is made when the liquor is ground into powder, and often the powder is mixed with milk and sugar to make a hot drink.
     The Spaniards learned these processes and wrote about them in a book called History of the Indies, which was translated into English in 1604.  The rest of Europe soon became fascinated with chocolate, but it was not until 1657 that it became available in a candy shop in London, England.  Since chocolate was new in this part of the world, it was a luxury item.  Later, other countries discovered the tasty treat, and soon, people like Milton S. Hershey made chocolate affordable and available to the public.

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Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

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Which of the following best states the author's purpose?

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A used in the passage, the word luxury most nearly means

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Which of the following statements best describes the reason for the first paragraph?

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According to the passage, how is chocolate made?

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Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

Which of the following best states the author's purpose?

Which of the following statements best describes the reason for the last paragraph?

According to the passage, why do many people fear bats?

As used in the passage, the word sustenance most nearly means

Which of the following is NOT a reason explaining how bats help people?

Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

Which of the following best states the author's purpose?

Which of the following best describes how the Egyptians viewed vital organs?

As used in the passage, the word incision means

Which of the following best describes the reason for the last paragraph?

Which series best explains the process of mummification?

Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

Which of the following best states the author's purpose?

Which statement best describes the reason for the last paragraph?

Which word best describes the mating behavior of the black widow?

As used in the passage, the word excretes most nearly means

Which description of the black widow is true?

Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

Which of the following best states the author's purpose?

A used in the passage, the word luxury most nearly means

Which of the following statements best describes the reason for the first paragraph?

According to the passage, how is chocolate made?

How did the Aztecs view chocolate?