Another
of the processes that affects the number of species on earth is extinction,
which refers to the situation in which a species ceases to exist. When
environmental conditions change, a species needs to adapt to the new environmental
conditions, or it may become extinct. Extinction of a species is not a rare
occurrence but is instead a rather commonplace one: it has been estimated that
more than 99 percent of the species that have ever existed have become extinct.
Extinction may occur when a species fails to adapt to evolving environmental
conditions in a limited area, a process known as background extinction. In
contrast, a broader and more abrupt extinction, known as mass extinction, may
happen as a result of a catastrophic event or global climatic change. When such
event or change occurs, some species are able to adapt to the new environment,
while those that are unable to adapt become extinct. From fossil evidence, it
appears that at least five great mass extinctions have occurred; the last mass
extinction occurred 65 million years ago, when the dinosaurs became extinct
after 140 million years of existence on earth, marking the end of the Mesozoic
Era and the beginning of the Cenozoic Era.
Gunakan Petunjuk A dalam
menjawab soal nomor 41 sampai nomor 42.
41. What is the topic
of the paragraph?
(A) Environmental
factors related to extinction
(B) The extinction of
species
(C) Background
extinction
(D) Species’ability to
adapt
(E) Factors affecting
the number of species
42. The paragraph
preceding this passage most probably discusses _____.
(A) natural conditions
that contributed to the process of extinction
(B) types of species
that lived during the Mesozoic Era
(C) how species adapted
to the environment in the Cenozoic Era
(D) the reasons why
extinction couldn’t be avoided
(E) a different factor
that influences the total population of species
The
unmistakable buzz of a bumblebee is one of the quintessential sounds of British
summertime. However, this slender sound and faint utterance is under threat
because bumblebees are in crisis. Of the 25 species native to Britain, three
have already been declared extinct, five are designated UK Biodiversity Action
Plan priority species, and many more have undergone major range contractions.
The great yellow bumblebee, Bombus distinguendus, for example, is now
restricted to northern Scotland, Orkney and the Hebrides, and the shrill carder
bee, Bombus sylvarum, which wasonce common throughout southern Britain, now
exists only in seven small groups. In addition, as these populationsbecome more
isolated they can become inbred, which increases the risk of further
extinctions.
At
the end of summer all the bumblebees in a colony die, apart from the virgin
queens who mate and then leave the nest to hibernate over winter. In the spring
a queen will make a new nest, lay eggs and then raise the first batch of workers.
This annual cycle depends on there being enough pollen and nectar to sustain
the queen as she establishes her nest and team of workers as the colony grows.
Pollen is a protein-rich fuel that is key to helping over-wintered queens
tokickstart their reproductive systems ready and for the development of larvae.
Nectar, on the other hand, is a sugar-rich fuel which is converted to honey to
feed adult bees. The bees make honey by adding to the nectar in their honey
sacs an enzyme called invertase, which converts sucrose sugars to a mixture of
glucose and fructose. Once the workers are developed, they take over the
foraging and the queen concentrates on laying eggs. Later in the year, if the
colony has been successful and reaches a large enough size, the queen will
produce male eggs and some female eggs are raised as new queens.
A
lack of resources is thought to be the critical factor that is affecting
bumblebee populations, and it is related to the loss of wild flowers, both in
the countryside and in vast areas of suburban gardens. The biggest impact has
been the availability of food and drink, in particular the continuity of
supplies throughout the colony cycle. Although nectar is available from a wide
range of plants, the bees can be much more choosy about where they collect
pollen from, sometimes restricting this to very few flowering plants. In Scotland,
overwintered queens of the declining and beautiful bilberry bumblebee focus on
bilberry in spring. Other species may focus on legumes such as red clover and
bird’s-foot trefoil. Sadly, because the UK has lost 98% of its flower-rich
grasslands, this has been devastating for some bumblebee species.
Gunakan Petunjuk A dalam
menjawab soal nomor 43 sampai nomor 47.
43. What is the best
title of the passage?
(A) The Lifecycle of
Bumblebees
(B) Special Species of
Bumblebees
(C) The Declining Bumblebee
Population
(D) Sources of Food
and Drink for Bumblebees
(E) The Survival
Techniques of a Bumblebee Colony
44. What can be
inferred from the passage about the lifecycle of bumblebees?
(A) The new workers
are brought up by the male bees.
(B) Bumblebees
hibernate throughout winter to survive.
(C) The virgin queens
survive the summer and then continue the reproduction.
(D) All the bumblebees
in a colony die when summer ends.
(E) The continuation
of the lifecycle depends on the skill of the queens in collecting food.
45. The word
’developed’ in line 15 can best be replaced by _____.
(A) advanced
(B) mature
(C) old
(D) ready
(E) large enough
46. Which of the
following statements about the passage is FALSE?
(A) When the colony
has been thriving and reached a sufficient size, the queen will lay male eggs.
(B) Some female eggs
are laid to produce new queen bees.
(C) The declining
population of bumblebees has been attributed to the inadequate food resource.
(D) Nectar and pollen
are still widely available even for the choosy species of bumblebees.
(E) A large percentage
of the UK area has lost its ability to supply food for bumblebees.
47. Why did the writer
mention the queens of bilberry bumblebee?
(A) To describe how a
bumblebee may look like
(B) To give example of
bees which can survive the winter
(C) To show one
species of bees whose food resource is declining
(D) To give an example
of a species of bumblebees which is declining
(E) To give an example
of bees which are very selective about source of pollen
Food
additives play a vital role in today’s bountiful and nutritious food supply.
They allow our growing urban population __(48)__ a variety of safe and tasty
foods year-round. They also make possible an array of __(49)__ foods without the
inconvenience of daily shopping. Although salt, baking soda, vanilla and yeast
are commonly used in food today, many people tend to think of any additive as
complex __(50)__ compounds added to foods. __(51)__ , all food additives are
carefully regulated by federal authorities and various international
organizations to __(52)__ that foods are safe to eat and are accurately
labeled.
Gunakan Petunjuk A dalam
menjawab soal nomor 48 sampai nomor 52.
48. ...
(A) enjoyment
(B) enjoying
(C) to be enjoyed
(D) to enjoy
(E) be enjoyed
49. ...
(A) convenient
(B) convenience
(C) conveniently
(D) convention
(E) conventional
50. ...
(A) chemist
(B) chemistry
(C) chemical
(D) chemist’s
(E) chemicals
51. ...
(A) Unexpectedly
(B) As you would
expect
(C) Apparently
(D) Needless to say
(E) Surprisingly
52. ...
(A) ensure
(B) enlighten
(C) enforce
(D) enhance
(E) encourage
Anyone
can buy the shares of a quoted company. They are freely bought and sold in a
special market - the Stock Exchange. When a company wishes __(54)__, it applies
to the Stock Exchange for a quotation, which is a statement of the share price.
If the application is successful, the Stock Exchange deals in its shares and
publishes __(55)__ price each day. There are three main reasons why companies
obtain a quotation. First, many companies need __(56)__. For example, they want
to build a bigger factory or produce a new range of goods. To finance this,
they could try to get the money from a bank. But perhaps they have already
borrowed heavily, so they do not want to __(57)__. Secondly, there are
companies which have been built up by their owners over the years. As the owner
gets older, he does not want all his money to be tied up in the business.
Therefore, he sells part of the company to the public.
Finally,
there is the type of business which started spread among various members of a
family. Some __(59)__ have no interest in the company, while others have
different
ideas about how to run
it. Shareholders disagree strongly, so it becomes difficult to run the company
properly. In such a case, the only solution may be to obtain a quotation on the
Stock Exchange.
There
is one reason why the owners of a company may not wish to obtain a quotation.
If the directors are the only shareholders in their company, they may be
getting substantial benefits from it. For example, the business may own things
like the directors’ houses, their cars and even their wives’ cars. It pays
perhaps for their petrol and holidays,
__(60)__ are business
expenses. In this case, it may be better not to become a quoted company.
Gunakan Petunjuk A dalam
menjawab soal nomor 53 sampai nomor 60.
53. This sentence
"Therefore, he sells part of the company to the public." should be
....
(A) the last sentence
of paragraph 1
(B) the last sentence
of paragraph 2
(C) the last sentence
of paragraph 3
(D) the first sentence
of paragraph 4
(E) the last sentence
of paragraph 4
54. ....
(A) to quote
(B) to be quoting
(C) quoting
(D) to be quoted
(E) quoted
55. ....
(A) its
(B) their
(C) his
(D) our
(E) your
56. ....
(A) to expand money to
raise their business
(B) to expand their
business to raise money
(C) to raise money to
expand their business
(D) to raise business
to expand their money
(E) to expand money by
raising their business
57. ....
(A) increase their
debt
(B) pay off their
money
(C) cancel their
shares
(D) repay their debt
(E) clear their
business
58. ....
(A) is now becoming
(B) now becomes
(C) had become
(D) will become
(E) has now become
59. ....
(A) should
(B) have to
(C) can
(D) may
(E) must
60. ....
(A) that
(B) where
(C) which
(D) why
(E) what
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