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- IELTS Reading Summary Completion
- IELTS Reading Matching Headings
- IELTS Reading True/False/Not given
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IELTS Reading Passage: Crocodile Survives
Crocodile Survives
A Even though crocodiles have been around for 200 million years, they are not a primitive species of animal. Because of the aquatic lifestyle that their ancestors adopted, crocodiles can now be found in water. While most modern reptiles have gone extinct, crocodiles have adapted to the changes in their environment. They survived the rise and fall of the once-dominant dinosaurs and even the 65 million years of supposed mammalian dominance. The ability to adapt has demonstrated how little crocodiles and alligators have changed from their ancient ancestors.
B The earliest ancestor of crocodiles appeared about 250 million years ago. Crocodiles are the ideal and natural stealth hunters due to their characteristics. They have a long tail, streamlined body, armour, and long jaws, for example. Although they have four small, webbed legs, you should never undervalue their mobility on the ground. They move so quickly, especially when hunting, that you won’t even have time to try to make the same mistake by approaching them too closely.
C Crocodiles, like other reptiles, are poikilothermic animals (commonly known as coldblooded, whose body temperature changes with that of the surroundings), and as a result, they need regular exposure to sunlight to raise body temperature. They would rather remain in water or the shade when it is too hot. Crocodiles’ slower metabolism makes them less susceptible to food shortages than mammals and birds. In the worst case, a crocodile can further slow its metabolism to the point where it could go an entire year without eating, allowing it to outlive mammals in unstable environments.
D Crocodiles are very effective at catching prey. Without making any noise or strong vibrations, crocodiles can catch their prey without the prey even being aware of it. It only keeps its height above the water at eye level. As soon as it decides the victim is close enough, it jerks out of the water with its wide open jaws. Crocodiles are able to alter their feeding methods, which aids in their survival. The crocodile rushes forward when an ambush opportunity arises, knocks the animal unconscious with its strong tail, and then drags the prey into the water to drown. It catches birds at the water’s surface and chases after fish. In preparation for a gazelle, it hides in the vegetation by the water.
E The hot season brings drought to many crocodilian habitats, drying up their prey areas and making it more difficult for them to control body temperature. As a result, reptiles could rule. For instance, many crocodiles can defend themselves by excavating holes and encasing themselves in mud while they wait for the rains to return for months without eating or drinking. They enter what is known as aestivation, a quiescent state.
F It is believed that the majority of crocodilians enter aestivation during the dry season. The King Crocodile, a species of fresh water crocodile native to Australia, spent nearly four months of the year underground during a six-year study by Kennett and Christian. In some years, plasma fluid samples were taken once a month to monitor the effects of aestivation with regard to the accumulation of nitrogenous wastes and electrolyte concentrations. Doubly labelled water was used to detect field metabolic rates and water flux.
G According to the study, the crocodiles’ metabolic engines work slowly, producing waste while depleting their water and fat stores. Urine stores waste, which is increasingly concentrated. However, the level of waste materials in blood doesn’t change much, so the crocodiles can go about their daily business. In addition to this, even though the crocodiles lost water reserves and body mass while submerged, the losses were proportional, and when they came to the surface, the aestivating animals exhibited no symptoms of dehydration or other unfavourable effects, such as slowed growth. The two scientists believe that the ability of crocodiles to endure difficult circumstances and protracted starvation periods is undoubtedly the key to the crocodilian line’s survival throughout history.
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Crocodile Survives Reading Questions
Questions 1-6
Complete the summary and write the correct answer (NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS OR A NUMBER) in boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet.
In many places where crocodiles live, most types of crocodiles have evolved a successful strategy to survive the drought brought on by a 1.______________ Kennett and Christian discovered that aestivating crocodiles spent around 2.______________ a year without access to 3.________________ in their six-year study of Australian freshwater crocodiles. The absolute size of body water pools decreased proportionately with 4.________________; thus, even after an aestivation period, there is no evidence of 5.______________ and other health-damaging effects in the crocodiles. This superpower allows crocodiles to survive the harsh drought without significantly slowing their speed of 6.______________.
Questions 7-10
Reading passage 2 has seven paragraphs, A-G.
Choose the correct heading for paragraphs A-G from the list below.
Write the correct number, i-xi, in boxes 7-10 on your answer sheet.
List of Headings
1. The dinosaur’s rivals in history
2. A crucial moment in the Supreme survivors’ history
3. What makes crocodiles the land animal that runs the fastest
4. Body temperature that is controlled by the environment
5. A predator who is successful is given underwater assistance with body composition
6.The ideal body for a fantastic land roamer
7. Slow metabolisms that set crocodiles apart from other reptiles
8. The positive aspects of a drought’s effects
9. Shifting eating patterns and food consumption
10. A project involving a unique mechanism
11. A novel discovery was made recently.
7. Paragraph A
8. Paragraph B
9. Paragraph C
10. Paragraph D
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Questions 11-13
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage? In boxes 11-13 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
11. Scientists have found that crocodiles can chew.
12. As because they have webbed legs their moving capacity is a bit compromised.
13. Crocodiles highly prefer to be in water or shade all day during hot weather conditions.
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Crocodile Survives Reading answers
1. Answer: Dry season
2. Answer: Four months
3. Answer: Water
4. Answer: Body mass
5. Answer: Dehydration
6. Answer: Growth
7. Answer: ii
8. Answer: vi
9. Answer: v
10. Answer: iv
11. Answer: Not given
12. Answer: False
13. Answer: True
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