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IELTS Reading Passage: It’s only cockroach
It’s only cockroach
One night, when I switched on the light in my kitchen, I saw it. My body recoils and my first reaction is to scream. I struggle to maintain self-control and find myself trembling, unable to cope with the beast in front of me. Although it is only a cockroach, its huge size, long antennae, glossy look, and spiky legs give it an especially unpleasant appearance. And it looks like everyone else feels the same way, to the point of having phobic reactions.
Whilst this is the primary reason I want these pests gone from my apartment, they also represent domestic hygiene because of their foul smell, their ability to passively carry germs, and the tracks of droppings they leave behind. It’s obvious that they can’t live together. Thus, I do all I can to repel these pests. Food is stored in airtight containers, garbage cans have tight-fitting lids, my kitchen is neat, and my flat is cleaned and washed every night. I’ve also sealed off potential access sites, yet these horrible creatures still manage to enter. I need a way to kill them.
In general, another insect is the most effective cockroach killer. These animals are the target of a particular kind of wasp. The cockroach is temporarily paralyzed after being bitten in the brain, which is reached with a swift, precise swoop. We all know how quick cockroaches can run, therefore this is really necessary. The wasp has just a few minutes to prepare its next sting in the brain region that coordinates the cockroaches’ flying instinct. The cockroach is humbled, obedient, and doomed once the paralysis wears off. The wasp then drags its prey away after biting off the victim’s antennae to prevent flight.
Faced with such predation, cockroaches often hide during the day, and their ability to flatten their bodies enables them to conceal themselves in almost any nook or corner. There, they patiently await night before surfacing to look for food, and they will usually flee when exposed to light. In this regard, I was informed that the tiny and agile house centipede is most likely the most successful cockroach predator, since it can locate and extract even the most well-concealed prey. Unfortunately, I would contend that having centipedes in your home is much more revolting, if that’s even possible. I just cannot win this game.
Can anybody win? These pests are just about the toughest on Earth. Some are capable of without food for up to three months, some can survive on the smallest trace of nourishment (such as the adhesive on the back of postage stamps), while others may survive without air for over thirty minutes. However, they do not do well in cold weather, preferring the warmth and safety of structures. There, the female lays egg capsules carrying around 40 eggs, and due to the insect’s very prolonged lifetime (about a year), 300 to 400 offspring may be produced in all. Hence, once these insects have infected a structure, they are very tough to exterminate.
Nonetheless, cockroaches do contain some complexity. In addition to leaving chemical signals in their droppings, cockroaches emit pheromones into the air to alert other cockroaches of food and water supplies, as well as their own presence. In fact, these insects are somewhat gregarious, therefore the latter is more significant. In fact, these insects are somewhat gregarious, therefore the latter is more significant. According to research, cockroaches make group-based judgments and collaborate often. In one research, a large number of cockroaches were placed in a dish containing three smaller shelters. The insects distributed themselves evenly between two of the shelters, leaving the third one empty. When these shelters were substituted by two extremely big ones, all of the cockroaches gathered in a solitary one. These species seem to like the company of others and a somewhat equitable distribution of resources.
Hence, should I feel admiration? In Western society, it is difficult; cockroaches are portrayed nearly universally as disgusting and filthy vermin. In the bug’s most famous literary appearance, Franz Kafka’s ‘The Metamorphosis,’ Gregor is turned into a hideous insect, likely a cockroach, overnight (although the story never quite makes that clear). The reaction of Gregor’s family and friends to his change is entirely predictable; they can never accept him again. He ultimately passes away as an outcast and a solitary, despised and abused – a poignant symbol of isolation and rejection. However, in the Pixar cartoon film Wall-E, a cockroach is an essential companion to a solitary robot surviving on a world burned by a nuclear war.
In any case, I am confronted with a significant problem: a huge, unattractive cockroach is slowly moving over my sink, its antennae waving as it explores. If I attempt to grasp it, it will dart away, and I doubt I’ll be able to catch it before it vanishes into all the nooks and crannies of my old flat. So, I slowly remove my shoe, focused on squashing the bug, but then almost scream again as it gets to its feet, expands its membrane wings, and flies away with a loud buzzing sound. Oh, just what I need, they can also fly!
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Questions
Questions 1-3
Complete the summary below.
Choose ONE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Cockroaches use 1. _________ in the air to communicate, and show a willingness to 2. __________ , yet the author struggles to feel 3. __________ for these insects.
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Questions 4-5
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D. Circle the correct letter in
4. The author wants to
- catch the cockroach.
- kill the cockroach.
- touch the cockroach.
- fly like a cockroach.
5. Gregor
- becomes a cockroach.
- is a famous character.
- despises his friends.
- needs companionship.
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Questions 6-9
Answer the questions.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
6. What aspect of cockroaches makes the author want them removed from the home?
7. What human aspect do they endanger?
8. Which insect is the best cockroach killer?
9. What can cockroaches do to easily hide?
Questions 10-13
Answer the question from True/ False or Not Given.
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts with the information
NOT GIVEN there is no information on this
10. The author finds cockroaches more repulsive than centipedes.
11. Cockroaches live longer than many other insects.
12. Cockroaches will fight over food.
13. Cockroaches are often the subject of research.
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It’s only cockroach reading answers
1. Answer: pheromones
2. Answer: collaborate
3. Answer: admiration
4. Answer: B
5. Answer: D
6. Answer: unpleasant appearance
7. Answer: domestic hygiene
8. Answer: wasp
9. Answer: flatten
10. Answer: False
11. Answer: True
12. Answer: False
13. Answer: Not given
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