The Truth About Bears and India's Economic Revival: English Reading Comprehension Exercises

The Truth About Bears

1) a) The biologist collected factual information about bears, like the area where they lived and travelled around. TRUE: ... he tracked their movements and marked them on maps. b) Making close contact with your object of study is normal in scientific research. FALSE: ... he abandoned scientific detachment and took the controversial step of forming relationships with his study animals.

2) a) What has the biologist discovered about the bear's diet? → The biologist has discovered that bears prefer to eat small insects which live in trees rather than fruit or honey. b) Why does he think humans are dangerous? → He thinks humans are dangerous because studies show that we kill more people than bears do.

3) a) animals (paragraph 1): creatures. b) confidence (paragraph 2): trust. c) distance (paragraph 2): detachment. d) move (in the air) (paragraph 3): wave.

4) a) Everybody believes (believe) that bears love eating/to eat (eat) honey. b) If we want to know the real facts about animals, we must/have to/need to/should/ought to study them in action. c) It's not necessary to dissect an animal to know a lot about it. → You don't have/need to dissect an animal to know a lot about it. You needn't dissect an animal to know a lot about it. d) When Rogers went near the bear, he called to it "Don't worry, bear!" → Rogers told the bear not to worry.

5) Pets in city flats? Argue for or against. There are many discussions about the issue of having animals in a flat, because there are people who are for and people who are against it. In my opinion, animals need space to live, but it does them no harm living in an apartment as long as owners take them out from time to time, depending on what kind of animals they are. In my experience, I have had many animals in my house: a bird, five turtles, a rabbit and now a dog. I found the rabbit in the field, so I returned it there, as it was born there and could not live in a closed space. As for the others, they were reared in captivity, so I could not let them go, because they would not know how to survive. In conclusion, based on where the animal has been reared, it can live free or not.

India's Economic Revival

1) a) In the past, people in the Western world dreamed about the treasures in South Asia. TRUE: Ever since the great Greek conqueror Alexander penetrated the Hindu Kush in 329 B.C., Europeans fantasized about the wealth of these lands where precious jewels were said to lie scattered on the ground like dust. b) While India was ruled by the British it became a typical example of underdevelopment. TRUE: By 1870, at the peak of the British dominion, India had been reduced for the first time to a Third World nation, a symbol across the globe of famine, poverty and deprivation.

2) a) Why are the Chinese emperors of the Ming dynasty mentioned in the text? → The Chinese emperors of the Ming dynasty are mentioned in the text because they were the sole rivals of the rulers of India. b) What kind of influence did the Portuguese, Dutch and British have on India? → The Portuguese, Dutch and British had a destructive effect on Indian trade and caused India to lose its economic power.

3) a) riches (paragraph 1): wealth b) powder (paragraph 1): dust c) highest point (paragraph 3): peak d) hunger (paragraph 3): famine

4) a) India is a country in South Asia which/that comprises most of the Indian subcontinent. The Ganges is the longest (long) river in India. b) The term "colony" comes from the Latin colonia, which originally meant (mean) a place for agricultural activities. c) "How long does it take to fly from London to India?"
"It takes (take) around nine hours." d) The Ming dynasty began in 1368, and lasted until 1644 AD. Its founder was a peasant who became Emperor after defeating (defeat) the Mongols and the Yuan Dynasty.

5) What distant or exotic country would you like to visit? Give reasons for your choice. There are many exotic places that I would like to visit, but what attracts me most is the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. No doubt it is one of the most beautiful places on the planet. Its rivers and waterfalls are what I like most about it, as their landscapes are the most beautiful and exotic. Its tropical climate is also one of the things I like, because I really enjoy warm weather and rain, which are among my favorite kinds of weather. The Amazon jungle, or simply the Amazon, is characterized by a large variety of fauna and flora, making it one of the most amazing places out there.