Reading Comprehension 70 - Insects

Insects

Insects are found throughout the world except on the poles. Fossil records indicate that many species exist today in much the same form as they did 200 million years ago. Their enormous biological success is attributed to their small size, and the remarkable adaptive abilities of the group as a whole, shown by the enormous variety in body structure and way of life. The mouth parts may be adapted to chewing, sucking or lapping and the legs for running, jumping or swimming. Insects may feed on plants or prey upon other small animals or parasitize larger ones; they may be omnivorous or highly specialized in their diets. They display a remarkable variety of adaptive shapes and colours that may serve either as camouflage or as warning. So me have stinging spines or hairs and blistering or noxious secretions, used for defense.

1. According to the passage, insects ----.

A) have remained the same in the early years of their existence
B) differ in certain qualities, which enables them to adjust to the
        environment they live in
C) cannot swim well enough to live in water so they prefer to live on land
D) rarely need camouflage as they are too small to be noticed
E) used to live on the poles in the distant past

2. We can understand from the passage that insects have achieved to maintain their existence for a very long time ----.

A) but they are not likely to live much longer
B) as a result of the way they are able to defend themselves
C) due to being able to parasitize all other living organisms
D) thanks to their size and their adaptive abilities
E) though they haven't been able to become adaptive to any kind of
        environment

3. The passage is mainly concerned with ----.

A) how insects live and survive in groups
B) the highly specialized diet of insects
C) why insects are not able to live in some parts of the world
D) why people do not like insects
E) the features of insects that have enabled them to survive

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