TEXT 1

Unlike beloved children’s stories, nature is a cruel, hard world that is painted not in
watercolors but in blood. A study found that chemicals released by plants as they are eaten can
help push caterpillars to cannibalism. Many plants release the chemical methyl jasmonate when
stressed or damaged. Getting gnawed on by a caterpillar is stressful, so when the caterpillars start
biting, the chemical flare goes up. Other nearby plants sense the flare and start producing their
own methyl jasmonate, building a chemical camouflage around their leaves and stems. Once all
the food sources taste terrible, caterpillars turn to the next available meal: each other. Plants with
the time to build up a strong defense can make their leaves so unappetizing that caterpillars will
start eating each other to get their fill, leaving the plant alone.
Researchers now plan to also look into how insect viruses are transferred during their
more carnivorous period. If viruses that harm caterpillars are transferred more easily by
cannibalism, that could be a gain for the plants. Not only are their leaves protected from pests,
but now those predators are spreading disease amongst themselves, reducing the herbivore
population further.
Interestingly enough, cannibalism can serve some important functions among these
herbivores. Eating each other literally takes the competition out of the food chain, and keeps the
surviving population strong in a time when food chain, and keeps the surviving population strong
in a time when food might be scarce. Therefore, we should not be too quick to judge this fuzzy
tittle cannibalism. It’s a bug eat bug world out there.
1. The topic of this passage is …
a. Caterpillars’ consumption behavior
b. Cannibalism and its effect on caterpillars
c. The effect of methyl jasmonate on insect
d. Plant’s defense mechanism against herbivores
e. The cause and effect cannibalism among caterpillars
 TEXT 2
The word gambut (peat) is taken from the name of a village, Desa Gambut (now Gambut
sub-district), which is located about 10 km east of Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan. It is at this
place that for the first time, rice has been successfully cultivated in peat soiled rice fields. In the
soil taxonomy system, peat soils are grouped into a separate soil order called histosis, which
means that the land is predominantly composed of organic soil materials in the form of the
remains of plant tissues. The nature and characteristics of peat soils can be determined based on
their physical and chemical properties.

Gambut has dark brown to blackish colors. Although its basic materials are gray, brown,
or reddish, after decomposition, the dark humic compounds will appear. Furthermore, based on
the weight of the contents, peat soil or Gambut, which has undergone further decomposition, has
a content weight ranging from 0.2 to 0.3 g/cm³. Due to the low content weight, peat has a large
capacity as water storage, about 2-4 times its dry weight. In fact, moss peat that has not been
decomposed can store up to 12 or 15 even 20 times more water than its own weight. In addition,
peat soil has a large absorption area, which is up to 4 times greater than montmorillonite clay.

Next, peat soil has acidic reaction properties. Decomposition of organic matters will
produce organic acids that accumulate in the body of the soil hence increasing the acidity of the
peat soil. Generally, peat soil shows real resistance to changes in pH when compared to mineral
soils. As a result, peat soil requires more limestone to increase the pH at the same level of the
value of mineral soil. Thus, peat soil requires a higher dose of fertilizers than mineral soil.

Furthermore, based on the nutrients contained in it, peat soil is a type of nutrient-poor
soil. High levels of N and organic matters in peat soils are also accompanied by a high N
nitrification process so that the activity of heterotrophic organisms is not well stimulated and the
organisms active in the nitrification process can carry out their activities. Therefore, the levels of
P (phosphorus) and K (potassium) of peat soils are generally lower than that of the mineral soils.
Also, the plants cultivated on the peat soil are very responsive to the fertilization using P and K.

1. What is the main idea of the passage?

a. Peat soil has good properties as fertilizers

b. Peat soil is physically and chemically different
c. Peat soil has certain physical and chemical properties
d. Peat soil has chemical properties that are quite different from clay
e. Peat soil is brown because of its physical and chemical properties
TEXT 3
The impacts of electronic commerce in a developing country can be helpful rather than
detrimental. Electronic commerce has the potential to tie developing countries into the rest of the
world so they are no longer considered outsiders. For example, electronic commerce can enable
more people to access products a serve that once were not available. Another benefit is that
electronic commerce stores are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week as the infrastructure for
electronic commerce keeps growing, services that were not offered in the past become available.
Many of these benefits have not been proven yet, but the technology is now available, and
developing countries are looking forward to these benefits. The high cost of technology may still
be detrimental in many developing countries; however, the constant innovation of software and
hardware will hopefully reduce these costs.
Consumers in developing countries can benefit from electronic commerce because they
can buy product that could only be found in major cosmopolitan cities. Electronic commerce is
closing the gap between the countries have wide availability of products and those with limited
availability. The basic purpose of electronic commerce is to provide goods and services to
consumers who do not live close to the physical location of the product of service and would
otherwise have a hard time acquiring these products and services.
Society and consumers alike have only begun to enjoy the benefits of electronic commerce.
Since new developments are made on a continuous basis, it will eventually affect every
individual. Some of the benefits enjoyed by society and consumers, for example, are ease of
transaction, comparability of products, quick delivery and the ability to make any type of
transaction at any given time of day.

Electronic commerce facilitates delivery of public and social services, such as healthcare,
education and distribution of government social services at a reduced cost, improving the quality
of care and living in these communities. For example, healthcare services can reach patients in
rural areas.

1. What is the topic of the text?

a. Government policy on electronic commerce
b. Types of business suitable for electric commerce
c. The benefits of electronic commerce for developing countries
d. The gap between countries applying and not applying electronic commerce
e. Minimum requirements of software and hardware for electronic commerce
TEXT 4
The earth's crust is split into a number of tectonic plates
that float above the hot magma liquid. The plates keep moving.
This is called tectonic plate, and the trigger for earthquakes.
Strong earthquakes occur when two tectonic plates collide
with each other. As a result, the high tension arises at the edges
of the two plates. The power continues to increase and it
eventually reaches an optimal point. When that energy is
released, an earthquake occurs.
There are also two plates that collide and squeeze each
other in the coastal area of Japan. The edges these tectonic plates
are finally pressed to earth. A curved plate is released under
another plate with a higher density. If the pressure caused by
collision of the tectonic plates is released suddenly, then a
natural disaster occurs in the form of a huge earthquake.
The earthquake has also threatened the west coast of the
United States. The two plates rub against an area called the San
Andreas Fault. The length of the rubbing plate is about 1.000
kilometers. The resulting friction also causes collisions. The two
plates are currently sliding past each other. Since the fault is
formed by natural disasters that can occur anytime.
Tectonic plates on the surface of the earth always move
dynamically so that earthquakes often occur at the edge of each
plate. The most famous earthquake area is the Pacific fire ring
which stretches from Chile in South America across the eastern
coast of North America, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia to the
Tonga Island.

1. What is the main idea of the passage above?

a. The San Andreas Fault causes earthquakes on the west

coast of the United States
b. Strong earthquakes that occur in the sea can trigger
tsunami
c. The movement of tectonic plates causes earthquakes
d. Tectonic plates are fragmented by earth crusts
e. Huge earthquakes occur in the continent of Asia
 TEXT 5
Humans have a unique affinity for bitter food, like coffee,
and broccoli. Most other animals interpret a bitter taste as a
warning to stay away from a non-edible material, but some
humans can’t get enough of it. According to a new study people
with the greatest affinity for bitter foods may even have more
psychopathic and antisocial tendencies.
In the study, 500 participants were asked how much they
enjoyed different examples of sweet, sour, salty, and bitter
foods. Then, they were asked to take a series of personality
assessment quizzes to evaluate aggression, each of the
Dark Triad measures (narcissism, psychopathy, and
Machiavellianism), everyday sadism (verbal, physical, and
vicarious), as well as Big Five personality traits, which include
extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional
stability, and openness.
The researchers found that people who liked bitter foods
were also more likely to score highly in measures of
psychopathy, sadism, and aggression. In fact, they write, an
affinity for bitter foods was a better predictor of personality than
any of the other tastes.
This study adds valuable information to the little-explored
question of how personality relates to taste preferences.
However, understanding what makes a person like a particular
food is a complex knot of biology and psychology, influenced
by her sensitivity to tastes and odors as well as past experiences.
Moreover, the study doesn’t provide any information about what
might cause that preference is it biology or psychology, or both?
This information might be even more valuable than the study at
hand.
1. What is the main idea of the passage?

a. A research has lent a new insight on food affinity

b. Food preference can be a reflection of one’s personality
c. Mental disorders may be a common problem in society
d. What we eat may trigger our negative traits and emotions
e. A study on taste has discovered a groundbreaking
finding