Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and constituting the biological family

Trochilidae. The majority of species occur in tropical and subtropical Central and South
America, but several species also breed in temperate climates and some hill stars occur even in
alpine Andean highlands at altitudes up to 5,200 metres.
Have you ever heard the sound of a hummingbird? They make a buzzing noise when they
fly. They make this noise because they beat their wings so fast, normally up to 80 times a
second. All that flapping makes a lot of noise. That's why we call them hummingbirds.
Hummingbirds fly in a unique way. They move their wings so fast that they can hover.
This means that they can stay in one spot in the middle of the air, like a helicopter. Sometimes
they fly or hover upside down. They are the only bird that flies backward.
Hummingbirds are small. One type called the bee hummingbird is the smallest bird in the
world. Bee hummingbirds weigh less than a penny. They are just a little bit bigger than bees. I
Bee hummingbirds build tiny nests. They use cobwebs and bits of bark to make their
homes. Their homes are only an inch around. This is big enough for their eggs though. Their
eggs are smaller than peas. People have found these tiny nests on a clothespin.
Hummingbirds move fast. It takes lots of energy to move as fast as they do. This means
that they need to eat a lot of food. Their favorite food is nectar, a sweet liquid inside of some
flowers. They drink more than their own weight in nectar daily. They have to visit hundreds of
flowers to get enough nectar to live. They can only store enough energy to survive through the
night. They live on the edge.
Hummingbirds don't use their long beaks like straws. They have a tongue just like you.
They use their tongues for eating. They flick their tongues in and out of their mouths while inside
of flowers. They lap up nectar. Flowers give them the energy that they need.
Hummingbirds help flowers too. They get pollen on their heads and bills when they feed.
Flowers use pollen to make seeds. Hummingbirds help pollen get from one flower to the next.
This helps flowers make more seeds. More seeds mean more flowers. More flowers mean more
food for hummingbirds. Isn't it nice how that works out?
1. Hummingbirds are known to __________.
A. live only in tropical countries
B. originate from America
C. die after they give birth
D. fly up to 10,000 metres height
2. The birds are named “Hummingbirds” because_____
A. They are very light.
B. They sing when they fly.
C. Their wings make a humming sound.
D. Their song sounds like humming.
3. The way that hummingbirds fly is unique because_____
A. They can fly faster than any other bird.
B. They can fly longer than any other bird.
C. They can fly forward and backward.
D. They have to take a rest after every hour of flying.
4. “hover” in paragraph 2 means_____
A. To stay in one spot in the air
B. To clean an area thoroughly
C. An animal that has hooves
D. To move your wings very fast
5. The bee hummingbird uses_______ to make nests
A. straw
B. concrete
C. bark
D. sticks
6. NOT true about hummingbirds
A. Bee hummingbird eggs are smaller than peas.
B. Bee hummingbirds weigh less than a penny.
C. Bee hummingbirds have built nests on clothespins.
D. Bee hummingbirds do not grow larger than bees.
7. Hummingbirds eat:
A. They drink nectar through their beaks like a straw.
B. They chew up flower petals with their beaks.
C. They use their heads and bills to eat pollen.
D. They lap up nectar with their tongues.
8. The main idea of paragraph 6 is_____
A. Hummingbirds use lots of energy and eat often.
B. Hummingbirds move fast.
C. Hummingbirds like to eat nectar.
D. Hummingbirds drink their weight in nectar every day.
9. Hummingbirds help flowers by___
A. Moving pollen around.
B. Eating flower seeds.
C. Eating pollen.
D. Planting seeds.
10. Best title?
A. Hummingbirds: Unique and Uniquely Helpful
B. Bee Hummingbirds: The World's Smallest Bird
C. Pollination: How Birds and Flowers Work Together
D. Interesting Facts about Birds
Jacob hated finishing things almost as much as he loved starting them. As a result, he
had gotten into a million hobbies and activities, but he never stuck with any of them long
enough to get any good.
He begged his mother for months for a guitar so that he could play Black Eyed Peas
songs to Angie, a girl he liked. He finally got one for Christmas and took a few lessons, but
strumming the strings hurt his fingers, so now the five-hundred dollar guitar lives under his
bed.
After reading an ad in the back of one of his comic books, Jacob decided that he
wanted a Wonder- Sweeper 5000 metal detector, so that he could find buried pirate treasure.
So he mowed lawns all summer and didn’t spend his money on ice-cream like his younger
brother, Alex. He saved it all in a shoe box in his closet. Then he shoveled driveways all
winter, and he didn’t spend his money on candy and chips like his classmates. By the time
spring came he had saved $200, and he purchased the Wonder-Sweeper 5000 metal detector.
He beeped it around the park for a while, but he soon found out that no pirates had ever set
sail in his neighborhood, and if they had they didn’t leave any treasure. Soon after that he
buried the metal detector in his closest.
Given Jacob’s history with hobbies, it was no surprise that Jacob’s father was reluctant
to buy him a magician’s kit for his birthday. But then he was reminded of his own youth long
ago, when he quit football and started karate practice before hardly getting his equipment
dirty. So when Jacob’s birthday came around, Jacob was both surprised and pleased to find the
magician’s kit that he had desired so badly with a big bright bow on it.
Jacob opened up the box and unwrapped the many parts in the kit. As he did so, he
imagined sawing his pet cat in half and putting it back together to the amazement of his
friends and family. As Jacob continued pulling plastic thumbs, foam balls, and giant playing
cards out of the magic kit, a commercial on the TV caught his attention. “Hey kids! Have you
ever wanted to go to space? Experience what it’s like to be an astronaut? Well, now you can.”
As the commercial continued playing, Jacob walked away from the magic kit and stared at the
TV screen longingly. “For only $195 you can go to space camp and live life like an astronaut
for a whole weekend. Enroll now for a once in a life time experience.” Jacob’s cry rang
throughout the house as he yelled, “MOM!” He now knew what his true purpose in life was.
1. Jacob stops playing the guitar because____
A. It hurt his fingers.
B. He’d rather play drums.
C. It was too easy.
D. He failed math.
2. Jacob wanted a metal detector because ________
A. He saw a man at the park with one.
B. His father told him he had one as a child.
C. He saw a TV commercial for one.
D. He read an ad for one in his book.
3. To earn enough money for the detector, Jacob did all of the following EXCEPT_________.
A. asking his mother for money
B. mowing lawns
C. shoveling driveways
D. spending nothing on ice cream, candy, and chips.
4. Jacob finally had the metal detector_____
A. In fall
B. In summer
C. In spring
D. In winter
5. The word “purchased” in paragraph 3 can be best replaced by _________.
A. owned
B. paid
C. made
D. bought
6. Jacob’s father didn’t want to get him the magician’s kit for his birthday because_____
A. Jacob had his own money and could buy it himself.
B. Jacob quit many expensive activities after a short time.
C. Jacob did not share his toys with his younger brother.
D. Jacob lost his interest in the kit and wanted a different gift.
7. Jacob’s father decided to buy Jacob the magician’s kit because_____
A. Jacob kept begging for it.
B. He was reminded of his childhood.
C. Jacob helped clean his dirty equipment.
D. Jacob agreed to keep it for long.
8. Jacob was distracted from the magician’s kit by______
A. An advertisement on TV
B. His mother’s yell
C. A new TV screen
D. His friends’ visit
9. Based on the end of the story, Jacob is most likely to go on and ________
A. Become a great magician
B. Continue learning to play the guitar
C. Detect an incredible hidden treasure
D. Raise money to go to the space camp
10. It can be inferred about Jacob from the text that_____
A. Jacob has become an excellent guitarist.
B. Jacob played with the magician’s kit for long
C. Jacob bought all his toys with his savings.
D. Jacob gives up his hobbies very easily.
Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452, in the small Tuscan town of Vinci, near
Florence. He was handsome, persuasive in conversation, and a fine musician and improviser.
About 1466 he apprenticed as a studio boy to Andrea del Verrocchio. In Verrocchio's workshop
Leonardo was introduced to many activities, from the painting of altarpieces and panel pictures
to the creation of large sculptural projects. In 1472, he was entered in the painter's guild of
Florence, and in 1476 he was still mentioned as Verroechio's assistant. In Verrocchio's Baptism
of Christ the kneeling angel at the left of the painting is by Leonardo.
In 1478 Leonardo became an independent master. His first commission, to paint an
altarpiece for the chapel of the Palazzo Vecchio, the Florentine town hall was never executed.
His first large painting, The Adoration of the Magi, left unfinished, was ordered in 1481 for the
Monastery of San Donato a Scopeto, Florence. Other works ascribed to his youth are the so-
called Benois Madonna, the portrait Ginerva de' Benci and the unfinished Saint Jerome.
In 1482, Leonardo's career moved into high gear when he entered the service of the duke of
Milan, Ludovico Sforza, having written the duke an astonishing letter in which he stated that he
could build portable bridges; that he knew the techniques of constructing bombardments and of
making cannons; that he could build ships as well as armored vehicles, catapults, and other war
machines; and that he could execute sculpture in marble, bronze, and clay.
The most important of his own paintings during the early Milan period was The Virgin of
the Rock, two versions of which exist; he worked on the compositions for a long time, as was
his custom, seemingly unwilling to finish what he had begun.

1. What is NOT mentioned about the young Leonardo da Vinci?

A. He was physically attractive.
B. He was a talented speaker.
C. He was well-connected.
D. He was gifted in many fields of art.
2. The word "apprenticed" in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to _______.
A. cleaned
B. painted
C. studied
D. mastered
3. It can be inferred that Andrea del Verrocchio____
A. was a novice writer.
B. was a well-known artist.
C. was Leonardo’s assistant.
D. had many studios.
4. Leonardo da Vinci became an independent master at the age of____
A. 22
B. 24
C. 26
D. 28
5. The first large painting by Leonardo da Vinci was____
A. The Adoration of the Magi
B. Ginerva de' Benci
C. Baptism of Christ
D. Saint Jerome
6. The word "catapults" in paragraph 3 is probably _______.
A. an animal
B. a weapon
C. a kind of food
D. A piece of art
It's often said that we learn things at the wrong time. University students frequently do
the minimum of work because they're crazy about a good social life instead. Children often
scream before their piano practice because it's so boring. They have to be given gold stars and
medals to be persuaded to swim, or have to be bribed to take exams. But the story is different
when you're older.
Over the years, I've done my share of adult learning. At 30, I went to a college and did courses in
History and English. It was an amazing experience. For starters, I was paying, so there was no
reason to be late – I was the one frowning and drumming my fingers if the tutor was late, not the
other way round. Indeed, if I could persuade him to linger for an extra five minutes, it was a
bonus, not a nuisance. I wasn't frightened to ask questions, and homework was a pleasure not a
pain. When I passed an exam, I had passed it for me and me alone, not for my parents or my
teachers. The satisfaction I got was entirely personal.
 Some people fear going back to school because they worry that their brains have got
rusty. But the joy is that, although some parts have rusted up, your brain has learnt all kinds of
other things since you were young. It has learnt to think independently and flexibly and is much
better at relating one thing to another. What you lose in the rust department, you gain in the
maturity department.
In some ways, age is a positive plus. For instance, when you're older, you get less
frustrated. Experience has told you that, if you're calm and simply do something carefully again
and again, eventually you'll get the hang of it. The confidence you have in other areas — from
being able to drive a car, perhaps — means that if you can't, say, build a chair instantly, you
don't, like a child, want to destroy your first pathetic attempts. Maturity tells you that you will,
with the application, eventually get there.

1. It is implied in paragraph 1 that ________.

A. young learners are usually lazy in their class
B. teachers should give young learners less homework
C. young learners often lack good motivation for learning
D. parents should encourage young learners to study more
2. The writer's main point in paragraph 2 is to show that as people grow up, ________.
A. they cannot learn as well as younger learners
B. they have a more positive attitude towards learning
C. they tend to learn less as they are discouraged
D. they get more impatient with their teachers
3. The phrase For starters in paragraph 2 could best be replaced by ________.
A. For beginners B. First and foremost
C. At the starting point D. At the beginning
4. While doing some adult learning courses at a college, the writer was surprised ________.
A. to have more time to learn
B. to be able to learn more quickly
C. to feel learning more enjoyable
D. to get on better with the tutor
5. In paragraph 3, the word rusty means ________.
A. not as good as it used to be through lack of practice
B. impatient because of having nothing to do
C. covered with rust and not as good as it used to be
D. staying alive and becoming more active
6. The phrase get there in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to ________.
A. have the things you have long desired
B. achieve your aim with hard work
C. arrive at an intended place with difficulty
D. receive a school or college degree