Secondary 1, English, Worksheet 2, Section B: Comprehension & Vocabulary – tbc
There are a total of 17 questions.
Time Limit: minutes
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Completed:
a) 17 questions already input into LMS. Including sub-questions.
b) categorized.
To follow up:
a) marks allocation
b) time limit
c) requires model answers and workings / explanations (if any);
d) review and determine if format /presentation is appropriate. Currently format used is:
Fill in the blanks: Section B, part 1 – 3. However, if Part 3 is to use fill in the blanks, it can end up with being too rigid. Suggest that the format be essay / open answer instead. If yes, please decide if text entry or file upload.
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Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
The Vanishing Amphibians
Frogs, toads and salamanders usually make us think of green, slimy little monsters. However, these ‘monsters’; actually belong to a very special class of animals: the amphibians. Amphibians can live both on land and in water. They commonly inhabit ponds, rivers, marshes and other wetlands.
Today, amphibians are vanishing by leaps and bounds from all the six continents where they are found. More than 25 countries are reporting a drastic drop in the population of amphibians. In some places, embryos are dying; in others, adults are missing. Why are they dying off?
Scientists blame human interference. Industrial waste and toxic gases given out by factories, manufacturing plants and cars are steadily poisoning the breeding grounds of amphibians. Chemicals such as sulphur dioxide rise high into the atmosphere and mix with rain. This makes the rain acidic which destroys delicate amphibian embryos.
Many rare species of amphibians are already extinct. Costa Rica’s Golden Toads all mate at the same time. They have not been seen since 1989. The Australian Gastric Brooding Frog is extinct. Leopard Frog numbers are dropping in the Rocky Mountains and in the prairies of the United States and Canada. Leopard Frogs live in the wetland regions in these areas. The wetlands are being drained to make way for highways, industries and new housing.
Another threat to the amphibians is increased ultraviolet radiation. Ultraviolet rays come from the sun and are extremely harmful to living things. They can cause skin cancer in humans. Luckily for us, ultraviolet rays are blocked by a thick layer of ozone above the earth’s atmosphere. Ozone is a special kind of oxygen which absorbs ultraviolet radiation. Now, the ozone layer is being destroyed by chemicals called CFC’s which are given off by factories. A hole in the ozone layer was discovered over Antarctica in the late 1980’s. As a result, more ultraviolet rays are reaching the earth and more amphibians are dying.